Real Life Results - Spin Dryer In Action

Here are the results of using my spin dryer... of course your mileage may vary since the washer/dryer I have is part of the apartment (it is smaller than most households use). I do not have a way to record the amount of KWH the dryer (220V) uses so the best I can do is run time:

Towels (100% cotton)

• Drying time without spinner: 1 hour 25 minutes 40 seconds
• Drying time with spinner: 1 hour 07 minutes 39 seconds
• 30+ ounces of water removed by spin dryer -- do not operate the spin dryer on the kitchen table lest you spill water everywhere! 8-)
  
• .02 KWH of electricity used for spin dryer

Socks & Tshirts (99% cotton)

• Drying time without spinner: 1 hour 18 minutes 16 seconds
• Drying time with spinner: 1 hour 05 minutes 33 seconds
• 25 ounces of water removed
• .02 KWH of electricity used for spin dryer

Sheets (50% cotton/50% poly)

• Drying time without spinner: 1 hour 05 minutes 50 seconds
• Drying time with spinner: 0 hour 56 minutes 29 seconds
• 10 ounces of water removed
• .01 KWH of electricity used for spin dryer

Pants (100% cotton)

• Drying time without spinner: 1 hour 11 minutes 05 seconds
• Drying time with spinner: 1 hour 03 minutes 29 seconds
• 16 ounces of water removed
• .01 KWH of electricity used for spin dryer

Christmas Arrives Early...Opening the package

Since I am single I usually celebrate Christmas by saving and "giving" myself something for Christmas. Here are pictures from my 2007 Christmas present:

Side View: Still in the box (minus shrink wrap)

Side View: Closeup of label with some specs (what country is RCH?)

Side View: About 25.25" tall (to handle) & 13.5" diameter (at top)

Top View: Closed.
Moving the handle slowly left/down is supposed to engage a brake so that everything is "at a complete stop" before opening.

Top View: Open

Misc: After loading the laundry into the dryer, this plastic piece goes on top of the laundry.

How I found my spin dryer

Earlier this year (2007) I happened upon a posting that mentioned a spin dryer over on TreeHugger. Since I have failed to find a way to dry clothing inside an apartment (not enough room, stiff as a board, rough as sandpaper, etc.), I was hopeful that this gadget might help. Alas, it was not meant to be because the company mentioned didn't exactly get raving reviews on the same web site. In fact, before the "doom and gloom" posts began appearing I emailed a question to the seller and was surprised by their testy response.

So in recent months I have brought up the spin dryer with every granola person I have encountered in hopes of finding an alternative source. 8-) I finally hit pay dirt at the end of November with someone saying their inlaws purchased one from Charm Engine in Amish area of Holmes County and couldn't stop talking about it. Other than not being able to follow Google's directions that took me on snowy backroads (88 miles), it was a pleasant afternoon driving to a part of Ohio that is quite scenic compared with Columbus (more so if you are not the driver keeping a keen eye for horse drawn vehicles on the road that twists and turns). The gentleman who helped me said they have been selling the spin dryers for the last 3 weeks and they have been selling quite briskly. He said the company sent a free sample over 3 months ago and his wife has been using it on a regular basis and she was quite happy with it. He said they imported 600 and had less than 200 left (he told me the number but it didn't stick with me). He confirmed they will sell/ship over the telephone and had shipped a number to out-of-state persons. He also said there was a person who was going to be selling them online and Charm Engine would handle shipping and service (he mentioned that person had sold 40 so far via EBay).

So, here is their information if you are looking for a spin dryer:

Charm Engine
4741 State Route 557
Millersburg, OH 44654
(330) 893-3033

Price: $244.90 ($229.95 + $14.95 tax)

Stay tuned...I will be posting more info on my purchase as well as usage. I have a Kilowatt and I am NOT afraid to use it! 8-)