Verdict

Pros

• Outstanding wash performance
• Very effecient Super Eco mode
• Quiet and easy to use
• Good value for money

Cons

• Lengthy main wash
• Slightly high water use
• Porthole not as big as door

What is the Samsung WW80J6410CW?

Positioned at the more affordable end of Samsung’s broad range of washing machines, the WW80J6410CW promises to bring much of the company’s big-hitting washing technologies to a wider audience. It’s got Ecobubble air, detergent and water mixing for a deep clean, a quiet digital inverter motor with 10-year guarantee, an intensive stain removal system and it can do a full wash in under an hour.

With 14 programmes and 1,400rpm maximum spin speed, it’s not short on performance options and these are all controlled by a simple rotary knob and a few options buttons. A fetching blue screen and contemporary look add to the appeal, but it’s the performance that really makes this a machine worth considering.

Samsung WW80J6410CW – Design & Features

I love the way Samsung’s latest generation of washing machines are controlled. They are simple and intuitive to use, largely because the ‘rotary knob and options buttons’ interface has been tried and tested on washing machines for the last five decades. If it’s not broke…

But it wouldn’t be Samsung without a tech flourish and behind the fascia lies a sophisticated digital control system, and Samsung’s smartphone-based Smart Check error monitoring system.

If you suspect something is not quite right, this smartphone App grabs a diagnostic report from your machine and sends it to Samsung’s service department for analysis. The big advantage of this is that the user can rectify minor issues, such as a blocked filter or the water being turned off, immediately without hanging around for an engineer callout.

Related: Best Washing Machines

The traditional washing machine layout extends to the three-compartment soap dispenser drawer positioned top left, and a flap-cover for the pump filter at the bottom. High-tech aside, this is still where those stray coins and loose buttons are going to end up.

The ice-blue display gives a comprehensive report on cycle information, time remaining and the option to increase the number of rinses (up to 5) to thoroughly remove all traces of washing powder for those with a sensitive skin disposition.

The main porthole door is a work of art in itself, being a double skinned crystal clear design with the handle mounted more conveniently at the 2 o’clock position (well, more 1:30 to be precise) rather than mid-way up on the right side of the door.

The door itself opens to a fairly wide porthole, but the opening remains quite a bit smaller than the door and getting a duvet in took some finagling.

Inside is Samsung’s signature diamond drum, which is claimed to improve wash and spin efficiency while protecting your clothes. You will have to reach a little further up Samsung’s washing machine range if you want funky drum lighting or Samsung’s Vibration Reduction Technology, though.

Like many of Samsung’s more affluent models, the WW80J6410CW uses a brushless inverter motor that promises efficient running, quiet operation and enviable longevity. Samsung’s pretty confident about the reliability of this system. It offers a five-year guarantee as standard and a whopping 10 years on the motor alone.

Samsung WW80J6410CW – Noise

With this digital inverter motor and double glazed door, the WW80J6410CW was never going to boisterously noisy. The motor type is naturally much quieter than a traditional brush operated design and the two layer door means you don’t hear too much of the water sploshing about either.

I measured 52dB as an average output during the wash cycle (40% max load) with a couple of 1-minute peaks up to 54dB, making the 53dB stated on the energy label pretty accurate. That is nicely quiet.

We measured the noise at the maximum 1,400 spin a number of times because it consistently came in well below the Energy Label figure of 74dB. In our tests with 40% load, the machine measured just over 70dB average on full spin with minor peaks up to 71dB.

That 3dB is quite a lot of difference in noise terms (it is a logarithmic scale for the mathematically minded), making the WW80J6410CW a very quiet performer indeed. Only very top-end machines are any quieter than this.

Samsung WW80J6410CW – Programmes & Options

This is a versatile machine – it boasts 14 programmes and eight wash options. The key programmes, positioned at the top of the dial for easy access, are Cotton, Super Eco and Super Speed – ticking off modes for the most typical load type, low running costs and low running time.

The Super Eco programme relies on Samsung’s Ecobubble action to clean up to 4kg of clothes, allowing the programme to run at a much lower temperature for this ‘half’ load. This proved an effective wash cycle for the smaller load and uses around half the energy of the Cotton half-load wash at 40 degrees.

The Super Speed programme aims to be a thorough wash done quickly, rather than the more typical quick spruce-up wash for lightly soiled items. This programme will complete up to a 5kg load in under an hour, with the actual duration dependent on the WW6000 sensing the load size and soiling level. It’s ideal for everyday items like shirts and underwear.

If you do want a quick wash programme for a light load (up to 2kg) you get two of those as well – taking 30 minutes and just 15 minutes.

Synthetics, wool, and denim cycles are joined by dedicated programmes for delicates, bedding (albeit only 2kg max load), baby care with higher temperatures and extra rinses, dark garments and outdoor care – ideal for skiing kit and sportswear using functional fabrics. The bubble-soak feature further leverages Samsung’s proven Ecobubble system. By steeping clothes in a frothy mix of air, water and detergent for up to half an hour, the bubbles actively penetrate the fabric to help shift a wide variety of more stubborn stains.

