Have you tried the appliance forum?

I know Bosch is popular, but it didn't seem to me like it had enough room. We bought a Whirlpool Gold a few years ago, and love it - very quiet, cleans really well, and easy to load.

Family of 4. Had KA which I thought poorly design as it left the electronic board exposed to the steam in the door and burned out after 4 years. Bought a Miele, yes smaller but better designed, plates are closer then the KA, so holds the same amount but by far superior in cleaning. With the KA, even when new had to pre rinse to get spot less. Miele I haven't had to and can't seem to put one in dirty enough to not come out clean. Same tablets used in both.

No heating element for drying so anything can go in, but everything comes out dry if not dryer then with the KA.
I now know why Miele dishwashers gets such great reviews.

Without a doubt Miele, best one I have had by far!

I have a Bosch 800 series and find it holds a LOT. I do suggest, however, and this applies to any brand, that you actually take some of your dishes and silverware to the store to see if yours fit. My Bosch holds my plates and bowls, but depending on the size and shape of yours, it may or may not be right for you.

That said, from the perspective of how well it cleans, it's perfect.

No experience with Bosch.

Love my Miele with the cutlery tray. The stainless finish is really beautiful matte and print-free. I had a Miele before and it worked really well for 8 years - sold it and upgraded based on looks...function was still great.

Miele is great. Love the cutlery tray because it frees up space on the other shelves.

We purchased a Frigidaire a couple of years ago (made by Kitchen Aid, I think)...it lived about 2 months past it's warranty then the motor died. It would have cost nearly as much as a new DW to get it fixed so we scrapped it.

I will not buy any more Frigidaire appliances! My boss had a GE DW that they never installed; she sold it to me for $30 and it runs like a charm.

Donna

we have a Kenmore Elite. Ours is at the end of the cabinet right behind a recliner in the den. It is whisper quiet. we will run it after dinner and I sit right next to it in my chill chair and chill.

I just bought a Bosch. It's the Ascenta version and it is made for Lowe's. I got it for $500 (50% off sale, which seems to be every 6 weeks or so).

I love it! I find it holds quite a bit, but really deep almost half circle shape bowls, are hard to fit in. It is super quiet and does a great job of cleaning. I don't run it every day, maybe every 3 days or so.

We've had our Bosch for about 3 months and I really like it. It holds more than any dishwasher I've ever had. I do wish the tines were not so close in the section next to the utensil basket. I can fit my small shallow Corelle cereal bowls there or saucers or my larger Corelle soup/pasta bowls. I very much like the third (top most) shallow rack for holding spatulas, grilling forks etc.

Another vote for the Miele with cutlery tray. They ain't cheap, but I bought the lowest priced one available with a tray when it went on promotion, I think it was in july, it was 2 years ago. 250$ off and extended warranty.

I've had a terrible experience with a Bosch and a GE in the few years prior.

We have a Bosch 800 series, and love it. We had had a 12 year old Kenmore prior to our kitchen remodel in January, and I had been concerned that the Bosch would not hold as many dishes as the Kenmore, but it seems to hold a lot more. The third rack is great for utensils and silverware, it's very quiet, and it cleans extremely well, even with the eco cycle. I've tested it with lots of pans that had baked on gunk--lasagne, for example--and everything has been spotless. We also have not had a problem with the dishes not drying properly, but we leave the door closed for a while after the cycle ends.

Hi Janesylvia! Nice to encounter you again--your bath turned out great!

I'll weigh in on the DW question. Mom has 2 Bosch DWs and I absolutely hate loading them when we're over at her house. IMO they do not load very efficiently. The top rack is not designed well and the bottom rack tines are too close together to allow anything other than fairly straight dishes to be loaded. Forget loading a casserole dish or the like in there. They are quiet and seem to clean well though.

We have 2 KitchenAids KUDC10FXSS. I can load so much stuff in there it isn't even funny. Top & bottom racks are well designed to handle glassware, bowls, plates, casserole dishes, etc. Now that we're down to only 3 of us in the house it takes us about 3-4 days to fully load one DW. They clean well and are quiet.

Our backup was the Samsung line. Very similar rack design as the KA but even quieter.

When it comes to cleaning, I think the detergent you use plays a large role as well as the DW itself. And the detergent you used in your old DW may not be the best one to use in the new one. Our old KA DW in our old house cleaned best with Cascade Complete liquid detergent. The new ones do best with Finish Quantum. Its a little trial and error.

