By Alexander Villafania
INQUIRER.NET
MANILA, Philippines – Many home appliances are least discussed by technology reviewers. These include electric fans, flat irons, microwaves and airconditioning units, refrigerators and washing machines. This is largely because they are taken for granted. Consequently, these devices have limited factors to describe if they are better than the other brands.
Washing machines are among these devices that seem to be misunderstood. One reason is that most Filipino consumers would only look at two aspects for a choice of washing machines: price and capacity. In some cases, it’s either a twin tub or an automatic. Whichever the case, many Filipinos are not as picky with their washing machines as with other products, particularly the mobile phone.
Incidentally, some of the manufacturers believe that the market in the Philippines is getting more sophisticated when it comes to choosing their washing machines. This is mainly due to the changes in lifestyle of many city-dwelling Filipinos. With the fast pace of living in the metro, home owners, especially those living in condominium units, are trying to squeeze their space and budget.
“Buyers are know their lives are getting more complicated so they tend to look at items and appliances to lessen the hassle for them. Not surprisingly, washing machines are among the appliances that are getting “reviewed” because they are indeed a necessity and, thus, should have the necessary features,” according to Ma. Joanne Roman, home appliance specialist for Samsung Philippines.
During a press conference, Roman said washing machines are fast becoming lifestyle devices rather than just single-use appliances. She said that Samsung has been monitoring changes in consumer spending when it comes ot washing machines and in most cases, the priority is not just about buying a washing machine but making sure that these fit the right needs of the user.
“In the case of condominium-dwellers, they want space and so they choose a smaller automatic washing machine that can have the same washing action as bigger models. Also they want one that also saves energy and water,” Roman said.
Roman added that washing machines are among Samsung’s biggest seller for home appliances, along with airconditioning units and refrigerators, noting that washing machines are increasingly becoming more of a necessity, much like TV sets or refrigerators.
The company introduced some of their latest washing machines models in the Philippines. One of their more powerful models is the WD8122, a front loading unit that uses the new “AIRWash” technology. This means that air, in this case hot air, is also used to remove unwanted particles in the fabric that causes after-wash odors. This also saves water and electricity as AIRWash reduces the need to do multiple washings of a single batch of clothes.
Another is the WA13, which is an affordable top-loading model. It has a unique water flow effect that pushes water up from below the rotating pulsator, thus creating an even flow around the clothes being washed.
One common feeature for the WD8122 and the WA13 is the “Diamond Drum.” Instead of just plain walls with straight ridges, the inner wall of the washer’s drum are made of stainless steel with diamond-shaped corrugations that serve as internal washboards. These add to the cleaning effect of the washing machines.
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