Review of Frigidaire Affinity 3.8 Cu. Ft. Front Load Washer Model FAFW3801LW

Our old washing machine decided she was ready to retire, only 2 years young, but as they say, you pay for quality, and this old girl was only $150, so we sort of knew it wouldn't last all too long.

On the prowl for a new washing machine, we knew we were probably better of spending a little bit of money getting a washing machine with a good warranty and nice features. Initially we wanted an LG due to the 10 year warranty on its direct drive motor, but we could not wait a week for them to deliver so we went with a model that seemed similar to LG's, only this particular beauty didn't have a direct drive motor. Just a standard belt run motor.

At any rate the particular washing machine we ended up toting home was the Frigidaire Affinity 3.8 Cu. Ft. Front Load Washer. The floor model was on sale for $499.99, which is a bit high for what we used to spend on washing machines. For this price however we expected this machine to last for a very long time, and to really go the extra mile when it came to cleaning clothes.

It has a bunch of nifty features and different washing cycles for you to choose from, and all of these glitter like features led us to believe that this washing machine was well worth the money. Frankly I loved the front loader, and being able to watch my clothes spin around while the washer did its thing.
The problem we encountered immediately however was that smaller clothing like socks and undergarments were getting stuck in the front loading window crevasse.

The door has a small groove in it, which seems to catch smaller things, and they remain there not getting clean, and not moving. It was a little frustrating, but something we could overlook. We figured we could just put smaller clothes in a laundry bag and clean it that way.

The second issue came up about 20 minutes into a normal spin cycle. Right towards the end, the washing machine really begins to spin like crazy before it shuts off. This is just a normal cycle in the wash, but with this machine the washing machine got very loud, started shaking worse than our old $150 model, and sounded like an airplane landing even in the upstairs part of the house, you could hear this thing rattle.

It was supposed to have some sort of anti vibration feature, but apparently ours missed out on receiving that special little detail, because it was shocking, and disheartening to see, and hear this washing machine struggle like this.

All in all, the Frigidaire Affinity 3.8 Cu. Ft. Front Load Washer ended up taking the long haul back to the store, where we simply ordered the LG model we initially wanted. The wait is worth it. Never again will we buy a Frigidaire, as it seriously sounded worse than the lowest end model of washing machines you could buy.

We were fooled by the lights, and the glamorous outer appearance that this washing machine had, but we knew if we kept it, eventually it would break, and probably faster than our last machine.