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Models selling for as little as $350 or so can excel at washing dishes, but they may not measure up to costlier models in quietness, water and energy usage, or features.

Spend $300 to $400 and you can get a dishwasher that’s a little noisy but still does a good job cleaning dirty dishes without prerinsing. To get the best of everything--cleaning prowess plus the quietest operation, convenience features, water and energy efficiency, and designer styling--you’ll have to spend $600 or more.

A dirt sensor, once a premium feature, is now becoming standard, even on lower-priced models. Sensors are designed to adjust water level to the amount of soil on dishes. The federal government’s EnergyGuide stickers more accurately reflect water and energy usage for sensor models than in the past. Thanks to prodding from Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports and ConsumerReports.org, and major appliance makers, the Department of Energy recently revised the tests it uses to calculate energy costs, yielding more realistic estimates.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE

Frigidaire, GE, Maytag, and Whirlpool make most dishwashers and sell them under their own names, associated brands, and sometimes the Sears Kenmore label. Whirlpool makes high-end KitchenAid, low-end Roper, and many Kenmore models. Maytag makes the high-end Jenn-Air, midpriced Amana, and low-priced Admiral dishwashers. GE offers a wide range of choices under the GE label and also makes the value-priced Hotpoint. Asko, Bosch, and Miele are high-end European brands; Bosch also makes Siemens models. Haier is an import from China; Fisher & Paykel is from New Zealand.

Most models fit into a 24-inch-wide space under a kitchen countertop and are attached to a hot-water pipe, drain, and an electrical line. Compact models fit into narrower spaces. If you have the room, it’s now possible to get a wider, 30-inch dishwasher from Dacor, although you’ll pay a hefty premium. Portable models in a finished cabinet can be rolled over to the sink and connected to the faucet. A “dishwasher in a drawer” design from Fisher & Paykel (also available from KitchenAid) has two stacked drawers that can be used simultaneously or individually, depending upon the number of dishes you need to wash.

Price range: $200 to $1,300 (domestic brands); $350 to $2,000 (foreign-made brands).

IMPORTANT FEATURES

Most models offer a choice of at least three wash cycles--Light, Normal, and Heavy (or Pots and Pans)--which should be enough for the typical dishwashing jobs in most households. A few brands, including Kenmore (Sears), now offer power-washing features designed to remove heavy soil such as baked-on brownie batter. Kenmore’s Turbo Zone has a section that’s exposed to high-pressure washing to handle extra-dirty dishes. It worked well in our tests.

Rinse/Hold lets you rinse dirty dishes before using the dishwasher on a full cycle. Other cycles offered on many models include Pot Scrubber, Soak/Scrub, and China/Crystal, none of which we consider crucial for most consumers. Dishwashers often spray water from multiple places, or “levels,” in the machine. Most models typically offer a choice of drying with or without heat.

Some dishwashers use filters to keep wash water free of food that can be redeposited on clean dishes. Most such models are self-cleaning: A spray arm cleans residue from the coarse filter during the rinse cycle, and a food-disposal grinder cuts up large food particles so they can be washed down the drain. Some of the more expensive dishwashers have a filter that you must pull out and clean manually; these are usually quieter than those with grinders. If noise is a concern, see if better soundproofing--often in the form of hard, rubbery insulation surrounded by a thick fiberglass blanket--is available as a step-up feature.

A sanitizing wash or rinse option that raises the water temperature above the typical 140° F doesn’t necessarily mean improved cleaning. Remember, the moment you touch a dish while taking it out of the dishwasher, it’s no longer sanitized.

Most dishwashers have electronic touchpad controls. On more expensive models, controls may be fully or partially hidden, (or integrated) in the top edge of the door. The least expensive models have mechanical controls, usually operated by a dial and push buttons. Touchpads are the easiest type of control to wipe clean. Dials indicate progress through a cycle. Some electronic models digitally display time left in the wash cycle. Others merely show a “clean” signal. A delayed-start control lets you set the dishwasher to start later, for example, at night when utility rates may be lower. Some models offer child-safety features, such as locks for the door and controls.

