Opening the Worm Can...

[bajaespuma]

If you were me, about to go out and buy yourself a new dishwasher for daily use (not for collecting) what would you buy?

Support your answers with footnotes, photos, or just wild speculation.

 

[peteski50]

Dishwasher!

I have the GE 7700 tall tub. It is the best well made of the plastic tubs and washes very well. I highly remommend it.
Peter

 

[sudsmaster]

I replaced a plastic tub Frigidaire with a discounted ($350) Bosch SHU-43CU and have been very happy with it. Washes very well, dries well, and the racks are not flimsy (unlike the Frigidaire).

I prefer metal tubbed dishwashers - whether they be vintage porcelain steel, or modern stainless steel.

 

[panthera]

miele

My first Miele worked trouble free for 17 years - then the movers broke it. My current model has done at least 7 loads a week every week since 2000.
No prerinsing, saves water and energy, everything comes out clean.
No problems.
If you want a final solution, either get a classic Kitchen Aid or a modern Miele. Everything else is just not in the same class.
Bosch/Siemens do, however, have a better reputation today in Europe than 10 years ago, just to be fair.
My US friends with new US dishwashers all complain about repairs constantly.

 

[bajaespuma]

thank you.

I'm considering the Miele. I went to the website last week and got utterly lost--I don't know if it was me or the web, but nothing made any sense. I'll try again because, as they used to torture us in school:

MIELE:EUROPE::MAYTAG(of old)/USA

 

[toggleswitch]

The *NEW* KA, WP and Sears tall-tubs do not wash so well. Muck in glasses.

 

[bobbyderegis]

We have a new Bosch in the church kitchen. It is extremely quiet and washes the hell out of everything. It just takes forever.
Bobby in Boston

 

[maytagbear]

Heretic?

I am well pleased with my GE. It is a lower-midline portable.

My friend Linn's Maytag from two years ago does 5-8 loads a week, and hasn't needed a repair. (OK, hasn't needed a repair, yet.)

I don't think you can go too far wrong with a Whirlpool or GE, as long as it isn't the very bottom of the line.

Miele's are appealing, if you want to make the investment.

As I have said elsewhere, the enzyme detergent makes a HUGE difference. A friend (?) gave me a bottle of chlorine based dishwasher gel, and it is terrible!

This is real heresy--you may want to look up the Consumer Reports dishwasher article from earlier in the year.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[petek]

We're happy Miele owners for about 6-7 years now. When we bought ours there weren't many SS interior dw's on the market as there are now and that was a prime consideration with our well water. Also the quiet factor. No problems with it yet. Was it worth it double the price of most others.. YES....because I place more importance on having the best dishwasher than I do on other things like a pricey stove,fridge,tv etc.

 

[frigilux]

I bought one of these Maytag's back in December and I really like it. It cleans very well, it's quiet (though not as quiet as a Bosch) and the capacity and loading flexibility are fantastic. Build quality is solid. Door closes with the confident 'thunk' of a Lexus. If you go into the Deluxe forum archives, I have a bunch of pics of the interior, showing what it can hold. I wanted the stainless interior, although there's a twin to this model with a plastic interior---same cycles and features as this one. Here's a pic from Maytag's website with a partial list of features. The list price with a stainless front is $1050, but I got mine for a couple hundred less from my local Maytag dealer. Happy shopping and let us know what you wind up purchasing!

 

[bajaespuma]

My "genie in a bottle" choices would be a KitchenAid KDSS-17 from 1969 (something about that Stainless interior in back of those baby-blue vinyl-coated racks)coupled with an old Hobart professional undercounter model with temp boost and the 2-minute cycle for pots and pans.

I still have this fantasy that somewhere out there in the heartland is a huge endless warehouse (a la the last minute of "Raiders of the Lost Ark") with all of our old dream machines MIB with some little man wheeling them around on a hand truck.

