Lots of previous posts here about DWs and many people like Bosch and MIele. I have had both and most recently purchased a Bosch that I'm very happy with. Cleans and dries well and very quiet. Skip the hard disposer - its not necessary and just increases the noise level

3katz4me Thank you! Which Bosch do you have?

It's an 800 model - a year old.

I would go with Bosch. It's the most time tested of the 3 - Samsung hasn't even been in the dishwasher business for very long, and GE's current dishwasher line is only a few years old - they pretty much started from scratch on the design. Meanwhile with Bosch, although there have been improvements in aesthetics, sound levels, features, and efficiency over the years, it's the same basic idea as 15-20 years ago. You know that's going to be quiet, and, if installed and used properly, you know it's going to clean well and have a decent lifespan.

Also, I think the Bosch is the best choice considering the features you wanted - personally I would value the leak detection and the 3rd rack much more than the hard food disposer. Keep in mind that the disposals they put in dishwashers today are nothing compared to what you'd find in a Hobart KitchenAid 35 years ago - you really aren't missing much, and Bosch's filter system works fine. Also as noted above the disposals come with their own drawbacks, such as more energy consumption and noise.

oneandonlybobjones Thank you for the long breakdown! I will be focusing on Bosch then. Mieles also look nice, but sears/home depot/lowes don't seem to carry them and I feel more comfortable with their service warranties.

Still, comparing an entry level Miele to the Bosch 300, what kind of differences in experience or features should I expect? Is it worth the cost?

hvtech42 That is good to know. My list was in descending order of priority, so leak detection is the top of my list as well. I haven't used a dishwasher very much in my life, so I wasn't sure if the hard disposal was truly a feature. It sounds like it's more of an energy suck than a feature.

ears/home depot/lowes don't seem to carry them and I feel more comfortable with their service warranties

None of those companies are known for quality appliance service.

hvtech42 We've had warrantied appliances for about two decades from sears or lowes and so far they've done well to repair or replace the whole appliance without me paying a single penny beyond the initial warranty purchase. Do you have a recommendation for someone better?

I would not purchase from Sears currently. http://www.businessinsider.com/sears-warranties-could-be-dissolved-in-bankruptcy-2017-3

akaur007 - If you click the last link in my post it's a comparison of Bosch and Miele dishwashers.

I will second the recommendation from oneandonlybobjones to look at the Bosch 300 series. Bosch refreshed its line-up earlier this year and the new 800 and 300 series were just reaching stores in our area when I was DW shopping last month. The model I bought (from Lowe's) was the SHE863WF but the differences within the 300 are pretty much only differences in door and control configurations and whether you want to panel your DW. I discussed that purchase in this thread from last month, if you have not already seen it. To sum up -- excellent cleaning, more capacity than previous Bosch models I've owned, and more configuration flexibility. The new model tends to take about two hours for a full load whichis not uncommon for any make these days (and some of them take a lot longer.) The Bosch 300 series does a good job on the 30-minute clean cycle, too, if you are in a hurry, but does not dry well on the short cycle. (For me, that problm is usually solved by propping the door open for about ten minutes after the cycle finishes and then most things are dry enough to put away.)

FWIW, I bought my first Bosch DWs in 1998. I've never missed having a grinder nor have I missed having an exposed drying element in the bottom of my DW.

I have never run into the problems that some folks have such as not drying well (which sometimes seems related to non-use of rinse-aids) nor bad smells and/or gunk on the filters (which mostly seemed related to the particular water supply and the chosen detergent -- switching detergent seems to fix many but not all) such problems.) Tine positioning and spacing has never been a problem for me but it can be for some folks' dishes and kitchenware. Always a good idea to take some of your pots and dishes to a showroom and see how various DW's layouts work or do not work for you.

hvtech42 We've had warrantied appliances for about two decades from sears or lowes and so far they've done well to repair or replace the whole appliance without me paying a single penny beyond the initial warranty purchase. Do you have a recommendation for someone better?

Well first of all as posted above, Sears is in deep trouble right now. But beyond that, even when things weren't looking so bleak for them, they have been kind of notorious in the appliance industry for being at the bottom of the pack in terms of service. They have a high turnover rate for their technicians, and aren't known among technicians as being a good place to work. Thus, they aren't able to attract the best technicians. It isn't unheard of for Sears to take several service calls to fix a problem that most could do with one.

As for Home Depot and Lowe's, they don't even have service departments, so outsource all of that work. That isn't necessarily a problem by itself, but do you really trust a huge company like that to pick the best people in your area?

It's great that Lowe's and Sears repaired/replaced your appliances when required to under the warranty. But that doesn't in itself mean their service is high caliber, as it's the bare minimum that any business would be expected to do. Best bet is to find a more locally owned place that services what they sell. Failing that, a locally owned place that has a partnership with a good local technician.

Stay away from any Sears extended warranty at this point. If you want to go with Home Depot or Lowe's, because they have the best prices, or you don't have any good local options, go ahead, just don't do it because you think their service is tops in the industry (it isn't).

#1 for a Bosch. I've had an 800-series for >2 years. Initially I balked at the cost relative to highly-rated DWs for half the price, but if it died tomorrow I would buy another one (after attempting to get service and repair, of course). I bought mine from Lowe's during a sale for $400 less than a locally owned appliance shop, realizing that the price difference likely reflects the differential service I might get if something went wrong.

It meets my priority of having the 3rd cutlery rack and having a panel-ready option, and also meets DH's priority of the leak detection/shutoff. It's very quiet. I never pre-rinse my dishes and don't miss the food grinder at all.

Also to note that if you buy your Bosch at an independent appliance store, it has an additional feature or two which the HD/Lowes/Sears version doesn't have. This info isn't easy to come by, but, for example, my BOsch 800 series DW has a "Speed Perfect" setting which the big box store versions didn't have.