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  • Design & Usability

  • Performance & Features

  • Warranty

  • An Easy Winner

  • By the Numbers

  • Normal & Delicate

  • Quick Dry & Bulky

  • Design & Usability
  • Performance & Features
  • Warranty
  • An Easy Winner
  • By the Numbers
  • Normal & Delicate
  • Quick Dry & Bulky

Pros

  • Excellent performance

  • 8.8 cu. ft. drum

Cons

  • No steam

Unlike its more expensive counterpart, however, the 835 lacks a water hookup for steam-based cycles and features. If you can live without steam, the tradeoff is appealing: The 835 retails for about $200 less—around $809 on sale—which means this 8.8-cu.-ft. dryer is a strong performer that’s also affordable.

If you do want steam and don't mind a slightly smaller drum, check out the Whirlpool Cabrio WED7300DW. It has a 7.0 cu. ft. drum, but adds steam and only costs around $719.

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Design & Usability

Just a touch of silver

The MEDB835DW is built on the same platform as the more expensive 855DW, so they’re virtually identical. To keep them from looking like plain white boxes, they're highlighted by brushed silver control panels and translucent black doors.

Visually, the only real difference comes down to door trim: The 855 has reflective silver edging around the entire door, while the 835 only gets it along the top edge. Hardly a make-or-break design element.

Both models also feature an 8.8-cu.-ft. white interior with LED lighting and flip-open lint trap. Keep in mind that the more affordable 835 model doesn’t come with a removable drying rack.

The control panel was easy to use except when pausing and restarting a cycle. It was impossible to tell whether a touch of the flat "Start" button registered, so we often found ourselves holding our finger on it with no results, waiting for a cycle to begin again.

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Performance & Features

As good as it gets–unless you want steam

Again, the MEDB835DW is right on par with the 855—and that’s some high praise. Each one of our standard 8-lb. loads came out 100% dry. The temperatures we measured were nice and low, and drying times were roughly as long as we’d expect. That means less wear and tear on your clothes than dryers that get too hot or take too long.

Even our large comforter came out almost perfectly dry, a rare feat for any dryer regardless of price or size. We suspect that's because the giant drum gave the comforter plenty of room to tumble.

Our one recommendation, though, is to match your loads with cycles suggested by the manual. For our Quick Dry test, we used the Maytag’s 15-minute Rapid Dry, but our 4-lb. half load was too much for the cycle to handle. It’s designed to tackle two or three damp garments at a time, in which case it should do just fine.

A lengthy and useful cycle list makes the Maytag Bravos MEDB835DW a good fit for detail-oriented consumers.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Matthew Zahnzinger

A lengthy and useful cycle list makes this a good fit for detail-oriented consumers.

Like the 855, the cycle list is appropriately varied. In fact, both machines had an identical selection—minus Steam Refresh on the 835, of course. Sanitize, Denim, and even Maytag’s Power Dry for heavy cotton items are all here to back up the everyday cycles.

In terms of features, this Maytag keeps it pretty basic. Wrinkle Control shows up as a designated cycle, with Wrinkle Shield serving as the extra option at the end of other cycles. Energy Saver mode and a Damp Dry Signal are all the other extra features you get. Five different temperature settings and dryness levels are available if you need to get specific.

For in-depth performance information, please visit the Science Page.

With five temperature and dryness levels to choose from, the Maytag Bravos MEDB835DW gives you a sizable amount of control over each load.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Matthew Zahnzinger

With five temperature and dryness levels to choose from, you've got a sizable amount of control over each load.

Warranty

{{amazon name="Kikkerland Hedgehog Dryer Balls, Set of 2", asin="B005U9Y71Y", align="right"}} Maytag's one-year parts and labor coverage is standard throughout the industry. If anything breaks through no fault of the user, then repairs or replacements are covered. However, Maytag adds to that with a 10-year parts warranty (labor isn't included) on the dryer drum and drive motor.

An Easy Winner

Few dryers can compete

Features, design, performance, price—the Maytag Bravos MEDB835DW has it all. It looks good, fits tons of laundry, and costs just over $800 in stores. How can you beat that?

Well, you could step up to the otherwise-identical MEDB855DW which features steam and is available for about $200 more. Or you could pick the Whirlpool Cabrio WED7300DW, which adds steam and costs about $100 less—though it has a smaller drum.

But if you don't care about steam cycles and need the capacity, the MED835DW is a great choice. Not only does it have a broad selection of useful cycles, features, and customization options, but its Normal cycle is good enough that you can trust the dryer to manage the job for you.

By the Numbers

Hands down, the Maytag Bravos MEDB835DW (MSRP $999) is one of the best dryers we’ve tested. Not one cycle was unable to fully dry our clothes... as long as we followed the guidelines.

Normal & Delicate

The workhorse Normal cycle left almost nothing to be desired. Clothes came out 100% dry after about 50 minutes, and our sensors recorded peak temperatures of 150°F. That’s a touch warm—we prefer it to stay around 145°F or so—but nothing overly detrimental.

The Delicates cycle was even better. With the same resulting dryness, cycles averaged 1 hour and 15 minutes with peak temperatures of just 112.2°F—gentle and effective.

A lengthy and useful cycle list makes the Maytag Bravos MEDB835DW a good fit for detail-oriented consumers.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Matthew Zahnzinger

A lengthy and useful cycle list makes this a good fit for detail-oriented consumers.

Quick Dry & Bulky

Our one caveat comes from the Quick Dry test. We used the 15-minute Rapid Dry cycle, which is designed to handle two or three damp items at a time. Our half-load consists of about 10 items weighing roughly 4 lbs., and that's more than the cycle could handle. Still, after 15 minutes and peak temperatures of 115.3°F, it did fairly well at 58% dry. Throw your clothes in for another 10-15 minutes, or just dry an appropriately sized load, and you should be fine.

Our bulky comforter was no match for the Maytag’s Bedding cycle. After about 1 hour and 16 minutes on average, with temperatures peaking at just 136.5°F, our down behemoth was an impressive 98% dry—far better than almost all other dryers on the market.

With five temperature and dryness levels to choose from, the Maytag Bravos MEDB835DW gives you a sizable amount of control over each load.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Matthew Zahnzinger

With five temperature and dryness levels to choose from, you've got a sizable amount of control over each load.

Meet the tester

Matthew Zahnzinger

Matthew Zahnzinger

Logistics Manager & Staff Writer

@ReviewedHome

Matthew is a native of Brockton, MA and a graduate of Northeastern, where he earned a degree in English and Theatre. He has also studied at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin and spends most of his free time pursuing a performance career in the greater Boston area.

See all of Matthew Zahnzinger's reviews

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