If noise isn't a high priority for you then you should be fine with a lower end KA. Generally for more money you get a quieter machine and more cycles which most people don't use anyway. One thing to watch for is whether or not the model you're looking at has heated dry. All KAs used to have it but now some don't to compete with the European machines. Some people don't want heated dry (although you can always turn it off) but some of us like it.

By the way, I have a 9 year old top-of-the-line KA that I'm still very happy with.

Reading your post, erichome, I wondered if a reason you ran your older DW only about every ten days was because of its noise. My old one was horribly noisy.

My newer one (an almost year-old KA KUDE70) is very pleasantly quiet -- that really makes a difference, particularly if you hang out in your kitchen or have an open one. I didn't realize how much of a difference until after the newer one was installed. And it cleans better than the old one as well -- so I'm more likely to use it for the pots n pans the old one wouldn't get clean.

There are defiitely KA models in the $700 price range. We seriously considered KA when we bought ours around 3 years ago. In retrospect as far as reliability is concerned, we should have gone with the KA (or Bosch) over the LG we wound up buying. We've had no problems with the LG, but I've seen too many repair problems in Consumer Reports. Maybe we got a good one or good install.

Also, this DW holds probably 50% more than our old one (extra tall tub) and is extremely quiet. We still normally run it usually twice a week, too. No children here, and we cook every day. I do wash pots by hand.

We have the KA DW with the "40" in the model number (don't know the entire model number). It's lower-to-middle-of-the-road price-wise for KA. We are happy with it. Weissman is right about what the lower-priced DW differences are. Ours is quiet compared to our old Maytag which sounded like an airplane on takeoff. But ours is not as quiet as the higher-end KA's. It's fine for us, but it depends on your setup. Another difference in features is the disposal in the DW. You'd think this is a good thing, but honestly, it doesn't do much, and does add to the noise, so if you are choosing among models you may want to look at ones without the disposal. Another feature is the upper cutlery tray. The less expensive KA's don't have it. We felt like we would have liked the upper cutlery tray (frees up space, makes unloading easier), but was not a must-have.

Make sure you check the KA website for rebate offers. KA offers them every few months for DW's. The rebates vary in amount. Ours was $50, but they can go from $50 to $100. We filled out the rebate form, sent it in. It was kinda nice to get the rebate (in the form of a debit master card) some weeks later. Like finding $50 in your pocket. You can find the rebates on the website under the "Special Offers" tab. They come and go, so you have to watch the website.

You should also check out some of the threads on DW detergent, because the detergent formulas were recently changed by law, and people who weren't aware of that thought their new DW's were not performing.

We just chucked a relatively high-ish end KA after maybe 8 years or so of use. Frankly, we never loved it -- or at least didn't love it for long. It seemed way quiet at the time we got it, but the awesome cleaning thing was relatively short-lived. We had to do a pretty good job of pre-rinsing for years if we actually wanted clean dishes. I cannot remember when it reliably took care of any significant amount of food -- not recently, for sure. This year, a part went (causing a leak, causing floor damage) and we elected to replace it rather than repair. Bought one of the Whirlpool Gold models (not the very top one). So far, so good. Quite a bit less of an outlay than some of the KA (although we did keep the plastic KA utensil rack, which fits fine and holds a good bit more stuff than the one that came stock with the WG). We would have spent more if we'd been convinced it would bring way better service, or way more dependable service, but the CS stats on Whirlpool reliability look pretty good, and we couldn't muster any particular attachment to the idea of any of the alternatives. YMMV.

We've had a KA KUDS30IVBL since last October. We paid somewhere around $600. We have no problem with its performance or its noise level.
Weissman's correct in that more money gets you more features, none of which I would use, and a quieter machine. But since we don't have an open floor plan, we think ours is quiet enough.

i have a kitchenaid with a cutlery tray for about 6 years, paid around $900 for it. it is pretty quiet, one of the only good things about it. i never felt like it cleaned very well, even from day one, especially when full. and a few times, i have found small dishwasher parts that broke off of it. i couldn't figure out where they went, but the dishwasher still works, so i guess they are just minor. i suspect they are little parts that help to keep the racks up because the adjustable racks on the bottom tray fall down all the time. anyway, i think perhaps i got a lemon because i got the first generation model with the cutlery tray, but it speaks to my model not being that well made. my mom has had a $600 bosch for over 10 years and it has always cleaned well and held up fine and is pretty quiet too, though no cutlery tray on it, something that i wanted. i also noticed that if you are ok with black or white for the dishwasher color instead of stainless, you can save a bit more money..

Some of the variance in cleaning performance seems to depend on water hardness, or an interaction of water hardness with the specific detergent(s) used, and/or how well a machine's settings conform to your water hardness.

I'm not clear how much of the variance in DW performance is accounted for by these interrelated variables, or what additional factors I'm leaving out.

FWIW, the water here is extremely soft (under 1 grain).

