Deserves the time i spent writing this!
5/5
The designers and manufacturers alike should be equally proud of this product: from the designers comes an impressive balancing act, with a high-tech array of functions and a clear and intuitive user interface; from the manufacturers, a sleek and solid build of that design, which shouts quality while it whispers its way through every cycle. And with a 10kg capacity, the versatility pushes the boundaries!
So far, I've only detected one downside to the machine in action: the initial water ingress is surprisingly loud, though that may be heightened relative to all of the other sounds the machine makes which are so impressively quiet.
A note about the dispenser drainage: I love the ease which which the dispenser drawer can be removed for cleaning or drying - a vast improvement on all dispenser drawers and slides I've used before. However, note that the drawer retains much more water at the end of the cycle than other machines, so that easy removal of it is a feature you'll want to use each time if you want to avoid smells from stale water hanging around. (Leaving the drawer open after cycle doesn't help here, as there really is a lot of water in there, far too much to hope for evaporation.)
Speaking of stale vs fresh, one more thing I did like about this machine is how it must be using the perfect amount of water tailored for each load, as both small and large loads came out smelling wonderful. Clearly sufficiently rinsed, but not overrinsed so that the detergent fragrance is lost. (I don't use fabric conditioner so I depend on the laundry liquid to offer up its olfactory delights.)
If long-term performance matches these brilliant first impressions, I think that Haier will win many new loyal customers in the years ahead.
R H Lowe