Customer Reviews

Danby DDW497W Dishwasher

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I really liked my first non-digital Danby until the drain pump failed after a year. I coudln't get any response from Danby customer service (I needed a new drain pump) and stupidly ignored that and bought this digital Danby. Well, now it's spin-spray arm stopped rotating reliably after only a month! I don't like the fact that it's digital interface won't let you alter the cycle at all. A real pain. And I still can't get Danby customer service on the telephone (after waiting 30 minutes on hold) and they don't answer emails. I won't buy another Danby, especially due to the customer service problem.

Bought this in Oct 2008 and it has worked great for over a year. Great for apartments and a relationship saver.

It's now Dec 2009 and the dishwasher stopped working. Apparently, the thermostat or heater element is not functioning properly. We've owned this for over twelve months so we're outside of the warranty; we have to pay for parts and labor ourselves. If service maintenance costs more than a new dishwasher will we end up buying this model again?. Probably.

I bought this appliance on Sep 30, 2008. The plastic quick connect part (connects hoses from machine to faucet) broke into seven pieces on Oct 23, 2008. When I called for a replacement part under their warranty policy I was told they were on back order and expected delivery was in two weeks. I asked for two so that the next time this flimsy part broke I wouldn't have such a long "down time." I don't think I've had enough time to rate the washing capabilities yet. Watch this space for further updates!

I bought this unit two years ago, and its still working just fine! When the unit arrived the top right edge was badly dented, probably due to the inadequate package protection they were using at the time (minus 1 star), but despite that the unit worked well from day one.

The little dishwasher does a great job at washing dishes. I purposely left a plate overnight to let the food dry on to see how well this little dishwasher did and it did a great job at cleaning the stuck on food(for the cycle duration I would expect it to[more on this later]). I know you are supposed to do a pre-wash before loading the dishwasher but had to try this to see how well it did.
I do have two complaints about this compact counter top dishwasher though and the reason for not giving it 5 stars:
FIRST COMPLAINT: The dish rack is built all wrong. I have a difficult time loading the rack to get the maximum amount of dishes in the dishwasher. If you have large dishes the gap in the rack is still to big to keep them from hanging down on the rear right side of the rack and will allow the spray arm to get hung up. To compensate though I just put my glasses or similar objects in this area.
SECOND COMPLAINT: The duration of wash cycles, the dishwasher has 5 settings. besides the 12 minute pre-wash cycle the next shortest time is 70 minutes long and the longest according to the instruction booklet is 125 minutes long. My old counter top dishwasher this was bought to replace did a great job in a lot less time(45 minutes for the heavy cycle and 25 for the economy cycle).

My previous counter top dishwasher was a Haier HDT18PA and lasted for almost 3 years. I loved it but wanted to try something I was hoping to be better and last maybe even longer. If I could trade this Danby in for a Haier HDT18PA I would do that though. What upset me about Haier was the fact I was not able to get any customer support, after trying to call them numerous times I never did get through to get any actual help.
I hope if I come across any problems with this Danby dishwasher their customer support proves to be reliable.

UPDATE:
I have had this dishwasher now for awhile and the more I use it the less I like it. The main reason for not liking it now is the length of time it takes to wash dishes. I have come to find myself hand washing the dishes so i can get them dried and put away quicker then this dishwasher can. I can usually hand wash the dishes I have in about 10 minutes, dry them and have them put away in 15 minutes.

I debated remodeling my kitchen to add a "real" dishwasher, but decided to give this countertop model a try (much cheaper!). It is great! I've had it for over a month with no problems at all. The only real downside is that the Normal cycle takes about 2 hours, and once it is done, I usually leave to door ajar overnight to fully dry the dishes. However, even these minor things are soo much better than washing dishes by hand and having dishes sitting in the sink! It's been a great addition to my little condo kitchen.

We live in an old San Francisco apartment (circa 1910-ish). We don't have a dishwasher. And this was a God Send! Thanks to this dishwasher, we aren't hunched over our sink, slaving over our dishes. And the price is worth it!

REmember you will need a "Snap Fit Adapter" for your faucet. You should be able to find this isn ANY hardware store.
[...]

After owning an earlier model Danby for 6 years, the machine died and required replacing. Without hesitation, we purchased this new Danby.
What a let down. The new machine is nothing like the old in function, though nearly identical in looks.
- I have yet to clean a batch of dishes and not have some dishes come out dirty
- Often, more than half the dishes have grime stuck to them when they come out... usually dirtier than when they went in.
- Wash cycles take twice as long as the previous machine
- There is no indication of how long the cycle will last
- the machine is incredibly loud compared to the older model, and beeps equally loudly (making it impossible to run dishes overnight)
The new machine has wasted far more time than it saves.

Slight oversight when signing the lease on our apartment... no dishwasher... ooops.

We've had this dishwasher a little over a week. It has been life changing. The dishes get done every night and the counters near the sink are finally uncluttered. I actually think I like it better and use it more efficiently than standard-sizes dishwashers you find plumbed in most kitchens.

Pros: It's pretty straight-forward to install. My husband didn't read the directions and knew what to do. Each night after dinner I fill it with all the dishes and baby bottles from the day and it's done before I need to start getting ready for bed (even on P1 - the longest wash selection). Everything comes out clean. It beeps at the end to let me know it's done, so I can turn off the water (we don't have it plumbed permanently). I can fit a lot inside (8-10 bottles/glasses, a couple bowls, all the silverware, a plate or two).

Cons: I don't know if this is a con or not, but holy moly the water really shoots around in there. If you have something light/plastic in there, make sure it's wedged well or covered on top by something heavy to avoid it becoming a ping pong during the cycle.

Recommendations: A plastic chip clip may help the utensils stay on the top, narrow, fold-down shelf and not fall through. The washer uses a quick connect system. If you don't plan on plumbing it permanently, I'd get a quick connect sink spout and switch the two out whenever you need one or the other.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Danby! It does exactly what I bought it for; it washes dishes while only taking up a small space.

Loading it in the most efficient way can be a challenge, but you figure it out quickly. Buttons are easy to navigate (I figured them out with a quick browse of the Instructions). It came with a scoop to measure the correct amount of detergent.

I rinse (just rinse..)my dishes, hook up the hose and I'm off enjoying my time.

I've had my Danby (that's what we call it, like a butler) for over 6 months. I use it daily, twice on holidays, and it handles my family of fives dishes like a pro!

However, if you feel like you need a super-powerful dishwasher with labels for every feature... this isn't for you. That would require a portable dishwasher, and takes more space.

I would buy another one in a second, and I regret not getting one sooner.