Which tumble drier...?

[Lobster]

Ours has conked out again and we've decided this time it needs replacing (preferably before the laundry bin is full again!)

Can anyone point me at a decent, unbiased "Which?"-type site where I can read reviews to help me decide which model to go for? All those I've found through google so far seem very much dealer-led.

Right now we haven't even decided between condensing and vented - from reading around this it's not clear to me which, if any, is the more economical to run? Given that I already have a ventilation hole through the wall, is there any justification for a condensing model?

Then maybe I should be thinking about a gas one - how much cheaper are the running costs (given that presumably they need CORGI'ing every year for safety?

Thanks David

(who probably has about 48 hours to hum and ha over this before he's told to get his arse out to Comet and not to come back without a new drier...)

[Tracymidd]

Hi mine was a white knight which was 8 yr old, conked out but I wanted a silver one this time and opted for a Zanussi condenser ( considering for the last so many years i have been hanging hose out of windows lol, I thought this best option for me) Since then The heat that comes from it when its on is wuite a lot, no steam though and the water holder takes approx 600 mins to fill up. So far so good its 3 mth old, My Zanussi washer is now on its back legs, so will have to replace that soon, i have had it since 1994. Tracym

[Mad Ad]

The condensing drier in the washer/drier I had last was awful, couldnt wait to dump it for a conventional. One T shirt too much and nothing would dry for ages, infact it only seemed to be a good way of using up electric- when things are half dry they still seem wet, not like a conventional one where you can be in a hurry and pull your jeans out and wear them dry.

Others experience is probably different but I wouldnt have one again.

Ad

[Phil Anthropist]

As you can have a vented I drier I would go for that because condensing driers cost more to make and I get the impression that they cost more to run. Also, with a vented all you have to do is clean the filter, but with a condenser you have to clean the filter, empty the water tank and clean the condenser. Cleaning the condenser is a bugger and unless the condenser is kept clean then the washing takes longer and longer to dry as the condenser blocks up with dried on fluff. So, my advice is to get a basic White Knight vented or similar. I don't know about gas models.

[Andy Hall]

On Wed, 28 Jun 2006 00:33:11 +0100, Lobster wrote (in article ):

I had a similar distress purchase decision to make about 15 years ago. There had been an Italian and a "British" product which between them had lasted 5 years before becoming uneconomic to repair.

The Miele that replaced the last one came with a ten year warranty. During its 15 year hard life so far it has worked daily, often several times, had one service call early on to replace a faulty switch. It still looks brand new and still performs faultlessly.

I have in idle moments looked at reviews from Which etc. but they seem to have become a lot more subjective than they used to be.

I don't see any reason to mess about with the cheap brands. By the time once has gone backwards and forwards, hung around for service calls etc. etc. any possible saving has been eaten up.

[Andy R]

Gas is much cheaper, less than a third of the cost. So much so that we haven't got a washing line anymore, everything gets tumbled all year. Quicker than electric too, you can only get 3KW of heat into an electric one but the white knight is nearly 5KW.

No need for an annual inspection, you can also fit it yourself if you want.

If you're siting it on an outside wall and have a gas supply nearby then there's no competition.

Rgds

Andy R

[Brian Sharrock]

'We' went through a similar exercise a couple of months ago ....

Decided on a condensing model - with timer delay option - , it replaced a vented model. The condensate water produced by the tumble-dryer, has proved very useful in the steam iron; car's windscreen washer bottle and for plants. [Conincindently; I fitted a water softener too]. The energy used is now availble to heat up the house rather than the planet.

Dunnoh!

Visit 'Comet' to examine the range of models - then off to Curry/Dixon et al to view similar ranges; decide on model then google for lowest price. {My Hotpoint came on a Hotpoint wagon off the production line in what I believe is called drop-delivery, the man trolley-ed it to exactly where I wanted it installed, rather than the outfit with a e-retail presence. The pounds saved are more useful in my account than DTG's .... IMHO.}

HTH

[HLAH]

We have had a White Knight condenser for a couple of years now, I would highly recommend them, cheap and very cheerful.

H

[Owain]

I think there's a separate class of appliance on the CORGI ticket for gas domestic tumble dryers, and not many CORGIs have it, so just check there is someone local who can repair/service it.

Owain

[fenwoman]

You use a tumble dryer in the middle of Summer? Shame on you for not being environmentally savvy, quite apart from the fact that you are squandering money as well as the world's resources.

[HLAH]

You really are an idiot.

H

[Diablos Rojos]

Careful she'll put a curse on you.

[HLAH]

Hehe

H

[Tracymidd]

I saved on using the heating by having mine on, (I have bulk gas heating hich costs me £200 every 6 weeks to refil) I dont even use it that much, but not used gas since getting the new dryer, and its been getting better weather, But like i Say it does get Warm indoors. Tracym

[Tracymidd]

Hi I do have a washing line here, but apart from 2 weeks lovely sun back in May its never been good to put washing outside. I am in the north of England and the weather just doesnt seem to want to warm up this year, I do try my best for the Environment but where weather is concerned I have no option, Luckily I do have a line for the days I can put things out but in the last 15 years I have lived placed where i didnt have a line and it was a nightmare. Tracym

[Richard Colton]

Careful! The resident idiots may be offended.

[Tim Downie]

There's no regular servicing specified for my White Knight. It's easy enough to fix most things yourself on them anyway. In the 16 yrs that we've had ours, I've had to replace a couple of thermostats (about 14 years ago) and one solenoid (about 12 years ago). Never needed to disturb any gas connections.

Apart from that it gets nothing other than an occasional internal defluffing.

Tim

[Guy King]

The message from Lobster contains these words:

The figures on this are skewed. Vented ordinary driers may use less energy to dry a load, but that energy then leaves the house as waste.

Condensing driers retain the heat in the house.

Depending on how you use your drier this can make a large difference to how much it costs overall. If, like us, you only use the drier when it's cold outside then you'll probably save by having a condensor. If like our neighbours you use the drier when it's a dry breezy sunny day then you'll probably be better off with a vented.

[Guy King]

The message from "HLAH" contains these words:

Our White Knight condensor came off the dump five years ago and is still going strong. Bit tatty and the door frame's warped but nothing insurmountable.

[David Hansen]

On Wed, 28 Jun 2006 12:21:49 GMT someone who may be "Tracymidd" wrote this:-

I live in southern Scotland and have put washing outside for much of this year. Even when it is cold a breeze will dry things. I haven't dried anything inside for months.