Susan C. Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 ***Picked one, update below*** I am shopping for a new dishwasher. Mine works, but the tines are very rusted, beyond repair. I have already painted them (a few years ago) and it is off. It is a basic one that came with our house. I want to upgrade maybe a little and have three options so far, on sale at Sears. I would buy there (not online), and it is the smaller Sears that is in my small town. Home Depot has the same three models, but at about $50 more each. Haven't been to Lowe's yet. Whirlpool, plastic (grey) interior, nylon tines, silverware in door, low $400 Whirlpool, stainless steel interior, nylon tines, silverware in door, mid $500 Maytag, stainless steel interior, nylon tines, silverware along one side of bottom rack, mid $400 All are about 50 rating for sound. The Maytag has a food grinder. A lady told me about hers.... said it washes a really long time (all of them do now with energy saver requirements), so she always uses light wash. Already I'm scared.... but all three above has quick wash setting if I don't want to wait forever for dishes. I do know Maytag has had a less than perfect reputation.... but they are now owned by Whirlpool. I have always had lower end dishwashers, so I rinse dishes before loading. I wash my pans and plastic ware by hand. So, if I continue, the cheapest will work, and I will love not having tines that rust. But I'm not thrilled with silverware in the door..... it is difficult to load, it is even lower on the floor with the tall models, laying the wrong direction. I could adjust if I had to, but have always liked just dumping a handful of silverware in a rack upright on the bottom rack. The nicer Maytag (and the more expensive Whirlpool) have a steam option, so IF I were to stop rinsing the dishes, I could load, rinse, leave (not full), then steam before running a full load. Very new to me. I'm open, but I don't want the smell of dirty dishes, since we run the DW every other day. Also all of these new deals do take more time... so I don't know how that will pan out if I am waiting on something to clean... Ideas! Help! Whatever you can tell me will be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 I will never, ever, buy another maytag. you can't pay me to take one. my builder grade GE was more durable. and I have only slightly less animus towards whirlpool. (that includes my maytag washer made by whirlpool.) I bought online -took a month for delivery as it came from the east coast, but it was a great deal. (I've bought a couple other major appliances this way.) if I had it to do over this time - I'd have bought a bosch. they do have entry level dishwashers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 I can't really keep all that in my head, but I do want to share with you that one of the best decisions I made when I finally got a dishwasher was that I bought one where I don't have to wash the dishes before I wash the dishes. I am so happy I got one that can deal with an unrinsed cereal bowl or a plate that had pasta. I do remove obvious chunks of food, lol. I'm not putting broccoli into the dishwasher, but I don't rinse at all and my dishes come out sparkling clean. I Love It! (second best decision kitchen I made was to spend the extra 26$ and get a super strong garbage disposal. That thing can grind chicken bones) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 Yep, afraid of that Maytag reputation. I had one many years ago, but moved before I used it very long. The only thing I remember is that it didn't dry the dishes very well. But.... the Whirlpool is more $$ and the silverware in the door.... I really am trying to comprehend just scraping the dishes, I have never done that. (Does it stink if you go a few days before running the dishwasher?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Well, we have a Whirlpool with silverware in the door. The dishwasher we have, and this may be standard for Whirlpools, is built so the in the door caddy can be placed on the bottom rack if you prefer. It works just as well there, but wasn't as big as I wanted. I just bought a cheap (large) silverware basket and placed it on the bottom rack. If you bring in the one from your old dishwasher, you might see if it will fit in the models you are considering. I think my old one would have had I thought of it. I've been happy with this dishwasher. It cleans without pre-rinse better than my old GE. I can't comment on the long cycles. I almost always use the sanitize and that's long on any dishwasher! Bosch with sanitize cycle, which I use, was out of our price range. But maybe there are cheaper ones with less cycles that get good reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 I really am trying to comprehend just scraping the dishes, I have never done that. (Does it stink if you go a few days before running the dishwasher?) I'm trying to comprehend the idea of going a few days without running the dishwasher. . . . . my dishwashers have all had a rinse cycle that's about 15 minutes. my current dishwasher is a high-end kitchen-aid. this is the first time I've had to wash the dishes before loading and why I wish I'd bought a bosch. I liked my ge profile MUCH MUCH better than this one. (it cleaned well too. I replaced it because it died after minimum daily use.) the only thing good I can say is it's very quiet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 I have a mid grade Whirlpool Gold dishwasher which has been going strong for over 13 years with a large family. We bought it new when the house was built. It has the silverware in the door. It has lost one tine in the lower rack, the silverware holder is a bit wonky, and one of the plastic things that you hook the silverware holder on has come off. Surprisingly, you can still manage to put the silverware holder in with only one of these. If the other one falls off, we are in bad shape, though. It is kinda noisy, but it cleans well and we have never had it serviced. I have no complaints. If it dies tomorrow, we would have gotten our money's worth. Same with the Whirlpool Gold microwave. Still going strong. The double oven from Whirlpool? Not so much... