Consumer Reports Mags - Dishwashers?

[El Chupacabra]

Our new-to-us house came with an LG dishwasher. So far, it's been fine: very quiet, large capacity. Takes almost 2 hours to run a complete cycle, but I think that's because the drying cycle is air-driven; there's no heater element visible in the bottom.

I hope it holds up OK. LG has a marginal reputation for kitchen appliances, but apparently makes decent TVs and washers/dryers.

[4matic]

My 20 y/o Kitchen-Aid still works like a champ but I doubt it's the same build quality these days.

[XXX-er]

Have to space plates out to get them clean.

what I do instead is alternate a large dinner plate with the small saucers cuz in general how you load a DW can have an affect on how well it cleans, also having the water hot enough and I find the little casade or electrosol pucks work > cheap dw soap powder

The house came with a kitchen-aid with SS tub and it works OK, the last place I lived had a high end kenmore that could clean anything

[chatton18]

Dishwashers break more often than any other household appliance. Get one looks decent and is quiet enough for you. I just did a big search and decided to spend less since every brand breaks/has issues after 4-5 years these days. I don't wash my pots/pans in there so nothing really sticks, but if you do that, I suppose you may want to spend more. I ended up with the Whirlpool below and used a 15% off overstock.com coupon i found somewhere.

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden...ml?searchidx=0

[Tippster]

...I find the little casade or electrosol pucks work > cheap dw soap powder

I agree. We use these:

[steelhead]

We like the pucks too. Anyone have experience with them in Asko dishwashers? The instructions suggest using powder. Thanks

[Meadow Skipper]

We've got an Asko and all we use are those Cascade things Tippster mentioned above. They work well, so go ahead.

[steelhead]

Thanks for the reply Meadow Skipper - we will give them a try.

[Captain Awesome]

Looking to replace the original dishwasher in my townhouse, since it kind of sucks. The tines on the racks are broken/breaking, it's quite loud, and it doesn't clean all that well.

Reccs from this thread lean heavily toward Bosch, but they're at least several years old. Is that still good info? My other kitchen appliances are all GE Profile, but I'm not sure if it's important to match them. I will want to match color (white), anyway.

Realistically, how quiet (dB rating) do I need to go for it to be "quiet enough to not know it's running"?

I guess stainless tub is worth it, to avoid the chipped enamel/rusting issues down the road?

[Peruvian]

If you are looking for a high quality dishwasher, I'd recommend hiring a Guatemalan over a Filipino, but of course that's just a generality.

[iceman]

Not a Peruvian?

[frorider]

Stfu will install your Bosch no problemo. Just give him a carfentanil hit as a thank you.

[Danno]

Consumer reports has some ratings that are newer than 2013. Your library probably has it; I can access it online through my library.

[Captain Awesome]

If you are looking for a high quality dishwasher, I'd recommend hiring a Guatemalan over a Filipino, but of course that's just a generality.

Pretty sure they're mostly Salvadoran round these parts, but I'm not sure where that falls on the scale.

[XXX-er]

none of those^^ are gona make america great again

[fatnslow]

In the last 4 years I have had 2 askos and a Bosch fail. My sister in that time has had a Miele and Asko die, we both have rentals. In my opinion just buy a higher end domestic brand with a large stainless tub. Mid range Euros suck ass in my opinion and parts tend to be expensive.

[old goat]