In any event, definitely take the advice above and bring your dishes into the showroom to see how they fit and how you would stack them in there. Few things are worse than spending $500+ on an appliance and then not being happy with it.

Hope this helps!

If old ones count, our ~2002 Maytag cleaned anything I put in there without a complaint. It's the only dishwasher I've used that I was completely satisfied with. The LG I put in after that cleaned nowhere near as well.

I'm waiting on cabinets to go in so I can install the new Miele and hope to be even more happy with it than I was the Maytag.

I have 2 dishwashers in my kithen. I have a Bosch and a Miele. They are both really good dishwashers, but if I could only have one of them it would be the Miele. I love the cutlery tray. The Miele also holds more dishes. I don't like that I have to hand dry some of the dishes from the Bosch.
But the Miele was probably $300.00 or more than the Bosch if I remember correctly.

I really wanted a Miele but just couldn't justify the price at the time. Went with a KA and am very happy. My dishes would not fit in the Bosch tines :(. I do not pre-rinse anything and can even wait a few days to run the dishwasher yet the KA gets everything clean. And it's so quiet. YMMV...

For those with a Miele:
I looked at one and liked it except the utensil tray was not removable to take clean utensils to the drawer. Is this a non issue? I have a great older Bosch (with removable utensil basket) but will be upgrading.

I have had 3 Bosch dishwasher in 3 kitchens. I had the first one for about 12 years and it was still going strong when we moved. My second one was 10 years old when I gave it to a friend because we were remodeling. I have had my current Bosch for almost 3 years.
In all those years of owning Bosch dishwashers, we have never had anything go wrong with them. So absolutely no service calls. They remained quiet running and have cleaned and dried the dishes exceptionally well. Prior to owning the first Bosch, I had 2 dishwashers fail within 7 years.
I guess you can tell, I highly recommend Bosch.

Went to buy a Bosch 5 years ago. Took larger items to test how items would load. Very surprised at how small the inside was and the racks were, imo, poorly arranged. Ended up with a KA KUDE60. There is not a day that goes by that I don't say, out loud, this is my favorite appliance of ALL time (33 years of marriage). It has the 3rd rack that I used for silverware. Removed the silverware basket created lots more room. It's crazy how much I can get in this dishwasher and everything is clean 99% of the time. When something isn't, I know it was me, not the dishwasher's fault. Super quiet. LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Another vote for the Miele. So impressed with this DW. It even completely removed or lightened the stains on the ziploc containers that we reuse. My twelve year old cutlery shines like new again! Even DH noticed and commented on it. Great product!

I recently stayed in a rental home at the beach that had a very nice Bosch but to be honest, I did not see that it cleaned any better than my Kitchen Aid that is 16 years old. I think the older appliances are better but after using the one in the home that was very nice, I wasn't swayed away from Kitchen Aid in the future. The Bosch was extremely quiet but I had to put a few things back through a second time to get them clean on more than one occasion. Not saying this is the ultimate decision maker but it just wasn't enough to convince me to move away from KA. You know how we get attached and have brand loyalty!!! Tried and true. This older Kitchen Aid that I have will clean anything and in 16 years have not had one service call. It's the Superba and still looks current in style . I'm dreading when I have to replace it. It's been such a dear friend and never let me down. It frustrates me a bit in that it's older and it doesn't accommodate my large dishes easily but it seems to clean no matter how haphazardly I put things in it and the newer machines are taller between the racks. I also like the glides on the upper end KA DW's. They don't wiggle as much as some brands I have been looking at. I also want a food grinder, heated drying and water heater onboard.

I haven't ever used a Miele but I just couldn't justify spending $3000 on a dishwasher. I am sure they are very nice would love to try one. There are probably less expensive ones but to get all the features I have on the KA that was pretty much the range. Going over a thousand a bit would be my limit.

This post was edited by gr8day on Sat, Jun 14, 14 at 8:20

I have a Frigidare Gallery that I am not completely happy with. Firstly, the upper rack has large enough gaps that you have to be careful with loading -- small items can fall through. The bottom rack is also difficult sometimes to load both plates and bowls, especially if you have "soup plate" style bowls. It cleans okay but not superb -- sometimes have to rewash an item or two, have had to unclog a spray arm port, and clean the filter (although this one was advertised as not needing that), have to either keep the hot water heater turned up higher than I would like or always run it on "high temp" instead of standard.

I've not experimented with different detergents, had continued to use Cascade.

The Kenmore (Whirlpool) that it replaced was still cleaning well after 13 or so years -- the racks had rusted out which is partly why I replaced it.

