I've had a Bosch for the last 6 years and like it so much, there was no way I was going to replace it when we re-did the kitchen.

1. Condensation drying does not leave anything wet: my previous Maytag was disastrous in that respect. Condensation drying means that the steam condenses on the interior stainless steel, allowing it to drain. I find its performance far superior to the more traditional style - not to mention it's far, far more efficient on electricity use.
2. I haven't found the interior to be any different - I can pack exactly the same amount of dishes and pots in there as I did with the old one.
3. I have never had an odour issue, even after being away for two weeks. The only time there was an issue was when an olive pit got caught in the upper spray arm - easily diagnosed, easily dealt with, and could have happened with any D/W.

I will have another Bosch when the time comes - hopefully a long time from now.

I agree with Sara_the_Brit. Bosch DW is first rate. The best we've ever had and very, very quiet. Dishes come out clean and dry. Use less water. Energy efficient. Made in USA. What's not to like?

Sara is right on spot.

Our Bosch is three plus years old and going strong. No drying problems, interior size is fine and no orders at all.

IMHO, it's the most bang for your buck.

Enjoy the journey.
eal51 in western CT

You'll most likely need to use Jet Dry or another rinse aid to get your dishes dry. I had a friend with a Bosch who hated it because the dishes came out wet - then she started using Jet Dry and the dishes came out dry.

Even a KA with heated drying will leave some water on plastics in recessed spots so don't let that be a deal-breaker. I personally prefer KA because it does have a deeper interior. Go somewhere who has Bosch alongside other brands and compare the interior space for yourself. I went to Sears to look at lots of different models side-by-side. There have been people who have complained about DW odors on this forum in the past so do a search for those threads.

I'm going to repost my comments from an earlier thread as I think they're still representative of our rather extensive experience with Bosch DW's:

"We have owned three Bosch DW's to date, the oldest of which we have had for perhaps 10 years now. Regarding capacity, I have not seen any significant loss of capacity versus the generic GE we had prior to buying the most recent Bosch. We have a family of four with two teenagers, so our use is probably less than a family with small kids using sippy cups etc but it's more than adequate for daily use. We do have a second Bosch currently in the basement which we use for spillover, mainly after entertaining.

The comment about "drying overnight" is ridiculous. Yes, Bosch like other European manufacturers uses residual heat rather than an electric heating element to dry. It works well for glassware and silverware. Tupperware and other plastics are often still damp to wet, and we will sometimes put them on a drying rack before storing. The typical length of a cycle, including drying, is about 90-100 minutes. If you take dishes out as soon as the cycle is over, everything is dry except the plastic ware. Certainly there is absolutely no need to wait "overnight" to get things dry.

Reliability has been generally good. We had to replace one circuit board but it was my fault (spilled a glass of apple juice directly down the vent in the door). The soap dispenser is somewhat fragile--on the 10 year old model it pops off the track if you push it too hard, so I'm careful to close them correctly (push door til closed, then push DOWN on the back of the door to lock the door--don't just keep pushing harder and harder to get it to lock).

Overall they are very nice machines. Quite quiet, although interestingly the newer ones are a bit louder than the oldest one. Confession--for our ongoing renovation, we are actually getting two Miele Excellas--but that's mainly for the crystal capability and the fully integrated look."

I LOVE my Bosch. Like crazy love it,lol. I thought long and hard about purchasing it and wondered if it was the right DW for our family of 5. I was concerned about capacity mostly. Well, let me tell you the interior may look smaller but it is much more versatile to load and therefore fits more than my previous GE diswasher. Boy, was that a pleasant surprise! No foul order from ours thankfully. In respect to the lack of a heating element, I find Jet Dri minimizes the issue. Truly, no bigger problem than my previous DW. What I love most about the Bosch though is how remarkably quiet it is. I really dont even know it is running half the time.
I would not hesitate to recommend this DW to anyone. It has exceeded my expectations.

Good luck,
Nancy

After doing a kit before and having a Bosch it was the one appliance I didn't think twice about, just went for another Bosch. It efficiently, quietly cleans everything, from my Lenox China to a broiler pan. I use very little plastic but yes it is damp when I do.

Owner of a new (installed end of August, 2008) Bosch SHE45M05SS (cheaper of the two 500 series models) here.

Delighted with performance. Cleans better than any diswasher ever owned. Often, the 1/2 hour "quick wash" is sufficient for clean dishes, which is great. The full cycle is long (almost 2 hours) but works very well. Adjustable upper rack is great.

Overall capacity is less than previous US brand dishwashers, definitely, but sufficient for our needs. Adjustable upper rack helps.

Drying performance is absolutely fine, with plastics still being a bit wet, but no showstopper.

Very quiet. Would recommend.

Agree with above.

Very quiet.

Plastics don't get dry with traditional electric drying either, especially when they catch water.

Ours does seem slightly smaller, or maybe some things just don't fit quite as well.

Gotta jump on here and recommend the Bosch. We love ours.

We are considering the Bosch SHE45M06UC. I thought it looked smaller inside than my present maytag but then I thought it had to do with the stainless steel interior versus the white.

This one does not have a grinder. How important is that when dishes are rinsed first. I would never just put the in the washer. Mom would strike me down from heaven is I did!

The other one we are looking at is LG model LDF6920WW. It does have a grinder.

Both have a low noise rating which is a biggie for my husband who hates to hear it running when he is watching TV. Both also have a delay setting so we can use it.

Costs are about the same.

We have the LG and it is great. My wife's parents have the Bosch. We use both quite a bit and I don't think you can go wrong with either. The Bosch is a bit quieter, but the LG seems to load better and dry a bit better. They are both first rate!

mboston, I do scrape dishes. It just never seemed right putting big chunks of food in. Cleaning the screen is really a non issue. I do believe they are smaller and take a learning curve to load them to the max otherwise I have loved the two I have had/have.

Eandhl - are you saying that you have had both brands or two Boschs? I always scrape and rinse my dishes. Are you saying that you wouldn't bother with the disposal?

I have had two Bosch DW's. They do not come with a disposal. I do scrape dishes. In our last house in 5+ yrs I cleaned the filter of a couple twisties, a pumpkin seed and DH said a tea bag. Nothing else was ever there. This one in use 6 months and so far nothing on the screen.