Dishwasher recommendations?

[Scarpozzi]

Thanks for the picture JulesMaximus. I checked and Lowes has that same one for $50 less than the one with the handle. I prefer a recessed handle because it's less to get snagged on and the handles have an opportunity to get loose over time. I'm going to stack a few coupons and may go ahead and order it.

I was able to use a Lowes 10% off coupon on top of the 10% off sale....but then used a cash back site to get another 5% back. Not too shabby...should be a little less than $800. Thanks again for posting the recessed handle model. I like that design a lot better than the bar.

 

[Exterous]

Thanks for the picture JulesMaximus. I checked and Lowes has that same one for $50 less than the one with the handle. I prefer a recessed handle because it's less to get snagged on and the handles have an opportunity to get loose over time. I'm going to stack a few coupons and may go ahead and order it.

Supposedly Lowes.com has 10% site wide for MyLowes customers today. Free to sign up and stacks with other 10%\$x off $yy coupons

 

[Darwin333]

For a reasonable price (around $400 US), I've been very happy with the Whirlpool Gold Series that my home's previous owner installed. It's fairly quiet (quieter than garbage apartment ones, not quite as quiet as high-end), and doesn't usually need any pre-washing to get things clean.

The Bosch 800 is nicer, but I'm not sure it's $500 nicer.

Where do you think you are? This is ATOT where everyone makes high 6 figures at a minimum, have a supermodel gf/wife, and drive high-end cars. An extra $500 for a single extra feature is nothing, that's just a bottle of wine at dinner.

 

[Eno Safirey]

I have been without a dishwasher for the last six weeks due to delays during a kitchen remodel. My counter tops were finally installed last week and I hooked up my dishwasher last weekend. I took the time to make sure everything was level, and was surprised to discover that the unit runs quieter.

There might be a variety of reasons why- maybe the quartz counters absorb more sound than the old Formica, I'm not sure. The reason I mention this is the OP is concerned about upgrading to a more expensive brand to get a quieter experience. This is a basic Frigidaire, (Electrolux), model and it has no extras like stainless steel. I suggest that he consider a lot of things when purchasing, but also look at the installation.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Why are people obsessed with quiet dishwashers? It's a kitchen! Maybe the "open concept" will finally die the death it so richly deserves.

 

[sdifox]

Why are people obsessed with quiet dishwashers? It's a kitchen! Maybe the "open concept" will finally die the death it so richly deserves.

Never understood open concept kitchen.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Why are people obsessed with quiet dishwashers? It's a kitchen! Maybe the "open concept" will finally die the death it so richly deserves.

I have an island with bar stools and a small table with four chairs in my kitchen and the family room is adjacent to the kitchen so we spend a lot of time in these two rooms which is why a quiet dishwasher is important. Not sure why this concept seems foreign to you quite frankly.

 

[Kaido]

Never understood open concept kitchen.

An open-concept kitchen with a vaulted ceiling is what my dream kitchen would look like. I'm either cooking, watching TV, or neffing most of the time, so being able to do everything in the same open floor space would be ideal.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Hand wash. I haven't had a dishwasher since 1991.

I did a little research a while back and found that a dishwasher is quite a bit more efficient and actually uses less water than hand washing your dishes.

 

[sdifox]

An open-concept kitchen with a vaulted ceiling is what my dream kitchen would look like. I'm either cooking, watching TV, or neffing most of the time, so being able to do everything in the same open floor space would be ideal.

I would need a restaurant grade exhaust to cook in an open concept kitchen. I hate distractions when I am cooking. Sonny ideal kitchen would have a lockable door.

Chinese cooking is very messy.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I have an island with bar stools and a small table with four chairs in my kitchen and the family room is adjacent to the kitchen so we spend a lot of time in these two rooms which is why a quiet dishwasher is important. Not sure why this concept seems foreign to you quite frankly.

It's not foreign to me, it's just wrong. If there was a wall between the kitchen and the family room, a noisy dishwasher wouldn't be an issue.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

An open-concept kitchen with a vaulted ceiling is what my dream kitchen would look like. I'm either cooking, watching TV, or neffing most of the time, so being able to do everything in the same open floor space would be ideal.

