montpellier dryers??

[jetsystem1200]

I really like these Zanussi dryers, in fact I think they are the best dryers this side of Miele. This is because BSH dryers, even though they have higher build quality, for the most part, don't reverse the drum so clothes get tangled easily. These Zanussi dryers are also very good at drying, and mine takes a maximum of 60 mins to dry towels. These dryers may not be the quietest or the best looking, but I think they are some of the best dryers out there.

Finn

P.S. Had a look at a White Knight condenser in Comet a few weeks back. Can't say I was too impressed with the quality or the features for the price.

 

[aegokocarat]

the siemens heat pump dryer i feel can be a bit harsh on certain fabrics but normally i have no trouble off it
regaurding what Finn said, i agree with you, the build is very good but i dissagree with the BSH comment, they have a spoke in the back of the drum to prevent tangling
Tom

 

[fl1012]

Bought!

I've bought it, will collect at the weekend

It's a shame about the timer not moving but this was the case with my late 1990s Zanussi vented Electronic Sensor dryer that i've recently sold (still have an early 80s Sensor one), so i'm kinda used to it. I'll just put it on & wait till the noise stops & then check it! Only a small price to pay really.

I had read (i think on here) about someone who recently bought a Bosch dryer but found it didn't reverse. Not sure if they're all like that but it's abit poor given that they do cost quite abit more than Zanussi, Hotpoint etc. I doubt i'd have bought a BSH dryer anyway - i'm not convinced that their lower-end products are much better than Zanussi & their higher end stuff gets close to Miele money. Certainly my Gran's Bosch Clasixx dishwasher was poor, lasting only 18 months-2 years of very light use before the circuit board failed. Combine this with all the Electrolux Group products we have in the family (more than 10 items) that have outlived our expectations, i'm abit of a sucker for Zanussi/Electrolux.

I know Zanussi are not quite the quality brand that they were but their dryers seem to be largely similar to those being sold several years ago, all of which seem to last a decent length of time given their price bracket, certainly when compared to their rivals.

White Knight's do feel flimsy, though i would've bought one had it not been for the comments regarding moisture retention. I just can't risk that given i'll be living in a rented place & the dryer will be in the spare room or living area. The flimsiness of the door etc doesn't concern me too much as i am very careful with my possesions though obviously the Zanussi being abit more solid is a bonus. I'm more concerned about what they're like under the surface & it seems both Zanussi & White Knight are reasonable in this respect. Rightly or wrongly i use eBay & UK White Goods forum as a judge of which products fail most & find there to be lower numbers of White Knight & Zanussi dryers than Hoover/Hotpoint/Indesit/Whirlpool/Beko. Given all these brands are similar prices i think it makes sence to support White Knight & Zanussi. If this one goes wrong i might have to reconsider my opinions!

Liam

 

[aegokocarat]

Liam be sure to post pics
these zanussi's have an increasing beep at the and of the cycle, they also have automatic anticrease built in
their dryers are way better than thier washer of the past 2 years, i had one and it was horrible!! loud and the door lock never worked, it had a plastic back panel that split within a weeek , i was happy to see the back of it!
the dryers get very high place in my books, the washers dont lol
Tom

 

[andyvivo]

The Bosch entry level were a mix of Whirlpool and White Knight dryers for quite a few years. If picking a used Bosch dryer, it is worthwhile bearing in mind you may not actually get a Bosch produced machine. When they phased out the older production dryers (tooling sold to LG) they used a lot of Gorenje dryers in the interim until the new production being fully operational.

I do like Electrolux products in general, but I think with the washing machines it does depend on what country they have come from, Malaysia seem to be the worst ones. The Spanish were ok. Poland I believe they have the new style machine with the filter access through the drum lifter. And then good old Italy, these tend to be either the nexus split cabinet or the AEG cabinet, and better quality then the others IMO.
Andy

 

[fl1012]

I will!

I'll post some pics once i get it home at the weekend.

I'll be sure to switch it off as soon as that annoying beeping starts! The anti-crease sounds handy though

I agree that the quality of the washers seems lower than the dryers, which is a shame as they're actually priced lower than they need to be - Zanussi seems to be aiming the lower-end washers at the Beko customers rather than focussing somewhere between Hotpoint & Bosch like they once did. They could've probably remained very popular whilst still charging £350-£500 and maintaining quality, rather than going down the £200 route & losing loyal customers who buy something off the back of a solid old Zanussi & end-up disappointed because it lasts 2-3 years instead of 5-6 like their washers a few years ago.

