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Daewoo Electronics, the third largest electronics firm in South Korea after Samsung and LG, is looking to expand its presence in the U.S. home appliance market. Consumer Reports has tested a handful of Daewoo front-loader washing machines and found them to be only so-so. Daewoo's entrance into our refrigerator Ratings reveals more of the same.
The Daewoo FRS-Y22D1A side-by-side refrigerator sells for about $1,350, making it a mid-priced model for the category. Like many of its counterparts, it features a through-the-door ice and water dispenser with built-in filtration, as well as spillproof shelves and digital controls. More unique is its cabinet-depth design, allowing its doors to sit nearly flush with the cabinets and countertop, for a more streamlined effect.
Now let's talk performance. In terms of all-important temperature control, the Daewoo FRS-Y22D1A was judged very good by our testers--not the excellent awarded to several top-performing models, but plenty respectable. The fridge's ease-of-use score, reflecting such features as layout, lighting, and storage options, was also very good, and its noise was excellent. Where the Daewoo lost points was in our energy consumption tests. While not terribly inefficient, its mediocre showing in this department helped drop the Daewoo's overall score to 59 out of a possible 100, behind several dozen models in our Ratings.
Looking at Daewoo's standing in our washer Ratings, it's often one subpar performance score that sank the models. For example, both the Daewoo DWDWD3011WW and the Daewoo DWDWD33WS were undone by below average vibration. The Daewoo DWRWE5413WC electric clothes dryer was among the noisiest models we tested. Bottom line: Daewoo shows some promise early on, but to be a major competitor in the U.S. marketplace, its appliances will need to excel at everything they do.
