WASHING MACHINE-which brand is good?

[hello88]

me also bought a F & P top loader. Wow, Can delay start either 1, 3 or 9hrs

i also just bought a F & P dryer and mounted it upside down just above my F & P washing machine. its the only brand that could be mounted upside down..anyway i like it alot. Laundry has never been the same again since getting F & P dryer

 

[therat]

Any good top loader can recommend..
personal, quite like Thomson.. but it's alittle bit expensive.

Looking for washine machines occupt less area. Got space restrict.

 

[ridhwan82]

Thomson is definitely good. I would recommend it and plus its small only about 45cm wide for their washers and dryers is about 60 cm wide i think. good ive been using thomson for more than 20 years.now using my third thomson. lasts very long.

 

[doggy_gal]

How to decide what capacity of washing machine and dryer to buy?

At the moment it's only 2 of us but must plan for future babies too. My concern are those huge king size bedsheets and covers. So bulky to handle!

Anyone can advise?

 

[ridhwan82]

look at what is the largest item that you would be washing? if its king size bedsheet then just a normal 5kg would do. but if you are talking about say a king size comforter then we are talking of about at least 6kg washer. it could be more. and if yuou are taking about king size quilts then think whether it it more worth it to get a bigger capacity (which will cost more) versus sending it to the laundry where they have those super huge ones that will do a good wash of the quilts.

So its about economics. what is the load that you would more often wash versus those that you would once in a while wash. Bearing in mind that space could be a consideration. And also COSTS.

Bigger capacity washer and dryer are expensive that i can tell you and most of the washer say fisher and paykel have big washer up to i think 10 kg or something like that but their dryers are all 5kg and so are most brands.

Like thomson and brandt they have up to 6kg washer but their dryers is 5 kg only. Elextrolux have 6kg washer as well as 6kg dryer but mind you they dun come cheap 6kg washer coming around 1k and the dryers around 700+

So see what you normally washe everyday and decide don the capacity and those like curtains or wuilt which you wash maybe say once a month or so.. can send to laundry? just a suggestion.

If you are thinking of say 5kg washer and dryer i would recommend thomson. im having that. So far i washed queen sized quilts and put in the dryer. its alright. but i think king size would be oversized for the capacity.

elextrlux has 6kg wash and 6kg dryer. This would my alternative recommendation but ultimatelyt its your decision.

How to buy washing machine.

1) space that you have for the washing machine and dryer (this will determine what kinda washer you can buy) bigger space then anything can do but small space either take high performance but small construction top loaders like thomson and pyut it side by side or buy front loader and stack dryer on top like electrolux?
2) Features that you need like silk, cotton, delicates, capacity (this will eliminate your options further
3) Water consuptions. generally asian brands consume a lot of water. like jap brands one time they fill the tup it will consume say abouit 50 litres or so. then u have like at least 4 times of fill and refill so its lke the wash will use about 200++ litres of water. compare to continental brands like thomson, elextrolux, miele- these are water saving they consume total for all the wash ansd rinses a mere 50 litrles max for entire cycle. (but bear in mind that continental washer take about 1h+ to 2 hours tio wash to compensate for the little water it uses.
4) Electricity consumption. For japancese brand they can use up to 2.0 kwh ++ per wash that will take barely 40 -50mins to complete right? and they use cold water. But compare to continental washers like the above mentioned. although they take uop to 2 hours to wash. BUT they consume total only average 1.55KWH at 60degrees wash!! continental are energy efficient. How to calculae the costs. look at KWH consumptions times this by the rate of electricity.

COntinental
1.55KWH x $0.1957 per KWH (rate now by SPservices)= $0.30
Jap
2.0KWH x $0.1957 = $0.39

But compare the features.. washing at 60 degrees compared to just cold wash which is more efficient. means that if continental you set at cold wash the consumption is barely a few hundred watts. or 0.xx KWH .

The only drawback about continental is that they take a bit of time to wash which needs some adjustting to . But they have a built in quickwash which can wash your load at around 1h5mins or so. But if you are like me used to usint thomson over 20 years i think nothin much about the time.

brood over it yeah?

cheers!

