I sold my house with dishdrawers and have a regular dishwasher in my temporary house. The regular dishwasher is harder on my back and I dislike having to open a door and pull out a rack.

i loved my dishwdrawers. It is myself, dh, and two sons left at home and I often ran the top drawer twice a day and had to remind myself to run the bottom one occasionally. So easy on the back if you are not as young as you use to be.

the only thing I didn't like was that if I had the whole family home I had to remind everyone not to put plates in the bottom drawer because it wasn't tall enough. Not a big issue.

in our new house dh wants a regular dw. Pick your battles. We are putting in a Bosch and one tall dishdrawer.

2many - I gladly run my Miele Futura Dimension door dw daily, sometimes multiple times. I would not wish to be without the third utensil rack at this point. Never had one before but would buy it again if I had to replace. This fits my space and is located optimally for put-away. I cook pasta regularly so need to accommodate a large pot and drainer. I don't mind running the occasional half load. Good luck, good topic, interesting to see the results.

I had one in my last kitchen... kind of had a love hate relationship with them. We are a family of three and I loved that the top drawer was just enough for my small family for daily use. I loved the depth, no wash arm means you can fit much taller and odd shaped things. I didn't love how they cleaned and their noise. I also did not love that they weren't enough when we had company.

Does the tall dish drawer handle tall items such as pitchers, 8qt & 12qt pots, etc.?

For me, it would be an issue if it could not accommodate taller items.

Or, if you have the space, do what ILoveRed is doing in the new house - a regular DW and a single tall dish drawer.

[Hmmm...something for me to think about in our new build! (We're all tall, so a tall dish drawer - or two - would be better, I think, than a regular DW...)]

My top drawer holds pitchers and larger pots and 11. 5 inch diner plates without tilting them but the bottom drawer does not hold the 11 inch dishes.

My sil had scoliosis surgery and can't bend her back. It was so extensive that she gained 3-4" in height. She and my brother recently remodeled a one story home and put in two tall dishdrawers. She loves having some of her independence back....even if it just means emptying a dishwasher :-)

I am a fan of the FP DD dishwasher. Many years ago when doing a major remodel my designer showed it to me (it was new back then). I liked the concept and went for it. Next home, same thing and was there for about 11 yrs. No problem. Downsized two years ago and immediately got another. Use to have 4 kids at home. Down to one now. What I like about them: Don't need to clean out the DW before starting a new load. Quiet, cleans very well. I think the 2 drawers hold more. The top drawer is easy to leave open while I sort and load. I don't have to "wait" as long to run a load. I set mine on "fast" and "eco". It's a quick run but very effective (and true or not I imagine it to be more eco friendly as it is not running as long as a standard). I do alternate between the 2 drawers so they get equal use. I also use that "dishwasher magic" cleaner in each drawer 3-4 times/year (and I run the long cycle when I use that). My two cents.

Thank you for all input! I’m keeping an open mind and am grateful for all opinions!

Fori, This forum is all about drawers over pullouts. Why stop when you get to the dishwasher? Well stated, excellent point.

They are nice because you can leave the top drawer open while you work in the kitchen and it doesn't bash your shins. Thank you for mentioning – another good point!

rebunky, raorah, fori, Caroline Hamilton, janecalle - Anyone- do you find the bottom drawer to be far too low to be comfortable used? This does concern me.

ILoveRed, “Easy on the back”… sounds perfect for DH… and myself. Question: Did your SIL put usable drawers underneath her tall DW drawers? I am studying the installation guide now, and you can drain to a side cabinet, but it seems there is only 6” beneath the Single Talls… ??

oldbat2be, when we were looking at the Miele’s, I noted the slots for the flatware and told the appliance guy DH would never bother with that – and he wouldn’t. The appliance guy has a Bosch (and loves it) and said to just toss the flatware in, it’d still get clean. I understand the purpose for the flatware slot holders – better cleaning, but do you think if DH just tossed the flatware in willy nilly, they’d be properly cleaned? Currently we have the baskets, and ‘spooning’ occurs, but it hasn’t caused a cleaning issue.

