Buying Advice For Aeg Machine

[Macladd]

Hi there,

Great site, have found it very useful! I am currently looking at an AEG L86810, which comes with a free 5yr parts and labour warranty from AEG. I have managed to get the price down to the £460 mark (inc free delivery) I cannot find this machine cheaper anywhere else. I really had wanted to go for a Miele machine. My max budget is £500. I think that this top of the range AEG machine, coupled with the free warranty is a steal at the price I have managed to negotiate, BUT I am wondering if I should still be erring towards a Miele machine?

I'm a single lad, and only do a couple of washes a week. But I do like to try and get the best equipment for my budget. The Miele machines only come with a 2/3 year Guarantee though, and don't have as many features as the AEG model. I also use a condenser dryer so the AEG 1600 spin might save a little time and money compared to the Miele 1200 spin, I think?

Any thoughts/ideas/opinions greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[j1974]

Hi!

I've owned my AEG for two years now and can't sing its praises enough. My model is the 76669 Update (probably not available anymore). It's never caused me a problem (single guy who does 8 - 10 loads a week) and is very quiet, even when spinning at 1600rpm. I also use a condensor dryer and only ever really spin at 1200rpm, even heavy items like jeans. Drying in my dryer takes around 80 mins for a full load spun at 1200rpm. I don't really think that time would shorten much if I did spin at 1600rpm, maybe just 10 mins or so shaved off....

In conclusion, considering you're getting a five year guarantee with the AEG you've chosen, I'd say it was a good buy. If you're not bothered with extra features though (I hardly ever use anything but the Quickwash option and rinse hold on my machine), then go for the Miele. The extra 400rpm in the spin won't make that much difference when drying. As pointed out in another thread too, it's only the "cottons" cycle that will reach the maximum spin speed. With AEG though, you are able to do a seperate spin which is a full spin at top speed of the machine.

Hope this helps.

J

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Thanks very much. You raise a good question. It's easy to argue a case for a quality washing machine over a cheap one, but the issue gets more complicated when you compare the pros and cons of a high quality washing machine over one that's not exactly in the premier quality league but is nevertheless still a decent quality washing machine. The question then becomes, which is more important, the build quality and potential longevity of the washing machine, or the features? Do you sacrifice some of the build quality in exchange for a bigger drum, faster spin etc.?

Two points spring to mind. First, you can currently buy a Miele washing machine for roughly the same price as this particular AEG model so you could afford either a basic Miele washing machines from or the higher spec AEG, but do you really need a 7Kg drum? 7Kg is a very large drum, even my wife struggles at times to fill ours and there are three of us. If you are a single lad doing just a couple of washes a week you may be able to manage with a normal size drum (5Kg) or at least drop down to 6Kg, both of which should be cheaper. Large drums can be more economical to use if regularly filled with lots of (usually family) washing. But if you have smallish loads you can occasionally have trouble getting a washing machine with a large drum to spin at the full speed. This is because the electronic out of balance detection only allows a full spin with extremely well balanced loads, and small loads are hard to balance out because there isn't enough to fit all the way round the drum. ( Related: How do I avoid out of balanced loads in my washing machine? )

In this example we are comparing a Miele basic entry level washing machine with a top model of an AEG. A basic entry level AEG washing machine is more like £250 (plus del). The difference in price in this much fairer comparison highlights the potential quality difference of the build.

The reason the price of the AEG L86810 is about the same as the basic Miele is because with the Miele, more of the money is going into build quality whereas with the AEG more of the money is going into larger drum and faster spin speed. As you suggest, it's cheaper to dry laundry mechanically through spinning than using a tumble dryer but then a fast spin washing machine is much more expensive, noisier, moves about more and is subject to more wear and tear. I have my doubts as to how fast it is sensible to spin before the pros may start to be eroded away by cons. Therefore there ought to be an optimum spin speed but no one has carried out any proper research or done the maths. My personal feeling is that 1200 is pretty optimum but I can't back that up with any facts. ( Related: Are washing machine spin speeds a con? )

I hope I haven't over complicated things. When it boils down to it I'd summarise by saying -

Although the Miele is less well specified, it's in the highest quality league. However, if picking a washing machine not in the elite quality league, AEG is up near the top of the next division, and is a perfectly good washing machine. You could also argue that with your expected light use, it may even be overkill to buy the best so an AEG may be a perfectly good choice for you. I'd consider what features you really need though as drum sizes and spin speeds are at a premium.

