User Review Bosch SMS60L12IN Dishwasher Review

I was in search of dishwasher reviews for the past couple of years, specially from Indian users.
I couldn't find much except for a review or two on YouTube, but they were not in detail for me to take the plunge.

Finally I bit the bullet and bought a Bosch SMS60L12IN from Amazon for 31.5k.

I'd summarize few points which might be useful for prospective buyers.
This review applies to all dishwashers in general since all the models from different brands sold in India are more or less with similar specs.

Which Brand?
  • AFAIK Bosch, IFB, Siemens, LG & Samsung sell dishwashers in India.

  • Bosch has only one model in two colors with different model numbers.
    People quoted that the silver model is an upgraded one with water saving features blah blah blah.
    But I verified the specs and both are in fact color variants of same model.

    Siemens has a model or two IIRC, but they are priced higher and share 90% of the components with Bosch. Both are sold and serviced by same channels too.

  • IFB has 5-6 models, out of which all the models have 12 place holders except the top of the line Neptune SX1, which has 15 place holders. This particular model has extra pullout basket for small cutlery, which is of practical use. I later found out how significant this feature is (More on this later).

  • LG and Samsung sell one model each, which are priced higher and I doubt their after sales service w.r.t dishwashers.

  • I found build quality to be better in Bosch.

  • In terms of service I heard/found Bosch to be better, can't comment on the spares availability/cost of spares at this moment. There are many horror stories about IFB service, so I stayed out of this brand.
Purchase and Installation

  • For months, I pestered almost all major stores for a demo and no one gave a positive reply. Croma, Bajaj electronics have a Bosch demo dishwasher with transparent window to see how the dishwasher works etc, but they never showed interest in showing a demo as well.

  • All of them were offering a discount of 1-2 k, so I chose Amazon as I was getting it for almost 8k discount on MRP. These store guys were selling very old stocks, but the one I ordered from Amazon was imported in Dec 2016. I think all Bosch dishwashers sold in India are made in Turkey.

  • I got a installation request acknowledgement from Bosch on the very next day I ordered on Amazon. They had been following up for installation even before it was delivered from Amazon and installation was done within hours of delivery. Satisfied with the overall purchase and installation experience.

  • There is nothing complicated about installation, just connecting the inlet hose and proper drainage for drain pipe. The purpose of waiting for installation is more or less to verify damage and to avail warranty.

  • Also ours is a free standing unit, if you want to integrate this into kitchen, you might need to get some additional work done to mount the machine into place.

What are these three cleaning agents?
  • A dishwasher needs a combination of three cleaning agents. Using all three( Salt+Detergent+Rinse Aid ) is the key to perfectly washed dishes. You can use any brand of dishwasher cleaning agents, as long as they are dishwasher compatible.

    Bosch recommends "Finish" products, which are imported and cost a bomb when compared to other brands. IFB sells their own brand of cleaning agents.

    We personally use & recommend Fortune Products >> http://fortunedishwashing.com/
    They are cheaper compared to imported brands.
    I compared the wash quality with Finish and I couldn't find any difference.
    Many Bosch/IFB users gave similar feedback about Fortune products.
    They are not easily available in super markets, but you can order from their website or their Amazon store.

  • What are these three cleaning agents anyway?
    • Salt - Don't confuse this for normal table salt.
      This is special salt, used to convert hard water into soft water which prevents hard water stains(white powdery stains) on the dishes. It is mandatory if your water hardness is medium to high. Depending on your dishwasher model, you can adjust the salt dispensing levels.

      You don't need to refill salt for every wash, you need to refill once in a month or two based on usage.In our case, we use dishwasher everyday and we need to refill it once a month with 1KG of salt. Cost of refill is around Rs. 100 per KG.

      http://fortunedishwashing.com/product/fortune-dishwasher-salt/

    • Detergent - As the name suggests, these are detergents specially made for dishwashers.
      You need to fill the detergent for every wash, just like a washing machine.

      http://fortunedishwashing.com/product/fortune-dishwasher-detergent-1-kg-pack/

    • Rinse Aid - It is a special liquid used to reduce the surface tension of water, so that water won't stick on the dishes during rinsing. This actually makes a lot of difference to the final wash quality. If you don't use it, then the dishes would have water droplet stains and white stains.

      You might have to refill rinse aid every 10 washes on average. So a 500ml Rinse Aid should be sufficient for a month or two, if you use the dishwasher daily.

      http://fortunedishwashing.com/product/fortune-rinse-aid/

      You can buy a combo pack of all three, which is more in tune with the usage cycle.
      http://fortunedishwashing.com/produ...tarter-combo-pack-free-descaler-worth-rs-150/

    • All in one Tablets - If you are lazy and don't want to buy all three of them and refill every time. These all in one tablets come with a combo of Detergent/Salt & Rinse aid all in a single tablet. You will need to use one tablet per wash.

