Slim washing machines are great for small spaces. It is important that they have a good load capacity and offer a variety of programs for different needs. The Lex LWM07014WBTHID model meets these requirements, is equipped with a color display and a steam function.
Is it true that her intensive wash is good? Let's check it out now!
Characteristics
| Manufacturer | Lex |
|---|---|
| Model | LWM07014WBTHID SLIM |
| Type | narrow front loading washing machine |
| Country of origin | China |
| Guarantee | 36.6 months |
| Service life * | 10 years |
| Maximum load | 7 kg |
| Maximum spin speed | 1400 rpm |
| Washing class | A |
| Drying class | A+ |
| Energy efficiency class | A+++ |
| Energy consumption per year | 174 kWh |
| Control | electronic, sensory |
| Display | LED |
| Number of programs | 16 |
| Programs | Delicate wash, Baby clothes, Intensive wash, Blankets, Drum clean, Steam, Rinse + spin, 15 min mode, 20 °C mode, 42 min mode, Mixed fabrics, Sportswear, Spin only, Cotton, Wool, Eco 40-60 °C |
| Noise level | 60 dB |
| Weight | 64 kg |
| Dimensions (W×H×D) | 595×850×440 mm |
| Length of network cable | 1.5 m |
* Contrary to popular belief, this is not the period after which the device will necessarily break down. However, after this period, the manufacturer ceases to bear any responsibility for its functionality and has the right to refuse to repair it, even for a fee.
Equipment
The Lex LWM07014WBTHID packaging is made of cardboard and foam plastic and does not contain any important information for the user. It only contains the manufacturer's logo, a schematic image of the washing machine, the manufacturer's contact information and transportation instructions. The model index and serial number are indicated on a small paper sticker.
The washing machine comes complete with: an inlet hose, plugs for the transport bolts, an adjustment key, a user manual, a warranty card and a sticker with information on the energy efficiency of the device.
The metal key is used to adjust the height of the device's legs, and the plastic plugs are inserted into the holes left by the transport bolts.
The inlet hose included in the kit is of the simplest design. It does not have an AquaStop valve.
At first glance
The Lex LWM07014WBTHID washing machine is made in classic colors — black and white. The detergent compartment lid and the control panel are visually connected by a strip of black smooth plastic.
In the center of the washing machine is a round program selector. To the right of it is a color display with touch buttons. The indication is not visible when the device is switched off; we will look at it later when we switch the machine on.
The drum cover consists of two layers: both the inner and outer parts are made of glass. This was a pleasant surprise for us, since the front part of the hatch is usually made of plastic by most manufacturers. The dark glass used in this model is quite rare and helps to maintain an attractive appearance for many years.
The lid is held in place by light metal hinges located to the left of the hatch.
The inner perforated surface of the drum is decorated with stamped hexagons, which helps improve hydrodynamic characteristics. There are also holes on the back wall. The plastic strikers, which have a wave-like shape, are carefully curved and effectively mix the laundry.
The detergent compartment has a traditional design: on the left is a container for the main wash, on the right is a container for the pre-wash, and in the center is a tray for conditioner. To clean the tray, it can be easily removed by pressing the blue latch.
In the lower right corner of the front panel there is a rectangular drain filter hatch with a pipe for emergency water removal.
The side walls are decorated with relief stamping, which not only adds aesthetics, but also increases the rigidity of the structure. When viewed from the side, it is clear that the hatch cover protrudes beyond the main dimensions of the car by almost 5 cm.
The corrugated drain hose is already attached to the washing machine, and the water outlet for connecting the inlet hose is located in the upper right corner of the rear panel.
The drum is secured in the transport position with four bolts with large rubber shock absorber washers. Before the first start-up, they must be removed and replaced with plastic plugs, which are included in the kit.
What's inside?
When first getting to know a new washing machine, we, as usual, partially disassemble it, removing the top plastic panel and the back cover in order to photograph the insides of the device: from the top, back and bottom.
Instructions
The user manual is a 26-page A5 brochure printed on thick white paper with high print quality. All images, diagrams and tables, of which there are quite a lot, are easy to perceive.
The document is written in Russian and, as is often the case with manufacturers of large household appliances, covers several (in this case, nine) similar models of the same series.
The instructions describe in detail how to prepare the machine for the first start-up, operate the device, and also give advice on care and safety during use. The brochure ends with a list of possible malfunctions and recommendations for their elimination.
