Our old Fisher & Paykal 7.5KG front loader (WH7560J1) just died for a 2nd time under extended warranty, time for replacement.
Any brand
Top Loader (must)
8KG+ (the 7.5KG was a touch on the small side for our family of 4)
Water/Power ratings are a bonus
Happy to stretch budget to around $800.
Oh, it must be from Domayne.
Wife (see below)
Why does it have to be top loader? Space constraint?
No, I prefer front loader myself but the wife wants top loader (sore back). And I know this will sound hard to believe but she actually uses the washing machine a little bit more than I do. True story :)
should have offered to do all the washing… then you can buy that front loader and maybe your wife wont need to do it if she has a sore back.
For what it's worth, we both have the same back injury (L4, L5 bulging discs and S1 nerve damage)
If we had a bench or something to sit it in that'd be fine but for now a top loader is just easier. Surely Top Loaders aren't THAT much worse than front loaders, are they?
Matching set :)
Hers from nursing, mine from landscaping. Both in different industries these days.
Have you checked tests conducted by Choice and inndependent reviews on productreview.com.au ?
I think Choice costs money to get any conclusions out of it doesn't it?
I could use productreview.com.au like I did the first time in 2014, everyone at the time loved the Fisher & Paykal, it now sits at 1/5 stars now that all the owners have realised they were junk. So I'm not sure how much weight I can put into ProductReview again.
Its worth paying a few bucks for independent tests conducted by Choice when you are about to outlay $1,000, And then balance this up against productreview.com.au which is simply users' experience and nothing more. They are not experts but they know when a machine does a job well and when it prematurely breaks down.
Yes when you see them saying the Coles $1.50 laundry liquid does a good job you have to question that. But those people obviously dont know any better - enter Choice!
The secret is to read through as many opinions as possible as sort out those that know from those that dont.
Choice magazines are available free at the library and the instructions here on how to access it online free through Melbourne Library https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/215205. Check if your local library has same deal or hard copy.
Okay just realised our original machine was $600 not $800. That $800 price included the warranty.
So probably the same question as before but now the budget is more like $600-800.
They have opted for a Haier HWT80MW1 which gets a horrible rating on ProductReview so I'll swap that for something else.
Afaik there is no proper review site for washing machines like we now have for tv's (ratings) or the countless mobile and pc hardware (too many to name).
I would just look up washing machines that have been recalled or known to cause problems or catch on fire and process eliminate from there while of course also automatically adding your set filters (10kg, top loader, good power/water ratings).
Thanks. All I'm going by is ProductReview which can be hit and miss - for example my previous model got a lot of love in 2014 but is widely condemned as junk today.
I might skip some of the big brands and go back to Simpson. I know it's not comparable but the last one I had lasted 18 years. Their new ones seem to be getting good ratings. It's all a gamble though so I'll probably add more extended warranty with it.
All the best with it update is if you can am curious what you eventually buy. Yeah family has had various random ones for Nanny years.
Best classic one was at least 20-25 years maybe more basically since my grandparents moved in in the 70s or 80s.. forgot the model or brand but it was one of the big ones definitely looked very classic and unmistakable.
Yeah funny that, my mother in law got about 15 years out of hers and others I know got 15-20 years too. We would have defaulted back to our old Simpson this week but out of the blue it doesn't turn on anymore. Always kept it as a backup since the thing would never die. Irony.
Anyway yeah I'll keep you posted.
I'm thinking Simpson 9kg (SWT9043), it's $100 less than the 10KG model which is probably overkill for us anyway. Of course it depends what my wife thinks. I notice below 9KG they actually use more electricity and the 8KG receives a mediocre rating too. So we'll see.
I wonder if I can haggle them down in price too, worth a shot ;)
PS: I've heard 2nd hand "Speed Queens" can be amazing. They're commercial washers used commonly in laundromats. No computers in them, simple dials like pre-2000's.
Just get a front loader and put in on a stand, which should raise it another 30CM or more. Back issue solved.
front loaders are better for clothes, use less detergent, energy and water.
Other than that….no, just get a front loader.
(for stand, also google pedestal. An example: https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/easy-living-front-load-washer…)
Mid market brands are all OK; Samsung, LG for example.
Lg top loader for the last 8 to 9 years. Nothing less than 7 washes a week.
Sorry about (both!) your back injuries.
IIRC, front loader market is more competitive.
Consider getting a table, and putting on a front loader?
any reason for your preference to top loaders