Dishwashers are long-term investments, and making informed decisions while buying one is important. Buying the wrong dishwasher, which will not suit your usage, will cost you peace, money, and time. If you are confused about choosing between the Bosch 300 and 500 series dishwashers, you are at the right place.
Bosch 300 and 500 series dishwashers are quiet and energy efficient. Still, the Bosch 500 series has advanced features like an auto air option, an info light, and extra dry features. However, the Bosch 500 series is more expensive. So, you must compare and buy one that comes within your budget.
In this article, you will find a detailed analysis of the features and benefits of the Bosch 300 and 500 dishwasher series. Ultimately, you will get a clear idea of which dishwasher series to choose. So, keep reading.
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This post includes some affiliate links.The Key features of the Bosch 300 dishwashers
Bosch is a popular dishwasher in the US.
They are energy efficient and known for their advanced features.
People prefer the Bosch brand for their aesthetic dishwashers combined with the beneficial features.
I understand how confused you feel about choosing between different models of Bosch dishwashers.
Every dishwasher has its unique feature and comes at different costs.
That’s why I thought of sharing this article to help you choose between the Bosch 300 and 500 series dishwashers.
Let’s understand the unique features of the Bosch 300 and 500 dishwasher series and their benefits.
When it comes to understanding the dishwasher’s features, it is equally important to know the benefits of those features and how much benefit they would be compared to the other dishwashers in the market.
1. 46 dBA
The first concern about buying a good dishwasher depends on how noisy it becomes when you use it daily.
If you want a quiet dishwasher, you must consider this feature while deciding between two dishwashers.
Bosch 300 series dishwashers are the best in this aspect. With 46 dBA, the bosch 300 series is the quietest.
If you plan to install your dishwasher near your bedroom or study room, it is important to choose a quiet dishwasher.
When you gather as a family to eat near a kitchen, a dishwasher above 50 dBA will be quite loud.
The Bosch 300 will make a good choice with an average noise reduction in your kitchen.
However, there will be little noise with a 46 dBA dishwasher, but not as much as a 60 dBA dishwasher will produce.
You can enjoy kitchen activities without any hassle with only peace of mind.
2. Home connect
The home connection in the dishwasher means you can operate it anywhere at home by connecting it with Alexa and Google.
Home Connect is the most beneficial feature which enables you to operate or monitor the dishwasher even when you are not in the kitchen using your phone.
With the home connect feature, you can begin the new washing cycle or pause it at your convenience.
It sends you a notification when the washing cycle ends.
Not sure how you can benefit from this feature?
It saves you time.
You may do some important chores in your room when the dishwasher runs.
If your dishwasher has a home connect feature, you don’t have to rush to the kitchen to check its status.
If error codes or control panel glitches occur in your dishwasher, you will be notified on your smartphone.
You can take immediate steps to fix the issue.
You can also monitor your dishwasher’s water, and energy consumption with a home connect feature.
3. RackMatic
One of the important struggles while using dishwashers occurs when you try to accommodate all the dirty dishes in a single cycle.
RackMatic is such a useful feature to solve these issues in your dishwasher.
Bosch 300 series dishwashers have a RackMatic feature which facilitates you to adjust the rack in 9 different positions.
With this feature, you can place larger items in the upper rack, leaving space for other utensils like pans and bowls in the lower rack.
You can customize the racks according to your preference in the Bosch 300 dishwashers.
Another important benefit of this feature is you don’t want to run many washing loads to do all the dishes.
As the bosch 300 is flexible, you can adjust them to do all the dishes in one go, saving water and electricity bills.
And you can expect efficient cleaning in the bosch 300 dishwasher as it has RackMatic features, which lead to better exposure to all the dishes.
4. Aqua stop plus
Aqua stop plus is the highlight feature of the bosch 300 dishwashers.
No one desires to see a flooded kitchen because of the leaking dishwasher. Right?
That’s where aqua air plus features come hand in hand.
Bosch 300 series has this feature to detect leaks in your dishwasher with the help of sensors.
Aqua stop plus dishwasher comes with thick water supply hoses and turns off the valve.
When the water leaks are detected, it will turn off immediately when leaks are detected.
With this feature, you don’t have to worry about repair costs due to leakage in the dishwasher, saving you money.
5. Precision wash
The precision wash feature in the bosch 300 dishwasher is a kind of automation you can benefit greatly from.
The precision wash feature comes with spray arms designed to aim at hard-to-reach parts of the utensils, like corners and heavy designs.
To clean them completely, they target the tough stains and dirt in a dishwasher.
It also comprises an in-built sensor to sense how dirty dishes are.
