New Washing Machine/Concept: ISE CI555WH

chem14346777

Evening folks,

Our washing machine has started eating all our clothes. We got it as a hand-me-down about 4 years ago, so we've done well really. Anyway, we're in the market for a replacement, and although it is twice what we were intending on spending, we're quite impressed with the following machine:

http://www.washerhelp.co.uk/reviews/ISE-CI555WH-review.html

its, basically, going back to the old way of making/selling/supporting white goods-- Ie; you buy something to last, parts are cheap, its easy to repair and you will deal with a local repairman..

Does anyone have any experience with these machines or with ISE themselves?

chem14346777

edited to change title to make it more "inticing".

has nobody really had any experience/knowledge of this? it seems very much a "moneysaving" concept...?

Avoriaz

£500 is very expensive. You can buy a top brand with similar specs for far less.

My Philips is well over 20 years old and still working fine.

I have no experience of this "new" concept" but I am unconvinced by what I read on that link.

chem14346777

Exactly, it is over 20 years old-- Ie; it was built, in those days, to last, as a servicable machine.

These days machines are built cheap, to a lower standard and built as a machine rather than a collection of replaceable parts.

I completely agree that £500 is a hell of a lot for a washing machine, but I'd rather pay that for a machine that I would still be using 10 years from now, than £200 for a machine with a 2 year warranty that will need replacing in 2 and a half years, because it works out cheaper than repairing when it does break. Not to mention the fact that for the final 12 months of that warranty I am liable for the cost of callout, etc, which seems to be the case these days.

So, in those 20 years of having your current machine, has it ever gone wrong, or needed a service/engineer/anything? It just seems that these days white goods are no longer build to last any longer than a couple of years, which is crazy-- Other than the inconvenience of replacing a washing machine every 2 -5 years, just think of the environmental impact of disposal and manufacture-- its shocking!

Sorry if it seems that I'm critisising your response-- that is not the case at all, if anything, I WANT a machine that has the lifespan of yours-- thats the whole point of this post, I just don't feel that machines these days do, generally.

LouLou

I hope you haven't missed the Miele W1514 bargain thread (£299! delivered), they really get great reviews in terms of lifespan/performance.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=342303

Also.. http://www.washerhelp.co.uk/reviews/miele-overview.html#top

Here's some reviews.. http://www.washerhelp.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=161

http://www.ciao.co.uk/Miele_W_1514__Review_5612128

LouLou

Oh well, it seems that the Miele bargain above is a misprice, I had the company phone me earlier.

Avoriaz

Chem, I have had to repair my machine a few times when the belt pulley worked loose. All I did was reattach it and tighten the screws securing the pulley. I have never needed an engineer.

I accept your point about modern machines versus machines built 20 or 30 years ago.

However my main point was that I am unconvinced by what I read on that link. It seems that they take a basic machine and make a few improvements to it and double the price.

I am not convinced but, if others have positive experience of this company, maybe it is worth the extra cost. However you could take a basic machine and buy a five year extended warranty for less than £500.

I don’t normally advocate extended warranties. I would just buy a good machine from a reputable dealer and, if it breaks down within 5 years, complain to the dealer under the Sale of Goods Act etc.

My Bosch dishwasher lasted over 20 years until the pump failed. I bought a new Bosch for about £200 3 years ago and that has not failed yet. Dishwashers are probably inherently less prone to breakdown than a washing machine with more moving parts and a fast spinning drum.

Andy_ArT_Trigg

Avoriaz wrote:

£500 is very expensive. You can buy a top brand with similar specs for far less.

Not really. If you compare the features the free installation and the 5 year guarantee it's pretty much cheaper than most. You can buy as good a machine cheaper without a 5 year guarantee and free installation though. To be fair there's a good argument for going for the Miele basic machine, which is a better built machine but with lower specs. It's just that some would preffer the less well built but (hopefuly long lasting) ISE because of the bigger drum and faster spin. This alternative is looked at in the right column of ISE the review.

My Philips is well over 20 years old and still working fine.

That's exactly the point That doesn't happen any more. Very few of the current washing machines are likely to last over half that time and many, many thousands will not last even a quarter of that time. You just haven't experienced it yet because your washing machine's lasted so long.

The new Hotpoint Aqualtis for example has a sealed outer tub. That means it can't be stripped down to repair. No drum bearings, new drum,or drum spider can be fitted. The whole lot is sealed. If you get a bra wire or coins jammed in an awkward place you can't take the drum out to get to it. For several years now most cheap washing machines including makes such as Hoover can't have drum bearings replaced - you have to fit an entire new tub or at least a tub rear half. This is usually an uneconomical repair (can cost anything up to £200), so if it happens after 5 years most people will scrap it and buy a new one - but the same thing can happen again and again. Many of the current washing machines are very cheap but at the cost of many faults being simply too expensive to repair and being scrapped resulting in massive waste and of course false economy.

[ Related: Quote from the Government's (DTI) Unwanted Whitegoods booklet - "Every year more than 900,000 tonnes of used electrical and electronic goods are discarded in the UK. This figure includes up to 350,000 tonnes of large domestic appliances such as washing machines, fridges and cookers - so-called "white goods" - over 8 million." ]

The ISE washing machine is as new as all the others, it's just the concept that's "old".

I have no experience of this "new" concept" but I am unconvinced by what I read on that link.

That's probably my fault :-) My reviews can be extremely in depth and I appreciate many people don't have time to read them through. A close inspection of the review may convince you better but including the ISE concept link it could take 20 mins or more, which is too long unless someone is actively researching.

Fuzzy_2

Hi

I've also been looking at this model of washing machine, spoke to the local engineer listed on their website about the concept. He told me they have to buy in 10 machines first which does seem a bit steep, whereas other manufacturers supply to them on an order by order basis.

Also looking at the Miele 520 and the John Lewis version of a similar model rrp £499. Miele are offering a 5 year warranty on this model as of 1st March, so would seem as good as the ISE. Still not sure as to which one to go for, need to decide soon as Bosch is on it's last legs!

Andy_ArT_Trigg

Fuzzy wrote:

Hi
I've also been looking at this model of washing machine, spoke to the local engineer listed on their website about the concept. He told me they have to buy in 10 machines first which does seem a bit steep, whereas other manufacturers supply to them on an order by order basis.

Hi Fuzzy, as far as I know, no manufacturer would supply an independent with just 1 washing machine. They won't deal with anyone who can't place pretty big orders * (or who isn't buying regularly from them). A third party wholesaler might though. The wholesalers available to independents buy from the manufacturers in bulk and then may allow a small shop or individual trader to order small quantities.

With the ISE there aren't any strict stipulations although if it's in a remote area it may be that it's not possible to economically deliver them one at a time.

artichoke

hi

has anyone bought one of these ISE10 washing machines.

I have just had my 3rd washing machine in 10 years break down on me, and i can't stand the hassle of being without a machine for weeks.

I think i will bite the bullet and go for an ISE10 if it lasts 10 years it will be money well spent and look how much extra space there will be in landfill:)

but has anyone else got one? are they as good as the reviews say? witch thinkthey are great....


helen