Dishwasher Buying Advice/Question

[CascadeClone]

General advice - steel liner, not plastic. Get the 3rd top rack, its great.

We got a Maytag and its great. Model MDB8959SKB, probably still make something similar.

We have a Bosch at work and it's fine. But I hate how the rack is arranged - nothing sits right and you get about half in it compared to the Maytag at home. It's like the dishes have to be metric and all ours are english or something. Mom felt the same way when she got a Bosch - she hated the way stuff went into it, and actually returned it and got something else.

 

[kirk89gt]

I didn't even realize they made fridges & stoves tbh, I just thought the majority of people in this thread have mis-matched appliances. Which wouldn't really matter to me, but some people are anal about that. Bosch 800 is like $1,500, I'd have a hard time justifying that when you can get a lot of other stainless <50db ones for half that.

Our house had a GE when we bought it, and it's still cleaning the dishes great after 8-9 years (that's with wife & kids who don't rinse off anything..). Zero issues for us - not the quietest thing, but you really only slightly hear it for maybe 15-20 mins of each cycle. And we typically only run it once every couple days, so usually do it overnight or while we're working anyway.

I get what you are saying, but it wasn’t why I mentioned it. From my limited research, Bosch appears to make a higher quality of appliances (what I thought we were getting with KA - much to my dismay).

I am looking for quality, longevity, and value. I value my time and don’t want to spend my weekends chasing down parts, or up to my waist in an appliance fixing something that shouldn’t have broken to begin with.

 

[cyphoon]

From my research, it looks like there are two general ways to dry, the standard heated coil and a condensation/steam drying method.

The Bosch 800 and maybe the 500 have something new called Crystal Dry, that utilizes a chemical reaction with a mineral called zeolite to dry the dishes. It is supposed to convert water to heat. If you go with Bosch, research whether you are getting this feature or not. When I read reviews on Bosch, the few people that don't like them complain about dishes not being dry.

The number of models with a heating coil seems to be diminishing, possibly due to new energy efficiency regulations. That said, this is my personal preference. Yeah, energy efficiency is great, but I really don't care if I spend $50 a year running a heating element in my dishwasher. Most of the energy came from a windmill anyway.

I am leery of models that dry primarily by popping the door open at the end of the cycle. I know they heat the water and the end of the cycle to help it dry faster, but I'm skeptical. Definitely something to research.

In the past, I also preferred that the dishwasher have a macerator to grind food particles, but I think those have largely been abandoned.

H

 

[cyphoon]

From my limited research, Bosch appears to make a higher quality of appliancese broken to begin with.

I just stumbled across this chart that shows the percentage of dishwashers that required some kind of service in the first year. Bosh has been quite good in the past couple years, but the 2018-2022 numbers are nothing special.

Of course, not all service calls are created equal.

H

 

[CYDJ]

I’ve seen a lot of people here say to get a Bosch. The thing is that I don’t want to spend the money on a Bosch until we do a kitchen renovation in 7-10 years. So I’m kinda looking for something that’s going to be pretty good until then.

The reason people say bosch is they are DAMN NICE! Now, in 7 years, you are going to need another one anyway, so you have to decide if you need damn nice or just nice for now.

I saw someone else suggest one of the kitchen aids. I have one and it is the nicest one I have had. Never had a bosch, but they look well made for sure.

Here's the thing. In almost everything you buy, if you cut corners you are going to not be happy in the long run. I've noticed everything after a period of time gets easier to deal with. That extra $400 you might spend on the dishwasher will make you happer over the next 5 years than the $400 in your pocket right now (or, from the sounds of it, your kids' pockets.) Save up and get the better one (I know you can;t right now becuase of your situation, but that is a motto that works.)

I've scrimped and every time I have I have kind of regretted it a year or two down the road. Get good stuff and take care of it and you'll be happier in the long run.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[enisthemenace]

We just got a Maytag. Had an LG for 10 years prior to that. The Maytag was about a 3rd of the price of a Bosch 800. If we get 8 - 10 years out of it (and it has a 10 year warranty), I feel like I’m ahead even if the Bosch lasts 25, and that’s a long time in dishwasher years.

 

[Jonyrose]

Bosch sucks, dishes come out dirtier than they went in

 

[SCNCY]

Thanks for everyone so put, keep them coming as we haven’t made a decision yet.

 

[SCNCY]

Another question, how much space do you leave in the cabinet space for the dishwasher? If the dishwasher is 23 and 3/4 inch, do you leave a 1/4 inch on each side for some space?

 

[BCClone]

In 44 years we had a Maytag that lasted 8 years. The last 36 years have had two Bosch dishwashers. Bosch is better on every feature. Buy the Bosch...it will still be good when you do your remodel in 10 years.

Except the wife will be expecting new appliances on a remodel.

