I hope this is not available in the US....

Mat · Post by **Mat** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 9:12 am

Following our washing machine deciding to not actually wash things any more, there has been discussion round our place about its replacement.

All I want is a machine with a button to start it washing, a large amount of water to be used (so that the clothes actually become wet - I consider this an important part of the clothes washing process, but it would appear that modern washing machine designers don't agree with me), and as high as possible spin speed (everyone knows that the high speed spin bit is the best bit).

In summary it needs three controls.

a start washing now button
a stop in XXX Minutes button
a button marked very fast spin.

[Edit: Actually it only needs the first two controls as it will always be very very fast spin]

I wouldn't go for all that rotary dial business - a prime example of far too much control offered.

Anyway, enough about my ideas, what about the professional designers - they love rotary dials, and dreaming up as many options and names for fancy wash cycles they can.

Office wear
Outdoor
Sports
Silk
Baby Care
Rapid

.... Hang about Baby Care!??! - I don't think my little ones would have enjoyed this!

: Baby Care 2.jpg (7.47 KiB) Viewed 10066 times

I kid you not... I 'snipping tooled' it from my own PC screen.

What are they thinking of?

Following the recent fuss in the US over keyless cars that don't switch themselves off when the driver walks away form them,
and legendary cases such as the drying of pets in inappropriate kitchen appliances and crashing your RV because you believed that being in cruise control meant you could leave the driving seat and go into the back to brew coffee...

I can only see this ending badly!

Post by **Alexis** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 10:09 am

I feel your pain Mat!!

I have a very old simple machine that you can stop and start when it suits and don't have to wait 3 hours for a partial wash. It costs me £12 to buy the tiny part once every 5 years to keep it going and 89p once every 2 months on cleaning agent.

My Mum's machine I just cannot work out.......no-one can and yes, they can be a danger trying to find ways of bucking the "system".

What we need is a lady Engineer to make a suitable and sufficient workable one!

Mat · Post by **Mat** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 10:53 am

You have hit the nail on the head regarding the engineer.

We have a vacuum cleaner and a steam iron that must have been designed by 14 year old engineering graduates.

Clearly 14 year old engineering graduates have never had the opportunity to use vacuum cleaners and steam irons judging by the 'design choices' that have been made.

On the good side, whilst ironing and vacuuming, at least I have a never ending series if niggles and gripes of harp on about.

Post by **bernicarey** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 10:59 am

Our washing machine has a setting for 'Sports Shoes'... I'm not sure I'd trust a pair of trainers, footie boots etc to a 30 minute bounce around followed by a 600rpm spin...

Post by **jonsi** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 11:39 am

Mat wrote:We have a vacuum cleaner and a steam iron that must have been designed by 14 year old engineering graduates.

If you didn't buy them ...

Last year I bought a sparkly new washing machine for Mrs Jonsi that does all sorts of stuff including playing music at various intervals when 'something' has happened.
Our first machine was a particular make, I'll call it a WashyWashy. It was a wedding present. After a good few years of excellent service it died. I bought a replacement WashyWashy because the first one had been so good. After a few more years it too died. I duly bought another WashyWashy and so on ...like a repeat cycle, until ...one day my 4th or 5th WashyWashy went clunk, started billowing smoke and ground to a halt with a sound I can only describe as painful.

I went to buy another and there in the Hot'n'Spicy Electrical Superstore was the very latest, all new super-dooper WashyWashy ..and it looked like the one we'd been given as a wedding present even down to the design of the control knob and the powder drawer. We are now talking about 30 year old technology!

I bought a new model, lets call it a KoreaWashy. Loads of bells and whistles (literally) and LED displays telling me the time in Kuala Lumpur, the temperature in Moscow and smiley faces when the cycle is done (not just a blinking light like WashyWashy).

Sometimes new technology is good ...take can openers or potato peelers as an example.

Zman · Post by **Zman** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 12:37 pm

I don't have any problem with our washing machine, I ask nicely and 'er indoors washes it!

Post by **Alexis** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 3:44 pm

Zman wrote:I don't have any problem with our washing machine, I ask nicely and 'er indoors washes it!

AAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

Post by **wendolene26** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 6:48 pm

Zman wrote:I don't have any problem with our washing machine, I ask nicely and 'er indoors washes it!

I'm the "'er indoors" in our house and yes I do the washing, (well I load it into the machine and I hang it out to dry) but mainly because it saves favourite items of clothing being shrunk/dyed or pegged on the line with the peg marks on the shoulders of shirts or knees of smart trousers..) I'm sure he did that once so he would never be asked to assist in that particular task again.