I purchased this washing machine about 2 months ago, averaging 6 loads per weeks. Just in case it makes a difference, the model I bought is the WF306LAW (which I believe is very similar if not the same thing as the WF306BHW). I bought my machine from Lowe's.

After years of seeing underwear and under-shirts get eaten up by traditional top load machines, I decided to give the front-load washers/dryers a try. One of the reasons I chose to go with Samsung is based on information I had gathered about other front-load machines. I heard about problems with the Whirlpool/Maytag line, the GE problems with controls falling off and all kinds of shaking spin cycle problems. My washer/dryer are located on the second floor of my home very close to the master bedroom. This is great for convenience however it demands that the machines be quiet as possible if one chose to use them while being upstairs. I had heard the Samsung machine is very quiet...and thankfully I can verify that. Please note that the Samsung brand of washers and dryers is very common in Asia and Europe so don't feel that Samsung only makes cheap stereos. In fact, Samsung is a huge conglomerate making many, many different things from heavy construction machines, chemicals, a wide line of highly regarded consumer electronics and even financial services. They are kind of similar to a company like GE. They have been in business since 1938.

At the recommendation of the Lowe's employee I made the purchase through, I purchased a heavy rubber mat for both the washing machine and dryer just to make sure the machine transmits as little vibration to the floor as possible. The mat is similar to those you may find employees standing on at your average fast food restaurant while working in areas that may be potentially slick. It has round holes cut out in it about the size of quarters. With the mat, this washing machine does shake slightly during a high speed spin cycle, perhaps half and inch back and forth. The shake may be partially due to the mat flexing. Most likely the slight shake can be eliminated, but it is not bad enough for me to monkey around with it at this point. I have not tried using the machine without the mat, though I bet it would probably shake less perhaps at the cost of transmitting more vibration to the floor? The washing machine does come with all hook-up items including rubber feet.

I have been very happy with the general function of the washing machine. It cleans clothes wonderfully. No leaks, loud noises, etc. If one chooses to insure bacteria, mites and viruses on their items to be washed are killed, you can select the Silvercare option. This uses silver ions released into the wash to kill these organisms. It will only function with cold water so you also can save money using this feature versus using scalding hot water to kill organisms. This feature does add about 15 minutes to the wash cycle, though. The Silvercare technology is good for about 2000 washes.

I love having the controls on the front of the machine. This allows me to use the entire top surface of the machine for folding laundry, etc. You can easily use a control lock-out feature if you have young children you don't want to be activating the various controls.

I love the shiny stainless steel wash tub! This machine is offered in other external colors such as a techy-grey, the standard white and also champaign, however with only the addition of very insignificant features the price goes up dramatically for non-white colors. The tub is spun by a direct-drive motor meaning that there is no transmission or belts to burn up.

The controls are very easy to use. Most features are selected once by the end-user then probably kept there like with other washing machines. Simple push-buttons allow alteration of things like spin speed, water temp, amount of dirt on the laundry, etc. A large electronic spin-wheel allows one to select the laundry cycle type such as normal, permanent press, delicates, etc. A nice green digital display shows what options you've selected and how long the entire wash cycle will take in minutes.

If I could hope for only one thing, it would be that the wash cycles do seem a bit longer than top-load machines. I do believe this is common to all front-load washing machines, however.

A few minor gripes include the door which does not appear to be reversible. The electronic gong which plays a little song at the end of cycle is a delight, though I wish it could be a little louder; even though I have it set at the loudest level. The pull-out tray used to add detergent, fabric softener and bleach funcions well though it does get a little tricky adding bleach to the rear compartment while trying to prevent splashes or spills. More though could have gone into the bleach tray design.

One neat feature is that the matching dryer can be stacked on top of the washer if desired. I would recommend that after a wash load has been removed, keep the door slightly ajar to insure the inside does not get moldy. Most front-load machines leave a little water or moisture below the wash tub, so don't be too drawn back by this.

If you would like to read about my impressions of matching dryer, search for model DV306LEW.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 898