Mkotch

Make sure to check on the length of a wash. My mom got a Sears dishwasher that took more than 2 hours to wash and there was not option for a "quick" wash. So she finally got another one - and it takes almost as long. My old Hotpoint takes 45 minutes to wash and dry on the "energy saver" (it's 30 years old so I'm sure it's not all that energy efficient). Good luck!

sandy l

Got a Bosch a couple of years ago. It's a good washer, quiet, and like having the option of the short cycle, water saver.

kalady

Our first KA lasted 32 yrs. New KA has short wash energy saver and is so quiet I have to put my ear next to it to hear the water coming in. I used to sell major appliances and no matter what brand you choose never buy the top of their line. The extra bells and whistles are generally not worth it and the co. Really ups the price.

Iceblossom

Way back, I remember when Bosch was super upscale but was "the" dishwasher for conference rooms because they are so quiet!

For all modern dishwashers be aware that many/most no longer heat water themselves, it's part of the energy savings. Partly because of this, wash times are often longer than we expect. When my mother had her dishwasher replaced the installer told her it was very important to run the sink next to the dishwasher until the water was hot before turning on the dishwasher. That takes almost an hour out of the wash time -- otherwise her machine takes a sip out of the water lines and says "too cold", spits it back and takes another one until the cold/room temp water is out of the line!

I love the stainless interiors and that is mostly emotional response I think... I find that I have a number of preferences over things like the cutlery tray and shape and placement. I find some grids just work with some dishes better than others -- my daily stonewear is very thick.

I'm hoping to replace my dishwasher next year. When I moved into the house, the dishwasher was added in maybe the 70s? It was like a dragon and designed to have steam billowing out of vents in the front... the current one (been here longer than the hubby so 20 years??) works ok, but apparently there is some sort of counterbalance to the door that has broken/come off and we have to prop the door up on my stew pot to have it open. Basically have to pull the dishwasher out to fix the problem, and we are going to replace instead.

mizmac00

Another Bosch dishwasher fan here! Can't beat them. Quiet. Dependable. Quality.

juliasb

We just bought a Frigidaire and love it. It is energy savings and so quiet and more than that it didn't cost an arm and a leg.

gale

I love and hate my bosch. It's fairly quiet (not so quiet you can watch tv in the same area though) and I like that I can put plastics on the bottom rack. But I hate the rack configuration so much that it makes me hate the whole thing sometimes. I've looked at reviews and it seems to be a common complaint.

Peckish

Here's my understanding about why modern dishwashers have longer cycles: (my friend's 1 year old dishwasher's shortest cycle takes 4 hours!)
The energy savings come from the fact that the dishwasher isn't drawing power the whole time it's running. Instead, it pulses on and off. The water savings come from the fact that in old dishwashers, water was being pumped simultaneously through both upper and lower sprayer arms. In the new dishwashers, there's less water, so it's only pumped through one arm at a time. This is also the reason why the cycles take so much longer.
https://youtu.be/_rBO8neWw04
My son sent me this video explaining everything you need to know about dishwashers. I found it totally fascinating and very educational. It also explains why those detergent pods are not the best idea. (He doesn't mention that the outer layer has a tendency to not dissolve completely and cause blockages in the pipes, but that's been the experience of several of my friends who have used them in the past.)

Linda-

We bought ours at Costco and it is very very quiet. They delivered and installed for $30. It is a Maytag.

thepolyparrot

Interesting post - especially this part. I've found pieces of those pods stuck to dishes, so I use the liquid. Never thought about them not sticking to a dish, but to the inside of the pipe. Yikes!

The liquid is handier, anyway - when my sheet pans get grungy, I can smear the liquid all over them and let them sit and the liquid gets the grunge off better than steel wool.