Quick Answer: Amana’s 50-pint AMND501PAW and Friedrich’s 50-pint D50B1B both deliver the same AHAM-rated capacity with a built-in pump and ENERGY STAR certification, but at wildly different prices — about $262.60-299 for the Amana versus about $448-519 for the Friedrich, nearly double. Both brand names also sit on the same 2021 CPSC recall tied to manufacturer New Widetech, though the specific recalled model numbers (Amana’s D930M-family, Friedrich’s D25/D50/D70-family) predate both brands’ current lineups entirely. Friedrich’s premium buys a 5-year compressor warranty and the only independent bench-test data either brand has — but that same test flagged a real durability concern, so the extra cost isn’t a clean win either way.
Amana and Friedrich don’t share a factory, an owner, or a target shopper — but they do share a recall history, which is exactly why this comparison exists: both names turn up in the same CPSC New Widetech incident, yet today they sit at opposite ends of the price spectrum for the same basic 50-pint, pump-equipped spec. We compared each brand’s closest matching current model using the specs already verified in our Amana and Friedrich dehumidifier guides.
Amana vs. Friedrich at a glance
| Amana AMND501PAW | Friedrich D50B1B | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 50 pints/day | 50 pints/day |
| Coverage | Up to ~4,500 sq ft (disputed — one retailer lists just 150 sq ft) | About 1,000-2,000 sq ft (one retailer lists up to 4,000 sq ft) |
| Pump | Yes, built-in | Yes, built-in, up to 15-ft combined lift |
| Refrigerant | Not published | R-32 (current B1B generation; prior B1A used R-410A) |
| Independent test result | None found for any current Amana model | 4.4/5 overall (prior-gen D50BP), 5/5 hygrometer accuracy, 3.0/5 durability |
| Warranty | 1-year limited | 1-year parts/labor + 5-year compressor |
| 2021 recall flag | Brand named (older D930M-family); current model not covered | Brand named (older D25/D50/D70-family); current model not covered |
| Price | about $262.60-299 | about $448-519 |
Price: nearly double for the same pint rating
This is the headline gap, and it isn’t close. Amana’s pump-equipped 50-pint AMND501PAW runs about $262.60-299 depending on retailer — cheapest at Home Depot and HD Supply, per our own Amana guide’s price-shopping findings. Friedrich’s pump-equipped 50-pint D50B1B runs about $448-519 across AJ Madison, Sylvane, Abt, and Plessers — roughly $190-220 more for the identical 50-pints-per-day AHAM rating. Neither brand publishes a spec that fully explains a near-2x price gap at the same raw capacity number; the difference is brand positioning, warranty length, and (for Friedrich) a longer corporate HVAC pedigree, not a bigger tank or a faster compressor.
Friedrich D50B1B (50 Pint, Built-In Pump)
- 50 pints per day, with a built-in pump that lifts condensate up to a combined 15 feet.
- Replaces the prior D50B1A generation with R-32 refrigerant instead of R-410A; otherwise a similar 30-90% RH digital control range.
- 1-year parts-and-labor warranty plus an extended 5-year limited warranty on the sealed refrigeration system.
Independent testing: Friedrich has data, Amana has none
Friedrich’s prior-generation D50BP (the closest tested sibling to today’s D50B1B) scored 4.4 out of 5 overall in Dehumidifier Buyer’s Guide’s bench test, including a standout 5/5 for hygrometer accuracy — reading within about 1% of actual room humidity — and 4.5/5 for quiet operation. But durability scored just 3.0/5, with the review flagging a “surprisingly high rate” of negative consumer reviews, around 25%, citing reliability problems. Amana has no comparable lab result at all: neither the AMND501AW, AMND501PAW, nor AMAD481BW turns up in any independent bench test we found during research for either brand’s dedicated guide. That cuts both ways — Friedrich’s data is more detailed but genuinely mixed, while Amana’s complete absence of third-party testing means there’s no independent confirmation of its real-world performance either way, good or bad.
Amana AMND501PAW (50 Pint, Built-In Pump)
- Same 50 pints/day capacity and 3 fan speeds as the non-pump AMND501AW, with a built-in condensate pump added.
- ENERGY STAR certified; coverage rating disputed across retailers (Home Depot says 4,500 sq ft, Kohl's says 150 sq ft for the non-pump sibling).
- Standard 1-year limited warranty, with no extended compressor term published.
The recall both brands share — and why neither current model is affected
Both names turn up in the same incident: the CPSC’s 2021 recall tied to manufacturer New Widetech, covering roughly 2 million dehumidifiers across about 20 brand names after more than 100 reported overheating and fire incidents. Amana’s named models were D930M, D935M, D945E, D950EP, D965E, D965E-E, D970E-E, D970EP, D974E, and DM70E-E. Friedrich’s named models were D25ANP, D25BNP, D25D, D25DA, D50AP, D50BP, D50BP-A, D50D, D70AP, D70BP, D70BP-A, and D70D. Both brands’ recalled units were manufactured before September 1, 2017, and both brands moved to an entirely new naming scheme afterward — Amana’s AM-prefix lineup, Friedrich’s B1A/B1B-suffix lineup — so neither current model reviewed here is one of the affected units. The complication, as our Friedrich guide covers in more depth, is that Friedrich’s recalled model names (D50BP, D70BP) still circulate at some retailers under new manufacture dates; always check the date code rather than assuming a model name alone settles it.
The bottom line
Amana and Friedrich land on the same CPSC recall list and not much else — Amana’s AMND501PAW is a $262.60-299 big-box unit with a flat 1-year warranty and zero independent test data, while Friedrich’s D50B1B costs $448-519, nearly double, but backs that price with a 5-year compressor warranty and the only bench-test numbers either brand has (strong on accuracy, weaker on durability). Buy the Amana if the price gap matters more than a longer warranty or lab-tested hygrometer accuracy; buy the Friedrich if you want the compressor coverage and don’t mind paying for a brand with an actual HVAC pedigree behind it. See the full Amana lineup, the complete Friedrich breakdown, or start from our best dehumidifier pillar — and check whether Amazon Prime is worth it for dehumidifier shoppers before you order either one.