Djg1 - are you aware that Kitchenaid DW's are made by Whirlpool? I couldn't tell whether you were from your post. When you buy a Whirlpool DW, the motor and working parts are the same as the Kitchenaid, except fit and finish won't be as good, and the Whirlpool won't have some of the extra features the Kitchenaid has like lower noise levels, stainless interior, certain wash cycles, and various other extras. A Whirlpool DW is a big money-saver since it has the same workings as the Kitchenaid for a lot less $$.

I should have mentioned in my post above about our KA DW, that one reason why we chose it was because we wanted to panel our DW. When we were shopping for a DW, the KA model we chose was the least expensive of the "panel-ready" DW's of all the brands we saw; it gave more bang for the buck, seemed to have the most interior space, and was offering a rebate. Note: the KA's will not be flush with typical 24" depth cabinetry. Our cabinetry is deeper than 24", so we had no problem with having the DW appear flush. If anyone reading this thread is looking for a panel-ready DW, they may need to spend more $$ on another brand which will not be as deep as the KA's, and will be easier to have that flush look.

Upper level Whirlpools are quiet and work wonderfully. I have one new one (replacing one that burned a relay after nine years) and one at another location still working fine and looking like new after ten years. Obviously, I bought again.

Upper-level KA's have similar guts but go further quiet-wise....and cost more.

I wanted to thank everyone for their great comments.

The comment about the detergents is definitely understood. I've seen that come up in several other threads. I was actually thinking that the FAQ needs a good writeup (I'm not qualified to write it) about STPP, phosphates & lack there of, and enzymes. It didn't take much reading here to realize that I was so ignorant about dishwashing soaps. :)

I will definitely go and check out a few models to see what the interior is like and gauge which might fit our needs. The Upper Cutlery Tray (thanks alwaysfixin!) is not something I considered... an interesting idea!

I am definitely not going Stainless Steel for the front. Saves money, and doesn't go at all with the current kitchen makeup. Plus, I don't think I'm a SS type.

Also, thanks (again) alwaysfixin for the warning about their size/depth. I gotta figure out how far back our current one goes to see what will fit. I can measure the counter top for a start....
And for the comment about the coupons. I can always use another $50. Take my wife out to dinner (hey, if we get a new dishwasher, maybe I should get takeout so we can use it.... nah.)

I basically never used the heated dry in my old dishwasher. I'd run it over night and dry off whatever was left (and empty the plastics that flipped over!) I guess having it could be handy occasionally, but the energy used kinda offends me.

It is interesting speculation as to why we don't use the washer as much. It is true that our current (Dead) one is loud (wish I could measure it to compare to new ones) and we do have an partially open floor plan (kitch/dining/open-door living room - but not family room.) My intent was mostly around the fact that we don't have enough of every type of dish/glass/utencil so that we could leave them dirty while it fills up. So we washed what we didn't have as much of while the other stuff accumulated. Then we'd go "good enough, lets fill it and run it!" and away we'd go. But I won't deny, it was loud.

Thanks again for all the info. I'll probably be buying next week (I'm away teaching a class the rest of the week) so I'll update the thread with what I get and what I think.

Eric

Just regarding the comment about the DW being flush with the cabinetry. I thought that only matters if you are panelling the DW. But if you are not panelling the DW, an extra inch or two in depth won't matter, and won't look bad in your base cabinetry. I am not certain of this, so someone correct me if I am wrong.

I am considering the kudc10Fxss, on the lower end for kitchenaide, but good reviews.

I have never really understood Whirlpool, Kenmore, Kitchenaid. I know they are all practically identical "workings" wise--in fact I was told by a Tech they all use the same motor, pump etc.

For years Sears said their Kenmore has "Americas Best Wash System" and it would score best with Consumer Reports. Then there is Wpool with the exact same tub, arms,etc. and it would be several down the line on their test. The KA fell somewhere in between most time with the only difference there was the 4 way arm in the bottom and stainless interior.

For reliability, the Wpool is always on top or in the top three, Kenmore somewhere below that and the KitchenAid below that. That is the thing I never understood, for KA to be their "premium" brand why does it rate higher for repairs even when it has the same "works" as the others?

I have a Kenmore Elite TT myself. I have been satified with it but now it needs a motor. Still running but sounds horrible(bearings). It is maybe 8-9 years old.

Also above you were talking about having to empty the plastic things that flip over and catch water. I dont know about everyone else, but I have NEVER had anything to flip in this Kenmore. My old one flipped things all the time but this one has much less pressure than the old dishwashers so "flipping plastics" is a thing of the past-at least for me.

I have noticed on the last review where the WP are above the Kenmore. That new 360 wash arm KM is using may not be doing as well as the WP arm that KM and WP shared for years.

And Just to say, I am not knocking one brand over another, just saying I do not understand how one can be more reliable than the other when they are for the most part "twins"..

Kenmore is Sears' brand but are manufactured by others. Some Kenmore products are made by Whirlpool but not all of them - you need to research the model number. Typically Kenmores will have additional features required by Sears.

KA is the higher brand owned by Whirlpool now. They probably do share parts but are not twins. CR ratings often need to be taken with a grain of salt.