New Year, New Appliances

For my birthday, my sweet husband, aside from treating my family to Tagaytay, gave me 2 new appliances. A red refrigerator, Condura, and an automatic washing machine, Samsung. (Because I sometimes complain that I can't keep my nail polish for many days. It chips every time I do the laundry- by handwashing our clothes.)

Considerations in choosing the appliances:

1. Price- has to be within our budget.
2. Brand name- has to come from a known, trusted and reliable brand.
3. Value for money- all the added features and benefits vis-a-vis the price.
4. Aesthetic appeal- has to fit our personal taste, look good and modern.
5. Warranty- the longer, the better.

Likes-

Condura Single Door Refrigerator

CSD211-SA Burgundy 6.2 Cu Ft Style Series

Cash Price- Php 11,400 plus Php 350 delivery charge of Automatic Centre

Made in the Philippines
Warranty valid for Negosyo- 5 years for compressor, 3 months for plastic parts replacement, 2 years for system, parts and labor, and 10 years for spare parts availability.

Its high EEF of 285 means lower electrical consumption.

Comments:

• The refrigerator we had before this was also from Condura but I did not like that my previous one had excessive ice formation in the freezer. Within a few days, we can't shut the freezer door because the ice on its walls is too thick. So it's nice that this new ref doesn't have problems YET with excessive ice formation. Also, there was one time that a relative asked to keep his meat products in our old ref. The ref was completely filled and he did not notice that the ham was pressing all that time against the defrost button so the defrost button became dysfunctional.
• We wanted a smaller one because we had a small house but the small version was not available in the store we bought it from.
• Being labeled as "stylish", and with their personal-sized cube refs having more colors to choose from, I would have preferred if this was in color pink.
• Update: After about 8 months, I noticed the ice formation in the freezer gets thick fast. About 5 days after defrosting and wiping, the ice formation is already quarter of an inch. For this, I think a double door ref is better.

Pardon the mess!

Samsung Fully Auto Top Load Washing Machine (Wobble)

WA75H4200SW 7.5 kg

Cash Price- Php 13,000.75 plus Php 420 delivery fee of SM Appliance Center

Made in Thailand
Warranty- a good 11 years for its motor, and 1 year for parts and labor. 

It's great that its control panel has many buttons as compared to other brands that have just one "program" button that is abused or pressed again and again. Better to use the thumb when pressing buttons so your nails won't scratch it.

Comments:

• Being a simple person transitioning from a manual twin tub, I had a hard time using this high-tech washing machine for the first time. It was trial and error and I was afraid I might destroy it in the process.
• I wished there was a Tagalog version of the manual.
• There's only 4 simple steps in "Washing for the first time"- press power, insert detergent into drawer, turn on water supply, and lastly, press start. But for the life of me, it took me and the hubby a good 30 minutes to figure out why water would not come into the washing machine even though the tap is on, and the hose screw is opened properly. We had to press the water level pala and it's not indicated there!
• I don't think the user manual is complete with explanation or if it was complete, it isn't easy to understand for me. E.g., I was looking in the Control Panel page what water level 1-5 stands for. Is it minutes or liters?  I finally figured out its meaning was in the back page, along with the specification of their list of models.
• I just hope its body would not rust easily.
• Dislike- increase in expenses, especially water and electricity. And whereas before I only use one sachet of detergent, now it is up to four. Also, the clothes are still not perfectly clean. There is still a need to handwash stains and tough dirt.

So that's it! Thanks to my husband for giving me practical stuff- the Condura refrigerator and the Samsung washing machine. I like them both. I like how pretty the ref looks because I like that color next to pink. And now laundry time is easier because the automatic washing machine can wash rinse then dry clothes with just a few buttons pressed- the only effort is inserting the hose to the water supply downstairs (yep we bought a very long hose). But I am not looking forward to the next electricity and water bill! :p

UPDATE:

REF
For the ref, after more than a year, the top door inside (you know, the freezer) was shattered and it has no door since. It was because the ice in its walls and floor got so thick that a plastic hinge got broken when I tried to close it.

WASHING MACHINE

As of January 29 2018, the washing machine broke down for the second time. It would not function. So we called the technician. Turns out, the motor has 5 years warranty, but all else are covered only by a 1 year warranty (the appliances are close to 3 years now).

The repairman said if we would not have this repaired that day, we need to pay him Php 350 service fee. Otherwise, if we opt to pay for the control panel which needs to be replaced (costs about Php 2,580), the fee is waived.

So we agreed and he installed a  new control panel (you know the one on top with the buttons), and it's working fine now. Tip: Do not wash COMFORTERS in there!

UPDATE:

I realize I haven't mentioned but we need to regularly clean the filter at its wall (scrub it and remove the trapped dirt) and do the eco tub clean from time to time. Also a good idea to keep the lid up for a few hours after you're done, and completely let the inside air dry.

By 2020, its fifth year, the spinning function has not been working effectively. The rotation has gotten so weak that clothes (shirts, padded bras), towels, blankets and others are still dripping wet after the complete cycle finishes. We thus need to mix and tumble the clothes MANUALLY so that those items above can be submerged in the soapy water.

By 2023 we had bought a new washing machine because not only is the rotation so weak, there are times when it would just stop even though it is already full with water and clothes. 

But all in all, I would say after years of its service, sulit na rin or we got our money's worth.