Miele and Viking are polar opposites in many ways.
Miele started as a dishwasher company and recently debuted a pro range. Viking's heritage is professional ranges, but recently started manufacturing dishwashers.
Dishwashers are an interesting product. They are the most hotly contested product in the appliance business. You can buy a decent dishwasher for $499. Want one for free? Thermador and Jenn-Air give away their dishwashers as part of an appliance package (maybe they will make it up in volume).
At the other end of the spectrum is Miele who can successfully sell a dishwasher at $2,500. However, that success breeds competition with the new Bosch Benchmark line. Sub-Zero will have a dishwasher in 2016/2017. Viking also has marketed a dishwasher to compete with Miele.
We will look at both companies and their products.
Miele
Miele is a luxury appliance brand that originated in Germany in 1899. Today, Miele is the largest family-owned appliance company in the world. Their products are almost entirely designed and manufactured in one factory in Germany. Due to their strict quality control, Miele is known for manufacturing some of the highest quality products in the industry.
In fact they are the least repaired appliance brand according to our internal service calls for 2014.
Viking
Viking is an American appliance brand that is very well-known in the professional style range market. Recently the brand has been acquired by the Middleby Range Corporation in an effort to restore the brand’s reputation. To be transparent Yale does not sell any Viking appliances.
Viking offers 4 dishwashers, two in their 100 series and two in their 300 series. The difference in both series is the option for a water softener. These units come panel ready with the option of adding a stainless steel, white or black panel at an additional cost.
Miele vs. Viking Dishwashers
I will compare Viking 300 Series FDW300 to Miele Futura Classic Series G4286SCVI.
Viking 300 Series FDW300X
Fully Integrated Dishwasher with 14-Place Settings, 6 Cycles, Sanitize Function, Turbidity Sensor, Triple-Clean Filtration, Fan Dry, 3rd Rack and Panel Ready.
- Rinse/Hold - Pre-rinse dishes clean.
- Fast Wash/ECO Wash - 34 Minutes!
- Light/China - Less water pressure for lightly soiled or fine china.
- Normal Wash - Normal soil level.
- Pots/Pans - Heavy soil level.
- Pots/Pans Plus - Extra-heavy soil level.
- Half Load - Energy saving function for use with partial loads.
- Tablet Detergent - Provides better dry performance from multi-purpose detergent tablets by turning off rinse aid.
- Delay Start - Allows delayed activation for 1/2 to 9-1/2 hours.
- Sanitize Function - raises water temperature in final rinse to meet NSF requirements.
- LCD screen displays remaining time until cycle completion.
- Energy Star Qualified.
Miele Futura Classic Series G4286SCVI
Fully Integrated Dishwasher with 6 Wash Programs, Cutlery Tray, Auto Sensor, Clean Air Drying, Q1 Acoustics and Requires Custom Panel.
- 6 Wash Programs
- Pots and Pans
- Normal
- Economy
- SaniWash
- Rinse and Hold
- Express
- Delay start allows programs to be pre-selected for up to 24 hours in advance.
Viking has three spray arms versus two for Miele. China and crystal is available on this Viking, but not this particular Miele.
However, Miele has the best dry cycle in the industry. Colder outside air is let into the side of the dishwasher. Steam is attracted to the colder side and dissipated. Miele is quieter and has better construction with a double insulated pump to prevent leaks.
This post is really about reliability. Most of our comparisons between two companies are a tie as different companies have different areas of competence. Viking vs. Miele is different because Miele is the least repaired machine at 5% in the first year versus Viking at over 50%.
In fact, most of Viking dishwashers are now sourced through the Turkish company, Blomberg. I like Viking and hope Middleby can turn it around. For the short term, however, Miele is the better choice by far.
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Additional Resources
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