[5 of 5 customers found this review helpful]

Kenmore 24 in. Built-In Dishwasher Review

Very pleased!

"My wife & I spent 1/2 day researching dishwashers from Consumer Reports and several reviews like these. We were replacing a 15 year old Amana that came with the house. If you are like me you leave no stone unturned, educating yourself on the latest desired features vs the hype. Sifting through all this information is daunting but really necessary, considering how much you end up paying and the expected longevity. The model that came out on top was the Kenmore model 1374. We purchased it over the phone, sight unseen in Dec. 2007 for $599 after a $100 discount. Sears also threw in free delivery and pickup of our old model. I have installed several dishwashers over the years and this was straightforward. Compared with the old Amana where we were forced to pre-clean dishes if we expected them to come out clean, this is night and day. Like others, we were somewhat skeptical of its ability to clean things like heavily baked on casserole ware. We saved up 2 days worth of really crusty dishes and loaded it up to the max. We used the included enzyme-based detergent and set the controls to Pots and Pans, Turbo Zone, High Temp, Sani Wash and Heated Dry - in other words, every possible setting. The only downside to all these settings is it takes several hours to complete, but these dishes came out absolutely clean! For normal loads we now use the Smart Wash setting. We have used the Turbo Zone feature a couple more times and it always works as advertised - it does an amazing job of cleaning the most heavily crusted things. One thing to be aware of - be sure you don't put anything that will block the detergent dispenser door from opening. I did, and it took me a couple re washes, seeing half the detergent in the open dispenser door to figure out that a plastic cutting board was blocking the door. This dishwasher is in a galley style kitchen, with a family room on the other side. No, it's not as quiet as other more expensive models. The bottom of the line Bosch dB sound level starts off about where the 1374 is, and Bosch's get quieter as you pay more. But this was the price point that was comfortable to us just after Christmas. The noise level is tolerable in the family room, certainly much better than before. There is a 2, 4, or 6 hour delay start feature but we haven't had the need to use it. Overall, we are giving this 5 stars. For the price, features, and relative quietness this has exceeded our expectations. After 1-1/2 months of daily use we haven't experienced any problems whatsoever. We are very pleased with this product!"