 

[makino]

Hi ridz,

Which model are u using? We have a space constraint, so most probably will take a 5kg topload washer like Thomson. The biggest loads would be our queen sized quilt cover and the curtains.

By the way, is it better to wash your clothes at 60 degrees?

Any comments on 808, 818, 828, and 838 models? Thanks for your help around here.

 

[ridhwan82]

hi

im not sure which model but i reckon its its the 818 or the 828. The only difference between the 818,828,838 is the spin speed only. generally the spin speed the higher the better as it would mean that that the clothes after being spun wuold be drier and thus would take a shorter time to dry. but the price is also more higher as the spin speed goes higher.

This is especially true for those using a dryer also. As the drier your clothes are the lesse energy you use to dry your clothes in the dryer.

its good the thomson this one i just changed mine like about 2 years ago. previously i used tx178n for about i think 10 years. and before that also another thomson. So yeah its good.

Queen sized qwuilt covers its not a problem but queen size quilt although it can wash but i would reccomend that you send to laundry dun wan to spoil those feathers in the quilt eh.

For normal wash it will take around 1h45mins to wash.if you have half load and its very lightly soiled they have the express 40 which will complete the wash in 40 mins but this is only for half load lightly soiled only.

Also for the detergent (oh please use only low suds detergent like persil) the optimum temperature to use is 40 degrees. if not cold wash is also alright.

I would not say that washing with 60 is not good . it is good as they are very very clean but problem is that the colours will run really fast and make your clothes look like as if its been used for years and years. So usually to protect the colour from runnin down we use either cold wash or the 40 degrees wash.

I use the 60 only for those like kitchen towels or bathroom towels, robes,and occassionally 90 degrees for the kitchen towels of they are oily and also 90 degrees for kitchen rugs cos oily but these are okay even if the colour runs down but it would be a pity if your clothes colour runs down yeah?

but for kids uniform esp those at the collar u know have stains and all.. well just wash all whites uniform then put at say maybe 60 would be good once in a while. or can wash at 40 with a dash of the bleach.

anything can post i will try to answer okie?
cheers

 

[therat]

Hi ridz, u really master of washing machine

U have clear my doubt on the spin speed.
Normally what is the min or prefer spin speed.

 

[doggy_gal]

Thanks ridz for the enlightenment!

I'm getting a front load WM and dryer so that can stack on top of each other.

I believe the largest item will be my king size quilt cover and not the quilt itself. In fact it's recommended to dry-clean your quilt. So i'll be going for the 5 kg load for both machines now.

 

[ridhwan82]

hi agnes,
nay i am no masterof washing machine. its just that i want the best for my family (who wouldnt right?)so i bother to find out about what is good anf all so anything in the kitchen like hob hood oven name it i can recommend you some which are real good but ex. so unless you are a frequent user then dun buy cos it would be a waste.

well there is no minimum. if you are getting a dryer try to get spin speed of about 1000 or higher. but the price also will exceed 1000 for sure. so if not then maybe get around 850 or 950? they should be okay.the thomson with those spin speed are lingering slightly below 1000.

cheers!

 

[ridhwan82]

oops last msg was for adeline!!!

-->This is for agnes!!
Not a problem agnes, glad that i would be able to help you. also i considered front load but cos i pity my mum having to squat and take out the clothes and then stand up and put in the clothes to the dryer. so thats why a top load. put two thomson machines side by side and its slighly bigger than a top load.

For front load, maybe you can consider a 6kg washer and dryer?
electrolux washer (this is alright) EW880
Electrolux dryer (i dun have the catalogue with me at the moment. go for the 6 kg ones as the E880 is a 6kg washer. The washer is about 999 and dryer i think around 759 or so.IF you really wanna ask question.

Can look for winston at IMM Best Denki he can explain to you. or call electrolux, they are willing to help you. and they are a nice bunch of people.

If you are interested in lookuing for thomson or brandt you can visit their showroom at haw par techno centre the one beside commonwealth mrt. and there is a showroom for thomson de dietrich showroom. its a no sales floor so you can go in there ask anything and everthing and yiou can walk out of it. they wont pressre you at all cos they dun have to s4ell they just explain what it is and the features etc.