I looked up the decibel ratings for integrated panel ready (BTW, we have a very old whirlpool which is noisy and I try to run it at night, I think it’s rated 52 dBA):

• Fisher Paykel Tall Drawer, integrated (single drawer) 44 dBA gentle cycle
• Fisher Paykel Tall Double Drawer, integrated 46 dBA
• Miele integrated 45 dBA

Buehl, Or, if you have the space, do what ILoveRed is doing in the new house - a regular DW and a single tall dish drawer. Hmmm, I’m actually thinking I’d rather have the 2 Tall DW drawers. That may not be in the cards for us due to lack of space, but if I we can make it work and I could talk DH into it (more plumbing, electrical), I’d put one beside our cleanup sink, one beside the prep sink – I’d have to be able to put drawers underneath. If this seems a possibility, *I will be calling upon you for layout help as you are our guru*!. I just can’t lose storage space so I’m thinking we would have to go with the DD DW if that’s what we decide to go with.

As mentioned, Saturday we will take a good look at DW options, so I’ll report back any findings. The appliance guy says he’s got dishes for us to use, so I’ll take some of our dishes (which will change after the reno) and my stockpot (which will also change because it is not induction ready). I’ll take photos and post them.

janecalle, That’s quite the glowing review/experience. I think the 2 drawers hold more. Really?! I’ll measure my current DW, and take measurements of the DD DW – not that measurements take everything into account.

ILoveRed: She loves having some of her independence back....even if it just means emptying a dishwasher :-) I hear you. I was an incomplete quadriplegic for a long time (gratefully, I am ambulatory now), and I did way too much laundry because I could use my grabber to pull wet laundry out with it. I washed clean clothes just because I could : - ). OT: I also put in a rather ugly double chair rail in my living room and did a triple color glaze just because I could… I still have a stubborn affinity for it and will leave it in place during our reno. It was a bugger from the power chair.

My comment about how much it holds is just the impression I had immediately (and still holds true) after switching to the drawers. It just seemed to me like I was getting a LOT of dishes in those two drawers! Again, I had 4 boys at home and even hosted a foreign student for 2 years (another high school boy), so you didn't want to be behind me in the grocery store check-out. My dishwasher got a lot of use. About the flatware - I had almost forgotten about that slat mechanism on the baskets. Mine stays flipped up. Have used it rarely. I do place my flatware "up", except for knives, which are placed down (safety). I don't put any flatware in with heavy "gunk" on it. Mine all clean just great. Occasionally had to re-do one when someone threw a spoon coated in dried jelly in there:). But then again I run it on the "fast" cycle (35 minutes).

Oh, and thanks for the thread as it reminded me to run a "cleaning" with the dishwasher magic. Happening now. Good luck shopping!

janecalle, One more question... when you run your DW's every day or every other day, do you spend much time rinsing? We scrape and fully rinse ours because we run it only once a week so I've never experienced NOT fully rinsing. Do your dishes get clean if you give them a quickie rinse and run it within a day or two?

Yes, I rinse, but not aggressively. And they do get clean, even on my faster cycle. With just three (sometimes two) of us at home now, I probably run a drawer every other, or every third day. And we cook.

For those that have the FP double drawers do they get everything dry? We are in Florida and our dishwasher cleans well but doesn't dry well. We rinse everything before putting it in the dishwasher so the dishes come out clean but completely wet, like dry with a towel wet. Also plastic-ware, any issues with melting?

The bottom drawer isn't much lower (if at all) than the bottom of a normal DW. It's just so much easier to use the top! In fact, it's a problem for us because we are perfectly happy to let dishes stack up instead of using the bottom drawer.

I've had 3 drawer DWs, at different homes. My current one just broke. It had been uninstalled several times (do not believe an installer who says they know how to install a DD), floated around the house during a major remodel, and just plain been abused. The filter basket broke first, so I superglued it and switched it for the bottom one that we don't use much. Then it started being finicky about starting and completing a cycle because it was (once again--you gotta watch installers or do it yourself) installed poorly and if it's out of level, it won't detect that the seals are sealed and it will stop. So I pulled it out and reinstalled it. A few days later it leaked. So I pulled it out and saw that one of the drain hoses was leaking. Who reinstalls a 5 year old dishwasher and doesn't replace the drain line?? One of the handles broke during this procedure and at that point I said screw it. New DW.