That said, the Parents have a 2007 Zanussi Essential ZWF14170W (link below) which has done over 3 years solid use so far (7-10 loads a week) & had an 18 month period in storage in a freezing cold garage (covering winter 2010 & winter 2011), which is a better lifespan than many people have experienced with both Zanussi & other makes, but predominantly other makes. Given that we always use the cotton cycles which spin after the wash and each rinse, i think it's doing ok as i think 7-10 loads a week is quite high for a cheap machine? (£230 new). I believe our machine was made in Spain as it's the Euronics special with a variable temperature dial that the bulk of the Essential models did without. The sticker inside the door says Made in Eu rather than Made in Italy like some other Zanussi's of the time.

Liam

 

[aegokocarat]

@Liam the dryers are fantastic your parents machine wouldve been made in poland if it had the standard zanussi drum with plastic lifters, like my sisters zanussi is
@andy my zanussi was made in italy, it was horrible really it was! The thiland made zanussis have the nexus cabinate and a metal back the build of them is excelent, the european made zanussis have (or from what i was told) plastic spiders, they arnt strong and they can snap at high spin speeds its sad really to see such a sought after brand go so cheap. The plastic pullys are now plastic too, thankfuly, thier still strong like the metal ones
Tom

 

[andyvivo]

Can't say I have heard of plastic drum supports, but could be possible! Plastic pulleys have been used for quite some time on many brands. Though plastic bakelite has been tried & tested on the early Hotpoint 1800 series, and Hoover 1100 matchbox machines right through to the final Softwave machines.

I think Electrolux were wrong to phase out the Bendix brand when this was positioned beneath the Zanussi range.

I have had two IZ16S, and it both have been absolute dreams. The first I bought was for my mum, and then one that was stored in the shed for at least 8 years, until I sold my mum's.
Both IZ's have had recirculation pumps replaced, but that has been it. If it wasn't for the sealed tanks, even on the latest most expensive AEG machines, I would still be very pro for the Electrolux group brands.
It is really unfortunate how great brands devalued.

 

[aegokocarat]

The IZ machines were fab looking
My zanussi also had develpoed a scraping noise within the week i had it

 

[andyvivo]

That's not good, hope you were able to exchange it.
The look of the IZ was totally out there in style, and I love uniqueness. Also practically laid out and easy to operate, which certainly appealed to my mum after a few uses.
Mum was not keen on electronic fascias after I made her try a 9550A back in 92. First cycle she used on the microtronic was the mixed fabrics, which took around 3 hours. She was not impressed with that one lol

 

[fl1012]

Thailand Made

By Thailand made machines do you mean the ones like the ZWG1140M in the link below? I was worried when i saw these appear on sale but they seem to get very good customer ratings & i've seen no broken ones spring-up for sale yet either. They also appear more sturdily constructed (at least on the surface) than the other Zanussis.

I dunno about the internals of the European machines but i know our Essential has a metal back. Dunno if it was these that sometimes have a plastic back panel?

I agree with Andy regarding Tricity Bendix, it should've been kept as the budget brand rather than de-valuing Zanussi's image.

The IZ range was wicked. I'd like one of them or the Jetsystem XCs for my collection. Probably the last thoroughly well-made range of Zanussi's, lasting 8-10 years. The following range (FJDR etc) seems to manage around 7 years then the first ZWFs seem to be managing 5-6 years & then the ones like my Parents ZWF managing 2-4 years. The current range seems as yet unproven but the motors on the non Inverter models seems very grumbly & the quality seems to have taken a further tumble. They shouldn't have let things drop below the FJDR quality level in my opinion. I could see myself looking at other makes for washing machines if buying new in future. Something like Gorenje or the entry level LGs look quite tempting, though not the massive drum steam machines or anything like that, they don't do anything for me for some reason.

Liam

http://www.comet.co.uk/p/Washing-Machines/buy-ZANUSSI-ZWG1140M-Washing-Machine/650196

 

[andyvivo]

Liam

That ZWG1140 is a Chinese machine from Wuxi Little Swan. At work we have had a few motors damaged in delivery from Electrolux, and these are also Chinese, by Welling. But then Electrolux are not the only ones at this, recent Candy machines have Haier motors. But then I guess European manufacturers are reacting to the fact that there are very cheap products that can be imported from China. Btw your parents model is from viva la espana. =)

I think the next time I buy a new machine it will be something along the lines of Miele, V-Zug, Gorenje / Asko... maybe even LG. But hopefully that choice is some years away

I would have liked an AEG protex set, but again for me it is the sealed tank. I resent something expensive not being fully serviceable, goes against the grain lol

 

[jetsystem1200]

I had a Jetsystem XC6 , the FJD1266W, until last year. It was the best machine I have ever used in terms of performance and reliability. It did not have a repair in the 9 years it was in use and it did 7-10 loads a week. I keep wondering where my current machine is made, as it does not say on the data plate. I have a ZWH7162J.

