Verdict

Pros

• Incredibly quiet on spin
• Good choice of programmes
• Very effective spin
• Smart check fault diagnosis

Cons

• Cheaper eco washes on the market
• Washing finished bell annoying

What is the Samsung WF90F7E6U6W?

The Samsung WF90F7E6U6W is the Korean giant’s top of the range washing machine offering both Ecobubble wash for cooler washing temperatures and Vibration Reduction Technology for quieter washing. The Ecobubble technology gently froths the detergent with both air and water before the cycle begins, creating cleansing bubbles to penetrate the washing faster than conventional dissolved detergents. This enables a cooler wash cycle to be used, which in turn saves energy and is kinder to your clothes.

With Samsung’s Vibration Reduction Technology (VRT) the machine uses 3D vibration sensors and smart control technology to detect the washing load and help produce the minimal amount of vibration. Together with its digital inverter motor this produces a very quiet wash.  For  smartphone users, there is a Samsung Smart Washer app, both Andriod and iOS flavours, that lets you to use Samsung’s Smart Check function.  This is an automatic error-monitoring system that detects and diagnoses problems at the press of a button and aims to provide quick, easy solutions to simple problems without an engineer call out.

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Samsung WF90F7E6U6W: What is it like to use?

Simplicity is the focus and strong point of  this model. All the programmes are easy to read and understand, so once the washing is loaded through the easy to open door and cavernously wide opening, you simply chose a programme via the dial and press go. The high contrast blue LED display clearly lights up against an inky black backdrop and beeps when you turn the dial to register your selection. In addition you can  manually adjust the washing setting or temperature.

The ecobubble wash is standard for all programmes but can be manually turned off, although we can’t think of a good reason why you would want to. The machine’s indication of the wash time at the start of the programme was found to be fairly accurate, and is shown as a countdown timer and as a row of flashing icons showing where the wash is within the cycle. On completion the machine has a “tuneful” ditty, that could be quite annoying, but there is the ability to turn this off so everyone is happy.

Samsung WF90F7E6U6W: What programmes does it have?

There are certainly enough programmes to choose from for even the busiest household. There are 14 fully automatic programmes on offer as well as a My Cycle button where you can design and save your own bespoke programme for future use. In addition you have manual options for tweaking the temperature, spin speed and number of rinses, so the Samsung WF90F7E6U6W has it all.

Along with the usual cotton, synthetics and woollen washes, there is also a gentle hand wash, a denim cycle and a baby care cycle, both of which involve extra rinsing so no detergent is left in the fabric. For those looking after the pennies there is a super eco wash and an outdoor care wash for sportswear fibres that will prove useful for families that like the great outdoors.

The stain away cycle is interesting in that it adds a soaking action where the drum stops rotating for a while and uses a higher temperature wash. Not only has this Samsung got programmes for caring for your washing, it has a dedicated program to care for itself too. To ensure there is no build-up of scale or residues in the drum, which could otherwise impair performance, the eco drum clean cycle gives the machine a thorough flushing and is recommended run every 40 washes or so.

Samsung WF90F7E6U6W: How noisy is it?

This machine proved to be very quiet on a wash, although not quite to the standard that Samsung claims. On a standard wash we measured just 56dB, which is no louder than a quiet conversation, but a little above Samsung’s quoted 52dB. Even at 56dB it’s the quietest machine during the wash cycle we’ve tested.

The 1600 spin, meanwhile, was actually quieter than Samsung’s figures and we measured a staggeringly low 69dB at full spin, ideal for those in a flat or with young children that sleep in the day. So although the Samsung WF90F7E6U6W is a little noisier on the wash than promised, it is always the spin noise that is of greater concern and this was incredibly quiet. Well done Samsung.

Samsung WF90F7E6U6W: How well does it wash?

We ran three different wash cycles for our tests; a 40C cotton wash with a 7.2kg (80%) full load at 1600 spin speed, a 40°C  normal cotton wash with a 3.6kg (40%) load at 1200 spin speed and then the same wash but this time in super eco mode. The super eco mode is limited to 1200 spin to save energy. We did not use the full 9kg load as using 80% is regarded as more realistic for day-to-day usage. We also included a test stain strip in the first wash that was stained with dried on ketchup, coffee, blood, red wine and engine oil and washed using a non-biological detergent.

The timings for all the washes were fairly accurate, with the first wash running over by just 12 minutes from the 2 hours 56 minutes indicated at the start of the wash. The full 1,600 spin proved  very effective at spinning the majority of water out, leaving just 2.3kg (32%) of water weight behind from a 7.2kg dry starting weight. All of the stains on our strip were removed, apart from the engine oil, which only managed to get a bit lighter in colour. Oil does  need some help from a biological powder but the wash results were excellent and gave no surprises. Using an average energy price of 15p per KWh at the time of this review, this cycle worked out costing a mere 14p per wash.

Wash results for the next two cycles were visually identical so nothing was lost or gained in wash performance by using the half load and eco programmes. The cotton wash took 10 minutes less than the 2 hours 56 minutes indicated and the Super Eco wash took just 5 minutes longer than its 2 hours 13 minutes quoted at the start.

What was noticeable was that, unusually, the super eco wash actually took less time than the cotton wash due to standard mode having  an extra rinse cycle. Water weight left behind on a 3.6kg start weight was fairly similar – cotton 1.6kg (44%) and super eco 1.8kg (50%) – which is an average result for this price point of machine. However there was not a great deal of difference in the costings as both cycles, worked out very competitive. The cotton wash cost 12p and the super eco came in at just at 10p.

Samsung WF90F7E6U6W: How much will it cost to run?

Based on an average UK household use (200 x 40°C 80% max load and 40 x 40°C 40% half load with a 50/50 split on normal and eco programmes), the Samsung WF90F7E6U6W’s annual running cost is a very frugal £32.52.  Specific figures for power and water use are listed at the bottom of this review.

This makes the Samsung the cheapest washing machine we’ve tested so far as it’s £8.41 per year less than the LG F14A8FDA and £5.76 per year less than the Panasonic NA-148VG4. These may sound like small numbers, but the differences will be larger if you use it more than the average household and it’ll pay in the long run as energy prices continue to rise.

Should I buy the Samsung WF90F7E6U6W?

Yes. This Samsung is ideal if you are looking for an ample sized machine with an easy -to-use layout and a wide choice of fully automatic programmes. There are plenty of manual options outside the automatic functions and the My Favourite button is a sure fire winner because, let’s face it, we usually end up finding the ideal programme that suits everything and stick with that time and time again.

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*Annual figure based on the average UK household running 200 x 40°C 80% max loads and 40 x 40°C 40% half loads (50/50 split normal & eco).

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