A dryer is an absolute life-changer. It might not be your sexiest appliance, more robust than a robot vacuum, and less spectacular than an OLED flatscreen, but it will make your life so much easier to have it in your bathroom or laundry room, that you will never regret adding one to your household.
Our list will help you navigate, and find the five best dryers to choose from, breaking down their most important differences, and advantages.
Whether or not you decide to buy one from our list, these are the most important qualities and features to look for in a household dryer, if you are planning on purchasing one in 2021.
The spare room in a laundry room or a bathroom can be a real bottleneck as to how big dryers can one put there. But the device's external size and its internal capacity are two separate parameters.
So watch out to make the most of the room you have in the capacity of the dryer you select.
The ease of installation can be a real bonus. Some of the dryers on the market will require ducting (thus, can be installed only by a professional, and only to locations where ducting is available, or can be made available).
Others, that use condensation drying techniques do not need to be ducted, so they can be placed virtually anywhere. This can easily be a deciding factor in picking the right dryer for you.
Many people like to have their washers and dryers stacked on top of each other. Almost all of the dryers are stackable, but be sure that the dryer you select is compatible with the washer you already have if you want the two to work well together.
LG 27 Inch Electric Dryer with 7.4 cu. ft. Capacity
LG's 27 Inch Electric Dryer with 7.4 cubic feet internal room offers a particularly large capacity, which is great when you want to do more in fewer rounds. It has 12 programs to dry just about anything you would ever need to dry, plus a number of extra features, like the TurboSteam functionality and the SmartThinq connectivity.
This latter functionality allows you to control the LG DLEX3700W directly from your smartphone by using an application. Unfortunately, it won't save you from loading and unloading the dryer in person.
But you can select the cycle you want to run, start or stop the wash and get notifications about when your laundry will be done. All parts of your increasing number of smart home equipment.
Needless to say that, the smart functionality is compatible both with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. This allows you to further simplify controlling the LG DLEX3700W with voice commands.
LG's TurboSteam technology is aimed at tackling odors and wrinkles. The dryer generates steam, so in not more than 10 minutes, your clothes will get back to you refreshed, and 'ironed'.
This LG 27 Inch Electric Dryer doesn't just guess when the job is done or goes on for a pre-set amount of time. Its sensors will continually monitor the moisture levels of your laundry, and by adjusting the drying time, they will make sure that your clothes are completely dry after the first run.
The DLEX3700W even helps you if you tend to be forgetful about your laundry. A function called Wrinkle Care will tumble your laundry time and again to keep your forgotten laundry wrinkle-free.
If you're in a hurry, you can choose the machine's Speed Dry Cycle function with a small load of clothes, and have everything back dried in just 25 minutes.
Electrolux 24 Inch Electric Dryer with 4 cu. ft. Capacity
Electrolux has been making dryers for a long time, and the brand's premium quality shines through their laundry equipment, too.
This Electrolux EFDE210TIW 24 Inch Electric Dryer is much smaller - bot externally and its internal room - than the LG we've seen above. But with a capacity of 4 cubic feet, it can be still a great option, especially if you want to save on space (note that this is a 24-inch device and not 27 like the LG.
Also, as opposed to the model above, this Electrolux model doesn't have a vent. Instead, it uses a condensation function to dry your clothes.
The dryer is eco-friendly, which is not based on recycling your home's heat. It also has a direct drain kit, which is shipped with the product.
A clever functionality called Reverse Tumble changes the directions during the dry load in order to minimize wrinkles. It also optimizes energy consumption by improving the machine's overall performance.
It might not be as stuffed with features as the LG, but it still has 7 different programs, including wrinkle release and one for delicate pieces of clothing.
We particularly like how this Electrolux model's control panel is designed: no knobs, intuitive controls, that results in an easy operation.
The interesting thing about the EFDE210TIW is that it optimizes drying to use as low a temperature as possible. This is gentle on your clothes, but also effective against wrinkles.
Having various temperature settings is a must, as well as the flexibility provided by the delay option: you can set when you want to start the program, or rather by when you want it to be finished.
This Electrolux 24 Inch Electric Dryer is covered by a 3-year exclusive limited warranty, which should give you peace of mind if you choose to buy this model.
GE 24 Inch Electric Dryer with 4.3 cu. ft. Capacity
The GE model in our list, codenamed GFD14ESSNWW comes from the smaller set of dryers, that might be optimal for smaller families or smaller homes. 24 inches in size, 4.3 cubic feet in internal capacity. Standard figures, but not bad at all for a device this small.
This 24 Inch Electric Dryer is not short on useful functions: it uses sensors to monitor the drying process (and adjust accordingly), it is customizable using the My Cycle settings, and it boasts an easy and flexible installation.
The sensors of the GE GFD14ESSNWW will continuously monitor not only the internal temperature of the device but also the moisture levels, which will result in a more efficient operation, as well as a consistent result. The 13 cycles offered by the device will take care of everything you can think of when it comes to drying. A unique feature of the GE 24 Inch Electric Dryer is the option to customize and save your settings under the function called My Cycle.
Since we're living strange days, the GE GFD14ESSNWW's sanitize cycle might come in handy: the device has a full program dedicated to removing bacteria from your clothes. Big up. No word on viruses, though.
If you forget your laundry in the dryer, it might normally result in annoyance as well as wrinkled clothes. Not with this GE model, that keeps tumbling the clothes without heat in order to prevent or minimize wrinkling.
On top of the 4 temperature pre-sets, the GE 24 Inch Electric Dryer also has a quick-dry feature, that can dry a small set of clothes in minimal time.
And something we really love about this GE model: it shows the remaining time of the cycle you are running, so you know exactly when the program will be ready. Yay!
Samsung 27 Inch Electric Dryer with 7.4 cu. ft. Capacity
Samsung has become a big player in just about every field of electronics from smartphones to TVs to home appliances. Their models are stuffed with useful and sometimes unique features. This Samsung 27 Inch Electric Dryer is no exception.
27 Inches outside, 7.4 cubic feet inside just like the LG model we've seen before.
But it's more energy efficient, with its eco dry function, that uses up to 25 percent less energy than most other models.
Its multi-steam technology will efficiently eliminate wrinkles, as well as odors and bacteria.
If you decide to choose this Samsung model, do it because of its energy efficiency, and because despite using less energy, it still does all the basics well.
Bosch 300 Series 24 Inch Electric Dryer with 4 cu. ft. Capacity
Bosch is always a little more premium, a little more expensive, a little more durable, and a little smaller in size. The WTG86400UC dryer model with 4 cubic feet capacity follows this pattern.
While the internal capacity might be slightly less than the models we've seen before, it's still not something to be shy about. The difference is almost minimal: and you can put 16 bathing towels in a single load even with this model.
On the other hand, the functionality is extended: 15 programs to choose from, which will cover everything you need to be covered when it comes to drying.
Also (speaking of premium features), this device uses technology aimed at reducing vibration, and thus, vibration noise coming from the machine.
Similar to the Electrolux model on our list, the Bosch WTG86400UC also uses condensation drying, which means there is no need for ducting. The result is an extremely easy installation process.
The model is also stackable and cooperates well with Bosch 500 Series washers.
On top of the above, Bosch delivers all the basics we've seen before: a sensitive drying system to be mild and gentle on your clothes, moisture sensors to save you on energy and ensure satisfactory results.
And Bosch washers can be directly plugged into the dryer, which allows for saving space when used together.