Need help buying a Washer Dryer

[holman210]

Hello

I need a bit of help deciding what washer dryer to get. I dont have choice regarding having a seperate dryer due to space, so it has to be a combo. Basically I have £500 tops to spend (And need all or most of the functions listed below)

Also I know washer dryers are prone to go wrong, whats the best way of protecting myself againsts huge bills in the future? Is it worth taking out the "Support" packages the likes of currys offer?

Features like to have/need:

Needs to be at least 5kg wash and dry
Direct drive
Sensor Dry
B rated energy.

thanks in advanced!

 

[zipper]

Rule of thumb...most domestic washer dryers only have 50% drying capacity, even the expensive ones. i.e. 5kg wash load = 2,5kg drying load which means you have to dry a full wash load in two goes. I'm afraid you can cross off the first item on the list. You can read reviews here http://www.which.co.uk/home-and-garden/laundry-and-cleaning/reviews/washer-dryers/

 

[holman210]

Thanks for the link!

So for instance if it says

Wash 7kg Dry 5kg I could wash 7 but have to take 2kg out before drying it?

And I take it the ones that have 5kg wash and 5kg dry I wouldnt have to touch between cycles?

Thanks

 

[zipper]

If you take the figures at face value that is basically what it means...but you don't have to fill a full wash load each time you use the machine. In essence the more you cram in there the poorer the drying result. As far as I am aware none of the machines in that particular review have a 5kg wash/5kg dry facility (and none are direct drive). The nearest you would get to parity would probably be something like 6.5kg wash/5kg dry (Hotpoint BHWD 129). However I would be somewhat critical of manufacturer's claims. Compare the Hotpoint BHWD 129 (which retails at under 400 pounds) against a Miele WT2670 which retails at almost 1100 pounds but yet only claims 5kg wash/2.5kg dry. Now who is telling the truth? Washer/dryers sounded like the answer to all our problems, but in reality they are fraught with problems & to be honest you'd be a lot better off with a separate dryer. But since you don't have the space then I guess you're stuck with a washer/dryer. Do some detailed research then make up your mind.

 

[holman210]

Thanks! I think im going to try and increase my budget a bit. Looking around the internet at Hotpoints, Hoovers and Indesits etc there is nothing but people saying how much they break and how many they have had.

I know its luck, I have had a Beko 1200spin basic cheap washing machine from Argos for 7 years now and it hasnt ONCE stepped out of line.

Bosch, AEG and Meile seems to get good reviews. I could probably find the extra money for a Bosch one. £600 gets you a decent one but drying, 5kg wash and 2.5kg dry. Needs to be Silver also which does nto make things easier!

Zipper, I see what you mean about quoted capacity, the more expensive you go it seems the drying capacity gets lower then the cheap models, may be why they break all the time

I take it 5kg wash means 5kg of dry clothes? and 2.5kg is of wet clothes?

Thanks for the help guys, went into currys and the sales assistant didnt really know what a washer dryer was lol Let alone answer some of the questions!

 

[Leccy758]

Just a quick note AEG are part of the electrolux group and are basically the same as Zanussis's (also part of the electrolux group) which can be had for a bit less. (mainly cosmetic differences as the parts on them are mostly the same)

 

[holman210]

Thanks Leccy someting handy to know!

 

[vv2806]

Have you checked www.pricerunner.co.uk ? There are a lot of models there, co you can compare + there are some guides what to look for when choosing an appliance.

 

[zipper]

In case you weren't aware; Hotpoint - Ariston - Indesit - Creda (& a couple of other fringe names) are all made by the same company. The Indesit Group boasts a large chunk of the domestic market with net sales exceeding 2600 (mill) Euros last year. Unfortunately questionable reliability & weak electronics are shared features. Best advice? stick with a German manufacturer

 

[Leccy758]

Which brings you to the BSH group mostly (Bosch, Siemans, Neff etc) and I am seeing more of these made in Turkey where the quality does not seem to match up to the German built ones.

 

[holman210]

What about Samsung and LG they dont seems to get mentioned much but there is a good spec LG model for my price range. Although I type LG Washer Dryers in Google and it returned lots of videos of LG dancing across the kitchen. Not sure ifs that "Old" LG's or not.

If buying Bosch is there anyway of checking if its a German built model? They are all crafty aren’t they!!

Thanks

 

[zipper]

Look for a made in Germany sticker. "GmbH" or "AG".
LG....hmmm [code:1][/code:1]

 

[holman210]

LG....hmmm

they do make it hard to decide! It has everything I want, direct drive, large capacity and fast spin!

http://www.bootskitchenappliances.c...Froogle-_-FS washer dryers-_-LG-_-F1403YD5_SI

Im in no rush so I shall keep looking, not going to rush into anything that im going to spend £600+ on!!!

 

[zipper]

I must admit the reviews do look pretty good. We have experienced problems with LG washers but to date have not had any LG washer/dryers in for repair. It does have the advantage of a large wash capacity (8kg) but drying capacity is 4kg (the 50% I mentioned earlier). At the end of the day you pay your money & take your choice. What about backup, extended warranty etc?

 

[holman210]

Extended as in what Currys offer? I would take out the monthly payment thing they do but couldnt afford the £150/£250 out right lump sum. I was thinking about just putting away £5/£10 every month just in case (I do that with most big buys) So if it breaks I have something to asdd to the repair bill, and if it doesnt im money up!