 

[ridhwan82]

oops last msg was for adeline!!!

-->This is for agnes!!
Not a problem agnes, glad that i would be able to help you. also i considered front load but cos i pity my mum having to squat and take out the clothes and then stand up and put in the clothes to the dryer. so thats why a top load. put two thomson machines side by side and its slighly bigger than a top load.

For front load, maybe you can consider a 6kg washer and dryer?
electrolux washer (this is alright) EW880
Electrolux dryer (i dun have the catalogue with me at the moment. go for the 6 kg ones as the E880 is a 6kg washer. The washer is about 999 and dryer i think around 759 or so.IF you really wanna ask question.

Can look for winston at IMM Best Denki he can explain to you. or call electrolux, they are willing to help you. and they are a nice bunch of people.

If you are interested in lookuing for thomson or brandt you can visit their showroom at haw par techno centre the one beside commonwealth mrt. and there is a showroom for thomson de dietrich showroom. its a no sales floor so you can go in there ask anything and everthing and yiou can walk out of it. they wont pressre you at all cos they dun have to s4ell they just explain what it is and the features etc.

 

[makino]

Hi ridz,

You're a master of laundry! hehe..

I know that 838 has a higher spin speed and also a timer. Actually, what are the speeds to use for delicate fabric, normal laundry, and heavier stuff like bedsheets and towels? Our quilt cover only needs sunning, cannot be washed, so no problem.

Btw, I think Thomson 888 is a 6kg.

 

[therat]

TX888.. how much will it be
TC818 already price tag $978 @ BEST.

 

[makino]

I saw it at BEST, selling for $1.3k or so. Don't remember the exact figure already.. 818 can get for $800 at neighbourhood stores.

 

[jen_bibi]

Hi all

can i check long long does yr thomson washing machine wash 1 load cos mine seems to take a very long time. (2hrs) is this timing normal?

 

[therat]

Hi JEN,

Base on what I had read so far.
Normal is 1hr 45 min... It really very di long..

 

[jen_bibi]

HI Adeline

e 1st few times i used it, i can taken aback by the 'long time' then 1 day, i time it. start at abt 9:30am n ended close to 11:30am.
i din know it takes so long but i'm happy that e cloths r very clean.
can it be due to it's size? smaller so take a long time to wash e clothing clean?

 

[therat]

Hi Jen,

Wow.. that's I don't know.. never use Thomson washing machine.
I had out of touch on washing machines for 6 yrs since my MIL prefer hand wash

May be wait for Master ridz to advise (she use Thomson for 10 yrs) .. hehe

 

[ridhwan82]

hi tsukushi!

okie for normal delicates, like silk wool, etc.
If you look at the 818 or 828 machines ah, there are two disntinct colours to denote the
delicate cycle and cotton/synthetic.
The same colour also is followed through on the temperature as well as the spin speed. So if you are using delicate cycle for silk etc, its faint the marking and the temperature that corresponds is max at 40 degrees and the spin speed is 400 then the colour changes to the darker indicator.

From here you can use that as a gauge, delicates should be spun ideally at around 400 or max at 550 and temperate should be max at 40 degrees.

Don;t worry about the spin speed and the temperature. Say for example, if you previously used to washt he towel and u used the cotton cycle and temperatyre set at 60 and spin speed at 850. Sekali you put in the delicate and use the delicate cycle but forgot to change the temp and the spin speed,

Thomson has taken care of this, if you are using the delicate cycle the system will override your temp to max at 40 and spin speed at max 550 even if hihger speed and higher temp is set. okie?

So towels the faster the better and for silk, etc maybe around 400-500 would eb alright max at 550! okie? and yes 888 is a 6kg washer

 

[ridhwan82]

hi JEN,

yes it will take that long to wash not to worry. But if its everyday clothes that you put in like those t shirt you wear the whole day do house chores or something and then u wanna wash with other clothes as well right then its okie if you put to

COLOUR/SYNTHETICS --> RAPID WASH set temp at 40and spin speed to as high as possible.

This will take abtou 1h45mins.

