Which dishwasher is better? Kds-20 or Kds- 21

[volsboy1]

I have two Kitchenaid Superba dishwashers both are in mint shape.I have finally got my place almost done after a having to

rip out everything that was in there.I got a 1984 Kitchenaid Superba that is in wonderful shape was used about twice a year

and I scored that time-capsule Kds-20 Superba two weeks ago that was tesetd and thats it still has the stickers inside the dishwasher .   I have never used any Kitchenaid other than the Kds-21 or newer

so I was wondering which cleans better?The one thing I don't care for on the Kds-21 is they had that killer disposer in it but

nothing can really get to it.The pumps are very different in them does one have more power?I am not talking about motor wise

because they have the same motor in them but the older one seems alot simpler than the 21.I was just wondering  what would

yall do if you was me?

 

[stevet]

I think I will sit out this vote, Wes

I am interested in what the members will have to say here. This is not 17 vs. 18 vs. 21 vs Powerclean module discussion.

Just a battle of two of the best they ever made. Yes they both have their shortcomings, but we accept them if you use these machines as we all must do on any machine we decide to use whether a washer, dryer or dishwasher.

 

I am really willing to bet that the major discussion will center on the single rinse in the 21 vs the double rinses in the 20.

Both will give you very clean dishes if you understand what they are designed to do.

 

I really don't know what you expect to throw into the 21's disposer but it does have the means to pick up much of the food debris and grind it small enough to get pumped into the soil chamber and then washed down the drain. If you notice, it still had a coarse filter which was there to make sure really large items did not get sucked into the grinder and cause damage or jam up the motor which can and did happen on occasion.

 

This is no substitute for the disposer in your sink but it certainly is a far cry from what whirlpool claims is a disposer in the tall tub machines. I laugh at Maytag's bragging of their 4 bladed soft food disposer which was the same as the improved KA blade which followed on the heels of their 2 bladed design.

I invite anyone who wants to see just what a joke it really is by disassembling one of them one day and see that the blade doesn't touch the sizing screen at all so food can go past the blade and not be worked on very much and if something should be too much for it to handle, the chopper blade(which is not sharp at all) is absolutely designed to slip if it encounters something it cannot handle.

 

I am not criticizing the design as it is not a flaw but a safety measure to protect the chopper and pump but simply to compare it to what your 21 has inside of it.Actually, there is no comparison at all.

 

If you haven't gotten a look at the Inside Story from Whirlpool, let me know and I will email you a copy. It will showcase the features of all the KA designs from the KD10 thru the 21 with the pump specs.

 

 

 

[combo52]

Which KA DW is Better

The 20 has a better cycle design [ two final rinses ] the 21 has a much more robust and durable pump design, and the winner is a porclean tub [ 1984-1990 ] Whirlpool Power Clean Dishwasher, if you are really looking for the best cleaning most durable and easy to service and repair DW ever made, you wont find a better design than a WP PC DW.

I was talking to an engineer at SQ the other week and suggested that they need to start building DWs, I suggested they buy the PC pump design from WP and build a rugged SS tub DW to put it in, unfortunately he did not seem too interested in building DWs but I do appreciate that they are concentrating on laundry products, look what happened to Maytag when they started branching out.

 

[rp2813]

Well, since we're talking about machines in your possession and a Whirlpool PC isn't among them, let's rule out that whole scenario right now.

 

I'd go with the 20 for its double rinsing and 100% Hobartness.  I don't think decibel levels are that much different between the 20 and the 21, but you do get the added snapping sound on the 20.  Neither are "whisper quiet" nor do they scrub quietly or anything else.  It's just part of owning a KA, and there are machines of the same vintage from other makers that make a lot more noise.

 

If you're wanting the machine to blend into a more modern kitchen and if the 21 is a Monterey, that panel wins out.

 

 

 

[volsboy1]

I really lucked out on these dishwashers they are in perfect shape.That goes double for the KDS-20 which was tested for one cycle

before they ripped it out with the matching trash compactor in there guest house.

You are right when it comes to Whirlpool power-clean that is one of my favorites,but I have always loved the style of the Kitchenaid.

Does the Kds-20 heat the water to 150F or a 140F when it first starts?I know that from what I have read the Kds-21 heats to 140F

at least that's what I gathered from the papers I have read.There are some other things that I have read in the Kds-20 papers is certain cycles

it says fill with 7 quarts and then I see it says 9 quarts on other cycles.

The Kds-21 also talks about its motor being reversible but the Kds-20 does not say anything about reversing at all.

Everybody in here loves the older ones it seems... I guess I will try them out and see which cleans better I also have that new

Smeg dishwasher which is a fantastic cleaning energy saving dishwasher..The only dishwasher that can clean tall narrow glasses totally..

 

What is the added Snapping sound ????? Also what is <a name="start_52864.752015">Monterey mean ?? </a>

 

[barcoboy]

The snapping sound and the motor reversing go hand in hand... sort of.

The 20's motor runs one way only, so to drain the dishwasher, a solenoid valve snaps open and sends the water out the drain pipe.

The 21 motor is reversible. It runs one way to pump water through the wash arms, and then stops and reverses to pump water out the drain. So there is no need for a drain valve solenoid to direct the water to the drain, thus no snapping sound.