Frigidaire Professional Dishwasher FPID2497RF First Impressions Review

Being restaurant-inspired, the appliances in the Professional lineup are designed with straightforwardness and durability in mind. Heavy-duty handles, thick knobs, and clean, straight lines are at the forefront of this particular aesthetic.

This style isn't everyone's cup of tea, but for those looking to capture the utilitarian look of a commercial kitchen, Frigidaire's announcement provides some intriguing options. The hard corners and heavy handles aren't the only attractive aspects of the Professional lineup, either. Frigidaire has priced these appliances competitively in hopes of making these options enticing to a wide swath of consumers.

Case in point: The Frigidaire Professional Dishwasher FPID2497RF arrives with an MSRP of just $1,099. We spent some time with it on the KBIS floor today. Here are our findings.

Design & Features

The first thing you'll notice about the Frigidaire Professional Dishwasher is its bare, almost monolithic design. The aesthetic is a futuristic take on brutalism; less aggressive, more metallic, but just as deliberately plain. The style will certainly be polarizing, but I personally think it would look great in most modern kitchens.

The only thing on the front face of the machine is a round handle that feels just as sturdy as it looks. The material is a uniform, brushed stainless steel that compliments the dishwasher's angular build. Like every entry in the Professional line, the dishwasher features a smudge-proof finish, which resists fingerprints and long-term stains.

You'll come across the term "heavy-duty" quite a bit when sifting through testimonials of the Frigidaire Professional line, and it's for good reason: Opening the door of the dishwasher takes a fair bit of elbow grease. But that's the whole idea, right?

On the top edge of the door you'll find a collection of touch controls that serve as your guiding light as you navigate this brave new world of professional-grade dishwashing. The usual suspects—settings like "Normal Wash", "Rinse", and "Sanitize"–are all accounted for, but there's also a customizable preset ("My Favorite") and a button to initiate a 30-minute wash.

Frigidaire is promising that this 30-minute wash will thoroughly clean dishes in a quarter of the time of a standard wash, but we won't be able to confirm or deny this claim until we actually get the dishwasher into our labs.

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Traditionalists might be apprehensive about a hidden, touch-sensitive control panel, but Frigidaire has included a blue LED on the bottom of the unit that keeps you informed of the wash cycle's status. Unsure whether the dishes are done? Just check the floor beneath the dishwasher for a soft, blue glow.

The interior of the washer is host to the typical shelves and whirligigs one associates with a modern dishwasher. Considering the sturdiness of the rest of the appliance, the shelves slide in and out with a surprisingly light, quick action.

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The Professional Dishwasher comes equipped with Frigidaire's OrbitClean (or OrbitPower) circular spray arm, which was a hit with our reviewers on past models.

The Takeaway

While we can't pass final judgment on the Frigidaire Professional Dishwasher until we put it to the test in our labs, its overall build quality and design sense certainly seem to hit the mark. There's no doubt that this dishwasher could bring professional-grade style to just about anyone's kitchen.

The look is almost ostentatiously subdued, as oxymoronic as that might sound. For me, though, it works. I found myself drawn to the industrial aesthetics, which tickled my inner minimalist and benefitted from my distaste for clutter.

The Frigidaire Professional line will be available in April of 2015, encompassing everything from refrigerators and ranges to griddles and toaster ovens.

Meet the tester

Michael Desjardin

Senior Staff Writer

@Reviewed

Michael Desjardin graduated from Emerson College after having studied media production and screenwriting. He specializes in tech for Reviewed, but also loves film criticism, weird ambient music, cooking, and food in general.

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