The Maytag Option
Today the Maytag company, perhaps to the surprise of many, does not exist formally as an independent company. Instead, it is now part of the Whirlpool company, having been bought out in the early 2000s (2006 to be exact). In its earliest inception at the turn of the 19th century, it was founded as a washing machine company.
During World War II, it shifted production to make parts of military equipment. After the war it began to make washing machines again. However, increasing foreign competition and quality problems in the late 1990's led Maytag to lose a lot of market share and loyal customers, resulting in its takeover by Whirlpool. Because of Maytag's long history as a maker of washing machines, Whirlpool decided to continue using the name on rebranded Whirlpool machines. So now when a consumer comes across a Maytag stackable washer dryer, he or she will know that it is actually a Whirlpool, and that there is a long business history associated with these products of mixed pedigree.
The Super Stack
There are currently two stackable washer dryers branded under Maytag offered to the consumer. One has the model MGT3800TW and the other MET3800TW - respectively outfitted with the gas and electricity-driven dryer. On the exterior they are quite similar, displaying a panel of analog controls in the form of knobs billed as easy-control. The configuration is similar to the GE models, with the washer on the bottom and the dryer mounted on top of a rack with a V-shaped side-profile.
The Washer of the Super Stack
The washer has a capacity of 2.6 cubic feet, which is fairly standard for stackable washer dryers. It falls short of LG's competing stackable washer dryer (a whopping 3.7 cubic feet) but exceeds the capacity of some extremely small models (bottoming out at around 1.5 cubic feet). Four water levels can be chosen with the added feature of a sensor-driven cut-off that prevents excess. There are nine preset settings for washing including delicates, colored fabrics, permanent press etc. Related to this are three speeds for the spin cycle chosen to match the types of clothes in the load. If the nine presets are not used, one can manually select temperatures indicated by one for the wash and one for the rinse.
The Dryer of the Super Stack
The dryer is quite standard with several selectable levels again the choice of which depends on the load type. The technology behind the dryer has even been given a name called the "GentleBreeze" system although what this exactly entails is not clear to us. Upscale models have a sensor-driven system that shuts down drying when clothes become too hot or too dry. This is similar to the water-level cut-off.
Summary
The Maytag pair are a good choice for stackable water dryers but are by no means the best or cheapest. The maximum load size of the washer is rather average, as are the functions and controls. We suggest buying this if you are familiar with Maytag and could quickly become used to this brand. Other items which Americans might find interesting are the Frigidaire stackable washer dryer and the GE stackable washer dryer.
