The best is De’Longhi DDW 07T Fridere. The best one for a summer house without a water connection is Pioneer DWM05.
A dishwasher is not a luxury, as those who don’t have enough space in the kitchen don’t always know. I am among them. When thinking about a dishwasher, I imagined only large units and did not want to clutter the space with appliances beyond the bare necessities.
The option of buying a tabletop model did not immediately come to mind, and such a dishwasher can take up very little space. When I made a decision, I was faced with the fact that the choice of this equipment on the market is large, and the cost varies. There are also a lot of design options – it was worth looking for a model that would fit well into the interior of my kitchen. But the main thing, of course, is the optimal set of functions and parameters, which you should first understand, as when choosing large models.
In my rating of compact dishwashers, I also took into account customer reviews. Among them were many who bought a dishwasher for the first time, preferred the tabletop version and were pleasantly surprised by how much free time they eventually had.
In this selection, I considered only the most compact models with a width of 42 cm or more for those who really have a minimum of free space in the kitchen. A small machine holds fewer dishes than a full-size one, but it can be placed on a table, countertop, under the sink or in a cabinet. In addition, it is much easier to transport than large equipment, and this is important for those who rent housing.
I made a separate nomination for the best autonomous dishwasher for a summer residence – with the ability to work without connecting to a water supply. This option is ideal for those experiencing water outages.
Dishwasher selection criteria
Capacity. The dishwasher contains a certain number of dirty dishes that can be washed at one time. A set is utensils for one full meal for one person. By international standards, it includes three plates – deep, shallow and dessert, a cup and saucer, a glass, cutlery: a knife, a fork and three spoons of different sizes.
However, cooking utensils are not taken into account when calculating the capacity of the machine, so when loading pots, pans and containers, they will take the place of several sets at once. In a compact dishwasher, after a hearty meal, you will have to wash the dishes in two or three steps.
Each type of dishware corresponds to a specific part of the basket – the internal space of the dishwasher.
Countertop dishwashers most often have a capacity of 4-6 sets of dishes, less often – 7-8 sets. I was focusing on the average capacity – six sets. In the case of a dishwasher that works without a water connection, I settled on loading four sets. Such cars are usually smaller in size and even less spacious than conventional compact ones.
Number of sprinklers. Sprinklers are rocker arms built into the machine that rotate under water pressure and direct it onto the dishes. The more sprinklers, the higher the quality of washing. Therefore, their number is a very important parameter for the quality of the dishwasher as a whole. Countertop dishwashers have small internal space, so, as a rule, they are equipped with one spray arm, but there are models with two or three, which I noted with additional points.
At the same time, I carefully studied reviews from buyers of compact machines about the quality of washing dishes. The cars that were often complained about were not included in the selection.
Drying type. Almost all countertop dishwashers have condensation drying. With this method, the dishes actually dry naturally: water drains from it, settles on the walls of the machine chamber and gradually evaporates. It’s good if the functions include automatic opening of the door at the end of the cycle, this eliminates the risk of the dishes getting wet again due to condensation and avoids unpleasant odors. So I also paid attention to this parameter.
Condensation drying has its advantages: for example, it does not require special devices and devices that take up space in the machine chamber, and does not consume electricity.
Very few models of compact dishwashers on the market have an advanced turbo dryer with a fan or heat exchanger. Most often these are tiny models with the ability to work without running water.
In the selection I included dishwashers with any drying method. I gave extra points for the function of opening the door slightly at the end of the cycle. I chose a model that works without connecting to a water supply system with a turbo dryer.
Number of programs. Dishwashers have different wash programs and functions. The most common set of dishwashing programs: standard, fast, economical, intensive, delicate – suitable for glass, eco – saves water and electricity and washes dishes at 50 ° C, as well as a soaking mode with pre-rinse, rinsing mode, machine self-cleaning program.
Countertop dishwashers usually have 4-6 programs. But more expensive models have 7-8.
In the selection I included models with any set of programs, but I gave additional advantages to dishwashers with a large selection – for machines in the same price category.
Leak protection. Dishwashers have partial and complete protection against leaks. Full means that the machine has a pan with a float and a hose with sensor valves that are activated if water enters the pan of the machine. At this moment, the machine automatically turns off from electricity. The valves close and water does not enter the machine.
Partial protection against leaks only implies protection of the housing, and if a leak is associated with the operation of the hose, a flood cannot be avoided.
This selection of the best models included dishwashers with partial and full protection, but machines with full protection received more points.