Are you looking for a decent dishwasher under $550? You may have looked at Miele, Asko, the regular Bosch line, or even KitchenAid.
Both the Ascenta and Blomberg have good dishwashers priced lower than $550. If you are stuck deciding between the two, we will look at both companies, their products, and then compare them.
Let me answer the first question you probably have.
Who is Blomberg?
Blomberg, originally from Germany, is owned by the Turkish company Arcelik, the second largest appliance manufacturer in Europe. Blomberg has gained a sizeable presence in the average European home with a full array of products.
In the U.S., Blomberg broke into this market with compact appliances. Their products are reasonably priced, decent quality, and have a low repair rate.
Bosch
Bosch Home Appliances is part of BSH, Bosch and Siemens Home Appliance Group, based in Munich, Germany. As part of the third largest appliance manufacturer in the world, Bosch has been selling high-performance, German-engineered dishwashers in the United States since 1991.
Their factory in North Carolina is the largest dishwasher factory in the world. They are most well known in the United States for the quietness of their dishwashers.
Bosch is one of our favorite affordable luxury brands and has a great service history, based on our service department of 20 service techs. Over the years, Bosch has earned their reputation for producing quiet, reliable, and attractive dishwashers.
Bosch dominates the $700-$1,000 dishwasher market.
However, we are not comparing the regular Bosch. Today, we are comparing their lower priced line, the Ascenta Series.
European Dishwashers
Blomberg and Bosch are both European dishwashers. Let's cover a few basics about European dishwashers.
European dishwashers will sit flush in a 24-inch deep cabinet. This is an attractive feature because the door will not protrude from the cabinets.
They are known for being quiet. Instead of having a hard food disposer like some American dishwashers, European dishwashers have a filter to catch food particles. Filters are quieter than having a disposer in your dishwasher.
European dishwashers use less energy and water. When it comes to drying dishes, European dishwashers use condensation which uses no energy, versus heating the air like in some American dishwashers. As for water efficiency, on average the European dishwasher will use 3.5 gallons of water per cycle.
Blomberg vs. Bosch Ascenta Dishwashers
Blomberg DWT25502 - $529
Features:
- It holds 14 place settings giving you a dishwasher with great capacity
- It has a stainless steel tub instead of plastic, making it more durable
- It consists of a small 3rd wash arm on the top instead of just 2, for better cleaning
- It has a turbidity or soil sensor so that it knows when the dishes are clean
The third wash arm and turbidity sensor will help ensure that the dishes get clean the first time without rinsing your dishes before. To clarify, turbidity sensors measure the soil in the water and adjusts the water.
Bosch SHE3AR75UC - $539
Features:
- 50 dBA- Quietest Dishwasher Brand.
- Delicate Wash for Fine China
- Stainless Steel Tub
- Bosch Exclusive 24/7 Overflow Leak Protection
- 3 h, 6 h, 9 h Delay Start Timer
- Express Wash (30 minutes or less) - For a smaller lightly soiled load that you need or want faster, i.e. wine glasses or breakfast dishes
- 14 Place Setting Capacity
- Manual Height Adjustment for Upper Rack
So, which do you buy?
Both dishwashers have many features in common.They both have a quick wash, leak protection, and great capacity.
Blomberg
Bosch
A huge takeaway is the Blomgberg has an all stainless steel tub and is 20 percent quieter than the Bosch Ascenta. Now, even though Bosch says they have a stainless steel tub on this model, not all of the interior is stainless steel. The bottom is plastic.
If you need a delicate cycle, then Bosch would be the only choice. Bosch also has more history whereas Blomberg has just started selling dishwashers in the US. We can trust Bosch's reliability. However, the Ascenta is not exactly the same as the regular Bosch. It has a shallower rack, lighter door, and a plastic, not stainless, bottom.
Our best advice is to look at the Blomberg or consider the regular Bosch at $699. Both are good considerations.
Additional Resources
Read our Dishwasher Buying Guide for features, specs and inside tips on all brands of dishwashers. Over 220,000 people have already read a Yale buying guide.
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A Note About Pricing
Pricing on this blog is for reference only and may include time sensitive rebates. We make every attempt to provide accurate pricing at time of publishing. Please call the stores for most accurate price.
