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Whirlpool WED92HEFU dryer review: Whirlpool’s mediocre dryer runs slowly and costs too much

This Whirlpool dryer looks nice, but it's slow and expensive.

Brian Bennett Former Senior writer
Brian Bennett is a former senior writer for the home and outdoor section at CNET.
Brian Bennett
4 min read

These days, a pricey clothes dryer can't afford to be mediocre, and unfortunately that's just the case with the $1,400 Whirlpool WED92HEFU. Sure, it's attractive and offers lots of specialty cycles and steam modes. For this much money, though, it faces stiff competition from the likes of LG, Kenmore, and Electrolux.

6.4

Whirlpool WED92HEFU dryer

The Good

The Whirlpool WED92HEFU dryer is handsomely styled in brushed steel and chrome. It has simple, intuitive controls. It’s equipped with various steam modes and special cycles.

The Bad

It’s expensive and takes longer to complete its cycles than other dryers. Its 7.4-cubic-foot capacity is on the small side.

The Bottom Line

With a high price and slow performance, you should pass up the Whirlpool WED92HEFU for faster and more eye-catching dryers from LG and Kenmore.

This Whirlpool dryer runs relatively slowly compared with other machines such as the $1,100 Kenmore 69133 and $1,100 LG DLEY 1701V. Not only do these dryers process loads of wet clothes faster, they have designs that are even easier to look at. All of which make them better alternatives to the Whirlpool WED92HEFU. 

This handsome Whirlpool dryer blends in anywhere

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Handsome but not flashy

Like many laundry appliances , this Whirlpool dryer (model WED92HEFU) is designed to blend discreetly into its surroundings. A silver block of matte- and brushed-stainless steel, the machine won't look out of place in either a laundry room, kitchen nook or bathroom corner. Of course, that doesn't mean the dryer's appearance isn't handsome. It is, it's just far from flashy.

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With a brushed steel and chrome exterior, this dryer looks good but doesn't stand out.

Tyler Lizenby/CNET

The dryer has attractive chrome accents that run along the drum door. Likewise, a curvy line both draws the eye and separates the door from the machine's control panel above. 

Controls on this appliance are straightforward as well. At the center of the panel is a large dial you turn to select your intended dry cycle. There are 10 cycle options to choose from. They tackle numerous clothing and textile types, such as Bulky and Heavy Duty items along with Delicates and Casual clothing. The Normal program handles everyday garments plus loads of mixed fabrics.

In the top-left corner of the panel is a small LED display. It communicates remaining cycle time (minutes) in brightly lit digits. That makes the screen easy to read from a distance or at sharp angles.

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A large dial spins through various cycle types and steam modes.

Several steam modes are on board, too. Tapping the Steam button adds a brief burst of moisture and extra time to the end of a cycle. A standalone Steam Refresh cycle runs for 22 minutes by default and functions similarly. Both programs use steam to remove odors and light wrinkles that may lurk in your dirty laundry. All the steam functions are limited to the high and medium temperature settings, so steaming delicates isn't possible.

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The control panel offers ways to tweak the machine's drying cycles.

Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Chances are, though, you'll use this dryer's automatic cycles most of the time. They conveniently rely on sensors to measure moisture and temperature in real time then stop the cycle at a precise dryness level. For drying loads purely by the clock, the Whirlpool appliance also has a Timed Dry cycle. It defaults to a 40-minute runtime but you can expand that to a maximum of 100 minutes.         

At 7.4 cubic feet, the capacity of the drum isn't the largest money can buy. Some dryers, like the $1,400 Kenmore Elite 81072 and $1,800 LG DLEX 9000V, offer drums as large as 9 cubic feet. You can also save a little yet enjoy a bit more room by choosing the $1,199 Electrolux EFME617S Perfect Steam (8 cu. ft.). I do like the Whirlpool's drum light. It activates anytime you tap its dedicated button and doesn't force you to open the door to turn it back on.

Cycles that take too long

Our dryer tests measure how much water a dryer can remove from fabric as well as the time needed to complete the task. We also try to control as many variables as possible during testing, such as environmental conditions and test materials. We also selected the machine's normal cycle (best for "mixed fabrics and items" as outlined in the manual) and its medium temperature setting.

