Newer Kitchenaid Dishwasher --- Sad to say the least!

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support :

Corners of the top rack generally should not be used for narrow objects if the water from the bottom wash arm is blocked, although my 2 18s have the larger wash arm and china guard that came out with the 19 series and I have not noticed much trouble. The thing with the newer KA machines is that even if nothing was blocking the water from below, tall glasses in the corners of the top rack were not getting cleaned because the spray from the bottom wash arm was not reaching all the way up into them. This is a pretty damn sad legacy for a brand that once ran an ad in Life Magazine showing a KD2P (top load portable with big blue wash arm) with the lid open and this great upward spray of water. The text read that if you could run this KitchenAid dishwasher with the top open, which you could not, the water would shoot 10 feet into the air and the same motor, pump and wash arm were in all KitchenAid dishwashers. It's even sadder than the switch from fan forced drying to just sitting there drying. Another ad campaign KitchenAid used showed a Rubbermaid dish drainer stacked full sitting over a surface unit on an electric range. The text said that this was the way most other dishwashers dried, but KitchenAid had fan forced drying that was gentle on dishes. You should have heard long time KA dealers at the meeting where the models with no dry fan were introduced. They wanted to know what they were going to tell customers because KA owners coming in for a replacement machine would have to be told of the change and the dry system had been one way of moving customers up to KA from other brands.
 
Bob,
That is so funny.
I thought that it came from a KA Ad.
I really think that "Hurricane in a Box" is what the old Hobart KA's sound like while washing.
Here is one of my favorite KA ad's. Gone are the days of creative advertising. Jason's Hurricane in a Box could have worked great with this ad. Tom---here you go!
Brent

5-19-2006-11-24-42--Brent-Aucoin.jpg
 
In remember my old Waste King, from back in the 70's. If you opened the door and didn't wait for the wash action to die down, that machine would shoot a stream of water clear across the room. One day, it did just that, right into the back of the portable color TV that was sitting on the counter across the kitchen from it. Needless to say, that was the end of the TV. Kinda sad when you think about what we've become!
 
John,
Isn't that funny. You hear so many people say that about the older 17 model and below that!
The problem is that they did not know how to load them.
I grew up with a KDS-17 Superba for a big chunk of my life. It would wash anything! You just had to load it correct.
Brent
 
*WOW*

I thought I was being too demanding of the KA tall tub.
Mine really SUX at getting glasses clean.
Pity my WP non tall-tub was so good and this is *le garbage*!

I was BLOWN away when my near BOL GE outperformed the KA

LONG LIVE WATER HOGS.
They ACTUALLY work!
 
Newer Kitchenaid Dishwashers

When I renovated my kitchen almost 5 years ago I had a portable whirlpool power clean. Loved it and was going to build it into new cabinets. Some people talked me out of it. I was buying a new range at Sears. So I went for the Kenmore tall tub (they were only) out about one year. Needless to say I was so disappointed. The glasses loaded in the top corners didnt get clean. Dishes washed decently but nothing like the power clean whirlpool. I had it for a year in a half the circuit board blew out twice. Even though Sears was willing to fix it I went back and demanded to get another dishwasher. Really disappointed. They tried to get me to buy the SS model but I said it's the same S__T. I decided on the GE tall tub because it was the most durable of the plastic tall tubs. I am very happy with it. I got the 7700 model next to the TOL at that time. It washes really well. (What a difference). Very good cycle selection / options with easy to read controls with digital display. Problem with most of the new DW's today they don't give any type of progress status on control panel. Also I dont like the one with the undermount controls. I like to see all indicators and believe me I wish for a Window also. Will we ever see the day? As much as I like the GE tall tub I still regret giving up the Whirlpool power clean!!
Lets start designing our own!!
Peter
 
I was able to verify with someone that the tall tub whirlpool dishwashers ARE supposed to have a fairly powerful spray. Not many machines today will have the power of the "huricane in a box" but the tall tubs do have "powerful" jets. I was able to see a tall tub "Kenmore" today at a Sears in Rockford, IL with a clear front. the jets seemed pretty decent.

[this may be preaching to the choir here]
I was told that many of the washability issues are with the way things are loaded in the top rack and if the middle spray arm is blocked. As well as the chopper assembly breaking and clogging. It just doesn't keep itself clean as well as the PowerClean. Apparently these machines work very well with no soil, and are the most finicky of the bunch.

The issue with "weak" pressure must be fault in the dishwasher. I do hear that these motors go out alot, they are shitty motors and it may not be running at full speed???
 
designing your own

That comment gets me wondering. As everyone has by now figured out, I am fixin' to go back to the 'States. With my parents health problems after that car crash, probably indefinitely...After living abroad for over 20 years, so much has changed that every visit back is a major culture shock.
One interesting constant over all these years: Here in Germany I have had exactly two dishwashers. The first was killed by the movers (falling down stone stairs will do that to you). That Miele lasted from 1979 'till 2000. My current Miele has never needed a repair (nor did the old one, except for a lower-rack wheel. Once).
Now lets see, I left in 1983. At my parent's house: Lady Kenmore fails and kitchen under water.
1987: Whirlpool something or other fails and repair would cost more than new one.
1991: Last Monkey Wards chokes to death on olive pit (plastic filter had come loose by itself)
1995: GE Modern Maid from 1963 which I had installed in 1991 is banished for being "too old" by my brother, Whirlpool installed. Oh, the GE is still running in the neighbour's kitchen in 2006.
1997: Whirlpool motor fails due to leak and would cost more to repair than...been there, done, that.
2000: Newest Whirlpool has now had new timer, soap dispenser, motor, tower - all under warranty. Dealer says must have been dropped in transit. Yeah, whatever.
2005: Firgidaire from spring has been repaired twice. Maytag not yet, but needs three hours for wash...
2006: Keven flys over with a Miele as carry on...
Sheesh, why oh why do Americans put up with this crap?
 
Happy Washing

It has been my experience that the pleasure in living with an appliance in a longterm relationship is dependant on several factors.

Pride of ownership.

Ease of use.

It takes a villiage to service an appliance.

The family heritage.

Oddly enough, in my entire life, I have never had a dishwasher failure or repair (except one that was victom of a lightning strike, God must have missed, I was in bed, just upstairs!)

And Lord itself knows, I bought enough of them new and used to have had opportunity for failure.

One constant that seems to be born out in tests and even here on this site: regardless of personal opinion, GE has always been a solid performer as a dishwasher in cleaning and longevity.

Kelly
 
Cute!

Love the SmartDispense--reminiscent of the Tappan that cleaned nothing but stored liquid hand-dishwashing soap in the door and dispensed it in metered doses.

Looks like a fantastic dishwasher from the modern era...

...although if you have time to knit a sweater, the cycle time must be long.

You have to love Alton Brown, though...especially the dishwasher "simulation"...
 

Latest posts

Back
Top