Name: Finsh 3-in-1 powerball tablets
(You MUST look for the 3in1 words, and not just the powerball...it makes a MASSIVE difference because only the 3in1 tabs have the salt AND rinse aid, which makes it all worth buying.)

The GOOD Stuff:
Right, hard water is a pain in the butt. And when I first moved here I was only familiar with adding salt and rinse aid to a dishwasher. The problem with that is, the salt turns your dishes smokey when it is first added, and that problem no sooner wears away, and then its time to add more. Also, cheap detergents and salt seem to scratch glasses and ruin them after a few washings. So, I never caught on to this as being such a brilliant idea. When I got my new dishwasher they came with a box of these lovely little gems...Finsih 3-in-1s. We will go into the performance in a minute. But, first let me just say, NO MORE SALT or RINSE AID, woohoo. And the way I see it, by the time you buy all that salt and rinse aid, you are paying the pound or so that you would save by buying cheaper tablets. So, I pretty much see this as a win/win situation...no more hassle, and same basic cost.
About that performance, well, from start to 'finish' I can only say I am as happy as can be. These tablets come in handy lil foil wrappers, and if you carefully tear DOWN between the zigzag perforation at the top, they open up effortlessly. You take this cute lil tablet of cleaning joy, place it in the handy dandy lil soap dispenser and close its cap, ignore all the other areas that require salt etc, and you are off. Just close the door, push the buttons for the cycle, and go play! You come back to the dishwasher in your own good lazy time, and whether right away or later, it doesn't matter, you have clean sparkly and suprisingly SOFT dishes. Cutlery never goes dull, glasses never get that cracked and scratched look, that always came with the salt and other products, and china looks like you just bought it. Perfect dishes, and perfect shine everytime! When I say everytime, I am not just saying that, it literally is EVERY TIME. For instance, my hubby loves shepherds pie. When I make it, he likes me to take LOADS of cheddar cheese and spread it all over the top of the pie, to completely cover the potato. Considering I cook this in a glass bowl, by the time this meal comes from the oven, there is cheese all along the inside edge. And, it is always more than we need for one meal. So, the next day, he likes to go to the fridge and pull my bowl out for seconds. He can't be asked to heat it in a microwave, oh no, the whole partially empty bowl goes BACK into the oven. When it comes out, this cheese along the sides, and all the sauce that has gotten onto the sides from serving the day before, is now cooked BLACK on the sides of my GLASS bowl! Anyone who has to clean burned on food like that KNOWS what a job this is. I simply take the bowl, rinse any loose food off, put it in my dishwasher, fill all the other dishes up, and do a normal wash cycle. By the time this is finished, I MAY have little teensy bits still there. If that is the case, I wash it one more time. But, I NEVER EVER scrub this bowl ONE BIT! And still there is no brown haze, no black burned on spots that can't be asked to be scratched off, NOTHING, just one very clean and sparkly bowl, time after time!