Gary, If CR really did what you say, and just poke the pretensions of something that costs more because it's prettier or something, without added function, or if a lower price model actually works better, I would have no trouble with it. If you read what they say about their own principles, however, they'll say the same thing I did, only perhaps in sweeter terms. The number one criterion they have is money. The lowest price for baseline functionality, and lowest repair/maintenance cost (which usually means the lowest need for same). It's useful! But it doesn't tell the whole story. Most people I've met who are making major purchases are looking for more than just lowest price. They also want the item that fulfills their desires. They go to CR looking to make sure the item they're looking at isn't a lemon, and end up disappointed because either it wasn't included at all, or it gets a low ranking just because it cost a little more for the features that the consumer in question found most appealing but CR determined to be unnecessary for their baseline. I think it's as important to educate people in the limits of CR as it is to teach them about the limited utility of some of those extra features. Meantime, apologies, My3dogs, I didn't realize that it wasn't public. I haven't had to tech weenie my way in, but I seem to be able to view CR. CTYDDM, another thing to keep in mind if you haven't used a newer dishwasher is that they run very differently. They're designed to save water and energy, so they take a couple of hours to run. If you do want a heated dry, it's an optional cycle on an American machine. It's not available on European machines. The standard drying method requires the mass of a steel interior and the mass of your pans and crockery (they promote putting the pots in the DW not just to show off their power, but because you need the mass), to retain the heat from the wash/rinse. That heat, combined with the cooling air, creates convection (air movement) and evaporation. There may also be a fan to help move the evaporating moisture out of the machine. Rinse aid (Jet Dry) is required to make this work well. The "sheeting action" is a surfactant (aka soap) which is designed to coat the dishes and break the surface tension of the rinse water, making it fall off instead of clinging. This method actually does work well, especially if you have a lot of big dishes, metal flatware and pots. If you have mostly small dishes, thin glasses, and plastics, it doesn't work nearly as well. The detergents are different, too, and what worked, even of the new detergents, in your old DW, might not be as good in the new. The most popular and best rated seems to be Finish Quantum with Powerball tabs. I don't have such dirty dishes, and prefer Method Smarty Dish tabs, which have less oomph, but are probably better for the environment, and adequate for my loads.

detective- I think you misconstrued my between the lines point. Of course no one would want to pay for non value added things like duties/arbitrage/shipping if they had a choice. MY point was twofold: 1. Mieles are not twice the price of their Bosch equivalent & 2. Given the real world $$$ difference consumers should be mindful that a Bosch at roughly 25% less does not have those NVA costs associated with them because they are made domestically. For the sake of argument let's say that equivalent models had equal sale prices F.O.B. factory floor which they kinda do. Under that, the Bosch is a stinker given their less than stellar output lately. OF COURSE you can't get a DW at teh factory floor especially if it's in Germany and the currency costs, shipping, tarifs, duty, ect. are real costs and will be paid by the purchaser. So, at the end of the day a Miele will be more expensive in almost all cases. All of this is simply an abstract "value" discussion. What almost everyone with an unbiased view agrees on is that Miele has the better DW. They also agree that Mieles cost more. What's harder to agree upon is the question of which is a better value, a lot of times because people confuse value and cost. EX: Bosch's tubs are now hybrid, pieced designs with plastic bottoms - not entirely stainless like all Mieles. Their control boards/wiring harnesses are less robust - just look at their recall of late because the things tend to catch on fire. Their plastic control interfaces are of a more flimsy plastic that wears prematurely. Their tub frames are not as stout , maybe they are using some sort of super alloy that is stronger and lighter , but I seriously doubt it. Their discharge hoses are thinner and less flexible. They don't even include a supply hose or an electrical connection. Their leveling adjustments points are plastic not metal and tend to cam out under basic install. Look, I'm not saying Bosch DW's are crap. But, I do feel they are cheapening their brand and they have definitely cut some corners in the last two years with regard to build quality. Bosch brings in 2 models from the fatherland - an 18" and a 24" I don't remember the model#'s off hand, but they are an 800 series and the only ones with water softeners. The full size list is $2k with a street price around $1700-$1800. Half the Miele line up can be had for that price.

Would not recommend the ASKO dishwasher. Purchased this dishwasher and had it professionally installed when we remodeled our kitchen in 2020. This is way pricier than the similar dishwasher, but we heard good reviews and decided to go for it. It was a good dishwasher when it worked. Did a great job in cleaning and drying and is super quiet. Unfortunately, it broke down on us 2.5 years later. The customer service from this company is horrible to say it kindly. They partner with Pinnacle Service in our area. Our unit is supposed to be in warranty for 5 years and so we contacted the company to get this repaired. Did not hear back from them after 4 weeks! Cannot find any appliance repair to service this model even if I am willing to pay and the repair guys say that this was a terrible company to deal with for parts etc. Ultimately, I had to trash this dishwasher and get a new one. I would strongly discourage anyone else from purchasing this dishwasher. BTW we had the model DBI664THXXLS.U

“If you are OK with Miele's seeming disappearing service (at least in NH), and parts costs, use them. The dishes do come out clean, depending on your 'taste' for rinse aid.” The use of rinse-aid depends on your local water. Miele DWs allow the homeowner to set how much rinse-aid is dispensed in each wash. Mine is set to the minimum rinse-aid amount it can, and everything comes out spotless. Regarding DW parts cost, I am not sure that Bosch, Asko, Thermador or Cove parts would be much less. Kitchenaid, and any of the other Whirlpool brands, certainly would be. As to customer service, Miele customer service locally for me has been great - the one time I needed it for a 15-year-old washer. I have never needed repair for the several Miele DWs I’ve owned. Calling Miele on the phone is horrible due to long waits. But since the Covid pandemic started, I have found that to be the case for all customer service numbers across all industries.