apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

It's a nightmare. We inherited one at our old house. They are very nice looking, but ours seemed to break down constantly. One of the repairmen told me they are great for child-free couples who don't cook very much. We have two kids and cook all the time--a bad fit for us.

When we moved I chose an LG regular-style dishwasher for our new house. So far I love, love, love it.

Thanks for the note! I haven't heard any review on dishwasher drawers. How do people feel about KitchenAid's dishwasher drawers? Too bad. Those could be a real convenience.

More drunk reviews, please!

Weird. We've had dish drawers at two houses and we LOVE them. I know several other people that also love theirs. I've never had any of the problems your reviewer describes.

Perhaps your friend was ****- faced when he installed it?

Just kidding. But seriously, maybe it was not installed correctly? Could you please provide us with the source of the leak? People like myself who have a dishdrawer would greatly appreciate it. The more you know....

We are a child free couple now, hopefully not forever, but we cook a lot. We cook, bake, cook more, bake more than the average couple. We haven't had any problems with it yet, knock on wood, and are happy with its performance. I will say that "green" detergent doesn't seem to work very well and that it needs rinse agent but so do most machines.

If we spend 8 hours a day cooking in the kitchen we may run it on several short eco cycles as we go. All the dishes end up spotless. It is not the best for plastic containers--don't know why.

Those dishes in the above video were not pre-rinsed. Just a simple spray of water over the plate in the sink before it goes into the machine is good enough. Professional kitchens pre-rinse their dishes before they are loaded into the machine and these machines are extraordinarily powerful and use chemicals that will blind you and burn holes in your skin.

To a certain degree we must be smarter than the machines and realize that they cannot do everything for us, even if we spend a lot of money for them. I for one am willing to give a small, efficient appliance such as this one a chance as I would rather utilize a standard drawer space below it for storage.

This is where AT proves its value: I raised an eyebrow when I saw the video and thought, "Good! One more new thing we won't have to buy..." And then I read fellow readers comments and thought, "They're making some very good points - I'll wait to hear more." Thank you all for taking the time to offer tales of your own experiences, whether good or bad, and to ask questions. I know this happens all the time at AT, but this particular little item really underscored the usefulness of the site, for me.

I have the KitchenAid drawers. LOVE it.

Words to the wise- Buy a Bosch!

Glad to see the lawsuits aren't scaring AT!

Pre-rinsing dishes is ecologically unsound-- you're basically washing your dishes twice, which wastes water. I would never buy a dishwasher where you were supposed to pre-rinse dishes. I don't pre-rinse my dishes-- I only scrape-- and they come out of my dishwasher clean.

ok, i dont even understand the visuals in this video. First they show a bunch of various FP dishwashers, none of which are actually theirs. When they finally do show their FP dishwasher in the final scene, they show the dishes BEFORE they've been washed but not AFTER. The voice simple says "Take a good look.... they'll look the same in the morning" Yet there is no video of the morning!! ?????

I have the FP dishwasher drawer and it is fantastic!! Cleans perfectly well, not better or worse than any other high/high-ish end dishwasher i've used. So go forth, buy it.

I have read that there are particular factors in their installation that most folks aren't aware of ... that might make them drip or leak.

we have this dishwasher and it works great. we don't pre rinse, and our dishes come out perfectly clean. it's never broken down or been any problem whatsoever.

That video was beyond surreal.

We have an FP dishdrawer and it is fantastic. It was by far the best solution for our small kitchen, where the previous owner's dishwasher effectively trapped us in a corner when the drawer was open. I have to say it works beautifully as well, with a range of "eco" wash settings and the ability to run a drawer at a time. Scraping - not rinsing - seems to work fine as well. At the very least, it would be great to see similar designs on the market, as drawers are clearly superior to a large front door hanging obtrusively open.

Dishwashers that require pre-rinsing of dishes are useless. As has often been suggested, read Consumer Report's product review before purchasing a major appliance. Unfortunately, manufacturers of revolutionary products frequently don't get it right the first time.

