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  • Look And Feel

  • Related content

  • Does It Clean?

  • Need the Manual?

  • Should You Buy It?

  • By the Numbers

  • Cleaning Performance

  • Drying Performance

  • Efficiency

  • Look And Feel
  • Related content
  • Does It Clean?
  • Need the Manual?
  • Should You Buy It?
  • By the Numbers
  • Cleaning Performance
  • Drying Performance
  • Efficiency

But it’s also got something no other Elite does: a window.

If you’ve watched any of our dishwasher interior videos, you might understand the odd satisfaction of peeking inside a tub while it's running. That said, even with sale prices around $1,399, this Elite charges a lot for those front-row seats.

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This video shows the inside of the Kenmore Elite 14763, which has the same wash system as the 14823.

Look And Feel

At the very least, it will match your oven

Kenmore's latest offering comes after KitchenAid announced its window dishwashers last January. In fact, all window dishwashers are based on the same platform (Whirlpool, which owns KitchenAid, makes most Kenmore dishwashers).

Read the comments on our article and you'll see that some consumers immediately understood the appeal. But most folks are left to wonder: Why in the world would you want a window on your dishwasher? Understandably, this design choice isn't for everyone. However if you have a stainless steel oven with a window, this dishwasher's aesthetics will match up more completely. Plus, if the views our “Inside a Dishwasher” videos get are any indication, people are genuinely curious about what goes on in there.

It’s very difficult to actually watch the exciting dishwashing action mid-cycle

If you still don't get the appeal, you'd be better served by the Kenmore Elite 14833 instead. They’re exactly the same machine, except the 14833 is windowless.

The 14823 has interior lights, but we’re frustrated by how they work. They only turn on when the door is open or when a cycle is finished, and the window itself has more tint than a cop's sunglasses. That means it’s very difficult to actually watch the exciting dishwashing action mid-cycle. This feature would be so much better if it had a manual toggle. You know, like with an oven.

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Aside from the window, this model borrows the best interior features we’ve found on other Elites and simply includes them all. There’s a three-part cutlery basket, side wall jets, the MicroClean filtration system, a clever one-handed height adjustment mechanism, and a slew of parts that can be folded, collapsed, raised, or lowered as needed. With a whisper-quiet sound rating of 39 dBA, the 14823 is a solid high-end dishwasher—even without the window.

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Does It Clean?

Exceptional filtration

The 14823 successfully prevents washed-off food from redepositing back onto the dishes, which is a problem for many dishwashers, regardless of price. The MicroClean filter on this Elite does its job well, trapping wayward food particles, and we couldn't find redeposit anywhere.

Unfortunately, some of our meat stains stuck around after a run with the Normal Wash cycle, and some of the milk-stained glasses still had visible traces of food left behind. But our test stains are heavier than what you'll experience in the real world, so don't expect this much trouble at home.

The Pots & Pans cycle left nearly nothing behind, so it makes a good catch-all for giant messes. This Elite’s water usage is above-average, so you’re looking at slightly higher utility costs (about $33.03 per year, total), but we dare say the clean dishes are worth it.

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

Need the Manual?

If you need warranty information or installation instructions, please refer to the Kenmore Elite 14823 User Manual. Like most dishwashers, this one comes with a one-year limited warranty.

Should You Buy It?

It really comes down to how much you like that window.

Interior lights turning on after a cycle's completion
Credit: Reviewed.com / Johnny Yu

When a cycle finishes, the interior lights will come on. Sadly, there's no way to manually control the lights yourself, so you can't peek inside the dishwasher whenever you please.

{{amazon name="Clorox Glass Wipes, Radiant Clean, 96 count", asin="B00UNT6BR4", align="right"}} Without the window, the 14823 is a superb dishwasher with a ton of high-end features. At sale prices, it’s comparable to other fully loaded, premium dishwashers, like the GE Profile PDT750SSFSS. It’s obviously a little pricier but, well, there’s a window.

So whether the 14823 is the right dishwasher for you comes down to that window. Otherwise, you may want to shop around. You don’t even have to look very far: The Kenmore Elite 14763 is almost the same dishwasher, with a lower upfront cost.

By the Numbers

We don’t need a window to see that the Kenmore Elite 14823 is good at cleaning dishes. Although it didn't get everything completely clean in our stain tests (most dishwashers don’t), this Elite showed zero instances of redeposit. That’s a number we can get behind.

Cleaning Performance

Perhaps thanks to the MicroClean filter, we did not find any instances of redeposit after any of the 14823’s wash cycles. That’s not to say every dish came out perfectly clean, though. In fact, the Normal cycle left visible chunks of meat behind on some of our plates. But otherwise, this cycle still showed impressive cleaning that's on par with dishwashers in the price range.

The Pots & Pans cycle had little trouble removing those meat stains. In fact, the vast majority of dishes came out completely clean. And even though this cycle did leave chunks of burnt cheese behind, that's a tricky stain and the 14823 still fared better than most.

The Express Wash took 56 minutes, making it a viable option for cleaning in a pinch. It did not remove as many of our test stains compared to the other cycles, but still had a decent showing. Here again we noticed zero redeposit, makes this one better than most quick cycles on other dishwashers.

Drying Performance

The Normal Wash took nearly two and a half hours, due to its extensive drying cycle. But as a result, all of our stained test dishes came out bone dry. The Express Wash did not engage drying by default, yet all dishes emerged with just a few drops left on them. They were all perfectly ready for immediate reuse with just a few shakes.

Efficiency

The 14823 will cost you around $33.03 per year to run, which is slightly above Energy Star’s $32.30 per year standard. Most of this cost comes from water consumption. According to our meters, the Normal Wash used 5.33 gallons per run, which is higher than the usual 3- or 4-gallon average. If you’re using this cycle a majority of the time, the difference really adds up.

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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