posskat, I own LG WM2301 (also a now discontinued model) which appears to be very similar to 2150. It is a basic model with an internal water heater (no fancy features like steam, etc.). I have had this washer since early Dec of last year and have been very pleased with it. Despite what LG says, in my washer the heater kicks in for other cycles using hot as well. Based on my observation, the heater activates any time you set the cycle temp to hot or extra hot but depending on the length of cycle and the temperature of the fill water, it may or may not reach the designated temperature. The only cycle where the temperature is guaranteed is the sanitary cycle so I think that's why LG will not commit to saying that the heater works in other cycles. I don't think that the heater activates in warm cycles but I am still trying to confirm that.
Generally, the washer works very well as long as you allow it to do its job (i.e. if you use "Quick wash" or set the soil level to light, the wash portion of the cycle is super short and the washing performance suffers. I always use normal or heavier for the soil level and add an extra rinse. My laundry comes out very clean and fresh). It is stable and does not vibrate much when spinning as long as you don't overload it. Sometimes it has problems balancing when you wash really heavy items (it happened to me when I was washing a heavy flannel king size comforter cover and some towels - they got super heavy when wet and the washer refused to spin) but it only happened twice to me in almost 9 months of using the washer. Overall, I am very pleased with it and would recommend it. I also own the matching dryer, which performs very well too.

thanks very much for your input. i pick up the set tomorrow, and w/keep my fingers crossed! so glad you are happy w/yours! we have so much grunge on our clothes (ranch life), my hands are cramped from using copious amounts of 'spray and wash'!! am hoping i w/not have to do that w/this washer, and our clothes w/be clean! i understand the cycles w/be quite a bit longer, but as long as they are clean, that shouldn't be a worry.

@posskat, good luck! I know you've been researching for awhile. I hope all works out well for you.

Please post back and let us know how it is going.

As mentioned before, my parents have the LG without heater you were considering (2140). They love it. They are not on a farm or ranch but they are in the "country" and do lots of work outside. My mother feels the machine works very well and cleans better than previous top loader.

My friend has a new WM2550 and loves it too.

The benefit of the heater is you can keep the machine very clean with a clean machine cycle or sanitary cycle.

Look forward to your review!

well, i was seconds away from getting my machine, but the gal behind the counter just left a bad taste in my mouth, and i jammed out at the last minute; not the washer's fault; the woman quoted me a price the day before that was about $70 cheaper, which i wrote down at the time, then she began to argue w/me about that...so i couldn't be bothered to hand over my $1700 (time you add HST and extended warranty, it's another $350 up here)... you'll be glad to know, livebetter, that when i do get my set, i w/definately get an internal heater. i really liked the 2150, and if it's still available at another store at a decent price in the next 2-3 months, i'll get it, or wait till boxing day if i have to. it's about the next one up from the 2140 (w/no heater), and didn't have too many bells and whistles.

anyways, i'll just be patient.....and w/definately review when i do get it.

i was a bit concerned when i went online to a website called consumeraffairs, i found a LOT of people complaining about their LG machines, a major complaint seeming to be the machine would turn itself on by itself, and if the door was open, would flood the washing room area....anyone else know if this is true or false?? seemed to be a LOT of people saying this.....

Anything that you wash in a FL that is seriously dirty, needs to be washed on the hottest safe setting, and the longest wash cycle. So many people who complain about cleaning performance on a FL washer use cold water, normal or light soil level or the Quick wash, or all of the above, and are trying to clean ground in dirt, oil and stains. It seems like most people want everything washed in 15 minutes or less. I never had any complaints from my FL not cleaning clothes, nor did the longer wash times ever bothered me. I used the delay start often, woke up to a load of clean clothes that all I had to do is dry them. Now how easy is that?

but you've never had your machine turn on by itself? and run water out the open door? that sorta freaked me out a little, but i guess you can drive yourself crazy reading too many reviews......

seems like all the lg sites just use glowing reports, nothing negative at all, which seems a little biased to me, altho i could be wrong....then, that consumeraffairs website scared ya to death w/horror stories of lg washers mysteriously starting up and flooding their houses, since the machine's front door was left open to combat the mold issue......jeez louise!!!! person could go loopy reading all this!!!

this website seems to be, for the most part, made up of honest reviews, which is refreshing, and also full of info. i am convinced fls are the way to go, but you just have to know how to use the cycles and tempreratures property to get optimum results.

the delay option sounds pretty skookum to me. thanks for the tip, gates1.

Never had my machine turn on by itself. Never.

I did have a 'flood' once, but it was my fault. I put in a towel that had been used to wipe up detergent. Foam filled the whole machine. I stopped it and opened the door...

Lets just say that the floor was reeeeealy clean after that.

"...seems like all the lg sites just use glowing reports, nothing negative at all, which seems a little biased to me, altho i could be wrong....then, that consumeraffairs website scared ya to death w/horror stories of lg washers ..."

