Educate me on dishwashers

Dishwasher caught on fire last night. Not cool dude. 

We need a new dishwasher. What do I need to know? Gotta keep it on the lower end of the budget here, but I want it to last at least 15 years. 

I just went through a ton of research.  Google "top dishwashers 2018" or whatever.  Many of those sites have videos and then do a comparison chart of all the features. In my case I chose a GE because it presented the best cleaning on a budget.  I snagged a used 2015 model from someone's kitchen remodel for $100 and I'm very happy with how it cleans.  It did need a new float switch after a few months, but it was $29 and super easy to replace.

I didn't need bells and whistles, and I didn't care if it was quiet, but I ended up with one that had both of those features.  I stuff it full of dirty dishes, leave it set on Autosense, hit a button, and an hour and a half later I have sparkly dishes.  That's all I need.

My last one was a Bosch and I was also pretty happy with it.  It was expensive and the switch that tells it the door is closed failed twice in three years, but it was cheap and swapped out with two screws.  Cleaned very well.  I will say that the GE cleans better than my high-end Bosch by far.  I live alone and I only run it every few days, so stuff gets dried and crusty, and I almost never have anything left on the dishes.  I refuse to pre-rinse.  I put a dirty pasta dish in, run it three days later, and it's clean.  About once a month I put my votive candle holders in it complete with wax residue and black soot and they emerge spotless.

Bosch.  That's it.  Now you know it all.  They make a lower end that, near as I can tell, only has less sound deadening in it.  That's the one we bought.

I will also mention that our previous dishwasher that came with our house was the cheapest Roper brand (private label) available from Lowe's.  It lasted about 17 years, which was about 5 times longer than any other dishwasher I had ever had lasted.

I have no direct answer for you.  I threw down a ton of money on a Bosch nearly 5 years ago.  No trouble.  My purchase was more of a availability issue rather than a price issue.  

However, here are 2 tips:

1. JC Penny was carrying appliances in some markets (this one included) to try to gain business where Sears stores had already closed.  I just recently read that JCP is discontinuing appliance sales in all markets.  This might lead to some discounts for remaining inventory.

2. This past year I bought an entry level model Induction Cooktop (Frigidaire brand) from A.J. Madison ( a NYC based online retailer) and I got it for a price that no one else could touch.  

In reply to John Welsh :

JCP is stopping in store appliance sales February 28, so prices are kinda low. But Sears is going out of business, so their prices are pretty low too.

If you have a Sears credit card by chance, it's good for 10% off on appliance purchases as well.

Today is also the last day of a lot of presidents day sales, so if you find something you like, Google the model number for the best price. 

Different appliance, but Sears was able to get me the exact same stove as JCP delivered 4 days quicker, while neither physical location near me had one in stock. So that could be worth checking on as well.

I love our Bosch dishwasher, which is now 9 years old and has been running 1-2 times a day (and sometimes 3 times.. we do have 7 people living here) for 5 of those years without a hiccup. Unfortunately it was $900, but I bought a clearance one for my parents for around $480 from Sears. I've also seen used ones in the $200 and less range. If it works now and sounds healthy it's a very reliable appliance.

New, I'd say go with what looks and feels good to you but gets good reviews. I've never been terribly pleased with cheap dishwashers. The Bosch replaced a functioning GE that I never liked.

I will also add this... I can pretty much guarantee that any dishwasher won't last 15 years.  Back in the 70s and 80s, maybe.  My 1996 Norcold fridge was 20 years old when I replaced it and still going strong.  The new Whirlpool french door fridge I put in I expect to last 8 years tops.  The way the global economy has changed means that everything is built by the lowest bidder as quickly and cheaply as possible.

Not to get all sentimental, (and this is not political... just how our global economy functions these days.)  but this thing called pride in workmanship has been outsourced so many times that no one cares.  It used to be that if you bought a Maytag, it was made in Illinois and everything from the door handles to the electronics were built in-house by people who were paid a decent wage and shared in the company's profits.  Now most appliance companies are just assembler factories where they put together a case, a tub, a computer, and switches that were all made by a third or fourth party by minimum-wage non-skilled labor forces who might not even know what it is they're making.  "here's $8/hr, now press this button for 40 hours."

