Kristin42,

You will get as many opinions on this as there are GardenWeb members.

Generally, Bosch and Meile are the quietest. It seems the more you spend, the quieter the dishwasher is. This is in part due to the extra sound deadening material installed and the design of the pumps and water retention/collection underbelly of the system. I know nothing of ASKO.

We have had 3 Bosch dishwashers in 2 homes. Our most recent purchase was a Bosch with the built-in water softener, which we bought after we learned such dishwashers with a built-in water softener were available in the US. We had not known of this until a workmate reported having purchased a Miele with this feature.

We bought the high end Bosch version instead of a similar featured Miele for two reasons. We have never had a problem with the two previous Bosch dishwashers, and because I got a fabulous price from an on-line dealer who literally had a truck load of them to unload. Our Bosch is a SHE68E15U. It is made in Germany, which is not typical for Bosch dishwashers sold in the US...although I don't know if this is of any significance.

Pros: Absolutely dead quiet, water softener, cutlery tray, 24/7 water protection (enclosed water catching bottom enclosure, water cutoff at the water inlet connection under the sink), half load option for all wash cycles, fingerprint rejection stainless door, a bit shallower front to back (typical of European dishwashers) which means installation might be easier.

Cons: Price, rack separation tines are closer together than some people can use for some dishware, a bit shallower front to back (typical of European dishwashers) which means there is less room inside, requires an electrical receptacle to plug-in which may be a problem during installation if your previous DW was hard wired to a circuit.

I guess I need to take my bowls to the appliance store. They are really deep and it may be tricky fitting them in.

After reading all online reviews for about a year, I'm about to order Miele's La Perla model; Miele seems to have the best reputation. BTW, has anyone noticed strong plastic odors emanating from the dishwasher, especially after the door has been closed between or during cycles? Over the years I've developed multiple chemical sensitivities and it is unbelievable how many appliances incorporate seemingly toxic (to me anyway) plastics. Specialists warn us of risks associated with putting plastics in dishwashers (and microwaves), but I can't find mention of the plastics already built in.

Just thought I'd chime in about the dishwasher. I've had my Bosch dishwasher for 4 years now and I absolutely LOVE it. I've had people stand next to it while it was running and didn't even know that it was on until the water started to drain out of it. Never a problem, never a service call. The only downfall I can think of is the silverware holder...it's too small. I can't remember exactly what model I own..the buttons are on the front and it was right around $1000. I would definately recommend anyone to purchase Bosch...but I've also heard great things about Miele. Good luck with whatever you buy...the quietness of the nicer dishwashers is wonderful.

We purchased an Asko and are very happy with it. It's quiet, cleans well, and dries the dishes without the heated drying cycle. It uses very little dishwashing detergent and uses our phosphate-free brand without any problems. We took our dishes to the store and they seemed to fit into the Asko better than the Bosch. I wanted the delay option, and could only find it on the highest priced Mieles so we purchased the Asko.

Open box Miele La Perla via mail order? I don't think so...

I had the same dilema few months ago. I have Bosch (the quietest unit) and I bought Asco.
I ruled out Miele since there is no practical difference between Miele and Asco that I could justify the price increase.
I would replace the Bosch anytime with the Asco. Asco I believe is quieter and does not stink up like Bosch (yest I did route the discharge on Bosch correctly). But Bosch has better baskets - for that matter Kenmore has best baskets ever - but this is hardly the reason to go back to Kenmore.

Thanks for all the input. I haven't placed my order yet, but Asko was highest and I am feeling better about that selection now.

In doing research I've found Asko dishwashers to be more repair-prone than Mieles.

That doesn't mean you'll have a problem with them, just something I found.

I purchased Miele myself.

I have used all three brands at their "mid level" models; Asko, Bosch, and Miele.

The newer Bosch is the worst in terms of rack design and cleanability (if there is such as word) in my personal experience. I think the Bosch filter (they all have filter design) tend to let more tiny specks through compared to the others. Black beans seem to be the worst. When we have black bean soup, there is always a little bits of black bean that collects on the depressions of coffee cups. I had this problem with the old Asko also, but my new Bosch is worse.

The upper racks on the newer Bosch is terrible. You cannot fit many things on it. There is a side fold down upper racks on all of these units. Bosch is the only one that uses plastic for this side fold down rack. The other brands use metal. Because the plastic is so thick and because of its placement, it does not allow many cups to fit under it well. My dishes are a common European brand, Villeroy and Boch, so I would assume that the sizing fits these DW well enough! I use this rack quite a bit and I am disappointed with how Bosch did this compared to the other Brands.

