Panasonic Econavi NA-FS85G3WAU / NA-FS95G3WAU

didnt last the distance – started out ok but after 4 years the press buttons started to deteriorate and rust appeared on several parts of the machine .I am on my own and i am the only one using the machine one would expect it to l last more than 4 years . my last machine lasted 12 years i will replace the machine but certainly not a PANASONIC I took out a customer care… Read more

plan total guard so it was still under warranty when I contacted them they said that the did not cover rust or the button so much for calling themselves TOTAL GUARD

Good washing machine – Not a bad washing machine, but the lint filter keeps breaking and I've replaced it 4 times in 3 years. I'm going without it from now on because its approximately $38 to replace each time. I love the size & it seems to be easy on my clothes and cleans well.  Show details

Pretty good for daily small loads of washing – Our family bought this Panasonic econavi top loader and no complaints yet. This washer is a bit more expensive than other brands but cheaper than big brand like bosch. We've had our machine for almost 1.5 years and uses it nearly every day without faults so the quality is not bad. It's a fantastic machine for daily small loads.  Show details

Quality build – This is a quality machine. Double lint filters are excellent with next to nil lint left on clothes. Very very quiet with an inverter motor. Lots of auto programs to use and they do work very well. The machine has a glass folding lid so you can see what's going on. Also has a child lock function. The I struction manual leaves a lot to be desired… Read more

and i am still waiting on Panasonic call centre to clarify some settings as the book does not explain everything very well at all. This is unusual for Panasonic products so they need to lift their game on this. The machine cleans clothes very well and it is easy to use. It also weighs the cloths and how much water will be used in the wash. It does have a function were the wash or rinse water can be saved to use over. I would recommend this product for those seeking a well priced quality made machine that to date does not seem harsh on your cloths and is very capable of eashing heavy blankets or the like and also does not put your clothes into a knot. Maintenance is unknown as too early to say.

Rusting out between plastic and metal frame near lid – Was reasonably happy with the machine,till I noticed it was rusting out,which not a lot can be done as rust never sleeps.Harvey Norman wants to send a serviceman round(which I pay for ??? its 7.5 months outside its warranty) Would have thought rust after 2 years was rare,but no there it is,so wanted to know if anyone else has had similar issues?Or… Read more

is this just a dud batch?It was large enough for our household,quiet,cleans clothes ..just rusting through.Wanted to buy another Samsung which lasted for years,but then saw the fireball issue on some new ones,so decided to go for Panasonic?Which looks like a huge mistake unless Harvey Norman replaces it outside warranty for nothing mechanical,electrical, is wrong through wear and tear...Just rusting out from something that new,is disturbing.Heard back from a very rude arrogant tech unchi at Panasonic,basically said it was our fault it rusted out??Should thank ourselves lucky we got a refund,go buy another brand cos Panasonic New Zealand are not interested.Got our refund bought an Electrolux,never buy Panasonic again,due to behaviour from zero after sales service.Washing machines after they are out of warranty seem to be "lemons", Panasonic don't want to know.Ladas of washing machines,from our experience avoid at all costs, buyer beware.

Hopeless machine supposed to 9:5 kg loads not level stupid thing keeps going on to rinse again, just – Doesn’t wash real good can’t do a decent load, keep going back on rinse, will rinse all day if you don’t stand and babysit it, can’t do a blanket, try to wash 4 towels, will use heaps of water to rinse cause it can’t level the load 9.5 kg crap  Show details

Dreadful Machine – This (expensive) machine is absolutely useless. The electronic control panel is overly complicated...the designers have tried (unsuccessfully) to make it Auto-Everything and failed miserably. They seem to have an iPad/Smart Phone software control design attitude to what is essential a simple mechanical/electronic… Read more

process....ie...FILL...WASH...RINSE...SPIN ...with adequate user control/override over the water and the operating processes.