 

[frigilux]

Ah, but there is such a place; It's called Robert's House, LOL!

 

[retroguy]

I have the new GE.

As much as I like retro machines, I love my new GE. It's so quiet you can barely tell it's on. As far as the cleaning goes.....top notch.

 

[norgeman]

Dishwashers :

We had a Maytag and we loved it it washed well got everything clean even in a huge load everything was cleaned would have another Maytag dishwasher in a minute. Compared to our new Frigidaire the Maytag washed better by far not as happy with the new dishwasher from Frigidaire. Electrolux needs to deal with Frig. on this issue. By for now.

 

[ge0770]

I recommend GE

From my personal experience, GE dishwashers clean very well. I haven't met one yet that wouldn't clean circles around most. I can tell you a couple of dishwashers you DON'T want. I had one of the newer "tall tub" Kenmore Elite dishwashers with the stainless interior. The thing ran for like two hours and there was always ground up food particles all over the top of everything in the top rack. I bought a new house and left that one behind. The one I have now is a Craptastic-Plastic Frigidaire. It never ceases to disappoint either. The thing I hate the most is the fact that it only washes one rack at a time. And God forbid you should put anything slightly soiled on the top rack because as sure as the sun rises in the East, it will come out just as nasty as when you put it in. As soon as I can afford it, I am going to replace it with a MOL GE.

 

[stainfighter]

re *NEW* KA, WP TT do not wash so well, muck...

Toggle - I disagree with your statement. We own a Kenmore model 1602 TT since April '05 and it has been an excellent performer. No 'muck' issues at all. Even does well with dried rice on plates and such. I like to boost the enzyme dw detergent with about a teaspoon of Borax in each compartment. Not as quiet perhaps as a Bosch but then if we could have found a Bosch like Rich did for only $350 we'd have gone that route...

 

[toggleswitch]

re *NEW* KA, WP TT do not wash so well, muck...

hmmm last two panels-

one says YAY one says NAY!

 

[frigilux]

norgeman-- I had a TOL Frigidaire and had no problems with cleaning ability in the upper rack. However, I have softened water and have my water heater set at 140 degrees, which may make a difference. I now have a TOL Maytag, and while my Frigidaire cleaned dishes, cutlery and glasses just as well as the Maytag, I find the Maytag does a much better job on pots/pans/casseroles. I also find the Maytag holds holds large items which didn't fit in the Frigidaire. Build quality is also noticeably better in the Maytag. I loved the Upper or Lower Rack Only cycles on the Frigidaire, but the 20-minute InstaWash cycle on the Maytag cleans lightly soiled loads very well and is frugal with water.

Having said all that, I have friends with MOL/BOL Frigidaire dishwashers and without exception, they are disappointed with their performance.

 

[panthera]

comparison

I asked my folks - they currently have MOL Frigidaier and Maytag (I wasn't asked for my opinon when they bought them, obviously).
They report the Maytag takes forever, but cleans everything well. It leaves a nasty residue directly under the door on the bottom.
The Frigidaire has been repaired twice under warranty and only cleans well when running at 140°.
Currently the top rack is not being washed at all, it is out of warranty and waiting for me to come over. The dratted ball is probably stuck.
Again.
(Instead of using an intelligent solution to alternate between spraying the upper and lower racks, Frigidaire went with an even stupider solution than usual - a ball in the sump which sometimes closes the upper opening and sometimes doesn't - but always gets stuck in place after a very short time.
So there we have an inhouse comparison, same family, same dishes, same water, same detergent, same use level, same age, same MOL...the Frigidaire is, sadly, not what it should have been, the Maytag is ok - but not more than ok.
US machines suck. Get a pre-Whirlpool Kitchenaid or buy a German or Italian machine.
Period.

