I love my LG dryer! And when I get the washer, it will stack right on top. They aren't cheap, but I think the dryer is worth every penny.

Sharper360 - thanks for your reply. But I haven't seen an LG that is the 24" size that could sit on top of my Danby. I'll look again. How big is your dryer?

sue

We have had our Danby washer for about 13 months now. It's a nice little work horse although not in the same class as some of the other euro FLers you've mentioned. Our Danby has a habit of moving around quite a bit from off balance loads during the spin cycles. It doesn't have any logic that tries to redistribute the load and balance itself so when it decides to go for a walk around the drain pan we find it positioned in different places from load to load. Personally I wouldn't feel comfortable placing a 150 lb dryer on top of our Danby. Also, aren't most stacking kits brand/model specific?

The recent Bosch 24"w (Axxis) dryers - the standard vented models anyway, not sure about the new ventless/condensation units - are built by Gorenje, the same company that built the Danby dryers. It is a virtual clone (although more expensive) of the old Danby, although I don't know if the mounting points for stacking are the same as the Danby-branded units.

My favorite 240v, 24"w dryers are the GE models, with controls available either on top or bottom (the latter arrangement makes them easier to reach when stacked over a washer). These are the only ones I'm aware of that take advantage of the 30A power outlets commonly found in U.S. and Canadian homes, rather than the 15A European circuits (even on 240V lines), so drying times are faster.

oops, didn't read closely enough.... if Danby dryers are still available, no good reason to spend a few hundred $ more for the Bosch. Still, the fact that a fairly high-end company like Bosch would trust the same manufacturer that builds the Danby to make dryers sold under their brand name, bodes well for their reliability.

Their capacity is not all that big though, so if you plan on getting a larger washer, you may want a larger dryer that can handle the same size load.

FWIW, the new Bosch vented dryers in Europe are again German made in their own factories, seems that they perhaps used the Gorenje models while they were changing production lines or something. The new condenser dryers are also again German made.

{{!gwi}}

Still, the fact that a fairly high-end company like Bosch would trust the same manufacturer that builds the Danby to make dryers sold under their brand name, bodes well for their reliability

I would disagree, especially seeming as over the years Bosch have used Crosslee (the cheapest dryer manufacturer in the UK) to build some of their dryers and they ain't really the best :-). Though that's not to say the Gorenje dryers are bad.

Jon

Gordonr - I haven't had a problem with my Danby walking around. Stay's pretty steady. When it's ramping up it may shake a bit, but that's it. I'd feel ok about putting something different on top.

Lee676 - no plans to move to a bigger washer. This size suits us just fine. Thanks for the tip on the GE, I'll look into it.

Jon - glad you checked in. You are always a wealth of knowledge. Glad to hear that Bosch is back to making their own dryers. I had the thought in the back of my mind about the Bosch's being built temp by Gorenje. Ok, so I'm stumped. I still have one place to visit to try and see the Bosch Axxis in person and I can hopefully look at the Asko there as well, before I make my decision. I believe you use the 24" dryer with your Miele's and AEG's right? Do you have any problems drying what fits in the wash load? I don't expect to, but do hear others who pair a larger dryer with the smaller washer.

I looked at all the dryers I could see today, stopped at Lowes while running errands. Basically because they do carry Bosch. Man in comparison the others felt like junk. IMHO My Little Danby feels better than what I was feeling out there today.

Thanks for the feed back, I will take any suggestions you can offer.

Jon - I think the new Bosch vented dryers have made it to the U.S. yet, although the new ventless/condensation dryer has. This is the U.S. Bosch vented dryer:
{{!gwi}}
Looks like a Gorenje to me - same company that made dryers for Danby, and a similar design except for the control panel.

...and the U.S. Bosch ventless dryer:
{{!gwi}}
This is very new here; I haven't seen one yet. This is the first condensation dryer I've seen here that has a window in the door. Bosch previously sold the older Bosch-built condensation dryer, with the square door without a window; they never sold Gorenje-built condenser dryers in the U.S.