Main problems (as posted here by many other users)

1. The machine is EXTREMELY SLOW in virtually everything that it does.

2. The machines design hates small loads...it invariably gets badly out of balance on small loads... crashes, bangs, stops ...and then tries to solve the out of balance problem by continually adding more water.... and then spinning and rinsing again/and again/and again/and again/and again/and again/.....

3. Regardless of which program I select, I can never get a hot (or even warm) wash. Even with COTTON (auto HOT) or any other program selected the machines electronics always fill the tub with 95% cold water and then it just "trickles" in a very small token amount from the hot water tap, and only as it approaches the end of the "fill" cycle.

4. Even MANUALLY selecting HOT (on any program setting) still achieves the same result...The software/firmware completely ignores the MANUAL HOT selection and produces the same cold (or barely lukewarm) wash. Yes I have checked the hot water is flowing fully (by disconnecting the hose at the washining the machine's inlet connection and turning on the hot water tap) ...yes the machines hot water valve does open and yes the hot valve filters are meticulously clean...but NEVER (on any program) does it allow in anything but a VERY small token amount of HOT water (and then only at the very end of the fill cycle)

5. I purchased this machine after 34 years of BRILLIANT washing service from my old (small) Panasonic NA 860 AN …and this 34 year old machine is still working perfectly, but is too small for our current needs).

What a terrible mistake to buy this new machine. I very much regret the purchase and I would never recommend it to anyone.

If anyone can suggest how I can get this machine to produce a HOT WASH, I would be extremely grateful for any suggestions.

Panasonic Washing machine – I am not happy with the machine. After the washing, all the clothes got tangled. Everything must be put into washing bags. The maximum spin speed is only 6500 compare to most other machines with a spin speed of 1000. The worst thing is a lot of fuss ball/dust is found on the clothes after washing. The machine beep 5 seconds after finished washing… Read more

and then turn off automatically. It means if you do not hear the beep sounds, you will not know the washing has finished .

Not the best I’ve used – Preferred my other machine fisher and paykel aqua smart. Bought for its size and it was in stock. Not in love with it but does the job. Dislike the lid, noisy, spin cycle doesn’t get all the water out like the aqua smart did. Have spoken to customer service and they were ok but not great  Show details

Worst machine I ever owned – Can't handle too much weight. Sensor is useless. Constantly have to balance the load for it to work. Child lock comes on by its own. Was terrible from the start. Air dry function is just an added waste of power and it doesn't even make any difference from a spin cycle. Compared to my old Kelvinator that lasted me 17 years before it had its… Read more

first issue this machine had its first problem from the 2nd week. Spin cycle if weak washing holds water. After air dry clothes are still heavy from water you need to wring them by hand. No point hanging out to dry because it will still be on the line overnight. Power consumption is terrible. I see the huge spikes in my power usage from this machine. Don't buy this machine. It is only good for recycling.

Why doesn't it wash in warm water – When you need a warm wash it is still cold. When we rang Panasonic they said the machine fills 20% hot 80% cold which doesn't make warm. Very annoying So I wouldn't recommend this machine. As I often like to wash my woollen jumpers I need warm water so that they don't shrink.  Show details

It's ok – 70%. No. Noise not to bad.holds a good volume of cloths.complaint.small items such as a rivet shaft the size of a pencil led and 40mm long or similar can jam the water pump costing us a pricey call out to fix it.why doesn't the water filter stop this my dish washer would.  Show details

Do Not Buy!! – I needed a washing machine that could wash large amounts of clothing and this 9.5kg does that ... however, here are the problems with it: 1. it rinses 3 times (each time if you have full load filling up with water to high) 2. once it reaches the spin cycle if the load is too heavy or unbalanced rather than stopping and beeping ... it refills with… Read more

