In 2021, with COVID affecting the availability of just about every major appliance brand,
finding a good reliable dishwasher can still feel impossible. Some of the top picks from
our previous videos are no longer in stock, so in this video, first we’ll walk you through
the best dishwashers that are readily available today, and then we’ll cover models that
are worth waiting for if you have time to spare.
Hi this is John with Designer Appliances, New Jersey and New York's premiere appliance
showroom. As the experts, we’re here to help, so if you’re struggling to select
a dishwasher or create your dream kitchen, call us, visit our showrooms, or leave a comment
below and our team would be happy to help.
When choosing our best dishwasher models, we based our assessment on factors like washing
and drying performance, noise level, capacity, and design.
We’ll start with our top 3 picks of dishwashers that are in stock and readily available today.
This list includes some brands you may not recognize, but we feel confident these picks
represent the best of the best available today at any budget level.
First up, our top pick for a dishwasher you can actually buy today is the Miele G4228SCUSS
at $999
Regardless of availability, Miele is often one of our top dishwasher recommendations.
The G4228 is Miele’s entry level dishwasher, which might surprise you given the $1000 price
tag. But don’t let it’s entry level status fool you. This dishwasher features the same
build quality as the rest of the Miele line-up, albeit missing some bells and whistles.
For starters, the G4228 like all Miele dishwashers, was built to last and is tested and designed
to perform for 20 years. The industry standard is about 10 years. Take that into consideration
when evaluating the upfront cost. While we can’t guarantee this longevity, on average
it should last about twice as long as most new dishwashers.
The G4228 has a full control panel which makes it easy to select your cycle and see how much
time is left, and the front has a fingerprint proof stainless steel panel, which actually
makes a big difference. I have mostly Miele appliances in my house and we never really
notice fingerprints and that with 2 young kids that touch everything.
This model is very quiet at 46 dB. For most people this will feel like a major improvement
over an older dishwasher.
When it comes to cleaning, Miele excels. All Miele dishwashers have a 3 rack design with
a bottom rack, upper rack, and a 3rd row cutlery tray. The cutlery tray replaces the traditional
cutlery basket typically found in the bottom rack of most dishwashers. This frees up space
in the bottom rack for more dishes, pots and pan, while giving you a greater ability to
organize and separate your silverware in the top rack. And since your silverware is evenly
spaced apart, you’ll get better cleaning results than with everything on top of each
other in a basket.
Each of the 3 racks have their own dedicated wash arm, including a full width wash arm
on the 3rd rack to ensure all your silverware gets clean.
For drying, Miele utilizes condensation, instead of a typical heating element, which gives
a lot of people hesitation when they first hear about it. The problem with heating elements,
is their typically the first thing that breaks on a dishwasher, they use a ton of energy,
they can melt plastics and damage your dishes, and they bake on remaining food while also
causing water spots. Condensation drying is much gentler, and when used in conjunction
with rinseaid, works about 95% as good. So how does it work? The dishwasher uses very
hot water as a final rinse, and when the cycle is done, the hot interior temperature of the
dishwasher cavity causes water to evaporate off your dishes, onto the sides and down into
the drain. Since there’s no heating element, it’s safe to put your plastics anywhere,
even on the bottom rack, since you don’t have to worry about them melting. This works
great most of the time but plastics in particular can be tricky to get dry since plastic doesn’t
retain heat like dishes do. If you frequently wash a lot of plastic, Miele’s auto open
feature on their higher models helps to enhance the drying process even further.
The G4228 This model has all the basic wash cycles you'd expect in a modern dishwasher:
normal, pots and pans, sanitize wash, express wash and rinse and hold. The only downside
to this model is that you won’t enjoy many of the luxury features that are available
in Miele’s newest dishwasher. But if you’re looking for a budget friendly dishwasher with
great performance and this is a great pick.
Next up is Asko’s entry level 30 series dishwasher, the DBI663IS, which is our most
popular Asko model at $899
This dishwasher features hidden controls in the top lip of the dishwasher, and a sleek
neutrally designed pocket handle that will blend into any kitchen design.
With the 30 series you get all the features that make Asko great. For starters, TurboDry
is standard, giving you great drying results in less time compared to other similar brands.
TurboDry is also a condensation dry like Miele, but with the added benefit of having a fan
circulate the moist air out of the dishwasher.
