Where to look for reviews for the Best Dishwasher?

[mikester]

Interesting to read all the positive Bosch reviews. Our current unit is LG and its been very quiet and trouble free for the last 3 years (knocking on wood). When I was researching for reliability at the time, Bosch didnt score/rate very well. Our local appliance dealer said that appliances dont last 20 years like they used to and you are lucky to get 7 years on anything these days. Says everything is now designed to be disposable and not cost effective to repair. Not very confidence inspiring.

Our last unit was a Maytag which had multiple failures/problems and I tossed out after 6 years when it started leaking all over the floor. I tried Maytag after my in-laws got one...interesting thing is that both our units had the same break downs and both died after the same amount of time. Our maytag double oven is also problematic. Never again Maytag!

Prior to Maytag we had kenmore which lasted 10 years. R.I.P. Sears.

Im Now basing my decisions on quietness and energy efficiency now, then features and price. Bosch units cost 50% more at the time I bought my LG. No sense throwing away money on a more expensive unit that wont last longer or be cheaper to operate. Consumers dont seem to value reliability or efficiency anymore...probably because they buy cookie cutter junk builder homes and only live in them less than 5 years. Never have to worry about things like roofing or doors and windows, just go buy a new home!

 

[gsganzer]

We just bought a new kitchen suite about 2 years ago from Lowes (gas stove, fridge, microwave and dishwasher). I'm real picky about the stove and the refrigerator and based my search around those. I was leaning towards the LG brand, but kept reading some reviews that were pretty bad. The problem with trying to base it on reviews is that there seems to be good and bad for virtually every brand. Then when I was at the store, we overheard another couple saying they had the worst experience with LG and would never buy them again. When I got talking to the salesman, turns out he's been selling appliances for 30+ years. He also told us to steer clear of LG, saying the service, warranty and parts supply is a big issue. He steered us to Samsung. So far, we've been happy with them and really like the features of the fridge and stove. The microwave and dishwasher are also fine. One thing to watch with dishwashers is that not all of them have a true heated drying cycle. I like that ours has a slim third top basket that holds long items like spatulas etc. Another feature I really like on a dishwasher is a delayed start mode, so it can start after we go to bed, the newer dishwashers seem to have a really long wash cycle.

 

[EddieWalker]

I know this isn't in the scope of your question regarding review sites, so ignore it if you want.

Do you have a water softener, and is your dishwater fed soft water? That made all the difference for us and our dishwashers that would gradually stop doing a nice job. The orifices were gradually getting plugged with lime and calcium.

Also, our current dishwasher is about 1 year old, low-end Bosch unit with few features. However, it is the quietest dishwasher I've ever heard, and does a really nice job. Only drawback is it doesn't have heat dry, but if I run the thing before I go to bed, the dishes, silverware, glassware, etc... are all dry. The only things wet are the plastic containers and lids.

Good luck in your search. :thumbsup:

I'm on city water and I have never tested my water for softness. I've seen the kits at Home Depot, so I'll check to see if they still have them and find out what my water is like.

 

[MossRoad]

I'm on city water and I have never tested my water for softness. I've seen the kits at Home Depot, so I'll check to see if they still have them and find out what my water is like.

:thumbsup: can't hurt to see what you're dealing with.

 

[ustmd]

Another vote for Bosch. Our trusted Maytag kicked the bucket after 12 years in 2013 and I replaced it with a Bosh. I looked at Consumer reports and talked to friends to get recommendations.

Aside from all of the other great things people mentioned about Bosch, Out of the 5 or 6 dishwashers I have installed or helped install, the Bosch was by far the easiest. The unit comes with all the hoses pre-installed and they come out the back, so you only need to make connections under the sink. Similarly, they supply a junction box with terminal blocks, so you do not need to make connections at the front of the unit. As a matter of fact, the only thing you need to do at the front of the unit is to level the unit by adjusting some hex screws that drive cams-way easier on my back.

 

[MossRoad]

Another vote for Bosch. Our trusted Maytag kicked the bucket after 12 years in 2013 and I replaced it with a Bosh. I looked at Consumer reports and talked to friends to get recommendations.

Aside from all of the other great things people mentioned about Bosch, Out of the 5 or 6 dishwashers I have installed or helped install, the Bosch was by far the easiest. The unit comes with all the hoses pre-installed and they come out the back, so you only need to make connections under the sink. Similarly, they supply a junction box with terminal blocks, so you do not need to make connections at the front of the unit. As a matter of fact, the only thing you need to do at the front of the unit is to level the unit by adjusting some hex screws that drive cams-way easier on my back.

My Bosch DW required the purchase of an extension cord if you didn't want to wire it at the front.

 

[dougtrr2]

We replaced our Amana dish washer with a Bosch. If you are a DIY one thing to be prepared for is the connections. Some dishwashers have the connections at the front, and others have them in the back. It is just a pain to have to switch from one to the other. My old dishwasher was hardwired in, the new one used a receptacle. Knowing the difference probably wouldn't change my choice, just be prepared for extra work.

Doug in SW IA

 

[Alien]

We thought our LG was pretty good. (it was Australian made then)
One night we were watching a late movie in bed and suddenly our power went off. Went and re-set the fuse and it wouldn't work, just kept flicking off. So I systematically went through the house switching everything off until I came to the dishwasher power point. It appeared faulty so I disconnected the LG and everything worked.
Next day I found the dishwasher appeared faulty so I opened it up and it looked like new inside. As it kept tripping the earth circuit breaker I disconnected the chassis earth and everything worked perfectly again. Now the dishwasher was not in use at the time so I found that a bit strange.
Anyway I pulled it out and replaced it with a new ARISTON.
Well! I thought the LG cleaned things pretty good but the ARISTON is way better.
I have the LG in storage but I guess the best place for it is the tip. It was about 5 years old and like new. Pity to chuck it.
I use program P4 on the ARISTON for everything. That is 1 hour 19 minutes for some reason.
It is also very quiet.
The sales-folk warned me that LG is now Chinese made and they wouldn't recommend the new ones. Just a thought.

Incidentally our previous dishwasher to the LG was a Bosch, I threw it out before it was 12 months old as it would not clean anything.

 

[s219]

Have tried several brands, including Bosch, and can't say any of them are worthy of recommendation. It's a crap shoot. Do your best to sift through the data, and then pick one that has the features and usability you like.

 

[EddieWalker]

Have tried several brands, including Bosch, and can't say any of them are worthy of recommendation. It's a crap shoot. Do your best to sift through the data, and then pick one that has the features and usability you like.

This is pretty much how I feel right now. Because of so many recommendations for Bosch, that's where I'm leaning right now. Some of the reviews say that the 300 series Bosch is the top one to get, but the people on the Lowes website reviews hated it. The 800 series seems to be where all the positive reviews are on Lowes.com. I was in Home Depot today and looked at what they have. I wasn't impressed. But the more I look, the more I hate dishwashers. They all seem flimsy, plastic, with too many buttons to go wrong.