Our struggle is lack of space for a full-size one. We might eventually get an 18” one, but we don’t have a lot of options for where to put it. What was the upgraded model you went with? Those crappy basic “contractor’s special” white ones can be more trouble than they’re worth.
We went Bosch, I think some 800 series or something. It’s nice, it’s got that hidden top rack for the weird shaped utensils and whatnot. Also nerded out and watched instructional videos and they were saying it’s best to just scrape food off and load. Don’t pre-rinse, you’re basically doing the job twice if you pre-wash. We had a Whirlpool before which the appliance sales guy said any Whirlpool is like entry-level. Once you go up a level they brand them as KitchenAid cause I guess those two companies merged.
Just swapped mine for a Kitchenaid model that is a massive improvement over my bargain bin. I imagine most of the >700 ones are good as long as you avoid Samsung and anyone else advertising gimmicks like wifi instead of good washing and drying.
Note that you can’t always compare them across retailers since they’ll sell slightly tweaked models to each, but usually they have a common numbering system. I think both Bosch and Kitchenaid essentially tier theirs by 100. My Kitchenaid is a 604 and I could’ve gone down to a 500-series but liked that this one is where it included a larger external vent and fan to push air.
