That was and still is the best dishwasher ever made. I’m a professional appliance technician for about 30 years and this was always the dishwasher that I recommended when people asked what to buy.

Aww, my father who passed away several years ago, retired from Hobart Manufacturing many many years ago. They made Kitchenaid dishwashers. And it was long before the factory was air conditioned.

My house was built in 1961, instead gutting my kitchen and putting in all stainless steel appliances....I've chosen to take my kitchen back to 1975....it came with a harvest gold oven/cook top...I found a fridge/dishwasher frm that era, having them restored and the fridge repainted harvest gold....it's gonna be cheaper than a brand new kitchen with all new appliances that don't last, plus it's gonna be sooo cool!!!

We had that exact model growing up, only the built in version. My mom bought it 1978 to replace the Kitchen Aid installed in our house when it was built in 1964... it lasted 14 years. When mom passed away in 2002, the 78 Superba was still running perfectly, 24 years later. They don’t make them like they used to!

Wow, my great grandma had one of these in the 80's-90's. She used it as a spice rack and still washed all her dishes by hand. She was from the depression era...

My Kitchen Aid is from 1983, still works! I don’t use it as much now since I live alone, happy to know I made a good investment so many years ago.

I had one of these and loved it. My grandmother gave it to me. Someone gave it to her and she didn't like it. So she offered it to me.

Watching this 40+ yr-old dishwasher in perfectly working condition put a smile on my face. Seeing how smooth and quietly it drained put me in awe...I had a new countertop dishwasher that drained like a bulldozer, spraying water everywhere. My other LG dishwasher didn't make it to 10 yrs before the motor crapped out, and it always left dishes dirty. You could see the turbo jets when you opened the Kitchen Aid up. And let's not forget the stylish premium design and finishes! Nothing made today can match it.

5:03 “I’m sure I could have done this better.” I’d say you have a definite grasp of special orientation, Vac. I clicked on this video because I was curious if the noises it made were the same as what I remember hearing on the family dishwasher from when I was born. It wasn’t a portable Futura, but it was a KitchenAid unit from the 70s. Some of the noises made on this one are familiar. I’m a musician who has put out a bunch of independent solo material, and it’s an ambition of mine to duplicate some of the sounds made by that dishwasher on a synthesizer.

We had one on those back in the 80’s. Was given to us second hand, and told it needed a new pump. I replaced the pumps upper body and cleaned a bunch of string out of the pump. String was probably from washing dish cloths, in the machine. The dishwasher had no heater, but had what was called a “Soak Cycle.” We hardly ever found a dirty dish left in the machine.

All these years and I did not know Kitchenaid by Hobart made a portable, I purchased a GE Potscrubber portable ion 1971 and I had this machine up to 1996, I gave it away still working fine, and my new co-op came with a Maytag Dishwasher that works very well to this very day...Thank you for this informative video, great machine...

I used to sell these when I was just out of high school. These were the best dishwashers made for home use, the brand went way downhill after Whirlpool bought the brand from Hobart. My parents had an earlier model than this in our kitchen from like 1965 to 2007, still working fine. I sold them in an area that used well water that would just eat the tubs of most dishwashers away, but the Kitchen Aids were never rusted out.

I am not sure if you noticed, but this model can have 3 wash cycles with detergent. If you add detergent to the shallow well that is exposed AFTER you close the two detergent doors, it will run the first pre rinse cycle as a pre WASH cycle (basically no different than throwing in some detergent before you start the dishwasher. I inherited a lower model of this Kitchenaid when I bought my house built in the 70s. It is tank. Fully cleans the dishes. That unit you acquired is a great find!

My parents had one like this from the 80's. Thanks for the childhood memories.

I've heard of the Hobart KitchenAid referred to as a tornado in a box. LOL So true. The pressure of the water spray from the Hydro-Sweep was incredible. It really scrubed the dishes. The machines they make today are week . I watched a video hear of a new HE dishwasher, there was hardly any power in the water spray. I thought how in the "H" do these machines get the dishes clean? Once again, the Hobart KitchenAid proves itself superior to the rest.

I had one just like it! What a blast from the past. I had it for 20 years and it was still working when I sold the house. With the Bucher block top I used it as a prep island. What memories.

Bought this exact same model and colour for my mother for Mother’s Day in the late 70’s. Amazing quality.

I bought one of these for my first house as the kitchen did not have a built in dishwasher. It worked fabulously - always. I even took it with me when I moved into a house I had built and had it built into it’s cabinetry. It worked for more than 30 years without a hitch.