Sue - correction to my previous post regarding the GE dryer - it's evidently only available with the controls on the bottom, although you can choose a white or black control panel. (The 120V/15A model is the one available with top or bottom controls; the 240V/30A is bottom control only). That's the preferable setup for a stacked dryer though IMO, making the controls easier to reach. Here's what the the white-control-panel 240V dryer looks like:
{{!gwi}}
I can't find anything online or in my printed catalog noting the wattage of the heating element, but typically, American dryers have 5500W heating elements, compared to about 3000W on imported dryers. That's because European dryers run on 240V/15A power which has 3600W available from the outlet, some of which is needed to run the motor and fan. American dryers are designed for 240V/30A circuits, which have 7200W available. The placard on the inside of the door, the door opening surround, or the back of the dryer should tell you how many amps or watts the dryer draws, and perhaps breaks out how much is actually used for the heating element(s).

Looking closely at the GE specs that are published online, I noticed though that the GE dryer evidently uses thermostats to determine when the clothes are dry, a crude setup that's generally inferior to electronic moisture sensors that detect how wet or dry the clothes are, not just how hot they are getting. And the GE also lacks the stainless-steel drum found in virtually all the imported 24"w dryers (including the Samsung-built Maytag and the Merloni-built Whirlpool). Despite these drawbacks, I would still spring for the GE if it dries considerably faster. You will need to figure out if it can be stacked on your Danby washer if you go that route. If it's in a closet or otherwise surrounded by walls or cabinetry, it's sometimes easiest to install a shelf just above the washer that the dryer sits on.

First sentence above should read: I don't think the new Bosch vented dryers have made it to the U.S. yet

Lee676 - thank you for all the research you have done. I did peak at the GE that you picture here. Not sure that I want to go with something other than a stainless or porcelin drum. I can't seem to locate any consumer reviews on that dryer and from what I'm seeing it runs on a standard 120V line. I'm not sure that would be very efficient. The thing is, this is not in a closet and I don't "have" to stack. I also thought about the option of installing a shelf and going with a slightly larger stackable. I'm trying to capture some floor space in my basement. I'd also like the option of being able to install under a counter, which the larger stackables don't really offer. What I'm getting rid of is a 15 yr old Magtag, typical american dryer with the controls top back.

I'd also like the stack option as I'm hoping this machine will last for a while and we may at that point be moving to a smaller house since both kids will be gone. DS is already in 2nd year of college, so he's not around much. DD only has a few years to go before she hits college. DH is having trouble with his legs and unless we can get that resolved, we will need to move to 1 level living, which is generally smaller and I may have to stack.

I'm hoping someone will chime in and let me know if they have the smaller dryer paired with the small washer if they have any problems drying the size load they can wash and if they wish they had purchased a larger dryer.

ok, so do I sound totally confused? if DH had just let me get the Danby dryer when I bought the washer, none of this would be an issue. The fact that they are now totally discontinued is what has me doubting my purchase.

Dear Sue,

Have you thought of the Summit dryer-I think they are also rebadged Gorenje machines. They certainly look just like the Danby models. Truly the Finest carries the Summit dryer-I have tried to attach the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Truly the Finest

rghanks - never heard of Summit before. Did check the web site. Interesting.

I've been doing more searching and I think I'm going to bag the idea of finding a stacking, without a shelf at least. I will check at my local appliance dealer, the one that carries the bosch/asko/miele before I make my final decision. But I think I'm going to go with something with a bit bigger drum. That I can stack using a shelf. Any opinions are still helpful. If I go with a larger drum i'm looking at the Frigidaire Affinity 7000. Any opinions on that?

Bigdog - I have no problems really with the smaller dryer as they are the norm here. However I would like a larger dryer simply because whilst I can fit 8 pairs of jeans in the washer, if I put those 8 jeans in the dryer they end up taking forever to dry and being as creased as hell. But thats really my only gripe.

In terms of how "good" the Euro brands are, general consensus is Bosch is good, AEG is better, Asko is even better, Miele is best.

Jon

BTW, make sure you get a dryer that reverses. Teh Asko dryers don't, neither do the new Bosch condenser models, and the reversing feature really is a must with the small drums of the Euro dryers to prevent tangling & creasing.

Jon

BTW, make sure you get a dryer that reverses. Teh Asko dryers don't, neither do the new Bosch condenser models, and the reversing feature really is a must with the small drums of the Euro dryers to prevent tangling & creasing. Eliminating reverse action really is a backward step, and is only really found on the ultra cheap low end dryers here so god knows what Asko and Bosch are thinking!

