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GE Review

Tuesday, March 19th

2024 Dishwasher Reviews

GE Review 4 Star Rating

GE

4 Star Rating
  • Several color options
  • Good features on standard models
  • Many energy-efficient models
  • Third rack option

Where some companies' various products might lose sight of performance as they aim for the most frills, GE's priority stays focused on appliances that are functional and practical. That said, they do have higher-end lines with lavish options and that still maintain great performance. At GE, there are more than 80 models, ranging from $230 to $1,700. Their dishwashers come in a variety of capacities, styles, and cleaning and monitoring features including a "smart" option.

Antimicrobial technology

Their UltraFresh System Dishwasher has built-in antimicrobial technology to ensure a cleaner dishwashing routine. Working 24/7, it offers a fresher dishwasher by working in between cycles. This feature is offered on the Profile series.

Dry Boost

When hard-to-dry items are placed in the appliance, Dry Boost can get them up to three times drier than with heated cycles alone. It doesn't leave water behind and offers even heat for a complete dry. This is a feature offered on the Profile series.

Sanitize cycle

With all the food on the plates and fingerprints on the glasses, the Sanitize Cycle offered on the Profile Series offers peace of mind for the next user. The high temperature rinse can reduce the bacteria found on dishes by more than 99%.

Twin Turbo Dry Boost

Not only can your dishes have the advantage of Dry Boost, there's a Twin Turbo Dry Boost option where a dual fan system and inline heater provide excellent performance on your dishware and glassware, even on the plastic ones.

Fun design options

Choose the look of your appliance. Select your favorite door from six different color and finish options, the location of the control panels, and the handle styles. Not only can you choose your performance level, you can choose the look you like.

Smart dishwashers

When you select a GE Profile Smart Dishwasher, you can use the SmartHQ app to monitor the cycle and remaining time. You can lock and unlock the appliance, and even automatically reorder detergent so you never run out. If there's anything that could hinder your less-than-perfect wash and dry, you'll get an alert. These dishwashers come with built-in wifi or optional wifi for an appliance that doesn't already have it built in.

Deep clean silverware jets

No such thing as caked-on residue left on the silverware. This feature has jets placed strategically underneath the silverware basket, focusing all their cleaning power to this area. They blast away the stuck-on bits for spotless eating utensils.

Bottle jets

These clever jets are placed on the top rack to reach the tightest of places in glasses, jars, and vases. There's nothing that's out of reach when your piece is placed above the little red jet and held securely with the accompanying red gripper.

Piranha Hard Food Disposer

The top rack can be adjusted to fit taller vases, glasses and bottles. Or, if there are tall or bulky bottom-rack items, take the top shelf and raise it. This rack can be adjusted two inches up or down.

Adjustable top rack

The top rack can be adjusted to fit taller vases, glasses and bottles. Or, if there are tall or bulky bottom-rack items, take the top shelf and raise it. This rack can be adjusted two inches up or down.

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Wash zones

If you want to run a half load, you can turn on just the top wash arms or the bottom wash arms if you like. Save water and energy, and only wash what you need.

Cost

  • GE series: $230 - $1,000
  • Profile series: $850 - $1,650
  • Cafe series: $1,070 - $1,700

Stainless steel interior

Many GE dishwashers come with a stainless steel interior. This can prevent rust better than those with a plastic interior.

Three series to choose from

The series choices are GE, GE Profile, and Cafe. If you're designing or redesigning your kitchen, you might want the Profile or Cafe series. If you just want a dishwasher that does the job for a reasonable price, try the standard GE dishwasher line.

GE series

This basic series includes the standard wash system, a hard food disposer, deluxe silverware basket, standard upper rack, heat dry on/off option, and QuietDesign sound insulation package. Several additional options are available while still staying in this series. Their "quiet" level is between 54 and 62 decibels (dBA), which is higher than the national, standard-dishwasher level at 52 dBA. There aren't a lot of features, but these appliances are reasonable in price and give your dishes a good clean and dry.