@posskat - FWIW, the lg sites might not allow the negative reviews to show up. Last year, I posted a negative review on an item purchased from Vermont Country Store. I promptly received a quick email from them, they sent a replacement that had the same problem; the problem was with the product and they're all horrible. But that negative review of mine, which I feel was rather darned important for the product, never hit their site. Only the glowing "love it!" ones do.

i did find that somewhat annoying, cavimum.....however, i am starting to wonder if it is just a crapshoot getting a new w/d! am waiting on a price for a discontinued LG 2301, and if they can price it low enough, i'll give it a whirl, and hope it is good, reliable and lasts. i w/however, keep the old maytag in the shed in case i get problems down the road that the ext. warranty won't fix....

Am I the only one who can figure out the LG sites list their reviews in order from highest to lowest?? :)

They even give you the option to change the list order.

For the WM2301 there are 60 pages of reviews. If you want to see the "lowest rating" go to the last page and work back. The Canadian LG site works the same way.

251 of 263(95%) customers would recommend this product to a friend

You are right about the "crap shoot". Pick a decent brand with the features you want and hope for the best. NOTHING in life is perfect (as much as we'd like it to be).

Sounds like plenty of people are happy with this machine so don't focus on a few who aren't.

Here is a link that might be useful: LG WM2301 - reviews

posskat, I have LG WM2301 (see my review above) and am very pleased with it. I hope you get a good price on it. I got mine on a great sale last year for $1K for the pair with the matching dryer (I have my machines stacked so I bought the dryer too).

livebetter--thanks for that; i'm still on a learning curve and i appreciate it.

thanks to all you guys here for giving out the most good info w/the least amount of sifting.

izeve, i was tickled to read your review--i do get good vibes about lg, so am just waiting on a good price w/an internal heater.....the one i was just looking at 2150, for some reason doesn't have one, whereas the one i'd almost bought before, did....i must be missing something!

"Cold" on the LG2150 is 30C? That's 86F and pretty warm for even an ATC cold setting! I'd wonder about colors fading and question how efficient the machine actually is if it's mixing in so much hot water to the cold to get it up to 30C!

@ken moore, I think LG has very misinformed sales and service force! I've been trying to get to the bottom of the temps in LG washers and it is hopeless!!!
Here is an e-mail I got from LG's customer service:

Good Morning, _________________!

I appreciate you contacting LG Electronics, I understand your concern, and it will be my pleasure to do all that I can to assist you further.

Water Temperatures for your LG Front Load Washer are as follows:

Cold is 77 degrees Fahrenheit,

Warm is 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and

Hot is 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

The internal water heater only activates during the Sanitary Cycle to get the Temperature up to approximately 158 degrees Fahrenheit.

If the incoming water is colder than the specified temperature then check your Water valves that the Hot isn't on any higher than the Cold to remedy this.

I hope I've addressed your concerns fully. Other helpful information concerning your Washer's Operation and Maintenance is also available online at

http://www.lgknowledgebase.com/kb/ Just select Washers and look for the Article you need. LG is also accessible to you at www.lg.com

Should you have ANY further concerns or questions, then please don't hesitate to email us again or call LG toll free at 800-243-0000 anytime, day or night to speak with a Live Representative!

Thank you again for contacting LG Electronics, it was my pleasure to serve you, many thanks for being an LG Customer, be blessed, and have a wonderful day.

D. Stanley Jr.
Email Administrator, LGEAI
*********************************

According to my manual, Warm Rinse is calibrated to 86F. In my washer, the Warm wash appears to be 86-90F, so nowhere near 104F, as LG told me. Also, the statement about the heater engaging in Sanitary cycle only is not true. For one, my washer has Baby Wear cycle with two temp selections: Hot and Extra Hot. The heater definitely engages in that cycle. I have also noted that the heater engages in all other cycles if I select Hot temperature.

I don't wash anything on cold so I don't know what the actual temp is in the drum on that cycle but I may run a cold cycle this weekend and measure.

@posskat, reading my weekend flyers and noticed Leon's has the LGWM2150 pair for $1299 including delivery. Deal good until September 13th. I think you can even order online.

http://www.lg.com/ca_en/home-appliances/washers/LG-WM2150HW.jsp

Here is a link that might be useful: Leon's LGWM2150

livebetter, i just returned from future shop; ordered the 2150 pair, for just a bit less than leon's, altho delivery would have been great; we're out in the boonies. but no worries--i'm thrilled to have finally got the pair (now discontinued) at a semi-reasonable price! i'm away for 2 weeks, and we w/pick them up sept. 24th. CAN'T WAIT!! i so appreciate everyone's help in sifting thru everything; i w/give my 'review' once i've used them.

future shop was quite good, i thought, give you a 30 day return, and i got a 5 yr. ext. warranty, so am hoping i won't need to use any of that. it certainly seems like a sturdy machine, much more so than some of the other brands i saw.....

am looking forward to being grunge-free!

@posskat, YEAH! Can't wait to hear your comments.

PLEASE do your self a favour and learn to use your new front loader correctly.

My mom made the switch earlier this year from top load to front load and I gave her all the instructions for successful use.

She is VERY pleased with her machines. No complaints about things not being clean. In fact, she is sure things are cleaner and they take much less time to dry.

She likes to hang dry a lot so she will use the delay timer and wake up to clean laundry ready to be hung out.

