Product review (2 stars): Disappointing
Let's face it - washing machines are not what they used to be.

The most important thing for me is something that works, that cleans my clothes and cleans them well - I don't need a bunch of fancy buttons with a bunch of fancy sort of cycles that I really won't use.

I think I have owned this Maytag washer for about, say four years, generously numbered. I purchased it, thinking it was a Maytag, a brand that used to be the Louis Vuitton of American household appliances. A few things here and there Maytag produces are still worthwhile, but most of what they make now is disappointing, to be nice. Especially their washing machines.

I liked the fact that this washer was large inside - you can get a good amount of laundry in here if you're the type of person who will fill a machine to maximum capacity. Clothes moved around with enough water between them to comfortably clean without knotting and tangling. It's the most basic machine available out there - it has hot/warm/cold water, three cycles (super/ultra, normal, and gentle), an extra rinse, so on and so forth.

However the relative simplicity, which is a relief as most washing machines - even the traditional standard top loaders - have so many buttons and temperatures and things it gets to point of being ridiculous, covers up the iffy craftsmanship. If you're looking for a reliable machine that's tough and can last 10+ years, this isn't it.

The machine is not quiet. It's not unbearably noisy, but it generates enough sound you can still hear it, especially downstairs where it is located. The spin cycle is actually pretty silent, but the general wash? Not so much. It's mainly the agitator. Though, as time went on, the machine began to do weird things - little stuff at first that bothered me, disappearing and then reappearing again until they became permanent.

First, it was the water sensors. If you used the cold a lot, then the hot water would not work properly (would switch between lukewarm/hot). Use hot a lot, the cold doesn't work, so on and so forth. I also never understood why the warm water burst out in a generous stream whilst the hot and cold would trickle out very, very slowly?

Finally, the water sensors completely broke - and it was only boiling hot water (and when I say boiling, I mean boiling) for a few months sporadically until everything just completely shut off.

And now, the agitator is broken. There are two sections to the agitator that causes the movement of the clothes within the tub - on the bottom of the machine is a slightly raised pan-sort of thing with fins that spins the clothes from downward, whilst the protruding center brings them back upwards, allowing clothes of different weights to move freely within the tub. I noticed that the agitator was making a horrible, grating sort of noise and I didn't hear the usual splish-splash of clothes moving around in the tub. Found out the bottom raised pan had completely stopped moving, and the agitator just jerks around rather sadly while the clothes float in the water. Stuff comes out semi-clean, but there's no agitation to lift away stains or work detergent through clothes.

All-in-all, I really wanted to love this machine, but, it had way too many issues. Seriously, think a bit before buying a Maytag, they aren't what they used to be.