Sorry for the double posting I didn't realize this was possible but my computer froze up and I refreshed and a second posting occured.

I bought a KA DW about 10 years ago and loved it. It was in that price range at the time. It did get louder over time, but it started out quiet and cleaned well. The racks worked well for our needs too. They changed the racks when I bought my current DW, so I went with a different brand. I have Thermadors -- basically Bosch. The models have changed in the last few years and I'm not current on the new ones, but in general, I seem to find that the starting point for a quiet DW that cleans well and holds up decently is about where you are capping yourself. I'd say to expect at least $700-750 on sale and look up to $900-1000. The Bosch I have seen most complaints about are the less expensive ones ($500 range and under). Maybe search out a returned or dented unit (if the back is dinged but the tub is secure and still under warranty, who cares -- maybe find a small scratch on it you won't care about or can touch up/buff out). If you have to, leave that spot blank and get the DW later -- you aren't used to having one there so you can probably deal without it a little longer.

Look at it this way -- if you spend $500 and get something now that you won't be happy with, anything you get later costs you $500 more. If you wait to find the right deal, sale, return or scratch and dent -- or even to save up a little more money, then you might spend $200 more and have something you are happier with, will use longer and will probably do a better job for you. Other folks may disagree, but that's been my experience. I'd rather have a giant drying rack than a bad DW.

I love my Bosch - it cost about $700 a few years back. It is not one of the super fancy models, but the basic front panel model (not the cheapie, however). At first, I wasn't crazy about it. But I have grown to adore it. It cleans much better than my previous DW, is super quiet and I have adjusted to the drying cycle. I think this is where a lot of the unfavorable reviews come. From what I understand, there are two basic fundamental differences between Bosch and say, KA or Whirlpool.

1. There is no 'grinder' in the Bosch...all the food bits (larger than the drain) end up in the bottom of the DW. This may seem gross, but it's really no big deal to wipe the bottom clean every once in a while and rinse out the filter. The really good part, is that the 'grinder' in most KA, etc. 'traditional' DW is the number one point of failure (according to a Sears Repairman).

2. The dishes dry in the Bosch via condensation. There is no heating element, like found in some 'traditional' DW. The heat from the water, coupled with the stainless interior provides the sanitation and finally drying via evaporation. The drying can be 'speeded' along by opening the door once the cycle is complete.

Additionally, the cycle is energy efficient.

I hope you will reconsider the Bosch. I think you will be pleased.

I just bought a Bosch SHE7ER55UC. It's a little higher than your budget. I went with the 800 Plus because I was having terrible problems with spots on my dishes and had tried everything (Lemi shine, vinegar, changing detergents..) and figured that my best bet was having a dishwasher with a water softener.

I have to say that I LOVE the Bosch. The dishes are really clean. And that is without any salt in the softener yet or any rinse aide in the machine because I special ordered it and it hasn't arrived yet. I was shocked to see that there are no water spots on any of my dishes after spending months fighting them.

I guess my point is that the Bosch without the softener seems that it would work as well at a lower price point.

I called around to a few larger appliance stores and found a salesman than gave me an excellent deal on it - below what I could find online. It couldn't hurt to give it a try.

Good luck!

We got our Bosch at a scratch and dent sale and absolutely love it. There are no down sides. It is quiet and cleans like a dream. We had to buy a new lower panel because of a scratch and the cutlery basket and manual were missing. We bought all 3 from Bosch for $70, inc shipping and had their top of the line unit, for $400 total. Look for a bargain and grab it fast ;)

We also got a scratch-and-dent Bosch. This is our third one (third different house) and we had the one-notch-above-entry-level in the other houses (also scratch and dents) and were fine with those. They were quiet enough. This house has the most open floor plan in civilization, so noise was a huge factor. We were set to go with the same model as before when we happened across a returned Ascenta SS model with the hidden controls. It's about $800-$900 retail and we got it for about $500. Sold! It's been great.

It really does help to pop the door open at the end of the cycle, though. Particularly if you've got a lot of plastics in there.

Another vote for Bosch... I have the Evolution SHE43P15UC. Love the quiet, love the energy efficiency. I don't wash plastics in it, and since we're on time-of-use electric I usually run it at night, so dishes are dry by morning anyway.

We got the Maytag Jetclean PLus for $400 in a lowes sale.

Its very quiet - 95% of the time we hear nothing, the rest is water filling noise (tiny noise), and grinder noise (twice per cycle for about 3 seconds). The grinder isn't as loud as running the bottom drawer of an older f/p drawer dw. It is not as quiet as the average Bosch.