I have the built in model. I absolutely love it to pieces. I have an avocado kitchen with all the appliances and the coordinating trash compactor featured in the brochure that came with the dishwasher. I had no problem ripping out the newer appliances--especially the dishwasher! Enjoy it!

We had this same exact dishwasher in a previous house that we owned. It was the built in model. It was by far the best cleaning dishwasher for a family of four, two being small children at the time. That dishwasher was actually built with a steel frame all around it. That is why it was so heavy. I had to pull it out once that's why I know that. We just purchased the a new Kitchenaid built in model for this house. It is heavier than any other dishwasher that we've owned since. It has three shelves, the blower for drying dishes and does a great job of drying. It's excellent at washing. Of course it takes a long time to wash because of the new energy standards. It's extremely quiet when running. I'm not trying to sell anything here to anyone or steal your thunder for the kitchenaid you have. I say keep it and make repairs if you have to. You are better off with what you have. Keep it and the best of luck to you.

6 years ago we bought a duplex in Los Angeles that had all vintage appliances including two KDS-17A dishwashers (looks exactly like yours, but an under-the-counter built in and the cycles are named a bit differently). The stamp inside is February 1976. We kept one of them and just replaced it's water pump and it still works great! I actually came upon your video while looking for help with this machine as after working great for years, recently it started leaving caked soap powder and not cleaning the dishes all the way. After troubleshooting all the obvious stuff, I remembered one thing I had noticed about this machine when I repaired the water pump valve years ago, it's sensitive to the water pressure. Our pressure is very high and it took some adjusting on the under sink valve to get the pressure right for the machine. A little too much and it will drip a little from the filling hole on the side of the machine, a little too low and the sprayers don't get enough water to clean thoroughly. So today a little adjust on the water pressure from the shut off valve under the sink and it's working great again! It's a great machine! Thanks for the great video. If you are having trouble getting your old dishwasher working, I hope this helps!

We had one for years - the thing is a beast. (A friendly beast that washes dishes.)

my folks had a 1984!!!!! 😮 omg, it looks the same. that thing was awesome!

I happen to have the identical dishwasher. It still works and does a great job. I am definitely keeping it

I had this exact same model, exactly the same colour, purchased in 1977 for, I think, $600 CND. It was extremely expensive for me. Really great machine with a couple of problems. The tips of the blue prongs on the bottom rack wore away and became rust spots. KitchenAid sold kits of little tips you could glue onto the tips. The sides of the top rack rusted badly on both sides after years of use. There's a black rubber gasket of some type under the stainless steel bottom filter that twice got holes and had to be replaced, the first time within a year of buying, the second time many years later. I used it first as designed as a portable machine but after 4 or 5 years I had it converted to a built-in, a fairly simple job. The top was an incredibly thick, heavy, beautiful maple wood block. So good that I kept it as an oversized chopping block when the machine finally died after 20 or 30 years. I've owned two dishwashers since then, neither came anywhere near the quality of that KitchenAid.

My grandmother had this dishwasher just the built in version. I wish I could buy a new one of these today! They don't make then like they used too that's for sure! It ran everyday from the 70's until about 2015 when the electronics finally went out. Incredible. Thanks for the video, this was nostalgic for me!

OMG it’s even got walnut trim on it ... OMG I love it .. Why don’t they make this stuff anymore it’s FABULOUS

My parents bought the previous KitchenAid Superba Portable version in 1975 (without the middle wash arm and disposer), and it lasted for 20 years. An excellent machine all the way! Thanks for the memories.

I’m trying to buy one just like this one now. My grandma had one when I was younger. Then it was replaced because “newer is better” What a mistake. The Hobart will be replacing my 11 year old kitchen aid that has been giving me nothing but trouble. Can’t wait to get it. Great video btw. That thing cleans really well.

Oh my gosh.....I am old...lol. I bought a portable dishwasher in 1977. It had a butcher block top.

My parents still have this in their kitchen. They bought it 1975 at Hudson's downtown Detroit. It was used until the early 2000's.

Hey kids, once upon a time, dishwashers and washing machines were built to actually wash dishes and clothes. Somehow they just worked. Simple.

I recall my patents had this model. It was the best at the time. The sounds of the rolling racks bring back memories!

I noticed that you didn't cover the Short Wash cycle in your cycle description. I love those choppers too! I also love those colorful plates. A lot of people say that these dishwashers use more energy than the new ones. Not really. The cycle time is much shorter on many older models and we can get the same if not better results. I feel that the energy use balances itself out with the shorter run times on the older machines.

