Solid dryer, only flaw is smart home integration
Submitted by MikelAP -
1/10/2021
Our old washer died 3 months ago, so we replaced the washer and dryer with the GE GFW650SPNSN and GFD65ESPNSN (this dryer). So far we've been very happy with both. Aesthetically, the pair looks great; not the most important feature, but it is a nice addition. The dryer dries efficiently, although the "normal" dry to me is slightly damp, so I'm more tempted to set to more dry. The interior is spacious and and it is easy to get clothes in and out.
The lint filter is SLIGHTLY more difficult to clean than the more typical single-screen filter because it is a "basket", a 3-dimensional shape rather than a 2-dimensional one. That said, it still doesn't take much effort to clean.
We have not yet used the steam dry feature, although it is plumbed for that capability. It sounds like a nice feature, but I cannot provide feedback on that just yet.
The biggest issue I've had is with the smart home integration. When I first connected the washer to GE's SmartHQ app, I thought the WiFi-connected feature of the washer was just a gimmick. It didn't take long to change my mind on this, as the washer would give me advanced notice of when it was going to be done, and remind me that I had damp clothes left in the washer for 30 minutes that I should put in the dryer. But this dryer isn't as well connected as the washer is. My understanding is that the washer and dryer are supposed to communicate to determine how to go about drying the clothes, but I haven't yet seen evidence of that. Additionally, connecting the phone app to the dryer took a couple tries, and the dryer's firmware update failed to complete. (The software version in the dryer is currently reported as "0.0.0.0" in the app, which strikes me as incorrect, and it will not allow a retry of the firmware update.) Although I can check the dryer's status on my smartphone (so they are connected), it does not give me messages of when the dryer is done or it appears that I've forgotten to unload the dryer. In other words, I don't get the helpful notifications that I get with the washer. Hopefully a future update for the app and/or firmware will address this issue.
Overall, though, this is a minor quibble, as the unit so far performs its primary function well.
Originally posted on www.ge.com
Yes, I recommend this product
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