We had to replace a Bosch dishwasher and were limited by the under-counter height of 33" in our search for a new machine. Many dishwashers require a greater height for installation. We decided for the least expensive machine from the line of Asko dishwashers because we are very impressed with a recently purchased Asko clothes washer and because Asko offers a 3-year warranty. This washer has only two control buttons. On the first button you select the program (heavy, regular, quick, rinse and hold). The water temperature is automatically selected for each program (hottest for heavy, hot for regular, warm for quick, cold for rinse). Each program except rinse comes with two temperature choices, regular and econo, which is a lower temperature, and you select regular or econo on the second button that also serves to start the machine. Pretty simple, eh? Some machines have many more options, but we figured all we ever do is wash the dishes, so why pay for all the additional, often confusing programs?
Despite the low height of the machine both racks accommodate taller items than our old dishwasher. This is really great as we can finally put our large dinner plates in the dishwasher. Both racks are cleverly designed. The tines are cleverly arranged, and we can load more in the Asko than we could in the Bosch. The cutlery basket can be moved which makes it easier to put pots or pans in the bottom rack. It also has a compartment that can be closed with a lid, which is good for really small, light items. The top rack has a fold-down cup rack, which can also accommodate wine glasses at an angle, which we find extremely helpful. The water is heated to the programmed temperature with an out-of-sight heating coil in the recirculation plumbing, not one inside the washer cabinet. This can avoid melting plastic items if they get blown down from the racks, which hasn't happened so far in our use.
We always use the regular program at the regular temperature. We have soft water and use only about 1.5 teaspoons full of Costco detergent for the main wash, and less than a teaspoon for the prewash. We use a rinse aid in the rinse aid dispenser, which can be adjusted to six different levels of release of the rinse aid, depending on water hardness. We are using it on the lowest level because of our soft water. All items, china, glass, pots, plastic, come out sparkling clean with no streaks or films, and everything is completely dry. The inside of the cabinet shows no grime, the stainless steel appears spotless. The washer operates very, very quietly, you can barely hear it from a few feet away. We have the black front, which looks absolutely terrific because it is not a high-gloss, cheap looking surface.
The Asko washer uses a standard 110V plug and needs to be hooked up to the hot water supply. If the water isn't hot enough for the selected program, it is automatically heated to the appropriate level.
After one month, we are 100% satisfied with our purchase.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 750