There's a New Dishwasher in Town

And it's not Seth.  :)  We I have been diligently searching online for stainless steel dishwashers and refrigerators for months.  We were in the market for both, but were not desperate and therefore, had the luxury of time on our side.  We like being able to wait until we find a good deal to pull the trigger.  Well, as far as the dishwasher goes, that day came, baby.  

Let me start by saying that the dishwasher that we inherited with the house worked well. The main problem with it is that the bottom rack is rusting out.  (And let's not forget that it is an ugly cream color.)  

I will confess that when it comes to stainless steel appliances I am picky.  Picky about something that you might find inconsequential, but that I find of considerable importance. Have you noticed the "stainless steel" appliances look like  this, this, or this?  I'm sorry but I am NOT going to pay for a stainless appliance with a big area of black plastic on it.  That will not fly in my house.  Maybe I'm weird, but I just don't see the point in purchasing stainless if it has some cheap-looking black plastic thrown in.  It honestly makes me angry that they are even manufactured like that.  I guess you can still get the "stainless look" but the mixed material models are just not as clean and sleek looking as the all stainless models.  I apologize if I've offended anyone.  It's just one of those things that I am weirdly opinionated and passionate about.  I've gotten myself all flustered just typing this.  <Deep breaths>  :)

One day when I was checking the online sales at Lowe's, Home Depot, Best Buy, and Sears, I spotted this Whirlpool Gold dishwasher for a little over 30% off at Lowe's.  It was too good to pass up.  It's stainless steel, the Whirlpool dishwashers consistently got the best reviews online, and it was on sale for $404.10 (originally $599).  If you've ever shopped for a stainless steel dishwasher (one without black plastic on the front, anyway) you know that finding one under $500 is pretty good.  The higher end ones are $700-800!  The only negative thing for me about this dishwasher is that the tub is plastic and not stainless steel.  The model with the stainless tub was $200 more (even though it was also on sale). We decided that since this is not our forever dream home, we were not willing to spend the extra $200  for the stainless tub (sorry future homeowners).  I headed out to Lowe's and found the dishwasher at the store was on sale for $449.  It was strange to me that the sale price in the store did not match the online price.  I like giving my business to the local store though (okay...Lowe's is not really struggling, but this helps make our local store's sales records look good and keeps them in business).  Not to fear - I had added the dishwasher to my online cart and printed off a copy showing the online sales price before I left the house.  I was a Girl Scout after all (we have the same motto as the Boy Scouts - not sure who copied who).

I asked if the store would match the online sales price and they did.  Wahoo!  Then I handed them a 10% off coupon.  I just love saving money!  Here's the breakdown:

 original price -  $599

store sale price - $449

 online sale price - $404.10

my price w/coupon - $363.69!

That's around 40% off the original price.  Not too shabby.  After adding the installation charge (cause Seth and I just aren't that DIY experienced yet) and the price for a new hose, the total shot back up to $489.97, but we just won't focus on that.  We were going to have to pay for those things no matter what the cost of the dishwasher.

Then, the installer came and things went downhill a bit.  Turns out the pipes under our sink (that I never pay any attention to) were the original copper ones.  Someone had already replaced the cold and hot water lines running to our sink but not the water line running to the dishwasher.  Apparently, the connecting piece on the hoses of new dishwashers works fine with new pipes but not with the old copper ones.  So, the install guy left the dishwasher and we cancelled the installation.  Lowe's refunded our install money and we asked around for a plumber recommendation.  

The next day, a plumber came out, fixed the pipes, and installed our new dishwasher (for twice what the Lowe's install was going to cost - stupid old pipes!).  

The new dishwasher has "hidden controls" and a lot more space in the tub (especially the lower rack - we have a big stock pot that now easily fits in the dishwasher).

So far, we are pretty happy with her performance.  There have been a few dishes that have not come completely clean which is annoying to me, but I think once we figure out the best detergent, required amount of pre-rinsing, and proper dish placement, we will hopefully be ok.  I love saving energy but less water use seems to come at a price (ie the dishes not getting blasted with enough water to come completely clean).  Time will tell. Her look is definitely an improvement though.  Mmmmm...there is nothing like the clean, shiny exterior of stainless steel (well, these could compete in my book - check out the dishwashers on the left side of the pic) and I think she fits in well with our stainless steel hood and trash can.  Now back to the fridge hunt.

Does anyone else have any weird opinions about appliances?  I hope I'm not the only quirky one out there.