You can tell IFA is around the corner, the press releases ramp up with all the new “innovations” that are to be on offer at the German trade fair and as is boringly predictable and usual LG and Samsung will try to outdo one another.
LG have pumped out a press release we thought wed pick our way through that says it will showcase its latest innovations in clothing care technology at IFA 2016. Featured among the lineup will be an all new TWINWash™ washing machine along with the efficient and durable Centum System™ washer, LG SIGNATURE washer-dryer and the LG Styler.
Uhh, so… nothing new then?
LG says that its redesigned 12kg capacity TWINWash is aesthetically related to the ultra-premium LG SIGNATURE washing machine.
They bang on about roomy main washer handles the bulk of the laundry, while the TWINWash Mini can be set to run a different, smaller wash cycle. The ergonomic and elegant unit features a full touch LED display embedded in the glass door and sleek black tempered glass on the exterior which repels fingerprints and corrosion.
Uhh, so… nothing new then?
For consumers who put a premium on energy-efficiency and durability, LG’s Centum System lineup of washers, dryers and washer-dryer combinations is the perfect solution. Both the washer and the dryer offer energy efficiency ratings of A+++ -60% and A+++ -10%, respectively. With a new damping system consisting of shock and vibration absorbers, the Centum System washer’s noise level in spin mode is a very low 67dB1. The low vibration Inverter Direct Drive motor at the heart of Centum washing machines is backed by an industry leading 20-year warranty.
Oh wow, new stuff!
A new dampening system with shock and vibration dampers. Oh hang on a minute, isn’t that what we have just now? Maybe it is a new system, maybe it isn’t we really don’t know as other’s no details.
What is new is a 20 year warranty on a part that will probably never fail in the life of the machine, that’s not the bit that will break usually, the rest will fall apart before that does.
And here we were getting all excited about some innovation as well and, well that balloon got popped.
The LG SIGNATURE washer-dryer employs the first inverter heat pump technology in the industry to achieve energy efficiency of A-50% without impacting cleaning performance. And with the SmartThinQ Wi-Fi Control app, LG SIGNATURE washer-dryer owners can get updates on the completion or progress of wash cycles via their smartphones. The second generation LG Styler with LG TrueSteam™ technology sanitises clothes, removes wrinkles and unpleasant odors with ease, leaving clothes smelling fresh. Another convenient feature, Moving Hanger, gently shakes clothes to further eliminate wrinkles during the steam cycle. And with Easy Pants Crease Care, your slacks will always look like they came straight from the dry cleaner.
Okay so using a heat pump in a washer dryer is new, we’ll grant LG that but a couple of years back or so V Zug was using a heat pump to heat the washing cycle so to call it an innovation is stretching the boundaries a little at best, but in reality, it’s not really anything especially new.
All LG have done we imagine is to cram a small heat pump unit into a washer dryer which, strikes most of us here that are a bit more technical as, plain mental. Out and out stark raving bonkers.
Heat pumps are sensitive enough in freestanding dryers, we hate to think how that’s going to pan out in a washer dryer.
“The living solutions we’ll be bringing to IFA this year takes personal clothing care to the next level, from washing to drying and even sanitising,” said Simon Jeon, senior vice president of the washing machine division at LG Home Appliance & Air Solution Company. “This is the kind of innovative approach that has propelled LG to the head of the global home appliance industry.”
Mhm, *NEWSFLASH* Mr LG, Whirlpool were still No1 the last we checked. Then Electrolux. Then, well you get the picture, LG aren’t at the head at all really but, they do like to tell everyone they’re a global leader in home appliances by the sound of it.
But the next level, more like a reinvention of the wheel, re-marketed as the all new wheel with bells on.
Spin is excellent here, just not the spin of the appliances!
We like the LG machines, the vanilla LG machines are okay, a bit bling few our tastes with too much stuff most people will probably never use and the spin out of balance is a bit sensitive but on the whole they’re okay. Spare parts are also fairly reasonable cost wise, not the best, not the worst by far.
We’d love to see real innovation in the industry, not just the addition of gimmicks which we’re sad to say, is really all we see here.
But if you want to see this and all the rest of this year’s “innovations” just look for the big LG and Samsung signs in the Messe Berlin. Trust us, you won’t be able to miss them.