Bubble soak can be added to the cottons, synthetics, baby care and denim cycle programmes as an option, adding up to 30 minutes to the programme time.

In addition to traditional standalone rinse and spin options, there is an eco-drum cleaner programme to remove dirt and bacteria from the drum and seals. Samsung recommends you run this every 40 washes or so.

Finally, the delay end option allows you to precisely time when your washing will be ready, even on sensor programmes that change the wash time depending on load and soiling.

Samsung WW80J6410CW – How well does it wash?

The WW80J6410CW underwent our regular cycle test regime of a full load cotton wash at 40 degrees C, plus a half load 40 degree cotton wash and half load super eco-wash. To replicate how most people load their machines we use 80% of the machine’s maximum stated capacity for full load and 40% for a half load, equating to 6.4 kg and 3.2 kg of dry washing respectively.

The washing load was a typical UK mix of items, heavily biased towards cottons, including T-shirts, a duvet cover, shirts, a towel and some mixed fibre garments. A test stain strip went into the first wash, stained with dried on ketchup, juice, coffee, blood, red wine and engine oil. We use a leading brand non-biological detergent.

Before
After

Like all of the Samsung’s Ecobubble washing machines I have tested, washing performance is absolutely outstanding. The test stain strip was buffed clean with the five key organic stains removed completely and the difficult to shift dirty engine oil being reduced to a feint smudge. Use biological detergent and that would be gone, too.

This is on par with some of very best machines we have tested at any price, making the £500 ticket look very appealing indeed.

Spin efficiency was also very good across all tested 1,400 spin programmes and class-leading on the frugal Cotton Eco half load. This cycle uses very little water in the first place and the combination of high spin speed and the diamond drum meant that under 30% (of the dry load weight) moisture remained after a spin. As this programme is unique it is not incorporated in the general results on the specs page, but it’s the best program for leaving your clothes as dry as possible.

The slightly slower 1,200 spin Super Eco programme was less efficient on spin, but remained competitive with other comparable machines in this respect.

Samsung WW80J6410CW – Running Costs

With Ecobubble technology and that headline grabbing A+++ energy rating, it’s little surprise that the machine won’t put too much stress on your electricity bill.

The main full load cotton wash used a frugal average of 1.00 kWh of electricity generally and on one ‘clean’ load dipped to just 0.98kWh – or less than 15p depending on your tariff. Set that to run overnight on an Economy 7 style tariff and you could be into single figures of pence for a full load.

For this main full-load wash, water usage was a little higher than some other machines in its class, drawing in 87-95 litres in our tests. That is around 20% higher than some of Samsung’s top-specification models although, in terms of running costs, the difference is less than a few pounds per annum if you are on metered water.

The standard cotton half load test mirrored the excellent cleaning abilities of the full load and typically used around 60-70% of the water and electricity of a full load. This half load was completed in a little over two hours.

This particular model has two other cotton biased programmes, Cotton Eco and Super Eco, handling a full load and 5kg maximum respectively. We tried both to see which produced the best energy results with our half load (3.2kg) of clothing.

The Cotton Eco cycle sipped in between 24 and 28 litres of water for the entire cycle with only minor fluctuation from light to mid soiling levels. That is, by quite a margin, the lowest water consumption for half load wash on an 8kg machine that we have tested.

This figure was backed up with incredibly efficient electricity use, too. At well under 0.5kWh this is a very efficient half load and it is just as economical to wash multiple half loads on Cotton-Eco as it to save up the washing and do a full load. The only downside is this efficiency comes with lots of soak-time, meaning that these half-load washes all took over 4 hours to complete.

However, if it is low electricity consumption for smaller loads up to 5kg you are after, then this machine’s Super Eco programme is for you. Using water only marginally above ambient ‘cold’ water temperature and Ecobubble technology to fizz detergent into the fabric to lift out dirt, this cycle used just a third of the electricity of the standard cotton cycle for this load.

Again, it’s not quick at almost three hours and water consumption is more in keeping with other 8Kg machines on half load, but the wash performance was great and only barely distinguishable from the main cotton wash. It’s the perfect option if you want to set a load before you go to work.

In fact, at just 0.26 kWh for the entire three-hour Super Eco wash (less than 4p), it would actually cost you more to leave an old 100 Watt kitchen light on while the machine is doing the wash. Now that’s efficient.

Should I buy the Samsung WW80J6410CW?

Samsung makes many excellent washing machines, but the WW80J6410CW proves you don’t have to spend a fortune to get one. At around £500 – less with current cash back offers – it’s not quite a budget machine, but it’s a decent price for a machine with a minimum 5-year guarantee and 10 years on the motor alone.

It’s particularly good value when you consider how good a machine this is. While general water consumption is a little high and cycle times rather lengthy, it delivers great energy efficiency (particularly using Super Eco), good spin-drying and class-leading washing performance at this price.

Out of similar machines I’ve tested, the LG F14U1TBS2 is worth considering given it adds useful steam functions, but Samsung cleans slightly better.

Verdict

An outstanding mid-price washing machine that performs as well as many pricier models.

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