 

[ridhwan82]

hi adeline,

oops babe its a mister here aint a maam hehe.. so its mr ridhwan. haha.. maybe type lor not she he okie? hehe

Oh yeah the reason why it take such a time is that cos it uses very little water it compensate the usage of time for water . But cos its very efficient in washing even though it is very long in all it will consume only about 1.15kWH = $0.23?? per wash washing at 60degrees and using total of only 55 litres of water?

Hope that clears the air.

And oh yeah the 888 is pricey around that price 1.3k yeah? so think wisely but i think if you treat the machine good it will serve you well for years to come.

 

[ridhwan82]

and oh yeah and ive been using thomson for 20 years plus already. haha... they have served me wall all my 2 previous thomson machine and this third one too. i was so sad when i just changed my machine sekali the 838 came out. haiz. if not i would have gotten the 838. then of late only the 888 came out. but i cant take that as its a 6kg washer and my dryer (also thomson) is 5kg.

Oh did i tell you the dryer is fantastic. you put in then select the fabric and then press start. it will calculate for you how much humidity is left and how long more to go before the clothes will be dry. fantastic no need to guess guess and put 120 mins and then sekali not dry then have to put anopther 40-60 mins. The thomson dryer is intuitive, it check the humidity and (cos its dried by venitlating air, plus heat it dries faster) automatically adjusts the heat and air circulation to peform the drying. no problems too 2 years on and has not once disappointed me.

Oh and for those small items that need to be dry clean all you need to do is buy the dry cleaning bag and that sachel of the solvent. put the clothes in the laundry bag and put the chemical pack and the select dry clean cycle and it will perform the dry clean for you.

although bigger and more complicated items such as jackets should be preferably sent to dry cleaners. although sometimes pressed for time i will just do it at home. one of the few dryers that can do dry cleaning cycle

 

[doggy_gal]

Ridz, Thanks for the advice! Never knew there's so much to learn abt WM.

Due to budget, i'm thinking of getting a front load WM first, then at a later date, buy the dryer. I understand there's a stacker. Exactly how does it look like? Is it stable and looks ok?

 

[hello88]

My F&P washing machine and dryer (turned upside down)

 

[ridhwan82]

depends on your budget and how much you can stretch it- at time of buying, the salesperson can give you a good price buying both dryer and washer at the same time. enquire. dun be shy. no harm in just asking if they do from what i know usually it is that case.

As for the stacker. its nothing much actually. its like some pieces of metal that they attach tot he bottom of the tray. it looks like some cover that will be stuck on to the dryer base and then it has corners to let it sit on top of the washer.

Its universal stacker. When you buy the dryer that time you juist mention that you want them to stack for you. usually they would be obliged to do it for you. though you have to buy the stacker i think its about $39 or so.

if you buy ythe dryer the same time you buy the washer then the stacker you can try ask them for free usually they will give it to you for free..hehe must know how to squeeze them out cos they alrasdy squeeze us already so must make the msot of it.

in terms of stable its okie. well looks okie ah you wont really be able to see the stacker that much, its not that obvious just that when you put washer and dryer together it looks like its towering over you. im standing at 1.8m tall and its still slightly taller than me if you have a raised platform for the washer to sit on. you get the drift. oh and for dryer take into consideration ventilation of the area.

So placement of dryer also important as the dryer vents out air (humid, heated air) and if placed in tight corners then it may not ventilate the humid air out and away and it get sucked into the machine to be heated and yet more vapour mixed = longer time to dry= more electricity so not a tight corner unless your dryer has a hose out or vent out in front or something . just need to take note of the so called exhaust.

 

[jen_bibi]

HI Master ridz

thks for your advice! but can i ask whether thomson got dryer alot n is e size still e same as r washing machine n can it be mounted upside downstair?

 

[ridhwan82]

Hi Jen,

Thomson has only top load dryer. They dun have anymore of the front load machines. thye are concentrating on top load. The dryer is relatively as small as the washer slighly wider only. i show you the picture.

You can try their mid range under the same brand but the name is brandt. Brandt carries front load dryers but thye cannot be over turned unlike F&P. So yeah.

 

[jen_bibi]

HI ridz

at moment we not using dryer cos e clothing dried veyr fast but is best to do 'some homework' so when e time comes to buy, won't ka la ka bo..

thks for the info

 

[therat]

Hi Ridz,

Is Brandt as good as Thomson?

