Clothes Dryers: Reviews

The LG DLEX5101W is an electric dryer that gets very good reviews from both professionals and owners. This 7.3-cubic-foot dryer features a steam setting that can be used either for freshening clothes or for sanitizing… expandnonwashable items like pillows. It also has 14 drying programs, five temperature levels, an electronic control panel and a one-year warranty. Other useful features include an interior drum light, a reversible door (so the dryer can be installed on either side of the washer) and a moisture sensor, which saves energy and helps prevent overdrying. Reviewers say this dryer provides fast, quiet drying performance with little noise, and the steam cycle is good for getting out wrinkles. Most users have no complaints about this dryer. collapse

If you have a choice between gas and electric dryers, a gas model will usually save you money in the long run. The LG DLGX5102W is the gas-powered version of the highly rated LG DLEX5101W electric dryer (above), and it… expandhas the same features and warranty. Like most gas dryers, this model gets far less feedback from users than its electric equivalent, but the few owner reviews we found are positive. Users say it offers good performance, both for drying and for removing wrinkles on the steam setting. We found no complaints about this gas dryer. collapse

Despite its budget price, the Samsung DV210AEW/XAA has the most important feature for any dryer: a moisture sensor, which saves energy and helps prevent overdrying. It also includes a few nice extras such as wrinkle… expandprevention, a reversible door and an interior drum light. The 7.3-cubic-foot dryer has seven drying cycles, four temperature settings, electronic controls and a one-year warranty. It gets excellent scores in independent tests for its drying performance, and very good scores for convenience and noise level. Most owners praise this dryer's fast, quiet drying and its wide range of settings. However, we did see several complaints about durability from users who report breakdowns in the first two years. Many are also annoyed by the dryer's variety of alert sounds, which are difficult to disable. collapse

This dryer is the gas version of the Samsung DV210AEW/XAA, discussed above, with the same features and warranty as its electric sibling. While its up-front cost is slightly higher, experts say gas models are less… expandexpensive to operate in the long run. Owners report that this is a good dryer with a nice variety of features. They appreciate its large capacity and quiet operation, but we did see a couple of complaints about this dryer's performance. One user gripes about insufficient heating that results in excessively long drying times, which may have been caused by a faulty heating element. Another user says clothes come out of the dryer "tied in knots." collapse