We are getting a normal horrible giant door shin-skinning DW. Not because the DDs aren't great. They are! But we are trying it out because (blame kids) we are generating more dishes and need to run a whole DW load every day. A DD can do that just fine if you use both drawers. But one of us (not me) refuses to use the bottom drawer.

I expect to hate it. It goes in tomorrow.

DDs don't have a heated dry, like European style DWs. So plastic will be wet but never melted. Other things dry okay if you remember to add the rinse aid.

The bottom drawer isn't much lower (if at all) than the bottom of a normal DW. That's comforting to know. Thank you.

I expect to hate it. It goes in tomorrow. For once, your name is very apropos. I'm so sorry you lost the battle : (

ETA: Our appliance guy said that of the Bosch - no heated dry, and mentioned to use a specific rinse aide, can't recall what it was, but this time I'll write it down!

I don't have a problem with my FP DD drying, except the tops of inverted glasses or coffee cups where a very small bit of water will collect ofter drying cycle, or those plastic storage containers around the lip. I mean literally "drips" and I just run by dishcloth over the tops of those few pieces before I pull them out so they don't drip on anything else. I haven't experienced my plastic being generally wet though. I didn't realize there was not heat dry. Mine are warm if I unload right away (guess that's just still warm from the water?). I agree with Fori about the bottom drawer not seeming much lower than a regular dishwasher. Oh, and I just use Jet Dry rinse aide. A little red light comes on when time to refill. Fori, I'm sorry too that you lost that battle. Kind of a funny story here as when we downsized a few years ago we did not want to go with the luxury line appliances that we had in two previous homes (Dacor, Sub-zero, etc.) as we didn't feel this home would support that investment (won't be here forever). My Brother-in-law manages an appliance store so he could get us a builder package pricing and we had decided on the Kitchen Aid Commercial Dual fuel range oven. Soooo, that meant package pricing on all appliances keeping with Kitchen Aid. Me? Looks at my husband "but, but, but....", and he laughs, looks at his brother and says "except you'll have to put that KA dishwasher on your floor and sell it separate because SOMEONE needs the FP DD." Ha!

Oh! I feel fairly sure the appliance guy said Jet Dry, which I already use. Thank you janacalle. He also said the heat from the rinse water tended to dry the dishes in those without the heat element - it's another type of 'drying', and added it helped if you opened the DW a crack, left it for a moment.

Our DW with a heat element also leaves a bit of water in the things you described, so perhaps there's really no difference, or not much in the two types of dish drying. Other than one tends to be more economical, from what I've been told (the heated rinse).

I would put in the FP dish drawers in a minute, but their noise rating is really high 44-45db compared to Bosch or Miele, which matters, as our kitchen is open to the family room. DH does the clean-up and he often forgets to choose delay-start. Also, when on delay start, ours can't be opened and a dish or glass added later, without going through the rather complicated procedure to choose delayed start again...

On the other hand, we are empty nesters, and our dw runs only every 2 to 3 days, which necessitates rinsing, and I too don't like the smell when opening a half full unwashed dw. I'd prefer not to have to rinse, and just run a smaller load daily. What to do?

For those of you living with FP drawers? Doesn't the noise bother you?

pippabean, comparing the integrated models, I found a 1 decibel difference listed, with the one caveat being I could not find a decibel rating for the single tall drawer as listed for anything beyond the gentle cycle..

>>I looked up the decibel ratings for integrated panel ready (BTW, we have a very old whirlpool which is noisy and I try to run it at night, I think it’s rated 52 dBA):

• Fisher Paykel Tall Drawer, integrated (single drawer) 44 dBA gentle cycle
• Fisher Paykel Tall Double Drawer, integrated 46 dBA
• Miele integrated 45 dBA

<<

Did I see it wrong? Those are the current ratings I found today.

Miele's cheapest basic model is rated at 45dbA, its best dw is 37 dbA. I believe that one is the quietest dw on the market. The quietest models have to shine a light on the floor, so that users are reassured it's actually running :-) DW rated up to 40 dbA are considered quiet. The models we're considering have ratings between 38 and 40 dbA.