 

[cyfan92]

Metal liner is the only option. Don't do plastic

 

[JK4ISU]

Same. Bought a Samsung a little over a year ago as I have a discount through work. Worked great for just over a year, then it stopped filling with water. Luckily, they had a promo going when I bought it that extended the warranty 2 years for $1. They sent a tech out, thought he fixed it, but didn't. They ended up issuing a nearly full refund, so it could have been worse.

Bought a Kitchenaid 3 rack to replace itand my wife loves it. I interact with it about as much as she interacts with the range (I cook, she cleans), so hard for me to give a ringing endorsement, but it is quiet. About the only thing that lets you know it is running a cycle is hearing the faint sound of drain water entering the garbage disposal.

I have a Samsung electric range and microwave and so far, those have been great. Knocking on wood as I type this.

Start shopping for a range. We moved into our house three years ago and it has/had all Samsung although they weren’t new. The range went out first and then the dishwasher. I got a GE range and liked it. The problem with the Samsungs is that I couldn’t find anyone in Ames that would service them. The problems were fixable but the hassle wasn’t worth it.

 

[Lyon309Cy]

A stainless steel tub is an absolute must.

Dishwashers can be fairly simple machines, and generally the more bells and whistles the more potential problems. If your only concern is functionality most any DW will clean and dry the dishes if it's maintained well (clean the filters regularly). All appliances are made to be repaired or replaced within 7 years, less for some. That said, you do generally get what you pay for and it may be worth more to you for some of the extra conveniences of the better models.

I have been out of the appliance repair game for over a decade, so I don't know anything about the new drying method, but I am skeptical. Most repairman are cynical when it comes to all the 'latest and greatest'.
Not sure if this is relevant to your decision at all or not, but Bosch are notoriously inconvenient to work on. They are generally more reliable than most, but any parts or service calls are going to be considerably more expensive. To the point that whenever it does eventually have a problem it's probably more cost effective to buy new.

 

[cyphoon]

If the dishwasher is 23 and 3/4 inch, do you leave a 1/4 inch on each side for some space?

I thought the opening was supposed to be 24" dead on. The idea being that you could rip out a 24" cabinet and put a dishwasher in there.

But do more research.

H

 

[SCNCY]

I thought the opening was supposed to be 24" dead on. The idea being that you could rip out a 24" cabinet and put a dishwasher in there.

But do more research.

H

Our current opening is 24 5/8. I am planning on buying a filler strip to close the gap so then I can secure the dishwasher on the sides since we have granite countertops.

At 24 inches, that would give me about 1/8 inch on each side if our proposed new dishwasher is 23 3/4.

 

[Paz23]

Start shopping for a range. We moved into our house three years ago and it has/had all Samsung although they weren’t new. The range went out first and then the dishwasher. I got a GE range and liked it. The problem with the Samsungs is that I couldn’t find anyone in Ames that would service them. The problems were fixable but the hassle wasn’t worth it.

I have been. The problem is my wife wanted "black stainless" and it seems like that finish is #1) not as common with certain manufacturers and #2) appearance differs, sometimes greatly, between manufacturers. The world will end if one is darker or lighter or duller or shinier than the other.

The oven "air fryer" almost pisses me off enough to replace it. I guess if you are making 4 or 5 lbs of french fries and have an hour to kill it probably works great, but the Ninja in batches works better all day.

I have had what seems like bad karma come my way from replacing appliances that are still working, though. And according to my wife, it "looks great", which is what really matters with a major kitchen appliance.

 

[spierceisu]

I have a Bosch 500 with the Auto Air open at the end of the cycle. It is such a nice dishwasher! The dishes are super clean and it is super quiet. The only drying issues I have are for plastics where there is room for the water to pool. I just wipe them out with a towel before putting them away and that is fine with me. The other dishes come out dry. I thought about getting the 800 with the Crystal Dry but it was in the middle of COVID so I couldn't get a lot of things and it was a bit more than I wanted to spend. Don't regret getting a Bosch at all and would buy again in a second.

 

[cyfan92]

We wanted a Bosch 800 during COVID shortages but couldn't get one in stock..

Bought this Kitchenaide instead and it's been excellent, no complaints in 3 years:

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www.nfm.com

 

[RedlineSi]

We have two Thermador Sapphire dishwashers and they are unbelievable. Thermador is part of Bosch.

 

[jbhtexas]

I bought a GE Profile dishwasher when I moved into my house in 2004, and it is still going strong (as are the fridge, microwave, and oven I bought at the same time). The only issues I've had are that the plastic liner developed a crack (which I fixed with the proper epoxy), and we've had to take the screen off and clean out the pump sump twice because it gets clogged up with sludge, which causes the water pressure to go down and the dishes don't get clean.

The biggest challenge was convincing my wife to stop rinsing the dishes clean (per the dishwasher manual) to stop confusing the sensor that determines how much cleaning is needed.

I have no idea what GE construction is like today.