What kitchenaid is this?!

[rapunzel]

"They may then include a "Classic" or Heavy-Norm

In my opinion all major appliances should have the option of allowing consumers to override eco and pre-set functions. I don't like that new products now only come with what manufacturers decide consumers should have. This trend is about dumbing down products to cater to disinterested and 'lazy' consumers, as well as satisfying government standards to cash in on financial incentives. It is no longer about best performance, flexibility and consumer choice.

 

[rapunzel]

"Dirty Little Energy Secret:"

Spot on Sandy! Though, with polticians', businesses and economists' thinking still deeply ensconced in the 'continuous growth economy' as well as the current global economic model we will see more of such wastefulness. In another 20 years there will be nothing to distinguish American, Asian and European appliances anymore. The appliance industry sector already has become an oligopoly; very few global manufacturers who basically share the same product platforms and technologies.

We can already see the difference between the general run of the mill big-box store stuff and those product lines that appeal to the snob value of the moneyed middle class.

 

[chachp]

Did I hear mention of a Bobload?

For having a single wash arm on the bottom and the constant rinse on top this machine holds a lot of dishes. With a load in the lower rack like this I can still get stuff to flip over on the top rack. Not too shabby for a machine that's almost 40 years old.

 

[chachp]

..and the top rack

No flipping on this load though.

 

[chachp]

Here is mine..

I have had only a couple of issues with this machine. I have to say that without this site I wouldn't have been able to resolve them though. Thanks to VaricycleVoice (Todd), Stevet (Steve) and Dishwashercrazy (Mike) I suspect this machine will be running for many years to come.

 

[mitch]

Beautiful Superba

Chach--that is one fine KA--love the stainless panels!!

Sandy--what you said about the modern appliances is dead on! We were walking through Sears recently and I, of course, had to walk through the appliance section to see what was on the floor. I started looking at all the dishwasher models and opening doors, etc. Have you noticed how the entire door and control panel flexes when you pull on them! All of the WP built units seemed to do this--even the stainless fronted KAs selling for major $$. It was sickening how cheap these felt!

To add to that about fridges, we had to replace a modern Amana, freezer on bottom model, due to the SECOND compressor going out in 7 years. Not to mention various other POS parts going out. It was replaced with a Samsung as at the time Samsung was the only one offering a 5 year warranty on the sealed system and compressor. Meanwhile, the old GE in the basement, bought in 1980 from Rich's, was till chugging along--heck the ice maker was still the original.

It is frustrating!

 

[tomturbomatic]

Their dishwashers washed way better.

Actually, it was not until the 15 series that KA dishwashers were highly rated. In their first testing, the Hotpoint rated higher than the KA. KA machines were said to require more dish preparation than some other more highly rated brands. The company's conservatism kept their performance down. KA was late with a detergent dispenser that allowed a pre-rinse to help get rid of some soil and warm up the load and the machine. KA was very late with putting a heating element in the tank for boosting water temperature during wash. This could be seen in the results. KA based their reputation on being manufacturers of institutional machines, but the fact was that in institutional settings, a large dishwasher is filled with water once per meal service and then the water temperature was kept hot by a steam, gas or electric booster and the overflow from the final 180F rinse back into the rinse tank, from there into the wash tank and from there to the pre-wash tank. Even in the undercounter machine like the UM 4, repeated runnings and an external booster for the 180F rinse water kept the machine hot. Nothing kept the home machine hot so it started each cycle cold and even with 160F water, the wash water was usually 120F or below because KA did not have a detergent dispenser that would allow for a pre-rinse to warm up the machine and give some extra washing time. Consumers' Research Bulletin, I think, measured the wash temp of machines around 1960 and the results showed that machines without a pre-rinse had very low wash water temperatures, with the surprising exception of the Westinghouse with the thermal delay in the timer that guaranteed 140F wash water. Most of the dishwashers of the day were OK for fresh, soft soil on dishes, the KAs included, but most were not what could be called great, especially the KA series before the 15. By the time of the 14s, they began to be noticibly smaller than others in the field and had restrictive loading. I'm not saying that the machines before the 15s are not interesting machines and fun to use, but they were not state of the art in performance.

 

[danemodsandy]

Tom:

Thanks for the info.

All my KA experience is with 15-series and later machines, so I did not know this.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Sandy have you ever had the opportunity to listen to a 14 or older run through a cycle? The whooshing sound as the end of the wash arm moves around the tank and across the door is neat.

 

[danemodsandy]

Tom:

Many years ago, in Chattanooga, TN, I heard a 10 washing in a posh house on Missionary Ridge, the ritzy residential part of town.

That was the '70s, and I really only remember thinking, "Goodness, that thing's old and noisy!"

My consciousness has since been raised, LOL.

 

[SQueenJJ]

I wish the government would stay out of my Washer, Dishwasher, Refrigerator and not tell me what kind of lightbulb I have to have. We have plenty of water here in Alabama-- not that we should waste it, but when an appliance no longer serves it's intended purpose, what good is it?

 

[tomturbomatic]

Hear! Hear!

 

[ian_p61]

I can't wait!

I am so excited for my KDs-17!
I know it's not particularly water efficient (but I will wash so well)
What about its energy usage? And noise level?
Thanks
All

 

[ian_p61]

Stainless

Also where should I look for stainless doors for the machine??
Thanks again

 

[combo52]

SS Doors For The New KDS-17

I would imagine that you your be more likely to find them in the US as I am sure the great majority of  the KD-16 and 17 series machines were sold here. the SS panels will work from any 16 or 17 DW. You should note that KA sold both brushed chrome and real SS panels for these DWs, they look pretty similar. The BC panels are slightly yellow where as the SS has a slight blueish cast, you can easily tell with a magnet as the SS will not attract a magnet. The SS panels were more expensive and I would consider better as the BC panels would often get pretty rusty on the back and because of KAs silly venting of the hot steamy drying air under the bottom of the upper door panel the bottom edge of the top panel often rusted through at the edge.

 

Two other options for having a SS front would be finding a trim kit for a KA 15,16, or 17 DW and having flat SS cut to fit or you could have the current steel panels repainted at an auto body shop a really nice silver, you may even want to try this yourself.

 

[ian_p61]

I got it!

Hi all,
After what seemed more than 3 days, I picked it up!
Yay will post pics tonight!
Thanks all

 

[ian_p61]

Pics

Looks clean!!!

 

[ian_p61]

More

Don't worry we do have the kick plate!

 

[ian_p61]

....

Model

 

[ian_p61]

One thing(

Bit worried about the drying part it looks rusty, can I fix it? Can I still run it though a cycle before I do fix it? Before the first cycle what should I do for a prep??