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Mixing Bosch 500 & 800 Series Appliances

furnitureshopper

9 years ago

I'm considering a Bosch 800 series DW and cooktop and a 500 series 27" wall oven paired with a 500 series built-in microwave directly above. The basic microwave is only available in the 500 series. Has anyone mixed the two different series in the same kitchen? I am concerned about different stainless hues. The refrigerator is a 72" KitchenAid CD.

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Comments (3)

HerrDoktorProfessor
9 years ago
I have the 800 series dishwasher and it kicks booty. Very quite and everything comes out sparkling.

I think the bosch microwaves are over priced for what you get.
hvtech42
9 years ago
Bosch, and pretty much all appliance manufacturers, design their different "tiers" to be mixed and matched while still having a uniform look, so you spend more on areas that are more important to you and cut back in others to meet your budget.

So the answer is yes, you can absolutely mix between the different tiers. Stainless steel matching should not be a concern, they do not use different grades of stainless in the different tiers. Further, the stainless will never match between all your appliances, even if they are from the same manufacturer, because these products are manufactured in different factories all over the world and come off of different rolls of stainless.

TL;DR no matter what appliances you buy, the stainless will be similar enough for you to not notice a difference unless you look VERY closely.

The other thing you can (and should!) do besides mix/match tiers is mix/match brands. No one manufacturer is good at everything. Microwaves all come from the same small set of Asian factories, are very cheaply made and often last only 2-3 years. This includes the Bosch microwave. You are not paying for German engineering or manufacturing expertise here, you are paying for the look and the name.

The best bang for your buck in microwaves is to either find a place for a microwave, either on the countertop, in a pantry, or a cabinet alcove, where you can just drop in another $100 microwave from Walmart if yours fails. OR if it must have the "built in" look, get a Sharp or Panasonic with the proper trim kit.

This post was edited by hvtech42 on Mon, Jan 19, 15 at 10:11
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You probably know, at least by now, that the 500 series also has the fast preheat. I have been searching and searching through my emails and old forum posts, because I KNOW there is someone who has both a 500 and an 800 series oven in her kitchen. Perhaps Faleash. Anyway, I think the only difference is the knobs vs touch panel, and the lack of telescoping rack. You said the 500 also doesn't do the temperature conversion, but I don't consider that a necessary feature, or even desired for myself. Did you know you can order the telescoping racks for either oven? You could get 2 or 3 for the price difference in the ovens. I consider knobs a plus, so that's what I'd do in your shoes. Truthfully, I seriously considered Bosch when I had to replace my oven recently, but was a little turned off by 2 things: Their service has a less than stellar reputation, although I heard from someone (Mindstorm) whose oven was damaged and she found the manufacturer quite helpful and prompt with helping her. 2) No track record for these new models yet. Mindstorm, who did extensive scientific research on ovens before choosing hers, had the older 'European-born' 700 series Bosch and chose to have the same model put in, even though it was no longer the current model. She was so happy with what she'd had, she didn't want to take a chance on something new and different. Appliance salespeople just didn't know what to tell me about the reliability of these new ovens, as they haven't sold enough and for long enough to have received customer feedback. This tentative attitude from everyone made me a little nervous. If you do a search for my user name and ovens at the bottom of the appliance and/or kitchen forum pages, you will find a few recent threads, and some happy Bosch owners did chime in. Hope it helps, and best wishes on your oven decision.
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nadianyc
9 years ago
I'm a big fan of Bosch appliances but I would not get the built-in microwave. Like hvtech says, the best way to go with a micro is in a pantry or cabinet alcove. Unlike most Bosch appliances, Bosch microwaves get terrible reviews and are expensive.

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