OT - Dishwasher shopping

I haven't bought a dishwasher recently, but do have something that might work for those that "require" a rinse aid -- Try plain old white vinegar.

Julia > Has anyone here recently purchased a new dishwasher? Ours has just

Mine's a bisque Maytag. It has every bell and whistle including OnStar and the ability to play Brahms Lullaby. I only wanted quiet. It is. Polly

"Julia in MN" I haven't bought a dishwasher recently, but do have something that might

Mine is a GE Profile, Quiet Power, and works beautifully! It is standard size, comes in a variety of colors to match your kitchen, and was mid-range on pricing. The plumber who installed it told me it was the most reliable dishwasher brand and model he has ever worked with. It is so quiet that I have to look at the little power light or feel the front to be sure that is is really on, and I can actually use it while there are guests in the house hanging out in the kitchen. I am VERY happy with this dishwasher!

Find one that has the gunk trap that you can simply reach in, twist, remove, rinse, replace. Otherwise it will cost to have someone come out and take the thing apart to clean it out. BTDT. There are chopper blades below the trap, or whatever, to chop up larger food chunks but the holes in the screen to get to the chopper blades are so fine that nothing but water can get through. How stupid is that. We can't reach the screen, so we have to practically scrap everything clean. You probably won't want to spend the money on a Bosc brand, but it's worth a look inside to see the easily removable trap (whatever it's called) to see what I mean.

The one that we have now is a KitchenAid, stainless steel interior and quiet, but with the above mentioned flaw. Our old one was a Costco special, noisy, but easily cleaned.

Steven Alaska

Thanks all. This is exactly the type info I've been looking for. Can't find any online reviews of the models I've looked at thus far. Will definitely have to check the Maytag and GE - especially with that plumber endorsement!

Kim in NJ

Thanks all. This is exactly the type info I've been looking for. Can't find any online reviews of the models I've looked at thus far. Will definitely have to check the Maytag and GE - especially with that plumber endorsement!

Kim in NJ

Hi Kim,

I have access to Consumer Reports online so I've sent you some of their dishwasher reviews to your email addy. I used the address in the most recent directory - if it's no longer correct just email me with your new one.

HTH Allison

Allison, THANK YOU sooo much! The address is still valid. I access the group through Google, so as soon as I'm done here I'll check it out. I was actually just looking at some of the info on both the Maytag and GE dishwashers online and see several recalls on various models of both due to fire hazards. So those of you with those models - PLEASE go check. That's one of the issues DH has had with the unit we currently have. He's a firefigher so gets to see some of this stuff first hand. A good thing but some times makes my shopping a challenge.

Kim

That is something to think about.

Mine is 20 years old and occasionally grumps about washing the dishes. Plus she will do them in an odd order no matter how many times I emphasize clear glass and silver first, pots and pans last.

Eventually I'm going to need a new one and have been considering the benefits of one I just have to plug in and hook up to the water. It certainly would be more cost effective than going through the insanity of raising up a fresh organic one!

Besides, quiet would be good.

NightMist

I just bought one of the middle-range GE's. i don't like it. It is labeled "energy efficient", so the manner in which it operates causes it to take OVER THREE HOURS to run a heavy cycle. Over two hours to run a regular cycle. I just wanted a quiet one. Thank goodness it is quiet. It does a terrible job if you don't pretty much wash the dishes first. If you don't keep Jet Dry in it at all times, the dishes have a white, powdery film on them. I'm all for energy-efficient, but I want my 1990's whirlpool back that would clean day-old egg off the plates in an hour.

Sherry

Sherry

Gee, Sherry, what were they thinking??? How can it be energy efficient if it's using power to run for three hours? I sure hope you've posted some reviews about that dw so other people won't buy it- or will be fully informed if they do. Sheesh! So sorry you got a bummer of a dw there.

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

I just bought one of the middle-range GE's. i don't like it. It is labeled "energy efficient", so the manner in which it operates causes it to take OVER THREE HOURS to run a heavy cycle. Over two hours to run a regular cycle. I just wanted a quiet one. Thank goodness it is quiet. It does a terrible job if you don't pretty much wash the dishes first. If you don't keep Jet Dry in it at all times, the dishes have a white, powdery film on them. I'm all for energy-efficient, but I want my 1990's whirlpool back that would clean day-old egg off the plates in an hour.

