Need built-in recent dishwasher recommendations under $900

Hey all,

There seem to be a lot more brands of dishwashers these days than I remember-- there’s a market player called “Beko” now that seems ubiquitous and is a relative newcomer to this side of the Atlantic but it’s been around in Europe forever (out of Turkey, if I’m not mistaken). There are still Whirlpool, Hotpoint, Frigidaire etc. but those names don’t mean much anymore, do they (a lot of them are probably built in the same factories)?

Anyway, I don’t want to break the bank, but something quiet with a stainless steel tub would be nice, and something that saves power/water is good too. I’m fine with a white front. It would be nice to be able to leave the door slightly open to let stuff dry and so it doesn’t get funky inside. I’ve gotten along without foldable tines this long so I probably wouldn’t miss them in a new machine, but they’d be a “nice to have.”

If anyone’s gotten something they like recently that sounds like that I’d love to hear impressions.

I don’t have any recommendations, but a tiny piece of advice; make 100000% sure you have the correct dimensions to make it fit. My sister got one which was 1cm too tall, and she wound up needing to either redo her counters or bite the restocking fee from where she got it.

Good advice, thanks.

We got this one almost a year ago for $780, plus installation: BOSCH - SHS863WD5N - Dishwasher

(Price seems to have gone up.)

It was at the recommendation of the wirecutter and/or consumer reports, and it’s been fantastic.

Yeah, just buy a Bosch and pick the model that suits your budget.

They seem pretty good albeit a bit pricey but what concerns me is that the lower rack is supposedly non-standard somehow compared to most dishwashers. Has that given you any grief, @ooomalley ? You do sound pretty happy with yours.

Not sure what you mean there. Every dishwasher will have a different lower rack to fit their dimensions. You may be referring to the fact that Bosch does not have a heating element on bottom like many other dishwashers. It’s not a big deal. The Bosch uses condensation drying which is more energy efficient as it is passive rather than active heating, Becasue there is no heating element, plastics can be washed on the lower rack.

I have a higher-end Bosch because my wife would not settle for a lesser model when we had to replace our dishwasher recently, primarily because it is so quiet. It is very quiet and even the more afforadable models are still very quiet. The appliance guy I hired to install the dishwasher said Bosch is well built and would choose that over any other brand when it comes to dishwashers.

I bought one of these just about a month ago and seems to be in your price range. It does a great job and is pretty quiet.

There’s only 2 of us, so we didn’t need something very roomy or expensive…it already takes us almost a week to fill it up as it is, but if you have lots of people you might want to find something a bit larger.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bosch-100-Series-24-in-Stainless-Steel-Top-Control-Tall-Tub-Dishwasher-with-Hybrid-Stainless-Steel-Tub-and-3rd-Rack-48dBA-SHXM4AY55N/305589801

Thanks. It only seems to be a difference of 100 bucks so not a big deal if I’m getting a Bosch anyway. My old dishwasher actually gave up the ghost a few years back and I’ve been washing dishes by hand since then but what with having to take my aging mother (with memory issues) in during the pandemic about a year ago I didn’t want to bring in any more people than necessary till we were vaxxed, but it’s been a lot to keep up with. She washes the dishes too sometimes but she just doesn’t have the hand strength to scrub things properly or the eyesight to see stuff left on dishes so I just really have to finally bite the bullet. It’s gonna be nice to have the extra free time once I buy one and get it installed.

If you mean how the prongs are organized on the bottom of a Bosch it is a little unusual, but we haven’t really had any issues with loading it, although I’ve seen layouts I like better. However, we’re incredibly happy with our Bosch. It does a great job and it’s quiet. What more could you want?

It has not. We are a family of four and we more or less fill it every day. No idea how standard or non-standard the lower rack is but it works great.

Re: drying, I don’t think I’ve ever had a dishwasher that does the heated dry thing, so maybe I don’t know what I’m missing, but it seems wasteful and I don’t have a problem with the way our dishes come out. (They’re sometimes a bit damp but it doesn’t bother me.) We also don’t use the extra wash chemical thingy they recommend that makes the water have lower surface tension so it dries quicker. Seems weird, I’m sure it’s harmless, but we don’t need another chemical in our life.

This was also the case for me (though only for probably four or six months) and holeeeee shiiit the day the dishwasher arrived was one of the happier days of my life.

We’ve had a Bosch for 7 years (ours is a SHE3AR52UC, which was $625 back in 2014 – including installation and removal of the old dishwasher).

We have needed to have it serviced 2x – once because a line got clogged, and once because the little strings that are inside the housing and control the counterweight when the door goes up and down broke. Both times were easy fixes (and the line being clogged was probably more my fault than the dishwashers).

It’s quiet, reliable, and easy. I plan to buy another Bosch when it dies.

With Bosch, check that you’re in a good service area that actually handles them. That was one negative when I was researching online.

Gotta say newer dishwashers features are pretty neat.

@Aleck how much did it cost to get the spring in the door fixed? I’ve been really happy with my Bosch, but a few weeks ago, I heard a thump and it turns out the door had dropped down and as you say, the counterweight system no longer works. Dishwasher is still usable, but I do miss the door not thumping down hard every time I open the door.

The part to fix the door was between $5 and $10 – it’s literally some nylon string. The technician took ~15 minutes to fix it. The service call was $175, because, well, that’s what a service call costs around here.

If/when it happens again, I’ll try do it myself. I’m not the handiest person in the world, but of the 15 minutes to fix it, 13 minutes were pulling the dishwasher out and putting it back. The technician was actually kind of apologetic at charging the full cost, and asked if there was anything else we needed done while he was there.

…and while you’re at it, try to make it more durable somehow, sounds like. They truly do not build this sort of thing like they used to*. Probably because the manufacturers farm the parts out to whomever gives them the lowest bid, + tighter tolerances than in previous decades.

*on the other hand they’re indisputably more efficient in terms of power (and water, where applicable) consumption, and the figures say that they’re less expensive in real terms than they were “back in the day” from what I’ve read. Still, if it’s going to last twice as long, why not.

We went with Bosch, and it is a fantastic machine. Quite, effective, and when you load it right it works beautifully.

I wanted to get a Bosch when we needed to replace our dishwasher that broke, but this was in 2020 and Bosch dishwashers were severely backordered.

I ended up buying the most recent version of the broken dishwasher: a Miele (same as what Wirecutter also recommended). I’m pretty sure the Miele that broke was there since the '90s, so I wonder if this one will go until 2050…

Most folks recommend Bosch but the one drawback I’ve seen is that their air drying system (vs. heating element) does not fully get your stuff dry. So you may have damp dishes to wipe down while unloading, but at least you will never accidentally melt any plastic items on the bottom rack.