We have the Miele Optima and love it. Seriously considered the model two below it (Inspira?), but liked the lower rack configuration better on the Optima and decided the built-in water softener feature was worthwhile for our area. Otherwise, the Inspira would have been fine for us, as we generally use the Normal cycle for 99% of our loads. I know as you go up in model, the Miele's get quieter, but I don't know how noticeably.

I don't know if the top-solo feature is offered on the models you're considering (or even on ours!), but I will say that I LOVE the cutlery tray!).

I thought the Bosch smelling issue was because of either no high loop or air gap for the drain...an installation issue. We have 2 Bosches (500 Series) and love them as much as we did the Bosch we had in our last house for 8 or 9 years...still going strong (clean, quiet, and odorless) when we left.

I went with Bosch instead of Miele in our new house, because of price. I found Bosch to do a good job and do it quietly, so more money to have the same clean dishes done quietly didn't make sense for us, especially when we were buying 2. --Although, I was very intrigued with and tempted by the cutlery tray. (My sister has it and loves it.) I wouldn't spend the money for a Miele and not get that highly regarded feature.

We have JUST this evening decided on the Miele Optima because of rave reviews here (thanks, Cat Mom )and from the Appliance salespeople. Don't have it yet so I can't give a review. Good luck!

I have a 3+ year old Bosch (a 500 series - sh*46* or sh*56*) and love it - quiet and I love the brilliant cleaning (and drying) and its reliability. I've had it 3.5 years and while it doesn't run every day, it has always gotten things brilliantly clean even after sitting with 3-4 day old dishes. Meanwhile, I had house-guests one after another for about 5 weeks when the dishwasher DID run every day to twice a day and it *still* kept up marvellously. I also love the cutlery trays on the Miele - in the parents house, and I'd never dissuade anyone from either brand since performance-wise I found them both outstanding. Most excellent and least sensitive cleaning I've ever found in dishwashers.

That said, which one of those 5 or 6 models to get? Get the one with the options and configurations you like. That was how I picked. I too had a mish-mash of a few Bosch and a few Mieles and ultimately chose the particular DW that had the largest subset of options that I wanted. My only regret about my sh46 or sh56 is that whichever one I do have has a manual rack adjustment rather than the rackmatic. At the time, I thought that as long as I could adjust the rack, it wouldn't matter so much whether I did it by manually reconfiguring it or via a clutch. Well, the manual adjustment is very cumbersome for me since I aggregate dishes over 3-4 days and don't always know at the time I start loading that I will want the rack to be higher or lower. I'd definitely like that automagic adjustment.

As someone who had a non-smelly Bosch installed just pre-remodel, which after remodel and reinstallation became a smelly Bosch, and which, in our case, after having the drains snaked and unclogged went back to being a non-smelly Bosch, I can assert that if your DW smells it probably isn't the DW itself! Folks with other brands including Mieles have reported having smell problems and I don't believe for one second that it was the DW. There is nothing organic in these things for them to rot and smell. It's in your pipes - either in the inport as rhome said or in the outport.

I have 2 Bosch and have been very happy with them. I had a smell issue once and after we'd had them for a while with no problem. I didn't find it immediately, but it turned out that there was a lump of what I can only guess was meat fat that got caught up in one of the disposals. Once I got that gross glob out of there, I've had no more problems.

I looked at Meile and wasn't sure if the racking would load well for us. The other issue was that I was drawn to the water softening capability, but that put it in the top price bracket. When we decided to put in a second DW, the price became twice the issue. At that point, I'd be better off getting a whole house softener.

I think you could be happy with any of them -- check out the racking options, cycles and other features to make sure you get what you need most.

I doubt you will go wrong with a Miele. We love ours and it gets rave reviews here. Also was impressed in learning that Miele manages the service aspects when needed so they can keep abreast of problems and constantly evolve their product.

Super quiet and while I initially thought the cutlery tray may me gimmicky - I must say I wouldn't buy another DW without the cutlery tray.

