Maytag Pet Pro MED6500MBK Dryer Review

May 27, 2024

Updated March 8, 2023

Got pets? Then you've definitely got fur balls all over your carpets, furniture, and clothing. The Maytag Pet Pro MED6500MBK dryer (available at Best Buy for $899.99) , which we recently tested in our labs, is the answer to removing shed fur and hair from your clothing, at least. The MED6500MBK boasts Maytag’s trademark Pet Pro system that has components that partner with Maytag’s MVW6500MBK washing machine to work in tandem to remove loads of pet hair from clothing and fabrics. In fact, when the two units work together, the outcome is much better than other washer-dryer pairs at removing pet hair. Over all, this Maytag dryer is capable of getting laundry dry relatively quickly, and it outperforms the average dryer across most of its cycles. If you’re a pet owner looking to replace both your dryer and your washer then check it out. For those just looking for a new dryer, we instead recommend the Maytag MED7230HW, the best dryer we’ve tested to date, which provides better cleaning power at a lower price.

Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission. Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

About the Maytag Pet Pro MED6500MBK dryer

What we like

What we don’t like

What owners are saying

Warranty

Should you buy the Maytag Pet Pro MED6500MBK dryer?

Related content

Fast, effective cycles

High capacity

Steam features

The lint trap is so large it's unwieldy

Pet Pro features only shine with paired washer

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The Maytag Pet Pro dryer features a more rounded design, with a curved lid and console. While the design itself does look nice, the rounded top can make it difficult to balance a laundry basket.

The console itself has a standard layout, with a cycle-selection dial front-and-center and touch controls off to the side for customizing cycles.

Opening up the front-loading door reveals the dryer’s huge, 7-cubic-foot, stainless steel wash drum.

While the machine seems sturdy overall, and its touch controls are responsive, the control dial did have some wiggle to it.

The MED6500MBK’s drum has a light in the back, to help make loading laundry easier, even in a dimly-lit laundry room.

If you’re interested in getting dry laundry quickly, the Maytag Pet Pro dryer delivers.

We were most impressed with the Normal and Bulky Items cycles. The Normal cycle was able to get our test load of laundry over 99% dry in just 59 minutes (12 minutes faster than average). Bulky Items was able to get a large comforter over 91% dry at the same time (10% dryer and 8 minutes faster than the average dryer).

The Quick Dry setting removed about 68% of the water in a blisteringly fast 16 minutes. Even though 32% water remaining after a cycle isn’t ideal, this is still an impressive rate of dryness over time. We recommend using this cycle for smaller loads that are only lightly damp if you really need a fast turnaround.

This is about where we would expect a dryer at this price point to perform. Most of its cycles are faster than average and provide better than average drying.

The Maytag MED6500MBK has a 7-cubic-foot drum, one of the largest we’ve seen. This feature should make this dryer one of the better choices out there for large families.

If you have a bigger family, the MED6500MBK might be a good option, even if you don’t care about its pet hair features. At a whopping 7 cubic feet, this Pet Pro dryer one of the biggest dryer drums we’ve had come through our labs—for context, most dryers have between four and five cubic feet of space.

This extra space is great for two reasons. For starters, being able to fit in more laundry means you’ll be able to get more done in a single cycle, reducing the frequency with which you need to run cycles.

More importantly for pet owners, the large drum gives normal-sized loads of laundry more room to tumble around, freeing up pet hair and allowing a combination of air flow and static charge to carry it to the lint trap.

The MED6500MBK comes equipped with the usual array of steam features, all of which can be game changers if you haven’t had a steam dryer before.

Namely, steam enables two key features: a sufficiently hot sanitize mode that’s safe on your clothes and wrinkle removal/prevention. The sanitize mode is perfect for new parents (of both human and fur babies) to help tackle some of the more unsanitary laundry their beloved little ones are capable of producing.

