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Our old agitator died with a spurt of smoke and the smell of burning electrics!So we were off looking for a new machine.Our memory of our past experience with the Maytag Neptune mold incubator left us wary of buying another HE frontloader.We decided to look into HE top loaders, since that is what is mostly available at the retail stores.I read reviews rather extensively on the Internet and took a look at the available YouTube videos.The comments and complaints were simply dreadful.YET, my local retailer said that the Maytag Bravos MVWB705YW was the best model out there.And the model was rated highly by Consumer Reports.So with great fear and trepidation, we purchased it despite the complaints of various noises, breakdowns, poor cleaning, frequent unbalanced loads, leaking, premature end of lifespan, electronics failures, discolorations, scum cakings, moldy smells, and on and on.It simply amazed me that a major corporation could manufacture such a modern appliance that caused so much agony among its users.In the final analysis, most consumers felt that the machine was a waste of money.When I asked him about all this, my brother-in-law said that buying a new HE machine was a "crap-shoot" today.You had a 50-50 chance of getting a lemon.He wished me luck and said to let him know how we made out.So TODAY, the new Maytag Bravos MVWB750YW was delivered and installed; and it underwent its "maiden voyage."The first load consisted of towels.This became unbalanced, and the instruction manual said to let the machine run a "balancing" program.Well, it never stopped.So I powered the machine down, which emptied the tub.Then I restarted the machine on a RINSE/DRAIN/SPIN cycle.This worked fine, and the clothes eventually came out of the dryer with a clean look and fresh smell.The second load consisted of colored clothes; the third load consisted of whites.Both loads ran without incident and the outcome was fine for both.The tub of the machine is very spacious.The machine did not make much noise when it washed.It used a half-capful of HE detergent per load.We did not use fabric softener because people complained that it left scum in the tub.So we added fabric softener sheets to the dryer.After every 30 loads, you must use Affresh tablets on a special clean cycle to eliminate mold, bacteria, and scum.The retailer told me that the machine should last 7 to 10 years under normal use.However, if you have a big family and use the machine several times each day, the lifespan could be cut short.I could tell when I looked at the construction of the machine that it wasn't as robust as the outgoing machine.YET, OVERALL, I am quite pleased so far.We'll see how it goes.The best video on YouTube was the one that explained how HE toploaders work.Please remember to read and follow all the directions for the HE machine; this will give you the best opportunity for success!
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I absolutely hate this washer. I've owned it for 18 months now and every time I use it I regret the purchase. Here are some of the reasons I hate it.
1. It uses waaaaay too little water. When I bought it the salesman told me that the machine fills to the top of the clothes plus 1 gallon. That is simply not true. The clothes stick out above the top of the water by 9 inches. The water level is slightly adjustable by the soil level setting but this only changes the level by an inch or two. I have experimented for hours to try to increase the water level the machine is determined to keep the level low probably so that they can get their highest-level energy star rating. Now you may think that it is a good thing for it to use too little water but when you see how harsh it is on your clothes (item 2 below) and how wrinkled the clothes get (item 4 below) you will change your mind.
2. It is extremely harsh on clothes. When I bought it the salesman told me that the machine is more gentle than older style agitator machines. That is completely untrue. This washer pills clothes visibly with every single wash. Brand new towels appear old and worn after a few washes. Here is why it is so harsh. The clothes throughout the load are wet but they are not submerged in water. Only the bottom of the load is submerged in water. The washer tries to pull the clothes up and down into and out of the water at the bottom. It does so by twisting and spinning them, similar to the way clothes are twisted when you wring them out. This is harmful for clothes. When clothes are submerged in water (as in older washers) the water acts as a cushion against rubbing. The water is moved by the agitator and the clothes glide around in it. The higher the water-to-clothes ratio the more gentle it is on the clothes. The lower the water-to-clothes ratio, the more tightly the clothes are packed and the more abrasive the rubbing is. This washer is the most extreme case of a low water-to-clothes ratio because the clothes aren't even submerged at all. They are wet and rubbing hard against one another. To make matters worse the wringing action, which is done very tightly, is very harmful for anything but the sturdiest of fabrics. Imagine taking a wet shirt and twisting it as hard as you can from end to end in a wringing action. This is what clothes endure during each load.
3. There is no way to wash delicates in this washer. For all the reasons mentioned in 2, there is no setting on this washer that is acceptable for delicate clothes. The handwash cycle on this washer is much harsher than the normal cycle was on my old washer. None of my work clothes can tolerate it.
4. Clothes come out incredibly wrinkled, twisted, and knotted. As mentioned in 2, this washer needs to twist and knot items to move them in and out of the water. When the load is done they remain this way. Bras are all knotted together in one giant mess that takes forever to undo. I have to first shake items out to untwist them and then dry them on a higher heat setting than I would otherwise use to get the wrinkling out. Use of the lower-speed spin cycle doesn't really help much because the problem is largely due to the washing portion of the cycle. The high-speed spin cycle only sets the twisting in even harder.
