LG – 5.5 Cu. Ft. High-Efficiency Smart Top-Load Washer with TurboWash3D Technology – Graphite steel

This washing machine really does the job. This is my first washer without an agitator, and I was worried soiled clothing wouldn’t get clean. So much so, that I tested the capability by intentionally soiling a few wash rags with liberal amounts of dust/grime from around my patio furniture and ran the “normal” cycle with a modest amount of detergent. The items came out perfectly clean.
The bottom of the wash drum spins independently from the walls, which does agitate the items in the drum very well. Additionally, the bottom portion of the drum features holes or perforations that seem to be directly coupled to a pump that forces “jets” of water upward as the bottom of the drum spins in the opposite direction as the rest of the drum, further agitating the items being washed. The result is a somewhat magical twist of the items that are at the bottom of the drum and most likely explains why the items are cleaned so well.
For extremely bulky items like comforters or large blankets, I do notice that the machine struggles to get the fabric circulating so the top is forced to the bottom, where the mechanical “magic” happens. I would suggest smaller loads, as the machine is able to “toss” the items around more effectively. The larger the load, the more risk there is that some items may not spend enough time at the bottom of the drum where the agitation is the most effective.
The auto-sensing features seem to work well. I’ve never seen the machine fail to apply the necessary amount of water like some cheaper options do, and the rinse cycle uses a special nozzle that sprays the clothing as it spins in the drum, forcing rinse water through the fabrics before it’s spun outward and through the drain holes in the side of the drum – a really well thought-out design feature that makes perfect sense, as compared to filling the drum with a large amount of water and simply draining it after more agitation.
The final spin cycle is also impressive. The drum spins so fast the clothing is almost completely dry when the cycle is complete. I’m sure this helps LG achieve “High Efficiency” standards, because the dryer doesn’t need to apply much effort to finish drying the clothes after being washed – they’re barely damp afterwards.
The only drawback I’ve noticed is the loudness of the “transmission” changing “gears” when the drum needs to spin at a higher RPM (like for a rinse cycle, for example). Because the sides and the bottom of the drum twist and turn at different times and speeds, the machine uses a sort of “transmission” that “locks” the drum sides and bottom together so they spin at the same speed when necessary. When this “locking” procedure happens, it sound like a metal pin is being forced against a solid metal drum to lock the two pieces together, and is pretty loud compared to the rest of the mechanical sounds you’d find typical in a washing machine. It hasn’t caused any problems, and is probably just the result of low-cost mechanical tolerances typical of any consumer grade washing machine, but it does strike me as noticeable and does worry me about longevity. If that pin or the hole it’s being mated to are being jammed together, one of them is bound to wear out eventually – I’m just worried it might happen sooner than anything else would fail, but have no way of knowing.
Overall, I’m very pleased with this machine’s capability. I’ve used it daily for just about a year now and have never had any issues or questionable success.

Looks great! So far it’s working great! Much better than I expected.

This is an outstanding appliance. It’s fun to watch it sense the water level it needs, and to get texts and status via the LG app.
If you find out that you selected the wrong mode, you can turn it off through the app.
Any quirks or tips listed in this review should not detract you from buying this washer. They are just FYI.
The Blue Ball, or as I call it, the Magic Blue Ball, is for the rinse cycle. It allows targeting that the general rinse cannot do. It is not used on all cycles.
Be careful with towels. The sensing will pick a low water level which makes sense, but the towels will absorb all the water.
LG recommends, and I agree that you should use the pre-rinse + normal mode, which fills up the tub.
When you turn on the machine, a bizarre bug to look out for is that it appears to go into normal mode, which is probably true, but the control panel is blank. If you move the dial to the left, it stays in normal mode without the indicator changing, and the control panel comes on so you can modify the cycle.
Both this and the matching dryer are skimpy on choices for the modifiers and inconsistent.
You can select the cold wash option in normal mode but not in pre-rinse normal. You can change it to cold manually in that mode, but it seems a bit stern.
THE THING IS A BEAST as far as load size. I’m single and wash less because I feel embarrassed with how much room is left for more clothes.
I am 5′ 7,” and I have to rotate the drum by hand because I can’t grab clothes that are on the other side to take them out after the cycle. So I feel that this is a plus, but if you are shorter, you may need a grabber and maybe a stool.
I have been so excited about this washer that people have told me to stop talking about it.
That’s a pretty big endorsement from me.
A Great Washer You Should Buy With Some Quirks

Love our washer. It’s much more efficient than our old model that we had for 12 years.
Only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars are:
It’s big which we wanted, but it’s so tall that I can hardly reach inside to get the laundry out. I’m 5’4” so if you’re taller I’m sure you’ll be fine.
Last is the app. I can’t seem to get it correct to setup for remote start etc. Honesty I haven’t tried again & calling customer service would probably help.