I have a model from the 800 series, with the water softener. It's at the top end of offerings, so definitely over the $700 budget you noted. The water softener option isn't offered on the other series.

Yes, the racks can cause someone problems if you use the large stoneware dishes or deep bowls. Personally, I do just fine even with the larger dishes. I can load it like nobody's business, but the rest of the family isn't as interested :)

We usually run it when we go to bed, and plastics are still wet in the morning. I often get up in the middle of the night for some water, and will open the door to improve the drying because I'm walking by it anyway. I don't make a special trip to do so, though.

I love it. It's so very quiet, cleans efficiently and I can get a ton of stuff in there. Cleaning ability, water/electricity conservation, and noise level were my biggest concerns when looking. I don't feel that it's any more high maintenance than other brands.

Perhaps you should check into the Kitchenaid models, too? They are well-liked around here.

We have been using ours a few weeks and we LOVE it! We have the Bosch 800 Plus. BTW, the higher end Bosch's are made in Germany. The others are not.

Yes, we had to get DW salt. THere is a test kit with it for your water. Our came up as hard so we bought the salt on Amazon. I'm not sure how often it has to be replaced.

Yes, use rinse agent but I don't mind that. We use the Finish tabs that also have rinse agent in them but we added it separately also.

There is an Intensive Drying setting that supposedly helps drying. I have it set to "on". The final rinse water is hotter which aids drying. Other than some of the plastic pieces in the top rack it dries everything else perfectly! The dishes are 100% dry.

OK, now to tell you we LOVE it! It cleans amazingly. I have put it DIRTY baking pans (both glass and cast iron) that came out perfectly clean. DH and I continue to be shocked!

Debrak, OT Love you heated island top and am envious every morning when the quartzite island in my cold Maine kitchen sucks the therms out of my coffee.
One of the things I love most about my new kitchen is my Bosch DW. I have model SHE43RL5UC. This baby gets my dishes amazingly clean. I never rinse- we are talking bread dough mixing bowl, oatmeal bowl, pot in which I accidentally over boiled milk, and they all sit in the DW for hours too, if not more than a day before I run it. I have a couple of pots that had burned on stains I could never remove which were eons old- a couple of times through the Bosch and they are gone- it's magical.
I am on a well and so I have a whole house water softener. I do not add salt. I do use rinse aid. I occasionally reload the dishes my sons and husband put in, but I admit that I am a control freak, and I am mostly restacking so I can squeeze in a few more dishes. I am literally putting everything in it, except my good knives, and wooden things. I don't have much plastic, some lunchbox containers. They are dry, in fact drier than in my old GE. I do not open the door to facilitate drying. It is so quiet, actually amazing, and I do not have the quietest model.

I have a Bosch, had one at my previous home. It's not the highest end model with the built in softener - our water here is not very hard so we don't need it.

I LOVE my Bosch, will never have anything else. It is no maintenance to me... I run the dishwasher every 1-2 days and the rinse aid lasts about 2-3 months per fill. A bottle of rinse aid is about $2, so i can't see expense being a real concern for someone buying a new dishwasher?

It washes perfectly and dries perfectly. It dries far far better than the Whirlpool or Frigidaires with heated drying that I replaced with Bosches. Everything is dry other than the odd thing that might collect water like the rim of a plastic container - that's the case in any dishwasher and like I said I found this one leaves things the *driest* comparatively, without the risk of melting plastic items or damaging rubber handles and rims.

I load dishes, put a detergent pack in the dispenser and press start. I always leave it on "auto" which detects the dirt level and adjusts the wash accordingly, with sanitize on. What is there to maintain?

BTW- it's extremely quiet. Also it takes a bit to get used to loading but not an issue for us at all. There is also the ability to adjust the height of the top rack (actually the middle rack) if need be.

The models made in Germany tend to have a higher satisfaction/reliability rating compared to the other models. Still, plenty of people love the 500 and below models that they own.

When I first got mine, I had to load salt somewhat frequently - every couple of months, maybe. But after a while, I'm sorry I didn't keep track, salt consumption went down. I don't remember the last time I had to refill it. I think it had to do with a hurricane that came through here. Our water hasn't been the same, since.

I also use Finish tabs and additional rinse aid, but I rarely refill it. Seems to last forever!

Rinse aid is not a concern. I"ve been using it for 30 years. Not a cost, any more than saying using windshield washer fluid is an additional cost for a car.

Water softener is one of those things that depends on your water quality. If you need it, it is nice to have. But if you don't need it, either don't buy it or don't use it.

They are very quiet.

I seem to remember that you can to top rack only washes for small loads.

I won't speak to drying since I have a KA.

You should always check to see how your dishes fit in a machine before you buy it, not after.

We've had our Bosch SHE55R5 for 4 months now. Before the Bosch I had a KA that by the end, I loathed. It left grit on everything, in addition to not cleaning well. Ugh.

I love the Bosch. Everything is clean. Most things are dry enough. It is quiet. My dinnerware doesn't fit as well, but we almost always run it on the half cycle and even if it is on the full side, everything is clean.

I use rinse aid and it does improve the drying. I have it on the lowest dispensed setting, and it doesn't use much. I put 99% of my dishes in there. I love it. Did I already say that?

Adding salt? do some models have a built in water softening system?

Only the made in Germany 800 Plus models that cost $1400 Plus

Must use a rinse agent. Added cost.

No electricity for the heating element. LOWER COST

No need to replace burned plastic dishes/containers. LOWER COST

Thank you all for the quick feedback! You all sold me.

Sounds like rinse aid is not expensive and you can control how its dispensed.

I went back to the bosch website and found the model I would probably get. 2nd from the bottom of the Ascenta line. It does not have a water softener so no concern there.

I plan on getting some basic corelle dishes. I have some corelle now I can try to fit at the store. But thinking they should fit ok.

Also sounds like the drying is really not a problem. My kenmore didn't dry that well on plastic even when it was working correctly. I would have never thought that rinse aid would help dry.

Thanks for answering all my concerns. I didn't want a dw that required to much thought to use. So now I just have to wait for the tax return and some good appliance sales this spring!

localeater, if you are ever in western new york, stop by for some "hot" coffee at the island. Actually you are all welcome here!

Have a bosch Ascenta and love it...No issues at all. I do use rinse aid but it's cheap and last awhile for one little bottle. The dishes are also sparkling, it's so quiet i have to put my ear up to it to know when it's on, and no issues loading the dishes as a few of the rack dividers fold down. Sometimes the plastic stuff is a little wet but it takes 1 sec to wipe it. I highly recommend it....
http://www.bosch-home.com/us/products/built-in-dishwashers/bar-handle/SHX3AR75UC.html?source=browse

Corelle will fit wonderfully in it. I put my old porcelain dishes in there, which are of similar size.