2 Weeks With An LG 9810 Dishwasher

[andrewinorlando]

After 2 weeks with the LG 9810 dishwasher, even as skeptical as I was, I have to admit that it's a pretty spectacular machine.

The cycle times have proven to be very manageable. The Normal cycle has never run more than 1:45, and that was just once for truly filthy load, including dry time, but seems to average about 1:20 most of the time. Coincidentally, the my KitchenAid Superba Selectra took about 86 minutes to run it's normal cycle, which is about 6 minutes longer than the LG's average. Big difference between the two though, is you can get about twice as much in the LG as you can the KA. The LG's upper utensil rack is very handy for silverware and wooden spoons, ladels, etc. It also does a very good job, and is very convenient.

I find the Quick cycle does a pretty decent job on average, everyday loads. It runs for about 45 minutes (without dry) and 1:15 with the drying portion. It won't clean stuck on/baked on soils - it just doesn't get hot enough. But for mixed loads like coffee cups, the coffee pot, the dog's dishes, it does a pretty good job.

The biggest boon is the fact that the machine operates in complete silence. There is just no sound at all. You have to touch the machine to feel it running, and even that is a very faint vibration.

Both the Power Scrub and the Soak cycles do a wonderful job with the Steam option. If you face heavily soiled items towards the steam nozzles, as I did with a broiler pan, and a frying pan, it does an awesome job cleaning even burned on soils. Any remaining residue just wipes away with a damp cloth after the cycle.

One thing that is a must for this machine is JetDri. It just doesn't seem to dry well at all without it, except on the Power Scrub or Soak cycles, which heat up to around 160 degrees anyway. In contrast, the GE Tall Tub had no problem drying anything at all without JetDri, but the LG just doesn't stack up in that department. Biggest pain in the ass though, is you can't leave the door open to flash dry the dishes overnight because the interior lights stay on when the door is open. Not a big deal, just different.

All in all, I'm extremely pleased with it, especially it's enormous capacity and ability to hold large items. Even serving platters fit on the top rack with the upper utensil rack removed and the rack in it's lowest position.

Since this is the same machine that Eugene had posted photos of, I haven't included any here. I tried to photograph the control panel, but because it is all backlit, it is almost impossible to get a good shot of it.

All in all, worth every penny, and it's built pretty well.

 

[laundromat]

My friend in California,George Edmondson,and his family have had nothing but problems with theirs.It's two years old now.

 

[andrewinorlando]

That's really too bad. They're such good performing machines. None of my friends have had any trouble with their LG appliances at all, which is why I bought this one. I had this machine all apart when I was installing it. Very easy machine to repair. Would buy another one, including the LG washer and dryer.

 

[frigilux]

Hi Andrew----Glad to hear you like your LG. I love mine, although drying does seem to be its one Achilles heel. I didn't use heated dry with my Frigidaires or Smokey The Maytag, so I didn't notice much difference, but coming off a KA, which really bakes everything dry, I'm sure this was a shock. The machine has so many other positives that I'm willing to deal with a few not-fully-dry items.

I always leave the door open for a couple of hours or overnight after a cycle. Those two little LEDs lighting the interior use only about 1/3 of a watt apiece, so I just consider them a very economical night-light for the kitchen.

After a KA, the LG seems almost silent, doesn't it? It's so nice and peaceful in my kitchen, now.

Here's hoping both our machines give us many loads of trouble-free service!

 

[frigilux]

One more thing: I am so impressed with the sensor on the LG. Frequently, it opts to use even less than the standard 5 gallons of water for the Normal cycle. Other sensor machines I've had only knew how to use more water, never less. And everything comes out clean, even when it uses only 3 or 4 gallons of water.

As you mentioned, cycle times have not been the issue I thought they'd be. Mine rarely runs the full 2:19 for the Normal cycle.

 

[andrewinorlando]

Actually, Eugene, the only cycle that runs its full course is the Soak Cycle, and that's the way it should be. If you're selecting Soak, it should be because you've got some filthy things in there, mostly with baked on or burned on soils, and the machine can't really decide how soiled baked or burned items are! But I've never seen the Normal Cycle take any longer than it did in the KitchenAid, except for once and taht was because I had left a lot of coffee grinds in the coffee pot basket, and had some heavily soiled cream of wheat bowls in there.

The nice thing that I notice is that when you open the door mid-wash, there is a lot of water in the sump at the bottom. It's not a machine that just uses a cup of water to wash. The sump is pretty full. The other thing I notice is that the sensor skims off the dirty water as it washes, and at least on the Normal cycle, often skips the prewash phase because of it, shortening the cycle even more. Very ingenious machine.

You're right about the drying, but i've found if you leave the door open after a cycle, everything will dry just fine. The cycle just ends with a lot of humidity inside, unlike the KA, which does bake everything dry.

So far, no dirty dishes, and it does a far better job on stainless pots than the KA ever did. No stains left behind, like from pasta, boiled water, rice, etc. It doesn't just remove the soils, which the KA did pretty well, too, but it tends to polish the stainless surface, too! Same with stainless flatware.

I like the machine. I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. And when I go to bed at night and it's running, I don't have to listen to it droning all the way into my bedroom anymore!! Total silence.