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 I have a Whirlpool with silverware in the door. I'm not a huge fan of the silverware basket, forks tend to slide down through a hole between sections. It's annoying but not a huge deal, it is nice to have a lot more space for plates though. The cycles are much longer than our 20 year old basic model we had before, but there is a quick wash. It is super quiet, I sometimes have to check to make sure it's running. I also no longer prewash my dishes, even oatmeal in our glass bowls. We eat 3 meals a day at home so we do typically run it every night. I've been very pleased with it. I don't know the model number, it was purchased at Lowes last fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 Thanks! Any verdict about whether a stainless steel tub is worth the extra $$? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 We have the stainless tub, I don't think I would pay extra if I could get the exact quality without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Thanks! Any verdict about whether a stainless steel tub is worth the extra $$? I've never had, nor seen a dishwasher where the plastic interior deteriorated. I do not understand paying for a stainless interior that will outlast the motor. It seems like gimmicky overkill to me. "I" wouldn't pay premium for stainless, but I've also never had an experience that motivates me to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree Frog Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 I have a GE and hate it! It came with the house (new build) and is considered mid grade. It takes over an hour to clean (without using heated dry) and, despite our rinsing very well, doesn't get the dishes clean. We run the dishwasher nightly, so the dirty dishes aren't sitting very long. I always have suds in the bottom of the dishwasher, even after I run a rinse cycle following the washing cycle, and I still have to rinse out the cups because there are soap bubbles inside the bottoms of the cups. This is the first GE I've owned, and based on how well this one doesn't clean, I probably won't buy another one. It's also not very quiet. I have a couple of suggestions, though. Have you checked out Consumer Reports to see how they reviewed the 3 dishwashers? I have found their suggestions helpful when I've purchased dishwashers before. My other suggestion is to take your dishes to the store and see how they fit in the dishwasher. When I compared several dishwashers at Sears, I could quickly determine which dishwasher my dishes would fit in best. My dishes don't fit in this dishwasher; it's another problem I have with it. I now have many chipped dishes from them banging against each other. I didn't know all dishwashers have long cycles. How long is the standard now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 I've never had, nor seen a dishwasher where the plastic interior deteriorated. I do not understand paying for a stainless interior that will outlast the motor. It seems like gimmicky overkill to me. "I" wouldn't pay premium for stainless, but I've also never had an experience that motivates me to do so. I agree. The plastic interior of ours is fine. The motor will be what gives out at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Ours is plastic interior. I wouldn't pay for stainless. I've never had plastic in a dishwasher wear out before the machine quit, and we run dishwashers hard. Side note: I purchase extended warranties on all my major appliances now; this has paid off hugely for us. They just don't make things like they used to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 I didn't know all dishwashers have long cycles. How long is the standard now? Forfrigginever. I replaced an aged Kitchenaid with a cheap (less than $400) Amana. My dishes get clean as long as I don't leave loads of crud on every dish. (I will own up to having decent water, so no complications there.) It takes OVER AN HOUR to run the quick cycle and about four years for the high heat cycle. Even brand new, it never dried as well as the Kitchenaid did on it's last legs. Also, it sounds like a jet engine. I tend to use the delay feature and let it run at 2 a.m. It still beats hand washing and I actually LIKE being able to move the silverware baskets to the door if I need more room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 I've had a midline Whirlpool for about nine years, and I love it. It does a fine job of getting everything clean; it's reasonably quiet; and it has a huge amount of space inside (I especially love having the rack on the door). I plan always to have Whirlpool dishwashers. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 Well, its 2-3 hours!!! Energy saver and quieter means it runs longer. Don't quite know the particulars, and how that saves energy costs. So I do know to look for a quick or light wash option. Also ALL dishwashers have sensors now, so you can do what is called automatic wash. It stops when the water is to a certain level of clean. One lady told me her's was still running at 2 hours, so she just uses light wash and her dishes are still clean. AGAIN how is this saving energy. I just paid for a month of Consumer Reports online and am busy scouring it. Sure wish the good ol' days were back and I could just go to the store, buy, go home, and have it work out. But it seems there are sure some bad ones out there and I don't want one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 OK.... how are those new controls, the padded buttons? And, you will love this.... not all of the hidden controls (top of door) have a "done" light, so you have to open the dishwasher to see if its finished washing. Brilliant. And... I'm used to my old fashioned dial that I can see how far I am into the cycle, now I get to guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 The padded buttons are fine. You can still how far into a cycle you are and when it is finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 OK, no stainless steal tub unless it comes with features I want... OK, how about steam? I was told it was for yucky dishes left in a while, you use it, it heats up the grime to make it wash off easier. The salesman really liked this feature. Sorry about peace meal remembering of things. Busy crazy day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Thanks! Any verdict about whether a stainless steel tub is worth the extra $$? It was for me. It doesn't stain and it's a lot prettier than the plastic. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 OK, no stainless steal tub unless it comes with features I want... OK, how about steam? I was told it was for yucky dishes left in a while, you use it, it heats up the grime to make it wash off easier. The salesman really liked this feature. Sorry about peace meal remembering of things. Busy crazy day! A sanitize feature is nice to have. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 A sanitize feature is nice to have. :) Steam = Sanitize??? Its looking like to get quieter, stainless may have to come with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Steam = Sanitize??? Its looking like to get quieter, stainless may have to come with it. Probably. I know it gets incredibly hot and steamy in there, so it probably means the same thing. The most important thing is to make sure your dishes will actually fit in the machine. When they show pictures of filled dishwashers, they're always using Corelle-type plates because they're so thin. If your plates are thick like Fiestaware, you have to pay close attention to the layout. You also have to watch the height between the bottom and top racks if you use a lot of big pans. I usually get dishwashers with adjustable top racks because I'm sure I will use them all the time. And then I never, ever use them. :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 OK, how about steam? I was told it was for yucky dishes left in a while, you use it, it heats up the grime to make it wash off easier. Be sure to read the reviews, though, because sometimes the ones that get super-hot seem to bake the grime right on, rather than steaming it off. Ask me how I know. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeLovePassion Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 We are super happy with our new Maytag. It has a stainless tub as we have rusty well water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 I've got 3 kitchenaids (bought 1 then 2 more), so I guess you could say I'm happy with them. :) All stainless steel tubs. That seems pretty gross to me to have plastic, call me crazy. I like that I can run LemiShine (walmart) and it's all clean. About once a year I go in and clean out the grinder area. On the KA it's a job, wowsers. I was looking at Bosch recently, and theirs to clean is a dream. Thing is, the interior seems really small. I didn't sit there with a tape measurer. Seriously, I would take your dishes to the store and load 'em up! That's the only real way to know and be certain. Of course I'm the nut who did that with the frig. I took all the contents of my frig that day, went in the store and put in multiple kinds (french door, side by side, single door) till I found where they seemed right. After that, walking in with my dishes (clean, not dirty obviously) would be no big deal. :D The control panel on our first KA dw is probably 12-13 years old. Everything is strong, but that did go out. We're working on replacing it. It's been great though, no problems at all before that so long as you clean that grinder area once a year (or more if you don't scrape, mercy). The only real quirk I've heard with maintenance on the high end dws is when you get the ones that have the steam vent going out the top of the door. It can hit the counter and kind of collect. Our two newer ones do that, and I wish I had been less vain and got it to vent out the front. It seems like our dw that vents out the front dries faster and doesn't need the heat cycle, where the one that vents through the top of the door needs the heat cycle. And something like a Bosch, well look into how that dries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 Oh Elizabeth, I need moral support to take the dishes, lol. Hey, its warm here and there is a beach! And I need to know about the three dishwashers! Some have vents, some said no vent (implying that was good), interesting. Bosch has no heat to dry, and the sales person said yesterday that it dries by washing hot, then the moisture collects on the stainless steel tub, thus drawing it away from dishes. But alas, if you open the door before this is finished, you will be air or towel drying. And, the reviews say they are indeed smaller, with odd sized spacing. I've been out twice..... lots of cheaply made units. Thin plastic where you grab under to open, in fact, several moved when I pulled to open. And the plastic covered control panels seemed cheap as well. I have two already (microwave and stove) and they are yellowed. Which looks great with the white color... