Catlover: I have the (almost) perfect dishwasher for you. A bosch 500 series. I'm not sure if my exact model is still available (shv65pxxx) but if not, something nearly identical is. It is probably as quiet and cleans as well as my miele before it (which is a huge compliment) although I am not trying to say it is as good....miele is in a quality league all by themselves, however Bosch is probably the runner up.

I would say that this dishwasher is going to check off everything on your wishlist except for you will probably have to settle for longer cycle times than what used to exist on old style dw's but the same holds true with pretty much any modern unit you look at.

I believe that the unit retails for about $1150 (in the US) but it can easily be had for around $800 which is aprox what I paid.

You most certainly are not limited to putting the dw beside the sink. Use your imagination and go wild! :). It can go anywhere you desire. It is put beside the sink for ease of plumbing and in many cases (but not all) it is practical to have it there. Putting it somewhere other than beside the sink may be easy and inexpensive or it may be challenging and expensive, or it may be somewhere in between, I can not answer that for sure from here.

Good luck catlover, and btw I love your nick I have been accused of being a crazy catman on occasion. :)

good dishwashers are slow not fast. If you cannot get used to this idea, ask yourself why you want to get your hands on warm dry dishes, fast.

Because I am hungry? :-) Thank you.

The dishwasher will be done in 90 to 120 minutes. Start it up at the conclusion of a meal and your dishes will be ready prior to your next. Better yet, run it overnight. If you get a good Bosch or Miele (or, I am assured, a modern Kitchenaid) it will run so quietly that it won't disturb your sleep. Our Bosch is so quiet you can barely hear the thing, and the newer models have added a small light that shines on the floor telling you the machine is operating so you don't go yank the door open and get a snoot full of water, as has happened to me a few times over the years.

Modern dishwashers use less water than washing dishes by hand and work much better than the old-school machines from back in the decades.

Regarding location, most kitchens have the sink, trash and dishwasher in one location because the water inlet and drain are needed by the dishwasher and the sink, and the trash is needed by the dishwasher (for scraping) and the sink (for prep). You don't need to have them absolutely together, but it helps if they're within arm's length of each other.

Additionally, most people stack dirty dishes in or by the sink even if they're putting them in the dishwasher without prerinsing (which you don't need to do with modern dishwashers and detergents if you're going to run them daily). Maybe that's because there are some handwash only pieces. Maybe because that's where the trash is, or because they're going to scrape into the disposer (some areas prefer you send the garbage to the landfill, others prefer that you send it to the sewage treatment plant). Maybe it's just to hide them in the depths of the sink. In any case, if the dirty dishes are delivered to the sink, you want the dishwasher to be next to the sink.

In my old kitchen, the dishwasher was retrofitted into a cabinet where it was easier for the previous owner to put it. That put another couple of cabinets between the sink and the dishwasher. It was really inconvenient!! And one of the things I hated most about that kitchen.

All of this is theory. If you're putting a dishwasher into a kitchen that never had one, put it in where you can make it work with the least amount of bother (remember, you will have to run the plumbing to it). Still, you'll probably find that it is easiest to use the closest you can get it to the sink. Some people put it on the perpendicular run, for instance, but still an easy reach. Just remember to take into account where the door will hit when it's open.

The cabinet panel DW shouldn't take up any extra room--it's designed to work at a standard depth. Do make sure however, especially if your cabinets aren't standard. The European units are a little smaller in width than the American ones because of the difference in metric measures, but I don't know if the depth is any different. Check the installation specs of the particular unit you're thinking of. All of the measurements will be there. You can get the documentation online as a PDF file from the manufacturer's website. If it will stick out a very small amount, you can have the cabinet panel reduced to a veneer so that it'll be flush.

Enjoy your new dishwash!

Because I am hungry? :-) Thank you.

Maybe invest in a second set of dishes?

Preferable to investing $5k in a professional dishwasher that will wash well and quickly?

I have a kitchen Aid and would not recommend, half the dishes come out dirty.

jamdar....your machine isn't working as it should. Properly operating KA's clean fine....as does every other one out there. Suggest diagnosis and repair.

Or start a new thread describing symptoms.