Asko T753 3.9 Cu. Ft. Electric Vented Dryer

Introduction

Unlike other dryers in the same price range, it has no special features. There's no steam, no custom cycles, no sanitizing option — just a really good looking dryer with a pretty small drum and some aggravating quirks. It definitely did well in our objective tests, but it's still expensive for such a small dryer with few features.

Front

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The {{product.name}} has an unusual design, most likely due to its European heritage. It's a stackable front-loader whose entire front is a solid aluminum door, which means it will fit into a stylish modern kitchen just like a dishwasher. The Asko also has the option to fit its vent on the side or the rear, which increases the number of places it may be able to fit.

Controls

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Interior

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Rarely have we hated a feature more than the Asko's lint trap. First off, it's a folding basket that hides on the inside of the door. It would be too high up for you to comfortably remove if the dryer is stacked, as it's designed to be. There's also no clear indicator of which way to insert it, so there's a 50 percent chance you'll get it wrong. That's frustrating. But what really irked us was the small door latch located directly above the lint trap. If you're not careful while removing it, you'll skin your knuckles on the sharp, plastic latch. We did so numerous times during the testing process, and grew to hate the design.

Sides

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Back

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Speed & Performance Overview

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The {{product.name}}'s small interior means that it just doesn't have the space to tumble clothes as effectively as a larger model. If a large towel or sheet gets wrapped up, it has less room to untangle and will therefore likely remain damp. We witnessed this occurring across our tests of the Asko.

Normal Cycle Performance

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In our testing, the Auto Normal cycle varied from under an hour to just over 73 minutes to complete. Luckily, the LED screen is an accurate display of how much time is left. It takes a minute or so to calculate how much time a cycle will take, but it's a lot more accurate than the displays on other dryers we've tested.

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Delicates Cycle Performance

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It's tumbling — not temperature — that damages many fabrics, but for temperature-sensitive loads it may be a good idea to choose the Asko's Low Temperature setting. On the Auto Delicates cycle, the T571 reached about 144 degrees, which could still damage some items.

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Bulky Cycle Performance

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The Auto Heavy Duty cycle took under an hour to complete, but each time a portion of the load remained tangled and stayed damp throughout the cycle.

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Quick Dry Cycle Performance

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30 minutes isn't a long time to get clothes dry, so it's not surprising that the {{product.name}} had some trouble on this cycle. Clothes ended up about a third of the way to dry, and the dryer only had time to get up to about 107 degrees.

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Dry Cycles

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Aside from an "Auto Iron Dry" cycle, there really aren't any dry cycles on offer other than the usual automatic normal, heavy duty, delicates and quick. Luckily, the automatic cycles proved competent enough to make up for the lack of specialty ones. A "sanitize" cycle is a noticeable absence on a dryer this costly, however.

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Customization

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Asko likes to have the on-board sensors make most of the choices about how to run a cycle, so there aren't too many ways to customize a drying session. You can reduce the temperature or create a timed cycle, but that's about it.

Additional Drying Options

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A delayed start and wrinkle guard are both available on all cycles.

Controls

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The Asko T753's controls are designed to be unobtrusive in a kitchen setting, and not necessarily easy to operate or see. Buttons require a hard, square-on push, and many users will have to get out their reading glasses to see the cycle names or the LED screen.

Door

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Instead of a glass front, the Asko T753 has a solid aluminum door that matches the color of the unit. In theory, it clicks open when you press on the door's middle, opposite the hinges -- right where there's a removable decal showing a hand. We were able to open the door on the first try about 80 percent of the time.

Lint Trap

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Rarely have we hated a feature more than the Asko's lint trap. First off, it's a folding basket that hides on the inside of the door. It would be too high up for you to comfortably remove if the dryer is stacked, as it's designed to be. There's also no clear indicator of which way to insert it, so there's a 50 percent chance you'll get it wrong. That's frustrating. But what really irked us was the small door latch located directly above the lint trap. If you're not careful while removing it, you'll skin your knuckles on the sharp, plastic latch. We did so numerous times during the testing process, and grew to hate the design.

Conclusion

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If you've ever suspected that "luxury" items don't actually perform any better than their lower-cost counterparts, the Asko T753 is damning evidence in favor of that argument.

Yes, the Asko is a very good high-end compact dryer. It has no trouble getting standard loads of laundry dry during relatively short cycles, and it looks quite good in a designer kitchen. However, its $899 price tag, tiny interior, complete lack of features and frustrating quirks make it less of a value than most mid-range machines. If you have limited space or are installing a dryer where it's visible, the Asko may be ideal. Otherwise, we'd recommend one of the many full-size units that does just as good a job for a lot lower price.