Now we have to keep in mind that to my daughter, a brand isn’t really all that important unless your talking about: Clothes, shoes, or the hottest trendy gizmos. It was my job to show her the difference between value and reliability vs. throwing your hard earned cash away. 

Her only requirement was that it had to be an “18 inch stainless dishwasher”. That made things easy enough, as long as the product fit that requirement I could be the one to make the important decisions, such as the brand name, and the price. She didn’t know it yet, but my wife and I were going to be paying for this.  My daughter is responsible and independent like my wife, and I wanted to make her life a little easier (I know, I’m Super Dad right?).Other than my toaster, every single appliance in my home is made by Danby.  Why? You ask…they aren’t particularly the cheapest product out there, but they are the most affordable due to their quaility. 

In recent times a little company called Avanti has emerged with appliance products that have claimed to be as good as major brands like Danby, and Kenmore. Through the experiences of my friends I knew to stay away from this company.  Models like the Avanti DW1815S can be had for $330 dollars, and are stainless. The quality question comes into play when you have a stainless 18 inch dishwasher, that only weighs 70 pounds! 

One could also buy the rough and tumble Fagor LVC21W.  This is a machine worth noting for folks who have $3-4,000 to spend. This industrial strength dishwasher promises to last for 30 + years, and is an obvious masterpiece.  Sadly, this dear old dad would not be paying that much for a dishwasher, and I would never let my daughter – a college student pay that either.

I decided to buy her the DDW1899BLS. Its a stainless 18 inch dishwasher for $50 more than the Avanti, and $3000 less than the Fagor, this dishwasher was a considerable deal.  Danby makes many good models, this one just fit “my” criteria, and gave my daughter the stainless steel dishwasher she wanted. This company has never let me down, not one repair visit ever! When I find something good, I stick with it, and force my family to also.

I really fell in love with Kenmore’s 17259 model when I was in the store. It looked really nice and modern, and was also the first thing I saw when I walked on to the display floor. My brother, who is 7 years older than me told me he had heard countless bad things about them, particularly regarding their longevity.

Next we walked over to the Fridgidaire FMP330RG, yet another impressive model boasting similar abilities to the Kenmore model: electronic push button control, delayed start, multiple rack configurations, and multiple available wash cycles. I really had trouble straying away from that particular dishwasher, because it looked like it would go well beside my stove, and directly matched the design of the vent hood on the oven.  Not to mention the color they had on display matched my cupboard almost perfectly.

Again big brother had to step in and ruin my train of thought.  Again, Fridgidaire apparently had their eggs in too many baskets.  He said they had diversified their appliance lines so much over the years that they couldn’t offer the type of support a potential customer needs. “What should I buy” I asked him, frustration growing.  He walked me over to a Danby 18 inch dishwasher, which actually looked quite impressive. The DDW1805W we were looking at was simple, the right color for my cramped apartment, and offered the same features as the previous two. 

The price was right.  Not too high, not too low (our dad always told us “you get what you pay for”).  It had a removable filter, and promised super quiet operation. My brother told me most apartment sized dishwashers tend to be loud, sometimes unbearably so.

I decided on the Danby 18 inch dishwasher. Now which model to choose: DDW1802, DDW1809, DDW1899BLS, and DDW1899WP. Big brother stepped in and suggested the DDW1802 because it was the least expensive, and yet had a more basic look and feel to it. Buying this model would save me money, and down the road, I could buy a full sized model when I bought my first home.

Thats it! My new Danby 18 inch dishwasher works fine, after two months of operation. I have had guests over, and many, many loads of dishes have gone through this little baby. It cleans my dishes without spotting, or crud left on after drying, and the removable filter makes maintenance easy!

