Nice product

I’ve always bought hotpoint but the dryer on this machine just doesn’t dry the clothes. I also ended up calling engineers due to a fault with the machine. The washing machine settings aren’t eco friendly even though there’s an eco button. Most settings are 3-4 hours washing. I end up using the rapid button most of the time which is 30-45 minutes washing. No half loads, no 90degree wash, just a poor substitute for better models.Hence 1 star rating.

This is a washing machine with a drying function. The Drying function does not work the same way as a standalone tumble dryer. Drying times on this machine are also far longer than a standalone tumble dryer. The installation documentation and user guides leave a lot to be desired but with a bit of study you can work them out. It produces good results but the operation of it is at first a bit confusing.
I have also bought myself a little fisherman’s like weighing scale with a hook ( 0 to 10kg) to make sure I get the load weights right.
It has the making of a good washing machine.

Installation is not difficult but it is very heavy so really a job for two people. As part of the unpacking process you need to put the machine on its side to remove packaging from inside the machine. At this point it will be helpful later on if you loosen off the height adjustable legs and leave them finger tight. Before you can use this machine you must remove four transportation bolts at the back of the machine so you will need to have least an adjustable spanner. – Look at the installation instructions before starting any installation.

My first wash (after the machine self wash – see instructions) was to use the Wash & Dry XL Bed and Bath function. Amazed at the time of 9 hours to do the full process but went to bed and let it run. In the morning looked at the results and they were very good. I have since tried other settings (those without the word “dry” in their titles) where you have to add the drying sequence, if you want it. This is done by by pressing the “Drying level” button and selecting the drying level or the drying time (multiple button presses) as you require before starting the wash. If you don’t do this the machine will only do a wash and spin. When all the functions are done as one task , Wash, Spin then optional dry, everything works fine. Takes a long time but that’s ok for me.

My next test was to wash 3 pairs of jeans without setting the dry function and then do a “Dry Only” function on them. To do a dry only function the user guide says to first select a wash function on the dial that resembles the fabrics to be dried, select the dry function and set it to a drying level or a run time as before. Once you have done that then press the “Dry Only” button that will light up. If you now press “start” a drying cycle should start. At this point I expected the machine to in effect become a tumble dryer It doesn’t. By pressing the “Dry Only” button, the machine does not do the wash and spin function for the programme selected but it does do a drying function which includes and additional spin process after which it starts the Tumbling drying process. For some reason at the start of this process if “Dry only” is selected the machine spends up to 20 minutes not really doing anything but making a gulping noise. I think it is part of the drying process as the gulp is a little water being put into the pipes. After this time the machine will start with the spin process. Unlike for the wash enabled process this spin cannot be switched off or the speed changed by pressing the spin button. After it has finished the spins the machine does the tumbling drying process as programmed. The final result is good.

It takes a little time to get used to but do experiment and find what is best for you.