Removable tray? never gave a thought about that. Right the Miele doesn't have it, and I never even thought it could be a feature until I read the post.

I have the Bosch 800. Does an excellent job cleaning. I never thought about the removable utensil holder either. I really like the convenience of removing it & placing it by my utensil drawer to unload. I like the 3rd rack. I have a friend that removed her utensil holder & uses the 3rd top rack for silverware. It's nice to have that option.
I had a cheap GE that did a great job cleaning the dishes. it wasn't as quiet as the Bosch but I'm not totally convinced you need to spend a large amount of money to get a good dishwasher.

On the advice of monicakm and others on this site, I did bring my dishes to the store and the salesman also thought I would like the KA KUDE60 or KA KUDE70. In September 2009, I bought the KA KUDE70 with the extended 5 years warranty so this post is reminding me that I must call before my warranty ends to have the pump problem looked at. I had gotten an email from monicakm but could not locate it during my tax season as I had so many emails and no time to clean them.

I love the interior especially the 3rd rack for cutlery. I removed the cutlery container on the bottom rack. I love how quiet it is. I love how easy it is to load. I love the hidden controls. I love the heated dry cycle!

What I don't like is that the stainless steel is difficult to keep clean (takes magnets) and does not match my LG refrigerator (is not magnetic) and my GE Café Gas range (is not magnetic) that match one another with easy to clean outer stainless steel surfaces.

I don't like the way it sticks out from the cabinets.

Hence my failings are mixed. But I chose it when I want to see it and it works 100% better than my former very old builder grade Whirlpool dishwasher.

Lynn, why does the dishwasher stick out from the cabinets?

sjhockeyfan, I was told by the PC Installers that came back to try to make the dishwasher fit better for me that the KA dishwasher is just a little longer than the foreign imports. I keep going back and forth between full overlay and inset cabinets. I know the full overlay cabinets will make my dishwasher look better but the doors being on top of the cabinets.

We are going to need a new dishwasher soon for our remodel too, so I'm really interested in what is being said here.
The Miele seems to get high praise from everyone, but then I read the comment about it being $3000. Yikes. Can I get a really good Miele for around $1200 or $1400?

I think you most certainly can get a Miele for $1200-$1400.

I have the GE PDT750 DW and love it. Super quiet, can wash just upper or lower if I have a small load and easy to reconfigure tines based on the dishes I need washed. I use Cascade Complete tabs - they made a difference over the Cascade liquid I was finishing off from old DW. With sales / discounts it was well under $1000.

Fits snugly under the counter and matches the Elux stainless fridge just fine.

I have a 14-year-old Asko. It runs perfectly and is super-quiet.

I just got a Bosch 800 series. I overthought the d/w decision like everything else. But this one seems great so far - nearly silent and everything I've loaded comes out clean. Plastic comes out just as dry as it did in my old Whirlpool that had heated dry, maybe more so since the configuration seems to keep everything upright. The tines are narrow, but it seems like something that's easy to adjust around. I got mine via Sears Outlet for $650, plus the cost of a fedexed power cord that somehow was not included.

Just an FYI, Miele does have a Cutlery basket which your can buy, but I think stuff comes out cleaner in the top rack.

Miele is commonly regarded here as the best but Bosch, Asko, GE, and KA are all worth looking at.

This post was edited by hvtech42 on Thu, Sep 11, 14 at 15:15

My KA KUDE doesn't have a grinder. It's 6 years old. From what I understand, a grinder adds significantly to the noise. I pull out the filter (when I think about it which isn't often) and there is never solids on it. Just a film that rinses right off. The two cutlery/silverware trays on top (3rd rack) can be removed separately. If I have a larger pot for the middle rack but not enough height between it and the 3rd rack, I simply remove one or both of the cutlery trays. There's just no end to the configuration of this DW! There are two (one large and one small) silverware baskets on the bottom. I have the large one removed. I can put silverware in the smaller one that attaches outside of the bottom rack. Oh, middle rack rises for larger pans on the bottom

Hi lynne2006! Sounds like you're still remodeling :) I went with a black dw so I don't have the finish issue you're talking.
And yes, the KUDE is a little deeper. Looks like the dw sticks out less than an inch from the vertical edge of the counter. It doesn't bother me in the least. Looks like that's the way it's supposed to look (to me).

