"EDIT 3: This dishwasher died for me right around New Year's. I don't know exactly what happened. I was cleaning my kitchen and smoke started pouring out of the unit. I quickly turned it off and found a plastic film in the basin that was preventing the pump from clearing the cabin, however after removing the film the pump worked fine... Oddly, however, the spinning arm failed to act at all. I can turn the device on and it pumps water in and out no problem, but the arm is dead. Shame, I liked this device. I'm deducting two stars because I feel like a safety shut-off is, or should be, a pretty standard feature when pump pressure jams, rather than burning out a motor or whatever it did. Especially in a dish washer where detritus from plates could possibly jam the grate. I have not, nor do I intend to spend the money to replace the motor. It happened outside of warranty time, and I've been told the cost of replacement exceeds the worth of the machine. Shame, too. I hate doing dishes. Original review: I'm a single, 23 yr old bachelor living in an apartment that is otherwise perfect save for its lack of dishwasher. I don't know if I'm just bad at washing dishes, but I seem to have a habit of letting them pile up and then taking 2+ hours to wash all of them - only to go back later to get "clean" dishes and take them out of my cupboards dirty. So I finally got sick of it and decided to purchase a countertop dishwasher. I immediately came to this model, as it is the highest/most rated set on Amazon, and was put off immediately by the wealth of reports of holes being machined into the bottom of the set clear through to the washing compartment, some reviews stating large plates wouldn't fit, etc. I spent a lot of time deliberating on it but finally decided "Screw it, I'm going for it." First, I'd like to say I love Amazon (Or UPS, I suppose?) for consistently finding my apartment and dropping off whatever I purchase directly at my doorstep. I live behind a traditional home a ways back from the street, and there's a rather narrow set of stairs leading up to my place, but I've never once had anything purchased delivered anywhere than up my stairs directly at my doorstep. I was rather surprised with this set because it comes in a box in another, larger box, and it was rather heavy and unwieldy. But they did it! I unpacked it, immediately examined the underside for those machined holes - and there were none! I am assuming that a small shipment that went out had problems, because the more recent reviews seem to not have this issue. My plates were a touch big - which I expected, the review that stated 10" for plates, I think it was, was correct. My plates are quite a bit over at nearly 11", so I can only put two, maybe three of my large plates in at an angle. Granted you're not supposed to do this, considering the spray arm is on the bottom and sprays directly upward, but I've not had a problem with it cleaning properly. Additionally one review I read said something about the device "clearly being designed for chopsticks" - I couldn't disagree more. I have no idea why the reviewer said that because all of my utensils fit fine, once you take the cover off the utensil caddy. Cleaning quality is fantastic. I put in two loads of well soiled, unrinsed dishes, and they came out surprisingly clean. Now, hygiene and maturity aside, I have been letting these dishes pile up for the last two weeks through a combination of not wanting to clean them and waiting for my dishwasher to arrive, so they were in a really gross state, with lots of caked on dried gunk. There was a little bit of residue on a couple of glasses, and the underside of a dish or two, after doing a pots and pans load, but considering the state of the dishes when I put them in (and considering that normal people will rinse dishes beforehand, and not let them cake up and dried for two weeks before washing them), I couldn't imagine anyone having trouble with this set cleaning their dishes. Finally, the adapter set worked perfectly. The set up was simple - just screw on a couple of tubes by hand to the back of the set, unscrew the head of the faucet, and screw the adapter on, turn your water on hot, and done! If you're someone who doesn't read the manuals, the tubing becomes pressurized during a run, so if you go to remove the adapter, turn the water off, press the red button to depressurize it BEFORE removing it, otherwise you'll get a spray of hot water everywhere. All in all a FANTASTIC purchase. I've never been so excited for something so... domestic. But I'm looking forward to never having to handwash another damn dish again. 5/5 on all counts. I also want to add that the set is very quiet. I was able to sleep with it just a hallway away, couldn't hear it at all. EDIT2: I'm here responding to comments on my review and thought it'd be nice to check in. It's been 6 months and this set is still doing a great job of cleaning, even with heavily soiled glasswares. I've put some dirty casserole dishes and they've come out pretty good - I'd still recommend thorough rinsing beforehand, though, just as good practice. The use of Jet Dry or some other liquid rinse boost really makes a difference in these smaller sets too. Thing is holding up great tucked under a cabinet and I only connect it when I need to do a set of dishes. Following other user advice to keep it open when not in use to let it dry out is, indeed, keeping it from smelling funny. It smells just like it did out of the box, because I've made sure to let it dry out and not collect food particles. It's also worth mentioning there is a trap in the basin that you can unscrew and pull out and rinse in the sink. It catches things like paper labels that slip off or big chunks of food that weren't powered away with the cleaning cycles. Still one of the best purchases I've made."
