Update: Maytag 8100 Washer & Dryer

Here are some observations of / user experiences with the Maytag 8100 pair after a few months of use. I'm very happy overall and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for a front-loading pair. They are a very handsome set; love the styling. But like most appliances, they are not perfect. Here's the rundown:

LIKE (Washer)
1. CLEANING: The machine has a cycle for every need and cleans like a champ. While there's no Quick cycle, I use the Overnight Wash/Dry cycle and just press the power off button when ready to toss the clothes in the dryer. Have to admit I've never let the machine tumble and heat overnight to see if it really works in that capacity. The PowerWash, Bedding, and Allergen cycles feature 'deep rinses'.

2. CAPACITY: The 4.5 cu. ft. tub is great for huge loads or large comforters. It's the largest tub available in a front-loader with a 27"-wide footprint. Fits through all doorways.

3. PRECISION DISPENSE: It does a great job of dispensing just the right amount of liquid detergent for every load. I purchased three additional dispenser cartrigdes to accommodate the four detergents I use regularly (Tide Ultra Stain Release; Persil ProClean 2 in 1; Tide Coldwater; Perwoll Intensive Black).

4. FRESH HOLD: The fan and intermittent tumbling significantly decrease the humidity level inside the washer when you can't unload at the conclusion of a cycle. I use it on every load. You can also engage the fan to operate after you've unloaded to dry the interior if the door shouldn't be left open (small children; curious pets).

5. CONTROLS: No cheap-feeling, spongy membrane pads to press. The surface is solid and senses your touch.

ANNOYANCES: (Washer)
1. Machine doesn't remember changes in options with the exception of Fresh Hold, which will always engage if you choose it once. All other settings revert to factory presets. The machine powers up the Normal Cycle each time you open the door to load the washer. While I do use the very flexible Normal cycle most of the time, I wish it would remember my preferences (Extra Hot water; Light Soil rather than default Warm water; Medium Soil).

LIKES: (Dryer)
1. Large capacity---7.3 cu. ft. drum---in a 27"-wide machine. Dryer is whisper quiet. Sensor works well; clothes never overdried. Temperature steps down from High to Medium on Heavy Duty cycle.

2. Steam Refresh and Reduce Static options are more effective than on my Frigidaire dryer. Steam Refresh removes more wrinkles from shirts and pants, though you won't mistake them for items which have been ironed.

3. CONTROLS: As with the washer, no spongy membrane pads to press. Solid surface respond to a light touch.

ANNOYANCES: (Dryer)
1. TEMPS: Can't adjust temperature on automatic cycles. Factory presets only.

2. STATIC ELECTRICIY: Plastic fins have a pebbly texture which exacerbate static issues. Cat hair, for instance, often clings to the fins and must be wiped off with a damp cloth. I notice more issues with static cling overall compared to my Frigidaire. Now that humidity levels are very low in the house, I frequently get a static shock when removing the lint filter at the end of a cycle. Using the Reduce Static option takes care of that, but it adds 8 minutes to cycle time.

3. LINT: Quite a bit of lint escapes the dryer's filter and goes out the exhaust compared to the Frigidaire, which let almost no lint past the filter. The screen on the vent outside the house needed cleaning only once every five or six months. It needs cleaning every two weeks with the Maytag. In fact, I removed the screen for the winter, as access to it will be be difficult if large snow drifts occur on the north side of
the house.

4. ESTIMATED TIME REMAINING DISPLAY: Absolutely completely and totally freaking useless on all automatic cycles, even Steam Refresh! I get that it is supposed to adjust according to how slowly or quickly the load is drying, but this is ridiculous. One expects the countdown to be more accurate as the load becomes more dry. Nope. Case in point: I'll walk by and see 20 minutes in the display and two minutes later, it shuts off. Another example: Wrinkle Control cycle opts to 40 minutes at beginning of cycle made up of eight dress shirts. Two minutes into cycle it jumps to 56 minutes. A few minutes later it jumps to 11 minutes then holds there until it suddenly jumps to 1 minute and then shuts off. I don't bother looking at the display, anymore.

