Recommend me a washing machine...
Discussion
When we lived in France we had 3 summer holiday rentals that produced 7+ loads of washing every Saturday. We had a Samsung in the house, that we thought was excellent and will shortly be buying a new one when we move home in England.
However, we also bought a really cheap €170 French machine and installed it in the open garage for guests to use as well as helping with the Saturday burden. Although it was never worked as hard as the Samsung, it just worked for 17-years only needing the occasional bang with a screwdriver when the electro inlet valve stuck closed after being left unused over winter. Cosmetically, it did start to show its age.
I suspect that, like many electro-mechanical items, they either work out of the box, and continue to work, or they breakdown after a couple of years and will always be a pain in the neck until you replace them.
Our French friend also had a Samsung machine. It developed a small fault that was easily fixed. When the repairer opened it up, he said that the build looked identical to a Miele that he had recently been working on.
However, we also bought a really cheap €170 French machine and installed it in the open garage for guests to use as well as helping with the Saturday burden. Although it was never worked as hard as the Samsung, it just worked for 17-years only needing the occasional bang with a screwdriver when the electro inlet valve stuck closed after being left unused over winter. Cosmetically, it did start to show its age.
I suspect that, like many electro-mechanical items, they either work out of the box, and continue to work, or they breakdown after a couple of years and will always be a pain in the neck until you replace them.
Our French friend also had a Samsung machine. It developed a small fault that was easily fixed. When the repairer opened it up, he said that the build looked identical to a Miele that he had recently been working on.
We had a cheap Electrolux for 10 years, just needed new brushes for the motor that cost me £30 and I changed myself. The basic design of a washing machine was mastered 50+ years ago and hasn't changed much. But you could say the same about cars but we aren't all still driving around in Morris Minors (or Kia Picantos). There are machines for every budget. Some have more features, performance, convenience and options than others. That's for the buyer to decide what's important to them and what they want to pay for.
119 said:
rdjohn said:
Our French friend also had a Samsung machine. It developed a small fault that was easily fixed. When the repairer opened it up, he said that the build looked identical to a Miele that he had recently been working on.
They all look near enough the same under the lid.Some Miele fridges and freezers are manufactured by Liebherr and in effect the same machine rebranded. But Liebherr are the cutting edge of high quality domestic refrigerators and a very well respected brand in their own right.
Samsung are perfectly reasonable equipment, with a fairly expensive warranty package attached.
Digger said:
dhutch said:
Digger said:
With the app there are many more programmes available & much more customisations. The main programme I use is a Daily 60 minute wash to which I have added 2 extra rinses & saved the programme to favourites. So now i just dump the clothes & gel in to the w/m & select the programme within favourites in the app & away it goes.
Question, why do you need two extra rinses? Seems a bit excessive, put machine can do an 'extra rinse' which I only use very rarely and basically only for reusable nappies. 
hence the addition of 2 extra rinses. It adds roughly 20 minutes. I could perhaps do one extra instead I guess dhutch said:
119 said:
rdjohn said:
Our French friend also had a Samsung machine. It developed a small fault that was easily fixed. When the repairer opened it up, he said that the build looked identical to a Miele that he had recently been working on.
They all look near enough the same under the lid.Some Miele fridges and freezers are manufactured by Liebherr and in effect the same machine rebranded. But Liebherr are the cutting edge of high quality domestic refrigerators and a very well respected brand in their own right.
Samsung are perfectly reasonable equipment, with a fairly expensive warranty package attached.
Buy something with actual buttons and knobs not a touchscreen. We've got a Samsung washing machine with a touchscreen and the thing randomly turns itself off and picks different settings because it's getting phantom touches on the buttons. We'll be sitting in the living room and hear all of the tunes playing because it's turning itself on and off 
dhutch said:
Digger said:
dhutch said:
Digger said:
With the app there are many more programmes available & much more customisations. The main programme I use is a Daily 60 minute wash to which I have added 2 extra rinses & saved the programme to favourites. So now i just dump the clothes & gel in to the w/m & select the programme within favourites in the app & away it goes.
