The Miele WXD 160 and the TXD 160 are two
of the most popular compact laundry sets you can buy.
At $2,800, this is Miele's least expensive compact laundry pair.
But the least expensive doesn't mean it's missing any of Miele's key features.
In this video, you'll learn about the best
featuresand a few problems when buying Miele compact laundry.
Stay to the end to see a comparison
between this series, other Miele compact laundry,
and the compact laundry sets from their main competitor, Bosch.
Let's get started.
Miele's signature feature is its honeycomb drum.
The perforations allow you to wash
delicate fabrics better than any other brand.
This is because the clothes glide on water
instead of being rotated on the metal drum.
You have regular detergent dispensing like every washer, but you can also dispense
caplets through a special caplet dispenser called Capdose.
Miele's the only brand to have caplet dispensing in their compact laundry units.
Steam is an interesting feature in laundry.
Miele, Samsung,
and Electrolux are the only brands to offer steam in their compact washers.
Miele has a soft steam setting,
releasing steam at the precise moment to eliminate tougher stains.
There are 11 different wash programs covering the basics from Express at 66
minutes to cottons at two hours and 43 minutes.
Miele has the fastest spin speed of any other washer at 1,600 RPM.
The industry average is 1,200 RPM.
So your clothes will be drier coming out
of this Miele washer, which means less drying time in the drier.
The Miele 160 Series washer also has smart
functionality and can be controlled through Miele's app on your phone.
You can see the time remaining and receive
a push notification when the cycle is over.
This is much more convenient than standing
by the washer and waiting for the cycle to end.
However, you should select your compact laundry based on how the dryer vents.
Typically, large laundry is vented through your house on the outside,
while most compact laundry, like Miele, is ventless or self contained.
Miele offers the most efficient ventless
style using a heat pump instead of regular drying elements.
Miele uses compressors to heat and then store and recycle that heat through an air
exchanger rather than pulling in air from the room.
It doesn't emit heat back into the room either, like other ventless types.
With a ventless dryer, you can place your laundry anywhere
with water and power, like an upstairs closet or even in your kitchen.
Miele's design is different because it
operates using only 110 volts of power versus 220 volts for every other brand.
When we tested the Miele against the 220
volt Bosch heat pump compact dryer, the drying times were the same.
This is possible because Miele will
calculate the precise drying time by employing mineral and moisture sensors.
These sensors will automatically adjust drying times depending on the minerals
left in the moisture from your clothes, even if you have hard, soft or well water.
Remember, you'll also have less drying time in a Miele because the washer is
incredibly fast with that 600 RPM spin speed, so it pre-dries your clothes.
Miele compact laundry allows you to add and customize scents
with Miele's Fragrance Dose Dispenser with fragrances imported from France.
Like the washer, the Miele dryer also features perforated
honey comb drums, so zippers and buttons don't get caught, ripped, or frayed.
Based on our internal service data,
Miele was serviced 8.5% of the time in the first year.
That's lower than the average appliance
at 9.5%, but higher than the average compact washer at 5.6%.
Then again, Miele's installation with a 110-volt dryer
is unique and may be the reason for these service issues.
But reliability is a feature because
service is generally very poor in this industry.
That broken washer and dryer in any brand
will take at least four weeks to fix in the best case scenario.
The 160 Series washer is missing the TwinDos automatic dispenser.
It holds up to 50 loads of bleach
and detergent, releasing the right amount at the right time.
An auto dispenser will save an expensive
future service call as well because most people add too much detergent.
That excess foam from the detergent will eventually seize the machine.
Intense wash is Miele's two pump system available on their better compact models.
It completely saturates your clothes
and better distributes detergent and bleach for a more thorough cleaning.
The better dryers in Miele's lineup also feature steam,
so you can refresh an outfit quickly to remove wrinkles and odors.
On both washer and dryer, you have more specialized cycles as well.
Bosh is Miele's closest and best competition.
For features, Miele clearly has more.
For the washer, the spin speed is much better at 1,600 versus 1,400
for the Bosch, and for drier clothes out of the washer,
you have the ability to add caplets, and there's also the honeycomb drum
on both the washer and dryer for a gentler handling of your clothes.
There's also a steam function on the washer to power out stains.
With the Miele dryer, you have a better sensor and similar
drying times to Bosch, while only using 110 volts.
Bosch only has two better features than the Miele.
First,
the Bosch is incredibly reliable with only 2.5 % service within the first year,
which is the best in compact laundry by far.
And the heat pump on the dryer is self cleaning.
You do have to clean the filter on the Miele.
The 160 Series has Miele's key features.
Miele does have better machines with an automatic dispenser, intense wash,
and steam drying, and they're definitely worth considering but cost $2,000 more.
The 160 series heat pump dryer excels as well.
However, you do have do have other options
to consider with the different Miele models and the Bosh compact laundry.
If you want to learn more about compact laundry reliability
then click here. And if you're interested in learning more
about the best full-size laundry, then click here.
Thanks for watching.