This Hotpoint machine had good reviews & this was the reason I bought it. So far it hasn't disappointed. It takes a variable load up to a heavy load of 9Kg. It's pretty quiet & very easy to use. It's also fully programmable to make wash cycles unique to that load (ie. use a standard program & keep the same wash time, but lower the temp, etc.) It washes the clothes well & has an easy iron function, as well as a delay setting & self clean feature. The only con I've found is that the amount of water left in the rubber seal at the end of the wash cycle. However with a bit of moving of the seal, you can get most of the water to flow out through the drain holes. Apart from that it seems to be a great machine & I'd happily recommend it.