topic Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy? in Kitchen

Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

Fressa — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 17:11:19 GMT

My Maytag dishwasher broke after 17 years of use. Now my head is spinning with what's out there, prices, sparse warranties and mixed reviews. I'm hoping some of you have recently purchased a dishwasher in the last few years to guide me thru this maze. I have been limping along with all of my appliances trying to get two more years of life out of them before replacing them. The stove is on shaky ground but the dishwasher was our surprise this month. I have these wood panels that fit over the door so I want to use them on whatever built in that I buy. That limits my choices but makes it a bit tricky with the door installation. If I don't use the door panels then I prefer white appliances over black because I've got the white counter tops but then I have a black face on the stove. I think that looks awful. It's a mess..... I've come to the conclusion that buying an appliance is worse than buying a car. I just need a dishwasher with the basics but that really does do a good job of cleaning the dishes. I'm a big fan of Consumer Reports and have checked out what they recommend on line. Again the reviews are mixed and most of them are more than what I want to spend for a one year warranty. I'm hoping that you can help me with what you purchased and where and how it has performed for your needs. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for taking your time in answering my question.

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

terrier3 — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 17:12:39 GMT

I have a Bosch with a stainless interior.

Not top of the line, but quiet and effective.

It cost about $500-$600 five years ago.

It is Energy Star rated too.

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

dsky — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 17:25:31 GMT

I went through the same thing a couple of years ago, our 20 year old dishwasher broke and I was searching for what would be the best model, then my husband just went to Home Depot and bought the Adora, stainless steel one and I love it. I think it was around $750 or so. It is so quiet you don't even know it is running.

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

suzyQ3 — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 18:06:01 GMT

We had bought a Bosch because it was touted to be very quiet, and our kitchen is open to our family room. We hated it. We had problems with the control panel. And then just very soon after our warranty expired, it started making a sound that indicated a major problem.

We dumped it and bought a Kenmore Elite (top of the line) last year and never looked back -- rated very highly by CR, btw. Talk about quiet. Now we have that plus a well-functioning, well-designed appliance.

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

Abrowneyegirl — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 19:24:29 GMT

You sound over-whelmed. Relax. After some recent life experience with new appliances we have found that we spend more time researching than owning. The reality is no matter what you buy or what you spend it is not going to last like years ago.

We spent lots of time reading CR and other reviews before spending thousands on new HE washer and dryers- top of the line CR top recommendation. We have spent over a thousand $ on repairs in the last 5 years. Next problem and they will be out the door. The service tech tell me the only reason we have not had more problems is that we hardly use them. !!!! it is just DH and I and most of our clothes are dry cleaned.

My BFF is holding the current record of an 8 year old dishwasher. She was recently told after her service call do not bother spending the $$ to repair again, it is at the end of its life expectancy!!!. another top of the appliance and they love it, but it is dying quickly.

Buy what fits your needs and budget, this is NOT a long term commitment.

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

fthunt — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 20:33:14 GMT

Maytag - NO - it's not the same company your Mother/Grandmother had. (but 17 years is impressive - mine lasted only a couple of years)

Whirlpool - YES It has more selections than you'll ever need - I use NORMAL setting and this machine has been trouble-free for ten years at least. New Whirlpool washer has been excellent too - and my appliance store owner suggested I replace with Whirlpool products.

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

GCR18 — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 20:44:46 GMT

There have been a number of similar threads since Christmas. May be worth doing a search and reading them. I have a bottom of the line Amana dishwasher. Other than being noisier than I would like, it gets everything clean. I don't prewash anything, just stick it in.

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

Havarti — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 20:52:29 GMT

I also have a Bosch with a stainless interior. Mine is also not top of the line, but quiet and effective. The thing that bothers me the most and that I did not know when I purchased it is that it does not have a heated dry cycle. It is probably all in my head but I just think the dishes are cleaner if they have that heated cycle at the end. I would not buy this dishwasher again, even though Bosch is considered to be an excellent brand. I would likely buy Kenmore or Whirlpool - without all the fancy extras. I figure the more stuff they have the more can go wrong. Simple and easy is the way I prefer.

