The perfect match to the Bosch Nexxt 300 washer.

CHOOSING BOSCH
We purchased our Bosch Nexxt Series 500 gas dryer near the end of May 2008. This gas dryer was displayed as the mate to the Bosch Nexxt 300 washer, which had already won our hearts. For our purposes this was the only choice because we wanted a matched set. The dryer has a pleasing appearance without being flashy or gimmicky in any way.

This is the quietest dryer I have ever heard. I also like how solidly these Bosch appliances are designed and made. This unit is heavy. The doors close with an authoritative "thunk". We also purchased the 15" pedestal and this makes the dryer the perfect height! The enormous stainless steel drum can handle large loads without issue. The doors opens a full 180 degrees and has an extra-wide opening for easy access to the interior.

OPERATION
Bosch dryers use a higher velocity air flow than most dryers, as well as lower temperatures to dry clothes gently. Using lower temperatures means the dryer uses less natural gas and the higher air velocity helps to dry clothes quickly. When coupled with the Bosch Nexxt 300 washer, which spins almost all moisture from the clothes, the machine dries clothes very quickly, indeed.

Permanent press garments come out completely wrinkle free. There is a "wrinkle guard" feature that continues to tumble the permanent press intermittently for up to 2 hours in case you cannot get to the dryer at the end of the cycle. I have never had a dryer that can dry jeans so quickly, although this may be in part because of the washer's ability to remove so much water from them. A large load of jeans will dry in less than 1/2 hour. Ultimately, this will save on natural gas and the electric bill.

The controls are simple and easy to understand. There is one dial to set the fabric type and the amount of drying desired (very dry, dry, or regular). There are also a series of temperature and timed drying cycles available on the same dial. Another button turns off the buzzer. The only other control is the "start" button.

Upon initial start of the automatic cycle the LED display will show a time that it thinks the clothes will be dry based on the setting chosen. There is moisture sensor that senses the level of dryness in the clothing. If the clothes reach the dryness level chosen before that initial time, the buzzer will sound and the wrinkle guard will take over until the dryer is opened. If the clothes are not dry in that time, the dryer will continue to dry the clothes until they are at the fabric setting chosen. The only odd thing is that each time the dryer door is opened, the timer resets to the original estimated time, although it does not increase the actual drying time. The controls may be difficult for users that are vertically challenged if the pedestal is attached because they are mounted on top of the front of the machine, albeit at an angle that is somewhat canted to the user.

There are a series of red LED lights in a group on the operator panel that indicate the current level of dryness inside the drum. The lights progress through the indicator as the load becomes dryer. The indicator starts at wet and then advances through the next levels of damp dry, dry, very dry, and extremely dry. This is a nice feature because the user can tell at a glance the level of dryness without having to stop the cycle to manually feel the clothes.

The lint trap is logically placed and can be removed for cleaning without making a mess. Another note: Our old gas dryer's lint filter would always fill completely - this was noted at the end of the drying cycle during clean-out. However, this dryer must be more gentle on clothes because there is never very much lint in it, even when doing large loads of towels. The screen on this dryer's lint trap is an even finer mesh than our old dryer, so the lint cannot be bypassing the mesh. I think this dryer is just gentler on our clothes, which should make them last longer - time will tell.

The light is very bright and illuminates the interior space very well. The top surface of the machine is designed with a material that is extremely scratch-resistant. It would be an excellent place to fold clothes, however, when perched atop the 15" pedestal, this surface is not usable because of the added height (unless you are taller than 6' 5").

BOTTOM LINE
I highly recommend this dryer. Amazingly, it is less pricey than the Duet series, as well as many other brands that are available. We also purchased a Nexxt 300 series washer - even though both units are white, they do not match exactly. This was a little unexpected. We have been using this machine steadily (we do 2 to 3 loads of laundry per day) and have had absolutely no issues with its operation.

Update: We contacted the place of purchase concerning the slight difference in appliance colors and they offered us a 10% discount over the original 10% discount we received when we bought them. The original price before all discounts was $848.00 (I do not know why the dryer is so much more than the washer?). Our final price was $686.88, excluding the price of the pedestal ($179.00). There is much to be pleased with this appliance and we expect to have many useful years of service.