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  • Look and Feel

  • Cleaning

  • Need the Manual?

  • It's Got Everything

  • By the Numbers

  • Cleaning Performance

  • Drying Performance

  • Efficiency

  • Look and Feel
  • Cleaning
  • Need the Manual?
  • It's Got Everything
  • By the Numbers
  • Cleaning Performance
  • Drying Performance
  • Efficiency

Even with sale prices around $1,800, this KitchenAid is still out of reach for many appliance shoppers. The reality is this package of high-end features comes at a premium. No window-shoppers allowed.

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Look and Feel

Every great dishwasher feature, plus a window.

We've already had opportunities to test KitchenAid's best new features firsthand. The Dynamic Wash Arm improved water coverage, the Clean Water Wash System eliminated redeposit, and the knurled handlebar gave the whole suite of appliances a welcome facelift. The KDTM804ESS is equipped with all of those.

The newest addition is the window. Tinted and positioned about halfway up the door, it would, in a perfect world, let buyers look inside the dishwasher without opening the door. And if the amount of viewers we get on our “Inside the Dishwasher” videos is any indication, a lot of people enjoy watching dishwashers work their magic.

The window is a neat way to give buyers what they want, but KitchenAid’s execution is far from ideal. The interior lights only turn on when the door is open or when a cycle just finished, and when they’re not on, it’s too dark to see anything. There isn’t even a manual toggle.

You can’t watch the dishwasher during a cycle, or even peek inside without opening the door. So what's the point? Is a window still a window if you can’t see through it?

If nothing else, the KDTM804ESS will match your oven (which, presumably, also has a window). If your dishwasher is positioned right next to your oven, this design will lend a better sense of uniformity than a blank stainless steel front.

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Cleaning

No redeposit. Ever.

We don’t need a window to see the KDTM804ESS cleans dishes really well. In this price range, clean dishes are pretty much a given, but the Clean Water Wash System also does an excellent job filtering out food particles and preventing them from redepositing onto other dishes. Every dishwasher we’ve tested featuring this or a similar microfilter system has scored exceptionally well.

Meat chunks left on a plate
Credit: Reviewed.com / Johnny Yu

Express Wash is fast, but not very thorough. This was one of the plates of meat after a run.

{{amazon name="Scotch-Brite Stainless Steel Scouring Pad", asin="B002CQTXBC", align="right"}} There are only a few minor complaints we have about the KDTM804ESS. Most stainless steel dishwashers are whisper-quiet, and this one is rated at 44 dBA. However, we could hear (and see) the water splashing against the window in the middle of a wash. Granted, we’re a lot closer to our machines than most people will be, and we wouldn’t even notice from another room, but this isn’t the absolute quietest dishwasher out there.

Second, this model hogs water. Our meters told us the Normal cycle uses 4.67 gallons of water per run, while many other dishwashers average around 3.5. Since Normal will be your go-to cycle for everyday loads, you'll end up paying a few extra dollars each year.

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

Need the Manual?

KitchenAid makes product manuals available online, where you can learn more about how to install this dishwasher and its warranty. Certain parts on this dishwasher are covered beyond the standard one-year coverage, and still others have a lifetime warranty.

It's Got Everything

Pretty, powerful, and pricey

In addition to the all-important window, the KDTM804ESS does have everything else we’ve come to expect from high-end dishwashers: Professional styling, advanced cleaning technology, and useful features like high-intensity jets, specialized bottle washing nozzles, and a third rack. If you want the KitchenAid with everything, this is it.

The window itself is okay, but we’re disappointed the interior lights can’t be manually toggled. That almost defeats the purpose of a window entirely, and we’re hoping this is something that will be changed in future iterations.

If you like the sound of the KDTM804ESS but not the window, there’s the KitchenAid KDTM704ESS, which is a similar dishwasher without one. It’s also about $150 cheaper.

By the Numbers

We measure how well a dishwasher does its job using hard data gathered from our appliance lab. We found that ignoring all the window dressing, the KitchenAid KDTM804ESS is like any other high-end dishwasher. It’s a bit of a water hog, which brings down its efficiency scores, but it will get your dishes clean.

Cleaning Performance

This KitchenAid did not redeposit stains during any of our tests. Even during the Express Wash, which did the worst job removing stains, none of the food particles ended up back in the wash.

In general, the Normal cycle did a decent job removing our baked-on meat, spinach, oatmeal, milk, and egg stains. While imperfect in our harsh lab tests, it should be more than enough to deal with the average user’s mess.

The Express Wash did worse, especially against spinach, but it stuck to its core mission and finished in less than an hour. This cycle is ideal for washing lightly stained dishes as quickly as possible.

Tough lived up to its name, leaving very few food stains behind. It even managed to completely remove the burnt cheese, which is an especially difficult test. Most of the other dishwashers we've tested leave varying amounts of this stain behind, and usually turn it into a soggy, sticky mess.

Drying Performance

Heat Dry is a default option on Normal and Tough and, unsurprisingly, dishes came out of these cycles bone dry. Even the Express cycle, which did not have Heat Dry on by default, yielded impressive results. Every item came out ready for immediate reuse.

Efficiency

The annual cost of running the KDTM804ESS is around $32.67, which is a few bucks more than average. The data we collected explains why: The Normal cycle took 4.67 gallons of water per run, where most other machines get the job done with about 3.5. This difference adds up quickly, as this cycle is supposed to be used most often. Strangely, the Tough cycle only used 4.08 gallons of water on average.

Meet the tester

Johnny Yu

Johnny Yu

Staff Writer

@ReviewedHome

Johnny Yu writes news, features, and reviews for Reviewed.com. He graduated from U-Mass Boston with a Bachelor's in Social Psychology and spends much of his free time expanding his gaming horizons. Sometimes, he does his laundry at work.

See all of Johnny Yu's reviews

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