Are those Choice tests at all reliable???
In a word...Yes.
Noise as such can be subjective in that certain noises 'loud' may not sound it to certain ears, whilst others will....take classical music and heavy metal....play both at the same dB reading and you will get people saying one is louder than the other....
BUT, from a scientific point of view, Choice will measure the noise made as a dB reading at the same distance and under the same test conditions for each machine...
Soooo....here is their testing method for dishwashers...
Overall score
CHOICE testing indicates that more dishwashers are sacrificing good washing and drying performance for better energy and water efficiency. So, to bring the spotlight back to the basic function of a dishwasher – washing dishes clean – we’ve revised our rating scale, and increased the soil removal weighting.
The overall score is a combination of the washing, drying, energy and water efficiency scores for the ‘normal’ or 'sensor' wash program weighted as follows:
Washing performance: 55%
Water efficiency: 15%
Drying performance: 15%
Energy efficiency: 15%
Washing score
We assessed how well the machines could remove food such as spinach, egg yolk, baby cereal, butter, and tea stains that had been dried on overnight, and without being rinsed first. This is based on the current Australian standard.
Drying score
This score reflects how dry the dishes were 30 minutes after the ‘normal’ cycle finished. During that time the doors were left closed.
Energy usage / score
This is based on the amount of energy used by the dishwasher on the tested program. The less energy used, the higher the score.
Water usage /score
This is based on the amount of water used per place setting by the dishwasher on the tested program. The less water used per place setting, the higher the score.
Note: The energy and water usage may differ from those given on the energy label because we often use a different program for our tests. In a recent CHOICE survey, members told us they mostly use the "normal" or "auto" program, so this is what we use for our tests.
Running costs
This is an estimate of how much it’ll cost you over 10 years (the average life of a dishwasher) for water and electricity if you wash one full load every day using a ‘normal’ cycle. The calculations are based on 17 cents per kWh for electricity and $1 per 1000 L for water.
For simplicity, we’ve excluded depreciation and any interest costs, as well as the cost of detergent – people use different amounts and the price varies considerably between brands.
Noise level
These are the maximum noise levels recorded during the normal program, measured 1 m away from the machine and 1 m above the ground. You’d be aware of all these dishwashers in the background.
