Maytag Still Beats The Competition Hands-Down
Written: Feb 19 '01 (Updated Feb 19 '01)
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Pros: Everything! Built-In Disposal, Really Tough on Baked-On Foods, Terrific Rack System
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: Great Features, Cleans Exceptionally Well, and It's QUIET!
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| ClaireKS's Full Review: Maytag MDB6100A 24 in. Built-in Dishwasher |
About two years ago, as I sat watching TV one night, it started raining in my lower-level rec room. Nope, not kidding. I was sitting in the bottom level of a three-story townhouse, and it was raining. Water was pouring out of the air duct register just above the couch. Since there are no water pipes in the floor above the rec room, I ran upstairs to see what was directly above that register, and yes, you guessed it…my old GE dishwasher. After nine years, the water pump decided to spring a leak…right into the floor and down to the rec room.
After the initial "surprise" stage wears off, panic ensues, and for a few seconds you’re not sure whether to haul the bass-boat into the rec room, or call the repairman. So I compromised, placing a large container on the floor to catch (most of) the water, and then called an appliance repair shop. (Tip: don’t call an appliance repair shop for any major problem with your dishwasher. It’ll cost you more to repair it than the machine is worth.) So after finding out that it would cost less to repair a blown gasket on the Space Shuttle than to replace the water pump on my dishwasher, I began the hunt…for a new machine.
During my search, all of the dishwashers that I looked at either seemed flimsily built, didn’t have the features I wanted, or were so noisy that my neighbors would probably think I had some kind of freight train running through my kitchen every night. And then…this beautiful, jet-black Maytag shined up at me. I immediately loved the design; sturdy, with a terrific easy-to-understand touch-pad, and so quiet that you’d have to put a stethoscope to the door to see if it was still alive. But I, like many people, associated the name "Maytag" with a big price tag, and almost didn’t want to look at the price. When I finally did look, it was instead a very nice surprise…only a few dollars more than some of the better models of other companies. So I and my pretty, jet-black Maytag went home, and for the last two years, we’ve been very happy together.
I’m going to list all of the model’s features and functions in just a minute here; but I think the one most important feature to me is the fact that you don’t have to worry about large chunks of food being left on dishes when you’re loading the machine. In other words, you don’t have to wash the dishes before you wash the dishes. There’s a built-in "garbage disposal" that grinds up food particles for you. (Note: I’m not saying that you can toss in half a left-over pot roast…)
The Upper Rack:
The adjustable upper rack is designed so that you can load glasses, small plates, cups, and stemware without worry of breakage. Knobs on the side allow you to raise or lower the rack height. On one side of the rack, there is a locking "snugger" that folds on top of delicate items to prevent them from moving or getting hit by other items during the wash cycle. On the other side, there is a "stack rack" that allows you to load short items such as demitasse cups or small drinking glasses, or use it to load long items such as barbecue tongs, cutlery, or spatulas.
The Lower Rack:
The utensil basket is fully removable, and has a hinged, covered section to load small or light-weight items that might get thrown out of the basket from the water pressure. On the left side of the lower rack is a stack-rack shelf, which can be used either raised or lowered just like the upper stack rack can. When raised, you can load cookie sheets or pizza pans, and the stack rack holds them firmly in place. With the shelf down, you can load two levels of glasses or cups. Across the center of the lower rack, around the center water spray nozzle are tines that allow small saucers to be loaded between plates. To the right, in the back of the machine are "convertible" tines. These tines can be adjusted to provide narrow spacing for thin plates, or wide spacing for deep bowls, pots, or pans.
The inside of the door houses two detergent cups and the rinse aid dispenser. The dispenser dial is labeled "more—less", and rotates left and right to allow you to adjust for the amount of rinse aid desired. The inside walls are self-cleaning; but Maytag recommends rinsing off any tomato-based sauces from dishes or pots before placing in the machine. The outer door surface is very easy to wipe clean, and retains its shine nicely. Don’t use abrasives to clean the outer door, however. Scratches from abrasives will mar the finish.
All of the buttons on the front panel are "touch" sensitive. No dials or knobs to press, pull, or rotate.
The Cycles:
Pots and Pans: Pre-wash, then main wash, then a pre-rinse, and a final hi-temp rinse.
Normal Wash: Pre-wash, main wash, pre-rinse, then hi-temp rinse.
Light/China: Main wash only, then pre-and hi-temp rinses.
Quick Wash/Rinse: One wash and rinse, only.
Rinse and Hold: One rinse, and then waits until the dishwasher is full. Prevents odors from building up when dirty dishes are in the machine but not enough of them to run as a full load.
Delay Start: You can pre-program to the machine to run at a specific time.
Options:
Child-Lock: A button that allows you to lock all other buttons so that children cannot start the machine. A good idea!
Pots and Pans Option: Not to be confused with the pots and pans cycle, this option continually checks the water temperature to make sure it’s hot enough to remove stubborn, caked-on foods. If it’s not hot enough, the machine heats the water to the proper temp.
Sani-Heat Option: Checks the water temp during the main wash and rinse cycles, and also provides extra dry-heating time.
Temp Sense Option: Use this option if your water heater is set below 120 degrees, or if you’ve got showers running or the washing machine in use.
Heated Dry On/Off: You can opt to turn the heating element on or off.
There is also a "clean" light that comes on when your dishes are ready, which is terrific…no need to hang a "clean" or "dirty" sign on the dishwasher!
As I mentioned earlier, the machine is extremely quiet while running; Maytag has sound-proofed the entire housing with insulation. Until you become used to this, you might often find yourself checking to see if the machine is actually on! And as for cleaning ability,I've had horribly dirty casserole dishes with baked-on food (we're talking carbon, here) come out clean as a whistle, so no complaints in that department! There are two separate water propellers; one in the top of the machine and one at the bottom, ensuring that the top-rack items get just as clean as the lower-rack items. I personally couldn’t want for anything more in a dishwasher. It was well worth the extra few dollars.
And I’m betting my bass boat that the new Maytag is going to out-last my old GE. :-))
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 469.00 (sale
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Epinions.com ID:
ClaireKS
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Member: Claire (Nickname: LadyWolf)
Location: Northern Virginia
Reviews written: 62
Trusted by: 82 members
About Me:
Avid nature conservationist and friend to all living things.
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