Hotpoint Hydroforce H8I HT59 LS UK review: Plenty of space inside

Judgment

The Hotpoint Hydroforce H8I HT59 LS UK arguably has it all: tons of interior space thanks to the Maxi Space tub; Adequate operating costs; It can wash the dirtiest dishes. Well priced and easy to use, this is a great built-in dishwasher.

introduction

Built-in dishwashers may look nicer but there's always the issue of space, with many struggling to comfortably fit plates and tall wine glasses at the same time.

Not so with the Hotpoint Hydroforce H8I HT59 LS UK, which has a Maxi Space tub that saves 10% more usable space (although it feels much larger).

Excellent running costs, high-quality cleaning and large internal space make this the best compact dishwasher.

Design and features

Plenty of space inside, spray jets on the top shelf, plenty of cleaning programmes

I first saw the Maxi Space dishwasher with the Hotpoint HF7HP33UK Freestanding; Here the technology moves to the built-in dishwasher. By squeezing an extra 10% of space into the dishwasher, the Hotpoint Hydroforce H8I HT59 LS UK has much more usable space than this increase would suggest.

Fully loaded, there's room for large plates on the lower rack, and tall wine glasses on the middle rack, while leaving plenty of room for the upper cutlery rack.

In fact, calling this a top cutlery rack is a bit unfair, because it's more than that. Pull it open, and there's a removable tray for cutlery and utensils (which makes trips to the cutlery drawer easier if your dishwasher is on the other side of the room), but also a dip designed to hold cups and mugs, and a place for bowls.

Instead of just holding these items, Hotpoint has equipped this dishwasher with piping on the top rack, directing water directly to all of these items. This is really useful.

As with most dishwashers, the height of the middle rack is adjustable. I found plenty of room to leave it in its lower position, and still have room for the dishes below and tall wine glasses above.

Due to the design of the top shelf, there are only wine cup holders on the right side of the middle shelf. You should be able to hold between four and six cups, depending on size.

There are two sets of prongs on this rack, designed to hold plates and small bowls. It folds flat, so you can place larger items with ease.

On the bottom rack, there are regular tines for dinner plates and the like, with the back set folding flat, so you can put pots and pans in the back.

You'll also notice that the back is a 3D Wash Zone, which has additional nozzles that provide extra spray to clean really dirty items.

There is also a standard cutlery basket that can be placed in the lower basket. This can be useful if you have a lot of extra cutlery, not all of which will fit on the top rack.

Once you fill your dishwasher with salt and rinse aid, it should be set up according to the water hardness level where you live. It's easy to do by following the instructions in the manual.

Next, the Hotpoint Hydroforce H8I HT59 LS UK is easy to use. When turned on, it defaults to Eco mode at 50°C. There are dedicated buttons for choosing other modes too: Fast, Precise 45°C, and Auto (65°C, 55°C, or 50°C, depending on how dirty your dishes are).

Additionally, there are selectable modes for each wash, which include 3D Wash Run, Half Load, and Sani Rinse, which uses an ultra-hot rinse cycle to sterilize items, such as baby bottles.

Once the mode is selected, the LCD screen displays how long the mode will operate. This display cannot be seen during operation, but there is a helpful light that shines on the floor to show you that the dishwasher is running. It's very useful, as the Hotpoint Hydroforce H8I HT59 LS UK is practically silent during use.

At the end of the washing process, the motor gently pushes the door open to allow steam to escape and air dry the panels.

performance

Reasonable running costs, excellent cleaning power

I started by loading my Hotpoint Hydroforce H8I HT59 LS UK with a series of dirty items, including a coffee cup, stained with coffee, a dirty red wine glass, a plate covered in the remains of macaroni and cheese, and a bowl used to make a microwave scrambled egg.

Starting on the economy cycle, I found that the running cost of the dishwasher was just 21p, which equates to just 1.5p per place setting (this dishwasher has 14 place settings). This is excellent value and justifies a B rating for the dishwasher.

In this mode, I found that the Hotpoint Hydroforce H8I HT59 LS UK performed well in most of my tests. It completely removed stains from my coffee cup.

My plate was brought out fresh and shiny.

My wine glass was also cleaned thoroughly, removing red wine stains and leaving the glass sparkling and clean.

This mode couldn't handle the egg bowl, leaving a mess behind, so I resorted to Auto Intensive with 3D Wash turned on. This increased running costs to 62p, but the results spoke for themselves: the bowl was completely clean. To avoid scrubbing, I used this mode when I had very dirty dishes.

If you need to clean slightly dirty dishes quickly, there's a quick mode that runs for between 30 and 40 minutes (depending on options selected). This mode costs 41p, so it's not the most energy efficient; I would use it when speed is more important than power saving.

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