I agree with you that the LaPerla offers an abundance of options and cycles. They have actually removed some of the cycles from the previous version - three, to be exact.

The difference in drying performance is that the LaPerla has the AutoOpen feature where the door opens after the drying cycle to let the last bit of remaining humidity escape. German CR tested the new drying system and said it was the best system for dry plastics they tested - along with Bosch's Zeolite Drying system, which is not yet available in the USA.

The traditional CleanAir drying system on all the other Miele dishwashers will probably dry plastics not quite as well - some drops usually remain - but I think if you manually open the door at the end of the cycle, dishes will dry just as well as with the AutoOpen feature. It basically comes down to convenience: open the door yourself or have it opened. One thing to make sure is to inform the people who will be using the machine of the self-opening door.

The CleanAir system on the Optima is just as "clean" as AutoOpen on the LaPerla - no different there.

Alex

Thanks Alex - that helps! If we don't open the door to the dishwasher until hours later, does that mean dishes will be significantly wetter without that last step?

What about the menu on the control panel? Have you used that? Thanks!

Who said the Excella and La Perla has two air pathways? I've never heard that before.

With my Diamante, during the last few minutes of the final rinse, it increases the water pressure (you can hear it) and also the water temp. Once it gets done and drains, there is a small fan in the lower-right of the unit that turns on and pulls-in air from the room that is circulated around the cavity-walls (the air does not enter in where the dishes are). This cool air on the stainless steal walls basically pull the water to it (like a mirror in a bathroom with condensation) and drys the dishes. In the morning when I open it up, the only stuff that still has some water on it are the top of cups (that concave in the center) and plastic/tupperware containers, but plastic cups are dry. Since I run it before I go to bed, I don't opened it to let thing "dry better", but I haven't really seen the need to. It takes me 2-3 minutes to dry any tupperware items or water sitting on the top of cups/glasses. No big deal. Again, is it worth $1000 more for me to get the La Perla that will open the door at the end of the drying cycle? Probably not. Also, I can only wonder if the mechanical auto-close/open door on the La Perla is just another expensive part that may go out in 7-10 years after any extended warranty end?

One thing the Optima/Excella/La Perla does have is an extra sensor (not on the Diamante or Inspira) that senses the outside room temp and will optimally set the water temp of the final rise to help with the drying/condinsation process. Even though the Diamante doesn't have this, I haven't missed it, as I've said 98% of everything comes out dry. Just be sure to use Rinse Aid. For the first 3 weeks I was using the Cascade Rinse Aid, but was noticing a chemial smell on everything. I then got the Miele brand rinse aid, and it leaves no smell at all. I have the dishwasher's rinse aid setting on "1", even though "3" was the default and could be set as high as "6". I've also been using the last of my Cascade Action Packs detergent, which does clean good, but I got a few sample Miele detergent tabs, which works just as good when broken in-half. Even though there are 60 Miele tabs in a box for $30 ($0.50/tab), once you break then in-half, that is 120 ($0.25/tab), which is about the same per-tab price as the Cascade Action Packs/Cascade Complete. The 500ML Miele Rinse Aid bottle is only about $10, where the 250ML bottle of Cascade Rinse Aid was $5, so once again that's the same price per ML. The Miele Salt was about $12 dollars, but since my city water is pretty soft (6-10 grains) it should last quite a while.

Your dishes will be fine even if you don't open the door immediately after the cycle's completion. Some stuff naturally retains moisture, like thin plastic items or Teflon-coated pans. Most items will be dry, though.

I have not used the menu as we don't have a Miele dishwasher - we have a top-of-the-line Siemens unit (same as the Bosch 800 Series in the US). I have used a Miele dishwasher serveral times, though. There is one video on YouTube of someone showing off his LaPerla and also the DryingPlus feature. I also like the simplicity of our control panel: it's on top of the dishwasher and you just have to press the button (cycle) you want and close the door. I usually use the sensor cycle of which our dishwasher has two: auto Heavy and auto Normal. These sensor cycles really take out all the guess work. You just load the dishwasher and it will do all the sensing / thinking for you. Whether it's a full load or not, lightly or heavily soiled - the cycle adjusts and dishes come out clean. Unless you have a very heavy soil load or just fine glasses - I'd always recommend the Sensor Wash on a Miele.

Too bad YouTube doesn't work for you (you might have a slow connection?). I will search some videos for you - maybe they'll work.

