I recently replaced an old dishwasher with a Bosch 850 that I have been very happy with. I looked at everything from Whirlpool to Miele. I spoke with various appliance repair folks on their experiences servicing dishwashers.

I selected the Bosch 850 due to the positive online reviews and availability of appliance repair folks/parts in my area.

So far, I've been happy with the purchase. It is super quiet, easy to organize dishes, and everything comes out very clean. The only thing that I don't like compared to older, American dish washers is how long it takes for a load...over two hours.

Good luck!

The cycle length is true of all the current dishwashers, so don't let that be the deciding factor.

I'm looking for the same answers!

We got a Bosch with the third rack about a year ago and love it so far. I think we've only run it on the auto cycle, which is just over 2 hours. It's so quiet, we run it after dinner or last thing at night and unload in the morning. Everything is sparking clean and the only things still wet are those that have indentations that catch water. We never used anything other than air dry on our older KA, so that's pretty similar. If you unload right away, though, the dishes will be wet.

Thanks for your comments, it does help! Kathie

When we did our Kitchen Remodel in 2006, we went with a GE Profile to march the range and microwave. We had nothing but issues with it for over a year. Lowes gave us a store credit and we got an Electrolux. We had it a little over a month, and it had 5 service calls.

After that we got back a full refund ans were without a unit for about 2 years. I ended up going with a Miele Diamante Plus in April 2010 for $1600 and have had no issues with it. Even though it was $400 more than the Electrolux, and twice the price of the GE, it was well worth it to have a unit that cleans well and works without problems.

Thanks so much fauguy, still pondering what to do, but greatly appreciate the feedback! This is exactly my dilemma, trying to match a GE Profile fridge that we bought 2 years ago and they will sit side-by-side.

Two hours is a little long. What are these current DW's doing in there? Is there a good reason I should consider?

What are these current DW's doing in there?

Running with less heat and less water / spray pressure (smaller pumps & motors), thus more time is needed to do the job.

Most unit have a short cycle or a turbo mode.

On my MieleI the Standard, Pots Pans, China Crystal, and Sanitize take about 2 hours start to finish drying. If I press the Turbo button for those, it lowers it by about 15-25 minute. But just running the Express Wash is 30 total, but it does not clean or dry well, since it is so short.

All new units are Energy Star to use less water and power, even though they can take longer. Most of the time I use the Pots Pans cycle.

Miele Classic--reasonable price for excellent build quality and great performance. I've had one for 14 months.

Miele is five years old

Everything fits and cleans well- the manual says Do not rinse dishes"

The Bosch 800 series with the 3rd rack is the Boss!

"do not rinse dishes" ... can they sit there for three days without rinsing, if the DW isn't full? I doubt it.

I also don't want to go into debt on the thing. I'm willing to rinse -- I've done it all my life -- I want recommendations for budget DWs that get the job done without breakdowns and hissy fits!

You're supposed to not rinse - the current phosphate-free detergents "require" it. And yes, my Bosch 800 cleans dishes that have been scraped but not rinsed even if they're left in the DW for 3 days.

tea stains? dairy? This seems to be what my current Whirlpool DW cannot begin to handle without rinsing.

artemis_ma, do you select the high-temp option on your Whirlpool dishwasher and still it can't handle tea stains or dairy? I use the high-temp option on mine and it all comes clean and dishes sit for up to 5 or 6 days sometimes.

We've purchase three different Bosch DWs during the last five years (three different model variants) and all have been great. There is an issue, however, if you don't use rinse agent and follow the instructions.

Artemis - yes, I have left things in DW for several days but generally run it every day or 2 as I put almost everything in it - pots, pans, china, crystal, regular old stuff.

Kathiestew - have you decided on a model?

Okay, I have avoided the high temp setting. Apparently a mistake at my end?

FWIW, I always run mine on Auto, and I do not run the water at the faucet first.

Thanks everyone, lots of good information and feedback, appreciate it! Still undecided, I take a long time to decide things :)

I got a KichenAid about 10 years ago. It runs right along so far, though there was a time I was tempted to replace the pump. The thing about these (Whirlpool design) is that there is a sump with a filter for the grinder. When the filter gets blocked the water pressure drops. First sign is that the upper rack dishes don't get clean. It then requires removing the bottom rack, removing the spray arm, unscrewing the sump cover, then cleaning out the pump. I usually find something like shredded paper, glass shards and other hard stuff. Once reassembled it works just fine.

