DRYERS


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Thread Number: 31812
DRYERS

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Post# 479726 12/5/2010 at 22:45 (4,883 days old) by lebron (Minnesota)
Checkrate/Likes Tons of debate on the best washers and rightfully so, but anyone care to dispute this claim: Whirlpool made the best dryers by far.

Post# 479729 , Reply# 1 12/5/2010 at 22:56 (4,883 days old) by qsd-dan (West)
Checkrate/Likes *Best Dryer* How are we rating them? Speed? Performance? Reliability? Serviceability? Bells and whistles? Parts availability? Longest running production design? Like anything in life, each design has their strong and weak points.

Post# 479731 , Reply# 2 12/5/2010 at 23:01 (4,883 days old) by Pulsator (Saint Joseph, MI)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *No doubt that Whirlpool made the best dryers but....* ... the real question is WHICH Whirlpool dryer?! My vote goes to the 27 inch machine. I love the way mine performs, it has never missed a beat, I think the skinnier cabinet design is more attractive, and I think it handles bulky things like comforters and sheets like no other! I actually refuse to use the 29 inch machine in my mom's laundry room now because I feel that stuff doesn't come out as soft and it doesn't seem to dry as evenly, especially bulky items. (The 29 inch machine does have the "accudry" moisture sensor too and still not up to par in my eyes.)

Post# 479734 , Reply# 3 12/5/2010 at 23:05 (4,883 days old) by cfz2882 (Belle Fourche,SD)
Checkrate/Likes *yes* i'd say that is probably true-my DD is a 1987 KM,it takes a little longer to dry than my old 1980 monkey norge,but i had more mechanical problems with that machine(tub bearing,door latch,motor overheating)and it blew lint too-this dryer was junked in 1998 after the motor seized and none was avalible at the dump,used lots of parts off it for other purposes... Also have in my collection:'81KM gas,'77de306,and an '85KM gas i just got and have not checked.

Post# 479738 , Reply# 4 12/5/2010 at 23:16 (4,883 days old) by autowasherfreak ()
Checkrate/Likes When I was living with my mother we had two Whirlpool dryers both electric first one was bought in the early 70's the belt broke once, and the only reason it was replaced was because of a rusting issue because as a young kid I would hose down the basement floor once every couple of weeks and didn't realize that I was damaging our washer and dryer. The second was bought in the early 80's and was given to a friend when mom moved from the house to an apartment, and was still running five years ago when I visited the friend. In the early late 80's maybe early 90's I bought 24 I bought a 14lb Whirlpool direct drive washer with matching gas dryer, not a problem with either one. That set was stolen out of my basement storage unit when I had to move from a house to a dinky apartment. The Whirlpool electric dryer that was in Eric's mother's trailer was an older Whirlpool and she never had any problems with it. So in my opinion, Whirlpool makes some pretty darn good dryers!

Post# 479771 , Reply# 5 12/6/2010 at 01:06 (4,883 days old) by PeterH770 (Marietta, GA)
Checkrate/Likes I grew up with a Kenmore. Never thought about it much until I bought a GE as my first dryer -- and loved it!!! Clothes were fluffier and less wrinkled coming out of the GE, and it dried much faster. I thought GE was the cat's meow until I got a 1-18 dryer, hand's down the best! And now, the Hamilton: time will tell... So the moral of the story is: to each his own...

Post# 479818 , Reply# 6 12/6/2010 at 09:37 (4,883 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )
Checkrate/Likes *Lady Kenmore* I use a Lady Kenmore,one of the ones with the "Garage Door" panel, I think it is a 72 or 73, have had everything, and it is by far the best...Worst, I hate to say this, because everyone will fuss, but a Halo of Heat Maytag, The Kenmore electronic control is much more accurate, its faster and the Maytag would not handle nearly as large a load, But then...I dont like Maytag washers either, so I guess it is to each his own.

Post# 479855 , Reply# 7 12/6/2010 at 11:53 (4,883 days old) by turquoisedude (.)
Checkrate/Likes I guess I tend to favour GE dryers since I have owned more of them (well, and GE clones like the Eaton's Viking) than any others. I always found them to be good performers, easy to operate and relatively easy to work on and find parts for. I may change my mind when I finally snag a Frigidaire dryer to go with that Deluxe washer of mine, though... LOL

Post# 479928 , Reply# 8 12/6/2010 at 17:47 (4,883 days old) by KenmoreGuy64 (Charlotte, NC)
Checkrate/Likes *I think dryers vary even within the same manufacturer...* I have two dryers right now - a 1978 Kenmore 60 series with three heated timed dry only cycles, and no wrinkle guard. I bought this dryer used in 1990 for my sister and put it in service for myself in 2006. The other dryer is my 1986 Kenmore Fabric Master that I bought new. The two machines are mechanically essentially identical - same heating element, same rear bulkhead, same motor, rollers, belt, yada yada. The '86 outperforms the '78 in wrinkle-free performance, in speed, and in dryness consistency. I can't fault the '78 since it's timed dry only - if I don't set quite enough time the load won't be fully dry. But, given two comparable loads and two identical pair of Levis, the one in the 86 will come out unwrinkled whereas the pair in the 78 may be a little iffy... I am not sure why this would be, however the timed dry cycles and the temps provided by the thermostats in each dryer may have a bearing on this, as well as each dryer's venting. One vents a further distance than the other. Overall, for flawless drying, I am very happy with both but the '86 leaves no worries every time. Gordon

