Stiftung Warentest puts tumble dryer through its paces

Miele's TWF 500 WP heat-pump dryer with an A+++ energy efficiency rating came out test winner in trials conducted by the German consumer watchdog Stiftung Warentest (StiWa), achieving an overall mark of 1.7. The test covered 18 models; details will appear in the September issue (test magazine 9/2018).

The Miele tumble dryer was the only model tested to be awarded a 'Very good' for safety and workmanship. Miele's offering also excels in the test aspects of 'uniform drying', 'loading and unloading', and 'emptying the condensate tank'. And the removal of lint from the heat exchanger also warranted a mention by the testers: 'On Miele appliances, users clean a removable sponge instead of a slatted filter'. The heat exchanger is located behind a push-action flap at the left-hand side of the machine front at the bottom; the filter in front can be easily removed. The filter system and maintenance-free heat exchanger keep energy consumption and cycle time consistently low.

The Miele dryer has a load capacity of 8 kg and is in the top energy-efficiency category. In general, testers certify good energy consumption on heat-pump dryers. 'No-one needs to go without a tumble dryer for fear of buying a power-hungry product', the test report states.

Alongside the test, StiWa also polled consumers in an online survey conducted in December 2017 and asked about problems with tumble dryers. In total, 6100 responses were received. These revealed that users of Miele appliances encountered the lowest number of faults.

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Company profile: Miele is the world's leading manufacturer of premium domestic appliances including cooking, baking and steam-cooking appliances, refrigeration products, coffee makers, dishwashers and laundry and floor care products. This line-up is augmented by dishwashers, washer-extractors and tumble dryers for commercial use as well as washer-disinfectors and sterilisers for use in medical and laboratory applications (Professional Business Unit). The Miele company, founded in 1899, has eight production plants in Germany as well as one plant each in Austria, the Czech Republic, China and Romania. 2017/18 turnover amounted to approx. EUR 4.1 bn with sales outside Germany accounting for 70%. Miele is represented with its own sales subsidiaries and via importers in almost 100 countries. The Miele company, now in the fourth generation of family ownership, employs a workforce of around 20,100, 11,200 thereof in Germany. The company headquarters are located in Gütersloh/Westphalia, Germany.