The WXR860 WCS is Miele’s premium washer and the best compact washer you can buy.
In fact, it may be the most technologically advanced appliance on the market, but does that mean you should buy it? Maybe not.
In this article, you’ll learn about Miele’s best features and two biggest problems. Also include a section on the matching dryer the TXR 860 WP.
You should be buying your compact laundry based on how it vents, not how it washes.
Then we’ll go to short comparison section with Bosch.
So in the end, you’ll know if the WXR 860, another Miele, or even another brand might be right for you.
Table of Contents
Washer Features
The WX 860 has an unbelievable amount of features with 25 different wash programs.
It has a new control panel with its Mtouch Swipe technology, making It easier to scroll through those 25 different options of the washer.
The controls and added cycles are the biggest improvements over the last year’s model.
It has cycles for every type of fabric and soft steam, spraying steam at the precise moment to eliminate tougher stains.
You also have the automatic dispenser like last year known as TwinDos at the bottom to dispense bleach and detergent automatically. Both are also dispensed at different times for maximum effectiveness.
Most of the washing machines dispense at the same time.
A machine with an automatic dispenser is a good idea because it will stop you from adding too much detergent. Excess detergent stays in the machine and over time becomes an expensive and avoidable service call.
The WXR also features their intense wash. This is a term for two water and detergent pumps.
The detergent water are more evenly distributed from the top and bottom rather than just the bottom, like every other washer.
The detergent and bleach are also mixed more evenly between the two pumps. You also have the option of using detergent capless through a special caplet dispenser.
Miele has theirs designed for special applications and stains. You can use them for silks, outerwear wool and synthetic fabrics, but you can use any brand. Only Miele has a capital dispenser for its compact laundry.
Both the washer and dryer are WiFi enabled. You can see how much time remains on a cycle and remotely powered on and off to an app.
You can also see how much bleach and detergents left in the dispenser right on the app itself.
Smart functionality works for laundry. You can oven receive text when the cycle is complete.
Their perforated honeycomb drum has been a staple for Miele and is still worth mentioning. It is the best for fine washables.
During the wash, the drum allows the clothes to float on a sheet of water rather than touching the sides for a far general wash.
The Miele spin speed is the fastest at 1600 RPM. The average washers is about 1200. It will leave your clothes much drier for less time in your dryer.
Dryer Features
I mentioned the drying because it is ventless. Most compact brands like Bosch, LG and Electrolux are ventless, meaning you don’t have to vent to the outside so you can put a Miele anywhere. It will even fit inside your kitchen cabinets.
Full size laundry is almost 100% vented to the outside, so replacing a vented dryer will mean some renovation to your home.
The Miele dryer is truly revolutionary. It is a heat pump using a high efficiency compressor, not regular drying elements. Instead of pulling air from the outside, the heat pump will recirculate air in the dryer itself.
Most companies are marketing a heat pump, but Miele only requires 110 volts instead of 220 volts, like every other dryer.
The dryer does less drying in a Miele because the washer is incredibly fast with the 1600 RPM spin speed, so it predries your clothes.
If you have hard or soft water, Miele will calculate the precise time by employing mineral sensors. These sensors grill automatically adjust drying time depending on the minerals left in the moisture from your clothes from hard, soft or well water.
The other innovative part of a Miele dryer is you can choose a number of different scents to add to the drying cycle, dubbed Fragrance Dose by Miele, with scents produced in France.
Reliability
Based on our internal service data, Miele was serviced 8.6% of the time in the first year. That’s lower than the average appliance at 9.97%, but higher than the average compact washer at 5.3%.
Again, Miele was new last year and their installation with a 110 volt dryer is unique.
I would think that Miele would be much better in 2022 and beyond.
Problems
If there is a problem with Miele in this particular washer, it would be price combined with the dryer is about $4,200 or about $1,400 more than the best Bosch 800 series pair and about 1800 more than their basic pair, without twin dose, intense wash and a number of programs.
Competition
As a comparison, Bosch has decent cycles and is incredibly reliable at 2.5% repair in the first year.
It does lack the cap dosing, automatic dispenser, RPM speed, cycles, intense wash and honeycomb drum in the Miele.
The other problem is availability for Miele, and any other brand producing compact laundry. You have a problem buying one for the foreseeable future.
Should You Buy It?
That depends. It is the best washer available on the market.
There’s good compact laundry and other brands for less money. However, if you wash silks or other fine fabrics, Miele is the only one capable of handling them correctly, along with the dispenser that over time will save you money and time.
The dryer is also the most efficient on the market. Using the best technology.
The reality is the biggest problem for this machine other than price will be finding one that’s available. If you’re looking for the best laundry, the answer is Miele, but you can also consider Bosch and other brands for far less money. If you can find them.
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