The short answer is that some models seem to be, but according to Which? at least one is not. Samsung have created a new technology for washing machines called EcoBubble, which they claim, “improves wash performance, reduces energy consumption and saves money”.
How does it work and what are the main claims? In plain language, they mix air bubbles in with the water and detergent which they say gets detergent into the fabric 40% faster allowing lower temperatures to achieve good results using 70% less energy (at 40 degrees).
It sounds impressive, and clearly any figures quoted will be provable in some way, but I’m always sceptical of percentages without context. So when I see percentages quoted like this I immediately think, 70% less energy than what? And what does the 70% equate to in actual money? We all know 70% is very impressive, but 70% of a pound is nothing to get giddy about. Potentially, the implication most people may take is that it uses 70% less energy than all other washing machines, but does it?
Let’s compare a Samsung 7kg ecobubble with a normal Bosh 7Kg washing machine
The Bosh 7Kg washing machines claims to cost only £21 a year in energy to run. So if the Ecobubble was 70% cheaper than that it makes it £6.30 a year. This doesn’t seem right, surely no washing machine costs as little as £6 a year to run. According to the specs on the Ecobubble 7Kg washing machine, it costs £25 a year to run – which is more!
So 70% less energy consumption doesn’t look so impressive when I can already see a rival washing machine without the ecobubble that costs even less to run. And it was just the first one I looked at. It clearly doesn’t equate to being 70% cheaper to run per se.
Also, what does 40% faster mean in real terms? 40% faster could mean just over half a second instead of 1 second for example, which isn’t remotely significant. The point is, percentage figures are meaningless without context but they are always used to impress in adverts, so be careful what you assume from impressive looking percentages.
The ecobubble washing machine I’m currently looking at does wash 10 minutes faster than the same Bosh WAE24490GB washing machine, which is quicker, but not significantly quicker to me. However, the ecobubble takes 20 minutes longer to wash on the Time Easy Care cycle than the Bosh, so it’s only faster under specific circumstances, or maybe on just a few programmes.
Putting aside the percentage claims
Out of the 5 ecobubble washing machines reviewed by Which? so far some of them are reportedly very good at cleaning but one model was found to be so poor at cleaning that they gave it a Don’t Buy icon. To be fair it’s probably an older model, possibly one of the first.
Ultimately most of the reviews say they wash well and relatively quickly, how much of that is down to the bubbles is unclear because many washing machines without ecobubble also have fantastic cleaning results and are Best Buys, so the bubbles aren’t necessarily some new discovery set to revolutionise washing machines.
It does seem that there may be something in the bubble system. The best advice is to check out Which? reviews on any model you are interested in. I suspect the Ecobubble may mainly be useful at reducing wash times on low temperature washes. So if you are into washing at really cool temperatures it is worth looking into, but choose your model carefully. (continued below..)
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In my experience and opinion, the washing machine manufactures who also make brown goods tend to rely too much on fancy “innovations” to sell washing machines. Possibly because brown goods always sell on fancy features. I’ve yet to see one that I genuinely think improves washing machines…
Samsung EcoBubble reviews
Which? have so far reviewed the following EcoBubble models –
- WF80F5E5U4W Ecobubble
- WF0704W7W Ecobubble
- WF1124XAC Ecobubble
Read Samsung reviews
Only Which? members can read the full reviews but non members can still get limited information including reading Which? member’s reviews. To read all the reviews plus get several more benefits you can take a trial membership – Check out Which? trial offer
Liam Hartley says
I had that model of Samsung that Which gave a don’t buy – I have only just found this out now from your article.
This model was actually the top of the range in the eco bubble range; it is a 12Kg load machine, recommended retail price of around £800 to £1000.
I never had an issue with it’s cleaning, however I did have MASSIVE issues with the machine.
I bought the machine in May 2013, and 7 months in, it had a fault where the machine would stop turning the drum mid cycle; it kept trying to turn, then after about 5 mins of this, it failed and started flashing up E3 Motor Error Fault.
Engineer came and ran it through some tests and said it was fine. Then the fault happened again, so engineer came to replace the motor and brought the wrong one, so came a couple of days later and replaced the motor. Fault then happened again, so this time was told it was the PCB, so engineer came again to replace and brought the wrong one.
Samsung (after a lot of toing and froing) took the machine back and refunded me (the retailer went bust 2 months after I bought the machine, so could not get any help from them).
It was an awful experience, and this was all between December 2013 and January this year, so as Christmas, we had to run out and buy a temp machine, so had 2 washers in laundry room, (the new one bought and the Samsung).
I did feel really let down; I understand with any electronic, there is always going to be faulty ones, but still.
Liam
Whitegoodshelp (Andy Trigg) says
Which presumably have very strict wash tests. I think the problem with brands like Samsung is that they rely on third party companies and engineers to do their guarantee work and don’t have their own service network like other more well established brands sold in the UK. Unless things have changed, it was always difficult to get technical information and spares for them (as well as LG and other brown good manufacturer’s washing machines) compared with the specialist white goods brands. To me, one of the main reasons I wouldn’t buy one is the reputation for aftersales is so relatively poor.
