Product Review: Low-cost Maytag 24" Built-In Dishwasher

An unexpected appliance failure sent us shopping for a dishwasher with not much time for comparison shopping. My strategy for any shopping is to decide what features are "must-have" and what are "nice to have". Then I buy the cheapest model that has all my "must haves", or else move up the price ladder until my budget tells me to stop. When my budget told me to stop, a $1 wineglass helped me decide on buying lowest-priced dishwasher in the Maytag Performa line. The Maytag dishwashers have several model numbers, depending on the retailer, so I'll just describe it. It's the cheapest tall-tub dishwasher that Maytag makes.

Features I like:
The stair-stepped shape of the top rack was the deciding factor in the price group. It has room for my tall wine goblets in the deep side of the rack. I decided this would be better than adjustable racks because the shallow side of the top rack still leaves plenty of room for large pots and pans under it.

The tall tub design has a capacity supposedly large enough to fit 14 five-piece place settings at once or a mix of cooking utensils and dishes. It handles my big cookie sheet without problems. As a result of the taller tub, the door needs a few more inches to open. If you are replacing a dishwasher that barely has enough room to open, this one might not be for you. Measure your clearance carefully.

There is no center spray tower. The rotating spray arm is mounted under the top rack and plugs into a water supply at the rear of the dishwasher. This, in combination with the multi-level top rack, provides an amazing amount of flexibility when loading the usual assortment of plates and cookware.

It's quiet enough. The quieter, but more expensive models sacrifice tub space for soundproofing. Unlike the 10-year old GE dishwasher that the Maytag replaced, I can't tell if it's running when I am not in the kitchen and it doesn't wake me when it starts at 2AM.

It has cleaned some cooking utensils that I didn't think woulc come out clean: the casserole dish with baked-on eggplant juice (I was making baba-ganoosh), the bowl with dried cheesy something I found in the office .... they came out spotless. It even gets the orange juice pulp off the glasses without spreading it onto the rest of the dishes.

Feature I don't like:
The silverware holders mount on the dishwasher's door, which means the dirty utensils don't get thoroughly washed. I put the silverware holders in the lower dish rack for better cleaning.

Features it doesn't have that I won't miss:
China and crystal cycles are useless for me. The antique china and crystal that I have can't survive harsh dishwashing detergent. The three basic cycles were enough.

Sanitizing rinse cycles have always puzzled me. No dangerous germs I can think of will survive the normal dishwasher cycles and the harsh soap, so a high-temperature rinse is not needed. However they are a brilliant way to sell higher priced dishwashers to the germ-o-phobic public.

Key Dishwasher Features:

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• Five wash option pads. There are three cycles: heavy, normal, and light. There are two temperature boost options: Heated wash and heated dry can be added to any cycle. The optimistic Maytag marketing department sees these 5 buttons and calls this "5 cycles" in some of their literature.
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• Delay Start - 2, 4, or 6-hour delay
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• 14-place settings capacity. Tall tub interior size fits all the dinner party dishes in one load.
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• Rinse-aid dispenser with visible level indicators. You can tell at a glance if you need to refill the dispenser.
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• 100% filtered wash water - food particles aren't redeposited on dishes. I noticed cleaner dishes immediately.
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• Electronic controls - the flat touch-pads are easier to keep clean than pushbuttons, and less likely to fail than a rotating selector dial.
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• In-door silverware basket
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Price:
$350-$400 online, depending on the color, but that doesn't include shipping. Shop around for the best deal. The model number MDBTT50AWW is probably specific to Lowes. We saw identical dishwashers at other retailers, including one under the Kenmore brand at Sears. They all come off the same production line. The layout of the buttons and lights on the front is a good clue that the dishwashers are the same - the electronic panel stays the same and the manufacturer puts on different names at the end of the line.

Installation:
The installation instructions are clearly written, and mostly pictures. If you can change a faucet washer, you can install this as a replacement.