🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <7j8pqs$f4v$1@nnrp1.deja.com>, kristina.schurr@dowjones.com wrote:

I'm going to use this post to make my response since the descriptions were
so clear.  And because I think reviews are the most useful when they
directly compare two or more items.

I have a Kenmore Ultra Wash purchased 2 years ago at Sears.  It was on
sale.  I don't remember the exact price but it was around $400.

> I bought a GE Monogram Dishwasher in 1998 and consider it to be one of
> the best purchases I ever made. It was more expensive than others, about
> $900, including an extra $100 for a 5-year GE warranty. But considering
> the great features, some of which I listed below, I think the higher
> price definitely was worth it. And when helping friends and family stack
> their dishwashers I realize just how user friendly - and extremely quiet
> - mine is.
> 
> *Stainless steel interior, to avoid the odors or stains that can occur
> with plastic-inside machines.

This is soooo important.  I just wasn't thinking when we bought ours.  It
has a plastic interior.  I'm chemically sensitive but don't ordinarily
react to plastic so it didn't occur to me there might be a problem.  But
this stuff is nasty.  It's the heat no doubt.  For the first many months I
could not be in the house when the dishwasher was on or for several hours
afterwards.  Then I could be in the house but not in the kitchen.  Now I
can be in the kitchen for brief periods but it still gets to me.  It's been
2 years!  Plastic never completely outgasses because to do that you'd have
to wear down all the plastic.

If and when I ever buy another dishwasher, it will have a stainless steel
interior, no matter how much extra it costs.

> *Delayed start option to take advantage of off-peak power prices.

I had to really talk my SO into agreeing to buy this higher priced model. 
It's main feature was the delayed start.  I was right...we use it all the
time and it makes a big difference.  We don't do it for off-peak but it is
nice to set it for when we'll be out of the house or in bed.

> *Removable cutlery basket that stays fixed inside the machine, i.e.,
> doesn't "float around" when replaced in bottom rack.

Mine too.

> *Removable filter so any food particles can easily be removed from
> inside machine.

Hmmm...I should find out if mine has this :-)

> *Cleaning power so strong I never rinse off gooey or gunked-on food and
> dishes come out amazingly clean.

Mine was touted as being like this but it isn't really.  It's worlds better
than most dishwashers though.  I think it's not working for us because of
several reasons: we run it a couple times a week so some of the food on the
dishes can be pretty old and dried; my SO often overloads the DW so the
water doesn't circulate; my SO often uses the settings that use the least
water and energy (this is a good thing but not always the best way to clean
the dishes).

> *Light that goes on to let you know when to add more drying aid.

Drying aid? that's what air is for :-)

> *Adjustable top rack feature to accomodate stemware.

Ours is adjustable too.

> *Interchangable bottom racks to accomodate more dishes or pots and pans.

We have some adjustablity, from pushing rack tines down or up.

> *Uses less water than other machines.

Ditto.

> *Have never experienced problems with light items, such as Rubbermaid
> foodstorage containers "thrown" around, even when placed in bottom rack.

Same.

> *Extra insulation to reduce noise.

I don't know how they do it but this DW is very quiet.  We can sleep with
it on and we only hear the water running through the pipes.  It does not
bother us in the living room, especially if we close the door to the
kitchen.

> *GE very responsive to questions on service since this is their
> top-of-the-line dishwasher.

We haven't needed any service so can't assess that.

> *Easy-to-use timer and selection buttons.

Yes.  Though the redunancy we have gets a bit confusing.

> I got the stainless steel front, but it's also available in black or
> white. Can also take custom cabinet cover but that costs more.

Ours is black and I forget all the options we had.

> Bought it at Karl's Appliances, which has stores in N.J., where I live.
> But this is a national line, so you can find it anywhere.

Our is availble only in Sears stores I think.

> I absolutely think this machine is well worth the extra cost.

It sure sounds like it is.

Other features ours has that I think are good:

Built-in water heater.  This is great cause we don't have to set the water
heater to be super hot all the time just for the times we want to run the
dishwasher.  (There is a button that lets you choose if you want to use the
heater.)

Front spacula holder on the top rack.  This is minor but I really like it.

Everything fits! I can put in the biggest pots I want to.  I haven't tried
with really huge things but the medium-large items that don't fit in most
dishwashers fit right in here.

Top and bottom water jets (okay so this is mundane now but older
dishwashers and really cheap ones have water jets only on one end which
doesn't get things as clean).

Disadvantages: none of the surface is magnetic (minor but I really like to
be able to put a clean/dirty magnet on the DW itself instead of on the
fridge).  yeah yeah, I'll dig out my velcro stickies eventually.

Cyndi

_______________________________________________________________________________
"There's nothing wrong with me.  Maybe there's                     Cyndi Norman
something wrong with the universe." (ST:TNG)           cyndi@consultclarity.com
                                                 http://www.consultclarity.com/
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