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  • Design & Usability

  • Performance

  • Decent, but Not Our #1

  • Design & Usability
  • Performance
  • Decent, but Not Our #1

Not only do you get old-school tech, such as the hard food disposer, but you also get modern perks like bottle jets and a third rack. However, in terms of actual cleaning capabilities, this dishwasher left us wanting more.

While we could easily recommend a better machine for the price—these models sell for between $720 and about $800 depending on your preferred finish—GE fans will appreciate what this machine has to offer… especially if they're looking to get a complete kitchen package.

Design & Usability

The thick, chunky handle that’s a hallmark of GE’s style is present here, as are racks that feel sturdy and an easy-to-use control interface. And you should be set with whatever color fits your kitchen—it’s available in white, black, stainless, GE’s special slate finish, and even black stainless… supposedly. The 695SBLTS exists on the manufacturer website, but unlike the other models we can’t seem to find it for sale anywhere at this time.

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On top of all those finishes, the GDT695S series offers the following:

• A stainless steel tub with a noise rating of 45 dBA • A small indicator light above the handle that changes color when a cycle is running or has finished; the controls are otherwise hidden on top • Four cycles — Normal, Light, Heavy, and AutoSense • Cycle features — Delay (up to 12 hours), Steam, Temperature Select (Boost and Sanitize), and Heated Dry • An option to wash the upper or lower racks only • Hard food disposal with removable filter • Four bottle jets on the top rack, plus two rows of stemware holders • An adjustable upper rack • Two rows of adjustable tines on the lower rack • A standard 1-year limited parts and labor warranty

While new GE Profile models also get the fantastic Deep Clean silverware jets, you won’t find that here. Even so, it’s a versatile machine with some useful functionality—especially that option to wash only one rack’s worth of dishes.

Performance

For all of its features, however, we found the cleaning prowess of this machine to be just so-so. The Normal cycle did well—it had a hard time tackling our bowls of spinach, the most challenging stain in our arsenal, and we noticed a few trouble spots near the extreme sides of the racks where water had a tough time penetrating.

Light had a hard time with pretty much everything except meat and egg—we noticed substantial amounts of spinach, oatmeal, and milk left behind. The Heavy cycle came closest to cleaning all our dishes, and had just a little trouble with our burnt cheese.

The hidden controls aren't visible when the door is shut. The interface is easy to use and pleasantly responsive.
Credit: GE

The hidden controls aren't visible when the door is shut. The interface is easy to use and pleasantly responsive.

We don’t use optional heated drying for our tests, and noticed that most dishes were still damp 30 minutes after the end of each cycle. If you turn that feature on, you should notice a distinct improvement, but it’ll mean the dishwasher will eat up more energy.

What GE seems to be doing well with their newer models like this one is ramping up cycle speed. Normal took about 87 minutes on average, while Heavy ran for just two hours and 19 minutes.

Decent, but Not Our #1

{{ amazon name="Cascade Platinum Dishwasher Detergent, Fresh Scent, 62 Count", asin="B01NGTV4J5", align="right" }} If you need a GE dishwasher to match your GE kitchen set, then the GDT695S series dishwashers are a solid bet. While they may not clean a whole lot better than GE’s budget option, perks like a third rack and reasonably good sound proofing makes this a decent choice.

Sure, the price tag of about $720 or $800—depending on this finish of your choice—may seem a bit steep compared to some of our favorites considering the issues we had with raw cleaning power. But all in all, it’s nothing too outrageous.

Meet the tester

Matthew Zahnzinger

Matthew Zahnzinger

Logistics Manager & Staff Writer

@ReviewedHome

Matthew is a native of Brockton, MA and a graduate of Northeastern, where he earned a degree in English and Theatre. He has also studied at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin and spends most of his free time pursuing a performance career in the greater Boston area.

See all of Matthew Zahnzinger's reviews

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