Let me guess, you probably want an all white kitchen too. Each room has a specific function. Why do people want to live in an efficiency apartment that has more square footage?

 

[Kaido]

Let me guess, you probably want an all white kitchen too. Each room has a specific function. Why do people want to live in an efficiency apartment that has more square footage?

Nah, I don't like all-white. Something more like this:

I like to eat when I watch TV, so combining the family room & kitchen into an open floor plan makes a lot of sense for how I live. If you have kids, makes it easier to keep an eye on them too when playing or watching a show:

 

[Kaido]

I would need a restaurant grade exhaust to cook in an open concept kitchen. I hate distractions when I am cooking. Sonny ideal kitchen would have a lockable door.

Chinese cooking is very messy.

I've settled on Best Hood for my future range:

I think I would do a pair of those, a make-up air system that is auto-triggered by the exhaust switch, and an enclosed range system that has pull-out spice racks on each side. Something like this concept, only longer:

With the pull-out spice racks on either side:

Couple that with a built-in induction cooktop:

And make it long enough that you can put appliances on the other side, under the exhaust vents. My panini press (commercial-grade) generates quite a bit of smoke, which is annoying because my current hood vent is recirculating & not exhausted outside, so all it does is blow the smoke around the room. The filter is absolutely useless.

 

[WilliamM2]

Takes way less time.

And the dishes are actually clean. Also saves water.

 

[sdifox]

And the dishes are actually clean. Also saves water.

No, hand washing uses more water than dishwashers.

 

[Exterous]

Never understood open concept kitchen.

Architecturally it makes the kitchen and the surrounding rooms that open up to the kitchen seem larger giving people the sense that their house is larger than it really is especially given the growing kitchen footprint. Even if your "Great room" or whatever is separated from the kitchen by the eating area if the entire space has little to no walls all the spaces benefit from the open feeling.

It can also be a notable benefit for keeping an eye on children while cooking\cleaning or for hosting so someone isn't banished to a walled off kitchen for periods of time. That isn't to say there aren't ways around it just that many people prefer to not have those walls as opposed to the alternatives

And the dishes are actually clean. Also saves water.

Good dishwashers don't typically have any problems with getting dishes clean. We've needed to wash all of one pyrex container by hand so far this year because our dishwasher couldn't get it clean. Everything else has been just fine and without the need to pre-wash dishes

 

[Scarpozzi]

Where do you think you are? This is ATOT where everyone makes high 6 figures at a minimum, have a supermodel gf/wife, and drive high-end cars. An extra $500 for a single extra feature is nothing, that's just a bottle of wine at dinner.

It may not be a lot to some people. My real concerns in posting here was to get feedback from what models people actually own. My concerns come from reading reviews and more people post negative reviews than positive AFTER the initial purchase. I'd say probably 80% of positive appliance reviews are: "I just got the appliance out of the box and WOW is it newer than the 15 year old appliance I'm replacing....looks great and the lights come on!" The negative reviews for dishwashers are things like, "Made a batch of caramels last night and scorched the pan.....dishwasher doesn't work."

For me, I prewash dishes if I think a spray won't remove the food. If you make egg with runny yolks, or do a casserole dish....those are the things I typically go over with a brush before chucking in the machine.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Architecturally it makes the kitchen and the surrounding rooms that open up to the kitchen seem larger giving people the sense that their house is larger than it really is especially given the growing kitchen footprint. Even if your "Great room" or whatever is separated from the kitchen by the eating area if the entire space has little to no walls all the spaces benefit from the open feeling.

