Pros
-
Catches a lot of pet hair
-
Decent cleaning power
-
Slow-close lid and built-in faucet
Cons
-
Delicates cycle is rough
-
Spin cycle doesn't get out much water
The Maytag MVW6500MBK comes in white and Volcano black, with curved edges and a simplified control panel.
Opening up its lid reveals its stainless steel drum and pole agitator. The agitator can be removed and contains the machine’s pet hair filter.
About the Maytag MVW6500MBK top-loading washer
Pet hair collects in a filter inside the pole agitator and must be emptied manually.
- Dimensions: 57.5” x 27.5” x 27.5” (H x W x D)
- Capacity: 4.7 cubic feet
- Finishes: White, Volcano black
- Cycles: Jeans, Heavy Duty, Whites, Colors, Quick Wash, Activewear, Delicates, Bulky Items, Towels, Drain & Spin
- Cycle options: Five temperature settings, deep fill, extra rinse, Pet Pro
- Special features: Internal pet hair filter, internal faucet
- Matching dryer: MED6500MBK (electric) and MGD6500MBK (gas)
- User manual: Maytag MVW6500MBK top-loading washer manual
Fall is here, let's get cozy. We're giving away a Solo Stove Bonfire with a stand. Enter to win between now and Nov. 18, 2022.
What we like
The Pet Pro filter catches a lot of pet hair
Pet hair collects in a filter inside the pole agitator and must be emptied manually.
If you’ve never had a pet that sheds, it’s difficult to communicate the sheer volume of pet hair that winds up on every fabric surface in their vicinity. It’s like needing to rake after a New England autumn.
According to a survey Maytag conducted, about 57% of participants claimed they spent about four hours each week managing pet hair.
When it comes to laundering your clothes and bed sheets, all this pet hair is enough to overload a lot of washers and dryers that simply don’t have the ability to filter it out, leading to laundry that’s still furry after a wash cycle, or clogs and costly repairs. And nobody wants their freshly washed laundry to look like the dog took a nap in the laundry basket.
Maytag’s Pet Pro System, leverages the industry’s first pet hair filter in the washer and a wash cycle that uses extra water to lift hair off clothes and remove it. Since this is the flagship feature of the Maytag MVW6500MBK, we had to test it out: We used a dog blanket that was absolutely coated with the hair of our chief scientist’s Bernese Mountain Dog.
You can see the clumps of pet hair caught in the Maytag MVW6500MBK washing machine’s Pet Pro Filter as well as some left hanging out in the washing machine drum after a test load.
The Maytag MVW6500MBK washer removed a majority of the hair and even brightened up the blanket itself. There were some clumped hair balls (about 10) remaining after the cycle, but these all came out in the dryer later.
According to Jonathan Chan, senior manager of lab operations, “Most of the hair was removed and any that remained clumped up so it could either be removed by the dryer or shaken off.”
Its scrubbing action will get your laundry clean
The Maytag MVW6500MBK’s ability to erase stains is roughly on par with other top-loaders.
Beyond the Maytag MVW6500MBK’s pet hair fighting abilities, you won't be disappointed by this washer’s cleaning performance. It cleans slightly above the average mark for a top-loader, and its Heavy and Delicates cycles do particularly well with stains.
If you need a fast cycle, the Maytag MVW6500MBK’s Quick Wash delivers clean laundry in just 31 minutes, which is about average across the market.
It has some nice features that improve the overall user experience
The MVW6500MBK boasts one special feature that has been steadily making its way into more and more washers: a built-in faucet. This allows you to pre-treat stains right over the washing tub, reducing water waste.
Another convenient feature is the glass slow-close lid. Not only does this design let you peek in on your laundry when it’s washing, which can be helpful for determining if the load is off-balance, it also prevents accidental slamming.
What we don’t like
Its delicates cycle isn’t that delicate
We found very little difference between the Maytag MVW6500MBK’s Delicates cycle and Normal cycle.