The documentation set also includes a service book and a standard sticker with information on the energy efficiency of the washing machine.
Control
The control panel consists of a round program selector located on the left side and a modern color display with touch buttons.
By turning the selector, you can choose one of sixteen programs. The currently active one is indicated by the flashing of the corresponding inscription.
The manufacturer describes the purpose of the scenarios and the maximum load for each of them in the documentation.
| Name | Description | Maximum load, kg |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton | Cotton items, bed linen or underwear, towels, shirts, etc. with moderate or light soiling | 7 |
| Eco 40-60 °C | Energy efficient washing at 40 — 60 °C | 7 |
| Sportswear | Items made from high-tech synthetic fabrics | 4 |
| Blankets | Heavy items: blankets, coats, large towels, etc. | — |
| Delicate wash | Silk underwear, mesh fabrics | 2.5 |
| Children's clothing | Gentle and thorough washing of children's clothes | 7 |
| Intensive wash | Effective accelerated washing program | 7 |
| Steam | Hot steam treatment for better washing results | 5 |
| Mixed fabrics | Simultaneous washing of cotton, synthetics, etc. Cannot be used for delicate fabrics | 7 |
| 15 minutes | Frequently changed, not too dirty clothes | 4 |
| 42 minutes | Frequently changed, not too dirty clothes | 4 |
| 20 °C | Items with light soiling | 5 |
| Wool | Wool items labeled «machine washable» | 2 |
| Rinse + spin | Scenario without washing stage | 7 |
| Spin only | Scenario without washing and rinsing | 7 |
| Cleaning the drum | Service script for machine maintenance | — |
The digital display shows the duration of the selected program or the time remaining until the end of operation.
The display is surrounded by touch buttons for controlling the washing options:
- Pre-wash: an additional stage before the main wash.
- Soak: increases washing efficiency.
- Temperature: allows you to set the water temperature (20, 40, 60 or 90 °C).
- Spin speed: selectable from 1400, 1200, 1000, 800 and 400 rpm.
- Hygiene: long wash at a high temperature for clothes, bed linen and plush toys that require thorough cleaning.
- Delayed start: allows you to delay the start of the program from 1 to 24 hours in 1-hour increments.
- Quiet mode: reduces the intensity of the wash, reducing noise, and turns off the sound signals.
- My Settings button: allows you to save your selected washing parameters. To save the settings, you need to press the sensor for a few seconds. To use them again, just briefly touch the sensor.
The table below shows the default values for each program and the possible ranges of manual settings.
| Program | Default water temperature, °C | Possibility of changing temperature, °C | Default program duration | Default spin, rpm | Possibility of changing the spin speed, rpm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton | 40 | 0 — 90 | 1:15 | 1000 | 0 — 1400 |
| Eco 40-60 °C | 40 | 0 — 60 | 3:28 | 1400 | 0 — 1400 |
| Sportswear | 40 | 0 — 40 | 0:44 | 800 | 0 — 800 |
| Delicate | 20 | 0 — 40 | 1:28 | 800 | 0 — 800 |
| Children's clothing | 60 | 0 — 90 | 2:22 | 800 | 0 — 1000 |
| Intensive | 20 | 0 — 60 | 0:39 | 800 | 0 — 1400 |
| Steam | 60 | 0 — 90 | 2:45 | 800 | 0 — 1000 |
| Mixed fabrics | — | 0 — 40 | 1:16 | 800 | 0 — 800 |
| 15 minutes | — | 0 — 40 | 0:15 | 800 | 0 — 800 |
| 42 minutes | 20 | 0 — 40 | 0:42 | 800 | 0 — 800 |
| 20 °C | 20 | — | 1:03 | 1000 | 0 — 1400 |
| Wool | 40 | 0 — 40 | 0:47 | 800 | 0 — 800 |
| Rinse + spin | — | — | 0:17 | 1000 | 0 — 1400 |
| Spin | — | — | 0:11 | 1000 | 0 — 1400 |
| Cleaning the drum | 60 | — | 1:15 | 800 | — |
This model has a standard set of modes: washing for cotton, synthetic fabrics, mixed and delicate materials, and woolen products. Also available are programs for children's and sportswear, washing large items, two quick washes (15 and 42 minutes) and one with steam treatment.
