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Ok, didn't want to hijack the other thread so thought I'd start a new one... Aavt you must tell me about this washer!! It's a funny coincidence that just after I posted on the other thread I got our weekly flyers and was looking through for sales on appliances. Front page of a local store is the SilverCare by Samsung for a reasonable price *and* it's in a color that would look fabulous in my new laundry room (I took a big plunge with the color on the walls and this would be soooo cool with it!).
Ok, so color isn't my number one motivator but I also like that it has a really big capacity (biggest I've seen without paying way more than I want to!) and now you mention the good spin, which was also on my list of 'must haves'... And you say the silver cycle thing is an option, that's one the things that was concerning me and I was just coming on to try to research it a little more. We'll be on a septic system at the new place so while I think the silver thing is pretty cool (and while I don't know how effective the method is in the machine, silver is probably the oldest and most effective anti-bacterials known to man!) I was hesitant to use something that might have a negative effect on the septic tank (not to mention the river just a mile down the hill!). But if it's just an option then I can just not use it until and unless I'm sure it's not harmful!!! The price is a little more than what I wanted to spend but with the sale not that much and it would offer me a higher capacity than I thought I'd be able to get with the slightly cheaper ones. And did I mention the color is great? LOL!
So anyway, tell me more, do you like yours a lot? Would you buy it again? Is it very noisy? Any problems I should know of before I take the plunge?
Thanks,
Karen. |
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Yes, the silver care is just a button to press, so you don't have to use it at all unless you want to. I think it works by rubbing a silver bar on something? Anyway, it's supposed to last about 1,000 cycles (I think that's 1,000 cycles of its use, not just 1,000 wash cycles).
One thing I will say is that it can be a bit hard to find out the spin speed. Mine is 1300rpm, but they can vary a bit; I think I could find it on the store or ask the salesperson to look it up, but just looking online at the different store blurbs or lists of options, it's not often there.
I think I have the 4.0 cu ft one, but I see that now they come in 4.5 (wow, but not sure I'd really need one that big, as I can easily fit a queen comforter in mine).
Overall, I've been happy with my machine, but I do have to give the caveat that I've had it only one year. I also don't know that I can say that it's superior to others out there, as I have limited experience. I had been thinking about buying an LG, since my sister-in-law loves hers, but I heard several places that they aren't great for main-floor/second-floor laundries because of their vibration (apparently they can actually "walk" around the floor). The Samsungs are supposed to have a vibration reduction technology that makes them better for non-slab uses. LG may have addressed this since then, and I don't know about other brands for that. The service guy I talked to did say that he has a very hard time getting LG parts, but hopefully that wouldn't be an issue!
Once I decided that LG was probably out, I was weighing this Samsung vs. a Maytag. The money was about the same (some kind of sale), but I think I could get slightly higher spin speed on the Samsung, and DH felt that the door on the Maytag seemed a bit flimsy.
My machine does jiggle a tiny bit when it's at warp speed, but it has never budged. It's not terribly loud, although when it is at high spin I am glad that I no longer have my washing machine next to the kitchen table!
I had a Bosch in the UK and really liked that little machine (only I did try not to be running cycles during dinner because conversation was a challenge!). One thing I really liked about it was that it hooked up only to the cold water, and controlled the wash temperature exclusively with an internal heater. I was a bit disappointed to find that my Samsung, although it has an internal heater, does rely on the hot water supply (it does heat up water to 150F for the sanitary cycle). I suspect that most (if not all) NA work this way, but if that matters to you, maybe look into it. I'm not sure I'd care if I weren't washing diapers, though, and phew! You’re mostly beyond that. I liked my Bosch well enough that I probably would have bought one here if I could have found one that stacked. I hope that after five years with the Samsung I will be just as satisfied.
All that to say, I haven’t experienced anything in the past year that would make me warn you off. As you said in an earlier thread, there really are so many conflicting opinions out there that it’s hard to know if you’re picking a clear winner. Color seems as good a reason as any at this point. :-)
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| Too funny--I just got off the phone with a friend whose DH went out and bought one of these (silver care, 1300, no steam). She's loving it, but again, has had it only a week. |
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Thanks. Huh, weird eh? First my off-the-wall post, then the flyer, then your friend... It's like the Universe wants me to buy this machine! LOL!
Yeah, I think it works by running some kind of electrical current through the silver bar in order to get it to release the ions into the wash water, something like that anyway.
The color isn't as cool as I thought, it's actually a blue whereas the lighting in the room and the printing on the flyer made it look more purple. Still might work but it might not in which case I'd be going with white or silver, which most others come in those colors. So color isn't as fun a part of it as I originally thought, I'd have to see it in person.
Size was really a big deal to me, I absolutly wanted the biggest I could afford. That is, right up until a second ago... Reading your post made me realize that perhaps size isn't that big a deal after all. I don't want a really small washer of course but really a bigger capacity doesn't help much if we run out of clothes while waiting to have a full load now does it? Sure we have a big family and all, but I'm managing just fine with my 3 cu ft. (or thereabouts, maybe 3.5) top loader, do I really need one that's that much bigger??? That's one of the things I was so happy about was that it was the biggest available without paying $1000 more than the slightly smaller ones. I was stuck on this idea that the biggest I could afford made absolute sense with a big family but I'm actually rethinking that... I don't wash comforters all that often and even when I do, 4 cu. ft. should be enough right?
