I had also bought some of the Lemi-Shine Power Booster (which can also be used as machine cleaner) and I was using that up (the combination of Power Booster and Cascade was leaving crud on my glasses even after one cleaning cycle, so I'm not going to do that again).
Perhaps it was coincidence, but on about the 3rd day in a row I used Power Booster, the motor was sounding as quiet as brand new...but it started leaking. Water ran down the kitchen floor towards the sliding glass door (because it slopes slightly that way). I mopped it up right way with towels, this could have wrecked my 30 year old kitchen run under the kitchen table. (I can see why dishwasher leaking is such a big concern now.)
Researching dishwashers, I decided to get a Bosch 800, is among the most highly rated at Consumer Reports and Elsewhere. Actually CR rates the Bosch Benchmark series the highest, then lists the Bosch 500 series because it is cheaper even though it doesn't have the rated drying performance of the 800 (that's the key difference, because the 800 has CrystalDry) and it's not better in any other way either. So basically, if you want the best (and don't care much that you could save a couple hundred bucks) it's between the 800 and Benchmark models.
The benchmark models are a lot more expensive. That gives you quieter (probably just more insulation), the "on" light reflected on the floor shows the time remaining (which you could also read on top), a
lighted interior, and one actual performance feature: water softener.
Strangely the addition of the water softener made no difference in the CR rated washing or drying performance of the Benchmark vs 800 models. Sometimes water softening agents (salts) are included in cleaning pods, might be included in rinse aids, and rinse aids already virtually eliminate spotting.
What I see is a lot greater complexity here, with potential downside risks. Always mixing in salt (which might be redundant anyway given your rinse aid) would not be good, I would think, for all the metal parts (even if stainless). I suppose we're not talking about 10 years, but what about 25 years?
I even worry that the reduced sound level might be achieved while trapping greater heat in the motor, causing it not to last 25 years either.
Now these sorts of estimates could always be wrong. Sometimes the most deluxe models are not just the same stuff with a bit added on, but better basic parts, or perhaps built on a different line where more care is taken. The cheaper models may include the parts that didn't make the grade for the top. Etc. One never knows.
But I decided I could do without the extra Benchmark features and costs. Also, there was an 800 model that was temporarily imported from Europe because US production was lagging demand. That model takes longer to get from any source. I don't recall seeing them listed at Lowes at all but at Best Buy,
and the soonest delivery was almost a month away. You had to really dig to find the info on that model.
One unquestionable advantage of the imported 800 was that it also included the "water softener" (which is basically just a dispenser that dispenses salt in the water). I would have to pay slightly more and wait a month longer for a feature I have concerns about and don't really need.
Lowes also had an "exclusive" model of the 800, which didn't seem to have any different features at
all, simply a lower price. I wanted to go with the standard 800 as rated in Consumer Reports.
Along with all this, I did notice in another Consumer Reports article that Miele is the brand most highly rated for reliability of all (though this was for all products, not just dishwashers). But Miele didn't actually rate very well in CR's tests, and they didn't get good ratings from Lowes customers either--who often complained about installation issues. It seems to me if you're getting a superpremium luxury product like Miele, you should get it from an elevated dealer, like Ferguson for example, and have it installed by certified plumbers. And not even buy such a product if your city doesn't have Miele service (which San Antonio does). This is probably going to add $500 to the cost, but if you're buying Miele you shouldn't be fretting about that. (Yes, the Miele does have a water softening system too.)
There's a general principle and that's to stick with the main line. The further off the main line you go, the greater issues and risks. At Lowes, the Bosch 800 is the upper part of the main line, but still the main line. They stock as many (or nearly so) as all the other models. They were shown as having 68 in stock. Miele is nearly a special order for Lowes, not something every installer is necessarily going to be familiar with.
But all this about dishwashers and water softeners got me thinking about rinse aids. I haven't been 100% in keeping my rinse aid dispenser full, more like 5% maybe, but I think it does help a lot.
For the fancy energy saving dry (I've always used no-heat dry as I think it saves wear on the machine) the rinse aid is more important than ever.
Bosch is known for recommending Finish rinse aid, which may well be the one I've usually bought.
By many accounts, Bosch recommends that brand not because others would be harmful, but because Finish pays them for that endorsement.
Anyway, now that I'm paying more attention to ingredients, and based on reviews, availability, and cost I've purchased Ecover rinse aid. It's in the "better" group that has excellent performance as well as not having toxic ingredients. The "best" group has the safest ingredients of all, but doesn't work as well and pricey/hard to find.
The actual dishwasher detergent stuff is rinsed off. But the rinse aid is part of the rinse water, and some eventually dries on your dishes (even though the whole point of rinse aid is that as little dries on your dishes as possible).
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