Not sure what the specialist meant, since all Miele washers are very precise with temperatures. Granted, the W1 factory settings is to show written descriptions of temps, but that can be changed. My 860 has a range from cold to 170F, and I set it to display actual degrees and rpms for spin.

The 020 dryer removes hair beautifully, a lot better than our previous compact GE. We also noticed a $20 reduction in our electricity bill. Not sure of it's just the dryer or if the washer is more economical than my retired Bosch Nexxt.

I'd go with Miele. Very few washers in North America, even with heaters, maintain precise temps. When I select 105, I know it will be 105. Most machines would only engage heaters on certain cycles and/or to boost for sani temp.

The only issue, which you may not have, is this recent fault after using prewash, which you can check out in its dedicated thread. I don't mind it that much, especially considering it washes beautifully with main wash only.

Thank you for that information.

With the Miele, is there a way to tell it to wash with lots of water?

I understand that Miele offers 3 or 4 models of washer and dryer in North America. Do you know offhand what the main differences are between the different models?

That's sad. They should know one of the most important features.

I'm not sure about water levels per se, but I activated water plus, which fills for rinses up to 1/4th of the door.

I actually don't think one needs high wash levels, at least with the 860. It saturates the load superbly fast, with a slow spin and recirculation on. I honestly think it's one of the most effective ways to wash - with very concentrated wash solution, yet fully drenched load fast, one's laundry gets more agitation rather than being cushioned by extra water.

FYI, for your Miele-specific questions (such as the differences between the models of washers and dryers) , while waiting for responses here you also might find it helpful to try posting your Miele questions in the very long, ongoing thread "miele-w1-t1-washer-dreyr" https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5434365/miele-w1-t1-washer-dreyr#n=808

Also, seems to me that there has been recent discussion of topics like yours at the AutomaticWasher. site. It is an international site for enthusiasts, servicers, washaholics and laundro-philes. If you haven't checked it out, it might be worth your while. The forum you would want, if you haven't already found it, would be https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-INDEX_DISPLAY.cgi?DLX

If you really want good machines, look at these:

https://www.miele.ca/en/professional/washer-dryer-stack-880.htm?mat=10411990&name=PWT_6089_Vario_[EL_LP_2_AC_240V_60_Hz]

I have these but not stacked. These come as 2 units and get put together on site. I know you can buy them for privat use as a friend of mine did, but the non stacked.

I live in Sweden and have had mine for 2,5 years now and love them. They are expensive but you get what you pay for.

The Miele little giant washer would meet your goals for temperature and water level adjustability. In Canada you have to buy the little giants through Miele professional. The washer costs just over $5000 though... The Miele W1s other than the basic model allow you to display the temperature in Celsius. The maximum temperature of all of the W1s is 70 Celsius which is better than most washers in Canada. Unfortunately the W1s don’t allow you to increase the wash water level, only the rinse water level.

Let's be honest, majority of households would not benefit that greatly from a LiGi, unless they have special circumstances - pet rescue, 15 kids, allergies that mean daily linen changes in 4 bedrooms, etc.

I think it's unreasonable to suggest machines that will cost $10k for a pair, while a W1 and T1 pair will do just fine. Especially considering how much energy and time a heat pump dryer will save compared to a condenser or vented.

A hot water heater is generally set to provide hot water around 125 to 130 degrees. Water at a temperature of 155 degrees can cause a 2nd-to-3rd degree burn in 1 second.* Water boils at 212 degrees. Why would one need to (nearly) boil ones clothes at 200 degrees to get them clean? Modern washers and detergents certainly don't require this. People used to boil their clothes in a tub filled with water over a wood fire. Why are you trying to do this in 2021?

*http://waterheatertimer.org/Water-heater-temperature-for-killing-bacteria.html

First of all, thanks to Linus for his suggestion and link. It is quite expensive but given our experience that a normal Miele lasts us 10 years, these might last us the rest of our lifetime (I am 60) so averaged over this time it looks affordable. I try not to think that a good Miele in Europe costs less than $1000 and has all the features that we would want.