Question, why do you need two extra rinses? Seems a bit excessive, put machine can do an 'extra rinse' which I only use very rarely and basically only for reusable nappies. hence the addition of 2 extra rinses. It adds roughly 20 minutes. I could perhaps do one extra instead I guess If you use a lot then it definitely doesn't get rinsed out properly on a normal wash.
98elise said:
Digger said:
b
hstewie said:
hstewie said: I don't need anything that does too much smart stuff like use an app on my phone (WTF that's actually a thing?!).
It just needs to wash well and work.
Counterpoint It just needs to wash well and work.
I thought wifi & apps on a w/m would be pointless but my Landlady got a new Hoover (very noisy!) w/m in to the property so I immediately set up & connected with the app (a bit of a faff tbh!).With the app there are many more programmes available & much more customisation. The main programme I use is a Daily 60 minute wash to which I have added 2 extra rinses & saved the programme to favourites. So now i just dump the clothes & gel in to the w/m & select the programme within favourites in the app & away it goes.
You can monitor the wash on the app to see when it finishes & it will alert you. When finished it asks if you want to start a slow gentle tumbling programme to avoid creasing which I find handy if I'm out at the shops or whatever. From the app I can also see if it's being used by anyone else so I don't waste time thinking I can go use it
The above may not be true - I haven't met the couple 3 doors down so no idea if the lady is called Mavis.
Seriously though, what is it with German kit and excessive beeping? Fridges, washing machines, our vacuum cleaner, their cars. Does nothing get done in Germany without an ear piercing beep to start things off?
119 said:
rdjohn said:
Our French friend also had a Samsung machine. It developed a small fault that was easily fixed. When the repairer opened it up, he said that the build looked identical to a Miele that he had recently been working on.
They all look near enough the same under the lid.Likewise, they had a cheapish Bosch oven and a more expensive NEFF oven next to each other. Opening both they looked exactly the same other than the buttons on the front. When I say the same, even the glass in the door and the vents was exactly the same.
I think appliances are like cars now, years ago the more expensive brands were miles ahead in terms of build quality, but they are all now built out of the cheapest components possible.
I think like German cars and the myth of build quality, a lot of appliance brands are living on their reputation from 20 years ago.
bodhi said:
Just get a Bosch. The beeps when it finishes are that loud Mavis from 3 doors down can tell when our washing is done.
The above may not be true - I haven't met the couple 3 doors down so no idea if the lady is called Mavis.
Seriously though, what is it with German kit and excessive beeping? Fridges, washing machines, our vacuum cleaner, their cars. Does nothing get done in Germany without an ear piercing beep to start things off?
Go into the settings and turn the beep notification down or off.....The above may not be true - I haven't met the couple 3 doors down so no idea if the lady is called Mavis.
Seriously though, what is it with German kit and excessive beeping? Fridges, washing machines, our vacuum cleaner, their cars. Does nothing get done in Germany without an ear piercing beep to start things off?
98elise said:
dhutch said:
Digger said:
dhutch said:
Digger said:
With the app there are many more programmes available & much more customisations. The main programme I use is a Daily 60 minute wash to which I have added 2 extra rinses & saved the programme to favourites. So now i just dump the clothes & gel in to the w/m & select the programme within favourites in the app & away it goes.
Question, why do you need two extra rinses? Seems a bit excessive, put machine can do an 'extra rinse' which I only use very rarely and basically only for reusable nappies. hence the addition of 2 extra rinses. It adds roughly 20 minutes. I could perhaps do one extra instead I guess If you use a lot then it definitely doesn't get rinsed out properly on a normal wash.
dickymint said:
The LG we have you just fill up the wash liquid and conditioner reservoirs and it automatically doses itself depending on the type of wash cycle is chosen......so Wifey tells me
Yeah, that would be quite nice!However in the grand scheme, a scoop of ecover liquid (coloured items) or fairy non-bio powder (whites) is one of the easier parts of my life!
