Best budget Dishwasher?

[frigilux]

WDF 330:  This one received the same overall score and ratings my 2017 portable did. Controls, interior are identical. If I recall correctly, it was noted the machine did not dry plastics well.  

 

For what it’s worth: Using the 1-hour cycle with approximately 145 degree softened incoming water, Member’s Mark Ultimate Clean Pacs (Sam’s Club), and no heat dry, it cleans well. Drying performance on dishes/silverware is acceptable; plastics always very wet.

 

I’m tempted to use the Normal Cycle with Hi Temp and Heated Dry options tomorrow just to see how it does using the settings most people would use. Did one load with those settings once when I first got the machine, but don’t remember if drying was improved.

 

Overall Score: 70

Reliability: Very Good

Customer Satisfaction: Good

Washing: Very Good

Drying: Good

Energy Use: Excellent

Noise:  Good

Normal Cycle: 110 minutes

[this post was last edited: 5/10/2020-20:48]

 

[dustin92]

Thank You! I'll most likely swing through Lowes tomorrow and make the purchase then, At least if all else fails it's a fairly cheap machine, we can swap it out in a few years if it's horrible. I guess I needed validation that someone actually has the machine and uses it, is happy with it etc.. How do you load and prepare the dishes for a typical cycle? Any specific loading patterns? We unfortunately have relatively hard water and varying hot water temperature (although it's normally plenty hot) and I just knock loose food off into the disposal, no pre rinsing. I normally run the dishwasher either every night or every second night after dinner, depending on how full it is.

 

[frigilux]

I scrape excess food off dishes with a rubber spatula; no pre-rinsing.  I take a quick swipe with a stainless steel/mesh scrubber to cooked on/burned on foods on pots/pans—only because I use the 1-hour cycle.  The one time I used the Heavy cycle it cleaned untouched cookware very well.

 

All of my dishes are diner-style/Buffalo china and they fit well.  My glasses don’t fit particularly well in the upper rack, so I load them angled a bit over a couple of tines. There’s always a learning curve for loading whenever a person changes dishwashers.

 

I’ve always had softened water which makes the job easier for the dishwasher; hope things go well with your hard water. 

 

Top-rated dishwasher detergents in the latest test:

Member’s Mark Ultimate Clean (Sam’s Club) (overall score 92)

Cascade Platinum With Dawn (91)

Cascade Platinum + Oxi (91)

 

[mattl]

You can't do much about performance, but you can mitigate noise.  2 dishwashers ago I had a MOL GE, did a decent job but noisy.  I lined the cavity with R13 insulation and cut up some heavy rubber for  under the feet, really helped.   Today if I was doing it I'd pick up a set of the anti vibration pads for FL washers, a lot of the noise was transferred from the thin frame to the subfloor.

 

Don't know why the cycle length is an issue if you put it on at night.  I perceived the 2-3 hour cycle on my KA would be a problem but after a few days I decided I didn't care.  But mine is silent so that factors in I'd guess.

 

[mark_wpduet]

Wow !

Member's Mark scored better than Cascade Platinum? I may try that next time I run out of finish Powerball. (so long as there's no foaming issue) I'm assuming there's not since you didn't mention it and used it even in soft water. If it's horrible I can always take it back.

 

[frigilux]

They put the results of the latest test online a few days ago. Member’s Mark was always near the top of the ranking, but they must have reformulated because the pacs now have little blue-colored granules mixed in. Ordered two containers of them from Sam’s Club (I’m a member) on Friday at $9.98 for 105 pacs.  The SHOP button at CR takes you to a vendor on Amazon that’s selling them for $29.99 per container—so don’t shop for them on Amazon.

 

An overall score difference of 1 point doesn’t mean much, but at 10 cents apiece they’re a real bargain. I’ve used them for years. The two Cascade Platinum variants listed above are 34 cents apiece. 

 

No problem with excess foaming in the Whirlpool.

