– Topspinner Large Rotary Washing Line with Metal Ground Spike, Metallic Grey, 60 M, 45 mm

What's to say? This is a quality product, well made and sturdy. Okay, I know that Brabantia is more expensive than other makes but, after my last rotary washing line was snapped off at ground level by particularly strong winds, I decided to get something a bit more robust. This fits the bill. The first thing I noticed when I unpacked it (apart from rejoicing in the fact that no assembly was needed) was that the main upright pole had a larger diameter than my last one, was taller and silvery chromed (or stainless steel, maybe). It comes with a plastic strap to keep the arms flush to the central pole when storing the washing line. It also comes with a heavy duty plastic ground holder: this was ideal because I already had a concrete base to put it in. I had a slight problem there because of the Brabantia's bigger diameter pole as I had put a metal spike in the hole to hold the thinner pole of my previous washing line. Fast forward through much swearing and the deployment of a jemmy and wrecking bar to get the spike out of the hole (rewarded by a gigantic slurp at the end as it came free) and I put the plastic thingy down the hole and put my new washing line in it. The bottom of the pole is sealed with a plastic cap, so that sits in the bottom of the (now) plastic hole and means that the whole thing rotates really easily. The arms go up umbrella style and there is a reassuring bit of effort needed to get it to lock but it is worth the effort as the whole thing seems built to last and strong. The washing line is well tensioned and hopefully that means the outer ring won't sag like it did on my last one. It is quite high at the lowest setting but I was able to reach to attach washing (I'm about 5" 9'). As I intend to take the line in after use I was pleased to see a bit at the top where I could attach it to a hook in my shed to save space and stop it falling down. Oh, I should also have said that the arms also have plastic hooks on the end where you secure coat hangers or maybe those holders for 'delicates'. It's only a washing line but sometimes it's the little things in life that make your day easier and I think this is one of them. Well worth the extra investment!

Title gives a bit more excitement than it actually should do, is it a really thick poled well finished rotary washing line - yes indeed. The girth of the thing was double that of the Addis one it replaced so silly me thought i'd use the existing ground spike to simply place this bad boy in and job done, its really thick so definitely needed the supplied spiked. I proceeded to follow the instructions cutting with a spade in the lawn but even then it felt like i was going to be hammering for about a week to get this thing in the ground, got there in the end (although as you can see i didn't have a sledgehammer which would probably make the job easier? not sure). I used my leaded hammer which was actually better than my metal hammer. Use a piece of wood otherwise the top of the metal spike will get absolutely battered trying to get this thing drilled home to the centre of the earty. Its a lot taller than my previous line which is good for me as i don't get a corner in the eye everytime i walk in the garden. This should last a very long time, my previous one lasted at least 10 years before snapping and this one appears far superior, i'll obviously update should this one rot out in the next 12 months, although i might actually invest in a cover for this to keep the line a bit more protected in the winter. Worth the money when on offer £73 was my price, not sure the RRP of over £100 is worth it though although for 60m of hanging space it probably is to some people.

We bought the 40 metre version and it arrived nicely packaged and is really well constructed and finished having some decent weight to it. I had quite a bit of trouble hammering in the ground spike even though the soil was heavily watered but got there in the end using a lump of wood and club hammer! I wasn’t able to get it perfectly straight though but it’s certainly good enough. It can be easily removed if required and the ground stake has a red cap stopper to keep the elements out, although we have a cover and prefer to leave it in place with that on other than when cutting the grass. We had no issues doing that as the stake rim sits well below the grass level. In use it says it’s a ‘top spinner’ but it does not rotate easily at all, even with a line full of sheets in a very decent stiff breeze ! It seems like it would need a gale force wind for it to ‘ spin like a charm ‘ as per the description! This is because the spin top section sits against the clip that holds it all up so there is a lot of friction there to stop the “spin”. Sure enough you can spin it round if you physically turn it when pegging the washing out , otherwise it just stays put! So that is disappointing. On the plus side it is very well constructed and is much easier to put up than are old one, and the main pole has a cap on the bottom to stop water ingress via the ground stake. The cord is well made and goes through the arms via protected eyelets , much better than clips like our old one. The 40 metre version we bought offers loads of room for a full washing load including sheets, towels, shirts etc. When folded down it has a handy rubber strap that keeps it neatly together. All in all very pleased with it apart from the lack of supposed tip spin. So loses a star.

After two very disappointing experiences - one with Home Laundry product and one with Homegear rotary line (one star only here) I at last found a perfect rotary line. My old one after 20 plus years, finally died so I was in a bit of a pickle trying to find a new one, especially after two disappointments. The Brabantia topspinner is performing perfectly. Have now used it around 8 times since purchase, including hanging king size very thick cotton bedspreads which are used as throws on the sofa and chairs. Yes it is a bit high, but who wants their king size duvet cover trailing on the garden? Plenty of room for loads of washing, full king size bed linen change, full bathroom and kitchen towel wash and personal items too. It has an umbrella type of opening with three stages if the lines ever get a bit slack. Each line is individually strung allowing for tightening - it comes with a page showing how to do this. It circles freely in the wind and has a very sturdy ground spear. Love it. Only negative, for this price they should include a cover.

Very good quality but very hard to pull up, as I have arthritis

This item looked like excellent value for money when it arrived. A stainless steel tube and ample hanging line for our 3 person household. Its robust but relatively light. The line is thin as on most airers so you may need an extra peg or two. I did read a quite a few nit picking comments on here about similar lines but I have no qualms in recommending this line PROVIDED you get yourself a decent and accurate ground spike/stand. As with Robbie Sadr's review of the Brabanita soil spear I found the included plastic stand to have far too much play. Robbie quotes 54 to 55mm for the spear and this has to be similar. I dug a hole and set the stand in concrete. I used a Level to ensure a true vertical. I packed it in place with wood and concrete blocks to set perfectly upright. However when you put the Airer in its quite obvious that there's far to much play making for a less than perfect upright. Surely Brabantia are able to make both spikes and stands with a better tolerance than this. I would have given this item 5 stars without question but for the poorly fitting stand. I have ordered a soil spike for my patio. I have fitted these in the past by drilling out a cylindrical hole in the flagstone , drilling down to loosen up the the hard subsoil and hammering it home with a mallet.. Hopefully the spike I ordered will have a truer fit that the included item.PS ..now that the concrete has set its a little tighter so have upgraded to 4 stars.. This is the plastic spike so not sure you will get any tightening with the metal one. Further Update. Forgiven it for the wobble. Proving excellent and in every day use.

Very sturdy pole which fitted into an existing concreted support. Only came with a lawn spike but I used an old adjuster so it fits snugly. Plenty of hanging space and quite high, I’m 5ft 2” and can just reach. Easy to put up and down. I had to buy a cover for it. I can take it down to store away as not too heavy. I’m pleased, so far, with my purchase and it looks like it should last but time will tell.

Had it up all summer and its brilliant and sturdy, only thing I don't like about it, is that it's not very high. Good for shorter people