Danby

I couldn’t possibly say enough about this company. They don’t market their dishwashers aggressively, in particular their apartment sized models. However,  the company has proven itself over and over again with usable reliability, in an affordable package.  People who don’t yet own their own home, and need a compact dishwasher such as a portable, or more popular “built in 18 inch dishwasher” simply cannot go wrong with a Danby. Models like the DDW: 1809W, 1899BLS, and 1899WP models all stand up to the rigors of a small family, or single person that doesn’t need the hassle of manual dish washing. 

All of their built in 18 inch dishwasher models have modern features such as: Customizable programming, digital displays, 13.5L water usage, built in water softener, and they fit into the tightest of all spaces.  Danby maximizes feature, and limits model numbers – Believe me, a company that seeks to satisfy everyone by releasing 100 different models, will surely never be able to keep up with warranty demands, or repair orders of so many models. If a company keeps it simple, and limits their product line by incorporating edgy features and affordable prices, they will always put out a good product.

Kenmore

Kenmore is Sears’ signature line of appliances. They offer sturdy, elegantly designed appliances, at slightly more elevated prices. They also offer condo sized 18 inch dishwashers, with a boat load of models to choose from (remember my comment about too many models?). This can be good, or bad depending on what your looking for. While the increased availability of color, shape, and design can be appealing…recent reviews have shown they have too many choices, and ever increasing warranty claims, related to cheaply made plastic parts that just won’t do. 

I still recommend them to customers who need more design choices than the more reliable Danby’s offer.  Models such as Kenmore 1315, 1334, 1373, 1374, 1387 are the most popular models. Kenmore’s features as far as technology all compare to Danby, and I wouldn’t say one has better, or more options available. 

Summary

As I’ve detailed, my experience have shown both models to be reliable. Kenmore has more design, and color options…and Danby limits their product lines, yet they have far less repair orders and warranty claims to their credit.  When you go out on the search for a built in 18 inch dishwasher, you have to decide on whether you want straight up reliability, or more choices – with a possibility of the repair man visiting a time or two. Danby is hands down my favorite, but I’ve given you the ability to determine what you want.

There are so many options to choose from: Danby, Kenmoore, Avanti, Wirlpool, Miele, etc. They all offer an 18 inch portable dishwasher, at a varying prices.  What then to choose?  It all depends, like so many choices we make, on just what it is your looking for. Quality, reliability, color choice, designs to fit your decor, and of course price. I tend to put price somewhere in the middle, as I like a quality product that is reliable. My wife of course needs all of those things, and it has to look right!

With so many choices the wife and I decided to make it simple. This was after all just for the cottage, to make our time together slightly more enjoyable, and I didn’t want to waste time with this purchase. The product had to meet the following criteria:  It had to be an 18 inch portable dishwasher, the portability was the most important factor, but it had to be large enough to accommodate my son, and his friends when they visited and dined there. Most eighteen inch models can wash up to 8 place settings. Place settings refers to how many people the dishwasher can clean up after at any given sitting – not taking into account wiping off tables, and any extra glasses that may accumulate after cocktails!

Again, many choice are available: Danby’s DDW1805W is a sturdy little machine known for simplistic design, and unmatched durability. Kenmore has their 17259 and have a reputation for elegant design, but have a lesser reliability rating among users and repairmen. Fridgidaire has their FMP330RG and like Kenmore are known for futuristic design elements, and color choices. The Avanti DW19PSS is the cheapest of all the above models, but the ratings aren’t terribly good, and as the saying goes “you get what you pay for”.

Our search lead us through a plethora of choices, and eventually brought my wife and I to a disagreement of sorts. Yes we both wanted an 18 inch portable dishwasher, but that’s where our attitudes parted ways. I wanted to purchase the Danby, due to the affordable price, and reliability. The wife wanted the elegant light grey colored Kenmore 17259 mentioned above. Other than a delayed timer setting available on the Kenmore 17259, they were the same. I one in the end, simply because my wife couldn’t argue with the price, and it was a cottage accessory. If she wants pretty in our home, that’s fine, I’ll compromise, but the cottage – I don’t think so.