So as I posted before the dishwasher took a big dig. And we were unwilling to replace a fuse after each wash. So out it goes. Now the sticky thing is, do we purchase a new one, or do I suck it up and wash dishes by hand for the next however long? In theory, the handwashing seems the right decision, as it will save us money in the short term. However, in reality, a new dishwasher is really the right decision as I am grouchy from having to wash all those dishes (there are sooo many even when I try not to make new ones it is amazing how many glasses a grown man can use in a 24 hour period! not to mention sippy cups!!). So onto my bff the interwebs to find the best match. Too bad there's not an appliancematch.com site so you can type in all the things you want and find real reviews by consumers that have been using the appliance for more than a week. The reviews part you actually can find relatively easily, but the finding the right appliance thing is harder. So initially, I knew right off the bat that Kitchen Aid was out, since that's what is giving us trouble now. And 2 appliance salesmen told me that Frigidaire was their most returned item due to not getting dishes clean. Maytag is another one that is iffy, and Deb told me she would not reccomend, which I kinda figured. So I am thinking Whirlpool. Or G.E. Or Kenmore even. So off to Sears the kids and I went to look at these items. Seems the same people are making Whirlpool, Kemore, Frigidaire, and Kenmore. So if I want a separate company I have to choose GE or KitchenAid. Which is no bueno. And I don't like only having ONE choice. Then I see that Sears is having 20% off Energy Star appliances, and suddenly, even tho this is not in the budget*, Bosch is on the perimeter as a player.
(*Our budget was pretty fluid. Really, we didn't want to spend $200-$300 on a disposable appliance, but really didn't want to go much over $500.)
So we find a nice G.E. with a stainless steel interior over at Best Buy, and we are ready to "pull the trigger" as PJ would put it, but that particular model showed negative 2 in their warehouse inventory, which means it would be Goodness Knows How Long before we would be purring about it running so wonderfully in our yet to be finished kitchen.(**!) So I called Wismans Appliance who did the service to find the faulty fuse in the KitchenAid in the first place, and they had a lovely GE model on Super Sale for $659. He gave me the model number, and it turned out that Best Buy had it for $899 and HH Gregg (another local store) had it for $949. I thought we had it made! A $900 dishwasher for $659? Too good to be true? Hmmmmm... I had them put our name on it and told them we would be in to pick it up the following day, but something told me to check and when I asked to double check that it had the stainless interior, he responded it did not. That 'splains the price. The current broken mess we have has a stainless interior which is one of the reasons we kept it and replaced the panels instead of the whole thing when we moved in to this house. So back to the internet I went, and found the Bosch on sale at Sears. So I began to think about it. And how it cleans. And how much electricity and water it uses. And how the reviewers didn't like the way it dried (not a blast heater but condensation heating). But there were people who loved it. And I read the manual on their website. And I read reviews on other sites that showed that when people were more energy savings minded, they loved it. And and and and and. So I put together some info and presented it to PJ, and he said GO! It is the lowest tier of pricing and bells and whistles, but it does have more than the current broken one has. It also has a stainless steel interior, but it has a sanitize wash which is good for the kids' cups that go everywhere. So PJ again was on board and ready to "pull the trigger", and instructed me to buy online. Seriously? I couldn't do it. I called Sears to see if they had the model on the floor, and I went last night to look at it. It also has the nylon racks that last longer. The only strange thing (that I was prepared for as one of the reviews I read mentioned it) was it is not as deep as a regular dishwasher. But this may work to our advantage as the KitchenAid was hard wired and PJ wants to put in a plug, and this will give us room to do it. It will still fit quite a few dishes, and it felt pretty sturdy. Plus its German, can you go wrong with that? It's super efficient, and I think it's green beyond just being Energy Star. Plus the lady at Sears told me that she thinks I can take a deduction for purchasing an Energy Star appliance on our 2008 taxes-in fact, she said this is the last year. So that will make up for the little bit over the $500 that we went. Needless to say I am pretty excited (I am wierd like that but new appliances put me over the moon-imagine how intolerable I must have been when we moved in and I got a new Stove with Five Burners and Convection option on the Oven! And Refrigerator that had a freezer on the Bottom! And a Super Sweet Washer and Dryer that I cannot figure out how to use the rack in even after reading the manual hello Google?!) and it's not just because my countertop is covered in dirty dishes right now, but a superbly engineered German dishwasher made in America where the company is socially aware and gives back to the community and the water is heated where it enters the dishwasher and it doesn't have a traditional heating element making it uber efficient (sorry, couldn't resist the uber) is just plain exciting. And I am back over the moon.
**Am super close on a color for the kitchen, which besides the floors (which we decide need to be cork since it floats) is the last major thing! I found the color on a swatch at the Depot but cannot come close on the color book I have still from Sherwin Williams. Kathy found this ceramic paint I just remembered at the paint store by our old apartment so maybe James and I will go tomorrow and see if they can match my swatch and get a quart to see how it goes on. It's greenish gray. I can't see any of the blues I've been trying working- too close to the slate. It needs to be gray but not just gray and the one I have has just the right amount of green.
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