GE - 4.8 Cu Ft High-Efficiency Stackable Smart Front Load Washer w/UltraFresh Vent System & Microban Antimicrobial Technology - Sapphire Blue

This review is for the GFW550SPRRS model. Our old washer started to leak and the door hinge failed (saged 1.0") and then it started to stop mid cycle. Service was denied in our area. This started the quest for a new washer. We have a large capacity commercial Speed Queen dryer to dry comforters so that's the story on that. - We needed a reversible hinge on the right side, not the left. - We needed to be able to wash full sized bed comnforters. - We needed to use less water as we are on a septic system. - We Do Not need Steam for "stained" or heavy soiled laundry. We use our 45 year old Maytage A612 and DE712 for heavy soiled smaller load stuff. The Maytag's agitator top loader beats out the stains on jeans and clothes really well. Yes, the old fashioned simple units do last, but are really inefficient. But, they run prefectly. But, the top loader cannot do large items well nor is the smaller Maytags dryer able to dry large items well. You need a BIG drum to get air through the clothes. We found the GWF550 front load model by accident as a scratch (here and there) and dent (one small dent). The 4.8 cubic foot capacity and features were perfect. Nothing we won't use and fewer go-bads as we call them (auto detergent dispensers and STEAM). Just the features we needed. We toss in TIDE pods easy enough for detergent control, and again, use an agitator washer for dirty Jeans and stuff. The cosmetics in no way impact the service life. A few well placed swipes with a black magic marker (ancient Chinese secret on cosmetic repairs!) made the scratches disappear on the dark blue color. So far so good. The unit is seemingly louder than our older front load unit but, it is more the kind of sound, not the SPL of the sound. This unit can trick you into thinking it is a GE turbofan engine and not a washer! Since it never took off, I figured the right GE division (nor GE anymore) made it. Normal wash cycles are about 50 minutes, same as the other unit. Front loaders use the clothes dropping onto each other to push the detergent through them unlike agitators top load designs, so more time is needed, no surprises there. Even the newer HE design top loaders use the water pressure, they do not have agitator, and are also longer cycle so if this is an issue, look at the agitator top load designs for soiled clothes and faster cycles. The agitator design is harder on clothes as the trade-off. Dirt jeans and old T-shirts don't care! I still need to figure out how to set-up a custom "normal" cycle that uses the Max spin speed to better get the water out of the clothes, It is cheaper to spin it out that waste electricity drying it out. Now, I just change the spin the MAX after I select the normal wash. The seal drying feature does run awhile. Eight hours, with the accompanied wiring now and again as the drum spins. We still dry the inner door and seal before we turn on the VENT system. Switching the door was simple enough, and a huge benefit in iout set-up. The dryer is on the left with a left hand hinge, so the washer on the right needs a right hand hinge to prevent you from having to awkwardly lift clothers over the door. The controls are all TOUCH and are easy to use. The placement is pretty good as a cat walking on the unit won't step on them and turn the unit on (why do I know to mention this!). As far as installation, the unit is meant to use a set of hoses that are RIGHT ANGLE angle at the washer so the lines come "up" to the threaded coupling and straight through or right angle at the wall (depends on how deep your water spigot are in the wall well). So don't buy straight through for this unit. It will impact how well you can tuck it against the wall if you need that room in FRONT of the unit and to not waste it behind the unit. OK, so it works, for now. Our old unit was supposed to be a 30 year unit! We got just 14 years out of it, and three of those was with the door sagging and you had to lift it up to close it, only to have it leak all over. This unit was less than 1/3 the price (we gave up on longevity after the Maytags went away) so we figure 10 years and we are money up. Seems wasteful, but this seems to be the "game" today. We feel taken advantage of by the previous front loader, and it was EXPENSIVE for just half the rated use. The service left our area to make it even worse. With GE, we will have local service if a repair is reasonable and can advance the units life. If a door seal last seven years, the repair is good for another seven for a reasonable price is an example. For use, the GE fit the bill and the repair percentages are about equal between the GE and other front loader in the same price range. Since the units aren't made like the old Maytags, the quality are designed out on purpose so three stars. Value can't really be establish this short into it, so three there too. The DESIGN of the GFW550 is great, but the intended construction is not as robust as it could be, and where it needs to be for yes, a 45 and going life (don't expect the new Maytags to last like this, though)! Oh, the cosmetic appearance is pretty good for an appliance that is just supposed to clean clothes, so if you laundry room is a focal point of your house, this GWF550 looks nice,

WHISPER QUIET! The self venting is awesome. It does it silently so you don’t even notice. GE did very well with being first on figuring out the front loader mold problem. My hats off to their engineering team.

Does a good job but it’s loud on spin. If I had a laundry closet and not a room I think I would be annoyed. Loudness is probably due to the door not being flush (vent system and the ability to switch what side the door opens in), and that the washer doesn’t sit flush in the pedestal. That’s a bad flaw especially as much as the pedestal costs. The vent system is great! Washer is dry as a bone when it’s done.

Big capacity. Quiet. Smart. Ultra fresh vent and wash quickly option.

Im absolutely in LOVE with this Washer! I also have the matching dryer. My set is also on Pedestals I highly recommended on getting Pedestals saves your back from stooping. Also I was made aware that this dryer and washer are very very heavy have it installed makes life 110% better! It washes amazingly it has a more water option if you feel you might need it I use it on pillows. It's very efficient and is super quite for the most part washers are definitely a tad louder than dryers. I do have 3 cons- CON #1 it can be a bit odd sounding on start up like the drum needs to re align/ clear the pipes it kinda makes a weird grunting sound ill try to get a video up on Tik-Tok within the next 24 hrs. (4-2-22 or 4-3-22) @sweet.n.sassy, I will also feature the matching dryer as well if you wanna hear it. CON #2 Im not hundred percent sure that just cause it says its using the ultra fresh venting system that its actually working mine just beeps qt the vent area till.its done and then it shuts off but I do leave my door open/cracked when its not being used cause we all know front loaders can get a funky smell. CON #3 Some spin cyles start off a tad rough till it balances but Inalso think that can be fully normal so it dont bother me.

Excellent washer with very large capacity. Some reviews are pretty negative for this product which may not reflect on the actual product as it could be due to operator error or non-related product operations (ie delivery). The only thing I can possibly agree, is that the washer may be on the loud side when it is in the spin cycle, but still way more quiet than my previous. My only negative, it’s a little on the pricier side, but worth the purchase if it’s in your budget. Also these appliances are very large & tall, so if you stack them, you may find operating the top appliance might be out of your reach, if you are on the shorter side. My wife asked me to un-stack. To the best of my knowledge I purchased the matching dryer (GFD55ESSNOWW) and in my opinion the dryer door should have a metal ring to match the look of washer.

Easy to program and use. Very quiet. Works great!

Washer works well when pump clean out is not leaking. We've had issues with it leaking more than once as of tonight, it's not a fun experience to see water entering the kitchen from the laundry room! Hopefully a new gasket fixes the issue...

I LOVE this washer. My clothes are cleaner than they were in my top loader. It is not overly loud and runs great. It has a fan to dry the door seal after use. It is made in the USA!