The GE GFWR4805FMC is a $ 1,400 front-loading washing machine. Given that you can find other front-loaders for half that price (even on GE’s own site), the question becomes, What sets this premium model apart?
Aside from some obvious upgrades — a stainless-steel drum that’s designed to last longer than the cheaper plastic ones, a vaguely sparkly dark gray “metallic” finish rather than your standard white plastic, a larger load capacity, some extra cleaning cycles — the GFWR4805FMC doesn’t seem to offer all that much.
In fact, its control panel is sort of cluttered, the digital display that’s supposed to tell you how much time is left on a cycle is impossible to read at certain angles and it doesn’t have any particularly new or innovative extras. An app, for example.
But, GE’s GFWR4805FMC did excel at stain removal — easily beating LG’s WM5000HVA. If you get the GFWR4805FMC for its performance alone, you won’t be sorry; it just seems to be missing some of the premium sheen that you’d expect for the price.
What can this washer do?
The GE GFWR4805FMC is a good-looking washing machine. It has a metallic dark gray finish and some shiny stainless-steel accents, but it definitely doesn’t have the same luxury look as LG’s WM5000HVA.
The display, while functional enough, looks cluttered and you only get standard mechanical buttons instead of that sleek LG touchscreen.
Still there’s a lot to love about this model in terms of features. It comes with Normal, Towels/Sheets, Delicates/Hand Wash, Speed Wash, Single Item (it senses the size of the item and washes accordingly), Rinse+Spin, Basket Clean, Whites, Bulky/Bedding, Active Wear, Power Clean, Sanitize and Allergen settings. All of these are accessible via a large and centrally located turn dial. Simple so far.
There’s also a jumble of additional options spread across other sections of the display, including My Cycle (save your favorite custom cycle here; you’ll find instructions in the user manual), Overnight Dry (this setting will tumble your clothes along with a stream of air), eWash (energy-saving mode), Pre-Soak, Pre-Wash and Delay Wash. There’s also a “Stain Removal Guide” and you can use a button to select from Grass, Wine, Blood, Tomato or Dirt, as well as an “eMonitor” that tells you how well you’re doing at saving energy.
You’ll also see buttons for adjusting the soil level (from Extra Light to Extra Heavy), the temperature (from Tap Cold to Extra Hot), the spin cycle (from No Spin to Extra High) and the rinse cycle (from Normal to Max).
There’s a large power button on the top left for turning on the machine, with a Lock Control button directly underneath — across the display on the top right is the Start/Pause button and directly below that you’ll find an “Add a Garment” function (press this and the door will unlock midcycle), as well as a Light and a Volume control button.
All of this is fine, but it’s a bit of a chaotic mess when you’re trying to locate a specific option — and that brings me to my biggest gripe with the control panel: the digital alarm-clock-style display. It is nearly impossible to read it unless you’re facing it directly or from the right. You won’t be able to read it at all when you’re facing it from the left. Not the biggest issue, but a minor annoyance.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Everything else is pretty standard here; to the left of the control panel there’s a small drawer that you pull open to add detergent, fabric softener and bleach. The washer’s 4.8-cubic-foot-capacity can handle a queen or king-sized blanket, and it’s just 47 inches tall — which is nearly 6 inches shorter than LG’s massive washer.
Chance Lane, one of our technical editors, installed this unit. It comes with all of the hookups you need to get it up and running, and since it doesn’t have that optional second washer like the Sidekick unit we tested alongside LG’s WM5000HVA, it took less than 30 minutes from start to finish.
