We moved into a new house this last March and with the house came an old GE Triton dishwasher. Looking at it we thought this would prove to be a sturdy older model, but we were sorely disappointed from the first use with its performance.
About the same time, my grandparents had their dishwasher (likely original to the house built in '86) replaced and they chose this Bosch dishwasher. From the first run, my grandmother loved it and she's not always easy to please. She couldn't stop raving about how quiet it was.
When we started shopping for a dishwasher, we never intended to get the same thing my grandmother got but after looking at features and other dishwashers we found to match the value in features this Bosch offered in something like a Maytag or Kitchenaid, we'd have to go up a couple hundred in price (at least). So, despite the fact it did not come in a stainless finish, we bought this Bosch.
I'm very glad we did.
APPEARANCE & FEATURES:
The overall appearance of the unit isn't anything spectacular. It's a very conservative design with few buttons and a small LED display that shows minutes remaining in the cycle. The buttons are on the front, not the top. As I understand, you're looking closer to $1,000 for the "integrated" controls.
Inside is a stainless tub, which we were told helps make the unit more efficient since the stainless will hold the heat better requiring less energy to maintain the temperature during a cycle.
The racks are nicely designed, though takes some getting used to. My one complaint is I haven't figured out exactly how to stack dishes so nothing flips over and fills up with water on the left half of the top rack. It looks designed for bowls or plates. The other side has the stemwear holders and places for cups as well as fold-down tines to make room for larger items like a brownie pan.
This also sports a "tall-tub" feature- meaning you can raise the top rack for more clearance on the bottom- and the nice part is you only have to hold the releases on either side rather than pull the whole rack out and reinsert. The next model down has tall-tub but requires you to pull it out and realign it. It's about $120 difference between the models, so price that convenience accordingly.
There is a silverware holder on the bottom that can be removed and placed almost anywhere you please. It's neither wonderful nor terrible- just is. It works, it has lids to close if you like. It does NOT have the grids to allow for separate spacing. I wouldn't use that anyway- not that tedious.
OPERATION:
This unit is relatively easy to understand and operate. There are only a few options to choose from, and most will do what you're needing it to do. There's a normal wash, a quick wash, pots and pans, auto-wash (using autosense). There is a child-lock and a delay feature.
We use the little cascade packs so we don't actually fill the soap container- just toss a packet, close the door and go. It has a spot for rinse aid which has a little level detector to let you know when it's running out. Sure beats waiting for the spots to reappear. You can also set how much rinse aid you want to be used. Follow instructions for how to select this- I opted for in the middle.
NOISE
Not much to say other than this has to be the most quiet dishwasher I've ever heard. You can hardly hear it running. If the house is quiet you will know if you're close by that it's on, but if any kind of ambient noise is present you won't be aware it's on. It will not drown out the TV or make you talk louder, or disrupt a conversation. It's 51 db are wonderfully quiet- and for this reason alone I think the unit is wonderful! I never thought dishwasher noise bothered me, but I never realized how nice it was to have a quiet one. The water-filling portion of the cycle makes more noise than anything else, if that puts it into perspective.
ENERGY USE:
We have no way of comparing power bills to give an accurate rating on energy use, but for the price range it had one of the lowest estimated energy costs of the units we compared. Most others that compared were well over $1,000. The energy usage is something like 250kWh, estimated $19 or thereabouts. Energy-star rated. Very nice!
WARRANTY:
It comes with a 1 year manufacturer's warranty which we hope to never use. Lowe's offers an additional two years for $69 which is probably worth the peace of mind. You can also buy warranties from Squaretrade.com. It's approximately $65 for a 3 year warranty there (I believe that's effective immediately rather than after the first year like Lowe's).
INSTALLATION:
We did not install the unit ourselves, but paid for the install. We ended up having to pay extra since it ended up not being a "typical" installation. They do not look terribly difficult to install, but getting the old one out was a nightmare! Do not floor-in your dishwashers- floor under!
OVERALL:
This lacks some of the fancy cycles like antibacterial and such that many other dishwashers offer, but I'm a minimalist- how many different cycles do you need a dishwasher to have? I believe it covers the necessities with some great added features for convenience. It's quiet operation and conservative design makes it a great addition to most any kitchen.