      Manual says that if your water hardness is medium to high, then you would still need to use salt in addition to these tablets. I've tried to use tablet alone and the results weren't great. Ended up using the additional salt as well. So I won't recommend tablets, plus these are costly compared to the purchasing the individual detergents.

      For example, this costs almost 1200 for 34 tablets >> http://www.amazon.in/Finish-All-Max-Powerball-Tablets/dp/B01ET6E9XE?tag=googinhydr18418-21

Stacking the dishes and Usage
  • You need to dump all left over food particles from the utensils. Soaking is not necessary for normal utensils. Wok's on which deep fries are done, would wash well with soaking.

  • Plates go into plate holders and large dishes go on bottom rack.
    Small plates, cups, small utensils go into the top rack. There is a free standing basket for cutlery into which you place all the ladles, forks & spoons. But using this basket is tricky, as it can be placed only on bottom basket and is difficult to fit in if the bottom layer is full. This is where extra basket in IFB Neptune SX1 comes handy. Otherwise you are forced to use the assorted holder in the top rack for placing spoons and forks.

  • All dishes should be facing downwards on the racks and should not be stacked on top of other.
    Stacking the dishes is tricky and time taking for the first few runs till you get the hang of it.

  • Once you are done stacking, check for the refill indicators. Only for the first use you need to fill the salt and rinse aid. Post that you need to fill them only if the respective refill indicator is lit.
    As I had mentioned earlier, refill cycle is roughly once a month for salt and once every 10 - 15 washes for Rinse Aid (100-150ml per refill).

  • Now comes the wash options, depending on the model there will be Auto, Eco and Intense modes.
    We normally use Eco and Auto modes and are yet to use Intense kadai mode.
    Since water temperature goes to around 70 degrees, we never risked using that mode owing to plastic boxes in the wash.

    Auto/Eco modes usually take 1.5 hrs for the cycle to finish.

    Unlike a washing machine, there is no lock for the door, no sound indicators for the wash completion.
    You can open the door in the middle of wash, it automatically pauses and resumes once the door is shut. But avoid opening the door as the vapor that spews out is very hot.

    Once the wash cycle is done, machine turns itself off without any buzzer.
Wash Quality
  • Aluminium, Wood and plastics which are not dishwasher compatible should not be used in dishwasher according to manual. I tried aluminium dishes, they got cleaned properly, but are slightly discolored and have white stains even after rinse aid is used. So I won't recommend using aluminium utensils.
    I've used wooden spatula's and wash is fine.

    Silverware, steel, glass and food grade plastics are washed perfectly. Shine on the utensils and the squeaky noise from the clean dishes is so satisfying.

  • Specially if you are using Tupperware boxes for carrying lunch, the difference in wash quality is reason enough for you to buy a dishwasher. Even those sticky oil stains are washed perfectly, leaving the boxes squeaky clean. When we used to wash the dishes manually, getting the oil stains from plastic boxes is a nightmare and oil stains never used to go off.
Power Consumption
  • This particular model is rated at 1.5KW, but I guess that rating is only for the heating element.
    Never calculated the actual usage, but should be on par with any washing machine if not less.
    There is no significant spike in electricity bill, so I never bothered to check the power usage in detail.

I will add a few pictures later today, of the dishwasher and utensils before/after wash.

My parents were reluctant to get rid of the maid and get a dishwasher instead. They were apprehensive about the performance earlier, but after looking at the wash quality, even they are on the scout for a dishwasher. Since I know the practical advantages of an extra rack, I'm pushing for IFB Neptune SX1 and will update this review accordingly if we end up buying that.


This is how dishwasher was delivered by Amazon. Luckily no damages.

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A few pics from yesterday's wash cycle.

Notice that refill rinse aid indicator is lit. It's been almost 3 weeks since last refill.

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After refill, with the indicator off.

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After the wash cycle.
Those plastic flap like things you see at the bottom of the pic is where you add the detergent and the rinse aid.
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Bottom rack, where plates and large utensils usually go.

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Top rack. Since the bottom rack is full and we couldn't fit the small cutlery basket, We had to improvise and use the Etagere for small cutlery.

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Notice how the stainless steel utensils are shiny. If you don't use rinse aid, there will be a cloudy layer of water droplet marks over them.

