Getting Started l Types l Features l Brands
When you're shopping for a dishwasher, there are a number of factors to consider. Besides determining how much you're able to spend, you'll need to decide how many and which options you want and really need, check the quietness and energy efficiency of the different dishwashers, and look at other aspects, including cycle time.
GETTING STARTED
You can pay $1,500 or more for a fancy dishwasher with hidden controls, digital displays, and special grime-fighting cycles. But when it comes to clean dishes, sparkling performance starts well below $500.
What's more, you needn't settle for a bare-bones dishwasher at that price. Luxury features such as a stainless-steel exterior are migrating to more low-priced models. This dishwasher guide will help you with your purchase.
You can pay $1,500 or more for a fancy dishwasher with hidden controls, digital displays, and special grime-fighting cycles. But when it comes to clean dishes, sparkling performance starts well below $500.
What's more, you needn't settle for a bare-bones dishwasher at that price. Luxury features such as a stainless-steel exterior are migrating to more low-priced models. This dishwasher guide will help you with your purchase.
Size matters
Most conventional dishwashers fit a 24-inch-wide space under a kitchen countertop and attach to a hot-water pipe, drain, and electrical line. Cabinet-matching front panels are available as kits, typically for several hundred dollars. Compact, portable dishwashers come in finished cabinets and can be rolled to the sink and connected to the faucet.
Conserving energy
Dishwashers are using less water as manufacturers strive to meet tougher federal energy standards. But it's taking longer to get dishes clean. Lower operating costs can save you more over a dishwasher's lifetime than the price difference between an efficient and less-efficient model. Don't rely on those familiar yellow Energy Star labels. Consumer Reports' tests are based on much dirtier loads and are a more accurate gauge of energy efficiency, in our judgment.
TYPES
The greatest differences in dishwashers, beyond results differences in our performance-based tests, are features and costs. There are a few distinct types of dishwashers, however, including traditional models, drawer-type versions, and portable models.
Low-priced dishwashers
They may suit buyers who care more about performance than glitz.
Pros: As a group, they clean dishes as well as premium-priced models.
Cons: They tend to be noisier than the upscale models and less convenient to load.
High-priced dishwashers
Pros: They tend to be quieter.
Cons: They don't clean dishes any better than the best low-priced dishwashers.
Dishwasher-drawer models
Pros: You can use them simultaneously or individually, and you don't have to bend to load a single- or, sometimes, a double-drawer model.
Cons: They can be expensive, and three versions of one model we tested had significant problems. What's more, models from Fisher & Paykel, which introduced these products to the U.S. market, have been repair-prone.
FEATURES
Generally, the more you spend, the more features you can expect. But some aren't worth the extra expense. Here are the dishwasher features to consider.
Adjustable racks and loading aids
Racks that adjust up or down, adjustable and removable tines, and silverware and stemware holders let you reconfigure the interior and organize the contents. Those devices increase flexibility, especially when you cook for a crowd, and they can help accommodate large and oddly shaped items.
Dirt Sensor
It adjusts water use and cycle length to soil level. A dirt sensor can improve efficiency, but not all work well.
Rinse/hold cycle
It lets you rinse dirty dishes before you're ready to start a full cycle. This cycle reduces odors and prevents soil from setting while you accumulate enough dirty dishes for a full load.
Filters
These keep wash water free of food that could be redeposited on clean dishes. There are two types: self-cleaning and manual. Most filters are self-cleaning; a grinder pulverizes the debris and flushes it down the drain. That's convenient but noisy. Some pricey models have a filter without a grinder. It's quieter, but it needs periodic cleaning (usually every few weeks), a job that takes a few minutes. It's your choice.
Special wash cycles
Most dishwashers come with at least three cycles: light, normal, and heavy (pots and pans). Some offer pot-scrubber, soak/scrub, steam clean, china/crystal, or sanitizing cycles as well. The three basic cycles should be enough for most chores--even for baked-on food. A sanitizing option that raises water temperature above the typical 140° F doesn't necessarily clean better.
Stainless-steel tub
Steel is more durable than plastic, but models with a plastic tub tend to cost far less. While light-colored plastic might become discolored, gray-speckled plastic should resist staining. Even a plastic tub should last longer than most people keep a dishwasher.
Hidden touchpad controls
Controls mounted along the top edge of the door are strictly a styling touch. They're hidden when the door is closed. You can't see cycle progress at a glance. (Partially hidden controls are a good compromise. They show that the machine is running and often display remaining cycle time.)
BRANDS
There are dozens of makes and models of dishwashers from many brands. Use this review to compare dishwashers by brand and learn more about some of the leading manufacturers.
