- NSF Certified
- AQUA STOP(R) Leak Protection
- QUICK WASH
- Extra Tall Item Sprinkler
- OPTI DRY(R)
Every year my wife and I buy something for the house as an anniversary present to each other. This year we decided to replace our aging GE Potscrubber 900 dishwasher.
I research the heck out of major purchases, and one of my friends used to work at an appliance store, so I quickly found Bosch had possibly the best reputation for dishwashers.
After deciding to go with Bosch, it was just a question of which model.
After looking over the choices, it boiled down to this one, or one model below. This one was quieter, and more energy efficient. Electric rates in Connecticut are high enough that I expect to make up the cost difference between the two models with electricity savings.
So much for how I got here. Here's information from using it:
It's incredibly quiet the "noise level" when it's running is about what you'd expect from a new refrigerator. Noise is not going to be a reason to postpone running this one.
The racks have all sorts of adjustments most of the tines can be set at several angles ranging from 90 degrees to flat. Have extra bowls to wash? adjust a few tines. The top rack can be adjusted for height this allows me to fit the massive pot I use for brewing beer in the lower rack.
The silverware basket keeps the silverware separated so each item gets clean.
It has a gentle cycle that's good for delicate china and stemware. I was sorry to find the stemware holder is an optional accessory. We don't drink wine often, but it's about the only thing that seems to be missing.
So far everything we've put through this dishwasher has come out clean on one cycle. With our previous dishwasher, sometimes we'd need to soak and scrub some things before putting them through a second run. I'm using about half the soap I used to use per load because it doesn't have (or need) a prewash cup for soap.
The run time is longer than we were used to with our previous dishwasher. From my research I've found this is normal with more efficient dishwashers. Our longest cycle so far was 2 hours 25 minutes, and that was auto wash for a very full load with a sanitary cycle. They also offer a "party wash" cycle that's designed to be very fast for lightly soiled glasses or dishes.
You should use jetdry or a drying agent on every load. One reason it's so energy efficient is it doesn't normally add heat for drying. (but you can tell it to add heat if you want) Still, with using jetdry, the dishes are always dry when we check.
We expect to be in this house for many years, and looked at this appliance as a long term investment. So far, it looks like it was a good one.
Buy Bosch SHX98M09UC 800 24" Stainless Steel Semi Integrated Dishwasher - Energy Star Now
Looks good and is so quiet it has a little red LED that shiones on the floor to let you know that it is washing.
BUT...
Bosch customer service is horrible. The worst I have come across in 52 years.
The electronics are failure prone. We have had the dishwasher for 3 years and have had the control module fail 3 times. Each time it took a minimum of 3 service visits to get it replaced. The excuse we have heard each time is that Bosch dishwashers are relatively unknown and the parts are hard to get. The first time the electronics failed, it took 3 MONTHS to get it repaired and we are in a major metro area with a population of 4 million.
We will not purchase a Bosch dishwasher again, and when it fails next, we will buy CR's top rated Kenmore, which ios $1,000 cheaper and apparently much more reliable.
Read Best Reviews of Bosch SHX98M09UC 800 24" Stainless Steel Semi Integrated Dishwasher - Energy Star Here
We purchased this Bosch dishwasher SHX98M09UC after much Internet research 2 months ago and have used it every day since.
The dishwasher is light enough to be maneuvred into place by one person and the installation was rather simple with the very complete instructions provided. The operation manual is also clear and the controls easy to understand.
The design is stunning: all stainless in the front, with a heavy-duty handle and very nice digital display on the facade, although the actual touch controls are hidden on top of the door. The inside is stainless steel also, great at retaining heat. All accessories are high grades and we appreciate the adjustable top rack and removable silverware holders. As with all stainless appliances, it's hard to keep it looking clean very long as it shows finger prints a lot more than painted appliances.
The drain is covered with an easy-to-remove filter basket that we have not had to empty yet in 2 months of use (I understand some cheaper dishwashers have small "garbage-disposal" instead of a collecting basket, and those can fail or not always work properly as well as being noisy)
It's energy efficient as I understand the drying is performed by the heat retained in the walls of the washer. So far, we have not observed any difference in our electric bill.
I believe it also uses small amounts of water (it's a very small water line going to the washer and a few seconds are always enough to pump enough water for the program. Emptying is also very quick)
The cleanliness of the dishes is good on the Auto Wash program, which we have been using most.
With the recommended drying agent, glasses and fine china come out looking very good with no water spot.
Heavy soiled pots may need a little rinse before the wash, especially with some caked-on food, such as eggs.
Plastic ware comes out OK from the top rack and, with the limited heat of this dishwasher, is not warped.
