Dryer do you go branded or lesser brand?

Posted 21st Feb 2023

After having our dryer die after 4 years I've decided to get a new one going for the cheapest one AO sell. 256 reviews 4.8 star. Electra one at £370.

Happy with myself until someone said about fires 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️ and of course once it's been said you can't be unheard.

The next cheapest A++ 'big brand ' is a Samsung at £499, 484 reviews 4.8 star (the Beko is only £20 cheaper.)

So am I over thinking it ( which I do) . Are fires only older models, not well cleaned etc.

I know I won't get a definitive answer but curious to ask the crowd 😁

20 Comments

sorted by

AMaky
21st Feb
Do you need a dryer?
Weather is getting good to dry outside now for next 8 of so months.
Gollywood
21st Feb
Not everyone has an 'outside'
melted
21st Feb
Appliance fires are often caused by faulty electrical components which are generally made by third party component manufacturers and could affect any make.

I've still got a hotpoint vented dryer that was recalled and fixed due to fire risk. As I understand it the main issue was fluff getting trapped and accumulating between the drum and the rear seal and falling off and dropping onto the element.

The mods were to stop fluff getting between the seal and the drum by stiffening the case, stopping the drum turning if overloaded with washing or the rear bearing was worn out (both which could cause the rear seal to open up) and a better seal (which is now fire resistant foam). All to fix very long term design issues which were addressed when whirlpool bought the manufacturer.

A heat pump doesn't have an element but if does use butane as a refrigerant as do most fridges and freezers these days which is safe as long as it doesn't leak and get contained within the case (don't use an ice scrapper on a modern freezer). (edited)
Ringfinger
23rd Feb
Someone mentioned the fires and cleaning the lint off. Another major cause of fire is interrupting the cycle. There is a cooling down cycle at the end of a drying cycle. If you cut out that cooking down cycle you have an unventilated 2.4KW heater in that machine with lint, clothes and dust in very close proximity. To reduce the time you need to quickly switch it off then on again having turned the timer disk round to the cooling cycle - very quickly ( that's if you can't turn the disk whilst the machine is running).
As long as you register the warranty, any hazards needing recalls will be notified directly to you from the manufacturer. Don't worry about the fire risk.
Mark_Hickman
21st Feb
I wouldn't worry about fires, it was mainly one main manufacturer having these issues in certain models, as long as you clean away lint every 6 months or so it should be fine.
I had one of the models affected by fires and didnt clean the inside ( under drum ) of mine for over 2 years and fortunately mine didn't catch fire but just shows its not something you need to be over reacting about.
If your dryer is located inside the house and not in a garage or shed whete its cold Id highly suggest getting a A++ heat pump dryer if you can find one on a deal cheap enough, at 30 odd pence per load rather than 4-5x the cost per load in heated and condensers.
I have a samsung A+++ heat pump and using roughly £1 to do 3-4 loads per day (edited)
Renoir64
21st Feb
I would totally agree. We have one and it barely registers on the smart meter when you turn it on.
You see negative reviews about how long it takes but the analogy I came up with its like driving a 1 litre car up the motorway at 55 mph compared with driving a sports car at 120 mph.
They'll both get there but the 1 litre will use a hell of lot less petrol.
superted2008
21st Feb
I usually do a bit of research on the particular appliance we are after and look at the customer ratings, energy efficiency, warranty and after sales care. We would end up with one of the branded appliances.
newbie68
21st Feb
This, but the brand would be irrelevant - If it makes financial sense then the price is also irrelevant. Weighing up the initial extra cost with a longer warranty for example - just do the math.
wayners
21st Feb
I go cheap If it's fine for our needs
airbus330
21st Feb
I agree with you here. Over a 40 yr period tumble dryers have been my biggest white good failure no matter what brand I have had. I now just buy the cheapest and wait for it to fail. rinse repeat.
stuartw Author
21st Feb
I could pay £360 for a cheap heat pump one, then the same again for the insurance for 5 years to be covered, or £720 for a branded one for 5 years. Too many decisions
Dude1971
21st Feb
We bought a Montpellier one last month, it's cheap and works fine. Insurance was the same price as the tumble dryer, what's the point? Well reviewed too.
AndyRoyd
21st Feb
Busted at 4 years implies inadequate durability. Submit your CRA claim to the shyster that sold you the prematurely-failed rubbish
which.co.uk/con…ced
Yawn.
TristanDeCoonha
21st Feb
I have been using a White Knight dryer for the last 20 years.
The only issue, and this will apply to everyone, it tripped out the onboard thermostat once, and so I needed to press the reset button. For those unaware, look on the back of your dryer for a funny plastic shape. That is the button.
I recently bought a spinner that revolves at 2800rpm and extracts more water. With drying time reduced by about an hour, I reckon it will pay for itself in less than 400 loads.
Do you need a heat pump device? Can you vent outside, or have space to connect the vent to a box with a lid on, in which the moisture can condense?
Mark_Hickman
21st Feb
Why would you want to vent outside or use daft boxes and fill your room with condensation and pay upto 5x the electricity cost rather than getting a heat pump which works great ?