We were a little apprehensive about heat pump dryers TBH. But decided to take the plunge on this AEG as we already have AEG products and found them to be robust. We decided to pay more and get this one as it has an "A" rated drying performance (this is not to be confused with the energy rating) the drying performance is ranged between A to G. most are "B". We don't really know if that is noticeable TBH but we can say we are very happy with how it dries and cant really see any difference with its drying performance as compared to the old "normal" one. Yes it does take longer, around 30 min on what we have done so far, and there is with all heat pump dryers the need to use them in a room that is heated (as opposed to an un-heated garage, for example).