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

suzyQ3 — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 22:03:13 GMT

On 3/9/2014 Havarti said:
I also have a Bosch with a stainless interior. Mine is also not top of the line, but quiet and effective. The thing that bothers me the most and that I did not know when I purchased it is that it does not have a heated dry cycle. It is probably all in my head but I just think the dishes are cleaner if they have that heated cycle at the end. I would not buy this dishwasher again, even though Bosch is considered to be an excellent brand. I would likely buy Kenmore or Whirlpool - without all the fancy extras. I figure the more stuff they have the more can go wrong. Simple and easy is the way I prefer.

Havarti, as much our Bosch was a bust for us, I actually liked the way it dried the dishes without a heater. It uses what they call "condensation drying."

If I happen to have opened the dishwasher right at the end of the cycle, wow, there was most definitely heat coming from it and the dishes were dry.

Plastic containers were sometimes not very dry, but that happens sometimes happens with dryers that have conventional heating. And since there was no heating element, I loved being able to put plastic on the bottom rack if I needed to.

But still, we had too much trouble with it. Our Kenmore is such a pleasure after that experience. Yes, it was rate highly by CR, and I know that doesn't necessarily translate into our ending up happy, but in this case, it most definitely did.

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

forrestwolf — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 22:40:37 GMT

I bought my house 8 years ago, and it was only 5 years old then, and I bought LG front load washer/dryer.......not one moment of prolems, and I had to have new TV"s.......again, LG, which is made by Zenith, that I grew up with, and never a blink from the TV, only the satellite.........Then, last January, 2013, finally decided to upgrade my kitchen appliances to at least what I owned previously, and even made a higher upgrade, and did not hesitate with LG.........I never hear the dishwasher, except for the final drain, and it also uses the condensation heat to dry, but has several options in cycles, and a sanitizer mode for extra hot water and better drying, and you can configure the racks to best fit what you need for each load, and the top rack will lower, to make the top rack taller, and you can even put your smart phone on the symbol on the side of the door, and the problem, if any arise, will be analyzed and display on your smart phone.......Of no value to me, I still use my old flip phone.......... I am enjoying my stove with double oven that is convection and infared broiler......and my above the stove microwave with hood/turbo hood, that can be extended to directly cover the front eyes on my stove.........I do not regret any of my LG choices at this time, and some, as stated are 8 years old, and I feel I am ahead of the game with some of the issues that many have stated at times on here.........

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

Tigriss — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 22:52:48 GMT

Today's appliances are not made to last past 5 years, so know that going into it. My sister just replaced her faulty Samsung washer and dishwasher with Lowe's taking on the bill. She got a GE old school washer instead of another front loader or the one with the impaler. She got a Bosh dishwasher with the filter and stainless steel interior. It is quite and works well thus far. Good luck! The fancier the item the more costly it will be to replace/fix.

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

Another new name Sue — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 23:10:39 GMT

Go to the library and look at the Consumer Reports review of dishwashers. You may not be able to find the exact machines they review, but at least the articles can give you some ideas of what you want, what you don't care about, what brand seems to have good ratings, and prices. It's worth the time to do.

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

Fressa — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 16:42:24 GMT

THANK YOU !!

Everyone offered such good advice and specifics that had escaped my thinking. Needless to say that I am feeling a bit overwhelmed and have sticker shock. Normal for appliance or car purchase but still a shock. I so appreciate all of you taking the time to reply and offering your experiences or suggestions. It is greatly appreciated!

