Help me pick a dishwasher, please!

[talk2travis]

Hi everybody! My name is Travis, I'm 25 from Phoenix, AZ. I've been a lurker here for a while but decided to register. I have had a Maytag Jetclean dishwasher that has served me well, but this particular dishwasher was recalled as you probably know. I got a voucher in the mail for 75 dollars towards the purchase of a new Maytag, Jenn-Air, Whirlpool, or KitchenAid dishwasher. The top end of my budget is about 700 dollars, before the rebate is concerned.

My local home depot has a stainless Jenn-Air on clearance for around 600 bucks, I'll paste the URL at the bottom. Feature wise, I'd like a stainless interior but don't really care about the exterior, and I'd like to keep it either a Maytag, KA, Jennair, or Whirlpool so I can get the rebate (I'm a poor college student, finishing an M.S. to be a Nurse Practitioner Is there any model that has the performance advantage, or with the Jenn-Air am I paying for looks? I am really a novice when it comes to DW's, my "expertise" lies with vacuums and laundry.

Thanks in advance, I hope to hear from you and look forward to being part of your community here.

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www.jennair.com

 

[revvinkevin]

Personally I like Kitchen Aid (Whirlpool)..... but since Whirlpool now owns the Maytag/Jenn-Air brands....... I believe they are all pretty much the same. Like the new Maytag washers/dryers that are just re-badges whirlpool units, I assume the same does for the dishwashers.

 

[brinomarc]

Before you make a choice, you should read another thread on this forum 'Thread# 13503 New Tall Tub KitchenAid Dishwashers.. "To Clean or not Clean enough"?
From my experienc, the MAYTAG would be a better choice, as from what others have said on this forum, the design has not yet been changed by the new ownership of Whirlpool. I myself have not had good luck with the Kitchen Aid, and felt my Maytag was the BEST dishwasher I had prior to this Kitchen Aid, it would clean anything. By 3 year old Kitchen aid is a dissaster, I am thinking of getting rid of it.

 

[andrewinorlando]

The Maytag/JennAir line is a vastly different design than the Whirlpool/KitchenAid machines. We have members here who've had good luck with both, however, the JennAir/Maytag machines offer more loading height than their Whirlpool/KA counterparts and use a vertically mounted "pancake" style motor rather than the horizontally mounted style pump/motor. The Maytag/JennAir machines also use a little more water, which some folks will agree helps them do an overall better job. Cycle times for all are similar, so it comes down to preference. Some have been dissatisfied with the KA machines, but I think it's safe to say that no line is without its problems, some more than others. The Maytag/JennAir line uses a different kind of soil sensing system than does the Whirlpool/KA line, which some may point to as a weakness in the Whirlpool/KA line.

Read the thread that Brinomarc referenced above - 'Thread# 13503 New Tall Tub KitchenAid Dishwashers.. "To Clean or not Clean enough"?

If you really like your current Maytag, you're probably going to like the new ones as far as loading and capacity goes. Again, it's a vastly different machine than the KA/Whirlpool. They also clean very, very well.

One of our members here, Appnut, has the Kenmore Elite equivalent of the Whirlpool/KA and he loves it. He is known for his "Bobloads" - large loads of very dirty dishes that would challenge any dishwasher, and he has had great results with his machine.

 

[maytagbear]

If I were buying

a new dishwasher, I would go with the Maytag/Jenn-Air as opposed to the Whirlpool/Kenmore/KitchenAid.

The thing about contemporary dishwashers is that they have to be carefully loaded, and that they take time.

However, after it is loaded, the machine is doing the work, not me.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[funguy10]

How about a Fisher & Paykel DishDrawer?

 

[super32]

doing the deed

had a dishdrawer. I liked it but....... not sure if i would do it again. I've also had several maytags in my years and have been quite happy with them. Im currently washing with a bosch, and have been quite pleased with it also. Unfortunatlly your rebate is no good with another brand and bosch is not the cheapest brand in the world.

