Frigidaire FFID2423RS Dishwasher Review

Units like these are popular with builders because they look more expensive than they are. But if you're upgrading your own kitchen, or replacing a broken dishwasher, you'll wish for a stronger clean than the FFID2423RS can provide.

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Design & Features

Under the skin

Beneath this model's attractive stainless door and handle, you'll find every cost-saving measure in the book. The white plastic tub is louder than stainless (a noisy 55 dBA, claims the spec sheet), the racks aren't customizable, removing the large filter is tricky, and we found the Frigidaire logo often partially unsnaps from the front of the upper rack, hanging down like an old window shutter.

It's fine. $500 for a stainless dishwasher, remember?

Less forgivable is the limited feature set. Important options like Hi-Temp and Sanitize may only be toggled for certain cycles. We're also disappointed by the total absence of a quick cycle, meaning your fastest option is Normal Wash which, for our test stains, needed 2 hours 15 minutes.

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Theoretically, this dishwasher's "DishSense Technology" should detect lighter stains and speed things along accordingly, but we want a guaranteed short wash. The Heavy Wash cycle, complete with our much more challenging heavy stains, needed just two more minutes than Normal Wash. There's no digital timer on the black plastic control panel, so you won't notice the cycle similarities unless you sit beside the FFID2423RS with a stopwatch—like we do.

How Well Does It Clean?

Leftovers

After water jets blasted green spinach flakes off our test bowls, they redeposited right back onto large plates on the lower rack and silverware in the cutlery basket. This occurred during both Heavy Wash and Normal Wash cycles, and it's the kind of thing we see all the time from inexpensive dishwashers, usually due to poor water filtration. Both cycles also failed to fully remove meat, spinach, and milk stains from their original dishware.

The Heavy Wash cycle had additional issues flushing out large debris like macaroni. They came to rest at the wall of our casserole dish, mere inches from where they started. Baked-on cheese was also a real problem for the Heavy Wash cycle, but that's the case for many dishwashers.

For in-depth performance information, please visit the Test Results Page.

Manual? Warranty?

Frigidaire makes electronic copies of the complete Owner's Manual available on its website. You'll also find installation instructions, the wiring diagram, and the energy guide on the company's product page.

The FFID2423RS is covered by Frigidaire's major appliance warranty. For one year from your original date of purchase, Electrolux (Frigidaire's parent company) will pay all costs for repairing or replacing any parts of this appliance that prove to be defective in materials or workmanship.

Before You Buy

All about the look

If you're upgrading to the FFID2423RS's stainless steel in order to raise the market value of your kitchen, be aware you'll be sticking your homebuyer with an underperforming machine. If that makes you tent your fingers together like Mr. Burns, go ahead and buy this dishwasher, it's probably the best looking sub-$600 model on the market.

But if your conscience forbids it, instead consider the Kenmore 15113. It's not as pretty, but it is stainless, and its cleaning is more thorough.

By the Numbers

Every dishwasher we review is subjected to a week's worth of testing, encompassing every available cycle that uses all racks and detergent. The FFID2423RS lacks a quick cycle, so Normal Wash (the fastest available cycle) is counted twice to prevent the appliance from being unfairly penalized. Still, the results weren't great.

Cleaning Performance

Minor or moderate stains were left behind on about half of all dishes after both Normal Wash and Heavy Wash cycles, but more egregious was the presence of redeposited stains, which were again present on about half of all plates after both cycles.

This dishwasher is particularly effective against egg, milk, and oatmeal stains, but struggles against large debris like macaroni or baked-on cheese.

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Efficiency

We think the FFID2423RS will cost most users about $45 in electricity and hot water to operate per year. That's proportionately higher than the average dishwasher and $11 more than that yellow EnergyGuide sticker on the front of the machine claims. Still, it's only a couple bucks' difference per year.