Would you replace a condenser dryer now or choose a heat pump?

[AInightingale]

I need to replace my condenser drier as it's acting up a bit after 11 years (Beko, cheap, not bad going). Just concerned by yesterday's news that these are now in the govt's sights and they want to phase out the sale of them. I have heard so many conflicting things about heat pump driers. One thing I don't like is the time taken to dry a load of clothes - hours in some cases. I would never go out or to bed with a drier running, so isn't that a right pain in the arse, tying you to the house? They also seem expensive. Only use mine in bad weather or the winter months. Really I'd rather pay extra for electricity for the convenience, but it seems like the choice might soon be taken out of our hands. Would anyone recommend, I'm leaning to another condenser really, and buying it quickly because I don't think the alternative sounds popular.

Have the people who find it takes a similar amount of time to their old dryer traded up from a smaller to a larger drum (which is quicker to dry because of the additional air flow with the same item) or moved from the older time-based machines to the smarter machines that will sense the moisture (and so we're perhaps drying their clothes for too long with the older dryer).

I just can't work out how - knowing how it dries - you could think it takes the same amount of time?

We traded up from a vented one which had all
the sensors etc, not just used on timer. It is a bit slower I think but not a problem. The fact that they use sensors and are in the garage has meant we don't really know how long they take as they stop when they are done.

I have a heat pump dryer and I find it much better than my old vented one and my old condenser one before that. I can do a 12kg load in 2.5 hours. It’s Montpellier.
also apparently stuff doesn’t shrink as much. Definitely is kinder on the electric compared to my old vented

We’ve had one for a couple of years now after a period of about 8 years with no dryer. Nothing has ever taken 3 hours to dry, most things are more like 90 mins.
Bedding can be a pain as it does that bunching up thing so it stays wet in the middle but that was the case in the old vented dryer we had.
I like that it’s kinder on clothes, I was forever shrinking things in the old dryer and also it’s not as hot so the washing still smells fresh rather than that hot, static smell that comes from regular ones.