GE Profile series

This most popular series includes a full, stainless steel interior, a cleaning system with 102 cleaning jets, a quad blade arm that reverses for more cleaning area, a quiet water valve, sealed toe kick, bottle wash jets, hard food disposer, low-rinse aid indicator, child lock, tines that fold up or down for dish placement personalization, adjustable upper rack, quad-blade middle arm wash arm, and a reversing quad-blade lower jet. Whew! There are lights to indicate when it's clean, sanitized, and has finished the cycle. The quiet package offers a noise level of 46 decibels (dBA), which is quieter than the national standard noise level of 52 decibels, but not yet considered quiet by national standards. Install can be flush with the cabinets for a sleek and space-saving look, and there are other features that can be add-ons.

Cafe series

The controls on this series of dishwashers are on the top, so they're not visible when the door is closed. The tub is stainless steel and there's a full-wrap blanket for insulation. The quiet package offers a noise level of 45 decibels (dBA), which is pretty quiet, but still not quiet according to national standards. The dishwasher control features are the same as in the Profile series, and adds an automatic hot start, automatic temperature control, bottle jets, dedicated silverware jets, a drain pump, a clean sensor, and a hard food disposer with a removable filter. The wash arms include three wash levels, bottle jets, and lower, middle, and upper jets. There are rows of tines that can fold up or down depending on your dish-shape needs, there's an included third rack that's above the regular top rack, fan-assist dry, and heat on-off dry. This is their top-of-the-line series and can include additional options to meet your needs or "smart" appliance desires.

Our favorite GE model

The GE Profile PDT715SYNFS offers great cleaning and drying, a Sani cycle to eliminate 99.9% of dishware bacteria, bottle jets, deep-clean silverware jets, and the fabulous DryBoost with Fan Assist for efficient drying, even on plastic containers. The door boasts fingerprint resistant stainless for a clean-looking appliance.

Warranty

There is a limited, one-year warranty on the entire appliance. The water distribution system carries a limited, 2-year warranty, and the tub and door liner have a limited, 10-year warranty. There are more details included in their full warranty description.

Good customer service

When you call GE, they answer. This can't be said of all brands. Not only do they answer, but they may be able to answer basic questions over the phone. They can also book an appointment with a repair person, and you don't have to wait months for the date. This is especially helpful, as if your appliance isn't working, you don't want to be without it for months until the arrival of the repair person.

Best for function, not form

GE carries three series of dishwashers, all of good quality and longevity. Their basic line is reasonably priced, cleans well, but is quite noisy. Their Profile and Cafe lines are reasonably-priced for the features they offer, boast over 120 cleaning jets and various drying options. Because of the value for the money along with high marks for reliability, we highly recommend GE dishwashers. If their noise levels were lower, they would probably have earned an even higher rating from us.

Which Brand of Dishwasher is the Best?

Most of us don't think too much about our dishwasher. We load the dishes, it cleans, we empty. But when the dishes aren't coming out as clean as they should, it's taking more rinsing to get all the food off, you're drying your dishes by hand because the machine doesn't, or if the coating on the tines is chipping off, you might start thinking about replacing your appliance for one that holds up and maybe has some nice features that you deserve.

Did you know there are three types of dishwashers? There's built-in, countertop, and drawer. Built-in dishwashers are the traditional dishwashers most of us have had in our homes. They are full-sized or even narrow and apartment-sized, and are slid in below the counter. Counter-top dishwashers can be found in Europe and are just that - they are small and fit on the counter. The drawer models are shallow and fit below the counter. Because they are the most common type, we will look at only the built-in models.

