Maytag 9150 Dishwasher: An Excellent Choice
Written: Jan 28 '03
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Durability: |
|
|
| Ease of Cleaning: |
|
|
| Style: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Actually cleans dishes without prewashing; great warranty; quiet
Cons: High initial cost
The Bottom Line: Recommended for its cleaning ability, expected reliability and its warranty.
|
|
|
| dhartlaub's Full Review: Maytag MDB9150A 24 in. Built-in Dishwasher |
We have been married for over 20 years and have never owned a dishwasher. So when the hints started coming my way that it was about time (OK, well past time) to get one, I started doing my research.
There were two major criteria that needed to be met in a dishwasher from my viewpoint. First, it had to be reliable and not require a lot of service in the future. And second (and most importantly), it had to actually clean dishes (after all, it is called a "dish-washer", not a "dish-sanitizer" or "dish-rinser"!). Price was also a concern, but I figured it was one of the "pay me now or pay me later" type situations. After all, you could have bought a new Yugo for much less than a new Honda or Toyota back in the 1980's. But then you could actually still be driving the Honda or Toyota today while the Yugo would have been long since been in the junkyard.
I read many of the dishwasher reviews on Epinions.com and other sites (including manufacturer web sites) and decided upon a Maytag model. The new 3-rack system initially seemed appealing. But after reading several reviews about the dishes not really getting clean with the 3-rack model, I narrowed down the choices to two models: the 6650 and the 9150. The suggested retail price of the 9150 was $110 more than the 6650, so I was originally leaning toward the less expensive model (in spite of several nice "extras" in the 9150). But when the local appliance store put the 9150 on sale for only $29 more than the 6650, and they had one in stock with a $50 rebate (the 6650 also had a $50 rebate), I opted for the "better" model.
Here are the features of the 9150. The ones marked with an asterisk (*) are not found on the 6650 model.
- Microprocessor with touch-pad controls
- Control lockout
- Stainless steel tub
- Multiple wash options
- Drying system
- "Tough scrub" option*
- Autoclean option with sensor*
- Extra rinse option*
- Delay wash option
- Special sound insulation package*
- Automatic temperature control
- Adjustable upper rack*
- Split silverware basket
- Odds and ends basket*
- Some adjustable tines*
- DuraGuard rack finish*
- Energy Star compliant*
- Etc.
Since we had never owned a dishwasher before, I did not do the installation myself since some plumbing modifications had to be made. Fortunately we had the foresight to have the electrical installed and the kitchen cabinet sized for a dishwasher when we had the house built in 1988, even though we weren't going to put a dishwasher in at the time. So the installation was simple and the dishwasher fit perfectly into the spot reserved for it nearly 15 years earlier.
The dishwasher itself doesn't look like anything special from the outside. The touchpads are arranged in a logical order and are easy to read. The inside offers quite a bit of flexibility with the silverware basket able to be split, the odds and ends basket movable, the upper rack adjustable and several rows of tines foldable. The detergent and rinse compartments are easily accessible and seem like they are built well enough to last quite a few years. And the stainless steel tub makes it look "sanitary".
I did the first load of dishes using the normal wash option with the Cascade detergent and Rinse Aid samples that came with the dishwasher, and everything came out spotless. That says a lot, as our water comes from a well and has a high mineral content. In fact, every load so far has been with either the normal wash cycle or the light wash cycle, without the extra rinse option, the autoclean or the sanitize options. The cheese that was over-microwaved onto a plate came off, and the two-day old dried Ragu sauce didn't stick around after a normal wash cycle. The only item that wasn't completely clean after many weeks of using the dishwasher (so far) was one glass at the back corner of the top rack, which somehow retained a grain of rice after washing. So I can't give the Maytag a 100% cleaning score after 3 weeks of use, but a 99.9% is certainly acceptable to me. Especially considering that we don't have to "wash" the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher!
The 9150 wash cycles seem to run a bit long compared to what I have heard from other people who own dishwashers (almost everyone I know). The normal wash cycle lasts about 95 minutes, and the light wash cycle runs about 85 minutes. But since we don't have to prewash the dishes, I can live with that! After all, the 9150 is Energy Star compliant and is estimated to cost only $31 a year to use (based on a gas water heater and 6 normal cycles per week). So that is about $2.50 a month, or about 10¢ per use. OK, I can live with the slightly longer cycle.
The dishwasher is also amazingly quiet. We cannot even hear it running from the living room (one room away), and we can only hear it from the adjoining dining room when the cycle changes. Good thing a light comes on that indicates that the dishes are clean when it gets done; otherwise, we might not know that it actually finished washing the dishes.
The warranty on the dishwasher was an important selling point. It has a standard one year parts and labor warranty with a two year parts warranty minimum on most items. But then there is a five year warranty on the entire wash system (including the microprocessor), a twenty year warranty on leaks in the tub and doorliner (with free replacement if the tub leaks) and a lifetime warranty on the tub. I understand that Maytag is not the quickest to respond to warranty work. But that is one reason why I bought the dishwasher from a local appliance store instead of a "superstore"; they can take care of any of the repairs needed in the future and I won't have to deal directly with Maytag.
So if you are looking for a reliable dishwasher that cleans dishes, the Maytag 9150 would be a great choice. Yes, it costs a lot more than many models. But then you could always go back to doing dishes by hand and save even more! I guess it depends on your priorities...
(Note: If we have any problems with this dishwasher over the next several years, I will update this review.)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 630.00
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
dhartlaub
|
|
Member: Don Hartlaub
Location: Black Forest, CO
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 1 member
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.