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  • Design & Usability

  • Performance & Features

  • Warranty

  • Why We Love It

  • By the Numbers

  • Normal & Delicate

  • Quick Dry & Bulky

  • Design & Usability
  • Performance & Features
  • Warranty
  • Why We Love It
  • By the Numbers
  • Normal & Delicate
  • Quick Dry & Bulky

Yes, a $990 sale price means it's pricier than dryers with fewer features, but this Maytag promises to be gentle on your clothes. Our tests confirmed precise temperature regulation that removes excess moisture without slamming your clothes with unrelenting heat.

If you’re the kind of consumer that prefers to sort your laundry and choose just the right cycle for optimum performance, then this dryer—complete with a giant drum and removable rack for drying items that can't be tumbled—has you covered.

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Design & Usability

Elegance in white and silver

It’s hard to sell a dryer on looks alone, but we dig the MEDB855DW’s classy appearance. The translucent door with stainless border gives the dryer a high-end vibe, enhanced by the brushed silver control panel.

Inside, the 8.8-cu.-ft. interior is illuminated by bright LED lights that should keep even the most easily camouflaged socks in clear sight. A wire rack can be placed inside the drum for drying both delicate items that like stuffed animals that might not take well to tumbling, or heavier objects like sneakers that can take the heat but could potentially damage the drum.

The lint trap takes its cue from what we normally find on compact models: Instead of a lint screen, it’s an actual trap that you have to flip open to clean. Sure, it adds an extra step, but it’s designed to get the lint from your dryer to your trash without littering your laundry room.

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Performance & Features

Dried to near-perfection

The few hiccups we tracked in our tests of the MEDB855DW were so minor they're barely worth mentioning. For instance, one of our Delicates test loads took about an hour and a half to finish, which is a bit longer than normal.

And... that’s it. Everything else was great. All other cycles, including the second Delicates test load, finished after a reasonable length of time and used appropriately gentle heats. Each 8-lb. load came out 100% dry, and even our bulky comforter—the bane of nearly every dryer we test—got 98% of the way there. We didn't even have to take it out and fluff it.

Each entry on the Maytag Bravos MEDB855DW's lengthy cycle list is a practical entry and clearly named for ease of use.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Matthew Zahnzinger

Each entry on the lengthy cycle list is a practical entry and clearly named for ease of use.

For our Quick Dry test, we ran a 4-lb. load through the 15-minute Rapid Dry cycle. This was the only test that didn’t produce wearable dry clothes... but then again, Maytag's Rapid Dry cycle claims to work best with only two or three damp items at a time. Use each cycle according to the manufacturer’s guide and this dryer should take excellent care of your clothes.

Speaking of cycles, each option—from Heavy Duty and Bedding to Denim and Sanitize—is clearly labeled and quite practical. Perhaps the only unconventional mode is Power Dry, which is a high heat cycle designed for large loads of heavy cotton items like towels.

In addition to the ample cycle list, the Maytag also sports a few key features: A water hookup feeds a Steam Refresh cycle and a Static Reduce option. You also get five temperature and dryness levels to choose from, a Wrinkle Prevent (both with and without steam) option, and an Energy Saver mode that reduces heat.

For in-depth performance information, please visit the Science Page.

While it's highly customizable—for a dryer, anyway—the Maytag Bravos MEDB855DW's feature list is short but practical.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Matthew Zahnzinger

While it's highly customizable—for a dryer, anyway—the feature list is short but practical.

Warranty

{{amazon name="Dryer Balls 4 Pack Orange- Reusable Dryer Balls Replace Laundry Drying Fabric Softener and Saves You Money", asin="B00P9MNJ1G", align="right"}} Maytag will cover parts and labor for manufacturer defects that appear during your first year of dryer ownership, which is no surprise. Where Maytag differs from the competition, however, is that it doesn't stop there: For the dryer's first 10 years in your home, the manufacturer will also cover replacement parts if anything should happen to the drum or drive motor. Don't get too excited, though—the cost of labor is on you.

Why We Love It

The best of the best of the affordable

The Maytag Bravos MEDB855DW is one of the best dryers we've tested. Its ability to dry clothes is specific and effective, making it a great choice for folks interested in getting the most out of their clothes, and their clothes dryer.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that this Maytag also features has tons of cycles, a stylish design, and plenty of room for customization. It even comes with a removable internal drying rack. Sure, it may not have a stainless interior, and $989 is more than most dryers cost. But for how well it treated our clothes, we have to give this Maytag Bravos a hearty “Bravo!”

By the Numbers

The Maytag Bravos MEDB855DW (MSRP $1,199) is easily one of the top dryers we've tested. After analyzing our test results, it’s clear this machine is almost perfect when it comes to actual drying performance.

Normal & Delicate

The workhorse Normal cycle hits all the right notes and leaves very little room for improvement. Averaging 50 minutes with peak temperatures of 145.7°F, it got our clothes 100% dry.

The Maytag’s Delicates cycle was almost as good: It, too, got clothes 100% dry using appropriately gentle temperatures that peaked at 113.3°F. However, there was some inconsistency in drying times: Our first test lasted 1 hour and 29 minutes, while the second test only took 1 hour and 9 minutes—closer to what we prefer for an average cycle length.

Each entry on the Maytag Bravos MEDB855DW's lengthy cycle list is a practical entry and clearly named for ease of use.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Matthew Zahnzinger

Each entry on the lengthy cycle list is a practical entry and clearly named for ease of use.

Quick Dry & Bulky

For our Quick Dry test, we used the Rapid Dry cycle, a 15-minutes manual option that doesn’t utilize the machine's sensors. Our 4-lb. load was only 77% dry at the end of the 15 minutes, which isn’t surprising—the cycle is designed for touching up two or three damp garments as opposed to our ten, and only heated up to 111°F. If you use the cycle properly, it should be able to handle appropriately sized loads without any trouble.

And for the icing on the cake, the Bulky test: We pit our fluffy down comforter against the Maytag’s Bedding cycle. Now, almost no dryer does well in this test, but this machine managed to get it 98% dry after about 1 hour and 5 minutes using temperatures that peaked at just 136.4°F. We didn't even have to take the comforter out and fluff it—the Maytag didn't roll it up in a ball or leave any wet spots. If that’s not impressive, we don’t know what is.

While it's highly customizable—for a dryer, anyway—the Maytag Bravos MEDB855DW's feature list is short but practical.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Matthew Zahnzinger

While it's highly customizable—for a dryer, anyway—the feature list is short but practical.

Meet the tester

Matthew Zahnzinger

Matthew Zahnzinger

Logistics Manager & Staff Writer

@ReviewedHome

Matthew is a native of Brockton, MA and a graduate of Northeastern, where he earned a degree in English and Theatre. He has also studied at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin and spends most of his free time pursuing a performance career in the greater Boston area.

See all of Matthew Zahnzinger's reviews

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