Product review (4 stars): Good Top Loader
I was apprehensive about buying a high efficiency washer because I wasn't sure it would perform any better than the front loader that I had for a couple of years that was an absolute horror story. I ended up buying a Whirlpool set which quickly allayed any concerns I might have had, so when I bought this for our weekend house I knew exactly what I was getting. That was four months ago and this machine as well as its companion dryer have been completely reliable and I am extremely pleased.
This Maytag top loader is almost identical to the Whirlpool top loader. I'm not surprised since Whirlpool owns Maytag. The thing you need to know about HE top loaders is that they aren't anything like a traditional top loader. There is no agitator. Instead of just tossing in the clothes to be washed, you stack them against the sides of the tub leaving the center clear. You fill the detergent and softener dispensers, pick the washing options you want, turn the power on, and then depress the start button. The tub will turn on, gage the amount of laundry in the machine, and then start filling. This is where it gets strange. The clothes aren't submerged in water; they are just wet. At that point, the tub spins the clothes, rinses the clothes, and then spins the clothes dry. Depending the spin option chosen, the clothes really are far more dry than they would be after a cycle in a traditional washer. My drying time has probably been cut 30 to 40%
Despite the lack of water, the clothes are very clean. this machine does a good job on dirt and stains.
This washer is quieter than the old washers, it uses far less water, and supposedly uses less electricity . Despite the fact that you need to stack the laundry against the side of the drum, this is not exactly labor intensive. This is an easy machine to use and I'd recommend it to anyone.