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Dishwasher FAQ

Most homes have the space for a 24" dishwasher. Dishwashers come in 18" , a shorter below-counter model, or a countertop model, but they are quite rare in the US. The most standard color front panel these days is still stainless steel. Stainless looks nice and can blend nicely with other stainless appliances, regardless if your dishwasher is a different brand than your other appliances. Another common door is fingerprint-resistant stainless. It can be a slightly different sheen than traditional stainless, but is much easier to keep clean.
Dishwashers can run from $250 to $2,000. Your cost will vary, based on the brand, size, and features you select. Installation is another factor to consider with dishwashers. With big box stores, the install fee seems to be between $150 and $300, and includes the parts for the installation kit. It's wise to get a professional plumber's help with water hookup as you could pay dearly in flooring costs if there were a leak due to human error.
Entry-level machines may have an outdated front panel, may run loudly which could compete with the noise level of your conversations, have a limited number of tines to hold dishes in place, and a plastic tub which can rust more easily and radiate the noise from the sprayers. The higher-end dishwashers may offer interior lighting to see way back in the machine so you don't miss unloading any dishes, a smart feature so you can monitor and control the appliance from a distance or order detergent on a regular basis. They can feature more than 100 spray jets, jets that focus on specific glassware or specific pots and pans for a super clean load. They can feature grinding of leftover food so as not to clog your drain, soft water for a spotless finish even on plastic containers, and sprayers that change direction to get to every nook and cranny. These models may cost more, but the options may seem endless, and can have quite good user reviews.
Some brands have had complaints that their model can break within months. On the other hand, some can last more than ten years. Check the warranty of the brand you think you'll purchase. Most offer a one-year limited warranty with an extended warranty on some of the parts, up to usually five years. It's possible that your appliance has a ten-year warranty on some of the parts, so be sure to read our reviews for those details and also check for even more details from the manufacturer.
Most dishwashers will fit 14 place settings, which includes dishes, glasses, and silverware. Some dishwashers can hold 15 or 16 place settings, which is great for a large family or for parties so you're not waiting for one load to finish before you wash the rest of the place settings. Having a third rack and eliminating the silverware basket will add room to the bottom rack for more dishes or cookware.
The newer feature that's becoming more standard in dishwashers is the third rack. It's a shallow, top rack that fits silverware so you don't have to use the silverware basket. Or, keep your silverware basket and use the 3rd rack for long utensils like tongs, small plastic lids that might otherwise fit between the tines, small appetizer utensils that are hard to dig out of the silverware basket, or steak knives that might otherwise poke your hands if you wash them pointy-end up. Also, adjustable racks throughout the dishwasher make it easy to accommodate stemware, cooking pots, water bottles and more.
Some dishwashers can be barely audible, at below 40 decibels. These dishwashers usually include a smart feature so you can monitor and control the cycles from your smart device since you may not even hear the appliance at all. If your dishwasher has a 44 decibel rating or lower, it is considered by the industry to be a quiet dishwasher, so check for that. But, other dishwashers can be noisy and compete for your attention whether you're in a conversation, trying to watch your movie at a reasonable volume, or reading. The more inexpensive models may be at 50 decibels or higher, and we suggest avoiding those if you have an open-concept house where you for sure could hear the wash and rinse cycles.
Depending on the store you choose, delivery fees will vary. Our research finds that if you live within a reasonable distance from the store, the delivery could be free if the dishwasher costs $400 or higher. Since a majority of the dishwashers cost above $400, you can hope for free delivery. If your dishwasher is less than $400, you could pay $100 for delivery, so rather than spend your money on delivery, add the $100 or so to the price of the dishwasher to get more and better features plus free delivery.
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Continued from above...

Think about what you want in your new appliance. You'll obviously want a dishwasher that does a good job of washing your dishes. There are a lot of fun features you can have, such as a third rack, lights, and smart capabilities, but if the machine doesn't do a good job of actually washing your dishes, what's the point of any of the bells and whistles?

So once you choose a brand that you like, you can select your wish list features such as the third, top rack; a quick-wash cycle; a delay start; self-cleaning filters - yes, you should know if you need to clean your filters for maintenance, which is typical; food pulverizers; interior components made of stainless steel to promote longevity; child locks; sanitizer settings; sustainable materials; special jets under the silverware caddy; and smart capabilities, so you can control the dishwasher from your phone or smart home system.

