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QUIET! I bought a Bosch simply for this reason.

But, I will add that I hate the bottom rack configuration of the Bosch we have. So I would say rack configuration is important.

As an aside, while Bosch doesn't have a specific drying cycle, it dries differently and for the most part our stuff comes out dry.

We have a Bosch and I love how quiet it is.

I just want it to be quiet. I'm not sure if mine has a dry cycle, if it does I don't use. Typically, I let the dryer rest for a few hours so I don't have to fumble putting away steaming hot dishes.

Quiet.
You can't hear our Bosch even when you're in front of it.

Quiet, good rack configuration, cleans well, has an eco setting. I didn't even know there were dishwashers without a dry cycle. Although ours has one, I don't use it that often. I just leave the dishwasher open overnight and put away dishes in the morning.

Those who have a Bosch, do you manually dry your dishes?

@BabyTsMom: we ruled Bosch out for the same reason. We are considering a KitchenAid because it has heat dry

We're due for a new one in the next year or two and I definitely want one with the buttons on top so LO can't mess with them.

@ShootingStar: Yes! We just bought a house with a Kenmore dishwasher, and ours is very quiet (compared to whatever we had at our last place), but for some reason the knives do not come out clean!

I prefer not to use the heated dry to save energy.

We rent but we have Miele appliance. Our Miele dishwasher is AMAZING. It's practically silent and I think the racks are intelligently designed. We always use the dry cycle, everything comes out completely dry except some of the plastic Tupperware. I like the silverware basket because it has slots. Believe me, I get neurotic about separating my silverware by type and size. another feature, ours is built in to the cabinets so you don't even know it's there.

We have had some REALLY loud ones over the years, so if I were purchasing my own, I'd probably prioritize getting a quiet one.

I didn't realize so many people actually use the heated dry! Ha. I have never used it, unless one of the kids hits that button by accident. Our Bosch doesn't have it, but only a handful of things seem to need to air dry each cycle.

I don't love the rack configuration options for our current Bosch, but I'm not sure how I would figure that out before purchasing. Unless I took my dishes to the store I like having the quiet more than I liked ones with slightly more useful configurations for our dishes.

@Pumpkin Pie: mine are always dry. I've never needed a dry cycle. My dishwasher literally just finished so I checked to see the state of my dishes. The plastics have a little water on the bottoms. The glasses, dishes, and flatware are all bone dry but way too hot to touch.

We have a Thermador and I have really been liking the third rack that it has. It is perfect for sippy cups, knives, etc. It's also extremely quiet but it isn't really a huge selling point for us since there are no bedrooms next to the kitchen in our home. I only know it is on when I see it shining a blue light on the floor.

Before we moved into our new home, we had a GE one that allowed us to pre-load it with detergent so you only had to reload every so often. That was a really nice feature.

@SweetiePie: that double door dishwasher would be perfect in my house, we often have a load of only glasses, and it would be sweet to be able to run it without guilt that the bottom is empty!

We bought a Whirlpool Gold last year. It's not "silent," in that you can hear some whooshing, but it's quiet enough that it's not an issue. I turn it on and we read aloud in the same room while it runs and it's not an issue at all.

I use the "normal" cycle without the heated dry setting selected, and everything that's not plastic comes out mostly dry anyway. I open the door and pull out the silverware holder as soon as possible after the cycle, which probably helps. We don't have much plastic stuff, just a few lids, so I pull them out and let them dry on the drying rack by the sink before putting them away.

The only thing I don't like about it is that it's stainless, but the rest of my kitchen appliances are stainless too, and I didn't want to replace the entire suite just for looks.

http://www.lowes.com/pd/Whirlpool-Gold-51-Decibel-Built-In-Dishwasher-Monochromatic-Stainless-Steel-Common-24-in-Actual-23-in-ENERGY-STAR/50245905?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA-_-Appliances-_-Dishwashers-_-50245905:Whirlpool&CAWELAID=&kpid=50245905&CAGPSPN=pla&store_code=1720&k_clickID=dbd1bfb9-5825-4f9e-ad70-be3a62cf99ff

ETA: Another thing that was important to me was that it not make "beeping" noises. The Whirlpool only beeps when you press the buttons to start it, not at the end of the cycle.

@BabyTsMom: I happen to be on an actual computer which is super rare so this is perfect timing to ask me questions

1) was it a big PITA to have to put detergent into each drawer separately?
I didn't think so. Because usually I wasn't running both at one time. I was usually doing one drawer at a time so it was the same as if I was running a normal dishwasher. But you DO have to add it to both if you are running both at one time once a day. In that case it might not make sense to do the drawers if you'll be doing one big run once a day anyway. It worked really well for me since I'm not a huge cook and we are mostly doing glasses, mugs, bottles/straw cups, and silverware every day. I definitely have enough of that stuff to run daily, but nothing to fill the bottom rack usually. So it was really nice to not feel guilty to run a small load daily.

2) And what about bulky/tall items, like skillets or pans? Is one drawer deep enough?
I think both were the same size. They both have the same racks/configuration as well. But what I did is used the top to run small loads of the above mentioned items once or twice a day. And since I had way less items like dishes, pots, pans, pitchers, etc, I would put those in the bottom and maybe only run every other day. Or use one entire side of the bottom for one big pan and used the other side of the bottom for glasses and stuff. Either way, its definitely deep enough to do a stock pot or a cookie sheet (I've done both). At least the model I had was. My old building was built in 2008, I believe, so that's probably how old the machine was. I can't speak to the brand new model!

3) Does the bottom compartment get neglected if you only do small loads? Hmmm I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean do you only end up using the top one? For me, probably. Because like I said, I tended to use that one more. I used the bottom for bigger items, overflow from the top (if I did happen to have a dish-heavy day) or if the top was running/I was lazy and didnt empty it and I had more stuff. So if I had to quantify it...I'd say in a full week I would run the top one 1-2 times a day (so lets average and say 10 times a week) and the bottom maybe 5 times a week. I DID try to alternate them (per the manufacturer recommendation) but I would often default to the top one if it was open.

Hope this helps! Again, it may be that this is better for a certain lifestyle (ie the non-cook). If you cook a lot and would expect to run both at the same time every day, drawers probably aren't the way to go.

But if it sounds good to you...heck, you might even want to figure out if there's a way to make the extra 2 inches! Cut into the counter or something. Its that awesome!

Lastly, maybe other brands make a drawer as well? Fisher-Paykell is just the one we had. I haven't done any reserach to see if others have it.

We have a Magtag energy star stainless built-in that's awesome - I LOVE IT! It's very quiet and very fast; we have an open layout and when we have dinner parties we usually run a load right after dinner and it's quiet enough no one really hears it while sitting at our dining table less than 10 feet away. It's got a dry cycle, steam cycles, etc. it's 4 years old and we've had zero issues with it (knock on wood).

It's not the largest on the market, but it's fine for our family and we hand wash knives, pans, etc anyway so we don't need that extra space.

I have a Bosch Life Style (about 6 years old), its quiet, I like the cutlery is laid in its tray to wash, it fits lots of dishes. I don't think it has a dry cycle, but my dishes always come out dry and there isn't any steam when you open up after a cycle.