All in One Ventless Washer Dryer Combo Reviews

The research

• Why you should trust us
• Why we're skeptical of all-in-one combos
• Who should (and shouldn't) become this
• How we picked
• Our option: LG WM3488HW meaty ventless washer-dryer combo
• Flaws merely not dealbreakers, and what to expect from your philharmonic
• The competition
• What most laundry centers?

Why y'all should trust us

Since 2013 I've covered appliances for Wirecutter, and have put in hundreds of hours of inquiry into washers and dryers, including interviews with repair technicians from around the state, representatives from all the major washer brands, a major detergent company, and another review website. I've also read most of the reviews at Reviewed.com and CNET, and countless emails, comments, tweets, message board posts, and user reviews from our readers and pretty much anyone else who cared plenty to weigh in on laundry machines.

Why we're skeptical of all-in-1 combos

If single-drum washer-dryer combos worked well, they'd exist the ultimate laundry appliances. They take up half the space of dissever machines, and y'all don't have to transfer clothes between them.

Simply brand afterward make has tried to brand all-in-one laundry happen, however decades after, the machines are still not popular. The washing aspect works fine, but drying takes a couple hours longer than a separate auto would, and that'southward if you've loaded the machine to only half capacity. Yous tin't wash new loads while you look for the dryer, either, then laundry day slows to a crawl. All-in-ones also have high repair rates and aren't much cheaper to buy than carve up machines, so they'll almost e'er price you more than in the long run.

Steve Sheinkopf, owner and CEO of Yale Appliance + Lighting in Boston and one of the industry's most prolific bloggers put it frankly: "I hate these things," he told united states. "Information technology'due south really a product that should non exist on the market. Nosotros do everything in our ability not to sell them."

The trouble, Sheinkopf said, is that the repair rate is sky high—over 70 percent inside the first twelvemonth, co-ordinate to his service section'due south records. "They seem to be the most repair-prone products we sell."

Chaim Shanet, a repair technician for Mr. Appliance of Park Slope in Brooklyn, services an area with many small-scale apartments in mid-rising and high-rise buildings—a neighborhood where all-in-one combo units actually make sense in a lot of homes. He said that even amongst his space-constrained clients "people either love them or hate them. ...There's no heart ground." (He also could not confirm the repair charge per unit that Sheinkopf mentioned.)

All that said, the user reviews for all-in-ones tend to exist pretty good. Near of the reviews nosotros read seemed to be written by people with little infinite only plenty of patience. Donna Smallin Kuper, a professional organizer and cleaning skilful, uses an all-in-one model in her RV and told us that she's happy with it, and that near of her friends in the RV community own one and like information technology, besides. We've also read a couple dozen user reviews from people who live in small homes and don't listen the long dry out times of an all-in-one, because they find it easier than hang-drying.

Who should (and shouldn't) get this

If y'all take no other practical option for washing and drying your laundry, you could consider getting an all-in-ane washer-dryer combo.

For example, if you lot live in an RV or on a boat, infinite is at a premium and hang-drying your clothes is not applied, then an all-in-i combo is probably the only skilful option.

Or, if you're in a very pocket-size dwelling house with very niggling space and y'all wouldn't consider hang-drying your clothes, an all-in-one combo might be a expert option.

But if you have the space for a split up washer and dryer—even a compact pair—skip the combo unit. Information technology might seem similar a clever way to save space and perhaps fifty-fifty some stress on laundry day. Only every bit far as we can tell, the downsides aren't worth it for most people who tin avert it.

How we picked

We've put in hundreds of hours researching all types of washers and dryers, including full-size and meaty models. For single-pulsate washer-dryer combos in detail, we did most ten hours of targeted enquiry into 13 models. However, we did non examination whatsoever of them (Reviewed.com is the only major source that has, and even it tested just 2 models). And then this communication is all based on research and interviews.

Considering our experts warned us that you should get a philharmonic only if yous have no other choice, nosotros narrowed our focus to models that required the least space and the fewest special connections. The criteria include:

• A compact, 24-inch-wide chassis: This is the same size as a dishwasher or stand-alone meaty washing machine—small plenty to install nether a kitchen counter or to stuff into a tiny laundry closet.
• A ventless blueprint: This leads to long drying times just easier installation.
• 120-volt power source: Again, irksome drying but flexible installation.

