Recommend a modern/new washer & dryer please.

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David,

According to the Choice website, they test here for both the Austalian and NZ markets....

I think you're being a tad unfair towards Choice to be honest. They have always held that they cannot test long term reliability but instead rely on feedback from the end user which they include as a seperate page on their tests. So it is hardly up to them to see into the future as to if a dishwasher is going to be recalled or not...

Additionally, I would kill to have a Zug washer, but in our market they are something of an unknown entity at a rather high price. Like many things though, it can be good to 'get in now' and get solid and reliable service out of a brand apparently known in its home land as top quality....

Are they actually better than a Miele of the same price? I have no idea. But Miele is at least a known brand and I can get service on a Miele almost anywhere in the country, including most rural areas should I require it....But only time will tell if Zug can compete and earn a slice of our market which is known to be notoriously tough.
 
grease or wax?????

In my experiences in retail and service on washers,I found that many times when these spots are found on the clothes they come from one of two sources other than the oil of the washer's trans.

1. The newfangled laundry detergents with "built in fabric softener" cause a serious build up of wax in between the inner and outer tubs.This eventually loosens and deposits onto the clothes. It looks like black tar or oil spots and can be easily removed using a bar of soap and rewashing the effected laundry.

2. Most consumers who use fabric softener do not dilute it as they should and it winds up leaving a severe residue in the agitator's dispenser cup and down the post. This build up will also leave black deposits on the clothes which can be removed the same way using a bar of soap.The downy ball is a good solution to that.

I do not recommend dryer sheets if you dry clothes in a dryer. it too leaves a wax deposit not on the clothes but on the lint screen.That can become a serious fire hazard because it blocks the air flow needed to allow the heat in the dryer to escape via the exhaust.Blocking the airflow causes the dryer to overheat an eventually catch on fire

Front loaders do not have this as an issue because the dispenser they have automatically dilutes the softener prior to its entering the tub.This flushes all of it through and cleans the line of water flow completely out.Some of the top loading machines i.e.GE Harmony, Kenmore Oasis, L.G.and Whirlpool Cabrio now have this feature in their dispensers.
 
Todd, I presume you are biting your tongue on this whole debacle, and I'm sure "I told you so" has coursed through your mind countless times.

I am still floored that out of all possible makes, she went with GE anyway. Let's hope she tells all of her friends to steer clear of GE. Even if the panel gets fixed and never fails again, the mechanical parts will take up the slack, I promise her.
 
Big case of...

...I don't know why I even bother.

She wouldn't listen to the advice of have the washer looked at because it might be a build up of gunk and not grease, so I don't know why I expected her to listen to the advice from you guys about SQ's or at least WP's.

She's not even getting the picture with this recent failure...she's making excuses about how it was the fault of the dishwasher installer who turned off the circuit breaker..............ya, right.
 
Unfortunately...

....there comes a time when we need to step back and let our folks make their own mistakes....just like they used to let us do when we were younger....

I maintain that my folks may give the impression of listening to me, but they certainly don't hear what I say very often. It seems that no matter how old we get, we'll always be a child to a greater or lesser degree in their eyes....
 
Hi Chris,

I'd say the reason the speed queen didnt do well on the dirt removal, is that Choice test at the rated capacity, which is 8kg. 20 years ago the same Kleenmaid branded speedqueens with the straight vane agitator were branded at 5.5kg, the Kleenmaids with the surgilator type agitator rated them at 7kg and now Speedqueen have rated then at 8kg.

If they are filling with water to the same level as in the US and stuffing an extra kilo in compared to 5 years ago, its no wonder they dont remove dirt well in the tests. I'm betting if they tested with a 7kg load the performance would improve dramatically.

The speed queens must be the only slow stroke machine left on the market here that doesnt have auto water level. All of the Simpsons, Westinghouses and F&P's all auto measure and still will fill to the top of the tub.

At least they fitted 8kg's into the Speedqueen, unlike when they could never stuff it into the LG Frontloaders :)
 
At least they fitted 8kg's into the Speedqueen....

Agreed...

But then there are shoppers out there who will buy a machine on total capacity...some might call them 'size queens'...

I remember years ago, Choice tested machines (could have been Hoover top loaders) that were rated at 4.0kg, 5.0kg and 5.5kg...the larger the capacity, the dearer they were...only the drum size was the same on each.

Which do you think people bought?