water and does another rinse cycle (this happened to me 5 times one day) ... my water bill has never been this high!! Who actually designed a washing machine this way ...its crazy!!! 3. it has two lint catches on the side ... which are plastic and pop in and out using a plastic catch ... after every wash both of these need to be cleaned ... I have only bought this washing machine this year and already the plastic catch has broken on one of the lint catches and i cannot put it in and i will need to purchase a replacement. 4. this is one of my favourite most annoying problems ... the detergent dispenser and the softener dispenser are in a little drawer that pulls out and ends up on an angle .... firstly it is very difficult to put the detergent and softener in but for the softener has a hole in the bottom of the container so when you put it in it drains straight out (even if you fill the softener to below the max mark)... so your wash ends up having both detergent and softener in the same wash and there is no softener by the end for the rinse cycle. I find myself waiting for the wash to finish I then run in and then add the softener when i hear the rinse cycle start 5. All cycles are on a timer ...so the wash starts with 15 minutes and works down (and yes the water is sprayed on to the clothes as it washes) but if you have a load of bricklayer-mud-cement soaked clothes 15 minutes is not enough there is no option to put it on for a longer wash cycle and the rinse cycle literally fills up with water and then drains. It doesn't give your clothes the chance to even get any of the softener through them. oh and one more thing 6. I have also on a number of occasions just jumped the rinse cycle by turning the washing machine off and starting it at only the spin cycle to come back to unload the washing machine thinking it was finished to find the tub full of water. I would definitely not recommend this washing machine ... and i have found my days fighting with it to not only add the softener at the right time but desperate to not let it do another waste of water rinse cycle. It is a terrible product and my recommendation is do not buy!!!!

The product is very good – I like the washer as it has very big capacity. The water is added gradually as the clothes turns in the washing machine so that every part of the washing is sprayed on. It rinses the load very thoroughly.

After 14 mths I think the pump has gone on it – Don't get me wrong I love everything about the washing machine but this morning I put a load in. Went later to hang the clothes out and the machine was blinking on me code H 11. I looked in the tub and the rinse cycle is still there. I looked it up and it tells me it needs a service. What the heck. All I know is in my 39 yrs of married life this… Read more

is my 3rd washing machine. My 1st one lasted 26yrs ,2nd one 12 yrs and they never needed a service . It's not a motor car. Now I have to wait till Monday to get someone to look at it. Not happy.

Great washing machine – Cleans clothes well, reasonably quiet favourite feature delay start. Spins clothes really well try not to overload, doesn't like sheets and towels together gets unbalanced very easy.  Show details

Great Washer!! – I was using a front loader & thought I'd change to this style NA-FS85G3WAU which is a top loader that acts like a front loader! At this stage seems great-better than my front loader. Very quiet & smart. It's so easy even my Wife can use it!! The 'after' service was good as I was missing a part which they sent within 2 days of notifying them. it… Read more

looks fantastic & when the lid opens it folds giving plenty of room for the dryer on the wall. Paid a very competitive price & took up the extended 12 month warranty-well worth it.

Every manufacturer has some problems however Panasonic is a quality brand.

A sound and reliable machine – Washes and rinses our clothes well. Gentle on the clothes as it does not have an agitator. Quiet machine. Pro: (a) 8 different programs to cater for quick wash, intensive wash, power wash, gentle wash etc. (b) timer delay that enables the machine to come on at a specified time. (c) generous 9.5kg capacity. (d) child lock function for safety… Read more

reasons.

(e) air dry function to keep the drum clean and prevent mould build up.

(f) very reasonably priced.

Cons: have not identified any yet.

Smart Sensors & Smart looking – We bought this 9.5kg to replace our Simpson 8.5kg and thought we'd go for a washer with a larger drum (no agitator in the way) and also attracted to the savings we could make from the washer's Econavi sensor technology. It is very easy to use, and when used in Cotton cycle you simply press start, and the sensors measure the load to use the right… Read more

amount of water, and also apparently detects the temperature of the water to save energy. Anyway, it washes and rinses with excellent results. Also quiet during washing and rinsing and I like the loud beeps when it finishes and how it turns itself off. The twin lint filters trap a lot of lint so we find we do need to empty them a bit, but overall this is smart thinking and smart looking washer that hopefully we will get many years of use out of.

