If one unit is good, then two must be even better, right?
Samsung has now developed a 2-in-1 washer and dryer, so you will have amazing capacity and flexibility. It's a great concept, but is it worth buying?
In order to answer this, we will look at front load laundry in the industry, Samsung as a company, and then this new 2-in-1 laundry set.
Since top load laundry was created, the average usable capacity of a washer was about 2.5 cubic feet without the agitator. (An agitator is a spindle located in the center of a washing machine's drum to move clothes around for better cleaning.)
In the 1990s, the early front loads were 3.5 to 4 cu. ft.
Now, the average front load washer is about 4.4 cu. ft. That's almost double what our parents and grandparents used.
Samsung, based in South Korea, is one of the largest companies in the world.
Like most companies, they've had their hiccups along the way. Such as a washer recall and a political scandal.
However, they along with rival LG, have revolutionized how we buy appliances in the U.S., especially in laundry and French door refrigeration.Their attention to form and innovation has triggered their popularity.
So, let's take a look at their new product.
Compared to most front load washers, the new Samsung is 6 cu. ft. total. It has an astounding 5 cu. ft. in the main wash plus an additional 1 cubic foot on the top. No other washer with the same width as this unit has more than 4.5 cu. ft. in capacity.
The added top loader allows you to use both washers simultaneously without mixing the water from both loads. So you can use the bleach in the front loader for your whites while washing delicate pieces on the top.
Compared to other washers with similar features, this is a singular piece. This means it has one water connection.
The only other 2-in-1 washer is the LG SideKick. It requires 13 different water connections to install. Yikes. So for that reason, Samsung is definitely better.
As for the dryer, nobody has a 2-in-1 dryer.
The dryer has been designed with an additional drying rack used in conjunction to the normal dryer. It works by moving heated air, ranging from room temperature up to 95 degrees depending on the fabric, to gently dry delicate pieces. That's just the top rack. You still have a massive 7.5 cu. ft. dryer that will dry all your other clothes.
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As you can see in the list above, these machines are also offered with Wi-Fi so you can check the status of your laundry with your phone. In other words, you can effectively do anything else and the machine will send you an alert when it is done.
First is the price. Although I expect it to be reduced in the next few years, at roughly $3,500 for the best set, it's expensive. You can buy almost 3 full sets of other laundry sets or 13.5 cu. ft. of capacity for that price.
Second is the washing and drying capabilities of the smaller drums. There is no agitation mechanism on the washer, so how does it clean clothes?
Lastly, with us being a servicing dealer, we have to wonder, does it work well or will there be more issues down the road? For Samsung, is it reliable like their cooking and refrigeration, or will it be a problem like their top load washers?
With all of those questions in mind, you have to admire Samsung for thinking way differently. However, it's in your best interest to wait for the sole purpose of investigating its reliability.
Check out our short video below for more information about front load washers in the industry.
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