In general, as you go up in numbers, you will get more features, like folding racks, an adjustable upper rack, more cycle choices and more sound insulation. Mine are Thermador versions, so they are a little different still, but it saved a little money on the panel ready model. I got the one that was second from the top. I had several appliance people tell me that it was the best feature/cost balance. I wanted the quiet operation and the adjustable rack. I think I have 6 cycles and use 2 or 3.

The site linked below will allow you to select the models you are looking at and do a model comparison (you have to know Integra or Evolution series). Hope that helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bosch DW Comparison

Hi Troubled-2007,

I am a huge Bosch fan. I just replaced all my appliances
with Bosch. After lots and lots of research.

Before you think about a Bosch dishwasher you need to
understand European appliances and how they work.
Otherwise you will find yourself really frustrated and
hating the dishwasher.
They are not like the typical American Appliances.
The Bosch does not have a food grinder. Some people hate this.
Bosch has a trap to catch the food pieces.

I have had my Bosch now for a month and have never
had to empty the trap. The heat is so powerful
it destroys any food particles. But I have never put
chicken bones into the dishwasher.

Bosch dishwashers are more energy efficient than others
so this means that they never fully dry in the inside. The
tub will remain wet or with moisture. Your dishes will
sparkle and look great but the steel tub will have some
wetness on it. Some folks who live in the south of the US
do not need more humidity in their lives. Wetness is
not fun.

There is also a steel tub that has a auto shut off so
the water will stop. Years ago we had a magtag that
overflowed and was a nightmare until someone reached
under the sink to stop the water. Bosch has an auto stop
and a steel tub so overflows are never an issue.
My DH wanted this in a dishwasher.

Bosch takes a long time to wash dishes but the higher
the number (300, 500, 800) the more silent the machine.
I mean silent. Although the 800 has a party wash.

You need to use Jet-dry or some product like this. Some
people do not want this kind of chemical on their plates.
Jet-dry helps the washing process and makes the dishes look
great. I am sure I am ruining my body or earth by using this but
I love the look of my china and crystal after a good wash.

If the above issues do not bother you , you will love the Bosch.
My DH loves German cars and German engineering so for him
he calls this the BMW of dishwashers.

Here is a link that might help you find out more about
which appliances you would like. I used it to do some
research.

Epinions.
http://www.epinions.com/

Oh I have the Bosch 500. It was in my price range but
my sister in law has the 800 and loves it.
I believe the 300 was rated highly in consumer reports.
Good luck,
~boxerpups

To confirm the Bosch SHX98MO was the #2 rated dishwasher by Consumer Reports. CP chose the Bosch SHE33MO as one of thier Best Buys last year. In CP's testing the SHE33MO did not score as well in ease of use or loading as the 3x more expensive SHX98MO but it had the same scores for cleaning and energy use. The less expensive model was also noisier but still scored Very Good.

Bosch also tied for top spot on the Brand repair history so more BMW and less Volkswagen.

Boxerpups, which oven(s) do you have?

Hi Debsan,

I have the 700 series dual fuel stainless steel with
warming drawer.
I love it because I have the conv bake, conv broil,
reg bake/broil and a few other features I am still
learning about. I also like the 17thousand btus and
the quick boil, or slow sim features. All really neat.
And the burners are on top of a glass surface which
makes for easy cleaning.

I had looked at Wolfe, Viking, Jennair (We used to have
a JennAir) and the Bosch was in my price range. JennAir
is great too they last forever but my DH really liked
the features of the DW and the price of the
appliances suite was cheaper.

Best of luck
~boxerpups

Mine is below, please excuse the mess
{{!gwi}}

Boxerpups,

Thanks for all the info on Bosch. I plan to get them too.

I am starting to remodel my kitchen.

Love the knobs on your cabinets. Can you share the name of them? I think they are just what I'm looking for!

Thanks!

Carol

Yes, Boxerpups, thank you for all the information.

I had looked at the Bosch a while back and ruled them out because of the filter, but then another salesman at another store showed me how easy it was to empty, so given it's great reputation I thought I had to have this brand.

I live in a fairly arid climite - only about 6 days of rain so far this year and wow it seems like a lot so the drying system shouldn't cause any problems.

The whole reason I am redoing the kitchen is because of water damage caused by the previous dishwasher, so the Aqua stop is a must have for me.

I couldn't find any place that sold the Consumer Reports model.

