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LG F1480YD
by Biskey
I never thought I'd hear myself say that I really enjoy hanging out my washing to dry, but there we are. I said it, and it's true. There are few household jobs more satisfying, at least when you can do it in the confidence of knowing that it won't rain for the next five hours or so and you can come back to beautifully dry and sweet ... smelling clothes and towels.
But there's the rub. I live in the north west of England and there are too few times in a year when I can have that confidence in the weather. The alternative up to now has been drying laundry inside with the consequent condensation and unsightliness. So finally I decided to empty my penny jar and invest in a washer/ dryer. Besides, my old washer must have been built with space age technology, because on spin cycle it always sounded like a rocket taking off.
What I got was the LG F1480YD and it was all I might have wanted and a lot more besides.
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Installation
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At 60 cm x 64 cm x 85 cm it only takes up as much space as a washer, so you're saving space on a separate dryer. That depth of 64 cm does not include the door, which does protrude a little, so it's worth making sure that you've got the space, or that you're not going to site it where that might be an issue. Remember also that you will need to leave at least a 2cm gap at the sides and room at the back to accommodate the hoses.
One of the great features of this machine is that it uses a condensing system to turn the steam from the drying process back into water so that it can be expelled through the usual drainage outlet. This means that you don't have to worry about having an extra vent or suffer with humidity problems.
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The Look
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They come in black, white and silver. Mine's silver and looks great. Really futuristic, with lights that run around the control panel when you turn the function control. On the looks front, you'd have to say that it's not the shy, retiring type. It stands there quite proudly - almost boastfully. But then it has plenty to boast about.
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The Noise
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If you get one of these and you think it sounds noisy, either it's been installed incorrectly or you've got bionic hearing. This is surely one of the quietest washing machines ever. Mice are thunderous by comparison. It manages this thanks to its direct drive system. There's no belt and pulley and this cuts down the noise considerably.
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Effciency
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The absence of the belt and pulley also makes this more energy efficient (rated B) and less likely to break down.
The machine can also detect how heavy your load is and adjust wash and rinse times accordingly, thus saving on electricity and water consumption, or saving you the hassle of working out the best program to use.
The drum can take an 8 kg wash or up to 6 kg for drying.
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The Washes
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The process is straightforward. Sort. Load. Power. Choose program. Add detergent. Press start.
There are fourteen programs to choose from:
Cotton; Cotton Eco; Easy Care; Mix; Baby Care; Silent Wash; Skin Care; Duvet; Sports Wear; Wool; Quick 30; Dry Only; Wash & Dry; Rinse & Spin
Each program has additional options available. There are nine possible additional options, some of them, like Pre-Wash and Rinse Hold will be familiar. Others, like Medic Rinse, might not be so usual. With Medic Rinse, the final rinse is heated to 40 degrees and might be particularly useful as an addition to the Baby Care program, for instance.
Time Delay is another extra option, available to all programs, enabling you to pre set a time at which the program will end, while Favorite (their spelling, not mine) is an option that allows you to save frequently used wash settings.
The other extra options are Time Save, Intensive, Rinse and Dry.
If required, spin and temperature settings can be selected separately.
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The Washing Action
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LG are very proud of the six motion action of this machine.
-Standard Tumble
-Scrub, which ensures that the detergent dissolves more quickly and efficiently
-rolling, in which laundry is rolled below the water level
-swing - for your delicates, creating a heart shaped motion, apparently
-filtration - a combination of spraying and spinning to achieve faster soaking
-stepping - which means that after the spin cycle, the drum rotates and stops repeatedly to loosen the clothes from the drum and so to prevent wrinkles
I have to be honest and say that I would normally take all that with a pinch of washing powder. However, I'm sure they know their business better than I do and I can't argue with the results.
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Drying
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This can be done automatically via the program selection or you can choose your own temperature and drying time. Drying times can vary on the automatic programs and the process of condensing must also add to the time. One minor disadvantage with the machine is that the drying can seem slow, but perhaps that's just a question of adjusting our expectations. After all, how long would it take outside on the line, or hanging over the bath?