onventional dishwashers
Overall score
85
Add to Compare
KitchenAidKDTM354DSS
Recommended
Price: $860.00
Price & Shop
KitchenAid KDTM354DSS
Type:Conventional dishwashers
This top-rated dishwasher was excellent overall. It aced cleaning, drying plastics, among the hardest to dry, and was relatively quiet. It used 4 gallons of water to do our load, and took 125 minutes. Controls are hidden for a cleaner look, but the cycle status appears on the door front. Other features include stainless-steel interior, soil sensor, adjustable upper rack, delay-start, adjustable tines, and ample flatware slots. Clean the filter manually to prevent odors.
See Ratings
Overall score
85
Add to Compare
KitchenAidKDTM354ESS
Recommended
Price: $850.00
Price & Shop
KitchenAid KDTM354ESS
Type:Conventional dishwashers
We expect this model to perform similarly to the tested KitchenAid KDTM354DSS although it may differ in price and features.
See Ratings
Overall score
85
Add to Compare
KitchenAidKDTM384ESS
Recommended
Price: $1080.00
KitchenAid KDTM384ESS
Type:Conventional dishwashers
We expect this model to perform similarly to the tested KitchenAid KDTM354DSS although it may differ in price and features.
See Ratings
Overall score
85
Add to Compare
KenmoreElite 12793
Recommended
Price: $1250.00
Kenmore Elite 12793
Type:Conventional dishwashers
Besides top-notch cleaning, this Kenmore offers an industry first: a motorized spray arm that, among claims, reverses direction should a utensil fall through the racks, blocking the arm's rotation. The model's other pluses include a stainless-steel interior. Flexibility options include an adjustable upper rack and tines. (Unlike other models we've seen, the rack can be adjusted using only one hand.) Some controls are hidden, and you'll need to clean the filter manually. A normal cycle takes 145 minutes and used about 5 gallons of water in our tests. Caveats: The model was only mediocre at drying plastic items, and there's no time-remaining display.
See Ratings
Overall score
83
Add to Compare
KitchenAidKDTM704ESS
Recommended
Price: $1620.00
Price & Shop
KitchenAid KDTM704ESS
Type:Conventional dishwashers
There's a lot to like about this KitchenAid dishwasher, but drying plastics, among the hardest to dry, was good, not excellent. One attraction is a motorized spray arm that reverses direction should a utensil fall through the racks, blocking the arm's rotation. Other pluses include top-notch washing and efficiency, fairly quiet running, a stainless-steel, lighted interior, self-cleaning, a third rack, and time-remaining display. Flexibility options include ample flatware slots and an adjustable upper rack and tines. Some controls are hidden. A normal cycle takes 110 minutes and used about 4 gallons of water in our tests. A similar model, the KitchenAid KDTM804ESS, has a glass window in the door. See our blog for more details.
See Ratings
Overall score
83
Add to Compare
KitchenAidKDTM804ESS
Recommended
Price: $1800.00
KitchenAid KDTM804ESS
Type:Conventional dishwashers
We expect this model to perform similarly to the tested KitchenAid KDTM704ESS although it may differ in price and features.
See Ratings
Overall score
82
Add to Compare
KenmoreElite 14833
Recommended
Price: $1200.00
Kenmore Elite 14833
Type:Conventional dishwashers
This Kenmore dishwasher has lots of features are fine performance all around—with the exception of mediocre drying. One attraction is a motorized spray arm that reverses direction should a utensil fall through the racks, blocking the arm's rotation. Other pluses include fairly quiet running, a stainless-steel, lighted interior, self-cleaning, and time-remaining display. Flexibility options include ample flatware slots and an adjustable upper rack and tines. Some controls are hidden, and a indicator light shines while a cycle is running. A normal cycle takes 115 minutes and used about 4 gallons of water in our tests. A similar model, the Kenmore Elite 14823, has a glass window in the door. You can see what the window looks like on the KitchenAid KDTM804ESS.
See Ratings
Overall score
82
Add to Compare
KenmoreElite 14823
Recommended
Price: $1500.00
Kenmore Elite 14823
Type:Conventional dishwashers
We expect this model to perform similarly to the tested Kenmore Elite 14833 although it may differ in price and features.
See Ratings
Overall score
81
Add to Compare
BoschAscenta SHX3AR7[5]UC
Best Buy
Price: $630.00
Price & Shop
Bosch Ascenta SHX3AR7[5]UC
Type:Conventional dishwashers
This Bosch conventional dishwasher delivers top performance for a very competitive price. It aced our wash test, which uses a full load of very dirty items, and was very good for drying plastic items. It was also among the quietest models during fill, wash, and drain and was especially energy-efficient. Bosch is also among the more reliable dishwasher brands. For flexibility, it has delayed start, ample flatware slots, an adjustable upper rack, and adjustable tines. All controls are hidden, the interior is a mix of stainless and plastic, and you'll need to clean the filter manually--which you might prefer over the noise of a self-cleaning filter. A normal cycle took 95 minutes and used almost 6 gallons of water in our tests. On the minus side, this model doesn't display remaining cycle time.
See Ratings
Overall score
81
Add to Compare
BoschAscenta SHE3AR7[ ]UC
Best Buy
Price: $540.00
Price & Shop
Bosch Ascenta SHE3AR7[ ]UC
Type:Conventional dishwashers
We expect this model to perform similarly to the tested Bosch Ascenta SHX3AR7[5]UC although it may differ in price and features.
See Ratings
Overall score
81
Add to Compare
KitchenAidKDFE454CSS
Recommended
Price: $1350.00
Price & Shop
KitchenAid KDFE454CSS
Type:Conventional dishwashers
It aced our wash test, which uses a full load of very dirty items, and was among the quietest models during fill, wash, and drain. It was also especially energy- and water-efficient. Pluses include a soil sensor and stainless-steel interior. For flexibility, it has delayed start, ample flatware slots, an adjustable upper rack, and adjustable tines. Controls are on the front door. You'll need to clean the filter manually--which you might prefer over the noise of a self-cleaning filter. A normal cycle took 140 minutes and used about 5 gallons of water in our tests. On the minus side, this model was mediocre for drying plastic items, and there's no time-remaining display.
See Ratings

Consumer Reports

[iceman]

The Bosch I bought after starting this thread over 7 years ago still seems to be going strong as of this morning. Pretty sure that they're mostly built in the US.