[Macladd]

Wow, you really are a credit to your Industry! What a comprehensive and brilliant reply! Well, I think you are right, I had not seen the web exsclusive price on the Miele....and as an NHS Employee I receive a further 5% Dsicount. So that makes the Miele even cheaper than the "All singing all dancing AEG"

Aesthetically, I prefer the AEG, feature wise, I prefer the AEG...build quality of the AEG probably cannot hold a candle to that of the Miele, so I will prob err on the side of price and go with the cheapest which is now the Miele. (I will probably never use 95% of the features of the AEG)

The only thing that causes me some concern is the longer free Guarantee with the AEG......I tend not to have much luck with electrical purchases so am worried that I may be hit with a big repair bill should the Miele go wrong after the standard 1 yr offered by Miele. Also, the Miele is a bit of an "Ugly Duckling" lol.

All things considered......I'm still not sure!

PS I only do 2 loads a weeks because I'm bad for stuffing the machine full to the gunnels, and then some!

so a 7kg machone might be quite useful lol

Edit: The Miele is unavailable due to "high demand"....oh well

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Thanks very much. It's a pity about the offer, which was excellent. Miele currently give extra long guarantee by the way They even have a range of washing machines with a 10 year guarantee but they are more expensive.

Anyone worried about being hit with a big repair bill should be cautious about buying a Miele washing machine because parts, although reliable, will be expensive to replace, and most local engineers won't or can't repair them forcing most Miele owners to use the more expensive manufacturer. Having said that though, people should also be concerned about buying cheap washing machines or washing machines with a poor reliability record because many of them will need replacing (probably costing more than a Miele repair) relatively quickly.

The AEG however is a realistic alternative to the basic Miele if you need extra drum size and speed but don't want to buy the even more expensive Miele models that have them. Although not as well made, it's still decent and has more features. It's horses for courses as they say and the AEG may be fine for you.

The argument for a Miele washing machine is that over the following 20 years, it should work out cheaper than many inferior washing machines, and it's a much more refined and quality product to use. That said, it's a little less clear cut when compared with washing machines like AEG who although not in Miele's league, still have a decent reputation. It is perfectly possible for a Miele owner to be unlucky and face a great big bill one day, maybe even for as much as you could by new cheap washing machine for. There's no guarantees, but over the long run, the cost of investing in and running a Miele washer, including any repairs to it over its expected 20 year lifespan should still be less than the cost of buying, maintaining and replacing many of the "ordinary" washing machines.

Anyone who would struggle to find the money for a potential £200 - £300 repair bill sometime in the future if an expensive component did fail may be better off buying something a little further down the scale like an AEG although AEG are also known for expensive parts so its repairs could be expensive too (but not as much as Miele's). At the end of the day, a washing machine with good quality parts inside is always going to have pricey spares.

You say you are "unlucky" with electrical appliances but at least half the country believes the same I don't know if such people genuinely exist (although my sister does appear to be one of them). I suspect the most unlucky people though are the ones who don't usually buy well made products through either genuine lack of money, lack of research, or simply not appreciating the potential difference in one product costing twice as much as another.

Neither of the two washing machines you are considering are rubbish, it's just literally that one has a bigger proportion of the money spent on build standard and the other has more of it going on extra features. It's a tough call.

[Macladd]

Hi, thanks again for your information and advice. I finally opted for the AEG L86810. I was going to order from Currys as I get an NHS employee discount of 5% but they are out of stock of the AEG now also. I found a website www.kitchenscience.co.uk who had the same price as Currys (£489) , with free delivery. I saw that they had a price promise so I chanced my arm and gave them a call to see if they would consider giving me a similar discount. They agreed, and reduced the price by over 10%. So I am well chuffed! £444, free delivery next wednesday, 5year parts and labour warranty included in the price!

Once again, thanks for your excellent advice! Keep up the good work!