Compare the Best Tumble DryersNovember 2018

Tumble dryers take damp, clean clothes and rotate them in a heated drum, removing the moisture from the clothes to dry them quickly and effectively. There are two main types of dryers - condenser and vented. Here are the main advantages and differences between them:

Condenser Tumble Dryers

These dryers work by taking the moisture from the damp clothes and storing it in a water trap, which must be emptied after every couple of cycles. These dryers have no need for hoses or vents to remove the moisture, and so are more suitable for smaller apartments, or places where setting up an outside vent would be troublesome. However the tradeoff is a need to empty the water trap frequently, otherwise you may find the dryer not working as effectively.

Vented Tumble Dryers

These tumble dryers work by separating the moisture from the damp clothes, then venting the damp air outside via a hose. The venting means that there is no need to empty water traps after every cycle, making it simpler to use. However the dryer may require specialist installation, especially if the vent needs to be placed through an exterior wall.

Sensor Drying

Some more advanced models of tumble dryer will have a moisture sensor installed. This sensor detects the dampness of the clothes, and automatically adjusts the cycle to give just enough time for the clothes to be completely dried. This saves both time and money, since the dryer will automatically stop once the clothes are dry.

Capacity

The capacity of the drum in your tumble dryer will determine how many clothes you can fit in a single cycle. Drum capacity is measured in Kg, with a single Kg being equivalent to a single outfit. Bigger dryers have bigger capacities, which may be necessary for families - single people and couples may find it far cheaper and more energy efficient to buy a smaller dryer.

Programs

Most models of tumble dryer contain several different programs for clothing of different material, as well as different temperatures and spin levels for more delicate pieces of clothing. While not all of these programs may be necessary, more programs is generally a good sign of a higher-end and more capable tumble dryer.

Many dryers also contain an anti-crease setting - this causes the the drum to rotate unheated at the end of cycles, in order to minimise wrinkling on laundry. This setting is extremely helpful if you plan on leaving laundry tumbling while you go out, or overnight. If left unmoved, your cleaned laundry will develop unsightly creases, as the clothing is all jumbled up and folded at strange angles from the spin drying. However periodically rotating the drum causes the laundry to shift anew, stopping creases developing.

Tumbler Prices

In total we found 27 tumble dryers ranging from $296 to $1,796. A new tumble dryer costs on average $918 and 80% of tumble dryers are priced between $540 and $1,299. The Samsung DVE50M7450 is the cheapest tumbler at only $296, and LG DLEX9500K is the most expensive at $1,795.

Tumble Dryer Brands - Price Range

LG laundry dryer start at $545 and their most expensive tumble dryer costs $1,795. The average price of LG laundry dryer is $1,177 which is the highest average price of all tumble dryer brands.

The second highest average tumble dryer price out of all brands is Bosch tumble dryers with an average price of $1,025. Bosch tumble dryers range in price from $885 to $1,299.

The average price of AEG tumble dryers is $851 which is the third highest average price of all tumble dryer brands. AEG tumble dryers range in price from $540 to $1,148.

Tumble Dryer Brands - Average Ratings

We have checked 24 expert reviews and 15,494 user reviews for laundry dryer available online and used these reviews to calculate the average rating for each brand of tumble dryer. LG is the top rated tumbler brand with an average rating of 93%. Indesit is the second best brand with 93% and Beko is the third best brand with 92%.

Biggest Tumble Dryer Retailers

We found 23 current offers for laundry dryer from eBay making it the biggest tumbler retailer. That is much bigger than the second biggest retailer, Appliances Connection for whom we found 14 current offers for laundry dryer. The third biggest retailer is A J Madison with 7 current tumbler offers.

When Are Most New Tumble Dryers Released?

Most new laundry dryer tend to be released between September and November. That means that most of the latest tumble dryer technology was released in within the last 3 months, and now is good time to buy. The biggest month in 2017 for new tumble dryer releases was November, with 56 new laundry dryer released that month. In 2016 most new laundry dryer were released in September, with 164 new laundry dryer released that month. December was the biggest month in 2015 for new tumble dryers, with 104 new tumble dryers released that month.

How Fast Do Tumble Dryer Prices Drop After Release?

In the first 6 months after release, tumble dryers drop in price by 5% on average. That means a saving of $50 on a typical $918 new tumbler if you wait 6 months before buying.

Drum Capacities

The drum volume denotes the capacity of the dryer, measures in kilograms.

Comparing all laundry dryer, the drum capacities range from 3kg to 20kg. The drum capacities of most laundry dryer range from 8kg to 8.5kg. The tumbler with the biggest drum capacity is the Samsung DVE50M7450, which is a 20kg capacity tumbler and can be purchased for $296.40. The tumble dryer with the smallest drum capacity is the LG DLEX9000, which is a 3.6kg capacity tumble dryer and is priced at $1,525.10.

Drying Systems

The drying system shows the technology used by the tumbler to dry clothes. Different systems have both positives and negatives.

Amongst new tumble dryers, the most common drying system is condenser. We found 332 tumble dryers that are condenser laundry dryer. We found 329 tumble dryers that are heat pump tumble dryers, making this the second most common drying system amongst new tumble dryers.

Noise Levels

'Noise Level' denotes how much noise the dryer makes when it's running, measures in decibels (dB).

Across the range of laundry dryer, the noise levels range from 40dB to 75dB. The noise levels of the majority of tumble dryers range from 65dB to 67dB. The Zanussi ZDH8353W, which currently retails for $1,009.94, has the loudest noise level and is a 66dB noise level tumble dryer. The tumble dryer with the quietest noise level is the LG DLEX9000, which is a 40dB noise level tumbler and is priced at $1,525.10.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for Tumble Dryers?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying tumble dryers. For each retailer it shows the total number of tumble dryers where they currently have a market leading price. The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying tumble dryers. For each retailer we took all of their prices and looked at what proportion of those prices where the cheapest on the market. The cheapest retailer that we found was eBay. 20 of their tumble dryer prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.

Proportion of Tumble Dryers for Which Each Retailer is Cheapest?

Assessing how cheap each retailer is for tumble dryers by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of tumble dryer prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's tumble dryer prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 87% of their tumble dryer prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.