Barber and Haskill Appliance and Mattress Store: European vs. American Dishwashers

Dishwashers in general have come a long way since the first mechanical dishwasher that was reported being made in 1850. Early dishwashers featured a hand crank and sprayed water onto the dishes to get them clean. Hand cranking proved to be a very unreliable and a slow process. Over the year’s dishwasher have made leaps and bounds in reliability and feature content.

One common question that I find customers inquiring about is the differences between European style dishwashers and American. In this post, I will describe the difference between both styles and hopefully, better help you determine what works best for you.

Pros of European designed dishwashers

• The European dishwasher has been the choice in the industry for its reliable design and the quality that they put behind the manufacturing process.

• If your choice is to go “Panel Ready” (putting a cabinet front on the front of the dishwasher) then European may be the way to go. because it will sit flush in a 24” deep cabinet, which makes a very attractive design if you are considering an integrated design.

• European dishwashers use a condensation drying system that uses the air in the dishwasher to dry the dishes. Therefore, there is no need for a heating element saving you $$.

• European dishwashers have traditionally been quieter than American based dishwashers for the fact that they don’t use a macerator to chop up small food particles. Instead, they use a filter system at the bottom of the dishwasher to trap the food particles. The filter is then easily removed for cleaning.

• Some European dishwasher have incorporated an integrated water softer built into the dishwasher to improve the cleanability in hard water situations.

• European dishwashers have a closed bottom where the pump, motor and other parts are enclosed by a waterproof system. Sealed bottoms help the sound levels as well as potential saving your floors from potential leaks.

Pros of American designed dishwashers.

• American dishwashers tend to have more capacity then European dishwashers. Combined with more flexibility in the racks, this allows for more place settings and better accommodation of larger items.

• With the pump and motor exposed at the bottom of the dishwasher, the Do it yourself crowd will find servicing the unit themselves much easier.

• Most American dishwashers have superior drying results when using the heated dry cycle. Using an electric heating element provides hot air to dry the dishes.

• Some of the American dishwashers will still have a macerator to chop up the fine food particles. Many customers like not worrying about scraping plates and feel more confident with this soft food disposer.

• Dishwashers made in the American style are less expensive to purchase

This being said the lines are blurring. Just in the last 18 months a number of manufacturers of the traditionally American style of dishwasher are adding European design to their models. And of course, European brands like Bosch have models that are much more American in their design then what we have come to expect from their dishwashers.

The big winner in this I believe is you the consumer. As features and quality of the European models move into lower price points. At the same time, the size and convenience of American models are becoming more important to European manufacturers building dishwashers for the North America market.