I am going to have 2 dishwashers in my kitchen. There is a Bosch in my garage waiting to be installed and a Miele that was installed last night. I can't honestly say it cleaned any better than any other dishwasher I have ever owned, but it does have one feature I wish I had not gotten talked into and that is the cutlery tray that sits at the very top. I already know I am going to hate it. I like to grab a bunch silverware and throw them in the basket. It took too much time and effort laying on the tray. So that's my input.
I really think when you pay more for a dw you really aren't getting one that cleans better, but one that has more options and is less noisy.

"I really think when you pay more for a dw you really aren't getting one that cleans better, but one that has more options and is less noisy."

YES, totally agree, and so does Consumer Reports. You're paying top dollar for extra features like stainless steel tub, hidden controls, adjustable racks, etc. They ranked dishwashers based on cleaning, noise, energy use, ease of use, and cycle time and here are their top 10:

1. Bosch SHX98M0[9]UC $1500
2. Bosch Evolution 500 Series SHE55M1[2]UC $850
3. Asko Encore D3531XLHD[SS] $1600
4. Kenmore Elite UltraWash HE 1315[2] $1100
5. Kenmore Elite UltraWash HE 1312[2] $780
6. LG Steam LDF7932[ST] $1000
7. KitchenAid KUDE70CV[SS] $1300
8. Thermador HD Series DWHD64EM[SS] $1200
9. Kenmore Pro 1317[3] $1280

10. Kenmore 1374[2] $720

If price is your paramount concern they recommended the Kenmore 1389[2] at $500 and the Whirlpool DU1055XTV[Q] at $400.

Michelle  I have been wondering about those cutlery trays. People seem to like them, but I had serious doubts for myself as to the loading and unloading  seemed like a pain. However, I tend to cook with large spoons, spatulas, tongs, and use large serving spoons as well. These items donÂt fit well in my current DW and I wondered if the cutlery tray would be perfect for these?

marie- isn't it easier when it comes time to put away the cutlery???

you can remove the tray and runners with a screwdriver and order a traditional basket from Miele parts to make it just like everyone else's if you want.

I love the cutlery tray. My flatware gets much cleaner. You have to sort it sometime, so I put knives in the left front corner, dinner forks in the right front corner, teaspoons in the back right corner and soup spoons in the back left corner, salad forks in the middle. When it comes time to put away you just grab all the handles. It would be even easier if you just sort by knives, forks and spoons. There is a 3-1/2"x17" place down the middle for serving forks/spoons, but it is fairly shallow so not many cooking tools will fit.

I disagree entirely that cheaper dishwashers work as well as more expensive ones. I've had several of both and the best--and most expensive--in my experience is the Miele Optima I have now. I had a Bosch before that one which was pretty good, but it didn't clean as thoroughly as the Miele does. I don't remember the brands of less expensive dishwashers I've had in the past because I just wanted to get rid of them.

The Consumer Reports tidbit was really interesting and I am not surprised. I have lived in my house 15 years and the new dishwashers will be dishwashers 5 and 6. The first and 2nd were both Whirlpool and each lasted about 5 years. They were probably in the $400 to $500 range. DW 3 is a Kitchenaid that was purchased about 5 years ago for $900. It cleans no better than the first two I had. About a year ago my husband got me a temporary dw at Menards as our remodel was taking so long and with 6 kids I just couldn't get by with 1 dw anymore. It cost us $175. It cleans the same as my Kitchenaid, but it is super noisy. The inside is white and I have to empty the food particles from the little basket. Also, the trays rattle and they don't slide in smoothly, but it cleans great. The reason these 2 dishwashers are being replaced is that the KitchenAid is falling apart. The cutlery basket has holes in the bottom so I can only use 2 compartments in it. My husband has had to take it apart about 3 times and that included buying new parts. It was not worth what I paid for it.
I chose a Bosch because I needed a dw I could put a panel on and that seemed to be a reasonably priced dw.
I chose a Miele because everyone raves about them and I kind of splurged.
Antss--I like to grab a bunch of silverware and put it away so I am not crazy about having to pick up each piece one at a time. I think I am going to regret going with the tray, but I do have another dw so I may just use the Bosch most of the time.

i followed consumer reports' recommendations a year or two ago and bought the top-rated kenmore elite (which was made by bosch). what a piece of junk. wouldn't drain, then short-circuited.

gw'ers rave about miele and the kitchenaid kude (not kuds). i've read mixed reviews on bosch. i couldn't afford the miele (the one with hidden controls) so i got the kitchenaid kude70...great deal at grand appliance (cheaper than the 40% sale at sears). haven't installed it yet so can't tell you how it is.

