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Bosch Dishwasher

roboman
16 years ago

Based on so many good reviews of the Bosch dishwashers, my wife and I went shopping for one. One thing that really surprised me was the small size of the racks, especially the upper rack. (See the measurements of the top rack below including a Kitchen Aid for comparison.)

Isn't this a real limitation for these dishwashers? They may be a little more efficient in terms of packing in plates. etc. but this seems like a real disadvantage. We are a small family of four but with lots of dishes and pans as my wife loves to cook. Before I actually saw one in person I thought Bosch was the clear way to go but now I'm having serious second thoughts.

Any thoughts?

Bosch SHE5M 18.75" deep x 20.5" wide

KA KUDA03CTBS 21"x21"/ same bottom width but 2" deeper

Comments (15)

  • antss
    16 years ago

    3 and a quarter sq. inches less space, that's about 1 glass.
    If you wash a lot of plates though, the differnce between 16 and 20 slots is a meal for most families. What you should be focusing on is how th ebasket arrangements and adjustability fit YOUR life style and dishes. Don't get too hung up on the nice little spec charts that are easy to digest and compare, bigger is not always better.

  • fandlil
    16 years ago

    The position of the top rack in our top of the line Bosch DW is adjustable so that, if you have a really small load, you can lower the top rack and stack all your dishes in there, and the machine can be set to wash only the top rack dishes. This is an energy saving feature.

    Perhaps your measurements of the size of the top rack should be done again to take this adjustable setting into account.

  • kitchendetective
    16 years ago

    I have had 2 Bosch dishwashers for a bit over 2 years. They are definitely smaller and hold fewer of my dishes than my old KitchenAid. However, I had 3 KitchenAids over the years and the quality definitely degenerated. The KA's were harder on my dishes and less reliable (except the one that was already 15 years old when I moved into a house 27 years ago ;>)) With the Bosches, I love the quiet, the fact that I've needed no repairs, and the condition of my dishes. Also, as I said, I have two. We do a lot of dishes here, too. One suggestion (you may think I'm nuts, but I am serious): take a typical load's worth of your things to a showroom and see if you can load the collection into the Bosch. There are some tricks to maximizing the capacity, but if you're dishes are unusually deep or unusually shaped, this may be difficult.

  • kitchendetective
    16 years ago

    Meant to type "your dishes."

  • chefkev
    16 years ago

    I just bought a Bosch dishwasher (not installed yet), these posts are very helpful. Thanks!

  • bulldinkie
    16 years ago

    My dishwasher is about 1 year old and its broken down 2 times now.Its down now.......

  • coast2
    16 years ago

    antss, check your math. Although I can't vouch for roboman's measurements, if they are correct, then the Kitchenaid top rack is about 56 square inches larger than the Bosch top rack, not three and a quarter square inches. And the Kitchenaid bottom rack is about 98 square inches bigger than the Bosch bottom rack, for a total of about 154 extra square inches in the Kitchenaid. That's roughly the equivalent of a 10" x 15" space, or enough space for about 20 extra glasses.

  • pp5150
    16 years ago

    Have been using my Bosch for a couple of months now, the top rack is adjustable which is nice, extremely quite and does a fantastic job cleaning.

  • kitchendetective
    16 years ago

    It just dawned on me that different models may differ--mine are SHV 99A03UC, if that matters.

  • kelleg69
    16 years ago

    We got a Bosch to replace a KA at our house. It is WAY smaller and is driving me a bit nuts. It doesn't have much flexibility either. But, I did get the $590 model b/c we are building a new house and didn't want to spend too much here. B/c of the size issue, I think we have decided to go back to a KA at the new house. The Bosch does clean very well, though.

  • roboman
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks for all the replies. Looks like Bosch designed this dishwasher more for low noise than capacity. Based on the smaller capacity I also think there energy efficiency ratings might be overstated. If instead of rating the energy per load the EPA used a measure that normalized the energy per unit volume (yes, I'm an engineer!) the efficiency ratings might look different in comparison to the competition.

    The Bosch may be fine for some folks and it depends on a lot of factors. For us, we cook a lot and have pots and pans that get washed in the dishwasher, so I think it's not the best choice.

    So if anyone is interested here's my research results so far:

    Kitchen Aide: I have several relatives who like the KA's they have and they get JD Power scores that are second only to Bosch but the quality seem to be slipping from user reports on various forums. Consumer Reports gives them low reliability scores.

    Kenmore: Scores very well with the editors at Consumer Reports but user reviews at that same site paint a much bleaker picture: About half the comments are reports of problems and really bad customer service at Sears.

    Miele are just too much $$ for a dishwasher.

    Whirlpools have a terrible utensil holder design that fits in the door.

    GE: We have a GE but that's had problems too: it got noisy after 6 months, didn't clean as well, and now the wheels on the racks are falling off.

    Maytag: Very poor reliability scores from CR.

    So why is shopping for a dishwasher so darn frustrating?

  • weissman
    16 years ago

    >>So why is shopping for a dishwasher so darn frustrating?

    Because you believe everything you read :-)

    Every brand has its supporters and detractors and even the best brands occasionally have lemons. Also, people who are unhappy are more likely to post than those who are pleased.

  • sparky823
    16 years ago

    The basket on the Whirlpools can be moved. It doesn't have to stay on the door. I think I would like this since I would have more space in the bottom rack..

    I have a Kenmore Elite that is 6 years old and it cleans everything I throw at it and sometimes it is a lot of tough baked on stuff!!!!

    I have heard some good things about the Tall Tub Maytags. Very high pressure system I hear?. 1/3 hp motor where most of them are MUCH less.

  • nerdyshopper
    13 years ago

    Roboman, You got the situation exactly right. The problem is some people like a brand because they have had it a long time from when they were made a whole lot better than they are now. Others like a brand because they just chose it and bought it and there hasn't been time for a breakdown. The picture seems so bleak that I may just keep my old Maytag until it quits, even if it doesn't match the rest of my remodeled kitchen.

  • MegPeterman
    12 years ago

    I really hate my bosch diswasher because the racks are so so so small. I think it holds about 1/3 less than my last dishwasher. My husband bought it and installed it without consulting me. Frankly it has made life so much more difficult. I have to run a load every single day yet my kitchen dishes are never caught up. There is always a pan plus many dishes left over. I am a busy working mom and cancer patient....this stinkin dishwasher has made my life so much harder. I am going to have to shell out hard earned money to go buy another one even though this one still works fine. Just really terrible to be so rediculously small.

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