Do you have a Speed Queen dryer? I read some poor comments on here about them. I like my Speed Queen washer because it washes well in 25 minutes.

Samsung dryers are largely a clone of Whirlpool's design but cheapened. Samsung dryers are known for the drums splitting apart at the weld seam but not clear what's the frequency of occurrence.

GE may have more than one dryer design but one of their designs from years past has the heating element (electric models) behind a grid directly at the back of the drum, which can expose items to higher temps. Bulky items such as comforters can contact the grid and be damaged, particularly if not run on low heat.

Whirlpool has two dryer designs. The "old-style" produced since the mid 1960s with only minor changes has the filter on top. The newer style (which includes all front loader-match models) has the filter at the front inside the door opening. Both are reliable but subject to the same materials cost-cutting to maintain consumer price points as any other brand.

Kenmore/Sears does not manufacture anything directly. ALL Kemore-branded appliances are sourced from other manufacturers. The first three digits of Kenmore models numbers -- the FULL model syntax of NNN.nnnnnnnn which can be found on the appliance's model/serial tag, not a shortened stock number or catalog number -- is a code for the manufacturer. Could be Whirlpool, GE, LG, Samsung, Electrolux/Frigidaire, etc.

The useful feature on a dryer that I insist on is a moisture sensor, or two.

Yes, I have a Speed Queen dryer (electric) and it works quite well. Had it for 3-1/2 years now.

There are no cheap gas dryers among Consumer Reports recommended products. The LG DLGX7601WE is recommended, appears to be the least expensive, recommended dryer at $700, and is well-liked by Best Buy purchasers.

There are two types of auto-dry, which varies the drying time based on load size and fabric conditions to reach the selected dryness level ... vs. timed dry that runs for the set number of minutes regardless of whether the load is dry in less time or needs more time.

Thermostatic auto-dry on lower-end models infers the dryness level indirectly per how long the heating source (electric element or gas burner) runs to reach and maintain the target drum temperature. The timer does not run when the heat is on, advances toward Off when the heat cycles off at the selected temperature. Moisture evaporating from a wet load keeps the air temperature lower so the heat runs longer and more often at the beginning (the timer runs less) ... and the heat runs shorter and less often as the load progresses toward dryness (the timer runs more).

Moisture-sensing auto-dry has sensor bars in the drum. Wet clothes brushing across the bars completes a very low-voltage electric circuit that prevents the timer from moving, or counts as a "moisture hit" on an electronic controller. This method operates independently of the temperature, although the sensor algorithms on an electronic board can incorporate temperature readings into the programming. Fewer "hits" as the load progresses toward dryness moves the drying cycle along to Off.