I have a Bosch 800 series (SHV68T53UC). I would have gotten a Miele (because of its stellar reputation) but for the huge price difference. The Bosch 800 cleans my dishes to sparkling and is very quiet, so I'm not sorry I saved the money. The only thing I'd be sure of is that my specific dishes and silverware would fit the way the particular dishwasher is laid out.

i just bought a miele - go for the miele.

Thanks for the advice...1 vote for each!

sjhockeyfan- great idea about ensuring the tines work for loading our specific dishes

zurk- which model Miele did you get?

My SIL has a Bosch - not sure what model but it doesn't clean effectively. I thought it was the way she was loading it - but I loaded it and a lot was not clean.

My Miele - I don't rinse, just pop everything into it including china, crystal, silver, pots and pans and almost everything comes out clean! I can load 12-16 or more place settings in it and it fits and cleans everything. I love my 3rd rack - others don't like the feature. Mine is almost 5 years old as well. It is a La Perla model and pops the door open which helps to dry the dishes more thoroughly.

My first Miele was a lemon(actually, it might have been the incompetent installer that Miele fired downstream) and the only appliance I bought an extended warranty - it paid for itself but I think they offer 5 years as a warranty now anyway. I wasn't going to buy another Miele but after investigating - went for the Miele again and happy that I did so.

In answer to the questions as you posed them:

I would buy a Bosch that is nearly as good, or as good, in the eyes of some, for 1/2 what the Miele cost. And that is true even if there were no limits on what I could spend.

I doubt I would ever pay $1600 for a DW unless it loaded itself, added the soap, washed, dried and put the dishes back in the cupboards/drawers.

In fact, if I had no space limitations, I would buy and install 2 Bosch dishwashers for the cost of the Miele.

I have a Miele Futura Dimension G5605SCSS, purchased last year, and love it. It's almost silent and cleans really well, and the cutlery tray is really good. I have crusty dishes by the time I run a load (only two of us and we scrape but don't rinse) and everything comes out sparkling.

I had one minor problem at install - one of the hoses, can't remember if was supply or drain, had a hole in it - and the Miele customer service sent me a replacement part the next day.

I'm very biased. My Miele 858 is now 11 years old. It's never had a service call. I had a newer one in another home -- equally good.

Being slightly superstitious, this is my last dw reco post. Yes, you can spend less. No question. But it's unlikely the performance would be as consistency excellent and the life of the dw will be as long.

I have two Bosch that are 8 yrs old. One has had a service call, but it was an operator issue -- something got sucked into the pump and it wasn't draining. It cleared without an actual repair and has been fine since -- he just let it run longer where I was afraid of damaging it.

I was very tempted and looked at Miele, but the price tag was hard to swallow -- especially when we went tot he idea of having two units. The racks of the Bosch looked like they would load for me better, so I went for a pair rather than a single unit. Couldn't be happier (though DH does not load the dishes as well as that does make a difference on how well it can clean -- if water doesn't get to it, it can't clean it). I have been using Oxyclean DW detergent since it came out and it has been great too.

Thanks for all the great advice! I'm struggling a lot with this decision, because I'm all about saving money where I can, but I have absolutely hated my last 2 dishwashers (neither were Bosch or Miele), and if it makes a difference, I'd rather just fork over the extra money up front.

And zwizzle: "I doubt I would ever pay $1600 for a DW unless it loaded itself, added the soap, washed, dried and put the dishes back in the cupboards/drawers." If you invent such a machine, I would buy it in a heartbeat!!!

Well, I think everyone is entitled to a splurge ( or two?) in their new kitchen. Mine was my new looong countertop with Stages 45 sink. Yours may be your Miele DW.

It is pretty individualistic. I spend so much time at the sink and range, so those were the areas & fixtures I focused on. I have pretty basic requirements when it comes to the fridge and DW. Do a good job of storing perishables and clean my dishes for 10+ years and no consorting with repairmen. So I'm probably not the best person to consult on those two appliances :)

My Miele entry level DW is 12 years old. I've not spent anything on repairs, never rinse before loading, don't always run it every day and always have sparkling clean dishes. If my dishes didn't fit in my Miele I would buy new dishes.