 

[peterh770]

Whirlpool short tub

 

[mixfinder]

Dishwasher

The key word in the original questions was "new". If you buy a mid to upper model and use hot water and good detergent any machine on the market will clean. It is a bit like marriage, will you still enjoy "washing" together as the years go buy. I avoid Kenmore, because of the service issue of coded parts and inflated service charges. If I wanted Kenmore I would just buy it with a Whirlpool label and deal directly with the manufacturer. The GE is very quiet and the Maytag is louder, but louder is still very quiet, comparatively speaking. It is alot about how you use it. My motto: Everything but the refrigerator goes in the dishwasher" And the day I have to rinse a dish before putting in the dishWASHER is the day I throw it away and getone that does. Very, very, few households, I encounter load without rinsing. If you rinse, buy the cheapest machine and cheapest soap and use it to dry the dishes. The European machines often have a filter you have to muck out, while the American made have a soft food disposer. Many of the European models do not have a heated a dry and to get better results, you have to use Jet Dry. A lot of hoo haw, when for 300.oo bucks you can get a fine dishwasher from GE, Maytag or Whirlpool that will last 10 or more years. I have the sickness that requires every appliance in my house to be the same brand, so when I decide, it includes the stove and fridge so it all becomes a bigger integrated picture. I was not happy with my latest GE range, because the oven element was so intense it over browned the baked goods. I sold the stove and got a Maytag. Then I got a free Maytag dishwasher off Craigslist and swapped out the builder issue GE. I am on the hunt for bottom freezer Maytag and then you'll all be invited to the party when we throw my 2 year old GE off the 6th balcony.
Kelly

 

[Robbytuck]

Dishwasher

I would agree with PeterH770. I have a Whirlpool bol portable that my partner gave me for Christmas in 1999. Eventhough it has the "dreaded" center tower system, it never fails to produce excellent results. I never rinse, put crusty broilers, baking dishes, etc into it. I put pots in the top rack and stack bowels over small plates in the bottom rack. It never fails! I have learned to use only Cascade Complete powder. Any other brand (including CR top rated Wal Mart Great Value) just doesn't produce the same results. The normal cycle takes 55 minutes. I always stop it after the final rinse and let the dishes air dry!
When the time comes to replace this machine, I will get the TOL Whirlpool short tub portable which has the direct feed washarm system with no center tower. All of our major appliances are Whirlpool. They are easy to work on and reliable. I attached a link to the built in model with the direct feed system.

Robbytuck, Sioux Falls, SD

http://www.whirlpool.com/catalog/product.jsp?src=DISHWASHERS&cat=108&prod=415

 

[bajaespuma]

Problem is, ladies and gents, everything f--kin dishwasher I see out there looks exactly the same as the others. It's as though every brand is being outsourced to the same manufacturer. Even the LG's look ersatz. I'm bending towards the Miele's and the Asko's because they at least look unique and have interesting racking combinations (well, the Miele, at least).

It's interesting that no manufacturer has yet figured out (or cares) that those of us who work in kitchens have gotten used to these fantastic undercounter machines that use boosters to heat their water to 180F and complete a wash and rinse cycle in less than 5 minutes! Incredibly useful machines for those who throw parties. They use can use the same interchangeable racks that "tunnel-conveyor" machines use for glasses, plates, big pots, etc. Problem is that they retail for about 4K.Some of the older models (which I am looking for) are made exactly like the 17-series KitchenAid's with a SS tub, no dispensers on the door and no rack supports.

What I'd really like is one of those old GE Mobile Maids or a KitchenAid KSS-17A. Very hard to find around here. I'd take a 1988-90 Maytag Jetclean with the plates on top if I could find one that heated the water. The Miele is winning so far, but, then again, there is Kevin in Mystic whose tireless eye is looking, looking, looking...

One machine to rule them all,
One machine to find them.
One machine to bring them all,
And in the darkness bind them.

 

[panthera]

gosh Ken

your drawings are just so beautiful. You ought to send them to the manufacturers to encourage them to do a "nostalgia" series. One with the look and build of these great machines.