The day after we returned from Camp Bestival with a ton of washing to get through, my old LG Direct Drive washing machine went bang.
The engineer came out to inspect it a couple of days later and after mutters of “Oh Dear”, “That’s not good” and a few sighs later he announced that it was not fixable as the inner drum had sheered off.
To be honest, I had feared the worst as our washing machine was over ten years old and had been used at least once a day since we bought it so it had a good innings.
I have to admit that searching for a new washing machine filled me with dread, it had a lot to live up to. I started by looking at the AO.com website and tweeting them for some advice.
There were three things that I insisted a new washing machine should have:
- A large drum as we have a large family
- Freestanding
- It had to be black or silver to match my kitchen
The lovely Michael from the AO.com twitter team pointed me in the right direction and I whittled down the selection to three, a Samsung Ecobubble, the LG Truesteam and a Hotpoint Ultima.
I was able to get a discount on a new machine with my appliance cover but I applied to AO.com to do a review by emailing customerreviews@ao.com, not expecting to hear anything back, so you can imagine my disbelief when Chloe got back to me almost straight away offering me one of my machine choices to review – the LG Truesteam.
The great thing about AO.com is they can get your choice of appliance delivered the very next day so I excitedly waited in for my new machine only for the van to break down on route. I cannot fault them for the service however, as they phoned to let me know and arrange for my machine to be with me at 8am the next morning.
I opted for AO.com to take away my old washing machine and install the new one for me which was a bit of a messy job as we hadn’t realised that the old one was still full of water, but nothing that a mop and bucket couldn’t sort.
The LG Truesteam is exclusive to AO, has a generous 10kg capacity, is AAA+ rated and has a modern black glossy finish.
Washing machines are notorious for people not using all the features but I genuinely love the TrueSteam™ technology which revives and refreshes your clothes using steam within the drum.
Not only does it remove 95% of common allergens, making it great for anyone with sensitive skin, it is great for tackling stains (particularly potty training ones) and making crisp, line dried towels soft and fluffy again but popping them in for a quick steam cycle.
The control panel is modern and easy to use, with 15 separate wash cycles and extra features such as a medic wash which is a 95° wash cycle, pre-wash for bad stains, 2 x steam cycles – one during the wash and one for a steam refresh and the ability to change spin speeds and temperature. You can also choose a favourite cycle by holding in the favourite button for 3 seconds when using your most used cycle so it will remember and you just need to press the favourite button next time.
The panel also displays the length of time the cycle has left, flashes CL if the childlock is engaged and what wash you have chosen.
The fast & clean turbowash feature uses powerful jets to wash your laundry faster which not only gives you an excellent clean but saves energy too. The speed wash function is great for one or two emergency items and take just 14 minutes from start to finish.
Our old machine had the Direct Driver Motor on it which is why I think it lasted so long with us and this machine has it too. We thought our old machine was quiet, but this is quieter still.
I love the child-lock feature on these machines as I use it daily as I am the proud owner of a super nosey small person who likes to push buttons and having it on means that they cannot stop the washing machine mid-cycle, however, I do have one grumble – unlike my old machine, the child lock stays on when the cycle has finished, so when trying to load the next wash you need to remember to dis-engage the child-lock first.
Still not convinced?
See it in action in my video here:
Being able to do a 10kg load sounds good. I often have to do a lot of towels or jeans but due to their I have to split them into two loads.
This sounds like a good machine. I like a big drum too so I can wash less often – it must save on electricity too. Quiet is a must for me as my washer is in the kitchen.
Mine is about to go too, thanks for this x
This looks fab – Your list of essentials are the same as mine 😉
The big drum makes life so much easier for me x x
Don’t let my mum see this or she be after this never mind that she got a perfectly good washing machine. It does look a good washing machine. xx
Not sure I’ve seen a black washing machine before but very cool and its credentials are excellent. Happy washing! Mich x
This looks awesome Kara, I think I could do with something like this as I have so much washing!! x
Washing machine have come such a long way. We are getting a 10kg one next week. I am so looking forward to be able to wash our duvets in it!
What a fab looking washing machine I like that u can do a 10kg load. We have a machine that is with the flat so is our landlords responsibility to fix but I’d love one like this I do love the black.
What a fab looking washing machine I like that u can do a 10kg load. We have a machine that is with the flat so is our landlords responsibility to fix but I’d love one like this I do love the black.
This looks and sounds amazing! We are starting to look around for a new washing machine, as I think ours is on the way out. I love the big drum, this would be so useful for my many loads of washing per day!
Fab review x
Oh wow, this looks great I have a black shiny fridge and this would look great at the side, instead of my old white one!!
it looks really robust and the design is awesome! x
It looks so pretty. I love the look of it. It sounds perfect. x
It looks so modern and stylish! I love the sleek appearance x
I really like how it looks, black/silver would work in my kitchen too!
Sounds like a great washer. We could really use one with a 10kg drum like that.
Sounds amazing! I love how it looks.
I watched your YouTube video of this yesterday. It looks great x
This sounds perfect for us. I have a super nosey little person too, and they are always pushing buttons. I love how big the drum is too
Hello,
How do you NFC this washing machine, I tried doing with my Samsung phone but no luck.
Regards
There is a button you need to press and it plays a type of white noise – mine is on the control panel and looks like a phone
Thank you for reviewing this i really needs some head’s up about this product i cannot simply trust their advertisement video though…
Hi, nice review.
I’m not sure whether to get this or the Samsung QuickDrive, both 9kg.
The main differences I see are:
1) the LG has Steam whereas the Samsung doesn’t (Samsung with steam costs almost 300 pounds more)
2) the Samsung has EcoBubble
3) Samsung has AdWash allowing to add clothes later
Really not sure which to go for.
The adwash feature looks fab, it is the one feature I wish mine had