Bosch
This highly rated European brand is positioned as the maker of the quietest, most energy-efficient models with features that leave dishes sparkling. The machines are known for their quiet operation and washing ability. The company is introducing a stainless-steel tub that has a nonstainless tub base (gray). Bosch dishwashers also have a manual filter, unlike most of the other brands sold in this country.
Frigidaire
This brand is sold mostly at big-box stores and other national retailers for $300 to $750; the company also makes the Frigidaire Gallery and Frigidaire Professional lines. Frigidaire is known for its least expensive models. It introduced a gray-colored speckled stainproof tub and the Sahara Dry technology on Frigidaire models. Frigidaire also makes the high-end Electrolux and Electrolux Icon lines, due out in the U.S. in the summer of 2008.
Fisher & Paykel
This maker is known for having introduced the dishwasher drawer to the U.S. market.
GE
This company, which touts its innovations and features, is the second-biggest dishwasher brand and has four lines: GE, Profile, Café, and Monogram. Prices range from about $250 for a basic GE model to $1,400 for a Monogram product. In 2006, GE introduced the Smart Dispense feature, which automatically dispenses detergent in the right amount for the load and is found on its high-end Profile, Café, and Monogram models. The Café line offers professional-style models at lower prices than the Monogram series.
Kenmore
Kenmore, the largest dishwasher brand in this country, is known for its reliability and dependability and has three lines: Kenmore, Kenmore Elite, and Kenmore Pro. Prices range from approximately $250 for a basic Kenmore model to $1,600 for the double-drawer dishwasher in stainless steel ($1,400 in white). Major features such as the TurboZone power-scrubbing mode tend to be shared among the higher-priced Kenmore models ($650 and up) and the Elite models. Kenmore recently introduced steam cleaning, hidden-control models as well as top-rack-only wash on some Elite models.
KitchenAid
This high-end brand positions itself as maker of heavily featured appliances geared toward the kitchen enthusiasts and sold through independent dealers. The brand includes a model with steam cleaning and will launch a new dishwasher drawer model this year. The line now includes fully integrated displays with function indicator on the front. KitchenAid is known for quiet operation and high cleaning performance.
Maytag
A Whirlpool-owned brand, Maytag introduced a steam model in 2008 and will introduce a dishwasher-drawer model later this year. The company positions its products as durable, but its dishwashers have been relatively repair prone, according to our Annual Product Reliability Survey. Prices range from $300 to $900.
Miele
This European brand, like Asko, makes dishwashers that generally excel in energy efficiency but come at a premium cost.
Whirlpool
Whirlpool, the third-biggest dishwasher brand in the U.S., is known for reliability and reasonably priced models. It has two lines: Whirlpool and Whirlpool Gold. Overall, Whirlpool is known for less-expensive models -- prices range from about $250 to $850. The company's PowerScour zone appears on models starting at about $550.
Most conventional dishwashers fit a 24-inch-wide space under a kitchen countertop and attach to a hot-water pipe, drain, and electrical line. Cabinet-matching front panels are available as kits, typically for several hundred dollars. Compact, portable dishwashers come in finished cabinets and can be rolled to the sink and connected to the faucet.
Conserving energy
Dishwashers are using less water as manufacturers strive to meet tougher federal energy standards. But it's taking longer to get dishes clean. Lower operating costs can save you more over a dishwasher's lifetime than the price difference between an efficient and less-efficient model. Don't rely on those familiar yellow Energy Star labels. Consumer Reports' tests are based on much dirtier loads and are a more accurate gauge of energy efficiency, in our judgment.
TYPES
The greatest differences in dishwashers, beyond results differences in our performance-based tests, are features and costs. There are a few distinct types of dishwashers, however, including traditional models, drawer-type versions, and portable models.
Low-priced dishwashers
They may suit buyers who care more about performance than glitz.
Pros: As a group, they clean dishes as well as premium-priced models.
Cons: They tend to be noisier than the upscale models and less convenient to load.
High-priced dishwashers
Pros: They tend to be quieter.
Cons: They don't clean dishes any better than the best low-priced dishwashers.
Dishwasher-drawer models
Pros: You can use them simultaneously or individually, and you don't have to bend to load a single- or, sometimes, a double-drawer model.
Cons: They can be expensive, and three versions of one model we tested had significant problems. What's more, models from Fisher & Paykel, which introduced these products to the U.S. market, have been repair-prone.
FEATURES
Generally, the more you spend, the more features you can expect. But some aren't worth the extra expense. Here are the dishwasher features to consider.
Adjustable racks and loading aids
Racks that adjust up or down, adjustable and removable tines, and silverware and stemware holders let you reconfigure the interior and organize the contents. Those devices increase flexibility, especially when you cook for a crowd, and they can help accommodate large and oddly shaped items.
