We might need to replace an old dishwasher - any recommendations for a basic, reliable DW that does a good job washing and drying? We are pretty no-frills (about appliances, cars, etc.) But are there any features you can’t live without?
I loved my Bosch (left it with the house when I sold) really liked the extra cutlery tray on top
It was also very quiet (you couldn’t tell it was on except for the light on the bottom)
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We’ve had nothing but trouble with our Bosch. After six years we had to replace the heating element and less than two years later, it’s already going again. I also don’t think it cleans very well.
I liked my old KitchenAid in our last house much better.
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This. We have an open plan kitchen/family room and the quietness of the Bosch is unbelievable. I like the cutlery tray at the top too - my stepmom doesn’t and took hers out, they do give a regular style holder as well.
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I loved our basic Miele. It finally died after 19 years and we replaced it with a mid range Bosch. I do not love the Bosch.
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Ugh. Ours is about 9 years old and still fine.
There does seem to be a difference in how European vs American dishwashers dry.
When our Bosch finally breaks I’m going to replace it with a Miele.
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Bought a low end Bosch during COVID-19 supply shortages because it was available. Washing is excellent and quiet, but drying is only ok. The low end model does not have the cutlery tray on top like higher end models. It does have a delay start option so you can have it start during cheaper electricity rate times or to avoid overloading a shared circuit.
Installing a dishwasher is theoretically not difficult, but there are extra steps if the old one is hard wired (versus plug in), the water supply line is too short, or the drain line is different. The “free installation” from some stores is only applicable if none of these complications apply.
We have a mid level Bosch. It’s great. But I imagine most will be great.
I am very fond of our Bosch, so much so that we bought a new Bosch when our old one appeared to be leaking after 13 years. It works very well with our corelle dishes and we can fit all our 16 cereal bowls into it as well as much of our cutlery and many of our other dishes. It is quite quiet and I believe we got the top of the line from BestBuy. They installed it and carried away the old machine as well. Because they messed up and said it wasn’t working when it was installed, they gave us a $100 gift card and an apology for our inconvenience.
My friend has a Miele and she’s very fond of her dishwasher as well.
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I’ve had two excellent Kitchen Aid dishwashers. Very quiet, easy to operate. I would get one again.
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Our Miele is Futura Crystal (which I believe is no longer made) and is approaching 9 years. Works great so hopefully I haven’t jinxed it. It was the least expensive one of all Mileles in the store, but it was still expensive, so Miele may not go on the OPs short list.
We’ve had good luck wiht Bosch, lasting 14+ years.
Dishes are usually pretty hot after the cycle is complete, so we just open the door so they finish air drying quickly.
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The last time we bought a dishwasher, I brought one of our larger glasses, a coffee mug, and a bowl to make sure they would fit. Our bowls didn’t fit well in our previous dishwasher and it was a pain.
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I bought the Bosch 500 series (I think?) in 2021 during post-Covid supply constraints. I wanted the 800, but the waitlist was many months long and my 18 year old Kitchen Aid was making strange noises.
The D/W is amazingly quiet–so much so that I have opened the door while it was still running. I like the Speed 60 that results in probably a 75 min wash cycle. The regular cycle runs for two & a half hours.
The 500 lacks the heated dry of the 800. Dishes are still very hot when the cycle finishes, but there’s too much sitting water.
I had intended to replace the Kitchen Aid with another KitchenAid, but they changed the spacing for plates on the bottom rack so that far fewer plates would fit.
No service problems–yet!
When we redid our kitchen in this house 13 years ago, we got a KitchenAid. I never liked it, never felt it did a good job cleaning. When it finally died, I asked the brilliant CC team for recommendations. (Probably in the Random Questions thread.) Miele was mentioned over and over, so I got the Miele 5008 – their “basic” model.
And I love it! I never thought I could love a dishwasher, but I love this one – it’s quiet, has the top rack cutlery tray, and gets everything really clean! The installer said this is the one he would buy if he were in the market. I highly recommend it.
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Our 10-yr-old Asko recently started leaking, and we replaced it with a higher-end KitchenAid. We were essentially forced into buying the Asko at the time, as the raised wood kitchen floor installed by a prior homeowner meant that a smaller-than-standard dishwasher was needed to avoid ripping up floorboards, and the Asko was one of the very few that fit. But we ended up really liking it - the European system of slanted, close-together tines on every rack makes for more efficient loading.
When looking for a replacement, we found that we really couldn’t afford the top-end Miele and Asko models that would have been ideal. So we pivoted to a higher-line KitchenAid on a good sale. It’s been a mixed bag; very quiet, and the third row on top has an innovative design that allows for small juices glasses to lie at an angle with a rotating sprayer sending water up into the glass. But the tine placement is baffling - straight tines placed too far apart with no particular purpose. Accordingly, despite being physically larger, it seems to hold fewer items than the Asko. I think it’s a fine choice for the money we paid (about $850 after sale discount), but if your budget allows a Miele or Asko, that’s the way I would go.
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Our basic Miele dishwasher was installed in 2000 and has never needed a service call. The dishes still come out sparkling clean— so being “inexpensive” can mean lasting decades.
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What not to get: a 2-drawer Fisher Paykel. I don’t own one but stayed in 3 different upscale condos (think chef designed kitchens) in the same building that had those D/W. The cycles are so long, and these relatively new machines were quite finicky and faulty.
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We have a Miele G-700 series dishwasher and I think it’s great. It’s very quiet, gets dishes very clean and has a variety of settings. I also think the silverware tray is much better than the basket–the silverware seems cleaner and there’s more room in the main area without a basket.
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