Verdict
With its large 12kg drum, the Hisense WF5I1245BBR can take a lot of washing. If you can max out its drum, you can cut down on the number of loads you need per year, reducing running costs; run with smaller loads, and this machine is less competitive than one with a smaller drum. Stain removal is exceptional, with brilliant cleaning at all temperatures from 20°C to 60°C in my test. With a low price, auto dispensing detergent and smart app compatibility, this washing machine is great value for those who need its large capacity.
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Huge 12kg drum capacity
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Excellent stain removal performance
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Auto-dosing and smart app
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Inefficient with small loads
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Some cycles are long
Key Features
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Review Price:
£649
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Capacity
The 12kg drum lets you tackle big family loads and bulky items like king-size duvets in one go.
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Auto-dosing
Built-in detergent tanks automatically dispense the right amount for each wash, helping avoid waste and boosting cleaning performance.
Introduction
Do you get through a lot of washing each week? If you do, or if you regularly need to wash larger items, the Hisense WF5I1245BBR could be the machine for you thanks to its 12kg capacity.
Although big on the outside, the KitchenFit design means that this washing machine is designed to sit flush with countertops, so you get the benefits of a large drum without having something that sticks out into the kitchen.
Design and features
- Huge 12kg capacity
- Works with ConnectLife app
- Smart colour interface
Sleek and nice to look at, the Hisense WF5I1245BBR has a huge 12kg capacity, making it of interest to anyone who puts on a lot of washing each week, or for anyone who wants to clean bigger items, such as king-sized duvets.
Despite that large capacity, the Hisense WF5I1245BBR is still classed as a KitchenFit model, which means it’s designed to sit flush with kitchen counters and not protrude. This does partly depend on the layout of your kitchen.
With a depth of 595mm, the Hisense WF5I1245BBR is 45mm deeper than the 10.5kg Hisense WF5I1045BWQ, and a full 125mm deeper than the super slimline Hisense WF5I9043BWFS. Still, if you want a large capacity without exceeding the depth of a regular counter, the Hisense WF5I1245BBR could make a lot of sense.
Open the door, and the drum has a lot of room in it. I filled the drum with my regular 5kg load of washing, which consists of multiple sheets, towels, and a mix of clothes, and there was still plenty of room to fit more things in. I could easily put in duvets or even double up on a load here.
That’s important, as larger machines work best when they’re filled more; if you have a smaller household and don’t do much washing, then a smaller 9kg or 10kg machine might make more sense.
It’s nice to see a light in the drum, which is particularly useful when emptying the machine, as it makes it easier to spot a stray sock.
There’s the same interface on the Hisense WF5I1245BBR as with other recent Hisense washing machines, and it’s mostly very good. Wash cycles are selected using the dial on the front, with the colour LCD showing details of the selected programme, including the weight limit, estimated running time, and default temperature and spin speed.
There are touch buttons to override temperature, spin speed, and the number of rinses, plus additional buttons available only on some cycles: steam and an option to speed up a wash cycle if you need your clothes faster.
Additional options are available in a sub-menu, including selecting a specific type of stain to tackle, such as wine or grass.
This is a self-dosing washing machine, with two compartments: one for liquid detergent, and one that can be for softener or additional detergent. Plus, there’s space to manually add a different type of detergent, such as powder, non-bio, or a handwash solution.
Dosing can be controlled via the touch panel, and you can turn off auto dispensing for either tank using the buttons on the machine.
ConnectLife is supported, with the washing machine connecting to your Wi-Fi network. I find the app useful for checking what each cycle does, adjusting the auto-dosage amounts, and getting notifications when a wash has finished.
This machine does show the live time remaining on its display, although I did find that wash cycles, without the speed-up options, are all relatively long.