 

[ridhwan82]

hi JEN,

haha alright yeah do more homework better hehe.. not a prob glab to be able to help.

Cheers

 

[ridhwan82]

Hi adeline,

well brandt is alright. If you look at the construction of and the design its all the same just that some extra high end features available in Thomson may not be available in Brandt as yet. But brandt is cheaper then thomson thats for sure cos it caters to the general market,

And from i know is that Thomson is made in france while brandt some are made in turkey, spain etc. so there you have it.

 

[doggy_gal]

Wow! That's high! I'm only 1.58m tall. Hmm...won't it be tough to get the clothes into the dryer?

Since mine's a new flat, I'm thinking of getting the contractor to build cabinets to place the WM and dryer. Dunno if that's a better option rather than the stacker. Comments? Thanks for the warning abt the exhaust vent. Will pay extra attention to that.

 

[hello88]

Hi Agnes,

u mean my dryer? Nope, its not difficult at all even for my height as I'm just slightly taller than u. I think my consider ok. The delivery contractor told me he had done it for others who prefer to mount it higher and need to take stool to bring in and take out clothings. He termed this designs as some owners dont wanna spoilt the design of the whole place.

 

[doggy_gal]

Tanks sunnyday!

I've checked with the IDs and they said it's impt to let them know in advance if u plan to have dryer. In their planning of the kitchen, they need to make sure that there's space for the exhaust vent.

Anyway just told them YES first just in case.

 

[hello88]

Hi Agnes,

By the way, u also need to confirm the brand of the dryer that u're getting. Some comes with a 'elephant trunk' which u could pull out and put near the window.

I could only fit my dryer upside down (fisher and paykel is currently the only brand in the market that allows it to be mountedupside down).

 

[wan_wan]

Hi Ladies,

Look out for dryer that has sensor drying otherwise you will spolit your clothing very fast. Coz you and I or anyone is in the right position to said that it take an hour or two to dry your clothes. . . overheating of clothes is not good.

 

[dinodino]

Hi ridz,

I need your advice!! pls help! ^_^

I bought a dryer, and will have it mount on the wall, on top of my wm.

I have placed order for Toshiba TOP load, but now thinking of changing it to a FRONT load WM instead.

My budget is less then $550 and seems like only LG-WD10150TP/WD10160TP(don't know wat is the diff) and Samsung-P853 is within my budget. Do you have any comment or feedback on these few brands and model? Which is better?

Anyone using these brand/models? Any feedback?

Please advise.
Thanks

 

[ridhwan82]

hi wan wan,

with regards to that im pretty sure that it will expedite the process of wearing and tearing that the clothes will face each day. owing to the fac that its exposed to more heat than necessary.

In the case of the normal dryer with non sensing ones, you usually will put to max 120 mins and if say the clothes is relatively thin, it will dry in say 90 mins and the other 30 extra min that is dried will spoil the clothes a little esp delicate ones. So invest in a good one and it will serve you well. I have no regrets or whatsoever investing about 2k jsut for my washer and dryer.

I think its time for me to but insurance for my kitchen equipments. Its most costlier than my renovation for the entire kitchen. hahaha/..

 

[ridhwan82]

hi dinodino,

well i cannot comment in these brands nor model.

Just check with you what dryer have you got? best to buy the same brand of washer then its easier for you.

For LG i really have no idea cos they are relatively new in the Front load arena as compared to continental ones that like electrolux and thomson and fisher and paykel/ Hence i cannot comment.

Try asking the rest. how about the rest of the ladies and other fellow gentlemen here think ?

 

[roxyz]

hi ridz
I went to those neighbourhood shops ydae and the person quoted me $500+ for a Brandt front load, 1000 rpm...but my main concern is that it is only 5kg. Will i be able to wash my king sized quilt?

The next cheaper one will be LG at $400+, 6/7kg. But so far, no one seem to be using LG.

How about Mayer/Ariston front load? My friend highly recommend it

 

[ridhwan82]

hi roxyz,

I understand your concern with a 5kg washer whether it would be able to wash a load of king sized quilt. if i could refer you to one of my earlier post, i mentioned that you should buy a machine for its features that you would need to use fairly often.

