Bosch Evolution 500 SHE55R55UC Dishwasher Review

Introduction

Front

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Finish

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Controls

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Interior

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Top Rack

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Bottom Rack

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Cutlery Basket

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Electricity Use

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As with most dishwashers, about 80 percent of the {{product.name}}'s cost per cycle is due to electricity needed for heating water and drying dishes.

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Water Use

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The normal cycle uses only 4.9 gallons of water, though the heavy duty cycle uses 7.35 gallons.

Yearly Running Cost

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A year with this Bosch should set you back around $37.56. Since there's no quick cycle on the {{product.name}}, we had to adjust our efficiency tests. Accordingly, we assumed that the normal load would replace the quick cycle for most users.

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Washing Speed

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All cycles take longer than two hours. The heavy cycle is relatively quick, at two hours and ten minutes.

Washing Performance

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In our tests, the {{product.name}} was far too gentle with dishes, leaving behind and redistributing dirt throughout the interior of the washer and across otherwise clean dishes.

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Quick Wash Cycle

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There isn't any comparison to be made here — the {{product.name}} has no quick cycle, only a "half load" for dishwashers that are half full (or half empty, depending on your world outlook).

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Normal Wash Cycle

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After more than two hours, dishes emerged from the {{product.name}} still somewhat soiled. Though it did a good job cleaning off tough stains -- like lipstick -- the debris that washed off ended up on other dishes. In the end, though the original stains had mostly disappeared, more than half the dishes ended up with some redistributed stains on them.

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Heavy/Pots & Pans Wash Cycle

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Stains were mostly lifted from dishes on the heavy duty cycle, but once again debris ended up redistributed across otherwise clean plates. This was especially apparent in the lasagna pan, which was devoid of baked-on cheese but full of soapy wet noodles.

Pots & Pans Cycle

Washing Cycles

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5 cycles are on offer from this washer, ranging from the long heavy duty wash to a very speedy 30-minute wash. Unusually, there is no delicate cycle.

Customization

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There are no customization options on offer: you cannot change the intensity of the wash or tweak the temperature.

Additional Wash Options

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There are just two options for adding additional steps to the wash: a wash delay that holds the wash for up to 12 hours and a sanitize option that adds a high-temperature sanitizing rinse.

Capacity

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The {{product.name}} can hold up to 10 place settings, which is a little less than the 12 that some other comparable models can hold. We found that this was a tight squeeze, with no little room for additional dishes or cutlery.

Top Rack

Bottom Rack

Wash Arms & Filters

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There are two wash arms, both of which are small and curved. One is located under the bottom rack, and the second is attached to the upper rack. If the upper rack is not required, the rack and wash arm can be removed and replaced with a sprayer, which is useful for washing large objects such as oven trays or cookie sheets.

There are three filters which are combined in the filter system: a large object filter, medium filter and a micro filter. All of these can be removed for washing by rotating the head of the filter array and lifting it. All three filters come out as one device: there is no way to sperate them, which makes cleaning them a litle awkward if food gets caught inside them.

Lower Dish Rack

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The lower dish rack has 6 rows of times, with the two at the back arranged at a 90 degree angle to the 4 at the front. The rear row of tines can be folded flat to allow extra room for large dishes or an alternative location for the cutlery basket. The lower rack rolls out smoothly onto the door, both when empty and when fully loaded. We would have liked to have seen more adjustable tines, but the overall design is good and flexible enough for everyday use.

Upper Dish Rack

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The upper rack is designed for use with glasses, cups and other things that are less stained than the ones in the bottom rack. It is also quite adjustable, with 4 rows of tines, one of which can be folded down out of the way. On the right side are two stemware holders, which can hold up to 12 wine glasses. On the left side is a small cutlery basket, which can hold additional cutlery or serving implements. The upper rack can be raised and lowered by a couple of inches, or it can be replaced with a sprayer if you want to wash very large items.

Cutlery Holder

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The cutlery basket has an unusual design, with two parts that can be split and folded together. This means that you can remove half of it if you need more space for dishes, or you can fold it over to provide more space for longer serving dishes or bowls.

Detergent Dispenser

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The detergent dispenser does not use the common flip-up door: instead, it is covered by a sliding door that keeps the detergent in until it is required. This does not leave any space for a pre-wash, though. To the left of the dispenser is the rinse aid dispenser.

Ease of Use

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The {{product.name}} is a flexible washer that can adapt to fit a wide range of pots, pans and dishes thanks to some nice touches. The cutlery basket in particular is very flexible, and we like that it can be made smaller or wider to adapt. Overall, we found this to be a flexible, easily configurable dishwasher.

Controls

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The controls for this washer are all located on the top of the door, so they will be hidden from view when the washer is not in use. To show the status of the washer, there is a single red LED on the front of the door that is lit when the washer is running.

Efficiency

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The {{product.name}} will set you back around $37.76 per year in water and electricity costs. That's a little above average for a dishwasher.

Washing Performance

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While it did a good job removing stains, the {{product.name}} just couldn't expel debris from within the washer's tub. That meant otherwise clean plates ended up with tiny flecks of dried spinach or noodles, and had to be scraped clean and rewashed. Cycles took a little more than two hours each.

Features

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Though it lacks a quick wash cycle, the {{product.name}} does offer a sanitize option and automatic wash. Its racks are somewhat awkward to load, with