I have to vote for the Miele.

I looked at the Futura, at about $1600, but then opted for the Miele Classic 4225 for $900 about a 16 months ago. It works flawlessly and is much quieter than an old generation GE Profile I had. The Classic is no frills, just the following basic cycles:
-Pots and Pans
-Normal
-Economy (never used it)
-SaniWash (never used it)
-Rinse and Hold (used twice)

Features:
-cutlery basket that has utensil separator slots (work great)
-delayed start (used several times)
-Turbo (never used it)
-condensing dryer (rather than a heating element)

The condensing function is amazing how it works. If I recall correctly taking the Classic over the Futura, the major things given up were the cutlery tray,the extra rack and of course a bunch of cycles, some differences on the controller display, and something about the door opening a bit at the end of the cycle on its own (might have been a higher yet model).

But as you can see, I have used only a fraction of the cycles provided on the most basic of model. The two times I used rinse and hold, it was operator error (kids poured too much soap). Otherwise, two cycles, Pots and Pans and Normal covered it all. As for large utensils, I just carefully place on the top rack with the glassware, it works flawlessly.

I do scrap the big chunks, but only rinse occasionally. Miele was trickier to install than some of the domestic brands (see another post I have on the installation nuances for a DIY). Bottom line - no regrets taking the basic dishwasher feature set, and very satisfied with the Miele quality even on their most basic of model.

Laundryvet

Thanks for that great info and advice! I'll definitely take a look at your installation DIY, Laundryvet, as we don't have a Miele certified installer in our area (which I think voids the warranty, though I'd call Miele before buying). And I need to take a closer look at the Classic model - I also don't need a bunch of cycles, but I like the idea of a built-in water softener and the door opening at the end to help dry plastics (lots of baby bottle parts in there these days!) but can't remember if the Classic had those.

i bought this one :

dmeah,

Mine looks just like zurk's but in black. No auto door open on Classic.

No loss of warranty installing it yourself; I think you get an extra year if they install. I got a 3 yr warranty for $99, I am thinking it was a waste of money at this point as the quality is very good.

If you have an electrical outlet under the sink, you are probably in good shape. I had to add one which made it a bit more complicated, and the plumbing section coming from the basement had to be redone as the old dishwasher was hard plumbed.

It's running right now 20 feet from me and I can't hear it, and no tv on, just tapping keys on a PC. I designed appliances for nearly 30 years, I can appreciate fine engineering when I see it. Miele leaves nothing to chance, it is well thought out.

Laundryvet

Thanks for all the advice. We're renovating to improve the layout of our kitchen, so adding an electrical layout below the sink shouldn't be a problem. I'm thinking we'll go with a Miele, even though the cost is a bit more. The Classic model may work just fine for us, since I can definitely live without the auto-open door.

While I like to get good deals whenever I can, I also appreciate the importance of not skimping. Spending money for something cheap, only to have to repair it a bunch of times or replace it in the short-term makes no financial sense and drives me bonkers! (Though I'm also no fan of spending money just for the sake of spending money, or just to show off a brand label!)

Thanks all!

If you don't mind having the controls on the front, or not being able to panel the machine, then I agree with you. I wanted a fully-paneled front and the controls on the top, so the Miele I would had to get would have been quite a bit more expensive than the Classic model and the Bosch 800.

i did the install myself and its better if you do it yourself anyway. took me around two workday evenings to do it.
improvements i added -
1. Connected the hot water input to a shut off ball brass valve (doesnt leak) using standard pex connectors and the out from the valve was a screw on which the miele input hose fit on with no adapters required.
2. Created a loop on the wastewater out to prevent backflow. This works great BTW.
3. Added a weather resistant (WR) GFCI outlet and the miele default plug goes into it no problems. Its partially waterproof so any leaks wont affect it.
4. Added a drain pan under the washer and routed all cables/pipes below it. works great and the miele can slide out completely for testing.
5. Got the 10 year miele factory warranty (They have a 5yr free deal which I used).
Around $100-ish in parts to install. all top of the line parts to install including a water proof box for the GFCI etc.

