Hitachi washing machines have long had a reputation for being some of the best and most long lasting of electronic machines. Today, it is rare to find a machine that will last beyond five years, where as with an old Hitachi, you could get at least double that out of your machine. That was then though, Hitachi has steadily withdrawn from the washing machine market in recent years so you will struggle to find one to purchase. You may need even to import from China, Thailand or India if you are looking for a Hitachi Washer. That being said, amongst all the washing electronics, most Hitachi washing machines can be repaired fairly easily – as long as you can get the genuine parts.

Short History of Hitachi

Hitachi has come a long way from its origins a hundred years ago as an electrical repair shop. Today, the company is one of the world’s largest multinational corporations, with businesses ranging from IT, finance, power and electronics. Consumer products, like washing machines are only a small part of the business making up about 13% of the company in total. Hitachi has sought to focus on other areas of its business and has been pulling out of domestic consumer appliance markets in recent years.

Common Features

If you look around, even though Hitachi are still manufacturing washing machines as pat of their product ranges, you will find that they are all being made for the Asian market, rarely for the US or Europe market nowadays. Most of Hitachi new washing machines are all top loaders and come with large capacities, up to 16kg. The large capacity nature of the machines is the biggest selling point of Hitachi machines. Most of them also have a feature called a Beat Lifter. This is a feature within the machine that raises the clothes allowing them to be washed like they were being hand washed.

Performance/Ratings

Hitachi washing machines are not generally known for their efficiency ratings, and are often not quoted in the markets they are on sale in. The most reputable thing about Hitachi is again the fact that their machines though is that they have a large capacity. The larger the capacity, the more washing can be done in a single wash, cutting down on the use of electricity and water to a certain extent. For most homes though, there are definitely better options when it comes to efficient machines.

Popular Hitachi Models

Looking to the Asian markets, there are a dozen or so Hitachi washers and dryers on general sale. Major differences between the machines comes in their load capacity. One of the most popular of washing machines is the Hitachi SF-160 which has the largest capacity at 16kg, and can take up to 80 shirts in one wash. As a relative rarity for a top loader, the Hitachi SF-160 comes with a transparent lid, to watch the washing during the whole process. There is also a detergent maximizer built in which the company states can make clothes seem fresh long after they have been washed. Hitachi washing machines are good machines, just rare in most domestic markets.

Back from Hitachi Washing Machine to Washing Machine Reviews