Good all-rounder (Hotpoint WMA10)

Member Name: Hope

Product:	Hotpoint WMA10
Date:	05/01/01 (428 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good price for the features it has

Disadvantages: no indicator of point reached in wash cycle

Having vowed never to buy another Hoover washing machine, I recently bought a Hotpoint First Edition WMA10 and have been very pleased with it. For a comparatively modest price it gives a very good wash and is quiet and versatile.

In my opinion most machines have a far greater choice of wash programmes than is really necessary and this one is no exception. There are 15 programmes available and I rarely use more than the usual 3 or 4 which are needed for cottons, synthetics, wool and silk. Although Hotpoint do not claim that the silk programme is for any hand wash items, I have found it to be perfectly satisfactory.

The machine is very easy to set, can be paused at any time and has an energy-saving option and a rinse hold option which helps to cut down on creasing. The maximum load is 5.5 kg and the drum is a nice large size. It automatically detects a 'half load' and thereby saves time and money.

Its other automatic feature involves detecting an unbalanced load. Although this is intended to minimise wear and tear on the machine, it can be a nuisance because it means that an unbalanced load will not spin properly. If you are waiting to remove the load you get an unpleasant surprise when you find it still sopping wet and needing another spin.

Like most automatic washing machines, this one takes its time, with wash programmes lasting from 35 minutes for the quick wash to 160 minutes for the heavy soil white cotton wash. Although this is just about acceptable, the one thing that I do find very annoying is that the dial does not move during the wash and it is therefore impossible to tell which stage of the cycle has been reached (at least without tediously clock watching).

However, it seems to be a very good machine for the price. Time will tell as to its long-term reliability.

Summary: