FREESTANDING FREESTANDING FREESTANDING will never win any prizes for reliability. ... 8.30-6pm or Sat 9am-1pm. score ... 13 indesit IWDC6125 UK 301 6 5 HHHH HHH HHHH HHHHH HHH HHHH

Washer-dryers were once seen

as a poor substitute for separate

appliances, often criticised for being

expensive, unreliable, slow to dry, and

lacking capacity. This may be why only

15% of owners make regular use of

their appliance’s drying function.

But while these criticisms still hold

water for some appliances, many

manufacturers have made great

advances, producing models with

larger drums, greater water-efficiency

and faster drying speeds. So if space

is tight in your kitchen, a washer-dryer

may well be worth another look.

Save water with a BoschMost washer-dryers use water-cooled

condensers to turn damp extracted air

into water – using around 35 litres of

water per load in the process. But the

new Best Buy Bosch WVH28420GB

and the Siemens WD14H420GB work

like regular tumble dryers and use no

water in the drying cycle. Drying once a

week with either model will save enough

water over its lifetime to fill 137 baths.

MONEYSAVER

The Bosch and Siemens

washer-dryers are technically

the same machine, but you’ll

be able to pick up the Bosch (right) on

the high street for £150 less.

Miele’s Best Buys have fantastic

scores and come with prices to match

– up to £1,299 – but six of our featured

Best Buys cost less than £700.

WANt tO kNOW Which MOdEl hAS thE lOWESt RuNNiNg cOStS? Head online to

www.which.co.uk/washerdryer for reviews of more than 80 washer-dryers from all the

leading brands, including 13 Best Buys. Or call our member helpline on 01992 822800.

October 2010 | 33www.which.co.uk

How we test washer dryersWe test washing and drying power with loads

of cottons and synthetics. We record how well

the machines wash, spin and rinse, as well as

how quickly and evenly they dry.

Laundry gels and powdersBiological Best Buy Ariel Excel Gel with Actilift

scored 70% and is excellent on greasy and

fatty stains. Formil biological powder from

Lidl (74%) is great value at 8p per wash.

Tumble dryersWe’ll be featuring tumble dryers next month.

But if you need one now, there are 116 online

including 40 Best Buys starting from £199.

See www.which.co.uk/tumbledryers

AEG-ELECTROLUX L14840 £540WHICH? TEST SCORE 68%

PROS This Best Buy is equally good at

washing cotton and easycare items, and

drying is particularly impressive. Rinsing

is thorough and there’s a decent 1,400rpm

spin. Drying is quick and reasonably even,

and energy and water efficiency are good.

CONS It’s noisy when spinning and easycare

drying isn’t very water-efficient.

WHICH.CO.Uk TARGET ONLINE PRICE £540

AvAILABLE Online and at independents only


PROS This freestanding washer-dryer washes

well, dries quickly, and is one of the quietest

machines around. The 40°C cotton wash is

outstanding, the spin excellent and the 7kg

drum means you can get a large load

washed in one go. You can dry 5kg at a time.

CONS Water and energy use are only average.


CHEAPEST HIGH STREET STORE John Lewis

ALSO AvAILABLE Online and at independents

ZANUSSI ZWD14581W1 £540WHICH? TEST SCORE 64%

PROS This Best Buy washes and dries well

and offers good energy and water-efficiency.

It can wash 7kg and dry 5kg. It’s better at

washing and drying cottons than synthetics

but water and energy use are both good.

CONS Easy-care rinsing and noisy spinning.


CHEAPEST HIGH STREET STORE Comet

ALSO AvAILABLE AT Currys, online and

independents

JOHN LEWIS JLWD1609 £599WHICH? TEST SCORE 70%

PROS It washes a 7kg load of cottons in just

over two hours. For small loads, drying can

start straight after washing, and laundry is

evenly dried. Water and energy-efficiency are

good and it’s quiet even during the spin cycle.

CONS High energy use when drying easycare

laundry, and poor easycare rinsing.



ALSO AvAILABLE AT n/a


PROS This is one of the best washer-dryers

we’ve tested, combining excellent washing

results with impressive drying speed. You

can dry a large 5kg load quickly and evenly,

and energy and water use are low.

CONS Noisy spin and poor energy-efficiency

in easycare drying mode.


CHEAPEST HIGH STREET STORE Currys


JOHN LEWIS JLBIWD1403 £699WHICH? TEST SCORE 68%

PROS This built-in Best Buy from John Lewis

is an excellent choice for a fitted kitchen.