Jon

Jon - thanks for the tips. That is what I was afriad of, the smaller dryer taking a long time to dry what I can fit in the washer. I looked at an off brand with the drum size of the bosch/asko/miele and thought, there is no way I would be able to dry the sheets I fit in the washer. That is why I have been thinking of going with a slightly larger American brand dryer. I'd really prefer a Euro brand, but I'm stuck. I checkd the Bosch website and their Nexxt dryers would not work stacked, at least not for me. I'm only 5'1 and I'd need a step ladder to set the program. Asko/Miele has the smaller drum. I don't want the huge 7 cu ft, I think that is over kill for doing the smaller loads of my Euro washer, but I'm thinking the 5.8 would be about right. Enough space to fit the load with decent circulation, without the overkill. Now do you have an opinion on having a lot of bells and whistles? The other thing I think is important as I see it in the Euro's is having air circulation holes covering the entire back of the drum, where many American models only have a small pie shaped set of holes, maybe 1/8 of the back. That limits my selection again, to Frig or GE. GE's are not getting a very good rating from what I've found. Any opinion there?

I was looking at Asko's site and it mentioned that it did a butterfly, figure 8 with the dryer. And for Bosch I'd be using the vented. We can't get AEG here as far as I can find, unless it's rebaged as something else. The Danby would do a reverse tumble, but there goes the size issue again. I'm concerned that the long drying times would exaserbate the possible shrinkage issues too.

Thanks again for the input. Keep it coming.

sue

Sue - actually with sheets and towels the Euro dryers are good, I can dry a full 6 kilo load of sheets in 30 mins or less in the dryer. It's only denim that really does take a long time I find, if you dry more than 4 pairs at once.

In terms of shrinking, European dryers tend to operate at lower temperatures with more emphasis on airflow and I haven't really had any shrinking problems at all with our dryers, even with stuff that says do not tumble dry.

Hope this helps,

Jon

Jon - that is definitely good to know, as I put a queen set and a twin set in the washer as one load, not problem washing, but I wasn't sure about the drying part. As for denim, I usually only have 4 pairs at a time. DH often wears khaki type that don't have the density of denim and DD's denim, well lets just say the denim that teens wear isn't the denim like the old stuff. But I don't think I've found a dryer yet that does well with denim. Even this dryer doesn't get it right the first time. Glad to hear that shrinkage isn't an issue either. With my current dryer it only had two temps, I used delicate at all times, still it would shrink things a bit, still fairly hot in my opinion. Also I tend to buy all cotton as much as possible, except for my exercise clothing which I tend to hang dry. That stuff only take minutes to air dry. That gives me much more hope for what I can find in a Euro dryer tomorrow. I will try and find out from the store if they know exactly where the Bosch are being made these days. I'll take a good hard look at the Asko and Miele too. It even makes me reconsider the Danby as well.

Thanks again, you are always such a help.

Any other thoughts are still appreciated and if you do a smaller sheet load, I'd love to know that too.

sue

The GE dryer I mentioned above *is* 240V - model # DSKS433EBWW (white) or DSKS433EBWH (white w/black control panel). There are other GE dryers that run on 120V but not these.

I'm not aware of any U.S.-made dryers that don't rotate in only one direction. Some of the Frigidaire dryers used to have two-way tumbling but they were unreliable or too expensive and were discontinued. The traditional American approach, as is so often the case, is just make it bigger. Then there's room for clothes to spread out and they don't get tangled.

Sue,

With the top-end Euro sized FLers, the drying time probably isn't an issue because they spin so much water out of the clothing. Our prior Asko spun at 1500 rpm (g-force about 590) whereas our Danby tops out at 1000 rpm (g-force about 260). When we started using the Danby we comparitively thought our clothes going into the dryer were kind of wet. We have always used a basic moisture sensor based standard sized 14 year old Maytag dryer. Our drying times went from 25 to 30 minutes with the Asko to 45 minutes with the Danby. It's not a stretch to guess that a Euro dryer (with half the drying power of a standard US machine) in combination with the Danby could easily go over an hour in dry time. Your desire to couple the Danby with a more powerful, larger capacity US dryer is sound logic to me.

Gordonr - Thanks for your reply and the translation in time, however, my Maytag 15 yr old, probably similar to yours, also has a moisture sensor usually drys my Danby load in about 30 min, that is on delicate temp and set about 1/2 between the least amount dry and the next line up. Of course Jeans or towel take a bit longer.

