I'm very unsure what to think about it all, to be honest.
Back in Europe, my Mom uses a Bosch, a middle-of-line model that's approximately 10 years old. It uses approx 11L(3gal.) and 1.05kW per cycle. No matter the detergent(Her being a fan of Finish, me being a fan of eco, non-phosphated) or the cycle, even on the 30 min 113F, everything comes out sparkling clean. Mind you though, the dishwasher heats the water from cold, which I believe activates all enzymes correctly. Rinsing twice in cold saves energy; I believe it's the 220V that allows to maximize the potency of the heater, rather than running it for a couple of hours. Also, I believe the filters are cleaned once a year, when son comes over for Christmas.
Aunt on the other hand, with her Whirlpool that guzzles 25L(6.6gal.) and over 2kW per cycle, finds herself heavily pre-rinsing each article, as a) filters and spray arms clog b) the machine is incapable of removing even easy particles such as rice c) only Cascade equivalent works, as anything else wouldn't remove tea and coffee stains. Noticeably, her plastics, once translucent, come in a variety of colors. One would think it's the temperature issue, but water is heated piping hot each wash, and scalding to the touch.
I personally used a Miele G7856, which was absolutely the most fantastic piece of machinery in my opinion. Quite powerful, would flip over any lighter piece (say, a glass)in the bottom rack on heavier cycles. Completely and entirely customizable, say wash time, temperature and temp hold for each cycle, each wash and each rinse, water level, number of rinses, number of pre-washes, you name it. Normal cycle, 25 minutes, provided sparkling results no matter how clumsy with cooking one's partner might be. Shortest, 6min cycle was perfect for everyday, non-burned/stuck-on soils. Variable pump speed allowed the gentlest wash for china and crystals. However, on the heavy cycle would only use 0.6kW(with both hot and cold water connected) or 1.5kW(cold fill only). Mind you, said cycle would, by default, heat main wash to 70C(160F). Short cycle respectively, 0.3kW and 0.7kW. Only detergent used was simple potassium hydroxide, cheap and effective. Unfortunately, the machine was left at someone's apartment, who seems rather reluctant to ship it here, as had been promised. On the other hand, where would one find an apartment in NYC with an adequate power supply? (3N AC 400V, 3x16A). It seems possible to connect it to a 220V supply, but that could still be an issue, and probably decrease time and energy efficiency.
All this, however, doesn't seem to apply to the US market. My first dishwasher, GE Potscrubber, was the most ironic appliance I have ever seen. Couldn't wash anything unless pre-soaked, no matter the cycle/detergent, and kept leaving bits and pieces of semi-ground food. It might be an issue with lack of filters and phosphates; however at 10.5gal. and God only knows how much electricity, one would expect a better performer. Electrolux ICON, in a fancy Wall St. apartment, was rather less fancy than the design. Absolutely nothing, not even glasses, would get cleaned in the top rack. Moreover, dishes would be left with sticky, grainy residue covering half of them, with visible spray patterns. And now, with a portable Maytag Jetclean, all the wares are finally clean. A little finicky about the detergent and stuck-on foods, but majority of the time everything emerges clean. However, I'm pretty sure the efficiency is way, way below European models.
Could anyone explain why is it so hard to make a working piece of equipment since it does seem possible? I'm positive the trend of installing a 220V line to the dishwasher would be accepted - after all, plenty of Bosch washers, electric ovens and ranges, water heaters and other devices are happily making ConEd, or whatever the devil's name is happy, and customers accepted the need of power for certain abilities and privileges. Why don't we leave the 110 dishwashing equipment to the less-fortunate Children of Manhattan, and have at least a couple of 220V models available. Assuming it's the power supply causing all drama; if not, then I'm puzzled.