I suggest you go to the LG website and read your manual thoroughly too. So many people just don't read it (well enough anyway). Look under the "support" tab and you will see a PDF download of the manual.

Use proper HE detergent and run your clean machine or sanitary cycle once a month with something like LemiShine/bleach to keep it mold free.

Leave your door open slightly (or all the way if you have room) after each load. Open your detergent tray or remove it when done laundry for the day. This will allow air to circulate in the machine and keep it mold free.

Here's to many years of good service from your new purchase :)

Here is a link that might be useful: LG WM2150 - manual

@posskat, great news! I hope you really like your new washer. I second what livebetter says about learning to use your machine.

Take advantage of the heater - it really helps with washing performance and mold prevention. By taking advantage of the heater, I mean that you should regularly wash some loads on Hot or Sanitary. Embrace longer wash times (the heater needs time to work, and the washer also needs time to do its job). Don't just throw things in and set it to Normal. Use different cycles and options like Water Plus and Extra Rinse, Soil Level. The machine uses so little water that even with these options, it is still very frugal with water.

Good luck with your new washer!

"The internal water heater only activates during the Sanitary Cycle to get the Temperature up to approximately 158 degrees Fahrenheit."

"If the incoming water is colder than the specified temperature then check your Water valves that the Hot isn't on any higher than the Cold to remedy this."

I think you've got trouble ahead. This sounds to me like heater comes on for single cycle only. The second sentence is so strangely worded I can't be sure but sounds like, except for that single cycle, the water temp is completely controlled by ATC valves controlling inflow from hot and cold supply lines. If that's true, be advised that ATC controlled temps on these low-fill-volume machines do not do what customers think they do. Basically, they don't work because they can't. Between pipe-length between heater and machine and the mass of the drum and clothes, the heat losses will preclude actual wash temperatures being anywhere close to their nominal 122F.

For example, my five year old Duet when set on "hot" in a cycle that doesn't use the heater....with incoming water at 130F from the first drop.....delivers an actual wash temperature of about 105F in the machine. That's the kind of heat-loss you're looking at. If I want hotter than that, I have to select a cycle that uses the heater to bring it up. My machine has two of these that boost to 127F plus a "sanitary" cycle that goes to 157F. I seldom use "sanitary". I frequently use the other two at 127F. Not being able to do this would be a deal-breaker for me.

Your feedback you posted sounds to me like the LG will not do this. Sounds to me like heater only activated on a single 158F cycle. Advise calling again and clarifying. You'll be living with this machine for a long time. If my suspicions are correct, you don't want these limitations.

will check out the manual, and do as instructed! thanks, you guys!

I would be surprised if meaningful information about this appears in the manual. It doesn't in most. You may have to call them and ask directly.

no, i didn't see anything in the manual as yet. i reread the email sent to me by LG, and they claim the internal heater comes on during sanitary cycle, and when 'extra hot' button is used, and temps are: cold 30 C, warm 40 C, hot 50 C (all in celsius). so, i suppose if it comes on during the extra hot, all is good...........

Wouldn't it be nice if they'd just tell you what the temperatures are in any particular cycle? My machine's six years old and they're still doing the same old stuff they did back then. Not only don't they tell you, they don't even tell the salespeople.

I had to call mfgr directly to find out. Bet you will, too. Again, I say...you'll probably own this machine for a long time. I think you should absolutely know what it does.

asolo, I've been down that road with my LG. Reading the manual and asking questions of LG is useless. The manual is written for 7 year olds and the service people give conflicting information which is mostly wrong and inconsistent with the actual washer behavior I observed. The only way you can figure out how the machine works is to watch the different cycles, stop it at various points during the wash portion of the cycle, open the washer and measure the actual temperature of the water in the drum. I've had my LG washer for 9 months now and have observed it and measured the actual temp in the drum at various points and know now how it works.

In my LG washer the heater activates whenever the HOT temperature is selected, irrespective of the cycle. That results in about 105F water temp in the drum at the beginning of the cycle after the fill is completed if I flush the hot water pipe. If I don't run off the hot water it is more like 95F as I have a very long distance between the water heater and the washer. The heater then kicks in and heats the wash water at about 1F per minute (up to 122F, I guess - I can't confirm the final result as the door lock will not allow me to open the door once the water is past a certain temperature, about 110F). I wash quite a lot in hot water with very good results. The heater also activates in cycles using Extra Hot and heats it up to 158F. The heater also works if you select the Stain Cycle (the washer adds time to the cycle and goes up to Hot).

I don't know for sure if the heater activates in Warm cycle - my warm cycles appear to be 86-90F throughout the length of the cycle so it actually may activate to maintain that temperature.

I hope posskat's washer works the same as mine - I am very pleased with the way mine performs. The machine posskat ordered appears to be very similar to mine.

"....have observed it and measured the actual temp in the drum at various points and know now how it works."

I did the same thing with mine back in '05. Our machines and experiences are similar. I, too, am satisfied with my machine because I've learned how it works. The manual is little more than a digest of euphemisms for children.

What a travesty that the end user has to do that in order to know how his/her EXPENSIVE machine actually works.