| The Top Ten Things You Should Know Before You Splash Out On A Washing Machine |
| ONE There may seem to be plenty of choice out there - but that's an illusion. Most well-known brand names are owned by just a few major companies. Electrolux own AEG, Tricity-Bendix, Electrolux, Zanussi, and John Lewis. The Candy Group own Candy, Hoover and several others. The Merloni Group own Ariston, Creda, Hotpoint, Indesit, and several more. |
| FOUR Most manufacturers maintain roughly the same build-quality throughout their range. It's better to buy a base-model from a quality manufacturer rather than a top of the range model from a mass producer of rubbish. |
| TWO Washing machines do not have Built-In Obsolescence - they are not designed to break down. But far too many of them are not built to last either! |
| THREE The most important quality to consider is RELIABILITY! The most reliable machines are made by Miele, Siemens, Bosch, LG, AEG, Zanussi, Electrolux, and Tricity-Bendix. The least reliable machines are made by Hotpoint, Candy, Hoover, Ariston and Indesit. |
| FIVE Washing machines are a lot like men - the best looking ones are not usually the most reliable! Quality manufacturers tend to put their efforts into making solid, dependable machines. |
| SIX Beware of false guarantees! A full, manufacturer's, parts and labour guarantee is best. The latest trick from the poorer manufacturers is the "5 Year Parts Warranty". This is a great big con. It provides "free" parts - but you can only have them fitted by a company engineer. And you have to pay for the labour. This costs at least £90.00 per call out! Companies like Bosch and Miele offer proper Parts and Labour warranties. |
| EIGHT Good, cheap washing machines are rare! A washing machine is a highly complex piece of engineering. Making them properly is far from easy and it doesn't come cheap. If you are on a tight budget - accept that you can't have everything. Look for substance rather than glamour. Learn to live without the fancy features and go for something basic but reliable. There's no point in having 53 features if none of them work! |
| NINE At all costs, avoid "bargain" brands that you have never heard of. |
| www.TheTopTenSite.com What you should know about washing machines. |
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| SEVEN Many of the latest washing machines are less "family friendly" than ever. This is because they have plastic drums. Plastic drums are easily punctured by coins and other metal objects - and if you have children, especially teenagers, you know that they have a habit of dumping their washing in the laundry basket (at the 53rd time of asking) without checking their pockets. If your new washing machine suffers a cracked drum due to a coin etc - the warranty will NOT cover it. Our advice: Buy a machine with a metal drum - or put your teenagers into foster care! |
| TEN The Top Ten Site recommends the following washing machine brands only. Click the links to visit our brand review pages. Miele Bosch AEG Electrolux Siemens LG Zanussi John-Lewis Smeg |