Thank you
Thank you all--it was fun to write, and I'm glad you enjoyed it! In my dream kitchen, I'll have a bank of ten bays for dishwashers, a lab coat, a clipboard, and a pensive expression.
(Stove? We need room for a stove? Use the microwave!)
Ralph - Yes, you did rule the Thermadorian world that day! I've not come close with the BobLoading you achieved. Last night, we had nine people over for dinner (yes, in this house), and very nearly accomplished the fabled all-plates load in the bottom rack. We could really have used that second silverware basket, though--things were a little crowded in there, so some of the utensils had to wait for the second run.
Bob - I ran the lasagna load last night on Heavy/Sani-Steam, and wow, what a difference. There was still a small yiblet issue, but I attribute that to an overfull silverware basket and the partial-underfill issue I still need to permanently address. When I opened the door, my eyeballs liquefied. Talk about generating some steam, holy biscuits!
I know what you mean about cycle dedication--my mom only ran the "Short cycle" on our 1978 Whirlpool, no matter what went in there. I was busted the day I dared to run Super Scour and the extended-wash duration was noticed.
That's a funny story about swapping in the flatware basket from the WK on a GE. I like the idea of the baskets on the Thermador, but I need a spot large enough for a bowl or whatever to sit in the bottom rack, and most of the time, it just doesn't work out. Even if I scoot it to another spot, then I end up losing parking spaces for plates. Like you said, at the moment, the second basket is mostly hanging out on the counter. For that matter, the second top-rack divider is in a drawer.
Our monster dinner plates fit fine in this; unlike the spin-tube Frigidaire, where anything over 9" clipped the bottom of the top rack.
Greg - ATB is my inside joke. It harkens back to ChesterMike's post where I referred to "All Temperature Bitch" detergent. But "Appliance Testing Bureau" might come across as a little more couth :-D I'll remind Roger to call, but I think he may be waiting for his Frigidaire to arrive in the mail after sending in his card. ;-)
Your Waste King is lovely--they definitely made some handsome machines across the lines. I can see why you'd be annoyed with that top rack--having the "InfiniBasket" like the Thermadors really helps. Thank God they didn't put all those thick, unyielding loop tines up there, or you'd probably have to buy your bowls and glassware from WK/Thermador direct just to have anything fit at all. It reminds me of when Hobart fell in lust with those curlicue tines in the top rack of the 15 series, and the results were pretty much the same.
Did the WK come with a WiiFit Plus? ;-)
I hope Ikea keeps this cabinet design, or comes up with something similar; it's brilliant, handsome, and durable, and makes an easy conversion to a rolling portable enclosure that fits all makes and models if you cobble a cubby for the cord and unicouple. If you mount the front casters slightly in front of the legs, it won't tip over--ever.
Leslie - I'll post the control panels when I get home tonight so you can see the 1200 vs. 1250 options. Gordon and I compared notes to see what, exactly, the differences were. Except for us finding one in Phoenix a while back, I'd never heard of a 1250.
Eugene - LOL That would be shooting fish in a barrel, wouldn't it? :-D "Day three: The machine collapsed into a pool of rust chips and oil; we had to pour kitty litter on it and sweep it into the dustbin, clothes and all. The agitator emerged unscathed, so we turned it into a lamp."
I don't know why I don't get more excited about reviewing washers, as much as I love playing with them. But I'm much more analytical about the dishwashers' design quirks--in a way, it feels like there are so many more dimensions to dishwasher design than the average clothes washer. What I'd really love to do is assemble a D&M, the Thermador, arm-and-armless KitchenAids, the GE 1250, and a Whirlpool PowerClean, and do standardized testing for the next issue. We're most of the way there on the collection; it would take weeks to generate consistent loads (and loading) and figure out standardized cycles (the not-so-regular "Regular Wash" on the Thermador being an educational point)--but what fun!
Don't forget to let us know before you faint when it all comes out dirty again!