Get the Miele - hands down

I went to the Bosch web site and I can't find any of the 300 series models you mention so I am not sure what they offer. It's not easy to compare entry level models of one brand with with top of the line models or another brand but you can compare price. You didn't list any models in the 800 series but this is their top of the line so that should be good.

You did mention Miele Advanta, and the Inspira. These are entry level Models. I don't care for the Advanta although I know folks do have them and like them. I don't care for it because it has a different drying system than all of the other models. They have passive condensation drying which just lets the dishes sit and dry by condensation. The rest of the Miele models use a fan to assist this process which I think helps things dry better. Only MY opinion!

The Miele Optima is the mid point in the line and It offers more flexibility in cycles, energy saving features, and loading than the entry models.

The Miele cutlery tray is FANTASTIC! Everything gets so clean & it frees up so much room below. It is easy & fast to load & unload. It encourages the other members of my family to separate cutlery when they load instead of nesting in a basket where it doesn't get clean. I like not being stabbed by cutlery anymore.

Thanks, all, for all of the help! I should add that all of these models are being discontinued, which is why we can afford to look at them at all (and also why it's been difficult to track down detailed info on some of them). We would *love* to go with the Optima (or our dream, which is actually the Miele Slimline--perfect for our space, but double the price of these models!) Our budget is much smaller, though. (These discontinued models are going for $500-$800, a far cry from new higher end models for both Bosch and Miele.) So this is driving our decision--trying to maximize bang for buck given the options we have.

Ok then if you want a Miele go with the Inspira G2140sci.
This is the model with the separate cuterly tray.

One other thought. If you decide on a Bosch I would get the 800 series since this may have more features than the 300 except that I am not sure you can get them with visible controls. I personally don't like hidden controls - but if you are OK with that, the 800 series would be my Bosch way to go.

Gizmonike and others convinced us to go with the Miele Optima. Won't get it until September, but feel confident from all the rave reviews that it will do a great job on the dishes.

So, for those in the know, how important or preferrable is the CleanAir Drying vs. the Passive Drying system? Just wondering because I was ready to purchase the G2120SCSS (the Miele Inspira Pre-Finished in Stainless, Full Console) when I realized the drying system was not the CleanAir but the Passive.

If I were to go up to the Inspira 2180SCSF (the Fully Integrated model) the drying system is CleanAir. I wasn't planning on going with a fully integrated or panneled model but am wondering if I should for the CleanAir drying. I have 3 little ones, so lots of plasticware!

So, what are your expert opinions? Is the CleanAir drying superior to the passive drying system? Also, I've looked for the discontinued model 2140SC (which does have the CleanAir system) but haven't had any luck! Thanks for your opinions!

I have a two and a half year old Bosch and I have to say that I do NOT love it. We have had draining issues three times and it smells! We have snaked the drains, cleaned out the hose, and everything suggested. I still smell it. We have not had it installed for the last four weeks, as we are in the middle of a kitcehn remodel. Just befroe taking it out, it stopped draining again. We thought for a few days about replacing it, but in the end my DH fixed it once again and it is going back in. I have to say that my old kitchenaid was the best ever. Got things very clean. The biggest plus that the Bosch has going for it is that it is so quiet. Sometimes I forget if I have even turned it on.

Just my two cents worth, bt if it was me, I wouldn't spend the money on a Bosch.

I was thinking recently about the appliances we bought when we remodeled our kitchen three years ago, and I realized that both our Bosch appliances - a dishwasher and cooktop - have been a disappointment. The dishwasher doesn't come close to getting the dishes clean unless I scrub - not rinse, scrub - them before I run it. While the cooktop works well, there are little quality issues like screws falling off and loose parts that shouldn't be happening in such an expensive appliance. It also scratches terribly. These were our "higher end" purchases, which makes it even more disappointing.

To each his own, but I will never buy Bosch appliances again.