Reviews of washing machines with direct drive

For the past seven years, advertisers have been actively promoting direct-drive washing machines, vying with each other to extol the advantages of these machines over those with traditional belt drives. So much has been said on this topic that it's now impossible for the average consumer to discern what's true and what's fiction in this mass of information. To separate the wheat from the chaff, let's look at reviews from consumers who have actually used these washing machines. What are their impressions?

LG E1096SD3

Larisa Alekseeva

Date of purchase: March 20, 2013

Pros: low noise, low vibration

Disadvantages: Doesn't pick up powder very well

This is my second automatic washing machine; before that, I had an Ardo, which worked flawlessly for 10 years. The salespeople at the mall praised the LG direct-drive model, so I decided to give it a try. In two years of use, I've had almost no problems. The new machine is noticeably quieter than the old Ardo, even though we installed the LG in the same place where the Ardo was. The only thing that bothers me is the picky powder tray; it refuses to “eat” some powders; the larger the granules, the more difficult it is to remove them from the tray. I solved the problem by buying fine-grained powder, now everything is fine.

Marina Antonova

Date of purchase: January 2014

Pros: beautiful, weighs laundry automatically, doesn't make noise during washing and spinning.

Disadvantages: annoying sound when water is poured.

I've never had good luck with washing machines; this is my third in the last six years. I bought my first one at an Indesit sale. The motor and electronics failed after a year, and repairs were expensive, so I threw it out. Then I bought an Atlant, and after a year and a half, some circuit board burned out. The repairman told me it would cost 7,000 rubles to repair, even though the machine cost me 10,000 rubles, so I had to send it away for parts. Now I'm using an LG E1096SD3 with direct drive, and I'm afraid it will break too, but so far, so good.

Honestly, when I bought it, the first thing I noticed was its appearance. It's a beautiful car, I liked it, and it was only later that I learned about the direct drive and other features. It washes quite well, but the annoying sound when drawing water is annoying. I'm taking one point off the machine just for this sound, so my rating is 4.

LG F1495BDS

Liza Popryadukhina

Date of purchase: February 2, 2015

Pros: huge load capacity, washes clothes very clean, steam treatment.

Disadvantages: a bit noisy at 1400 rpm, uses a lot of water, very expensive.

I got my LG F1495BDS washing machine with direct drive from my parents (a birthday gift). When I found out the price, I immediately scolded them for spending so much. No matter how wonderful the machine is, I wouldn't have paid that much for it myself. The load capacity is incredible—compared to my old Electrolux 4.5 kg, you could practically crawl into the drum yourself. I washed two black jackets in one go, and there was still plenty of room for more clothes, as the drum wasn't completely full.

I've gotten used to using the steam function; it makes ironing very easy. Incidentally, I sometimes overdry clothes, hang them outside, and forget about them, and then they become stiff. I throw them in the machine, set the steam function for 15 minutes, and then iron them—it's a breeze. The downsides are the noise during the spin cycle and the high water consumption (the water meter now uses significantly more). Nevertheless, the washing machine gets a 5, but with a long minus.

LG F12U2HDM1N

Albina Egoshina

Date of purchase: October 28, 2015

Pros: quiet, has drying.

Disadvantages: there is no delicate wash cycle that I am used to.

I wanted an LG washing machine with direct drive and looked at many options. Then I looked at LG washing machine reviews and finally settled on the LG F12U2HDM1N model. What attracted me first of all was the fact that this model, in addition to a direct drive and a bunch of functions, has a fully functional, well-functioning dryer. And all this for $450. The washing machine is unusually quiet, I was a little worried it might break, but no, it washed everything perfectly.

The only thing I didn't like about it was the lack of a delicate wash cycle. I used to wash my shirts and blouses on that cycle when I had an Indesit. The F12U2HDM1N has a gentle wash cycle, but it's completely unimportant. Shirts don't wash well, and blouses don't wash at all. I'll try experimenting with other cycles to see if I can find something suitable. I give this model a 5-star rating.

LG E10B8ND

Tatyana Puchenkina

Date of purchase: October 2014.

Advantages: spins well, does not rattle during washing and spinning.

Disadvantages: annoying melody at the end of washing.

We're not big fans of the LG brand, but my father and I decided to buy the LG E10B8ND. We liked the price and the features. Now I recommend direct-drive washing machines to all my friends; they're really quieter. I have used Electrolux, Bosch and Indesit, and this one turned out to be the quietest of them all. I was also pleased with the spin speed. I specifically set it to 800 rpm – the laundry was almost dry, although I could have set it to 1000. On other machines, the spin speed at 800 rpm is significantly worse.

I really disliked the end-of-wash melody. It's incredibly annoying that they couldn't have recorded something more neutral, instead of that beeping monstrosity. Overall, I think it was a great value for money; the machine deserves a good rating.

Evgenia Malygina

Date of purchase: February 18, 2015

Pros: has automatic weighing, countdown, washes children's clothes well.

Disadvantages: the sound control cannot be turned off.

I'll start with the downsides, since there aren't many. There's only one downside, but it's a significant one: The machine makes a loud beeping sound when setting the program, starting and finishing the wash. My baby gets really scared by these sounds, but I can't do anything about it; they're audible throughout the entire apartment. I studied the instructions, tried to find a way to turn the sound off, and found the steps, but the sound still persisted.

Now about the pros. The washing machine uses little water thanks to automatic weighing. I've actually noticed that when there are few items in the drum, it uses less water; when there are many, it uses more. I usually load the drum with a minimal amount of laundry, as I often wash the baby's clothes. It washes beautifully, and the display shows how much is left until the wash cycle is complete. Rating: 5.

LG F10A8HDS

Elena Ivanovna

Purchase date: September 1, 2015.

Pros: spacious drum, you can add laundry before the end of the wash, spins very well.

Disadvantages: it works a bit noisy.

I bought this model to replace a German washing machine that had been in use for 14 years. I specifically asked the seller to find me a quieter model, but I almost returned it. It's quite loud, so I went to my neighbor's (she has an Ardo) and was reassured; hers is much louder. Otherwise, I'm happy with the machine. There are a lot of washing programs, automatic weighing, a lot of laundry can be placed, you can wash large and bulky items.

I'm very pleased with the quick wash program. It takes very little time to wash, and the wash quality is excellent. I also liked the sportswear mode; it washes my tracksuits gently and cleans them perfectly. Overall, I didn't return the machine; I'll keep using it. I give it a good rating.

In conclusion, we note that consumers have generally positive opinions about each of the washing machine models presented. Direct drive technology does make the machine quieter, but not significantly so. Some consumers don't notice a difference, although noise levels in some successful models have been reduced by up to a quarter.

   

1 reader comment

1. February 8, 2016 at 12:58 PM

   Vic:

   I've had an LG direct-drive washing machine for about three years now. It works just as well as my previous one (Indesit). It's quieter and shakes less. It's relatively inexpensive. I'm completely satisfied with it so far.

   Answer