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plateau Mama Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Oh Elizabeth, I need moral support to take the dishes, lol. Hey, its warm here and there is a beach! And I need to know about the three dishwashers! Some have vents, some said no vent (implying that was good), interesting. Bosch has no heat to dry, and the sales person said yesterday that it dries by washing hot, then the moisture collects on the stainless steel tub, thus drawing it away from dishes. But alas, if you open the door before this is finished, you will be air or towel drying. And, the reviews say they are indeed smaller, with odd sized spacing. I've been out twice..... lots of cheaply made units. Thin plastic where you grab under to open, in fact, several moved when I pulled to open. And the plastic covered control panels seemed cheap as well. I have two already (microwave and stove) and they are yellowed. Which looks great with the white color... I always take in my dishes. One of each kind, not every dish I own. ;-). I did this after buying my Bosch and the dishes not fitting properly. We just got a new dishwasher in Feb. At the store there were lots of random dishes, the guy said most of them were left behind from customers trying them out. I can't help too much on the dishwashers as I haven't looked at the brands you are considering but I just wanted to add a few things. Stay away from Bosch they have the highest repair rate out there. I used to have a Bosch and it was great when we moved my husband chested out and bought an Asko. Horrible. I prayed every day for it it break. When we went to replace it (@&$&@ 10 years later) the salesman said not to buy Bosch their quality us not what it used to be. I finally got my Meile and I love it. The top silverware rack is awesome. I can get every dish I own in that thing at one time. It was pricy, but worth it (to me). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Hmm, that's interesting to hear about the Bosch repairs! I haven't kept up. I *thought* when I bought one of my dw's that Bosch had just been bought by... and was also making maybe one of the upper end kenmore lines? I forget. I bought my KA because it gave me a few less bells and whistles than a similarly priced kenmore at the time but was *nicer* if that makes sense. Better handle/latch, better rollers, nicer thing you grasp when you pull the rack out, thicker tines... Those were things I was looking at. Three dws? That's easy, hehe. We lived in the basement for a few years with the one we brought over from our old house. When we finished the main floor, we installed 2 dws in the kitchen there. Everyone has a dream, and I got mine. I can be insanely messy, and the kitchen cleans (thanks to dh!) in a flash. :D Honestly, I would be even a bit more OCD. I wouldn't just take dishes you own. I would fill your current dw as you normally do, run it, then take all the dishes out and very gently pack them in laundry baskets with towels around to protect. Then I'd take your teen(s), however many it takes, and take the 1-2 baskets to Lowe's or Sears or wherever you're going and start loading. I used Sears, because I like them. I think I bought my washers at Lowes? They'll be running Thanksgiving sales you know, so if you GET THIS DONE this week, you can watch the ads, talk with them about what the best deals will be, pull up the sale ads now (they're already probably available online if you google Black Friday ads), and then make your plan. That's how we bought a whole bunch of stuff. I told, ok, take that back, I wrote out in obsessive detail everything dh needed to get the correct appliances at each store. He went the day after Thanksgiving to the sales and bought them. :) Anyways, take everything that you currently run in a load, and then you won't have any unhappy surprises about small loads or quirks. PS. My units are black and I windex them. I would never keep stainless clean, and I'm not the woman for white. I've had no issue with the two white buttons yellowing. When you get the units with hidden controls, well those wouldn't show anyway. Like I said, it's only an aesthetic/vanity thing for hiding the controls. KA at the time had full showing with the vent in the front too, small controls on front with the vent on top, and the fully hidden. The one best at drying with no heat cycle is when the vent goes out the front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 I finally got my Meile and I love it. The top silverware rack is awesome. I can get every dish I own in that thing at one time. It was pricy, but worth it (to me). Fun! I remember researching on Gardenweb and Meile was the bees' knees for about everything they make. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plateau Mama Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Fun! I remember researching on Gardenweb and Meile was the bees' knees for about everything they make. :D The best part was my husband admitting we should have bought it instead of the Asko. It only took 11 years for him to admit I was right. Better late than never, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 OK the cheapest one has a much better rating on Consumer Reports, 63 opposed to 43 for the more expensive Whirlpool. Haven't looked up the Maytag yet because I'm a little scared of Maytag. But the sound rating of the cheaper one is 55, is that loud? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkermamaof4 Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Can you find the one you want on craigslist? We got our whirlpool there. We do silverware on door. No troubles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted November 20, 2013 Author Share Posted November 20, 2013 OK, I got this today: http://www.homedepot.com/p/203524132 Delivering Dec. 2. I did not want to deal with it over the holiday weekend. Its a Whirlpool Gold. Plastic tub, and got the 5 yr. service agreement. Also I took a box of dishes in to try it out. They were nice (and amused) but I'm glad I did it. One sales person (a man) kept saying "what a good idea." The arrangement will be a little different, but I really want those nylon tines. And I will have more options, the top rack is adjustable, and two rows of tines on the upper rack can be collapsed to fit larger items. Fingers crossed I did ok! Thank you everyone, you were all a great help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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