Why You Can Trust CNET GE GFW450SSKWW review: GE's washer cleans fine, has most of the features you want
GE's $899 GFW450SSKWW washing machine has decent stain removal performance and a bunch of cleaning options.
For a midrange washer, the GE GFW450SSKWW has a lot of features. This $899 front-loader comes complete with 10 cleaning cycles, a steam function and five settings each per spin, temperature and soil level. It also offers a tumble care setting that periodically tosses your washed clothes around for up to 8 hours to help keep them fresh. As someone who's prone to forgetting about the stuff in the washer, I love this feature. The GFW450SSKWW even has specific settings to manage grass, wine and other stubborn stains.
GE GFW450SSKWW
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Its cleaning performance was only average, but GE's GFW450SSKWW is still worth consideration -- especially if its extra features speak to you.
Lots of choices
The GFW450SSKWW is fine-looking, if not a little boring. You won't find a sleek integrated touch panel here. GE instead opted for a more traditional button-and-dial design. But if you like the tactile feel of buttons, you'll likely prefer using this washer than, say, the touchscreen-style Electrolux EFLW417SIW. This washer comes in a white or a dark gray finish (for an additional $100).
Take a look at how the GFW450SSKWW matches up against the Electrolux EFLW417SIW and the Electrolux EFLW317TIW:
Comparing washing machines
| GE GFW450SSKWW | Electrolux EFLW417SIW | Electrolux EFLW317TIW | |
| Price | $899 | $899 | $879 |
| Color finish | White | White | White |
| Capacity | 4.5 cubic feet | 4.3 cubic feet | 4.3 cubic feet |
| # of cycles | 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Energy consumption | 131 kWh/year | 55 kWh/year | 55 kWh/year |
| Dimensions (width, height, depth) | 27 x 39.75 x 33.5 inches | 27 x 38 x 31.5 inches | 27 x 38 x 31.5 inches |
| App | No | No | No |
GE's GFW450SSKWW has a slightly larger drum capacity than either Electrolux washer -- and more cleaning cycles. Even so, its estimated annual energy consumption is higher and the washer itself is larger (something to keep in mind if you're tight on space).
In addition to having a larger cubic-foot capacity and more cycles, the GFW450SSKWW also offers advanced features you can't find on Electrolux's EFLW417SIW or EFLW317TIW models. Specifically, it has a tumble care option and five stain-specific settings.
Tumble care is a button you can enable that will periodically tumble your clothes post-cycle so they don't get too wrinkly and gross. This setting works for up to eight hours after a cycle ends and is nice to have if you regularly forget to take your just-washed clothes out of the washer. The GFW450SSKWW's stain-specific settings focus on grass, wine, blood, tomato and dirt. Select the cleaning cycle you want and then select the stain you're dealing with; GE says this feature is "preprogrammed with the ideal wash and rinse settings" for each stain type.
Stain fighting power
We score a washer's performance based on two key metrics -- how well it removes stains and how tough -- or gentle -- it is on clothes.
The GFW450SSKWW got an average stain removal score with 47 percent of the original skin oil (sebum), mineral oil (carbon), blood, cocoa and red wine remaining on the stain strips after going through a cleaning cycle.
Electrolux's EFLW417SIW had just 40 percent of its original stains remaining; the EFLW317TIW had 42 percent left post-cycle.
Check out the graphic below for a look at how well each washer removed each stain. Again, the lower the percentage, the better it scored on that stain.
The GFW450SSKWW was gentler on clothes than the EFLW417SIW and the EFLW317TIW, though. To score wear and tear, we count the number of attached, frayed threads on thin fabric squares that measure at or over 2 millimeters long after a cleaning cycle. GE's GFW450SSKWW had 277 frayed threads; the EFLW417SIW had 312 frayed threads and the EFLW317TIW had 315 frayed threads.
The verdict
GE's $899 GFW450SSKWW is a good washer worth considering. It cleans fine and has a bunch of different settings. I particularly like its tumble care option -- a great thing for folks who regularly forget to transfer their clothes to the dryer right away. But if you're searching for stellar cleaning performance consider the $899 Electrolux EFLW417SIW instead -- it has fewer cleaning cycles than the GFW450SSKWW, but excelled at stain removal.