SPT SD-6513WA Portable Dishwasher Review

The reason to pick this machine over a smaller rolling dishwasher is the load it takes. Two pull-out racks hold 10 place settings, the upper rack adjusts for taller items, and a silverware basket keeps forks and spoons apart, so a day of family dishes plus pots and pans fits in one run.

Six cycles for everyday and baked-on loads

Heavy, Normal, Rapid, Eco, Glass and 90 Min cover the range from wine glasses to a casserole dish. Buyers on Amazon most often praise the cleaning, and Amazon's summary of its customer reviews reports dishes coming out really clean.

Quiet enough for an open kitchen

The normal cycle runs at 52 dB, about the level of a normal conversation, so you can keep talking in the next room while it works.

Low energy and water use

The machine is ENERGY STAR certified, at 240 kWh a year and roughly 3.2 gal per cycle. On a machine you run every day, that adds up over a year.

Features that make daily use easier

A delay start runs from 1 to 24 hours, so you can set a load for off-peak hours or for the morning. Detergent and rinse-aid dispensers dispense automatically during the cycle, a rinse-aid indicator tells you when to top it up, and an error alarm with fault codes points to the problem when something goes wrong. The controls are touch-sensitive, and the interior tub is stainless steel, which holds heat better than plastic and resists staining.

It rolls away

Casters let you push the machine out of the way when the kitchen needs the floor back. A quick-connect faucet adapter and a drain hose come in the box.

Drying is the limit you notice first. The machine dries with residual heat, with no heating element and no door that opens itself at the end. Plastics and tightly nested items come out wet.

It is heavy and takes real floor space

At 132 lb, the machine can be rolled by one person on a hard floor but should not be lifted by one. It also needs about a 2-foot-square footprint, plus room for the door to swing open to roughly 46 inches of depth.

What the machine does not include

No child lock and no leak protection are listed. The warranty runs 1 year, the standard manufacturer coverage.

Buyers are split on value

Opinion on value for money is mixed among Amazon buyers: some call it one of their best investments, others feel it should cost less. The machine ships as freight, so inspect it for damage before you sign for delivery, drain the hose fully after each cycle so it does not leak, and plan on towel-drying plastics.

The 24-inch width is why the machine holds 10 place settings: the racks are as wide as a built-in's. The 132 lb is why it stays put once parked, and why two people are needed to lift it. The 52 dB and the ENERGY STAR figures are what make it livable in an open kitchen you use every day.