Can you recommend a dishwasher?

[SnuggleBuggles]

We may be replacing our dishwasher soon and my SIL also needs a new one. Any recommendations or ones to avoid? My current one is a basic Kenmore and I've never been fond of it though I am usually ok with Kenmore.

Beth

[DebbieJ]

loved loved loved loved loved loved my Bosch! Hated to leave it behind when we moved. :(

[SnuggleBuggles]

That was the brand I thought was highly recommended.

Beth

[niccig]

That was the brand I thought was highly recommended.

Beth

A friend told me when research for her new kitchen, everyone agreed on bosch dishwasher.

[hbridge]

We HATE our Bosch and have had NOTHING BUT TROUBLE with it! They have replaced the main control board four times in five years. Not to mention the recall that was preceded by a letter saying "do not use your dishwasher until the repair has been completed", but it was to be at least three weeks before the service could be done.

Actually we are shopping for a new one now after paying $200 to have it repaired the last time. Even though everyone is telling us to buy another Bosch, I can't do it. Even if ours is a "lemon", it shouldn't have happened.

We have discussed a Miele, but are still not sure on the diswasher...

[MommyAllison]

Love our Kitchenaid! We decided on it rather than Bosch because I was concerned about the lack of grinder in the Bosch models (I'm not so great about rinsing dishes clean before loading the dishwasher...).

ETA: I don't remember our model number, but I'm guessing the models change every year. We got it at Lowes, and it has a stainless tub.

[vludmilla]

Not to hijack the thread but it might be helpful if people note the model that they have, not just the brand. :)

[turtledove]

We hate our GE Profile.

[zag95]

We have a middle of the road Kitchen Aid we got from Sears. Ours has performed pretty well- it's quiet, stainless steel tub, etc. We also looked at the Bosch, but I didn't like how small the rack was- it just seemed small.

[niccig]

We have a higher end Kenmore Elite. It's 6 years old and was repaired twice last year - one was due to power shortage, it melted something in the control panel. Fixing it was just under amount where it's better to replace. Then 5 months later a fuse goes in the door and it won't work. That was an easy fix, and I watched what he did so next time DH can do it. Repairman says fuses often go. I'm hoping to not see him again anytime soon.

Other than that, I do like it. It is quiet, you don't need to rinse dishes off and you can raise/lower the top rack to fit things in. It was more $$ than other models as DH insisted on highest amount of noise dampening. I run it when we go to bed and DH complains if he can hear the dishwasher.

[Indianamom2]

I'm still in the market (whenever all of life's little extra emergencies settle down!) but in all the researching I did, it seemed that KitchenAid and Bosch were the top two. I'm fairly sure that I'll be buying one or the other.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Thanks! I didn't know KitchenAid made dishwashers. I do love my KitchenAid mixer. I appreciate the answers!

Beth

[Reina]

Thanks! I didn't know KitchenAid made dishwashers. I do love my KitchenAid mixer. I appreciate the answers!

Beth

I just learned that Kitchen Aid does not make any large appliances. Apparently, KitchenAid designs the outer shell and hands the rest over to Whirlpool. Then Whirlpool makes the dishwasher and outfits it for KitchenAid.
Whirlpool company makes appliances for and/or owns wholly or in part: Admiral, Amana, Gladiator, Jenn-Air, Kenmore (some - other manufacturers also make Kenmore), KitchenAid, Magic Chef, and Maytag. Whirlpool also makes all appliances for Ikea.

I like our bosch a lot. Most Bosch is made by BSH which also manufactures appliances for Gaggenau, Siemens, and Thermador.
In the marketing world, nothing is what it seems :)
I am a market researcher. Recently I read an appliance report in the JMR (journal of marketing research.) That's where I got this information. If you would like more info, I'd be more than happy to share.

My personal recommendation (independent of all research, just based on experience) for a dishwasher would be Bosch. After our dishwasher broke, we did dishes by hand for a while. Then all fed up with the situation, without doing any research or price checking, one morning we rolled out of bed, walked into the closest appliance store and bought a Bosch Evolution. (in 2007). Thankfully it works amazing = clean dishes. In our other place we have a Maytag which came with the condo and it works fine. But I like how the Bosch cleans a lot better. Which may have a lot to do with the different water sources, and age of appliance. But I digress.

