I've noticed a few people have asked about LG FL machines, so I thought it would be helpful to paste in the review I posted last night to the Combo Washer/Dryer thread here.

I just got my LG3677HW installed today, and I couldn't be more delighted.

PRICE AND ORDERING

I was able to order it from a local Best Buy. They charged what I thought was a very reasonable $1449. (I had been expecting to pay around $1750 and so I was pleasantly surprised). I opted for the 5-year service warranty for an additional $199. With local taxes, the entire purchase came to $1,776. Delivery and installation were free (but I chose to pick it up and have my own people install it)

DELIVERY

BB told me it would take 19 days for the machine to come it, but it only took 16.

The box was perfect as was the machine inside--not a scratch on it. Everything I needed came within the box. The step-by-step instructions were excellent and easy to follow.

CONTROL CYCLE OPTIONS

I have to say that I was stunned at how nice it looks, how sleek the control panel is, and was really impressed with all of the options. While I consider I did a fair amount of research, nothing beats seeing an applicance in person, and I never did get to see mine before it came out of the box. I'd read about some of the special features (i.e. the Sanitizing feature) but had forgotten about others, like how you can program in your own custom cycle. Again, the manual was great in explaining the differences between all the different cycles, and the controls themselves are set up in a very intuitive way: there is a dial on the right for the 7 pre-set cycles (Sanitary, Cotton/Towels, Normal, Perm Press, Delicates, Hand Wash, and Speed Wash) and customizeable controls set up in columns on the left for Wash/Rinse Temperatures, Spin Speed, Soil Level, and Drying Options. There is also a column of additional options: Pre-Wash, Rinse/Spin, Extra Rinse, Stain Cycle, and Quick Cycle.

CHILD LOCK

One neat thing for people who have kids is that if you press the Pre-Wash button and hold it for three seconds, it activates a Child Lock. All buttons are disabled except the Power button in this mode. The manual also notes that you can lock the washer while it's operating.

LOAD SIZE

I decided to run a load of whites using the Sanitizer option for my test run. I was really surprised that after I put in king sized sheets (my minimum size criteria that I stated in Part 8), maybe 15 pairs of underwear, and some towels, the machine was only about a third full. I am really, really glad I opted for the largest model LG has--I think it is going to be incredibly convenient.

NOISE LEVEL

I was astonished at how very QUIET this machine is. I am writing this approximately 20 feet away from it and I can't hear it at all--and I have pretty good hearing. I did not expect to be able to run the machine and to be able to go to bed (the machine is in the walk-in closet in my bedroom) but after testing it, I would say that I can definitely sleep with it operating if I have a fan on. The noise it emits is irregular; there is a whoosing/water/laundry noise for maybe a minute, maybe 30 seconds, and this is followed by silence or near-silence for an equal interval, and so the irregularity of the noise would keep me up if I didn't have a fan on to help cover it. But it is in no way "loud" or obnoxious.

TIME

When you put in a load and select your options, the machine will calculate how much time the cycle will take. When I put the load on for Sanitizing, the machine read 1:56. I assumed that this meant drying, too, and was thrilled, but soon realized that it just meant washing, which was, I admit, a disappointment.

VIBRATION PROBLEMS?

Everything went perfectly until it got to the spin cycle. Then--HOLY COW!--the wash machine vibrated so much that it wiggled over three feet! And this is a machine that is so heavy, I (who am fairly strong) really can't move it at all. I called the friend back who helped me install it, and he quickly discovered that we had forgotten to take off the shipping bolts. DUH! LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKE, FOLKS! And the other lesson is: you really do need to be present for the ENTIRE first run of laundry, just in case something goes wrong.

RINSE/SPIN CYCLE

This, however, gave me a chance to check out the Rinse/Spin cycle, which lasted 31 minutes. Not much more to say. It rinsed and it spun.

DRYING

I chose "Normal" drying and let the machine decide how much time that would be. It decided it would take 135 minutes (Note: the longest amount of time you can manually select is 120 minutes). I checked on the load a couple of times, and found that at around 100 minutes the sheets were dry. At 120 minutes, the washcloths and underwear were still too damp. I turned the dryer back on and gave it another 30 minutes or so. The washcloths are still very slightly damp (like how towels can sometimes feel in humid weather). The underwear is just perceptibly damp around the elastic. I'm a little disappointed with the wash cloths, but happy with the drying time for the sheets and am ok about the underwear.

WRINKLES?

No. As in NONE. Happily surprised, because I'd heard that Combos = wrinkles. Maybe my success in this regard is because I only filled the tub up by a third with clothes. Again, can't re-iterate enough that I'm so glad I bought the biggest model available.

SECOND LOAD

For the second load, I decided to step it up and put in two sets of king-sized sheets, 2 body towels, 2 wash cloths, 2 tee shirts, 10 hand towels and a dozen pairs of socks. This filled up the tub by 3/4. I selected "Cotton/Towels". This time, I also pushed the "dry" button. The estimated operation time: 4:04.

WHAT I LIKE THE BEST:

Tonight I plan on putting in a load and using the "delay" function, which will delay a load from one to 12 hours. This way, the wash can start when my alarm goes off and will be finished by the time I go to work later in the morning. LOVE THIS FUNCTION!

LOVE the sanitizer option. I have an older kitty who scoots his bottom on throw pillows. Enough said about that.

LOVE the "Hand Wash" option. Can't wait to try this out.

LOVE the fact that there is no annoying buzzer; just a soft "ding" when finished. LOVE that the machine will "fluff" your clothes for you for four hours to help prevent wrinkles from settling in.

LOVE being able to put so much laundry in the tub.

LOVE that it is so quiet.

WHAT BOTHERS ME THE MOST:

Okay: dry time. At least I got a big machine, so I can do more at once.

Perhaps the worst thing is that it really is too heavy for me to move. The specs say it weighs 201 pounds, but it feels heavier than that to me. I don't like having things that I can't move by myself (i.e. I had to call my friend to help me move it back after the vibration problem, above).

Wish I could have ordered the machine in stainless. But that wasn't an option through Best Buy.

I find the on-off cycling a bit strange. I do recall the machines when I lived in Europe did the same thing though.

That's it. So far, so good--