It's one of the reasons I buy lightly-used appliances.  The depreciation curve is steep and I end up spending $200 for 6 years of service instead of $600 for 8 years.

One other thing on the Sears going out of business thing... I just spoke with a Sears employee who told me that Sears will be continuing (likely under the same name) indefinitely.  They were purchased by an investment company (the name escapes me right now) and will continue business after a restructuring.

He didn't know if it will be like Toys R Us that liquidated, shut down, and restructure, or if it will be more seamless.

I only mention it so you can research and maybe predict things.  If it's like Toys R us, there will be liquidation.  If it's like Cabelas/Bass Pro, it won't sponsor more than something like 10% off just to keep things moving.

The only good thing I can say about our Kitchenaid is that it is impressively quiet.  Bought it new to replace the Kitchenaid dw that came with the house.  I repaired that one a couple times, stuff like the door switch liked to break.  New one was near $1000. at the local appliance store, which was the only store with a stainless steel one in stock.

The new one developed a leak about a year after I bought it.  Sure enough.  Just out of warranty.  Fortunately, I remembered that I had bought it on my Discover card, and they offer double the manufacturer's warranty on purchases.  Had to jump through their hoops, but they paid for the replacement of the pump assembly, which saved me over $300. 

My next new dishwasher will NOT be a Kitchenaid.  The front panel soft-touch electronic button-thingies are easy to activate by just brushing past the machine, and it will cancel the cycle and you need to start it over.  The control lock feature works, but even if you have that on, you can be working on the counter by the dishwasher and inadvertently lean into it and turn it off and cancel the cycle.  Absolutely horrible, stupid design.

I hear good things about Bosch....

I’ve never heard anyone complain about their Bosch.  Quiet is good in a dishwasher.

In 5 years you won’t be saying “man, I’m glad I saved $200 on this junk dishwasher”.  But I’ve heard every person with a Bosch say “it was a little more but it’s so quiet.”

I've also heard good things about Bosches.  They are really quiet, but they do take notably longer to run a load of dishes, too, if that matters.

I have an 8-9 year old KitchenAid.  It runs fine and has had no reliability issues at all.  I did just replace the silverware basket because it sits right over the heating element, and it cooked the bottom of the basket into brittleness.

There is a pretty massive Bosch dishwasher recall for causing fires. Might want to check that. 

https://www.consumerreports.org/dishwashers/maker-bosch-expands-dishwasher-recall/

My dishwasher is awesome.  She's about 5'4", dark brown hair, beautiful eyes.... 

I'm kidding.  Truth is our dishwasher is 5'9" and bald...i.e. me.

I honestly forget what our machine is off the top of my head.  Our house is 4 years old and it was part of the appliance package.  I want to say it's a KitchenAid.  It's a bit loud, but works great.  Like Duke mentioned, the heater element is right near the silverware basket for us too....though we rarely use the heated dry feature.

Take wife here - tell her to get whatever she wants.  

https://www.abt.com

My wife picked up a $1000 Bosch that had free delivery and install.  

It’s so quiet it projects a small red light on the floor in case your questioning if it’s actually running.  

Wouldn’t you want her to tell you the same thing in the toolbox department?

Yeah, do not skimp on the kitchen or you'll have to skimp in the garage 

I just finished remodeling our kitchen and we put in an Ikea-branded dishwasher. It's really a Whirlpool. We had one in our last house for six years and it was okay. Reasonably effective, very quiet and we had one warranty failure (some sort of fan, I think) that was easily handled. Well worth the $350 we paid on sale.

We pulled out a $1500 Fisker & Paykel Dishdrawer that came with the house. It would have been a good option for a small apartment, especially for urban dwellers who go out to eat and don't cook much. It has two compartments so you can do small loads of dishes conveniently. Nice and quiet, and when one of the pumps went out it was easy to replace without tools albeit $100+. But it didn't clean worth a damn and you couldn't fit large pans or cookie sheets in it, so my wife said it had to go. Anyone want to buy a Dishdrawer?