SPT Countertop Dishwasher, White (Compare Deals from $243.66)
"Oh my! I AM SOOOO in love with this teensy tiny miracle machine! Here's why. I had a regular sized portable years ago, and it did a great job. I moved to Florida in 2002, and into a condo. The condo had an El Cheapo dishwasher, that sounded so loud you could hear it a block a way. It sounded like the motor was going to grind thru the floor! But it did an okay job on the dishes. I read a Consumer Report's article about a fancy-arsed Kenmore dishwasher, and it was top rated...so I got it. $700.00. After one year, the phosphate ban hit. I knew nothing about it so for the next year, and was frustrated with the dishwasher's increasingly poorer and poorer performance. After a while the dishes were more soiled coming out than going in. At the time, I had a very demanding job and worked 50 to 60 hours a week. To cope, I used paper plates, and Lodge Logic pans, aluminum throw aways, or microwave throwaways. The dishes from the dishwasher got piled up after being "sanitized" but not "clean", and I stored in plastic tubs to be hand washed when I had time. A few got hand washed. Most lived in the tubs. A couple months ago, I retired due to health issues, (temporary) and am unable to stand at the sink and handwash for any length of time due to back pain. I had tubs of dishes that were unusable, a $700 fairly new dishwasher that was essentially kitchen-junk/scrap, and now a limited income. Paper plates and disposables were rapidly becoming an item I needed to dispense with to save money. This had to get resolved. I finally learned of the phosphate ban last year, and tried using TSP as an additive to the Kenmore, but by then the DW was so gummed up with hard water deposits, there wasn't much water flowing inside any more even with a replacement kit, and the TSP was not effective. (Thanks EPA for screwing up my kitchen!) In desperation, I started to look for something, anything, to reclaim my dishes and get them clean on a regular basis. I discovered these countertop dishwashers at a very reasonable price on Amazon, and ordered this one. I got it Thursday 9/5/13 at the end of the day (7:30 PM). At my age and health situation, I take things slow and easy. I had this thing out of the box, the box cut into tiny pieces and bagged, and the unit on the counter and installed by 2:30 AM. I was going to get some clean dishes, daggoneit, and nothing was going to stop me. I did 5 loads on Friday (today actually, since it's after midnight now), and the stuff coming out of this miracle machine is AMAZING. My glassware is clearer than when I got it new. My dishes (Corelle Livingwear) look like they are new, and a few are from the 70s that I kept as a memento of my mom. My silverwear is shiny, clean and brighter than when I got it. And pots and pans have come out squeaky clean. I've done broiler pans, grill pans, fry pans, sauce pans, glasses, dishes, silverware, tongs, cooking utensils (scrapers, flippers, etc), the inserts from grill pans/panninni's, everyday pans, silicone steamers for microwaves, ceramic pie plates, bakewear, and every single item is pristine. I find myself eagerly waiting for the ping -- to run to the machine, and take out each piece and admire it. I hold it up to the light and marvel at the beauty of these pieces which haven't looked nearly this clean in 3 years. (Take that EPA!). In fact, they have NEVER looked this clean...even when new. I'm just stunned. I did buy commercial Cascade (WITH phosphates), (Amazon) but be aware that the box is really SMALL. Normally in the grocery, it's a 3# box, and the one sold here is 1# 4 ounces. A feature that I LOVE on this machine is the filter on the bottom. After each wash load, I turn it counterclockwise, remove it and rinse it out. Any tiny bits of food, fuzz, or other particulates are filtered out and caught there. Easy to clean, and the inner filter snaps out. There's actually 3. One flat metal one, a plastic wire/mesh basket, and an inner plastic basket. There's nothing like that on the $700 Kenmore. It's a major big deal (2 plus hours) to clean out the "chopper" area...requiring star-screwdrivers, and laying down on the floor to access the area. (Something all retirees are eager to do.