Hope you're enjoying your new machine, Robert! As much as we all love vintage washers, it's nice to have one modern FL on hand to accommodate the big and awkward stuff. And if it also happens to be a combo, well then even better!
Have you had a chance to use your new power meter to see what the Samsung draws when it's heating the water and when drying? I wonder if it has one drying element that it cycles on/off or if it has two elements.
How does the dryer's airflow out of the vent compare to your other dryers?
Can you notice much of a difference in the drying function, such as time taken, the general look, feel and smell of the clothes, etc.?
Would also be interesting to know the tumbling profile during drying.
Looking forward to seeing your updates and reviews of this machine over the coming days/months.
Mark
Thanks Mark. My meter only works as a one wire pass through meaning you place one of the two leads (hot or neutral) through the block to get the readings. The combo is 220 volt and has a three wire system obviously. I don't think there is a way to measure 220 volt using this meter on a three wire system at least in the US. I do know from the specs that the water heater is 120 volt.
The drying time and air flow seem to match a standard electric dryer. It's the fastest drying combo I've ever seen, that's for sure. The look and feel of clothing seems to be very acceptable as I use fabric softener in colors and white tee-shirts so they are soft and comfortable to wear.
Now for towels it's a different story. The machine has trouble drying towels unless I select "low" dosage of softener. I dislike adding softener to towels but If I don't add a bit of softener the towels never peel off the sides of the drum and do not dry, this has happened more than once. I never use softener in towels because washing them in Unimatic and drying them in a gas dryer produces extremely soft and absorbent towels. The results out of the combo are similar to when the rare times I have washed towels in the LG, the result is a bit scratchy and not soft towels which I do not like. They are scratchy even after adding the "low" softener amount in the Samsung. I don't really know the reasons for this although if I would guess I would say there could be multiple reasons for this:
#1 Poor rinsing compared to an overflow rinse top load which leaves the water nearly clear by the time it goes into final spin?
#2 High temperature washing may have something to do with this?
#3 High detergent concentration does something to the fabrics?
Out of sheer curiosity I asked ChatGPT AI:
"Washing big towels in 1958 solid-tub top loading Frigidaire washer vs a 2025 Samsung or LG washer front loader the towels are much softer after drying in the 1958 top loading machine vs a 2025 front loading washer. Why do you think that could be?"
AI response (doesn't mean AI is right but it is interesting in what it came up with):
- Water volume and rinse quality – The 1958 Frigidaire used a very high water level and overflow deep rinses. That removed nearly all traces of detergent and minerals. Modern front-loaders use much less water, so even small detergent or mineral residues remain on fibers, making towels feel stiffer once dry.
- Mechanical action differences – The solid-tub Frigidaire used strong “Jet-Action” agitation, which physically flexed and separated the towel loops in a water-rich environment. Front-loaders rely on tumbling, which compresses fabrics together during the wash, resulting in less fiber loft and a denser texture after drying.
- Water temperature and mineral interaction – The older machine likely used cooler hot wash water directly from the household hot water supply. Modern washers can heat wash water hotter but limit rinse temperatures (often cool to very cold), which can leave hardness minerals on fibers that make them rougher.
- Detergent formulation vs. water use – High-efficiency detergents are designed for low-water environments but can still leave surfactant residues when towels are highly absorbent. The older washer’s high rinse volume simply carried everything away.
I will be no longer washing towels in the combo after these tests, even my boyfriend who has no idea how I washed them asked me why the towels feel like sandpaper compared to normal lol.