Miele also adds another fold down rack on the the bottom rack. This really increases the capacity. This can fit coffee cups, small bowls etc. This is AWESOME in my opinion. Bosch nor Asko has this feature.

Not only that, if you look at the rack design side by side, you will see that the spacing between the Bosch tines is larger than the Asko and Miele on some rows. This reduces the capacity of the DW. The spacing on the Bosch is more reminescent of the typical older American DWs.

They are all pretty quiet. You WILL hear the water emptying etc. There is NONE that is absolutely silent, this is a misnomer. You will hear some gurgling here and there. While the spray arm is operating, they are all "virtually" quiet.

My Asko died after 10 years. I miss it dearly. My neighbor's Miele needed major repair after 3 years. My new Bosch is not up to snuff of what my Asko was in terms of usability. There are so many stories if you ask around, there is NO perfect DW with perfect record.

I am redoing my entire kitchen this year. I will be "pitching" my brand new Bosch for a Miele. (It will go to the rental house, so I am not really throwing it away!) Because of the Asko reliability issue, even though I did okay at 10 year mark, I am going with a Miele. My neighbor replaced her Miele with Asko when they redid their kitchen! (Go figure)

have had a bosch for 8 years after 7 i finally had to replace the on off switch. just as quiet as the day I purchased it. a complete no brainer for purchasing a new dw in the future. no smell, super quiet

I would also add Fagor and Blomberg to your choices. They are rated similarly to the brands you mentioned but at a much better price-point.

I just bought a Blomberg tall-tub.

We've owned various top of the line dishwashers from Bosch, Fisher/Paykel and Miele over the last decade.

The Bosch have been the quitest and cleaned the best. The Miele was very good, but a clear notch below. The Fisher/Paykel dishdrawers are fine, but too noisy.

We have had our Asko for 5 years...not problems at all, cleans beautifully, and is the quietest.

I'm a professional musician (orchestra conductor) and very sensitive to sound timbres and volume levels. My ears are my business, and I can pretty much hear just about anything, LOL. Because our kitchen was going to be open to the rest of the house after our renovation, I was very concerned about noise levels.

I went to a high end appliance store that had running models of Miele, Bosch, and Asko next to each other. After listening to each one separately, I chose the Asko because it was the least noticable. I think technically by decibel level the Miele is supposed to be a fraction quieter, but to my ears it has a higher and brighter tone (what a funny thing to say about a DW). The Asko had a lower frequency, which to my ears is more pleasant and in the background. Think of this like the difference between an oboe and a clarinet...the thinner and brighter tone of the oboe will project much easier than the mellow clarinet.

As for repair history...what the online polls don't tell you is that Asko went thru a reorganization of the company, and also improved the quality and construction of their dishwashers. Bosch has had similar problems historically with repair issues...for a while they were spontaneously leaking water from the bottom of the units.

One other thing to remember about noise levels in your DW...if you have a large bowl or large pots and pans, you'll probably hear more sound coming from your machine, as the noise of the water hitting the inside of the mixing bowl will resonate.

And another trick to keeping DW noise levels down is to make sure you don't install it next to a large empty base cabinet like a corner lazy susan unit. What some people do is put an extra side wall between the DW and the next cabinet to help deaden any resonance.

Also, make sure you measure your DW carefully, as most European DW like the Asko are slightly narrower than the American models. Many cabinet companies make dishwasher base units a standard 24" wide, which means you'll have a gap with the European DW. Which can bleed more sound out into the kitchen.

I am *so* dissapointed in our brand new mid-level Bosch dishwasher. It doesn't do a great job in cleaning the dishes unless they are spaced VERY far apart. So far apart, in fact, that its almost not even worthwihle to use the thing - washing by hand is faster. I have tried everything to get it to work - I think we may just trash it and get a KA or Miele... we'll have to see.

I've had a nice Blomberg since Oct 2009. 2 service issues already. Parts take FOREVER to get from Blomberg, and Blomberg said they are have trouble with the pumps. I am waiting (week 3!) for a new pump now.

I had a Bosch and was very disappointed. It was quiet. However, our dishes were never dry and there were often smells in spite of the fact that we cleaned the filters regularly. We had it removed and replaced with a Kitchenaid.

