Dear reader, some of the models mentioned here may be outdated/discontinued. This is not a comprehensive list; neither an endorsement for the products mentioned. Do check with your dealer for prices/availability. And try not to sue me for disinformation. This here is only meant to be a general set-o-tips, ok?
Front loading, top loading, fuzzy logic, automatic, semi-automatic… and if all that isn’t enough, you have an assortment of patented ’technologies’ and ’buzzwords’. Add to this a bombardment of ads on TV and print to confuse you with a plethora of promises. Boy, is it some effort not to get washed away! But there are ways you could swim to safety...
The single most important disadvantage in shopping for washing machines in stores is – you can’t try them out! So make sure you pay the brochures a little more attention than usual. Look for those ’specification tables’ that they have so conveniently laid out for you, (mostly to show how their ’technology’ is ’better’ than their competitors’, ha ha). Don’t let them fool you though, what you might really want to look for are these, whatever be your budget:
Capacity of the washer/dryer
Material used for the tubs & cabinets (Now, you don’t want anything to rust/corrode, right? It’s going to be water, water everywhere after all. You might be a lot better off with non-metallic material…)
A water inlet (Surely, you don’t want to be pouring water into it all the time, a hose connection would work a lot better.)
The material used for the bottom, if there is one (You remember about the non-metallic, right?). Some of them even have ’rat meshes’ and what not.
If possible, look out for power consumption ratings (Remember they run on electricity. You’re not just paying for the machine – you need to run it too. You don’t want an additional hole in your pocket for your electricity bills!). And needless to say, the lower the consumption, the better off you are.)
Water consumption. (Like electricity, like water.)
Warranty. (Feel free to be worried if it’s anything less than 2 years!)
The basic twin tub machine should start at around Rs.Xxxxxx (i really don’t have an idea!)
There are typically 2 types of washing machines these days: the twin tub ones that have two separate tubs for washing and spin-drying; and the front loading ones where the washing and drying takes place in one chamber.
The standard capacity is 5.5 kg [Godrej GF60 Fuzzy Logic, GA60D Auto Deluxe, GA60 Auto Clean, GT60A Twin Tub, GT60 Twin Tub, National NAW600, Siemens WM1000, WD1000, WT21 are some examples] and you can find smaller ones with capacities like 3.5 kg [Godrej GT40 Twin Tub]and larger ones that can take 5.9 kg [LG Fabricare Twin Tub WP-950M, WP-8003, WP-8005, Godrej GT65DLX Twin Tub, BPL BS65, Whirlpool Whitemagic Agisoak, Whitemagic Super] and more. And needless to say you’ll find a wide variety that are mechanical, electronic, semi-automatic, fully automatic, fuzzy-logic automatic…
OK, that should’ve narrowed down your choice. Now let’s see what else we can get for our extra money:
Variable wash cycles for different loads/fabric types
Programmable timers/cycles
Temperature controls(Very useful for those tough washes)
Wheels (You just might want to create some extra space once in a while!)
There. That should be around Rs.13, 000 minimum by now.
Hmmm, there is still money left? Not to worry, there’s MORE that you can get in the form of gizmos, attachments, ’technologies’ etc. Here are some:
Active soak (Godrej), Agitronic Soak (Whirlpool) etc. (Apparently designed to soak your clothes in detergent solution for something like 30 minutes or so while doing an intermittent wash action to ’loosen tough dirt’.
Fabric/load sensors, Automatic detergent/softener dispensers, Buzzers, Memory Backup, other patented wash ’technologies’ that are purported to achieve ’similar to hand wash’ results. (The ’Rotobrush’ in the Whirlpool Whitemagic seems to be a handy one though to remove ’tough stains from your cuffs and collars’.)
Etc. etc.
Of course, if you still have money left, may I suggest… ah well, forget it. You probably already have planned the next purchase too.
:-)
phew!