Kenmore's luxury washing machine is a bit of a let down

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Kenmore's $1,300 Elite 31433 top-load washing machine looks great at first glance. Its metallic gray color, front-mounted display panel and see-through lid give this machine a premium look consistent with its high-end price. Checking in on the status of the wash cycle from a phone is surprisingly easy with the Kenmore Smart app. 

Unfortunately, it earned a very poor cleaning score -- making it impossible to recommend -- despite its many appealing qualities. 

The basics

Take a look at the chart below to see how the Elite 31433 compares to Samsung's $1,099 WA54M8750AW and Maytag's $1,399 MVWB955FC

Comparing washing machines



























































































































Kenmore Elite 31433

Samsung WA54M8750AW

Maytag MVWB955FC

Price

$1,300

$1,099

$1,399

Color finish

Metallic

White, black stainless steel (for $1,199)

Metallic slate, white ( for $1,299)

Capacity

5 cubic feet

5.4 cubic feet

6.2 cubic feet

# of cycles

8

12

10

Energy consumption

150 kWh/year

180 kWh/year

240 kWh/year

Water consumption

12.6 gallons

14.8 gallons

15.3 gallons

Dimensions (width, height, depth)

27x 40.8 x 28.4 inches

27 x 42.4 x 29.3 inches

29.5 x 43.4 x 30 inches

App

Yes

Yes

No


As you can see, the Kenmore washer has a smaller internal capacity and fewer cleaning cycles than the WA54M8750AW and the MVWB955FC. Like the WA54M8750AW, the Elite 31433 has a related app. 

The Kenmore Smart app for Android and iPhone gives you remote access to your Elite 31433. Download the app, follow the step-by-step instructions and select "Remote Start" on the washer display. When the washer is on and Remote Start is enabled, you can start, stop and pause your washer from your phone. You can also see how much time is left in a cleaning cycle. 

It worked well, but you have to remember to turn your washer on and enable Remote Start to use it. Given that, you might as well just start the cycle when you're standing next to your washer. That's a gripe I have with every app-enabled washer I've tested -- you always have to enable remote functionality from the washer itself. It's a weird requirement considering that remote access is something I'd likely use if I had forgotten to start a cleaning cycle. But if I forgot, I also wouldn't have turned on the washer or pressed a Remote Start button.

Remote Start is most likely a safety measure to ensure that just anyone can't easily control a large appliance, but this process needs to be streamlined before I'd consider any "smart" washing machine truly smart. 





















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