Product OK but service and support terrible even when under warranty! – We bought this washing machine in Aug 2015 after a lot of research as this was new technology at that time and we desperately wanted to avoid lint being thrown back into the clothes after the wash. This washing machine ticked all the boxes. The product itself is very efficient and did not give us any headaches till date. But now about 14 months… Read more

later, one of the water entry pipes (the hot water one) at the rear end of the washing machine has started leaking, a very minor fault indeed as the machine itself is still ok. We took the product from Winning Appliances Osborne Park, Perth - who were very helpful in giving us the Panasonic phone numbers as product was still under warranty. But then our nightmare started. Today, we spent at least three hours on the phone to the Eastern States from here in Perth. We kept getting flicked between Departments at the call centre and repeated our story at least 5 times. One person, heard our story in great detail only to tell us it was the 'audio-visual department' and had nothing to do with washing machines. Well, why did you here us and waste our time?? Well, apparently the service call centre is under instructions to put calls through 'anywhere' rather than keep customers waiting!!! Finally our warranty claim was registered only to be told, we will get a call in next few days. We tried to say, we had a one-year old at home, so washing was an urgent necessity, daily!! And we did not want to go through again several hours of pain to get through. After probably 6 calls, we were told, they were waiting for a service technician to pick up the call-out, and then few minutes later, we were again told, the parts (spare pipe in this case) will come from Queensland, so we had to wait a few days. We find it hard to believe, that Panasonic does not stock simple spares, like these pipes in Perth. Again we were told, apparently the service technician would not pick up the call-out unless the parts arrive from Eastern States. Well, in that case, why sell the product in Perth, if you cannot provide timely support even for simple spares? Finally now they are couriering the spare parts from Queensland to Perth by overnight courier (after a lot of requests and cajoling). I am a busy doctor and my wife an engineer.....I think this morning we have spent enough time on this, to buy the washing machine a few times. Its a shame, while the machine itself is ok, we are terribly disappointed by the service standards. If service and support, particularly under warranty are important to you, then probably a Panasonic washing machine is not the right product for you.

FOLLOW UP ON PREVIOUS PROBLEM WITH THIS MACHINE – I wrote earlier in the year about problem with this dreadful machine. After continual issues with it throwing itself out of balance and then refilling and respinning for hours, I spoke to Panasonic who initially told me that the problem was due to me only washing small loads because the machine was not designed to wash small loads and I needed… Read more

to ensure a full load!!! Can you believe this? I then spoke to another person there who suggested it could be many different things including a blocked hose, poor water pressure, and a variety of other possibilities. I was initially told if a service man was to call out I would have to pay for the call if he couldn't find a problem, despite the fact that the problem was intermittent. In the end a service man called out and found that the "brain" of the machine needed to be replaced as well as the support rods which held the bowl which were faulty and were the reason the machine continually threw itself out of control.

The issue caused me a huge amount of anxiety and over $40 on mobile calls to Panasonic in order to get someone to actually agree that it was not me but the machine at fault. The only saving grace in the situation was the great support I received from Appliances Online who assisted me so much and agreed to give me a new machine (definitely not a Panasonic), as I think it unacceptable that Panasonic wanted to replace parts in a brand new machine. Thanks Appliances on Line!! Magee

Well thought out machine – Using normal cotton cycle and a mix of coloureds and whites it washes very well. Large loads up to 9.5kg. Lint free wash with lint filters. Clothes seem brighter , free from lint, and less tangled ( than with previous F&P Aquasmart washer - a disgraceful machine). Like the way it shows weight of dry clothes you put in, how much water the cycle… Read more

will use,total washing time left, and what part of the cycle its up to.Have only done several large mixed loads and a queen size bedding load with good results. Will be very happy if it performs like this for next 10 years. Have not worked out how to have a warm wash and cold rinses (maybe that is the default setting anyway). Clothes are wetter after spinning (heavier to lift towels etc when hanging), but have not yet tried the air-dry program.