 

[andyvivo]

Finn

Your ZWH7162J is from Poland, how old is it? These have drums that can be repaired! =D

 

[fl1012]

Repairable Drums......

Hi Andy

I was led to believe that Wuxi Little Swan (stupid name) had a link to Bosch, so it suprises me abit that Electrolux Group chose to use them for manufacturing one of its machines. The info i read could be incorrect ofcourse! I could never work out why the ZWG1140M even exists since Zanussi's range already includes models that meet the same specification. Strange!

Are the Welling motors the grumbly sounding ones fitted to the new Flexi-Dose & lower spec Jetsystem machines of the current range? They certainly sound different to the brush motor in my Parents Essential machine.

Thanks for confirming where my Parents machine is made. I guess that's the old Tricity Bendix factory. Will this have the split-tub? The cabinet doesn't have a split down the sides but i didn't know if this means the tub itself is also in one piece? We have the standard Zanussi drum with small grey paddles. Are all the new Jetsystem 7kg & 8kg machines fitted with serviceable tubs, or just the ZWH7162J? I noticed this machine has an Inverter Motor like the 8kg models, but according to Zanussi's website the 7142J & 7122J don't.

Liam

 

[andyvivo]

Hi Liam

From the BSH website
The BSW Household Appliances Co., Ltd.. was in Wuxi in Jiangsu Province in 1994 jointly by the BSH Bosch and Siemens Home Appliances Group and Wuxi Little Swan Corp.. founded. At the production site front-loading washing machines, washer-dryer for the local market to the highest international quality standards are produced.
The company is in the development and manufacturing network of the product area laundry integrated that all technological input into the joint venture (BSH 60% share) yields . The parts are mostly based on the local supply market. Since 2001, BSW increasingly exported to Europe.

From the little swan website

Wuxi Little Swan Company Limited:

Holding company: Shares proportion
Jiangsu Little Swan Marketing and Sales Co., Ltd. 98%
Wuxi Little Swan Import and Export Co., Ltd. 88%
Jiangsu Little Swan Sanjiang Appliance Manufacture Co., Ltd. 51%
Wuxi Little Swan Ceramics Co., Ltd. 90%
Ningbo Xinle Appliance Co., Ltd. 32%
Little Swan (Jingzhou) Appliance Co.,Ltd. 51%
Little Swan (Jingzhou) Sanjin Appliance Co.,Ltd. 35%
China and foreign countries company:

Wuxi Little Swan General Appliance Co., Ltd. 70%
Wuxi Little Swan Huayin Electric Appliance Co.,Ltd. 75%
Wuxi Filin Electronics Co.,Ltd. 51%
Wuxi Little Swan Enami Tooling Manufacture Co.,Ltd. 70%
Wuxi Little Swan Presion Casting Co.,Ltd. 75%
Wuxi Lifanda Electric Appliance Co.,Ltd. 42%
Wuxi Little Swan Schulthess Washing Machinery Co.,Ltd. 75%
Wuxi Little Swan Cleaning Equipment Co.,Ltd. 75%
Wuxi BSW Household Appliance Co.,Ltd. 40%
Wuxi Indesit Home Appliance Co.,Ltd. 30%

I have not investigated as too which models these Welling motors have been fitted to yet, not sure why they would sound more grumbly either. There seems to be no rhyme or reason what products Electrolux choose on serviceable and non serviceable drum units. It seems odd to put a sealed drum in the most expensive machine and a normal drum in the mid range?

The ZWF14170 does not have a serviceable drum, Electrolux are showing that they should be contacted for this part, I guess that can mean that parts may be able to be purchased to make a complete drum.

 

[aegokocarat]

i exchanged the zanussi washer fora TOL beko WME7247 washer, it was £199 from £350!! bargain! its now in storage as a back up machine (ugh!) by the way that the aqualtis is acting it will need to be pulled out soon lol
Tom

 

[andyvivo]

Oh dear, always handy to have a back up lol. Just take your pick =)
How is the Aqulatis playing up?

 

[aegokocarat]

the 3 LED displays dont work properly anymore, every 2 in 5 washes. you turn it on as normal and the controls light up as normal, then when the displays go into work mode, only half of them display anything, when i used it myself i closed the door and started it, it the flashed up "DoOr" on the temperature display.
6 years mind, its been the longest lasting washer we've had
will be saving for a miele next year anyway lol
Tom

 

[jetsystem1200]

My ZWH716J is from December. Just a little bit worried, as UKW said that all Electrolux products have non-serviceable drums.