Semi-automatic Washing Machine: Which one to go for in India!?

We are planning to purchase a Semi-automatic Washing Machine for a family of two, with three days washing cycle!

Will the members kindly suggest us - which one to go for! Our purpose is to reduce the workload (like rubbing, scrubbing, gentle on cloths, etc...), hence maximum of the work done by the machine would be preferred.

So... please come forward with your suggestions based upon your experiences!

We intend to do purchasing on next Sunday!!

So, please...

Is there a an Indian Consumer Reports site.?

I'm here! I've had an LG for 7 years. No problems.

Washing machines consume way more water than the same job done by a human (generally). If you stay in a place that has water shortages, you may like to look at one that does the job with less water. The Samsung Fully auto one that I bought while in Kerala is not suitable for Hyderabad (not water short ATM, but not as abundant as kerala either) as it uses way more water.

That's the reason, we wished to go for semi-auto one, as water could be poured even by bucket. So, I was asking the opinion of the fellow-members. But, didn't get much idea. So, let's see which model we select on Sunday!

Prakaant - we use an LG semi-automatic and live in an area where water is plentiful (noida). It works very well. OTOH we use IFB fully automatic machine in Jaipur but for some reason it consumes less water (our water supply in Jaipur is no more than couple hours per day). I think this maybe a model specific issue. Best to check with multiple brands / shops before making a decision.

As a rule, front-loaders (e.g. IFB) use far less water than top-loaders.


Then you should really go for a fully automatic machine (a front-loader, if water supply is an issue). Please keep in mind that manually pouring/draining water multiple times, shifting buckets etc. also adds substantially to the workload, and requires your constant attention. IMHO, semi-automatics only have price advantage (of a few thousand Rs.) going for them. Buy one only if you absolutely must.

Some amount of scrubbing you can't avoid (e.g. on collars and cuffs). In India I haven't found a laundry helper (like Spray 'n Wash) that actually helps much in this regard!

You should forget about pulsator type machines (in India, most semi-automatics are of this kind) if gentleness on clothes is a concern. For such machines, you should also count on having to fight furiously (and thus apparently spending more time on it than on actual washing) to un-entangle the mass of clothes at the end!

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What ! Energy efficiency is not a factor ?

What is a semi automatic washing machine? Do you have to do half the scrubbing before throwing clothes inside a semi automatic machine? Or it kinda runs and stops in the middle of the wash cycle and there is a kick starter to restart and make it go into the rinse cycle? Or by semi automatic you mean it doesn't pick up underwear and socks on the floor and take it to wash automatically (Hey, we don't have those here either yet if it is of any consolation. I could badly use one of those myself)?

Thanks for all the inputs!

I have purchased semi-automatic one and it is giving good service.

It is doing all the required duties itself. Filling of water, adding detergent, draining of water, etc are required to be done manually and rest of the things (minus) picking of clothes, kickstarting etc are being done by machine automatically!

Hi Prakaant,
Which company's washing machine did you purchase finally?