It can also be a notable benefit for keeping an eye on children while cooking\cleaning or for hosting so someone isn't banished to a walled off kitchen for periods of time. That isn't to say there aren't ways around it just that many people prefer to not have those walls as opposed to the alternatives

Warehouse type homes have zero attraction for me. Kitchen tables are for keeping an eye on kids while doing homework. If you need to keep an eye on your kids while they watch television, you need new kids. Kitchens are not for entertaining. If people end up in.the kitchen, you either suck at party planning or, you have a damn open concept home. Maybe if people went outside a little more often they wouldn't feel the need for a sight line from the back of the house through the living room over the dishes past the stairs to the front door. Well designed rooms add to functionality, individuality and, noise reduction. I've never once heard a guest or a kid say "gee, I wish this kitchen was big enough to throw a football in."

 

[Scarpozzi]

Warehouse type homes have zero attraction for me. Kitchen tables are for keeping an eye on kids while doing homework. If you need to keep an eye on your kids while they watch television, you need new kids. Kitchens are not for entertaining. If people end up in.the kitchen, you either suck at party planning or, you have a damn open concept home. Maybe if people went outside a little more often they wouldn't feel the need for a sight line from the back of the house through the living room over the dishes past the stairs to the front door. Well designed rooms add to functionality, individuality and, noise reduction. I've never once heard a guest or a kid say "gee, I wish this kitchen was big enough to throw a football in."

I think it's all in the style of the home. Open concept is about making the space feel larger and reducing costs of the build...but you pay the price on heating/cooling because they typically go with cathedral ceilings....then you get stuck with an extra 5-10 vertical feet to heat/cool. I say, to each his/her own. Our house is a traditional rancher and my wife's talked about knocking down the wall between the living room/dining room and kitchen. We could certainly do it because of the way the home is constructed...without a beam (rafters/ceiling joists could do it).... But I'm not going to tell her that. I think walls are important for the same reasons you likely do.

I'm not exactly a fan of a galley kitchen and like having those times when 3-4 people can congregate in the kitchen to eat, drink, talk, and cook at the same time... It's all about how the kitchen was designed initially. I created a 10 foot bench seat next to our kitchen table seating that's in front of a large picture window. This, along with the bar seating at the counter promotes people to sit in the area outside of the kitchen's work triangles. We have a formal dining area through a swinging door....but it's then open to the living room on one side. (meaning no real room divider). I may add one, but probably won't.

I'm in the process of adding a second living space off the kitchen in what used to be our carport...I've added a 30'x30' garage off the back of the carport and a 16'x24' deck out the back, side door of the garage... (close proximity to my kegerator and beer fridges).... Planning is what it's about.

 

[Exterous]

Warehouse type homes have zero attraction for me. Kitchen tables are for keeping an eye on kids while doing homework. If you need to keep an eye on your kids while they watch television, you need new kids.

You know its possible for kids to want to do something not homework or TV related in another room right? That said its fine if they don't work for you but people clearly like them and most are note even remotely close to 'warehouse type' houses. If everyone liked just the same styles buildings\houses would get very boring very quickly.

Kitchens are not for entertaining. If people end up in.the kitchen-

Ok....I never said anything about that. But it can be nice for someone who needs to get\do something in the kitchen to be able to be involved in\not miss out on whatever is going on in the eating area\great room. And then there are some of us who have large groups of friends that are not easily contained even in a large great room more open concepts work out better for our uses.

Well designed rooms add to functionality, individuality and, noise reduction. I've never once heard a guest or a kid say "gee, I wish this kitchen was big enough to throw a football in."

If you're trying to equate "well designed" with more walls (which would be questionable at best) sectioned off rooms are an inefficient use of space, tend to be materially wasteful and have some serious flexibility limitations.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Open concept is NOT cheaper to build either new construction or, renovating. It does come down to how you live. Live being the key word. You don't buy a house for options and you certainly don't buy a home as an investment. Open concept creates all kinds of problems with storage, noise, dust and, privacy. Thus, creating demand for ever larger footprints. Open concept also encourages larger more expensive hvac units, more expensive windows/doors and, more expensive plumbing. People are cave dwellers. The desire for open light airey spaces is solved by going outside.

Spending a $1000 on a consumer grade dishwasher is crazy even if you have that kind of disposable income. However, if you just can't resist paying a premium for new, buy an inclusive service contract and do not depend on the warranty.

