Washer, dryer - does it make sense to get Miele, or are some other brands just as good?

[Garald]

Time to get a washer and dryer. Miele is clearly head and shoulders above the others... in terms of price. In terms of quality (energy rating, durability, performance, etc.), it's less clear, though it's certainly a top brand. German customer reports seem to suggest that Miele is primus inter pares among washers, but just one of several first-rate brands for dryers.

 

What is word on the street? Does it make sense to get the least expensive Miele washing machine (something like the WCD020 WCS 8kg) or should I look more at other brands?  Which brands of dryers (energy-efficient, with heat-pumps and so forth) have an equally good reputation?

[Gone West]

I've only bought Miele washing machines and dishwashers for the last twenty years or so and am going to buy a Miele tumble dryer when the utility room is finished. So far never had a fault.

[SteamyTea]

I have had a Bosch Washer Dryer.

The trick is to not use the dryer but spend 2 quid on a washing line and pegs at Poundland.

 

[Garald]

Right, I'll avoid washer-dryers, maybe out of prejudice. They were so horrible 10-15 years ago that I can't get over it. I'll just stack a dryer over the washer (or is the other way around better?). And yes, washing lines are better during the summer, though I wonder what my neighbors will think of it.

[SteamyTea]

6 minutes ago, Garald said:

though I wonder what my neighbors will think of it

I use mine to impress my neighbours.  Make them think I have aa friend staying.

Of course, the French only wear the lower half at best.

Edited March 4, 2023 by SteamyTea

[JohnMo]

If you are buying anything with a dryer in it make sure it's a heat pump dryer.  Way cheaper to run.

 

Had several Miele appliances, they are usually super heavy compared to other brands, if you have stairs beware. My Miele washer and dryer lasted about 10 -12 years, call out charges to fix after that were super expensive, so expensive that I bought a cheaper brand for nearly the same cost.

 

Samsung seem pretty good.

[Garald]

16 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

If you are buying anything with a dryer in it make sure it's a heat pump dryer.  Way cheaper to run.

 

I know - that goes without saying.

 

16 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

Had several Miele appliances, they are usually super heavy compared to other brands, if you have stairs beware. My Miele washer and dryer lasted about 10 -12 years, call out charges to fix after that were super expensive, so expensive that I bought a cheaper brand for nearly the same cost.

 

Samsung seem pretty good.

 

German customer reviews are pretty thorough: they managed to torture a Samsung and an LG to death. An Amica survived but was apparently traumatized.

 

The other participants (Bosch,  Constructa, Miele , Siemens, AEG, Bauknecht, Sharp, Haier) survived, but only Miele, AEG, Bauknecht and Haier were rated A for energy efficiency, and Sharp and Haier apparently damaged some clothes. What sort of reputation do AEG and Bauknecht have in general? 

 

Of course these are particular models being tested. I should see whether I can get a Bosch washing machine rated A.

[Wumpus]

I have had 2 Miele washing machines and would not have anything else. They last for 20+ years and are super quiet. They do weigh in at the heavy end of the scale. We moved ours into the new house and it nearly didn’t happen because of the weight.

 

if you shop around, John Lewis often give 10 year warranties, which gives some reassurance, although I have never had one go wrong (famous last words). I think it’s worth the extra cost for the longer lifespan and warranty.

[Pocster]

6 hours ago, SteamyTea said:

I use mine to impress my neighbours.  Make them think I have aa friend staying.

Of course, the French only wear the lower half at best.

Excuse me ; that’s my bra and panties 

[Garald]

I was almost ready to buy Bosch (I did find some Bosch washing machines with an energy rating of A after all). Miele may be the gold standard, but Bosch is by all accounts very good and barely above half the price.

 

Now I'm having a very trivial problem, though. Presumably the dryer (WTX87K90) should go on top of the washer (WGG24400FR) (since the washer will be heavy when full of water, and will also inevitably shake when spinning). However, some of the data given online (e.g.. Amazon and https://www.electromenager-compare.com/lave-linge-BOSWGG24400FR-BOSCH-WGG24400FR.htm) seems to imply that the dryer is larger than the washing machine. Now that I'm looking in other websites, I see that they give the dimensions of the washing machine are  L x H x P : 59.8 x 84.8 x 63.6 cm, whereas those of the dryer are given as L x H x P: 59.8 x 84.2 x 61.3 cm. That makes sense (what sort of evil beings would manufacture dryers than can't go on top of their own washing machines?) but I'm still a bit concerned. The main problem seems to be that different countries give the dimensions in different orders. 

 

I've just consulted the Bosch website, and it lists the depth of the dryer as 590mmm (not 61.3cm) and that of washing machine as 590mm (not 61.3cm), so all is well, but now I'm genuinely confused! It can't be that other websites were giving the dimension of the box, since the height and the width were apparently correct.

[jonM]

I had a Miele washing machine which came with a 10 year guarantee and lasted 11 years before it needed replacing. I bought a samsung as a replacement which had a 5 year guarantee on the machine and 10 years on the motor. It was 35% the price of the siemens and 7 years on it is still going strong. The samsung machines always do very well in "which" surveys. Efficiency and performance is also improving so quickly that I am not sure that keeping a washing machine going for 20 years makes economic sense. 