ETA: I am not knocking down Whirlpool or KitchenAid. Just listing facts.

[brittone2]

I'm in the middle of hunting around and it is really frustrating. We had a low end Bosch about 7 years ago that we loved (MIL bought the same model in stainless and loved it as well). We bought from a small local appliance company and they actually encouraged us to go with the lower end as we really didn't need the bells and whistles, and he said the cleaning power was the same as their higher end models.

Some Boschs are now made in the US. Rumor seems to be the lower end Bosch models have declined in quality (or they are offering a "cheaper" low end product that is not the same as their lowest end product was at one time) Apparently now some of the lower end models no longer have an all stainless tub inside, they have stainless bonded to plastic. THe lower end Bosch dws do not seem to be the same quality they were a few years ago from what I've been reading. I loved our old one but won't buy the lowest end...but I would consider the 500 or 800 series.

KA seems to get good reviews but apparently they are a rebranded Whirlpool product now. Longer warranty than WP I believe. Doors are heavy and apparently lots of problems with the springs as a result. The KAs from years ago were made by Hobart and they were apparently awesome (not uncommon for them to last 15-20 years). Apparently they are still decent but not like when Hobart made them.

We are also considering a Miele (terrible reviews in CR, but the gardenweb appliance folks explain some of the issues with CR testing over there). The lower end Miele isn't much more $$ than the better Bosch DWs at our local appliance place.

Asko had some quality issues but is changing manufacturers. They want to go back to being a higher quality product. When we were looking in December, they were upping their warranty to 5 years.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-28/slovenia-s-gorenje-acquires-swedish-rival-asko-to-increase-market-share.html . When we were there in Dec. the 5 year thing was running til the end of the year (2010)-not sure if they are still offering it and extending the 5 year warranty to the Askos purchased new.

All that said, I still have no idea what we're buying. Probably a mid to higher level Bosch or Miele, maybe an Asko.

Our one local place has Asko, Bosch, Miele, and Kitchenaid. They do not service their own appliances. We have another great local place that carries more like Whirlpool, KA, etc. and they double the manufacturer's warranty to two years, and service their own products.

[kijip]

Watching this thread. I am getting ready to upgrade ours because the one that came with the house is about the lowest end they could get and I hate it. We have repaired it ourselves several times now. Thinking about ones with drawers vs. a hinge door because small fry seem to live to break the hinges. Does anyone have a drawer model they recommend?

[katydid1971]

I got my Bosch 3.5 years ago to replace the crummy builder model that was in the house when we bought it. I got it because MIL had one that was so great and I loved it. About a year ago MIL's dishwasher broke (it was pretty old) and she went to get another Bosch but the store was out of them and talked her into a KitchenAid. She hates it. It does not clean as well as her Bosch and regrets it everyday when she uses it. She complains about it all the time and always says how much she misses her Bosch when she is visiting and uses our DW. I LOVE our Bosch and would buy it again in a heartbeat. I don't know the model but its has the controls on the outside which is a cheaper version but it does have the stainless interior.

[maylips]

We just moved into a new house that has the dishwasher drawers - a feature I thought I would just love and was very excited about, but they are just not practical for loading everyday dishes. So go the old-fashioned design route, whatever you choose!

[egoldber]

I just learned that Kitchen Aid does not make any large appliances. Apparently, KitchenAid designs the outer shell and hands the rest over to Whirlpool. Then Whirlpool makes the dishwasher and outfits it for KitchenAid.
Whirlpool company makes appliances for and/or owns wholly or in part: Admiral, Amana, Gladiator, Jenn-Air, Kenmore (some - other manufacturers also make Kenmore), KitchenAid, Magic Chef, and Maytag. Whirlpool also makes all appliances for Ikea.

Yes, there are actually only a handful of major appliance manufacturers, despite the plethora of brands. Almost all are re-brands from an OEM manufacturer.

Kenmore/Sears appliances are all rebrands from various manufacturers.

We have a new-ish Asko dishwasher that we love. We bought it recently to replace the former Asko that we had.

It's Asko D5223.

[SnuggleBuggles]

You guys rock! This has been so helpful!!

Beth