I use Normal with High Temp. I run the hot before starting since it takes a while for the water to get hot from the tank. It usually shows about 80 minutes for the cycle but the actual time depends on how long it takes to heat the water. The last 20-odd minutes is drying. If I'm around I just open the door and let the dishes air-dry.

@artemis_ma, I believe you can. At least the dishwasher won't care. It just smells bad initially. That's about it. On the other hand, when the manual says do not rinse, the manufacturers do not expect the customer would store dirty dishes in the dishwasher for three days. They certainly want people to use dishwasher and detergent every day. Do not rinse is also part of energy and water saving measure.

I've had a KA and have had no problems with it--very quiet and cleans well. In the new house I was going to get another KA but understand they no longer use the blade grinder and are adopting a new filter system, more like the Bosch. Anyone using a new KA--like it? Or do I switch to Bosch?

KitchenAid now is offering some models (any that begin with KDTM) with the Clean Water Wash System. It's a self-cleaning filter and is supposed to be a KA exclusive. An initial model was released 9-12 months ago and has received very favorable user reviews. These or the Maytag (which still has a soft-food disposer design) are about the only new dishwashers I'd consider.

A friend just told me about the Gaggenau which has soft closers on the racks, and a cycle indicator that projects on the floor....

Weedmeister, at times, I do have trouble with the top rack not getting clean. It's only me and I've never broken anything in the dishwasher and am amost OCD about making sure no stray bread twisties or pieces of plastic wrap slip into the machine. I think it's partly due to my inlet valve having some sediment in it. When I add extra water it does better, but not always. I wish there was a dishwasher cleaner that dissolved food residue that might be "gumming" up in the sump but not harm the mechanism. Sometimes the upper wash arm will just very slowly rotate and then all of sa sudden it begins rotating more n"normally" again.

boba1, I'm not sure I understand: which DW do are you having trouble with?

We've had a Bosch 850 for over a year now--and we LOVE it! It has the 3rd rack--which we use every day--it's great for small prep bowls, measuring cups, spatulas, etc. We never rinse the dishes, and even if we leave them for a couple of days (there's just the two of us) they always come out spotless. I've done "test runs" with dried on sticky rice, dried on pasta and cheese, etc-and it cleans flawlessly. The only negative is we can't seem to get as many dishes in it, so we have to run it more often.

I'd definitely buy one again!

We are very pleased with our Bosch 500. It has a lot of features including the 3rd rack. Priced a couple hundred less than the 800 model, I think that it's a good value.

For the happy Bosch dishwasher owners, can you provide your model #? Pretty please!There's a used one for sale near me & I want to be sure it's not a known lemon. (model #SHX68R55UC)

Mine is SHV68T53UC.

There are no "known lemon" model numbers for Bosch. That one is fine.

Initially, the seller did not provide the model number & upon quick general research I came across recent reviews of latch failures with Bosch dishwashers. Seeing a picture of a chair propped against a $1,000 dishwasher door in order to use it, wasn't encouraging. Also, it appears Bosch has quite a reputation for poor customer service.

Anyway, I bought the dishwasher & am awaiting install on Friday. I'm so excited to finally have a working dishwasher again. I hope to love it as much as my fellow gardenwebbers do. :)

I challenge you to find a dishwasher brand that has no negative reviews online.

yep, good luck !

my Bosch 3 rack Model SHE7PT55UC broke into the second year. The "ROPE" that holds the door broke. Really! A rope for such an expensive machine. Some have reported repeated rope breakeage. Rope was covered under warranty, repair not $150.00. Now it is out of warranty; next rope and repair will be on me. I wonder how much they charge for the rope. I doubt I will buy another one unless they change to something more durable. I find stacking dishes to be less than favorable. You can let dishes sit for days and have them come out clean but we have to run it daily often half empty because of the poor design configuration of the tines which doesn't permit utilization of the space. Otherwise it works fine. For me it was a disappointment.

Inga

We also had the "rope breakage" issue with our Bosch, and I agree, it seems like a very poor design. However, we've had no other problems with the machine itself, and think it does the job it was meant to do very well (and we don't have a problem loading it up either)