Most dishwashers hold cups and glasses on top, plates on the bottom, and silverware in a basket. Racks can sometimes be adjusted to better fit your dishes. On some units, the top rack can be adjusted enough to let you put 10-inch dinner plates on both the top and bottom racks simultaneously, or it can be removed entirely so very tall items will fit on the bottom.

Other features that enhance flexibility include adjustable and removable tines, which fold down to accommodate bigger dishes, pots, and pans; slots for silverware that prevent “nesting”; removable racks, which enable loading and unloading outside the dishwasher; stemware holders, which steady wine glasses; clips to keep light plastic cups from overturning; and fold-down shelves, which stack cups in a double-tiered arrangement.

If you want a front panel that matches your cabinets, you can buy a kit compatible with many dishwashers. Some higher-priced models come without a front panel so you can choose your own, usually at a cost of several hundred dollars.

HOW TO CHOOSE

Our tests over the years have shown that most new dishwashers will do a great job cleaning even the dirtiest dishes without pre-rinsing, which wastes lots of water. But they differ in appearance, noise, loading, energy efficiency, and features. Here are points to consider when choosing a dishwasher:

Don’t settle for drab design. Like other kitchen appliances, dishwashers are becoming more stylish. White is still the dominant color, followed by black and bisque; stainless steel is an increasingly common option. (Keep in mind that stainless, while trendy, often shows fingerprints and smudges.) The least-expensive stainless-finished dishwashers generally cost about $400, but you might find one on sale for closer to $300. If you want your appliances to blend in with the cabinetry, buy a dishwasher that can be fitted with a custom front panel.

All but the lowest-cost new models have a one-piece door without a separate bottom panel, creating a clean look that eliminates a dirt trap. Some higher-priced models have most or all controls hidden along the top edge of the door. That makes for a smooth, sleek exterior, but the small labels can be hard to read and the small buttons hard to operate.

Nix the noise. To ensure that the after-dinner cleanup won’t drown out the TV or conversation, check the Ratings for a dishwasher judged excellent or very good for noise. You might have to pay $600 or more to get one of the quietest models, which is barely noticeable when running.

Decide whether a self-cleaning filter is a must. Most dishwashers have self-cleaning filters, which can add to noise. The Asko, Bosch, Fisher & Paykel, Haier, Miele, and Siemens models we’ve tested have filters you clean yourself. That isn’t a big deal: You simply remove the filter and rinse it off, typically every week or two. A clogged filter could affect wash performance.

Look for loading flexibility. Any dishwasher can fit 10 typical place settings of dishes, glasses, and cutlery, but those with adjustable racks and fold-down tines are better if you want to wash oversized platters or odd-shaped serving pieces. In some machines, adjustable parts are color-coded. If you often host large dinner parties, you might want a model that adjusts to fit dinner plates on the top and bottom racks at the same time.

Consider the cost of use. Most of the energy a dishwasher uses goes to heating the water. Water usage, and thus the operating costs, varies greatly from model to model. In our recent tests, water usage ranged from about 3 1/2 to 12 gallons a load. Energy costs to heat the water and run the machine could vary by up to $65 a year for the tested models, depending on rates in your area. Over its lifetime, a more efficient model could be a better buy than a lower-priced model that is less energy-efficient.

Don’t get hung up on dirt sensors. Generally, all but the lowest-priced and some of the highest-priced new dishwashers have sensors. In our tests, some sensors couldn’t differentiate between slightly and very dirty dishes, so the machines used more water than needed. Also, the cycles on sensor models were about 20 minutes longer than on machines without a sensor. Some Kenmore dishwashers have a second sensor that adjusts the water level to the load size. It cut water usage slightly in our tests.

Don’t pay more for special cycles. As mentioned previously, the three basic wash cycles--Light, Normal, and Pots and Pans--are adequate for most chores. Rinse and Hold is handy if you want to delay washing until there is a full load. Settings such as China and Sanitize don’t add much, in our opinion.

If speed matters, check cycle time. The normal cycle (including drying time) ranges from about 80 minutes to 150 minutes, but longer cycles don’t necessarily clean better. In our tests, models with cycle times of about 100 minutes did just as thorough a job as others that took 145 minutes.

Consider the cost of delivery and installation. Installation can run $100 to $200 or more. Sears, which sells roughly 35 percent of all dishwashers, typically charges $130 to install a new unit and remove your old one.

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