This dishwasher is very quiet at 42 decibels, which is great if you have an open floor plan
and your kitchen is next to other living spaces.
With the 30 series, cleaning is stellar. All Asko dishwashers have stainless steel wash
arms including a full width wash arm for the upper cutlery tray as opposed to a smaller
spray nozzle on some competing brands. And for really caked on messes Asko has these
individual high pressure nozzles.
Unlike other brands that only include basic wash cycles on their entry level models, all
Asko dishwashers come with the same 11 wash programs, including your normal cycle and
a quick cycle which will do most of the work, but you also get a crystal setting for delicate
glasses, and sanitize cycle which is designed to remove bacteria and odors from things like
baby bottles and cutting boards.
Loading capacity is great on the 30 series. The bottom and upper racks give you a ton
of flexibility and the narrow width 3rd rack takes the place of a traditional cutlery basket
without blocking your ability to load tall glasses.
Installation flexibility is a prime reason to consider Asko. It’s total height can
go as low as 32 ¾” which makes it one of the most versatile dishwashers on the market
and able to fit into just about any cabinetry opening. Most standard base cabinets offer
34 ½” of clearance to the bottom of the countertop, but if you have shorter custom
cabinets, or an older sagging countertop, you might not have the space to fit a standard
height dishwasher. We especially find this helpful with tricky flooring situations, especially
if your home has a new floor installed on top of an old floor.
Next up, is our favorite budget dishwasher that you can actually purchase today from
Beko.
Let’s be honest… at Designer Appliances we are appliance nerds so I have a hard time
recommending a budget dishwasher. However, we do understand not everyone is looking for
top of the line performance and some people just want something that can clean the dirty
dishes and make the chore of washing dishes a little bit easier. The Beko DUT25401X is
that pick.
Beko is a newer brand you might not have heard of, but don’t let that scare you. Beko is
actually one of the largest appliance brands in the world. They just recently begun expanding
into the US but have made a major investment to ensure they have the support network to
back up their products.
We just recently started carrying Beko and have been very impressed. This model offers
a ton of great features with an impressive price tag that dips to around $500 during
seasonal promotions.
For a $500 dishwasher this is actually a really good product. It’s quiet at 48 dB and has
a stainless steel interior tub which is an upgrade over the plastic tub you typically
find on dishwashers at this price point.
The interior baskets are also impressive for the price point. Both the upper and lower
baskets feel very sturdy and well made. The upper basket is even height adjustable.
We are going to be doing a deep dive review on all Beko dishwashers models soon, but so
far we have been extremely impressed with the quality of their products.
So that covers our top picks that are available to buy today. But what if you are willing
to wait?
If you want to save a little money over the Miele and are willing to wait, our top pick
for most people is the 500 series dishwasher from Bosch
When friends and family ask us which dishwasher to get, this is typically the model we recommend.
However, due to the pandemic, it’s almost impossible to find Bosch dishwashers in stock.
If you are willing to wait and are in the NJ & NY area, stop by or give us a call and
we’d be happy to save your spot in line for one of these models. We currently estimate
to have these available towards the end of the year or beginning of next.
The 500 series is packed with great features and offers some of the best reliability around.
At around $899, it’s not cheap, but when considering all that it offers, the 500 series
is a great value.
This beautifully designed dishwasher is available with either a pocket handle (our most popular
option) or with a bar handle.
Bosch is known for their quiet dishwashers, and this model is no exception. At only 44
decibels, this dishwasher is made to blend in with your kitchen. In fact, it’s so quiet
that Bosch beams a discreet red light to the floor to indicate operation.
Similar to the Miele we talked about, this Bosch features an AutoAir Dry door, which
opens slightly to let extra moisture out after the cycle is over. If drying is important
to you, considering upgrading to the Bosch 800 series which includes CrystalDry, which
we cover in detail in our Bosch review linked in the description below.
The interior of this dishwasher is also super customizable, with features like EasyGlide
racks and FlexSpace tines for bulky items.
If you have your heart set on this or another Bosch dishwasher, seriously consider looking
at Thermador. Thermador is Bosch’s luxury brand. They share the same platform with some
minor quality improvements. They are more expensive but if you want a Bosch dishwasher
now, Thermador might be your best and only bet. We’ve included links to our top Thermador
picks below.
We hope this video has given you a great starting point when it comes to selecting the right
dishwasher for your home. Which dishwasher stands out most based on what you know now?
Let us know in the comments below!
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