Huge things like curtains as well as king sized quilt, are items that are best sent to commercial laundromat as they have the specialised equipments to wash them. Furthermore, it is cleaner to have sent to the laundromat.

And also i mentioned about the costs. Bigger machines costs more but is it justifiable just to wash the quilt which normally is washed once in a while.

So deliberate on these points and if you think you would want a bigger machine then im afraid continental ones the biggest is 6.5kg i think brand also has but its in catalogue and not on display gotta ask. Electrolux also has 6.5 or 7kg washer too. If you are not too particular about slightly higher water consumption as well as space constraints and also washing temperatyre you can try getting the fisher and paykel they have i think up to 10kg washer or so. but only top loads.

anything can post again yeah?

As for Mayer/ Ariston. you can also getn them they are alright. Mayer is the marketing group which sell Ariston and Indesit products.

Dont try Indesit not really that good. Better to get Ariston. Though reviews are rare.

 

[starmed]

roxyz
I'm currently using Ariston 6kg front loader... so far so good... only thing to note is u'll need to keep the door open to dry the stainless steel drum to pro long the life...

easy maintenace n user interface..

 

[jerrymaguire]

Hi.. seems like a lot of laundry experts here. Some questions.. hmm, actually order a Electrolux front load w/m (6.5kg) and a dryer to be stack on top. The thing is my wife is now considering to change the Electrolux to Bosch w/m and dryer. The questions is which is better? any ideas?

 

[ridhwan82]

hi lee soon huat,

Well depends on what features are you guys looking for.

One thing for sure is that for the washing machine doors the catch/latch in electrolux is metal whilst the catch for the bosch is plastic and if that breaks (which can happen cos its plastic esp with everyday you wash and put in and out latch and unlactch costs severalhundred to replace. so its not worth it lah.

But then as for the rest of the features. They are both very comparable. with just that bosch is more known for its dishwasher like thomson for their top load machine as to electrolux for their front load machines as to De dietrich for their oven hobs and hoods.

So well not say its not good just what is it that you want. And also i think bosch is a but more pricey and im not sure if they come in a 6.5 kg config for both the dryer and washer. i know electrolux certainly does.

just my two cents worth

 

[winterwhite]

Hi ridz,

May i ask for your opinion which brand or model of WM is good to buy. I am totally clueless about WM. Please kindly help me by giving me some advices =P
What i am looking for is something that does not damage the clothes while washing..like enlarging & spoiling the fabric.. Imprtant factor is that it Washes Gently but Clean..haha opps, is there such a thing? There are just me & my hubby for the laundry. I like something that does not consume high electricity & water too.

Thank you in advance.

 

[ridhwan82]

hi winterwhite,

Well it depends on a lot of factors i shall name a few :

1) space constraints?
2) Costs constraints
3) Features that you need eg, wash in various temp, delicate cycle and most impt whats the washing loads you are looking for? 5kg? 6.5? 7? 10? etc.
4) Brand preference?

Have these answered and we see how things can be worked out yeah>

 

[jerrymaguire]

Hi Ridz.. thanks..

me and my wife decided to stick to the Electrolux Front Load with Dryer stack on top.
reasons are she like Electrolux dryer and comes with free stacking kit.
by the way, my Electrolux i bought at $799 (normal price - $999) at Harvey Norman anniversary sales. Dryer $575 (normal price-$699). Hmm, think they over price the items, but during sales, you guys can get good deals.

 

[seahorse]

hi ridz. thanks for all the info posted! since you are the only one i know who has a thomson dryer, could you let me know how much space i need to put my thomson washing machine and thomson dryer (intending to buy one)side by side like your picture? where did you buy the thomson dryer from? thanks

 

[wan_wan]

Hi ridz,

agree that clothes will wear and tear over time but as mention that we are never in the right position to said how long it take for the clothers to dry and over hearting will for sure speed up the tear part of your clothing.

I totally agree with you and therefore I have brought a Miele washing machine which is one of the top best washing machines in the world and it cost me more than 2K that also come with a dryer that is technology smart and wise as well.