Easy to use washer dryer that fits nicely into my kitchen
Disadvantages:
Wash performance is not up to the Grade A standard as promised ! !
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
*Updated review as at 14th August 2006*
If you think buying washing machines is easy think again. Having just moved back to Manchester and with no appliances in the house, I desperately needed a new Washing Machine.
My local Currys store was having a big 10% off all electrical goods (with a few exceptions). This gave me an incentive to go out there and see what they had to offer. Having researched on the internet, I had a vague idea of what to look for.
Ideally I was after a washer dryer or a washing machine with a drying function (to avoid damp floorboards in my new home). This limited my choice of machines as Currys only did a selective few. Servis, Hoover, Hotpoint, Zanussi, Indesit, Ariston, LG, Bosch and Miele all did them. Some more expensive than others.
I have had bad experience with Bosch in the past (ruined a lovely pair of combats and tops at my ex-housemates). I had a budget of no more than £500 to stick to. As Miele, LG washer dryers were over this amount and had too many functions for what I really need; this limited my choice even further.
I then went by friends recommendations. One of my mates has a Zanussi and she loves it. My mother has used a Hoover one and always telling me how it was the best machine she ever had.
After hours of research weighing up all the pros and cons between these 2 brands I decided to go for Hoover HNWL6136. It was reasonably priced (only £329.95 without the discount) plus what's more was it was the only one whose dimensions fitted into the allocated space in the kitchen without jutting out. In the end I paid £303 for mine in store. This is cheaper than what its currently priced on the Currys website at £324.99.
*Size & Style*
This model is available in 2 colours; - white and satin silver. I choose to go for white to match my lovely white sink and the rest of the kitchen. The silver version looked abit too dark and dull for my liking. The machine itself is 850mm tall, 600mm wide and has a depth of 540mm. It was the depth that did it for me as the Zanussi ZWD1261W washer dryer had a depth of 580mm, which would have been too deep for the space that had been left for it.
The machine itself although does not have a digital display, all its functions are visible and looks fairly straightforward to use. It has a dial at the far right hand corner with pictures above it so you can see the various cycles it performs. All you do is move the dial to the cycle you want and hey presto it adjusts the temperature; spin speed etc accordingly depending on what you choose.
Next to the cycle dial to the left you have the drying and temperature options. Of course the sensor facility works but you can manually change the temperature of your wash (if unhappy with the preset options). It is recommended that if you do not want to use the drying function ensure you have it switched off before you start your wash, otherwise it will automatically perform once your wash is done.
There are also buttons for quickwash, stainblaster, sensitive care and delay starter. I would only use quickwash for those clothes that aren't that dirty. This wash is quite gentle and not intense enough for heavily soiled items. Stainblaster is useful to have to get rid off all your stubborn stains. Sensitive care is doubling up on your handwash cycle and is advisable to use on those expensive shirts. Again it is very gentle and so may not remove all dirt marks but definitely makes them less visible.
*Installing*
I'll confess I am no plumber so had to call the Currys guy to set this bit up for me. This charge is £24 on top to cover their delivery and installing costs. Be warned when using this service. If your hose set up doesn't meet their standards they will refuse to do this. Unfortunately mine did and ended up having to call a local guy from the yellow pages to do this for me. He charged me £40. I'm sure there is cheaper ones but I just wanted the peace of mind knowing I can use the washing machine without flooding the room (which is what the currys guy told me would happen if they installed it for me in its current state).
Saying that thou, it was a 2 minute job that I probably could have done myself. The manufacturers had secured a bolt at the back of the machine to prevent the drum from moving on delivery. This needs to be removed before usage and kept in a safe place (as and when required). All what you need for assembling can be found in the drum of the washing machine including instruction manuals. They have sent 2 different pipes depending on the type of hose setting you have at home. It's always advisable to check with someone first as to which one to use. Again store the other one in a safe place as you may need it at a later date (if you move etc).
Once it's all connected to your hose system and plug is in place you're all ready to go. Before commencing use it may be worth testing out the cycles first. Don't worry you don't have to let the machine go through its whole cycle. When you are satisfied it is working effectively simply turn the dial back to off.
*Ease of Use*
I was impressed with the overall ease of use of this. I only had to turn the dial to the desired cycle and press start for my machine to work. Some can be a nightmare but this one has everything all laid out so there's no excuses for the non-technical minded ones out there.
*Performance*
This machine has been graded *A* for its wash performance by Which? magazine. This was another reason why I chose this one as opposed to the other brands. After having problems with Bosch I wanted a machine that would clean my clothes and well.
Ok I have just used the delicates wash cycle at a temperature of 30C. It is slightly lower than the recommended temperature on my stack of dirty white clothes but didn't want to risk any getting ruined. I've put my clothes in and disappointed as I see the visual display lighting up that it is going to take an hour despite being on the time saver function. I've used time savers before on other machines but never taken this long. Let's hope it sticks to what it promises by doing an excellent wash.
