Originally Posted by greenjp
The idea that modern dishwashers don't work well due to reduced water usage or changes in the detergent is false in my experience. We had a Kenmore (Whirlpool) for a while that cleaned just fine and now have a GE that works great. We use whatever Finish or Cascade tablet type things are on sale at Costco.
For most brands, the basic guts of all their machines are more or less the same, so higher prices generally get you more bells and whistles and quieter operation. The bells and whistles are of questionable utility (do you really need more cycle options than "auto", "quick", and "heavy"? Are controls on the top of the door better than the front?) but a quiet machine is nice. This is generally achieved by insulation rather than anything mechanical.
We paid $580 for our GE but subsequently got a $90 rebate from Citi when a lower price appeared. That was cool.
It's quiet, works great, stainless interior, has heated dry (which we don't use, the rinse aid pretty well does the trick), and has both a grinder and a filter. The filter comes out by hand in 2 seconds for periodic rinsing.
Yeah I kinda think they're all the same, I've had like every brand over the years.
If you buy at Costco, they include a free second year warranty. Pay with their credit card, and it's 4 years of coverage at no additional charge.