Value for money, great looks, but heavy.... Review on Whirlpool Sensation Neo

Hi Friends,

Before my review reaches a crescendo, I will assume that you have decided upon a front loader(this decision doesn't come easy!) and you're are looking for a decent but not too fancy machine in 15-20K range. It is better to put a price limit too due to a wide price range across models.

My comparison set.

*- All FL machines with heater and 5 to 5.5 kg

• Considered LG, Samsung, IFB and Whirlpool

  
  




• Was not keen on a very'digital' type of product

  
  

Key Factors to be considered.

• 5 to 5.5 kg is sufficient for a 4-5 person(no family as yet for me!)  family with 1-2 washings per week

  
  




• Put an upper limit to your budget coz cost necessarily does not lead to a better product, besides a WM is for decent washing and durability rather than jazz.

  
  




• Machines with a digital console are more likely to malfunction. And the hundreds of wash programs in these are hardly used.

  
  




• Look for a machine with a large port window. Easier to load.

  
  




• Consider the heater temp. Should be across a range.

  
  




• Check for power saving, water saving, semi loading, spin cancel and other options

  
  




• Thump and knock the body!(FLs need to be durable, they are much more intensive than top loaders)

  
  

*Brand Journey.

*LG - Mostly digital machines, Price points higher, Look extremely good, Bells and whistles aplenty. I did not prefer LG b'coz I did not want to pay for features that I would not use. LG still considers FLs a luxury it seems. Korean credentials apart.

Samsung - High price points. Not a good combination of features available. Oh Korea. Samsung still not a warlord in washing machines.

IFB - The Indian market leader. I compared this directly with Whirlpool.

Why I did not buy IFB? Considered Elena and Senorita(both below 20K) Very low quality of plastics used. Flimsy body. Build quality poor in machines below 20K. Basic features stripped in <20K m/c. Small port window, plastic cover that get scratched with time. Elena specifically has basics like spin cancel, wide temp range, semi loading missing. Senorita too not very great due to lack of features.

Now Whirlpool Sensation Neo.

*Whirlpool is a leader in FL machines worldwide.

Pros:

• Very good build quality, sturdy.

  
  




• Large port window with glass cover; easy to load, makes it look good.

  
  




• Wash quality good.

  
  




• Wide temperature range(upto 90 degrees)

  
  




• Spin Cancel, Half Load, Water saver options.

  
  




• Looks extremley good

  
  




• Decent wash program range available

  
  




• Washing time ranges from 40 min to 2 hrs. You decide.

  
  

Cons:

- *80 kg(can be a positve, prevent machine walk effectively), needs a trolley, difficult to load

• No dry tap protection

  
  




• Spinning cycle very tempestuous with certain loads.

  
  




• Like all analog machines wash cycle end can be known by knob position only.

  
  




• Miss a softener step cancel program. make do by manual override by turning the know beyond when the step comes, though to time that is difficult.

  
  

A very good machine for a price. I got it for 15.4K. Very good value for money. Looks very good. Though heavy, but doesn't matter; machines are not meant to be carried all over! Good wash result.

Highly recommended if you want to go for something around 15-17K.

Hope I was useful

Regards

Gaurav Porwal