Don't be too concerned about that filter. I didn't buy a Bosch in my last house because a salesman said that would be gross and a PITA. I have 2 of the Thermador version now and have had them for 2 years. I could count the number of times I've even checked the filters on one hand, and it really is pretty easy to pull it out, rinse it adn out it back. And it have never been gross.

I have the Bosch 500 and really like it. It has a split silverware basket which the 300 does not which is one feature I wanted. Also has time delay. As for the quietness of the Bosch, my kitchen is part of a Great Room that still needs decorating so currently it has hardwood flooring, no window coverings or area rugs so noise echoes a lot! I can barely hear my DW running.

boxerpups gave a great summary of various features of the Bosch. Yes, the SS tub does stay wet as do any plastic cups, etc.. Sometimes I leave DW open after cycle is finished to "air dry" through the night. My dishes are always squeeky clean!

Hi Troubled2007,

You will love the Aqua stop in the DW.
And I agree that the filter is not that big a deal.
I truly believe the filter would need to be changed
more if you put chicken bones and other large
hard food products into the dw.
Our DW is silent. Truly quiet and I have an open concept
house with the family room off the kitchen.

You might try Sears or Lowes to find the best prices
and model you want. There is also AJMadison on line
but I have never used them so could not really tell
you if they would be a good place to purchase.
Lowes gave me the lowest price and offered a $500
rebate for purchasing all the appliances through them.
They even matched prices but did have to special order
the Range.
Lowes offers installation and is a good place to purchase
long term warranties if you want them.

I have been happy with Bosch so far.
It was my sister in law that hooked me on to them
when she used her Silent 800 DW. Truly quiet with
the entire extended family of 28 big, small and loud
running around her place. No one could hear the DW.

Best of luck

Boxerpups, lascatx, and mrs-mjt,
Can you please tell me if you have the custom panel to match your cabinetry on your dishwasher. How does that work? Does the dishwasher handle come off and a handle to match the knobs get put on?? If you have a pic to post it would be greatly appreciated. Is there only one model in the 500 range that accepts a custom panel. And also, I did happen to pick up the new Consumer Reports yesterday and I think the Bosch is what I will go with. Thanks for all your help!

Carol,

I am not sure if they still make the exact knob.
We changed these about 8 years ago.
My husband picked them out and bought them himself.
One day I came home and he said "What do you think?"
He disliked the old ones.

At the time he paid about $15 per knob. This was
actually a sale by Baltica. (I think they
are made in Poland or Lithuania or some place.
I don't even think they are sold at the store
he bought them at anymore. I am certain you can get
something like this cheaper now.

I would urge you to get knobs that are really heavy.
These I have are very sturdy and made to last forever.
A satin nickle finish but it must be over steel or something
because I am so impressed how they have held
up. Some places offer a year warranty. These I have
will last a lifetime. Which might not be good
because I will be sick of them and they will still
be working.
:)

Here are some links.

http://www.knobsandhardware.com/cabinetknobs_675.html?st=224&option1=Finish=-8~Nickel

http://www.baltica.com/eng/product.shtml

Michellemarie,

I do not have the custom panel.
I like the stainless steel look.

If you go to the Bosch site they can help
you order the panel. There are dimensions to
consider. The Evolution does not have a handle.
The integra does but I have no idea how that
works with the panel.

When I first began too chose a dw I was all for the
Evolution but for some strange reason I liked the
handle of the Integra and got that one instead.
Things always look different in person.

Good luck,
{{!gwi}}

Hey: can someone clarify this for me? There are all the references above to "the BMW of dishwashers" and "European appliances" but isn't it true that Bosch DW's are manufactured in the U.S.? That's what their website suggests, at any rate--"the most energy efficient dishwasher manufactured in the United States."

Are these designed in Europe and then just manufactured here, identical to what's sold over there? Or are they specifically designed for the U.S. market? If so, anyone know the differences?

Yes, mine have panels to match the cabinets. Mine look like a shallow drawer on top with a door below. We put a cup pull that matches what we have on the drawers on that top part and nothing on what looks like a door. The whole panel then attaches to the DW door. The cup pull has been plenty sturdy, but I don't know if a thinner pull would feel as solid.

If you plan to put a panel on it, I will tell you that the reason mine are Thermador is because they ran a bit less inthe panel ready version than the Bosch. You get fewer model options, but probably the best selling ones. I saved over $100 on each of mine. Helps pay for that panel!

boxerpups - I am getting ready to purchase Bosch wo, cooktop and d/w. I keep debating about the microwave. It looks like you have a Bosch m/w. They sure seem expensive and I haven't found much discussion about them. Do you like yours? Is it the convection?

