European companies have been at the forefront of energy efficiency for a long time now. Miele and Asko were both among the first to be imported into the American market. They changed the way Americans bought dishwashers.
European-style dishwashers were the first to have stainless steel interiors which were more germ and odor resistant to plastic dishwashers.
The other major change was a much quieter dishwasher. As floor plans opened up with a combination of living room and kitchen, this became more appealing.
However, Asko and Miele became very different dishwashers and very different companies. We will look at both, so you can determine the right product for yourself.
Miele is one of the most precise appliance companies in the world taking German engineering to a level of quality we see in space exploration. They manufacture down to the component level in their factory guaranteeing quality in all their products.
In reliability, they are among the least serviced appliance sold at Yale today. No surprise coming from a company whose slogan is “Immer besser” translating to “Forever Better”.
Miele products are produced in Germany.
Asko had a humble start from a Swedish farmer, which is ironically similar to Maytag. They expanded into the United States in the 1990’s to sell dishwashers and laundry.
Asko was first owned by Asea of Sweden, then Merloni of Italy. After Merloni was bankrupt, the assets were purchased by Goranje of Slovenia. Unlike Miele, Asko has had several different owners in a relatively shorter period of time.
Let's look at some dishwashers.
Features:
Hallmarks of an Asko dishwasher are its tough graphite racks and all stainless wash arms. Asko is the only heated element dry for a European brand.
Features:
Hallmarks of Miele are the three level wash and dry cycles along with the cutlery basket up top.
Features:
Features:
One thing to keep in mind is both brands are super premium. Both have plenty of features.
Asko has improved in some of their mechanisms such as their stability, dry cycles, and their racking configuration. They are also the only dishwasher to have all metal spray arms for better reliability.
Their top model has so many different features it will cover almost every wash scenario. It is a solid machine, probably the most solid dishwasher on the market.
Miele, however, is still the best dishwasher on the market. It will be quieter than an Asko.
Rather than adding heat to an already hot dishwasher, Miele has a better drying method. They have an intake at the bottom of their dishwashers which allows air into the side wall of the dishwasher. The heat inside of the dishwasher is attracted to the colder wall and dissipated.
In terms of reliability, Miele is about 10% more reliable than an Asko dishwasher according to our own service database of 20,000 plus service calls per year.
Both are good dishwashers. Asko will have more cycles and an all-metal interior, Miele will dry better as well as be more reliable.
Additional Resources
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Editor's Note: This article was originally published on November 12, 2012 and has been updated for accuracy, comprehensiveness and freshness.