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AEG L16850
by dooyooLooby
I've had this washer-dryer for just under 2 years, and bought it as I wanted a dryer but don't have the space to house separate washing machine and dryer appliances. I was very wary about buying a washer-dryer, having heard that they're prone to breaking down. However, I did my research, and found this machine labelled as 'Best Buy' in ... Which? Magazine. I've looked to see if this machine is still in production, and it's not (the newer model is the L16950 A3 - very similar specifications to the L16850).
The machine is energy efficiency 'B' rated and has a 7kg capacity drum, with maximum spin speed of 1600rpm. The mchine is a condenser-type dryer, and pumps the condensed water out of the machine. It has a range of program settings on the program dial, all of which can be customised to add extras - e.g. prewash light soil, prewash heavy soil, extra spin. You can even set the machine to dry your load after the wash cycle has finished (though I wouldn't recommend doing this with a full load). The program cycles tend to be quite long - most of the general wash programs I use (e.g. cotton 30degrees with conditoner) are approx 2 hours long. However, there is a light soil quick wash option, though I'd only recommend this for items that aren't visibly dirty but simply need refreshing. This customisable programming is useful, but requires you to read the manual carefully to ensure that you get the best results for your load.
Does it perform well, though?
Yes! The wash cycles are very good indeed. The dryer seems efficient, too - though only when the drum is half full.
At a shade under £550, I think it's priced quite reasonably priced for its specifications - especially when you think of the cost of separate appliances.
As with any appliance, you need to follow certain maintenance routines in order to keep it in tip-top condition. It's recommended that you run a boil-wash once/week and add some white vinegar. This removes residues and prevents strange smells. The trap also needs checking regularly to remove fluff build-up.
If I had one complaint about this machine, it's that small items that find their way into the wash can apparently end up on the outside of the drum. We found this out the hard way - our machine simply stopped spinning. When the engineer came to see it, he found that a £1 coin had worked its way into the machine and had jammed some component or other (I wasn't there when the engineer visited, sorry for being so vague!). However, this has only happened once so I think we were just very unfortunate.
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AEG L16850
by nodbod1
I've had this washer dryer for about 18 months now. I'd heard bad things about washer dryers but as I was limited for space decided to thoroughly research the models before deciding which to buy.
I bought this machine online from the electricshop.co.uk for £520 complete with a five year guarantee.
It is quite a ... complicated piece of equipment and has lots of options and choices and you do need to use the manual to work out how to do things. When I first bought it, it used to drive me mad because when the cycle finished the machine would beep loudly for ages (which would disturb me when trying to watch Corrie!). There is a way of turning it off but it isn't obvious from just looking at the machine so eventually it drove me that mad that I did look inside the manual.
I have had to have an engineer out to the machine twice with the same problem. It turns out the machine has a sensor underneath but inside the machine which detects if any water has escaped (flood sensor) but it is quite low down and can be affected by things other than a leak. I think what happened with mine is that some water that has been spilt on the floor has rolled underneath and activated the sensor, once this happens, you need an engineer and can't reset it yourself. Since I've moved house with this machine, the problem hasn't occurred (probably because the machine no longer lives near the sink ).
*Washing*
Many of the preset programmes are quite long (around two hours) but it is easy to shorten the program but again you need to read the manual to understand all the options. There is a pre set 20 minute programme but sometimes you want something somewhere between the two. You can make a programme to suit you with this machine.
It washes really well whatever programme you choose and spins the clothes well without excessively creasing them.
*Drying*
I only use the machine for occasional drying but would recommend not filling the machine. If I've done a full load of washing I wouldn't just dry this. You do have the option of telling the machine to automatically dry after the wash but I tend not to do this - if you do, just make sure it's a fairly small wash.
The machine seems to take about half an hour to get warm when drying so don't expect much to happen in this time. Clothes do need quite a long time in the dryer.
*Overall*
I'm glad I decided to get a washer dryer and this one in particular. I would recommend it as a machine for regular washing and occasional drying.
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Hotpoint WD420 Aquarius
by Dollerprincess
After moving into my apartment I purchased this washer/dryer... Being a mum and With not much space available I thought this would be the perfect option. How wrong could I have been?
When using the washing machine clothes were left with a horrible stile smell and nothing I could do would prevent the smell. I rang Hotpoint up ... explained the situation but they acted as myth-ed as I was. Bearing in mind, this was a brand new appliance within the first 3months of having it disaster struck! I came home one afternoon to a flooded kitchen and hallway,an absolute mess. Just had a new kitchen fitted so this just caused chaos and upset. Having to find out where this water was coming from we bravely put the wash on again and it was just flying out of the drawer ,with such a force it would push the detergent drawer completely open and the amount of water was unreal.
I consulted the shop I bought it from the very next day and even though I had a warranty they explained it was nothing to do with them and to contact Hotpoint,in which I did.
A engineer was sent out time and time again,week after week, replacing parts,spending half a day in my kitchen and leaving saying it still didn't work. I was without a washing machine for 8 weeks with him coming every week! The engineer explained to me that he had replaced two main motherboards and other parts costing twice as much as the washing machine, he even tried to argue a replacement which they wouldn't do apparently because the washing machine had been discontinued! ( can't imagine why).
Anyway after time he did fix it,and I had full use of a washing machine again. Still smelly, pump getting blocked all the time and the dryer is completely useless if you want to dry clothes. Think I manged to dry 2 baby grows and baby socks in there once in a hour.
In my opinion ,please do not buy this. Seek reviews on washer dryers ,or buy separately.
I will not being purchasing a Hotpoint again.
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