Does a £229 washing machine wash as good as a £599 one?

M.E.

We tend to look after our electricals, in that both of us are able to mend most things. We have had 3 washing machines in the 34 years we have been married. We purposely did not buy built in appliances because they are much more expensive and more difficult to get at if they go wrong.
We are in a very hard water area so we put in a water softener when the house was new 26 years ago. That has prevented major damage to washing machine and dishwasher, plus no limescale in the toilets.
Our present machine is over ten years old and was an inexpensive one. We have replaced the drive belt once and the dispenser drawer is broken so I use powder in a ball placed in the drum.
We spread the washing water onto the garden by allowing the washing water to pump into a plastic tub outside the back door. We then have a submersible pump on a float switch that pumps the water via a hose directly onto the garden. Excellent in the drier months and when the ground is waterlogged (as it is now) we bypass the holding tank and it goes down the drain as normal.
We would never buy a fancy machine.

abaxas

Mate used to repair washing machines..

He always said that the most important parts of washing was not to overload the machine and to use a correct dosing of powder relative to 'dirtiness'. Hence I'd assume that 'bling' washers are a bit of a con.

Also he had a hatred of people washing trainers as it used to kill the bearings!

MrsBartolozzi

Well, my Zanussi washing machine has just had its 16th birthday!:D

I bought it with my 21st birthday money and it is still going strong!! It is one of the original Jetsystem ones that shower the clothes and use less water. Don't know how eco it is compared to modern ones, but I have never had anything go wrong (touch wood) and I would recommend them, although from what I've read they do not make them to last anymore.:o I really dread having to replace it as most people I know go through a washing machine every 3-5 years:eek: .

MrsB.

lrr_2

My old indesit washing wasnt fantastic but at least it wasnt as tempremental as my new one -

Old one you could fill it up quiet happily and it would wash regardless (and possibly dance about in the kitchen) so washed quicker. Lasted about 12 years

new one has to have clothes spread out evenly for sensors on drum for spin cycle to activate so takes a lot longer to wash. Dont expect this one to last 12 years as like most things built now usually last just up to 5 years

cheap_charlie

sunshine6650 wrote: »

The gadget show last night did a comparison on 3 machines, i cant remeber the actual models but one was LG, On was the Monn & another! They varied in price from £299 mark - £800. they tested the was power & cost per wash. was quite good anthea turner did the testing. i cant find the actual site but this gives an idea. Im sure if you find the site it will tell all!!

http://fwd.five.tv/gadgets/appliances/laundry-and-cleaning/washing-machines-and-dryers

I had a repairman out a year or so ago to fix my (Ariston - ugh!) machine and he told me its very hard to get parts for LG machines, so a warranty with them would probably be a good idea.

surfsister

anyone recommend a cheap but OK machine as mine has packed up after 22 years AEG!!!

rosieben

My last machine was a Candy, it was cheap and totally rubbish, it lasted all of 4 months before I started having problems with it, the engineers didn't know what they were doing, each one contradicting the one before!

Now I have a Miele and I love it, it was expensive, bought from an independent retailer and highly recommended. Great range of programmes and good spin speed. The engineer who installed it said he's not likely to see me again as they get very few calls to Miele machines; I also bought the extended warranty so should have no expenses on it for 20 years. I'd have to buy 20 candy machines to last that long!!

VJsmum

I had a phillips for nearly 20 years but when it finally went (on Xmas eve, 12 years ago with 2 small babies in the house!) I went on Boxing day and bought pretty much what could be delivered pronto. I was told then that they only last for 5 years, but I bought a bosch that's been going strong for those 12 years.

It has had a belt, and a motor and recently some brushes but the last engineer said it should go strong for a while yet

quintwins

i have a hotpoint aquarius aswell, the new one should have been £520:eek::eek: i needed one asap cause mine broke (It was a cheapo one) and this was the match of my dryer (which was £200 half price :eek:) at the time currys had it on offer at £440 or something so i phoned a local place who got me it for £370 and delivered it for free , i always find independant retailers are alot more helpful and willing to budge on price


as for the washer it's fab has all the bells and wistles and is soooo quiet my washings def cleaner than my old one and smells nicer but i think thats cause the old one was on it's way out and needed new parts, i'd been moaning for ages that it made my washing smell odd (not awful just odd) so really it did me a favor breaking cause i'd never have replaced it otherwise


before this one i always had the cheapest one going

jackieglasgow

I am an indesit fan, they make good strong reliable reasonably priced machines. My last machine was 13/14 years old before it packed up, and only needed one repair in all that time, it could have been fixed again but I decided it was time for an upgrade. Bought a Candy which was a nightmare from day one, and got a full refund after about four repairs in six months under SOGA. The machine has numerous design faults, which I only discovered after purchase by Googling all the faults it had. I am back to Indesit and its excellent. I would recommend Googling the appliance you are looking at, with the word fault or problems and seeing what comes up, before buying.