i love my bosch that we installed 5 months ago. its so quiet if it didnt have a light shining down on the floor (cat loves it) i wouldnt know if it was running. i spent more and got one with the "speed perfect" option. generally it takes about 17 hours and 2 tablespoons of water (ok, exaggeration) but when you hit that speed perfect button it washes the dishes with 'more' water in a "sensible" amount of time, great for christmas day when you are running load after load all day. i like the top rack for cutlery. totally ocd to load it (my husband is an engineer so thats ok) but it works really well.

ha! SEE!!!!! :)

We've generally found Bosch good (our landlords in our last rental installed one, and it was quick, quiet, water efficient, and did a good wash job). We have a Samsung now which we've owned since 2012 (bought for our first rental out here, stored while in the second, and now back in service as we've bought a place). It scores well so far on water efficiency and reliability, and is pretty quiet, but I'm not overwhelmed by the quality of the clean on tougher things.

I don't think I have ever loved a dishwasher. I did hate my Hotpoint that flooded my kitchen and a couple of Whirlpools, but they were low end and expected to have problems.

We had an ASKO dishwasher that was whisper quiet and stainless steel on the inside. It was great for 10 years, and then it wasn't. We replaced it with a Maytag, which was also quiet and worked well enough. We sold that house before having it too long, maybe a year or two or three.

The interesting thing we learned about the Maytag was that American made dishwashers have disposals in them. I liked that idea. Less junk to clean out of the trap.

We have a Kenmore Elite now. It is so quiet, I had to press my ear against it to know if it was on. However, it is falling apart. The wheels are popping off and chunks of plastic are all over my kitchen. I no longer use the top drawer because it is unstable. I don't know how old this dishwasher is, as we've only been in this house a year, but my house is only four years old, so it is no older than that.

Thank you everyone... this is a great help!

This "5 years and it's dead" is getting to be a problem. So much so the US government is looking into regulating the length of time an appliance is "useful" before it "dies". As you can see, the overall concensus is "stay with midrange 'cause they are all going to die".

If you can afford Miele, then go for it. Every German Haus Frau saves up her Euros to purchase a Miele. It might take her 10 years of savings....but she will buy a Miele. And it will out last anything on the market today. Many Miele will outlast the homeowner (and Germans build to live life-long in a home). They are 2-4 times more expensive...but if you NEVER have to replace them...they turn out to be a great bargain after 15 years.

The KitchenAid dishwasher that was in our kitchen when we bought a decade ago could never sit straight in the cabinet even though several experts claimed that they fixed it. However, one guy said it couldn't be fixed because I have Corian counter tops. When I got a new microwave I asked the guy who installed it if he could install a dishwasher that wouldn't go crooked. He looked at the KitchenAid and said to buy a GE as it is very slightly narrower. I checked with the appliance shop and they agreed--they just had someone return a different brand for a GE because of the same problem. My analysis is that the original dishwasher was a GE because the original GE ovens were in the house when we bought.

A long story, but I bought a GE in November and love it. It fits! It is quiet! It cleans well! What's more for a girl to want?

Bottom line, be sure that whatever you choose would actually fit in the space.

Whatever you do, do not buy a Samsung dishwasher. According to the technician that has been here twice, the brand new machine is working within specifications. Didn't know rinsed dishes coming out dirty were "within specifications." According to the President's office, there is nothing further they can do. Samsung does not stand behind their products.

I was tempted by Samsung & LG because they are supposedly the way to go with other apliances. We ended up getting a kitchenaid, but it is not hooked up yet. I'll report back!