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.

8a6d523882302fad0fc539c53a43b4bb.jpg



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.

a1029acd7017cdd2f8ca405f093d20c4.jpg


After refill, with the indicator off.

e18dffecb281d30e890c5ef437e9cdee.jpg


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.
550d748e0cf9298569d14ab8372e2fd2.jpg


Bottom rack, where plates and large utensils usually go.

ccde4f7f10b3c1e5bc1a5887079d560f.jpg


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.

07cfeda396bfcbc3cbd351fde351fa3e.jpg


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.
 
Last edited:
All Aluminium will turn black and rough. This is due to high pH of the detergent and the high temperature. Severity depends on the quality of the aluminium too. We placed a few initially and noticed that some of them are more affected than others.
The reason Aluminium turns black is due to the sodium percarbonate in the dishwater tabs. It's just oxidation, that goes off with use in time. Time here means several weeks.

That same percarbonate shines stainless steel brand new. You can simulate this with any detergent that has the word oxy in it.

I'm trying to find percarbonate alone but not finding any suppliers. And what i find is expensive for the quantity.

This is the active ingredient is dishwash tabs, oxy detergent and machine cleaning powder.
 
Vanish powder is Sodium percarbonate FYI. During first lock down when my detergent got finished and there was no supply I tried to cook up some using Vanish and Sodium Bi-carbonate. Result was below expectations but at least it helped from hand washing dishes.
 
Went to and fro between full size & tabletop models for a while but finally ended up ordering regular size Bosch SMS66Gxxx.

As per the thread, will get the plumbing & 16 Amp board in place & order a Fortune combo pack for first month.
Should I get a stand too ? Not too sure on final placement of the machine due to space constraints in kitchen so I guess a stand with wheels might come in handy ?
Depends on the placement of the dishwasher.
If the area remains always dry, then there is no need for a stand.

But if the surrounding area gets wet, then it's better to use a stand.
Bosch installation personnel usually carry a stand/cover/hose and sell local ones at inflated prices.

If you wish to go with an official accessory, there here is their official Amazon store link >> https://www.amazon.in/Bosch-Original-Adjustable-Pedestal-Universal/dp/B0825TSH77
 
That stand looks good but at 4k seems a bit too expensive! 10% of DW :sweatsmile:
If you don't want to move the machine you can look into these. I placed mine on these. They are pretty good. And DW is itself light and there are not moving parts like a WM.
Deal of the day: Wembley Washing Machine Stand Multi Purpose Suitable for Refrigerator, Almirah, Wardrobe, Sleeping Bed, Dining Table, Furniture Base Stand Fridge Stand for Single Door and Double Door https://www.amazon.in/dp/B09B7MF1HJ..._dl_R25GSSND5NNDP14TQ2VG?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
 
Any other good dishwasher models from other brands apart from bosch?
LG seems to be right at the top as per people in my circle.
I was looking at tabletop models as well and checked a lot of reviews (apparently non-paid/sponsored ones too), Voltas Beko seemed like a good and reliable choice.
 
Any recommendation in counter-top size dishwasher? Height should be lower than 60cm. Planning to use it like a built in.
Also a silly question, how long does it take you to load the dishwasher? As per the reviews, people take like 10 minutes to load it. Is that correct? Why does it so long? One can hand wash the dishes in 10-15 minutes.
 
Last edited:
Any recommendation in counter-top size dishwasher? Height should be lower than 60cm. Planning to use it like a built in.
Also a silly question, how long does it take you to load the dishwasher? As per the reviews, people take like 10 minutes to load it. Is that correct? Why does it so long? One can hand wash the dishes in 10-15 minutes.
I had looked at countertop ones & found a lot of reviews for Voltas Beko (or something similarly named) You may look at it.

Yes, it takes some time to load up the DW initially but after a few days and few washes later you get to know what works and what doesn't. I 'guess' it takes me around 7-8 mins to load up a full load and shut the machine for cycle. Time constraints can't be a factor in moving to a DW since the minimum time for a wash & dry cycle is approx 1hr 20 mins. It's the convenience & cleanliness.
 
I had looked at countertop ones & found a lot of reviews for Voltas Beko (or something similarly named) You may look at it.
Yup. I think this would be good choice considering there are hardly 3-4 options in countertop and voltas beko seems have outsold others by 100 times. So spares and service should be better.