Ours, a Whirlpool is rated 47dbA and is very loud (It is about 8 yrs old, so might have gotten louder over time?)

Yeah, F&P DDs are (historically at least) noisier than others in their price range. Probably not the best choice if you want to wash dishes while doing other things in the same room. We tend to run the DW when we go to bed so we don't care about noise.

Three issues of a practical nature, which haven't come up yet:

- The drawer dishwashers tend to be more than double the cost of a standard dishwasher.

- Dishwashers tend to be the shortest-lived appliance in the kitchen, and once you've allotted space for the drawer-style dishwasher, you've committed yourself to that same expensive choice next time too.

- Standard dishwashers are more popular, so you'll have more bells-and-whistles features on the standard dishwashers.

Drawer dishwashers (the double, anyway) fit in the same hole as a normal one. The single drawers will require special cabinetry and are not a cheap option.

After dishwasher shopping recently, nah, unless you're looking at really cheap DWs that won't have lots of features, prices are pretty close.

DDs have the most common cycles, from rinse to delicate to heavy to eco. I honestly have never wished I had that cheese cycle.

I'm sorry, but I just have not found mine to be noisy. In fact, less so. It's running right now and I am barely aware of it (open plan). And yes, as Fori said, fits in same space as regular DW. In fact, that was important to us. And we didn't pay double the cost.

My DW (not DD!) is rated at 45 db, but that's only about 10 min of a modern DW's cycle. Most of the time, it's hard to tell if it's running.

I was going to have an integrated model, tha'ts not a possibility with the FP drawers... another negative. Has anyone the dd in white? Is it glossy? Pure or off white, warm or cool white?

janecalle, don't be sorry that you don't find yours to be noisy - I for one am glad to hear it (no pun intended).

I thought we were all set, getting a super quiet one, now I'm reconsidering. Aah, the joys of remodeling....

Are you sure it can't be integrated? They used to have integrated models.

Fori, I looked on the Abt (local appliance store) website only, I didn't see any panel ready FP models. I will have to do some more research on the FP website.

They have 3 panel ready models that are double drawers, 2 tall and one slightly shorter

pippabean, or anyone else interested: I’ve spent quite a lot of time researching DW’s… both Door and Drawer:

Fisher Paykel makes integrated Double Dish Drawer DW’s:

Stainless Steel

Fully Integrated:

Fisher Paykel Series DD24DT (SS)

Semi Integrated (means there are a some controls on the front):

Fisher & Paykel DishDrawer Series DD24DCHTX9 (SS)

Fisher & Paykel DishDrawer Series DD24DDFTX9N (SS)

Panel Ready:

Fully Integrated:

Fisher & Paykel DishDrawer Series DD24DHTI9N

Fisher & Paykel DishDrawer Series DD24DI9N

Fisher & Paykel DD24DTI9N

DCS DD24DTI7 (made by Fisher Paykel)

However, pippabean, as noted, you are looking for 40 dBA or less… Miele G6985SCViK2O rated at 38 dBA for $2,600, and the Bosch rated at 38 dBA for $2,000, KitchenAid KDTE254ESS at 39 dBA for $989. Jenn-Air JDB9800CWS at 40 dB $1,600, and lastly, the Gaggenau DF281760 at 40 dBA. $1599. I hope this has been helpful to you.

.

In comparing dBA’s and DW models, I chose those that were equivalent in price and features. While you list the Miele as having a 37 dBA, note this is only the Futura Diamond model the 37 dBA is only on the Extra Quiet mode. It is actually rated at 42 dBA and has been discontinued. The Miele Diamond EcoFlex G6987SCVIK2O, priced at $2,600 at AJ has a 42 dBA as does the Miele Lumen EcoFlex G6880SCVIK2O at $1,900. The Miele Futura ProfiLine Series PG8083, priced at $3,800 is rated at 48 dBA.