Our pick: LG WM3488HW compact ventless washer-dryer combo

Our pick

LG WM3488HW

An okay washer-dryer combo

Avoid all-in-one washer-dryers if y'all can. Otherwise, this compact, ventless, 120-volt model is the safety bet for reliability—or at least repairability.

The LG WM3488HW seems similar the safest bet for an all-in-one washer-dryer philharmonic, if that's your simply practical choice for washing and drying laundry at home. It has better features than other models, and though nosotros tin't be certain it's more reliable, it should at least be easier to find parts to gear up it in a few years.

LG is the all-time-known brand that makes a compact, ventless, 120-volt model, and its regular washers and dryers are some of the most reliable, according to Yale Appliance, and J.D. Power. Several repair technicians accept told the states that LG reliably keeps erstwhile parts available, so you should be able to set this thing equally needed for several years. Shanet, the repair technician from Brooklyn, specifically recommended LG combos in a higher place other brands for this reason.

The WM3488HW besides has a maximum spin-dry out speed of 1,400 rpm, the highest of any philharmonic. That helps wick the water out of clothes at the stop of a wash cycle, so they may not need to spend as much time in the dryer. Our other finalists maxed out at 1,200 rpm.

At 2.3 cubic feet, the WM3488HW also has a slightly larger capacity than its peers, which are all 2 cubic feet or smaller. That's enough space to add an extra T-shirt or 2 per load.

Information technology as well has more washing options than other meaty combos, including a few useful ones like an extra-hot launder temperature and a steam-cleaning option. Yous won't use them oft, but they're handy when you demand to sanitize items. No other finalists have the internal water heater that'southward required for those features.

The WM3488HW has an average user rating of 4.1 stars (out of five) based on more than 400 reviews at Dwelling Depot—that's a solid score, especially in a category that'due south supposedly bad. The consensus is that it washes well and is a surprisingly skilful dryer for a ventless, 120-volt model, though it notwithstanding takes many hours to finish a load. The unit hasn't been out long enough to know how reliable information technology will be over fourth dimension, but then far so good.

Flaws but not dealbreakers, and what to expect from your philharmonic

The LG WM3488HW costs hundreds of dollars more than any of its closest competitors. Equally unsure equally we are of the LG, we're even less confident about recommending the cheaper models from the other brands—we think spending more to get a decent experience is worth doing.

The other problems with the WM3488HW are the problems with whatever all-in-one washer-dryer combo. That is, y'all're limited to washing and drying small loads, and they're going to take a long time to finish.

It'll take effectually three½ hours, possibly longer, to launder and dry a small load of two cotton bath towels and hand towels, or perhaps two days' worth of summertime street clothes. By comparison, a standard front-load washer and vented dryer can clean and dry out about 20 towels in 2½ hours with the correct settings selected.

There are a few reasons why the loads are so small yet so lengthy. First, as a 120-volt appliance, it merely can't crank out as much oestrus as a typical 240-volt dryer. Second, it's ventless, and ventless dryers ever accept longer than vented ones. Third, although the drum capacity is almost the same equally any other 24-inch washing machine, it'south only half the volume of a typical 24-inch dryer. Dryers demand bigger drums and then that clothes tin can tumble freely. In a drum this small, a full washer load is an overstuffed dryer load, and wearing apparel will dry even more slowly. The WM3488HW'due south manual says that you can stuff the drum if y'all're just washing the clothes, but should make full it but halfway if you intend to launder and dry in the same load.

The competition

Heated tumble-drying is not the only mode to dry your clothes. Before you buy a combo, think about whether yous could be comfortable with a compact washing machine and a nifty drying rack. You'll save hundreds of dollars, and you probably won't lose much fourth dimension relative to a combo.