[Peruvian]

Not a Peruvian?

Peruvians are much to lazy.

[old goat]

In Cham (I get to call it Cham because a) I've been there, and b) it saves me having to decide whether to pronounce it Shahmonee or Shahmoneex) the dishwashers all seem to be Brits.

[gravitylover]

I've got 5+ years on a simple Kenmore that cost about $400. The only thing about it that really disturbs me is how long the cycle is. It seems that there should be a quick wash option but it doesn't actually use much water, just recycles it.

[ncskier]

In Cham (I get to call it Cham because a) I've been there, and b) it saves me having to decide whether to pronounce it Shahmonee or Shahmoneex) the dishwashers all seem to be Brits.

Reminds me of this.

Original ad:
I need a dishwasher dont care what color so long as it is a good working dishwasher that is cheap. I have a truck and can pick it up if necessary.

From me to ********@*********.org:

Hello! My name Miguel, I am good working dishwasher. I work at Ricardo's Pizza as dishwasher for 5 years- me top dishwasher. Leave your dishes very clean and work for cheap. I have no driving license. You pick up, yes?

Miguel

From John ******* to Me:

haha I want a dishwashing machine not a person who washes dishes. thanks though.

From Me to John *******:

Yes, I wash dishes like machine...even better! You want, yes?

From John ******* to Me:

No! No want!

I want THIS



That is called a DISHWASHER. I don't want a porto rican who washes dishes!

From Me to John *******:

Oh noooo, I no Puerto Rican. Puerto Ricans very bad dishwashers - no work ethic. I Mexican - very good work ethic! You no worry, Miguel wash all dishes on time, with pride!

Is that your dishwash machine? I use sink and soap but can use machine too.

Miguel

From John ******* to Me:

NO dude I want to BUY a machine. i dont know if i can be any clearer. you dont understand me do you?

From Me to John *******:

No worry, I leave dishes clear, clean and sparkle!

Miguel

From John ******* to Me:

dude you obviously have trouble reading english. here. i used a translater.

NO QUIERO CONTRATARLE. QUIERO COMPRAR UNA APLICACIÓN DEL LAVAPLATOS.

you comprende?

From Me to John *******:

que?

From John ******* to Me:

oh for crying out fucking loud dude why did i even bother

fuck this

[Captain Awesome]

Old Goat, thanks for copy/pasting that. I actually decided to bite the bullet and pay for an online CR sub for a month to help make sense of that. (Side note: the new CR site design is aggravating... it was much better before, IMHO)

Best Buy's got a sale on Bosch right now, and the 500 series (which CR scored higher than the 800 series) is around $750, with free delivery and installation.

It's interesting that the KitchenAid dishwashers that seemed to top CR's ratings all have dreadful reviews on the site, but then looking around, it looks like everything's got bad reviews, and the only consensus is that everything used to be better-made and more reliable than it is now. The higher-rated KitchenAid and Kenmore Elite (probably made by Whirlpool) dishwashers are at least a couple hundred more than the Bosch.

The brand reliability section actually lists Bosch as the most reliable (10% serious problems, vs. Kenmore at 14% and KitchenAid at 15%), although they do warn that "Differences of fewer than 5 percentage points aren’t meaningful."

I guess that means that "there's always a chance you'll get a bum unit, but Bosch is slightly less likely to be bad than anything else" and "if 5 CR points aren't worth $400, go ahead and go with the Bosch".

So I think that's what I'll do. I'll report back.

[grabtindy]

I've had a 5 series Bosch for about 2 years now. No complaints. Thing is quiet and gets dishes clean. You do have to clean the filter every few weeks to keep it from getting stinky.

[GeezerSteve]

The higher-rated KitchenAid and Kenmore Elite (probably made by Whirlpool)

Our new (w/ new house) Kenmore Elite is made by KitchenAide. We could have had either (or Bosch, LG, etc.) installed, but the Kenmore Elite happened to be a bit less expensive per Sears' frequent sales business model. I told the local dealer that reliability is my #1 priority and he said KitchenAid and Kenmore-branded KitchenAid are the most reliable and advised against Bosch.