Dryers compared

Dryer Electrolux EFME617S Perfect SteamGE GFDS260EFWWGE GTD45EASJWSGE GTD81ESSJWSGE GTD86ESPJMCKenmore 65132Kenmore 69133Kenmore 81383Kenmore Elite 81072LG DLEX 3570VLG DLEY 1701VLG DLEX 5000LG DLEX 9000VSamsung FlexDry DV9900Whirlpool WED92HEFU
Capacity 8 cu. ft. 8 cu. ft. 7.2 cu. ft. 7.8 cu. ft. 7.8 cu. ft. 7 cu. ft. 8.8 cu. ft. 7.4 cu. ft.
9 cu. ft. 7.4 cu. ft. 7.3 cu. ft. 7.4 cu. ft. 9 cu. ft. 7.4 cu. ft.  (total)
7.4 cu. ft. 
Cycle types 91241214491014121214141210
Avg. cycle time 54 min.48 min.48 min.67 min.60 min.41 min.38 min.46 min.43 min.41 min.44 min.42 min.43 min.43 min.57 min.
Avg. water amount removed 5.5 pounds5.7 pounds5.5 pounds5.6 pounds5.6 pounds5.4 pounds5.3 pounds5.7 pounds5.4 pounds5.4 pounds5.5 pounds5.6 pounds5.5 pounds5.45.4
Energy Star certified YesNoNoYesYesNoYesNoNoNoYesYes NoYesYes
Avg. power usage per year 608 kWhNANA608 kWh608 kWhNA608 kWhNANANA607 kWh607 kWhNA607 kWh607 kWh
App NoNoNoYes, Android/iOS (optional upgrade)Yes, Android/iOSNoNoNoNoYes, but functions limited.NoYes, Android/iOSYes, Android/iOSYes, Android/iOSNo
Warranty 1 year limited (parts, labor)1 year limited (parts, labor)1 year limited (parts, labor)1 year limited (parts, labor)1 year limited (parts, labor)1 year limited (parts, labor)1 year limited (parts, labor)1 year limited (parts, labor)1 year limited (parts, labor)1 year limited (parts, labor)1 year limited (parts, labor)1 year limited (parts, labor)1 year limited (parts, labor)1 year limited (parts, labor)1 year limited (parts, labor)

Unfortunately the Whirlpool WED92HEFU dryer is no speed demon. The appliance took an average of 57 minutes to run through our test loads. That's slow for any dryer, well above our current average of 47 minutes.

It's certainly slow compared to past dryers we've put through the ringer, including the Samsung FlexDry DV9900 (43 minutes), LG DLEX 9000 (43), LG DLEY 1701V (44), Kenmore Elite 81072 (43), LG DLEX 5000 (42) and Kenmore 81383 (46). The reigning king of dryer swiftness, however, remains the Kenmore 69133 (38 minutes) which, oddly enough, is actually built by Whirlpool.

One critical number that encapsulates the raw power of a clothes dryer is its water evaporation rate. In a nutshell, it's the amount of water on average an appliance can remove from wet test loads over time.

Here again, this Whirlpool dryer proved under-powered. It turned in a low evaporation rate of 0.095 pound per minute. That score is below average and well behind other laundry machines. The Kenmore 69133 (0.139 pound per minute) and LG DLEX 5000 (0.135 pound per minute) remain the most muscular dryers we've tested. Check the evaporation rate table below for more details.

WATER EVAPORATION RATE (IN POUNDS PER MINUTE)

Kenmore 69133 0.139LG DLEX 5000 0.135Kenmore 65132 0.133LG DLEX 3570V 0.133LG DLEX 9000V 0.128Samsung FlexDry DV9900 0.126LG DLEY 1701V 0.124Kenmore Elite 81072 0.124Kenmore 81383 0.122GE GFDS260EFWW 0.121GE GTD45EASJWS 0.115Electrolux EFME617S Perfect Steam 0.103GE GTD86ESPJMC 0.095Whirlpool WED92HEFU 0.095GE GTD81ESSJWS 0.084
Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

Not the best dryer value

If you end up choosing the $1,400 Whirlpool WED92HEFU, you won't suffer a huge disappointment, it just takes longer to dry your clothes than most machines we've tested, including a few that cost less. That fact alone is enough to opt for another model.

Just like its companion washer, the $1,349 Whirlpool WFW92HEFU, after you factor in the price it's clear you should spend your money elsewhere. I suggest you purchase the $1,100 Kenmore 69133 or $1,100 LG DLEY 1701V instead. Both dryers run faster, look even better, and cost less.  

6.4

Whirlpool WED92HEFU dryer

Score Breakdown

Design 7Usability 8Features 7Performance 5