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  • Introduction

  • Design & Usability

  • Performance & Features

  • Conclusion

  • The Hot Facts

  • Normal & Delicate

  • Quick Dry & Bulky

  • Introduction
  • Design & Usability
  • Performance & Features
  • Conclusion
  • The Hot Facts
  • Normal & Delicate
  • Quick Dry & Bulky

Introduction

Design & Usability

Just when you thought it couldn’t get simpler…

The Hotpoint’s old-school white enamel finish looks the same as it did on models you might have seen in your grandparents’ basement, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s classic, clean, and an easy color to match for folks with finished laundry rooms. The white enamel interior is less appealing, though, as it runs the risk of flaking, rusting, or discoloring over time. The lint trap is a flat out piece of crap: it’s tiny, flimsy, and an absolute pain in the neck to clean.

For a full-sized model, the HTDX100EMWW is undoubtedly the most basic dryer we’ve ever seen. Strip this down further and you’d be left with just a start button. Maybe. You might think this would make it easy to use, and you’d be correct. However, the simplicity of the crank timer is countered by vague, ballpark drying times. “More Dry” and “Less Dry” options don’t exactly fit the bill for folks who like to plan out their day. Even the Timed Dry, which can run from 10 to 80 minutes, lacks the accuracy of a real control panel. The crank itself feels surprisingly stable, though. We even tried giving it a deliberate yank, but that knob wasn’t going anywhere.

{{photo_gallery "Front", "Interior", "Lint Trap", "Controls", "Cycles", "Side", "Back"}}

Performance & Features

It’s way too hot in here, so take out all your clothes.

HEAT. That’s about all this Hotpoint does well. Timing, delicacy, actual drying performance… let’s not fool ourselves. You weren’t really expecting an appliance of decent quality for just $429, were you? Sure, clothes got 100 percent dry in our Normal test, but Cottons on “More Dry” ran an hour and a half. An hour and a half! The final result is serviceable for folks that just need reliable drying in a regular, industrial sort of way—piles of work jeans, plain white t-shirts, dish rags or hand towels—but its length kills it. Compared to the $70 difference between this machine and the next step up in the Hotpoint stable, you may actually find yourself spending more in the long run to power those 90 minute cycles.

But wait, there’s more! Despite changing the temperature setting, the dryer got just as hot in our Delicate test. Testing lengths were inaccurate and failed to remove all the moisture for the Quick Dry test, and the Hotpoint flat out failed the Bulky. Lacking any extra features There’s not a single redeemable thing here. Lacking any other cycles or extra features, this dryer may only appeal to consumers who are seeking the shallowest of learning curves.

Conclusion

Sometimes savings come at too high of a cost.

There is something about simplicity of purpose that can be just as appealing as the latest innovation or trend. Hotpoint embraces that approach, delivering basic products at extremely affordable rates. While we’ve encountered machines in their lineup that arguably achieve that goal, the HTDX100EMWW isn’t one of them. With an MSRP of $429, it’s the cheapest full-sized dryer we’ve ever tested, and it shows. With egregiously lengthy cycle times whose electric costs likely negate any sort of savings up front, as well temperatures so hot that the risk of clothing wear and tear becomes higher, it’s a prime example of how spending too little in the short term may come back and bite you down the line. Sale prices as low as $360 may make it appealing to folks looking for a great deal, but we’d encourage you to pass this one by.

The Hot Facts

Given the sheer lack of variety on the Hotpoint HTDX100EMWW, our tests ended up incorporating every cycle available, as well two thirds of the temperature settings. The numbers aren’t kind, though, as each of our four tests encountered major issues with respect to final performance.

Normal & Delicate

We’re having a heat wave.

At first glance, the fact that our Normal test—conducted using the Cottons cycle set to More Dry on Regular heat—produced completely dry clothes may lead you believe that it did a good job. However, the peak heat of 152.9 degrees Fahrenheit is definitely hotter than we like to see. It’s not the hottest we’ve ever encountered, but you’re definitely running the risk of over drying and wearing your clothes out at those levels. The biggest issue was the fact that it ran for an average of 93 minutes. No normal cycle worth its salt should take more than 50 minutes, 60 tops. 93 is absurd, and makes those high temperatures all the more damaging.

{{photo_gallery "Normal"}}

This dryer has no designated Delicate cycle, so we ran our test using the Wrinkle Free cycle on Medium Heat. At 86 minutes, this lengthy cycle procrastinates almost as much as Cottons. The scary thing here, though, is the fact that our tests showed peak heats of 156.2 degrees. Keep in mind that this is with the controls set to a supposedly lower temperature. Throw in the fact that our test materials only got 97 percent dry, and we feel like this dryer just gave us a big hot slap in the face.

{{photo_gallery "Delicate"}}

Quick Dry & Bulky

You can’t stop when you’re ahead if you’re always behind.

Because we’re gluttons for punishment, we decided to finish testing the Hotpoint. The results don’t get any better. For our Quick Dry test, we ran what was supposed to be a 20 minute Timed Dry cycle on the Regular, or highest, heat. As proof of the inaccuracy of the crank timer, our two tests averaged 25 minutes. Despite that extra snippet of time, and the presence of temperatures peaking at 132.8 degrees, our clothes only reached 89 percent dryness. It’s actually not the worst we’ve seen, believe it or not, but the vagaries of the timer combined with high heats (and the fact that we’ve encountered dryers which do pass this test) make it hard to praise.

{{photo_gallery "Quick Dry"}}

Again, the lack of specialty cycles forced us to revisit the Timed Dry option to dry our bulky comforter. We continued to use Regular, but this time cranked the timer up to 60 minutes. While cycle lengths were again a little off, they average out to about an hour. This time, temperatures reached 147.7 degrees, a number we’d have liked to have seen in our Normal test. Sadly, the more reasonable heat didn’t do the Hotpoint any favors: after a full hour of drying, our comforter was only down to 69% of its bone dry weight. That’s too damp to be usable, and the worst result of all our tests.

{{photo_gallery "Bulky"}}

Meet the tester

Matthew Zahnzinger

Matthew Zahnzinger

Logistics Manager & Staff Writer

@ReviewedHome

Matthew is a native of Brockton, MA and a graduate of Northeastern, where he earned a degree in English and Theatre. He has also studied at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin and spends most of his free time pursuing a performance career in the greater Boston area.

See all of Matthew Zahnzinger's reviews

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