I have fairly sensitive skin and a dislike for scented washing but find the normal rinse our Zanussi offers is just grand.
dhutch said:
dickymint said:
The LG we have you just fill up the wash liquid and conditioner reservoirs and it automatically doses itself depending on the type of wash cycle is chosen......so Wifey tells me
Yeah, that would be quite nice!However in the grand scheme, a scoop of ecover liquid (coloured items) or fairy non-bio powder (whites) is one of the easier parts of my life!
I have fairly sensitive skin and a dislike for scented washing but find the normal rinse our Zanussi offers is just grand.
119 said:
rdjohn said:
Our French friend also had a Samsung machine. It developed a small fault that was easily fixed. When the repairer opened it up, he said that the build looked identical to a Miele that he had recently been working on.
They all look near enough the same under the lid.The Samsung machine had been assembled if France, presumably with KD kits from Korea.
rdjohn said:
I got the impression that he was suggesting that Samsung had pulled apart a top end machine and re-engineered it with Korean components, at a fraction of the cost for similar quality and longevity.
The Samsung machine had been assembled if France, presumably with KD kits from Korea.
Oh I don’t doubt that for one minute.The Samsung machine had been assembled if France, presumably with KD kits from Korea.
They’re all at it!
bodhi said:
98elise said:
Digger said:
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: I don't need anything that does too much smart stuff like use an app on my phone (WTF that's actually a thing?!).
It just needs to wash well and work.
Counterpoint It just needs to wash well and work.
I thought wifi & apps on a w/m would be pointless but my Landlady got a new Hoover (very noisy!) w/m in to the property so I immediately set up & connected with the app (a bit of a faff tbh!).With the app there are many more programmes available & much more customisation. The main programme I use is a Daily 60 minute wash to which I have added 2 extra rinses & saved the programme to favourites. So now i just dump the clothes & gel in to the w/m & select the programme within favourites in the app & away it goes.
You can monitor the wash on the app to see when it finishes & it will alert you. When finished it asks if you want to start a slow gentle tumbling programme to avoid creasing which I find handy if I'm out at the shops or whatever. From the app I can also see if it's being used by anyone else so I don't waste time thinking I can go use it
The above may not be true - I haven't met the couple 3 doors down so no idea if the lady is called Mavis.
Seriously though, what is it with German kit and excessive beeping? Fridges, washing machines, our vacuum cleaner, their cars. Does nothing get done in Germany without an ear piercing beep to start things off?
Our last three have been Hotpoints and each one leaked after taking the washing powder door off to clean and can never be made watertight again.
I don't usually interfere where appliances are concerned but I have told Mrs Cupcake that she is just having the cheapest one from Argos that takes a big enough load and the powder door must never be removed.
Washing machines these days are consumables so I will pay the bare minimum..
I don't usually interfere where appliances are concerned but I have told Mrs Cupcake that she is just having the cheapest one from Argos that takes a big enough load and the powder door must never be removed.
Washing machines these days are consumables so I will pay the bare minimum..
119 said:
Mobile Chicane said:
Why people spend thousands on a machine which fundamentally does the same thing is beyond me.
That could be said for nearly everything, including cars.
I very much doubt whether spending a fortune on a machine which 'uses less water', 'more energy efficient' etc will translate to a saving over its lifetime compared with buying a cheap one.
And to be fair this won't be used for three full loads a day every day or anything bonkers.
Just a few loads a week and ideally cleans well and is reliable.
I could do the man maths to spend say £800 on a Miele instead of £500 on something else IF it's worth it.
But I honestly don't need or care much about a lot of the features people have talked about
Just a few loads a week and ideally cleans well and is reliable.
I could do the man maths to spend say £800 on a Miele instead of £500 on something else IF it's worth it.
But I honestly don't need or care much about a lot of the features people have talked about
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