GE disappointment.......Kenmore surprise........

[andrewinorlando]

Today, while out browsing at Best Buy, I saw what I thought was a typical GE tall tub dishwasher sitting on the floor. You know, the type they sell at Best Buy or Home Depot...the "Quiet Power III" model. At least I thought it was a typical GE, until I opened the door. And what did I find inside? You guessed it....a Haier dishwasher. The label said "Made in China". It had the GE racks, but a Haier wash system and arms.

On the other hand, I was at Sears later on and saw the new Kenmore Elite dishwashers. Look like the old ones, but when I opened them up....brand new wash system. No more self cleaning filter...it's now a filter cartridge that you twist and remove to clean. Standard Kenmore Elite racks and Turbo Zone wash system, and the funkiest looking plastic "S" shaped upper and lower wash arms with raised, red, slit shaped nozzles....it's a brand new wash system for Kenmore. Only a 1.8 amp motor, instead of the old 2.7 amp they used previously. Same heating element, same Turbo Zone configuration and same racks. Looks very, very nice. Wonder if they're going to make their way to the rest of the Whirlpool, or even the KitchenAid line. Pretty upscale and 48db sound level. They had them in the front control and hidden control models. Was kind of nice to see something new from Whirlpool. I hope this is a step in the right direction.

 

[funguy10]

Could you go back and take pictures of the Kenmore machine?

 

[coldspot66]

Sounds like a Bosch d/w. Did you notice the prefix on the model #? Was it 665? If not, it's not a Whirlpool product. There is one Kenmore Elite TOL d/w that is sourced from Bosch.

 

[andrewinorlando]

No, definitely not a Bosch; I know which one that is. This has the Turbo Zone feature, just like the Whirlpools and KitchenAids. Looks nothing like a Bosch inside. These are full sized Whirlpool adjustable racks. Looks exactly like the old models from the outside, just different on the inside. The Bosch is about 2" shorter in depth than the Kenmores.

 

[andrewinorlando]

These are the new Kenmore "HE" dishwashers. Sears just added them to their website. If you didn't open one to see it, you would think it was one of their old ones. The first review written on Sears' own website of one of these machines basically said it sucks!!

 

[funguy10]

What is "TubroZone"?

 

[andrewinorlando]

Funguy, check out www.sears.com, and look under Appliances -> Dishwashers, and look at the Kenmore Turbo Zone models....it explains the feature and shows some good pictures of it.

 

[coldspot66]

Thanks Andrew, I'll have to check those out tomorrow...I have to return something to Sears anyway. I have the first generation Turbozone Kenmore Elite d/w (the jets don't rotate), and say what you want, it's the best cleaning d/w I've ever had. The only thing I miss from my previous Elite d/w (given to my cousin) is the digital countdown display. With my current d/w you really don't know what portion of the cycle it's in. The indicator light just say "washing..sensing..drying...sanitize...clean.

They giveth and taketh away!! LOL

 

[andrewinorlando]

Well, and that's what I'm afraid of...the Kenmore Elite really is a good d/w, the TZ feature is great. These new ones look like they could be seriously good, but that review I read on Sears' website said it sucked....couldn't clean worth a damn. Of course, that's only one review. I really hope this is going to be a step forward for Whirlpool with a radically good design. Too early to tell though. But it is a nice change....hopefully a good one. I wouldn't even mind the manual clean filter if it was a good dishwasher.

 

[appnut]

I understand this is the European Whirlpool dishwasher design, they just pretty much put it into an American size cabinet. The Fst Wash (has 1 hr) in parenthesis by it. It's supposedly a cycle intended for people who keep their water heater at 140+. This new PowerClean design uses alternative spray like the Frigidaire dishwashers.

 

[andrewinorlando]

Bob - do you have any idea if the design is a good one? I would imagine if this has been floating around Europe for a while, it must have been proven to some degree? The alternating spray makes sense as it's a small motor - only 1.3 amps - not much more than the Frigidaire. Anyone know what a normal cycle takes??

 

[appnut]

Andrew, form what I've heard it has been proven. Sears hasn't put a linnk to owner's manuals yet, so i don't know any info yet. I noticed there was a 2nd HE DW, a TOL what appears to be. It had a top-rack only wash feature, something the other HE model online dind't offer. And the TOL model also referred to the term steam as part of the Sani-Rinse option.

 

[andrewinorlando]

Bob, the TOL machine has a Steam Sanitize feature. From what I saw, there were three models for the moment, two hidden control models and one front control...looks exactly like last year's models until you open them up and peek inside. All of the racks were the standard Whirlpool adjustable racks.

 

[andrewinorlando]

Bob, the TOL machine has a Steam Sanitize feature. From what I saw, there were three models for the moment, two hidden control models and one front control...looks exactly like last year's models until you open them up and peek inside. All of the racks were the standard Whirlpool adjustable racks.

 

[coldspot66]

That d/w is featured in the Sunday Sears circular for $799.00. Will take a peek at it today.

 

[jons1077]

HE dishwashers

I live across the street from Sears where I bought all of my appliances. I may run over there today and take a peek. I couldn't really get much out of the website info on this new dishwasher. I'll take my camera with me too.

Jon