Our 22-year old Bosch has given up the ghost so I have been tasked with buying a new dryer.

Want a condenser really as currently we stick the pipe out of the window which is a bit inconvenient in the winter.

My Mrs seems to be allergic to drying anything on the line - every bit of washing goes in the dryer - so I am tempted by one of these heat pump dryers that apparently use less electricity. Makes sense being a heat pump I guess - the theory says you get about 3x yield in heat energy out and I assume they use the cold evaporator to condense the water out of the air.

But I'm put off a little by claims that they take a lot longer to dry. The manufacturers seem to claim about 20% longer which sounds fine, but some reviews suggest twice as long as a regular condenser which I wouldn't want.

Has anyone actually got a heat pump dryer and can offer any first hand experience?

For info, the one that looks favourite is the Bosch WTW85491GB (http://ao.com/product/wtw85491gb-bosch-serie-6-condenser-tumble-dryer-white-41107-18.aspx)

Thanks, Chris