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The reason these All-in-one things take an unbelievable FIVE hours to do a single smallish load is becuase they have a goofy drying system. The "heater" is literally no more powerful than a standard hand held hair dryer / blow dryer. That warms the air around the jacket that surrounds the wash drum and then the moist warm air is blown over a "condensing coil" filled with cold water. The water from the washed clothes is removed drip by drip and then directed down the drain.This uses MUCH more water than a traditional direct vented washer dryer pair. It also leaves clothes in a goofy partially dry state for much longer. If you don't have really really cold water the efficiency on the condensing side is terrible. Your clothes can literally get moldy. If you have a well and you are paying to pump water all day you will get slammed with enormous electric bills.
These kinda sorta make sense in high rise retrofits that were built before in-unit laundry was feasible but for any kind of normal home you would really need to rethink this...
I have a nice simple Fridigaire Front loader washer and a matching has dryer on top of it. Works really well and has smaller footprint than an apartment sized refrigerator -- compact enough to fit in closet!
BTW, when I was shopping around for our stackable combo, I actually found the best deal at Lowes. I called all the appliance discount places and got the best deal there. I also bought a fridge from Home Depot cheaper than anywhere that I could find. Just thought I would throw that out there.
I have one in my motorhome, it was made in Italy, can't remember the name right now. It is small, yet efficient when traveling, The dryer gets real hot, can hardly touch the clothes when they come out, it vents to the outside.
For two people, it seems to be just fine, I do my bedding and towels in it with no issues.
Even the top of line euro machines are a lousy way to do laundry. They don't have effective drying cycles.
That's what I've always heard. They take HOURS to dry small loads of laundry. I've also heard they cost 2x as much in order to get a decent machine, and they end up with mechanical problems after only a couple years.
Check out the prices/reviews on Amazon and compare them to prices/reviews for stackable "apartment size" washers and driers. The individual units are cheaper in the long run!
We have a stackable washer/dryer and it works better than the one in our home. We had it in one of our apartments, I bought it because I didn't like the one they rented at the apartment complex, and when we moved I put it in our shop and hooked it up there. The dryer gets REALLY hot and the washer does a good job of getting even our greasy shop clothes clean.
No experience with all in one units, but I can't imagine they are any good.......generally, anything that does two jobs does neither one particularly well.
Don
I've had to learn that the hard way after buying several expensive combo gadgets/appliances than seemed clever.
I have to disagree with most of the posters. I stayed with friends in South Africa for several weeks years ago, and they had an all-in-one machine that worked just fine. I don't remember the brand - it wasn't one I'm familiar with. I don't know why people who have never used them assume they don't work well.
The only real disadvantage is that you can't be washing one load while drying another. If you tend to do a lot of laundry on one day, that can be an issue.
Haier is junque. Had a dishwasher that died after 18 months. Avoid.
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