I'll do a set of before/after wash pics of dishes, once I get some time over the weekend.
 
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Superb review mate.very detailed. Pics would be welcome. Though I don't need one was always curious as to how they were relevant in Indian context .Thanks for sharing. Efforts appreciated.
 
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I bought the silver version of the same dishwasher couple of weeks ago. It is replacing my silver 2007 IFB Neptune. It did serve well for close to 5 years. After that the notorious IFB service made me swear never to go anywhere near an IFB product. So, here I am with the Bosch dishwasher. My initial impressions have been slightly less than impressive when I compare it with the IFB Neptune. I believe Bosch used to make dishwashers for IFB at one time. I am not sure if my 2007 IFB dishwasher was made by Bosch or not but I am comparing the new Bosch dishwasher with the IFB.

I think Bosch has skimped on material quality to cut corners. Here's what I found fault with the machine so far.
  • The IFB had a funnel to pour the salt whereas Bosch does not provide one. This makes the process of pouring salt into the dishwasher a little cumbersome and messy if you happen to spill it.
  • After running a cycle of wash I found the wash to be unsatisfactory. On inspection I found out that the latch that dispenses the soap did not open throughout the wash cycle of 1 1/2 hours.
  • The IFB had a button to pause the wash and add utensils. Bosh does not have any such option. Though it is possible to turn off power add utensils and turn the power back on, it is not an elegant solution. I do not want to open a running dishwasher as I once had hot water splash out.
  • No buzzer on completion of the wash cycle.
  • On one occasion I had rice stuck to a bowl that did not get washed properly. It happened only once I would leave it to user error though I do not recall it ever happening with the IFB.
  • Intense Kadai mode did not clean the kadai as clean as I would have liked but then neither did the IFB. I was only testing the intense kadai mode otherwise I should have soaked it for a little while. (Tip of the day: For those who do not have a dishwasher - Add few drops of liquid soap, Vim, add water and let the water boil for few minutes. All the grease and gunk should come out easily with a simple wipe of scotchbrite.)
  • Overall I find the machine to be a little flimsy.
I know I am nitpicking here. Overall I would say the Bosch is not a bad buy.
 
A 2007 model would most likely be post IFB Bosch Split, because Bosch started selling consumer appliances in India by that time.

Even I was not happy with the missing accessories which are model specific. These little things are pretty useful. Following are the missing accessories for Indian model, which are very practical btw.

Coming to IFB, I'm seriously considering Neptune SX1 for my parents. Since you used IFB for quite some time, what is your overall feedback?
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I am currently not in a position to pass a judgment one way or other. For now I think Bosch is at least as good as IFB. The only reason I stayed away from IFB is due to their horrible customer service. When I say horrible, trust me, it was really the worst kind of service one could imagine from a consumer electronics major. This is coming from some who owned IFB Washing machine, Dryer and Dish Washer.

I am surprised how IFB is demanding a higher price than Bosch with such poor after sales service when there is precious little to choose between the products.

This does not mean Bosch Siemens will be better but I am counting on two things here.
  1. The products I own (washing machine and dish washer) are superior to IFB and do not need frequent service.
  2. Bosch Siemens service cannot be worse than IFB.
 
Hi Is it safe to buy from Amazon the SMS60L18IN model (Bosch Free-Standing 12 Place Settings Dishwasher (SMS60L18IN, Stainless Steel)) also which was the seller when you purchased Cloudtail ? so that I can bank on for no damage while delivering the product ?
Few queries
Does the machine requires a good pressure of water(Inlet) or a house tank with less pressure can do the job ?
Is the inlet pipe fitting (on the tap) similar to that of washing machines ? means can that be plugged in only when required ?
Did you buy the extended warranty from Amazon ?
I coudlnt see the returns policy on Amazon incase of Damage on delivery, any insight to that ?
 
Hi Is it safe to buy from Amazon the SMS60L18IN model (Bosch Free-Standing 12 Place Settings Dishwasher (SMS60L18IN, Stainless Steel)) also which was the seller when you purchased Cloudtail ? so that I can bank on for no damage while delivering the product ?
Few queries
Does the machine requires a good pressure of water(Inlet) or a house tank with less pressure can do the job ?
Is the inlet pipe fitting (on the tap) similar to that of washing machines ? means can that be plugged in only when required ?
Did you buy the extended warranty from Amazon ?
I coudlnt see the returns policy on Amazon incase of Damage on delivery, any insight to that ?

