Dishwashers: Kenmore vs. Kenmore Elite? Or Bosch? Help! archived

We're shopping for a new dishwasher and have it narrowed down to 2 -- one is a Kenmore, one is a Kenmore Elite. The Elite is about $120 more and has a few extra features that would be nice to have but are certainly not essential (fold-down tines on the top rack, and a top-rack only cycle). Is there any real difference between the brands? Is the Elite actually a "better" brand, or do the Sears guys just say that to get customers to spend more?

I have the Kenmore Elite and looked at both. The extra features that made it worth it to me were the big sprayers on the back wall, which really work on dirty baking dishes and pots, as well as the stainless interior. It also has a one-hour cycle, which I use a lot. I've been happy with it, with the exception of the plastic mesh silverware basket, which needs to be replaced because the bottom has broken in spots.

Thanks jr! The kenmore model actually has all of those same features - "turbo" sprayers on back wall, stainless interior and one hour cycle. That's why I'm so confused!

Interesting. When I bought mine a few years back the differences were really clear, and they've probably added features to the Kenmore line. You might be able to see them in person at the Sears in the Livingston Mall.

That's what we did yesterday! I'm still not certain that the "upgrades" are worth $120. Will I really know the difference between a 50 db and 46 db machine? Our current dishwasher sounds like a helicopter, so really anything is an improvement.

Apologies in advance for this, but I'd very carefully research Kenmore reviews before buying. I have bought a number of Kenmore dishwashers over the years, but my current Kenmore Ultrawash is so awful I would never buy another. Doesn't clean well, plastic pieces of dish insert tray have broken off, light display cycle and option "buttons" poorly made and several now missing, etc.

I did see some bad reviews, but was hoping that the stellar ratings on consumer reports outweighed those. We were also considering a Bosch but the inside looked tiny, and the slanted tines won't work with our dishes.

If Sears goes under how will that that affect warranties and parts?

You all are killing me! Is a Kenmore (or Kenmore Elite) really a terrible idea? Should I just look for a larger (and unfortunately, more expensive) Bosch? We're trying to stay under $800.

I have a Kenmore (previous homeowners put in probably about ten years ago) and I wouldn't ever buy another Kenmore dishwasher - it's terrible. And I haven't liked it since day one, when it was just a few years old. Granted the hard water around here makes it difficult to begin with, but our dishes are just embarrassing no matter what I try. It's just not well made either. I've been too lazy to start looking for a new one, but when I do it definitely won't be a Kenmore.

I've had a Kenmore - it was very highly rated by consumer reports - but it was a baaad dishwasher. I now have a bosch and I LOVE IT - best dishwasher I've ever had. Lowes has great prices on Bosch. Watch carefully and wait for a sale. I got a great bosch - on sale for $600 at Lowes.

I sent my husband to buy a new dishwasher, and he bought the cheapest Kenmore. I was furious at first, but its actually very good. It gets the dishes clean, which is the main thing. We have a water softener, so we have no issues with spots. I use Finish detergent tabs, which do a nice job of cleaning.

We've never had an ounce of trouble from our Kenmore Elite and it works very well.

I hate my Kennmore. It, too, was highly rated. It is several years old now, but it had several recall notices for similar models and then my model, and some plastic spin whatchamacallit broke while the machine was still relatively new--never enough to pay someone to fix it. It was o.k. on cleaning (I'm in Maplewood and not a heavy user) for awhile, but recently it is not as good. I'm unsure what brand I will get to replace it, but it will not be Kennmore.

jmo said:

That's what we did yesterday! I'm still not certain that the "upgrades" are worth $120. Will I really know the difference between a 50 db and 46 db machine? Our current dishwasher sounds like a helicopter, so really anything is an improvement.

I have no idea what standard is employed for measuring dishwasher noise, but for what it's worth:

When I was shopping for a new washer earlier this year and saw that most models were pushing db levels, I measured the old washer at close to 55db. It had been more quiet than the washer it replaced, but still required that I raise the TV/music volume if I wanted to work in the kitchen.

The new dishwasher is rated at 48db, and does not require any adjustment in volume to my entertainment source.

