The Bosch 800 Series still does what made the brand famous: cleans thoroughly without pre-rinsing, runs quieter than your refrigerator, and CrystalDry actually delivers bone-dry plastics. The gamble is that recent USA-made models are failing early, pumps giving out before year two and door latches popping open mid-cycle, problems the old German-built units rarely saw. If you find a German-made 800 (increasingly rare) or score a killer deal on a USA model with a solid warranty, the performance justifies the premium. At full retail on a current unit, you're paying Miele money for reliability that now lands closer to mainstream brands.
KitchenAid dishwashers sit in a data void: almost no one talks about them online, which itself tells you something about mindshare. The few mentions skew vintage (an inherited unit from decades back) or trivial (wine glass holders), leaving zero signal on cleaning power, noise, or whether a 2023 model holds up past year two. When a major appliance generates this little chatter in an era of relentless product discourse, trust is a gamble. Skip this unless you've seen it run in a friend's kitchen and can live with guessing on longevity.