High temperatures are tough in a dryer, because anything over 150°F will cause threads to become brittle, leading to wear and tear damage. But with steam, you’re able to inject some moisture back into the equation, preventing the fabric from drying out and keeping your clothes in good shape for longer.

The Steam Refresh wrinkle reduction feature is the more valuable feature. Anyone who’s ever ironed anything knows the process can be incredibly time and labor intensive. Fortunately, the MED6500MBK’s Steam Refresh mode handles that job just as well, automatically, and in less time than it takes to complete manually. The way it works is the heat from the steam helps relax fabrics and press out even stubborn wrinkles.

For those who aren’t always the swiftest at removing fresh laundry from the dryer after a load is finished, you know just how quickly hot laundry can crease under its own weight.

Fortunately, the MED6500MBK’s Wrinkle Prevent feature keeps turning your laundry over with heat after a cycle is complete, giving you enough time to retrieve everything before wrinkles can set in.

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The Maytag MED6500MBK has an industry-standard one year of coverage for parts and labor.

The lint trap, which pulls out through the top right of the machine, is flexible. It is easy to take out and put back in due to the guiding rails along the sides.

Unfortunately, we experienced some lint flying off the trap during testing (it collects on the side that faces down when pulling the trap towards you, so some landed and stayed on the top of the machine), which was minorly inconvenient.

The MED6500MBK's most unique feature is its Pet Pro mode, which claims to be great at removing pet hair from clothes, blankets and bedding.

We tested Maytag’s Pet Pro feature twice: once on its own and once after a wash through the paired Pet Pro washer.

On its own, we found the MED6500MBK is roughly as good as the average dryer when it comes to removing pet hair. However, when combined with the MVW6500MBK washing machine, the pair is able to remove pet hair much better than other washer and dryer sets.

If you are planning on investing in the Maytag Pet Pro washer and dryer as a set, their combined efforts will provide solid value to anyone looking to manage their pet hair problems.

But, if you’re only looking to replace your dryer, just know that you won’t get the full benefit of Maytag’s Pet Pro system.

The Maytag MED6500MBK is still new to the market and doesn’t have many user reviews posted just yet.

Based on the few that are posted, though, this dryer seems to be performing well overall, garnering 4.5 out of 5 stars across major retailers.

Those who love the MED6500MBK Pet Pro dryer mention how it got their laundry more dry than their previous dryer, and that it seemed to remove most of the pet hair from their laundry. Several users mentioned the internal LED and steam features as high points.

Those who weren’t as happy with their purchase mostly didn’t like specific details, like how the sloped top of the device made it difficult to set down items without them sliding off, or how awkward it can be to use the dryer’s long lint filter.

The Maytag MED6500MBK has an industry-standard one year of coverage for parts and labor. The side walls of the drive motor drum have extended coverage: You can get that part replaced for up to 10 years.

Overall, we liked the Maytag Pet Pro MED6500MBK dryer. It’s capable of getting laundry dry quickly, and its huge drum means fewer trips to the laundry room.

While we do think it’s a decent dryer on its own, pet owners should really buy this dryer and its paired washer as a set. The washer provides strong scrubbing and efficient cycles, and by combining the two, you’ll get the most out of the Pet Pro system.

Outside of that context, we think the 7-cubic-foot drum does merit consideration for those with larger families and zero pets, simply because it’s rare to find a drum this large.

If you aren’t as interested in the large drum or pet hair removal features, we instead recommend Maytag’s excellent MED7230HW, which is one of the best dryers we’ve had in our labs.Buy now at Lowe's

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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

Mark Brezinski

Senior Writer

Mark Brezinski works on the Home Team, reviewing refrigerators, minifridges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, air purifiers, and fans.

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.

Beckett Dubay

Product Test Technician

Beckett Dubay is a product tester at Reviewed, regularly using science-based protocol to test refrigerators, dishwashers, and laundry large appliances, and photographing the process in the lab from start to finish.Before Reviewed, working as a lighting designer for several years has left him with strong opinions about overhead lighting.

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