For the Money - this dishwasher has it all!
Written: May 06 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to use, nice features, flush controls, child lock
Cons: Extra utensil basket in a bad location.
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| startdotcom's Full Review: Kenmore 15872 Dishwasher |
Kenmore Ultra Wash 600 with Quiet Guard
We bought this product in July 1999 when our old dishwasher finally died. We really didn't do shopping comparisons with major brands, we knew we wanted to go to Sears and get a Kenmore. So our only comparisons were "which Kenmore to get?"
We didn't want to spend more than $500 if absolutely necessary, yet there were certain features we were looking for and if we had to pay more, then we would have. We wanted a dishwasher that had a child lock. We know our 2-year old probably helped the old dishwasher along in its' last days by twisting the knob around in mid-cycle and making it dance back and forth between various settings.
With sippy cups and lids for sports cups I wanted some type of basket feature, but I had decided this wasn't absolutely necessary since I could buy a basket to fit in the dishwasher. I wanted there to be some type of food disposal system so small debris wouldn't get thrown back up from the bottom rack to stick inside the glasses on the top rack. And lastly, I wanted to be able to flip down some of the rack dividers to accommodate bulky items.
Control Panel Features
We found all of this and more in our Kenmore and even better it was on sale for $399. It has a real sleek profile on the keypads. The control keys are flush with the panel (makes for easy cleaning) and are touch sensitive, lighting up your selection after you depress it slightly. Holding one of the keys down for about 5 seconds will activate the lock mechanism and little fingers can't change the settings once the control lock is on. There's also a control lock indicator to show you when it is locked.
Wash Cycle Features
There's a Quick Rinse cycle available, no dry - but I've never used it. A friend told me I can put my silk ivy in on that cycle to remove all the dust - just haven't gotten around to it yet. Regular cycles are Pots & Pans, Normal Wash, Water Miser and China Wash. I usually use Normal. There's an option for Water Heat that is automatic on the Pots & Pans cycle and optional on the others. It heats the water to 135 degrees. I usually select this combined with a normal wash to sterilize the dishes well. However, with this I've also lost a few of the flimsy plastic kid cups you get at most major restaurants now -- no big loss, they're pretty easy to come by. And there's a No Heat Dry and it will dry your dishes without any heat, but it takes longer and they suggest using this overnight with a rinsing agent. The last control panel feature is a delay start which works with the Pots & Pans cycle and Normal, but not the others.
Dispenser Features
It has the usual door and container for dishwasher detergent and it also has a rinse agent dispenser. This I like especially well because with other dishwashers I've owned, I usually hung a Jet-Dry basket and didn't think that worked real well. Now I use the Jet-Dry liquid rinsing agent and with the dispenser Kenmore has, an "E" will show up in the indicator cap if you need to add more, so it's easy to tell if you're running low.
Food Disposal Features
I suppose the food grinder works well, although I've never really put it to the test. There have been occasional bowls with small oatmeal remains or other crumbs/small remains left on plates - but I generally give it a good rinse before putting them in the dishwasher, though I rarely scrub any stuck on remains. I rarely get my dishes done immediately after meals, sometimes it's later that night when the kids get to bed and if not, then they get done the next day - so unless I was hasty in getting them rinsed right after dinner - we've got hard, dried, stuck on remains left on our dishes. Never had a problem with it. Never. I've not had one single dish that needed to be returned to be washed again - that amazes me, because it happened frequently with the old dishwasher.
Basket Features
The baskets slide easily even when they're loaded to the max in whatever configuration is necessary so I don't have to do ANY washing by hand. Two of the dividers on the top basket fold down and lock into place for bulky dishes as well as 2 on the bottom basket that do the same. The silverware caddy is LONG - takes up the whole right side of the bottom basket, but it has two smaller attached baskets with lids on each end of the middle silverware basket. And they are perfect sized for kiddy lids and other small utilities such as corn cob holders. One noticeable feature it is missing from other models we looked at is the upper basket doesn't raise and lower to accommodate extra tall items like a cookie sheet on the bottom rack. But the model that had this feature was $100 more and it really wasn't that important to us. However, the left side of the upper basket has a higher baseline than the right side, so the sides are stair-stepped a little bit. This allows me to put larger items on the left side of the bottom basket.
Noise
The dishwasher, although not silent - it is very quiet. It's easy to still carry on a normal conversation in the kitchen, but it does prevent me from hearing noises from the adjacent room. Which it's usually my kids saying "Mooooommmmm... can you come here?" So that's an extra benefit I did not anticipate. :)
Water Usage
It has not had any noticeable effect on our water bill, so I assume it uses roughly the same amount of water as most others. It does have a green "CLEAN" light that will come on after it has completed washing the dishes and the light will go away when the dishwasher is opened for the first time after a washing.
Door Latch Features
It doesn't have a sliding latch lock like our old model used to have - and was so easy for our little ones to open. Instead, it's a depressed button your hand slides into and you press up and pull out. It closes snug with a tight seal and takes a little muscle to open which is good that my little ones won't accidentally pull it open and it bang on their head. (That happened once with the old dishwasher.)
Okay, So What Would I Change?
The ONLY thing on this whole dishwasher that doesn't work real well is in front of the top basket is a small utensil basket for oversized utensils. However, when you put oversized utensils like a spatula in there, the door won't shut. And forget about trying to get 2 or 3 utensils to fit in the narrow tray - just won't happen. You're better off squeezing the utensils in the top rack next to some glasses or bowls.
Warranty
The warranty that came with this dishwasher is a full one year warranty on the dishwasher. Two year warranty on the electronic controls, power supply board, and ultra wash system (motor, pump, spray arms, water feed tube, motor seals and pump gasket.) Lifetime warranty on leaks in the tub or inner door panel.
I like this dishwasher real well. For the money, I don't think you could go wrong. Now only if they'll come up with one that will put the dishes IN - then take them OUT... now that would be worth the extra money.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
startdotcom
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Member: Tammy
Location: Oklahoma
Reviews written: 30
Trusted by: 19 members
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