Bosch Serie 4 WAN28081: Mixed Load 40, 1400RPM (Review in Description)

This is my brother’s brand new Bosch. Washing a dressing gown on mixed load 40. This replaced a 19 year old Classixx WFL2063 which died of a drum failure.

Review of Machine:

THE GOOD POINTS

Excellent use of water (neither too much or too little)
Clever introduction of softener into rinse (even distribution through the load)
Fairly quiet in operation
Reasonable cycle times
15, 30, 45 & 59 minute cycles
Excellent washing and spinning results
Good rinsing results
True 7kg drum
Heat shield on door… great for use around young children
Looks great

THE BAD POINTS

Slightly louder than expected
Antivibration panels don’t seem to be very effective
Detergent drawer retains a lot of water in softener compartment
Surprisingly fussy with balancing (as you can see it fails to spin the load in this video)
Plastics feel a bit cheap (door, drawer, dial, filter cover)
Filter cover is very difficult to replace when you’ve taken it off
Door lock is a bit dodgy and sometimes you need to press the door shut a few times in order to get the machine to start
Cycle end beep carries on every minute for a long time
NO LOAD SENSING!! This is a big flaw in my mind. I really expected this to have a load sensor but it appears it doesn’t (video coming soon). Why??? Beko, Indesit and others supply load sensing technology in £190 washing machines but Bosch can’t for twice the price? Was disappointed that it took the full 2:59 to wash a small load of bedding on cotton 60 the other day.
Only one 60°C wash. Yes this is a basic model but I would have liked to have seen either Easy Care or Mixed Load 60°C in place of Intensive 40 (this is the old cotton eco 60 wash).
No drum clean cycle

OVERALL

The machine delivers excellent results in a relatively short time compared to other machines in the market. It’s quite quiet in operation but not as quiet as I expected. Vibrations are quite bad despite the antivibration side panels. The standard easy care cycles are too long at 2.5hrs, and the speed perfect easy care cycles are too short at 47 minutes. I’d have liked to have seen a rinse plus option on this too, as only the much more expensive models have that. The eco 40-60 wash is quite short compared to other brands and performs fairly well too. I don’t like the speed perfect option limiting the load to 4kg. I don’t like the touch buttons - they’re too insensitive and often you have to press them a few times to activate options.

All in all, I am somewhat disappointed with the machine. While it should last a good long while, there are obvious cutbacks in the build quality from Bosch machines in the 2000’s. It represents ok value for money, but I still would expect greater flexibility (and load sensing technology!) for £369.

Rating: 7/10