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.