Spiffy Laundry Apparatus: Are High-End Dryers Worth the Hype? Let's Crack the Case!
When it comes to laundry, wouldn't it be a dream to have pristine clothes with no wrinkles and completely dry, ready for hanging in the closet? Well, dryers can lend a helping hand, but not all appliances perform as promised. Here's the scoop on that!
In the old days, air-drying was the road to a cheaper laundry journey, but if you're not feeling the wind and sun, or don't have the room for it, there's a variety of reliable choo-choo trains to roll your laundry through, respectively to the test!
The folks at Stiftung Warentest recently hopped aboard 11 heat pump condensing dryers, priced between 370 and 1070 euros. In the cotton closet, cotton ironing damp, and care light closet dry programs, the governors got off at six devices rated 'good' and five deemed 'satisfactory'. But hold onto your laundry baskets - quality comes at a price!
Sit tight for the top-tier titan, AEG's (model TR9T75680), which retails awesomely for a whopping 1030 euros, taking it to the podium as the second most costly dryer in the test. Look closer, and this speed demon swiftly delivers "unwrinkled laundry" with minimal energy consumption!
Hot on its heels is Miele's TWC 560 WP, almost always as close as its own shadow. But with a higher ticket price of 1070 euros, it's still the record-breaker in this heat race. The most affordable 'good' dryers can be found around the 700-euro mark.
Ah, the comfort we crave comes with a coin, as the economic dryers in the test are usually louder and less comfy than their more expensive pals. Testers grumbled about tricky-to-adjust leveling feet, finicky buttons, and timing issues.
Not every dryer in the race performed as smooth as silk at its core task: drying. Two baubles on the bargain bin couldn't produce "closet-dry" cotton with a full load. Another dabbled dampness on delicate fabrics, while yet another sucked up too much H2O in the "ironing-damp" program, making for a tough ironing time.
There are gashes in energy consumption too. Over a decade of service to a four-person family and whirring through 10,000 kilograms of dried laundry, electricity bills range from 798 euros for a 'satisfactory' low-cost device to a humble 564 euros for the second-place chop to the wind, Miele. The champion juggernaut's energy bill comes in not far behind, hovering around 566 euros. But remember, the machines would have to chug every other day to pull off these stats.
Hot tip: spin your laundry like a top before taking it for a tumble in the dryer! Makes the dryer happy and saves some energy! In a twist of fate, seven 'excellent' washing machines from last year's test by Warentest can still tickle your fancy, even with a 100-euro+ price drop in recent months! Funky dresser, Otto Hanseatic's HWT8A2GT, can be scooped up for a cool 400-euro finish!
Once upon a time, Stiftung Warentest observed heat pump condensing dryers and shared their wisdom: six to be rated 'good' and five 'satisfactory'. The proper dryer can help you greet shiny, wrinkle-free laundry with a smile on your dial, making air-drying a thing of the past!
