Dan, Get Your Hands off that Lovely Control Panel!
Hi.
I have to agree with Dan here that the control panel is nice on that machine.

I especially like the drawer – I just want to grab it! hehe

Crumbs, if I were to go to my local independent dealer, I’d go in there and start grabbing! hehe
All sculpted and mmmm… hehe
It is very sad about the Hoover workers and the concern over more Hotpoint-badged models being made outside of the UK, too, especially with regard to the lack of Hotpoint UK-made drums – a final link, if you will, with UK-engineered Hotpoints of the past.

I guess this is the way the world is going, but it would still be a great shame.
I guess the main point is that things should be made to the highest possible standard, regardless of where that is. However, if the UK factories, either Hotpoint or Hoover, are ever closed, it would be nigh-on impossible to build any new UK factories for these brands in the future, so I think that’s at least partly why many of us feel somewhat sad if there were any significant winding down or even closures of these factories.
If you are a service engineer, it is quite possible to identify ‘good’ and ‘bad’ models from any manufacturer. I can do this with consumer electronics – hi-fi equipment, TVs, DVD players, etc. – and it is possible with electronics to find ‘good’ and ‘bad’ models from one manufacturer. Much of this is due to different designers, both inside and outside a manufacturer, being used to design a particular model of, say, a CD player. I have no idea how relevant this is to white goods, but it is an important point in many consumer electronics items. TVs, for example, often use different chassis (like a power/control board in a washing machine

) in a given range, so the features and performance can vary across a range. Indeed, it is possible to find cheaper models in a particular range of any consumer electronics that may actually perform better than a more expensive model from the same manufacturer!
From what I can see, however, several Hotpoint/Ariston models – most notably the Aqualtis, which are made in Italy – are proving to be very impressive machines in terms of design, engineering and reliability.
Higher-end Hoovers, too – Vision HD, for example – are very interesting models, especially with regard to the incredible number of rinses they can be programmed to undertake. Further still, LG machines are very interesting, with some clever ideas, and some LG models are well rated by Which? magazine.
Admittedly, over the long-term, Miele appliances, for example, tend to perform well and last a long time. However, Mieles can, like any other make, go wrong – less likely, yes, but they still can.

When ours fail outside of warranty, we will indeed perhaps have a rather hefty repair bill! hehe
However, with makes like Miele, there is the initial purchase cost, which many consumers simply cannot manage, and there are occasions where a Miele appliance, however much ‘better’ it may be in many ways, is not suitable for various other reasons.

In cases like that, a Miele may not be ‘better’.
This is why we have a free market – and we are free to choose what we want to buy.

If we make a mistake, we will have to learn from it – it’s our responsibility and our money.

As the saying goes, you pays your money and takes your choice.
Or is it the other way round…?!

Surely you takes your choice and then pays your money…?!

Or at least get the credit or debit card out! hehe
Let’s hope those Hoover workers and others can have a nice Christmas and New Year and get decent jobs quickly again.
Take care, everyone.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Regards,
Carl
