which sub-£300 reliable washing machine?
Discussion
hi guys,
i need a washing machine for a rental property. it seems there's plenty of choice between £200-300 from cheap & cheerful beko to mid-range offerings from the majors. i've never had a washer before so have no experience to call on regarding reliability.
from today's trip out, this one from LG is currently my favourite:
http://www.electrocentreltd.com/viewproduct.asp?pi...
2yr warranty and 10yr warranty on the direct drive motor. the only other manufacturers i've seen offering more than 2yrs are bosch/miele at a much higher price than i want to pay.
also, should i view a washing machine as a disposable item with a 2-3yr service life or is appliance care cover viewed as essential?
is it possible to get blanket cover for appliances - fridge freezer / dishwasher / washing machine etc? or can i get this as an add-on to landlords insurance?
recommendations for both a washing machine and warranty cover most welcome
TIA
i need a washing machine for a rental property. it seems there's plenty of choice between £200-300 from cheap & cheerful beko to mid-range offerings from the majors. i've never had a washer before so have no experience to call on regarding reliability.
from today's trip out, this one from LG is currently my favourite:
http://www.electrocentreltd.com/viewproduct.asp?pi...
2yr warranty and 10yr warranty on the direct drive motor. the only other manufacturers i've seen offering more than 2yrs are bosch/miele at a much higher price than i want to pay.
also, should i view a washing machine as a disposable item with a 2-3yr service life or is appliance care cover viewed as essential?
is it possible to get blanket cover for appliances - fridge freezer / dishwasher / washing machine etc? or can i get this as an add-on to landlords insurance?
recommendations for both a washing machine and warranty cover most welcome
TIA
Do you need just a washing machine or a washer dryer? I went for the Samsung washer dryer (only one model at the time of purchase) and ended up buying it from Boots as it was the same price as everywhere else but I got advantage card points worth £16. It had the best reviews of everything I looked at and seems to wash the clothes ok, it takes a long time to dry though.
hornetrider said:
Must say we bought a cheap Beko from Comet (£190) about 6 months ago-ish after our 10 year old Indesit finally gave up the ghost. It's far quieter than the Indesit ever was and, um, cleans things great. 
No problems so far.
+1 for Beko.Had an all singing all dancing expensive Hotpoint which was forever being repaired (on first name terms with the technician).Bought a Beko about 6 years ago as a stand in after the Hotpoint did the decent thing and died, and the Beko is still going strong and has needed nothing in that time...No problems so far.
I've ruled out washer driers due to complexity and the need to vent the drier externally.
I'll search for reviews on the beko, but they are still only 1yr warranty vs the lg's 2, and the lg has direct drive which I believe will be more reliable. The comet after care on the lg is £3/mth vs £5.50 for the beko.
I'll search for reviews on the beko, but they are still only 1yr warranty vs the lg's 2, and the lg has direct drive which I believe will be more reliable. The comet after care on the lg is £3/mth vs £5.50 for the beko.
shirt said:
I've ruled out washer driers due to complexity and the need to vent the drier externally.
I'll search for reviews on the beko, but they are still only 1yr warranty vs the lg's 2, and the lg has direct drive which I believe will be more reliable. The comet after care on the lg is £3/mth vs £5.50 for the beko.
Washer dryers - the drying part works as a condenser action - no need to vent. BUt they are more complex and marginally less reliable. Also you can generally only dry a half load (and slowly at that). I'll search for reviews on the beko, but they are still only 1yr warranty vs the lg's 2, and the lg has direct drive which I believe will be more reliable. The comet after care on the lg is £3/mth vs £5.50 for the beko.
retrorider said:
hornetrider said:
Must say we bought a cheap Beko from Comet (£190) about 6 months ago-ish after our 10 year old Indesit finally gave up the ghost. It's far quieter than the Indesit ever was and, um, cleans things great.
No problems so far.
+1 for Beko.Had an all singing all dancing expensive Hotpoint which was forever being repaired (on first name terms with the technician).Bought a Beko about 6 years ago as a stand in after the Hotpoint did the decent thing and died, and the Beko is still going strong and has needed nothing in that time...No problems so far.
We've just bought an LG to replace our failing Indesit, our budget was around £500 so ended up with an F1681 with more bells and whistles than the one you linked to, but the same underlying technology with the direct drive drum etc.
The reviews I read on LG suggested they were a mid-range manufacturer in the same ballpark as Bosch and AEG etc, below the likes of Miele but above the cheap and cheerful Indesits and Hotpoints in the reliability / build quality stakes. We've only had ours a week but so far so good, the wife is happy with how it performs and it's extremely quiet during a spin cycle, the old Indesit used to virtually drown out the TV on a spin despite being 2 rooms away in the utility room yet the new one you can't even hear it over the TV, so would be ideal in a flat where you don't want to upset the neighbours.
John Lewis's own brand also seemed to be well regarded for their quality as they're made by AEG/Zanussi, something like this for £299 with a 3 year warranty might be a good bet.
The reviews I read on LG suggested they were a mid-range manufacturer in the same ballpark as Bosch and AEG etc, below the likes of Miele but above the cheap and cheerful Indesits and Hotpoints in the reliability / build quality stakes. We've only had ours a week but so far so good, the wife is happy with how it performs and it's extremely quiet during a spin cycle, the old Indesit used to virtually drown out the TV on a spin despite being 2 rooms away in the utility room yet the new one you can't even hear it over the TV, so would be ideal in a flat where you don't want to upset the neighbours.
John Lewis's own brand also seemed to be well regarded for their quality as they're made by AEG/Zanussi, something like this for £299 with a 3 year warranty might be a good bet.
Edited by LocoBlade on Sunday 21st August 23:49
From tracking reviews of stuff over time, I think LG maybe where Skoda were when VW had owned them for a few years. Their stuff used to be considered a bit low-end but it's reputation has improved dramatically and an LG is 2nd only to Miele in Which? Remember the Fabia - a good car for a great price (back then) because few had caught on about the change in quality.
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