Review of LG F1410SPRE (Washing Machine)
This review of LG F1410SPRE (washing machine) is not sponsored. It was written after I have tried and tested it for ~15 months, since 1 Jun 17.
Be sure to read about “Buying a Washing Machine in Singapore” before you continue with this review. From that post, I listed a few pertinent questions to consider before deciding on LG F1410SPRE.
- Front Load or Top Load washer?
- Are you thinking of a 2 in 1 – washer and dryer combo?
- Other features to consider?
- Which brand is suitable for you?
Our Final Choice
Decision Process
You can also see our thought process, through these questions, at “Buying a Washing Machine in Singapore“.
In summary, we chose front-load washer for its water efficiency and performance. And LG for its good reputation for washer while still being affordable, unlike the expensive European brands. The salesperson presented us with these two LG choices, both of which are 6 Motion Inverter Direct Drive Washing Machine:
- F1410SPRE: 10kg, with TrueSteam and Turbo Wash. Black only. Made in Korea.
- F1408NC3W: 8kg, with Turbo Wash. White only. Made in Thailand
Our Purchase
F1410SPRE stood out because it’s made in Korea and we wanted black. Moreover, the TrueSteam function and 10kg capacity sounded enticing to us who were expecting a baby.
The price difference between these two models is only S$200+. So why not get the one with a bigger capacity, made in Korea and in stylish black?
Hence we bought LG F1410SPRE for S$1,149 from Gain City. We were promised free delivery until final payment. Apparently, there’s a S$30 delivery fee for items below $1,500. We got it waived in the end after a bit of hassle.
Official Information on LG F1410SPRE.
Image Credit: lg.com
Review of LG F1410SPRE
The LG washing machine (“washer”) was delivered to our previous place on 1 June 2017. It was then shifted as we moved into our new BTO flat (September 2017). Our baby was coming and I wanted to wash all the baby clothes before her arrival. Hence, we got this washer before we shifted into the new place.
This review was written after we have tried and tested it LG F1410SPRE for ~15 months.
1) Made in Korea. Black.
Made in Korea
On hindsight, it doesn’t really matter if the washer was made in Korea or Thailand. LG should have the same strict QC standards regardless of the place of production.
Sadly, there’s a bit of rust at the top of the front load door. Is it because I sometimes spilled detergent on it? Hope the area of rust doesn’t spread.
Black
I think it’s more stylish to have a black washer. However, because we didn’t do windows for our service yard, we had to put a waterproof washing machine cover over the washer. Hence, the colour wouldn’t have mattered much once it’s covered. But to me, this black washer still looks more stylish than its white counterpart. Justifying our purchase
2) Top load vs Front Load.
From Top to Front Load
Although we grew up with a top load until this washer, we transited to a front load washer without any hiccup. In fact, I relish being able to sit on the floor to sort out the laundry and shove them into the washer at the same time.
Last Minute Laundry
It wasn’t easy for me to decide on a front load washer initially because of last minute laundry. Top load allows me to drop them in after the laundry cycle has started. On the other hand, I’ve heard that this is not the case for front load.
Turns out my worry is unfounded. For LG F1410SPRE, I could still throw in laundry after a few minutes, even when water had started trickling into the drum. I just needed to pause the cycle and wait for the door to unlock before I opened it. However after a while more, the door can only be opened after the laundry is done. This is to prevent door from opening and water from gushing out. So at least I have a few minutes of grace to throw in any forgotten laundry!
Maintaining a Front Load
There’s a hassle with front load though, it’s good practice to always wipe dry the front load’s door and its rubber lining after each laundry. Moreover, use the Tub Clean function regularly with anti limescale (I haven’t tried this yet). For maintenance, here’s a LG video tutorial on how to keep your washer clean.
3) 10kg Wash Capacity.
Is 10kg necessary for a family of two and a baby?
It depends.
If you separate baby and adult laundry like me, 10kg is not very necessary. Moreover for baby’s laundry, I usually use ‘Gentle Care’ wash program, aka delicate hand wash. This would not be applicable for adult’s clothes. So I usually separate them out.
Recently, I’m starting to mix the now-toddler and adult laundry. 10kg is still quite big, but a good to have when I accumulate the laundry.