[sarc]) Here's a point for folks that you may not know. Since I had a portable years ago, I was already familiar with the faucet connector. Others here have said that you can't use your faucet while the machine is running. That isn't so. If you push the red button while the machine is running, the water will come out the bottom. It's the same temp as you have for the dishwasher...but you can change the temp to cold, and press the red button and hold until it's cold then fill up your glass. Remember to set it back to hot and run it a bit by holding down that red button. It's a flow-thru valve. Great thing to have. Very convenient. Now that I have a machine I can rely on to clean my dishes, I'm going to take the Kenmore apart and clean out the chopper, (a 2 hour job), and if it works fine, I'll use it for pots and pans that don't fit into the SPT. But since the control panel and the panel board aren't working properly, I don't have much hope. To replace them it costs $120, and $100...same cost as the SPT, and no guarantee it will work. Hence, my decision to get the SPT...which is the BEST decision I've made in years. (As long as it keeps working!) Warning: avoid Kenmore/Whirlpool and associated brands that are model 665-*****. Many problems. Tons of it online if you look. I can't believe this thing. SPT should get a medal for this machine. It's the BEST thing since sliced gluten-free bread. It's a BEST BUY! It should be required for all senior citizens who can't bend over to pick up heavy pots and pans from a standard dishwasher, or anyone with a back problem. I can not hear the motor, but I do hear a woosh-woosh-woosh as it's swooshing the water around. I just finished load number 5 for the day. I can't wait to finish up tomorrow. I have such a feeling of accomplishment now. This little thing holds a LOT of stuff. About half as much as a regular dishwasher, and cleans rings around the big guys. BTW: A bathtub of water is at least 24 GAL. For that amount of water, I can run 8 loads in this dishwasher. Energy star is $16 in power for the YEAR!! Highly recommended for singles, empty-nesters, retirees, and anyone with a health problem, or back problem. A 4 person family might push this to it's limit...but I think it would handle it okay."
"I am in love with this little guy. It is the best dishwasher I've ever owned and so convenient to use. I sat and read pages and pages of the reviews before buying. I'm grateful to all of you who took your time to let me know your positive reviews...you made it so easy for me, that's the reason I ordered this great little dishwasher. As for the negative reviews, I gave them very little thought and went ahead and ordered it anyway. There was no issue with the box it arrived it, smelled like a box. I took the reviews to heart that said it was a heavy item, especially for an old lady, like me. So I prepared myself with my small little short footstool on coaster wheels, set it right next to the front door for the UPS man to set it on top of and I pushed it right into my kitchen, using it as my dolly to get it there. I knew from what you all had told me, it would be heavy to pick up alone and put on top of the counter...so I ask God to give me a helping hand...He did it and made it so easy for me to get it on the counter top by myself. I knew it wouldn't be easy without His help, you may need to ask for it too if your like me and have no one to help you...He is always there for us if we just ask Him for help, never does He fail us. First I really want to make a correction of something. At no time does the dirty water that exits this dishwasher come into direct contact with the faucet as it exits the dishwasher or the clean tap water going into the washer. The faucet connector that comes with it, doesn't allow that to happen. There's a bypass inside that connector, so there is never any touching of one to the other and the dirty water doesn't touch the faucet as it goes out of the connector. Just wanted everyone to know this, because you have helped me so much, I really wanted to help you too. Hooking it up was so easy and the directions are very easy to read, they are not in the least confusing and make common sense if you just read it and take your time about doing everything it says. I used the Teflon tape on the fittings at the back of the washer, like others mentioned it was for extra protection in case of a leak, it will only be a benefit to you if you do it, but you don't have to. The noise is minimal to no noise at all, that this little dishwasher makes....you can talk on the phone standing next to it with no problems. If yours does make to much noise, I would have to think it is not level on the counter top. Motors have trouble running quiet if they are tilted in one direction or the other, because that puts a bind on the motor and it wants you to know this.... so there's the noise. If that doesn't fix it....then yours is a different problem! The utensil holder can be taken apart fairly easily to give you more useable room inside the washer. There's a handle in the center of it, if you study the way it was put together it slides off the two sided utensil compartments and you can use them end to end, across the back of the washer basket for