Whirlpool helps keep my clothes looking spiffy
Written: Oct 25 '09 (Updated Oct 25 '09)
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Pros: Lighted drum. Eight cycles and three temperatures. Affordable. End of cycle buzzer.
Cons: Nothing fancy, but that's no big deal.
The Bottom Line: Our Whirlpool dryer helps keep our laundry clean and dry.
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| knotheadusc's Full Review: Whirlpool 6.5 Cu. Ft. Super Capacity Electric Drye... |
Those of you who read my review of Lowe's Online store may want to skip the following explanation...
A few weeks ago, my husband Bill and I discovered that our six year old Roper dryer wasn't going to work in our new house. The dryer, which was a bottom level model, had served us reasonably well. However, in 2007, we were forced to move into new Army housing for about eight months before we moved to Germany for two years. The new Army house required a four pronged power cord for the dryer, which the Roper didn't have. We switched the cord, used the dryer for the next eight months, then went to Germany. Upon moving into our new house in Georgia, we found that we needed to switch back to a three pronged power cord. Unfortunately, the nut that was holding the four pronged cord on our dryer was completely stripped and refused to come off. Because the dryer had been so inexpensive, Bill and I were loathe to call a repairman and get a bill that was more than what we spent on the dryer in the first place. We also badly needed our dryer to function because laundry was piling up. That's how we came to own a Whirlpool 6.5 Cubic Foot Super Capacity Electric Dryer (WED5100VQ).
Why Whirlpool?
I chose to purchase a Whirlpool dryer in part because Bill once worked at one of their factories. He could personally vouch for the quality of their products, since he had actually seen how they were put together. While I had little personal experience with the brand itself, I had always heard good things about it. And Lowe's had a model that offered everything I wanted in a dryer at a good price.
First impressions
Our Whirlpool dryer is white and matches our washing machine reasonably well. The controls are located on the top of the dryer. They're very easy to figure out and manuever.
The first thing I noticed and liked about this dryer is that it has a light in the drum. When I open the dryer to load or unload clothes, a light comes on, just like it does when I open our refrigerator. The light isn't a necessary touch, but it does make it easy for me to see what I'm doing, which is becoming more and more important as I get older.
The next thing I noticed was that this dryer has a simple but very functional design. When I run it, it's reasonably quiet and it emits a soft buzz when a cycle finishes. That makes it less likely that I'll forget about the laundry when I get caught up writing Epinions or playing games on Facebook. If I don't catch the buzzer the first time it sounds, or it turns out the clothes need more time, I just let the dryer continue to run and it will buzz again in about fifteen minutes. The end of cycle buzzer is adjustable, too.
I'm generally partial to using the energy saver cycle, but this particular dryer has eight different cycles and three temperature settings, everything from timed drying to a fluff cycle. That makes it simple to choose the right setting for the fabrics I'm drying. There's also a 40 minute Wrinkle Shield option. It tumbles the clothes every five minutes at the end of a cycle to help prevent wrinkles from setting in to clean, dry fabrics. This cycle continues until the door is opened or after forty minutes. I'm usually pretty good about remembering my laundry, but I imagine this feature would really come in handy for some households.
The extra large lint trap is on top of the machine, which is pretty standard. It seems to work quite well. Unless I'm drying fuzzy blankets or towels, I find that my clothes dry quickly, with a minimum of mess. The 6.5 cubic foot size is plenty big for Bill and me. We don't have kids to consider.
Dimensions and other stuff
The Whirlpool 6.5 Cubic Foot Super Capacity Electric Dryer is 42.5 inches high, 27 inches wide, and 27.75 inches deep. When the dryer door is open at a 90 degree angle, it has a depth of 42.5 inches. We find it fits almost perfectly in our small laundry room.
Our dryer is painted white. The dryer drum has a powder coat finish. Good news for southpaws; the dryer door is reversible!
Electrical requirements: 30 Amps. 60 Hz. 240 V
Warranty: Limited one year manufacturer's warranty for parts and labor.
Overall
We like our Whirlpool dryer. It's a very efficient, basic model, but it has all of the features we were looking for. The price was right, too. Including tax, we paid about $400 for this dryer, which made it very affordable. It may not be the fanciest machine available, but it suits our purposes beautifully.
For more information: www.whirlpool.com
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 378
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