Please Help with Dishwasher Purchase

[aprilchem]

Love my Bosch; it's 11 years old now and we've never had a problem with it!

 

[KSL]

I just unloaded my dishwasher and was frustrated for the billionth time that everything on the top rack is always still wet (as in dripping) at the end of the cycle. Do the dishwashers you are all recommending have everything DRY at the end? Seems like that would be a given but I have been living with this one for so long I've lost perspective. I've had at least three previous dishwashers and never had this much of an issue with water left over. I know there might be some residual water (in lids, etc.), but seriously I have to unload the entire top rack of my dishwasher onto my counter to finish drying and it is ridiculous! Then again, not sure if it's worth replacing when the dishes are clean and it's nothing a towel or some time air-drying doesn't fix. Anyway, just saw this thread and wanted to ask.

 

[SalandJeff]

Our 20+ year old Whirlpool died about 2 weeks ago. I loved that dishwasher. It had a lot of flexibility for loading - 2 flip down cup shelves on top, 2 rows of tines on top folded down, and entire back half of bottom rack folded down. You could fit almost anything in it.

So ... now I have to get a new dishwasher and have been looking at the ratings for the past 2 weeks. But I can't seem to find a dishwasher with much flexibility inside. Does anyone have a recommendation in this area? Any experience with LG?

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

I just unloaded my dishwasher and was frustrated for the billionth time that everything on the top rack is always still wet (as in dripping) at the end of the cycle. Do the dishwashers you are all recommending have everything DRY at the end? Seems like that would be a given but I have been living with this one for so long I've lost perspective. I've had at least three previous dishwashers and never had this much of an issue with water left over. I know there might be some residual water (in lids, etc.), but seriously I have to unload the entire top rack of my dishwasher onto my counter to finish drying and it is ridiculous! Then again, not sure if it's worth replacing when the dishes are clean and it's nothing a towel or some time air-drying doesn't fix. Anyway, just saw this thread and wanted to ask.

Do you use Rinse-Aid in your dishwasher? I find that things are drier when I do. Most of my top-rack items are dry, maybe a little drip here and there - at least on the glasses and bowls (which are all glass). The only things that do tend to stay a bit wet are the plastic cups my kids use or any plastic food storage containers. I do not use the heated dry cycle, but my plastic items just require maybe 5-10 minutes on the counter to air-dry.

 

[got2sammies]

Also check the stratch and dent section at Lowes or Home Depot.. Scored an LG stanless steel dishwasher for $400 reg $799! Yes it has a small dent in the front but you cant even notice it! Works great and super quiet.. Oh and my plastic wear comes out dry not wet!

 

[LJSquishy]

We have an 8 month old LG dishwasher. I love it and hate it at the same time. It is whisper quiet, cleans the dishes well, and does a pretty great job even drying the top rack plastics. It does not have a heating element but uses the heat from the wash cycle to recirculate which dries the dishes.

My only complaint is that the sump assembly (basically the main component) started squealing during the wash cycle after only 6 months. After researching online I determined the sump was failing. LG replaced the part under warranty of course, but the part took a month to arrive. The dishwasher continued to work fine with the squealing noise so it wasn't a big deal but I would have been really annoyed if it wasn't working and we had to wait a month for a part to arrive.

I'm not sure I would buy another LG...a lot of people have had the same problem I've had. But, like I said, it's quiet and cleans exceptionally well. I bought it for $499 on sale. The model number is LDS5040ST. When I bought it it had all 4-5 star reviews but after ours had issues at 6 months I looked it up again and saw reviews started mentioning the squealing sump problem so I'm pretty sure it's a defective part.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

Here is a link about the Bosch dishwashers.


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3245229&highlight=dishwasher&page=3

Shelly,

How are you getting along with your new Bosch?

We haven't done anything still. Although, my inlaws replaced their early 1980s-era Kitchenaid dishwasher (nothing wrong, just updating the kitchen) and we are so tempted to pull our ~2002 builder grade dishwasher and put in their old workhorse Kitchenaid. I'm not sure what the pros and cons of doing that would be.

 

[tinatark]

New (ish) govt. regulations have made dishwashers almost a disposable item

We have a KitchenAid and like, don't love it.

Be careful not to get one with a built in water softener - salt is a pain to buy/fill (gotta get it from Amazon).

If you can find it in your price range, get one with a built in water heater. Saves $$ because your dishwasher/water doesn't run while waiting for the tap water to get hot.

 

[Pooh2]

We went with a Bosch that was about $700 at Lowes. I have put a dried on lasgna pan in there and it comes spotlessly clean. Very impressed with the performance.

The draw backs: It smelled like chemicals the first month of use and it often has an unfresh smell even after just running the dishes.
It does not have a "clean" button so we have to put a magnet on so we will remember there are clean dishes in it. Our much cheaper dish washers all had a "clean" light so that was a surprise.

So while we like it, it could use some improvements.

 

[springandmac]

We went with a Bosch that was about $700 at Lowes. I have put a dried on lasgna pan in there and it comes spotlessly clean. Very impressed with the performance.

The draw backs: It smelled like chemicals the first month of use and it often has an unfresh smell even after just running the dishes.
It does not have a "clean" button so we have to put a magnet on so we will remember there are clean dishes in it. Our much cheaper dish washers all had a "clean" light so that was a surprise.

So while we like it, it could use some improvements.

I just bought a Bosch too - mine smells like something died inside. We don't dirty a lot of dishes so it's several days before we run it. However, it smells so bad that we have to hold our breath to load it after a few days of sitting.

We went to Lowes to let them know and they gave us some dishwasher disinfectant to try and told us some bs about it may have a stale smell when it was run and tested at the factory.

 

[sskem96]

I just bought a Bosch too - mine smells like something died inside. We don't dirty a lot of dishes so it's several days before we run it. However, it smells so bad that we have to hold our breath to load it after a few days of sitting.

We went to Lowes to let them know and they gave us some dishwasher disinfectant to try and told us some bs about it may have a stale smell when it was run and tested at the factory.

Some dishwashers have a collection bin of some sort that the food residue gets deposited in and you have to remove it and empty it-kind of like the bits of food in the bottom of the sink plug after washing dishes in the sink. I wonder if that's where your smell could be coming from? I don't know why they started making them that way, but when I realized it I made sure to get one with a built in garbage disposal.

We had a Kenmore in our old house that was still going strong after 12 years, so we bought another Kenmore when we moved and haven't had a single problem yet in 4 years. It is a little loud, but we typically just hit start before we go to bed and the dishes are clean and dry in the morning.

 

[bigtony777]

Yes. We've had a Bosch for at least 7-8 years now and haven't had a single problem with it. It still looks and runs like new. My favorite part? I can't even hear it. Love that.

I will agree with this post. However, unless you find some incredible deal, it will likely be more than you want to pay.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Check out this month's Consumer Reports (July 2014), they discuss dishwashers and recommend the Kenmore Elite 12793, Kenmore Elite 12783 and the Bosch Ascenta SHX3AR7[5]UC. Samsung has the worst repair history, which I can confirm. We have a 3 year old Samsung dishwasher, which I like, but it's been repaired twice already.