RXBeetle said:

There is a pretty massive Bosch dishwasher recall for causing fires. Might want to check that. 

https://www.consumerreports.org/dishwashers/maker-bosch-expands-dishwasher-recall/

Good to know!

I just ran my model and serial number and my Bosch is NOT recalled.  Yeah.  

I just remembered another thing about why I liked AJ Madison.  Not sales tax was charged.  For you, in Chicago, a $500 purchase could be $50 in just taxes!  Seems shipping is free for over $500.  

That means that the $444 entry model Bosch is $99 for shipping  = $543

The next model Bosch is $534 but free shipping makes it = $534

We've been happy with our Kitchenaid.

It's super quiet but if your dishwasher isn't quiet enough, Hushmat actually makes a kit for dishwashers. Probably nothing you couldn't do yourself with some sound deadener leftovers.

Bosch.

Got one open box from Best Buy two years ago and it's been cleaning great since. I think I saved nearly $400 that way. 

Downside? No heated dry. You gotta crack the door sometimes to let the steam out so the dishes will dry. Also the racks are kinda funky for our dishes. 

Bought an LG a few months ago to replace the original 30 year old Whirlpool that still worked but was extremely noisy and was not cleaning as well as it should anymore. Granted, it doesn't get used every day. SWMBO has a habit of cleaning as she does things, the Korean mentality and not having much before. First time we used the LG I kept on going back and forth to the kitchen to see if it was still working, it was that quiet. Takes longer to clean than the old one but definitely does a good job. Daughter just got a Bosch and has no complaints about it. She runs hers at least daily, 2 young boys that like to dirty up cups and bowls. Her Bosch is almost identical to our LG. The LG wasn't cheap though. Been slowly replacing items and remodeling the 30 year old house. Would like to find someone that will refinish/stain the kitchen cabinets instead of paint them. Currently Cherry stained and we like the looks but getting old and worn, in need of refinishing. Everyone I talked to wants to paint over the Cherry finish.

Bosch.

Seriously.  If you need to save money, look for a used one on Craigslist.  We home school our kids, so all meals are eaten at home, which means the dishwasher gets run a MINIMUM of two loads a day, most days three times.  The $75 Bosch unit I bought used on Craigslist is by far the BEST one we have ever owned.  Note, it was based on the recommendation of the GRM hive that I bought the Bosch.  I will NEVER own any other brand now.

Bosch models seem to be the best rated overall, but you pay 50% more for them and they don't last 50% longer. 

The biggest factor from my experience and research is how the washer deals with the crud that comes off of the dishes. There are a few approaches, higher-end units actually have a grinder/disposal, lower units have a screen of some sort that has to be cleaned out regularly. How easy this is to do dictates how often you will do it and how well the thing will run.

How much crud comes off is a function of how powerful the jets are, how many there are, and how well positioned they are.  As there are no standards to reference other than HP, it is hard to compare models.  My experience has been that they are all pretty much the same, so look at the spray bars and rack and think about your dishes.  All plates?  All bowls? Pots & Pans?  Find one that works well with what you have and yes, bring some to the store.  If your daily cereal bowl doesn't fit, move on right? 

The third factor is the features/accessories.  The more there are the higher the cost and the more things that can go wrong, so choose what you will actually use and don't pay for things you won't.  IF you have no interest in scraping dishes, a built-in grinder is worth it.  If you want sanitized plates, a built-in heater is worth it. 

FWIW, I have picked up a few for rental properties from estate sales.  For renters, I want reliable and few electronic gizmos, so older ones that saw minimal use are awesome.  
  

We bought a Bosch some years ago.  Super quiet, no heating coil; it uses the heat from the hot water to dry the dishes. 

I would buy another.

In reply to Klayfish :

I came here to make that joke and was not disappointed. 

Keith Tanner said:

We pulled out a $1500 Fisker & Paykel Dishdrawer that came with the house.

My sister bought a used home and had nothing but issues with her pair of dish drawers.   She told her repair guy to pull them out and plan on her getting a replacement.  He told her nobody pulls these so she said he can have them - too many repairs made her nuts.