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Care and Safety
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The door locks, as one might expect, during a program.
There is also a child lock facility to prevent accidental (or otherwise) operation.
There is a special cycle called Tub Clean, for which you can add an anti-limescale agent.
All the usual safety precautions obtain, but you might also bear in mind, if you are not used to a washer/dryer that there are certain materials that are not suitable for this kind of drying. In some cases, as with wool, it might not be good for the fabric. In others, as with rubber and plastics, it wouldn't be good for the machine either, so be careful if washing the baby's bib, for instance, to make sure that it doesn't have plastic on it.
LG give a 10 year warranty on the Direct Drive motor. Worth knowing. Worth having.
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Cost
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Power Direct are currently advertising this for £579.97
Price Factor £499.00
Expensive, perhaps, but if you have a family and/or a busy lifestyle, it makes sense to invest in something that will be reliable, do the range and bulk of work that you expect and need - and not annoy the hell out of you by making lots of noise.
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The Best Bit
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The best bit (and I've still not got over this) is that at the end of its cycle......it plays a little tune! I know. Little things please little minds and all that, but come on! A musical washing machine? How could you resist that?
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Hoover VHW654
by scooch12
We've actually owned two of these machines over a period of around 6 years. Having two wasn't through choice - we purchased the first for around £390 and something major went wrong with it (something with the drum but I don't know what exactly - all I know is that the repair man tutted for ages and finally told us it was beyond repair!) ... As it was insured we received an old for new replacement with the same model. That doesn't really get this review off to a good start! I will say though that I think washer dryers in general last far less time than washing machines - my mum has had 2 washing machines in nearly 30 years, I've got through 3 washer dryers (I previously had a Hotpoint that lasted 2 years before moving onto this Hoover) that have lasted roughly 8 years! Unless I'm just cursed with them?! I often have days where it's not used but then 2 or 3 loads are done on another day and I'd say my mum uses hers just as much.
THE BASICS
The washer dryer we have is white, I'm not sure on other colours available. It constantly needs wiping clean but then that's just white machines in general. The washer dryer's top is plain but to me doesn't look like it's been finished very well - I'm glad ours is slotted into the units so the pattern can't be seen!
I remember when it arrived thinking how futuristic it looked! But times have changed and I think now most machines have this look - at the time though it seemed an exception. The machine measures 85cm x 60cm x 52cm. The capacity of the machine is 6kg for washing, 5kg for drying but as I don't ever fully fill the machine I've never had to take clothes out before using the drying cycle. That's what I like best - I know when the clothes go in, next time I see them they'll be clean and dry! The energy efficient rating is B and it is a 1400 spin machine.
CYCLES
There's a dial on the machine so that the desired wash and dry setting can be programmed. There are a large number of cycles available - the one I use most is the quick wash. I previously used the normal 59 minute wash but found that the quick 30 minute cycle worked just as well on most items (apart from husband's dirty football kit!) so saving me half an hour with every wash. There's a sports wash option for his football kit which I do usually use but it doesn't always get some of the really bad marks on his kit out (although maybe that's partly down to the tabs I use?). Another cycle I make great use from are the wool and delicates cycles - these take around an hour to wash and does treat the clothes with great care, although they come out sopping wet. Depending on the item, I usually go back and set the machine to the spin cycle straight after to get the excess water out of the clothes before removing - otherwise they drip all over the floor. Depending on the cycle, the washing heat can be set to cold, 30 degrees, 40 degrees , 60 degrees or even 90 degrees! For example, on the quick 14 minute wash, which is extremely handy when I need something in a rush, the only temperatures available are the 30 degree and cold ones but a couple of cycles for heavily soiled items automatically switch to 60 degrees.