In our new kitchen, we went with the Miele Excella....it's outstanding. You don't hear a thing and our dishes are wonderfully clean....and dry:-)

Tracy

I had a mid level Asko for 10 years (it died at 10 year mark, YMMV). It worked quite well. I could fit a large amount of dishes. Cleaned and dried well. Was pretty quiet. Replaced it with a mid level Bosch. The rack design is terrible. I feel like I can only fit 2/3 of what I used to. I used a Miele on a trip for 2 weeks. The Miele has infinitely better rack design.
My 6 months old Bosch is coming out and going into my rental because that DW needs to be replaced. I am putting in a $1200 DW in the rental house (I could have put in a $500 DW and the tenants would have been happy enough), because I hate the rack in the Bosch. I am replacing it with a Miele, which is sitting in the garage right now.

I agree Miele rack layout is better than Bosch one, but I'm very surprised by these several complaints about Bosch cleaning skills. Maybe it happens just on entry level models ? These ones are different makes than middle and top of the line models

hidroman,
I think these fine individuals with complaints have something off-nominal about either their machines or the installation - probably the latter I think. I have a mid-line Bosch which is now 5 years old and it cleans brilliantly. The racks aren't the greatest in the world for me but not the worst either. Had I paid better attention to the racks when I was selecting the machine back when I was purchasing, I'd have gotten a different one. As it is, the Bosch is absolutely brilliant for cleaning - I only run my machine about twice a week so food does have a tendency to dry on it. Still it gets it all perfectly shiningly clean and that also with only a half tablet.

The only time I had a case of stinky-dishwasher was when I had a clog in the drain-line which eventually led to a slow drain and then even backed up into the sink. This was right after our remodel and it all took about 2 weeks of the problem only manifesting itself in a malodorous DW which had pre-remodel been quite odour-free. Our plumber cleared and checked the drain all the way out of the house and voila - that was the last time I had a smell in there. (Well apart from the one other time when I put dishes after eating fish and forgot to run the DW straight away. After a day of that, the DW reeked, until it got run.)

So, yes, based on my experience with a mid-line Bosch (about 1K or 1.1K 5 years ago) it is a brilliant cleaning machine and I do think that these complaints have more to do with installation issues or installation parameters than anything else.

Brunosonio,
There was a sound engineer on this board a few years ago who said exactly what you said about the Asko, too. Those with great auditory acuity may want to consider that.

I agree with mrtimewise. Miele and Bosch are both quiet. I think the Bosch may be quieter and slightly less expensive. I've had the miele 18" d/w for 9 yrs. Very quiet, not one mechanical problem and I love the third tier silverware rack and removeable 1st tier baskets that allowed me to wash larger pots and pans. Very helpful in a small d/w. I know nothing about the asko. I don't think you can go wrong with either the bosch or miele, simply a matter of taste.

I have a brand new Bosch SHE55M05UC and regret very much
buying it. Although it cleans well, it is extremely noisy.
Bosch sent their service guy to service the machine, and he told me to wrap the machine in insulation, and that I should accept this amount of noise. You can hear water sloshing around inside the machine from 20 ft. away. Don't
buy a Bosch.

Sounds unrealistic.

rayrose smells to me like someone who is in the appliance business, and who has a bone to pick with Bosch.

I think there are some people who intend to bring Bosch down, for commercial reasons.

I have whatever the top-of-the-line Bosch Integra was 4 and a half years ago. Actually, I have two. Have never had a problem (knock wood) and love how quiet they are and how they clean dishes. Had I not read various threads on this forum, I would never have known anyone had complaints about Bosch dws. The action of the doors pleases me; the gentleness on my dishes does, too. I always use less detergent than called for (Cascade) and keep the rinse aid compartment full.

I'm not in the appliance business, and have no bone to pick
with Bosch, except I want them fix my dishwasher or refund my money. They are sending a second repairman and we'll see what happens next. FYI my brother has a Bosch and is totally pleased with it. That's one of the reasons why I bought the machine, but I wouldn't do it again.

"yeah sure, a likely story, you, you, internet person you!"
Since no-one can verify anything over the internet, I'll maintain my position.

For me to find something believable, I find the text describing problems and complaints has to include a few more hard facts and not just what I see above, which are "emotions in written form".