They are both good units and personally I would go with the Bosch at less than 1/2 the cost of the Miele.

Also don't fall for antidotal evidence of longevity of an appliance. Sure there are people out there with 13 -15 years on a brand X dishwasher but the actual average life for a dishwasher is around 10 years.

There is a post today regarding a Miele breakdown

Here is a link that might be useful: Broken Miele

Laundryvet, thanks for clarifying the warranty issue and also for the installation info. And I love being able to get your advice and engineering perspective.

Zurk, thank also for the installation advice! So incredibly helpful! We added the water drain loop to our current dishwasher to prevent backflow, and I never realized how a simple solution could make such a difference. Your other ideas sound genius as well.

sjhockeyfan, you make a good point, as I do want a panel-ready version. I have children who seem to think handprints on stainless steel is even more fun than fingerpainting!

Looks like I was posting at the same time as you, jakvis. I saw that post you mentioned (thank you!). I understand that every appliance brand will produce a lemon now and then, but no one wants to be the one that gets it!

dmeah, sounds like you are falling for the idea that paying more means you are less likely to need a repair. Consider that the lower priced Bosch probably outsell Miele several times (or more ) over. Even seeing a fraction of the number of complaints for the more expensive brand doesn't necessarily equate to a lower ratio of units sold to problems. Higher prices should balance out with a higher overall quality, but as you said, they all have issues.

I think you'll be happy with Miele or anything in the top half of the Bosch lineup (the lower portion they put out a few years back to compete with other more modestly priced units did seem to have more complaints -- at least back then). Your reasons may differ, but for me, to pay enough more for one as it would cost me to replace the other unit completely out of warranty (or in my case a second DW and a micro drawer), I'd need something I'd definitely need and use in the meantime -- racking options, wash features -- something tangible. Especially since I've used two Bosch units for 8+ years and been very happy with the cleaning and how quiet they are. (In case you want to feel better putting that money elsewhere)

miele is actually very cheap since they come with a 10 year parts and labor warranty.
i paid around $2200 for mine with all the install parts, taxes etc and 10 year warranty including parts and labor which works out to $220/year with no headache about repairs or worrying about failing parts.
Beyond 10 years its effectively free until it breaks down.
i also do the same thing with my cars which get bought brand new with 8 yr bumper to bumper manufacturer extended warranties.

If that's cheap for you, I'm happy for you. I bought mine (the pair -- as in both units) for 2/3 of that and have been running them both without any repairs or issues (just the one loud noise check - under warranty). At $220 a year, mine are already free and I could buy a new pair for what I saved in the first place.

Having used both the Bosch and Miele, I lean heavily toward the Miele, particularly if you can get up to one of the models with the auto-open drying. To me that makes a huge difference given the way we use the DW (don't run that often, but when we do, often run at bedtime). I find the internal Bosch configuration less usable, particularly for stemware, and the cutlery tray is a must.

We adore our new Miele and old one was fantastic too (replaced to upgrade looks not function). I often run the dishwasher twice a day and I'm at home a lot within a few feet of the dishwasher so it has to be QUIET. I can't tell if it's on or not - it's that quiet. Can't comment on Bosch. I cheaped out on the fridge (Samsung) but splurged on the dishwasher. The fridge has dents already, and shows smudges like crazy.

I've always had Bosch. I've got a 10 year old Bosch that I am reinstalling in a kitchen renovation. It's that good. It's so quiet that I have to touch it to determine if it's running. Now, it was not the entry level. Rather, it was one step down from the top of the line.

I think both brands are excellent. It all comes down to your dishes.

One thing that does bother me is there are no controls on the exterior. So, I can't tell if it's finished. I have to touch it. This would be true for any brand unit without external controls.