Dishes clean - check. Pots clean... not as much. Does really well on baked on crud, hood filters, oven-ware but not so much rice starch or other pan rings from boiling stuff. I admit to being extremely lackluster about rinse agent and likely use less detergent than they'd like.

Sanitary is the bomb! I don't remember what temp it actually uses, but it's hotter than heck in there. There doesn't seem to be any difference between Sanitary or Steam Clean.

It does have heated dry - we just put plastic up top and it can't get out and fall onto the heater. My only criticism is whatever heated dry option you select, it won't remember it. Since my preference would be off, it bugs me because its always reset to on.

after reading about the "fishy smelling Bosch" dishwashers I was a little worried by them but folks in this thread seem happy with theirs. There is a thread on it somewhere around here on the GW Forums. ...I love my Kitchen Aid and I have used a GE in a condo on vacation and it was really a great cleaning machine, too. Things I would not want to give up are stainless steel tub and built in disposal. All the other bells and whistles I could live without easily.

I have a Bosch and have been bothered that it doesn't always get all the little particles washed away, especially for items on the top rack.

Not sure what the problem might be--I don't usually do much if any rinsing because darnit, that's why I have a dishwasher! And I don't rinse out the filter because when I've checked it randomly it never seems to have anything in it.

On the positive side it's definitely quiet. I don't know how it compares to other models/brands because I didn't have any dishwasher except my husband for 25 years. The Bosch is much quieter than him, that's for sure :).

The debris left on freshly washed items is definitely annoying though and it prevents me from being as big a Bosch fan as others are on this topic. Any helpful hints would be appreciated.

I'll second the Maytag rec. We bought ours a few years ago after a Thoughtless Teen murdered our KitchenAid by not scraping his plate. (Terriyaki beef stick skewer ended up in the impeller motor.) When the independent repair guy told me my DW was done for I asked him what brand he found to be most durable, with fewest calls...and he said "Maytag." No hesitation. We've had it for...gosh--seven years now? At least...and it has been AWESOME. Gets the dishes clean, holds a lot...I am VERY pleased. And I know I didn't spend more than $450 on it.

Another Maytag vote. Their pump is 1/3 HP vs the owned by the same company Whirlpool one which is 1/12 HP. Frigidaire is the bottom of the bottom of the barrel for pretty much any appliance until you get on up in price.

We had a Kenmore and it died after a year and a half. We replaced it with a base model KitchenAid and love it. Hope this helps!

Floor model KA! With luck and patience, you can do it. And tolerance - mine has a little dark ring around the handle (v. slight) which probably put others off buying it. But it amounted to approx $1000 discount so I decided I could easily live with it! YMMV.

I'm happy with my Bosch Ecosense. It's quiet & has the stainless steel coated racks. I DO rinse first but everything comes out clean & no spots. I dont use the recommended rinse agent (I'm not into chemicals).

We have a $600 KA. It's quiet and cleans well. I'd make the same choice again.

I just bought a samsung dishwasher for $620 at PC Richards, originally $800. http://www.samsung.com/us/appliances/dishwashers/DMT800RHS/XAA I love it.

"after reading about the "fishy smelling Bosch" dishwashers I was a little worried by them but folks in this thread seem happy with theirs."

Often after they fail to fill the dispenser with Jet-Dry.

The condensing DWs really need it.

They need as little water to remain on the dishes as possible.

You can stand in front of a Bosch and not be able to tell it is running.

I'm more than happy with our Bosch Ascenta, the cheapy one. It's quiet and cleans well, and cost around $500.
I scrape/rinse food particles off before loading, always have. Never owned a DW with a grinder. Still, the filter catches some stuff and needs to be cleaned every once in a while, which takes about a minute, some hot water and a dishbrush. It's very easy to pull out and take apart.

That infamous 'fishy' smell that lingers on otherwise spotless glass and porcelain (not so much on plastic) is, from what I've experienced with the many DWs I've owned or used over the years, not limited to any brand. Instead, I've found that often the culprit is egg. Dishes used for foods like omelettes or souffles, or raw egg left in mixing bowls, even cake batter, seem to bring on that smell. Now I always make sure to add a little dishsoap to those dishes, and rinse them more thoroughly than others, and it helps.

I just purchased a Bosch SHE43RL5UC stainless for about $620 with rebates and discounts. It's a stainless tub, 48 dBa QUIET! low energy use (259 kwH/yr), and low water use (2.3 gall). I have a Bosch now and like it, but if you don't like Bosch, you don't like Bosch. Just wanted to share that you can find a good one in your price range.