For All Your Dirty Stuff (AEG Oko Lavamat 50430)

Member Name: susie19

Product:	AEG Oko Lavamat 50430
Date:	26/06/06 (959 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good solid bottom of the range washer with a great spin.

Disadvantages: Very heavy.

"Give me all your dirty stuff" is a phrase I often find myself uttering. With four kids and a hubby our washing machine is pretty much in daily use, laundry baskets are regularly full to overflowing.

Four years ago we were just packing up to go on holiday. I thought I'd wash all the sheets so they'd be clean for return. In the machine they went and an hour or so later I realised that the machine had stopped working leaving me with a machine load full of sodden flanelette sheets. Noooo. That was the end of our trusty washing machine. It had lasted over the years to wash hubby's stuff, then mine and his, then adding in the washing for kiddies 1, 2, 3, 4. Fifteen years is a pretty good life for a washer so I decided I wanted a new AEG in the hope it would live as long as the last.

Onto the net we went and searched for the cheapest AEG washing machine. I wanted one which had a big drum and a good spin and a few basic programmes. We settled for the Lavamat 50430, pretty much bottom of the range. It cost around £220.

What a model
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The model we chose is a white automatic (a twin tub being a severely big joke) front loading machine with a large porthole window and a door which opens out to the left. The detergent / fabric conditioner drawer is located in the top left hand corner as it is on most other automatic washing machines. The programme selector dial is a clockwise turn manual dial, no fancy digital programming (fine by me as these sort of things increase the chances of somehing going wrong). There is also a manual dial temperature selector which can be set to 30, 40, 50, 60 70 (economy), 80 or 95 degrees. There are additional option buttons which can be selected for soaking, stain removal, changing the spin speed, rinse hold and quick wash.

Easy Peasy
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This machine is very simple to use without the aid of a manual, perfect for me, I don't like having to read instructions. Looking at the programme selector you can see it is split into three types of wash:

* Cottons / linen
* Easy Cares
* Wool & delicates

You can choose to start the machine at a variety of places with your chosen wash type depending on whether you want to have a pre-wash. This adds an extra 30 minutes to the cycle time for cotton/linen and easy cares and washes at 40 degrees before launching straight into the main wash. I must say I rarely use the pre wash as most of the clothes are not really filthy when they go in the machine. The only time I would use the pre wash is if hubby has been in diy mode and got his overalls grubby by crawling under the floorborads or whatever.

Cotton / Linen
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This programme operates at any of the tempertures mentioned above to a maximum of 95 degrees. I never do boil washes, so unnecessarily wasteful of electricity. There is an optonal pre-wash, main wash, rinse, condition and spin with an option to use the rinse hold if required by depressing the rinse hold button before hand. I use this programme for just about all of the washing. It can take 5.5 kg of dry washing although it is recommended that you don't load more than 5kg. Just who weighs their washing though? A full load will take a double duvet cover, double sheet and a couple of pillowcases.

Easy cares
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Again there is an optional pre-wash, main wash, rinse, condition and spin and any temperature up to 60 degrees can be selected for this programme. Rinse hold can also be selected. Maximum load for this programme is 2.5kg which is probably why I rarely use it.

Wool / delicates
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Maximum washing temperature is 40 degrees with no pre wash option. There is a gentle rinse followed by condition and pump out without spin.

Extra options
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* Soak - 35 minutes at 40 degrees before the wash programme starts.
* Stain - Addiitonal stain wash treatments can be added into the wash
* Quick wash - Very useful button cutting down the length of the wash. I use this a lot for lightly soiled washing.

What a spinner
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The best thing about this washing machine is that it can take a big load (up to 5kg dry washing) and it has a brilliant spin. Of course you can check the power of the spin by sitting on the machine whilst it is doing 1000 revolutions per minute and compare this with the optional slower spin of 600rpm. The washing machine can be used as a spin dryer which is very useful after doing hand washing. This is a great spinner and washing comes out very well spun. You could almost wear a football shirt straight from the machine. In fact, the first time I used the machine, I actually double checked that the clothes had been washed, they felt almost dry.

Economy
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The economy wash is a 70 degree wash and is the Energy Saving programme. This is great for towels and sheets. The AEG Lavamat is Energy Efficiency Rating A. The quick wash function can also be used to save energy on all programmes except for wool and delicates. To help conserve energy it is best to always do full loads of washing and wash at lowest possible temperatures. This is also advisable because washing a very small load makes the Lavamat sound like it is taking off to the skies. A small load is also less balanced so the machine wobbles and makes embarrassingly loud noises.

Time & Energy
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A large port hole door makes loading an unloading the machine a piece of cake. A fairly effortless job, stuff it in, turn it on.

Cotton / Linen takes a load of up to 5kg and :
* uses up to 57 litres of water
* takes 140 minutes (reduced to around 60 minutes if using quick wash)
* uses 0.6 kWh at 40 degrees, 0.95 kWh at 60 degrees and 1.9 kWh at 95 degrees.

Easy Cares
* uses up to 45 litres of water
* takes 65 minutes (reduced to around 40 minutes if using quick wash)
* uses 0.4 kWh electricity

Wool & Delicates
* uses up to 43 litres of water
* takes 50 minutes
* uses 0.25 kWh electricity

Additional points
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The Lavamat has a child safety lock on the door (as in a car door) which prevents a child turning the machine on. It also prevents the door from closing in case they should climb in to have a look.

Niggles
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The only niggle I have about this machine is that regular washing at 40 degrees can leave a residue of gunge in the rubber seal around the door. This occasionally causes a dirty mark on clothes as they are removed from the machine. To prevent this, a once a week economy hot wash helps clear out the gunge. Note to self to change the sheets and do a hot wash. Alternatively the gunge can be easily wiped with a cloth.

Oh yes, please note that the machine is very heavy. When our new machine arrived the nice men took our old one away. I laughed as they struggled with our old machine.'"It weighs a tonne" I helpfully said. "Not as heavy as your new one" they replied. Apparently this Lavamat has two concrete blocks inside to aid stability and prevent take off. It is very difficult to move it even a few inches. However, having said that, ours is positioned on a wooden floor and hasn't fallen through.

What I like about this machine
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For a bottom of the range machine, this one is great. It has a good variety of programmes without being complex. It spins very well but has the option of pump out or shorter spin should you need it. There are a wide range of tempertures to wash at. It also has manual controls which are easy to use and less likely to go wrong compared to digital (in my opinion)! The large port hole window gives you a good view of what is going on inside and you can easily spot a stray red sock in a load of whites. Best of all it washes a lot at once, washes clothes well and if you use the quickie button gets the job done in less than an hour. Right I suppose I'd better go and strip the bed and fill it up again.

Final Note
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As is the case with many household appliances, models are quickly superceded. The Lavamat 50430 is no longer available new but the nearest equivalent replacement is the L62810 which has a 1200rpm spin and costs around £300.

Thanks for reading.

Summary: A good solid bottom of the range washing machine.

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