# Buying a new dishwasher **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 29, 2009, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-a-new-dishwasher/519308 "2009-11-29T04:27:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-a-new-dishwasher/519308/21 "2009-11-30T07:20:09Z")
We love our Miele dishwasher. It has 3 racks - the normal 2 and a thin one on top for silverware so there is a lot more room in the bottom. And it is VERY quiet. German quality costs a bit more, but it is well worth it. They are not very common in the US, but even in Reno (where I am from and used to live) you can get them. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-a-new-dishwasher/519308/22 "2009-11-30T13:51:23Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I know this isn’t what you’re looking for, but just for fun pull the spin arms out and make sure they’re not all clogged with gunk. That’s not really my definition of fun. I’ll grant you that I have some weird definitions of fun, but dismantling a dishwasher isn’t in any of those defs. 😃 To be a bit more serious, we’ve recently (within the past few years) purchased a Frididaire range and oven combo. The range part is fine, but the oven tends to become very hot on the outside when it’s on. It’s not QUITE hot enough to give a first degree burn, but it’s uncomfortably hot. So, given that data point and what others have said in this thread, I think that I will decline to purchase a Frigidaire model. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-a-new-dishwasher/519308/23 "2009-11-30T19:04:13Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I’m rather surprised that the Maytag had a bad rating, but companies change. I’m subscribing to this thread, and I’ll show it to my husband when he’s awake. There’s just no way that I was going to go to a department or appliance store this weekend. A few years ago when one of our major appliances was dying (I can’t remember if it was the refrigerator or the dishwasher) the repairman told me specifically to avoid a Maytag when it came time to replace it. He said Maytag had been buying up most of their competition over the last few years, churning out crap and slapping the Maytag name on it. The guy said people were always surprised that their Maytags, which they thought would be so dependable, were breaking down so much. The repairman suggested Whirlpool, which is what we bought when we got a new fridge and also when we got a new dishwasher. Actually, the dishwasher is a Kenmore but we could tell by comparing it with Whirlpools just a couple of feet away that they were identical. (That’s the problem with a Kenmore - without a little digging you don’t really know for sure who the actual manufacturer is.) We’ve been very happy with both our Whirlpool refrigerator and the Whirlpool / Kenmore dishwasher. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-a-new-dishwasher/519308/24 "2009-11-30T20:17:00Z")
You really do need to evaluate specfic models. Some Kennmore/Frigidaire models are good, some are not. My BIL purchased a $1200 Kennmore dishwasher (the kind that you can attach a cabinet front to, so it blends in), and it didn’t last 4 years. To top it off, when they needed warranty repairs, only the parts, and not the labor, was covered. I bought a dishwasher recommended by consuer reports as a “best buy.” It doesn’t do a really good job cleaning dishes. Only later, upon perusing the article fully, did I realize it rated ok for sound, and energy efficiency, but lousy for cleaning. IMO, no dishwasher should fail at its primary task and be rated as a “best buy” or on its “quick pick” list or watever tey are calling it now. I trust [consumersearch.com](http://consumersearch.com) more for ratings than consumer reports anymore. I think consumersearch uses ratings from CR in their calculations, if they are available. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-a-new-dishwasher/519308/25 "2009-11-30T20:51:39Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I’m rather surprised that the Maytag had a bad rating, but companies change. I’ve replaced a refrigerator, an oven, and most recently a dishwasher lately, and the one common thread in the Consumer Reports ratings for all those appliances is that Maytag sucks. They consistently appear near the bottom in quality and near the top in repair frequency, clever ad campaigns about bored repairmen notwithstanding. I bought a Bosch from Lowe’s. They seem to be highly rated overall, and they had a nice one on sale. > [@BlimeyORiley](#): > > Two features I recommend spending the extra money on, stainless steel inside (Stays clean, does not stain with tomato etc.) and a delay timer. Most days we load up and then set the machine to run in the middle of the night CR wasn’t crazy about the stainless steel inside. They said that they were more durable than the plastic ones, but that the plastic ones would last longer than most people would own a dishwasher. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-a-new-dishwasher/519308/26 "2009-11-30T22:32:30Z")
We replaced our dishwasher a couple of years ago; the new one is great but I can’t remember what it is! I know it came from Home Depot and the condo’s property manager installed it. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-a-new-dishwasher/519308/27 "2009-11-30T23:45:44Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Some Kenmore dishwashers are made by … Frigidaire. > [Who makes Kenmore Appliances](http://www.appliance411.com/purchase/sears.shtml) is a place to start. Mine was made by Whirlpool. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-a-new-dishwasher/519308/28 "2009-12-02T01:36:20Z")
Forgot to check what we have when I got home last night. It’s an [Amana](http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5/R-100606174/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053). ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-a-new-dishwasher/519308/29 "2009-12-02T08:05:18Z")
The dishwasher repair guy came out today, and said that there’s nothing wrong with the dishwasher itself, but the hose has been chewed by mice. Well, we HOPE it’s mice that’s been chewing on the hose. He also said that the mice have been particularly bad this year. So, my husband is going to replace the hose (he’s handy at stuff like that), spread mouse poison around the likeliest areas, and we will see if that fixes the problem. However, I’m going to go ahead and keep looking at new dishwashers, because this one IS 15 years old, after all, and it won’t live forever. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-a-new-dishwasher/519308/30 "2009-12-02T12:15:41Z")
I don’t know, crappy dishwashers sometimes work forever out of spite. After the problem with Sears mentioned in **Caffeine.addict** ’s thread, we ended up getting a Bosch, [Ascenta, model SHE4AM12UC](http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/details/310632034/bosch-she4am12uc) and have been happy with it. Cleans well, very quiet. IIRC, the main qualities that led us to it were sound level and the nylon coated rack. ETA: if your husband is handy, he could install it himself. I did ours, and it wasn’t that hard. One thing to watch out for is that the discharge tube is six feet long, and molded on both ends so you can’t shorten it. I had to make a bracket to hold it up (so that it wouldn’t have a big dip that filled with water). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-a-new-dishwasher/519308.md?page=1)