Ultimately, knowing how Choice tests - at capacity - manufacturers seem only too willing to overstate the capacity in order to get a better water and power efficiency rating even though Mr and/or Ms average will never a)use the stated capacity and b)achieve the economy promised by the label.

.....and this applies equally to top and front load machines....though at least with a front load machine that is over-loaded, they are still gentle....
 
Choice and VZug

The VZug Adora SLQ is featured in the latest Choice Washing machine report. Only 59% for dirt removal!! But they used the short programme (around 75 minutes) designed for light soiling...
 
Choice test

Perhaps they should have only used lightly soiled clothes seeing as that's the wash cycle they chose. Suspect if they had run the full wash the result may have been different.
Next they will be trying to wash a full muddy load on a delicates cycle.
Someone should explain to choice why there are multiple wash options on modern washing machines.
 
er....

....they've used a cold version of the programme that aligns to that used for the energy label.

Maybe one of you needs to contact them and suggest they re-run the test on a cold 'cottons' cycle rather than a 'coloureds' cycle....

But, much as I like the look of V-Zug and want them to be 'hewn from stone' quality wise, if that is what you get at full capacity, I'll stick to Electrolux, Fisher and Paykel, ASKO or Miele....and update...

I can almost get 5 Fisher and Paykel machines for one V-Zug...
 
soiling

you can adjust the level of soiling, regardless of the wash program or temperature. it increases the time (and I assume the consumption) but gets the job done. couple of the staff have them, will see how they go after a few weeks/months of washing.
 
The earlier 2000 series Miele's always rated highly and that was with the short wash as the default. Their secret is that you cant do a cold wash on the cottons cycle, which Choice mark them down for overall, but which counts in their favour when it comes to soil removal. I dont have a Choice membership anymore, but the 40min wash at 30deg's used to achieve a dirt removal score in the 80's from memory.

According to the Vzug manual the test cycle is coloureds 40deg, which runs for 74mins. If it will wash in cold on that cycle, Choice test it that way, maybe its the combination of cold water and stuffing 8kg's into a drum that isnt much different in volume than the 6.5kg Miele that brought it's score down?

They're such a nice looking machine, quite light compared to the miele's, but the fact that they make the Navitronic Miele look cheap is terrifying :)

For us to change Machines, they'd need to bring the 8kg 5000 series Miele to Australia that the UK gets. The 5.5kg machine just isnt quite big enough to do some things. If the 5000series made it here, I'd gift the current one onto a another family member and grab the 8kg machine in a flash.
 
Now...

....I just wish that Choice would test the quick wash capability on machines based on the 'average' load of 4.5kg that people actually put in their machines...

If this had happened, I have no doubt that the Zug would have performed well, as would Bosch machines which are programmed for 'light' soiling for our market...

It is one thing for Choice to test at capacity given that this is often one of the deciding factors for the great unwashed to use as a purchase guide, but it is another to decide to use a programme other than that required for energy/water consumption ratings to perform the tests on....

Personally, I would like to see them test machines on reduced loads and use the quick or light soil options given this is how soooo many people wash.
 
though at least with a front load machine that is over-loade

...or they stop working altogether. Then it's fun and games getting the door open to remove the sopping wet clothes.
 
I've never seen a front load machine that is overloaded stop because of that to be honest. Getting one overloaded is a challenge as most only JUST fit their stated capacity....

So I gather you've managed to do it Olav?
 
So I gather you've managed to do it Olav?

You bet I did. I stuffed a king sized doona into a standard 4.5 kilo machine. It was hard work getting it in and even harder work getting it out again.
 
Well serves you right....it had no place being in a machine

I was a determined kid and it was going to fit; no matter what.
 
..and then it turned and bit you on the bum!

No, it was more like my machine saying "bite me, I ain't gonna work this hard for you - now you go to work and clean up this mess; and take that big ole' thing out NOW!" At the end of it all I was drenched. Luckily my parents weren't home at the time and I was able to hide my misdeed.
 
GE? Depends...

I hear the GE Harmony is a good set. Top loader and high efficiency as well. I seem to recall our Webmaster has a set.

Maytag Bravos would be my guess, as long as your Mom is willing to change her detergent choice over to an HE formula (also needed for the Harmony).

Although I don't care for LG as a brand, they do have a machine similar to the Harmony and Bravos that also features a built in water heater...

Personally I'd go for a front loader, though. Anything but LG and probably Affinity as well. My current faves are the big Mieles and the even bigger Electrolux models. But that's because I swing that way (right hand hinges rule).
 
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