Liam Hartley says
Hi,
Yes I should imagine they do put the machines through the extreme; to try and cover all eventualities of use.
I think you’re right with regards to them not having their own service network. We had an independent repair engineer for the machine (not an employee of Samsung) and when the machine was collected for refund; it was done by a logistics firm.
At first, I vowed I would never buy another Samsung product, I have sort of calmed down now; however I am still very wary, and if there is another option, I will seriously look at them first.
The issue I have (I could be wrong here) its that companies manufacturing is closely linked to each other, so appliances are made in the same factories, have slight changes and then are badged with a particular brand, so ultimately, no matter which brand you’re going for, it’s all the same.
Example of this, when the Samsung went, I got an LG 12KG machine, they are so many similarities in looks etc, I am sure they are linked somewhere in the manufacturing process :/
Thanks
Liam
Carl Farrington says
No LG & Samsung are not linked. They are arch rivals.
They both do similar marketing hype, but no one makes up rubbish marketing ideas as much as Samsung. Like my old netbook with the “silver nano” keyboard? (supposedly had bits of silver in the keyboard to do, umm.. something). Every Samsung product has about 6 stickers side by side with some stupid hype name on it “eco-bubble” “silver nano”, “xHd” “super-xc2” (i’m making them up now, like I’m sure Samsung’s marketing guys do).
The bottom line is they are affordable and somewhat stylish but as far as I’m concerned they’re unreliable tat.
(My samsung just broke down too).
Andy Trigg says
Hello Carl, I think the problem with these companies is that they built their business and reputation in the brown goods market where innovation is key. Although there is always room for innovation in white goods there is far less requirement for what I see as overly fancy and completely unnecessary innovation. I would much rather see quality reliable and repairable products that function properly than ones full of fancy gimmicks which can’t be repaired very well.
laura says
I bought a Samsung eco bubble 12 kg in April 2013, it cost £700. It has just broken down one week after the guarantee ran out. God knows what it will cost to get repaired. I have never been impressed with it, it didn’t clean. I thought spending a lot of money on a machine I would get a good machine, how wrong I was. I am gutted. I only live on my pension so this was a mega amount of money to me as it is to most people.
Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp) says
Hi Brian. If it broke down under 6 months then it is deemed to have been faulty when sold (unless they can prove otherwise) which breaches the Sale of Goods Act. The manufacturer has no liability (they didn’t sell it to you), only the retailer, so if you want to insist on an exchange you need to pursue the retailer. Sadly the retailer will usually ask the manufacturer if they will swap it who will presumably say no, the retailer will then most likely say there’s nothing they can do but this is not necessarily the case – especially if it’s a serious fault. However, the Sale of Goods Act also states that a retailer can refuse to replace an appliance if doing so is disproportionately more expensive than repairing it.
So for example if a washing machine breaks down after 5 months but it can be fixed in 10 minutes at little cost (say a small part or just a loose wire) then it would be unreasonable to expect them to go to all the trouble and expense to collect it and install a new one. This is part of the Sale of Goods Act. It all depends on what’s gone wrong, but this issue affects all brands of appliance. I have a comprehensive article here – Sale of Goods Act for faulty appliances?
Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp) says
Laura: Sadly this is something I’ve been warning about for years and most people don’t yet realise the truth. You can pay £700 for a Miele washing machine which is the highest quality washer you can buy in the UK but for the same money you can buy a fancy washing machine full of features which isn’t substantially better build quality than washing machines half the price. It’s a bit late now but my article here explains it all – Is a more expensive washing machine a better one?
I’m not trying to say Samsung are very poor quality, but they are one of the many manufacturers who sell expensive feature-packed appliances where the main reason for the expense is not much higher build quality but more “features” such as bigger drums, bubbles, faster spins, “style” etc.
Dawn K says
Laura – you have 6 years to claim against the retailer for your washing machine so disregard the fact that the guarantee has run out. Your machine is not of satisfactory quality nor is it fit for purpose which is in breach of s14 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979. Section 14 forms an implied term of your contract with the retailer. s14 (2B) refers to durability. It is reasonable for you to expect a £700 washing machine to last beyond a couple of years therefore there is a clear breach of this condition. I suggest you contact the retailer and discuss your rights under the Sale of Goods Act 1979. Don’t get fobbed off. Threaten small claims court if necessary and see Citizens Advice if you need help with a letter. Good luck. (PS I have just had a Samsung Ecobubble 12kg die on me after 14 months, though its being dealt with under guarantee….have been waiting 2 weeks so far, told another week before the spares arrive – have serious doubts about getting another Samsung – Bosch never let me down like this!)
Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp) says
Thanks for that dawn, and apologies to Laura for forgetting to broach that side of it. I have plenty of articles about it but forgot to list them. Of course without knowing exactly what has gone wrong we cannot know if Laura has a strong case or not. But if she has then the fact that it is out of guarantee is largely irrelevant as my article explains in detail here Washing machine only just out of guarantee..but I don’t think I should have to pay for a repair
There are also several other related articles to read at the base of that article.