<p>The Maytag name is now owned by another company (forget which one). Comments in reviews last year were not favorable. Lots of purchasers were expecting Maytags as they were once known and felt that they had gotten something else.</p>
<p>Maytag is owned by Whirlpool…Whirlpool owns: JennAir, Amana, Kitchenaid, Maytag, and maybe some other brands as well. Of course, many Kenmores are made by Whirlpool…</p>
<p>Maytag got into financial trouble over the Maytag Neptune…which was a great product, at first, but once they went completely digital, it became a disaster. Plus, they didn’t do a good job instructing owners to keep the doors ajar between use…so mildew/mold became a problem. Owners were used to top loaders where you often close the door after use.</p>
<p>Just a suggestion, whichever machine you end up with…
We recently had an electrical power surge in our house that killed several things in our house, including our dryer. Our electronics (computers, TV etc) survived because they were all on surge suppressors. However, the dryer, which had electronic controls, was not and paid the price. </p>
<p>You can bet the replacement dryer now has its own suppressor – it turns out they make them for large appliances. It cost $35, but against the cost of replacing the machine, it’s a good investment.</p>
<p>Not entirely true. They do actually have multiple manufacturers now making them (some are still the original manufacturers) and some are better than others. There’s also the issue of where they are made; for example some front load models within the same series are assembled in Mexico while others are made in Germany. In this case you WANT the German made one…reliability is significantly higher. Ask the salesperson or look inside at the metal plate with the serial number; it will also show country of origin.</p>
<p>Here’s a link to product codes that will help you determine who actually makes them:</p>