Post# 479943 , Reply# 9 12/6/2010 at 19:27 (4,883 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes I'm more than a little curious about your statement since your profile does not indicate that you own a WP made dryer. On what facts do you base your claim? I have always liked GE dryers for regular size loads. Once it is started, the load tumbles through the heated air and, at first pulls most of the heat out. Then you start getting really warm, steamy air out. For smaller loads they are not as efficient because the items are more likely to tumble closer to the perimeter of the drum and less in the middle of the air stream. Because of the air inlets and exhaust areas, 29" WP made dryers are better for those loads and for the larger loads their larger drums will hold. WP made dryers, because of the exhaust grill location are more prone to tangling sheets. I have watched it happen in my glass window door dryers. The strong air current catches sheets against the exhaust grill as they tumble and holds them briefly which interrupts their tumbling pattern. As this goes on a sheet will begin to tangle and ball up and fall into the other sheet in the dryer causing them both to dry poorly. I always make sure that there is a good bit of lint in the filter when I dry a load of sheets in one of the solid-bulkhead WP dryers. Condenser dryers produce the softest clothes, but I am not saying they are the best. For decades, no dryer could match the dewrinkling ability of a Filtrator because of the steamy atmosphere it could develop. I don't know if it is because of heavier gauge of the metal in the porcelain drum of the GE dryers versus the painted drums of the WP made machines, but GE dryers are usually quieter when drying clothes with buttons, snaps, etc. Different dryers have different advantages and disadvantages. Some feature windows, some have neat lighting features, some are very fast and some are slower and gentler. I think WP makes a very good dryer and so did GE, but I am not willing to say the WP is the best because I like different dryers for different reasons and for drying different loads.

Post# 479952 , Reply# 10 12/6/2010 at 20:49 (4,883 days old) by alr2903 (TN)
Checkrate/Likes I will always like the whirlpool designed 29" machine with the filter that slides out of the top. I think the filter is much larger than any other offered. My family are all true fan's of the "hamper door". alr2903

Post# 479957 , Reply# 11 12/6/2010 at 21:13 (4,883 days old) by 70series ( Connecticut.)
Checkrate/Likes We had a Whirlpool for 17 years which was great. Except for having to replace the timer 2x, it dried our clothes well, and did not leave wrinkles. We replaced it with a Kenmore which performed just as well. I loved the top mounted filters and drop down doors they had. Very conveniennt, especially when laundering sheets. Have a good one, James

Post# 480015 , Reply# 12 12/7/2010 at 05:14 (4,882 days old) by chaskelljr2 (Washington, D. C.)
Checkrate/Likes 1 I'm also going to vote for the Whirlpool/Kenmore Dryer as being the best dryer design out there.... The design of the doors (either the "Drop-Down Center Plug" Door or the "Full-Width" Door), the Top Mounted Lint Screens and the Oversized Drums are the reasons why. They are excellent for oversized items and drying large loads..... I always used Kenmores right up until recently..... I grew up with a 1975 "All-American" Dryer with a Solid-State Sensor and a Wrinkle-Guard, and then used a 1987 Kenmore Model 80 right along with my Grandmother for 23 years before moving into an apartment building earlier this year.... Both were excellent dryers, and both dryers were still running the two times I had to move house during my adult life..... Currently use the Speed Queen Coin-Ops that are located in my building's laundry in the basement. They're okay.... but I do think they have a tendency to overdry sometimes. This where I miss the Moisture Sensors that both of our Kenmores had. So.... when I finally get ready to buy my condo, you know what I'll be getting when it is time to purchase laundry appliances for my condo, don't you???? --Charles--

Post# 480027 , Reply# 13 12/7/2010 at 06:48 (4,882 days old) by cycla-fabric (New Jersey (Northern))
Checkrate/Likes I have to agree with most here that the Whirlpool family of dryers are the best. We grew up with Kenmore dryers and they were dependable and got the job done quickly. I now have both a Maytag and a Whirlpool dryer and the Whirlpool beats the Maytag hands down and getting the job done right. There is nothing wrong with the Maytag, it does it job, but I feel it overdrys most things, and it is consistant on how long it takes to dry a load - 45 to 50 minutes on Reg or Permanent Press when drying lightweight items - way too long. So since those items are always overdryed and I now use the damp dry cycle to dry light weight items as it will almost dry them on this cycle, and it is much shorter about 20 minutes. So saying that, it's nice to have a choice of dryers to use and overall the Whirlpool dryer is used more often and makes the best dryer in my opinion. Doug