I take the points of Art and wdccruise and thank you for them. You may well be right. However, we know that washing whites at very high temperatures and with lots of water does get them truly clean. We have tried with less water and lower temperatures and it does not, at least for us. At ages 60 and 71, it is a bit of teaching new tricks to old dogs. So I am seriously considering the little giants.

I also note that in North America, it appears that a lot of bleach is used to remove stains. We have tried this as well, with only limited success. I worry that it is slowly killing off my septic field. Also, as other threads on Houzz explained, bleach does not remove stains but just denatures them and makes them invisible. Washing at near boiling with lots of soap does actually remove them.

Reference the point of wdcruise, I wonder if it would make sense to combine a little giant washer with a T1 dryer?

If you insist on a boil wash, the LiGi would be the way to go. And I agree, high temp wash with some percarbonate works wonders, and is a lot gentler than bleach. I actually don't use chlorine at all, and am quite happy with the W1's 170F.

The idea of a T1 and a LiGi washer is brilliant, as long as you are okay with a mismatched pair. Heat pump dryers, at least mine, are superb to condensers and vented. Super fast too, my full load of tshirts takes about 30 minutes. Full load of towels, around 60.

Wdccruise, properly hot water activates percarbonate bleaching. A lot of people don't realize how white can one's whites get unless they try a nicely hot cycle.

Modern detergents work very well, but they're not perfect.

Another point of Miele is the assurance of the temps reached. Many enzymes work best around 100F and up. Many washers don't utilize their heaters in cool and warm cycles, and may not be reaching the peak of enzyme activity.

Purchase the 860 model washer. It will do most of what you want. The sanitize cycle at 170F works great. The oxygen based bleach in the TwinDos system works well and has no chlorine bleach. The little giant is sort of overkill. We wash laundry for 13 people now in our house with one W1 washer.

We are big enough to justify the little giant. For the same money as the little giant we could have three W1 washers. The little giant is really for a business where the longevity of the machine and the extra cycles come into play.

if you have extra money (we can’t take it with us when we die) and the little giant is something that will make your day a little more pleasant, then by all means splurge. If you just need a good washer with a Euro pedigree and wash cycles then the W1 will more than suffice.

I'd also argue that the power wash system in W1 is not only fast, it also washes better. Not sure if the new touchscreen LiGi include it, but it definitely works very well. I find using the quick intense wash very often, it's a 105 or 140F cycle in about 50 minutes, with two deep, recirculating rinses. It actually works excellent with pillows. The machine has a dedicated pillows cycle, but it doesn't spin between rinses. Considering Ikea pillows are rather difficult to saturate, it doesn't rise well enough compared to the

I completely agree that a T1 dryer is more than adequate and much less money than a little giant washer. The new little giant dryers are also heat pump but close to $5k as well which is unnecessary. I had a thought that might be worth looking into. The Miele professional website in Canada still lists the older LiGi models PW6068. When I was getting quotes in late fall of 2020 they were selling these at a big discount for about $2700 - still a lot of money but less than a top level W1 in Canada. I would reach out to them to inquire if you can still get a PW6068 because it would meet all of your washer requests for a more reasonable price. https://www.miele.ca/en/professional/product-selection-commercial-washing-machines-451.htm#30

K,

Thank you, that is a great idea. Trying to contact Miele sales today but getting no answer. Maybe everyone gone home early. I looked at the local dealer, who merely notes that this model is continued, so quite possibly too much time has passed and they are sold out, especially at this great price. Still, costs nothing to ask. Also need to check if I can stack the T1 on it in any case.

You could, and don't let them tell you no. You probably won't use the "proper" W1-T1 stacking kit, but Miele offers a universal one that will work.

https://www.mieleusa.com/e/washer-dryer-stacking-kit-wtv500-wash-dryerstack-kt-9612041-p

I inquired to Miele professional in Canada for you and they still have a few of the PW6068 little giant washers at 45% off which was about $2700 in the fall when I got a quote. The lady said someone else inquired as well in the past couple of days so maybe that was the original poster. :)

Ended up purchasing a Little Giant washer (got a good discount on it) and a T1 dryer. Thanks to everyone for their advice and help.