I'm in the market for a new dishwasher

freestanding one? Why? Agreed you don't need to spend a fortune, but why have a unit you have to hook up to in order to use?

I didn't even know they sold these anymore. Who has the room to move around and store a floating dishwasher?

One of the owners of our local appliance store who lives across the street from me told me, when I asked if there was one brand better than another, that all appliances are now made by only 2 or 3 companies. The only difference between them are the bells and whistles. None of them are better than the others. These few companies bought up all the high end brands so they can slap the name on their appliances and charge a higher price for them. He did say that the ones coming from China an320d such do nothing to help you if you have problems with your appliance.

My house had a cheap Amana one when I bought it. It’s loud, but I can put dishes in without any pre-washing and it works perfectly, including the dryer. My cousin has a fancy German one and she says she has to pre-wash and the dishes are wet at the end.

I recently bought a Samsung “smart” refrigerator, with a camera inside and a screen on the front. It looks cool, but was a complete waste of money. The camera only shows the top shelf. I always know what’s on the top shelf. It’s the veggie drawer that needs a camera.

You can use the touch screen to pull up recipes, but it’s easier to just use my iPad.

Seconding R1..why would you want a freestanding one if you have the plumbing in place for a built-in?

Anyway, we replaced our old Samsung with a Bosch last year based on Bosch's high ratings, and haven't been disappointed. Cleans wonderfully and so quiet!

i just bought a countertop dishwasher, a Comfee, because I rent. I cook and bake and i'm goddamn sick of handwashing dishes as I've had to these past 4 years.

I haven't used it yet because I realized after i bought it, i will need to replace the pull down faucet with sprayer built in for a plain old ordinary faucet and i can't do that on my own. I will need someone else to do that.

I'll report back, though. I have high hopes, based on it's Amazon rating.

[quote]freestanding one? Why? Agreed you don't need to spend a fortune, but why have a unit you have to hook up to in order to use? I didn't even know they sold these anymore. Who has the room to move around and store a floating dishwasher?

I mean the current one goes under a counter and has the cupboard door attached to the front to make it look integrated.

I'm going to replace it with a free standing under the counter one that doesn't need a the cover attached.

That is possible, right?

Most people suggest Bosch or Miele for high end.

I think you want an LG. They come with a special nozzle for giving an enema.

R7 That's what mine does, it's a Kenmore.

r7, see my response at r6. I bought that one based on its high rating on Amazon and it's 6 place setting capacity. Again, have yet to use it as I need to have the faucet changed out so i can hook it up when needed.

If it fits under the counter, it’s not a free-standing dishwasher.

I use Jose, but you can’t have him. If he threatens to go elsewhere, I just say I’ll call ICE.

r12 your post makes no sense.

R5 Sylvia, glad to see your post. We're thinking of a Bosch too and heard it's very quiet.

Laughing at the selling points for the cheap dishwashers

"Is quiet",

"has cutlery section"

"racks pull out"

"has buttons"

Does the old one still work? You can't just find a way to reattach the cover?

My post makes perfect sense. You get a free-standing dishwasher when you can’t install one under a counter top. OP says he’s going to put his “free-standing” dishwasher under the counter. If it’s under the counter, it is a built-in dishwasher.

sorry, i didn't read that correctly. I thought he said under CABINET, not under the counter. My mistake, r18.

[quote]Does the old one still work? You can't just find a way to reattach the cover?

Sorry I didn't edit my original post. The dishwasher is at least 9 years old and something broke so it doesn't drain properly. It's an Ikea make and the attached front has come off in one part and one of the spindle things came unattached and had to be fixed with cable ties.

So a nice under the counter new dishwasher is just what I need

you're looking for a "built-in" dishwasher.

that's where the confusion lies in your posts.

[quote]you're looking for a "built-in" dishwasher. that's where the confusion lies in your posts.

No, I don't want a built in (integrated) dishwasher.

if it's "under the counter," it's usually a built-in unit.

There are free-standing/portable models - some with wheels, some that just sit on a surface. The ones with wheels are very rare. I know this, because i've been in the market for one of those for several months. They start at $500, but there are very few models of the freestanding/wheeled variety. That's why i settled and went with a "countertop" model which i will put on a rolling cart as I don't have the counterspace to accommodate it. It was approximately $260.

There are also DRAWER dishwashers, which I think are cool as fuck and wish I could have gotten, but it wasn't an option for my rental. Maybe this is what you mean??

I think you are confused by the fact that some dishwasher’s have a custom panel that matches the look of the cabinets.

Whether you have that panel or not, a dishwasher that fits under the counter and has hidden plumbing and electrical connections is a built-in dishwasher.

what r24 said ^^

My aunt had one of those portable dishwashers that was pretty much the same as a built-in unit, but had to be wheeled about, attached to the kitchen faucet and a drain hose down the sink exhaust. It was a Christmas (1978!) gift and she was so thrilled. The first problem was that her impeccably clean and maintained but ancient kitchen was barely able to cope with the plumbing and electrical needs. I always loved her kitchen, truly a time capsule of a rural home completely remodeled a year after WWII ended.

By the following Christmas, she said that she liked the dishwasher but it was too much to use it on a daily basis and she only used it when she had a dinner party or an unusually large number of dishes to clean; otherwise, it was too much of a hassle to wheel it across the room and attach it to the plumbing. My uncle had wired a dedicated outlet for it next to the kitchen sink by then because it kept blowing the fuse if she ran it while making a pot of coffee.

The last time I saw her kitchen was in the late 90s just before they sold the home (which had been in the family since the 1920s) and "retire" to a McMansion a few miles away ("retire" in quotes because they were both in their late 80s by then despite my uncle still running his business). The kitchen looked exactly as it did throughout my childhood. The portable dishwasher was still tucked in the corner closet, operable (as listed on the MLS). I guess if you only use a dishwasher twice a year, it will in fact last forever.