My KA KUDE doesn't have a grinder. It's 6 years old. From what I understand, a grinder adds significantly to the noise. I pull out the filter (when I think about it which isn't often) and there is never solids on it. Just a film that rinses right off. The two cutlery/silverware trays on top (3rd rack) can be removed separately. If I have a larger pot for the middle rack but not enough height between it and the 3rd rack, I simply remove one or both of the cutlery trays. There's just no end to the configuration of this DW! There are two (one large and one small) silverware baskets on the bottom. I have the large one removed. I can put silverware in the smaller one that attaches outside of the bottom rack. Oh, middle rack rises for larger pans on the bottom

Hi lynne2006! Sounds like you're still remodeling :) I went with a black dw so I don't have the finish issue you're talking.
And yes, the KUDE is a little deeper. Looks like the dw sticks out less than an inch from the vertical edge of the counter. It doesn't bother me in the least. Looks like that's the way it's supposed to look (to me).

Monicakm, I still love my dishwasher despite some of the things I dislike about it. I LOVE how quiet it is so my clients do not know I am doing dishes in the other room. I love that if I do watch some TV, you can't hear the dishwasher. I love the adjustable racks, I love the third rack! I love my little pocket plastic extra pouch type of thing that I put lid in at the front of my dishwasher. I also have no grinder and just clean the filter when I remember to do so also.

I wish the dishwasher was just a little less deep and had the brushed stainless steel on it instead of the very difficult to keep clean mirrored stainless steel. But nothing is perfect.

I still need to call to be sure my dishwasher will not have a future problem like so many others with this model that needs a part replaced.

Thank you so much for all your help. Sorry that I did not respond in time since I was so busy painting the honey oak kitchen cabinets and installing new hinges.

Mydreamhome, I am so glad to see you here again. Thank you very much for sharing of your experience and all your help in my bathroom remodeling.

I saw Miele was recommended by many responses. Miele's price varies from $1300 to $3000. Is any Miele model better than Bosch 800 or Kitchenaid?

Really appreciate all your help.

Miele is very highly thought of here. I wasn't willing to spend the extra $500 or more for a Miele so I got a Bosch. It works perfectly cleaning-wise, and fits plenty in my experience. Whether I could fit more, I don't know, but I also don't know how a different machine could clean any better than the one I have.

sjhockeyfan, thank you very much.

Some people complained that Bosch could not dry dishes and bowls completely. Did you experience that? Few people complained about tight tines and stinky smells if the machine was not used for a while. I don't know if those are also issues.

I saw Bosch 800 plus SHX7PT55UC is on sale for $1250 at Airport Appliance till next Friday. It's a new model, made in USA and is bigger than previous models. It has some pros compared to Miele Dimensions -- express cycle, 1/2 load option, remaining time display on floor, and delay start besides its much lower price.

Thank you very much.

This post was edited by janesylvia on Sun, Aug 31, 14 at 17:03

I have a horrible Maytag one..Quiet series 300 from Sears about 5 or 6 years old. Plastic parts break often and the front is not really stainless...it actually stains quite easily. But ignore that- what I really wanted to say is that my MIL has a Miele DW and I love that top tray where you put the cutlery...I don't think my tangle of cutlery in the bottom basket cleans well at all, so I would sacrifice being able to carry the basket to the drawer for that top tray feature...that's my fantasy though, as I will never be able to afford a Miele anything!

This post was edited by coll_123 on Sun, Aug 31, 14 at 17:26

Really disappointed in my new Bosch 800 series dishwasher, luckily Lowes took it back. Apparently, the newer models have a leak sensor and will turn off if they sense a leak. Unfortunately, they will turn off even if there is no leak, because drain hose has to be 20 inches above the ground and even though ours was, the technician said it should be 22 inches above the ground or two more inches than what the book says. He said to get it installed right and if it still didn't work to call him back. Also, it took two weeks to get him out here. Lowes installed it and their guy felt it was a Bosch problem, but Lowes said we could get another Bosch or any other dishwasher and I chose ANY other dishwasher. I have never dealt with such a rude technician and their customer service is horrible. Buy it only if you don't need your dishwasher for months at a time. People seem to either love them or hate them, but do a search on Bosch stinky dishwasher and you'll see it's had a drainage problem for a long time. Some people say if you barely bump the drain line, their dishwasher starts stinking really badly. It has to be installed just so. My new KA is super quiet, and holds way more than any dishwasher I've ever had, plus two of the racks are adjustable, which is so helpful.

Really appreciate both responses.

kitchenlover1, which KA model did you get? Can it dry the dishes well? Does it have water softener function? I saw some people complain leakage problem for certain model of KA.

Thanks.

