Mega Miele?

[mrboilwash]

Plastic wash tubs and high temeratures

Though not so fond of them myself, I do not think there will be any problems to expect with the combination of boil washes and plastic outer tubs.
I mean that other manufacturers in Europe have been using them along with (pretended) 95°C programes for over a decade without problems.
There is just one nasty thing about them. In case of bearing failture, the whole machine is generally not worth to repair, due to the costs.

 

[askomiele]

And there are more odors in a plastic tub than in a stainless steel one... after some nosework..

 

[brisnat81]

Fibreglass isnt plastic - and there is still plenty of metal

Hi Guys,

I've been talking to Miele in Australia and they advise the following:

At some stage (probably 2008) we will get these giants over here.
The door may be plastic, but they guarentee if you lay it on the ground you can jump on it without it breaking.
The Fibreglass drum (Remember what boats are made of) uses the same type of cast iron cross brace for the bearings as the SS tub machines, Suspension mounts are metal and it still has the cast iron counterweights on the front. Further these are integrally moulded into the fibreglass using a new Miele patented process.
These machines still come with the 20yr life expectancy, based on the 2 hours x 5 loads x 50 weeks x 20 years.

Considering that these machines now weigh 50 odd KG more than the old ones, if there wasnt some weight cutting component you'd need a crane to shift it. its hard enough getting the 100kg Miele's up and down stairs, the 150kg model must be terrible.

Just another perspective, it may be company hype, but it would be unlike them to stake their reputation on a crappy product.

Regards

Nathan

 

[sudsmaster]

Additionally, there are coffee makers made of plastic, polycarbonate, as in Bodum's vacuum coffee maker marketed in the USA by Starbucks. Since the temp of that routinely reaches 200F, can't see how being plastic automatically rules out a part from sub-boiling high temp service. CVPC plastics are approved for use with hot water lines. And, as noted, virtually all washer hoses are at the very least lined with a rubber or synthetic rubber (plastic) substance.

The bearing situation is regrettable, but I recall one chap over on THS who successfully replaced the bearings on his Frigmore despite the fact that it has a plastic outer tub.

Personally I would vastly prefer a stainless outer tub, but I can understand where cost and other considerations dictate plastic. The least durable material to use for an outer tub probably would be porcelain enamel steel - which is notorious for eventual rust-through.

 

[launderess]

Manuals and Operating Guides

Are now up on the Miele USA site.

L.

 

[sudsmaster]

I notice that Miele recommends that the 4840 drum only be loaded 3/4 full, as a normal procedure. Does this mean that the machine is really more like a 3.0 cu ft unit, as opposed to the claimed 4.0 cu ft?

As I recall, the more traditional Miele models simply recommend leaving space the size of a fist at the top of the drum; not 1/4 of the total volume.

 

[launderess]

Noticed that as well, not sure why and have been meaning to get an answer from Miele.

It tis rather odd that a uber-capacity washing machine would require only 3/4 full loads,whereas previous Miele washing machines would advise one could load the machine fully long as one did not exceed weight limits/left some room at the top.

Since most laundry compacts down when wet, that means a 3/4 full load of towels could end up being just 1/2 or less. In real terms that probably is not much more than the large 6kg units can handle.

L.

 

[askomiele]

Just load as full as you want, they should handle more than 3/4. I never read the manuals that close. My whites are stuffed loads and no miele has ever stopped working because of that, just load and wash!

 

[launderess]

No, don't think that can be the answer. For one thing the tub on the new uber-Miele washers is titled, therefore what one would consider a normal load for regular Miele washers may count as "over loading". While it may not make a difference, should something go wrong Miele won't be responsible if one does not follow directions.

L.

 

[sudsmaster]

Perhaps it is Miele's long held bias against tilted tubs showing.

Who would know for sure? Perhaps Miele, if one could ask.