To test how gentle a cycle is on clothes, we use a mechanical action strip, which is basically a swatch of cloth with a hole punched in its center. After a cycle, we count the number of threads that get pulled free from the edges and around the hole in its center and use that as a measure of how rough the cycle is.
The average top-loader’s normal cycle pulls 49 threads, and the average delicates cycle pulls 25.
The Maytag MVW6500MBK’s Normal cycle pulls 46 threads, slightly better than average, but its Delicates cycle pulls 41 threads—that’s only slightly more gentle than the Normal cycle.
If you generally don’t have many delicate pieces of clothing to wash then the Maytag MVW6500MBK will actually result in less wear-and-tear damage over time compared to the average washer. However, if you depend on a washer’s delicates cycle, the MVW6500MBK won’t be a good fit for your needs.
Its spin cycle leaves laundry wet
Why is a spin cycle important? It’s a lot more energy efficient to spin out water in a washing machine than it is to evaporate it in the dryer. A good spin cycle can help keep your energy bills low and increase the lifespan of your dryer.
The Maytag MVW6500MBK’s spin cycles don’t get out as much water as the average top-loader. During testing, the Normal cycle removed 2% less water than average, the Bulky Items and Delicates cycles ended with 8% more water remaining, and the Quick Wash cycle left behind 13% more water.
These results aren’t terrible, but they’re not ideal either: Just know that the extra water will make your dryer work that much harder, and might add a small bump to your utility bill.
Related content
-
-
The Best Ventless Dryers of 2023
best-right-now
feature
What owners are saying
The Maytag MVW6500MBK is brand new to the market and doesn’t have any user reviews posted just yet. We’ll update this section once there’s a substantial body of owner feedback available.
Warranty
The Maytag MVW6500MBK warranty is one year for parts and labor, with up to 10 years of coverage for the stator and rotor of the drive motor and the side walls of the wash basket. For comparison, the industry standard warranty is just one year.
Should you buy the Maytag MVW6500MBK?
Yes, if you own shedding pets
The Maytag MVW6500MBK removes a majority of pet hair and the clumps that remain are easily removed by the filter.
The Maytag MVW6500MBK is a solid top-loader. Its scrubbing power is good, and in our testing we found its Pet Pro filter did remove a majority of pet hair.
The primary downside is its rough Delicates cycle. Of course, how much this matters will depend on the user. The MVW6500MBK’s cycles also left laundry more damp than competing models, but that result is best viewed as a tie-breaker when all other factors are equal.
If you’re a pet owner and want to buy a top-load washer, the MVW6500MBK is a good value, and it's exclusively available at Lowe's and Maytag until spring 2023. We also recommend checking out the Whirlpool WTW8127LC. It doesn’t have any pet-specific features, but it does have great cleaning power.
The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews, and more.
Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
Meet the testers
Mark Brezinski works on the Home Team, reviewing refrigerators, minifridges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, air purifiers, and fans.
Jonathan Chan currently serves as the Lab Manager at Reviewed. If you clean with it, it's likely that Jon oversees its testing. Since joining the Reviewed in 2012, Jon has helped launch the company's efforts in reviewing laptops, vacuums, and outdoor gear. He thinks he's a pretty big deal. In the pursuit of data, he's plunged his hands into freezing cold water, consented to be literally dragged through the mud, and watched paint dry. Jon demands you have a nice day.
Michael Elderbee
Product Test Technician
Born in Seoul and raised in New England, Michael is currently a Product Test Technician at Reviewed and strives to make sure you get the most bang for your buck. In the Reviewed lab, Michael regularly tests refrigerators, dishwashers, and laundry large appliances, as well as all types of science-based activities. His 5 years as a behavioral technician has given him a strong appreciation for data collection and research. Michael has a variety of different passions outside of testing appliances including volleyball, snowboarding, and video games. You can also find him nerding out about EDC gear, custom keyboards, and Warhammer 40k.
Checking our work.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.
Shoot us an email