Dirt Sensor
It adjusts water use and cycle length to soil level. A dirt sensor can improve efficiency, but not all work well.
Rinse/hold cycle
It lets you rinse dirty dishes before you're ready to start a full cycle. This cycle reduces odors and prevents soil from setting while you accumulate enough dirty dishes for a full load.
Filters
These keep wash water free of food that could be redeposited on clean dishes. There are two types: self-cleaning and manual. Most filters are self-cleaning; a grinder pulverizes the debris and flushes it down the drain. That's convenient but noisy. Some pricey models have a filter without a grinder. It's quieter, but it needs periodic cleaning (usually every few weeks), a job that takes a few minutes. It's your choice.
Special wash cycles
Most dishwashers come with at least three cycles: light, normal, and heavy (pots and pans). Some offer pot-scrubber, soak/scrub, steam clean, china/crystal, or sanitizing cycles as well. The three basic cycles should be enough for most chores--even for baked-on food. A sanitizing option that raises water temperature above the typical 140° F doesn't necessarily clean better.
Stainless-steel tub
Steel is more durable than plastic, but models with a plastic tub tend to cost far less. While light-colored plastic might become discolored, gray-speckled plastic should resist staining. Even a plastic tub should last longer than most people keep a dishwasher.
Hidden touchpad controls
Controls mounted along the top edge of the door are strictly a styling touch. They're hidden when the door is closed. You can't see cycle progress at a glance. (Partially hidden controls are a good compromise. They show that the machine is running and often display remaining cycle time.)
BRANDS
There are dozens of makes and models of dishwashers from many brands. Use this review to compare dishwashers by brand and learn more about some of the leading manufacturers.
Bosch
This highly rated European brand is positioned as the maker of the quietest, most energy-efficient models with features that leave dishes sparkling. The machines are known for their quiet operation and washing ability. The company is introducing a stainless-steel tub that has a nonstainless tub base (gray). Bosch dishwashers also have a manual filter, unlike most of the other brands sold in this country.
Frigidaire
This brand is sold mostly at big-box stores and other national retailers for $300 to $750; the company also makes the Frigidaire Gallery and Frigidaire Professional lines. Frigidaire is known for its least expensive models. It introduced a gray-colored speckled stainproof tub and the Sahara Dry technology on Frigidaire models. Frigidaire also makes the high-end Electrolux and Electrolux Icon lines, due out in the U.S. in the summer of 2008.
Fisher & Paykel
This maker is known for having introduced the dishwasher drawer to the U.S. market.
GE
This company, which touts its innovations and features, is the second-biggest dishwasher brand and has four lines: GE, Profile, Café, and Monogram. Prices range from about $250 for a basic GE model to $1,400 for a Monogram product. In 2006, GE introduced the Smart Dispense feature, which automatically dispenses detergent in the right amount for the load and is found on its high-end Profile, Café, and Monogram models. The Café line offers professional-style models at lower prices than the Monogram series.
Kenmore
Kenmore, the largest dishwasher brand in this country, is known for its reliability and dependability and has three lines: Kenmore, Kenmore Elite, and Kenmore Pro. Prices range from approximately $250 for a basic Kenmore model to $1,600 for the double-drawer dishwasher in stainless steel ($1,400 in white). Major features such as the TurboZone power-scrubbing mode tend to be shared among the higher-priced Kenmore models ($650 and up) and the Elite models. Kenmore recently introduced steam cleaning, hidden-control models as well as top-rack-only wash on some Elite models.
KitchenAid
This high-end brand positions itself as maker of heavily featured appliances geared toward the kitchen enthusiasts and sold through independent dealers. The brand includes a model with steam cleaning and will launch a new dishwasher drawer model this year. The line now includes fully integrated displays with function indicator on the front. KitchenAid is known for quiet operation and high cleaning performance.
Maytag
A Whirlpool-owned brand, Maytag introduced a steam model in 2008 and will introduce a dishwasher-drawer model later this year. The company positions its products as durable, but its dishwashers have been relatively repair prone, according to our Annual Product Reliability Survey. Prices range from $300 to $900.
Miele
This European brand, like Asko, makes dishwashers that generally excel in energy efficiency but come at a premium cost.
Whirlpool
Whirlpool, the third-biggest dishwasher brand in the U.S., is known for reliability and reasonably priced models. It has two lines: Whirlpool and Whirlpool Gold. Overall, Whirlpool is known for less-expensive models -- prices range from about $250 to $850. The company's PowerScour zone appears on models starting at about $550.
Copyright © 2006-2009 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.
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