Roc....I would personally go with Bosch. When it goes time to sell them, or get the landlord to buy them from you for the next tenant...Bosch has at least good name recognition. Even if Asko is better, and I personally do not think it is, most people have never heard of Asko....and if they have, it was maybe for a dishwasher.

Wolf/Sub-Zero service is great however. We have had our Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer serviced in our last two homes, and Wolf was great!!

Still, I would go with Bosch. More Europeans use Bosch washers and Bosch condenser dryers than use Asko!!

Having never had either I have no suggestion. I only want to say that I know you will make the best choice for you and you will have clean laundry after all its not all about the washer some parts of clean laundry are the practices involved and that you know and understand.

Good Luck Roc.

No sellng to landlord LOL. Would either sell to next tenant, take with, or at worst donate.

Blomberg's site mentions their washer plugs into the matching dryer. They also make a vented dryer, otherwise you would need to go with their heat pump model.

http://www.blombergappliances.com/products/laundry/compact-washers/24-inch-front-load-washer-wm77120.html

Roc, how long will you be there? Consider skimming Craig’s List for a used GE laundry center. With a real agitator. My mom has one, and it’s no Miele. But it is not bad. I could definitely live with it.

Beware of Blomberg unless you know there is reliable service. They're sold where I live, but no service within 75 miles. If it were me, I'd get the Bosch.

As I was looking at my options last year, the 800 series Bosch was my 2nd choice. This while looking at both Asko models, the Elux and the Miele’s. If we hadn’t bought the LiGi’s, I would have chosen the Bosch. It has a larger capacity, 240v for the heater and I knew the build quality from the Nexxt set we left when we moved. I can’t imagine the condenser dryer being that much different from their previous models. I’m with larsi, I think the reviews are based on people not understanding the condenser dryer learning curve, of which you are ahead of the game given your experience. I know you won’t be there long, but I would avoid the 300 series. I used one in a rental in Nashville last year, it has no heater. I was less than impressed with the results.

"Roc, how long will you be there? Consider skimming Craig’s List for a used GE laundry center. With a real agitator. "

Unless I was a appliance repair person, who knew how to remove/reinstall the inner/outer drum, the clean phobia of mine could not bear buying a used machine. What lurks between that cavity can be quite frightening IMO.

There are MANY things I would rather do than own a Kenmore, GE, etc. laundry center. Sounds like the Bosch pair it is!

Unless the stacked set is already in a very tight "built-in look" cabinet, you should be able to get an Euro washer and dryer set to use the one 240V outlet. If I remember right, Miele used to sell a cord that one would plug into the wall and then there were 2 outlets (still 240V but now 15A instead of 30A), one for the dryer, one for the washer. In fact, the Bosch set is basically the same thing, the cord goes to a box behind the dryer that has 2 fuses, 15A each, one for the dryer and one for the washer outlet. Not too hard to build one with materials from HomeDepot if the electrician is competent.

Now, the vents are more complicated. I dunno if, say the Electrolux set you mentioned earlier has the proper vents or the Miele for that matter. I liked my Bosch set, but it's from 1999 and both the washer and dryer (condensing, in my case) have been changed. I've heard the newer Bosch dryers do not reverse directions anymore, for example.

Sorry I'm not more helpful right now, I really need some sleep and then maybe I can research some and come up with more ideas.

Good luck!

Very helpful as always. Thanks guys.

I agree with MizLizzie. Buy a used set. It seems this is not going to be a place you will live in for years to come-so why invest in expensive machines when you plan to relocate? It would probably be worth it to let the landlord have them when you move-why pay the moving costs or go through the hassle of selling or donating for a set that you will not have paid much for and are not your ideal set? This is the accountant in me speaking.

Also worth a look is sears outlet for a floor model Bosch which should come with a warranty. Sometimes they show up for a decent price.

OK, a little more brains to spare now.

My gut feeling would be to buy the compact Electrolux set you mentioned earlier. I took a look at their installation instructions, and despite the fact that they explicitly say "do not connect the washer and dryer in the same circuit" the washer only uses 10A and the dryer only uses 15A, so it *should* work just fine in a 30A circuit, provided the electrician builds the right adaptor/sub-panel.

