Deciding between old GE and KitchenAid Hobart

[panthera]

Loading and Washing Matter

I've dealt with a KA one-arm dishwasher in regular use for over 15 years - so I know whereof I speak when I say: I like KA, but here's the facts:

Loading in a One-Arm KA: Non-intuitive, takes many, many, many cycles of unwashed dishes to master. Ultmately, about 1/4 to 1/3 of the lower rack can't be used if the top rack is filled.
Loading in GE: Intuitive, easy, you get it off the bat. Everything delicate will be smashed or burnt to a crisp in the lower rack, that's the sole limiting factor.

Washing in a One-Arm KA: If thoroughly pre-rinsed, and loaded right and the detergent not overdosed (that bottom arm was the best design in any machine, period) then stuff in the bottom rack always gets clean. Upper rack? After many years of practice, usually.
Washing in GE: Scrape off the bones and olive pits. The rest will be washed off, all dishes washed clean and sparkly.

Were pre-Whirlpool KA better built? Yup. Did they, you know, like, clean better?
Nope. GE cleaned better, hands down. Not my opinion, tests showed it again and again.

 

[DADoES]

 
KDI-17a was the family's 1st dishwasher.  We never prerinsed anything.  Rinse/Hold was initially run accordingly to its intended usage, which was when we learned that it generally caused a foul odor by end of the day from the residual wet dirtiness so we stopped that practice and left the scraped unrinsed dishware to accumulate.

 

[bradfordwhite]

Yes, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">if</span> you can find one like this, which is about 1966 top-of-the-line Superba, you can put on a custom front and hopefully have a reliable machine.

BIG IF

I found a entry level machine like this once on the curb. It had two buttons and the timer knob and was white.   The front panel was good as new.  The lower rack had some rust issues but when connected and tried that motor was smooth as can be.

 

[jkm]

Let the testing begin. Adding a KA and Tappan to the mix.

So I paid for one and managed to pick up two others for free. (Well my time is still valuable). I picked up a universal kit at the store and made a large gauge cord. I'm going to hook them up to hot water and run them outside so I can check for leaks etc.

We have a Kitchen Aid Superba (picked up for free after 1.5 hour round trip).
GE Automatic Rinse-Glo
Tappan (picked up for free after 1 hour round trip.)

All of which were supposedly running before they were uninstalled.

I have to say the Hobart Kitchen Aid is a tank compared to the others. If we use it, I hope we can possibly get white panels to switch out that way it will match my other appliances. And the GE that I paid a few bucks for already has a problem with the plastisol that I didn't catch when buying it.

 

[appnut]

Taht KDS17 is a good one-arm wonder. That Tappan is produced by Whirlpool.

 

[bradfordwhite]

easy

Easy to change the color of the panel.

Get shiny contact paper, remove panels, clean them, wipe down with rubbing alcohol, dry, apply contact paper and fold back behind panel, re-install panels.

Might need to do 2 layers if the panel is a dark color and showing through the vinyl.

 

[steved]

Tappan

The Tappan is a Whirlpool made machine.

 

[panthera]

That KA is pretty

It seems the most aesthetically appealing.

 

[jkm]

The KitchenAid wins for now.

So the KitchenAid is the only dishwasher that worked without issues. It doesn't wash as well as a newer dishwasher but I'm sure the newer ones are not going to stick around as long. It's a good fit for our period kitchen.

Thanks to everyone for the help and to Bradfordwhite for the tip on the shiny contact paper to easily update the color.

 

[panthera]

Properly loaded ( a pain, to be sure) should be better

Any KA, including this beauty should was much better than modern dishwasher.

Have you had a chance to make sure the filters are clean (careful for broken glass!)?

Make sure the arm is free to rotate when filled?

Not overdone the detergent? Most detergent tabs made today are for the anemic modern dishwashers and over-foam in a good dishwasher. Try using powder and use all the dispensers.

You should be getting better performance, not worse. Yes, loading is a pain but still. Wish you luck!

 

[jkm]

Filters?

Thanks for the feedback.

I am actively looking for powdered detergent because I knew that was all that was available when this was made. So far I've only found liquid detergent, but I know it has to be better than the packs/pods because it's obvious that they won't fall out of the detergent door when it opens. (There was actually one stuck in the door when I picked up the unit).

Where would the filters be located? Somewhere in the bottom under the arm?

I'll check this site for the owners manual.

 

[combo52]

Older KA DW Cleaning Performance

Pods will work just fine in this DW, I would supplement the pod in the main wash cup with some powered or liquid detergent in the pre-wash cup.

 

If the main wash cup does not open and the pod does not desolve there is something wrong with this DW.

 

It is true that an older DW like this does not clean as well as newer DWs that have longer cycles that actually heat the wash water to a guaranteed temperature, the overall best cleaning DWs were machines like the WP Power-clean machines built from 1985-2011.

 

John L.

 

[panthera]

Yes, under the arm

The bottom arm lifts straight up and off.
You can access them then.

 

[panthera]

John,

Our Potscrubbers with the orbital arm on the most intensive cycle out clean every modern dishwasher any of our friends have. Especially when you take into consideration that I absolutely refuse to pre-rinse and only remove bones and olive pits.
Yes, we have 145F water and, yes, it's softened. That does help.