Post# 480041 , Reply# 14 12/7/2010 at 07:36 (4,882 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)
Checkrate/Likes *BEST DRYERS OVERALL* WP has certainly had the best dryers since the interduction of the stationary bulkhead models that came out in 1966. Overall I would rate the WPs & KMs excellent in all major aspects of performance, durability and repairability. The MT HOHs suffered with long vents too small a lint filter and drum. They also gave no temperature choice or worse yet dryness selections on electronic sensor models. The later SOH models were much better overall but had blower and airflow problems which weren't really ever addressed until they came out with the 27" line in the mid 1990s. The GEs, WHs and Frigidares all suffered with very high rear drum temperatures if used on long vents or again when drying very linty loads where the too small lint filters would clog so fast as to restrict air flow. The Frigidare 1-18s did work much better but had durability and noise problems and were a pain in the neck to fix. The 27" WPs are well built generally good performers but they just dry as fast as the 29" machines. I also an not that impressed with any 27" machines that I have used for drying large loads of jeans etc they just come out more wrinkle free with a larger diameter drum.

Post# 480259 , Reply# 15 12/8/2010 at 04:48 (4,881 days old) by chaskelljr2 (Washington, D. C.)
Checkrate/Likes *@ Gordon.....* Did you ever had a Whirlpool/Kenmore Dryer with a Solid-State Sensor in your collection??? Had you ever used such a model before??? If so, what is the difference between "Solid-State" and "Fabric-Master"??? --Charles--

Post# 480274 , Reply# 16 12/8/2010 at 07:02 (4,881 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes If I might offer a guess, Fabric-Master, while the name was first seen on the control panel of the 1958 Frigidaire Custom Imperial dryer, was Kenmore's name for their Time-Temp auto dry control. The timer dial, or in some machines like some Kenmore models, a "DRY" button was used to start the drying cycle. While the heat was on, the timer motor was not energized. When the heat cycled off, the timer motor was energized. As the moisture content of the fabrics decreased, less heat was needed to satisfy the operating thermostat so the periods where the heat was on became shorter and the periods with the heat off became longer allowing the timer to advance more quickly toward the end of the auto dry cycle and soon took the machine into the cool down that came just before the dryer turned off. The Solid State dryness control usually implied an electronic moisture control where fabrics came in contact with a sensor that measured the moisture content of the items being dried. There were several systems and Frigidaire actually used three in one model year, but when the sensors measured that the moisture had decreased to the dryness setting selected, the cycle was put into a cool down and then terminated. And now, if I might offer a few words of heresy: The HOH dryers, which I personally consider a step backwards from Maytag's previous perforated drum design in drum size if nothing else, were designed for handling the loads from the original small tub Maytag washers and the electric models on regular vent runs did that pretty well. The previous large perforated drum Maytag dryers won check ratings from CR. The electronic dry control which Maytag introduced, completely leap-frogged the time temp auto dry controls and was the first auto dry system which did not have a propensity, when operating properly, to overdry fabrics. Maytag stuck with the late 1950s dryer design far longer than they should have (not a news flash) and people ran into trouble when they bought larger capacity washers and kept the smaller capacity HOH dryer. That can also be said of the regular capacity GE dryers, but since GE kicked off the washer capacity race with the V-12s, they also should have enlarged their dryer drums sooner, but they were bigger than the HOH drums. It is true that the solid bulkhead WP-made dryers had increased drum sizes and a design that protected the items at the rear of the drum from the incoming heat better than the porcelain drum GE, WH and Frigidaire dryers, but properly installed and loaded with the amount of clothes from a comparable capacity washer, these dryers performed well. In the decade and a half that we had our GE dryer, we never had anything bake onto the back of the drum and it was even used for several years with a 1-18 washer, but neither machine was loaded to capacity and the dryer had a short vent. Another point about the HOH dryer design is that when overloaded, the clothes at the front of the drum were pressed against the hottest part of the drum where the heat entered as they dried and expanded. I like my KA, WP & KM dryers, but I don't think they are necessarily head and shoulders above the GEs, or the Hamilton or the HOH if a proper sized load is put in any of them. I realize that I have been using dryers since the 1950s and I have earlier and fonder memories of GEs and Frigidaires than other brands. I did not much care for anything Kenmore except the combos. Whirlpool was not that common a brand because WP machines were usually priced higher than comparable machines from Sears. The WP-made dryers with the belt driven blower were noisier than other dryers. I guess from a servicer's viewpoint John likes the fact that WP dryers can take more abuse without being damaged or damaging fabrics. I don't overload my machines so most any dryer that is working properly performs well for me. If I wash something large, like my king mattress pad, I dry it in one of the large drum machines, otherwise I have choices.

Post# 480626 , Reply# 17 12/9/2010 at 20:37 (4,880 days old) by washerlover (The Big Island, Hawai�i)
Checkrate/Likes I've found that the Norge/Wards gas dryers circa 60s-70s were best in drying time, though they run hot, but dry the fastest. Just make sure the seal is good around the door, because the fan blows like a hurricane, and lint blows out around the dryer door like crazy! I also have to add that they are extremely quiet.

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