Here's the thing, both the box behind the Bosch dryer and the Miele "easy installation kit" which split one 30A circuit into 2 15A circuits are nothing more than a beefed-up well built power strip. Here's a link for a discussion on how to build one, with pictures of the box interior: https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/108891/how-can-i-install-a-miele-washer-and-dryer-that-use-a-240v-15a-splitter

There are many ways to build that, and in my opinion, I would use a very small sub-panel box with a 240V 30A main circuit breaker and then 2 circuits, depending on what machines you get. If you get a Miele, make those 2 circuits with a 240V 15A breaker each (those are double pole breakers). If you get a compact Electrolux set, get one 240V 15A breaker (double) and one 120V 15A breaker (single pole). Each circuit would be connected to a proper outlet.

A decent electrician should be able to get a small piece of wood or plywood to attach the sub-panel and two outlets to, and you can hang the wood panel on the wall behind or to the side of the machines. Use a dryer cord to connect the sub-panel to the actual outlet. It's best (but doesn't look the best) to hang the board in a place you can easily reset the breakers if necessary.

It seems to me that the case looks awful because it's a true case of "good, fast, cheap, pick two" -- you could get a "unitized" laundry center, which would be fast and easy to install, or you could get a new Miele set you could move with you, or you could get say, a compact Electrolux which you can decide either now or later you want to leave behind/sell or take with you. Getting better sets would involve finding a good electrician to build the "adaptor" box/panel so you don't leave holes or marks in the walls when you move out, then choose the set you want and have the electrician build the proper adaptor with the proper plugs, which seem to vary from set to set.

Me, I would feel trapped in that situation, so I do not blame you. It would depend quite a lot on how long my stay at such place was and how long I could tolerate using a cheap toploader again and/or use a nearby laundromat until the new, better set, arrived and got installed -- somehow it seems that everyone has a "laundry center" ready to deliver next Monday, but the better sets seem to take longer to get and find a good person to install.

Good luck!

Talked to a friend about your situation -- he said there's a small chance that the reason Electrolux said not to connect both the washer and dryer to a single circuit is that it is rare but possible that when both the washer and dryer are working at maximum current draw the 30A breaker would interrupt the circuit. In which case one would need to use only one of the machines at a time, if that's not too much to bother.

When I said that would in fact bother me, he said that there is no guarantee that "laundry centers" would let one use both machines at once either and the ones that do often have a less powerful dryer that would take longer to dry anyway.

I know, not the excellent news one would hope, but I figure, the more one knows or forewarned is four armed. Although a person with 4 arms would be weird... ;-)

There is one plug. it is 240v. This is a rental. No changes.

There are only 3 possibilities: "laundry center", Bosch, Asko.

I am not buying a new laundry center. It's nearly as expensive as the Bosch and then I get stuck with something I don't like/want now or in the future.

Asko has a vented dryer. Had an Asko set and cannot recommend though the retailer says they have improved now that Wolf distributes.

Decided most practical from all standpoints is Bosch 500 series with condenser dryer. Gives me a toploader with a heater. If I get stuck with the pair and cannot sell it at least I can install it anywhere I go since the dryer does not require a vent. It could be installed easily in a different closet or under a counter in a different place. Or sold on that basis to another person.

Thanks so much to aamassther for comments on Bosch 300 series. I have compared the 3 -- 300,500,800. Far as I can tell they are basically the same but with tweaks for the upcharge. The 800 is more than the Asko pair! So the 500 seems reasonable. I had a Bosch condenser dryer in the past and liked it a lot. Fingers crossed here that they haven't downgraded the quality.

Today is last day to get the discount on the pair so I'm headed out. It's a compromise but there are physical limitations I cannot change.

Thnk you have made a good choise. I recommended a similar model to a friend and they are a 4 people in that family with to teen girls and they love theirs now a year in. Mine Is about 6 or 7 dont remember and still going strong, no repairs.

Have another friend with a similar dryer and hers a few years old, workimg just fine.

Here it is hard to find out what model to get as there are over 56 models, took me more then an hour to find one with the right funktions.

Good luck with your machines and looking forward hearing about them.