I was comparing equivalent models: Fisher & Paykel DishDrawer Series DD24DHTI9N (Fully Integrated, Panel Ready, Tall DD) $1,400 (AJ Madison) at 46 dBA Top Drawer (the bottom drawer is rated higher, but I can’t find it – may be 49 dBA), with the Miele Crystal EcoFlex G6665SCVI (Fully Integrated, Panel Ready) $1,400 (AJ Madison) at 45 dBA.

There is also the Miele Crystal EcoFlex G6785SCVI which is $100 more, rated at 44 dBA, as well as 2 more Fisher Paykels: both rated 46 dBA at $300 less and $100 less.

I feel what each person considers ‘quiet’ is subjective. Silence is considered quiet, as is nominal or low sound.

I have found the following to be a helpful guide:

There is a difference between db’s and dBA: Compared to straight-up decibels (dB), dBA puts emphasis on noises that we hear most clearly and de-emphasizes sounds that are harder to hear – dBA more accurately reflect what noise frequencies the human ear will be sensitive to.. The result is a rating that should, in theory, give shoppers a better idea of how much their dishwasher will annoy them.

Around 38 or 40 dBA is considered a silent model.

According to Yale Appliance: A decibel rating of 60 will make it hard to have a conversation in the kitchen, models rated from 41 to 46 decibels will be quiet. For a better perspective here are decibel ratings of some common sounds:

Yale offers a sound level comparison of 55 db and 44 db (your computer speakers will not be accurate so this is for comparison between those 2 levels:

Having said all this, personally, I hope to choose the model and style that fits our personal needs and uses, be that quiet, convenience, or both.

I hope this information has been helpful to others. Please feel free to correct me where I am misinformed.

Thank you for this! We are crazy busy so our two appliances that are most used at this point in our lives are the dishwasher and microwave :-). Of course, these are the two that are failing and need to be replaced ASAP. I am going to check out the Miele's too. We have a ton of sports water bottles, sippy cups, etc. that really need to be washed nightly so the 2 drawer looks like a good fit for us.

Love mine! Wouldn't want to live without them. Ours are over 10 years old and still going strong.

Because they do not have a garbage disposal, the dishes do need to have excess food removed from them. We do not rinse dishes, just dumped off the leftover bits. The strainer does need to be cleaned out.

Take a dinner plate to make sure it fits in the smaller one. Our larger plate need to be tipped forward. I usually handwash large pot so them fitting doesn't matter to me.

I actually find them handy when entertaining because it is easy to throw the appetizer dishes in one and get a jump start on clean up while the meal is still going on.

Ours is also quiet (much quieter than the old dw), frequently don't realize it is running.

andria564, I wish you luck - everyone is unique in uses, preferences, and needs!

Microwaves... ugh! Mine has lasted forever, but that does not seem typical. We are doing an appliance garage rather than any type of 'fitted' microwave so we can buy less expensive models and 'install' more easily (i.e., we'll just stick it on the shelf!)

Yes I think that is the best way to go with a microwave. My choice is either to replace the over the cooktop unit or cut into the island cabinetry to do a drawer model and add a real hood to the cooktop. In our neighborhood we have those two options going or the micro/oven units and I cannot give up my double ovens. Best of luck on your dishwasher search! I am going to bring my dinner plates to the showroom this weekend so I can hopefully have mine installed before Thanksgiving guests.

andria564, if possible, please update us on your findings and give a review. We are going into the showroom tomorrow also, and I'll do the same. I just measured, and my current dishes (to be replaced later) are only around 10" diameter, but am taking my big platter, my stock pot, and so forth.

MY REVIEW OF FISHER PAYKEL TALL DOUBLE DISH DRAWER DISHWASHER:

(after visiting showroom)

NOTES: I did not have 13” dishes, but did have 10” and 11” – both fit in upper and lower drawers easily. Another couple just showed up after I brought in my 3 huge boxes of dishware and cookware, so I felt rushed. I did not get photos of the drawers loaded with my dishware, nor did I adjust the width adjustable tines (yes, they have that!). Please ignore the the plates and so forth, I used a lot of what the appliance store had as the other couple was breathing down my neck, understandably! The model we looked at was not the model we want, but the drawer sizes were identical, as were other important features.