Hmmm, ok now I'm just babbling to myself... So much to think about...
Karen. |
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Hmmm, see the Samsung I was considering is 4.5 cu. ft, 1200 RPM and has the VRT (vibration reducing technology). They want $2498 on sale and no GST (that's a 5% federal tax). They charge like $60 for delivery.
But I can get another 4 cu. ft. Samsung, 1300 RPM, VRT and the same Silvercare thingie (not that I really care) for $1899 plus taxes. Free delivery plus this is the same store that I bought my other new appliances so I'm assuming they'd all come together.
So basically I'm paying $550 extra for that extra .5 cu ft capacity. I'm thinking that's really not worth it, anyone have any experience to say that that extra capacity is really worth it?
Karen. |
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| Reading those prices makes me think it's a good time to be south of the border! Have any friend down here you want to see? How about a road trip with a minivan sans back seat--do you think the border agents would wonder what's in the big box? |
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LOL! Yeah, I think they'd wonder. And I think they'd surely want to charge me duty and taxes!! Unfortunetly for stuff like this I don't think it's worth it, especially that the closest US small town is like 2 hours away (4 hour round trip).
Those are Canadian $ so once you convert into US $ it's not as bad as it looks, but yeah our prices are notoriously higher up here...
I think I've finally made up my mind and I'm going with the cheaper option mentioned above. Unless the salesperson shows me something I missed or that's not on their website I think this is what's best for us. I kinda feel like I'm not doing my frugal shopper duty by going in person to every single store in town to comparison shop but I think I've got a good handle on things judging by all their websites and I just don't have the energy/time to do that.
Now wish me luck in trying to maybe negotiate that price a little lower or maybe at least get a little freebie or two thrown in! I'm such a bad negotiator!!!
One last question, do you have the pedestals that go with them? A friend told me that they seriously regret not buying them and that they're really a must, any input on that anyone?
Karen. |
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| It seems you've made up your mind...but to add to a post above...the extra large washer isn't worth it b/c you may have to do laundry more often due do messy children, avoiding stains, smelly damp clothes, etc. As for the pedestals - go for it! You don't want to be bending over all the time. I did that and it's WAY better to have them higher. That being said, I don't have the pedestals, I have them on a cupboard with a pull out drawer. It's part of the Mill's Pride series at Home Depot. We just chopped off the top (or something like that). It was cheaper and the cupboards match the rest of our laundry room. Good luck! |
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My smuggling comment was after going and looking up the current conversion rate! What I think is the same machine here is just under $900 USD, before whatever the sale of the day is. Yikes.
I do very much like being able to put a comforter through the wash when necessary. I couldn't do fit anything bigger than a thin twin in my UK FL (and get it wet in the middle), so ended doing some bathtub washing. Not ideal, but I didn't have good access to a laundromat. I can comfortably fit a queen into the 4.0, and that's really the biggest item I'd need to wash (and I really don't know that I'd plan around such a rare washing event). When I was shopping, I was at one point looking at something bigger, maybe 4.2? and the salesperson actually counselled against it (much not have been commission!) because they didn't feel like most people really have that much laundry (or that many clothes) to have sitting around to run truly full loads. You have a larger family than I, but with four of us I end up running maybe two loads a week that aren't diapers. It's actually probably less than that.
I don't have pedestals. I'm tall, so if my laundry room were going to be in its configuration forever, I might want the machines elevated (don't know that I'd spring for the official pedestals, but maybe you could get them thrown in free in your negotiations?). We're hoping, however, someday to redo things and stack the machines, so pedestals didn't make sense. You'd mentioned before thinking about using the machine tops as counters (or put a top over them?); I'm not sure what pedestal heights are, but would that make said counter too high for you (or kids if you want them using it?). If you are going to use the surface for folding, sorting, etc., you want it to be no higher than elbow height, I'd think, probably a smidge lower. It'd be worth thinking about what you what for the space and standing against one at the store. |
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Just one thing to add. If you get the pedestal make sure you ask if they will put the washer on it when they deliver. I assumed they would (Sears) but when they delivered it they put it on the floor and wouldn't move it. We ended up returning the pedestal because there was no way we could have lifted it ourselves and it was in a tight spot.
Enjoy your new toy! |
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Good point about the instalation. My hubby, his brother and dad could probably manage but they'd probably damage my wall, the floor and the machines in the process!! ;-)
aavt, just thought of something, those prices aren't just for the washer, they're for the washer and matching dryer, I should have clarified that. Maybe that's why they seemed so outrageous?? What's really broken is our dryer, washer still technically works but is on it's last legs anyway so I'm replacing both... I've only been talking about the washer because that seems the biggest decision to make. It's most expensive and has the most features to consider etc...
Yeah, I think the 4 cu. ft will be plenty big for us. More than that and I'd have to buy more clothes and that's NOT happening!
