I went to the Miele Gallery yesterday to take a look at the two washers; and it seems the IntelliQ series can load more laundry since the drum looks bigger than the W3033. However, I'm a bit confused: European washers are 24" in width (same as the W3033), but some are rated to be 8kg machines. I understand that the IntelliQ can hold 8kg, but the machine is larger, hence it is fitted with a larger drum. What's the logic behind the European version, that a physically smaller washer can hold just as much as a 27" machine? Do the European 8kg machines have a larger drum?

I suspect that the laundry weight capacity rating of a washer may related to how strong is the drum motor, the drum suspension and supports, etc.

The centrifugal force at the drum surface of a front loader machine can exceed 300G (or about 300 times the force of gravity or more) at full spin speed. That 8kg of laundry becomes the equivalent of 2400kg (5280 lbs) or more of distributed force trying to tear the drum apart.

During the wash cycle the centrifugal forces on the drum are obviously lower, but the the motor has to deal with frequent start and stop motions of a drum loaded with wet clothing.

If you visit the UK web sites of many laundry manufacturers you will see a variety of 24-inch wide machines with different laundry weight capacity ratings.

It seems there is some confusion. The IntelliQ W4000 series machines are 8 kilo machines. Where as the 24" width (European-size) machines come in sizes between 5 and 6 kilos (depends on models/product offerings in your country). The W3033 is a 5.5 kilo machine (smaller than the 6 kilo Professional "Little Giant".)

In comparing the 6 kilo machines versus the 8 kilo machines, the difference in capacity has to due with the fact that the 8 kilo machines have a tilted drum. The physical attributes affect the physics of it in operational terms so you can't "stuff" the machine like you can the try horizontal-axis 5-6 kilo machines. Doing so (and I have found out from experience) will either cause damage to your clothes or machine.

The users manuals states to leave about 4 inches of space from the top, so in essence that 8 kilo machine become more like a 6 even though the drum size is smaller.

To cut to the chase though, I have washed in a 5 kilo Miele 1 King size fitted sheet, 1 King size flat sheet, and 4 king sized pillow cases with great results and room to spare a towel or extra pillow cases. So to answer your question, you CAN wash your king duvet, sheet and pillow cases in the smallest of the machines.

I dried the load in two separate drying to minimize wrinkling.

I think cyberspacer gave a great explanation! I have a 24" Asko that will wash the same size loads as my prior 3.7 LG and provide better results. It has to do with how the machines wash. My LG had larger "capacity" but could only be loaded 3/4 full.

I do some pretty full loads in my large, tilted-axis Miele W4840, with no damage to fabrics or machine. I just don't see how I could fit the same loads into a 24" washer, unless it can handle loads that are really stuffed in i.e. compressed, which is a no-no according to everything I've read. Even then it's hard to imagine.

The reason why European 24 inch washers can take big loads is another one. Miele sells washers with a capacity of up to 8 kilo but LG and Samsung now offer units with 12 kilo capacity - in a 24 inch cabinet!

The answer is quite simple: wash time is extended to up to three hours. Miele washers will wash 8 kilos on a 2:59 hrs. cycle and the 12 kilo LG washer runs for even longer.

Manufacturers have to do this because the drum isn't (can't be) as big as in American washers so the machine has to spend ages trying to move items through over-stuffed drums yet, consumers are made to believe bigger is better. Another downside to the this phenomenon is that tubs now have practically no space inside the cabinet, thus washers spend ages trying to balance those big load. For example: the drum in the 12 kilo LG washer is almost as big as the drum in the Miele W48xx but the cabinet remained 24 inches wide. Result? Cancelled spin cycles due to potentially too much vibration.

Bottom line. 24 inch washers with capacity claims of more than 8 kilos are just pure marketing BS. One has to stuff the drum and then wait for hours for the cycle to complete.

Here is a link that might be useful: Inside the 12 kilo LG

I have a smaller Euro-sized Miele (W1213). I also have an Eastern King sized bed. I can easily fit a set of sheets and four pillow cases in a load with plenty of room. However, I would not add a duvet cover to the load. I would do that separately and add a couple of smaller items like the shams.

HTH

When I started thinking about going to a 24" washer I weighed my laundry for a week to get a better idea. Overstuffing the washer is a bad idea no matter what size you use. Some items are bulky but light.

I have a king size bed with 1400 thread count sheets. I can do the sheets and pillowcases in a load but that's it. It was the same with my larger capacity washer. With my Asko, it won't hold more. With my LG I could have added more but it wouldn't have washed well. Maybe the LG would have done as well as the Asko with a larger load if it had longer cycle times.

Thank you for the info, you folks have helped me a lot. I emailed Miele Canada regarding the IntelliQ Series, and they said all the 27" washers and dryers have been discontinued. I think the 24" machines could do the job, but something bigger would be more suitable. I've heard that the Korean brands are not very reliable, and I would prefer something either from Europe, or from the US. What other brands do you folks recommend?