 

[toploader55]

We have pretty hard water here on the Cape. I’ve always been a powder person forever. Until one day when I got the BJ flyer there were two coupons. One was for their house brand Berkeley and Jensen and the other one was for a Cascade Pure.
I have to say the Cascade Pure or the BJ’s pod clean absolutely incredible. Most of the time I don’t even pre-scrub pots and pans and they do come out clean which is amazing to me.
I use one pod in the covered compartment and throw one or 2 teaspoons of boil out and put the prewash and first rinse. No foaming and no cavitation.

 

[appnut]

I used Cascade Plaatinum since it came out and continued with the new Kenmore elite bought in 2015.  Have very hard water.  Never really took out coffee & tea stains in mugs and many times left sludge/yibblets at the front of the bottom of the tub.  Once I began using Bubble Bandit, both of those issues went away. 

 

[mark_wpduet]

Ya

that's why I pour just a lil bit of LCB on the dishwasher door b4 starting cycle. I guess Bubble Bandit must have some chlorine in it?

Also, every couple of months I run a pack of sugar free lemonade powder through on the longest cycle since I have hard water too. It's crazy how well it works.

 

[frigilux]

Bob-  You sold me on Bubble Bandit.  Ordered a bag of it, and while I was there, ordered a pail of both the laundry detergent and booster.  Looking forward to trying out some new products!

 

[dustin92]

Well, I haven't got it yet. Lowes is mysteriously out of stock in store while the website says they have 3. We then stopped at ABC Warehouse, and my mom and I were asked to leave because only one from a household is allowed in the store, and we are making the purchase together. Home Depot had a line waiting outside and mom can't stand for long, and Menards flat refused me service because I wasn't wearing a mask (and I refuse to wear one, I'm done with this virus quarantine) So, we are back at square 1, and I'm rather irritated.

 

[seedub]

Queue @ THD

That's curious...

Two weekends ago, I was in two The Home Depot stores. No line outside one, and at the other, the queue was for returns only; anyone coming in to shop could walk right in.

 

[dustin92]

Well, it's a Whirlpool by any other name.. I bought a (used) Kenmore Ultra Wash off a friend, it's in decent shape aside from a bit of rack rot and a flickering heat dry light (I'm assuming it's just the light). It has a date of 2010 printed on the tub, and looks to be one step below Kenmore Elite. Smart wash soil sensor and it has Turbo Zone jets. Running it's first light load and seems to be going just fine. Will post pictures later. Going to put the $ saved toward some other household repairs that are overdue.

 

[appnut]

Congratulations Dustin.  I hope it works well!!!!

 

[combo52]

2010 Kenmore Ultra-Wash DW

That flickering light might be a control panel membrane failing, the LED itself usually does not fail that way, you should check the cost and availability of a new control panel before you go to too much trouble moving and installing this otherwise great DW.

 

Not Wearing A mask in public, I am disappointed that you think so little of your Mother and others as to not take this simple safety precaution in public, This pandemic is just getting started, I truly hope your Mother and you survive it.

 

John L.

 

[dustin92]

The flickering heat dry light seemed to just be the light itself.. It flicked on and off throughout the cycle but the dry cycle worked just fine. All the dishes came clean, shiny and dry. I even used the Turbo zone feature on a burned on baking sheet and everything came out clean. So far, seems to be an excellent dishwasher.

Re Covid19- My mom for sure already had it, long before it was confirmed in our state. Several other people at her church also had it. Had all the symptoms and a nasty cough that lasted a month. I got a touch of it shortly thereafter but not as severe, same symptoms, same cough. We did our part to slow the spread and we are getting back to our lives. I spent a month wearing gloves and masks and sanitizing my hands until they hurt, no more. I'm not going to kill myself with depression over a virus with a 99+ percent survival rate, which I have most likely already had. I was also exposed to the virus back in early April through work, and never had any signs/symptoms. We don't know how many days we have left on this earth so we are choosing to return to life rather than live in fear. Your mileage may vary.