Thanks everyone – this makes sense.
Frankly it’s a shame, the vented ones dry a lot faster, and are simple machines that seem to last, and are easy to repair.
I get that heat pump is A++ efficiency, but they’re 2-3x the price and take twice as long to dry !!
I’m tempted to go for freestanding vented – as it seems a few are still available new, but I assume you’re all saying that given the decline of venteds, spares will become harder to find in future, and it’s inevitable that we’ll all end up with HP machines??