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Bosch SPS40C12GB
by Holland1
We have this dishwasher in the staff room in work, although amazingly it still doesn't avoid those staff room squabbles over dirty dishes.....apparently putting your dirty dishes into a dishwasher is too difficult for some people. And as for unloading it, well don't get me started. Anyway, rant over.
The dishwasher is from ... Bosch, which is a brand I find very trustworthy having not long replaced all our kitchen appliances with appliances from the Bosch range. It is fairly basic looking, being white rather than stainless steel, and looks quite simplistic and fuss-free on the front panel, with no clutter or lots of buttons.
We've had this dishwasher for over a year or so now, and I'm not sure how much we paid for it at the time, but a quick look online tells me it is currently available from lots of places online, costing a standard £316. Suppliers include John Lewis, and the Appliances Online website.
With lots of different people using this dishwasher (in theory at least!), the simplicity of use is easily its best feature. The front panel clearly displays the different options for the cycles, without being cryptic or having to read lengthy instruction manuals. This is ideal in a workplace situation, because people are less inclined to take responsibility for a task if it proves to be complicated. Obviously at home, you tend to have more time to get to know your dishwasher and its cycles, but this is still useful for those times you're using a cycle you wouldn't normally use, and the labelling on the front makes it really clear what each cycle is for. Likewise, turning on the machine isn't rocket science, once the knob is set to the appropriate cycle you simply pop a dishwasher tablet inside, close the door and press the on/off button.
The dishwasher has four programmes:
* Intensive (70 degrees)
* Eco (50 degrees)
* Quick wash (45 degrees)
* Pre Rinse
Other features include alternating spray arms, self-cleaning filter system, 3, 6, or 9 hour time delay, and a retractable knob.
As we use this at least once a day, and it is mainly cleaning cups and glasses from the copious amounts of tea we have to drink to get through the day, we tend to leave it set on the Quick Wash option. This seems to be adequate for our daily needs, and it's only if something is particularly dirty, or has been left sitting for a while that we use the other options. Generally speaking, the Quick Wash is perfectly adequate for anything lightly soiled, including bowls which have had soup in them.
The performance of this dishwasher is as you would expect from Bosch. I am always surprised when everything comes out sparkling, considering I quite often see the salt indicator on and we never seem to have salt for it. It performs excellently nonetheless, and this is something I would expect from a brand like Bosch. There is a light telling you when to replace the salt and rinse aid, and also a light indicating the wash cycle has finished. I honestly couldn't tell you if it beeps when it's finished, as I don't usually hang round the staff room for that long!
The technical specifications for this dishwasher state it can hold 9 place settings. I'm not entirely sure exactly what this means, nor is it relevant for most people as dishwashers tend to be used for all sorts of random kitchen items, not just plates and cutlery. It is slimline, however, being 45cm wide. It is also A-rated in terms of efficiency. I wouldn't expect anything less for the price to be honest.
The only slight annoyance I have with this machine is that it takes a little while to get started once you turn it on. I might sound like I'm exaggerating, but it must be literally 10-15 seconds between pressing the 'ON' button, and eventually hearing the whirring of the blades as the dishwasher kicks into action. It's not so much of a problem now, but when we first got the machine I used to turn it on, then think it wasn't working because nothing happened and ended up fiddling round with it. Now I know it's just being slow, I turn it on and just listen out for it before walking away from it. It doesn't make too much noise when it's on either, which is useful for us because we can leave it running in the staff room when people are on their lunch break, without people having to shout over it.
The dishwasher does have a function whereby you can delay the start time by 3, 6 or 9 hours, but we've never had need to use this. It doesn't have any display on the front telling you the time the cycle takes or how long is left, which isn't a problem in work but could be annoying at home if you were waiting to use something in the dishwasher.
Overall, I think the dishwasher is a little expensive for a slimline dishwasher, but the performance is excellent and this dishwasher is ideal for intensive use in a workplace. You might be able to get away with a cheaper one at home, but if you can afford it, I would always recommend going for a trusted brand like Bosch.
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