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  • Design

  • What we liked

  • What we didn't like

  • What user reviews say

  • The bottom line

  • Related content

  • Design
  • What we liked
  • What we didn't like
  • What user reviews say
  • The bottom line
  • Related content

Pros

  • Sturdy construction

  • PowerWash cycle has great stain removal

Cons

  • Long cycles

A long period of agitation in hot water can produce nearly spotless laundry. But it can also beat up on clothes, wearing them out too soon.

If you don’t think that’s a fair tradeoff, our tests showed that this Maytag can give you the PowerWash of your dreams — it cleans well, and it’s gentler on clothes than we expected. As with any agitator machine, you need to load it carefully to prevent it from becoming unbalanced.

Design

This washer has a corkscrew agitator
Credit: Reviewed.com / Jonathan Chan

The corkscrew agitator gets clothes clean by swishing them against itself, each other, and the drum.

While maintaining an old-school appearance, this washer incorporates older and newer features:

  • The traditional look — There’s a comfortable feeling you can have with a white top-loader if you learned how to do laundry from Mom.
  • Corkscrew agitator — It has a familiar look and function, and you'll be happy to see it if you're convinced you need one to get clean laundry. The agitator works by pushing the clothes against itself, each other, and the drum. It works best when have a load with lots of water.
  • Glass door — The soft close glass lid lets you watch while the cycle runs, so you can spy on your laundry as it sloshes. The pattern on the door makes it easy to see the agitator, but harder to check the water level. Once you start the machine, you’ll have to hit pause in order to open the lid.
  • Deep tub — Mega-capacity is the crowning glory of the washer. Its 4.7-cu.-ft. size is much larger than the 3.5-cu.-ft. washers of a decade ago. So, it can handle lots more clothes, sheets, towels and comforters than washers used to. Maytag touts the “commercial technology” used in this machine, which we think is supposed to reassure you of its durability. The stainless steel tub reinforces the message every time you open the lid.
  • One knob — The single selector dial makes it simple to choose a cycle. The control panel offers more granular control if you want to turn on Deep Fill, or adjust temperature, soil level, or spin speed.

What we liked

The PowerWash cycle has serious stain-fighting power

It lived up to Maytag's claim of having the cleanest wash among its competition by removing 76% of the stains, compared to 69% stain removal from our current top scoring pole agitator washer, the GE GTW685BSLWS.

Top-notch Spin cycle

It does a thorough job of spinning rinse water out, so it reduces drying time. But a high-speed spin can wrinkle the heck out of clothes, requiring more ironing. The Wrinkle Control cycle on this machine can help with that.

What we didn't like

The cycles are long!

PowerWash lasted 2 hours 24 minutes, over an hour longer than the Maytag's display claimed, and almost an hour and a half longer than the GE model’s Heavy Duty cycle. The Maytag's Rapid Wash is very slow for a Quick Cycle, lasting between 35 and 38 minutes.

This washer uses lots of water

If you're comparing a top-loader to a front-loader, the front-loading machine is going to use about five gallons more water per cycle. But, if you're considering this washer, you might not care. The Normal cycle of the Maytag model on default settings used 23.87 gallons of water, and 44.18 gallons with Deep Fill activated.

The detergent, fabric softener, and bleach cups are disappointing.

The detergent and bleach dispenser felt flimsy, and it didn’t slide out smoothly. The bleach cup was not removable, so it’s not easy to clean.

Detergent and fabric softener go in a pull-out tray
Credit: Reviewed.com / Jonathan Chan

In such a solidly-built washing machine, it's surprising that the detergent and fabric softener dispenser is made of lightweight plastic.

What user reviews say

We read hundreds of reviews from real people who bought this washing machine. Owners often purchased it to replace an old washer, a front-loader they didn’t care for, or a machine recalled by Samsung in 2016. They give major props to the washer’s high capacity and pole agitator.

Many owners wished for more control over the fill level, which is auto-sensing, except for the Deep Fill option. Some users also wanted a separate cycle for Rinse and Spin, and a cycle for Soak.

White detergent spots sometimes showed up on their dark clothes. (In our experience, using less detergent can help with that.)

Low water pressure may prevent this washer from filling adequately on auto-select. We’re looking into that issue, and we'll get back to you on it soon.

The bottom line

Doing laundry takes a big chunk of time out of your life. The generous capacity of this washing machine can free up some of that time. But if you have a small family, or don’t do lots of laundry, it may be overkill.

The Deep Fill option is not meant for everyday use. It’s good for exceptionally filthy clothes, and for cleaning ultra-large loads, king size bedding, for example, .

More choices include
Credit: Reviewed.com / Jonathan Chan

You can control the temperature, soil level, and spin speed. Deep Fill over-rides the machine's auto-sensing to add more water.

This washer’s 4.7-cu.-ft. capacity is the largest among washers with pole agitators. But if you want even more room for dirty clothes, consider the 5.2-cu.-ft. LG WT7500CW for around the same price. The downside — you’ll need to give up the agitator.

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Meet the testers

Cindy Bailen

Cindy Bailen

Editor

@orangesandlemon

Cindy Bailen loves writing about major appliances and home design and has spent over 15 years immersed in that. In her spare time, Cindy hosts pledge programs for WGBH-TV in Boston and other public television stations.

See all of Cindy Bailen's reviews
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

Checking our work.

Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.

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