your utensils or just use one of them or none at all. The 2 flat utensil holders on the upper left side can also be removed (just easily unsnaps) and laid inside the roll out basket in the center, where the prongs are wider on the bottom to prevent larger items and utensils from falling thru to the washer spray arm. This gives even more room inside to load more dishes and it's more useful to me to be able to use it this way. We have to use our common sense and put everything inside it to good use, in all their different ways. I believe they knew we would do these simple changes from how they had it set up to use, right from the factory. I use white vinegar as a rinse aid....it works great for spot free dishes and I just top it off about once a week, no problem. As for the length of time it takes to wash dishes. I have enough dishes that I don't need them while they are washing no matter how long it takes to wash. Contrary to what I have read in some reviews...there is a "drying cycle" on all cycles, "except" Speed and Soak cycle. They all do a fine job of washing the dishes spotless and I do scrape the food particles off before putting them inside to wash, you would do well if you did the same. The only thing I can also add to my review that I believe will be helpful and beneficial to everyone for long term use of this dishwasher..... use a small thick hand towel over the door latch after you open the door, or go to load or unload this dishwasher. I read this in another review, she was right to suggest this to us. These appliances with all their electronic memories inside the doors themselves, gets a lot of hot moisture built up on the doors making it easy to get moisture inside them, this is a major cause for electronic repairs/replacements and are expensive to repair....so I used her nifty idea, leaving the towel on top of the dishwasher, so I can just grab it and lay it on top of the latch each time I open the door....it has already saved me from spilling water directly into the latch a few times already. God bless the sweet lady who took time to mentioned this to us. All I can say after all this....buy it if you want your dishes washed without standing in front of the sink and doing them yourself. That's why I bought it. I fell immediately in love with this little guy....he's a God sent blessing to have on my counter and there was a lady who said she wanted to "hug" her's every time she walked past it....I agree with her!"
"I share a one-bedroom apartment with my girlfriend, and between meals at home and frequent guests, I felt like I was constantly washing dishes throughout the day and it was really becoming annoying. The alternative was to let them pile up in the sink or on the countertop and do them at night, but this is unsightly and we have very little space in the kitchen as it is. I also have sensitive skin and dish detergents can cause an allergic reaction which gives me an unsightly rash. So I figured what the hell, this thing isn't all that expensive and I can always return it if it sucks. Free 2-day shipping with prime sealed the deal. So a few days later it arrives. It was very well packed with lots of corner pads and arrived in perfect condition. Setting it up was pretty easy - a few hoses to screw into the rear of the unit that was self explanatory. Then came the question of where to place the unit. We have very little counter space, so the best place for us ended up being on top of the refrigerator (our fridge is within a few feet of the sink, which is where the unit hooks up). This made good use of the dead space on top of the fridge, and kept all the counter space available! The only drawback is that my girlfriend needs to stand on a chair or step ladder to reach it at this height - I am over 6' tall so it's not an issue. An added bonus to this placement is that the hose assembly that connects the unit to the sink can be hidden behind the fridge when not in use. Set up is super easy - just screw in the little threaded piece onto the faucet before use, then connect the hose, and turn on the hot water tap. Add your detergent, select your cycle, and away you go! Performance wise, I would say the unit works better than I expected, and can produce sparkling clean dishes, but is a bit fussy. What I mean by that is that it is very sensitive to the way the dishes are packed inside, and will absolutely not work at all in anything is dangling down beneath the rack that holds the dishes (it stops the spray bar from spinning, so only a third of your dishes get washed, and you have to run the cycle all over again). So long as you are careful about loading your dishes, and that you always check for anything that may block the motion of the spray bar, it cleans dishes well. A