Washing Machine & Washer Dryer Buyer's Guide
Updated on September 2009 - by Digital Versus
Going to the laundry has its charm... for a while. And a slow and noisy machine might be ok when you live on your own, but with a growing family you’ll want a something that can swallow all the dirty clothes in one go, washing them quickly and noiselessly.
One day then, like 90% of the population, you’ll opt for a new washing machine. The good news is that they are quieter and quieter, consume less and less energy, have increased capacity and nicer designs. You’ll find machines with a standard white front, stainless steel, black and with redesigned window doors...
1 - Making a choice
Entry level (< £180)
A budget machine doesn’t necessarily do a bad job. But it might be a little less effective with cotton or fabrics, with longer cycles and not as energy or water efficient. Cheaper machines will often consume over 1 KWh and over 50 litres per cycle. This impacts on the machine’s energy, washer and dryer ratings: you’ll often see Bs instead of As and A+s.
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£166 - £247
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£170 - £259
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£180 - £251
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Couples or with 1 child: washer only
Without paying over the odds, you can find a machine that is water and energy efficient, and that also works well: energy consumption under 1 KWh, reasonable water usage (under 50 litres per cycle). Over to you whether you want a front-loader or top-loader. You can also check whether, among the available cycles, there’s a short one, sometimes under half an hour, for clothes that only require light cleaning.
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£565 - £749
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£230 - £389
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£380 - £479
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Big families: capacity > 7 kg
A machine able to wash 5 kg of clothes per wash is enough for a couple with a child. Any more than three in the family (or if you simply like to be able to chuck it all in in one go) and you’ll want a higher capacity model. 7 kg per wash is a 40% increase in capacity, without necessarily increasing energy and water consumption. You can find these big models with energy class A+ or A that only consume 50 litres per cycle.
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£529 - £600
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£349 - £376
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£470 - £470
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Washer dryers
The two-in-ones: washer and dryer. But watch out: capacities vary sometimes by as much as half between the two functions. Some washers that can handle 8 kg can only dry 4 kg at a time. These are often high-end products, on which you find all the options such as the fast wash and programmed washes for cheap rate electricity and so on.
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£369 - £369
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£621 - £1,065
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£500 - £710
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2 - The Science
The really important aspects of the spec
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- Energy class :
a 2009 Gfk study showed that energy effeciency has become the n°1 criteria of choice for washing machines. Energy consumption is rated from A (very good) to G (poor); it is measured for a full load of cotton washed at 60°C. In practice, products noted B and down are now on the way out: they make up under 10% of models on the market. Almost all products have become very strong in this area, even excellent. Within the A class, you’ll find A+ and A++, which already make up a third of models.
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- Dryer speed :
most models now spin at over 1000 revolutions a minute during drying. This brings down drying time and efficiency.
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- Load type :
Top-loaders are usually thinner: 40 cm wide for some. Front loaders are wider (60 cm) but can be fitted and stacked.
What you’ll need to go a bit further
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- Width :
some machines are only 40 cm wide and others 60. They all come in at around 85 cm tall however. Of course, width has a direct impact on machine capacity. Machines that are 40 cm wide often have 5 Kg capacities, while wider machines go up to 8 Kg.
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- Dryer capacity :
this concerns washer dryers. Washer and dryer capacity are not always the same.