We had one of these probbly in 1978 it lasted until I went to college in the 90s . Periodically my dad had to clean the filter cause it would get clogged up and wash our kitchen floor!!! But with regular maintenance they are good . We had in wall oven too that was in the house till the the 80s . Crazy how solid they made stuff in the 60s and 70s

Thanks for the memories...we had the built-in version, installed in the mid seventies. I left the home, moved back in the early ninties, and replaced it about 2000...not because it stopped working, just had to get rid of the Harvest Gold!

What is thing definitely cleans better than the one I just got. Got a love the old technology. Congratulations on a great find.

The literature was cool to see. We had a smaller portable dishwasher very similar to this one. It had a butcher block top. We LOVED it. The teenage war on who would do the dishes ended when we got this. Thanks for the soap advice, I’ll try it. My Mom never put her sharps in the dishwasher. We were told things like knives and your cutter/chopper blades would dull. But everything else was spotless. Mom cried the day it died. The element got stuck on heat and glowed red and melted all the plastic. Plastic was dripping from every bar on the rack. When it cooled it looked like art. Thank for the memories.

I had that dishwasher and absolutely loved it. My mother took it to use in her house when I moved out of the area and used it for another 15-20 years. A couple things you may not know-- 1. You may be able to change the front panel colors by unscrewing the front piece of chrome. Some models had 4 panel colors Black, White, Gold and Green. 2. Did you add Jet Dry to the dispenser? If not you should. Do not use any other brand. Those machines were made for Jet Dry and it works the best. While I'm rambling on here-- Do not put any plastics in the bottom rack of the machines-- dishwasher safe or not. Over time the heat in that drying unit will warp them. (Don't ask me how I know-- experience.) The sterilization feature on that unit can also be used for baby bottles and canning jars that need to be completely sterilized. That machine is a workhorse. The only thing you may need to do to it, is run a bottle of dishwasher cleaner/descaler through it 3-5 times a year if you have hard water. It will live a long time. I have a new Bosch here now-- and other than being quiet, the darn thing doesn't hold a candle to the machine you have. ENJOY IT!

Way ahead of our time. You won’t find anything like this these days. Enjoyed watching this video.

Fantastic presentation! I helped take that thing to it's new home and let me tell you that thing is about as heavy as a baby grand piano! Surprised to see how well it works!

Okay, I’m genuinely impressed by it’s performance. I’ve been using dishwashers for over a decade (home cleaning services) and most of them cant even clean the stuff I put in there that I’ve already taken the gunk off of.

That is the most dishes I’ve ever seen in a loaded dishwasher! Awesome packing skills!!!

i had no idea old dishwashers were better! Now i want one of these my god.

I have this model down in basement canning area/Summer kitchen, and it will out clean my $1,400.00 Whirlpool-made KitchenAid ANY DAY! Is it loud? You bet it is, and I couldn't care less! This thing BLASTS the grime off of the dishware with the incredible power of its 1/2 hp motor. I have 3 dishwashers in my house and we use them all.

My aunt and uncle built a house in 1975 and it had a Kitchenaid dishwasher. I use to rinse her dishes and load the dishwasher. It was white and built in, although the buttons and lights were similar. It had the lever in the middle and the same soap dispenser.

As soon as the Powercleans/Ultrawashes came out they became the most reliable and powerful dishwasher on the market, still as well as Kitchenaid equally. Absolutely amazing machines these are, I have a portable Whirlpool Powerclean with the 5 level wash system, designed in the 90s but was manufactured in 2005 as a portable model.

My mom had a dishwasher in 1968 that looked and worked a lot like this one. Never had a problem with getting the dishes clean as nobody had restrictors on water sources back then. Washing machines for clothes worked better then for the same reason.

These dishwashers are much better than the modern junk we have today.

I want this dishwasher! Our house had a 2001 built-in Kitchen Aid, which cleaned well. This is even better than that.

I have this dishwasher! The built-in one. Ours is brown, but I made it pink with contact paper. I love how hefty it is.

This was very cool to see. We had a 90s GE 500? Dishwasher it had one spinner blade it was near worthless with cleaning dishes imo. Got a now 3-5 ish year old Maytag with 3 and it’s amazing what a properly built dishwasher can do. The new Kitchen aid with it’s 3rd racks and gadgets looks cool. Still a shame they all been bought out imo.