Features of the Fisher Paykel Tall Double Drawer DW DD24DHTI9N (and some other models):

Removeable small items container for the cutlery basket(s) which can be left in the basket or removed and used separately elsewhere, in addition to the (2) baskets. This would be useful for baby bottle nipples, tiny cleaning brushes, small demitasse spoons, etc. (didn’t get photo of this) There are 2 cutlery baskets (top and bottom), both easily removed.

All cup/glass racks are independently height adjustable and fold up (at any height) out of the way if needed. 4 of these (2 each side) located in both top and bottom drawers.

The stemware notches are slanted for secure holding of wine, champagne glasses, and stemmed water goblets, and leave plenty of room for coffee cups, glasses to be placed behind the stemmed glassware w/o bumping – I placed both the slender champagne and the wider wine glass in them, still had room behind them to place coffee cups and fairly wide glass behind the wine glasses without concern.

Above is the dish powder/gel and rinse aide dispenser.

One adjustable mug/glass rack has knife clips (used to hold the blades of sharp knives in place – shown below in partially folded up position).

Below the height adjustable cup/glass shelves are glass clips (which are removeable, and can be used to hold taller glasses more securely. Didn’t get photo of this.

The tines on one side are width adjustable – to choose between wider bowls/plates or narrow plates. This is a new concept for me, one I’d use.

The tines on the other side fold down for larger items – you can fold down one row or both rows. All tines are at a slant – I’m assuming to hold wider plate. I tried my 10” and their 11” plates in both the Tall and Short drawers – no issues. NOTE: I did not open the tines to the wider point. This is the narrow setting below.

There is a multipurpose clip to hold large plates or plastic lids in place. No photo.

Also, on both upper and lower drawers, you can remove the entire ‘rack’ and reverse them (handy if you have a preference for loading, and also if your DW is on right or left of sink depending on your layout).

The model I looked at had the water softener for DW salt.

Rinse aide is required for the dishes to dry properly.

One caveat for me: cannot use liquid dish detergent (I hate the way powder dish detergent sometimes solidifies). Powder, tablets, and gel packs are acceptable. There is a removable tablet tray.

Adjustable levels for the rinse aide and water softener (adjust according to your water hardness)

On this model (and some others) you can knock on the front panel to pause if you need to add dishes. There is also a pause button.

Measurements:

**(See following comments)** The lower drawer can easily hold dishes up to not quite 11.5”, the upper drawer can hold dishes at not quite 12.5” (**Comments**: I was measuring from the bottom rack holder, and dishes sit below that slot, so if you have taller dishes, there is the strong possibility they will hold larger dishes, particularly since the tines are all slanted. See photos below)

Lower Drawer (measured at bottom rack, however dishes will sit lower).

Lengths (front to back):

We measured the Miele DW (this was the newer model), and the interior length (front to back) of the lowest rack was 19.5”, while the upper rack measured at exactly 18” interior length. The Drawer DW are the same lengths and widths, upper and lower). My DW is non-european, which are larger in depth on the lowest rack measures a bit over 19-3/4”. Not a huge difference.

Miele Lower Rack Interior Length:

... reached my limit of photos... to be continued below

Then we measured the Interior Length of Fisher Paykel Drawer model: It’s 18-1/8” on both Drawers:

In Length you lose 1.5” in the Fisher Paykel Drawer model over the Miele, and 1-3/4” than my American model Door DW.

Widths: (Interior) my US DW and the Miele measured the same at 20.5” lower rack, 18-3/4 upper racks.

The Fisher Paykel Double drawers are identical in width for the both upper and lower drawers at 21”. The Fisher Paykel drawers are wider as they do not have the glides.

In Width you gain 1/2” (Fisher Paykel Drawers) over the lower rack on Door models, and a gain of 2.25” on the upper rack of Door models.

