Digsy Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Amazing as it may seem I have managed to make it past my 40th birthday without having a washing machine in my house. No, I don't still take it round my mum's place My ex-wife ran a laundrette - hence everything got done at work until my decree absolute came through. After that I carried on using laundrettes and then I started living at my girlfriend's place for half the week and doing my washing at her's. I've decided, however, that its time to take the plunge and finally get my own. I have a slighly strange set of requirements in that I don't produce very many dirty clothes as I wear suits all day which get dry cleaned and then live and die in my scruffy horse stuff the rest of the time when I'm at the stables. I reckon I maybe produce about 2 or 3kg of washing per week. However, I also want to be able to wash the occaisional horse rug so I will need something with up to a 10kg load capability. It would be nice but not essential if it was quiet enough to run overnight. Other than that I'm not that fussy. I'll also be getting a seperate, smaller tumble dryer (5kg-ish) which will live in the garage. I've been looking at the LG direct drive range which apparently have a load sensing capability so they only use just enough water for how much load you put in, which would be ideal for me. They also have a ten year guarantee on the motor, and do clever stuff like sensing when the load is spread out evenly before starting to spin up. Trouble is that they roll in at around £500 which is a good bit dearer than a more run of the mill machine. Anyone got any recommendations for a washing machine noob? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey. Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Lg will be your best bet as you require a 10kg load, tbh most a rated energy efficient machines have the water to weight fill systems to load sensitive and all modern machines will not go into spin unless balanced properly, so nothing special there. If you said recommend one machine without 10kg etc I would say spend £400 on a 6kg 1200 spin bosch which would last donkeys years, coming in second however would be the lg. £500 Is pretty good for a 10kg machine and they are very quiet! Stay well away from any other make bar Miele(£800 plus for £10kg) in the 10kg capacity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havard Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Anything by Bosch. Great reliability..!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robzki Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Bought a hotpoint wmud962 ultima before christmas, very quiet with shhhh technology, 9kg drum, 1600 spin lots of clever stuff, looks good too, it was the best deal I could find, 5 years parts warranty too, highly recommended. We don't rug the horses and only need to was numners etc but imagine the difference between a 9kg drum and 10kg size wise would be minimal. Think it was roughly £330 http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.213-4509.aspx A lot cheaper elsewhere but the reviews give you a fairly good idea. It was the only machine that was in this price range with a big drum and fast spin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOGIE Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 We just got the Hoover OPH714DF off tesco direct last month it came recommended 7kg wash load and a 1400rpm spin but most of all its easy to use and at £300 it wont break the bank, oh and a 5 year guarantee parts and labour. http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.208-2551.aspx they deliver it to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastcar Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Get woman with a washing machine to do it for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digsy Posted February 29, 2012 Author Share Posted February 29, 2012 Get woman with a washing machine to do it for you I want something reliable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey. Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Stay away from hotpoint/Hoover/candy/indesit/beko 7kg+ machines, don't get me wrong some slip through the net and are fine but for the most, the bearings are made of cheese and fail far too quickly. Parts warranties are great if your willing to pay £120 to get the manufacturer out to repair it when the part may only be a few pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robzki Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Stay away from hotpoint/Hoover/candy/indesit/beko 7kg+ machines, don't get me wrong some slip through the net and are fine but for the most, the bearings are made of cheese and fail far too quickly. Parts warranties are great if your willing to pay £120 to get the manufacturer out to repair it when the part may only be a few pounds. Kinda agree with this, it depends on budget you won't get a large capacity machine for 3-400quid with top spec parts. The hotpoint I listed was a special edition anniversary edition something or other which is supposed to be better constructed and having taken a gander inside it looks a whole lot better built than other machines I've looked at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy James Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 I bought the Hotpoint WDL540 washer/dryer in one, only does 7kg but that plenty unless you dont have many clothes. Think it was around 300pounds at comet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digsy Posted February 29, 2012 Author Share Posted February 29, 2012 My girlfriend did spend a small fortune on a Bosch washer / dryer only to have it self destruct on her after only a couple of years. When I took it apart the (surprisingly flimsy) frame had actually torn through and beyond repair. She replaced that with a Hotpoint which