Fed up! – Purchased 8.5kg washer for $1,000, in 12 months lid has broken 3 times now, Panasonic wiped their hands, saying its not covered this third time! It's clearly faulty! Disgusted with customer service. Panasonics first foray into washing machines, clearly they should stick to TV's! Absolute piece of garbage! Fed up!  Show details

Good enough – After looking for a replacement for our old Speed Queen I settled on this machine because the reviews were ok compared with most other brands which had so many widely varying reviews, and also because I got it at a really great price for a reconditioned machine. It's slower than the Speed Queen for sure, but the lint reduction is already very… Read more

noticeable. I have read the very big instruction booklet, and don't find any issues setting up each load. I prefer warm washing with cold rinses so that works perfectly for this machine.

The load size is great, and the option for extra rinses and extended spin times is simple and effective. I also used the air dry to get some shirts to dry faster, it's really just more spin drying, but it did make a difference. With a minimum of 30 minutes added, I wouldn't use it very often.

Today I washed our King size bed cover which is a very lightly filled "quilt" and the machine did it happily, and looked as if it would take more not that I'd add more, but it will definitely do the sheets and pillowcases all in one load.

So far so good. : )

MACHINE now not ok had 4 stars now 1 its gone – Since writing this I got rid of it constantly filling and filling no water left for rest of Melbourne if I keep it... its useless cant believe Panasonic made it.. have fridge great bread maker great tv fantastic phone ... but they need to stop making washing machines. after this old review..... Look so far it washes fine and yes I did stop and… Read more

stick my hand in to see temp yes hot works cold setting works but middle warm doesn't sadly will have to work on outsmarting it add hot water by bucket etc sadly shouldnt have to. Bad Panasonic did turn off cold to put more hot no it wont work. No fluff definitely works good. Did put in bigger filter in backward and it drops out. My fault. That's probably what other guy is doing wrong in a review I read. Still better than my 24 year old kleenmaid issues with fluff constantly. Issues with powder left on washing. No such issues with Panasonic.

Not to my liking for a family of active boys, I probably wouldn't buy this brand for washing machine – Unlike: -It does not have a memory function so you have to choose your programme criteria each time. -when I select hot water it runs out cold water, then pauses, then runs out hot water, then pauses, then runs out cold water all while filling up the drum on initial phase of cycle -max washing agitation is 15mins, id like it run for 18-20mins… Read more

minimum

-unable to select the washing type of clothes ie: heavy soiling / extra dirty, moderate soiling, light soiling

-once a program cycle starts you can't change water temp selection or program, you need to press stop /off then reselect new cycle criteria

-my child lock doesn't work

- when you lift lid the water stops from filling up or stops agitating

-spin speed is only 650rpm so clothes are rather wet before hanging unless you spin for max then select air dry button

-very tinny/plastic construction

Likes:

- 9.5kg drum and wide opening

-cheap I got it on special for $870 which includes extended warranty

- no upright stick agitator which Is great when washing doonas/ cushions

-jumbo lint catcher that captures heaps of lint!! my previous machines would regularly leave some lint but I've had no issues with this machine

Ok:

- it's not as quiet as my last LG machine on spin cycle but with the laundry door shut it's barely noticeable or bothersome.

Huge amount of space – Have had this now for a couple of months. Seems to wash our clothes well. I used to have one with an agitator, whereas this one doesn't have one. Great amount of space in the 9.5kg compared to my previous 5.5kg. Excellent for my large washes. Clothes get a little tied up, but it's not a big problem. Very quiet. Hardly know it's on and when it's… Read more

finished it just beeps a couple of times and that's it. Sometimes I forget to hang out the clothes!

The only issue I have had is that it doesn't spin really well - only moderately well compared to my previous Whirlpool Ezi-Set 5.5kg.

