to tell you the truth whirlpool makes several of the "name" brands...check this site for the names...

i think it depends on what features you'll want...

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com/

I'm happy with my 3-year-old LG. It is quiet, has a stainless steel tub, racks which move up and down, and the dividers fold/tilt as needed. We use the 'half load', 'quick wash' and 'delay start' options a lot. I admit it has several features that I haven't used in the three years we've owned it so I'll probably never use them - like 'delicates', 'power scrub' or 'soak'.

Here is a link that might be useful: LG Model LDS5811

Stay far away from GE!

I have a Bosch and love it!! It's so quiet you have to stand next to it with your ear on it to even hear it run! I use the power wash all the time...it'll clean ANYTHING!!

We have a Miele. I love it. It's quiet, cleans great and looks nice.

I have a whirlpool dishwasher, stainless steel with a big tub and adjustable racks. I loved it at first but then my dishes weren't getting clean. I discovered the liquid dishsoap dispenser was clogged with hardened dishsoap. Surely there's a way to clean the reservoir but I just started using powdered soap and everything is coming out clean as a whistle.
It's very very quiet. I've noticed on these new appliance with the push button controls the plastic coverings don't last very long. My dishwasher is less than a year old and already some button covers are cracked.

Lori

As I understand it, most of the standard brands are all made in the same factory. When you're looking, open several doors at the same time and you'll see that many of them are exactly the same design, same components and configuration.

We bought a new DW about 5 years ago. Splurged and went with a 'high end' Maytag. It's the ONLY appliance I've had in 35 years of marriage that has given me so much trouble. It's had issues almost since the beginning (but, of course, just out of the warrantee period--LOL). I'd never buy another Maytag. Our original DW, the one that lasted 20 years was a KitchenAid, but unfortunately, those are the ones that are identical inside, to Maytags, so I'd be a little wary of them, as well.

I think, if it's in the budget, you're really better off with one of the really quality brands like bosch. Good luck.

I bought a Kenmore a little over a year ago and love it. Replaced a really old GE that did a great job of washing the dishes but it was so old and ugly and LOUD! This new one is very quiet and I like the cleaning options and the adjustable racks.

Here it is on sale and with a rebate:

~Betsy

Here is a link that might be useful: Click here

Azzalea you won't have to worry about buying a bad Maytag anymore. They've been bought out by Whirlpool and, as I understand it, will carry the name but be manufactured by Whirlpool.

It really hurt the folks in Newton, IA where they had been manufactured for years. They really stood behind their products then. When we moved my mom into her condo we sold her old Maytag wringer washer and her GE refrigerator. At that time I was 49 and they were both close to being that old with only minor repairs over the years.

Seems so many brands now fall under one umbrella.

We have a new Bosch, about a year old. My first new dishwasher. Absolutely LOVE it! It is quiet and reliable, faster than the old one, and more energy efficient.

Within the last 6 months I purchased 2 GE Profile (different models) dishwashers with stainless steel tubs. I love both of them. My dishes are clean, the machines are quiet and I love the quick wash and count down (minutes left in cycle) features.

We have recently installed a new Kitchenaide.

A few things I have learned:

It holds many more dishes then our previous (GE) one did.

There really is no need to pre-rinse before loading. We run the rinse cycle after a dirty dish meal and only need to wash a full load every 2 or 3 days.

New dishwashers use less water but take longer for a wash cycle.

It really is very quiet. At first I would have to touch it to feel if it was running.

ML

We bought a new Bosch this past year. It is super quiet, has a stainless steel tub and gets my dishes sparkling clean. What I love is the adjustable flatware container. You can move it to suit your needs.

Our 15 year old GE, which I loved, finally gave up the ghost. We replaced it with a Kitchenaid and as Maddie says, it is very quiet but takes longer to wash the dishes. But, unlike her, I can't get as many nor the variety of dishes in it as I could in the GE. Maybe I just haven't learned to load it properly.

I'm always a bit suspicious of companies who pretend to be someone other than who they really are. Like Whirlpool, which sells their products under about 20 different brand names. Whirlpool, Kitchenaid, Admiral, Maytag, Roper, Amana, Estate, Magic Chef, Inglis, Galaxy, JennAir, Crosley, Gladiator, etc., etc., are all Whirlpool by another name. The appliances sold at Costco and Ikea are also rebadged Whirlpools, as are many Kenmores sold at Sears. Electrolux is a different company but some of their dishwashers are built by Whirlpool.

By whatever name, Whirlpool makes a passably good dishwasher, some design flaws but it gets your dishes clean. Higher-end Bosch DWs (and related Siemens, Thermador, and some Kenmore, all made by the same company) are the quietest. Miele is very good and priced accordingly. I like the higher-end LG machines - quiet, very roomy, nicely built, and it lights up inside which is cool. Fisher & Paykel's drawer-type machines are worth a look, convenient if not particularly reliable.

Don't buy KitchenAid because your old KA lasted 30 years. Those old ones were made by (commercial food processing company) Hobart, which sold the rights to the "KitchenAid" name to Whirlpool years ago. Nowadays, the Kitchenaid brand signifies tarted-up Whirlpool products sold at higher prices.

Yes, I've purchased TWO in the past few years to replace the one that was original to our house around 1985. They don't make them like they used to! I bought a more expensive one after the first one we bought bit the dust (after one expensive fix) but it's really not much better than the less expensive one - it's pretty basic. I forget the brand but I bought it in Lowe's. I just hope it last longer than 2-3 years this time.

One other thing that bugs me about dishwashers anymore is that my old one ran fine without rinse aid. Maybe they didn't shine like a commercial but they would still be clean and dry. The newer dishwashers seem to need rinse aid (which isn't cheap) to run properly. Is that progress?