What a beauty! If you like the look of stainless, this is the dishwasher for you. It coordinates with the rest of KitchenAid's Architect Series appliances with the architectural pulls. This dishwasher comes in white, biscuit and black as well, but I am focusing on the stainless model (SS).

The controls are hidden on the top of the door panel so they are not seen unless the door is open. There are basically three modes of operation - heavy, normal and rinse mode. You can also opt to push the additional scrub button for heavy duty cleaning of pots and pans. There is an energy saving button for air dry as well. The dishwasher comes equipped with a "hard food disposer" so no pre-rinsing of dishes is required.

The inside of the dishwasher is made of commercial grade stainless steel. The Extra tall upper tub is great. You can even fit dishes up there.

The dishwasher fits nicely under the cabinet (it's fully integrated) and is insulated for noise reduction. When we first got the dishwasher I was constantly trying to figure out if it was on or not because it was so quiet. We've had it now for about 6 months and it seems to be getting louder.

Energy wise, it uses approximately 448 kWh/year. They estimate the yearly cost lower than most washers at $23/year. So basically it is in the middle of the road as far as energy savings are concerned.

With all that technical data aside, how well does it wash the dishes? Extremely well. I never pre-rinse my dishes and they always come out sparkling clean. As with any appliance, I would recommend using only liquid detergents. I find that the powder detergents leave more residue. I have not had the need for jet dry either.

Other features (which I have never personally needed to use) include the start time delay feature (2-4-8 hrs) and the electronic control lockout feature. (because you know your little ones are just dying to help you do those dishes).

I got a great deal on this machine because I originally bought the "white" version. When I decided to change to stainless, KitchenAid sent me the stainless panel and pull and we installed them ourselves. Keep in mind that the sides of this unit are black. If you do not have the correct depth required, the sides will stick out from under your cabinet and you will see the black, even if you have a white front panel.

Also keep in mind that this product # will be or may already have been phased out and an improved model will take its place.

Happy Appliance Hunting!

More of my Major Appliance Reviews:

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Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 549.00