LG Vs Whirlpool Dishwashers: Which Gives You The Most Bang For Your Buck?

The dishwasher game is a difficult gig for even the best and most experienced manufacturers in the appliance space. Tough competition and demanding consumers of the high-priced devices, considered virtually indispensable in most households, make for tight races in which one brand's model will pull ahead for a moment, only to be surpassed by the another brand's newest dishwasher. LG and Whirlpool are among the top appliance brands in the world, but when it comes to dishwashers, each does certain things well. Given how many things there are to consider when choosing a dishwasher, how do you decide which brand is likely to offer the better value when you're in the market for a dishwasher?

We asked an expert. In an exclusive interview with Hunker, Ben Schlichter, who runs the popular Bens Appliances and Junk channel on YouTube, gave us some insights that might surprise you. "I think LG's absolute budget range units at $400 to $500 tend to be better than Whirlpools, but once you get into the $600+ range, Whirlpools tend to make more satisfied customers with the options that the units can offer customers," he said. 

And while any particular model might outperform a similarly priced model from the competition, it's more difficult to accomplish with higher end models. But, on average, Whirlpool does better at higher price points. "If you want a good higher-end dishwasher, Whirlpool has the edge with something like the WDPA70 or WDT740. Whereas LG's LDFC24 is a really good choice in the sub-$500 or even sub-$600 category," Schlichter said.

Like most appliances, modern dishwashers often have tons of features these days. But using a Whirlpool dishwasher or LG dishwasher is pretty straightforward, and those newer features don't necessarily define the better brand, even though they do contribute. When comparing LG and Whirlpool dishwashers, appliance expert Ben Schlichter told Hunker exclusively in an interview that quality ultimately depends on the model, but there are some general truths about both brands. "LG wash motors/drain pumps tend to be quieter than most other brands due to all their work with washing machines," he said. "In general, their units will be quieter than a comparable Whirlpool of similar price. Likewise, feature vs. feature at an identical price point, LG tends to be superior to Whirlpool, especially in the sub-$500 category."

Whirlpool has its own advantages, though. "Whirlpool's service network of support and parts is superior to LG if you have any issues with it and either need warranty, or after-warranty support," Schlichter said. "They have been making/selling dishwashers for a longer time so parts are far more readily available. The highest end Whirlpools under other brands such as KitchenAid tend to have the highest objective ratings between LG and its sub brands, and Whirlpool and its sub-brands. You can get more features on the higher end Whirlpools."

But when it comes to dishwashers, which often have sketchy reliability ratings, customers tend to be happier with fewer repair experiences, rather than better repair experiences. Schlichter gives Whirlpool the edge in that regard. "What repair history info I have for both brands suggests that Whirlpools tend to be built a little better historically," he said.

Of course, every appliance manufacturer also has its issues, especially at the lower end of the market. As Ben Schlichter told Hunker in an exclusive interview, "Unless you get a really premium iteration of both, they tend to not quite have the features that users want. In my videos/research I've done, there's almost a linear relationship between price vs. performance on noise, wash quality, dry quality, and other features."

That means that you're going to get when you pay for when it comes to dishwashers, and chasing the lowest price or the best bargain might not get you the best dishwasher. "Lower end units tend to be plagued with dissatisfied customers for both brands, and it's hard to really recommend a long-lasting, good dishwasher for less than $800 or $900," Schlichter said. "Even then, among brands, Bosch tends to be viewed the most favorably by technicians and consumers, and I tend to recommend those above WP and LG, although both brands tend to be in the next-best tier in my experience." 

Indeed, Bosch dishwashers work well and the company is also in that elite group of top appliance manufacturers, but Bosch dishwashers tend to outperform LG and Whirlpool in reliability and consumer satisfaction. And while LG and Whirlpool both have highly rated appliances in other categories, but tend to suffer from less positive opinions when it comes to dishwashers.