Washes Very Well, Rinses Very Well & Good Lint Filters – I have recently purchased the 9.5kg model from Billy Guyatts for $820.00 delivered. Bargain!!! Billy Guyatts price was the best price I could find as I live in Brisbane so it had to be delivered. Stan Cash stores do have the same machine at $760 if you live local to one of their warehouses in Melbourne and can collect it yourself. I was… Read more

replacing an LG 8kg top loader that I have had for over 11 years so I wanted a machine that will hopefully last me another 10+ years, fingers crossed the Panasonic will be just as reliable as my old machine.

My requirements were that it washes well and rinses well and that the clothes come out not covered in lint and hopefully will last 10 years. And that I could choose my own water level, wash, rinse and spin settings. I hate using pre-programmed wash settings they never quite suit my personal choice so it was very important to me that I could choose my own settings. The Panasonic allows you to do exactly that.

I generally don't do really large wash loads all the time, but we have a king size bed so I need a washing machine that can handle washing king size doonas and blankets etc I have washed my large king size doona in it and it did so comfortably.

The lint filters are very good and they seem to catch far more lint than my old LG machine and I always thought it's lint filter was pretty good. I am constantly surprised by the amount of lint I am finding in the filters of this machine. The manual says to clean out the lint filters after evey wash and I would recommend doing that as I forgot to do it for a couple of washes and then I washed my doona and I had a bit of lint come out on my doona. So I cleaned out the filters and put it back through another rinse cycle and it cleared off most of the lint. So if you want your washing to be lint free then make sure that you do clean out the lint filters after each wash as per the instructions in the manual, it only takes 30 seconds to do so so it's no hassle.

My favourite things about this machine:

Extremely quiet - and you can turn off the end of cycle chimes

Very good lint filters

Huge Capacity - with 11 different water fill levels

Can tailor your own water fill level, water temperature, wash time & wash program, rinse/s and spin time

Washes very well

Dislikes:

The product manual is not good. I still have my old LG manual it is far more indepth and better at explaining things than this Panasonic manual.

It adds additional water periodically during a wash cycle and when doing so it always only adds in cold water. My old LG machine used to do the exact same thing and it really annoyed the heck out of me when I was doing a hot water wash. In the LG manual the reason given for doing this was that once the clothes started to actually wash water gets absorbed into the clothes so the machine keeps topping up the water level to accommodate this absorption.

When adding this additional top up water during hot wash cycles it should add in hot water but unfortunately it only adds in cold water (the same as my old LG machine did). I put my hand in at the end of the hot wash cycle to see what the temp of the water was like and by the end of the cycle it was only slightly warm (I had exactly the same with my old LG machine). I don't know why washing machine manufacturers do this it's infuriating, when you choose a hot wash you want the clothes to wash in hot water not slightly warm water, so if you need to add in additional water during the wash then for goodness sake make the machines add in water at the same temperature selection as what was chosen for the wash cycle.

A work around for this is to fill the machine with the hot water a level or 2 higher than what is required for the load. Then as soon as it is filled and the washing cycle starts pause the machine and change the water level back down to the required level and start it again. As it already has more water than required it doesn't add in the cold water periodically during the wash cycle. This is how I worked around it for my old LG machine and I have tried doing the same with the Panasonic and it worked with it as well. Not ideal to have to do that though.

The manual doesn't explain how the rinse options work at all. If you choose just the rinse option without selecting the refill option as well then it does the Aqua Spin Rinse not a traditional rinse. There is no mention or explanation of the Aqua Spin Rinse in the manual. It is mentioned on the website in the specs for the model so I only found about how it actually works by googling it and found it mentioned / explained on a Panasonic Blog. It is unbelievable that they did not even put this information in the manual.

Aqua Spin Rinse

The Aqua Spin Rinse uses a wide angled shower to evenly penetrate clothes during rinsing (the cycle that usually wastes the most water), resulting in a more efficient rinse using less water.

