Indesit IS60V

...specifications*

The Indesit IS60V met all the specifications I thought were essential, ie the first seven that I am going to tell you about, and also had two extra good points to make it even better.

The capacity is 6kg. I don’t often use my dryer to the maximum, but I like it to be this high for bulkier items. The main reason I don’t fill it to the maximum is that you can greatly reduce the need for ironing, or eliminate ...
...amount of time. For most fabrics I like to hang them up before they are fully dry, easing them into shape if necessary, and letting any creases drop out naturally.

This brings me logically on to the next essential specification for me, which is reverse action. This term means that the drum takes in it turn to rotate in different directions to reduce tangling and creasing.

The dimensions needed to be similar to the old ... more

*My experience with different brands*

I tend to be quite loyal to brand names I have learned to trust, but would change if I found a good enough reason.

At about seven years old our Electra tumble dryer started making some very strange noises, so I was expecting to have to buy another one in the near future. It hadn’t needed any repairs in that time despite being used an average of one or twice a day, and because we weren’t expecting the premiums to be cost effective, we had never taken any maintenance insurance on it.

Since leaving my parents home 30 years ago, the majority of my kitchen appliances have been the Electra brand. As this was the Electricity Board’s own brand name, which they gave to the best value for money appliance they could, it disappeared with the Board’s break up, so after that I had to look around.

I had a disappointing experience with a Servis washing machine, but my next one which was an Indesit, had been giving me good service for years when my tumble dryer broke down, so I was going to seriously consider this brand for a replacement tumble dryer. I would have bought another brand though, if I had thought it better value for money.

*The specifications*

The Indesit IS60V met all the specifications I thought were essential, ie the first seven that I am going to tell you about, and also had two extra good points to make it even better.

The capacity is 6kg. I don’t often use my dryer to the maximum, but I like it to be this high for bulkier items. The main reason I don’t fill it to the maximum is that you can greatly reduce the need for ironing, or eliminate it, by tumbling small amounts of clothes for a shorter amount of time. For most fabrics I like to hang them up before they are fully dry, easing them into shape if necessary, and letting any creases drop out naturally.

This brings me logically on to the next essential specification for me, which is reverse action. This term means that the drum takes in it turn to rotate in different directions to reduce tangling and creasing.

The dimensions needed to be similar to the old one to fit the space. This one is 85.0 cm high, 59.5 cm wide and 55.0 cm deep.

I wanted a vented dryer as the vent hole was already in the wall from my last dryer, and I have been very happy using this method for many years. This means that for me the hot, damp air from the wash is expelled into our garden, but it is possible to hang the hose out of an open window if you don’t have this facility. Some dryers have vents in more than one position, but this one just has a rear vent, in exactly the position I needed. With the venting already in place, I didn’t want the bother of emptying a condensing dryer, which would have cost more. The venting hose included with this Indesit, was exactly the same as my old hose, so no adjustment at all was needed to venting, and I have a spare hose, even though I am not expecting to need it. (The dryer has two wheels at the back of the machine, so if you do need to move it regularly, and it didn’t have a fixed venting, this could be done easily by tilting it onto the wheels.)

It has an easily accessible filter for fast and simple clearing. After opening the door, I lift the filter out of the slot below the door opening, and find it very easy to remove the fluff that has built up.

The 180 degree opening door also makes the dryer easy to use.

I think the 2 drying temperatures are important so that the most appropriate can be used for the fabric being dried.

The two extra points, which weren’t essential to me, but were a good added bonus, were that the appearance matched my washing machine exactly, both are white with no extra colouring except for labels, and the final part of the drying cycle is cool. The clothes don’t usually stay in the dryer long due to the fact that I like to hang them up as quickly as possible, but if they do stay in the dryer slightly longer than I had hoped this cool end to the cycle will reduce creasing.

*Users’ Guide*

It was supplied with a book of instructions, and a small quick guide. The quick guide says always refer to the instruction book which I now think this is essential advice, after discovering a difference between the two.

I was very eager to use my new dryer, as we had a backlog of washing/ drying to do. In my haste I only read the quick guide before using,

The dryer has two heat settings, operated by a push button. The quick guide said that the button should be out for high heat, and in for low. After waiting for some time for my bulky washing to dry, I checked the instruction booklet and found the button should be IN for high and OUT for low (the opposite to the quick guide). Once using the proper settings, the dryer worked very well. I am glad I made this mistake while putting cottons on the low setting, instead of delicates on the high!

The main users’ guide has clear and accurate instructions.

The timer has a maximum setting of 120 minutes, but I am not expecting to need anything like that long. There is no start delay, but as we don’t want to be on the economy 7 tariff, this does not bother me.

A stacking kit is available if you need to save space.

*Conclusions*

Although tumbling is an expensive way of drying clothes, they come out a lot softer and the amount of ironing time is reduced, or, depending on material, can be eliminated.

The energy efficiency of this dryer is grade C, which is quite good. (Grade A would be the best, and G the worst.) I didn’t notice any A & B Grades in my price range. To be even more specific I didn’t see any A & B grades in any of the dryers I looked at, although I did try not to look at any over £200, but the few I did spot were still no better than Grade C. If price had not been important, I think I would have bought a quieter brand, but these brands were above my budget.

If I had paid significantly more for a dryer than I did, I might have thought it made sense to insure it for maintenance reasons, and the premiums for this would have added to the cost. As it has to legally come with a 12 month guarantee, if it lasts significantly longer than this, I will be happy that I have got my money’s worth, and not bother spending money maintaining it. At this price I can afford to buy another one when necessary, and not worry about how long it will take to get fixed. On past experience, I don’t expect to have to replace this for about 7 years though.

If I do have any problems with it in the early years, I hope I will be able to come back and update the review, but I am not expecting to need to. After a few months of use I am very happy with it. If I waited years to write the review the model numbers will probably be changed, even if the dryer specifications had only changed slightly.

*Where I bought it from*

As always, I checked various internet sites for prices and availability.

After deciding exactly what I wanted, I found the site with the cheapest price, £149.99, and most efficient delivery to be Comet. I paid extra for it to the delivered in the 8.00-10.00 am slot on the day of my choice, and it was delivered at 9.00 am, and they took the old one away, in a careful and courteous manner. If you prefer to pick it up from your nearest store yourself, and be responsible for the disposal of the old one, there is no need to pay a delivery charge.

 

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