This post was last edited 11/22/2015 at 09:15


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Post# 853073 11/22/2015 at 06:29 (3,071 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)
Checkrate/Likes Here are some observations of / user experiences with the Maytag 8100 pair after a few months of use. I'm very happy overall and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for a front-loading pair. They are a very handsome set; love the styling. But like most appliances, they are not perfect. Here's the rundown: LIKE (Washer) 1. CLEANING: The machine has a cycle for every need and cleans like a champ. While there's no Quick cycle, I use the Overnight Wash/Dry cycle and just press the power off button when ready to toss the clothes in the dryer. Have to admit I've never let the machine tumble and heat overnight to see if it really works in that capacity. The PowerWash, Bedding, and Allergen cycles feature 'deep rinses'. 2. CAPACITY: The 4.5 cu. ft. tub is great for huge loads or large comforters. It's the largest tub available in a front-loader with a 27"-wide footprint. Fits through all doorways. 3. PRECISION DISPENSE: It does a great job of dispensing just the right amount of liquid detergent for every load. I purchased three additional dispenser cartrigdes to accommodate the four detergents I use regularly (Tide Ultra Stain Release; Persil ProClean 2 in 1; Tide Coldwater; Perwoll Intensive Black). 4. FRESH HOLD: The fan and intermittent tumbling significantly decrease the humidity level inside the washer when you can't unload at the conclusion of a cycle. I use it on every load. You can also engage the fan to operate after you've unloaded to dry the interior if the door shouldn't be left open (small children; curious pets). 5. CONTROLS: No cheap-feeling, spongy membrane pads to press. The surface is solid and senses your touch. ANNOYANCES: (Washer) 1. Machine doesn't remember changes in options with the exception of Fresh Hold, which will always engage if you choose it once. All other settings revert to factory presets. The machine powers up the Normal Cycle each time you open the door to load the washer. While I do use the very flexible Normal cycle most of the time, I wish it would remember my preferences (Extra Hot water; Light Soil rather than default Warm water; Medium Soil). LIKES: (Dryer) 1. Large capacity---7.3 cu. ft. drum---in a 27"-wide machine. Dryer is whisper quiet. Sensor works well; clothes never overdried. Temperature steps down from High to Medium on Heavy Duty cycle. 2. Steam Refresh and Reduce Static options are more effective than on my Frigidaire dryer. Steam Refresh removes more wrinkles from shirts and pants, though you won't mistake them for items which have been ironed. 3. CONTROLS: As with the washer, no spongy membrane pads to press. Solid surface respond to a light touch. ANNOYANCES: (Dryer) 1. TEMPS: Can't adjust temperature on automatic cycles. Factory presets only. 2. STATIC ELECTRICIY: Plastic fins have a pebbly texture which exacerbate static issues. Cat hair, for instance, often clings to the fins and must be wiped off with a damp cloth. I notice more issues with static cling overall compared to my Frigidaire. Now that humidity levels are very low in the house, I frequently get a static shock when removing the lint filter at the end of a cycle. Using the Reduce Static option takes care of that, but it adds 8 minutes to cycle time. 3. LINT: Quite a bit of lint escapes the dryer's filter and goes out the exhaust compared to the Frigidaire, which let almost no lint past the filter. The screen on the vent outside the house needed cleaning only once every five or six months. It needs cleaning every two weeks with the Maytag. In fact, I removed the screen for the winter, as access to it will be be difficult if large snow drifts occur on the north side of the house. 4. ESTIMATED TIME REMAINING DISPLAY: Absolutely completely and totally freaking useless on all automatic cycles, even Steam Refresh! I get that it is supposed to adjust according to how slowly or quickly the load is drying, but this is ridiculous. One expects the countdown to be more accurate as the load becomes more dry. Nope. Case in point: I'll walk by and see 20 minutes in the display and two minutes later, it shuts off. Another example: Wrinkle Control cycle opts to 40 minutes at beginning of cycle made up of eight dress shirts. Two minutes into cycle it jumps to 56 minutes. A few minutes later it jumps to 11 minutes then holds there until it suddenly jumps to 1 minute and then shuts off. I don't bother looking at the display, anymore. This post was last edited 11/22/2015 at 09:15

Post# 853094 , Reply# 1 11/22/2015 at 10:11 (3,071 days old) by appnut (TX)
Checkrate/Likes Rich, thanks for the updates. Initially it did bother me cycle modifications weren't remembered the next time I used the same cycle. I am using Normal/Casual more thanks to you. But I have never used default yet. I'm either adjusting the final spin speed (usually down to medium) or changing soil to light and adding deep clean for stains to take advantage of keeping the water at temp. As for the dryer, I already know I wouldn't pay attention to cycle labels on the auto dry cycles. I would choose whatever auto dry cycle gave me the temperature IIII wanted to dry the load at and make degree of dryness setting too to match the load. Now I do have a 20+ y/o Dependable Care Maytag, but since I began having front loaders with such higher amount of water removal on spins, I used medium temp on things I used to use high on and low for everything else.

Post# 853096 , Reply# 2 11/22/2015 at 10:29 (3,071 days old) by Midcentnurse (Lake Charles, La)
Checkrate/Likes Thanks for that review. I've been considering these.

Post# 853102 , Reply# 3 11/22/2015 at 11:15 (3,071 days old) by logixx (Germany)
Checkrate/Likes Thanks for the update. 👍 One remark: the Overnight cycle doesn't add heat - it's just an extended Fan Fresh option. And one question: you can add Extra Hot to the Normal cycle?! Does that mean boosted Sani temps on Normal?

Post# 853113 , Reply# 4 11/22/2015 at 12:36 (3,071 days old) by appnut (TX)
Checkrate/Likes Normal cycle--just steam for stains and it's at the most 122F from what I understand.

Post# 853158 , Reply# 5 11/22/2015 at 18:33 (3,071 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)
Checkrate/Likes Choosing Extra Hot adds a couple of minutes to the displayed cycle time. I'm guessing the internal heater is engaged, but only to keep water from cooling during the wash tumble. My hot water is approximately 130 degrees at the tap, so it probably doesn't require much of a boost. I've not used the plain old Hot setting, so am not sure if it's dumbed down to around 105 degrees, as on many new washers. To be honest, I've not studied this washer very much. I load it, press start and walk away. Most loads are washed using the Normal cycle. Oh, my God: I'm becoming the disengaged user we mock! 😧