Samsung DW60R7040FS Review
Super-low running costs combined with an excellent Auto mode that picks the right settings for you make the Samsung DW60R7040FS one of the best full-sized dishwashers you can buy. It would be nice to see the timer on the outside, so you know how long is left on a cycle, but this can be forgiven […]
Verdict
Super-low running costs combined with an excellent Auto mode that picks the right settings for you make the Samsung DW60R7040FS one of the best full-sized dishwashers you can buy. It would be nice to see the timer on the outside, so you know how long is left on a cycle, but this can be forgiven because of the quality of the cleaning.
Pros
- Decent amount of room
- Low running costs
- Excellent cleaning performance
Cons
- Can’t see timer with door shut
- Fiddly to fit in taller wine glasses
Availability
- UKRRP: £599.99
Introduction
With its automatic programme, the Samsung DW60R7040FS is built to offer the best results for the type of soiling, while saving the maximum amount of money. I have to say that it works for the most part, delivering low running costs and excellent cleaning.
Design and features – the Samsung DW60R7040FS is a solid and attractive dishwasher
- Room for 13 place settings
- Easily adjustable top rack
- Can be hard to fit in taller wine glasses
Available in silver or white, the Samsung DW60R7040FS is a freestanding full-sized dishwasher. In my opinion it’s exceptionally attractive, particularly in the silver colour of the model on review here.
Grab the door and pull it gently open to reveal the main control panel. Once the machine is on, you can set the type of wash you want. In most cases, you can opt for the Auto setting, which uses temperatures between 45ºC and 65ºC depending on the level of soiling.
There are dedicated modes for Eco, Quiet, Intense (65ºC), Glass, Rapid (60 minutes) and rinse. You also get the option to turn off the top rack for half loads, to delay the wash, and to turn on the high-temperature sterilization programme, which is useful for baby products.
When you select a programme, the LED screen displays how long it will take for the wash cycle to complete. This is handy, although with the door shut there’s no indicator to show you how long is left, which is a shame.
Indicators light up when the machine is out of salt or rinse aid – make sure you’ve set your water hardness correctly (you can get this information from your water supplier), so that both are used in the correct quantities.
Salt is added into the compartment at the bottom of the dishwasher using the provided funnel, while rinse aid is added into the flip-up compartment in the door.
Inside, there are two racks, with enough space for 13 place settings. The bottom rack is very flexible, with fold-down tines at the rear making it easier to place larger objects, such as casserole dishes.
There’s a standard cutlery holder that clips over the front tines, too. This proved easy to load in my tests.
The top rack is adjustable using the handles on the side to lift it or lower it, depending on what needs to go in. It’s very easy to do; you don’t have to remove the rack to change height, which is nice. Samsung does warn that you should only make adjustments while the rack is empty, however.
On the top rack there’s space for smaller plates, as well as glassware and mugs. On the left-hand side is an additional cutlery tray, which has cutouts for wine glasses. However, I found that in the top position my wine glasses caught on the door, and had to be readjusted. They fit better with the rack on the lower position, but dinner plates were then getting in the way of the top spray arm.
Overall, there’s nothing particularly special about the internal space, but it’s flexible enough and, as you can see, I managed to get a lot inside without overloading or overstacking any items.
Performance – The Samsung DW60R7040FS cleans exceptionally well
- Low running costs
- Auto mode is good enough for most cases
- Can clean even the dirtiest dishes
To test dishwashers, I fully load them and then insert some special items to see how well the dishwasher tackles them. First, I started out with a wine glass with red wine dried into the bottom. This was easily removed using the Auto programme.
Next, I had a plate with dried-on ketchup, placed in the middle of a section of plates. Again, Auto mode made sure that this came out spotless.
I then added a coffee cup, which had the remains of dried-on coffee at the bottom. Running on Auto mode, the Samsung DW60R7040FS managed to get all of the mess off, leaving me with a nice clean mug from which I could drink.
The first of two tougher tests included a bowl with dried-on Weetabix placed into the bottom rack. Again, Auto mode tackled the mess easily, leaving behind a perfectly clean bowl.
Then, for the real test: microwaved scrambled egg in a glass bowl. Here, Auto wasn’t quite up to the task, leaving behind remnants of the egg. This is the toughest test, and I’ve seen dishwashers perform much worse.
Upping to the 65ºC programme was sufficient to do the job – the bowl was very clean, with just the odd spec left behind. If I’d have rinsed beforehand, the bowl would have been clean; as it stands, a quick clean in the sink would do the job.
That’s impressive performance overall, particularly when you consider the efficiency of Auto mode. Cleaning items in this mode used just 8.8 litres of water and 0.651kWh of energy. Upping to the 65ºC mode ups water usage to 12.4 litres, but power jumps to 1.195kWh. Impressively, in terms of noise I measured the dishwasher at just 56.4dB.
Where you can, then, the Auto mode is your friend – but you do have a more powerful option for tougher dishes when you need it.
Overall, the Samsung DW60R7040FS should cost around 15p per cycle to run, which works out at 0.01p per place setting. Over a year, expect to pay around £39 to run this machine, based on the average number of 254 cycles per UK household per year.
Conclusion
A gorgeous-looking dishwasher offering plenty of flexible space inside, the Samsung DW60R7040FS offers low running costs and cleans well on its Auto cycle for most jobs. If you need a smaller or built-in model, check out my guide to the best dishwashers for alternatives.
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Should you buy it?
If you’re after some of the lowest running costs and a great Auto mode that takes the hassle out of using your dishwasher, the Samsung DW60R7040FS is for you.
It’s easy to use but for greater flexibility, you may want a dishwasher that has a top cutlery rack rather than the lift-out unit provided here.
Verdict
Super-low running costs combined with an excellent Auto mode that picks the right settings for you make the Samsung DW60R7040FS one of the best full-sized dishwashers you can buy. It would be nice to see the timer on the outside, so you know how long is left on a cycle, but this can be forgiven because of the quality of the cleaning.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.