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DEAL WATCH: Keurig K-Express | 22% off $69.99

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  • Introduction

  • Design & Usability

  • Performance & Features

  • Conclusion

  • Science Introduction

  • Science Section 1

  • Science Section 2

  • Science Section 3

  • Science Section 4

  • Science Section 5

  • Science Section 6

  • Other Tests

  • Introduction
  • Design & Usability
  • Performance & Features
  • Conclusion
  • Science Introduction
  • Science Section 1
  • Science Section 2
  • Science Section 3
  • Science Section 4
  • Science Section 5
  • Science Section 6
  • Other Tests

Introduction

It can be a great fit for consumers who are buying their first dryer and also want to keep the costs down...

Despite its flaws, the {{product.name}} gets clothes nearly all the way dry on most of its cycles, and it's quite easy to use. It can be a great fit for consumers who are buying their first dryer and also want to keep the costs down, but who don't want a lot of bells and whistles in an appliance.

Design & Usability

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A rundown of the odds and ends

This traditional-looking, stackable dryer has a white enamel finish with a glossy black plastic control panel. Cycles can be browsed through using a control knob, and are highlighted by a small red dot. The controls here are sort of odd—a bit angled—and the plastic around the cycle knob is somewhat bowed, but despite its unusual design, this dryer is actually quite easy to read. We did occasionally lose the red indicator light when selecting our cycle—that plastic bowing means it may get blocked by the dryer's cycle-select knob—but that's something that you grow accustomed to after a while.

Long-time video game fans will get a big kick out of this dryer...

On a somewhat unrelated note, long-time video game fans will get a big kick out of this dryer—if you've ever wanted to act out a Mario fantasy, look no further. Every time you push a button, it sounds just like the iconic plumber does when he collects a gold coin. Could make for some interesting laundry room experiences...

The interior drum is made with white enamel, which runs the risk of flaking, rusting, or discoloring...

For parts, the interior drum is made with white enamel, which runs a minor risk of flaking, rusting, or discoloring over time. Also, the lint trap has a flap covering the lower half, preventing lint from falling out when you remove it for cleaning. The door is adequate—it shuts without too much force, and it never bounced back open.

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Performance & Features

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The {{product.name}} has little to boast in terms of cycle and feature selection, but what it does have, it puts to great use.

With just seven cycles, this {{product.brand.name}} only manages to hit the basics. If you want special features for sanitizing clothes, workout wear, wool, and so forth, this dryer isn't for you. The manual cycles aren't terribly fancy, but they get the job done: Timed Dry handles all your customizable needs, Air Dry offers no-heat tumbling, and Wrinkle Release is good for smoothing out that batch of clothes you forgot was in there.

Happily though, the {{product.brand.name}} actually does a decent job of letting you customize cycles. With four levels of dryness and temperature variation, it's not the most comprehensive offering we've seen, but far more in-depth than other models in its price range. The Timed Dry can also be adjusted down to the minute, a nice touch that allows for very specific drying without making you hover over the machine.

If you want a dryer that offers all the extras, then this one is definitely not for you. It only has two, and one of them is seen on nearly every dryer available that isn't scraping the bottom of the barrel: Wrinkle Prevent, which keeps clothes tumbling after the cycle has concluded in order to keep wrinkles and bunching to a minimum. Additionally, the Mixed Load Bell can be used to indicate when certain fabrics are dry before others.

Now to the meat of the matter: drying performance. The {{product.name}} satisfies, clocking in relatively expected durations and—excepting the Bulky cycle—removing virtually 100% of the moisture every time.

Conclusion

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In matters of sales, bells, and whistles

With so many dryers on the market today, machines that are only adequate sometimes seem worse than they are. The {{product.name}} is actually a decent dryer—it gets clothes completely dry, or very nearly, while covering all the basic cycle needs.

Is it worth paying the full retail value? Not really.

There isn't much by way of going the extra mile, however, and consumers who want a more comprehensive machine will be disappointed. Thankfully, the price is rather reasonable; with an $849 MSRP, you can easily find sale prices that knock off a few hundred dollars. Is it worth paying the full retail value? Not really. There are other machines out there that offer you more effective, gentle drying and more options to take care of your clothes for the same price. If you can get it on sale, though, it's a good machine for consumers that don't need lots of bells and whistles and are looking to save some money.

Science Introduction

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We put this {{product.name}} through a set of tests to see how well it did its job. The results were mostly positive, though performance fell just below perfect in terms of both temperature and water retention at times.

Science Section 1

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These tests measure how much moisture a cycle actually removes from a load

The Normal cycle was actually a bit disappointing. It's an important staple, and usually most dryers ace it. This one was just less than perfect, getting clothes 99 percent of the way to dry.

This dryer can get warm quickly and effectively transfer that heat into clothes.

Though this machine has no cycle whose explicit purpose is quick drying, the regular Timed Dry feature can be set to run for a short time—which is exactly what we did. Surprisingly, it did remarkably well. After just 30 minutes, our test materials were back down to 95 percent of their bone dry weight—a much better result than on many machines that we test, and a likely indicator that this dryer can get warm quickly and effectively transfer that heat into clothes.

Finally, the Delicate cycle removed 100% of the moisture from test loads and the Bulky fared poorest of all, accomplishing only 61% water removal.

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Science Section 2

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Heat is a large part of what makes a dryer work, but when things get too hot, unnecessary wear on clothes can occur

Achieving total moisture removal is critical, but so is maintaining safe temperatures for optimal handling of your clothes. Our tests showed that the Normal cycle peaked at a toasty 159ºF, which disappointed us for two reasons: first, that this is ten degrees higher than we really like to see and second, that even with this higher-than-average heat, this cycle still didn't remove all of the moisture from our test load.

The Quick dry test landed at a pleasing 145ºF, and the Delicate cycle—though it got test loads back to their bone dry weights—crept up to 144. This latter reading is much warmer than a Delicate cycle should be. Ideally, temperatures will reach a high that's about 30º lower than this 144º temperature, since fragile fabrics tend to wear and fade much faster if they're exposed to high heats. The {{product.brand.name}} certainly got clothes dry, but consumers may find themselves having to replace their garments sooner than they would if they were being dried in another machine.

In conclusion, like the results of the Delicate cycle test, the {{product.brand.name}}'s Heavy Duty has certain caveats. Our test comforter was only 61 percent of the way to its bone dry weight, but this was after just 29 minutes. Lots of the dryers we test achieve lower results in twice the time, which means this model has some promise, but many modern appliances actually have a mid-cycle beep that indicates when you should come down and shift your larger items around to ensure dryness. This particular model doesn't have that feature, but if you don't mind keeping an eye on the time and coming down to move things around after half an hour, you may be able to get everything dry. It's frustrating to think that you may have to do extra work on something that shouldn't require any, but nearly all of our tested appliances need something a little extra when it comes to large or bulky items.

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Science Section 3

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Science Section 4

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Science Section 5

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Science Section 6

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Other Tests

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Meet the tester

Virginia Barry

Virginia Barry

Former Managing Editor

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Virginia is a former Managing Editor at Reviewed.com. She has a background in English and journalism. Away from the office, Virginia passes time with dusty books & house cats.

See all of Virginia Barry's reviews

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