Beko B5T49231I Review | Trusted Reviews

Introduction

Simple, straightforward and with good results, the Beko B5T49231I might be one of the cheaper tumble dryers I can easily recommend.

This model does far more than its price suggests, with some smart features, including a steam refresh option.

Design and Features

• Large capacity
• Wide range of cycles
• Steam option

Available in white (Beko B5T49231IW) or graphite (Beko B5T49231IG), this tumble dryer can be bought to match the other appliances that you have. Aside from colour, both versions work in exactly the same way and have the same features.

As is typical for most freestanding tumble dryers, the Beko B5T49231I has a capacity of 9kg of wet clothes, which is enough to take most standard loads of washing, or some slightly larger items, such as duvets.

Open the door, and there’s plenty of room to load and unload the tumble dryer. A lint filter pulls out of the front of the door, and should be cleaned after each use.

At the front of the machine, underneath a fold-down flap, is a secondary condenser filter. This filter needs regular cleaning, too, following the instructions in the manual.

As this is a slightly more basic tumble dryer, there’s no app for it, and a standard interface, with drying cycles selected using the rotary dial. Most drying cycles are taken care of, with special modes for bedding, towels, small loads, jeans and sports wear.

Once a cycle is selected, the LCD shows the estimated time remaining, and there’s a choice to select the level of dryness, with the Beko B5T49231I using its moisture sensor to work out when it’s time to stop providing heat.

There’s also an IronFinish button, which activates the steam option to help prevent items from getting crumpled reducing the need for ironing. Steam is also available in the Ready to Wear cycle (maximum of 1.5kg, and designed to produce crumple-free shirts) and the Steam option, which refreshes up to 1.5kg of garments.

Given that there’s no accessible water tank, as on the Haier HD90-A3Q397U1, it took me a good read-through of the manual to work out how the Beko B5T49231I’s steam mode worked. It turns out that this tumble dryer does have a tank of water for generating steam, but this is only filled up when a regular cycle.

If you want to use the steam mode and the icon flashes to say that the tank is empty, you’ll need to wait until another load has been through. With the Haier HD90-A3Q397U1, you can just fill the tank with purified water, which may be more convenient if you want to use this kind of mode a lot.

Performance

• Good running costs
• Excellent sensor drying

I tested the Beko B5T49231I with a few loads to see how well it dried. First, I tested the cupboard dry option, which left my clothes 101.65% dryer. In other words, some weight was lost through fibres being lost.

This cycle cost 34p, which isn’t bad, although the much more expensive Haier HD90-A3Q397U1 performed similarly, only its drying cycle cost 26p.

I found that the hanging dry option was better, removing 99.59% of the water. That means there’s a bit of moisture left behind, but the overall result is that the clothes were treated quite gently. This cycle cost a reasonable 23p, just 3p more expensive than on the Haier HD90-A3Q397U1, and only 1p more expensive than the same drying result on the Hisense DH5S102BW.

I tested the steam refresh option on a gilet, which came out smelling fresher and ready to wear. This cycle cost 12p, so is a good way to breathe life back into garments that can’t easily be washed.

Just be careful what you put in. With a rival dryer, such as the Haier HD90-A3Q397U1, you can install a rack, so you can place items that can’t be tumbled.

Should you buy it?