Todays Dishwashers

[phillygrl]

Bosch

I would buy a Bosch again. I've been using one for five years, bought new when we moved, and have had no problems. Gets everything sparkly clean, and is very quiet. A big plus for me is the water heater under the tub. With no element inside the tub you can put plastics on the bottom rack. You can get the simpler models without all of the bells and whistles (which is what I have) for around $600.

 

[pturo]

I have to say a tall tub Maytag is really a good buy. It's loading capacity/flexibility is outstanding and that makes is really efficent since it washes more dishes and larger pot's and pans that would have to be done by hand, wasting hot water at the sink. A total stainless inside and outside Kitchen Aide is the tall tub TOL.

 

[appnut]

Larry, I have the 2213789000. The 2216309 above is the Bosch made Kenmore Elite. It's on close-out because Sears will no longer source this model for themselves now that they have the UltraWash HE filtration system (with the filter like the Bosch) instead of the soft food (in my case it gobbles up lots more than crumbs) disposer. I love mine and have been extremely pleased with it.

 

[cleanteamofny]

I have looked at the Bosch and the Kenmore and the both looked the same.
I may be wrong but the both have the same foot pattern.
KitchenAid looks like a plain Jane too me and I've seen the GE Profile with the SS tub with the one month dispenser which is very impressive.
Maytag is a big no because of Whirlpool teething pain dealing with so many suppliers.

 

[cleanteamofny]

Bob,

the Kenmore HE uses no more than 5 cups of water in one of their dishwasher on display that it was too quiet for my likings.
Will it clean? I just don't know!?!

I will go back Sears and check it out again.....

 

[appnut]

Larry, I wasn't really recommending the Kenmore HE, just haven't seen enough reviews and comments on them yet to begin to get an opinion. Of the 3 Whirlpool cousins (Kenmore, KA, and WP), I will say Kenmore even surpassed my expectations for a TT machine. I'd chose it over it's KA cousin and also the WP. I don't like the utensil basket in the door. The Bosch-made Kenmore and the Bosch are the same foot print. Take some dishes along to see how they fit if ya can. My new Elite's racks keep things more stable in the racks .than my PotScrubber ever did

 

[mattl]

Love my GE

I love my MOL GE Tall Tub. Bottom rack can be completely flat and top rack can be close to flat too, a big plus for me. The average cycle is about 60 minutes with options for a speed cycle 38 minutes! Great for average dirty dishes. Cleans great, very rare to take something out that isn't perfectly clean. I HATE Stainless interiors and the model I got came either way, I saved $150 and got the white tub.

I'm curious why so many here love stainless. To me it's like putting dishes in a dark pit, it doesn't improve washing action, does not retain heat as well and can be noisier. Don't see any positives in that list.

 

[launderess]

With the cost and environmental concerns, SS has replaced enameled porcelain over metal in most dishwashers. One still finds lower end units with plastic tubs, but increasingly MOL and even BOL dishwasher tubs are becoming stainless steel. It looks more upmarket and allows a higher price, well in theory at least.

SS also does not discolour the way plastic and some porcelain coated tubs can, and is impervious to rust and damage from strong caustic chemicals. Mind you porcelain tubs from some top dishwasher brand names like KA and such back in the day often lasted 15 years or more.

Even top loading washing machines have moved to either plastic tubs on BOL and MOL units, and SS for high end units for the most part. Again porcelian coating is expensive to do well, and when it is not done well one chip starts a rusting process that will just grow over time.

 

[toggleswitch]

I wonder where the yellow went?

...and moving away from plastique and porcelain means one can dump vinegar, lemon, (& salad dressings with same) tomato sauce etc right in without fear of damage to the finsih or the color of the wash-tank.

BTW a cool dry in platique models forestalls the yellowing. An occasional bout with bleach OR a plastics whitener/brightenr helps too.

http://www.cascadeclean.com/sites/en_US/cascade/products/booster.shtml

 

[estesguy]

Plastic tubs are fine,,,,

I've had a tall tub GE PDW model with a plastic tub for 7 years now, with no stain or yellowing problems whatsoever. Its a decent priced machine and more than quiet enough for most peoples likings. Stainless steel dishwasher tubs give more of a commercial appearance, but I feel they aren't necessary.

 

[rapunzel]

A Fisher & Paykel DishDrawer.