Boxerpups,

Thank you so very much getting back to me regarding the knobs.

Knobs & Hardware looks like a good site; I'm sure I can find something here.

Thanks alot for the info!

Carol

Clinresga,
Good question.
Bosch is a German company. Just like BMW. Some
BMWs are made in South Carolina but it is still a
German own and engineered co. Bosch is too is German
owned. American labor is far cheaper than German
labor so many companies hire Americans to finish the
product.

I beleive that some of the appliances in Germany
are a little smaller. They do not have our Giant refrigerators.

Hope this helps explain things,
~boxerpups

Cocaty,
I got the microwave because my DH wanted the appliances
to match. Yes, it has the conv as does the range.
To be honest it does not cook any better than the GE
we had prior. But it does match the other appliances.
I really wanted a range hood and stuff the old GE micro
in the pantry but kids said "No way".
My dream appliance is going to be the built in
Benvento Coffee bar. It is very pricey but Mother's
day is coming and just maybe.....

best of luck on your purchases.
~boxerpups

michellemarie, I did not get a panel to match my cabinetry. My appliances are SS but my double ovens, induction cooktop and ventilation hood also have black in them so I went with a black DW because I didn't want the SS dishwasher front to look streaky like SS can. I like LOW maintenance so black was the right choice for my kitchen and even saved me a few $$$ in the process.

We have all Bosch appliances with the exception of our cooktop, which is a GE Monogram. Our microwave is the same one as Boxerpups and our dishwasher is an 800 series Evolution. Not sure what the model number is on the wall oven.

I love the looks, the simple "European" lines of the Bosch products and their dishwashers are very quiet indeed. Would I buy them again? Not sure I would.

The inside of the dishwasher smelled horrible for over a year. A weird chemical smell. I seriously did not want to open the door because of the odor. The smell has dissipated but not my memory of it. I Googled the smell problem and found I was not alone.

The over the range microwave works fine other than dimming every light in our home when it's running. Never had that problem with our previous MW.

The true reason though that I might not purchase Bosch again is the bleepin' beep. The "ultra quiet" dishwasher beeps when the cycle is done and keeps on beeping until you get up and open the door. I'm not sure how long it would go on beeping because I can only handle about three beeps before I get annoyed and get up to stop it.

The microwave beeps after it is done cooking. That would be fine except it then goes on to remind you it is done every few seconds until you open the door. This is a real drag when you have a recipe or put a frozen dinner in that specifies a certain amount of cook time followed by a minute or two sitting in the MW to complete the cooking. Also very annoying when you're trying to have a conversation nearby or watching TV in the next room.

I have Googled the problem and found several ways to disable the beep on the DW but none of them have worked for me. I thought I'd found the solution to the MW beeping when I discovered a Sound On/Off selection. Turned the sound off and at some point down the road decided to use the MW timer to remind me something on the stove was boiling. Got focused on some other chore in the next room and when I returned to the kitchen the timer had ended, the water had boiled down to the bottom of the pan and no alert, alarm or beep was ever heard. Turns out when you turn the sound off for the beep, it turns all sound off. How stupid is that???

Because of this post, I decided to write directly to Bosch with my complaints. We'll see what they have to say.

Jodi-

I've heard about the beep jodi. About drove my niece crazy. Have also heard about the smell from a co-worker. A little concerned because I ended up purchasing the entire Bosch suite (other than Samsung refrig). Got the series 800 wall oven/microwave combination because I absolutely couldn't figure out what to do about the microwave. Salesman made me a great deal but no question the micro is way overpriced. Sure I'll be mad at myself when the micro quits. Just noticed my current Whirlpool OTR micro was manufactured in 1993. Going strong.

Does the beep go on even if you used the delayed start? My DH would be really annoyed if I set the DW to wash at bedtime and then the beep goes all night!

Are these new dw'ers that have the smell? Just wondering whether this years model might have fixed some of these issues.

For what it's worth, I have the Integra 500 Series SHX45M05UC, purchased June 2008, and it also has the funny smell, albeit not as bad as Jodi describes hers being. It's somewhere between rancid milk and metal polish. We've gotten used to it, but I hope it ultimately vanishes as Jodi's did.

I also had trouble getting the beep turned off; apparently the manual specifies the wrong buttons for my model and I had to google around a bit to find the right combo - ultimately, I did succeed.