Stiackable Vented, or Combo Ventless Washer/Dryer.

I had both types in my apartment. And as nice they were to have, it was loud and often times, made my apt uncomfortably hot (even with the a/c blowing).

I've since moved into an apt which has neither but a washer and dryer in the basement. My family has a housecleaner who does laundry so it made no difference to me as to the location but the noise and temperature issues have been resolved.

no preference at all ?

I would get the stackable ones in which the dryer is a condensation one. It's ventless and can be stacked on top of the washer. Miele or Bosch will make them.

you prefer a condenser because of the heat factor ?

Unless you actually have a vent to the exterior of the building (not very common) a vented dryer is quite annoying. It humidifies and heats up your apartment and gets lint everywhere, even with those plastic vortex things that don't seem to work.

I got a stacking washer and ventless dryer from Miele (W 1113 washer and T 1333 C dryer). Actually, you can do under counter with these as well. The dryer needs a lot of power (had to improve wiring) and worked very well for me. I preferred the stack over the combo for capacity, and because I didn't think that any of the combos were comperable to the quality of these machines. For example, the spin cycle on the Miele washer is insane! If you don't have some inherently unballanced load in the washer (in my case a rubber backed bathroom floor mat) it would rev up to some crazy number of revolutions per minute that extracted much more moisture than a typical washer, leaving less work for the ventless dryer (and correspondingly lower energy bills).

I LOVE my Miele ventless washer dryer -- they stack. They clean better than any washer dryer I have ever seen and pay for themselves in less drycleaning.

I have an Asko washer/dryer and we love, love them. Ours are ventless side-by-side units but they also make them stackable.

We didn't have a choice about vented vs. ventless as our building doesn't allow venting through the wall. You also need to check to make sure that the model you choose can can operate given the amount of available electricity (some require major power). How the dryer is installed can also make a difference in how the collected moisture/water is drained off, making a difference in the unit's efficiency. We've had our Asko dryer for 11 years and have never had the heat/humidity problem that others mentioned. BUT -- a ventless dryer takes longer to cycle, and thus costs much more in electric bills to operate than a vented one. These units are also relatively small, so you need to do more loads.

As much as I'm grateful to have my Asko, if I had the option, I would absolutely choose a vented model. You can run them hotter and faster.

One other piece of advice: make sure you maintain your service contract. Washers and dryers require more service calls and repairs than any other appliance you'll ever own and a service contract will pay for itself with one repair visit. Because these apt. sized units tend to be fancy imports (Asko, Miele, etc.) the repairs are more costly than GE-type brands. Don't let the service contract lapse!

I have an Asko washer/dryer and we love, love them. Ours are ventless side-by-side units but they also make them stackable.

We didn't have a choice about vented vs. ventless as our building doesn't allow venting through the wall. You also need to check to make sure that the model you choose can can operate given the amount of available electricity (some require major power). How the dryer is installed can also make a difference in how the collected moisture/water is drained off, making a difference in the unit's efficiency. We've had our Asko dryer for 11 years and have never had the heat/humidity problem that others mentioned. BUT -- a ventless dryer takes longer to cycle, and thus costs much more in electric bills to operate than a vented one. These units are also relatively small, so you need to do more loads.

As much as I'm grateful to have my Asko, if I had the option, I would absolutely choose a vented model. You can run them hotter and faster.

One other piece of advice: make sure you maintain your service contract. Washers and dryers require more service calls and repairs than any other appliance you'll ever own and a service contract will pay for itself with one repair visit. Because these apt. sized units tend to be fancy imports (Asko, Miele, etc.) the repairs are more costly than GE-type brands. Don't let the service contract lapse!

We have the Malber stackable units -- tiny footprint (24"x24"), rather plain-looking but get the job done. Our dryer is vented, and the clothes come out dry, and our apartment actually doesn't heat up that much. Actually, now that it's approaching winter, I'm a bit irked that it doesn't heat up our apartment much. Oh well.

I was cautioned against ventless dryers if I had the possibility of getting a vented dryer (thankfully our apartment is one of those rare setups in NYC which allows venting), but I have heard mixed reviews -- they're not bad, but apparently their drying can't compare to a vented dryer.

our Bosch ventless dryer is amazing. Highly recommended. better than any vented system I have ever used.

I have the stackable, vented, Miele washer and dry. Does a great job, just make sure to use high efficiency laundry detergent as it is rather easy to run into over-sudsing.

My only complaint is I wish the capacity were a little bigger. However that's a function of space available in city living and not Miele's fault.

Debated going with a washer-dryer in one product but heard from several people that it does not do a good job, especially drying.

I have the stackable, vented, Miele washer and dry. Does a great job, just make sure to use high efficiency laundry detergent as it is rather easy to run into over-sudsing.

My only complaint is I wish the capacity were a little bigger. However that's a function of space available in city living and not Miele's fault.

Debated going with a washer-dryer in one product but heard from several people that it does not do a good job, especially drying.

we have the ventless LG unit. only one issue: sheets come out very wrinkled.

Vented to exterior is definately best. Do not get combo, get separate W/D (condensor). Miele is definately better than Bosch -- I've had both -- but Miele is more expensive, but worth the extra cost if used regullarly. Either Bosch or Miele can be stacked or side-by-side under a counter. You will need 220 for the dryer. Some are available with 110, but good luck, it will take hours for the clothes to dry.

Has anyone had any luck with the self-venting kits for traditional vented dryers. Exterior venting isn't possible in my building, so I'm thinking of going with a vented dryer and installing a self-venting kit instead of buying a ventless dryer.

If you don't have an exterior vent then go with ventless.
Those self venting kits are a scam.

I've had vented stackable w/d and ventless. As others have mentioned, the vented is the way to go if it's feasible. For the ventless, I have had much success with an ASKO stackable. It requires a 220 volt outlet to operate the dryer, which was worth it to install. The washer plugs into the dryer. So far the machines have operated without maintenance for 8 years, and they do a GREAT job. The ASKO machines replaced a stackable GE unit that spewed lint all over. While more expensive, the ASKO runs extremely clean.

I've had both - when I lived in europe I had a combo condenser unit. It takes a really long time for the full wash/dry cycle. I was single at the time, so it worked out fine - I'd just let it run overnight, and I didn't have that much to wash. But if you have kids, or even for a couple, and clean your clothes often, its really impractible - I'm not sure its even worth having. We are lucky in our building in that we were allowed to vent a dryer outside. We have the Bosch Axxis washer & dryer. I would have loved the Miele, but spending over $3k for a washer & dryer wasn't in the cards. I have no problem w/the capacity - I'm sort of anal about sorting whites/colors/darks, and keeping stuff like tablecloths/dishclothes,bathmats away from my clothing, so I never have a single load that doesn't fit in the machines. We keep our two under the counter rather than stacking.

I have the Bosch Axxis stackable and it's great.