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Which Washers

simmon

New member
Joined
May 30, 2019
Messages
1
So, I'm just a little annoyed ... our washing machine just broke and we will have to buy a new one tomorrow.
Now I am interested in what criteria do you use to search your devices like washers and with which brand have you been satisfied? Also, do you have experience with cheap models?
We looked at this website https://productz.com/en/washers and noticed that the price range is from 350$ to well over 1000$. I've heard from coworkers that some models have a lot of plastic, is that good or bad? Can you recommend us some good washers?
Thank you!
 

Ed Driscoll

Les Paul Forum Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
4,691
Is it a Custom or Standard washing machine? That would help narrow things down, at least in terms of color.

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:2spam
 

madformac

Active member
Joined
Feb 24, 2013
Messages
719
So, I'm just a little annoyed ... our washing machine just broke and we will have to buy a new one tomorrow.
Now I am interested in what criteria do you use to search your devices like washers and with which brand have you been satisfied? Also, do you have experience with cheap models?
We looked at this website https://productz.com/en/washers and noticed that the price range is from 350$ to well over 1000$. I've heard from coworkers that some models have a lot of plastic, is that good or bad? Can you recommend us some good washers?
Thank you!

Criteria to look for are as follows. Firstly you want to make sure it fits. All freestanding washers are designed to fit an 850mm high by 600mm wide space. The depth will be dictated by the drum size (7,8,9,10kg etc)

Then you need to look at cost of use. Washers with digital inverter motors are far better. They have no brushes and use repelling magnets so you get no wear, no resistance (this I will come to) and they are very quiet (far less noisy and they don't whine like a regular washer). Because there is no resistance the drive ramps up smoother and more efficiently meaning you will get a better spin rating. Inverter washers are usually all A rated for spin. Why is this important. Well an A rating means you have about 44-46% water remaining after the wash. It sounds a lot but the clothes are pretty dry. A B rating leaves about 55-58% water in the clothes and they feel squishy. This is going to mean if you use a dryer then your energy usage will be a lot higher (as of course the load will be in the dryer longer and the dryer uses a huge amount of power).

So an inverter drive from brands such as Samsung or LG means the average yearly power usage (based on 4 washes a week) will be about 130 kw per year as opposed to about 230-260kw per year for a regular drive 8kg washer.

Next up is water consumption. Again some washers torque the drive to ensure the weight of the load is checked and the correct water amount is used rather than a standard amount. So smart washers here can save you about 3 or 4 thousand litres of water use a year! And it doesn't affect the quality of the wash.

Load size and drum size will be dictated by the size of your family and the frequency of washes. Where the smart washers come in handy is if you get say a 10kg big drum and only put 3kg of clothes in, the washer will only use the energy and water required for the load. But you have the capacity if you need it (duvets etc)

How do I know all this? Well it's a small part of the job I do.

My choice of washer would be an LG as (at least in the UK) they have a 5 year warranty and 10 year warranty on the digital drive. They also have a direct drive which means no belt. The drum spins with electro magnets. So again less wear and tear and noise. They are very cost effective on energy and water consumption and extremely well built.

As for plastic. Most washers have a lot of plastic. The important areas are the hinge for the door needs to be a solid two point hinge, not a stamped or pressed metal hinge. Also the inside of the drum. If it's textured with diamonds or large bumps it's better as these are designed to keep the clothes from sticking to the side of the drum during the spin to leave a gap for better water drainage and b) keep the clothes away from the drainage holes as clothes getting jammed against them is the main cause of wear and bobbling and pilling..

Hope that helps! :)
 

Jim W

Active member
Joined
Aug 14, 2002
Messages
727
YMMV, but after we looked at a bunch, and spoke with a local repair guy, we went with Speed Queen.
 
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