Essential Reports

Choosing a

tumble dryer
Vented and condenser dryers you can rely on Best Buy washer-dryers
Features explained and commonly asked questions

TEST ED

1 BEST 7 BUY S
INDEPENDENT EXPERT ADVICE YOU CAN TRUST

Inside

Letter from the editor
Welcome to the Which? guide to choosing a tumble dryer. If you dont have access to a clothesline, and you dont fancy a trip to the laundrette, the chances are youll need a tumble dryer. The problem is there are several flavours. Our comprehensive guide to dryers will help you choose the right type for your needs and get the best model. Whether its giving advice on setting up your TV or choosing the right washing machine, Which? gives you all the facts you need to make the decision thats best for you. We test more products more rigorously and in greater depth than anyone else, so you can be sure that youre getting the best information available. And we cut through the techno-babble to give you clear, no-nonsense advice thats easy to understand. But the most important thing about us is that we are totally independent. Nobody pays us we take no advertising or freebies, and we buy all our products at full price, just like you. Were funded by consumers, for consumers. So we can tell it like it is and give you the straight facts good or bad. Neil Fowler Editor, Which?

Contents

03 How to buy
Deciding on the right type of dryer We take a look at the programs and options 18 dryers that passed the Which? tests

15 Washer-dryers

05 Features explained
Are these the solution if you have space for only one machine? Whats what with a washer-dryer Three top-scoring washer-dryers
16 Features explained and FAQs 17 Best Buy washer-dryers 18 How we test washer-dryers
These machines are put through the mill with piles of washing and drying
06 Which? Best Buy tumble dryers 11 How we test tumble dryers
Putting the machines through their paces
12 Tumble dryer FAQs 13 Reliability
The answers to commonly asked questions Our survey rates the popular brands Scores and prices for all the machines we tested
14 Table of all dryers tested

About Which?

Which? is a non-profit-making organisation that aims to make consumers as powerful as the organisations they deal with in their daily lives. Which? campaigns to get a fairer deal for all consumers on a wide range of issues, tests more than 2,000 products a year and publishes the results of this rigorous testing and expertise in a wide range of magazines and books, and through an online subscription service and new digital store. Which? is entirely independent we take no ads or freebies and pay full price for everything we test. As a result, Which? is the number one independent source
Independent expert advice you can trust
of buying advice in the UK, with more than one million customers. or services that achieve the highest results after rigorous testing by Which?.
WHICH? DONT Dont Buys BUY These are products

Best Buys

Which? aims to help you choose the best goods and services. The nationally WHICH? BEST recognised Which? BUY Best Buy is awarded only to products
that perform extremely poorly in one or more of our key tests, or that achieve very low test scores.
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Which type of tumble drier should you choose?
Make sure you get the right tumble dryer for your home with our expert guide

Vented vs condenser

I Vented models These take the damp air produced by drying clothes and expel it from the room usually through a flexible exhaust hose hung out of an open window or connected to a permanent vent through a wall. Pros: Theyre cheaper and generally use less energy than condenser models. Cons: Youll need to install the dryer near a window or outside wall and the exhaust hose must be kept short and straight otherwise theres a risk of fire. Installing a permanent vent means drilling through your wall. I Condenser models With this type of dryer, the moist, hot air is cooled inside the machine and the resulting water is collected in a removable water reservoir. However, with a bit of know-how, most condenser dryers can also be plumbed straight into a drain. Pros: You have more freedom over where you install the dryer it neednt be near a window or wall. Cons: Theyre more expensive. If you choose a poor model, youll still have to cope with damp air and the possibility of mildew. You need to empty the reservoir regularly if it isnt plumbed in. Cons:You can inadvertently choose drying times which are too long, and over-drying clothes makes them stiff and more difficult to iron. It can take a while to learn which times work best for different sizes of load and types of fabric. I Sensor models These detect the moisture in your washing and stop the program automatically when its dry enough. Pros: Theyre very simple to operate, and drying times tend to be shorter than those of timer models. Theres less danger of your clothes ending up overdried and stiff than with timer models. Cons: Theyre more expensive than timer models. You might be limited to a few set periods if you want to choose your own drying time.

Some condenser dryers dont collect all the water
load. They are slower and inefficient to use if you want to dry a lot of washing, and theyre not as easy to load because they have small doors. And pushing clothes inside them can make the tumble dryer move about. The same basic dryer is sold under several different brands. The Creda, Hotpoint, Indesit and Crusader compacts are all the same basic model. I Built-in Integrated, or built-in, models are hidden behind a kitchen cabinet door, but there are fewer models to choose from. Again, the same basic model is available under several brand names.

