LG Steam Direct Drive (WM14445FDS) Review

We like:

The way it cleaned our clothes; the ironing-free mode; that it's very water- and energy-efficient; LG's relatively clean corporate record

We don't like:

Over-hyped energy-saving claims; the lack of info on working conditions; the very hot door during one mode

SmartPlanet judgement:

So long as you take on board Public Enemy's ever-useful Don't Believe the Hype mantra, there's a lot to like about this washing machine. Its use of steam power is a very cool way of side-stepping ironing duties and -- however counterintuitive it may feel considering steam's involved -- the specs for electricity and water consumption do beat its same-size rivals. Fortunately, it does a fine job of cleaning clothes too, making this one of the few white goods to set our pulses racing.

When it arrived, everything about this washing machine intuitively felt like it should be the opposite of green. Brown, perhaps. It's large, with a monster 8kg capacity. It cleans using steam in addition to water, which takes a lot of electricity to produce, as we saw on our Wattson the last time we boiled our Eco Kettle. It has colourful but wantonly unnecessary blue LED lights. Continue reading...