Tumble Dryers

[DanceswithUnix]

A lesson I learned (the hard way, and in several instalments) over the years, is buy right, buy once. Cheap out, and you buy over and again. Of course, by the time I learned that, I was old enough to be able to afford to buy right. That usually isn't a young person's option.

The cheap items are often not as nice an experience either. Terry Pratchett summed it up in the Captain Sam Vimes “Boots” Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness:

The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.
Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.
But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that’d still be keeping his feet dry in ten years’ time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.

But to some degree I think I was a victim here of branding where I was too lazy to do proper research. We have a Bosch washing machine, and it has given flawless service doing on average something like 2 to 3 washes per day for more years than I can remember. I think it is on it's third set of motor carbon brushes, it has taken a lot of punishment. The Bosch tumble dryer was not cheap, and certainly more expensive than the latest top of the range Indesit at the time. Expensive can be bad too, and clearly not all German engineering teams are competent.

[Saracen999]

The cheap items are often not as nice an experience either. Terry Pratchett summed it up in the Captain Sam Vimes “Boots” Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness:



But to some degree I think I was a victim here of branding where I was too lazy to do proper research. We have a Bosch washing machine, and it has given flawless service doing on average something like 2 to 3 washes per day for more years than I can remember. I think it is on it's third set of motor carbon brushes, it has taken a lot of punishment. The Bosch tumble dryer was not cheap, and certainly more expensive than the latest top of the range Indesit at the time. Expensive can be bad too, and clearly not all German engineering teams are competent.

Oh, branding error? So, so easy to do.

There certainly was a time where the name Bosch (and AEG) meant something. Now, at least for Bosch, .... not so sure. I remember hunting for a dish-washing machine in, I think, 1987 or '88, and the shop (an excellent local owner-managed place now sadly defunct) where I inspected, in considerable detail, a Hotpoint and a Bosch. Other than the name plate, and a little bit of trim, they were as far as I could tell. This was right down to location and types of screw, and moulding marks on plastic bits.

So I asked the guy in the shop the difference.

He said "Price." He went on to explain that the Bosch machines were made for them by Hotpoint. True or not? Dunno. But it's what he told me.

It's a bit like Skoda and VW.

My conclusion is that branding is a freaking minefield.

I would also note it can be a minefield for some manufacturers, when they decide to trade on the (good) reputation for quality, and produce down to a price point or different market. Case in point, in power tools, De Walt. They used to have a rep for solidly-built workaday tools for professionals. Not really High end, but durable for heavy use. But friends (that got caught out) tell me they then started trading on that name by releasing "consumer grade" tools, at a consumer-friendly price, and not making the differentiation clear.

The result? Consumers thought they were getting a pro tool at a good price, and pro's thought they were still getting heavy-duty kit but at a bargain. Both ended up disappointed and several 'pro' friends told me they'll never trust De Walt again, even though pro-grade (and priced) stuff is probably just as good as it ever was. All De Walt achieved, as far as I can tell, is damaging their branding.

Like I said .... Minefield, etc.

[DanceswithUnix]

He said "Price." He went on to explain that the Bosch machines were made for them by Hotpoint.

I'm surprised but not stunned. Indesit/Hotpoint/Whirlpool are certainly all the same, but in my case I now wish this thing had been outsourced to Hotpoint as it would have worked better Sadly the construction is very different, which on the plus side probably means it will last forever, but lasting forever whilst never actually drying clothes isn't good

I was once told that almost all fridges in Europe come from the same factory in Italy, regardless of brand.

[spacein_vader]

I've gone the other way with ours, although I do have the luxury of somewhere to mount a vent. Given we only use it a couple of hours a week at most I went looking for the most simple model I could manage. Its a White Knight something or other with no condenser or hear pump or even moisture sensor. The breakable parts essentially consist of:

1. The drum motor & bearing.
2. A heating element.
3. A fan.
4. A timer switch.

All bar the first one would be a simple and cheap 10 minute DIY repair. It's not the most efficient or the smartest but it dries well and has lasted years without issue so far.

[Spreadie]

Vented dryers were often more efficient than condenser models while being cheaper. There is practically nothing to them. The only thing to watch for is when people hang the hose out of a window and partially close the window to pinch the hose in place - it restricts the vent and causes the fluff to build up in the machine. Every time I saw that I knew the machine would be furred up before I opened my toolbag.