I 'guess' it takes me around 7-8 mins to load up a full load and shut the machine for cycle. Time constraints can't be a factor in moving to a DW since the minimum time for a wash & dry cycle is approx 1hr 20 mins. It's the convenience & cleanliness.
I don't mind longer washing time. But if it was going to take 10+ minutes to load the machine then it'd be better for me to hand wash them because it'd be faster.
 
Yup. I think this would be good choice considering there are hardly 3-4 options in countertop and voltas beko seems have outsold others by 100 times. So spares and service should be better.


I don't mind longer washing time. But if it was going to take 10+ minutes to load the machine then it'd be better for me to hand wash them because it'd be faster.
It's takes that much time to adjust all the utensils in an efficient manner. You can go at it in fast manner as well, nothing much to do, just dispose off the food particles away and put them in. If the load ain't much you won't need much time adjusting them in.
 
Yup. I think this would be good choice considering there are hardly 3-4 options in countertop and voltas beko seems have outsold others by 100 times. So spares and service should be better.
Umm, better check reviews for that. I was looking at feedback for a clothes dryer and it seems Voltas/Beko know how to launch stuff in India but getting service depending on where you live might not be the best. Beko is a level below the Koreans in the UK if comparing the prices of their washers. So its a Euro budget brand.
I don't mind longer washing time. But if it was going to take 10+ minutes to load the machine then it'd be better for me to hand wash them because it'd be faster.
I like doing the dishes, find it quite therapeutic.
 
Umm, better check reviews for that. I was looking at feedback for a clothes dryer and it seems Voltas/Beko know how to launch stuff in India but getting service depending on where you live might not be the best. Beko is a level below the Koreans in the UK if comparing the prices of their washers. So its a Euro budget brand.
Koreans, germans don't sale dishwasher in that size. There's only beko, godrej, faber. And people are buying beko only. Reviews are good.

I like doing the dishes, find it quite therapeutic.
Yup. I do dishes every night with some audio book in my ears. I'm remodeling my kitchen and initially we planned an arrangement to dry dishes. That arrangement was costing above 5k so I thought why not go for dishwasher instead.
 
Koreans, germans don't sale dishwasher in that size. There's only beko, godrej, faber. And people are buying beko only. Reviews are good.

Never seen a dishwasher this small before :)

2h30 to do a load I could have completed in 15 minutes !!!


But she spends that much time only loading the machine.

This is where a bigger machine makes sense. The larger workload makes it worth it.

Fill the machine during the day and run the wash when you go to bed. In the morning everything is dry and put things back in the cupboard.

Whereas with a smaller unit like this after each meal you have to run it. Might work for singles than a family. But hers is of 6 (!)

The better quality cleaning is due to high temperature washing and detergents designed for the job.
 
Last edited:
2h30 to do a load I could have completed in 15 minutes !!!
There are 35 and 90 minutes mode too.

But she spends that much time only loading the machine.
There's initial learning curve, it seems. I think instead of bringing dirty dishes to the dishwasher, bringing dishwasher basket to the dining table should save time. :wacky:

This is where a bigger machine makes sense. The larger workload makes it worth it.

Fill the machine during the day and run the wash when you go to bed. In the morning everything is dry and put things back in the cupboard.

Whereas with a smaller unit like this after each meal you have to run it. Might work for singles than a family. But hers is of 6 (!)
I can't go for bigger machine due to space constraints in modular kitchen design. I'd be merging this machine into the modular kitchen so that it'll look seamless. I think 8 place capacity it offers is okay for our small family. And we could run it twice a day with lighter loads.

The better quality cleaning is due to high temperature washing and detergents designed for the job.
It can't do aluminium though.
 
There are 35 and 90 minutes mode too.
Only for specific jobs. Won't remove grease. Her workaround is to dump everything in the sink so it soaks.

Also, she found the Eco mode which takes 3h+ does a better cleaning job than Normal. I think the long wash times are due to the lack of steam cleaning in this model.

I can't go for bigger machine due to space constraints in modular kitchen design. I'd be merging this machine into the modular kitchen so that it'll look seamless. I think 8 place capacity it offers is okay for our small family. And we could run it twice a day with lighter loads.
Why do you need it in the first place. How much time does it save you? two loads/unloads per day instead of one isn't much saving.

The only difference is 5 cm in width & height. so the footprint is similar. It's the 25cm height that you have to accommodate with a bigger machine. Try and see if you can do that.
It can't do aluminium though.
That is due to the percarbonate in the detergents used. Shines steel well but causes oxidation with Aluminium over time.
 
Last edited:
There are 35 and 90 minutes mode too.


