Washing machines are one of those appliances you don’t really think about until you need one, and then realise you have no idea what you actually need. It’s the kind of thing you only replace once every 10 to 20 years, or when you move out by yourself for the first time, and each new one is a shopping adventure. While most people associate “smart home” stuff with light globes, I actually think washing machines are the most helpful smart appliances you can get these days.
However, that said, smart appliances range from useful lifesavers to money-wasting gimmicks that are designed to die. Where does the WV10-1412B fit on that spectrum, and who is it best suited for?
Details: LG Series 10 (WV10-1412B) washing machine
| Australian website | LG website |
| Price (RRP) | $1,699 |
| Warranty | Two (2) years parts and labour |
| Other | Read more appliance reviews on GadgetGuy |
First impressions
The first thing you think when you unleash the WV10-1412B from the box is that it looks like a sleek washing machine. It doesn’t reinvent anything, there are no big risks taken in terms of design, it just looks like a really nice, premium washing machine. It also has a massive 12kg capacity. You could easily do the laundry for a family of 4-5 with this machine. It makes washing a full queen-bed sheet set a breeze, too, which is nice.
Looking at the controls, I like that you have a physical dial, with the different cycles written on the machine so you know what you’re choosing from even if the digital screen dies in a few years (which it probably won’t, but I hate it when appliances rely 100% on a screen).
The set-up is easy enough that if you feel confident you can screw the hoses on tightly enough, you can probably do it yourself.
From the outside, and if you don’t read the manual, you would think it was just a normal, basic washing machine that’s easy to use and blends perfectly with your laundry.
WV10-1412B smart features
In addition to all of that, though, there are also some genuinely useful smart features. The biggest one is ezDispense, which I’ll cover in its own section below. The other features are more subtle.
Once you download the LG ThinQ app and get the washing machine connected to Wi-Fi, you gain access to a bunch of other features.
The highlights include:
- Being able to remotely start the washing cycle if the machine is already on. For example, if you’ve gone out for the day, you can start the machine going when you’re 90 minutes from home, so the cycle finishes when you arrive.
- Downloading extra cycles, like a specialised denim cycle, or activewear cycle. You can only have one downloaded cycle active at a time, you can’t create your own, and the options to choose from are pretty limited. But in the six months I’ve had the machine there have been a couple of times I’ve been really grateful that there’s been a particular specialised cycle available when I needed it.
- An alert to your phone when your cycle finishes. I cannot count the number of times this has saved me from forgetting my washing and leaving it to get smelly. If you’re someone prone to getting distracted and forgetting your laundry in the machine until hours later, you will definitely benefit from this feature.
After getting used to using these smart features, I really don’t want to go back to a dumb washing machine. Stuff like notifications and remote starts mean that it fits around my life, rather than me having to work around the washing machine’s schedule. Because, like all the washing machines I’ve tested, this one has never once correctly guessed how long it will take to complete a cycle.
While all these smart features really do make it easier to use the machine, and are little things that remove some of the friction of life, they’re also completely optional. That’s really important in an appliance that you’ll probably use for another 10-20 years. Every smart appliance that relies 100% on an app has a death clock built in and will be unusable after the company stops updating the app, or in the case of an NBN outage. By LG making the smart features extremely useful, but non-essential, the designers have extended the life of the product, which is great.
Detergent dosing
I don’t believe that any mortal human knows how much laundry detergent they need for each load of laundry. In my time I have interviewed heaps of “washing machine experts” and not a single one has given me the same answer.
So, frankly, having an AI that weighs the load of laundry, and knows what kind of load you’ve chosen, and then dispenses the correct amount down to the millilitre seems completely worth every cent to me.
To be fair, I have no idea if the machine is choosing the correct dosage either. I mean, it was programmed by humans who (as we have established) are probably also just guessing. But, the clothes are coming out clean, and they don’t have any noticeable detergent residue on them, so I think the machine has nailed it, as much as anyone can, and I never want to go back.
Are the clothes clean?
This is really the most important part. No one cares how smart the machine is unless the clothes are getting clean.
I have good news.
The clothes are clean.
While clothing cleanliness comes down to the detergent and other choices as much as the machine itself, the clothes come out cleaner and less detergent-y than my old, less smart LG. It even seems to be getting out more stains and feeling better than my mum’s more expensive Bosch washing machine.
Part of this comes down to the 6 Motion Direct Drive. Like most premium washing machines on the market, the LG WV10-1412B washing machine’s drum can jiggle/rotate itself in a way that more closely mimics handwashing techniques. So, it can roll, scrub, swing, tumble, step, and roll to get more dirt off with minimal fabric wear.
I also really like the Allergy Care Cycle, which uses steam to kill some allergy-causing bacteria. I have no way to test if it actually works, but my bomber jacket that always used to be itchy no matter how many times I washed it, is now significantly less itchy, which seems like a good sign. The British Allergy Foundation did approve it, though, and they probably do have ways to test these claims.
Would I buy the LG WV10-1412B washing machine?
Absolutely, I would buy it for my mum.
When it comes to smart washing machine features, I personally prefer some of the more hand-holding features that Samsung has, because with the Samsung machines you have an option of creating a custom cycle based on a few questions in the app, which I find reassuring.
But I also know most people can’t be bothered with the Samsung app, and my mum especially wouldn’t use the extended smart features. However, she would benefit from the ezDispense and the more subtle smart features in the LG model.
The LG Series 10 Front Load Washing Machine (WV10-1412B) has only the smart features most people will actually use, and none of the gimmicky ones that you’d only use once or twice. It’s an extremely easy-to-use machine that works very well, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone at both ends of the tech-savviness scale.
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