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

luvsbulldogs — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 17:01:19 GMT

We built our house 9 years ago and so all of our appliances were new. Within the first year all of the appliances including the washer and dryer broke down. The worst was the GE dishwasher. After 4 years and 12 service calls we heard that they were called back due to fire so we trashed it and bought a Kitchen Aid to which we have had no problems with. But others are correct in saying that they appliances of today are not what you had and do not expect them to last as long. Our repairman, whom we are on a first name basis with, told us that they are no longer made to last. We had a side by side refrigerator and it lasted 7 years. The life expectancy for them is 7 to 9 years. Pretty bad considering what the price of appliances are these days. To date we have replaced every appliance except the washer and dryer which we are expecting to not last much longer. Good luck with what you purchase.

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

Poodlepet2 — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 17:18:07 GMT

We used Consumer Reports to purchase all new appliances for our kitchen-Bosch everything-dishwasher, range/oven, side by side fridge....well, on the fridge-and I don't know why Assurant just did not replace it-it was under warranty-but every circuit board had to be replaced. We had to have a loaner for almost 3 months. I'm on a first name basis with our repair man. The stove has been ok....the dishwasher? Every plastic piece has broken. I just spent 200 bucks on a new lower rack but there is some good news there: it holds more dishes.

Others mentioned that the Bosch does not have a heated dry cycle-and for me, that is a problem. I feel I have to empty it as soon as it's finished because that's a moist, dark environment and if food does not totally go down the macerator, it's a perfect environment for bacterial growth.

I wish I could give you advice on how to choose, but I found Consumer Reports was useless. We will have to replace our washer and dryer this upcoming year, and I don't know how we are going to decide....

Poodlepet

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

Sameolmollysmama — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 17:34:28 GMT

Deepa, we just went thru this several months ago! First off, buy stainless. We fell for the plastic spiel, and the dishes don't dry all the way!!! Second, my control buttons are on the top edge of my dishwasher now - SO STUPID. I can't see where in the cycle the dishwasher is in!! I can't even tell if it's finished!! We also went by Comsumer Reports. This is the Kenmore Elite. I hate this thing so much, we called Sears back our here. The service guy admitted that he doesn't even know which brand he'd buy now (he said they're all made by just a few companies), and he's worked for Sears since 1976. His only helpful tip was make sure your water temp is set to 140 degrees, and use powder, not the premeasured soap pods. Good luck!

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

Scooby Doo — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 17:40:12 GMT

I bought a KitchenAid on the advice of the Sears salesman. He said it was better than any Kenmore. It has more water sprayers and the important one on the back bottom. The racks are adjustable and large items fit very well on the bottom rack.

My DD bought a Bosch and hated it. The bottom rack doesn't hold tall items, and it doesn't dry the dishes.

When you look at the different models, check out the depth of the racks and make sure your dishes will fit. Some are deeper than others. Also, pay attention to the noise levels posted on each model.

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

kitty60 — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 18:07:05 GMT

When I am purchasing a DW I go for how it will load. You must remember Whirlpool makes Kitchen Aid, Maytag, JennAir, Amana, Roper and who knows what else. My original KA from the late 60's lasted probably 10 years in our house and more in someone we gave it to when we remodeled in late 70's. After that I have had Bosch, Kenmore, and others, I never seem to get more than 5 years out of one. I now buy the cheapest model that I like the loading of. Repair people say they are not made to last.

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

minwife — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 18:10:53 GMT

I really like Whirlpool dishwashers ~ mainly because the utensil basket is on the door instead of taking up space within the dishwasher. We got our current Whirlpool from Lowe's - cost around $400. Very quiet & efficient.

Re: Please help-----which dishwasher do I buy?

RocketMom — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 18:42:43 GMT

Love my Bosch that I got last year. Not having a heated dry cycle is not an issue and I don't have to worry about plastic containers melting. There are a number of web forums out there that discuss various appliances. I try to read several and look for common complaints about a particular brand. I know that some swear by CR, but after purchasing 3 different large and small appliances based on CR ratings and all three being junk, I cancelled my subscription (no easy task) and don't bother reading their reviews. Good luck, but I will say what several have already said...appliances are no longer built to last, they are meant to be disposable.