All modes have default settings and a fairly wide range for manual adjustment.
The duration of the programs in this model is close to average: the declared execution time is adequate to modern standards of washing machines. When manually changing the temperature, the total operating time also increases. For the «Cotton» program, the time change looks like this:
| Water temperature, °C | Opening hours |
|---|---|
| without heating | 0:59 |
| 20 | 1:03 |
| 40 (default) | 1:15 |
| 60 | 1:55 |
| 90 | 2:41 |
In addition to the usual washing and spinning scenarios, the Lex LWM07014WBTHID also has a service self-cleaning mode at an elevated (60 °C) temperature.
Operation
Before you start using the washing machine, you need to unpack, install and connect it — these are the basic steps that are worth mentioning. After removing the packaging, you should unscrew the four shipping bolts from the back panel and close the holes with the plastic plugs that are included in the kit.
To minimize noise and vibration, it is important to properly level the device horizontally. To do this, you need to adjust the two front feet, which is conveniently done with the supplied wrench.
The drain and inlet hoses are easy to connect thanks to their simple design and standard dimensions. The washing machine is designed to operate at a water pressure of 3 to 10 bar. If the pressure in the system is higher, you will need to install a pressure limiter valve. When connecting to the mains, make sure that the socket is grounded and the circuit breaker matches the power consumption of the device.
Before the first start, it is recommended to carry out a cleaning cycle of the drum to remove residual factory dirt. In the next chapter, we will talk about caring for the machine.
During the test operation, Lex LWM07014WBTHID did not reveal any surprises: all functions and scenarios worked as expected. The predicted washing time displayed on the display when selecting a program was accurate and did not depend on the level of contamination or the amount of laundry in the drum.
If you start washing without closing the door completely, the machine will give a warning signal and display an error message on the display. To continue working, just close the door tightly.
The Lex LWM07014WBTHID drum is equipped with a backlight: the LED lamp is activated in standby mode, which allows you to conveniently load and unload laundry even in dim lighting. The light turns off one minute after the program starts.
At the end of the wash, the machine emits a melodic sound signal, after which it immediately clicks the lock: in this model, there is no pause between the signal and the unlocking.
Care
The body of the device should be regularly wiped with a soft cloth. It is permissible to use soap or detergent, but the use of solvents and abrasives is strictly prohibited. The drum door seals can be wiped with a damp cloth, but it is important to check their condition.
It is recommended to periodically remove the detergent container and rinse it in warm water, drying it thoroughly before reinstalling it.
A specialized program should be used to clean the drum, and the manufacturer recommends doing this once a month. Approximately with the same frequency, it is worth cleaning the outlet filter, taking reasonable precautions, for example, placing a rag under it.
Once every six months, it is advisable to check the inlet valve and, if necessary, clean its mesh filter from dirt accumulated in the water supply system.
Our measurements
We have roughly estimated the drum capacity. Although its shape is not a perfect cylinder, the only way to estimate the volume with some error is to imagine it as a regular figure. The cylinder radius for this model is 24 cm, and the depth is 25.5 cm. Therefore, the volume is 46144 cm³, which is equivalent to about 46 liters.
As usual, we track the standard cotton wash scenario by the minute. Here's what we managed to get.
| Actual time to completion | Display indication | Action | Total water consumption, l |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:10 | 1:15 | Bay, start of the program | 8.5 |
| 1:09 | 1:09 | The weight of the laundry has been determined and the operating time has been adjusted. | |
| 0:33 | 0:35 | Drain, spin | |
| 0:27 | 0:28 | Bay, rinse I | 18.4 |
| 0:18 | 0:18 | Drain, spin | |
| 0:14 | 0:14 | Bay, rinse II | 27.2 |
| 0:07 | 0:07 | Final pressing | |
| 0:01 | 0:02 | Spinning completed, drum rotation slow | |
| 0:00 | End | Sound signal, hatch unlocking |
We also didn't miss the opportunity to track a quick 15-minute scenario.
| Actual time to completion | Display indication | Action | Total water consumption, l |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0:19 | 0:15 | Start of the program, filling with water | 8.1 |
| 0:18 | 0:14 | Start of washing | |
| 0:15 | 0:11 | Drain, spin | |
| 0:13 | 0:10 | Fill, rinse | 14.5 |
| 0:12 | 0:10 | Adding water | 18.9 |
| 0:10 | 0:07 | Drain, spin | |
| 0:00 | End | Sound signal, hatch unlocking |
Energy and water consumption
These parameters are not provided in the instructions, so we offer the results of our measurements for the programs that were used during the testing process.
