KITCHEN AID PORTABLE DISHWASHER - $75 (UPPER MARLBORO. MD)

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Kitchenaid Convertable DW

This is a good deal for someone that needs a portable, you could also use the portability parts to make a Suberba 18-23 into a portable.

This has to be about the last convertible KA DW, WP [ wisely ] discontinued convertibles after they bought the company.
 
Why "Wisely," John?

Just curious, John - why was Whirlpool "wise" to kill off the portable/convertible category on KitchenAids? They still make them under their own brand name....

I always felt that portable/convertibles were a great way for manufacturers to "make friends" with new customers who weren't quite ready to make the remodeling commitment a new undercounter machine requires. They got the customer accustomed not only to having a dishwasher, but to their brand of dishwasher, hopefully beginning a relationship that would endure over time.

I'd be interested to know why disrupting all that could be considered "wise."
 
Wisely discontinued convertible KA DWs

Wisely might not be the best word, but when WP bought the KA brand KA was losing money hand over foot and to make KA a competitive product again these needed to go. What you wrote Sandy was very true at ONE time, but unfortunately most portable DW buyers just wanted CHEAP and and the high price of a KAC DW could shock people from EVER considering the KA brand in the future.

We became a very mobile throwaway culture and it spilled over to certain appliances like Freezers and Microwave ovens, all the good appliance makers exited this market segment.

Overall I think that Whirlpool did a spectacular job saving Kitchenaid DWs and improving the Kitchenaid appliance brand, and in my opinion Kitchenaid still builds the best DWs in the world, we still sell a lot of them and they are still made in Ohio.
 
John:

I'm not sure products or pricing were the reason for KitchenAid's poor performance prior to the Whirlpool buyout. I think the mindset of personnel in local Hobart agencies had a lot to do with it. During the last few years of Hobart's ownership, I was in the housewares biz. We recommended and carried KitchenAid products; we were able to serve most replacement-parts requests ourselves. But on those occasions we had to refer someone to Hobart, they always came back spluttering mad, due to rude, condescending treatment. One woman needed a replacement beater for a Hobart N-50 mixer; her staff had managed to lose it. She got so vexed at the "little lady" treatment she received at Hobart, she would not purchase the part and bought a Kenwood Major to replace the mixer. I will not tell you the customer's name, but she could have afforded to buy Hobart and give it to her maid.

So, I think that was much of the root of Hobart's troubles with KitchenAid; they didn't really know how to serve the residential customer after the sale.
 
Interesting to hear about the history and real experiences relevant to the products. I have many times wondered what happened to these companies.

When did the consumer decide that cheap and throwaway was better? Did they take a poll and just roll with it..did you get a survey in the mail or on your last appliance that lasted your parents decades? Even if it's not important, the mechanics of what evolved in the "business model", what pushed that idea? For years, I supported the education machine, so I couldn't vote with my negative cash flow dollars, but ...I never voted for the cheap and thow-away.

I'm glad to hear Kitchenaid still makes some good appliances; their mixers are still solid and reliable(have 2).
 
not sure what is up with this person or AD, but I caught it when they started in North Philly, then South Philly, on to Delaware, now onto Maryland....

its the same pics and AD.....it came with a house they bought, and dont want a portable unit....I responded under several email addresses, and its the same story, its available, we set a date and time, and the exact night before I go to get it, I get a responded email that her husband hooked it up and ran it, and he decided to keep it.....

I did this 3 times.....not sure what their up to, heck, they may not even have this in reality....but something isn't quite right about it...
 
 

 

Sounds like a scam Yogi. I once wasted a whole day with some creep trying to buy a Westinghouse L-8 to no avail. I reported that ad to Craigslist.

 

This DW is quite similar to whats next on my list. Only I'd like to find a Superba KDS-58.

[this post was last edited: 3/9/2014-06:45]
 
Sheesh. I had the same thing happen with a 1957 Magnavox and extra external Magnavox speaker - the guy backed down when I said I was ready to look at it. Then he posted it again, weeks later. Same thing with a couple other items - people never replied to my emails and the ad was posted for weeks after. I sent a message to Craigslist, but nothing came of it but a reply in a form email response. Thanks for mentioning, Martin / Louie.
 
I haven't seen...

... a lot of dependability from the KitchenAid dishwashers. Lowe's sells bunches of them as it's their quietest dishwasher, and I work on them almost every day. No specific bad parts other than controls....lot's of controls!
 
All Kitchenaid models?

We aren't pushing Kitchenaids on the side, here. What would Combo52 have in mind, if he referred to Kitchenaids as being some of the best out there? There's always exceptions that fall through Quality Control or the parts they used in some run turned out to be a fiasco for their reliability ratings, or other errants that happen.

Lightedcontrols, If you were to buy new, what's in your preferential list and why?
 

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