With the signals from this sensor, a bosch 300 series dishwasher alters the cycles’ frequency accordingly.
This feature is a must to consider if you are looking for a dishwasher to save water and utility bills, as bosch 300 dishwashers use water according to the dirt in the dishes.
6. 24 hours delay start timer
Bosch 300 series dishwasher has a 24 hours delay, making it possible for you to delay the start of the dishwasher at your desired time.
You can delay the washing cycle up to 24 hours when you are not home.
If you are busy and want to take advantage of peak energy, you can use this feature to schedule the washing cycle during those times.
If you are annoyed by even the slightest noise from the dishwasher, you can delay the washing cycle at night when you will be in your bedroom away from your kitchen.
7. 5 wash cycles
There are five wash cycles: Heavy, Auto, Normal, Rinse, and Favorite.
You can choose the desired washing cycle based on the load and dirt in the dishes.
It will give you convenience and save water and energy by saving water and electricity.
It also makes dishes clean and shiny if you select the right washing cycle for your dishes.
8. Favorite button
You can save your most used washing cycle with your favorite wash cycle feature.
When you enable this feature, you don’t want to set the washing cycle every time you use a dishwasher.
You have to switch on the dishwasher and press the favorite button; your dishwasher will automatically start the desired washing cycle.
You can customize this feature according to the load and dirt in your dishes. It is the best feature to save your time and energy.
9. 5-level wash cycle
The 5-level washing feature in the Bosch 300 dishwasher series can clean the dishes completely, even when the dishes are too dirty.
It is because this feature takes the dishes to multiple washing cycles, and it makes use of spray arms to reach every part of the dishes.
You can customize this feature, keeping in mind a load of dishes and how dirty they are.
The five-level wash cycle feature includes the sanitizing cycle, which will be useful in killing harmful bacteria and other microorganisms by spraying high-temperature water in the dishes.
10. Child lock
The bosch 300 series is a safe appliance if you have children at home.
The child lock in the dishwasher deactivates the buttons in the control panel and locks the door to prevent children from accidentally operating it.
It will prevent children from serious injury and electrical hazards.
You can be at peace by switching on the child lock without fearing children reaching out to the dishwasher.
11. ADA-compliant
ADA-compliant makes the Bosch 300 series dishwashers unique and valuable.
ADA expands as (Americans with disabilities act).
Bosch 300 series dishwashers are built in a way to make it for those people to use a dishwasher.
The main features include a control panel placed in a lower area and having bigger buttons than usual dishwashers.
This feature prevents the dishwasher from getting too hot and has an extra safeguarding latch to prevent the door from opening during the wash cycle.
12. Energy star
The energy star feature in the Bosch 300 dishwasher indicates that it follows energy efficiency guidelines of the American environmental protection agency and the u.s department of energy.
As the Bosch 300 series are energy star certified, they are 9% more energy efficient than other dishwashers.
It means these dishwashers use less energy to run. It will save water and also your utility bills.
It is the most important feature you must consider when you are confused about choosing any two dishwashers.
13. Self-latching door
Self-latching feature in the Bosch 300 series helps to lock the door automatically when the washing cycle begins.
It helps to prevent your dishwasher’s door from opening when it is running.
It will prevent you from hazards.
It is also safe for children as they can’t open the door when your dishwasher is running.
As the door is latched tight, it will not leak and also ensures that the dishwasher is not switched on when you haven’t loaded the dishes.
It also neglects the need to check if the door is latched well before beginning the washing cycle in your bosch 300 dishwasher series.
Pros and cons of bosch 300 dishwashers
Here are the pros of the Bosch 300 series dishwasher:
- Energy efficient
- Convenient to use.
- Safe with child lock.
- Better cleaning performance.
- Quiet dishwasher
Cons of the Bosch 300 series dishwasher:
- Not effective in drying the dishes
- A bit more expensive than its competitors.
- It takes a long time to wash the dishes.
Key features of the Bosch 500 dishwashers
Now that you know everything about Bosch 300 dishwashers, let’s check the Bosch 500 and its key features.
1. Auto air option
The important part of the dishwasher function is drying the dishes at the end of the rinse cycle.
The Bosch 500 series has the auto air feature, which lets the dishwasher open the door at the end of the rinse cycle and let the dishes dry in the open air instead of using a heating element to dry the dishes.
It has certain advantages.
As a bosch dishwasher uses fresh water to dry the dishes, the damage to the dishes because of the heating elements can be avoided.
Dishes made of plastic and glassware may get damaged by the high temperature produced by the heating element.
Bosch 500 series dishwashers take less time to dry the dishes because of the auto air feature.
2. Flex space
The flex space feature in the bosch 500 dishwasher is beneficial for customizing the racks and interior of the dishwasher to accommodate the dishes according to your preference.
