Ariston Margherita 2000 AWD 12 Advanatge

...and asked to buy an Ariston Margherita 2000 AWD12.

"But Sir," he said. "You bought one only two weeks ago!" It's true. I had, and full marks to him for remembering. And yes, I did want to buy another one. This one, however, was not for me. It was for my best friend, who lives in Geneva, where an equivalent machine would cost at least three times what it does in the UK. I had been raving to her about the AWD12, which ...
...quietest washer we've ever owned. Ariston is perhaps not the best-known of brands, but it is part of the giant Merloni group, which is a big player in Europe. We've not had any problems with it in just under a year, so we've not called on their customer service people or used the warranty.

IN CONCLUSION

This is a feature-packed machine for the price.It has some features that are unique or found only in machines costing ... more

The salesman looked stunned. I had come into the store and asked to buy an Ariston Margherita 2000 AWD12.

"But Sir," he said. "You bought one only two weeks ago!" It's true. I had, and full marks to him for remembering. And yes, I did want to buy another one. This one, however, was not for me. It was for my best friend, who lives in Geneva, where an equivalent machine would cost at least three times what it does in the UK. I had been raving to her about the AWD12, which we indeed had owned for a week or so. She said, "Get me one!" So I did, loaded it into my wife's Corsa, and drove it down to Switzerland.

WHAT IT COST

The regular price is about £350, but we got ours in the January sales for £279. At the moment, Curry's website is showing it on sale for £300.

FEATURES

The AWD12 is, in a word, superlative. It is simply the best washing machine we've ever owned. One of the things that attracted us was that it has an "A" wash option, making it one of the most energy-efficient machines on the market. The "A" wash does seem to take forever though. I've never timed it, but it's at least a couple of hours. The overall rating for washing and drying is "B". It also has a very effective 30-minute wash.

Another plus is its capacity. It is the only machine that I have found that can wash and dry 4kgs in one operation. Most washer-dryers will dry only a half-load - you can wash 5kgs but have to dry them in two operations. The wash capacity is 5kg, so you do lose a kilo if you want to wash and dry.

It comes with a Woolmark approved "handwash" option. It has a timer, great if you have low-rate electricity at night. The timer has 3-hour intervals up to 12 hours in advance. It has two spin speeds, a rinse hold and a prewash option. These are easily selected using buttons on the front of the machine.

OK, how often have you started a load only to spot a rogue sock as soon as the door has locked? No problem with the AWD12. You can interrupt the cycle at any time (it never seems to fill with enough water to overflow if you open the door). It does take a minute or two, though, to unlock the door (there is a flashing light to let you know it's OK to open the machine).

EASE OF USE

It doesn't get much better, but it does take some getting used to. OK, at first it looks like what you'd imagine the instrument panel on the space shuttle to be, but that is also a plus point, because you can set your wash exactly as you want it. The big dial on the right controls the cycles, type of fabric, length of wash, type of wash etc. The next dial lets you set the temperature as you want it. This is where it gets tricky, and it is a con if you prefer a machine with everything preset for you. If you have just put through a load of whites at 90 degrees and you put in a load of non-colourfast woolens, you KNOW what will happen if you forget to adjust the temperature. This is particularly easy to do because of another feature of the AWD12. The buttons push in to lie flat against the fascia. It's great for aesthetics, but as I say, it can lead to disaster until you are used to it. You can, of course, leave the dials poking out.

The third dial is for the dryer (which we seldom actually use). If the load is 4kgs or less, you can set it to follow on directly from the wash.

Now, if all this choice sends your head spinning (like a washing machine in fact), hey presto, open the soap dispenser (which swings out on a hinge to the left of the machine) and there, on a bit of plastic that comes out over top of the dispenser, is a repeat of the wash settings that you find in the instruction manual (which, by the way, is very clear and easy to use). So you can always find, at a glance, the optimum setting for what you are washing.

RESULTS

We have used most if not all cycles by now. We tend to use Ecover liquid wash, and have excellent results all round. Sometimes a stain remover is needed, but the AWD12 gets the clothes clean reliably.

OTHER ISSUES

It is very quiet.It emits a low-pitched humming or whining noise, but it is by far the quietest washer we've ever owned. Ariston is perhaps not the best-known of brands, but it is part of the giant Merloni group, which is a big player in Europe. We've not had any problems with it in just under a year, so we've not called on their customer service people or used the warranty.

IN CONCLUSION

This is a feature-packed machine for the price.It has some features that are unique or found only in machines costing a lot more. It is (so far) reliable, costs little to run, and achieves great results.

My friend loves hers too. The only problem is, when I am in her kitchen, it feels a bit strange to be looking at "my" machine.

** UPDATE **

We have had our first problem. The drive belt went after a year's heavy use. It was fixed within a few days under warranty. 

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