Ive been looking for house to rent or buy with a friend and I love seeing kitchens from like the 70s or 80s. It's nostalgia Thanksgiving at Grandms to me. My friend hates it of course lol. Our current dishwasher I swear you can't have anything close together otherwise it just don't clean very well

I inherited this dishwasher with the house we moved into. I was just about to go into the market of finding a new dishwasher and I'm so glad I found this video because I'm definitely keeping my dishwasher and I'm going to buy the soap that you recommend because I'm having the same problem with residue. I was not lucky enough to have a manual so helping me with the different buttons is going to be a life changer. Thank you a million times for having this video

I've got a KD-17. Was in the house when I moved here (more than 20 years ago) . Stumbled on this video while seaching for the manufacture dates. Working like a charm to this day, granted I don't use it daily, as I don't generate enough dishes to do that, but it is a faithful unit thats always got the job done.

I love these Hobart Kichenaids! A Hobart dude told me they regret selling the KitchenAid line up to Whirlpool, who cheapened the brand..ie no more drain valve, or hot air fan dry.

I have one of the newest models of the Kitchen Aid dishwasher and I did a test between two detergents. I tried the Cascade "Boil Out" w/phosphate and the Bubble Bandit dishwasher detergent. The Cascade worked well but still left some streaks and spots while the Bubble Bandit gave impressive results. Squeaky clean dishes with a beautiful shine. My dishwasher has a programmable feature for the rinse-aid; I set that to OFF so it does not dispense any rinse-aid. I'm getting results like I used to get in the 80's. Today's dishwashers and detergent packs are a recipe for disaster. I used Cascade Platinum and Platinum rinse-aid in my last Kitchen Aid dishwasher and it killed it in 5 years.

This is the exact one my house has, and still works. Great dishwasher we have the black built in one this was had such 70’s vibes when we bought it lol

I loved your video! You did an outstanding job of explaining the features and mechanical operations of this model. I have been a dishwasher enthusiast since I was a small child observing my aunt's KitchenAid dishwasher from 1968. Coincidentally, the model that you feature in this video is the same exact model that I have in my kitchen, however mine is the built-in version (KDS-18). I can tell you that I have stretched the capacity of my dishwasher on many occasions and everything still comes out clean. I love the soak and scrub cycle for heavily soiled bake ware. I use Cascade powder with phosphates which I buy online and my home water temperature is set to approximately 160 degrees.

THE BEST DISHWASHER EVER MADE......POWERFUL CLEANING SYSTEM....ALSO THE LADY KENMORE N 1972....

The higher end Kenmore appliances were Basically re badged kitchenaid Appliances. My mom worked for Sears Back in the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and early 90s. Although it was not portable we had This exact dishwasher and all the matching Kenmore/kitchenaid Appliances also in harvest gold. They really were solidly built appliances And after my father died In 2001 I sold his house in Fort Lauderdale with the Same Ghastly harvest gold appliances My parents Purchased from Sears in 1978. 17 years after I sold that house It came back on the market. Although the neighborhood wasn't rough when I sold it in 2002 It was quickly going downhill however After the big housing bubble Burst in 2009 A mass migration of wealthy Colombians and Venezuelans swarmed the area and totally revitalized it. When I repurchased the house it had been completely Renovated With some pretty garisAnd ridiculous OrnateSlate countertops and marble floorsImagine my surprise when I found the original harvest gold kitchenaid/Kenmore/WhirlpoolRefrigerator with freezer on the bottom still running in the garage. After stripping out the ridiculous slate and marble and selling off the dumb sub 0 brand appliances I replaced everything with brand new Kenmore elite Appliances. I'd like to say that that old harvest gold refrigerator is still Going and although it is we don't currently have it running peak us when hooked up to a voltage meter it literally literally pulls 5 times the electricity Then the new Kenmore fridge with freezer on the bottom lol. So maybe it's a good thing they don't make them like they used to?🤣 I plug it in and use it whenever there is company or We are having a large get together and need the added space But other than that it stays unplugged and away from the power Outlet. I'll bet that dishwasher Uses 5 times the electricity and 10 times the water that a new one would but who cares when it's that beautiful? Lol

Had this model built in. It lasted a long time.

Old dishwashers are durable and more powerful than dishwashers of today.

So great that this amazing machine has found an appreciative home.

I love the way you’ve loaded your dishwasher

Great video! We had this model in a house that we owned. It did a tremendous job of cleaning and drying. We bought a new Kitchenaid over a year ago. It's an upper end model. It has the three racks and was a pricey. We love it. I would prefer the model you have. Keep it! You're extremely fortunate to have found it. It should last you for quite a few years. The best of luck to you.

I have a built-in and u r right...it's the best!!

I once had that dishwasher. Bought it preowned and loved it. So easy to repair and get parts in the day. i am a fan of the former Electrosol which is now Finish powder. Very hard to find.

I must be honest I never understood dishwashers because most people have to rinse the dishes before putting them in anyway and packing it in and sorting takes forever. I just wash dishes myself. But this was nice to see.

