Washing Machine or Washer Dryer?

eddie_slovik · 27 Aug 2011 at 09:19

This is the very last post I will ever make on this topic because I'm fed up with folk not listening.

Buy anything other than Bosch or Miele and you are buying a product that is second best and not designed to last.

Forget which, imho they give best write ups to whoever gives them the best backhander TRUST ME ! Every time I ever look at which they praise stuff that I know is carp from experience.

Btw AEG are Electrolux/Zanussi/Bendix/Tricity. All the same except for whats behind the fascia. As you can buy Bendix for £200 why pay up to £600 for an AEG ?

I recently bought the cheapest Bosch washer from Argos, the delivery only price was £315. That machine is vastly superior to anything comparable by other manufacturers.

So thats me done on this, buy what you like.

Devrij · 27 Aug 2011 at 09:46

The Classix range are cheap and not really "Bosch" quality, not much better than any other brand. They introduced the avantix range to bridge the gap, but what actually happened was they rebranded the classix range as avantix and created a low end range. Their dishwashers rust, and their washers are average. Unless you spend the money for an exxell/logix range Bosch machine you may as well not . Agreed on AEG though, never rated them.

jon86 · 27 Aug 2011 at 09:52

I bought a £380 AEG condenser dryer with a 5 year warranty and it gets used a couple of times a week. It's been flawless in its operation and I'm very happy with it. My housemate and landlord bought a cheap Bush (Argos own brand) washing machine a few weeks ago but we'll have to see how long that lasts...

RetiredGreyFox · 27 Aug 2011 at 10:26

blueacid said:
That must have been gut-wrenching for you and the workers

Up until Merloni took over we were a proud bunch who even had our own products in our houses but as soon as the Italians came we were building with inferior parts.
Time went by and early 2007 all 619 workers (there was 2,500 when they first came) were called into an empty warehouse to be told the place was shutting down and moving to Poland.
They told us we would be getting the normal Governmnent guidline redundancy payout so for my 27 years I would receive £4670

Our Union worked tirelessly and when I went in September they had got me £20,000.
The hard thing for me now is all the brothers & sisters I lost, people I spent more time with than my own family and it still gets to me.

eddie_slovik said:
I recently bought the cheapest Bosch washer from Argos, the delivery only price was £315. That machine is vastly superior to anything comparable by other manufacturers.

People should be asking why a domestic appliance Quality Audit Technician and a very experienced washing machine repairman have bought Bosch goods.
Let them go their own way.

Jez · 27 Aug 2011 at 10:39

What are peoples' opinions on Siemens goods? I have not heard them mentioned much. I have an ageing Siemens washer which has only had one small relay failure in over 10 years of heavy use by myself and several of my tenants. Seems to be very well built upon internal inspection when i replaced the relay too, i am quite impressed with it.

I have a couple of Bosch washing machines on the other hand and although i have only ever had to change brushes in them in 10 years or more of their life (so very reliable) there are certainly design "features" internally which seem under-engineered to me in comparison to the Siemens.

VaderDSL · 27 Aug 2011 at 10:47

Thing is I know Bosch/Miele are brilliant washing machines from the info on here. I only had a tad over £200 sadly to spend from my budget to kit out an entire flat

wannabedamned · 27 Aug 2011 at 10:48

Everytime I say I want a washer/dryer combi I get warned off them. By different people! It's some what worrying lol.

I may end up with separate units, a washer and a dryer with condenser. Its a pain though, as if there's a good unit that can do both with no trouble, It'd save a lot of room!

Jez · 27 Aug 2011 at 10:48

VaderDSL said:
Thing is I know Bosch/Miele are brilliant washing machines from the info on here. I only had a tad over £200 sadly to spend from my budget to kit out an entire flat

Easily kit out a flat for £200, appliances are worth very little 2nd hand.

VaderDSL · 27 Aug 2011 at 10:53

Jez said:
Easily kit out a flat for £200, appliances are worth very little 2nd hand.

Yeah tell me about it

A lot of the stuff I viewed though was absolute junk, with 2nd hand you sometimes get lucky, other times you don't. Plus there's the whole will it break after a week aspect.

