Haier HWT75AA1 (7.5kg)

As a single aged pensioner, budget was the overriding factor in my purchase of a new washing machine. My Samsung top loader had served me faithfully for 11 years, but one morning it decided not to spin anymore. It had also developed the habit of depositing flakes of gunk on my washing, a problem no amount of tub cleaning could solve. After some online research, I decided on the Haier HWT75AA1 top loader from Appliances Online at $527. There were a couple of negative reviews, but the price and size were right.

There was an initial hiccup after installation. The cold water tap outlet leaked badly and resisted all my attempts to tighten it. A quick call to a relative with the right tools solved that problem.

Now, after a dozen or more loads of washing, my opinion is divided. The electronic controls are easy to use and there are 6 wash options. One annoying omission is the ability to change the agitation time. The only way this can be changed is to select a different wash option. It appears to get the clothes nice and clean, although I have yet to test it on something really grubby.

The spin cycle is extremely noisy at full speed, but in comparison to the Samsung, the clothes come out much drier. Some of the reviews complained about tangled clothes, but to date I have not had this problem (the Samsung was a notorious “tangler”). Having two lint filters in the tub is a definite plus. One criticism on a purely cosmetic level; the Haier water inlets are located on top of the machine and although this may provide easy access, it is just plain ugly. There is a loud noise from hot and cold taps when opening and closing (water hammer) and I did not have this problem with my previous machine.

It’s early days yet, but there are enough good points at present to outweigh the negatives. But I do miss the little tune my Samsung played at the end of the wash cycle (the theme from Schubert’s Trout Symphony). The Haier just beeps 6 times.

Worst machine. This will damage your clothes! Do not purchase! Cycles are too long, not adjustable setting and the quality sucks. This is an entry brand product. This has ruined several items of clothing compared to my mum's LG, which is also a top loader. I needed this washer to fit in a space that's 156cm wide.

I purchased this machine from The Good Guys 11 months ago and it has been used on average 2 to 3 times per week washing Bedding, everyday clothing and towels. I have never been satisfied with the performance and quality of the wash especially that you cannot reduce the the time of the cycles which are quite lengthy. The only cycle that does 2 rinses is Heavy and this machine is very aggressive on towels and singlets. It stretches the singlets out of shape and is abrasive on the binding and hem areas and the amount of fluff that accumulates and fills the filters etc especially from the towels is unbelievable. This machine does not wash clothes particularly well and there is a lot of noise generated especially when spinning after the wash cycle and at the final spin. The Power On/Off button and the Start/Pause button have worn through the plastic top and is now showing metal and the machine is not 12 months old. The worst feature is that it does not completely empty the drum of water below the pulsator after the final rinse so after a few days the water remaining in the bottom starts to get an odour about it, so next time you use the machine you are getting dirty water into the machine to wash the clothes. If you move the drum back and forth you can hear the water sloshing in the bottom. Some other reviewers have complained about the tangling of clothes with this model of machine but if you place the clothes around the outer edge with a well in the middle where you can still see part of the pulsator is seems to alleviate this problem.

An excellent washing machine – Bought this machine a couple of weeks ago as an interim measure as we will be moving in the near future and not sure what we would use in the next place. It is small, compared to our 25yrs old Maytag which started leaking, but very functional and would suit two people. We have only used the express program, which takes around 30min, and also only cold water but the clothes have come out very clean. Of course there are other programs but we wanted to see if the machine could properly wash with the shortest program. There are only two cycles in some programs, wash and rinse, and the manufacturer suggests to increase the amount of water in the rinse cycle to ensure all the suds had been washed out. The "Heavy" program has two rinse cycles and we will be using it most of the time. One thing missing is a fabric softener dispenser so it has to be added manually at the end of the first cycle. The other problem is that the machine will jump during spin if the clothes have not been distributed evenly around the drum. This has only happened once. Overall we are very satisfied with this machine even though we have to be more attentive to add the fabric softener and distribute the load if necessary. Because the machine was purchased on line there was a $55 dollar discount but we were able to collect it from the local store, The Good Guys.