rinse aid helps quite a bit too - I just use white vinegar and pour it into the rinse aid compartment. When the dishes are done, I open the unit and pull the rack forward to let the dishes air-dry. With the vinegar rinse-aid, it only takes 5-10 minutes for the dishes to become dry after the cycle is done. The unit is usually filled up and ready to be run every two days. We still try to wash frequently used items, like coffee mugs and water glasses, by hand so that they don't take up space in the unit and we can put dirtier items in there that will benefit from the more complete cleaning (especially things like tupperware that it all covered in greasy leftover gunk). All in all it has saved us a ton of time and I no longer feel like I am constantly doing dishes. Really appreciate it after cooking a meal, since now I only have to do the pots and pans by hand - everything else goes into the dishwasher and cleanup is done! We almost always run the unit at night so the dishes are clean the next morning. This is mainly because this thing is pretty slow - normal cycle takes about an hour and a half to complete. General Pros and cons... Pros: - Well built unit with no leaks - Well packed - Easy to set up - Does a good job cleaning dishes if you are careful about loading them - Looks like any other kitchen appliance - Reasonably priced - Prime shipping! Cons: - Could use an extra inch of height - our "normal sized" plates have to be put in on a slight angle to fit, and this wastes some space. - Cycle time is pretty long, about an hour and a half for the normal cycle. - Sensitive to loading technique, easy to overlook something blocking the spray bar and waste a cycle. - A very minor annoyance, but there are eight loud beeps when the cycle is done - I think two or three would have been just fine."
"There comes a point in every young(ish) woman's life when the realization that 1) moving out of an apartment and 2) into a house with a regular sized dishwasher is not going to happen tomorrow and for the sake of your own sanity and cuticles you need to address the massive mountains of unwashed dishes covering every square inch (which is only 12 by the way) of your available counter space. For almost 10 years, I've fought the good fight, the noble "I'm going to wash my own dishes fight" but finally last Saturday I'd had enough. The camel's back broke and I marched myself over to Amazon without looking back. Dishes needed to be cleaned. I chose SPT mostly for the comparative price. I'm not sure why but in some places I've seen it described as "silver." Make no mistake, this product is lily-white...and the best price I could find, so BOOM...bought. (SPT, in case you're wondering stands for SunPenTown...the maker which I'd never heard of but they had believable website and an address in California, so at least on the surface I knew I wasn't buying from the North Koreans or something). It shipped SEVERAL days early. This only really matters because this package is large and heavy. You'll want to make sure to have several able-bodied folks with healthy low backs to get this behemoth up to wherever you live. Thanks to the kindness of two strapping strangers in my building ("Well, *hello* boys)...it reached my 3rd floor walk-up if only by the grace of god. There's an arduous amount of packing which is a good sign, I think. I was able to lift the unit onto the countertop myself but I'm a power-lifter by hobby so if you're a lithe, diaphanous type (and yes, guys, I'm looking at you too...and you know who you are), then keep one of your luggers around for a minute after they haul the thing upstairs. The unit was in pristine, beautiful condition. Yay, packing teams. Set up: pretty simple. It fit like a gem under my standard-hung cabinets. No problems there...but given how big a shipping deal this is, measure first. RETURN SHIPPING IS NOT AN OPTION. Just meditate on that for a minute. Now go get your tape measure...scoot, scoot. Plug in, read the instructions, hook to the faucet. turn on. NOW: I did have 2 tiny issues. 