We got a new, US-made dishwasher installed today.

[MineralMan]

38. Absolutely. Our appliances mostly have too many features.

That makes them harder to use and more likely to fail. Our clothes dryer is like yours, only electric. You turn a knob to select the dryer's mode and press a button. When it's done, it buzzes at you.

Same with our top-loading washer. It's brand new, but works the same way. A rotary knob to choose the cycle you want and a Start/Stop button.

It's possible to save a lot of money on appliances by not paying for features you do not need. The stores all want to sell you the most expensive ones with the most features. But, over there, at the end of the row, are the simple ones that just do the job you want them to do, without any confusion or automation. Those are the ones that will last for a long time and cost you much less to buy.

When I went into Lowe's to choose a dishwasher, I found two that were priced at or just below $500. One was white. the other one had a stainless door panel. Neither had any digital display or clock or anything other than the basic controls needed to operate them. Lowe's didn't have the white one in stock, but had eight of the stainless ones. The salesperson tried to show me some others, including one that cost $1500. Nope, I said. I'll take the stainless one for $500, thanks. The one you have in stock. OK, she said, and wrote up the sale and installation arrangements. I was in and out of Lowes within 15 minutes.

Why did they have eight of the cheaper ones? Because they sell fast. Contractors buy them. They're contractor-grade appliances. No bells and whistles. Just the basics. They're always the best buy. I recommend contractor-grade appliances. Washers, dryers, kitchen ranges. Simple controls and affordable prices. I've met very few folks that ever use the fancy features on those things. Want to cook a meal? Just turn the knob for the burner you want to use or set the oven temperature. What more do you need? I have a $10 digital timer I use if I need to watch the cooking time.