LG V7 FWV796STSE Washer-Dryer in Graphite - Usability Issues
3/5
Pros:
1. A beautiful looking machine which matches my chocolate brown and beige fitted kitchen well.
2. Its automatic drying cycle dries incredibly well and takes much less time than my previous Washer-Dryer.
3. It has an extensive range of washing cycles plus extra ones to download.
4. I cannot complain so far at the standard and efficiency of washing and drying.
5. Because of its smaller depth, the machine fits more snugly under the work surface.
Cons:
1. The main problem is the poor usability of the controls and the manual. This is due to the control panel being difficult to read through insufficient contrast (black words printed on the 'graphite' colour), lack of illumination of buttons on the touch pad, and dual purpose buttons. The manual is written more like a book than an instruction manual with only one 13cm wide and 3.8cm high diagram of the control panel. In addition, some of the display graphics were not explained in the manual at all.
2. Because the controls couldn't be seen properly, at first I couldn't connect the machine to my Wi-Fi. I only solved this when I dowloaded the PDF version of the manual (which is the same as the one that comes with the machine) and made an extra large print-out of the panel on paper (now laminated). I could then see the Wi-Fi button. I recommend other users do this and also buy the machine in a white colour.
3. Eventually connecting my machine to my Wi-Fi and installing the LG ThinQ app enabled me to run the wash and dry cycles from the app which is a lot clearer than the control panel on the machine. There are also extra cycles that can be individually dowloaded. However, some extras I find I can only run by using the control panel on the machine not in the app - for example, the Pre-Wash and Intensive Wash which are confusingly on the same button on the machine itself.