Built-in dishwasher recommendations

My crappy hotpoint dishwasher is making my dishes dirtier than when i put them in. It's small crappy low end, so i just want to replace it. I need a 24" built-in. Typically when shopping for something, i check reviews on Amazon. Unfortunately Amazon has very little reviews on dishwashers. The big retail stores have fake reviews, so I'm kind of at a loss as to how to find a good dishwasher. I don't want to waste money on something that doesn't clean any better than my current one. So can anyone recommend a good 24" in the $400-1000 range? That's pretty much my only criteria for purchase, price and quality. Obviously the more room the better, but bells and whistles and washer noise volume aren't too important to me.

 

I have a Kenmore Elite for my own home.
Even though quiet isn't important to you, it's a sign of good quality.
For around $700 - $1000, you can get a high quality DW with stainless tub, and useful electronic controls.

I install a lot of brands and Kenmore Elite, Bosch and LG stand out. GE has high end appliances but not my favorite. Whirlpool has good high end appliances because they make them for other companies also.

 

Any particular models that perform exceptionally well?

 

No particular models, not the most expensive but higher range.
The quality dishwashers clean rather well. A normal cycle will take a long time on some models, but is cleaning better and saving water and electric.

After what you have, you might not believe it.

 

You know of any good/cheap places to get them besides the big chain stores?

 

It's kind of hard offering locations as we have no idea where you're located.

Unless you live out in the woods there should be appliance retailers near you.

(be careful using good and cheap in the same sentence)

 

I live in Baltimore City. I was just seeing if there was something better than a typical retail store. Price and selection is key. I guess "good" is subjective, but I was referring to good selection. Should have clarified.

 

Anyone else have any input? Not dismissing your input by any means, Handyone. Just looking for as much input as i can get.

 

I was always a fan of Whirlpool. A step up unit from them in your price range would be good.
Even something in the Maytag line who is mfg by Whirlpool.
Bosch is fairly reliable and a little pricier as the brands go.

I would not hesitate to bargain for an extended warranty either. Most come with a one year warranty and the electronics seem to falter in the second to third year.

 

For what it's worth and in my opinion the basic washing ability of a DW is the same regardless of model or higher vs lower end of the same brand. I will agree with the remark that the quite units a better only because they are quieter. Kitchen Aid is my choice. But most brands are all made in the same factory using pretty much the same parts. You need to decide what is important to you. The shape of the baskets for instance. They do vary among brands. Stainless interior will stay bright and not take on a stain. But you will pay more for it. A sanitary cycle is nice on occasions but not necessary most times. Being able to not use the dry cycle is a good energy saver. The basic models will clean just as effectively as the high end models. But they will be noisy and not as convenient.

 

Tell that to my Hotpoint, Norm lol

This thing is useless. Growing up, my parents dishwasher was just OK. Not great, not terrible. In their new house, they have a very expensive looking unit, and it cleans quite well. Its a little older though, so I doubt I could buy one.

Seems like everyone is all over the place on brands. I wish I could test these things out first.

 

A big factor is the water temperature coming into the unit. Be sure your HW tank is producing sufficient hot water. Are you sure the heating element in the current DW is working? Before turning on DW run the hot water faucet until hot water is flowing, then turn on dishwasher.

If you look up a parts web site you will see almost all parts are Whirlpool compatible regardless of brand. That should tell you something. Some of the European brands (Bosch) and others are independent. Some may be better but I think it has a lot to do with what detergent you use and water temp.

 

Never checked the heating element. My faucet hot water isn't super hot, but its at least hot enough that I can't wash my hands in it.

So is Bosch the same Bosch that makes auto parts? Not a fan of their auto parts, but I didn't think they were European.

 

You need to take a thermometer reading of the hot water.

Yes I believe it is. They do make a good unit.

 

What is an ideal temperature range?

 

I have to disagree that a low end dishwasher will clean dishes as well as a quality one.

To me, a basic dishwasher with an open motor and a dial timer is useless. I guess technically they will clean dishes, but the good dishwashers can almost scrub dishes, or clean fine china, whatever you want.
Huge difference IMO.

 

If you had to rank on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being best, how would you rank:

Bosch
Whirlpool
Kenmore Elite
LG

 

I'm not sure. I think 140 to 160 F. Refer to your manual.

