Frigidaire Affinity FAQE7111LW Dryer Review

In fact, the best thing about this dryer is the fact it can be stacked on any number of excellent matching washers. The Frigidaire Affinity FAFW3801LW, for instance, is an extremely good value. So, if you purchase the set, you'll at least get a great washer. Even so, if you can afford another hundred dollars, we recommend you step up to the FAQE7001LW, an otherwise-identical dryer that adds an automatic dryness sensor for better performance.

Design & Usability

The price is what's attractive.

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The Frigidaire FAQE7111LW is all white enamel, inside and out. It's visually indistinguishable from the Frigidaire Affinity FAQE7001LW, although the 7001 includes an automatic drying sensor while the 7111 does not.

Plain design does offer some advantages. The control panel is very clean with an easy-to-read timer. All the buttons are clearly labeled and have good mechanical action. There's little chance for confusion or picking the wrong cycle, since there are only six of them: Normal, Casual, Bulky and three different Timed Cycles. The door is reversible, which is pretty standard but still a nice touch.

The only special feature here is a drum light, which is very helpful in dark basements and laundry rooms.

Performance & Features

Nothing new to see here.

This average-looking dryer offered average performance. The Normal cycle left our test laundry slightly damp. Absent any noticeable wet spots, a little moisture actually helps keep wrinkles at bay. The cycle took an hour to complete, which is serviceable. The Casual cycle also took about an hour and got very similar results to the Normal cycle. On both cycles, we got similar results across multiple tests—which is exactly the consistency we want to see in a dryer.

However, this machine struggled with its Bulky cycle. Cycle times ranged from fifty minutes to an hour and a half, and the cycle never got our test comforters more than two-thirds of the way dry. Even considering that it's common practice to flip a comforter and run a Bulky cycle again, we can't give this cycle a pass since it hit temperatures north of 170°F. That's hot enough to cause fabric wear over repeated dryings.

Aside from customizable temperature settings and a wrinkle release feature, which tumbles laundry every few minutes after a cycle completes, there aren't any real special options or cycles.

For in-depth performance information, please visit the Science Page.

Conclusion

An affinity for saving money

We can talk about drying performance and features until the cows come home, but none of that matters if a machine is out of reach for most consumers.

With sale prices as low as $479, the Frigidaire Affinity FAQE7111LW is one of the most affordable dryers on the market—and certainly the cheapest stackable dryer we found. Although its raw performance numbers are mediocre at best, it's an appealing choice in its price range.

If you're buying a washer/dryer pair, you should also take into account that the matching washer is an outstanding value for the money. That alone makes the FAQE7111LW worth checking out.

By the Numbers

The best way to determine how well a dryer works is to collect data on temperature and water removal. On these accounts, the Frigidaire FAQE7111LW sits squarely in the middle of the road.

Normal & Casual

We use standardized 8 lb. loads of laundry to test the Normal and Delicates cycles. We wet each test load to 1.7 times its weight, and place it in a cycle along with temperature sensors.

Each pass of the Normal cycle took about an hour and left test loads 96% dry on average. Our instruments told us that there was still moisture, but the test laundry was dry to the touch. In fact, a little moisture can help with the ironing process. Our sensors picked up a maximum temperature of 151.4°F, skirting the temperatures at which laundry starts to get damaged.

The Casual cycle also lasted around an hour. And like the Normal cycle, test loads came out 96% dry. The max temperature here was 141°F—slightly too hot for delicate fabrics. The best dryers we test stay as low as 110ºF.

Bulky & Quick

We test the Bulky cycle by wetting a standard comforter to 1.5 times its weight. The Bulky cycle had the most inconsistent times, ranging from fifty minutes to an hour and a half. Comforters came out 63% dry and internal temperatures reached a maximum of 171.9°F.

The Affinity lacked a Quick cycle, so we used the 30-minute Timed cycle as it was the shortest cycle possible. Because most consumers use a Quick cycle for small loads, we use a 4lb load and wet it to 1.7 times its weight. Unsurprisingly, this cycle lasted 30 minutes. It reached a max temperature of 141°F, and our test load came out with 74% of the moisture removed. That's not bad, and we think this dryer would do just fine with just a few shirts or a single pair of pants.