Product review (4 stars): Nina Soft vs. the other design
I line dry my clothes, so four years ago I purchased a Charming Spinner for $230 and used it for three years. I was impressed with the stainless steel construction, both on the outside and the spinner basket. It seemed very sturdy.  I loved this spinner, because it drastically cut drying times from several hours to about two. That was why I was willing to put up with several flaws in its design. It was tall and narrow, so one load of wash made three loads in the spinner. Even after carefully following loading instructions, if the load wasn't balanced just right, it would not spin up to speed. I'd have to stop and reload everything. When it was balanced, the spinner shook and wobbled across the floor. It was also incredibly loud. It started off loud, it ran loud, and it braked with a horrible screeching sound. I put up with all of that because my clothes dried so much faster.

The fatal flaw was the locking mechanism. To turn the spinner on you slid a lever which locked the lid and started it spinning. To turn it off, you slowly moved the lever back, engaging the brake. Once the spinning slowed enough that you could slide it to the off position it would unlock. But the lock was plastic and got stuck often. I would pry it open, worried every time that I would break it. After three years I finally did. Why build a spinner out of materials meant to last a long time, but make a critical component out of plastic? I wasn't willing to replace it with that major flaw, so I spent over a year without a spin dryer.

After drying clothes in the house for the second winter in a row, I was frustrated with all day winter drying times.  I started looking at spinners again and found Laundry Alternative, which carried two spinners, the Spin Dryer with a design similar to the Charming Spinner, and the Nina Soft. Both sold for about $165 including shipping. I hesitated on the Nina Soft, though. The plastic construction concerned me, and the rpm was only 1800, compared to 3200 rpm of the other spinner. After watching what few videos I could find and asking questions by email which were answered promptly, I bought the Nina Soft Spin Dryer, and I'm very happy I did.

Every issue has been addressed in this design. First, it is a bit wider, making it easier to load. I follow the instructions for loading and have not once needed to reload it to balance the clothes. It holds more, so the same washer load can be spun in just two loads. The locking mechanism starts the spinner, but it is completely different from the other design. To start it you just close the lid. To stop it, you pull a latch. I can't believe how quiet this thing runs. I sometimes forget it's running because I can't hear it. It may shake just a bit as it spins up to speed (not always) but it does not wobble while running because the of its wider profile and the three large anti-slip feet it sits on. Because of how well it runs the plastic construction is not a problem. I can see this spinner lasting many more years than the other design.

My final concern about the Nina Soft was the lower rpm. It does not remove as much water as the higher rpm spinners I use the same washer and the same container to catch the water, so I can tell it removes only about half as much. Drying times are longer than they were with the spinner, but still significantly reduced over just line drying. In warmer weather they'll dry even faster.

Overall I am incredibly happy with the Nina Soft Spin Dryer. The improved design at such a good price far outweighs the fact that it removes less water. I would recommend it to anyone. I would also recommend buying it directly from Laundry Alternative. Their customer service is very responsive and shipping was fast.