Assessment of ISE5 after ten year old Bosch

A few weeks ago we bought an ISE5 (2008 model) to replace our ten year old Bosch WFK2801. The Bosch was top of the range in 1998 when it cost £599. With 2.5{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} inflation, that is now equivalent to £767.
Taylors of Milborne Port, Somerset, supplied the ISE5 for £449 + £15 for delivery and installation.
Both machines wash excellently but as I don’t smear lipstick or chocolate on my clothes this post is not the place to find about about washing performance.
What I have assessed is noise, spin performance, wash programs, longevity and cost of maintenance.
Noise: our house is in quiet countryside and the machine is in a combined kitchen dining room, so noise is important. The ISE’s brushless motor really is quiet; no high pitched whine during wash and spin; unlike the brushed motor of the Bosch. A quiet slap of clothes is the only noise during washing. Not too bad either during the 1600rpm spin. The ISE5 vibrates a little bit more than the Bosch, it is not excessive (the Bosch hardly moved). What are noisy are the water input and the pump, especially at the start of the spin. I put this down to the plastic front of the ISE5 (common to many new washing machines) not being as substantial as the old Bosch machine and therefore blocking out less noise.
Spin: well spun washing should save both time and energy. The increase from 1400 to 1600rpm should have minimal effect on the dryness. However,the cottons do seem noticeably dryer from the ISE5, especially on the longer programs. I put this down to the ISE5 spending considerable time at the peak speed during these programs (let’s hope that the drum bearing is as durable as they claim).
Programs: there are four cotton programs set by the main control knob:- 90deg, 60deg with prewash, 60deg and 40deg. Using the display it easy to reduce the temperature on each of these washes (note that you cannot increase the temperature, so no 90deg with prewash).
An ‘Eco Rapid’ button reduces the time taken for a program.
Observing the machine working, I think the the ‘Plus Water’ button increases the water used for the first rinse. This would improve rinsing whilst not increasing the water heating and the detergent and softener requirements. The User Guide is vague about this.
A ‘Rinse Hold’ button allows spinning to be delayed or the machine drained without a rinse.
An ‘Easy Iron’ button, I think, gives extra tumbles at the end of the spin. The User Guide does not say.
A spin control knob allows the wash program’s spin to be reduced or the independent rinse and spin programs’ spin speeds to be set.
As well as various synthetic programs and separate wool and silk programs there is a ‘Handwash’ program for items marked with a handwash label. I felt it imprudent to ask my wife for a cashmere jumper to try it out.
There is also a ‘Quick Wash’ program which takes 30 minutes. The water is heated to 30deg. Cotton agitation and spin levels are used.
The wash can be delayed.
Controls: the main control knob has symbols and numbers. These are decoded by using writing on the front of the detergent drawer.
The time to end of wash indicator is erratic. The prediction software appears to have been written after a long liquid lunch: it hovers at the same time for ages, lurches forward and progresses erratically. I am sure it could be improved.
Miscellaneous: The drum and door are bigger than the Bosch. It fits into the same depth as the Bosch – many machines are now deeper than the standard 10 years ago.
There is no drain hose for the pump filter so a bit over half a pint of water goes on the floor when you clean the filter.
The instruction booklet is well written and more informative than most, albeit with a few typos and weak information on some of the features.
Longevity and Maintenance: I would hope that a washing machine would not require spares for at least eight years and be serviceable for at least twenty. After twenty years there is a possibility that technology might have allowed worthwhile improvements in performance.
Taylors tell me that they have had no trouble with the ISE5 even with commercial customers (pubs, B&Bs etc) who regularly ‘eat’ other machines. The five year parts and labour guarantee is encouraging and when out of guarantee I am assured that parts are available for me to fit myself. In addition callout rates for independents are about half of the big manufacturers.
Conclusion: Why did I change machines? In the Bosch’s ten year life I replaced an water input valve and a pair of dampers, at some cost. Finally the insulation on the motor’s field windings went and a new motor was at least £250! That said, it was a solidly machine that performed well.
I may seem to have been over niggly with the ISE5. I am sure I would have found much more serious complaints with other machines. So ten years on, a slightly better performing machine than the Bosch, cheaper to buy, hopefully cheaper to maintain and longer lasting.
P.S. a personal beef:- for a company that is trying to make its name on quality of service, ISE seem incapable of answering emails or acknowledging letters.