How we tested
Our tester Anna put the washing machine to the test in her 3-bedroom home in East Sussex over the course of a month. Taking detailed notes on user-friendliness, efficiency, effectiveness and noise levels, she cross-compared it with her previous washing machine and thoroughly tested each feature against a number of everyday laundry tasks.
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Our verdict
With Jet Wash technology for powerful cleaning, and a brushless motor for quiet operation, this washing machine delivers impressive results - especially for a machine under £400.
Anna loved the super speedy 15-minute quick wash cycle, which cleans her clothes well enough to make it her go-to programme. For a more intensive clean on dirtier items, the Eco 40-60 is a thorough and energy-efficient option, though it does take quite a long time. She also loves the Auto cycle, which weighs your washing and adjusts settings accordingly, completing a wash in around an hour.
Using an eco-friendly Laundry Egg instead of conventional laundry detergent, Anna was pleased with how quickly the Hisense 3 Series WF3S8043BW got a small load of washing clean and ready to hang on her retractable washing line.
With an 8kg drum, it's well suited to a medium-sized household, and Anna found the ability to pop all her bedding in at once to be a godsend - especially as she was used to a smaller drum in her previous machine.
Besides the impressive cleaning in lightning quick time, the thing Mumsnetters love most about this machine is how quiet it is. At just 72dB at the loudest part of its spin cycle, for the majority of the time it's on, the machine is remarkably quiet.
The washing machine has app connectivity, so you can perform basic tasks like scheduling a wash remotely. It's also self-diagnosing, so if there's ever something wrong with your washing machine, it'll be able to tell you exactly what the issue is.
The washing machine does have a number of downsides - there's no handwash or delicates cycle, though there is a wool cycle that'll do the job for all but the most delicate items. As previously mentioned, some of the cycles take a little longer than Anna would have liked, but it's reassuring to have the quick wash cycle available when you're in a hurry. At less than £400, it's clear there would need to be trade-offs, and we think Hisense have concentrated on what's important to families - noise levels, cleaning quality and user-friendliness - while dispensing with some of the nice-to-haves like extra wash cycles.
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