I also had one of these while living in the UK. I didn't have the problems mentioned with wrinkling, at least not worse than any other front loader, which all spin faster than top loaders. But no condensing dryer (which is what one of these is during the drying phase) gets clothes as dry as a vented dryer. Add together the wash time of a front loader (generally longer than a top loader) with a long, inefficient dry cycle and total cycle time was loooong. Another thing that hasn't been mentioned: having only one device means you can't dry one load and wash another at the same time, so one load takes a couple of hours or more before you can even begin to wash something else. Add to that the small capacity and there's no such thing as "laundry day", you'd better be thinking about laundry all the time. It seemed like we were continuously drying socks, hanging on radiators all over the house. As others have said, I wouldn't have another one of these things unless circumstances absolutely demanded it.

The condenser dryers from both Miele and Bosch work as fast and efficiently as a vented dryer. You'd see a vast improvement over the drying results you'd gotten used to with a combo unit. Not only that, you'll be able to wash AND dry full-sized loads. With the combo units you can only dry a load that is half the size of a normal wash load. Condenser dryers are matched to handle full-sized wash loads. An added bonus, and one that few people consider -- with a separate dryer, you'll be bale to do laundry twice as fast. With a combo unit, you wash a load, then you dry it. The appliance is tied up for several hours for a single load. With a separate dryer, you can wash a load, transfer it to the dryer, then while the first load is drying, you can wash a second load. A much more efficient way to do laundry. Hope this helps.

> Fagor makes good machines too, but they need 220 lines They work better, or at least much faster, than any other W/D combo sold in the US for that reason - the powerful 2500 watt internal heater quickly heats the water during the wash cycle for better cleaning, than speeds drying (and reduces wear on clothes) by shortening the dry cycle because it can draw 2500 watts rather than only 1000 watts typical for drying on a 110 volt combo dryer. But Fagor is in financial trouble (bankrupt, with two companies that may or may not buy their assets and honour their warranties) They've pulled their laundry machines from their US website, though several seem to remain in the pipeline. LG is the only manufacturer with a large US presense selling combo W/Ds in America, and the only one selling oversize machines of the size now common in new washers and dryers, that can wash and dry a load almost as big as an old top-load washer could wash. But both their large and small combos are hobbled by 120 volt/15 amp electricals, which can only draw 1/4 of the power used by a standard American dryer and are thus dog-slow.

Sorry it took me so long to get back - been a very busy week! I'll try to answer your questions now: "What the difference, how do I have to care the dryer." Condenser dryers need a little more care than vented ones: you have to clean the lint filter, obviously, but you also have to empty the water reservoir after each cycle. But that's not big deal and you can use the water for other things like watering plants or ironing - it's demineralized water. The condenser unit itself, which sits near the bottom of the dryer, only needs to be cleaned once a month or even less. You just have to remove it (pull it out) from the dryer, rinse the lint off and put it back. It's not much lint at all - maybe 1/4 of what usually accumulates in the lint filter. No risk of clogging you plumbing. "Anyway I dont know whether GE sells laundry appliances in Hungary and in Europe or not :P" I thought you were in Hungary because your My Page says so ("I live in: Hungary"). Okay... "You mentioned that the your condenser dryer works well with Bounce (with my favorite brand) so if I bought a heat-pump dryer my laundry ought to smell the same as using a traditional US dryer. Anyway Im a big fan of fabric softeners, but I dont know Lenor fabric softener." No, the Bounce dryer sheets I used in the US when visiting my aunt - never used them in our dryer. I can't get dryer sheets to work in our German dryer - never leaves any trace of scent behind. :( But that's not the fault of the dryer: the dryer sheets P&G sells in Europe seem to be pretty weak. I also used them in Speed Queen vented dryers in the UK and there was no fragrance left behind either. However, liquid softener yields to much better results. Since you said you loved scented laundry, which I also do, I'd say you should maybe try to use detergent and softener which have the same scent. They don't sells this in Germany but I know Tide and Downy are available with the same scents in the US. Lenor softener is only sold in Europe, I think. But yeah, it's one of P&G's many brands. "Which dryer should I buy?" Good question! ;) I think there's not a lot to choose from when it comes to condenser dryers in the US. Bosch is a good choice and so is Miele. Of course, Miele is perceived as the premium brand but it also comes with a price tag to match! Bosch is cheaper ...more affordable... and will dry your clothes just as well. Both brands make good, reliable and quiet dryers. "According to some studies the heat pump dryer are better because they use less energy. But what about the drying time? Will it be extended if they use less energy?" Yes, heat-pump dryers use quite a bit less energy and yes, the drying time also increases a bit. I suggest you best go to siemens-home.co.uk or miele.co.uk and download user manuals for both traditional dryers and heat-pump versions. There you can find all the cycle times. "Actually they dont need ducting so I can place them virtually everywhere? I think they do need good ventilation of air in the room they installed." Yes, you can place them anywhere as long as the ambient room temperature does not exceed a certain level - I think it's about 95°F. The cooler, the better. "You use condenser dryer, am I right?" Yes, an Electrolux. "And fortunately, you used traditional dryers in CA, so please tell me you experiences. If you compared the two dryers, the vented and the condenser, which would be the best? " American dryers rule! *lol* But seriously, European dryers are the norm over here and it's what we adjusted to: a max. of 4 cu.ft. drum size, drying times of more than an hour etc. Then again, condenser dryers can be placed absolutely anywhere: kitchen, bath room, under a counter, on top of the washer... There's no need for venting and it'll even heat your house in the winter months. Nevertheless, if I had a choice I'd get one of those large and fast American dryer in a heart beat. I'm just amazed at the capacity and speed of them! The only drawback is that, as I find, if you dry thin and thick fabrics together the thin items tend to over-dry with a vented dryer. This does not happen in a condenser as everything dries at the same pace. Since you said you understand German: I have scanned some pages from a German consumer magazine and uploaded them. If you want to, you can send me an e-Mail via my profile page and I'll send you the download link. Alex