I’d call it a draw except…

Now the real test:

Without folding tines or any adjustments, here is the Fisher Paykel loaded with my 10 qt. stock pot, 3 qt. and 1.5 qt. sauce pans and lids, plus extra dishes, cups, wine glasses. Again, I was in a rush, and could have added more in the way off cooking items had I folded up all the glass/cup racks. It all fits well, everything would be washed. I had room to add more plates, glasses, but felt rushed because of the other couple waiting to look at the DW. I literally loaded this in a moment:

… Couldn’t get it all to fit inside (I did have room for some small plates which were in the Drawer DW, but didn’t put in this test above). The stock pot overhung the rack, and the door wouldn’t close. This is my DW, larger than the Miele (but not nearly as nice!). I tried loading it several times and still couldn't get it to fit and close. Clearly, I could not have loaded the upper rack of my DW with as much as the Fisher Paykel’s since the upper racks are smaller.

One caveat about my test: I had to pretend there were the folding glass/cup racks on the lower rack of my door DW, because the Fisher Paykel Lower drawer has those too. This might give you an extra 1-3/4” to 2” total in width on your lower rack of a Door DW. BUT, keep in mind, those small racks are height adjustable even in folding up, so they might not create a space problem.

Personal Notes:

I would recommend physically looking at any appliance you are interested in.

The Fisher Paykel Drawer model Lower Drawer is not difficult to load, it sits only a bit lower than the Door models (all DW’s we saw were elevated from the toe kick so we couldn’t get accurate measurements on this, but it was not notable to me).

The Upper Drawer is a delight to load and unload. I can see why some get so used to it they forego using the lower drawer if possible.

There is one less step to the Drawer models: you just open them. Easily. Door models require you open the door, then pull out the rack. Not a big deal – it would be similar to choosing a drawer over a cabinet with a Rev-a-shelf.

I can live without the short 3rd rack for utensils most Door DW’s have these days as my preference is to remove the utensil rack for unloading into my utensil drawer.

Overall impression: the model we looked at and the model we want are very adjustable. I like the width adjustable tines. You can’t reverse the racks on most Door DW’s to suit your loading preferences.

The Cons:

If you’ve got very wide dishes (I did a quick check, most dishes run between 10” – 11.5” – these will fit top and bottom of FP DD) they might not fit. Some wide platters might not fit.

If you need the top 3rd rack, Drawer models aren’t for you.

Miele’s are known for reliability. I’ve read, and my appliance guy offered the same: Fisher Paykel drawer DW’s must be installed correctly or they will cause problems. Otherwise, they should offer good reliability.

You can’t use liquid DW detergent.

I can’t comment on cleaning ability. I can’t comment of reliability or longevity.

Our decision: We are getting the Fisher Paykel Tall Double Drawer Dishwasher. In all honesty, I see us using the Upper Drawer every day, with ease. Hopefully, we won’t get so lazy we forego the lower drawer for extra plates, glasses, cups, and flatware to be washed once weekly.

I think you'd be pleased with either. Some people arrange the bottom racks on the F&P for just large things like pots and pans--it loads and unloads faster than a bunch of small items and you can run the heavy wash on that one and a normal wash on regular dishes above.

Ideally you never have to unload a DD. You just keep switching which one you fill and get your clean dishes out of the other :)

Ideally you never have to unload a DD. You just keep switching which one you fill and get your clean dishes out of the other :) as well as This forum is all about drawers over pullouts. Why stop when you get to the dishwasher?

Must you be so smart Fori? : - )

Actually, while we were there, I had that same thought and quickly loaded 4 dishes, 2 bowls, 2 glasses, 2 cups, along with some sauce pans, mixing bowls, and my huge skillet... thinking, I could just set the table straight out of that drawer and start prepping for dinner... then guiltily thought "but that'd be so lazy of me not to put the dishes away" then thought "no, not lazy, efficient!"

I didn't get through the whole thread but did see the pics and noted the discussion re: noise. My dishdrawers were in a space slightly smaller than the norm as they had replaced a Miele which of course requires a smaller space.

my dishdrawers were extremely quiet. I wonder if that was the reason. If you look at the specs, the space/cutout is smaller than 24".

someone else mentioned that with a single tall dishdrawer you can only fit a 6" drawer underneath it. Thank you for the heads up on that one!!!! I will pass that to my kd.

Haha. Unfortunately, laziness is bigger than that. It's easier to not unload the top and also not load the bottom because you're waiting for someone else to unload the top...

I stand by my drawer statement though!