The dry cycles are quite basic - just a setting of either high heat or low heat on the dial, although you can also set it to dry straight after most of the wash cycles. Obviously on the wool cycle I don't because I don't want the clothes to shrink but more importantly they are far too wet for the dryer to have any effect! There is a button on the machine to then choose the amount of drying that you want on the high or low heat setting - I usually use the 90 minute drying time for a normal load of washing, making a complete wash and dry for me around 2 hours in total. The other options are 30 minutes (I usually use this for very light loads), 60 minutes and 120 minutes (I usually use this for towels and jeans). The other options are cupboard dry, iron dry (leaving them with a partly damp feeling), sunshine dry (as though they've been hung outside) and air dry. I usually find that the 90 or 120 minute settings work best for our loads depending on the clothes. I do find some things eg jeans come out feeling a bit like cardboard when they've been on the 120 minute drying cycle and have lots of creases in them that I need to iron out.
OTHER FEATURES
There is an LED screen which is very handy to know how it's getting on. The machine has a wide door with a good catch - my mum owns what I would consider a more premium branded washer and over a 6 year period has had to have 2 catches replaced! The one on this machine however feels sturdy and fit for purpose. To open the door, as with the majority of machines, there's a button to press behind the handle. The dispenser drawer comes out of the machine, which is handy for wiping it clean, but this can be a bit fiddly to pull out - mine seems to get stuck and needs tugging out. Luckily, I now generally use tabs and gels and they go straight in the machine rather than the drawer so it doesn't need wiping as often these days. There's a delay start button too but I've never used this feature because I've never needed to. Other features include being able to change the spin speed, a sensitive care setting and a stain blaster setting.
MY OPINION
I think it's a good machine, although we have had a few problems. Obviously our first one only lasted 2 years and then developed a major fault so that wasn't great. This replacement seems (*touching wood*) to have been ok, although there is something wrong with the LED screen. It's still usable and washes and dries to the same standard but it's started flickering whenever I choose the quick wash and flickers to the point that I'm halfway through setting the wash and dry that I want and it'll flicker something random onto the screen and I have to start again. I assume this means that there's a loose connection somewhere which may be easily fixed if we got someone to it, I don't know. The filter also fills with water fairly often (I'd say around every 3 months) and needs emptying via the compartment at the bottom of the machine. This is annoying - especially because I need a whole house worth of towels to soak up all the water that gushes out! But, on the whole - the washing and drying process is great - the clothes always come out lovely and clean so it does a good job there.
I think I'm going to rate it 3 stars overall - maybe that's slightly generous. Two have to come off for the fact that the first one broke after 2 years and the fact that this one seems to be on it's way out now after 4 years. I do think though that washer dryers in general although a great idea, are temperamental and if it wasn't down to lack of space, I'd consider owning separate machines instead.
Thanks for reading :o)
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Indesit IWDC6125S
by Beccky
I have just replaced my washer dryer of three years - the Indesit IWDC6125S. I originally bought this washer dryer when we moved into a house with a very small galley kitchen. We barely had room for a washing machine, let alone a tumble dryer too, so we decided that a washer dryer than combines the two was just what we needed. I ... purchased this washer dryer for £320 from Currys. I purchased the washer dryer through Quidco, so earned cashback on the purchase (around £10).
The washer dryer is Silver, although it is available in white at a slightly cheaper price - around £10 less. I was happy to pay an extra £10 for something which I felt looked far more modern and fitted in better with my other appliances.
The washer dryer is 85cm high, 59.5cm wide and 53.5cm deep so would fit under most standard worktops. It only requires a cold water feed, and is very easy to install. You simply need to attach the waste pipe, and attach the cold water feed to the outlet. If you are unsure of how to do this then please get a professional to do it for you, many washing machines can be purchased with installation for a very reasonable price.
The washer dryer has 16 wash programmes, including a very handy half load 'eco time' wash. I used this very often as I found I could easily wash a full outfit or something which I needed in a hurry and also have it dry in under an hour. The other programmes also allowed for specialised washes such as shoes, silk, delicates and sportswear.
