I'm thinking about getting a heat pump dryer for the winter, so that I don't have to always put a clothes horse in front of the fire. Any recommendations? The Samsung look good, but I'm not sure if the current prices are any good, or if its worth waiting for a further discount on some models.
Heat pump dryer recommendations
Salamander on 07/04/2026 - 21:43
Last edited 08/04/2026 - 09:27 by 1 other user
Last edited 08/04/2026 - 09:27 by 1 other user
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This has mirrored my sentiment too when looking. The cost benefit just doesn't seem to stack. The only time I would look at them are (as you have mentioned) if there is literally no alternative and you just cannot vent a standard dryer. Thankfully we can vent, and our bog standard F&P dryer is still going strong some 24 years after we initially purchased it - not even a single fault with it yet. Its simple and it works.
I just went through this, my previous unit died - had an appliance tech out etc.
His recommendation was a Westinghouse unit from reliability and parts perspective.I ended up with one from Bunnings - couldn't pass the 5 year warranty.
It's a generic unit white label unit, tradedepot sell it under another brand but with less warranty.I have a samsung heat pump dryer i use it may be 200 days at least in a year roughtly . I got extended 5 year warranty on it as at that time some heatpump dryers from any brand could develop issues as the tech was very new .
fast forward now i think they have gotten very good . mine was 7 starts you can buy one with 10 stars efficiency now . they are already super efficient and super gentle on cloths . suitable for every day use . and consume very little power . you might find they slow but 2 ish hours on regular load is not bad . you time your self well
Would make sense to get samsung if your washer is samsung.
I got matching samsung front loader with heat pump dryer DV80T5420AW/SA a couple of years ago from Noel Leeming, from memory closer to $1000 because of some cashback deal.
I'm no expert but the current $1200 for the samsung ones seems okay. (There's a $100 off code on Samsung website). Don't forget delivery fee.
Life changing not having to hang clothes. But does shrink clothes so watch out for that.
Samsung washing machine had a terrible reputation I believe.
I snagged a Miele heat pump dryer second hand for just over $500.
It's been awesome to just chuck things into and not blink too much about the cost, and by buying a quality brand second hand it removed the sting of the upfront cost.
We have a lot of laundry due to having a newborn and using cloth nappies, so removing one chore (hanging washing) is super valuable. It's been used basically daily for over a year now.
What are the drying times like for most major brands. it seems heat pumps take ages? Even a few garments
On mine, the program has various timing. The shortest program I can do is 55 mins.
Standard/normal cycle that I use is 2h40mins but mine has a sensor that reduce this time if it's dried. I think on average, my normal cycle last around 1 hour.
The annoying thing is whenever we do duvet cover or bedsheet, it thinks that it dried but still damp because they roll into ball. I have to do 2-3 cycles to dry them by untangling first.
We've given up with duvet covers and just hang them on a door frame. Our vented dryer didn't do this so not sure what the difference is that makes the heat pump dryer do it.
Ours is a about 3 hours as well. Definitely recommend locating by the sink so you can plumb in the drain. Amazing how much water comes out of them when you empty the tank and that used to be pumped in to the garage. We also find it gentler on the clothes compared to the vented dryer.
Haier would be better than Samsung I would have thought ( for what you pay)
Just get a condenser dryer, the heat pump ones will never truly dry your clothes. Even after running for 3-6 hours they will always be slightly damp and your entire wardrobe will eventually smell musty. That's on top of all the repair issues and questionable power savings mentioned above.
Maybe name the brand you have, our hisense dries the clothes just fine who is not well heat pump dryer that do this.
Bosch were the worst. Had them look at it multiple times and eventually their support just admitted that they don't actually fully dry the clothes. Nothing like finding your clothes still slightly damp after 8 hours of running. They seemed to think it was a limitation of heat pump dryers.
F&P was a similar experience, and I've talked to a lot of friends with heat pump dryers and it mostly seems like the same story.
A few said that theirs dried fine, but when pushed on it they admit that they sometimes leave the clothes to air out a bit before storing to get the last little bit of moisture out.
I don't find that acceptable at all, and after switching back to condenser dryers it hasn't been a problem whatsoever. And as an extra bonus my clothes are ready in 1hr30 instead of 6+ hours…
I don't doubt your experience but our Bosch is good with some things that dont make sense.
its a 8kg heat pump dryer (WTH85200AU, 2018) and can get stuff really dry. But we have the defaults adjusted by +2 suns or +3 sun symbols for making it extra dry. I suppose that is 2-3 hours for a medium load. If we don't adjust it then it will stop when there is definite dampness but sometimes this is fine for small loads and a shake and a careful fold makes them good to put away.It vents a fair bit of moisture into the laundry which seems odd but no hassle really. It is plumbed to the drain, and its own self-cleaning condenser tank fulls up with water to empty so that seems complex too.
It does ball up the sheets half the time but we just accept that and putting things in for +20 mins is pretty reliable afterwards.
Have a Haier HP drier for venting purposes.
Never had clothes come out damp. Wardrobe is fine.
Also has reverse tumble, so bed sheets don't ball up as bad as others (cough Samsung cough).
Noise was also an issue, and it's one of the quieter ones.
Does it take a while to dry? Of course, but it's not like I'm needing dry clothes ASAP.
I tried ordering: Vogue Breeze Heat Pump Dryer 8kg White but after 1 week they said they had run out of stock and the new eta was a couple months away so they offered to swap it to: HEATPUMP DRYER MIDEA 8KG G03 GLORY SERIES BLACK DOOR,NEW DIAL at no extra charge
had it for 1 year and after a few teething issues - works so much better if it is: set to send water to sink instead of into the water container, and set on extra dry with intensity mode on
Went from having semi damp clothes as above mentioned to perfectly dry clothes
The other benefit I've noticed is clothes seem to be damaged less using the heat pump dryer than the traditional style one we had. Also considerably less shrinkage of clothingLeft field suggestion.
What about just installing a heat pump and sticking it on dehumidify mode with the clothes horse?
Double benefit.
yes that would also work but we are getting lazier and extra equipment is what most do
I can't recommend them at all if you have an alternative to just vent.
Two major points for me (an ex repair/sales person)
Power savings aren't that great when you consider the extra time they take to dry.
Complexity of the machine it goes up substantially. You are looking at a few hours work to just change a broken belt/replace a bearing (which is going to be necessary eventually). Compared to 15min on a standard old "havent needed to change how it works for 30+ years" F&P dryer. Not to mention the bunch of new things that can now go wrong/wear out.
I occasionally buy a few second hand dryers to repair/reconditioned and resell this time of year cause it earns me a few $ for not a lot of effort. I have bought several heat pump/condensing dryers (often for a literal dollar)are none have been worth fixing. The closest was one that only needed a new belt - which (as above) proved exceptionally difficult to install a new belt. Plus the belt was $85