Skip to main content
DEAL WATCH: Keurig K-Express | 22% off $69.99

Keurig has changed the face of coffee, and snagging one of these for less than $70 is a solid deal. Read Review

BUY NOW
  • Introduction

  • Design & Usability

  • Performance & Features

  • Conclusion

  • Science Introduction

  • Cycle Performance

  • Dryness

  • Introduction
  • Design & Usability
  • Performance & Features
  • Conclusion
  • Science Introduction
  • Cycle Performance
  • Dryness

Introduction

Indeed, it is. The box says "Haier Dryer," but it must be a typo since this thing is less powerful than your average Conair. It plugs into a regular outlet, true, but it still needs an outside vent. If convenience trumps performance, and three hour cycles weirdly don't bother you, spend your quarters on this compact dryer instead of a visit to the laundromat.

Design & Usability

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Few options mean simple handling, aside from one little trouble-maker

This is a tiny dryer that mounts to a wall. It plugs into any outlet, but still requires outside venting—so check with your landlord before you buy it.

This is the most complex lint trap we've ever tested. Put it back in order, or you might start a fire.

With four cycles and a plastic door, this dryer is as basic as it gets. Cycles are chosen by plastic membrane buttons. When a cycle is on, a nearby light glows. There is no LED timer or custom options.

Lastly, this is the most complex lint trap we've ever tested. It requires pulling a plastic cover from the rear of the dryer, removing a pre-filter, and brushing the lint from the inside of a synthetic filter. Put it back in order, or you might start a fire.

{{photo_gallery "Front Image", "Controls 1 Photo", "Controls 2 Photo", "Drawer Photo", "Lint Trap Photo", "Interior Photo", "Interior Detail Photo", "Sides Photo", "Sides Detail 1 Photo", "Side Detail 2 Photo", "Back Photo", "Back Detail Photo"}}

Performance & Features

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Features? Where?

The only features this dryer has are its small size and its low price.

The Timed cycle allows for you to choose anywhere between 30 and 120 minutes, though you'll need twice that to get clothes dry.

Four cycles are on offer: Normal, Heavy, Delicate and Timed. The Timed cycle allows for you to choose anywhere between 30 and 120 minutes, though you'll need twice that to get clothes dry.

There are no custom options available. Aside from High and Low Temperature or Air Dry, your only options are hanging laundry out to dry on a clothesline or visiting a laundromat.

Don't expect full-size power from a compact dryer—especially not this one. "Speed" and "performance" are relative terms here. There's a reason most dryers require a 240v outlet, and that's because they just can't get enough power from a conventional 120v socket to dry clothes effectively. We weren't surprised to see just how long it took this Haier to get clothes dry, and you shouldn't be, either. Ideally, if you decide on buying a compact dryer, you should plan laundry cycles ahead of time or risk waiting for long periods for clothes to finish. If you can adjust your lifestyle around the dryer's limitations, the Haier HLP140E might work for you.

Conclusion

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Despite its abysmal performance, it's hard to truly hate the Haier HLP140E.

It's cheap, compact and kind of gets clothes dry—which is what you should expect from such a bare-bones, tiny unit. It's hamstrung by a low-wattage heating element, but that means it can be plugged into a conventional 120v outlet. It does, however, need an outside vent and therefore may not work for many apartment dwellers.

Science Introduction

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Our tests reveal the downsides of a dryer that uses a 120v outlet.

Cycle Performance

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Can this little Haier deliver solid everyday cycles?

More than three and a half hours after it went to work, the {{product.name}} finally finished drying our test load on the Normal cycle. Clothes emerged still slightly damp, and with an odd skunky odor that went away as they aired out. The odor seemed to emanate from inside the dryer, and stayed through every test we ran.

We gave up on the delicates cycle. Three hours in, it was still hard at work. After four hours, we'd had enough and pulled the test load. It was still 23% damp, and the hygrometer showed that time spent in the dryer did very little to remove water. With a peak temperature of just 83ºF, we'd have waited days for this cycle to actually finish the work.

{{photo_gallery "Science Section 1 Images"}}

Dryness

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

This Haier can't handle Normal and Delicate loads very well, but what about Quick and Bulky?

After 30 minutes of work on the Timed dry setting, which we used for our quick test, clothes remained almost as wet as they'd been when we put them in to begin with. The Haier only had time to heat up to a few degrees above room temperature, removing only 26% of the moisture. Suffice it to say, nothing about this machine is quick.

On our final test, after about three hours, the bulky cycle, which Haier calls "Heavy," expelled 100% of the moisture from our test load. At least there was one bright spot during testing.

{{photo_gallery "Science Section 2 Images"}}

Meet the tester

Keith Barry

Keith Barry

Former Editor in Chief, Reviewed Home

@itskeithbarry

Keith was the Editor in Chief of Reviewed's appliance and automotive sites. His work has appeared in publications such as Wired, Car & Driver, and CityLab.

See all of Keith Barry's reviews

Checking our work.

Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.

Shoot us an email

Up next