And that's just the beginning. Here are several other criteria to keep in mind as you shop for your new kitchen appliance:

  • Average price range. You can spend anywhere between $250 and $2,000, depending on the brand and the features you're looking for. The less expensive, lower-end models may require you to rinse your dishes more, and the more costly, higher-end models can have smart features, meaning you can control the machine with your phone.
  • Installation. Be sure to ask if there's a fee for installation. Installation rates can vary, but expect an additional $200 for install.
  • Finishes, handles, and control panel visibility. Dishwashers, like most kitchen appliances, come in white, black, and stainless steel. There are two additional styles, which are finger-print resistant stainless steel and black stainless steel. The black stainless is a darker stainless, and the finger-print resistant looks like traditional stainless, but resists the dreaded finger prints. If you can be open to something besides stainless steel, white or black should save you a couple hundred dollars. If you choose the pocket handle over the bar handle, that could also save you some bucks. It's nice when the control panel hides when the door is shut. But if you don't mind looking at it, you can save yourself some money here, too.
  • Detergent. No matter what, use the right detergent. Using a poor quality dishwasher detergent, no matter the brand you choose, can make the best brands have poor quality output, due to no fault of the appliance. This is a simple, good decision everyone should make. Once you receive your new dishwasher, the manufacturer will probably recommend a detergent for optimum cleaning and drying results.
  • Noise. Most of us don't want to hear the dishwasher running its cycles as we are moving throughout the kitchen or resting in a room nearby. Most models are rated in decibels to convey the cycle's quietness. A machine rated lower than 44 decibels (dBA) is considered by the industry to be officially in the quiet range. Machines in the mid to high 50s are louder and could definitely compete with your conversation or for your attention.
  • Rack style. Racks are important features and should be carefully considered. Nylon-coated racks are the best because they are less likely to crack over time. Tines in rows that fold down are great for items that are large or unusually-shaped. Look for at least one folding row of tines. Having a top rack with an adjustable height is beneficial so you can lower it for taller glasses, vases, or stemware, or raise it if your cookware is tall or bulky.

    The best top racks have three adjustable heights where you can set both the right and left high or low, or one side can be high while the other is low, allowing space for taller cookware on the bottom rack. A third rack is becoming a more common feature, even with the more reasonably-priced appliances. This third rack is above the traditional top rack and is shallow, so it allows plenty of space for the glasses below it. Some people like to line up their silverware in between the small tines. It can fit shallow, awkward items like cup lids, tongs, long-handled serving/cooking utensils, where in other places in the dishwasher, they might be a hard fit. Not everyone is a fan of the third rack as it does take up space, but it is a feature that is growing in popularity. If, however, you end up not liking it after trying it, it's easy to remove.

    Consider even the little things like clips to hold delicate glasses in place, to make sure your glassware doesn't bang against anything else during the wash cycle. Ball bearings in the racks make the racks move more smoothly and don't jerk around the dishes as you pull or push the racks. A fancy, new feature is an interior light in the dishwasher. It certainly isn't necessary, but it's nice for seeing all your items as you load and unload. These are in the more expensive lines, of course. Now, imagine what you will load in your machine, especially on the bottom rack.

    Some dishwashers have their tines far apart, allowing space for pots, pans, bowls, and larger pieces. Others have several tines that are closer together for thinner salad plates and dinner plates. Still others have wide tines with additional tines that flip up or down, depending on the load. Check the thickness of your plates and think about if you want your plates closer together or far apart - tine width is a personal preference, but important in your dishwasher-buying decision making.
  • Available space. Be sure to measure the space you have. Most dishwashers come in 24" , so that's easy, but if your kitchen is on the small side, the space allotted might be only 18" . Save yourself a restocking fee and extra delivery charge by making sure the dishwasher will fit your kitchen space.

To help you make this important purchasing decision, Top Consumer Reviews has evaluated today's most popular dishwasher brands. If you're done spending too much time pre-washing your dishes, continually re-arranging them because the rack and tine design is poor, drying them after the dishwasher supposedly dried them, or re-washing after the clumps of old food just don't come off after a full cycle, do consider a new dishwasher. You can save a lot of time by not pre-washing, post-washing, and drying. And with all that extra time, you could relax reading a book or watching your favorite show while a super quiet dishwasher does all the work while making virtually no noise.

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