Davidro,

I am a supremely contented Bosch DW owner but it isn't that unbelievable that rayrose may have a defective product OR a defective installation. A lot of people have complained here about their Bosch dishwashers - some have hyperventilated more than warranted to be sure in their quest to get what they probably ultimately wanted anyhow, but still it doesn't invalidate the fact that the guy may actually have a legitimate complaint.

And how do you know that I *am* a contented Bosch DW owner? How do you know that I'm not actually a disgruntled KA owner who is doing their best to redirect people to another machine? ;-)

Rayrose, these are really quiet machines in general My Bosch DW is one of my most dependable work-horses in the kitchen: I put in grungy things, run it 3 days later and it all comes out quietly and efficiently clean and dry.
You may have a stuck or imbalanced pump or arm or something. Unfortunately, the repair people are often untrained ignoramuses who will say anything to come across sounding smart even as they spout utter nonsense. These service guys are not usually Bosch chaps but rather a clown from some company where one rep got brand accreditation or some such thing.
"Wrapping it in insulation" indeed! - the fellow is smoking dope. Can you call the company from where you bought the machine and ask them to have them either coordinate fixing the machine to proper operating params or to come pick it back up. A SHE55M05UC should be really pretty darned quiet as it is a very much of a top-line machine. Mine is a very quiet-but-not-silent machine and it is ~5 years old and a lower-end model than is yours as it was a mid-range machine 5 years ago. Yours should be even more quiet than is mine.

Either call Bosch and tell them what the service rep person told you or better yet, just call the vendor and ask him to help you coordinate the service. Sometimes the vending operations do their own service - that is the case with some of hte major vendors in Boston and I've been delighted in the 2-3 cases when I needed some support from them for any of our appliances (none of which was the DW, by the way).

"A SHE55M05UC should be really pretty darned quiet as it is a very much of a top-line machine"

That's the actual question ! the sloshing sound was no more audible in top-line Bosch DW made 25 years ago

About doped repairmens : in another thread about Miele drying issues, the wise man told the customer the culprit of unproper drying was hard water ...go figure, everybody knows that rinse aid is necessary to dry in euro DW ... LOL

I have an Asko. I got it because the Bosch wouldn't fit under our counter. Asko gave us a 3 service warranty. I had a problem with cleaning - they fixed it over the phone. Tge dishwasher is quiet - only uses 3 gallons of water to clean the dishes. The dishes come out sparkly and very clean.

"because the Bosch wouldn't fit under our counter"

True, your regular Bosch are tall tub for us in Europe. Our regular 81.5 cm high models are sold there as "special application" (Bosch USA website).

The same applies to Miele. While you mostly have G2000 models 84.5 cm high, here we have mostly G1000 81.5 cm high models

Asko adds a XXL to tall tub models

I bought my Bosch on line from Fredericks in Alabama, and
I'm in SC, so Frederick's can't do anything except offer advice, which they have done. The two times I've called Bosch about the noise, I've let the rep listen to the machine over the phone line, and the rep stated that the machine should not make that much noise. I've paid to have the machine installed and then uninstalled and reinstalled at the insistance of the Bosch service rep. So installation is not the problem, its the machine. It's unfortunate that
some people automatically post negative comments, when they know nothing about the situation, but that's their problem.

Kitchendetective...interesting point! Of course, it's all going to be relative. What one person senses as quiet is going to be slightly noisier to others.

What I found after asking a lot of questions in appliance stores was that you have to be careful with which model you are getting in any particular brand. Most, like Asko, have entry/mid/high levels, and the biggest difference besides features once you get to the mid and high levels is the amount of soundproofing. Or the type of soundproofing, which affects the frequency of sound that escapes. That's why I sought out stores with demonstration kitchens and working dishwashers.

Drying issues with Euro DW:
All three do not dry plastics nearly as well as American DWs. It does not matter how much drying agent you put in the DWs. If you think about it, the water that collects in the divets of dishes actually pools there and has no chance of draining out. For that you need a well designed rack so that it is tilted as much as possible to help drain the water. This is where well designed racks make a huge difference with drying issue! In this, Bosch is the worst. In my household, Bosch also fits the least amount of our dishes. The glad plastic el-cheapo containers have a large divet where it collects water when you turn it upside down. I have used all three Euro DWs. For me, Miele is the hands down best, then my old Asko, then Bosch for rack design. Ineteresting enough, Miele has not changed their rack layout in many years. Whereas, Bosch and Asko tend to change them every few years. To me, the newer middle cutlery tray Asko looks rather odd and looks as if you can't really fit large dishes in there. I have NOT used it, however.

