Bosch Axxis WFL2090 Front Load Washer

We recently bought a tiny studio condo in Los Angeles. The whole thing is only 450 square feet, but oddly enough, has a closet in the sizeable bathroom for a laundry set. Because this is a repurposed 1911 bank building, though, all laundry appliances have to be ventless, so we were very limited in what we could buy. There are two all-in-one units on the market, which we didn’t want because they take about four hours to complete one washing and drying cycle, and a Bosch Axxis washer #WFL2090UC and its accompanying stand-alone dryer, Bosch #WTE86300US, which I will review separately.

That’s what we went for.


FEATURES

~  Our Bosch Axxis washer is a compact unit, designed for apartment use.

~  It's designed to stack with its matching Bosch Axxix dryer.

~  It’s a front-load machine.

~  It measures 34" tall, 23½" wide, and 22" deep.

~  It features Logixx™ Control. The user has only to select the cycle and the washer will automatically set everything else, including optimum water levels, wash temperatures, soak times, and tumble speed and duration.

~  It uses a lot less detergent than other washers; the instructions say to use about 1/4 to 1/2 of the recommended amount, depending on the detergent.

~  The SENSOTRONIC™ PLUS feature controls suds levels, unbalance avoidance, water levels needed, and optimum temperatures, based on load size and the cycle selected.

~  Cycle options include Regular and Permanent Press, each with cold, warm, and hot temperature selections; and Delicates and Hand-Washables, with warm and cold options.  The Power Wash cycle is for heavily soiled or greasy items, and Quick Wash runs through the cycle faster for smaller loads.  There is also a Rinse Plus cycle, to ensure that your towels are completely suds-free.

~  You can select the spin speed you want, depending on the delicacy of your load and how dry you want it to be when the cycle ends.

~  The Bosch Axxis washer is Energy Star rated.

~  The door opens a full 180 degrees.

~  Like most front-loaders, it uses less water and gets clothes cleaner than equivalent top-loaders.

~  Because it’s an apartment-sized machine, it has a smaller capacity - 13 lbs. - than the average full-sized top-load washer.

~  It’s designed for apartment use, so it runs on 120V.

~  It comes with a 5-year warranty on the electronics, motor, and rust, and a one-year warranty on parts and labor.

~  Depending on where you buy it, you'll pay anywhere from $800+ to $1100 for it.


FURTHER INFORMATION

http://www.us-appliance.com/wfl2060ucbos.html


WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT IT

~  Bosch is a respected name in home appliances, and so far, it has lived up to its good reputation.

~  Other reviewers have complained that it dances, but ours hasn’t so far. Of course, the fact that it has a heavy dryer on its head may have something to do with it. (We also got it with a stacking kit with pull-out tray for folding laundry, which contributes to the weight holding the washer in place.)  The dancing is probably related to the extremely fast spin options available; you can set it to 1000 rpms, which leaves your clothes nearly damp-dry but probably causes the dancing.  If you're planning to top it with the dryer, be sure your floor is reinforced to hold the weight.  And if you're not, you might want to wedge it in to hold it in place.

~  I love having all those cycle options.  I tend to use either Regular or Permanent Press for most of my laundry, and run most of it with cold water, but it's nice to have options available if I need them.  And after finding crackly suds residue in some of my towels in the past, I LOVE the extra rinse in the Rinse Plus cycle.

~  Front-loaders usually accommodate smaller loads than top-loaders, so we were a little concerned about capacity, especially in a machine with a double whammy:  front-loader and apartment-sized.  Our concerns were unfounded.  This machine has a 13-pound capacity, and easily accommodates a week’s worth of socks and underwear for two with no problem, as well as a set of sheets and pillowcases and medium-sized dark load of jeans and tees. I was also able to do a load of towels - two bath towels, two hand towels, two face cloths, and a bath mat.  Two adults don't generate massive amounts of laundry in a week, so the smallish capacity is turning out to be a non-issue.

~  I've been trying to use minimal amounts of detergent, especially after reading that it's the agitation that gets clothes clean, not the detergent.  So I was happy to read that the manufacturer recommends that you start with 1/4 of the recommended amount of detergent and work up from there if the load doesn't get clean.  Our first load was accidentally run with dishwasher detergent and got quite clean.  So I'm using between two and three tablespoons of laundry detergent per load, with good results.  (Of course, if I ever have to do a load of greasy rags, all bets are off on quantities of detergent.)

~  Although the building is wired for heavy-duty electricity, we appreciate the fact that all we had to do was plug it in to the 120V outlet.

~  We were concerned about the noise factor, since it’s in the bathroom of a very tiny apartment. But other than the usual clicks and whirs, it’s been pretty quiet.


WHAT I’LL CHANGE WHEN I BECOME QUEEN

~  Like most front-loaders, it tends to pool residual water in the door gasket; the inevitable result is nasty black mildew and mold after a while. So even though we wiped the door very carefully after the first use, we found significant wetness on it half an hour later. The culprit turned out to be the 2-part gasket around the opening; I’d wiped it dry but neglected to peel the front part back and mop up the quarter-cup of water that had collected between the two parts, hidden from view. So now we make sure we mop up all around the outside AND inside of the gasket and leave the washer door open as long as possible after use.

~  The cycle is selected by means of a knob; the four options are printed on the body of the machine. Once you select the cycle, all you do is select spin speed and press the START button. Unfortunately, though, the knob doesn’t move as the cycle progresses, so you don’t know if you’re in the wash, rinse, second rinse, or spin (well, you can tell when you’re in spin) segment of the cycle.

~  Because the knob doesn’t move through the cycle, you have to turn it back to the OFF position at the end of the cycle in order to unlock the door.

~  The one time I tried to short-cut the final part of the spin cycle by turning the knob back to OFF, the door remained locked for about five minutes. It felt like, "Achtung! You will NOT try to second-guess me! I, and only I, will determine when this cycle is finished."  I felt thoroughly chastened.


SUMMARY AND VERDICT

We thought we could get away with not having our own laundry in the condo, since there’s a fluff-&-fold a block away. Until we learned that they charge $1.50 per pound (do you have any idea how much a week’s worth of jeans and tees weighs? Neither did we.) and take 36 hours to return the load. That’s when we realized that, with no laundromat anywhere nearby, we’d have to have our own unit. We were fortunate that our new neighbors (actually, we’re the new neighbors, not they) work for a company that sells high-end appliances and could get these for us at a steep discount. So we went for it.  (The price given at the bottom of this review is the lowest I found on the 'net, not what we actually paid, thanks to our nice neighbor.)

So far, we’ve been pleased with our Bosch Axxis washer. It’s not like our full-sized units at home, of course, but the washer holds a decent amount of laundry and does a good job on it with relatively little detergent. Other than the few small design glitches mentioned above, we’re happy. Four stars.