There's initial learning curve, it seems. I think instead of bringing dirty dishes to the dishwasher, bringing dishwasher basket to the dining table should save time. :wacky:


I can't go for bigger machine due to space constraints in modular kitchen design. I'd be merging this machine into the modular kitchen so that it'll look seamless. I think 8 place capacity it offers is okay for our small family. And we could run it twice a day with lighter loads.


It can't do aluminium though.
Hey, in my opinion, see if you can make an arrangement for a full sized DW if your are more than 2 person. You may have difficulty in getting the load done in single wash. When we have a family of four, then we need to run DW twice a day for 3 meals & tea/coffee.
 
I think if you can see the actual size of the machine in a shop you might understand better. And then compare with a 14 plate and then decide.

Same logic I'm using here to discourage people from getting the smallest size washing machine.

If it's tabletop then you don't have to bend. With a regular size, there is a little bending involved but you gain countertop space.

You will need more cutlery and utensils.

I just fill the sink with hot water and detergent and I can get through the load she puts in that machine in 15 minutes.

When I was abroad we used to rinse dishes and pots and put them in the machine. The sink was always kept clear.

Your idea of storing dirty clothes in the washing machine? Well that idea works with a dishwasher if it is big enough :)
 
Last edited:
Why do you need it in the first place? How much time does it save you
It's not going to save much time for sure.

The reason is different. We are making arrangement in the modular kitchen to dry the dishes. So after doing the dishes, one would keep it in above sink closet. That thing is easily going to cost around 10k. Modular kitchen material things cost bomb. It was just some steel shelf to keep dishes built above sink, steel tray which will drop excess water in the sink and a hydraulic door lift. All in the name of making your kitchen look neat after washing the dishes (It's stupid, I know).

I could do all above at ~10k or put some more money and go with a 20k dishwasher. It'll be bigger and better than above described shelf. And not to mention, it also happens to wash the dishes as additional bonus. :p

Secondly, everyone is working in the family. We are all active, which is why we haven't had maid in last 8 years. But there are days when someone doesn't get enough time or too tired to do daily chores.

But more importantly, I'm remodeling the kitchen. If I don't keep a dedicated space for dishwasher now, it'd be very hard to accommodate new machine after, say, 10 years. This is the primary reason.

Hey, in my opinion, see if you can make an arrangement for a full sized DW if your are more than 2 person. You may have difficulty in getting the load done in single wash. When we have a family of four, then we need to run DW twice a day for 3 meals & tea/coffee.
Are you also using countertop size DW? I can't make space for full size DW. Planning to run countertop DW twice a day. We would still be running it twice a day even if we got full size DW. I saw a few video about countertop DW and our dish load is actually smaller than what people load countertop DW with.

Full size DW have height of 85 cm but Indian kitchen countertops are low so they can't accommodate full size DW under. It's not like my kitchen is small but current design can't accept a full size DW. I will have to keep it standalone like fridge.

1.jpg


Plan is to keep it where the red arrow is pointing. The height is 61cm only. Countertop DW fits here nicely. If I have to get full size DW then I'll have to keep it away from sink.

I think if you can see the actual size of the machine in a shop you might understand better. And then compare with a 14 plate and then decide.
You're right, I'll visit a local mall before making final decision.

If it's tabletop then you don't have to bend. With a regular size, there is a little bending involved but you gain countertop space.
Plan was to buy countertop version but put it under the counter. Either way there's some bending.

When I was abroad we used to rinse dishes and pots and put them in the machine. The sink was always kept clear.
That's a good strategy anyday.

Your idea of storing dirty clothes in the washing machine? Well that idea works with a dishwasher if it is big enough :)
Busted :p:p:p. But I can assure you that our dish load is smaller than our laundry load. We cook only once in a day. So there's almost never much load. Extra load can be washed by hands.
 
I don't understand how someone needs 10 minutes to load a dishwasher. It would hardly take me 2-3 minutes, but also, why do you need to load it all at once. The way we use our DW is that we keep loading it as the dishes get dirty and then run it when it gets full or when we need the dishes. Also, if someone says that they can wash a full load by hand in 15 minutes and give the same wash quality as a DW, then I think they are mistaken. Also, the best part I found about using a DW, apart from the quality of wash, is how little water it uses. We use 2 modes only - Quick which gives as good a wash quality as other modes in just 30 minutes and Auto which takes 1h 20 minutes, but I think people forget that these longer modes also provide you with completely dried utensils
 
Back
Top