Vileda Sun-Rise 50m Outdoor Rotary Clothes Dryer: A solid rotary airer that is great on grass

Price on writing: £153 | Buy now on Amazon

What we like

• No need for a separate cover

• Easy to install and use on grass

• Easy to adjust line tension

What we don’t like

• Square pole won’t fit circular rotary airer holes

• Some may find the built-in cover gimmicky and unnecessary

Our verdict

The Vileda Sun-Rise 50m Outdoor Rotary Clothes Dryer comes with a built-in cover, which is operated by a pull handle. Although some may feel it is a bit gimmicky (my husband, for one), it’s great if you find yourself constantly going through weather covers at a rate of knots. The Sun-Rise is best for use on the grass and comes with a metal rod to help insert the plastic ground screw and ensure the whole thing stays firmly in place. However, a word of warning if you plan on buying the Vileda Sun-Rise to replace your existing airer - it is flat-sided at the bottom and is highly unlikely to fit any existing circular holes.

Key Specs

Brand: Vileda | Dimensions open: Arm to arm width 1.86m, turning circle 2.75m | Material: Aluminium and plastic | Ground spike included: Yes | Cover included: Yes | Maximum Load: Five washing loads | Guarantee: Five years

What’s in the box?

• Drying umbrella

• Aluminium pole

• Plastic ground screw

• Plastic lid for ground screw

• Iron rod

What’s the Vileda Sun-Rise 50m Outdoor Rotary Clothes Dryer like to assemble?

The Vileda Sun-Rise is fairly easy to assemble, but installing it may prove considerably more difficult, depending on where you plan to put it and your chosen method of installation.

The Vileda Sun-Rise shares one rather annoying characteristic with the Vileda Sun-Lift 40m Compact Rotary Airer in that the bottom of the aluminium pole is flat-sided. This means that if you already have a circular hole in your patio, recently vacated by another airer, the Vileda is very unlikely to fit. As this is the case in my garden, I was unable to test the dryer on the patio.

So this leaves two options - installation with concrete, or on the lawn using the ground screw.

If using concrete, the manufacturer says you will need approximately two buckets (20 litres) of concrete and a hole measuring 50cm deep and 25cm wide. Once you have dug your hole, partly fill it with concrete, leaving an available depth of 15cm. Position the ground socket in the centre of the hole, ensuring the rim only sticks out as far as required in order to close the cap (around 1 to 1.5cm). Add in an extra 6cm of concrete around the socket to hold it all in place, hold it vertically and then leave it a few days to dry and harden before use. The upper and lower part of the airer are held together by one screw.

Needless to say, I went for the grass option. In contrast to the Vileda Sun Lift and Beldray 60 Metre Rotary Airer, the Sun-Rise was surprisingly easy to install on the lawn. But however you choose to install your airer, make sure you leave a 2.75m turning circle.

Can the Vileda Sun-Rise rotary airer be used on grass?

Absolutely. The Sun-Rise is very easy to install on grass.

The dryer comes with an iron rod which is inserted through two holes at the top of the plastic ground screw. Then, once you have selected the best place for your airer, simply turn the metal rod clockwise until the screw is firmly and securely in the ground. Plug the upper part of the dryer into the lower part, so that the two screw holes are aligned, and turn the enclosed screw completely in the screw hole and tighten the bolt.

Depending on how dry the ground is, getting the plastic screw deep enough may require a bit of elbow grease. Although my weakling arms aren't up to much, my husband managed to do this without too much trouble.

Is the Vileda Sun-Rise 50m Outdoor Rotary Clothes Dryer easy to use?

The Vileda Sun-Rise rotary airer is pretty easy to use. Before you start, use the button located at the top of the dryer to adjust it to your preferred height (just so long as that height is somewhere between 1.67 and 1.82 m). Then take the red handle attached to the outer plastic shell and pull to open up the dryer. If you need to increase the tension of the lines, just push up on the red lever at the bottom of the airer once or twice as needed. And then you’re ready to go!

Vileda says the airer can hold up to five loads of washing, to be spread out evenly around all four sides of the Sun-Rise. It was able to accommodate swimming towels, kids clothes, school uniforms, adult gym kits and so on with ease. There are also handy hooks for coat hangers at the end of each arm of the airer, offering more drying options. Unlike the Vileda Sun-Lift, the Sun-Rise does not come with removable hooks that can be clipped on and taken off as required.

Once you’ve finished with the airer, all you have to do is unlock the lower handle and push the arms towards the main pole, rearranging them until they ‘click’ into place.

How do you store the Vileda Sun-Rise?

When the Vileda Sun-Rise folds in, the arms are covered by built-in cover to protect the lines from rain and dirt. If you want to take the Sun-Rise down for the winter, all you have to do is lift the dryer out the ground screw and pop the lid on to prevent any water getting in.

Does the Vileda Sun-Rise 50m Outdoor Rotary Clothes Dryer offer value for money?

The Vileda Sun-Rise is not the cheapest rotary airer on the block. Costing more than £150 at the time of writing (June 27th), it is comparable with Mumsnet favourite the Brabantia Lift-O-Matic Rotary Washing Line (RRP £149).

The Vileda Sun-Rise is a much better and more sophisticated airer than the Vileda Sun-Lift 40m Compact Rotary Airer but if you are watching the pennies, the Sun-Lift is half the price. However the Sun-Lift does have some serious limitations when it comes to installation, so the budget Vileda 4 Arm Rotary Washing Line, priced at around £50, may be a better buy for you, as long as you don’t mind the lack of weather cover or fancy extras.

To find out more about how the Vileda Sun-Rise 50m Outdoor Rotary Clothes Dryer compares to others on the market, check out our guide to the best rotary washing lines, full of tried and tested recommendations from Mumsnet users. We also have handy guides to the best clothes pegs, best laundry detergents and best fabric softeners to help keep your clothes clean and smelling as fresh as a daisy.

How we tested

The Vileda Sun-Rise 50m Outdoor Rotary Clothes Dryer was put through its paces at our reviewer Laura's home on the patio in her south-facing garden. The weather was sunny, with a moderate breeze.

We used the airer to dry towels and an assortment of kids' and adult clothing.