ILoveRed: That was me, and I was making a guess by looking at that install specs - please don't go by that as it doesn't make sense - there should be more room I'm thinking. Your KD should download the install manual available at FP - I was in rather a hurry hoping to do 2 Tall drawers in uppers only... but it won't work for us so I didn't spend a lot of time trying to figure it out!

Just thought I would add a note. We were initially hesitant to put in a single dish drawer. All the bad reviews are clearly installed wrong. Game changer for us. We also added a big solid drawer below. On heavy duty telescoping glides. It hold all my cast iron and three dutch ovens, a medium sized one nests inside another larger one....

We prefer to run our single drawer more often and just opening halfway, I can add a few breakfast cups and a few plates. Travel mugs, etc.

Before, we would have to open and lay down the entire door, then pull out the top or bottom rack to load anything....taking up the entire cooking triangle and blocking the pathway real estate. We are clean as we go cooks and cook a lot.

Loading and unloading is so easy. No dishes build up in the sink. And no waiting around a day or three for a full sized washer to fill up.

In all the high end multi million $ homes I've been in, they have single dish drawers banking the prep sink, one or two, a fridge drawer or two, and a full size dishwasher over by the main sink. Most say they only use the full size when entertaining.

It was such a drag when a favorite sauce spoon or my small sauce pan or favorite coffee cup was dirty and waiting for a wash run and having to take something out and wash by hand.

I had a love / hate relationship with my dishdrawers. Pros: could fit larger and awkward sized things in it and could only run one drawer (a plus for my small family). Cons: had numerous issues in the 5 years I owned it, was loud, for the price not a great appliance. I think this would be the perfect appliance in a home bar where you only wash glasses or as a 2nd dishwasher. I replaced with a Bosch 800 series and couldn't be happier.

"All the bad reviews are clearly installed wrong. Game changer for us." Thanks sleevendog, your words are reassuring. In a perfect world (in a larger kitchen!) I'd love a small under-counter fridge next to the prep area, and 2 upper DW drawers - one next to the future prep sink and one next to the cleanup sink, but alas, no space for all that. Well, that'd run our budget over, too!

I often wash a few prep/cooking items at least twice daily, but many I need just daily, so having a half DW to handle that rather than hand wash so much as I wait for the large DW to fill... would be heavenly.

Has anyone had problems with the FP DD leaking? A reviewer on another website said this was not an uncommon issue.

Ours has been installed for a while now, and we've not had one issue, including leaks. My DH did all the plumbing, but he's good at doing such things. As others have said before, if they leak, it is most likely an install issue.

I'll take a moment to elaborate on my experiences thus far: I love our DD and would never, ever go back to a regular dishwasher. Ever. Loading/unloading is unbelievably easy - took maybe a couple times to figure it how to load our items. All items we have fit in the taller top drawer. We make sure to run the lower drawer once a week, also filled (which is also easy, but obviously not as easy as the top one). We have run them together and separately. Noisy? The first time we ran them we both kept walking up, putting our ears next to them to see if they were running! There is one point in the wash which is a bit louder, but loud is not a word to describe it. We can carry on a conversation standing right next to it at that point.

We run ours every day, putting every single dish, glass, serving ware, pot, and pan in the drawer. Measuring spoons, cups, sharp knives (yes, my good knives that I'd never have put in the other)... everything that is DW safe goes. Much easier than waiting a couple days to a week and then unloading far more items.

Never have had an issue with anything not getting clean and use the standard Medium cycle. No water spots, and dishes come out dry. Ours came with the salt intake, so we have soft water because of that, which is supposed to extend the life of the DD. Both the salt and the rinse aide intakes turn red when they need refilling. The knock to pause/open is wonderful, and works anytime throughout the cycle.

Ours has cabinet doors on the fronts and cabinets on either side. We've not seen, and believe me I have stood in front of the DD with my hands feeling everywhere - any sign of steam or issues on down the road which might lead to wood problems.

The racks inside ours are ingeniously versatile, and remove for large items, and ease of maintenance. Love the wine stem and knife blade holders. Love the tines that change widths for thin plates or thick bowls.

Overall, I'd rate ours 9 out of 10 - only because I never rate anything with a highest score.