The Bosch 500 lets out steam with its pop-open door. There is a pause to let some of the steam condense on the sides of the interior, but it still lets out some steam. Since you have a deeper countertop that could be a potential issue. Of course, you can turn off that feature, but for me that is my favorite feature with the 500. You could step up in the Bosch series to get the deeper top-rack that you desire and a door that doesn't pop open. I do not think the high-end CrystalDry Bosch DWs lets out steam, but maybe someone else can clarify.

@theresa21 We don't have any place with an 800 series in town to look at, but in the ones I've seen online, the 3rd rack looks the same unless there is a model that I'm missing?

Go with the Kitchen Aid. I have trouble finding enough words to express my dissatisfaction with my 1-year old Bosch:

- The trays are laid out in a weird way, and the result is fewer dishes per load. Many of the tines are too close together, so if you have thick dishes (Pfaltzgraff or FiestaWare, for example), they don't fit well.

- Dishes -- especially pots and pans -- don't always come out clean. I have to check each item as I'm unloading the machine, and I typically end up handwashing 1-2 things from every load.

- It is quiet, I'll give it that positive.

Lest you think I'm overly fussy, I'll add this: I've never been unhappy with a dishwasher before. Not even a most-basic-of-basic model in a rental apartment. I'll never own another Bosch appliance.

@Theresa Peterson I do not think you are overly fussy! These were my exact thoughts when I was looking at the Bosch racks! I'm a DW Tetris master and the way I see the Bosches loaded in review photos triggers OCD-like feelings in me!

Eight years in, and we’ve been ever so pleased with our Bosch 800. Yes, the loading took some getting used to…especially the deep cereal bowls. But, the unit cleans impeccably, and it dries well too…except for occasional droplets on plastic lids.

DH thought he’d hate the third rack…turns out, he really likes it.

I had two KA dishwashers, about 10 years apart in different houses. I had lots of trouble with them. The one thing I liked in my most recent one was the drying. Fabulous! But three times now it’s been serviced and they can’t get it right. Could be repairman? Yes, possibly. I have a Bosch in my new home. I’ll see how that goes.

The KitchenAid dishwasher we had was in every way inferior to the Bosch dishwashers that preceded and succeeded it (love the third rack on the most recent Bosch!). It did not clean as well or load as efficiently as the Bosch dishwashers we've had and had some sort of steam-release vent on the side of the door that damaged the finish on the wood cabinet next to it. Along with that it was noisier and, worst of all, developing a leak after only four years that badly damaged surrounding cabinets and floor. I've loved my KitchenAid ovens with convection, but I'll never have a KitchenAid dishwasher again.

ETA: Forgot to mention that the stainless finish on that KitchenAid dishwasher was of poor quality, compared to any other stainless appliance we've had.

Bosch. Definitely.

@morz8 - Washington Coast and everyone, thank you so much for your experiences!

I finally decided to go with the Kitchenaid. This is the one I liked best, and yes, I'm a little concerned because I can find more negative experiences with Kitchenaid than with Bosch, but I also figure as an American brand, there are probably a ton more people in the US who purchase Kitchenaid and therefore just based on numbers, the number of unhappy people will be larger too. I went ahead and got the extended warranty (to ensure that I never need it - LOL).

Ultimately, large load capacity was really important to me, and there is no way to be sure that any appliance won't have problems. I probably would have liked the Bosch, but just the fact that I'd already purchased it but was still indecisive meant that it wasn't exactly what I wanted.

Best Buy ended up having a discount on the KA with their "Plus" membership, which was the same cost as shipping, but the shipping was free with membership, so ultimately, I only paid $100 more to get the 5-year warranty.

Bosch--two kinds of top racks.

@theresa21 Ah, I'd seen that other rack, but I didn't realize they were different. Since it was loaded in the photo, they looked the same! I've already settled on the KA, but this may help someone else for sure! The first rack does look like it holds bigger things. Since it wasn't showing it inside the DW, I just assumed they were being optimistic!

Forever: I hadn't mentioned one of the features of the Bosch I was looking forward to was a half load cycle. We are a two person household and I may not have a full load every night of the week.

The KA 604 has a cycle that will wash and dry the top two racks only so reasonable trade-off. I do have to move the easily adjustable middle rack to get a dinner plate in and even then I have it sharply angled, but it beats leaving town for a long weekend with unwashed dishes in the dishwasher if I haven't remembered to serve a last quick meal on salad plates 😊

Good to know @morz8 - Washington Coast! Sometimes, when my husband travels, and it's just the kids and me, we can skip a night of the DW, but I often use that time to wash things like my hood baffles or the sink rack or I'll wash my pots and pans instead of handwashing, because the DW is usually too full otherwise.

Both brands have a history of both reliability and occasionally, not so good reliability. In the end, I suspect that you just might enjoy loading the racks in the KitchenAid a lot more, and, at some point, you will enjoy the freedom from having to clean the darned filter in the Bosch, because most of the higher level KitchenAid models, like the one you mentioned, have a self cleaning filter. And today’s KitchenAids are a lot quieter than they used to be and many have similar low noise levels to the Bosch machines which are most famous for bringing quiet dishwashers to North America when they became popular here.

Cleaning the filter on the Bosch is not that big of deal, to me it is a non-issue, except that you have to remember to do it every once in a while. IMO going with a DW that doesn't have a food grinder is a plus, because it is one less mechanical component that could malfunction.

I'm a DW Tetris master and the way I see the Bosches loaded in review photos triggers OCD-like feelings in me!

Yes, things just don't fit. Admittedly, I have seven sets of dishes, and three of them -- Pfaltzgraff, Fiesta Ware and Longberger -- are thick. I guess I like substantial tableware. But I just can't fit as many dishes as I could in my previous dishwashers, and I've owned various name brands over the years.

except for occasional droplets on plastic lids.

Plastic never really dries. I always reach for my plastics first /let them sit in the dish drainer a couple hours.

Cleaning the filter on the Bosch is not that big of deal

Agree. While I despise my Bosch dishwasher, that particular detail is not a problem.

I am in need of a new dishwasher and it's going to be Bosch for sure. My current dishwasher has finally died after 18 years of non-stop, impeccably & quietly cleaning my dishes with not a single problem in all those years. It's a Bosch SilencePlus 50dba that was perfect in every way. In the last two weeks of using it, it would stop, at first halfway through the cycle, then twice and then finally stopped for good. Even after 18 years of daily use, it gave me the death code on the control panel of 01 letting me know the motor seized. I'd repair it if not for the unavailability of the motor (discontinued) and there is no substitute. I do like the 500 series but for the pop open feature where I know that steam will yellow my granite countertop over time, not to mention the sweaty mess it'll leave on it. But the 800 feature? Well, dears, I refuse to pay a total cost of more than $2000 for a dishwasher! That leaves the 300 series, which is still $1500 total cost for the lower end of their dishwasher lineup. I just hope the new one will serve me as well as the one I am giving up!

I am late to this thread. Our KA DW was the best performing dishwasher I have ever owned until the last three months. It is now no better than a builder grade GE. I used to rave about it's cleaning performance. I suspect the issue is one of the small arms on the bottom is not revolving, as the larger arm and the other smaller one can be turned by hand. I have had to replace parts on the racks several times, but its washing ability was always flawless. It will be 8 years old in November, so I am very disappointed. Our entire kitchen and wine room are KitchenAid appliances, but I will never but that brand again, or any of the sibling brands manufactured by the parent company-Whirlpool.