Brian,

I won't categorically dis-agree with you, but what's different (mechanically or design-wise) about a low end that may give you 3 cycles vs a bells and whistles unit that gives you several other cycles?

I went to LOWE'S and did a comparison. I choose a $329, $539, $899, $1079 units. Other than adjustable racks (which can make a difference), stainless vs plastic tub and a few other minor differences, I can't see how the machines differ in clean-ability. Unless the more expensive units have a hotter heater element and/or a more powerful drive unit.

Now don't get me wrong, we have a Kitchen-Aid that has lots of features. But we only use one setting and never changed since we bought it. And that setting is pretty much a basic setting.

Comparison Assistant

 

Whirlpool and Kenmore are the same manufacturer. No difference. That's not say you won't get a bad unit. I refuse buy another Frigidaire appliance since I had trouble with a dishwasher from them. My dislike for Frigidaire has no basis in common sense. It was was made by the same company that makes Whirlpool and Kenmore and others.

edit...didn't look at your rating guide.

 

As far as ranking:

Bosch is top quality, but not my favorite look. I would lower it on the list for that plus they are costly.

1 - Kenmore Elite/Whirlpool
2 - LG
3 - Bosch

Note years ago I looked at LG as junk. They are making some very nice appliances.

 

Kenmore's are no longer just made by Whirlpool. For the last 5 or more years they have been made by different manufactures.

 

I want clean over features or look any day. If it costs more, so be it.

 

After a lot of back and forth, I finally pulled the trigger on a new dishwasher. Did have some trouble nailing down the best model, but ultimately purchased the Bosch 500 Series SHP65T55UC. It had one of the highest (although not stellar) ratings on Amazon, and it was top 10 or top 15 on AJ Madison. Never purchased anything on AJ Madison, but they have the largest selection by far. They must have every model ever made! Also, the 500 series got 9.5/10 on reviewed.com. Lowes.com had it 10% off, with free delivery from my local store. So I paid $809 + tax. Of course, the store called cause they didn't have it in stock Aaaand they didn't have it in stock in any other stores. So they are ordering it, and I have to wait a couple weeks. Will see how this thing works.

http://dishwashers.reviewed.com/content/bosch-500-series-dishwasher-review

 

Figured I'd post a follow-up on this. It's been several months now, and I'm pretty happy with the dishwater. When I finally received the unit, it was full of mold/mildew. I don't know if that was from testing it at the factory or if they have me a used​ unit. It didn't look used at all though. I figured the mold/mildew wasn't a huge issue, since it's purpose is to clean stuff. After a few cycles, i couldn't smell it anymore. I might have considered an exchange if i hadn't had a stainless steel tub.

It does a decent job cleaning. Nothing spectacular, but better than most dishwashers. It doesn't dry the dishes for ****, which i was expecting. Its suuuuper quiet. It's unbelievable how quiet this thing is. I'm really glad it shines an indicator light on the ground when it's running! On that, if you open it mid-cycle it sprays water on you. You need to open it just enough to stop the cycle, wait 1 second, then open it all the way. Surprisingly, i actually really like the 3rd rack for silverware. It works well. My biggest issue with the dishwasher is the rack tooth layout. The tooth positioning and spacing are poorly thought out, especially on the bottom rack. The bottom rack has a row that are so tightly spaced that only a few select dishes can fit in. There's no adjustable bottom rack either, which blows my mind. Oh and my jetdry reservoir may be broken. I tried using it once and all the stuff just poured out when i closed the door. The reservoir lid was definitely shut. I'm going to need to look into that.

 

Wait A minute. You bought a new unit and it was full of mold?!!! The and the JetDry dispenser may be broken?
And you're OK with that?

WOW!

I fought with Frigidaire for several weeks before they made good on an extended warranty. If I spend money on new item, I expect it to be in brand new factory shape with no flaws or usage,unless testing is needed and then it better be clean and like new condition.

 

The mold was BS for sure, but it's not like it can't be removed. It would have been a nightmare to get a new unit from them. It took me like a month to get the first. The jetdey reservoir I'm not ok with being broken. I just haven't gotten around to taking a good look at it yet. I only discovered that issue a few weeks ago, and I've been busy with a lot of other stuff so I pretty much forgot about it (i don't normally use jetdry).