Best dishwasher 2018 / are Viking dishwashers any good?

8 years ago

We are looking at a Viking bundle based on the range we are interested in and are therefore considering a Viking dishwasher as part of the deal. That said, we have read some bad reviews and are wondering what people's experience with Viking dishwashers are. Thanks!

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jwvideo

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Don't forget that Miele is often considered the home team for dishwashers, here. :>)

A friend recently asked the same question as the op and asked me to see what I could find out about the VIking DWs.

Unfortunately, it was not much. Once upon a time, VIking DWs used to be outsourced (sometimes from Asko) and had a reputation for problems. SInce 2013, VIking has been part of the Middleby Group, so it seems likely the Viking-branded DWs are now made by another Middleby subsidiary these days. Might be one of Middleby's Italian or Turkish subsidiaries which produce DWs for the European market but I was unable to locate any definite info.

I found several online reviews which reported that the Viking models had very good energy efficiency ratings. The models I saw did not offer a flatware rack a/k/a "third rack." Those seem to be expected in higher-end DWS these days. (Heck, even the basic Bosch 300 series models come with a third rack, now.) Also, the current Viking models are supposedly noticeably noisier than competing brands. Was not able to find out more than they are supposed to be 9dB louder than "comparable" models, whatever that means. When I checked AJ Madison, I found a claim that Vikings are rated 48dB, which is decent. For comparison, my basic Bosch 300 is rated at 44dB. I'm guessing that the Vikings are probably using some older insulation and sound supressing/absorbing materials. Still, 48 dB is pretty decent.

The Viking models that I found do not offer a quick-wash option, so wash cycles seem lengthy. How lengthy is hard to say. Every brand of DW currently has cycles that can take a long time. Depending on brand and model, a "normal cycle" can take anywhere from 2 hours to 4 hours to complete. Haven't yet found anything that says where the Vikings fall in that spectrum. (Yes, I checked the the Owner's Manual/User Guide and it did not say.)

As of July, Consumer Reports was still reporting that its membership surveys showed VIking DWs sold since 2013 have been one of the three most trouble-prone models of DWs. Link is here.

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Comments (12)

mark_rachel
8 years ago
We are also buying a dishwasher & everything I've heard from this forum & everyone else is BOSCH, BOSCH, BOSCH, all the way. Sorry, don't have any input on Viking.
hezzap thanked mark_rachel
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hezzap
Original Author
8 years ago
jwvdieo-- Thanks so much for all this info!
dan1888
8 years ago
First choice Miele with third tray for utensils. Second choice would be Bosch. I would not buy a Viking range or other appliance. Blue Star for a gas range is recommended here. I would choose an induction range like the Bosch Benchmark or 800 series. Or a 36" Miele or Bosch induction cooktop with a wall oven and combi/steam second.
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chispa
8 years ago
Miele is usually first choice on the forum, but be sure to have it adjusted correctly for hard water, follow instructions on using salt additive and use the detergent tabs.

I didn't do the last 2 with my previous Miele and it certainly impacted performance after 8 years. We have really hard water. Just put a new Miele in during my kitchen remodel as I wanted a paneled DW and I am following all the recommendations now.
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wdccruise
8 years ago
Consumer Reports (https://www.consumerreports.org) tested the $1700 Viking Professional VDW302SS and concluded "[i]t rates only Very Good for washing (subpar compared with its peers) and Poor for drying, the lowest score that CR gives. To top it off, CR members give Viking dishwashers terrible marks for satisfaction and reliability." In contrast, theWhirlpool WDF520PADM performed better and earned a "Best Buy" at $400.
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cpartist
8 years ago
I wouldn't buy Viking anything. And I wouldn't buy a package deal either. Buy the best appliance for the function. But no Vikings. They've had lots of maintenance problems.
Zalco/bring back Sophie!
8 years ago
Viking is not a good choice for anything, unless you are a celebrity chef and they give you the appliances and sap them out when they malfunction. Bosch and Miele are better choices in ever single category.
salonva
8 years ago
very helpful info here. I was excited to see the Whirlpool best buy, but that is a pretty loud one, over 50 decibels, and has a plastic interior. There are a few Whilrpools that have stainless and are 47 decibels which look quite promising to me. Hoping this links to 3 which look REALLY good. Interesting because they are so similar in features, yet the weight on the first one is much less (not sure if it makes any difference but it's noteworthy).
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Jackie Lin
8 years ago
Definitely Miele with 3rd try for utensils. I've heard Viking used to be OK many years ago but not anymore. I have friends that had Vikings that came with her house and they work fine, but those were at least 8 years ago.
hezzap thanked Jackie Lin
wdccruise
8 years ago
salonva: Definitely check the CR ratings as you'll find that there's no relationship between price and performance within or among brands. Within a brand, CR shows models that perform similarly, differing only in features and price. CR also provides noise ratings; it appears you have to pay a premium for machines that are both very quiet and wash very well (but not machines that are quiet and wash very well).
jthasemail
3 years ago
We have a Viking dishwasher and it never actually dries the