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Dishwasher Showdown - Miele vs. Bosch. vs Maytag

bgjenkins
11 years ago

As I noted in another post - we're building a new house, getting new appliances, etc.

Thanks to your help, we're gotten everything selected but the dishwasher. Here's where we are:

Bosch:
http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/SHE68R5.html

Pros:
Bosch has a good name at CR
Full Stainless Tub
Quiet

Cons:
Bad rep on Amazon.com and some consumer reviews on CR.
Expensive
Small compared to american models

Miele
http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/G4205.html?brand_store=1

Pros:
Full stainless tub
Larger than the bosch?
Good rep at CR and online

Cons:
Expensive
Odd layout

Maytag:
http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/MDB7749SAM.html

Pros:
Price
Full Steel Tub
Size
May be easier to repair

Cons:
Reliability?
Noise
Ability to clean

We also looked at the Bosch Ascenta SHX3AR7 - but I've been told it is a hybrid and not full steel.

Any thoughts on this? We've come to the point of "paralysis by analysis."

Thanks!

Comments (13)

  • xedos
    11 years ago

    How long are you planning on staying in this house ?

    In this race, the Maytag isnt going to make it out of the starting gate.

    The euro models are smaller if you use a tape measure for analysis. If you use real dishes, most people will be unable to tell, and some will find the euro models to be larger - meaning hold more plates and silverware. Others, won't or have thick clayware dishes that don't fit euro racking well.

    Miele's layout is not odd, it's just different than most models. Yet, many manuf. are now copying their layout while still claiming miele's is still annoying.

  • realism
    11 years ago

    Xedos's question about how long you are planning on staying in the house is important.

    If you are planning on staying for a while, say 5 years or more I would go with the Bosch or Miele, with a slight edge to the Miele. The Bosch and Miele models you picked out cost about the same so I would go with the Miele. It might not have the same bells and whistles as similarly priced dishwashers, but to be honest you most likely won't use those features all that often. For your money you should be looking for the best performing, most reliable machine and the Miele fits the bill.

    Just something to point out, for $100 extra you can upgrade to a Miele with a cutlery tray rather than a basket. You should go to the store and check that feature out in person. Most people love it.

  • bgjenkins
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for the advice. Looks like we can eliminate the Maytag.

    We plan to stay in this house as long as possible - in fact, we may not move out until it's time to go to a condo or townhome.

    I think that's unlikely, but all the same, we're looking at 20-30 years.

    Thanks for the note about the cutlery - that may make my wife happy as it will give her some more room.

    Thanks!

  • xedos
    11 years ago

    10+ years and it makes a lot of sense to consider higher quality materials and systems.

  • CaptainCheese
    11 years ago

    We moved about 2 years ago and thus I have recent experience with both Bosch and Miele dishwashers. Our old house had a Bosch Dishwasher (800 series) that was about 5 years old when we moved. When we moved into our new house it had a Kitchen Aid dishwasher and we realized in the first couple weeks that it needed to be replaced because: 1. it didn't clean the dishes and 2. it was ridiculously noisy. So, we replaced it with a Miele. We were going to buy a Bosch, but we got a really good deal on a Miele.

    Both dishwashers do a very good job cleaning the dishes and are equally quiet (i.e., if I am standing next to either of them I can't tell that the are running). All in all they are very similar so I will just list the things I find are different between them. My wife likes a clean look, so both dishwashers had hidden controls.

    Bosch:
    Pros: I really liked the light it had that lit up the floor red to tell you it was on and green to tell you it was finished. This way I didn't accidentally open the door when it was running.

    Cons: The little plastic wheel that are used to slide the bottom tray in and out kept falling off and/or breaking. On a positive, for some reason we were given a lot of extra wheels when it was installed (either by the installer, the company that sold it, or the manufacturer) so it was no problem to replace/fix, which indicated to me that someone anticipated this would be an issue.

    Miele:
    Pros - seems like a sturdy construction and we've had no problems at all so far.
    - 3D cutlery tray. We almost didn't get the Miele because of this, but it turns out this thing is great and far superior to the old style basket holder. It speeds up loading and unloading cutlery and is a big positive. I, however, think the new Bosch's have something similar.

    Cons - it doesn't have the light that lights up the floor, thus it is not uncommon for me to open the dishwasher while it is running.
    - the dang beep when it is finished running annoys me. I preferred the Bosch's green light on the floor.

  • frankieto
    11 years ago

    The Bosch also has the 3D cutlery tray. The interior is quite large and I can fit more inside the Bosch than I could in my old Maytag. I have not experienced any difficulties with the wheels as CaptainCheese indicated. I like the hidden control panel and the light on the bottom. It is so quiet that I do not realize it is on.

  • nycbluedevil
    11 years ago

    My new Miele (the Diamond) has a red light that shines through the countertop so that I know when it is running. My countertops are white marble though. I wonder whether I would be able to see the light if the counters were a different material.

  • bgjenkins
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    CaptainCheese, is there any other indication that it is done beyond the beep?

    I do like the red light on the floor - but I'm leaning towards the Miele.

    Thanks!

  • PeterH2
    11 years ago

    I think Miele sells a little reflector you can attach to the bottom of the countertop that projects the status light forwards. If not, you could probably contrive one for yourself.

  • Cavimum
    11 years ago

    We got a Bosch 800 Plus model with our recent kitchen renovation. The bottom rack seems flimsy (far more flimsy than the old Kenmore Elite we had), as well as the fold-down tines. Other than that, we are very pleased. Only time will tell about that bottom rack holding up.

  • jjprescott
    10 years ago

    I bought the Miele G5775 SCSF and paid the overpriced fee to have Miele do the install directly. This was for a new house. Just moved in and tried to use the dishwasher for the very first time. It immediately went to a lockout state with an error message, and will not even run the very first load. Called Miele and was told it would be 10 days before they could get a tech to even look at it (and I'm hoping he won't have to wait to order parts). Needless to say I'm not at all pleased moving into a new house with a new top-line (supposedly "reliable") dishwasher, then having to hand-wash dishes. Miele's so-called "Concierge Service" is a joke. Don't know if Bosch is any better.

  • hald
    10 years ago

    I have a Maytag approaching 10 years. I would buy another. It's quiet, cleans well, and has been completely reliable. It makes a pleasant low sound and you can just barely hear water sounds.