I’m not a happy bunny. The hardest thing about buying a new appliance, is getting use to all the things it can/can’t do, that your old one did. Yet after three months with my HOTPOINT FDW60, I’m still having teething pains, and miss my old dishwasher terribly – even the bits of sellotape that were holding the handle together.
As our previous dishwasher was over 10 years old, it was with excitement that I skipped into Comet to browse the aisles for a brand spanking new replacement, with my husband, his hands in his pockets protecting his wealth, moping along behind.
The HOTPOINTFDW60 caught my eye for its simple white shape and the way the door wasn’t completely straight, but curved back slightly at the edges. Price-wise, the model was £239, which meant that it was not cheap enough for me to doubt its quality, but not expensive enough for me to walk away, moaning that someone somewhere was, ‘having a laugh!’
But as no two prices are ever the same, shop around. If you use price comparison websites, I’d strongly recommend still visiting a store and having good look at them in the ‘flesh’ so to speak.
Internally, it looked like every other dishwasher, but I was surprised to see that the rotating water-sprayers are now plastic, whereas I was
use to stainless steel in my old machine. (And my old machine wasn’t an expensive one – it was £80 in a sale)
I immediately thought of cutting corners for the sake of price.
But it had 12 place settings, had the ‘A’ for efficiency, is a good brand, and I liked the look of it. ‘Kerching!’
I installed the dishwasher myself, (just remove packaging, attach pipe, push into place, plug in, and tell husband how clever you are) but I quickly removed the long plastic strip running along the right side on the top shelf. I think this is to keep wine glasses in place but, on closer inspection, saw it looked badly designed, didn’t flip up high enough for my wine glass’s stems, and there was a lot more room without it. Also, tall glasses don’t fit on the top shelf. And you can’t push the top tray back if you have big side plates (the type you use for toast in the morning).
The basket for CUTLERY in the bottom is fine, but could have been bigger. The space around it seems wasted; a bigger one would have been nice.
Deep, rounded, breakfast bowls can lie down on the top, but are really too deep to fit between ‘spokes’ on lower shelf.
The dishwasher has a HALF LOAD and DELAY START button, but that was about it for special features. A single, ‘programme select’ button is all you have to switch from Intensive 65’c, Normal 55’c, Eco 45’c, Fast 40’c, Prewash and Delicate 50’c.
There are four lights to the right of the machine labelled, ‘Prewash, Wash, Rinse, and Drying.’ Even though they light up at various stages throughout the wash, you don’t know how long each stage lasts, or how long you have left before you can reach in for your favourite ‘Gollum, “my precious”,’ cup for that coffee you’ve been waiting for.
Some sort of clock or timer would have been nice. I know some models had dials, so you can see how long. I guess this is the problem with machines covered in buttons and nothing else. I did try to time it myself using ‘Normal 55’c’, but after an hour and a half of hanging around the kitchen, I had to get on with other things, and didn’t hear the beep when it finished. The drying function takes quite a while too. Shame it isn’t quicker.
There is also a DELAY START button; 3,6,9 and 12 hours. But why would anyone want to delay the wash I don’t know. Have you ever smelt 12 hour old dirty dishes in a confined space? Nasty!
NOTE: HALF LOAD means that it will only wash items in the top tray – not a few items dotted around on both shelves, as I initially thought. This is ANNOYING if you have just a couple of large items that won’t fit in the top. You have to wait until you have a full load before you can wash them.
There are lights for ‘Salt Refill’ and ‘Rinse Aid’ to indicate when you need to top them up. To be honest, I never used salt in my old machine and never had a problem (I live in a soft water area mind) but I actually went out and brought some, just to stop the light blinking at me. There is one large On/Off button, and a small red bulb to show when it is ‘on.’
All programme buttons BEEP when you press them. It’s like a baby chick cheeping.
ALSO – Compared to my old dishwasher, this is a very QUIET machine. This I am pleased with.
IMPORTANT – If you have a kitchen where nothing quite fits, and you know that your dishwasher will stick out due to a pipe – like mine, then I wouldn’t recommend this machine. Ours sits under the counter below the kettle. When my daughters make themselves drinks and lean across the counter, they inadvertently turn off the machine or change the programme with their flashy belt buckles. I’ve done it with my hips and the tops of my legs. (I’m talented, what can I say!) The buttons are that sensitive! There is nothing worse than filling the kettle and hearing the dishwasher beep. Then it all goes quiet, and you realise you’ve shut it off – and don’t know where in the cycle it was. Downright annoying! A child lock would prevent this but, alas – there isn’t one.
And when I load the bottom shelf, the flippin’ thing keeps rolling back on me.
One a brighter note, the door only takes a little nudge to flip up. (my old one was broken, so I’d forgotten what it was like) but make sure your shelves are pushed right in, cos if the door hits them, something may smash
AND A DIFFERENT OPINION - I must admit that my sister has the exactly the same dishwasher as me (we brought them separately, on different days from different stores, but uncannily picked the same one.) After never owning one before, she loves hers. It washes the dishes. That is all she needs it to do. It fits nicely under her counter, so she has no problems with accidentally switching it off … and she is not as picky as me. (give her time and children and she will be, I’m sure) Also, her door doesn’t flip up as fast as mine, and her bottom draw doesn’t roll back when she’s loading. Go figure??
BUT DOES IT WASH THE DISHES? You cry. Yes, I admit it does. Very well. And it dries them very well too. NOTE: When the drying light is illuminated, but the machine is quite, it is still drying, so don’t think it has finished. (I did) When it blinks though, then it is all washed and dried. The dishwasher does beep when the cycle is complete, but you have to be near it to hear. So remember; blinking drying light, and you can start that wonderful task of unloading.
I hope this helps your decision when looking for a dishwasher. But I must admit, my husband doesn’t like ours, and I’m still having trouble getting use to it. I have now started giving the children 20p each time they unload it for me, just so I don’t have to deal with it too much.
Take care for now! Jooleybooley x
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Hotpoint has a great warranty and very reliable. This machine has 12 place settings and operates really quietly. It is easy to install if the fitments are already in place Disadvantages: Not as good as our last hotpoint as regards the baskets they don't seem to hold as much
dingwall 24.09.2005 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Hotpoint FDW60G
Advantages: Gets some quite stubborn dirt off dishes with ease. Does its job. WELL!! Disadvantages: Drying can take sometime which is a downfall, and would not call this a quiet wash.
pho3nix 29.11.2006 (29.11.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Hotpoint FDW60G
Jul 28th, 2007
exceptional by (9%):
very helpful by (91%):
