Is the "18" R-E-A-L-L-Y all that?

[tomturbomatic]

One thing I did not care for about the 18 was the silverware basket with all of those little dividers. For a long time I ran the Westinghouse silverware baskets with the big bins in my 18s and later switched to the silver baskets from the 22 or 23 series KA machines after cutting off the tall side handles which blocked capacity at the front of the lower rack. I don't need to lift the baskets out to unload silverware and cutlery. I still like KA's design with the long slot at the front of the silverware basket for long-handled cooking utensils.

Hans, while it does take up room in the lower rack, you can take the silverware basket out of the door mounts and stand it at the side of the lower rack and you wil get better cleaning of the silverware and less food deposited in the basket.

 

[peteski50]

Whirlpool Powerclean!

The silverware cleaned really well for me when I loaded plates in the front. If I put bowls and pots in the front the silverware didnt get that clean.

 

[norgeway]

Whirlpool Model....

DU945PW500.

 

[bajaespuma]

Call me shallow, but...

Whirlpool machines, although great performers, lacked "pizazz" since the early Seventies.

 

When you think of a KitchenAid dishwasher, you immediately think of a prominent and distinct chrome-plated handle in the middle of the control panel, the KitchenAid brand lettered in its unique font, and a clear strong layout of knob, buttons and escutcheon. Jet Clean dishwashers featured a humble but solid embossed aluminum escutcheon with strong clear white buttons and a knob that was exquisitely simple and placed, either in the center, like the washers, or on the bottom right. Maytags proudly acknowledged their washer ancestry and all their appliances were a sculptural rendering of the Midwestern United States. Waste Kings, Frigidaire s all had distinctive styles that were consistent with and proudly promoted the brand. Now everything looks like it came out of the same factory (LOL, they did).

 

If I've learned anything from these experiences its that even the lowliest household appliance needs to have some style. The problem with almost all contemporary smalls and majors is that they lack aesthetic details that attract buyers and add something to our homes. They conform to a diminished identity of a commodity. They are dull.

 

 

 

[appnut]

I'll take cleaning performance over lack of pizzaz any day.

Hans, I would venture to say there is something definitely not working right with your WP dishwasher. It may not be getting enough water for each of the fill periods due to calcium buildup in the water valve.

If that's not the case, if you tell me you are using Normal Wash cycle without high-temp option, then that's the reason why you're getting such piss poor results. That's just a main wash, a purge, and a rinse. That's a wash fill going into a cold machine with cold load contents. it doesn't have a chance. Even if ya purgeed the water line before you start the machine. My minimum suggestion is use Heavy Wash and high-temp wash. Pots & Pans will clean the chrome off a trailer hitch with its 2.5 to 3 hour cycle.

Lemme tell ya a story. Golittlesport moved into a new hours around the time of the 1st or 2nd washin. He was complaining his powerClean wasn't getting peanutbutter off his knkives. He had water heater set fairly high. He was not selecting the high-temp wash option for the Normal Cycle. Once he did what I suggested, they were very happy with their dishwasher.

 

[firedome]

"They conform to the diminished identity of a commodity" Well, that's because dishwashers ARE commodities... and while it's crazy people like us that elevate them to some Icon-like status, the real diffentiation between then, when there actually were well made dishwashers, and now can be defined by a missing but real inherent quality which once was considered mandatory in a high end ie: "aspirational" product, before the bean-counters took total control, and is now lacking in ANY new machine, having been replaced with marketing hype and image and the illusion that technology can replace true inherent worth in quality desgn and construction... the Mad Men have triuphed!!!

 

[norgeway]

WP Problem..

I have always used the longest cycle " Pots and pans" which automatically turns on the hi temp wash, it never has been worth much, and I have had it since new ..4 years, it fills just fine , its 4 years old and the racks are already rusting, I have a 65 model kds 15 that the racks still are great on, im going to install it as soon as I get a chance, its noisy...but it will wash a load in about 45 minutes, and they will be clean and dry.