Help! Which One Shall I Buy?

[superstarjan]

Hiya

Can anyone help me decide whether to buy a washer dryer or a washer?

I had a washer dryer (hoover) about 10 years ago, and always thought that I would never buy another, because it took ages to dry the clothes (don't know if it was me not using it correctly) so I hardly ever used it for drying, however, I'm wondering if they have improved over the last years.

Also, I have a very messy family (husband worse than the kids) so have lots of washing and wonder if anyone can recommend a good machine.

I made the mistake of buying a hotpoint 6 years ago, and learnt a very big lesson on what NOT to buy.

thanks!

Janet

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hello Janet. While waiting for replies, you'll find most of the answers on this page - Buying washing machines advice including a section on Washer-dryer, or separate washing machine and dryer - which is the best? The main improvement as far as I can see is the availability of bigger drums. If I was buying a washer dryer I would go for a 6 or 7kg drum which should dry more laundry but still not usually a full load. The main problem with washer dryers is that they typically only tumble dry half the load they can wash.

[pilotpete@hotmail.co.uk]

Hiya

Can anyone help me decide whether to buy a washer dryer or a washer?

I had a washer dryer (hoover) about 10 years ago, and always thought that I would never buy another.

Janet

We had similar experiences 10yrs ago and would not go back to a washer/dryer unless it was completely unavoidable. In the end we gave up on the dryer side after very few uses.

The points made on the main site cannot be emphasised too strongly.

The max wash load needs to be halved to dry effectively so you need more time per load.

We could not access the drying cycle until it had finished completely or gone through the cool down process otherwise the drier temperature cut out would be activated and it was no easy job to re set it.

Luckily we did not dispose of our old Servis dryer and it is still going strong after almost 25 years continuous use.

Having bought a Miele 3240 earlier in the year with a 10 year warranty we cannot fault it. Most washes complete in about 70 mins, the only sound is the water sloshing around. It does not have a lot of extras (no timer delay) but unless you actually need them most of the additional features you pay for are rarely if at all used they just look and sound good in the brochure.

[superstarjan]

Hi

Thanks for that Peter, but I think I'm going to go for one, as I don't have the space for seperate machines, but I'll go for a larger capacity.

Can anybody recomend a decent washer dryer, I've had a quick read around and I'm thinking of either AEG, john lewis or miele.

Do the washer dryers have to have a vent on an outside wall? also, do most stores fit them when they deliver?

Thanks

Janet

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

All washer dryers should be condenser washer dryers these days. The steam gets condensed into water and pumped out the normal way. No extra plumbing or fitting required. The makes you mention are all good although a Miele washer dryer is very expensive indeed. I'd consider Siemens too and Bosch.

Most stores just deliver but have a fitting service at an extra cost.

[superstarjan]

Thanks for your help.

I've had a scout around and looked at a few, I think i've deided to go for a john lewis washer dryer, however I would like one in silver, but i've not managed to find one.

Does anybody know if they do silver ones, preferably with a larger drum?

Thanks

Janet

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Silver appears to be going out of fashion, if it hasn't already. My opinion on coloured washing machines is that they are nice, but very much subject to fashion. When the fashion (or fad) fades people are left with appliances that don't match.

It doesn't help you much but I've posted a couple of opinions on the subject on my blog - Should I buy coloured white goods?

 

[superstarjan]

Hiya

Thanks for that, I appreiciate fully what you say, however all my other "white goods" are silver, so in my case, it would be the opposite of the point you made, the white washer will look out of place.

I have found a Zanussi ZWD1472 for £352, with free delivery, £19.99 installation charge and £15.99 to take the old one away from appliance deals. I think this is a good price (I did want a larger capacity, but I can live with a 6kg).

Is this a good machine?

Thanks

Jan

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hello Jan, I'm glad you found one. I think you misunderstood my point a little though. My point was that whichever colour you choose, if it's not white, sooner or later you will probably be forced to buy a white one and have an "out of place appliance" because sooner or later the colour will be dated, seen as old fashioned and not produced any more. However, whilst it's still available I don't blame you for trying to keep them matched. I wouldn't expect people to bite the bullet and start changing over to white if they can still match them, the advice or caution is meant more for someone thinking of going silver, or green or even going black which is the latest new colour <fileStore.core_Emoticons>/emoticons/default_smile.png

Zanussi are OK, average reliability according to Which? Independent repairers can easily get parts for them and plenty of people fix them.