 

[nmaineman36]

The Miele's are nice. I went to check them out today and I will have to say WOW! They are gorgeous and built well. They have a feel like a Lexus and they have a price tag to go with that feel. The washer went for $1799 and the dryer went for $1100 USD. The washer had a claim of 4 cu ft and there was nothing on the dryer saying how much the drum was. Both have the Honeycomb drum. The washer to me looks smaller than what they claim. The dryer is deep and there looks like it would have alot of room to dry a good sized load.
The washer did surprise me when I pulled out the dispenser drawer and saw it had a compartment for bleach. The washer rums on 120 volts and the dryer was 240 volts and there is no gas dryer at all available...or so I was told.
I would love to get them but my other half said that it wont happen until the Maytag Neptunes die...and my washer..made by Samsung...is starting to get kinda squeeky during the spin cycle. I will be lucky to get another year out of the washer. Because once it goes I will get those Mieles.

 

[sudsmaster]

Thanks for the first-person report, Maineman.

Re your Samtag: the squeak in spin could be bearings or something more simple, like shocks/springs or maybe even the door boot. If this is a belted model, then that could be it as well. Of course if getting a Miele is contingent upon the Samtag experiencing a definite collapse, then perhaps you don't want to delve too deeply into what's wrong.

 

[cbosch]

Thank god

Finnally a miele with a glass door dryer!!

 

[foraloysius]

Actually the commercial Little Giant series already had a model with a glass door.

 

[oxydolfan1]

Purty. Muy techno....

Nmaineman.....don't worry about the Samsung giving up the ghost.

You wouldn't be the first person to accidentally add five boxes of Royal Strawberry gelatin to your detergent dispenser and then hit Sanitize....

Nuff said.....

 

[the7]

I would prefer if the Mega Meile 27" FL has true H-axis design and stainless steel outer drum like their older 24" versions.

It seems that SQ is the only 27" FL with true H-axis design and SS outer drum.

 

[logixx]

New Press Release

Miele has a new press release available on its new homepage!

Alex

http://www.miele.com/pressroom/news87.html

 

[sudsmaster]

In search of Mega

I paid a late afternoon visit to my local Miele/Speed Queen dealer today.

Unfortunately, on both machines, he came up empty. He had the older SQ front loader (ugly!) and a few small Mieles, but said it wouldn't be until some time in February that they'd get in their mega Mieles.

He did have display the black Maytag Epic, and said that Whirlpool was planning on making Jenn-Aire the premium washer brand. I'll believe that when I see it, since I don't think many people associate Jenn-Aire with washers.

He also had the fiendishly expensive all-stainless Kitchenaid behemoth pair. You know, close to $4,000 for just the washer. They looked nice, built like tanks, with trick control panels, but inside they just looked like ordinary Duets to me.

So, I went home empty handed. Not that I was planning on buying anything anyway.

 

[sudsmaster]

Finally got to see the new Miele 4840 yesterday. It is a nice machine. Is $1800 worth of nice? Don't know. They had it plugged in so I got to play with the controls. The Mastercare feature was nice, probably worth the extra $200. I didn't see any obvious flaws in the workmanship, and the honeycomb drum looked great. Interestingly, the matching dryer drum has a honeycomb pattern emossed into it as well, but the salesman just kind of laughed when I pointed that out. We agreed it was probably just to match the washer drum pattern. They had a stack of brochures inside the washer, but the installation/operator's manuals were nowhere to be found.

I was a little puzzled that the dryer brochure shows only one way to vent the dryer, out the lower left rear... which would not work for my laundry closet (a dryer placed there must vent out the left side, or straight down from the bottom of the dryer).

I wasn't a real fan of the control system, which hides any information about actual water temps (other than "hot, warm, cold, etc) or spin speed rpms (Other than "max, medium" etc). But I suppose most consumers would prefer a simplified interface.

 

[irishwashguy]

You become acostomed to it after a while

Although, i have not been able to play with it, knowing what the settings means also helps. When I bought my washer, i had intended on getting the Novatronic