5. There is no way to change washer settings after the load has started. How many times have you started a load and then decided, "oops I'd rather use handwash" or "I'd rather use high-speed spin after all". Well forget about changing your mind on this washer. This washer goes through an extensive calibration cycle at the beginning of each load to figure out how much water to use. The calculations it does during this time are based on the cycle settings such as soil level, load type, etc. It can't let you change settings once the calibration cycle has started because its calculations will get messed up. Maytag says that all you need to do is press cancel and restart but what makes this so incredibly annoying is that cancel drains all the water from the washer. It often happens to me that I want to change settings after the washer is partly full of water plus soap. To make a setting change I have to throw away the entire load of water and soap. You wouldn't believe the amount of water I've wasted because of needing to press cancel.
6. The soak cycle wastes water and soap because once the soak cycle is complete there is no way to continue using the same water to complete a wash. It gives you no option but to drain the entire tub after the soak cycle. Then when you want to wash you have to refill it again and add more soap.
7. The calibration cycle takes a long time. As mentioned in 5, this washer goes through an extensive calibration cycle at the beginning of each load to figure out how much water to use. It takes about 5 minutes and makes the cycle take that much longer with the only benefit that it is deciding on the "optimal" amount of water to use. I would much rather have the level manually selectable and the cycle 5 minutes shorter.
8. The electronic smarts are very limiting and annoying. The salesman told me "this washer is so great that it won't allow you to damage your delicates". What he meant is that the washer limits your options depending on what cycle you have selected. So for example, if you have the washer set to the handwash agitation, it won't let you use high-speed spin or let you use warm water. Or if you use the soak cycle it wont let you use hot water. Or if you use the soak cycle there is no way to get delicate agitation. There is no way to override their setting limits. How ridiculous! I know better than some engineer at Maytag what options are appropriate for me. To think that they advertise this as a feature?!?
9. The lid locks. Sometimes when washing delicates I like to be able to keep the lid open during agitation so that I can assist with special pieces. This washer won't allow any cycle to continue with the lid open although I did find a way to bypass the lid lock function.
There is only one positive thing about this washer. I like the glass lid because it lets me see how harshly the washer is twisting my clothes.
Some reviewers here have commented that maybe I did not properly follow the instructions about how to distribute clothes within the washer. That is not true. I read and follow the instructions perfectly it doesn't help.
The first day after I got this washer I tried to return it but the store wouldn't take it back. I called Maytag and begged them to tell me how to increase the water level. I tried to pay a service person to increase the water level. I kept being told there is absolutely no way to increase the water level.
I am an electrical engineer and I got so frustrated with Maytag that I spent about 8 hours working out a way to make the water level on this washer adjustable. It requires adding a potentiometer (variable resistor) to the control board that is accessible from the top of the washer. The potentiometer adds an offset of water to the level. Right now I have it set to add an extra 10 inches of water so that the clothes are completely but just barely submerged. It makes a huge difference in wear and tear on clothes and makes the handwash cycle usable. The washer is now just barely bearable. If you want to use my technique for adjusting water level, email me at sueonline@gmail.com and I'd be more than happy to share the method with you (for free). I even have pictures showing the control board modification.
UPDATE: During the past 12 months I have recieved about 500 emails from people who purchased this washer and are searching online for how to increase the water level. They come across my review and email me. I hear the same story over and over again from them. They bought this washer and hate it fiercely and want help increasing the water level. I am including below some examples of the email responses I've gotten to my review. I have not edited these emails these are the exact words of others.
"I was so happy to find your review of the Maytag Bravos washer on Amazon.I too have this washer and share the same frustrations.I have missed my "old fashioned" washer since the first wash!My family and I spent the holidays with family out of state who had a machine that actually fills up with water and allows you to manipulate settings.This was the highlight of my vacation...lol!"
"We read your review on the Bravos Maytag washing maching and totally agree. I have had mine about the same amount of time and I am completed frustrated. It just doesn't wash the clothing. If you would be so kind as to send us your fix, we would greatly appreciate it. My husband is a mechanical engineer and will happily rip into it; otherwise, I may just go back to my old machine in the basement."
"I agree with your entire post! I never thought to ask can I soak clothes in this produce? I have tried to soak socks and there was not enough water to cover them. This washer and dryer pair does not work as advertised. Could you please send the water adjustment and computer map."
"Hello,I read your review on amazon.com and would really appreciate your information on how to increase the water level. I bought the machine 5 days ago and completely agree with your review."