Performance
- Low running costs on the Eco cycle
- Excellent stain removal across wash cycles
I ran the Hisense WF5I1245BBR through my usual tests, starting with the Eco 40-60 wash. I found that this cycle would cost about 22p to run with my 5kg load, which is very competitive. A typical 9kg machine might be a bit cheaper to run (requiring less water and power), but that’s why big machines like this should be run with larger loads. By putting more washing in, you can reduce the number of loads you need to do, saving money overall.
Comparing the Hisense WF5I1245BBR to another 12kg washing machine, the LG WT1210BBTN1 WashTower makes more sense. The LG costs 26p for the same Eco 40-60 wash cycle. Spin performance was very good in the Hisense WF5I1245BBR, with my washing coming out 38.49% heavier (anything 40% or lower is good).
Cleaning performance was good. I use stain strips, which have the following stains (left to right): red wine, cooking oil, ketchup, orange juice and gravy.
There was a bit of twisting to the stain strip, so some ketchup particles remained, but the other stains were completely gone, bar a faint outline of red wine.
I then tried the standard Cotton 30°C wash, which worked out to be quite expensive, coming in at 46p for the cycle, with quite high water use. Spin performance was good, with my clothes gaining 40.16% in weight.
Cleaning was exceptional: every stain was completely gone, bar a reduced red wine stain. That’s excellent, and I rarely see anything this good.
Running the same test at 20°C, I found that the cost was 41p, due to high water usage (similar to the LG WashTower). Spin performance was just over my 40% target with my clothes gaining 40.49% in weight.
Wash performance was exceptional: all the main stains were gone, and the red wine stain was greatly reduced. That’s exceptional.
I then ran a wash at 60°C, with the rinse increased and steam turned on, to see what this machine can really do. This pushed running costs to 89p for the cycle, and my clothes came out 41.77% heavier.
Cleaning performance was excellent, with the main stains gone and the red wine stain reduced but still visible. This was slightly better than the 30°C or 20°C washes, but there’s not much in it.
If you’re not sure which cycle to use, the Auto option can be good, automatically adjusting settings based on soiling levels. This cycle cost 45p to run, although my clothes were a little wet at the end, gaining 55.69% in weight. I ran an extra spin cycle to get a bit more water out.
Cleaning, again, was excellent: the main stains were gone and the red wine stain was extremely faded. That shows promise and can make life easier if you’re struggling to work out how to best wash something.
Overall, cleaning performance was excellent. The large drum gives more space for clothes to tumble and move, and while water use is relatively high, soaking works wonders on stains.
I finished by trying the 59-minute wash, which cost 34p to run and left my clothes 41.02% heavier. It’s a useful cycle if you need to clean lightly soiled items fast.
Should you buy it?
You want excellent cleaning and support for large loads
If you have a lot of washing to get through, this machine can cope and its stain removal is exceptional.
If you have a smaller household with smaller loads, a 9kg or 10kg washing machine may suit you better.
Final Thoughts
The Hisense WF5I1245BBR is great value for a washing machine with such a large drum, and it’s unusual to see such a high capacity. Indeed, I’ve only ever reviewed one other machine that has a 12kg load limit.
This kind of washing machine makes sense if you’re going to wash a lot of clothes in one load or you need to clean bigger items. If you can max out the drum each time, you’ll find this machine very efficient, as you can reduce the total number of loads that you do.
Wash performance is also excellent, and I’ve seen some of the best stain removal results here that I’ve seen on any machine.
However, if you regularly wash smaller loads, then a traditional 9kg machine may work out better for you. You can see options in my guide to the best washing machines.
How We Test
We test every washing machine we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
- We test compatibility with the main smart systems (HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings, IFTTT and more) to see how easy each machine is to remote control. Smart washing machines only.
- We test each machine with the same stains to see which ones are best at cleaning.
- We measure water and power use for each cycle to see how efficient each machine is.
FAQs
Yes, there’s a manual detergent slot that you can use as an alternative to the auto dispenser.
Yes, it’s compatible with the SmartLife app.
Test Data
Full Specs
| Hisense WF5I1245BBR Review |
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Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