It can wash 6kg and dry 4kg. It’s good at

washing and drying cottons and reasonable

at washing and drying easycare items.

CONS We found that loading and unloading can

be quite tricky as the door only opens to 90˚.



ALSO AvAILABLE AT n/a

FREESTANDING

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FREESTANDING FREESTANDING

BEST BUyS UNDER £700

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next generationwasher-dryers

Best Buys for all budgets, including six under £700

BOSCH WVH28420GB67% £850

TESTLAB

GREATVALUE

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EXCEPTIONAL

VALUEMORE

for you

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www.which.co.uk 34 | October 2010

MIELE WT2780 £1,299WHICH? TEST SCORE 75%

PROS This Miele is the most expensive

Best Buy in our tests. It gets cottons really

clean, rinses well and the 1,600rpm spin

means clothes are left ready for the dryer.

It dries clothes evenly and relatively quickly.

Water and energy-efficiency are excellent

in both washer and dryer modes, so running

costs are low. Features include a 24-hour

delay timer and a handy choice of stain

removal settings.

CONS Relatively small drum and the easycare

wash isn’t as good as the cotton wash.

WHICH.CO.Uk TARGET ONLINE PRICE £1,150

CHEAPEST HIGH STREET STORE Comet,

Currys and John Lewis


MIELE WT2670 £1,049WHICH? TEST SCORE 76%

PROS A Best Buy since 2006, this Miele

washes as well as a Best Buy washing

machine. The 1,600rpm spin cycle is very

effective. It dries relatively quickly and evenly,

and energy and water consumption are both

good. You can choose a lower drying

temperature and features include an

end-of-program buzzer and options for

pre-wash, soak, short and water plus

(extra rinse) washing.

CONS Drum capacity is at the low end of the

range with 5kg washing and 2.5kg drying.

Rinsing is poor.

WHICH.CO.Uk TARGET ONLINE PRICE £1,049



BOSCH WvH28420GB £850WHICH? TEST SCORE 67%

PROS The Bosch WVH28420GB is a Best

Buy for its impressive all-round washing and

drying performance. The stand-out feature

is that, unlike most washer-dryers, it doesn’t

use water during the drying phase. Its

cleaning power on cottons is good and

drying is reasonable for cottons and easy

care items. As well as low water use, the

Bosch keeps energy use to a minimum when

washing and drying. It’s £150 cheaper than

the near-identical Siemens WD14H420GB.

CONS Wash performance on easycare items

isn’t great and spinning is quite noisy.




TEST LAB WASHER-DRYERStHE top-ScoRERS fRom miElE, pluS An impRESSivE WAtER-SAving WASHER-DRYER fRom boScH

The average drying capacity for a new washer-dryer is now

4.5kg of laundry – that’s 54% more than models from just five

years ago. Washing capacities have also increased so

washer-dryers can now almost match washing machines but

they’re still smaller than new tumble dryers. The illustration

shows how capacities for washer-dryers and standalone

machines has increased since 2006.

Washer-dryer reliabilityWasher-dryers will never win any prizes for reliability. With two

machines in one, there’s more to go wrong and, in our annual

reliability survey, they bring up the rear. We only award Best Buys

to brands that either offer market-leading warranties or score

average or above for reliability. AEG-Electrolux, Bosch and Zanussi

all qualify with average reliability scores.

GREATVALUE

DON’TBUY

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TWO MACHINES IN ONE?

TESTLAB

ILLUSTRATIO

N by: AC

UTE G

RAPHIC

S

October 2010 | 35www.which.co.uk

PerformanceThere’s little difference between a washer-

dryer and a washing machine when it comes

to cleaning power, but tumble dryers beat

washer-dryers in a drying race.

Save your energyUse less energy when you tumble

dry. Our video shows you how to

save energy and money every wash-day

www.which.co.uk/dryingtips

Need more buying advice?Call the Which? helpline for more information

about our Best Buy washer-dryers. Contact

the team on 01992 822800 Mon – Fri

8.30-6pm or Sat 9am-1pm.