When we did our kitchen 9 years ago, I got a Jenn Air top of the line dishwasher. I didn't know at the time Jenn Air had a bad reputation, but this has been the best dishwasher I've ever had (I'm 63)!! Very quiet, cleans extremely well, and looks great, too. Not one issue in all this time.

I'm about 3 weeks into using my new KitchenAid KUDS50 and, so far, am quite impressed. It cleans very well, is super quiet and the racking and tines are highly flexible.

It does have the upper cutlery tray (which I wanted) and it takes a minute extra to load the flatware into it. However, that time is saved on the back end, when I can pick up the spotless silverware in bunches, already sorted for putting away.

The KUDS50 also comes with a traditional silverware basket, which I have removed and am not using. But it is there if I ever need it. It also has a smaller basket in the lower rack that is perfect for larger utensils.

I paid just over $900 for this dw after shopping online and then having my local Lowes price-match plus 10%.

If you get a Bosch, make sure you have the option to turn the end of cycle beep off. What good is a quiet dishwasher if it wakes you up or disturbs other activities when it's done cleaning? Ours does not have the option (yes, we checked with Bosch) so we can only do dishes during the day. So, so annoying.

Jodi-

Extremely tired of expensive, fully loaded appliances that either don't last, or don't work well, I purchased a bare bones KitchenAid dishwasher. It has been the absolute best I have ever owned.

The only cycles it has are heavy duty, normal, and rinse only. I can also select a high temp wash if desired, and the option to turn heated drying off if desired. I found those were truly the only cycles I ever used. I bought the white, (absolutely fed up with keeping stainless exteriors looking nice), but it has a stainless interior. It was about $500.

The Whirlpool had a cutlery tray I absolutely hated. It was ALWAYS falling off. They have no other options for cutlery that I know of.

Sandy

We've never had a dishwasher before and now we have to pick one out. We are 2 people, never having kids, don't have a lot of stuff to wash, nothing that requires any special sized dishwasher, don't need anything really fancy. Just something to throw our daily dirty dishes in so we don't have to hover over the sink any longer.

With that said, we'd like a quiet dishwasher that cleans well, looks nice, SS, with a straight handle and hidden buttons. We're willing to spend up to $1,000. Which dishwasher should we get?

we have a "cheap" whirlpool dishwasher that i have been using for the last four years -in our temporary house. i cannot wait until our build is done so i can install my new mieles! i've used them before at bf's house and they are phenomenal. i had a bosh in our last home that was extremely quiet and cleaned very well, but it didn't dry. i think this is just one of the many instances where you get what you pay for.

I just got rid of a Miele Optima that didn't clean worth a darn, and replaced it with a KA KUDE60 that cleans much better. Both made the same amount of noise. I really miss the Miele cutlery tray though. IMHO, that's the best innovation in DW's in years.

I love my not-top-of-the-line Bosch. It is very quiet, cleans beautifully, and that beep at the end is very subtle, certainly not anything that would wake us up. We have had it over 3 years and no problems, ever.

I am glad to know others love the cutlery tray in the Miele. I sure hope after using it awhile it grows on me and becomes one of those feature I can't live without. I paid a pretty penny for the dw so I do hope I end up loving it!

I have the top end KitchenAid dishwasher...KUDE70 (I think can't remember exact model #). It has the cutlery tray too. I love the tray. It does take longer to put the silverware in it, but you make up the time on the putting away side. It is also nice to not have to bend down to fish out pieces from the basket. It is super quiet...so quiet that we can't even tell it is running most of the time.

The only negative to me is that with the cutlery tray in, we can't fit cookie sheets and such in the bottom basket. Some of our taller plates just barely clear the spinner...in fact, some of them can't be put in the center position or they don't fit. But it's a trade off to have cutlery tray.

Hope you learn to like it on your new Miele.