House & Home Best front loader washing machine?!

Electrolux is going well for 6 years now. I like that you can pause and open it within 5 min of start - in case you forget something.

 

Thanks all- this is all very useful. Still going for the front loader after doing more reading... Bosch write ups were good, however appears to be conflicting opinions and experiences here. Repairman (on my 13 yr old Whirlpool) advises Electrolux as he hardly ever sees them for repairs.

 

I've got a 9kg frontloader which is also capable of drying 4-5kg of washing if need be... handy.

 

What brand please?

 

Im goin to Wenty now but can look at it tomorrow night. Oh, and I made sure it also had a 30 min cycle... important as an airbnb host to not need to wait 2 hours for a load of washing...

 

Cos no one buys them?

 

LOL yes brand please @Gockie

 

Bosch products including dishwashers come in 2/3 ranges quality and price wise. Some made in China that are ****, some better china ones, some in Turkey and some in Germany.

Mid range bosch is still good, cheap arse bosch isn't great.

Aeg, miele, Siemens etc are all good options too. Your cheaper ones will still do the job too of course but the quality of the wash might not be as good, eg how wrinkled the clothes come out

 

You can't go passed the heavy duty industrial ones (top loader )
We had a few on a construction site to wash the guys uniforms. Towards the end of the job we replaced one with a home version front loader and it lasted a few weeks and didn't bother replacing it.
We did flog them no pre rinsing or anything like that, concrete,dirt, other "matter ". Find a second hand or cheap industrial one and your set for life!

 

And that's where i messed up.
The one i got is one grade above the lowest model..
Speaking to my mate at Bing Lee, for ovens he doesn't recommend the low end bosch ones either, however he says the upper end ones that are made in Germany are very good.... guessing that comment probably holds true for washing machines too.

That said, for the price of those high end ones, I'd rather buy two low end ones and wash smaller loads (provided there is space), i like to keep colours and whites separate... last time i forgot i ended up with multi coloured business shirts

 

Thanks seriously for all your input everyone- love this forum!

 

Just checked my machine - Bosch "Maxx Classic", not sure what range of Bosch it is. But touch wood, 7 years and no issues. It has a 15 minute cycle, but can't stop mid-way. My regular cycle is 1hour though. And it's not cool enough to double as a dryer!

 

Miele are great.

 

Fisher and Paykel (made in Turkey) front loader for about 5 years, has not missed a beat. Just about to order a Fisher and Paykel condenser dryer to match. One thing I love about front loaders is the extra space you get on top and ability to stack a dryer.

 

LG washer and dryer 9kg/5kg, model WD-1290RD. And as I said earlier, it also has a 30min quick wash option.

 

Most front loaders won't last as long as a top loader.

They generally do a better job of washing clothes with much less water and energy, as long as you don't use the heater which isn't necessary.

This type of advice is dangerous. Electrolux are well known for common serious, irrepairable and expensive faults that commence in the years after the warranty expires and for extreme poor design where a coin or button will destroy the machine. Google the Electrolux spider failure and coin failures - these are the most common problems that costs $400+ to repair and will fail again after a few years. It's always better value to get a new washing machine that was designed by a competent company.

Most brands have their weak points due to planned obsolescence, however the Electrolux front loaders have the most expensive problems.

While your machine is working, sell it and buy a cheaper machine that will most likely last 3-10 times longer like a Samsung, LG or cheap Euro model.

 

Do you mean as long as an old school top loader that went forever - they all used to be like that.
When did front loaders start?

 

Averaged, top loaders last much longer than front loaders. The stats are skewed by manufacturers producing disposable junk front loaders.

Top loaders have half the water seals and are much simpler as a mechanical device compared to a front loader.

A good front loader should last 15+ years before the seals and other rubber parts need replacing. A good top loader should last triple that.

Use less detergent to make your machine last longer. Depending on how soiled the clothes are, the minimum amount to achieve the same cleanliness is usually less then half the recommended amount on detergent packets.