Clever Engineering and Design, Executed Well
Written: Sep 15 '04
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Pros: According to reports, may be more reliable than other American brand frontload washers. Quiet.
Cons: Expensive, but no more so than other top quality front loaders.
The Bottom Line: Extremely pleased with cleaning performance, efficiency and quietness.
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| willing2share's Full Review: Bosch WFMC 3200 Front Load Washer |
We shopped specifically for a front loading washing machine for greater efficiency and less exercise diving into the top loading tank. My wife is 5 feet 2 inches tall. With her AARP membership, pulling out washed laundry seemed easier with a front loader. We read up on different brands and models, Consumer Reports, Epinions naturally, and consumersearch.com, then went to the stores to get the pitch from sales staff.
We were concerned about reports of reliability problems with some brands and didn't want to be an unwilling field trial participant in a U.S. white goods makers research and development program trying to catch up to european brands. We love our Miele dishwasher, but weren't impressed by a 3 week wait for parts when it had a problem. Dishes I can do by hand for three weeks, but not laundry or running to a laundromat.
We wanted a quiet washer with large capacity. Seemed like a number of choices across brands. Reliability with Maytag and Whirlpool/Kenmore was a concern. The odd color of the Whirlpool put us off as well. The controls seem easy to understand with the Bosch.
The 3200 had all the features we could want. The next higher model's features seem esoteric and expensive....let me rephrase...exotic in price to the expensive 3200. Knowing how long a cycle is going to take is nice so pace the laundry chore. Using the extra rinse, bleach, extra spin options does add a lot of time to the normal cycle, but hey you know what the trade off is between extra wash cycles and time. The clearly labeled and easy to access soap, softener, bleach bins are great. Bosch should sell an optional tray or shelf to fit the top to hold laundry soap, softener, bleach, etc. on top of the washing machine. It is easier than in the bottom storage unit or somewhere else in the laundry room.
The machine is very quiet and smart in how the drum operates in balancing the load during the spin cycle. It is pretty smart in managing the water level, wash temp. etc. also.
The only thing that bothers me is the rubber gasket area that interfaces with the door window. It seems to be a hair magnet that is not self cleaning.
HE Soap was a new experience for us as we have always had top loaders before. It is expensive and not much selection. We have learned to watch for sales and then buy six or more boxes at a time. Wished Costco would carry this type of laundry soap for front loader machines.
We saw a TV program about dust mites, so our washer and dryer are getting more frequent workouts with three queen beds and a Cal King bed in our home. It seems to work like a champ.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1099
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Epinions.com ID:
willing2share
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Reviews written: 11
Trusted by: 1 member
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