Household tools - need a new dishwasher

[egon]

We have a Medium Black Poodle dish cleaner. Leaves everything whistle slick clean. Pretty quiet too and easy on the water.

Egon

[NSbound]

I had an old Kenmore here when I moved in 12 years ago and it was still working. Thought I'd be smart and put in a new one before the old one quit, so looked at Consumers Reports and bought a new Kenmore mid-range - $719 at Sears but on sale for $599. It seems OK - lite touch controls and all. It worked for 2 years and the "water inlet valve" failed. It's an electronic part and water wouldn't flow into the machine. The guy on the phone at Sears knew it was that problem right away and the repair guy just verified it when he came. Bad part of this was the service call was $40.00, the labor for the repair was $49 and the part was $159.00, plus tax - grand total $285 repair on a 2-year old machine. [img]/forums/images/icons/mad.gif[/img] Don't know that I'd try Kenmore again. One more repair and this machine is history already!! [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

[Bird]

Ian, I don't think it necessarily matters which brand you have; it may or may not last a long time. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] When we bought a new double wide mobile home in '97, it came with a new GE dishwasher and it, too, lasted about 2 years before the pump sprung a leak. I found that the pump and motor are made and sold as one unit; can't buy one without the other and the part alone was $180 plus tax. We decided to just go buy a new Kenmore, but the morning we were going shopping for one, our daughters showed up early that morning with a new Maytag for their mother. And now, in this place, we have a Magic Chef. I guess it works OK, but it's 7 years old and a noisy contraption. Many years ago we had a Gaffers & Sattler and I had to replace the motor and seal kit in it before it was 3 years old.

I've repaired several dishwashers over the years, and while my wife disagrees strongly (as I suspect all women and most men would), that's one appliance I'd prefer not even having in a house. I've yet to see one that I thought was worth the space it takes, much less the cost.

[Pat]

Bird, There is another appliance that is even worse, the trash compactor. A device that takes up more space than a trash can and with the addition of expensive special bags and such will turn 40 pounds of trash into 40 lbs of trash in an expensive bag.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Bird]

That may be, Pat. We've never had a trash compactor, so no experience with them. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Me too, Bird. After hearing others with compactors explain their workings (turning 40 lbs of trash into a uniform 40 lb bag of trash in an expensive bag and needing deodorant sprays for the smell while waiting to fill a bag), I decided compactors weren't high on my priority list. I'm sure they are of benefit to some folks, probably severe space limited folks in NY apartments or something.

I would be happy to hear from a dissenting observer (pro compactor) as it is not too late to design in one of these in the new kitchen if I heard a convincing argument that applied to our situation.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[JazzDad]

I hear there was a consumer magazine that used Dasypus Novemcinctus carcasses as their unit of measurement. Like, one compactor brand held 20, the other 25, and the associated cost comparisons (price per deceased 'dillo).
Just one of the many uses...

[Richard]

I'm not pro nor con compactor, but when I was growing up, we had one. It started off as the smelly thing inferred here. What we ended up using it for was recycling our glass. We'd put varous glass bottles in it and smash them to smithereens. Then every now & then, the bag would mysteriously disappear.

[Pat]

JazzDad, Is that like the way they rate car trunk size in New Jersey by the number of bodies it will hold?

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]