1) they don't tell you that the whole "quick adapter" thingy comes already put together...in fact, they send you on a treasure hunt to find the faucet adapter that's supposedly separate. IT IS NOT. Don't be fooled. It comes out of the cuff of the white plastic hose hook up by pushing down on the spring-loaded cuff. 2) they tell you the adapter will fit most sinks. Well, damned if it didn't fit mine. I called customer service who was very friendly but had no idea about workarounds...they suggested I call a plumber. "Um...not for a $220 dishwasher HOOKUP...thanks." After a little searching and a pep-talk, I headed to Home Depot (which gives me hives) and lo and behold...a whole AISLE full of adapter thingies. One of the really standard, really cheap ones worked. So don't panic if it doesn't fit...there's a standard, cheap adapter-for-the-adapter that's out there for you. Mine was $5.49. Once I figured those 2 things out...I was on my way. Threw in a tablet-with-rinse-agent thing into the bigger of the 2 soap compartments, followed the instructions for loading the dishes (this is not only handy but actually functional...if you don't follow these instructions things will not be clean...trust me). My life has never been better. A couple handy tips: -Use hot water out of the faucet not cold (no heating agent in the machine). -Do not run on the same circuit at the same time as, let's say, a microwave (or other high load appliance). Oops..."so THAT's why they call them surge protectors!" -Open the door after the cycle is over and let dry that way (no heated drying cycle) -Load on default setting (just one under "heavy") is about 80 mins (exactly as stated in manual) -Turn off hot water tap BEFORE undoing the faucet attachment (and USE the pressure release valve...unless you want a facial) Of course, the thing is brand new...but given the majority of other reviews...I've got a feeling everything will be alright. Go ahead...it's time. You know it is..."
"I bought this dishwasher a few months ago and have been using it since then. Pros: - Saves space and time. - Perfect for two person households. - Easy to set up. Cons: - Not best choice for more than two people if you only want to run it once a day (or less) - Doesn't hold larger items. - If your bowls are deep, you will not be able to fit as many in there at one time because the rack is tightly space. - Plastics don't dry easily. (see notes below) First of all, to be totally transparent, I have been using the Cascade Platinum tabs as my detergent. Also, my 1950's kitchen is too small for a dishwasher, so we put it in the adjacent utility room where we permanently tapped into the washing machine line with a "Y" adapter. This worked out perfectly for us. I moved into a much smaller, older home this year and it had no dishwasher. I didn't even know these table top models existed until I needed something to do the dishes. This dishwasher works very well. I usually leave it on the default setting, which is adequate for a standard load. I pre-rinse my dishes to get built up food off, but it does an adequate job of removing grease, red sauce and the occasional flecks of food still stuck on. I highly recommend that you read the manual and follow the cleaning instructions which includes cleaning out the debris trap in the bottom of the dishwasher regularly. Also, use the mode that is best suited to what you're washing. There are wash modes for pretty much everything, even fine china. The size is about like a large microwave, and yet I'm amazed at how much I can fit in there. My husband and I (it's just the two of us) work at home and we go through a fair amount of dishes during the day, and yet this dishwasher can clean all of them at the end of that day. Some of our plates are deeper (I have the Mainstays blue banded dinner set from Walmart), so I had to bend some of the rack wires to accommodate their shape - this wasn't a problem to me, but perhaps some folks would find that to be an issue. Plastics don't dry completely during the dry cycle. When the cycle is finished, open the dishwasher door, slide out the rack, and let them air dry the rest of the way or wipe them with a towel before putting them away. This issue isn't related to this dishwasher only - I had to do this with my $900 Bosch dishwasher as well. I usually wash larger items by hand like sauce pans and my crock pot, but those things *could* be placed in the dishwasher by themselves or with a couple of small items minus the utensil basket, and it would still wash them well. You couldn't fit a dutch oven or full sized cookie sheet in there, though, and it will only fit smaller cutting boards. I have the white ones from IKEA (size: 13.5" x 9.5") and they *just* fit as long as they're placed in the center area. The shape of the door opening prevents me from placing them on the outer edge of the rack. The upper side shelf/rack that folds down is shown in the manual as able to hold cups. I have some short cups and mugs and none of them fit up there. However, I can put them underneath it and stack my longer utensils (like spatulas or a chef knife) safely on that rack. The amount of noise it makes is comparable to any other dish washer that isn't marketed specifically as "quiet", in my opinion. It's basically a standard dishwasher minus the upper rack. The amount of time this little dishwasher is saving me from hand washing dishes is priceless. The price was just right, too!"
