What're The Differences Between Bosch 500 And 800 Series Appliances?

Shopping for a new appliance — be it a washing machine, a refrigerator, or a microwave — can be a bit daunting. First, you need to nail down which brand you're going to look into, as many people like to have uniformity in all of their home appliances, and there are numerous reliable home appliance brands on the market. Once you do that, though, many of these companies still have a vast array of options for the same appliance that you need to decide between. Bosch, one of the oldest appliance brands on the market, divides its appliances into a number of different series, but it can be a bit difficult to distinguish what separates them. Here, we're going to look at the 500 and 800 Series appliances from Bosch to see why they're kept separate, despite seemingly being very similar.

The most obvious differences right up front are the prices. By and large, 800 Series appliances are going to cost you more than 500 Series versions. These price differences can often be quite severe for comparable appliances. On the lower side of things, there's each series' respective 24-inch dishwasher. One from the 500 Series will run you $1,249, while an 800 Series model of the same size costs $1,399. The gap can be much larger, though, too. A 500 Series heat pump dryer retails at $1,699, but expect to plop down an extra $600 for the 800 Series model at $2,299. There's even an $850 price difference between the 500 Series' $5,049 36-inch gas freestanding range and the 800 Series' $5,899 one. These inflated prices indicate that the Bosch 800 Series is clearly seen as the premium line compared to the 500 Series, and that's for good reason.

The reason 800 Series Bosch appliances cost more is that they offer more features than their 500 Series counterparts. Let's take a look at the two series' 24-inch dishwashers, as Consumer Reports considers Bosch to be the top dishwasher brand on the market. The 500 Series has a feature called Zone Wash, which lets you place dishes that are particularly dirty in the back left corner, allowing them to get a deep clean during a normal wash. Meanwhile, the 800 Series forgoes that for a system called Precision Wash. The system uses sensors to continually detect unclean dishes throughout a wash cycle and focus its power to any and all targets through the machine. It also implements a feature called CrystalDry to get your dishes 60% drier than your average dishwasher by heating up to 176 degrees Fahrenheit. The 800 Series also has an average sound level of 42 A-weighted decibels, two fewer than the 500 Series model.

There are times when a 500 Series product will have a feature or two that the 800 Series doesn't. For instance, the 500 Series 36-inch French Door Bottom Mount Refrigerator has a built-in QuickIce Pro System that puts an ice and water dispenser on the outside door of the fridge. Meanwhile, the 800 Series fridge only has a filtered water dispenser, and it's located inside the fridge. On the flip side, the 800 Series also has VitaFresh Pro technology that lets you customize the temperature and humidity of two fridge drawers to whatever you need. The 800 Series will always have more features, but they won't necessarily have everything.

Besides the technological advantages that the Bosch 800 Series has over the 500 Series, it's also noticeable that the more expensive line of appliances generally has more options to choose from when compared to the 500 Series models. Bosch has many different appliances for cooking and baking. These include things like freestanding ranges, wall ovens, induction cooktops, and microwaves. In total, the Bosch 800 Series has 52 options across all of these appliances. Meanwhile, the 500 Series only has 37. For instance, the 500 Series doesn't feature any drawer microwaves, whereas the 800 Series has two different ones.

You see this kind of expanded product line elsewhere, too. Bosch only sells five 500 Series refrigerators, but the 800 Series line has 11 total. Every single 500 Series dishwasher sold by Bosch has a width of 24 inches, but if you'd prefer a slimmer dishwasher for your kitchen, you'd have to go to the 800 Series for one that's 17-¾ inches wide. This isn't the case with every single category, such as laundry where there's an equal number of washers and dryers across the two series, but it's generally the case.

The Bosch 800 Series also gets you an expanded range of color options, as many appliances are available in the traditional stainless steel, black, or white. While there are a select number of 500 Series appliances that have these colors available, they're far rarer. For instance, there's no 500 Series freestanding range in any color other than stainless steel. The 800 Series dishwashers even have the option for a custom panel look to fit your kitchen, which the 500 Series doesn't offer.