Kenmore Elite 16939
Written: Mar 16 '02 (Updated Sep 25 '04)
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Pros: Quiet, large capacity, loading flexibility, visible timer, programmable delay
Cons: Silverware basket in annoying location
The Bottom Line: Sleek, quiet dishwasher with a large capacity
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| stimpyjo's Full Review: Kenmore 15872 Dishwasher |
Having spent six years using an incredibly loud Hotpoint dishwasher with little more than an on/off switch, I was an easy sell when the Sears guy recommended the Kenmore Elite. My first priority was quiet operation, but I didn't want to pay the $1000+ price tag for a Bosche dishwasher.
I've had my Kenmore Elite for about a month and couldn't be happier. Although it's not completely silent, it is quiet enough that we can watch TV without having to turn the volume up (my kitchen is practically in my living room). I love having a visible timer and the ability to set the dishwasher to start after a delay up to 24 hours. I typically set it to run at night and have yet to hear it from my bedroom next to the kitchen.
The tub is stainless steel and the upper rack can be raised if you want to wash tall pans on the bottom. Some of the rack tines can be lowered for increased loading flexibility. The bottom rack contains three long utensil holders on the bottom right side, and two of the holders have lids that you can shut. The location of the utensil holders is my biggest complaint. On my old dishwasher, the utensil holder was in the front center of the bottom rack, so I could just open the door a little bit and put the silverware in. With this new dishwasher, the front part of the utensil holder tends to fill up, and then you have to reach further and further in to put in additional silverware. Of course, this isn't a problem if you've got the door completely open and the rack pulled out, but it is annoying if you want to quickly put in a couple spoons or forks without having to open the door all the way.
I typically use the Normal wash setting and find that my dishes always come out clean. I did try the Timesaver setting once but found that my dishes didn't seem to be as shiny clean. We always pre-rinse dishes before loading them, but the dishwasher manual (which is very well written) says you only need to remove large chunks of food.
I do like the fact that this dishwasher doesn't have a two-piece front like most dishwashers. Instead, the front panel is a solid piece that goes almost to the floor. This makes it look more sleek and I believe gives the tub additional height (the salesman called it "jumbo size.") My particular model has all the controls on the front, but some models have hidden controls--for a price, of course.
If you are interested in the Kenmore washers, I recommend reviewing the different models on the Sears website. I noticed that my particular model doesn't have the full spec sheet on the website, but other models do. There are a number of different Kenmore models available, so you will not have any problems finding a model that fits your needs and budget.
*UPDATE*
Here it is, Sept. 2004, and I'm still loving this dishwasher. And now my step-mom and boyfriend have similar models. I think these dishwashers have been modified a bit, and I want to warn people about some undesirable changes on my boyfriend's model. We're really missing the visible countdown timer and the Express wash mode. We had no idea these features wouldn't be present (we had to order it from a catalog because the store didn't have it in stock) and I don't know if they've been discontinued or just weren't on his mode. If we had to do it all over again, I'd make sure we got those features.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 699
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Epinions.com ID:
stimpyjo
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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