Edited March 4, 2023 by jonM

[joe90]

13 minutes ago, jonM said:

I am not sure that keeping a washing machine going for 20 years makes economic sense. 

Unless it’s not gone wrong, like my 21 year old zanussi.

[Miek]

If energy efficiency is important and you can make use of it then get a big capacity machine. I went from a 7kg load at 1.4kWh per wash at 40 degrees. To a 13kg load at 1.2kWh per wash at 40. So twice as efficient. I have kids so can make use of the big drum. My last £150 machine is still going at 15yrs old, replaced the pump for £15 quid. Bargain.

[Garald]

1 minute ago, Miek said:

If energy efficiency is important and you can make use of it then get a big capacity machine. I went from a 7kg load at 1.4kWh per wash at 40 degrees. To a 13kg load at 1.2kWh per wash at 40. So twice as efficient. I have kids so can make use of the big drum. My last £150 machine is still going at 15yrs old, replaced the pump for £15 quid. Bargain.

 

Well, but I'll live alone half of the year (in the foreseeable future). Does a big capacity machine make sense then? I've done fine with 7kg for the last few years, and was planning on going up, but just to 9kg.

[MikeSharp01]

7 hours ago, Gone West said:

I've only bought Miele washing machines and dishwashers for the last twenty years

Does that imply they don't last twenty years!

[Miek]

48 minutes ago, Garald said:

 

Well, but I'll live alone half of the year (in the foreseeable future). Does a big capacity machine make sense then? I've done fine with 7kg for the last few years, and was planning on going up, but just to 9kg.

It makes sense from an economy of scale standpoint and if you live alone you may only need to run it once a week at most. Whether it makes sense is up to you really...

[Radian]

5 hours ago, JohnMo said:

Samsung seem pretty good.

 

Except, the bit you'd think they'd be good at - the electronics - is awful in both our washer dryer and microwave. It may be because of their huge experience shaving corners off of other consumer tech.

[Bonner]

9 hours ago, Radian said:

 

Except, the bit you'd think they'd be good at - the electronics - is awful in both our washer dryer and microwave. It may be because of their huge experience shaving corners off of other consumer tech.

I am thinking about a Samsung, what’s wrong with the electronics, functionality or reliability?

[Conor]

We have a Bosch serie 6 washer drier. Would not reccomend it - very noisy and bounces around on full spin. Had them come out an look at it as they say it's because it's sitting on a timber floor and would be better on concrete. Load of carp but they say the machine is fine. Our whole mezzanine shakes in full spin.

[Gone West]

11 hours ago, MikeSharp01 said:

Does that imply they don't last twenty years!

No, just means I've left them in the house when I've sold it. Except that is the last move when I left the dishwasher but brought the washing machine as it was only eight years old.

[Radian]

6 hours ago, Bonner said:

I am thinking about a Samsung, what’s wrong with the electronics, functionality or reliability?

Reliability due to use of cheap parts and in the case of the microwave, an inability to design a simple 7-segment display without ghosting that comes and goes. 

[Spreadsheetman]

11 hours ago, Conor said:

We have a Bosch serie 6 washer drier. Would not reccomend it - very noisy and bounces around on full spin. Had them come out a look at it as they say it's because it's sitting on a timber floor and would be better on concrete. Load of carp but they say the machine is fine. Our whole mezzanine shakes in full spin.

 My last washer was a Bosch (cheaper one). I found the over-sensitive drum imbalance detection made it pretty useless unless very lightly loaded. I wouldn’t buy another one.

 

[Nick Thomas]

Another -1 on Bosch from me, cheap is really the only good thing I can say about them.

 

Moving here, I got an LG washing machine that I thought was a washer-dryer, then added a Hoover heat pump dryer (H-Dry something?) when I realised my mistake. Sending it back would have been a hassle. Had them both a year, they're fine. Stuff gets clean, they haven't stopped working or leaked everywhere.

 

Ethical Consumer did a run-through of different washers and dryers about the time I was buying, if that's in your wheelhouse. They had good things to say about LG, Hoover, and Miele, but very bad things to say about Bosch, Samsung, pretty much all the others. Their advice for dryers was, uh, not to use one ^^.

 

I do have a Miele dishwasher. It works fine and had a better energy rating than the other contenders, but it was, I dunno, 3x more expensive? Kind of ridiculous.It also tries quite hard to get you to buy their own "powerdisc" dishwasher powder, which I found cheeky. Hopefully they're not trying that with washing machines...

 

 

[Garald]

That's a pity - as I said, Bosch did well on the German customer review tests (Stiftung Warentest), which are apparently based on some sort of white-goods torture session.

 

To compare like with like, though - is a Miele entry-level washing machine (such as a WCD 020, 8 kg) really better than a midlevel Bosch (9kg) retailing for about the same price (800ish euros)?

[Garald]

PS. Even as of one or two years ago, only Miele and a couple of other brands used to reach efficiency rating A, with Bosch reaching only C - that's probably what did it for Ethical Customers. That has changed as of late.