michaelz08
Well-known member
I have some thoughts on this machine I wanted to share after using it 3-4x weekly it for over a year now.
Context- We run our dishwasher regularly every 2 days, sometimes more frequently if I’ve been cooking/baking a lot. I rarely run it less frequently unless we are traveling as past two days it’ll really stink and it’s efficient enough to where the water usage is trivial (regularly less than 4 gallons). I scrape but do not pre-rinse, and am very deliberate in how I load.
The good:
- Definitely a good cleaner, and the silverware rack is a model for how all 3rd racks should be. Great adjustability, spacing and tine placement seems to fit almost anything. Almost never does a piece of silverware emerge dirty.
- Build quality is excellent. Button clicks, rack movements (even without and ball bearings), etc tell you this was not a cost cut machine in build quality.
- Variable pump speed is great to have for different cycles.
- The rack organization makes fitting tableware (plates etc) a breeze and you can fit a lot. I will run out of plates before it’s full often, which changed what I put in the dishwasher as I was able to put things in I normally would have hand washed to save space.
The bad:
- It is a nightmare putting in lots of American bakeware. It will fit awkwardly and take up more space than in an American-style dishwasher. I almost never put in any 9x13 anything now unless I really am tired, it’s just not worth the hassle.
- Auto-dos is fine. It’s very efficient at using detergent and they last awhile. The cost of the disks is prohibitive though, I will refill mine with cascade complete. I also do not care for the Miele detergent’s smell.
- I have had since day 1 a weird film (odorless) left on silicon items (sur la table brand that I have had for 10 years) that have not had this in my prior Whirlpool or pos Frigidaire. It wipes off easily, but I attribute this to the Miele detergent plus rinse aid combination.
-It doesn’t always want to wake up. Sometimes I have to press the button 3x with short delays in between before it wakes up.
- The cup shelves on the upper rack are a huge step back from the ones in my parent’s 17 year old model. They do not seem to allow water to flow as freely and they have significantly less height options.
- I don’t like feeling nickel and dimed, especially at this price point- and that’s how I feel. The 7166 lost out on the 7156’s IntenseZone option (why would a model step up lose features?), and while the wash system is the same as the pricier models most of what is lost is extra cycles that are all software based. Why do I not get these cycles? Plus the 2024 revision 7266 got IntenseZone back and some extra cycles plus a revision to the buttons. Again, with a WiFi-connected software-updatable model shouldn’t I be getting these software features too? The only extra cycle in the “more” section is Rinse & Hold.
- The way you start cycles and it presents messages is frankly maddening. It’s easy to make the thing do some very annoying and loud beeping. My partner and I are both in tech and have UI/UX experience to some degree, and we both don’t understand how this user flow was allowed into production.
- Lately I have had issues with re-deposit when using the cup shelves (and making sure each time there is a big path for the water to spray). I am thinking these bad cup shelves with only 7 upward spray nozzles on the upper rack are not a good combination.
- Overall it seems tighter fit inside than the 17 year old models, and I feel crazy for thinking that.
It’s a high quality machine and from an engineering standpoint is definitely well designed for the most part. But I think they are falling short for this price as I do not think I’m 2x happier with it for 2x the price. And with their very normal filter system and lack of any amazing features, I feel like they’re resting on their crowns a bit as the more commodity priced models keep getting better.
I am trying to evaluate it separate from the company, as I had a big tiff with them when I initially made the purchase that resulted in them making changes to their 7166 model pages, and me filing against them in small claims court (false advertising, and I was awarded judgement). I had given them over 2 months to make things right and was in contact with customer service but they told me to pound sand while admitting in writing my claim was valid.
When you consider my out of pocket cost after everything was not anywhere near the MSRP as a result of my small claims adventure, I can’t be overly upset with the machine’s faults. But when I ask myself if I would hand over another $2k to Miele, I find myself thinking probably not and that a well-specc’d KitchenAid is what I will gravitate towards next time.
Context- We run our dishwasher regularly every 2 days, sometimes more frequently if I’ve been cooking/baking a lot. I rarely run it less frequently unless we are traveling as past two days it’ll really stink and it’s efficient enough to where the water usage is trivial (regularly less than 4 gallons). I scrape but do not pre-rinse, and am very deliberate in how I load.
The good:
- Definitely a good cleaner, and the silverware rack is a model for how all 3rd racks should be. Great adjustability, spacing and tine placement seems to fit almost anything. Almost never does a piece of silverware emerge dirty.
- Build quality is excellent. Button clicks, rack movements (even without and ball bearings), etc tell you this was not a cost cut machine in build quality.
- Variable pump speed is great to have for different cycles.
- The rack organization makes fitting tableware (plates etc) a breeze and you can fit a lot. I will run out of plates before it’s full often, which changed what I put in the dishwasher as I was able to put things in I normally would have hand washed to save space.
The bad:
- It is a nightmare putting in lots of American bakeware. It will fit awkwardly and take up more space than in an American-style dishwasher. I almost never put in any 9x13 anything now unless I really am tired, it’s just not worth the hassle.
- Auto-dos is fine. It’s very efficient at using detergent and they last awhile. The cost of the disks is prohibitive though, I will refill mine with cascade complete. I also do not care for the Miele detergent’s smell.
- I have had since day 1 a weird film (odorless) left on silicon items (sur la table brand that I have had for 10 years) that have not had this in my prior Whirlpool or pos Frigidaire. It wipes off easily, but I attribute this to the Miele detergent plus rinse aid combination.
-It doesn’t always want to wake up. Sometimes I have to press the button 3x with short delays in between before it wakes up.
- The cup shelves on the upper rack are a huge step back from the ones in my parent’s 17 year old model. They do not seem to allow water to flow as freely and they have significantly less height options.
- I don’t like feeling nickel and dimed, especially at this price point- and that’s how I feel. The 7166 lost out on the 7156’s IntenseZone option (why would a model step up lose features?), and while the wash system is the same as the pricier models most of what is lost is extra cycles that are all software based. Why do I not get these cycles? Plus the 2024 revision 7266 got IntenseZone back and some extra cycles plus a revision to the buttons. Again, with a WiFi-connected software-updatable model shouldn’t I be getting these software features too? The only extra cycle in the “more” section is Rinse & Hold.
- The way you start cycles and it presents messages is frankly maddening. It’s easy to make the thing do some very annoying and loud beeping. My partner and I are both in tech and have UI/UX experience to some degree, and we both don’t understand how this user flow was allowed into production.
- Lately I have had issues with re-deposit when using the cup shelves (and making sure each time there is a big path for the water to spray). I am thinking these bad cup shelves with only 7 upward spray nozzles on the upper rack are not a good combination.
- Overall it seems tighter fit inside than the 17 year old models, and I feel crazy for thinking that.
It’s a high quality machine and from an engineering standpoint is definitely well designed for the most part. But I think they are falling short for this price as I do not think I’m 2x happier with it for 2x the price. And with their very normal filter system and lack of any amazing features, I feel like they’re resting on their crowns a bit as the more commodity priced models keep getting better.
I am trying to evaluate it separate from the company, as I had a big tiff with them when I initially made the purchase that resulted in them making changes to their 7166 model pages, and me filing against them in small claims court (false advertising, and I was awarded judgement). I had given them over 2 months to make things right and was in contact with customer service but they told me to pound sand while admitting in writing my claim was valid.
When you consider my out of pocket cost after everything was not anywhere near the MSRP as a result of my small claims adventure, I can’t be overly upset with the machine’s faults. But when I ask myself if I would hand over another $2k to Miele, I find myself thinking probably not and that a well-specc’d KitchenAid is what I will gravitate towards next time.