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Price (£)

sPecification which? test Performance

freestanding

1 miele WT2670 1,049 5 2.5 HHHH HHHH HHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHH n/a 76

2 miele WT2780 1,299 5.5 3 HHHH HHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHH n/a 75

3 aeg-electrolux L16850 629 7 5 HHHHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHH 74

4 John lewis JLWD1609 599 7 3.5 HHHH HHH HHHHH HHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHHH n/a 70

5 aeg-electrolux L14840 540 7 5 HHHH HHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHH 68

6 bosch WVH28420GB 850 7 4 HHHH HH HHH HHH HHHHH HHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHH HHH 67

7 hotPoint AQM8F49I/V a

497 8 6 HHHH HHH HHHH HHHHH HHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHH H 67

8 siemens WD14H420GB 999 7 4 HHHH HH HHH HHH HHHHH HHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHH n/a 67

9 aeg-electrolux L14850 589 7 5 HHHH HHH HHHHH HHH HHHH HHH HHH HHH HHHH HHH 65

10 indesit PWDE8148S a

361 7 5 HHHH HH HHHH HHH HHHH HHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHH HH 64

11 Zanussi ZWD14581W1 540 7 5 HHHH HHH HHHHH HHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHH HHH 64

12 indesit IWDE7125S a

430 7 5 HHHH HHH H HHHH HHH HHHH HHHHH HHHH HHH HH 59

13 indesit IWDC6125 UK 301 6 5 HHHH HHH HHHH HHHHH HHH HHHH HHHHH HHHH HHH HH 59

14 samsung WD8704RJA 530 7 5 HHHH HHHH H H HHHH HHHH HHH HHH HHHH n/a 58

15 whirlPool AWZ510E 431 5 3 HHHHH HHHHH H HH HHH HH HHH HHH HHHH n/a 55

16 hoover VHW656D 429 6 5 HHH HH HH HHHH HHHHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHH n/a 54

17 bosch WVD24460GB 550 5 2.5 HHHH HH H HHH HHHH HHH HHH HHH HHHH HHH 51

18 bosch WVD24520GB 516 5 2.5 HHHH HH H H HHHHH H HH HHH HHHH HHH 51

19 siemens WD12D523GB 549 5 2.5 HHHH H H HH HHHHH HHH HHH HHHH HHHH n/a 51

20 hotPoint WDL520P 324 7 5 HHHH HHH H HH HHHH HHH HH HHH HHHH H 47

21 hotPoint WDF740G 426 7 5 HHHH HHH H HH HHHH HHH HH HHH HHH H 45

built-in

1 John lewis JLBIWD1403 699 6 4 HHHH HHH HHHH HHH HHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHHH n/a 68

2 candy CDB75-4D 523 7 5 HHH HH HHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHH HHHH HH n/a 60

3 hoover HDB854 589 8 5 H HH HHHH HHH HHHHH HHHH HHHH HHHHH HH n/a 47

a We only award Best Buy status to washer-dryer brands that have average or above average reliability, or those that come with market-leading warranties. Indesit has below average reliability and

Hotpoint reliability is poor, so washer-dryers from these brands can’t be Best Buys.

The more stars the better.SpecificationWash/drying load How much the machines can wash and dry.

Which? test performanceCotton wash Cleaning rating for a 40°C cotton wash.

Easy care wash Cleaning rating for a 40°C wash for synthetic clothes. Cotton/easy care drying How long it took to complete selected programs. Energy How much energy the machines used to wash and dry

cotton and synthetic loads.Water use How much water is used to wash and dry.Running costs How much each washer-dryers costs to runEase of use We rate how easy each machine is to set, load and unload.

Brand reliability Best Buys must have at least average reliability in our annual survey, or a market-leading warranty like Miele. N/a means there wasn’t enough data to judge reliability. For John Lewis, we use the data for the brand that makes its machines.

ScoreIgnores price and is based on:Washing 40%Drying 20%Ease of use/noise 20%Energy use 10%Water use 10%

Using the table

BEST BUyS OvER £700

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Washer-dryersWash capacity (Kg)

Washer-dryersDry capacity (Kg)

Washing machinesCapacity (Kg)

Tumble dryersCapacity (Kg)

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

5.42 5.74 5.94 6.65 6.78

2.88 3.20 3.83 4.18 4.45

5.90 6.41 6.33 6.54 7.07

5.60 5.00 6.20 6.30 7.18

FREESTANDING FREESTANDING FREESTANDING

www.google.com

FREESTANDING FREESTANDING FREESTANDING will never win any prizes for reliability. ... 8.30-6pm or Sat 9am-1pm. score ... 13 indesit IWDC6125 UK 301 6 5 HHHH HHH HHHH HHHHH HHH HHHH

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