I am very excited (okay, still a little SHOCKED) to have partnered with Mom Central as one of their Fridgidaire Test Drive Moms - Team Everything!
Why?
Well, as I mentioned in my inaugural post (last week) 'cawse nobody breaks stuff, like I do! We survived THE BIG INSTALL and my attempts at burning down the house. Seriously, if there was an Olympic event specifically for "breaking and/or making appliances smoke" well, our walls would be covered with gold, instead of fingerprints and dog snot (you're welcome!)
Holy Hannah Montana...that's one FULL dishwasher, right...but, what if I told you that those are ONLY the dinner dishes...aaaand, you really should have seen the breakfast dishes -- all sticky with syrup and half-eaten french toast crusts -- because, a real good test of any dishwasher is allowing your kids to load it, right?
Trust me, after having lived through the ENTIRE summer WITHOUT A DISHWASHER and doing ALL of our dishes, by hand, for the last 7 or 8 months (I forget) my kids certainly appreciate the good folks at Frigidaire for sending us this one.
Me, too!
The dudes sent by Czarnowski ALL worked really hard to make sure that, you know, everything fit. However, Joe (the dishwasher dude) worked the hardest. Our old dishwasher (you know, the broken Bosch) had a recessed area in the back to allow for an electrical box.
The new Frigidaire dishwasher does not.
4 hours later...Joe got it running and, after 3 weeks -- not to mention dozens of attempts at nearly snapping the wheels off the lower rack -- I am truly AMAZED that it is STILL running!
[choir of angels singing]
Wow, that IS clean [reminder: see 1st picture]
KEY FEATURES: [listed below, along with TFH comments]
SpaceWise Organization System: features adjustable racks so there's a place for virtually anything [TFH: we fit two rows, or about twenty-four, full size dinner dishes next to each other on lower rack, or 12 place settings and still have room for utensils -- see next below]
Largest Silverware Basket (among leading brands): There’s room for over 180 items in our multi-compartment silverware basket [TFH: the basket runs the entire length of the lower rack and holds a whole lot of utensils]
Adjustable Upper Dish Rack: Flexible racking system lets you adjust the to rack to fit taller items [TFH: came in handy when washing baking pans and/or sanitizing our cutting boards]
Quietest Dishwasher in Its Class (based on published manufacturer specifications for plastic interior dishwashers): A quiet performance every time [TFH: it is really quiet when it starts, to the point where we were putting our ears to the door, to make sure it was running. We can, however, hear it drain when sitting in our living room. Although, it is the quietest of any of the dishwashers we've owned (3, I think) thus far.]
FINAL VERDICT - ON THE UPSIDE: The dishwasher controls are located on the top of the door, rather than outside of the dishwasher, which IMO makes for a sleeker look. It is roomy and I love that they include loading options (with pictures) The Smart Soil Sensor checks the soil level of your dishes in the Power Plus, Light Wash, Normal AND Energy Saver cycels. Depending on the soil level, the sensor will determine if additonal water fills are needed to clean the dishes or if water fills can be deleted.
ON THE DOWNSIDE: The wheels on the lower rack jam, if pulled out too far (the kids and I have done this) and it is quite difficult to push back in. I have to physically lift it back into the dishwashwer. The detergent compartment door would not open, or clumped when using granulated, or powerdered automatic dishwasher detergent. However, switching to dishwashing detergent tabs seems to have solved that problem.
Looking Ahead to Week 4: The over the range microwave is still on our counter (saving up a little milk money for new cabinets) but, surprisingly works a lot like a traditional oven...more on that next week...the fridge (will give you our thoughts during week 5)
In the meantime, if anyone needs me, I'll be upstairs...asleep...wake me up when Ty Pennington calls!
© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.
“I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and will receive a Frigidaire Refrigerator, Range/Microwave, Washer/Dryer set, and a Dishwasher to facilitate my review.”