LaPerla Menu
La Perla Drying Plus
La Perla Overview

Fauguy, the air is actually channeled around a special condenser pocket located on the right side of the dishwasher. The are two vents inside the dishwasher's tub: one located above the cutlery tray and the other one next to the lower rack. The air is continuously sucked into the upper vent, passed through the cooled condenser pocket and enters the tub through the lower vent. That small fan you describe both circulates the air inside the tub and cools the condenser.

The German Miele home page has detailed videos on this. I'm currently translating them and will post them on my YouTube channel on Wednesday.

Alex

Theresse since you are asking opinions on the laPerla drying vs the others esp regards its auto-open feature I will volunteer mine. I think this is one of the DW's more penny-wise pound-foolish features. Do you have wooden cabinets? Are they around the DW? If the dw pops open to vent moist air, venting them around your wooden cabinets will become quite disasterous. Hot Moist air and wood doors or plywood cabs dont mix well. You are looking for a flush install dw. When you pop open the door you will see the walls of the cabs - well that will face the hot wet air every time you run the dw.

If i were getting the la perla the only q i'd be asking is if that ridiculous feature can be disabled (and i dontrecall the answer to it).

The dishwasher pre-warms the counter top for 30 minutes prior to opening the door and, while the door is open, the fan continues to blow air underneath the counter so that the humid air never reaches the surface.

Alex

What on earth does that mean? Why should trying to heat the counter be a good or even feasible thing? And how does in preclude damage to cabs next door to the dw?

whirlpool_trainee,

When you said " The are two vents inside the dishwasher's tub: one located above the cutlery tray and the other one next to the lower rack." I looked inside my Diamante, and all I see it one opening on the lower-left side where the water enters the tub. Are these two vents you're talking about only on the Excella/La Perla?

theresse,

I've just been told via eMail that no Miele dishwasher other than the LaPerla and Excella has the Sensor Wash! I cannot believe this! Practically every modern Miele dishwasher in Europe has at least one Sensor cycle - middle- to top-of-the-line models even two. Very strange decision on Miele's part to take them off on most of their US machines.

Mindstorm, the dishwasher takes in ambient air via the fan located at the bottom of the unit. This air is channeled upwards and around the heat exchanger where it cools the condenser. In turn, the air absorbs heat - heat is exchanged. The warm air is vented through slits in between the control panel and the counter and thereby warming it. When the door opens, the counter is a) warmed, so condensation won't form and b) the fan continues to blow air through the slits and thereby forcing the humid air that's expelled from the tub away from the counter.

Fauguy, every model with CleanAir drying has the two vents on the right side of the tub. The diamante has CleanAir drying, according to the web site. Indeed, the opening on the left side is the water inlet. Water running into the tub. Here's a picture of the condenser taken from service docs.

Alex

whirlpool_trainee,

I looked again in my Diamante and see no holes. What I do see on the top/right near the front is a round indentation (maybe 3" diameter) in the stainless steel, but there is no hole. It looks like it would line-up to the round area in your picture above the #1.
If you have the full service manual that could be emailed to me? I really like to read through it.

*sigh*

Well, the general service document for Miele dishwashers says all the new G1000 and G2000 use the above pictured condenser.

I have a general info manual on Miele dishwashers and the service manual for the LaPerla II. Send me an e-mail via my profile and I will attach the documents.

We have the La Perla, so I can't make a comparison to the other Mieles but I can tell you it dries at least as well as the top of the line Kitchenaid we had in our last house. It does a great job. By the time the door pops open at the end of the cycle, enough steam has already dissipated within the machine that there is no visible "escape" of steam, nor can you feel a big rush of steam. It truly seems to be finishing off the job. I don't know if the other Mieles have the "turbo" or "extra drying" options but we use those frequently. I am amazed that turbo decreases the wash times so significantly. Love it!

whirlpool_trainee, message sent.

whirlpool trainee - I talked to Miele and they said the Optima also has the sensor wash. ?? The website shows they do, too. Am I misunderstanding something?

I must be blind, then. I cannot find one Optima dishwasher that has the SensorWash. All the cycles listed are Pots & Pans, Normal, SaniWash, China & Chrystal, Rinse & Hold and Express.

However, there is a turbidity sensor listed under features - so I can only assume that some cycles will adapt to the amount of soil sensed during the wash cycle, yet there's no specific SensorWash cycle as such. I'm sorry to be more confusing than helpful. I wish Miele would be a little more precise when it comes to the information they put on their US home page.

For what's it worth: I uploaded the videos I mentioned form the German Miele home page to YouTube and will post them right now in a new thread.

Alex