I always swore I'd never take an apartment without a dishwasher, but gave in when I found a real keeper. I thought about getting a dishwasher installed many times over the years; when our cats learned to eject drying glasses from the dishrack and shatter them on the floor, I broke down and started looking.

I was pretty sure that it wouldn't work, frankly - figured that "ordinary" water pressure and hot water temperature wouldn't cut it, or that the tiny "toy" spray arm and cramped interior would leave the dishes not really clean. I was even more worried that it wouldn't fit in my tiny kitchen counter space.

To my amazement this little thing works 100% as well as all of the full-size dishwashers I've had over the years, cleaning just about everything I've jammed into it to the point of being "squeaky" - much cleaner than things ever got washing by hand. It pulls water into a reservoir to compensate for low water pressure, and has its own heating element to handle hot water that's not hot enough. I don't quite understand how the simple little rotary "spray arm" manages to get every surface clean... trade secrets, I guess.

I know nothing about carpentry or architecture but apparently there are some standard countertop dimensions, and this dishwasher is engineered to fit precisely inside them. Measure and be sure, of course! It needs to be right next to your sink. In my case, there was under 1/8 of an inch (!) to spare in 2 dimensions. Whoa. Close one. Installation was "relatively" simple - connecting hoses to a faucet attachment, and then screwing a metal adapter onto your faucet. I found this utterly unchallenging, but it might qualify as a "guy" chore (if you can excuse my PC-challenged expression). I watched anxiously for leaks - no problems there.

The only flaw is that there is no air vent. This means that dishes are usually at least "a little" wet after the washing cycle is complete, since the leftover water inside can't even evaporate. The door has a "slightly open position" for this very reason - if you remember to use it right after the washer is done, then this isn't an issue. Minor annoyance. I do notice a lot of complaints about durability here, though - ours is about 6 months old, so I can't speak to that yet, and hopefully won't be able to for some time. :) It seems reasonably well made, but who can tell.

So to my amazement I no longer wash dishes. Of course our cats are crazy, and have taken to boxing with the waste water as it comes shooting out, and chewing on the faucet attachment. But there's only so much one guy can do. At least they can't get inside it. Not that they don't try. Actually, they like to sit on top - nice and warm.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 200