Jez · 27 Aug 2011 at 10:57

VaderDSL said:
Yeah tell me about it A lot of the stuff I viewed though was absolute junk, with 2nd hand you sometimes get lucky, other times you don't. Plus there's the whole will it break after a week aspect.

Appliances are so basic mate i wouldnt even worry about whether it works or not. As long as the bearings in a drum are not gone and it cosmetically looks ok then everything else shouldnt be an issue ime.

wannabedamned · 27 Aug 2011 at 10:58

You could check out some of the refurb shops? They usually give a 12month warranty, and they're cheaper than new obviously. It's where I'm going for mine.

Nightglow · 27 Aug 2011 at 11:08

Don't bother with washer dryers, not that good, one fault is they usually around wash 5kg, but only can dry 2.5kg of their wash capacity.

As to washing machines, Bosch are the best in my opinion, got two of them, neither of them had a repair in 8 years.
One had it's first repair last month, a water pump replaced due to hard water.

Take out the extended insurance cover, well worth it cost per year.

Also have Bosch condenser tumble dryer, had it six years not one repair or problem with it, dries clothes brilliantly.
Will be replacing one of the washing machine with another new Bosch next month.

You can get a Bosch washing machine from it's Classixx range starting around £350, maybe less if you shop around online.
And Bosch WTE84105GB tumble dryer for £315 maybe less.

DBT85 · 27 Aug 2011 at 11:50

arch said:
Miele > Siemens > Bosch

Siemens are still built in Germany (the washers anyway) and tend to get all the new technology one product cycle before Bosch do , AEG are just rebadged Zanussi's now

Came here to post this, thanks for saving me the time

We have a Miele washer, Bosch dryer and a Siemens dishwasher. Very happy with all three and glad we stumped up the extra for them all.

Zip · 27 Aug 2011 at 13:14

If i didnt buy a washing machine just the other year with a big warrenty on it id be looking for a top loader.

The bosch front loader we have is good but its wash cycles are too long and once you hit start you cant add anything else in with out having to put it on drain and then restart the wash cycle from the start again.

Just my 2 cents. Its just a shame Bosch dont make top loaders.

RetiredGreyFox · 27 Aug 2011 at 13:27

Zip's Australian toploader -

Jez · 27 Aug 2011 at 14:11

Why do we not get top loaders in the UK? They are common in the US and do tend to have epic capacities.

VaderDSL · 27 Aug 2011 at 14:16

Could it be due to the size of our buildings? I imagine that over here we tend to have our washing machines in the kitchen under the worktops. At least in Europe we tend to have the smallest square feet in terms of homes on average according to that Channel 4 "Secret Life of Buildings".

Perhaps in the U.S they have actual utility rooms/basements they can have the top loaders in due to them having on average much more space?

Zip · 27 Aug 2011 at 14:23

Ive never seen one that old DMpool. But my Nanna once used of of those old tubs from one for a pot plant

Top loads dont really take up that much more space then a Front loader. over then the lid having to have space so you can open it up.

Edit: In my house and most Australian houses we have a laundry where we put the Washer and the dryer. If thats what you mean by utility space Vader

DBT85 · 27 Aug 2011 at 14:33

Jez said:
Why do we not get top loaders in the UK? They are common in the US and do tend to have epic capacities.

VaderDSL said:
Could it be due to the size of our buildings? I imagine that over here we tend to have our washing machines in the kitchen under the worktops. At least in Europe we tend to have the smallest square feet in terms of homes on average according to that Channel 4 "Secret Life of Buildings".

Perhaps in the U.S they have actual utility rooms/basements they can have the top loaders in due to them having on average much more space?

Zip said:
Top loads dont really take up that much more space then a Front loader. over then the lid having to have space so you can open it up.

It's exactly down to the size of our houses compared to the in the US. Most homes in the UK don't have utility rooms and a 10x10ft kitchen is about average from what we saw when looking for houses. In a room that size you need as much worktop space as possible and top loaders prevent that.

VaderDSL · 27 Aug 2011 at 14:36

Yeah that's exactly it Zip

a specific room/area for things like washer/driers etc.

I always see people be amazed by them on shows like Grand Designs etc.