We have a Candy, nearly 12 years old, been fine. Don't use it constantly though. I fluff towels in it and dry stuff quick when we come home from camping trips, other than that, hang in spare room to dry
I bought a small one in the 70s and have it to a friend after my children were out of nappies. That was 45 years ago and it’s still going strong. Since she won’t gift it back to me I have bought a new one but had a terrible job finding a small one. Currys had just one small own brand model which I bought. It’s fine not that I have used it much. Prefer the garden line if it’s not raining,
Have you thought about something like the Dry:Soon heated airer? Much, much better for the planet and apparently only around 6p an hour if you do want to dry with heat. Mostly I don’t even bother with that as I find things dry quickly on it without.
I use mine a lot as I’m too lazy to hang out the washing! Actually my mobility difficulties make it painful to stand sometimes so pegging out the clothes can take a long time and I take longer to get moving in the mornings so quite often it’s just too much for me.
I bought a John Lewis own brand condenser one eight years ago and it’s very reliable, comes with a two year warranty, was delivered in two days and the old one removed. It’s very easy to empty the water container as it’s located at waist height, essential for me and the fluff container is very accessible as well.
My present dryer is a condenser one where you have to empty the water tank. I set it to dry and the timer shows 2:45 hrs. It then can rumble all night (the timer keeps adjusting to a later time) and the washing is still damp in the morning.
The label on it says Grundig but they are all made in the same factory anyway.
Do check out the Heat Pump condensors. These are far more eco friendly and cheaper to run. More expensive to purchase but work brilliantly.
We chose a heat pump dryer too. Yes, they are slightly more expensive but ours came with a 5 year unconditional guarantee incorporating a free annual service every year for those five years. At A+++ it's very economical to run too.
After my full kitchen refurbishment I lost my wonderful ceiling pulley dryer. There is not really any room anywhere for a tumble dryer so I bought a large heated dryer from Lakeland. It doesn’t take up much room, folds flat in the cupboard when not in use and is economical and efficient. Great for drying jumpers flat.