 

[kt]

We have had this model WDF760SADW from Whirlpool for almost 2 years now. Bought it new for $500 at the time and installed it ourselves (took like 20 minutes from unboxing to completing install). We have a now ATOT infamous open concept kitchen that opens up to the family room so a quiet dishwasher was important to us. When in use, the dishwasher is quiet enough to not notice when you have a conversation standing next to it. If you are in the next room, you probably won't even hear it unless you really pay attention to it. We use our dishwasher maybe about 4-5 times a week. We use Cascade dishwasher detergent (those combo packs that have all ingredients in a pouch) and use finishing rinse liquid. We never do any pre-wash and our dishes come out clean except once in a while there would be 1 or 2 items that had stubborn cruds on them. Even then, it's not a big problem because it's just a matter of scraping the now dried up cruds with your fingernail and give it another good rinse.

In the 2 years that we've had it, we only had one issue with it and it was mostly due to our fault. One day, the dishwasher stopped draining the water all the way. It would always leave a small puddle in the dishwasher and we could not figure out why. We thought it was the drain pump motor was flaking out so we replaced the motor ($40 part) and it got better but still leave a small puddle in the dishwasher. Turned out the air gap was the real problem, it got clogged up and the drain pump motor was having a difficult time pushing the water out. We replaced the air gap and dishwasher ran like a champ again (we even put in the old motor and tested without a problem, so now we have a spare motor).

I am not a Whirlpool fan boy or anything, just sharing our experience with this particular dishwasher we have owned for 2 years.

 

[Darwin333]

It may not be a lot to some people. My real concerns in posting here was to get feedback from what models people actually own. My concerns come from reading reviews and more people post negative reviews than positive AFTER the initial purchase. I'd say probably 80% of positive appliance reviews are: "I just got the appliance out of the box and WOW is it newer than the 15 year old appliance I'm replacing....looks great and the lights come on!" The negative reviews for dishwashers are things like, "Made a batch of caramels last night and scorched the pan.....dishwasher doesn't work."

For me, I prewash dishes if I think a spray won't remove the food. If you make egg with runny yolks, or do a casserole dish....those are the things I typically go over with a brush before chucking in the machine.

Oh I don't disagree, appliance reviews are tough. The vast majority of reviewers haven't had the appliance long enough to give a decent review and if you get a bad one, which happens to even the best of brands, you are obviously going to leave a negative review. Occasionally I'll see 6+ month reviews or follow-ups but it's the exception not the rule.

 

[Exterous]

Open concept is NOT cheaper to build either new construction or, renovating.

Not sure I saw any claims in this thread about its cost before yours but open concept IS cheaper to renovate. Adding walls, plumbing, electrical where there aren't any is much easier and cheaper than removing walls especially since you often need to re-route various services or loads.

You don't buy a house for options

Really? Because I see it all the time. "This house gives us the option of finishing a basement or adding a bedroom." "This house gives us the option to add a garage." "This house gives us the option of moving a mother-in-law in or expanding our family more."

Open concept creates all kinds of problems with storage, noise, dust and, privacy.

For you maybe. Not all of us have so much crap that we have issues with storage in our open concept houses and not everyone needs every room to be private. Dust seems to be an odd thing to mention. How do you figure that? If we take two otherwise identical houses and one is open concept but the other isn't your total dust gathering surface area is roughly the same but open concept has fewer hard to clean\dust areas.

Thus, creating demand for ever larger footprints.

Open concepts are not what has driven the demand for increased footprints. Open Concept is a relatively new trend while the average footprint already doubled between 1950 and the early 00s. The increase has basically been linear since 1980 or so so the effect of it on overall footprint is minimal to nonexistent.

https://www.census.gov/construction/chars/pdf/squarefeet.pdf

Open concept also encourages larger more expensive hvac units, more expensive windows/doors and, more expensive plumbing.

Open concept does not affect HVAC\door\plumbing requirements. Volume and envelope size does. While Open Concept and high\vaulted ceilings are often used together high\vaulted ceilings are not a requirement for open concept (although its a somewhat vague term)