An hour later and the wash is done. I have not used the drying function for this cycle so my clothes are still damp which is acceptable. However to my horror my blouse still looks dirty. It wasn't that dirty in the first place which is why I put it on the quickwash cycle. True it does look cleaner but the dirt is still showing. Towels that I've washed look abit bubbly and the other clothes well do look cleaner but I wouldn't say at excellent standards.
After debating on what to do, I decide to put them in again for another wash. This time not using the quickwash function but in the silks cycle (as the shirt was a silk one) adding sensitive care function accordingly. This was gentle on my clothes but you can still see the dirt marks. After a third wash I'm satisfied with the overall result.
Having done some experimenting, I've discovered that this particular shirt is best washed on a cotton cycle at 60C. The label states to wash it at 40 but after taking morigriff's ( a valid ciao member's ) comments into consideration I thought I'll give it a whirl at a higher temperature. On this cycle it's come out very clean in one wash. It still looks very shiny too. Thanks for the advice mate. Had not for that I may not even have tried putting the clothes at higher temperatures etc. Obviously I will only put it on this cycle as and when necessary as there are a few signs that the stiches within the shirt are coming abit loose. Only time will tell..........fortunately this shirt wasn't expensive...........
I have tested the cotton cycle on socks and underwear too at 90C. Wash itself takes an hour (even on the quickwash cycle) and my clothes do look much cleaner than they were (although there are still some small traces of dirt virtually invisible.) This time I've tested out the drying cycle. I've put it on a high temperature. After the entire wash the clothes look brighter and cleaner. Still feel slightly damp but I guess it can't be perfect. They feel warm too (indication that the drying function at the high temperature has worked).
I have tested out the drying function on the extra dry option. I am well impressed with this feature. I didn't have to leave the clothes in for the entire 5 minutes. Within a minute my clothes are ready and feel extra dry. I don't even have to worry about hanging them out on the airer. Yippee!! A formula that finally works. Phew I might keep this washing machine after all. After the first few washes, I was almost on the verge of giving up with it.
*Spin Speed*
This was a worry for me as I knew 1300 revolutions per minute spin cycle could possibly damage those business suits and party outfits. When I used the silks and delicate cycles again I was amazed because the machine itself slowed down and I could barely hear it going through the cycle. When it did the cotton one it was much louder and faster so there was a significant difference between the 2. Which magazine had given this a graded *B* spin performance. I would have almost given it an *A*. It does a good job but the clothes (as with the drying) still come out very damp. As for its spin stability well the machine still shakes abit and moves throughout the whole spinning process.
*Wash Load*
The machine can take up to 6Kg of washing if you aren't using the drying option. Only takes 4Kg of washing if you're drying too. As I'm the only one using this at the moment I rarely have that much (except for sheets which are alot heavier). There is a half load function you can easily switch to and I confess I tend to use that one the most.
I guess if you have a big family you might think about going for bigger washing machines with a bigger wash load capacity. This one is much smaller than the ones my parents use.
*Energy Efficiency*
It has been graded *B* and so not the most environmentally friendly machine to use. As I said before, I only went for this one in terms of wash performance and the fact it has a drying function. Majority of the washer dryers come with a grade *B* on efficiency (even the Zanussi ZWD1261W had it). The Drying function uses up more electricity and therefore more energy, hence the lower grading.
I noticed that when it performs its wash cycle, it looked almost as if it was overflowing with water. According to the statistics off the Currys website it states that this one consumes 54 litres. It looked more like a tank. Don't worry though, as it is soon sucked out through your draining system, just before it reaches the rim.
The good thing I like about this washer dryer is it only uses up the amount of powder and liquid it really needs depending on the cycle you use. On occasions I have put in too much of the two and when I've taken the clothes out there is still some powder or liquid left which I've been able to recycle and use in the next wash. Of course I top it up just to be on the safe side.
*Guarantee*
As standard it does come with a 2 years manufacturer's guarantee. With Currys you have the option of extending it to 5 years which covers on accidental damage and breakdown. It does not cover you for any deliberate damage so be careful.
Saying that when I received the washer dryer, I noticed an old watermark within the drum itself. Tried getting it off with abit of washing up liquid and stain remover. It never budged. Went back to Currys a week later and notified them about it. The sales adviser told me its common practise for it to be there. He also informed me that they test all products before sending out to customers. Normally it comes on the products but obviously the delivery boys disposed of this without my knowledge. He seemed kind enough and refunded all delivery and installation costs. At least I know for next time.
*Conclusion*
Overall I'm pleased with the washer dryer itself. It suits my needs and specifications quite nicely. Was abit disappointed with the overall wash performance on the delicate clothes at the recommended wash temperature. Then again having tried the different wash cycles I have come to the conclusion that this machine does what it's supposed to.
I've noticed that the cotton cycle (even without using the drying function) gets my clothes the cleaniest and dryest. The delicate cycle is definitely not as harsh and the clothes definitely have come out damper than on the cotton one, proving that it hasn't sucked as much water out of them, suggesting that it's spun them at a much slower speed.
I've had this washer dryer for just over 2 months now and still learning. The washes have improved or maybe that's because I have been experimenting with the different modes. As this is my first washer dryer I have no others to compare it with. So far I've not had to call the engineer out to fix anything (touchwood).....only time will tell.........
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