Whiteware???

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#991433 20-Feb-2014 21:53

vexxxboy: LG have just bought top loader washing machines onto the market and have good deals on them to get people interested , they dont have agitators either . looked at one a few days ago and they look really nice.

I've got an LG top loader, while it's super quiet and has fuzzy logic etc, it takes ages to get through a cycle, at least 45 minutes and doesn't wash that well (better than most top loaders I've used admittedly). I'd go for a front loader if I had the choice again, they just wash better with the tumbling action and therefore don't need to run for as long.

I beat The Good Guys up with Pricespy when I got it, and went halves on the delivery too.

For the fridge I went with a Westinghouse, has been really good and feels solidly built.

The two together came to $3000 or there about so should fit within the OPs budget.

Dunnersfella

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#991477 20-Feb-2014 23:06

Top loaders are quick, popular with people who 'remember good old F&P's' and are easy to get clothes in and out of.
But, as you can see from this, has nothing to do with cleaning your clothes / looking after them.

On the other hand, front loaders are gentler on clothes, heat their own water, and wash better.
If you have an issue with accessing the clothes, you could always put the likes of a Bosch on a stand.
My family all have front loaders (Miele and Bosch) and we have an F&P. The F&P sounds like a rocket ship taking off, it's just that loud... and it seems to damage clothes more than a washing machine really should.

I had an LG front loader for a while, but hated the door...
With brilliant results from out Miele Condensor dryer, we'll most likely buy a Miele front loading washing machine.

I can't fault our LG fridge/freezer so far, but I do like the look of the top double door Mitsubishi fridge/freezers! Tres cool!

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#991491 20-Feb-2014 23:22

TLDR but my vote is for Bosch. And front loader washers are better in every respect.

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#991517 21-Feb-2014 07:02

Samsung toploader with glass lid. 8kg model is about $800 on special, well worth it as you can even get a rug in it and it also looks nice (feel-good factor). Wait for Noel Leeming special which comes around every few weeks, they cycle through the same specials all the time. But check on-line for the model, seldom seen in shops. None of the Samsungs have an agitator for stuff to get entangles (or apparently damaged). Bras go in the wash without a bag and seldom gets hooked onto socks etc. Had 3 Samsung top loaders in 20 years, used at least once a day. First one got replaced as it started failing after 12 years, second one got upgraded 3 months ago to the larger model as the kids turned teenagers. LG copy Samsung and adds bells and whistles, I still prefer Samsung.

Front loaders are not better in every respect, it depends on the criteria. They use less water, which also requires a much longer wash cycle. Yes, there are 15 minute cycles, but you need to look at the trade-off which is not specified.

Bosch MAXX7 auto sensing tumble dryer. Search for specials, no ways I'll pay RRP of about $1500. Auto sensing is a requirement (in my view), Bosch is made solid and have nice settings (I've owned about 5 dryers over the years). We do not use a line at all because no matter how short you leave it on the line, nothing beats how soft clothes come out of the dryer. We do not use softener at all. And with doing one large load a day, I have better things to do than watching clothes dry.

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#991551 21-Feb-2014 08:37

Don't guy Samsung washing machine. Clothes come out dropping wet. F&p sound the fastest of top loaders and clothes are near dry. Front loaders go cheapest Bosch.

Fridge anything works fine Samsung cheapest.

Dishwasher get a proper brand. They are all about the same. The more expensive the quieter and slower.

Niel

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#991752 21-Feb-2014 12:15

joker97: Don't guy Samsung washing machine. Clothes come out dropping wet.

Fix the drain, clean the filters, and don't use the auto weighing option (which is just an estimate). I've never had that issue. And be careful of too fast spinning when it (other brands) has an agitator as it wears down your clothes. The only issue I've had is you need to use 1/2 to 3/4 (depending on machine size) the "recommended" amount of soap powder or else the anti-bacterial drum will get covered in a black mould-like build-up which eventually flakes off and is really hard to get out of your clothes. Use the correct (not the soap manufacturer "recommended") amount of soap and no issues.

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#991789 21-Feb-2014 13:12

jonathan18:
TwoSeven:

Re front-loading washing machines - one of the reasons I wouldn't touch them (apart from the time they take, the inability to add items...) is the impact they appear to have on towels. My brother's towels were like using a rasp on one's back, and apparently this is a common problem in washing them in a front loader.

Scratchy towels is usually caused by not using fabric softener or because the water is hard and needs to be softened. It (as far as I know) has nothing to do with what type of agitation mechanism is used (the style of washing machine). At least that is my experience of things.

Umm, seems to be a frequently reported problem and quite clearly a problem for front-loaders, going by a quick search on the internet, eg comments from Consumer NZ here http://www.consumer.org.nz/reports/washing-machines/wash-problems .

You may get around it by using fabric softener but the reality is top loaders don't need this to avoid the hardness problem - I've never used fabric softener in our machines and our towels last years without developing such issues. That link above gives ways to mitigate this problem with front loaders.

The reason fabric softener exists is to stop the detergent making the material stiff. In the old days, everything was like cardboard after it had been washed and one needed to use soda to soften things.

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#991820 21-Feb-2014 14:07

joker97: Don't guy Samsung washing machine. Clothes come out dropping wet. F&p sound the fastest of top loaders and clothes are near dry. Front loaders go cheapest Bosch.

Fridge anything works fine Samsung cheapest.

Dishwasher get a proper brand. They are all about the same. The more expensive the quieter and slower.