One of the people’s main complaints regarding dishwashers is that they cannot fit large utensils.
But with the flex space feature, you can accommodate large utensils and other items in the same load.
You can learn how to customize the interiors of the dishwasher through your user manual.
It saves time and utility costs by washing all the dishes in one load.
3. Easy glide rack system
Bosch 500 series is unique and worth the cost due to this easy glide rack system.
Racks in the Bosch 500 series dishwashers are designed flexibly to make the loading and unloading the dishes easy and convenient.
Due to the smooth sliding of racks in the bosch 500 series, it saves the time and hassle of using a dishwasher.
With this feature, you don’t have to pull the racks with effort as they easily slide with less effort.
Due to the improved flexibility of the easy glide rack system, you can place every dish in the right place for better cleaning efficiency.
4. Flexible 3rd rack
Bosch 500 series comes with a flexible 3rd rack to provide more convenience in loading the dishes for better cleaning even in a single load.
It will save energy, cost, and time in loading and unloading dishes for multiple loads.
5. 24/7 aqua stop system
As 9 mentioned earlier, the aqua stop feature in the Bosch 500 series helps to prevent leaks in the dishwasher.
It has an in-built sensor to detect any leaks in the dishwasher and fix them immediately.
Bosch 300 series also has this feature bringing similarities between the 300 and 500 series.
6. Info light
When you have a quiet dishwasher like a Bosch 500 series dishwasher, you may not know when they are turned on.
It has this info feature to fill this gap where you can know the dishwasher’s status with this info light.
When the dishwasher is turned on and running, it blows the red light while the washing cycle is proceeding, and it turns off automatically when it comes to an end.
So, what are the benefits of this feature?
It helps prevent accidental dishwasher opening while the washing cycle is running.
It provides convenience and flexibility in terms of usage.
And it also saves you time and effort to manually check if the washing cycle has ended.
7. Flexible silver basket
Bosch 500 series dishwashers have a flexible silver basket that you can split into two and use anywhere in the dishwasher’s interior for flexibility.
One of the important uses of this flexible basket is to protect the glassware items from the other heavy dishes in the dishwasher.
If you want a specific dish to clean thoroughly, you can place it in this flexible basket and place it in the right place where spray arms can reach every corner of it.
With the flexible basket, you can save lots of space in the dishwasher by placing it in a small space using its flexibility.
8. Speed 60
Speed 60 is the magical feature of the Bosch 500 series, as it cleans the dishes completely in an hour.
It even dries the dishes well at this specific time.
It is an absolute fit for those who want to finish the dishes in less time but with the same cleaning efficiency.
9. Extra scrub option
The extra scrub option in the bosch 500 is a time-saving feature.
When your dishes are extremely greasy and dried, it needs extra force to clean them.
Sometimes, the normal dishwasher may leave some dirt, and you may have to clean it manually.
But with the bosch 500 series dishwasher, you don’t have to worry about it.
You can place such dishes in the lower rack and enable the extra scrub feature and guess what?
You are done cleaning the extremely greasy dishes with a click.
And the extra scrub option is beneficial because it works with all dishes.
10. Sanitise option
Bosch 500 series also has a sanitizing option, a life-saving feature as it kills bacteria and other harmful microorganisms in the dishes.
It helps to prevent food poisoning and illness as dishes are thoroughly cleaned at the end of the cycle.
11. Extra dry option
Earlier, we discussed the auto air feature in the Bosch 500 dishwasher series, which opens the door at the end of the washing cycle to let the fresh air dry the dishes.
In addition, it has an extra dry option making the bosch 500 series dishwashers the best for getting a fully clean and dry dishwasher at the end of the cycle.
The extra dry option removes all the excess moisture from the dishes, and you can use them immediately after unloading them from the dishwasher.
It will save time and effort by not needing to manually dry the dishes at the end of the washing and rinsing cycle.
The extra dry option in the bosch 500 series uses a high temperature to dry the dishes.
12. Detergent tray
All the bosch 500 series dishwashers have detergent trays to dissolve the detergent well, increasing the cleaning efficiency.
When there is a detergent tray, it will be convenient for you to load the detergent without spilling it in the dishwasher.
As with the Bosch 500 series, dishwashers have a detergent tray, they make sure the detergent is released at the right time, and it ensures the efficient cleaning of dishes.
Overall, as the detergent tray dissolves the detergent before cleaning the dishes, it activates fully and increases cleaning efficiency.
13. Load size sensor
The load sensor feature in the Bosch 500 series dishwashers sensor the load size.
By doing so, it customizes the water and requirements according to that.