The main reason why we decided on this washer is the noise rating: the quietest we could find in our price range. And on this point, we were just blown away! The first time we turned it on, we had trouble believing it was running! Our kitchen is open to the living room and now, no need to turn up the volume on the TV when the dishwasher is running (big difference from the old Whirlpool we had before). To me, this only is worth the high price tag!
Even the water emptying into the sink pipes is very quiet.
Before buying, I had considered the equivalent Kenmore Elite (same price) but the noise rating was 4 dB more (3 dB= double the noise!) and the racks a tad flimsier at first look. The Kenmore Elite had more gadgets such as a "turbo wash" nozzle, knife holder and additional washing programs and options. In general, I prefer simpler systems that are reliable and of high quality so I am very happy with this Bosch choice.
I would warmly recommend this appliance if you need a new dishwasher that doesn't rattle and wake you up!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
UPDATE 2010: We have been using the dishwasher for nearly a year now and it's as great as the first day we got it.
The drain basket rarely needs emptying, the dishes are clean and never damaged (especially plastics), the washer is very easy to operate and most of all, it's so quiet it still surprises us!
Don't hesitate: this is an excellent buy!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
UPDATE 1/27/2012: I am surprised to see that so many reviewers report issues so I wanted to add a couple comments:
Here, the dishwasher is going strong and it still looks as good as when we received it.
We have had one hiccup when we moved to Costco's Kirkland liquid dishwasher detergent: the dishes were no longer as clean as expected and it took us a while to figure out that going back to the tablets Bosch recommends for their machine would bring back the perfect performance. In the meantime, another liquid detergent gave us very poor results too (can't remember the brand?): it seems that this dishwasher should be used with tablets only.
Since going back to the recommended (is it Finish? It's the ones with the red ball in the center) tablets, we couldn't be happier!
I also noticed comments about dishes not being dry. I wanted to mention that we always use a rinse/dry agent (the washer indicates when it runs out). We have been changing brands depending on availability/sales so it must not be as important as using tablets. The only time the dishes are not completely dry is if you open the washer before the end of the program: it's a bit tricky because it sounds like nothing is happening anymore when it is drying; it is totally quiet but the display gives you a drying time.
I wish all could be as satisfied as we are...
Want Bosch SHX98M09UC 800 24" Stainless Steel Semi Integrated Dishwasher - Energy Star Discount?
We remodeled our kitchen and purchased this particular Bosch because it seemed like a great machine and there were some good reviews I decided to ignore the bad reviews thinking the complainers were just unhappy people. Well, now it is 3 months later and my dishes are not drying, the door is not functioning (it's floppy), and it is leaking all over my hardwood floors! (sorry complainers, i should have listened) I suspect all of these problems are related to each other, because it makes sense logically, but getting someone to come out and fix it has been awful and I live in the Metro DC area where you would think there'd be a lot of companies who would service Bosch when they are under warranty. Apparently many of the companies don't like to take warranty work (i'm sure the fee schedule is not very good for them) so its been a challenge. Only one company has been somewhat polite to me while I seek repair, and I'm going with them. In addition, and not related to the fact that it is broken, I think I underestimated how small this dishwasher actually is inside. It's very small, I can't fit nearly as much, and I am very good at loading so as to maximize use of the entire space. Nobody had this model on the floor, and since it was so expensive, I figured it would be larger inside than the others I did see. I'm not a fan of the silverware basket either, its awkward to use and fits very little. There was also this tray thing at the top that I can't figure out what it is for, and it is annoying. Maybe I need to read about what it is in the book. I will say that it is definitely quiet you can barely hear it that is rather amazing. I also think the red light is nice. Overall, I think I could have done better and spent far less and next time I will do a better job researching. Now, if I can just get this fixed!!
The DW looked nice--really quiet, worked fine while it worked. But very poor reliability. Once it fails, you are out of luck. Authorized repair is backlogged (hmmm, I wonder why?), and knows they are the only choice you have. Calls to Bosch are useless-they have your money and will not stand behind their products--they told me "repairs are not our problem!!!" Costs for repairs are outrageous. And 'authorized repair' makes all-day appointments and does not show up or call, and when they finally showed up the 2nd day I took off work, they REPAIRED THE WRONG PART so it still didn't work and I had to miss a 3rd day of work for a single repair! After 2 repairs and needing a 3rd for $500, mine went to the dump and I replaced it with non-Bosch for half the price that cleans as well, actually works, and is 98% as quiet. I bought a Bosch front loading stacked washer about the same time as the DW--same issues--frequent overpriced repairs, poor service, etc. My old DW and washer were over 10 years old with no problems, and my new non-Bosch ones have needed no repairs-I wouldn't take a Bosch product for free.