Quick follow up question, does anyone know if there is a size difference between the drum capacity for the bosch/asko/miele? And what the size is for any or all of them? I was on all the sites and cannot find a size listed. I know the Danby I believe is 3.8.

Thanks again. Won't be making a final decision until after I, hopefully take a look in person tomorrow at the Euros.

sue

Made my rounds today and finally got a look at one Euro, an Asko 731. I can get the floor model at 10% off of their selling price of 1075 or for 967.50. Any comments, good, bad or otherwise?

Anything else will need ordered or I will have to drive to get the Danby.

update - going to drive and get the Danby tomorrow. After re-looking at the Frig, I don't like the hinge, feels wobbly. DH nearly freaked at the price of the ASKO, considering we are pairing it with a very inexpensive, but fantastic washer. I'll let you know what I think of the dryer after I use it. Thanks for all the help.

sue

Thank you everyone for your help. Installed the Danby today. It's not stacked yet, DH wasn't up for that, but it is connected and running. It's on it's second load. First one was perfect. It will probably take some experiementing on the dryness selections to find what I like the best for which loads, but so far so good. Seems to work at well as the washer. If they both last a good long time I will be very happy, as I don't want to lose them.

sue

Sue,

Let us know what drying times your seeing compared to your old Maytag. It would be interesting info. BTW - your venting must be much better than our setup. Our current setup is right about at the venting length limit Maytag specifies. That would certainly explain the drying time difference your seeing vs. us.

Gordonr - Started experiementing with the Danby today. I have to revise what I said about the Maytag, but I think that is mostly due to it dying it's slow death. Right after my post the next load took over an hour, but it didn't feel like it was heating. Oh well it's history now, it servered me well.

First load today was 3 pair Jean's. I wanted to try denim by itself. They dried in 40 min set on cotton, dry for storage. It does say in the book that a full load is more efficient and that wasn't full. Hopefully next time I'll have more in there for that.

The second load was a mixed bag of dark colored clothing. It took about 45 min, but I set it this time on the synthetic setting, which seemed to be a lower heat. After it was done, i probably should have chosen Cotton, but I want to get a feel for the different settings.

I also think I will be sorting my laundry a bit differently now, to work with the dryer at it's best. I'll keep you posted.

Everything came out soft, nothing was over cooked, that was a major plus.

My setting choices are: cotton or synthetic and then you choose, machine iron (wettest), iron, slighly damp, dry for storage, or very dry. There is also a timed dry and an air fluff (no heat). When the cycle ends it beeps 4 times and goes into anti-crease mode. I believe that will last for up-to an hour. The dryer does reverse tumble and so far, nothing has come out wrinkled, another plus. I'll be doing another load or two tomorrow, so I will see how well that works.

Hope this helps. I'm thinking I should be able to get most loads dry in 40 min or less. Not bad in my book, that's well before the washer would finish even on the shortest load and I've read on the various web sites that most dryers are timed to the washer, so this would be better than that.

sue

Sue - I hope everything goes well with your new purchase!

45 minutes sounds good for jeans even after only a 1000rpm spin, my AEG takes over an hour to dry a full load of jeans and that's if they've been spun at 1600rpm!

Jon

Jon - wow my little Danby out dried your AEG? That is amazing.

Today I did a load of light colored cottons. I put it on Cotton, dry for storage. I stopped it before it was done about 45 min. Everything was a little too dry for my liking. Next time I'll try the slighly damp setting. My guess is they were probably dry around 30 min. But I was in the middle of dinner and it slipped my mind.

Tomorrow I will be trying a load of towels and a load of sheets. Debating on the settings. The towels will definitely be cotton, but I guess I'll start with the slightly damp and see where that gets me. I'll post and update.

sue

update on dryer:

Towel load I think was a bit large. It took over an hour for those.

Sheet load went well, all dry on the mildly damp setting, in about 40 min or less.

Today I did white, DH t-shirts, undies and socks. used the mildly damp setting, perfect for the t-shirts and undies, sock being thick were sligtly damp. About 40 min for the good sized load. Decided to just hang the socks on the side of the basket to finish their drying.

I like this dryer, just going to take some experienmenting on the right size load for it. Mildly damp seems like the right setting so far.