Once a week / "occasional" ? I wouldn't waste 24 inches on any variety. : )

I have seen the two DW concept fail for those that thought it would be "easier" as well. Oddly, their kitchen still ends in a mess most days.

I rented a vacation home that had the Fisher-paykel dishwasher draws. Nothing seemed to come out clean and it was awkward to load. I think having that experience, I would only do this type of dishwasher in a bar area.

I would for sure look at Bosch for your everyday DW IMO still the best DWs on the market. I also think if the only time you are using the other one I wouldn’t bother . We entertain a lot and there are a couple of times when I wish I had 2 DWs but honestly I have lived without them for 12 yrs and not really an issue. If the reason you are doing Thermador DW is because you are getting matching appliances forget that plan now. There are many excellent appliances on the market but never all from one maker.

I was going to get one as a 2nd dw also but reviews were too mixed. Went with a regular model instead. Two dishwashers is awesome and a life changer. I have a thermador (sapphire) and higher end miele. There isn't much difference between them with the exception being the Miele opens at the end of cycle which helps a bit with drying but could live without it.

We have this F&P. It does take some getting used to, at least as far as loading it, but we love ours. Once my wife figured out that you can't put things on top of other things, she discovered that it cleans beautifully. Rinse aid is mandatory.

The only downside we have is that you use more detergent, as you're essentially using a full amount of detergent for a half load of dishes.

Well I guess I have the dissenting opinion so far. I got a 2 drawer FP when a I remodeled a home back in 2000 (I believe they were quite new at the time). Loved it and got another when moved and remodeled in 2007. Downsized and remodeled again three years ago and would not go without my FP 2 drawer (model DD24DCX7). Over all these years I only had an issue once and it was our misunderstanding. Couldn't open a drawer all the way and it turned out we had inadvertently pushed the "lock" button which we'd never used and didn't realize how that affected things. Was under warranty (I always get five yr warranties on new appliances) and the warranty service provider near us talked us through it. We are now empty nesters but we raised four boys so they got a LOT of use. I will never go back. Cleans great and we keep it set at "fast" and "eco". No issues. LOVE being able to fill one and even if I haven't run it or emptied it, I can start with the second one. I find the capacity in each to be great. It's quiet (barely hear ours running). Now, my question might be, if this is a "second", I'm not sure I'd opt for the two drawer but perhaps a single and save the space. You'd be surprised how much you can get in one drawer. Just a thought.

When I remodeled my kitchen in 2002 I put in FP drawers as my primary dw and Bosch as my secondary. The drawers were the thing I loved most in my kitchen. I never had dirty dishes sitting around. When you have filled up one load, you start it and then start on the bottom drawer. By the time that is filled your top drawer is finished washing and been unloaded. The FP started giving problems after a few years. I forget now what the problems were and why they were never properly resolved. Perhaps I just took the word of the first repairman that it was a major fault and then just left them sitting for a few years until i decided how to replace them. Just replaced them with another Bosch and won't put them in a different kitchen I am now renovating.

We have one in our current kitchen; works great. I probably run it twice a day; I think the last time I used the lower drawer was Thanksgiving! It's fast and quiet; I usually run the"fast" mode and things are done in under an hour.

zp99, I think as some others have said, I'd install a single drawer instead of the double as a second DW. You'd gain some cabinet/drawer space, and unless you really have a need to run 2 full-size DW's every week, I think it just makes more sense.

We are installing a FP double integrated as our primary and only DW. I asked some questions about it in a POST a bit over a year ago, and at the end of the post is my review on what I felt I could fit inside. This was at the appliance store so of course I couldn't run it. Overwhelmingly, it seems those that have had them, love them. Having them installed properly seems to be paramount.

In Consumer Reports testing, the Fisher & Paykel DD24DDFTX9N performed near at the bottom of all dishwashers tested primarily due to its poor reliability. AT $1300 to $2300, Thermador dishwashers are way overpriced. You can buy two or three well-rated Bosch 100 Series SHXM4AY55N at Home Depot ($675) for the price of one Thermador.

Are both of your dishwashers in your main kitchen? If so, I would use them both regularly and just alternate dishwashers instead of using the second one once a week. This system works out great for us because we can fill up one dishwasher while the other one is running/filled with clean dishes. If you have the room for it, I am very much in favor of having two full-sized dishwashers near the sink - such an amazing feature in our last kitchen and current kitchen.

I would recommend doing one FP dishwasher and have a drawer below for pots or whatever you would like. I have had my FP dishwasher for a while now and love it! I also have recommended it to several of my clients who ended up getting it and they all love it so I m perplexed hearing all of the negative comments about the FP dishwasher. Loading it takes a wee bit of getting used to but I really do love mine.

Happened across this thread unintentionally ... for those of you that do the same and are wondering about FP, I think FP are great BUT they must be installed correctly and you cannot overload them - that is where the problem lies, bad installs and users cramming too much stuff into the drawer.

I have the 2 drawer FP dishwasher. Would not trade it for anything. yes, loading does take a creative mind. But, I like the fact that I don't have to wait for a big dishwasher to become "full" to run it. I have had mine since 2003. I plan to remodel the kitchen, & yes, I will put the FP in again.

I'd rather have two 18 inch Bosch.

Not me! Having a deep drawer right under the counter rocks (they make a shallower and a deeper one, I'd do the deeper if you can). No bending down for one of the most common kitchen tasks.

The front RV dishwasher drawer is quite fragile, which is the one issue I have with this unit. Due to inappropriate treatment during delivery, the one I received had a ding on the bottom. It would have been preferable if the company had invested in better packaging for their items so that they would not be harmed as much during shipping.