| Program | Amount of water, l | Amount of electricity, kW h |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton, 90°C | 34.3 | 0.901 |
| Wool | 32.0 | 0.273 |
| Children's clothing | 65.3 | 0.922 |
| Cotton, 40°C | 29.1 | 0.216 |
| Intensive | 21.3 | 0.243 |
| Mixed fabrics | 43.5 | 0.123 |
| 42 minutes | 37.2 | 0.063 |
| 15 minutes | 18.9 | 0,015 |
| Eco, 40-60 °C | 17.4 | 0.233 |
The maximum power consumption of the washing machine is 1514 W, in standby mode it consumes 4.2 W, and when switched off — about 1.7 W
Spin
We are also interested in the actual spin efficiency, which we calculate in grams of water per gram of cotton using the formula: (weight of wrung out laundry − dry weight) / dry weight. Ten white terry towels with a total weight of about 2 kg were used as reference laundry.
| Spin speed, rpm | Remaining water per gram of dry laundry, g |
|---|---|
| 400 | 1.62 |
| 800 | 0.98 |
| 1000 | 0.83 |
| 1200 | 0.69 |
| 1400 | 0.59 |
Noise
The noise level was measured in the room where washing machines are usually installed — in the bathroom. The noise meter was placed at a height of 1 m from the floor and at a distance of 1 m from the front side of the washing machine.
| Working hours | Noise level, dBA |
|---|---|
| Washing | 48 |
| Drain | 55 |
| Intermediate spin | 61 |
| Rinsing | 48 |
| Final spin 1400 rpm | 65 |
Practice tests
To assess the quality of washing, we have developed standard tests: we apply complex organic stains to white cotton fabric and then try to wash out the resulting stains.
Washing cotton
As usual, we used red wine, ketchup, soy sauce and cocoa. These ingredients were applied to white cotton terry cloth napkins and we left the fabric with various stains for 24 hours so that they dried and complicated the task.
Soy sauce
Cocoa
Ketchup
Red wine
For our first experience with the machine, we used, as usual, the cotton program with the default temperature (40°C).
Red wine
Cocoa
We were quite satisfied with the result. The ketchup and soy sauce stains were completely washed out, the wine stains were barely noticeable. Only the cocoa stains remained visible.
Result: excellent
Intensive wash
To see if we could improve on the results of our previous experiment, we took a second set of our wipes and sprayed them with the same products.
Soy sauce
Cocoa
Ketchup
Red wine
For the second, comparative test, we usually select the same cotton program at maximum temperature, which provides a significantly better result. However, this time we decided to test the short intensive wash program.
Soy sauce
Cocoa
Red wine
This scenario is obviously much more effective than the standard cotton program: wine and soy sauce stains have almost completely disappeared (they are barely noticeable in the photos), and cocoa stains have become much lighter compared to the previous test.
To completely remove the stains, we used bleach and washed our napkins again.
Result: excellent
Wool
But in life we have to wash not only cotton, but also more delicate fabrics. So another of our regular tests is washing a woolen blanket weighing just under a kilogram.
After washing, the test subject did not shrink, did not felt, and was perfectly refreshed. We did not notice any damage to the fabric.
Result: excellent
Conclusions
The narrow washing machine Lex LWM07014WBTHID belongs to the newest Slim line. It stands out with a color touch panel with a large display, an inverter motor and a steam treatment function. This model offers convenient modern control, a spacious drum and a sufficient set of programs for most household needs.
Laboratory and practical tests have confirmed the high efficiency of the washing machine, which successfully copes even with heavy dirt.
The duration of standard programs for this model is slightly longer than that of similar washing machines that we have tested recently. However, the quality of washing demonstrated by Lex LWM07014WBTHID fully justifies the additional time spent.
The water consumption for standard programs for the tested model turned out to be comparable with competitors, but energy consumption, according to our measurements, is significantly higher than average. This is perhaps the only drawback of the device.
Pros:
- convenient modern controls
- attractive design
- excellent washing quality
- good capacity
Cons:
- relatively high energy consumption