My stepdad bought my mon one of these “portable” dishwasher in “1973” for our apartment. It was the harvest gold too as that was the color of the stove and fridge that were in this newly built apartment. 😂 I hate that color to this day! It was a pain in the butt (for a teenager) to hook it up correctly......still spit water drops everywhere! Memories 😑🙂

My brand new top of line díshwasher takes darn near 3 hours for a basic cycle. Oh how I wish for the old days

My late grandmother had a General Electric portable dishwasher that looked similar to this one. She never used it from what I can remember, but it had a coppertone finish.

So powerful dishwasher! Well made and easy to move, install and use. So it's maybe perfect machine. 🙂

I want a 70s kitchen in my house and one of these is a must have!

That is the model my parents bought Worked great

A dishwasher's a MUST HAVE in this 🏡

That's right, Hobart KitchenAid! What I'd give for a dishwasher like that.

Wow! Great dishwasher! I wish they made them like this today 😕

Oooo I love it when my dishes are vintage washed. Analog clean so much smoother than digital. Those sani-pixels really harsh my lasagna.

Im extremely annoyed this thing has 40 year old nylon that survives everything meanwhile my 1500$ kitchenaid has plastics that disintegrate after 3 years rendering the racks useless. How far the mighty have fallen.

Vintage is the way to go! They made think's to last! My mom had a Kitchen Dishwasher...... When she had the appliance guy come tak

Having a guard for the middle level arm is genius... i hate having to give mine a test spin before turning on every single time to make sure its going to work.

We had one of these...my dad got one back in the 70s...it was very heavy, but worked...

Love the Troy and Abed in the Morning mug, I've got that same mug!

looks like a piece of laboratory equipment!! The aesthetic is pretty cool

Amazing cleaning for such a mature machine. 🥰

we had that same type of unit in the kitchen of my childhood home.............a true work horse.

My 1978 Kitchen Aid Superba that came with my house finally just died (very sad) after using it for 20 years with no problems. I know my new dishwasher won’t last nearly as long ( and it doesn’t work as well-somehow this feels like a failure of the modern world). I didn’t know how great it was until the appliance sales people told me what a gem it was and that the new models are crap compared to these old Superbas. The new one is much, much quieter, I’ll give it that.

One thing this video doesn’t mention these dishwasher are water guzzlers. The soak cycle uses 15 gallons of water. Today’s dishwashers use about 5 gallons. No wonder it does so well! KitchenAid was always my favorite anyway.

I have a 1984 KitchenAid Imperial 21, KDI-21D, that works great still. I tried to replace it with a newer dishwasher a few years back. I wasn't happy how the new dishwasher was working. Not sure if it uses less water, or the new ones are just junk, but they don't clean the dishes very well like the older ones do. There was a few times where I had to run the washer twice. Lucky for me, I kept the older dishwasher in the garage instead of taking it to the dump, so I reinstalled it and I have clean dishes again. I was within my warranty period with the new dishwasher, and the place that I bought it at was nice enough to give me a refund on the new crappy dishwasher. Until they make a good dishwasher again that actually cleans dishes with 1 pass, I am going to keep using old faithful.

Had that EXACT one but it was a built in at my parent house. Thing lasted 35 some years lol

The new Finnish Quantum does a great job at getting baked on and greasy dishes and pans clean. I like Cascade Platinum as well.

I have a new Kitchenaid washer, it does nicely so long as I use cascade platinum with the pre-rinse. I do wager the older ones were better though, they use 4-5x more water and probably at least twice as much power. Not much of a big deal if you're doing 1-2 loads a week though.

Great vid. I too have a KDS-58. Best damn dishwasher out there!

Amazing how things were so well built then and had character. Our Kenmore dishwasher is less than 5 years old and is literally falling apart smh

I've grown up with this dishwasher..even it is older than me..im 36..this is the model my parents have..and it still works..although according to it's water and electricity consumption and the price of electricity here..my mom doesnt use it as much as the past..it washes and dries surprisingly as well as bosch serie8 i have..

wow! great thank you i love dishwashers! good job!

Wow, that Sani Cycle really is a sanitary cycle, 180F is even higher than what most modern Euro DWs do!

what I want is a residential version of one of the industrial style units that run for a minute and 30 seconds and spit out the dishes clean and dry.

Just FYI, and this might not be important to you, but washing that green vintage Pyrex bowl with the flower pattern on it in the dishwasher will dull the paint over time and remove the glossy finish. Again, you might not be concerned about that but I just wanted to let you know. Excellent video! I love vintage appliances and you did an excellent job reviewing and showcasing this!