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  • Design & Usability

  • Performance & Features

  • Conclusion

  • Mathematical Laundering

  • Normal

  • Bulk & Quick

  • Design & Usability
  • Performance & Features
  • Conclusion
  • Mathematical Laundering
  • Normal
  • Bulk & Quick

Design & Usability

Like milk and bread, the FFQE5100PS is a staple product.

No touchscreens, no fancy displays, not even an On button (turning the selector knob is the easiest way to power the dryer). Frigidaire has slimmed the control scheme down to almost nothing. It makes for a well-honed experience. What else can I say?

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Well, it’s more than a little strange that you can’t fully adjust the temperature levels on any of the named cycles. Only the timed cycles allow you to make changes. This means you can't turn the temperature down on the Normal cycle to dry delicates. We love simplicity, but not at the expense of function.

Performance & Features

The Jack of Few Trades

There’s an expectation of normalcy with the Frigidaire FFQE5100PW. If you slim down your repertoire, there’s a need sharpen your arsenal. Luckily, this is what has been done. What few cycles this dryer has perform admirably. The Normal cycle took an hour, and got our test laundry 99 percent dry. The Bulky cycle also did a good job, taking out 85 percent of moisture in an hour. (It’s typical to flip a wet comforter and run a Bulky cycle again in order to get it completely dry.)

What the FFQE5100PW really lacks is a Delicates cycle. That's an especially serious omission on this dryer since its Normal cycle reached temperatures north of 143ºF, not ideal for your delicates. More frustrating: you can't lower the temperature on the sensor-based cycles to "fake" a Delicates. That's like cooking soup on high heat.

This dryer is advertised as having SilentDesign, which is Frigidaire’s way of saying that the FFQE5100PW is designed to be silent. If your laundry machines are kept separate from your living space then you’ll hardly notice it.

For in-depth performance information, please visit the Science Page.

Conclusion

Bachelors, Landlords, pay attention

The Frigidaire FFQE5100PW is designed for someone who wants to buy a front-loading laundry set without breaking the bank. The lack of a Delicates cycle or any substantive features, however, may mean that this machine is not a great value for everyone. That missing cycle also explains why this dryer scored so poorly in our tests. While the Normal and Bulky cycles both proved impressive, they couldn't make up for the lack of a core drying feature on a machine with an $899 MSRP.

Mathematical Laundering

Every dryer that comes around here passes through a series of checkpoints in order to get our approval. This involves using an objective methodology to insure an unbiased conclusion. So strap on your thinking caps and lets delve into the numbers.

Normal

Testing the Normal cycle involves using an eight pound test load that's wetted to 1.7 times its weight. This is then placed into the FFQE5100PW along with humidity and temperature sensors. After about an hour the cycle finished. We measured that, on average, 99% of the moisture had been removed. With a max recorded temperature of 143ºF, which shouldn't be an issue unless your drying delicates, a cycle that this dryer lacks.

Bulk & Quick

The Bulky test involves a comforter being wetted to 1.5 times its weight. Then, like the Normal cycle test, it's we put it into the dryer. Taking on average an hour and ten minutes, the Bulky cycle impressed us by removing 84% of moisture. That's not bad compared to other dryers.

The FFQE5100PW does not have a sensor based Quick Dry cycle. Instead we had to use a 30 minute timed cycle. Our Quick Dry test uses a four pound load. Even with the truncated load, the 30 minute cycle gave us the most disappointing results. When the buzzer sounded, the load was only 75% dry. Might as well dry all loads on Normal, which provided a better time to drying ratio.

Meet the tester

Jonathan Chan

Jonathan Chan

Senior Manager of Lab Operations

@Jonfromthelab1

Jonathan Chan currently serves as the Lab Manager at Reviewed. If you clean with it, it's likely that Jon oversees its testing. Since joining the Reviewed in 2012, Jon has helped launch the company's efforts in reviewing laptops, vacuums, and outdoor gear. He thinks he's a pretty big deal. In the pursuit of data, he's plunged his hands into freezing cold water, consented to be literally dragged through the mud, and watched paint dry. Jon demands you have a nice day.

See all of Jonathan Chan's reviews

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