 

[countryguy]

Just to add my 2 cents. I had a Maytag JetClean II purchased in 1991 that was in regular use up to 1 month ago when I purchased a KitchenAid. The Maytag did a great job and the dishes always came clean, it was easy to load and flexible. The Kitchenaid I have now is the same way, has cleaned very well including very dirty loads (did a baked on lasagna pan last night) and accommodates larger pots/pans than my Maytag did. I would have purchased another Maytag but after hearing that the Maytags of late were nothing like the older Maytags I decided to try the Kitchenaid...and so far I have no complaints with it.

Gary

 

[bleacho]

stay away from the drawers!!!!

had heard bad things about the F+P drawer dishwashers, so i purchased the kenmore Elite drawer dishwashers.. they were returned.. poor washing performance,extremley tempermental, and ultimately was return due to "defect" as the installer deemed it.. i replaced it with a bosch. very happy, and not really expensive... good luck in your purchase..
Also, do your research. the sales associates are not product knowedgeable for whatever reasons- my perception was theyre concerned in their commission being booked moreso than educating the cunsumer into the best choice that fits their needs... you'll get great feedback from this site, and you'll be glad you joined.

 

[passatdoc]

take another look at Bosch

Their basic model (white front, buttons) can be had for $500-600. I believe this model qualifies for energy rebates (it does in California). Quiet and washes really clean. My Bosch is going strong with six years of service and no problems whatsoever. I have an Integra model with basically the same features and I paid $600. The SHE33 model has an MRSP of $599, so you may be able to find it for as low as $500. If you have a small apartment or home, a Bosch is a plus because it is so quiet. You can do homework or have a social conservation with the machine running. Except when it's filling or emptying water, you cannot hear it running and I often have to put my hand on the front panel to know if it's in operation.

FYI: the reason to have a stainless tub is NOT simply "because" it's stainless steel (as is the case with many appliance front panels....people want the SS look), but because it facilitates evaporation of water from your dishes after the final rinse. The water evaporates off the dishes and condenses on the steel tub, provided you keep the rinse aid (Jet Dry) dispenser filled. There is no heated dry option on this machine. For this reason, it qualifies for an energy rebate, along with the fact that less hot water is used. Water does not move from dishes to the tub sides in a plastic tub, which is why SS is preferable to a plastic tub.

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www.boschappliances.com

 

[passatdoc]

Lowes has the Bosch for $579

This model is one rung up from the one I suggested in the last article. In California, this would qualify for a $30-50 rebate from the electric utility. There may be local retailers who can beat this price, but I would suspect you could go to a Lowes in Arizona and get this price.

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www.lowes.com

 

[revvinkevin]

Dish Drawers = not so good??

I have a few friends that opted for the F&P dish drawers when remodeling or replacing an old unit. One says he really likes it but installation was more complex, since it is 2 seperate machines in one, there are double the connections. Another friend said the machine is O..K.. Yes it is VERY quiet, cleaning performance is just ok, the cycle times are VERY long and it's very expensive. If they were to buy another DW today, they would not get the dish drawer again.

Other friends have echoed similer comments.

I have noticed other "brand names" of dish drawers pop up, but from what I can see they are just "re-badged" F&P units.

For me personally and factoring in the cost, other then the "ooh - aah" factor, I see no benifit to the 2 drawers VS. a "normal" DW (we are only 2 in the house). The only benifit I see is if you want to run smaller loads each time..... in my humble opinion.

 

[andrewinorlando]

...and if you want to run small loads, get a regular DW with a single rack wash feature, like Bosch, Frigidaire, etc.....

 

[DADoES]

DishDrawer installation

The current DD603 series (and I assume the KA-rebadge) is not difficult to install. There's one water connection. One electric cord. Two drain hoses but they connect together via an included Y-connector. The OP has a budget limit of $700, which puts the KA drawer out of consideration.

KA reports their drawer product is changing to a non-F&P sourced unit. I'm expecting it'll be either the Kenmore Elite (Maytag) version, or something new again.