I have the KA with 3 racks and you could not run fast enough to give me one of these again! It takes FOREVER to run - a minimum of 2 hours for a short cycle. Who in the world thinks 2 hours is a short cycle? I had a service call just to see if everything were all right. It was. The service man told me the issue was the low amount of water used. Good in theory, but not in practice.

Plus, with the 3rd rack in, I can't put wineglasses in the top rack. If I lower the top rack so my ordinary wineglasses fit, my dinner plates, which are normal and not oversized, won't fit. I had to buy stemless wine glasses!

And it doesn't clean all that well, either. I cannot simply scrap the large pieces off the plates. I have to rinse them fairly well before I load them into the dishwasher.

The only plus I can give this DW is it is quiet!

Rereading my earlier post I might have to rethink my loyalty to KA in the future. My 16 year old KA is a really great DW. It will clean anything, is quiet, reliable, attractive. But recently I was at a big box store and the salesman told me I would be horrified if I saw how they are making them now and said the same thing about Bosch. He said that recently all electrical boards for the most part had been outsourced overseas and they have had so many problems and went on to say that was the problem in a lot of the recent car recalls.

Years ago Kitchen Aid was THE line to aspire to for us middle class folk around here. But with reading the reviews on GW it's discouraging that they may not be the same as in yesteryear. Heartbreaking!!!

Some of the fault is with the heavy restrictions on energy and water that increases wash time significantly. Energy restriction is a real challenge when offering all those extra features. That is why they are trying to come up with less heat to get the job done both in washing and drying.

I am interested in looking at Asko for our next DW. I like the tall tub and also that the third utensil rack is in the middle and is removable. My wish list includes that it will clean really well and is easy to load and will accommodate larger than normal dishes, stemware and large pots. Have been paring down my list of must haves in order to get the best cleaning and interior space. Not sure what I will end up with but I was intrigued by the Asko and will give it a look when the time comes.

In July we replaced an 8-year old Frigidaire Professional that kept having the touchpad control panel go bad. We decided on the Bosch 500 series, and could not be happier. My mother has an older Bosch and hers did not dry plastics well at all, so I was wary, but ours actually gets plastic pretty dry.

We installed it ourselves, and it was a little more involved than our old one. But once we got it in, it's worked well for us. The third rack works for all our utensils, so we took the utensil basket out of the bottom rack which gives us even more room there for bulky casserole dishes and pots. I've been cleaning the filter once a week and we have no trouble with smells.

We are a family of 5 (kids age 5 - 10) and we run it every day with breakfast and dinner dishes and coffee mugs and lunch containers. We always run it around 10pm and don't open it until 5:30am, so the cycle time doesn't matter much to us.

I was nervous, but I have been really pleased!

Gosh, I have had only one problem with my KUDE60 that just passed the 5 year mark. The third row droops when fully extended more than it used to. It's only a problem when I have the middle row in the upper most position (which I don't usually have). And things still fit, I may have to lift up a bit on the cutlery tray as I'm sliding the middle rack in. And my short wash is one hour, not two. When I first got the dw, I was surprised at how much longer it took for a normal wash. Was told all the new dw take longer because of energy and water restrictions.
bbstx, I don't know what model KA you have but certainly sounds like a lemon :( I used to put clean dishes in the dw. I don't know if I've bought into the "enzyme dw detergent must have something to eat" mantra or I'm just lazier (or both) but everything is clean when I open the door :) I hope when the time comes to replace this one, KA is still making this machine.

Do not, under any circumstances, buy a Maytag. The reviews for our model were really good...until you read comments from people who have owned it >1 yr. Check out the facebook pages of the companies you are interested in to see what people have to say. Hundred and hundreds of comments about how the control panels have failed on their Maytag appliances - after the warranty is expired, of course.

Maytag is part of the Whirlpool family:
Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana and a few I've not heard of.

Don't know if the reviews threegraces mentioned was solely on Maytag branded units.

kitchenlover1, which KA model did you get? Can it dry the dishes well? Does it have water softener function? I saw some people complain leakage problem for certain model of KA.

I hadn't heard of the leakage problem, I'll have to check into that, I have the KitchenAid Architect II 45-Decibel. While it does have the heated drying choice, I don't use it, I usually do my dishes after dinner and leave them in the machine until morning, I don't have any problem with them being dry. We do have really hard water and dishwasher installer recommended Lemon Shine, you only need a teaspoon and works like a miracle, I used it in my old dishwasher. It will extend the life of your dishwasher and make you glasses come out sparkling.