My washing machine has just packed up so I need to get one this weekend. It was a Zanussi which we've had for 19 years so its been very reliable, its probably had one repair in its lifetime. I've just been browsing websites looking at the specs and cannot believe the time it takes to wash a load on the new Zanussi machines, 147 mins 40% and 153 mins 60% which seems ridiculous my old machines cycle was done in half the time. Have any of you got a Zanussi and are these times correct? I'd be grateful for some feedback.

We've recently got a new washing machine and the cycles do take so much longer..
We've swapped an old Hotpoint for the new Aqualtis one and it does take longer to wash
but it's so much quieter than the old one you hardly realise you are washing...and check
the machine to see if it's on! :D
This one is triple A graded for economy

I got a new Zanussi a year or so ago and could not believe how long the wash cycles are It is supposed to be energy saving as the machines are cold fill only so do not use your hot water up, but they take soooo long to heat up the cold water it kind of negates that somewhat! It uses a lot less water so if you are on a meter, as we are, it does help.

I too, got a Zanussi about a year ago & again a cold waterfill only.   It's supposedly very eco-friendly.  Yes it does take a long time to do a wash but a very useful feature is a timer so you can put a wash in but time it to start 2,4,8,12 hours in advance.    I sometimes do this before going to bed so that the wash is almost done when I'm getting ready in the morning or before I get up at weekends!

I bought a Zanussi specifically because I knew of so many people who've had their Zanussi machines for years without any bother with them.

The more energy efficient the machine is, the longer it takes to complete a cycle.

Thats so true. My eco, quick wash, takes as long, if not longer, than my old machine on a full wash cycle!

My Zannusi takes 125 minutes at 40 degrees. There is a quick wash on it though which takes 50 minutes, I use that quite a lot for things that are not really dirty. 

We have a Zanussi and our old one was as well, it was perfect for 5 years before packing up which we were pleased  with -it does after all get used for at LEAST 15 loads a week, often more, and a lot of dog hairs etc. :) Time it takes depends on the cycle as others have said, now personally I use 60 degrees for most washes and with my current Zanussi that takes exactly 2 hours. Higher temperature takes longer (90 degrees with pre-wash takes just over 3 hrs), lower less, and you can use half load which is quicker (under an hour) etc.

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to help me in my search. I'm really not comfortable with a machine taking that long to do the washing. I've found a Bosch wae24162  on an electrical web site I'd better not say which one but it seems to do most of the things that I want. Has anyone got a Bosch and what are your experiences? I thought it would be easy choosing a machine but I've been on the computer most of the afternoon and haven't even looked at the shops yet. I'll probably have a re-think when I do get there. Once again thanks for all your help.

I have a Bosch (my first automatic machine, bought 2 years ago!) and it does what it's meant to. I wouldn't choose the particular model again though - it only spins to 1000 rpm, and is only cold feed (but that seems to be standard now :() meaning that the tank full of hot water gets ignored while the machine wastes electricity heating up more. :rolleyes: And it seems slow. With my old twintub  I could get three loads done and on the line in the time this one takes to do one load. But at least it does it all on its own (not the hanging out, of course!).

I have a top loader; does 14 kg in one load and takes something like 30-45 minutes (depends a little on your water pressure, ours is horrible). It has hot and cold water feeds. I know they're not common here but I wouldn't be without it.

The recent 'Which?' report points at the usual AEG, BOSCH, MIELE as being the best for reliability. Just a case of picking the model to suit.
Careful with some online sites...........the delivery charge quickly puts the price up !. I'm a huge fan of John Lewis, they price match (high street prices), no delivery charge added on and always a 2 year guarantee.

Val

I've the same Lori. It's one meant for B&B's. The trouble is it's in the shed. We moved to a cottage and there's just not enough room so we are using a front loader for now and what a performance! Just as soon as I get that bigger kitchen, the toploader is back!

I have to walk out to the detached garage but it's worth it. I don't like listening to the machine anyway. You must really miss it. The rental house we had before had a front loader and I used to do 14 loads on a weekend sometimes. Now it's 3, darks, mediums, whites. :-D

Yeah, we do and the family constantly complain and whinge. Unfortunatley, we do not have a garage either as that's where it used to live in the prev house. My dream was to buy it's tumble drying brother and have the complete set.

It was great being able to wash sleeping bags in 30 mins, then a half dozen pairs of jeans which would be all out on the line before my going to work. And of course the fact that it doesn't heat the water itself, there's less mechanical problems as well as less washing time.

I have the Phillips American style top loader and like Lori wouldn't be without it. It takes around 30- 40 minutes for a large(and I do mean large )load. We had to plumb ours into my mothers combi boiler to get it to work best(her house is joined on to mine and boiler is nearer than our hot water tank - its not miles away :D :D). Before that I always had hoover washing machines and they were great too.

Marion

Got it from Costco

Thought that I'd let you know that we got a Bosch in the end. It seems ok at the moment the cycle times are a bit shorter. It came with an Extra 12 months guarantee as well so I'm very pleased about that. You'll think that I'm daft but I was sad to see my old machine go. I would have been happy if we had left it in a pile with other machines as then I would have thought that someone might have used it for parts, but it just went into a big skip. Well hey ho.