Kleenmaid LTKA5

Machine not as claimed – The manufacturers claim the washer is an industrial machine, but it is noisy on spinning and sometimes jumps around due to its inability to handle out of balance loads. When the washer was delivered it rattled and banged and Kleenmaid had to come out to tighten many components. They had to replace the door rubber attached to the drum due to a faulty designed seal. The machine is very quick in washing cycle but can jump around.

Excellent – knowing it made by Speed Queen & backed with a 10 year warranty is worth spending that little bit more for the piece of mine that you will have it for quite some time not to mention the time you save with this front loader would buy another one in a heart beat half hour washers 8Kgs made by speed queen matches our 9Kg Gas dryer the price tag but you do get what you pay for

Good – If you are prepared to pay more for reliability and warranty, have the space and don't need all the fancy programs - this is for you! Very sturdy machine, does not use much powder (about a tablespoon of Kleenmaid powder)and the only machine on the market which comes with a full 10 year parts and labour warranty. After my 6 yo Maytag Neptune died (with numerous callouts), I needed something that was big and could take a beating (average 3 loads a day. This machine is made by "Speedqueen" in the US - and is the same as the laundromat machines without the coin operation. All the parts are stainless steel - no plastic, and though not a sexy machine - it is built to last. This model uses an average of 91L of water (about 20L less than the LTKA95)and takes 45 minutes to complete a load. If you need to add anything after the machine has started, turn it off - wait 45 seconds as it lowers the water into a reservoir, and then add. The drum is full of thousands of holes which allow it to empty and fill very efficiently. The look is quite basic and probably has not changed much since the 60's but less goes wrong with non computerised machines. It does not have any frills like delay program, or any fancy programming like fuzzy logic or sensor washing etc. The machine is very boxy, and as the drum is not angled (like the Maytag is), it is not as easy to get the clothes in and out of the machine. The door is hinged to the right (cannot be hinged to the left) so it makes it awkward when it sits next to an equally large dryer to the right of it. It is not the most ergonomic design, and takes up more room than the average washer. At an RRP of $4399, the cost is prohibitive.