Skip to Content

Bosch vs Thermador: Dishwasher Comparison Recommendations

Bosch vs Thermador dishwashers, Dishwashers made by Bosch or Thermador, Since Bosch and Thermador are both made by the same company, it is at least interesting to compare the two.

BHS Home Appliances Corporation, which is the parent company of Bosch, bought it.

Thermador used to be an American company with a good name in the market for kitchen products.

Thermador was the first company to make home products out of stainless steel, and it was also the first company to make a wall oven and cooktop.

It kept pushing for new technology in cooking appliances and finally started making other kinds of appliances, like dishwashers.

This well-known name in cooking technology made it easy for them to start making dishwashers, but from an engineering point of view, their dishwashers didn’t work as well.

In the 1990s, BHS bought Thermador. Riding on the recognized Thermador name, they remade Thermador dishwashers with the same engineering skills that make Bosch appliances so reliable.

Most people call Thermador by its brand name, Bosch Thermador. The way these machines work is the same, but they are different in other ways.

Bosch vs Thermador: Which is Better?

Bosch vs Thermador Dishwasher

Performance and efficiency

Neither outshines the other in terms of efficiency and washing performance. 

Performance is entirely dependent on how well the dishwasher is crafted and since both these dishwashers share the same engineering blueprint, they are both excellent machines in this regard.

Both Thermador and Bosch also last a good ten or more years in excellent condition making them interchangeable as far as durability is concerned. 

The stainless steel tubs make for a stronger machine that does not buckle or discolor with time.

Price

Both Bosch and Thermador are considered high-end appliances and their prices reflect that. This asking price is however quite justified given the value of these appliances in terms of quality and longevity.

These brands almost never demand repair if maintenance and care are adhered to which means you will get to make significant savings avoiding frequent touchups or replacements of these machines, unlike most other brands.

If you must have a Thermador dishwasher then it would be advisable to consider their very attractive One – Two – Free Program Kitchen Remodel Package. 

This package offers you a free dishwasher with every purchase of one or two kitchen cooking appliances such as a range or an oven and a cooktop. 

This is of course limited to certain select items but the package has been ongoing for several years successfully.

If you choose to acquire a Thermador dishwasher with this package, the rebate may lead you to acquire a high-end dishwasher at zero cost which is a massive advantage!

Consider this package if you are looking to make major changes or are remodeling and you need a number of appliances.

Number of models

Bosch reduced their model count from 114 to 52 after the 2020 pandemic and 2021 component crises, yet they still make more than other corporations.

Thermador dishwasher models were reduced from seven to two, leaving only the Emerald and Sapphire variants.

Thermador Sapphire can be compared to Bosch Benchmark series and Thermador Emerald to Bosch 800 Series.

 

Bosch 800 Series vs Thermador Emerald

Similarities:

  • RackMatic racks. The racks are large, foldable, and flexible allowing maximum load and different kinds of dishes to be placed and cleaned thoroughly.
  • Stainless steel interior
  • Leak protection technology named AquaStop shuts down the dishwasher if and when a leak is detected.
  • One sprinkler head and two arms 
  • Both have 3rd racks

Differences:

  • The most notable difference is that Thermador Emerald is Wi-fi enabled and can connect to your home network allowing you to control it from your phone or tablet.
  • The Bosch 800 Series has a much bigger 3rd rack allowing it to hold more cutlery compared to Thermador
  • There are more wash cycles in the Bosch 800 model than Thermador Emerald making it more versatile and convenient.
  • Thermador Emerald is louder than the Bosch 800 Series. In fact, it is louder than most modern dishwashers at a noise level of 48 dB which is four decibels louder than the industry standard. Bosch 800 is very quiet at a noise level of 42 dB which makes it one of the quietest dishwashers in the market.
  • Bosch 800 Series has the best drying technology using both air current and heat in its CrystalDry feature while Thermador Emerald uses the regular condensation dry method.
  • Bosch 800 Series also has the AutoAir feature which effectively opens the door at the end of the cleaning cycle to release steam and prevent stuffiness from forming. This allows you to leave the dishwasher running when you go to bed.

Bosch Benchmark vs Thermador Sapphire

Bosch vs Thermador Dishwasher

Similarities:

  • Both are Wi-fi enabled which gives you full connectivity of your dishwasher to your devices.
  • Same size expandable 3rd rack
  • Multiple cycles and varying combinations
  • Both models have nearly identical features to the ones of the models compared above with a few but important deviations. Pay attention to the Bosch Benchmark model.

Differences:

  • Bosch Benchmark is manufactured in Germany, while Thermador Sapphire is American-made.
  • Thermador Sapphire has the CrystalDry feature called StarDry while Bosch Benchmark strangely lacks this feature.

Finally…

Bosch dishwashers have better features overall than Thermador. 

The biggest advantage with Thermador dishwashers is the rebate gained in the package they offer. 

Their One – Two – Free – Program allows you to get a dishwasher at no cost at all. Without this offer, the better dishwasher to buy is Bosch 800 Series but not Bosch Benchmark.

Bosch has superior features and a versatile cycle profile in all their models, but their most expensive model, the Bosch Benchmark, seems to fail. If you go with Bosch, you’ll be better off with any model in the Bosch 800 Series (which is less appealing than earlier and cheaper models).