So if you just choose rinse/s without also selecting the "refill' option it does the "Aqua Spin Rinse" which means that it rinses without actually filling the bowl with water. The “Aqua Spin Rinse” is the default rinse option for the Cotton, Cotton-Eco, Delicate and Power Wash programs. (The Quick Wash, Baby Care, Intensive and Bedding Programs all have the old fashioned rinse where the bowl refills as their default rinse option) I watched the "Aqua Spin Rinse" though the glass lid it seems to shower the load with water, spin the water out a bit then shower the load again, then spin the water out a bit again, shower the load again and repeats the same over and over again. To me that is a weird way to rinse but who knows with advances in technology it may rinse the clothes perfectly well.

Personally I am more interested in rinsing my clothes well then I am in conserving water. So I want the bowl to actually fill with fresh water to rinse my clothes so I always select the number of rinses I want and I also ensure that I select the REFILL option so that the machine will actually fill the machine with water and rinse the standard way.

Technological advances are great but I am also very glad that they haven't taken away the option to choose to rinse the standard (old fashioned) way.

These types of things should be explained clearly in the manual, unfortunately they are not and I only found this out through trial and error and standing by the machine and watching through the lid whilst it went through the wash, rinse cycles etc. I should not have had to do that, it should have been very clearly explained in the manual.

Another thing missing in the manual is what the water temperature is on the delicate cycle. It says that you cannot choose the water temp for that cycle yourself (this is the only wash cycle that you cannot chose the temperature yourself) and none of the temperature buttons light up when you select it so it is a mystery as to what temperature the delicate wash actually uses. Although I imagine it would be cold or warm. I haven't actually done a delicate cycle yet so I cannot inform potential purchasers as to what water temperature it actually uses to wash delicates.

The Spin Speed

I must say the difference in spin speeds between other brands and the Panasonic did worry me when I trying to decide which one to buy but in the end I checked the Spin RPM of the LG machine that I was replacing and that was the same as the Panasonic so I figured that was perfectly adequate and it would at least be just as good as what I was accustomed to. To me the spin it is perfectly fine and does the job.

The Panasonic specifications said Max Spin Speed (With Clothes Load) 650 r/min. So Panasonic specifically state in their product specifications that the Max Spin Speed they quote is what is achieved with a load of clothes on board.

The other machines that I was tossing up between stated on their product specifications that their machines had a Max Spin Speed of 950 RPM & 1000 RPM. Unlike Panasonic the product specs for those brands did not indicate whether their spin speed was actually with a load of clothes in the machine or with an empty bowl. So I do wonder if the difference in spin speeds between Panasonic and those other brands is because Panasonic quotes the spin speed achieved with a load of clothes and not with an empty bowl.

Improvements that would make this machine absolutely perfect:

Favourite button (to save your favourite wash/spin/rinse cycle)

Inbuilt heater

Addition of a tub clean / hygiene cycle

Don't add cold water during hot wash cycles!

Overall I am happy, it's a huge 9.5kg machine that washes well and rinses well and has very good lint filters, and is not noisy. I'm very happy with the product if it lasts me at least 5 years then I will be a very happy customer.

PS. If anyone is wondering where this machine is actually manufactured it is made in Taiwan. I specifically rang Panasonic and asked this question before I purchased it and I was told by the Panasonic customer service person that it was made in Japan. When it got delivered it had Made in Taiwan on the box and on the machine. Panasonic customer service representatives really should be able to answer consumer questions correctly.

Mixed Bag – I’ve had this machine for about a month now and here is my feedback Whoever has designed the machine has clearly got someone else doing washing for him. The machine is missing simple options, such as: soaking, water temperature adjustment, balance self-correction. It does, however have a lot of “environmentally friendly” functions, that most… Read more

people will find useless, such as about 10 water level options, poor spinning, eco mode and an annoying child lock

Positives

• Large drum without centre agitator allows for washing of blankets and curtains

• Very good rinsing – option of up to 3 rinse cycles

• Generally washing is good, except for items that require soaking or bleaching.

• Has several modes, some of which are useful

• Water level can be set manually

• Very quiet.

