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busybme

Miele DW too nice for me?

busybme
15 years ago

I know it's a silly question but I'm beginning to think the answer is 'yes'.

We need to replace a 15 y.o. Whirlpool dishwasher and aren't ready for the whole kitchen renovation yet. I was planning to get a Miele but am now beginning to think that I won't use it properly/use enough of the features to justify the price/be happy with it and then kick myself for spending so much money on a dw.

I want a stainless front with hidden controls and a towel bar. I want a dw that is reliable, relatively quiet, and presents me with clean and dry dishes when it is done.

Most of my appliances have multiple cycle options, and yet I typically use 'normal' for most everything...I may oooh and awww about all of those special features in the showroom, but honestly, I just don't use them.

DH says 'get whatever you want' and price is not a serious consideration, although I am naturally frugal and won't spend the extra money unless I'm getting something extra in return.

Knowing these things about me, do you think I will feel a Miele is worth it? What are your thoughts?

Sandy

Comments (11)

  • garlis_2002
    15 years ago

    We have a Miele DW that we absolutely love. Ours does not have the hidden controls or towel bar (we got it 5 years ago). Here are the things I love about it: 1) it holds a lot of dishes; 2) the top rack for the silverware is great... silverware gets much cleaner; 3) it's very quiet.

    I recommend Miele DWs to everyone I know!

  • homepro01
    15 years ago

    In your situation, I would get the cheapest Miele. Any dishwasher with the integrated panel is going to cost you almost as much as the Miele. Let me ask the question the other way, what if you get something you are not satisfied with? How will you feel then? I don't know that you will love or hate the Miele when you get it but you would have gotten what you wanted. Personally, I like the Dishwasher without the integrated panel and the towel bar. I don't like hanging things on the dishwasher. I personally love my Miele Dishwasher and it was the Novotronic series which I liked better than the series with the buttons. It is about 5years old and it still works perfectly today.

    Good luck!

  • seaglass7
    15 years ago

    I'm normally a frugal person but I splurged on a Miele DW in our remodel. I got tired of rinsing crumbs out of glasses after the DW finished with them and scraping bits of dried food off of silverware.

    The Miele is one of the best decisions I made in the entire remodel. The silverware tray is a great feature and everything comes out sparkling clean. If you need a reason to rationalize the price, the Miele holds an enormous number of dishes, meaning you'll most likely run it less. And don't worry, even 3 day old mac and cheese bowls came out crystal clean in mine without pre-rinsing. Several GW members have posted pictures of their Miele's stuffed to the gills with dishes and they all come out clean.

  • debs3
    15 years ago

    We have just begun to use our Miele Excella DW and it is much better than the Bosch Mom bought. I thought the top silverware tray was going to be a bother to load, but surprisingly it isn't. The dishes are clean and dry, except for the occasional concave cup bottom. Sticky cheese required more than the normal setting, but I am still experimenting and learning what works for me.

  • somonica
    15 years ago

    Me too just have my Excella DW installed last Tuesday.... got that great 25% off from Miele Canada!! Yes, it clean and dry so well and done its job without making much noise.... My Excella worth every penny I spent on it!! ^o^

  • eggcream
    15 years ago

    I have an brand new Excella and love it. That being said, make sure you take a good look at the basket configurations of the Miele's. They are very different from what you're used to, and if you are like me, you will find that there is definately a learning curve when it comes to loading it. Not every model has the same basket options so you need to explore that in addition to the many washing options. Also make sure your current dishes will fit comfortably into the basket/machine you choose. I use alot of cereal/soup type bowls and the high, deep ones that you see everywhere are more difficult to "stack" than the older wider ones. Good luck with your choice and you can't go wrong with a Miele.

  • busybme
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks, you guys, so much for taking the time to reply. I have done a little more shopping since I posted the original message and feel I am ready to commit to a Miele.

    I looked at Bosch again and then Thermador...same thing with different label. And you were right, homepro, all of the integrated dwers are getting into the same price-range...may as well get what I wanted to begin with.

    Thanks again! Sandy

  • homepro01
    15 years ago

    Happy to enable Sandy! Have fun! Do take your dishes to the store and test them out in the different basket configurations.

    Good luck!

  • rnest44
    15 years ago

    All 'normal' cycles are not created equally. Yes, you are worth it since you can afford it and meets all your criteria. Sounds like you just need to figure out the model that is best for you.

  • mando_p
    15 years ago

    i've had our excella for about 1.5 years and it's still doing really well. baked on/crusty food comes off and the dishes/utensils come out extremely clean. baked on eggs and two-day-old-oatmeal-in-a-pot are still a challenge and i usually handle those separately.

    fav programs - sensor (it really does work!), normal, pots-n-pans, saniwash and short (not rinse and hold).

    the only learning curve i had (still have sometimes), is figuring just how much soap to use, especially with soften water. use too much, etching will kick in. too little, things don't get clean nuff.

    for the most part, a full load will only require one TABLESPOON of soap...no more. that seems to do the trick. i used to use miele tabs and was impressed. however, there were times where i used to much for a medium load (i know ..i know...ppl will tell you to run a dw fully loaded...but sometimes, i don't have enuff dishes for a full load. in addition, the excella has a load sensor that uses the appropriate amount of water based upon the amount of dishes in the dw).

    using powdered soap (cascade "all" and no icky liquid soap allowed in the excella), allows me to precisely use the soap i need for the load. tabs, typically, are usually full or half (i used to use half miele tabs all the time).

    the new enzyme based soaps are the key, along with an effective dw, to achieving the fantastic results these dw are doing these days.

    hope this helps.

  • 3katz4me
    15 years ago

    I have an Incognito - have had for over three years - would not purchase again. I like the looks of it and I like that I can load anything on the top or bottom unlike my old one. I also like the cutlery tray and the fact it is very quiet. Functionally it is problematic as it etches my glassware and all advice I follow to prevent that results in other items not getting clean. From everything I've read here and many other places, best I can tell is that this occurs due to the fact I have a whole house water softener and this DW just cannot function correctly in that situation.

    I've adjusted to the problem by continually replacing my glassware and using only one cycle that is supposed to be "cool" enough to "prevent" etching. So lots of $$ spent for a top of the line dishwasher with extra cycles like china/crystal that I will never use. It looks nice and sounds good though!!