| As in my other thread...we were looking at approx. $200.00 in DIY repairs to a 1992 Speed Queen gas dryer. That old dryer was one of the first with an 'auto drying sensor'. What a great feature that was, if you kept the inner workings impecably clean. The early 90's were bad times for Speed Queen with the lowest Consumer Reports ratings. They were making very poor machines. But, knock on wood, except for a few minor repairs, they have served us well.
Well, we ended up buying a 'new' open box (apparently not open box return) from our local Sears Outlet store. They were having a 50% off MSRP sale on dryers. We are waiting for them to have a good sale on washers. Their current sale is 25% off MSRP on washers. In the 'regular' Sears store, they are currently on sale for 20% off with free delivery/setup/removal of old unit. My husband can do all of that, plus he takes the old appliances to the recycle yard for cash. We got $9.57 for the old dryer :) Not much, but we added it to our rainy day fund. The appliances need to match due to their location in our house :( Here is the breakdown in costs:
Model: Kenmore Elite HE5 dryer 'new' open box
'New' inbox price $1159.99
Outlet 'open box' price $927.93
- less 50% ad discount MSRP -$347.94
subtotal price $579.99
+ 3 yr. mx. agreement $179.99
subtotal $759.98
Michigan tax 6% $34.80
Final total $794.78
It pained me to purchase a maintenance agreement (banging my head against the wall). This is the first maintenance agreement I have EVER purchased. I worked at Sears in my teens and know that this is pure profit for Sears, if you never use it...and they will make it hard for you to try to use it. But, we were buying 'open box' and these items can be abused.
Lets start with dislikes.
- Lint trap is HUGE! ...maybe 10X10 or so, I didn't measure. Removing the lint sends dog hair and small fragments flying through the air. My old Speed Queen's lint trap was approx. 2X12, lint came out in one small strip and was a snap to clean. Comparing the 2, as you will see below with drying time, could be part of the reason why my Speed Queen took so long to dry when it was working well.
- doesn't seem to remove lint well. I'm still finding tons of lint scraps left on clothing. Maybe I just need to try a new setting. I do use dryer sheets, always have.
- too many drying options. Maybe I'm just not used to it yet. I certainly haven't used them all yet with the dryer being new on Friday.
Likes:
- Dries WICKED fast. Yeesh, had I known that it doesn't take about an hour to dry a full load of mixed colors, I'd have switched sooner. I'd even clean out the lint trap on my old Speed Queen at least once during the drying cycle or it would take FOREVER. A full load of mixed colors dries in about 30 minutes in my new dryer!
- doesn't dry clothes too dry (or, as my Mom calls it, 'hard'). I LOVE LOVE LOVE the 'less dry' setting, so that I can get damp clothes hung up before they finish drying 'hard'. Of course, socks/undies/towels need to be fully dry.
- clothes feel softer. This could just be because I've been without a dryer for 3 weeks and you could literally make a table out of blue jeans and towels after drying them on the clothes line. LOL
I hated spending the money, and this is why we haven't purchased a washer yet. But, I have always hated the funky smell that my dish towels/cloths have had out of my old Speed Queen washer. Could just be that I keep my gas water heater on the 'warm' setting... Hopefully, Sears Outlet will soon have a good sale on washers.
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