Sherry

Sherry

On Nov 12, 2:47=A0am, Sherry wrote:

Thanks to Allison's Consumer Reports that she sent me I can say the cycle time seems to be the norm for all of the machines they tested - and there were a bunch. From what I can gather, the reduced water consumption and lower water temperatures are what are extending the cycle times just to be able to clean the dishes. And the Jet Dry issue was something I had read about in some other reviews about many of the other machines as well. Apparently as well there are now sensors in the units that determine how dirty your dishes are. Apparently if you're a 'scraper' and there is a sensor and an automatic food disposer it messes up the thinking of the sensors. Stupid in my opinion. I haven't studied the reports in depth yet but overall CR is listing a Kenmore and I forget the other as the 2 best 'overall' machines. I'm so disappointed because I'm so not a Sears person. Also, as I mentioned briefly in another post, when I went to look at some of the GE units online I somehow happened upon recall notices for what appeared to be every dishwasher made - not just the GE's. Most of them had to do with a fire hazard with respect to the drying aspect. In some cases the reports stated that the machines weren't even on at the time. The machines had been loaded and the drying element turned itself on and melted all the plastic pieces in the dishwasher which then dripped onto the heating elements themselves and created havoc. Whoda thought buying a dishwasher would be such a challenge!

Kim in NJ

I had to smile at the 'I am So not a Kenmore fan'. Here's how our local Sears adventures go. You buy a new something - say a lawnmower. Bring it home, stop by the mailbox and sort through the day's bills and such. In the mail will be a card that announces that the lawnmower you just bought has a defective part and that replacements have been back-ordered. Think I'm kidding? Only slightly. It took us about 18 months to finally get everything it took to get our garage door opener thing to function. Of all the nerve, they called once a week to see if we'd like to purchase an extended warranty on it. @#$! Me too. I am So not a Kenmore fan. Polly

Sherry, I know you're not feeling great but I'm wondering if there's not some way you can get that new GE replaced. ( I'm assuming you didn't install it yourself.) Can we hope that the dealer offers some sort of satisfaction guarantee. You might have to become violent and tenacious. We can help you with that. Polly

I just bought one of the middle-range GE's. i don't like it. It is labeled "energy efficient", so the manner in which it operates causes it to take OVER THREE HOURS to run a heavy cycle. Over two hours to run a regular cycle. I just wanted a quiet one. Thank goodness it is quiet. It does a terrible job if you don't pretty much wash the dishes first. If you don't keep Jet Dry in it at all times, the dishes have a white, powdery film on them. I'm all for energy-efficient, but I want my 1990's whirlpool back that would clean day-old egg off the plates in an hour.

Sherry

Sherry

In general, Kenmore products are relabeled "something else brand". Sears doesn't make anything. That said, not too many manufacturers make anything. Kenmore, Whirlpool, Kitchenaid, Jenn-Air and one or two other dishwasher brands all come out of the same assembly line. They just take different detours when they reach the paint and doorhandle steps. If I had it to do over again, and that could happen soon, I would take a serious look at the European brands. They may be worth the extra money.

Rita - owner of a five-year-old very pretty, very pricey Jenn-Air that has forgotten its role in life unless I push all the "heavy duty" buttons.

Amen to that. The old saying used to be that Kenmore was the bottom line of whoever the manufacturer of the week got the contract for that product. While I was looking at something about this online I was amazed at how many different appliances are branded by a single manufacturer. Who knew! FWIW I did learn in my face-to-face travels that the Bosch appliances (at least the DW) are actually manufacturered in North Carolina. As I said to someone, that alone would put me off to that brand. Not because I don't want to support US goods/manufacturing - trust me, I do. DH's family business is basically kaput due to lack of manufacturing in this country. But our quality control in all aspects seems to be a tad lacking. From individual parts that make up the whole of things to the completed project. It just seems to me that the Europeans in general have a greater work ethic and pride than we do. And not to change horses in mid-stream, but Microsoft seems to be the biggest offender. Come up with a new operating system or other software package, don't test thoroughly and then release a patch within the week of the product's initial release. What a gimick! Great work if you can get it!

I think I'm still getting those calls on the 20 y.o dishwasher I'm trying to replace!

When they have a repair guy that works on sewing machines and your garage door opener you have to know somthing is going to go amiss. I am so not a Kenmore fan too. The tech messed up a sewing machine years ago and I hold a grudge. I have to say I would have the GE guy out and have him take a look at the