10kg wash capacity finally proves useful when I am changing bedsheets! 🙂 And if I have another baby, this capacity is good. If you don’t mind mixing laundry of the child and adults, then 10kg definitely saves you from washing so often. Moreover, 10kg allows laundry size to grow. Yes, you can always upgrade to a bigger washer or to wash another round but that’s extra money and time spent.
Would I still go for 10kg?
Actually I’m still undecided.
The wash capacity is underutilised 70% of the time. But it’s better than having a smaller washer and not able to wash more when I need to. With a baby on hand, time is precious and I rather not spend it on extra rounds of laundry.
Moreover it’s a front load and thus with load detection. This means that the washer will weigh the load and decide on the water level. So even if I don’t maximise the 10kg capacity, I wouldn’t need to worry about the waste of water.
4) TrueSteam
We were particularly interested in LG’s TrueSteam because the salesperson told us it’s good for steaming soft toys and lightly worn winter clothing. I think I did try TrueSteam when the washer first came. But the wash cycle shot up from the usual 1.5 hours to 3 hours! I was stunned and quite worried about the amount of electricity it was using.
I forgot about TrueSteam and its purpose until I revisited my previous post about washers. Most of the soft toys I have washed so far allowed for gentle machine wash. I probably should try the “Steam Refresh” function on those soft toys that don’t allow for machine wash. Time to fully utilise the steam cycle function with this video tutorial.
Also, I probably would try TrueSteam on curtains, and quilts during our next annual spring cleaning. So my 10kg capacity can be put in good use too!
5) Other Functions
Wash Programs
I like their range of wash programs. 4 out of the 13 pre-set programs are most commonly used by me. I would also often adjust the RPM and temperature to suit the laundry type. One gripe I have is that they don’t have 30°C, while most clothing care label indicate cold, 30 or 40°C. So I have to use 20°C for those, not a deal breaker though.
Tag On function (Smart Technology)
The pre-set programs didn’t really meet my needs for my cloth diaper laundry. So I wanted to download cycles to my washer – real cool right? Except my phone doesn’t support NFC which is required for LG washer. So I couldn’t have the washer communicate with my phone to download cycles and perform SmartDiagnosis. Such a cool technology but with such a limitation.
Child Lock
Child lock is particularly important because my baby’s curious fingers keep finding their way to the buttons. She even stopped my laundry cycle halfway and I have to re-wash. Sadly, the power button is the easiest for her to press and that’s the only button that’s not lock when child lock is activated.
Overall
Overall, it’s time to fully utilise the extra functions to make our washer a value buy!
However this was expected – sometimes we pay more for appliances to be smarter, but are not diligent enough to learn and utilise the new functions. At least for me, I didn’t feel motivated to study the washer thoroughly enough, because I’m happy enough when the basic cleaning is done.
So if you are unmotivated as well, perhaps you can consider the more basic washer that usually has a lower price point.
6) Performance
Noise
I think front load washer naturally has loud vibrations because this model specifically indicate that’s it is with less vibration. Yet, the wash cycle can still be noisy with vibration noise and sometimes thumping sounds with heavy load.
There was once the vibration noise got real loud. Hubby checked it out and found that the feet are not resting evenly on the ground because of loose screws. Once he tightened them, the vibration is not as bad.
Are you irritated by the beep sound when you press a button, or the LG melody tune at the end of each laundry cycle? Tip: Simply switch it off when you touch and hold the Steam and Pre Wash button simultaneously for three seconds.
However, you wouldn’t get a sound signal to alert you when there’s an error in the wash cycle or when the cycle has ended.
Cycle Time
For normal cotton cycle, it’s usually 1.5 hour. But for some reason it goes up to 3 hours sometimes. Perhaps I pressed some button by accident. Shrugs. It happened to me a few times and I was still wondering why my laundry was not yet done after so long.
So now I try to wait for the washer to finish weighing the load and calculate the wash time. Check that it’s 1+ hour before I leave it alone to its washing.
Overall
Overall, we are satisfied with the work performance of this stylish workhorse. No major breakdowns as yet. Hope it stays this way! 🙂