Dishwashers aren't all the same. Have both a Bosch and f&p, and the Bosch is far superior. The f&p doesn't even dry things, as everything comes out wet at the end of the cycle.

Niel

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#991827 21-Feb-2014 14:21

TwoSeven:
jonathan18:
TwoSeven:

Re front-loading washing machines - one of the reasons I wouldn't touch them (apart from the time they take, the inability to add items...) is the impact they appear to have on towels. My brother's towels were like using a rasp on one's back, and apparently this is a common problem in washing them in a front loader.

Scratchy towels is usually caused by not using fabric softener or because the water is hard and needs to be softened. It (as far as I know) has nothing to do with what type of agitation mechanism is used (the style of washing machine). At least that is my experience of things.

Umm, seems to be a frequently reported problem and quite clearly a problem for front-loaders, going by a quick search on the internet, eg comments from Consumer NZ here http://www.consumer.org.nz/reports/washing-machines/wash-problems .

You may get around it by using fabric softener but the reality is top loaders don't need this to avoid the hardness problem - I've never used fabric softener in our machines and our towels last years without developing such issues. That link above gives ways to mitigate this problem with front loaders.

The reason fabric softener exists is to stop the detergent making the material stiff. In the old days, everything was like cardboard after it had been washed and one needed to use soda to soften things.

With my combination of Samsung top loader and Bosch (or any of my previous 3-4) dryer(s), the only difference that fabric softener makes is to my wallet. Absolutely no difference to softness. Can't comment on on front loaders, and maybe it makes a difference for line drying, but certainly not with tumble drying. In the old days they did not have tumble dryers.

You can never have enough Volvos!

Dunnersfella

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#991861 21-Feb-2014 15:24

Samsung washers?
Do your research and you'll find the below article...
I guess if your one doesn't get recalled, or need to get fixed to stop it catching fire, or catches fire AFTER it has been 'serviced' so it doesn't catch fire... sure.
Get one.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9139448/Fixed-washing-machines-catch-fire

It's slower spinning than Fisher & Paykel's - equating to slower drying times.
The lack of an agitator means it should be gentler than the F&P's with agitators, but no different to the faster spinning, non-agitator F&P's....
It's not going to clean as well as a front loader - which is the point of a washing machine, surely?

The few reasons I can see to buy one is because they are cheap, you feel the need to jam loads of sheets in and think that the quality of the whiteware will be the same as your S4 or 6 series TV - then go for it.

martyyn

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#991862 21-Feb-2014 15:29

We had Bosch everything in Europe and they were fantastic. Came back to NZ eight years ago and stupidly bought F&P everything.

The washing machine had almost every part changed in three years to the point where the repairer helped us fight Harvey Norman to have it replaced even though it was outside of warranty. We bought a Bosch.

The dishdrawers blew up after four years, yes blew up. A big bang, flames and everything. HN didnt want to know us and so it was replaced with a Bosch.

The fridge is still going, but every plastic shelf and drawer has been cracked and broken for as long as I can remember and what remains is held together with gaffer tape. When it dies, it will be replaced with a Bosch.

Seems a common theme in this thread.

Oh and +1 for the front loader. Being English I've grown up with them. My parents bought a top loader and it tore their clothes to pieces. Our front loader is a dream.

Niel

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#991889 21-Feb-2014 16:49

Dunnersfella: Samsung washers?
Do your research and you'll find the below article...
I guess if your one doesn't get recalled, or need to get fixed to stop it catching fire, or catches fire AFTER it has been 'serviced' so it doesn't catch fire... sure.
Get one.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9139448/Fixed-washing-machines-catch-fire

It's slower spinning than Fisher & Paykel's - equating to slower drying times.
The lack of an agitator means it should be gentler than the F&P's with agitators, but no different to the faster spinning, non-agitator F&P's....
It's not going to clean as well as a front loader - which is the point of a washing machine, surely?

The few reasons I can see to buy one is because they are cheap, you feel the need to jam loads of sheets in and think that the quality of the whiteware will be the same as your S4 or 6 series TV - then go for it.

Fire also happens to GE and a couple other brands as far back as 2007 (quick Google search...). Samsung issue is around people putting their washing machine in a cold damp tin shed where you get condensation. And remember Samsung (like all manufacturers) do not make every part of their products from raw materials, sometimes problems occur which is not their design fault but their stand by their brand and do the right thing. Our company has gone through a voluntary product recall, I can tell you it is not as simple as one would think.

So how on earth is a fraction of the water used in a front loader going to wash cleaner?

They are cheap because they are mechanically simpler, although $800-$1300 for the model I have is not really cheap.

I've never said their whiteware is of the same quality as their electronics. I've shared from my experience over 20 years with different models (and also have used my mother-in-law's front loader, not impressed).

You can never have enough Volvos!

gzt

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#991893 21-Feb-2014 17:01

So how on earth is a fraction of the water used in a front loader going to wash cleaner?

It's a fairly large fraction. But I always assumed front loaders were pressure sealed and that the combination of sealed pressure vessel + hot water did a really good job of getting into the cloth fibres. Aside from price, what are the reasons for choosing top load over front load?

Hammerer

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#991894 21-Feb-2014 17:02

mcraenz: TLDR but my vote is for Bosch. And front loader washers are better in every respect.

They aren't better in every respect.

They are much slower, for example. We can get a four loads out of a top-loader in a morning whereas we're lucky to get two out of a front-loader.

gzt

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#991901 21-Feb-2014 17:17

That's a good reason ; ).

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