I ultimately ended up choosing this Fisher & Paykel double drawer dishwasher out of necessity more than anything else. The house we moved into had custom cabinetry and our existing dishwasher was a Kitchen Aid double drawer dishwasher. These double drawer dishwashers typically run a little smaller than the standard size dishwashers, so I was pretty limited in my dishwasher selection based on the smaller than standard cutout size available. There were other options available- some not available for a number of months due to supply chain issues while there were others we just liked less. Now that I've provided some context for my selection, let me touch on a few pros and cons of this dishwasher:
Pros:
- Beautiful, sleek dishwasher- I love how the dishwasher is flush with my cabinetry and doesn't extend out at all. The stainless steel gives it a nice modern feel and gives an overall very clean looking presentation.
- Double drawers- Since we have a small family, the double drawer function works great for us. The smaller load allows us to easily run smaller loads as we desire without having to feel bad about not filling out the dishwasher completely.
- Quiet- the wash cycles for the dishwasher are relatively quiet and does not end up being much of a distraction
- Dishes and glasses come out very clean. The water in our city is very hard, so using rinse aid is a must. With that said, things can still come out differently based on the dishwasher and we noticed a considerably positive difference between the lack of hard water spots and stains now compared to our previous dishwasher.
Cons:
- Expensive. The price tag here is hard to get behind. It totally makes sense that a double drawer dishwasher would be more expensive as there are double the parts in some case, but based on my research, there are plenty of options available at half the price that seem like they would work just as well and may even have better options.
-Technology- Very standard features here. As noted above, I think there are plenty of cheaper dishwashers available that have more options and features.
- More likely to have problems- With two drawers in the dishwashers instead of one, you have certain things that you need double of compared to a normal dishwasher. The more parts required, the higher the chance of something breaking or not functioning properly. Nothing in particular to note that might be breaking, but I think it's a thought worth keeping in mind when determining your choice of dishwasher.
- Noisy. While the wash cycle is relatively quiet and not a distraction at all, the drainage and drying process is on the louder side. Granted, I'd rather have this part of the process loud than the wash process, but still worth noting that it is rather loud when the drawer is draining the water.
All in all, I gave this dishwasher a 4 star rating as we have been happy with the dishwasher overall, but still aren't convinced the price justifies the sleek design or double drawers. The cost to install and remove a dishwasher adds up quick at Best Buy, so I would highly suggest looking into purchasing a TotalTech membership as the price is pretty similar and you get more warranty, return, and support benefits.
One final thing to note, when ordering this dishwasher online, the "Smart Choice - Universal 6' Deluxe Dishwasher Install Kit - Multi" was an essential add on. I believe everything from this kit that you would need for the installation is already provided with the dishwasher as my installation technician did not touch it at all, so it's worth checking to see if you can just get away with not ordering it at all or you can just return the kit back to Best Buy afterwards like I did.