girl - the sump of a DW needs a given amount of water to even run at all -"the fill". For a miele it's around 7 gallons. It doesn't matter whether it has 1 spray arm running or 5, it still takes 7 gallons to fill the sump. The half load options lessen that , but not by half , down to 3.5 gallons. The arms run on water flow and pressure - not electricity. Sure it takes a bit more to run multiple arms - but not enough more that you'd notice without some sophisticated equip. hooked up to your DW. I'd rank em : 3. Bosch - broader line and more $$$ options especially at the low end. Their entry level DW is nothing like their top of the line model, they aren't even made in the same place. The top models are quite good but are just as expensive as a miele so there's not a great reason to select it of that brand at the upper levels. 2. Asko - high quality across the line, but not as big and not as widely distributed. Started to produce some/all models outside home country. 1. Miele - high quality from entry level to top of range. The only difference is more insulation, more adjustment in the racks, and more wash programs. The very cheapest model is without a water softener to save $$$. Still made at home in germany.

So I got the Miele Diamante Plus G2143SC installed yesterday. I ran it through two Rinse & Hold cycles first and then did a Pot Scrubber with detergent added so that the inside was clean of any manufacturing residue. I loaded it up with lunch and dinner dishes and pans that evening and ran it on the Normal program (the Turbo mode was off). I stayed near the kitchen the entire time and it sounded like it filled with water, pre-washed, drained, filled, pre-washed again (why?), drained, filled, washed (heard detergent door open), drained, filled, rinsed, drained, dried. Also, during the end rinse (which took about 30 minutes total), the last 15 minutes it sounded louder, like it was using higher water pressure. The entire time using the Normal cycle from start to end when it drained the final rinse water was 2 hours! The original GE Profile I had 3 years ago took about an hour using Normal, and the Electrolux from 2 years ago was about 1.5 hours. Tonight I going to use Normal again, but also with the Turbo mode turned on and see if there is any difference. Whenever it starts to fill with water, there is a slight is slight gurgling sound, but it only last for about 5 seconds and then fills pretty quite. During the pre-wash, wash, and rinse, it was very quite while running (more so than the GE and Electrolux I owned). I did hear (at the local Miele showroom) a Optima in use a few weeks ago (it has Q3 noise level) and I think it was a tad bit quieter than this Diamante (Q2 noise level) but not by much. When we checked it this morning, everything was perfectly clean (dishes, posts, pans, plastic cups (we don't use real glass glasses too often), and silverware. The plastic cups were dry except on a few that concave on the top where there was some water puddle. There was also a plastic storage container that was used to store left-overs. It was clean, but also has some water on the top part. Everything else was dry and spotless. So with only 1 use down, we're relatively happy with our purchase, and baring any problems down the road, I'd consider buying Miele again. A few other nice things about the way it's made, unlike most other dishwashers (including the GE and Electrolux we had), is that the exterior has it's own sealed enclosure on the sides and top, where most other brands you can see the fiber-insulation on the sides and top. This unit was side mounted (due to granite counters). The way it works is there's two screws on each side top and bottom, right before the water-seal. But instead of it drilling into the sides of the cabinet, they instead push a piece of metal onto the side of the cabinet that hold the dishwasher in place. This is nice, as it eliminates any drilling into the wood, but still holds it very firmly.

I've never had an Asko but I'm with you on the rack design. Asko's center rack is much more useful than the top 3rd racks that every upscale dishwasher seems to have sprouted recently. It's not just the location, but that Asko's third rack has enough height to accept cups and short glasses, not just utensils. And the top rack is located higher (and thus an easier reach) than those nestled below shallow top 3rd racks. But like the Mieles, Asko's racks are rather short front to back, as they are designed to fit in shollower European cabinetry that few have in N. America.

We have been using our new Asko 5233XXL for 6 months now. Here's what we have to report: It is very quiet in operation. We have an open floor plan, so this was one of the most important considerations. It does make a loud belching sound when the drain kicks in. I have considered plumbing in a separate P trap for it so I don't hear the gurgling coming from the sink when this occurs. There simply isn't a good place on the rack to place the bowls we use. The tines on the Asko racks are more numerous and closer together than on our old dishwasher, which had fit our bowls great. I'd suggest bringing in a place setting or two to the showroom and making sure you can find a place on the racks for them. I will say that the materials on this unit seem top notch. It is all stainless on the inside, even the spray arms. I was initially worried about noise from the dry cycle fan, but it isn't audible. No repairs to speak of yet. -Michael in Portland OR