New to the States late this year is a company long known in Europe for making high-quality, affordable appliances. The Blomberg name has been in business since 1883, originally as a metal processing company, and then later into the research and manufacturing of household appliances.
In 2002, Blomberg was aquired by Arçelik A.Ş., one of the largest (if not the largest) corporations in Turkey. Arçelik has been selling household appliances all across Europe, Russia, and the Middle East for decades and is very well known. It is the second most recognized brand in Europe, just behind Electrolux.
So enough about Blomberg as a company. What about their dishwashers?
I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of the first Blomberg dishwashers sent over the pond for this review. What arrived to my door was a Blomberg DWT37340 all stainless integrated dishwasher. Once installed, from the outside this unit is almost indistinguishable from a Miele or an Asko. I was impressed already. The Blomberg dishwasher also comes with a healthy set of specs. To start, the dishwasher racking system is laid out beautifully. For my family of four, this is the first dishwasher where we really feel like everything has a “place”. The DWT37340 comes with a third rack in the very top, which can be used for small dishes or shallow cups or just for “extra” silverware, since the dishwasher does come with a full-size silverware tray to put in the bottom. I found myself rarely using the bottom silverware tray and so I just removed it to make more room for plates, as the top rack fits all our silverware easily.
The interior is designed to fit 12 full place settings at a time, though I haven’t put it to the test yet. 7 wash programs (all the usual) with an Automatic cycle where it detects how soiled the dishes are and modifies the wash time accordingly. Since day one of my testing, I’ve run nothing but the “Automatic” cycle and the dishes have always come out perfect. One thing I should note, which is true of ALL heater-less european dishwashers, is that you must use a rinse aid (e.g. Finnish Jet Dry). If you run the dishes without a rinse aid, they will come out partially wet.
There is a useful “half-load” option for when you’ve only filled up half the unit – it uses less water and takes less time. The dishwasher features a 3-way euro filtering system to keep particulates out of the water supply. An end-of-cycle chime will alert you to when the dishes are done.
The remaining features are nothing new: all stainless tub, turbo fan drying, turbidity sensors, digital display, time delay option, water softener, adjustable front and rear feet, tilting rack tines for storage all over the place.
One marketing plug I must take issue with though is the sound level, which they currently advertise as a feature at 50 decibels. Now I’m no expert in audio measurement, but I have a feeling our test unit definitely crosses that threshold a few times during it’s cycle. It’s certainly not loud or annoying, but it’s not silent either. Another thing we would love to see improved upon is the dated control panel.
This particular Blomberg dishwasher is a Fully Integrated Dishwasher selling for $1,199. Putting that into perspective, the Asko’s Fully Integrated D5223XXLFI, which after your purchase the stainless steel panel you will need, runs right around $1,299. Miele’s G4275SCSF Futura Classic dishwasher will set you back even further, at $1,600. For the money, this is a very compelling choice in it’s category for those who need an fully integrated dishwasher at an affordable price.
Pros: Low price for performance, fantastic racking system, excellent looks.
Cons: Noise level could be improved, control panel a bit dated.
These dishwashers are shit.parts keep falling off,breaking,the plastic is warping.Horrible dishwasher.
Well I like $hit then
Our Blomberg dishwasher sucks! We are now documenting how bad it is at cleaning because we want to take it back for a refund. We have had it one month and have had the service guy out already about the poor cleaning job it does. It just doesn’t clean and I had to unload and hand wash glasses and cutlery again this morning after the cleaning last night.
We have had dishwashers before, so I know how to run a dishwasher (keep filter clean, use right detergent, run hot water first, use rinse agent, etc). And my comment comes in comparing other dishwashers we have had to this one.
Pots and pans are impossible – we are now hand washing them all the time, regardless of what was in them. But today’s glasses and cutlery (again!) took the cake which is why I am writing this review.
I definitely would NOT recommend this dishwasher!!