We dismissed our other compact, ventless, 120-volt finalists: The Haier HLC1700AXW, Midea USFC70DS12DSH, Summit SPWD2201SS, EdgeStar CWD1550S, and Magic Chef MCSCWD20W3 (again, the terminal iii of which announced to exist the same machine with a different characterization). We as well dismissed the Deco DC4400CV, the convertible vented-ventless model (likewise sold under the Equator or Pinnacle brands). As Shanet warned, y'all may not exist able to discover replacement parts from these brands after a few years. They tend to have mediocre user ratings and limited availability compared with our pick, too.

The LG Signature LUWM101HWA costs nearly $2,900, by far the nigh expensive combo unit and much more expensive than most any separate washer and dryer. But this 2.viii-cubic-foot, ventless, 120-volt, 24-inch model has arguably the best specs of whatsoever washer-dryer combo: It uses a oestrus-pump rather than a condenser for its ventless drying, which speeds up the drying process a bit and saves some energy. The spin cycle tin also creepo at 1,600 RPM, the fastest we've e'er heard of in whatsoever washer, which should besides assistance cut down on drying times. The LG Signature is not a peculiarly popular product, but some owner reviews have trickled out. Reviewers who compare the LG Signature with other combo units seem happy that information technology works noticeably (though not dramatically) faster; reviewers who thought they'd exist able to seamlessly supersede separate washer and dryer units seem disappointed.

Kuper, the cleaning adept and RV-dweller, told us the Splendide WD2100XC might exist your best choice if your dwelling rolls or floats. We didn't consider it for our master pick because information technology's a vented model, merely that doesn't seem to be a problem in RVs or on boats. The marketing materials specifically annotation that the Splendide is congenital with "heavy-duty springs and daze absorbers" for RV travel.

LG used to make a total-size, ventless, 120-volt all-in-one combo, the WM3997HWA, but information technology'south now discontinued. It has a four.3-cubic-foot drum, an accelerated wash bicycle, and 700 decent user ratings, averaging four stars out of five. Our opinion is that you should go a combo just if you have no other pick, and if y'all can fit a full-size model in your home, you can probably fit two compact models, which will let yous do more laundry faster, and will probably be more reliable. But if yous're the exception to our assumption, and remember that the WM3997HWA is your best bet, nosotros think it's probably an okay bet—it has a lot in common with the smaller WM3488HW.

Marathon Laundry (a startup founded by a former Apple software engineer) announced its first product, an all-in-one philharmonic in January 2016 and began shipping some units in May 2017. About of the press coverage and the company's marketing materials focused on how smart the machine would be, just nosotros were generally interested considering it's a 240-volt model, so the dryer should've been relatively fast compared with other all-in-one models. But it's hard to find much information on Marathon Laundry anymore. The company's website is still upwardly, and co-ordinate to LinkedIn it nonetheless has some employees. But its Facebook folio was taken down former between summer 2017 (last time we looked) and October 2018 (when nosotros're writing this update). The company is barely agile on Twitter. It also does not listing a telephone number on its website and did non reply to an email from Wirecutter asking most its status. It doesn't have any stock of its machines, so if you wanted to purchase one, you lot'd take to wait for the next production run, and that appointment is not publicly available either. It's hard to find reviews of how well the company's production works, merely this story from May 2018 is non favorable, detailing how the dryer barely functioned and the customer service was obstinate. Another annotate on that page tells a like story about the poor customer service.

What about laundry centers?

When some people hear the term "washer-dryer combo," they retrieve of the one-time-school, one-piece stacks, also known every bit laundry centers. They have a smallish elevation-load washer on the lesser, and a smallish vented dryer upwardly top. Decades ago, they were the choice for vertically stacked laundry in the US.

But then front-loaders arrived and solved that problem, so we don't think there'southward a strong case for laundry centers anymore. The cheaper models are all agitator-style top-loaders, which use much more water and energy, are rougher on clothes, and don't clean equally thoroughly equally high-efficiency (HE) washers. A few HE top-load laundry centers are out there, only they're barely any cheaper than stacking a bones forepart-loader and dryer. They all need dryer ventilation, and they're much harder to motion in and out of your domicile, because they're so huge.

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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-washer-dryer-combo/

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