In the grand hierarchy of major household appliances, people tend to put a premium on items like refrigerators, dishwashers, stoves, and clothes washers. So much so, the clothes dryer feels almost like an afterthought in context. That is, naturally, only true until you’re stuck holding a basket full of clean, wet clothes and no practical way to get them dry. In that moment, the clothes dryer may well be regarded as the most important appliance in your home, unless, of course, you possess the MacGyver-like ability to rig up a functioning clothes-line on the fly.

Given the fact, when you’re next in the market for a new clothes dryer, you’d be wise to select one from a brand with a solid reputation in terms of quality and durability. While you could, and should, spend some time reading over professional reviews of dryers from the major manufacturers, customer satisfaction numbers may be a more reliable reflection of a device’s overall quality. High-quality dryers from appliance manufacturers like GE and LG tend to be mentioned often in such satisfaction ratings. However, according to numbers provided by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), dryers bearing the brand of Whirlpool and Samsung may bring more smiles for your consumer buck.

Per the numbers, those two brands are in a dead heat in terms of overall customer satisfaction, with consumers awarding them a score of 82 points each. For what it’s worth, those two brands also tied for top honors in ACSI’s overall appliance satisfaction category.

Now that we know Whirlpool and Samsung outscored LG and GE in the American Customer Satisfaction Index survey, you might be wondering how, exactly, the ratings work. ACSI utilizes a “cause and effect” model for its customer satisfaction survey, accounting for factors like perceived value, customer expectations, customer loyalty, perceived quality, and customer complaints, among others. The recent survey was tabulated using appliance data collected between July 2024 and June 2025.

Interestingly, ACSI’s survey totals are in stark contrast to those collected by another notable consumer ratings faction, with JD Power’s clothes dryer satisfaction survey placing the generally reliable LG brand at the top of the list. The manufacturer earned 709 of 1,000 available points, with JD Power focusing its survey on points such as performance, durability, and functionality. Its data was collected over the same general timeframe as ACSI’s, though its survey cutoff was in May 2025 rather than June.

According to consumers surveyed by JD Power, appliances from South Korean manufacturer Samsung are a close second to LG’s, earning a total of 705 points. GE slotted into third place on the JD Power list, coming in just under the segment average of 701 points with a total of 699. The largest discrepancy between these customer satisfaction studies is with Whirlpool clothes dryers, with JD Power customers placing the brand in fourth place at 694 points.