I have a Bosch with no features. It’s basically on or off. It gets everything spotlessly clean and I don’t rinse anything first.

I wouldn’t mind getting a Bosch but I’m afraid no one in my area would service it. I had a very hard time finding anyone who would service my LG refrigerator.

Finding one right now might be a little difficult, OP, what with the borders finally being closed and the deportations.

I'm the "Comfee" countertop poster and that thing was a piece of shit. I had high hopes, and they were all dashed. I probably used that thing less than 30 times in the year and a half that I owned it.

I just moved less than 30 days ago to my friend's house - which I'm renting now - and to the Promised Land of built-in dishwashers you don't need to roll over, change the faucet end, hook up and run, then curse afterwards because at least half the dishes need to be handwashed to remove the shit the stupid dishwasher didn't even though.

This one is loud, but it has a delay and I can set it to run after I'm in bed and never hear it. I've used THIS dishwasher every other day since I've moved in and what a fucking dream.

As God is my witness, I'll never have a messy kitchen with dirty dishes sitting around AGAIN!

*didn't even TOUCH

I like my Bosch except for two things: it doesn't have a food disposer so unless you scrape every last bit of food off, it ends up at the bottom of the tub or clogs the filter. And it doesn't have an option for heated dry, so you need to open it up and let the dishes air dry and make sure to turn over or shake any items where water can collect.

Don’t have one. Don’t need one. Don’t want one.

I find doing dishes by hand to be a strangely relaxing task.

I suggest you go professional and poach one who's already been trained at a local restaurant. Just offer them above minimum wage, plus room and board. Find a good one and they'll probably do the laundry and a few other things around the house.

I have a 25 year old Kenmore that wont die and scrubs the dishes to a shiny clean. My only complaint about it is that it's a bit loud, so often I run it at night when I'm going to bed.

GE, OP.

I got a midrange GE model about a year and a half ago and like it. It’s quiet and everything is clean. A couple things might not be completely dry at the end. It has a “drier boost” setting you can add, but I haven’t used that because I don’t want to waste the energy for 2 or 3 items I can towel off.

Former appliance salesman here. Best bet is a mid range Whirlpool. Also watch this video.

I think I’m going to get a GE or Whirlpool model but I don’t want to spend more than $1,000 as it might not last more than 10-15 years.

We bought a cheap Chinese Midia dishwasher. Very quiet, cleans well, so far so good.

Just get a river and a basin.

The ICE raids may make things a little harder but I still like a Mexican.

OP, I’ll lend you mine, Alfredo, sometime.

Bosch, hands down .

My nice rental building just switched out my lower end GE dishwasher (it lasted 21 years) with a Frigidaire model I do not like at all. It gets dishes clean, but it is louder than the loud GE and doesn't dry well at all. The dishes are always quite wet even if left overnight, or when I crack the door open after it runs.

There are only a few buttons, but it's still confusing to operate. I miss my old GE!

My smart dishwasher and I talk shit about you.

Do all new dishwashers run for 2 hours on a normal cycle?

Mine does seem to take forever, and the countdown timer is not accurate -- same thing with my washer. I do appreciate that they use less water and are designed not to finish up unless they think all of the visible dirt is gone.

Agree with r38. Go for a Whirlpool model; my apartment has a eleven year old basic Made in USA model - it's the same age as the building - that neither the previous tenants nor I have managed to break yet! Use Cascade Platinum Plus pods and name brand rinse aid and your dishes will sparkle.

Its only con? It lacks prewash/wash/rinse indicator lights.

The stacked front loading Whirlpool washer and dryer combo in the tiny ensuite laundry room are just as dependable.

Our Bosch has been perfect - it’s virtually silent and really does clean caked-on food. I never have to rinse prior to loading.

What r50 said. My Bosch is great, and so quiet I sometimes have to go in and make sure it’s actually working.

KitchenAid has a reputation for good dishwashers. When we completely remodeled our kitchen 10 years ago the architects were appalled that we re-installed our then 3 year old KA, rather than buying a new one. But we did and it's still going strong. Quiet and cleans well. Just remember to use rinse aid, and we like the Cascade pods.

I would never buy LG or Samsung kitchen appliances. Terrible repair records.

Bosch is expensive here but in Europe it's low end.

The LG we bought a couple of years ago is flawless. You can hear it filling up with water but can barely hear it running. The racks inside are adjustable so you can clean any size dish or pan, and a full load takes less than an hour using 7 gallons of water, so it’s efficient and the dishes come out spotlessly clean.

My only complaint is that you have to empty the water from it by pushing “drain” after a load’s finished. It’s supposed to be an energy saving feature, but how much electricity does it take to run a pump for 30 seconds or so? And if you’re like us and only use it every two or three days, you want it drained.

R2's post is correct. All those various brands of dishwashers are made by 2 or 3 companies.

Most people don't need or want the Miele models listed here, but this review does a good job of running down other decent picks.

PS: If I remember right from our own recent dishwasher hunt, Samsung is the one brand you really want to avoid, as their support is terrible and all of their appliances have a poor history of performance.

When comparing prices, etc. check the return policy. We discovered after buying our washer/dryer from Home Depot that we had **48 hours** to return, and if there was an issue after that we had to contact the manufacturer and negotiate with them. We didn't need to, but we had no idea the window was so small.....I mean even at least a week would seem more reasonable. I think Lowes may have something similar.

In my world, that would mean getting a new partner.

I can't remember if it was Miele or Bosch (I think it was Bosch but not sure) but for one of those brands, I read in several places to go to Costco to buy them, because Costco carried dishwashers supplied from the German manufacturer and they were of better quality, versus the American made ones available elsewhere.