popped a bearing after maybe four years (actually I think the seal went and then corroded the bearing). I took that one apart and replaced the bearings and seal myself for a few quid but it never ran quite as sweetly afterwards. She now has a 9kg Beko which works well but makes the occaisional small unexplained puddle on the floor under the front. I never buy extended warranties. I work on the priciple that for most things you could put the same amount of cash per month aside over its lifespan and then replace it when it goes wrong. As mentioned above, 10kg (maybe 9kg at a push) is required to be able to wash my horse rugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan294 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 As someone who has sold Domestic appliances as well as serviced them, avoid: Hoover / Candy / Hotpoint / Indesit as they are junk. Anything german, Zanussi, AEG, Bosch are a good bet. Or Miele if you can run to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey. Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Go for the lg mate, ref. the Bosch washer/dryer you should have gone back to Bosch if it was only just out the warranty, kicked up a little fuss and they would have repaired/replaced it free of charge as they don't like people poo pooing there name, unlike any other manufacturer tbh, that's what I tell any of my customers who get a major fault a short time out of warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey. Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 As someone who has sold Domestic appliances as well as serviced them, avoid: Hoover / Candy / Hotpoint / Indesit as they are junk. Anything german, Zanussi, AEG, Bosch are a good bet. Or Miele if you can run to it! Good man, apart from zanussi/aeg are now owned by Electrolux and arnt a patch on the manufacturers of old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan294 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Electrolux have been linked to Zanussi and AEG for years. A mate of mine was a service engineer for them. Got my mum a graded all singing and dancing AEG washer dryer and it's the nuts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan294 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Hotpoint are now owned by Indesit, a good reason to avoid them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan294 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Just been reliably informed by a mate in the trade, ex Zanussi engineer, they've been owned by Electrolux for 20+ years. My old boss does reconditioned washing machines, the only ones he will touch to resell are The Electrolux group and Bosch group machines. New stuff generally is nowhere near as good as the old stuff as everything is built to a cost. Hotpoint and Hoover used to be very good machines in the 80's and 90's. A lot different since Indesit bought Hotpoint and Candy bought Hoover! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey. Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Aeg was a German built machine, zanussi was and still is, however in the last say 6 years both has been built in factory's in France, Sweden and and don't hold me to it but I think in Thailand. True what you say ref. candy and Hoover, they are pants. Some of the hotpoint appliances are still good quality, especially ones that use the old style brittish design drum assemblys! I repair between 35 and and 45 appliances a week and pretty quickly you pick up what makes are built by which manufacturer, a little like cars being built by the same company and just being branded differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan294 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Know what you mean. I've been out of it for 6+ years now though. A lot of my mates are still in the trade working for small independents, couple have their own businesses. The last place I worked we used to buy tons of the Hoover graded stuff as well as their raw returns. Used to buy a lot of the Miele graded stuff as well. We sold tons of the Bosch graded machines as well. You oils tell the quality of the Miele with the weight of them. We had a lot of teething problems with the early LG direct drive machines though. Sure they're a lot better now mind! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey. Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Know what you mean. I've been out of it for 6+ years now though. A lot of my mates are still in the trade working for small independents, couple have their own businesses. The last place I worked we used to buy tons of the Hoover graded stuff as well as their raw returns. Used to buy a lot of the Miele graded stuff as well. We sold tons of the Bosch graded machines as well. You oils tell the quality of the Miele with the weight of them. We had a lot of teething problems with the early LG direct drive machines though. Sure they're a lot better now mind! Yep some of the older miele machines wiegh a ton, some of there solid state motors are twice the size of other brands. The amount of lg motors I used To replace due to hall sensors failing has fallen massively, I've probably gone from changing one a month to one a year, so they must have done something to improve them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snake Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 just buy one with a five year guarantee on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey. Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 just buy one with a five year guarantee on it. He wants reliable mate, quite often manufacturers can take upto ten days to come and and look at the machine and then they may have to order parts etc, Buy a lg or Bosch and be done, off to bed for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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