BTW, it's been a few years but heat pump dryers actually wore out your clothes a lot quicker, because the drying cycle was two to four times longer than that of a vent or condenser model.

Maybe they've improved, but I doubt id buy one - they take too long.

[Lost4words]

I heard the combined washer dryers are not so good..

[Unique]

I heard the combined washer dryers are not so good..

i've had no problems with mine. stick stuff in and when it's finished i can take stuff out and wear it straight out the machine. crumpled of course, but clean and dry. sheets, towels, underwear etc don't matter if they are crumpled or not, and if you WFH it doesn't matter to much about the rest

[spacein_vader]

i've had no problems with mine. stick stuff in and when it's finished i can take stuff out and wear it straight out the machine. crumpled of course, but clean and dry. sheets, towels, underwear etc don't matter if they are crumpled or not, and if you WFH it doesn't matter to much about the rest

They work, but they take longer and they're not as good, particularly at drying as separate machines. Mrs Vader had only ever had washer dryers until I convinced her that now we had the room we should get separate machines. She was amazed at the improvement.

If they were just as good they wouldn't still sell separate machines in the volumes they do.

[Unique]

They work, but they take longer and they're not as good, particularly at drying as separate machines. Mrs Vader had only ever had washer dryers until I convinced her that now we had the room we should get separate machines. She was amazed at the improvement.

If they were just as good they wouldn't still sell separate machines in the volumes they do.

i don't have space to have seperates so my option is washer only or washer dryer. as for time, i stick it in at night usually and it's ready in the morning. or stick in early in the morning and it's ready later. with 2 machines i'd have to do a wash, then take it out, and then move into the other machine, which isn't that convenient either over night nor if you put it in the machine in the morning and go out

certainly when the stuff comes out it's clean and dry, which is the point of what they do, so not being as good as seperate machines when it does the job it's supposed to do, and with less hassle, and in reality less time involved in practice

there's many reasons seperate machines are sold, you can do washing and drying at the same time, so if you have a lot of washing you can split tasks, and as combined machines are typically more expensive, and if someone already has a working washer, they can just buy the dryer. and having seperates means if one breaks you still have the other, so if the dryer breaks you can still wash

for those will less space or who would prefer to have one machine instead of two for various reasons, such as being able to use the space for something else, or not having to swap stuff between machines, which i find fantastic, then they have the option of the combi. even if i had the space i'd prefer the combi so i don't need to swap stuff between machines. it's cheaper than a wife

[pp05]

What are the more value-oriented ones (i.e. cheaper ) like between the two types, e.g. reliability? What are your recent experiences with tumble drier shopping?

No affiliate links, please

Go condenser, get the capacity of your washing machine and do check locally for used dryers. Rinse and repeat depending on your experience.

[DDY]

Interesting stuff, thanks everyone.

I'll think it over while I'm waiting for my move day and will report back with what I end up with!

[DanceswithUnix]

From the few vented dryers I have had, I would say try and get a nice big drum that reverses direction occasionally. Makes for fewer tangles and no ironing needed on most clothes.

[Kanoe]

Last dryer was a Beko and was really good. Lasted 8 years and then packed up just before lockdown. Was going to get another but Currys stopped doing installs after I had ordered it and had to cancel the order and then the dryer went OOS and never came back.

Couple of weeks ago went for a Sharp and it seems to be doing a good job, quicker then the last one and this is a heat pump. Dryer

[Pouchey2]

I heard the combined washer dryers are not so good..

I'd agree with that. We had one when we moved into a rented flat (it broke shortly afterwards). It seemed to be a case of having both functions but neither function being 'great'. I guess that's the price you pay for having a two in one.

[Techfan1991]

I prefer a heat pump tumble dryer because it better protects the clothes. One disadvantage of heat pump might be that it takes longer for the clothes to get dry but you can save energy with it.
Brands I can recommend are Miele or Siemens.

[DDY]

Update!

Thanks for all the comments.

I ended up getting a heat pump dryer, specifically the Beko DTLP81151, 8kg.

Bagged it for £300 in one of those 20% off selected sellers on Ebay things which seemingly happens every other week.

A few weeks in and I can say I'm totally happy with it, it's as effective as the Beko condenser in my last place.

Does the auto reverse thing, reasonably quiet, moisture sensor isn't usually far off, has a glass door so I can see when the big sheets need manual un-balling, dead easy to use.

Will be report back if I have any other comments, e.g. it packs-up, so until then, assume it's working fine!