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  • Design & Features

  • How Does It Clean?

  • Warranty

  • Conclusion

  • Cleaning Performance

  • Efficiency

  • Design & Features
  • How Does It Clean?
  • Warranty
  • Conclusion
  • Cleaning Performance
  • Efficiency

Pros

  • Pre-fill detergent dispenser for 12 washes

  • Overnight Wash & Dry cycle

  • Above-average stain removal with Power Wash

Cons

  • Some slow cycles

The Maytag's wash cycles obliterate stains, but the heaviest-duty ones last three hours. Nobody has that kind of time to wait around, so the 8200 offers features that let you do laundry while you're asleep or at work, all without the risk of musty clothes. You can even wash and dry a tiny load while you're asleep. This washer lets you take your time doing your laundry without wasting your time doing it.

We found the MHW8200FW on sale for just $1,049. While that's a lot for a washing machine, this one is packed to its corners with unique features. But if it's not quite what you're looking for, there are other options out there.

Design & Features

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People only typically buy washers once a decade, so it's easy to lose track of all the latest innovations. Switching from a top loader or older front loader, the first thing you'll notice is the MHW8200FC's size. Its 4.5-cu.-ft. drum is designed to handle a family of four's laundry. That drum also contains a light, so it'll be easy to unload your clothes even in dimly lit basements.

After you open the drum, the next touchpoint is the detergent dispenser, and there's a big innovation in there: Optimal Dose. Fill the washer with detergent once every twelve washes, and the washer will automatically dispense the optimum amount of detergent based on your laundry's weight and the cycle selected.

You fill up your car with enough gas for multiple trips, why not your washer for two month's worth of laundry?

If you're resistant, consider how much money it might save you: people tend to use too much detergent even though it makes your clothes dirtier. You fill up your car with enough gas for multiple trips, why not your washer for two month's worth of laundry?

The final leap in technology comes in the form of Fresh Hold–a feature which circulates air and gently tumbles laundry after the cycle is over. The idea behind this is to add flexibility. Imagine starting a load when you go off to work and coming home 10 hours later to laundry that isn't musty. Multitasking is the way of the world now, and the MHW8200FC is helping you keep up.

How Does It Clean?

With American know how

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Maytag claims that the MHW8200FC leads the industry in stain removal with its PowerWash cycle. After running multiple test runs, we can say that—depending on the stain—the claim actually holds water. Yes, it stood toe-to-toe with other Heavy Duty cycles—but it also took three hours to complete.

By comparison, the rest of the 8200's washing repertoire was just above average. The hour-long Normal cycle removed more stains than many of its direct competitors, but nowhere near the level of the PowerWash.

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For all the robustness in many of its cycles, the MHW8200FC offers gentler options as well. Garments that can't stand the heat will be well served by the Cold Wash cycle. Normally, these cycles do poorly because hot water is typically a crucial element in removing some stains. However, with Optimal Dose, the 8200 dispenses just enough detergent to compensate.

Linking the various features like that really helps up the 8200's performance. Take, for example, the Overnight Wash & Dry cycle, which combines a 25-minute Rapid Wash and the Fresh Hold feature. With that, you can pop in a shirt or two and have them wearable the next day. It's not perfect—many items will still need a 10-minute tumble in the dryer to be wearable—but it's much easier than doing the whole laundry shebang for just one or two items.

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

Warranty

For warranty information and user manuals visit Maytag's product page. In addition to a one-year full warranty, you also get a 10-year warranty on the motor and some parts.

Conclusion

The world waits for no one, but some things—like really, really clean laundry—take time. In the case of the Maytag MHW8200FC, that means some cycles take up to three hours.

Maytag makes that wait a little easier by letting you multitask. The Fresh Hold feature allows you to run a cycle while you are away, circulating air and gently tumbling laundry to prevent mildew and mustiness, and Optimal Dose saves you from measuring out detergent every time you wash clothes.

The powerful, feature-filled MHW8200FC isn't right for everyone. But if you want a washer that has it all, this Maytag may be right for you.

Cleaning Performance

We get our cleaning performance numbers by analyzing mechanically coated bolts of cloth. The stains run the gamut of everything from cocoa to pig's blood. We place these "stain strips" in test loads of laundry made up of towels, pillowcases, and bedsheets. After washing a test load, we use a photospectrometer to determine how much of each stain is lifted via measuring how close its final color is to pure white.

A before and after of the Normal cycle. After two hours, it's one of the most impressive we've ever seen. The stains starting from the right are: sweat, oil, blood, cocoa, and red wine.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Jonathan Chan

A before and after of the Normal cycle. After two hours, it's one of the most impressive we've ever seen. The stains starting from the right are: sweat, oil, blood, cocoa, and red wine.

The Maytag MHW8200FC's PowerWash cycle was far and away the best stain remover. In three hours, it blasted through every single type of stain. The PowerWash removed 10% more stains than the next leading cycle: Normal with the heat on Extra High and with Extra Rinse. Normal with the default settings came in third, lagging 15% behind PowerWash but still beating many competitors.

Delving into the data, we saw that the 8200 did well against cocoa and blood stains. In fact, on the Normal cycle, the 8200 removed 22% more of the cocoa stain than the carbon one. That's a pretty big disparity.

Efficiency

All the water that will ever be is. That's why it's important to choose an efficient washing machine. We hooked the MHW8200FC to water and watt meters, and determined that the MHW8200FC will cost around $28 a year to run. That's about half of what a top loader requires.

But that's only half the story when it comes to efficiency. There's also the need to spin excess water out of your laundry. The more water a washer spins out, the less time it has to spend in the dyer–one of the most inefficient appliances in your home. On average, the MHW8200 spun around 37% of excess water. The 50% mark is what we'd like to see.

Meet the tester

Jonathan Chan

Jonathan Chan

Senior Manager of Lab Operations

@Jonfromthelab1

Jonathan Chan currently serves as the Lab Manager at Reviewed. If you clean with it, it's likely that Jon oversees its testing. Since joining the Reviewed in 2012, Jon has helped launch the company's efforts in reviewing laptops, vacuums, and outdoor gear. He thinks he's a pretty big deal. In the pursuit of data, he's plunged his hands into freezing cold water, consented to be literally dragged through the mud, and watched paint dry. Jon demands you have a nice day.

See all of Jonathan Chan's reviews

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