As a rule of thumb, an increase of 3db will be perceived as a noise, twice as loud.

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On an unrelated note, does anybody else find that their stainless steel tub smells more than their old plastic tub dishwasher if not run on a full cycle?

TomR

The last dishwasher I bought for my old house was a lower-middle-range Bosch and it was by far the quietest d/w I've ever had. It didn't have an especially good layout and did not seem to hold as much as my previous Kenmore/Whirlpool dishwashers, but it actually was not much more expensive than a comparably featured Kenmore or Whirlpool would have been and noise was an issue for me so I opted for the quietness factor. How it has held up the last few years I don't know since I no longer live in that house. It may not even be there anymore.

My experience with Sears service over the years left me determined never to buy any Kenmore appliance again. (Right now GE is also on my never-again list but since they are going out of the appliance business anyway that doesn't matter as much. The GE Profile dishwasher in my present house is not as quiet as the Bosch but has the same rather awkward layout and oddly limited capacity. But it is still working, which is more than I can say about my three-year-old GE Profile washing machine, which I recently replaced with a SpeedQueen.)

I don't know about the others, but I advise against Bosh. All right, it is super quiet, but I have to pretty much dry everything before I can put things in their places, super annoying.

On the positive side, it does hold a lot of dishes (it's a 500 something), I love the third rack and that the middle rack is adjustable to three different heights. And it does clean well - but doesn't dry :/

We recently got a stainless steel (outside) Kenmore Ultra Wash. It was on sale, under $500, down from $700 on a holiday. They almost screwed up the delivery arrangements but it got straightened out finally, and it arrived three days later. It was a complicated installation, but it was done expertly. So far, the dishes look sparkling, it sounds quiet, and there's been no problem. There's some special liquid that has to be changed every 28 washes, in addition to the usual Finish detergent tab. It seems that there's a "quick" 1-hour wash, but the eco wash quietly takes almost 3 hours, surprisingly. All in all, we've had a month of excellent dishwashing, but ask me next month.

LOVE my Bosch. IT IS AMAZINGLY quiet. People actually comment and state envious. I have had it for more than 10 years...in fact it might be 15 years. It looks good enough if we redo kitchen not replacing it. Note, this is a 2 person HH that only had kids every other weekend, so large family /more use, how long it lasts cannot answer. We got it because friends in NYC had one, and my husband saw his friend put stuff in there without rinsing, and then...no sound. At all. Well a little swishing noise if in kitchen and house is quiet. My husband is a master loader, so cannot comment on comparative loads.

Also, when all the formulations changed with dishwasher detergents, it has become a challenge to avoid the spots. We went through some trauma, still can be a challenge. Do not recall a problem drying, unless not letting it go through the dry cycle. FYI georges appliance repair is great. They will talk you through some stuff to see if fix it before taking a trip out.

Thank you all for the advice and suggestions. We went with the Bosch 500 series, which includes a 3rd rack on top for utensils so you can take out the basket on the lower rack and use the extra space for large dishes. So far it's excellent -- super quiet and everything comes out sparkling clean. The normal cycle time is long, about 2.5 hours, but we usually run it overnight so that's not a problem. It holds plenty of dishes, though we are still trying to figure out the best loading technique because our cereal bowls are weirdly deep and the layout of the tines is a little awkward. The third rack really helps. It's only been a few days, but so far I am very happy with the decision!

jmo - For most purposes, you can run your Bosch on the express cycle, which is one hour. Try it.

jmo - For most purposes, you can run your Bosch on the express cycle, which is one hour. Try it.

I believe there's a Bosch model (may be an 800 series) that has a 15 min. or 30 min. express cycle which is great for light loads. Most other manufacturers have cycles of 1 hour or more.

jmo-where did you buy the Bosch?

Kenmore appliances are made under contract by the usual manufacturers to specs provided by Sears. You can usually look this up on line and find out who actually made the appliance you are looking for. A lot of Sears dishwashers are made by Whirlpool.

Personally I put more weight on the Consumer Reports ratings than on customer feedback. Often the latter reflects unrealistic expectations and sometimes plain misuse of the product.