• Beeping at the end of cycle can be turned off – can be an important feature if laundry is close to the bedroom

• No physical child lid lock (but machine pauses if lid is open)

Negatives

• No soaking option (except for a short 15 min soak within the intensive cycle). This significantly reduces washing performance for bed linen. Machine must be paused manually to soak.

• Stupid eco mode can’t be turned off (can be overridden by fiddling with cycle settings)

• If you want to delay the start you can only delay the wash by a minimum of 2 hrs

• Poor spin drying. Washing requires 30-40% more time in the dryer compare to my previous machine

• Easily goes out of balance and doesn’t self-correct.

• Just 3 temperature levels (20, 30 and 40C) none is adequate

• Machine pauses whenever the lid is open, so you can’t start filling up the machine and keep putting items into it

• Washing powder washes from its drawer immediately after filling has begun, straight onto garments, while there is no water in the machine. This can be a problem with delicate items

Overall the machine is reasonable, but I wish Panasonic address its deficiencies with the next model update. let’s wait and see how long it’ll last.

Really disappointed with the machine – It is the worst machine. The clothing tangled even I have put all the clothing in washer bags. Lint found on the clothing. A lot of a lot of lint is found on my white T-shirt. Water leak even I turned off the taps after using. I cannot change the washing time/times of rinse/water level/temperature after I started the machine. There was no such… Read more

problems with the previous Westinghouse top load 6kg machine which has been perfect for twelve years. I will contact Panasonic hopefully they can do something.

Good washing machine – I previously wrote a review complaining about this machine, turns out it was user error! My spirit level was completely out, once i adjusted that and read the manual properly my machine is a completely different machine! It washes quickly, quietly and thoroughly.

So Far So Good :-) – After doing a lot of research on current model top loaders, I came across the Panasonic 9.5 kilo top loader.. and having a Panasonic front loader, I was fairly certain that this machine would be good too. It has already had a good work out in the first 24 hours, and no lint left on the washing at all. The lint filters are doing their job. … Read more ·  1

Clothing has not appeared to be tangled.

It does take a minute or so to start once you press the start button, which takes a bit to get used to.

At first the machine shows you how much water it will be using for the load and then it calculates the time.

The water usage is not really a huge issue & not something I expected to see but hey it's something different.

I was impressed to be able to wash my 5 bath sheets & 2 normal sized towels & bath mat in the one load! My 10kg front loader wouldn't do that!

The machine was very easy to set up and I had no trouble making sure it was balanced.

The machine has a nice array of settings and wash cycles & most are customisable which is great & what I like to be able to do.

Nothing worse than not being able to change the settings.

So so far this machine is working well for us.

Large and smart....sometimes too smart – This machine is HUGE. I can wash double doonas in it with plenty of room.. The noise is really quiet, i thought it had stopped, and I was standing close to it while it was spinning. no detergent residue, a bit slower, but has a quick wash function too. isnt at all rough on my clothes. In all i love this machine a lot although i did have… Read more ·  3

troubles at first.....

(I have read the reviews below and I think I know what's happened.)

If your load is big and your machine isnt completely level, you must use the level spirit bubble as a guide to make your machine level.

If this machine is not completely level it will stop spinning.....it then refills your machine...making it seems like its adding a random rinse cycle, but its actually trying to move the washing around to make the cycle balance out, using the water to shift the clothes...which is handy if you dont realise youre load is unblanced, but if the machine is unlevel it will just keep doing it until you fix it....

This took me a 6 hour load of blankets to realise that the spirit level has to be dead centre, not just inside the circle (the spirirt level is on the right back corner under the lid). as soon as i adjusted the feet to make it level the load completed without refilling.

And when Bert G said he couldnt spin......this is why, when its unblanced you cant just select spin, because it detects the unbalance and resets to refill.

so if bert had of reset his machine's level, then he probably would love his machine as much as i do.

Its just a small issue...and hopefully now that ive written this out anyone thats having the same issues will be able to find this in google search and fix it and not feel like they have wasted their money, when really this is a great machine