Pricey style
Written: Jun 06 '04
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Pros: Good looks, quiet operation, capacity for extra tall items
Cons: Expensive, doesn't always dry plastics, average cleaning ability
The Bottom Line: Only buy this dishwasher if you have Thermador appliances. Won't disappoint you, but isn't terribly impressive either.
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| jkapur's Full Review: Thermador DW44Z Built-in Dishwasher |
I purchased the Thermador DW44Z stainless steel dishwasher with black handle for the same reason the majority of Thermador dishwasher buyers will - it matches the Thermador range ovens. That is the biggest selling point of the dishwasher and the reason that Thermador can price this unit at a premium.
And what a price! The unit is really a basic Bosch 4-cycle dishwasher with their mid-range racks. You can get the Bosch branded unit in it's most basic form (front controls and white exterior) for under $600 at most stores. For the Bosch unit with hidden controls and stainless exterior front, you will probably pay a bit over $800. The Thermador comes in with the same features and adds the Thermador stainless look at over $1000 MSRP! If you aren't looking to have an all Thermador kitchen, look to just get the Bosch unit if that is what you really want.
I was fortunate enough to get the Thermador DW44Z on closeout for a great price, so I don't feel like I overpaid. Thermador is a brand that normally can not be discounted by the retailer, except in the case of floor model sales or model closeouts. However, if I had paid the retail price, I think I'd be a little irked because there isn't anything special that Thermador adds to the Bosch 4-cycle dishwasher other than the cosmetics of the door handle.
OK, so if you made it this far, you must be planning to get a Thermador kitchen and just want to know if the unit will do it's job or not.
Loading:
Capacity is one of the strong points of the Thermador dishwasher. Because there is no heating element at the bottom of the dishwasher, there is a lot more room in the tub. You can adjust the height of the top rack by pulling it completely out and then putting it back in higher when you want to fit a tall cookie sheet in the bottom rack. Or set it lower when you run out of space on the lower rack and need to fit plates on the top rack. Or remove it completely and put the little shower head attachment on to clean super tall items in the bottom rack.
The dishwasher has two utensil bins, so you can easily stuff all your silverware and knives into the Thermador. The upper utensil bin is also handy for times you want to run a small load on the upper rack only wash setting.
Lastly, you don't need to load very much detergent into the Thermador dishwasher. It takes just a few teaspoons of detergent in the small cup to clean a load. Over a very long time, I guess you could save some money and trips to the store because of this. I did used to put a lot of detergent into my old dishwasher with it's two large detergent trays.
Cleaning Abilty:
I replaced a Kenmore Ultra Quiet series dishwasher that probably cost under $400 with the Thermador unit. They both clean dishes, and frankly I think that in some cases the cheap-o Kenmore actually cleaned better. Stainless steel and porcelain items come out shiny and clean from the Thermador. But plastic items, especially plastic utensils like OXO spatulas and serving spoons, seem to not get quite as clean. I suspect this is because the Thermador dishwasher relies on heating the dishes to a very high temperature to break up caked on food. Plastic items don't retain heat very well, and thus won't get cleaned as easily with this approach. I often find a weird egg-like substance caked onto my plastic utensils, which I can only guess is the remains of food after being super heated, wet, and partially dissolved by the enzymes in dishwasher detergent. I never had this problem with the cheap-o Kenmore dishwasher. If all you care about is clean dishes, you can get equivalent or better results at a far cheaper price.
Drying ability:
The Thermador dishwasher uses condensation drying, which means that there is no active heating element to dry off the wet dishes. The unit has no front vent for steam, all the steam is trapped inside of the dishwasher and eventually condenses inside the unit. This design works surprisingly well on stainless steel and porcelain items. However, plastic items tend to come out quite damp. Not a huge problem for me, since I don't have many plastic items to wash.
One thing to note is that because the unit has no front vent, all the steam that wasn't condensed comes out in a giant Woooosh when you first open the door after a cycle completes. I find this mildly annoying because I wear glasses and become temporarily blinded by all the steam that condenses on my lenses.
Features of note:
Other reviewers have commented that the lack of a cycle indicator on the front of the dishwasher is annoying. I though so too, at first. However, there is an audio indicator that you can activate to beep when the dishwasher has completed washing and drying the dishes. This is turned on by a convoluted sequence of button presses that you can find documented in the owners manual. I find the audio indicator to be invaluable in helping to prevent opening of the door before condense drying has completed. Be sure to read the owners manual!
Oh yeah, the famous Bosch sound. Much fuss is made about the noise levels coming off of dishwashers and Bosch/Thermador are supposed to be among the quietest. The dishwasher certainly is quieter than most and is very easy to live with in that regard. It is not as quiet as some folks claim. You will definitely know when it is running. The draining and filling of the tub are when it is the loudest. The wash cycle is when it is quietest. The Kenmore dishwasher could be heard throughout my home, but the Thermador is only heard if you really concentrate on it and have no other sources of noise in the house.
Overall, I'm neither completely satisfied, nor totally unimpressed, with the Thermador dishwasher. I expected it to wash and dry superbly, but it is just average. It certainly looks great and has nice amenities like hidden controls and quiet operation. The large capacity is handy. But ultimately, you should only by this premium priced dishwasher if you plan on getting a Thermador kitchen and need to have your new appliances match perfectly. Otherwise, you can get the same performance from a number of other dishwashers at a better price.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 800
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Epinions.com ID:
jkapur
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Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
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