NFT: New Dishwasher opinion needed

[foxman]

This year we are planning on replacing our dishwasher for our Christmas gift to one another. We think we want one that is Stainless on the inside and white on the outside. Since this is a joint gift for each other I am not as restricted budget wise as I would normaly be but lets keep it under a grand for sure. The one I have had my eye on is the Bosch found HERE but I am pretty open minded since I am pretty ignorant to what to look for in a dishwasher. Sears seems to be just one of many places that sells the Bosch and the primary reason for considering Sears is because a business aquaintance of mine is in Sears contract sales and if I can help him by purchasing through him then I will, otherwise I am all ears.

[Stewie]

I just went from a KitchenAid ('86 model and noisy) to a Kenmore (quiet). I get hella-clean dishes now. I rely heavily on Consumer Reports when I make appliance decisions. The Bosch is their highest rated machine and I almost bought one. I ended up with the Kenmore (it was rated 3rd, I believe) because they had a heck of a sale that included free installation. I didn't think much about the installation part, BUT I went from a standard dishwasher to a "tall tub." The professional installer took 3-1/2 hours to install the thing because the water line wouldn't accommodate the low profile of the tall tub. The ceiling below the kitchen is dry wall, so he had to get creative. I'm sure I'd have been throwing tools if I tried to do it myself. You may want to check out your setup now if you're thinking of installing the DW yourself.

[kepp]

We have a generic GE model that came with our house. I unplugged it and cut off the water supply and we now just use it to dry the dishes we wash by hand (not as bad as it sounds - just me, my wife and our 3 year old). Needless to say, don't get one. You get what you pay for. Also, FWIW, my mom has a Kitchen Aid and I think she's been pleased with it...and she's pretty hard on appliances.

[foxman]

Originally Posted by Stewie

I didn't think much about the installation part, BUT I went from a standard dishwasher to a "tall tub." The professional installer took 3-1/2 hours to install the thing because the water line wouldn't accommodate the low profile of the tall tub. The ceiling below the kitchen is dry wall, so he had to get creative. I'm sure I'd have been throwing tools if I tried to do it myself. You may want to check out your setup now if you're thinking of installing the DW yourself.

Excellent point, I havent thought about the water lines not matching up.

After making this post I went online and looked at several differant ones and it is amazing how many differant nuances there is to these things. One brand that no one has mentioned here is Miele. Someone recomended them. The appear to be pretty high end and might be out of my league but they have a nice websight found
HERE

Anyway, thanks for all the input, it seams Bosch & Kitchen Aid customers are pretty happy overall.

[TinyEvel]

I think you can't go wrong withthat Bosch. That's the one we have and you have to put your ear on the door to tell if it's running.
We put the Fisher Paykal dish drawer in our old house when we remodeled the kitchen. $1300 dishwasher and I didn't like it. It developed draining problems, and the dishes never got dry. You had to towel them off if you unloaded the thing right after it ran.

[Scanfan55]

Originally Posted by Phobia

Don't skimp. You'll be happy you spent more on a higher end model. They do a better job of cleaning your dishes and they're much quieter. We dropped $1100 on a dishwasher that you can hardly tell it's running and our dishes are spotless.

I don't have any specific advice as to model. Ours is a Kenmore Elite - got it at the Sears Outlet down by the casinos.

I totally disagree with Phobia, respectfully of course. I have a friend in the biz and he says that the newer models aren't worth the money. The electronic panels that run them fry very easily. And, they run quieter, but that is because the cleaning mechanism is different than the older models; as a result they don't do a better job. By a cheaper model and turn the hot water on so that the water is hot going into the tub; your dishes will be spotless.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Scanfan55

I totally disagree with Phobia, respectfully of course. I have a friend in the biz and he says that the newer models aren't worth the money. The electronic panels that run them fry very easily. And, they run quieter, but that is because the cleaning mechanism is different than the older models; as a result they don't do a better job. By a cheaper model and turn the hot water on so that the water is hot going into the tub; your dishes will be spotless.

Does the hot water thing really work?


We bought a Kenmore, not the cheapest but not the most expensive, and it's really quiet, but I did notice some spots on our glasses last night, which bothered me. We've only used it three or four times, though, so I don't know if that's a problem or just a one-time thing.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Does the hot water thing really work?


We bought a Kenmore, not the cheapest but not the most expensive, and it's really quiet, but I did notice some spots on our glasses last night, which bothered me. We've only used it three or four times, though, so I don't know if that's a problem or just a one-time thing.

Read your owner's manual. Most that I've read strongly recommend that you run the hot water before turning the dishwasher on.

Oh, and fill up the Jet Dry dispenser thing.

[007]

Originally Posted by Simplex3

About 6 weeks ago we bought the Bosch that's a step down from the one you linked and have been freaking thrilled to death with it. The finest appliance of any kind I've ever owned.

The best part is that there isn't that reeruned heating coil on the bottom so you can actually put plastic crap on the bottom rack and it won't melt.

Add to that the fact that it uses next to no soap, damn near no water, far less electricity, and it's whisper quiet, for $450 I feel like I stole the thing. The one downside is they don't have a garbage disposal built in, so if you're in the habit of putting whole frozen pizzas in the thing you'll have to clean out the little trap in the bottom. In 6 weeks I haven't found a speck of food in there, though.

Damnit, my dishwasher looks like it died today too. Damn thing won't drain and there is nothing clogging it up. It is an old GE from 1999.

I can't find any Bosch models that are at the $450 price range you found though.

I'll GIVE you a functioning dishwasher if you come pick it up, Guru. It's a white GE and it's nothing special but it works. I pulled it out of one of our kitchens because we're switching to stainless.

Have a white stove, too.

[007]

Originally Posted by Phobia

I'll GIVE you a functioning dishwasher if you come pick it up, Guru. It's a white GE and it's nothing special but it works. I pulled it out of one of our kitchens because we're switching to stainless.

Have a white stove, too.

I am interested. How old is it? Brand? EDIT Duh GE.

Oh, and where do you live?

[greg63]

I have two dishwashers. Brand names: Kenny and Gregory.

South KC. I have no idea how old it is. It's nothing special - base model when it was installed, I'm sure. But the price is right.

[007]

Originally Posted by Phobia

South KC. I have no idea how old it is. It's nothing special - base model when it was installed, I'm sure. But the price is right.

I will let you know. Need to decide if I want to just go ahead and upgrade or not. A free fix sure sounds good though.

Especially around the Holidays. Once again, I know for a fact it works just fine. Who knows how long it has. It might have a year - it might have 5.

[Simplex3]

Originally Posted by Guru

Damnit, my dishwasher looks like it died today too. Damn thing won't drain and there is nothing clogging it up. It is an old GE from 1999.

I can't find any Bosch models that are at the $450 price range you found though.

We bought it at Nebraska Furniture Mart. I'm not sure what the model number is, it was the least expensive Bosch they had. They don't give prices on the web site, but I THINK this is it:

http://www.nebraskafurnituremart.com...uctID=23720758

Ours has the white front to go with all the rest of our kitchen appliances.