Other considerations

I Installation Vented driers need to be sited near a window or where you can create a permanent vent through the wall. Condenser dryers are more flexible; some can be plumbed straight into a drain, while others rely on you emptying the water reservoir regularly. Some condenser dryers dont collect all the water, so should be used in a wellventilated area to avoid creating mildew. I Capacity and creasing Most dryers have a maximum capacity of either 6 or 7kg of dry cotton washing. Although machines with 8, 9 or even 10kg capacities are now available, most people dont fill their washing machine to capacity, so wouldnt make best use of a 10kg dryer. Most machines leave clothes creased. Even clothes dried in the machines that have the best creasing scores would still need ironing.
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Other types of dryer

I Compacts Compact dryers are about 20% smaller than a full-sized tumble dryer, but can dry only half as much washing per full

Timer vs sensor

I Timer models With timer models, you decide the duration by turning the machines dial to a specific time or program label for example, the cupboard-dry program. Pros: Theyre the cheapest type. You select your own drying times, so you know how long it will take.
Table of all tumble dryers tested
Price () Score Price () Score Price () Score
TUMBLE DRYERS AEG-ELECTROLUX T56830 Lavatherm AEG-ELECTROLUX T57830 Lavatherm AEG-ELECTROLUX T59800 Lavatherm BAUMATIC BTD1 BEKO DRCS68W BEKO DRVS62W CANDY CV116 SMART CAPLE TDI100 CDA C1920 CDA CI520 CREDA TCR2 CREDA TCS3 CREDA TVR2 CREDA TVS3 CREDA TVU1 ELECTRA E2701W AUTOSENSE ELECTROLUX EDC 77570 INSPIRE ELECTROLUX EDE57160W Inspire ELECTROLUX EDI96150W Insight Iron Aid GORENJE D61112 GORENJE D62225 HOOVER HHD780X HYDRO HOTPOINT CTD00 AQUARIUS HOTPOINT CTD40 AQUARIUS HOTPOINT CTD80 ULTIMA
HOTPOINT CTD85 ULTIMA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------HOTPOINT V3D00 HOTPOINT V3D01P HOTPOINT VTD00 AQUARIUS HOTPOINT VTD20 AQUARIUS HOTPOINT VTD60 AQUARIUS + HOTPOINT VTD65 AQUARIUS + INDESIT G32V INDESIT IS60V INDESIT IS70C INDESIT ISL60V INDESIT ISL70C JOHN LEWIS JLDV08 KENWOOD KVT1W LG TDC70040E LG TDC70080E MAYTAG MDE5605AES ELENSIS MAYTAG MDE9601AEW 60 SERIES MAYTAG MDE9651AES 60 SERIES MAYTAG MDE9651AEW 60 SERIES MAYTAG MDE9701AEW 60 SERIES MIELE T4809CI HONEYCOMB CARE MIELE T7634 NOVOTRONIC MIELE T7644C NOVOTRONIC MIELE T7734 HONEYCOMB CARE MIELE T7744C HONEYCOMB CARE

-----------------------------------------------------
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MIELE T8322 HONEYCOMB CARE MIELE T8422C HONEYCOMB CARE MIELE T8428C HONEYCOMB CARE SIEMENS WT46E387GB TRICITY BENDIX TM220 TRICITY BENDIX TM320 WHIRLPOOL AWZ3303 WHIRLPOOL AWZ7303 WHITE KNIGHT 38AW WHITE KNIGHT 42AS WHITE KNIGHT 42AW WHITE KNIGHT 43AW WHITE KNIGHT 44AS WHITE KNIGHT 44AW WHITE KNIGHT 76AS WHITE KNIGHT 76AW WHITE KNIGHT 84AS WHITE KNIGHT 84AW ZANUSSI-ELECTROLUX TC180W ZANUSSI-ELECTROLUX ZDC46130
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--ZANUSSI-ELECTROLUX ZDC67550W --ZANUSSI-ELECTROLUX ZDE26100W --ZANUSSI-ELECTROLUX ZDE57140W ---

