GE Energy Star Front Load Washer 4.5 DOE cu. ft Review

COMPLETE REVIEW

The GE Energy Star front-load washing machine is manufactured by GE Appliances, a company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. GE is one of the largest appliance company in the US and it commercializes a wide range of products, from washers, dryers and water heaters, to kitchen appliances such as dishwashers, refrigerators, disposers and more. GE Appliances was acquired by Haier Group in 2016, but they keep on selling their merchandise globally.

The GE Energy Star front-load washer that we reviewed has a capacity of 4.5 cu. ft. and is available in two colors: white and black.

Here are its main specifications:

• Dimensions (W x H x D): 27 x 39 ¾ x 33 ½ inches
• Net weight: 245 lb.
• Depth with door open at 90 degrees: 50 7/8 inches
• Capacity: 4.5 cubic feet (cu. ft.)
• Control type: rotary-electronic w/LEDs
• Number of cycles: 10
• Water heater
• Maximum spin speed: 1300 RPM
• Spin speeds: 5
• Wash/rinse temperatures: 5
• White pocket handle door

If you are interested in the full specifications follow this link: http://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-specs/GFW450SSMWW

The GE 4.5 has an average design. Nothing impressive, but overall, it is a fine looking and sturdy washer. It has a capacity of 4.5 cu. ft., which is pretty generous, a stainless steel drum, which is solid thus long-lasting, and no touch screen. There is a LED display and buttons and dial controls instead. The entire control panel is a bit crowded though, with lots and lots of dials and settings.

The machine has an internal water heater which is really useful as it acts as a bacteria killer.  

This GE washer has 10 washing cycles: normal, towels, active wear, bulky items, sanitize, tub clean, rinse + spin, quick wash, delicates (hand wash) and whites.

The display indicates the remaining time and you have 5 more settings on the bottom: my cycle, prewash, time saver, delay wash and extra rinse. The Power and Start/Pause buttons are on the right while the cycle rotating one is on the left.

Once you’re settled with a cycle, you can choose between the 5 stain removal options: grass, wine, blood, tomato and dirt. You can also personalize it further using the Soil (Extra Heavy, Extra Light, Heavy, Light, Normal), Temp (Temperature) and Spin options.

In our tests, this GE washer obtain a decent/average score in both stain removal and overall cleaning. What’s higher than average is the way it deals with laundry and we’ve come to find out it is a gentle washing machine, not as rough on your clothes as other competitors. However, you’d be advised not to abuse of the high spin settings because they can wear and tear your clothes faster. That is why you should stick with the Quick Wash cycle when you are in a hurry, instead of using the Time Saver option, which uses a faster spin.   

Other features on the GE washer are the Add Steam button, Add a Garment button, a Control Lock, and our most favorite, the Tumble Care function. When enabled, the the Tumble Care option continues to periodically tumble your clothes after the washing cycle is over, for up to 8 hours, in order to prevent them from getting wrinkled. This is a very useful feature for scatter brains who forget to unload their washers right after the washing cycle is over, or for people who don’t have the time/possibility to do so right away.

The annual energy consumption of the washer is really a step up if your previous machine was a top-loading model. Moreover, this GE model has the Energy Star mark, meaning it complies with federal guidelines in terms of energy efficiency. What does that mean to you? Less money you have to spend on electric bills.

The performance of this washer is also really impressive when it comes to spinning out excess water, with a result of up to 77% on high spin and 53% on the Normal cycle, which means your laundry will dry much faster.