My old Asko actually had a heating element at the bottom and it dried plastics fine with the element BUT I had to make sure plastic was NOT at the bottom rack. We decided not to use the heating element to dry, which was an option on the Asko. So when you compare the drying of all three without using the heating element on the Asko, they are all about the same, IMHO...

I am not sure if the newer Askos have heating elements at the bottom like my old one did. Any how, if you want all your plastics to dry in the DW, I would skip the Euro ones. On the other hand, your plastics will last much longer in the Euro DWs. When I left the Asko heating element on, I often found that a plastic had fallen down and melted... This was one of the reasons I decided not to use the heating element.

> "....It does not matter how much drying agent you put in the DWs...."

It DOES matter WHICH ONE.
Miele, Somat, regular Finish rinse aids don't work with plastic.
The only one is Finish TURBO DRY.
It does work in Miele , AEG, Zanussi-Electrolux, Bauknecht-Whirlpool euro dishwashers
Kaismom try this one, then we can talk about euro DW again

I've been comparing the Miele and Asko dishwashers this year. What I have not seen posted is the difference in warranty or the type of drying on the new models. The Asko offers a three year parts and labor warranty versus a one year on the Miele. The Asko also uses a hidden heating element so plastics are kept safe versus the air drying of the Miele. I do like the cutlery tray option on the Miele and would like to see that on the Asko. I could really care less about the sound level. With an active family and pets sound levels tend to be high anyway. My priority is that the machine does what it was designed to do (wash dishes). Cleaning performance and reliability should be top notch, with versatile baskets and trays. No pre-rinsing needed. Energy efficiency is lower on the list of priorities. Someone did mention a re-organization at Asko. It appears they have faith in their product and are willing to back it up with a longer warranty.

One thing I forgot to mention is that even domestic brands can be reliable. Were still using a Whirlpool 980 Quiet Partner dishwasher that we purchased in 1995. We've never needed service on this unit. It is now in need of some new dish racks as they are showing signs of rust. By my count that is 18 years with almost daily use.

Anybody has an update re Asko vs Miele dishwasher. My kitchen appliance showroom sells both, however, they say Asko has more durable (metal vs plastic in Miele) parts. Any advice/experience will be appreciated.

OK, after raving about the Asko when we put it in back in 2007, I've changed my mind. It bit the dust in 2013, something about a circuit board or computer chip that had to be replaced which was going to cost almost the same as a new unit. I was also not super happy with how well the Asko was cleaning dishes and we had many issues with the pump stopping because of the floater valve. We started from scratch and ended up buying a near top of the line Kitchenaid dishwasher and couldn't be happier. It's quieter than the Asko, cleans better, is built like a Mack truck, and holds way more. And it's less than a Miele.

I'm trying to decide between Asko or Miele too. Our showroom made the same comment about the Asko being more durable, but I've had a Miele for 14 years, loved it, still love it, and don't want to be disappointed by a new dishwasher. The reason for purchase is because we are moving to a new house and need a new dishwasher. The Miele in our old house is still going strong, looks great, and works great. I'm leaning toward a new Miele, unless someone says they are not as good as they used to be.

I've posted in other threads here about ASKO. Last autumn I replaced a 13-year-old ASKO which I had purchased new with another ASKO. I, too, started from a blank slate. My priorities were efficiency and cleaning performance. Bosch and KitchenAid were rather quickly dropped from consideration, leaving Miele and ASKO.

I went to the appliance store to compare the two at similar prices and, honestly, was disappointed in the Miele. Lots of plastic in the tub, and the racks moved in and out like they belonged to a low-end GE DW. The ASKO felt so much more substantial and there was a lot more metal inside.

The warranty difference -- well, for the money Miele asks for even its most inexpensive DW, you'd think they could offer more than a one-year warranty. And I was encouraged that the moves from Merloni (from the era of my old ASKO) to Gorenje (the current ASKOs) and service through Sub-Zero/Wolf created a dishwasher that stood with the best of them. So far I have not been disappointed.

(Oh, I will note in another thread here I mention that the add-rinse-agent indicator never went out on my DW. I found out that's because I was not putting anywhere near enough rinse agent into it to fill it completely. That tank holds a lot!)