Karen. |
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| Ah. I couldn't fathom why it would be nearly double the cost, but that makes much more sense!! |
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Yes, still more expensive but a little more reasonable at least...
Well, I bought it!! Although I didn't buy exactly what I originally had in mind. The set with the Silvercare and 1300 RPM was $1899 like I said. But then the salesperson showed me another set that was almost exactly the same except without the Silvercare, the RPM was slightly lower at 1100 RPM and it was only available in two colors instead of 4. I don't care about the Silvercare part and I wanted white (the other colors wouldn't have worked in my funky dark purple & white laundry room) so the only real difference was the RPMs. The guy said it would offer a performance difference of maybe 4-5% so it just wasn't worth an extra $200 just for that. Everything else was the same, all the features, cycles, size and vibration reduction. So I'm pretty happy. Although Audrey, I figure we must have had the same salesperson because when he heard I didn't care about the Silvercare as such he's the one that actually recomended the cheaper machine!! LOL!
Decided to skip the pedestals for now at least. I do want to put a counter over top of the machines and the pedestals would raise them too high for that. So it's only the bending thing that's an advantage and I figure I'm young enough yet that it's not that important! By the time I'm old enough that it's an important feature these machines will probably need replacing anyway!
Thanks for all your help, it's all really helped in making my decision!
Karen.
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Hi Karen,
I'm reviving this old thread, hoping you might comment on your likes/dislikes of your machine now that you've owned it for over a year. Do you ever use the sanitize option on your diapers? Are you happy with how it washes dipes and your clothes? Has it required any repairs while still under warranty?
Thanks in advance,
Crystal |
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Hi Crystal,
I'm pretty happy with the washer. Although honestly I think if I had to do it over again I'd buy a bigger one. I ended up going with a smaller model (I think it's something like 3.5) and although it's ok I often wish it was bigger. If I had to do it over again I'd get at least 4.0, with a family of 6 I think it would be worth it. I regularly have to do multiple loads of one color so I think a bigger washer could reduce how many loads I have to do. But I can fit a queen sized quilt in there with no real problems (I do add water when I do that though, just to be sure it all gets wet enough) so I suppose I can't really complain.
Other than that I'm very happy with it. Washes my diapers well, although admitedly I'm only washing nighttime pee diapers, nothing with poop... No repairs have been necessary so far at all, although it might need rebalancing as it sometimes knocks around quite a bit if I put too much in there.
I have used the sanitize option with the diapers and it certainly works well. For a while I used it everytime because it seemed necessary. Now I've discovered that it was only necessary because I probably didn't have enough cleaning power. But it's nice if you have to strip. I did often add water (poured through the detergent compartment) though I haven't been bothering lately... I could post a novel about detergents and such, doing some experimenting now and I'll post my results in a few weeks if anyone is interested.
Didn't get the silvercare option, not necessary I don't think. Though it would have been an interesting gadget to experiment with I think.
So based on my experience so far I'd definetly recommend the Samsung and would probably buy one again.
Karen. |
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Hi Karen,
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. My husband and I have decided to buy a 4.3 cu ft Samsung washer with 1200 rpm and an on board heater on sale this weekend and it's nice to hear from others who are happy with their Samsung machine. There's so much conflicting reviews on the web that it makes my head spin at time! The machine we've chosen does not have the silver care option but I don't think it's worth spending an extra $400 for to the next model up. I'm dealing with some stinky dipes at times now that my toddler's urine seems more concentrated. I think I was using too little detergent in my top loader. I've also added Borax and that seems to be helping. I'm hoping the sanitize option on the new machine will be an extra help since my current top loader takes my hot water and actually adds some cold, which I find frustrating since I have to keep my hot water heater at 120F to reduce the risk of scalding to my toddler, which means I'm washing at a temp well below what ME recommends (160F).
Thanks again for your feedback. I look forward to reading more about your detergent experiments!
Crystal |
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I know what you mean about the conflicting reviews. In the end I just more/less decided to ignore them and go for the popular brand that had the best combination of price and features I wanted. All I can say is that so far I've been happy with my Samsung. And my fridge is also a Samsung and happy with it too. Of course they're both new so I wouldn't expect problems at this point so who knows...
For the detergent so far my experiments really seem to be pointing in the direction that we're all wayyyy too worried about build-up, using too little detergent and that causes way more problems than anything else. And I know this completly contradicts pretty much ALL recomendations for washing diapers and what I've been saying for ages too so I want to continue my experiments before I really go out on a limb and pronounce myself.
Of course, too cold water isn't the best for washing diapers so the hotter water from the sanitary cycle should definetly help. Shouldn't be necessary all the time but at least it can help get them nice & clean to start fresh. It definetly works well to get dipes clean, but if you can avoid using it all the time it's probably best because over time the constant high heat could lead to premature wearing of the elastic (and PUL if you're using AIOs, pockets or washing covers along with the diapers). Every so often shouldn't be too bad though so you could use it to give them a deep cleaning every so often... For what it's worth I used it every cycle for several months and my bedwetter pants are still doing great.
Karen. |
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