My boyfriend has FP dishwashers and we've used them daily for about 2 years with no problems. And we don't pre-rinse. As with any mass produced product there are bound to be some lemons. I would guess these people and some of the other posters who've had bad experiences fall into the "I got a lemon" category. I've got a POS Bosch washer/dryer combo that I would like to take a flamer thrower to so no company is perfect.

I've never understood the point of this product. Why a drawer? I see no benefit to that at all versus a door. And the drawer's reduced size versus a regular dishwasher will limit the size of items you can put in.

Even the commercials I've seen for it don't demonstrate a consumer benefit. It's just a guy saying "dish...drawer...dish...drawer." So what is the selling point of this product?

For the people here saying they love them...why? how are they different from a standard dishwasher for you? I am truly baffled by this product.

As I actually thought about this, I began to wonder what the strategy was behind this one minute post. It isn't what I would expect from Apartment Therapy. Fisher Paykel/DCS is relatively new product line in the United States and their products are becoming known for their innovative design and functionality. Especially in the realm of energy efficiency which is a theme that has been sewn straight through the entire site.

It would be a shame not to consider the F & P washer and dryer for example if one were in the market for something like that. I know the company originated in New Zealand and people are uncertain even about the pronunciation of the name but I think despite everything that is against them, they may very well prove their worth in this country.

Pre-rinsing. I doubt any manufacturer will tell you that you have to pre-rinse your dishes. There are too many variables concerning the types of dishes you are using, the person loading the dishwasher and how you pre-rinse to make a blanket statement for or against pre-rinsing.

ColumbusOh,
Modern kitchen design is focused on form and functionality. Ergonomics is one of the most important features of an efficient and comfortable home or commercial kitchen. Some of the selling points or advantages of the dish drawer are:

1. It's size. If you have one it will take up the cabinet space of a typical drawer. You don't have to devote two drawers of space to a full-sized dishwasher.

2. It's positioning and the way it is loaded. If the machine is located in the upper half of your lower cabinet there is no bending to put your dishes into the washer. If it is located next to your sink, the dishes go straight from the sink into the top of the washer with no wasted movements. This is especially helpful to elderly people who can't bend over.

3. It's efficiency. It does a great job washing dishes on several different modes with the option of running them all on an eco cycle, which is the only one I use.

4. It's look. That is actually the least important feature to me because it is integrated into the cabinetry and you cannot even see it.

Many people opt for two units. This of course takes up the space of a full-sized dishwasher but you now have the option to wash your greasy items in one unit and your glassware and/or silver in another. They can be run simultaneously or independently of one another on their own cycles.

I have the FP double drawer dish washer. It came pre-installed in my new condo. I use one to store big bowls and what not and the other one to wash. I entertain frequently and use the dishwasher almost daily. Had it for 3 years and no problem. You do have to be vigilant when loading so that it isn't overcrowded. Otherwise, the dishes turn out perfectly clean.

I have another great reason for having dishwasher drawers - people who keep kosher kitchens cannot use the same dishwasher for meat dishes and for dairy dishes. So in situations where there is only a small kitchen, having 2 large dishwashers is very difficult. This product solves that problem beautifully! My grandmother is desperately hoping one of her dishwashers dies soon so she can replace them with the drawers!

I have friends who have had one for about a year now. They bought it for it's eco cycle, it's looks, and the option of only have to run one drawer at a time. After reading this post I contacted them asking them about it's performance, and they have told me they haven't had any problems with leaking or unclean dishes. Good news to me because I was rather envious of it, and am hoping to replace the broken olive green affair we currently have with one when we remodel our kitchen.

I live in New Zealand so F P dishdrawers are very common. There are a lot of important things to not about this product:

1. You need to get it installed by a professional. Incorrect installation can result in leaks.

2. Older models (late 90's) can have problems with the seals perishing and faults in the control panel after 4-5 years.

3. I don't care what the manual says, but you should always pre rinse. All you need is an inch of water in your sink for everything just to get all the gunk off. If you leave half your meal on your dinnerware of course your washer is going to crap out. The gunk blocks up the filters so if you don't clean it after each use this can cause leaks. I have worked in a commercial kitchen and what Art says is spot on.

4. If something goes wrong, call a serviceman. don't just leave the problem to get worse as it appears in this video.

5. Fisher and Paykel is pronounced pie-kill