I second that. Have had mine for nearly two years now and absolutely love it.

 

[rapunzel]

SS also does not discolour the way plastic and some porcelai

SS does spot, scratch and start to look grubby over time. Polypropylene is a plastic that has many industrial and product applications and it is virtually as impervious and durable as stainless steel. I've never had any issues with discoloration, smells or other problems. I would think that the production and disposal of SS tubs is less environementally friendly than plastic and it makes no difference to a dishwasher's overall performance.

 

[appnut]

Larry, I just thought of something. The new Kenmore UltraWash HE now uses the alternating spray levels like your old Frigidaire PrecisionWash did.

 

[cleanteamofny]

Bob,

I'm starting to cringe!

 

[cleanteamofny]

My head is spinning from doing all this research, and I'm not getting any closer to make my choice.....

 

[nmaineman36]

Stainless steel can and is indeed recycled. From my experience working in the Plastics industry...Polypropylene is a fantastic material as long as its all virgin and no regrind gets mixed into it. To cut costs many manufacturers will pulverize defective components and remold them again. This can lead to lamination where the tubs can literally be "peeled" apart layer after layer. I cook alot of red sauces for pasta have experienced discoloration with a plastic tub. Before Cascade came out with the red be gone tube...which I cant find anymore...I just lived with a reddish orange tub.
Stainless on the other hand is quite durable and so far have not seen any scratches on either Miele dishwashers that I have. I am sure that in time they may happen.

 

[brisnat81]

Most of what I've seen with Stainless tubs is usually limescale or else a yellowy blue mark that looks like when you've overheated a saucepan. I've only seen the yellowy blue mark at around the 15-20 year old mark. Otherwise the 10 or so Dishwashers that I've had at various stages of my life have always had SS tubs in near perfect condition apart from the occaisional light scratches.

It obviously depends on the quality of the Stainless Steel. The grade that dishwashers were made out of used to be impervious for the life of the machine. The stainless steel that's coming out of China and Korea is highly unlikely to have the same lifespan as the Australian or European made stuff.

Mum still has her almost 30yo Dishlex, with the original Lifetime Guarentee on the Stainless Steel tub. The tub is perfect in all aspects so it should be good for another 20 years.

 

[brisnat81]

The Plastic in the Dishdrawers seems to be different

To the plastic in earlier Plastic Tub dishwashers.

We still have Michaels Mothers Simpson Dishwasher from 1976, which was a Plastic Tubbed Bosch made in West Germany. Its never been used, but the plastic seems to be a much softer more vulnerable type than what you find in a Dishdrawer?

Has Polypropylene been the plastic of choice in American dishwashers over the last 20-30 years, or was there an earlier plastic that was more prone to staining?

 

[launderess]

In theory good stainless steel tubs on washing machines or dishwashers should outlast the lifespan of the unit, but much would depend upon the quality of the metal. Porcelian coated enamel on the otherhand if not done well would rust and break down often while the machine still otherwise had life left. Also dropping a heavy object such as a saucepan on a porcelain tub could cause a ding or chip. If the matter was not attended to, that chip would expose the metal underneath and start to rust. While there are various paints to "touch up" chipped porcelain, there is no way to re-enamel those tubs once they are installed. Suppose one could take the unit apart and send the tub out for such things, but that must cost dear.

IIRC Hoover touted Polypropylene tubs in it's plastic tubbed twin tub units. Words such as "sanitary" were used in adverts lauding the benefits of the material.

One good thing about polypropylene is it is not affected by caustic detergents and or chlorine bleach, both of where were/are heavily used in dishwasher and laundry detergents.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Years ago, like more than a decade, there was a threat from the guvament to ban chlorine bleach in dishwasher detergents. Without the bleach, white plastic tubs discolored badly. Maytag switched their higher end machines to stainless steel tubs, but even before the advent of the tall tubs, they switched back to plastic. Maybe that package of bleach for periodic whitening sold next to the rinse agents was enough of a solution for people using a detergent without bleach and there are still detergents with chlorine bleach to keep plastic tubs white.

Cleanteam: The Whirlpool acquisition of Maytag has had no effect on the Maytag dishwasher plant. The machines are Maytags. The major change was made to the standard tub Maytag. It was replaced by the WP standard tub machine so that it now has a full wash arm UNDER the top rack.