It is the best feature to save energy and utility costs.
If you are loading more dishes, it supplies more water and detergent to ensure all the dishes are cleaned thoroughly.
14. LED time display
The LED time display in the bosch 500 series is a beneficial feature as it displays the exact time a dishwasher takes to end the washing cycle.
The LED display will be helpful for you to keep yourself updated on time. It will enable you to manage your time accordingly.
15. Water softener
The water softener in the Bosch 500 series dishwasher helps to prevent stubborn mineral accumulation in the dishwasher.
If there is a mineral buildup in the dishwasher, the cleaning efficiency will be reduced.
But there is no way of such issues occurring in the bosch 500 series dishwashers.
Let’s say you supply hard water to wash dishes in your dishwashers.
Because of this, dishes will come out with white spots on them.
That’s where the water softener feature is beneficial.
You will get clean and shiny dishes at the end of the cycle.
16. Bar handle
Another exciting feature of the Bosch 500 series dishwashers is that they come with bar handles.
You don’t have to put in much effort to open and close the dishwasher’s door.
You can easily access the dishwasher frequently using a bar handle.
Here are some common features between the bosch 300 and 500 dishwasher series, which have the same benefits as I mentioned earlier.
- Self-latching door
- Energy star
- Precision wash
- RackMatic
- 24 hours delay start timer
Pros and cons of Bosch 500 dishwashers
Here are the pros of the Bosch 500 dishwasher:
- Energy efficient
- Effective drying capacity.
- Safe with sanitizing cycles.
- Speed washing cycle in an hour.
Cons of the bosch 500 dishwasher:
- A bit more expensive
Bosch 300 Vs. Bosch 500 dishwashers: Which is the best option?
We have discussed the features of the Bosch 300 and 500 dishwashers in detail, and both have pros and cons.
You can decide which of these is the best option for you by comparing the cost of both the dishwasher series.
The cost of the bosch 300 series ranges from $ 800 to $1100.
The Bosch 500 dishwasher series ranges from $1200 to $1500.
The Bosch 500 series are more expensive than the bosch 300 series dishwashers.
But they have advanced features like flexible silver baskets, info lights, a flexible 3rd rack, and an extra dry option.
The Bosch 300 series dishwashers have features like a five-level wash, ADA compliance, a favorite button option, and an aqua-stop feature.
And it is affordable compared to the bosch 500 series.
The Bosch 300 and 500 series have similar features like a self-latching door, energy start, RackMatic, and precision wash.
And both the Bosch 300 and 500 dishwashers are quiet, convenient, and energy efficient.
With all these said, there is no right and wrong option.
You can analyze all the features and benefits and compare the dishwashers’ prices.
Ultimately, you can choose a dishwasher that suits you and your family well.
Top 3 Bosch 300 series dishwasher models
These 2 models of the bosch 300 series dishwashers have all the mentioned features and benefits.
If you choose to go for the Bosch 300 series, you can consider these dishwashers.
- 300 series dishwasher 17 ¾ stainless steel (SPE53B55UC)
- 300 Series Dishwasher 17 3/4” White (SPE53B52UC)
Top Bosch 500 series dishwasher models
These are 2 models of the Bosch 500 series dishwasher, which have all the beneficial features.
If you choose the Bosch 500 series, you can consider these specific models of dishwashers.
- Bosch 500 Series Dishwasher 24″ Black (SHPM65Z56N)
- Bosch 500 Series 24″ Stainless Steel Built-In Dishwasher (SHP865ZP5N)
Final thoughts
It is always best to compare and contrast different dishwashers to decide which will suit your family best. You must read the entire feature and specifications of the dishwasher before concluding.
The Bosch 300 and 500 series share many features and benefits like RackMatic, precision wash, water softener feature, energy star, 24 hours delay start, and self-latching door features.
The bosch 500 dishwasher series has more advanced features such as extra scrub, flexible racks, 3rd rack availability, speed60, and flexible silver basket, but they are more expensive than the bosch 300 series.
In the end, you can analyze the cost difference and advanced features. Choose the dishwasher which will suit your family size and your usage.
Where are Bosch 300 Series dishwashers made?
The Bosch 300 dishwashers are made in North Carolina, except for German-made 18-inch model dishwashers.
How long do Bosch dishwashers last?
Bosch dishwashers are capable of lasting up to 10 years. Proper maintenance and regular cleaning increase the lifespan of dishwashers.
Does Bosch 300 have a stainless steel tub?
Yes, the Bosch 300 series has a stainless steel tub. 300 series 24′ recessed handle dishwasher comes with a stainless steel tub.
Reference: Bosch 300 Official Site, Bosch 500 Official Site.
