Four Stars because it the first one came DOA. I used the free return feature, identical replacement, the old one was picked up the next business day and the new arrived two days later. The first unit beeped when you turned it on but did not spin. Second one works perfectly.
My previous dryer was the Nina soft. It worked fine for 3 years then just quit. I decided to try the Panda because it has higher spin speed.
Note: First I review Spin Dryers, and at the end I will compare the Nina Soft to the Panda.
Both Spin Dryers were very useful machines. They spin out so much water that 10 minutes in a commercial dryer would get the clothes dry. Clothes dry easily in an hour indoors, 10 - 20 minutes outdoors. Together with a bucket and a breathing mobile washer, you can do a load of clothes very quickly in the kitchen or bath and get things cleaner than a washing machine by far. I soak overnight in the bucket, use the breathing washer (looks like a plunger but is a hard plastic agitator) to work the clothes in the bucket for 5 minutes, then spin out the soapy water, refill bucket with fresh water, work the clothes for a couple of minutes, then spin out the rinse water for 5 minutes and hang to dry or tumble in a commercial dryer for a few minutes. Saves money, energy, water, and you get cleaner clothes. You can easily use home-made laundry soap like washing soda and Fels Naptha, and after the rinse, there is NO soap or detergent in your clothes. Also, the whole process is much easier on your clothing, not nearly as much lint and heat destruction, as there is with standard washing. I also have a natural bristle shaving brush and bathing brush, and I spin these out as well. They last longer and never mildew.
Panda Vs. NinaSoft.
The Panda is more expensive. It has a stainless steel drum and exterior. The Ninasoft has a Plastic exterior and I believe a plastic drum.
The Panda is louder. If I do laundry early in the AM, there is a slight possibility the neighboring apartment could hear the hum. The NinaSoft is much quieter.
The Panda does get out more water with the faster spin speed (which probably causes the higher noise levels as well) but the NinaSoft did an OK job of getting water out too.
The Panda has a 5 minute timer on it which is EXTREMELY CONVENIENT. If you forget about the NinaSoft, it will run for hours, with unknown consequences. It might wear out more quickly, there may be a possibility of fire, but I don't know. I just don't like the idea of an appliance running a spinning drum for hours continuously. The Panda cannot do this. It will shut down after 5 minutes no matter what. Good feature!
The Panda is definitely easier to load and balance. I believe it speeds up more slowly, allowing the water (which is the primary weight in the drum) to drain out before stepping up to higher speed. This means that a slightly unbalanced load will seem to "balance itself." However, if you severely unbalance the load, the machine will walk all over the place and fail to speed up. Better to keep things even in there.
The Nina Soft had a VERY convenient handle on top. No such luck with the Panda. You have to bend over and wrap your arms around it to pick it up and move it, and it is heavier than the Nina Soft.
Bottom line: Both work. Both work well. Panda has the 5 minute shut-off and gets a bit more water out. Ninasoft is cheaper and has a great handle. Both are very suitable to use in an apartment with no hookups, or if you live in a "tiny house" or boat.
4/7/2018 Update: Still working perfectly. I am liking the higher speed more and more, and the 5 minute run limit is pure genius. I have a washer and dryer that are extremely handy, yet I use this all the time. Some items like wool vests and fleece sweaters come out of this dry enough to put on. I have done a full size bath towel and the results were amazing. Towels, underwear, socks, anything that doesn't need to look pressed never go in the dryer. I have an indoor rack and everything gets dry in a few hours, even on a rainy day. Towels, and socks may take an overnight hang to get completely dry.
No one makes a larger version, which is a shame.
Udpate 2/23/2022 Yep it is still working perfectly. I now have a laundry room and new set of LG front-loaders, and I STILL use my Panda. Sometimes things don't work out and this thing is gold. Like the time I knew my favorite v-neck vest was in the wash, and then, 20 minutes before I had to leave, It wasn't. I found it in the hamper, did a quick hand wash in the sink, then 2 minutes in Panda to get out the soap,another quick hand rinse in the sink, then 4 minutes in Panda. It came out nearly dry. The dryer was still warm from the previous load, so I popped it in with a couple of other dry articles and ran it for 5 minutes. It came out dry, clean, and ready to wear, in 15 minutes flat. There just is nothing else that can do this. I'm still amazed that I can pull a couple of shirts out of the wash after the high speed spin, put them in the Panda, and extract ANOTHER 1/3 - 1/2 cup of water. I still use the panda for small loads, like a couple of shirts and t-shirts. I can run them through it in 5 minutes, then hang them up or toss them in the dryer for literally 5 minutes and they are wrinkle free and ready to wear. I know this saves energy because the Panda takes so little electricity. Still going after all these years.
Jon