Energy efficiency

Save pounds with our tips on energy-efficient drying. I What do energy ratings on tumble dryers tell you? Energy-class labels on tumble dryers are meant to help you choose a more energy-efficient model. The classes range from A (the highest rating) to G (the lowest). Generally speaking, tumble dryers use a lot of energy, so most models are C-rated. However, weve found that the labels dont always correspond with how much electricity a machine uses to dry a load. Also, the energy class of a tumble dryer depends on which program the manufacturer selects for the test. So, for example, the White Knight CL 847 is A-rated but only because White Knight elected to test it on a special lowenergy program, which can take up to seven hours to dry a load. We aim to make our own
energy-consumption ratings more realistic. We use four different programs, which reveals wider differences between models than the energy labels do. You can find our ratings in the product summaries. I Energy-efficient drying Even though most tumble dryers have a C-class rating, the energy they use varies by around a third. And, with a million tumble dryers sold in the UK every year, that adds up; a washing line is far more energy-efficient. If you bought one of ourA-rated Which? Best Buy tumble dryers for example the AEGElectrolux T59800 Lavatherm (se p8) you would save nearly 31 a year compared with a G-rated product. However, even if you dont opt for an A-rated dryer there are a few things you can do to use less energy. Try to fit the maximum load in your tumble dryer every time. Use a high spin speed on your washing

machine to get your washing as dry as you can. Clean the lint filter every time you use the machine. A blocked filter prevents the hot air from circulating freely, so clothes take longer to dry. Make sure the room the dryer is in is well ventilated. This stops the tumble dryer from overheating. If it overheats, it takes longer to finish drying a load. With sensor models, dry clothes for ironing together with other clothes. Start the load with an iron-dry setting, remove the clothes for ironing, and then put the rest on a cupboard-dry program. I Are there any energy-saving dryers? Tumble dryers use a relatively large amount of energy. White Knight introduced the firstArated dryer to the UK in 2003, now called the 84AW. AEG-Electrolux followed in 2005 with the T59800 and John Lewis in 2006 with the JLTDC01.
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Washer-dryers

Space-saving compromise
Is a washer-dryer the all-singing, all-dancing solution for a small kitchen? Read on
If youre pushed for space, you may be tempted by a washer-dryer rather than a separate washing machine and tumbledryer. Sometimes this may be cheaper, too: for example, our John Lewis Best Buy is 58 less than its cheapest ownbrand washing machine and tumbledryer. You also have a greater choice of models these days, and larger drum sizes are now available. Despite this, a dual-purpose machine will mean compromises. Some wash clothes well, but for drying theyre usually slower, less efficient and take a smaller load than a decent tumble-dryer. This may not matter to you only just over one in four people in our survey regularly uses their machine for drying. Our Best Buys (p17) have lots of useful features. The AEG-Electrolux and John Lewis machines cost 500 less than the Miele and score only slightly less. The Tricity Bendix WDR1241 (p18) is worth considering as a budget buy, even though its not a Best Buy. Bosch and Zanussi-Electrolux were updating their range as we tested, so their models dont feature here.

HOW TO BUY

What you should look for
WASHING PROGRAMS Programs at different temperatures for cottons, man-made fibres and delicates are standard for washer-dryers. Some machines have options such as soak, stain removal, extra rinse, rapid, intensive and half load

DELAYED START Some models let you program them to start washing between one and 24 hours later. This means you can do the washing overnight to take advantage of cheap electricity. If you use delayed start at night, fit a smoke alarm nearby

Questions to consider

I WHAT TYPE? Like washing machines, freestanding washerdryers are easy to fit under a worktop. Built-in (integrated) models hide behind a kitchen cabinet door, but there are fewer models to choose from. I FINDING THE MODEL Retailers such as John Lewis and Currys will order a model for you. Independent electrical stores can bend over backwards to track down any model, and many manufacturers keep lists of dealers. Online stores can offer big savings, but check delivery charges and customer reviews before buying. I DELIVERY AND DISPOSAL Delivery usually costs between 15 na 20. Under the WEEE directive (see p4) householders are not banned from disposing of WEEE in their bin, but doing so can be harmful to the environment. I INSTALLATION Some retailers include this as part of delivery. Independent shops often offer this as an incentive. Place machines on an even surface to prevent noise and vibration. Use the adjustable feet to ensure the machine is level.
VARIABLE SPIN SPEEDS These help protect woollens and other delicate items. Its useful if the default spin speed for your machine is higher than 1,000 revolutions per minute (rpm). This is usually indicated by having the numbers 12, 13, 14 or 16 in the products model name (12 representing 1,200rpm, for example)
DRYING Machines usually dry about half as much as they can wash, so you need to remove half the load for drying. Clothes are easier to iron when they contain about 12 per cent moisture. This isnt something that you can assess yourself, so automatic programs and suggested iron-dry times can be useful. All our Best Buys have iron-dry programs
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