Bosch 300 Series SHEM63W55N dishwasher review

The Bosch 300 Series SHEM63W55N is a reliable dishwasher that is jam-packed with features. Bosch is a reputable manufacturer, with a history of making high-quality, durable home appliances. 

This dishwasher features 3 racks and 16 place settings, making it perfect for large families with a lot of dishes to clean. If you are looking for the best dishwashers (opens in new tab), then this review should help you establish whether the Bosch 300 Series is right for you. We will assess the specs, features and user reviews to help compare this dishwasher to other models.

Another feature that makes this dishwasher ideal for families is its child lock. You can rest easy knowing that this dishwasher features a built-in child lock that will keep your kids away from hot steam and sharp utensils - this child lock also stops the machine from being turned on by accident. Keeping with the family-orientated theme, this dishwasher is also incredibly quiet, operating at only 44 dBA, so that you can clean your dishes at any time without interrupting sleeping children, or grumpy teenagers doing their homework.

The Bosch 300 Series SHEM63W55N was released in 2017 and has garnered thousands of positive reviews online, making it a reliable choice if you are in the market for a new dishwasher, but if you are looking for other home appliances be sure to check out our guides to the best ovens (opens in new tab) and the best freezers (opens in new tab).

Bosch 300 Series SHEM63W55N: Design

The design of the Bosch 300 Series dishwasher is sleek and minimalistic. It is a built-in model, so it is designed to slot in with the rest of your kitchen units, saving space when compared to a conventional dishwasher. It has an ergonomically pleasing recessed handle on the front, above the controls. We love the look of this dishwasher with its modern aesthetic and high-quality finish. 

Bosch does manufacture top-controlled dishwashers, but this model is front- controlled. Usually, front control dishwashers can be inconvenient as you may have to kneel down or bend over to see the controls properly, but Bosch has thought about this and tilted the controls upwards slightly inside the recessed handle so that you can see the controls clearly while standing up. 

The controls take the shape of buttons which stands out to us, as touch controls can often be insensitive and can become quite hard to use over time. While the stainless steel finish is beautiful, it is not fingerprint- resistant, and therefore will be tougher to clean than some other dishwashers - not ideal if your hands are dirty or greasy after loading the machine with dishes. 

The interior of the machine features three racks and a large stainless steel tub which will last a long time and won’t tarnish from steam or residual detergents. There is one rack on the bottom for large items such as plates, serving dishes and cooking pots, a rack in the middle for glasses, mugs, bowls and measuring cups, and a third rack at the top with a cutlery jack for silverware and cooking utensils. The third rack does have considerably more space than a lot of other dishwashers, so you may be able to fit some smaller plates and glasses on it.

Bosch 300 Series SHEM63W55N: Features

While the aesthetics of a dishwasher are important, they are irrelevant without good features. Bosch has certainly delivered on that front, with a number of different attributes to help make your dishes shine and come out of the dishwasher dry. 

The five wash cycles can clean anything from glasses to heavily soiled cooking pots, and the Extra Dry function utilizes a concealed heating element to get your dishes ready for immediate storage in cupboards and drawers. The three-rack organization system helps you to find the right fit for deep, tall and uniquely shaped items in the large loading area. The brand's RackMatic technology allows you to adjust to three different height levels with nine possible rack positions - you can customize the racks to suit your needs every time. 

If you are short on time and need clean dishes quickly, you can use the Speed 60 cycle that will take dishes from dirty to clean and dry in less time. If you have young children that are still bottle feeding, then you can use the NSF-Certified Sanitization Cycle that will use high-temperature water to kill 99.99% of bacteria on their toys and bottles to help keep them germ-free. It also features a great child lock system, keeping kids away from sharp knives and hot steam while also preventing them from mashing any buttons that could accidentally switch your dishwasher on or off.

If you are worried about your dishwasher breaking and causing a mess in your kitchen, then you can rest easy knowing that the Bosch 300 Series features 24/7 Aquastop to protect your floors. The 4-part leak detection system uses sensors to detect and stop leaks, and will even turn on by itself - catching and identifying leaks before any problems occur.

One of the best features of the machine is its noise level. At only 44 dBA (the average sound level of a library), the washer is so quiet that you can run it any time of the day. You don’t need to worry about the dishwasher interrupting your dinner party or waking your children up. It is so quiet that Bosch has included an exterior light to let you know that it is on.

Bosch 300 Series SHEM63W55N: Price and availability

The Bosch 300 Series SHEM63W55N usually retails for $999.99/£835.18. While the dishwasher has a large number of great cleaning features, there are other models out there for a similar price that will offer smart features, such as smartphone connectivity, on top of similar cleaning performance. 

It comes with a one-year parts and labor warranty, which could be a little higher, but Bosch does offer great customer service in case anything ever goes wrong. The dishwasher is available at BestBuy and Home Depot and can be found in numerous stores across the US. 

Bosch 300 Series SHEM63W55N: User reviews

The Bosch 300 Series SHEM63W55N has an average rating of 4.5/5 stars on Best Buy, with the majority of the positive reviews praising its performance and whisper-quiet cleaning, with one customer saying “The dishwasher cleans our dishes very well. The sound during its wash phase is very quiet”. People are especially impressed with its ability to deep clean heavily soiled pots and pans and its adjustable racks. The reviews are reliable, all being from verified customers who have purchased the dishwasher through Best Buy’s website. 

The small number of bad reviews are mainly focused on the Bosch customer service rather than the dishwasher itself, with the minority of complaints being directed at the drying system, stating that the dishes still require some drying after the drying cycle has been used. One dissatisfied customer said that the drying is “awful” and that “the dishes come out soaking wet even with rinse aid and the sanitized drying cycle”. 

Should you buy the Bosch 300 Series SHEM63W55N?

Overall, for the price, you will get a great dishwasher that will thoroughly clean your dishes while also sanitizing and drying them. If you have children, then it is a solid choice, but if you are single or in a couple without children then you may want to consider a smaller machine. If you are expecting smart features, then this might not be the pick for you, as this dishwasher doesn’t have any - but in our opinion, it more than makes up for it in cleaning features and wash cycles.  

How does the Bosch 300 Series SHEM63W55N compare to competitors?

If you are on a budget, then you may want to go for the Whirlpool WDF520PADM, which has similar cleaning features for half the price. 

If you want a similarly- priced dishwasher that comes with smart features, then the LG Smart Dishwasher with Quadwash could be the one for you. It is $50 cheaper than the Bosch and comes with smart features such as mobile connectivity and remote monitoring. 

If you are really looking to push the boat out and invest in a top-of-the-line dishwasher regardless of cost, then the KitchenAid Top Control Dishwasher is a great alternative choice.