"Kudos to you for a comprehensive break-down of frustration of the Maytag BRAVOS!Bravo for nothing this machine is the bane of my existence.It is ruining our clothes and gone are the days when we could simply dry laundry on the line now every last bit has to be 'fluffed' in the dryer to remove the annoying wrinkles!If you would kindly provide the details of how you 'outsmarted' your maching re: water level, that would be great!"
"could you please send me your instructions on how to fix my piece of junk washing machine?... is this something that i could have an electrician fix easily?... thanks so much for your help..."
"Your description of the water level problem is almost word for word my own, ion all its detail. If you can help, I would like to try to make the fix -assuming a simple home workshop kind of guy can do it with your help."
"Thank you so much for your Amazon review of the Bravos....I am not an engineer but I could have written your review! Dear Dumb Engineers at Maytag Who Have Never Apparently Done Laundry In Your Lives: WATER CUSHIONS THE CLOTHES!!!!!! WATER RINSES THE SOAP OFF!!!!! WATER HELPS REMOVE THE DIRT!!!!!! This washer is like taking your clothes to the river and beating them on a rock. My garden hose is outside the laundry room door; I have considered filling the washer myself! I have problems with stains, smells, towels getting "pulls". Delicate? Handwash? Good luck! And why does the "soak" cycle agitate?!!!"
"I saw online your review of the Bravos XL washing macine. We share you critic of this Maytag model. Could you please email us as to how you modified the Maytag to allow a higher water fill level. It would be much appreciated. I would like to modify the Maytag to make it useable. Thanks in advance."
"Thanks for the post on Amazon about the Brovos XL Washer. I'm very frustrated with all the points you laid out. If I could increase the water level that would be a great benefit and maybe I can live with the forced settings."
Read Best Reviews of Maytag 3.6 Cu. Ft. White Top Load Washer - MVWC360AW Here
We used this machine for 6 months, the problem is that it doesn't provide enough water to clean the clothing.Many white items we washed such as polo shirts, table cloths etc, came out with brown stains on them as there wasn't enough water to clean them.We put the cleaner tablet into the machine and even had a Maytag person check it out but it didn't help.We returned the machine and got one that has enough water to clean the clothing.In Maytag's defense they said that all the new HE machines have water limits imposed on them by the Gov, but that was not validated beyond what he said.
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My husband and I purchased this washer after our Kenmore top-loader bit the dust.....never did like it and wasn't sorry to see it go after only five years. We got the best deal on the Maytag Bravos XL and since it's made by Whirlpool and made either in the US or Canada, it made it even more appealing to purchase.
Before it was delivered I got online to read reviews. This was the first site I had hit and after reading the very long-winded review from the engineer I was upset to say the least. Normally, I look at reviews before purchasing anything but this time I didn't and thought I was going to pay the price. I had my husband who is also an engineer read it. In his usual manner he shrugged it off and said, "We'll see."
However, I kept reading other reviews on other sites and some were starting to be positive and claiming that most of the negative reviews came from people who didn't follow directions so I decided to calm down, wait, and decide for myself.
Well, it's been one week and I've washed everything you can imagine, such as towels, sheets, comforter, delicates, jeans, etc. and every one of these loads came out perfect......no twisting of clothes, dry spots, or excessive wrinkling.
I don't have small children or a husband that gets extremely dirty so I can only go by what I'm used to washing but everything has been cleaned thoroughly.
Maybe it's because I'm married to an engineer and I know what they can be like but I've been laughing at the extent this person has gone through to get more water instead of reading the directions and following them. Maybe they just got a lemon...who knows.
At this point, I would highly recommend this product.
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People, do yourself and your family a favor and DO NOTNOTNOTbuy this machine.Bottom line, it does not get your clothes clean because it does not allow adequate water for ANY CYCLES.I must wash each load, twice to even get close to getting them clean.Also, I discovered that I can only put in about 4 to 6 items MAX per load or they simply will not be adequately saturated (forget being submerged) with water.They don't smell clean even after a complete cycle, right out of the washer.I have gone to work several times only to start smelling a moldy smell on my clothes about 1-2 hours into the day.If I use fabric softener, it only MASKS the odors left in the clothes.I finally decided to use regular and color safe bleach in EVERY load to try to get them truly clean, and remember, each load gets washed TWICE !!!The LARGE CAPACITY is a JOKE because you should never, NEVER, put more than a few items in at a time.This machine DOES NOT save time, water, money or anything.The only positive thing I have to say is that the high speed spin gets a great deal of moisture out of the clothes (not that there was a great deal to begin with) and so the drying time is less.Keep searching people.Do not assume, like I did, that the negative reviews were from competitors or "less than tech savvy" people who simply could not operate modern machinery properly.THIS ONE IS A REAL LEMON.I would give it NO STARS, OR NEGATIVE STARS if I could but this particular site doesn't allow that.