"I thought about buying one of these for a long time, and would periodically check for new reviews and watch the price fluctuate quite a bit. Finally I looked at the site one day and the price was as low as I'd ever seen it, so I pulled the trigger. The manufacturer boxes these units up quite well, and mine arrived without any damage. It was easy to prepare the unit for use; there is a metal quick-connect fitting which replaces the aerator tip in a standard kitchen or bathroom faucet, and the hose set clips onto this. Some reviews mention using Teflon tape on the hose fittings on the back of the unit to prevent leaks, but I did not find this to be necessary. The oddball-dimensioned cabinetry in my kitchen precludes countertop use, so I have the unit on a cart. I attached a piece of 2X2 lumber with a coat hook on it to the cart to hang the hoses on when the machine is not in use. I use Oxi-Clean powder (only a small amount is needed per cycle) and a rinse aid product, as directed by the manufacturer. The standard cycle which the unit defaults to works fine, as do the shorter ones intended for glassware and lightly soiled dishes. The noise level is fairly low, other than when the wastewater is being pumped out into the sink, and the shrill beeping when the cycle is finished. For the most part, items placed in the dishwasher emerge clean, spotless, and fairly dry, notwithstanding the fact that the unit does not have actual drying capability. (I assume the rinse aid is helping here.) Very small glasses can be "missed" by the sprayer arm if placed in a corner. The two shelves above the glassware section can be unclipped and moved up or down, or taken out entirely, or be placed across the base of the rack as supplemental support to prevent items from falling through (there is almost no clearance between the bottom of the rack and the spray arm, so you have to guard against it being balked). The cutlery basket is made of two sections which can be separated, and there is also a removable grid across the top which is probably better suited for chopsticks than it is for forks, spoons and knives. I am using only one section of the basket, without the grid, and have it placed closer to the center of the unit; this works well, and has the added benefit of seeming to enable the detergent dispenser to function more reliably. (I had a couple of instances in the beginning when the dispenser door opened, but the detergent only seemed to get wet enough to clump up and remain in the dispenser.) My only mild reservations about the unit are based on its size, and lack of tweakability. I assume that the manufacturer felt constrained to limit the overall height of the unit to make it fit underneath wall cabinets in a standard kitchen, but If it had even as little as one additional inch of interior height, its useability would be enhanced substantially -- full size dinner plates could be accommodated easily, and items like baking pans and cutting boards cut fit upright. The unit's dish rack has one small removable section, but is otherwise unadjustable. The instruction manual has a photo of a full set of presumably munchkin-sized plates and bowls neatly loaded into the dishwasher, but most of the items in my kitchen -- e.g., my clunky Crate&Barrel "cafeware" plates and bowls -- are too large and too thick to fit into the narrow spaces between the tines of the rack. A reviewer here recommended using Correlle square salad plates, and I can concur that these do work well. I am still trying to find bowls that can fit properly into the bowl rack. I'm reasonably happy with this unit (and *extremely* happy to have a dishwasher at all, after doing without one for so long), but if I had it to do over again, I might opt for one of the full sized ones on wheels. They cost more, but if you're going to be using a countertop unit, but on a cart that you're also going to have to buy, instead of having it on the counter (which seems to be the case for quite a few of the people buying these units, based on the reviews), the cost difference might not be that much, plus you would have the ability to wash more and larger items, and wouldn't have to spend as much time pondering, moving things around, or running multiple loads."
SPT Countertop Dishwasher, White (Compare Deals from $243.66)
