Product review (5 stars): Wonderful dryer! Love the light and the lint trap.
We bought this dryer from a local independent appliance store with a matching washing machine. This is a good old fashioned dryer that works beautifully. It replaced a similar 20 year old Maytag that had started screeching. The installers hooked it up and set it up to run for 30 minutes to burn off a coating that was on it when it arrived. The instructions said to wipe off the coating so I did that too but I'm not sure if that was necessary.

We got this dryer along with the Speed Queen AWN542 washing machine. So far, we have been impressed with both machines. This version of the dryer is a lot like the most basic dryer but adds a knob that controls a warning buzzer with adjustable sound levels and a LIGHT inside the dryer - which is really cool. There is no moisture sensor but the temperature sensor seems to figure out how to dry the clothes well enough. If anything, it errs on the side of drying a bit too long so I usually set it to "Less Dry". No problems so far. Compared to our old Maytag dryer, the Speed Queen seems bigger but it might just seem bigger because of the light and the bigger door opening.

We were looking for a solid top loading machine but the lower priced Whirlpool clone machines all had the same light weight doors/ door handles and lint traps that pull out of the top of the machine and make a mess on the top of the dryer. The Speed Queen feels and looks a lot more substantial than the low end dryers. It seems like a simple thing, but the lint trap is set into the bottom of the door opening with a small plastic grid to hold the lint in the compartment until you are ready to scoop the lint out. The design doesn't allow lint to get inside the cabinet of the dryer itself. We had our old dryer repaired once and the inside of the dryer cabinet, under and behind the dryer drum was full of dryer lint that had accumulated over the years. I think that lint is what eventually contributed to the demise of the old dryer. The Speed Queen lint trap design is much better because you just scoop out the lint without pulling the lint trap screen out. I don't think much lint can get under/ behind the dryer drum.

The dryer light comes on like a refrigerator light. It probably isn't essential but it's very nice to be able to see in there. The door opening is very large so it's very easy to fish around and find your favorite socks or whatever before the rest of the load is finished drying. I expect my college age daughter will enjoy this feature when she comes home for the holidays.

I also ordered the optional dryer rack from an online appliance supply company. This option is standard on the higher spec Speed Queen dryer but our appliance store didn't have that version in stock. The shelf fits nicely from front to back and the dryer drum spins around it. I've always wanted one of these for drying shoes or low temp drying of sweaters and delicates. I haven't tried the rack yet but it is well made and fits in the dryer perfectly.