  1. Yes, Cloudtail is the seller I purchased from.
    Is is safe to purchase from Amazon? When people are buying 50-60k worth phones and TV's online, why not dishwashers and washing machines.
    If you had noticed, these dishwashers/washing machines listings are pin code specific, so I'm assuming they are mostly from local inventory/brand tie ups.

  2. Regarding water pressure, we stay in 4th floor and the hose is connected to normal faucet.
    They do have some minimum pressure requirement spec in manual, but I never bothered to check as the machine would throw an error code if there is any issue with inlet water supply.

  3. Yes, inlet hose/adapter is same as washing machine, in fact I'm using a spare hose of my washing machine, as the supplied hose was short.

  4. Extended warranty is personal choice I guess, personally I'm not a fan of extended warranties, so didn't bother.
    During installation, they do pester you to take extended warranty.

  5. I think they do replace in case of damage during delivery, but I guess they don't have any return policy as such.
 
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  1. Yes, Cloudtail is the seller I purchased from.
    Is is safe to from Amazon? When people are buying 50-60k worth phones and TV's online, why not dishwashers and washing machines.
    If you had noticed, these dishwashers/washing machines listings are pin code specific, so I'm assuming they are mostly from local inventory/brand tie ups.

  2. Regarding water pressure, we stay in 4th floor and the hose is connected to normal faucet.
    They do have some minimum pressure requirement spec in manual, but I never bothered to check as the machine would throw an error code if there is any issue with inlet water supply.

  3. Yes, inlet hose/adapter is same as washing machine, in fact I'm using a spare hose of my washing machine, as the supplied hose was short.

  4. Extended warranty is personal choice I guess, personally I'm not a fan of extended warranties, so didn't bother.
    During installation, they do pester you to take extended warranty.

  5. I think they do replace in case of damage during delivery, but I guess they don't have any return policy as such.

Awesome thanks a lot for a super quick reply :)
 
thanks a lot sriharsha_m I bought the dishwasher, the installation wasn't so smooth though as the PDI guy wasn't really helpful and still the inlet hose isnt connected (waiting for that to get done):(
While connecting your inlet host did you have to purchase a separate adaptor to be connected to the tap ?

Was there any instructions, from the person who visited to demo and install your dishwasher, to put the salt with water in the salt outlet for the first usage ? I was told by the demo guy to do so ?
 
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strangely yes, tthey did tell me to salt with water , but since it wasnot written like that anywhere else , i went ahead without water :p,

the inlet hose to tap needs an adapter or you can get a regular washing machine inlet pipe and attach it
 
This is an excellent review. Just what I was looking for.
I have a question. Does the aluminium utensils gets discoloured?
Yes they do and at times aluminium utensils react to the detergent.

Like this.

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thanks a lot sriharsha_m I bought the dishwasher, the installation wasn't so smooth though as the PDI guy wasn't really helpful and still the inlet hose isnt connected (waiting for that to get done):(
While connecting your inlet host did you have to purchase a separate adaptor to be connected to the tap ?

Sorry to hear about your ordeal.

  • Yes, I ended up purchasing a redundant adapter because the bundled hose requires screw type adapter which is not supplied. I'm a DIY guy, but still I paid 350 for the adapter since I wanted to just get the installation done as part of warranty.

    The blue one on left is regular tap adapter that is mostly used with washing machines, the grey one on right is what I ended up buying during installation.

    2c6a1b9afd7d6945412d99107a6a0d8e.jpg


    My suggestion is, you can purchase a washing machine hose for lesser price and use that instead. Stock hose is very short too.

    In my case, I've replaced the tap with a two way angle cock and used tap adapters to connect both the inlets for washing machine and dishwasher. End result is very clean.

    Tap adapters costed 60 bucks each and the angle cock was 750.

    b6eaf9ac96da5eea68143224663311bc.jpg


    97b9c1c74635af6898cfb977dd270af5.jpg


    Was there any instructions, from the person who visited to demo and install your dishwasher, to put the salt with water in the salt outlet for the first usage ? I was told by the demo guy to do so ?


  • Only for the first time you need to fill the salt tank with water, before filling salt.
    Once you have run the machine for the first time and completed a wash cycle, salt tank is already filled with water, so no need of adding water again. Just add the salt.
 
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Ended up with Bosch again for Parents. This time bought from Reliance Digital in my hometown. Final price was 32799 for the silver color one from Bosch, SMS60L18IN.

It actually turned out to be cheaper than Amazon. Same model retails for around 35k on Amazon.
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I just ordered the bosch dishwasher from amazon. Should I also order the dishwasher detergent or is there a starter pack included with the dishwasher? what do regular users recommend? finish or fortune? there is a 100 rs difference in price.
 
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