The drying temperature is adjustable between a cold wash and 90degrees. This is done by using a small silver knob located on the front o the machine. There is a second silver knob which controls drying time for the tumble dryer. The silver knob which controlled my temperate actually broke after a about 18 months. It would have been 313 for a replacement direct from Indesit, which I thought was outrageous, so I had to use the machine with the temperate knob removed and adjusted the temperature by using a pair of pliers to move the stick the knob would have sat on. Where there's a will there's a way!
The washing machine has a 6kg washing capacity and a 5kg drying capacity. This became more of a problem for me as time went on as I found I was unintentionally overloading the washing machine. It was very hard to judge how heavy the washing would be once wet. It was also a pain having a drying capacity lower than a washing one as I either had to put the machine on without having a 'full' wash load, or I had to stop between washing and drying to remove some clothes so as not to overload it while drying.
The washer dryer has a maximum spin speed of 1200rpm. This is average and I found no problems with it's spinning ability. I never had washing come up wet and regularly used the 'reduce spin speed' button, which took it down to 600rpm and didn't really notice a massive difference.
The drying element of the washer dryer is a condensing tumble dryer, which means you do not have to empty the water and do not need an outlet for it. It simply condenses the water from your washing and puts it down the waste pipe. There is the option to put the clothes on to dry for a specific amount of time, up to 180 minutes, or you can set it to 'sensor' dry which will automatically stop when the moisture in the machine reaches a certain level. There were 3 sensor dry options. Wardrobe dry, Iron dry or Hand dry. I usually selected hang dry and found that if I removed the washing immediately then most of the moisture evaporated out of them and they were just as dry as if I had left them in for longer. However, be prepared to hot steamy washing if you choose to do that.
The washing machine has a delay starter, which can be set for up to 12 hours. This may be handy if you have an electricity tariff which means your electricity is cheaper at night, however I would not advocate leaving the washing machine on unattended or while you are asleep.
It was fantastic being able to put in a load of dirty clothes and have them come out clean and dry, especially in the winter months where getting them dry outside, or even in the house, was near impossible.
My machine finally broke after three years of use. Al of the lights started flashing after I had removed my washing one day and it started to small of electrical burning. Although the machine was still covered for part under warranty (5 years) it was not covered for labour (1 year). My other half had a good look at it, and after trying to fit the new parts we needed t seemed than many things had gone on the machine at once. The door lock was the worst, as it had started to cause an electrical burn on the circuit board - this is why you should never leave you machine on unattended, as any faults could easily cause a fire if not noticed immediately. Due to the multitude of repairs needed and now having a bigger kitchen we decided to replace this washer dryer with a separate washing machine and tumble dryer.
There are some improvements I think could have been made to this washer dryer. It would have been very helpful to have an LED display which sowed how long was left on the cycle, also to have a slightly higher drying capacity so you can put in a full load of washing to then be dried straight after.
I would recommend this machine if you're on a budget and are short on space for two separate appliances. However, I do fee that you get what you pay for, and if you can afford to get a better machine or two separate ones then I would do that before buying this cheaper washer dryer.
The 'technical' bits:
Washer dryer features:
Condenser dryer.
Maximum washing capacity: 6kg.
Maximum drying capacity: 5kg.
Variable washing temperature.
Variable spin speed.
Cold water fill.
Delay start option (up to 12 hours).
Sequence indicator lights.
Washing programmes:
16 washing programmes.
Half load.
Pre-wash option.
45 minute quick wash.
140 minute 30° C cotton wash programme.
Eco wash cycle.
Delicates and silk cycle.
Sports programme.
Independent spin cycle.
Drying programmes:
3 drying programmes.
3 heat settings.
180 minute timer.
Sensor dry with 3 dryness levels.
Performance:
Energy efficiency rating: B.
Maximum spin speed 1200rpm.
Estimated annual energy consumption: 956kWh/year.
Washer only annual energy consumption: 224kWh/year.
Estimated annual water consumption: 17200litres/year.
Washer only annual water consumption: 10400litres/year.
Washing performance rating: A.
Spinning performance rating: B.
This washer dryer is currently available from Argos for £363 (more than I paid for it 3.5years ago!)
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