Some people think $1,600 is way too much to pay for a dryer and for that amount you should be able to get a washer and dryer. Count me in as one of those people. The top-rated electric dryers in Consumer Reports tests cost $1,500 to $1,600. Here’s a look at impressive dryers for half that. But first, how did dryers become so expensive?
“It varies by brand, but bigger capacities is part of it,” says Emilio Gonzalez, an engineer who runs our tests of dryers and washing machines. “More sophisticated electronic controls, steam options, blocked-duct indicators, and added insulation for quieting the dryer boost the price. And forget about plain metal doors. Some dryers have tinted glass and styling that matches the washers.” The most expensive dryers are often Wi-Fi enabled and offer remote control, such as the $1,500 LG Smart ThinQ DLEX6001V.
For $800 you won’t be able to turn off your dryer from Starbucks. Capacity does matter and keeps increasing, allowing you to do more laundry at once. A dryer that holds about 25 or more pounds of laundry earns an excellent capacity score in our tests. Most families can get by with a machine that’s rated very good or even good in capacity. Very good means the washer fit about 20 to 24 pounds of our laundry. A good score means the washer held about 15 to 19 pounds.
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Electric dryer picks
These dryers were superb at drying and scored very good in capacity. Nearly all were relatively quiet and one was quieter than the others.
- LG DLE1002W, $600
- Whirlpool Cabrio WED5800BW, $700
- Kenmore 81182, $700
- Samsung DV45H7200EW, $800
- Kenmore 81172, $720 (the quietest of this group)
- Kenmore 68002, $800
- Kenmore 67102, $770
- LG DLE2250W, $800
- LG DLE4870W, $800
- LG DLE1101W, $700
- Samsung DV422EWHDWR, $750
Gas dryer picks
We test only electric dryers, which account for about 80 percent of models sold, and years of testing found that gas and electric dryers perform comparably. Here are the gas versions of the electric dryers above. Gas dryers cost about $50 to $150 more than the electric, but the likely savings in fuel costs should more than make up the difference in the long run.
More great picks
See our dryer Ratings for the full details on test results and features, and use the Compare Models tool to do just that. To find an affordable washing machine check out "The best washing machines for $800 or less" and to find a matching laundry pair see "The best matching washers and dryers from our tests."
—Kimberly Janeway (@CRJaneway on Twitter)
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