Hoover H-DISH 700 HF 6B4S1PX 80

Introduction

Larger tubs are slowly becoming the norm with dishwashers, which is a good thing, as not only can you fit more in, but awkward items, such as wine glasses, go in more easily. Following that trend is the Hoover H-DISH 700 HF 6B4S1PX 80, a freestanding 16-place-setting dishwasher that is smart app-controlled.

A B-rated appliance, this model is relatively cheap to run and it’s also a decent cleaner, working well on all of my test items.

Design and Features

• Large tub
• Compatible with hOn app

More recent Hoover products have been a step-up in terms of build quality and design, and the Hoover HF 6B4S1PX 80 is no different. This freestanding dishwasher has a lovely stainless steel finish and even the metal Hoover badge on the front looks great. If you’re happy with a freestanding model, then this one looks great.

This model has a Maxi Tub, which the company says is the most spacious tub available, inside a standard-width and depth machine. As a result, this dishwasher is rated for a massive 16 place settings.

More important than this number is the flexibility it affords and how easy this dishwasher is to load. With the bottom rack, the tines are arranged differently from most dishwashers. Instead of loading plates left to right, the tines are aligned to take plates front to back.

I’m not sure it makes much difference in terms of the number of items you can load (and this dishwasher takes a lot), but there’s certainly no disadvantage to the way that Hoover has done things.

With this dishwasher, the tines on the right are split into two sections, each of which can be folded flat separately, to take bigger items, such as casserole dishes.

The middle rack is fairly standard, and has height adjustment controls on the side, so it can be placed in one of two positions. Not that you’ll necessarily need to adjust it, as the lower position is good enough for most cases, allowing large plates below and tall wine glasses.

Hoover provides two fold-out wine glass holders, which can be placed on either side of the rack. And, there’s a set of rigid tines that can’t be folded down, which can be used to hold small saucers.

Instead of a cutlery basket, there’s a cutlery rack at the top. This has a standard layout, with plenty of room for regular cutlery on the side and bigger items in the middle. Either side can be slid towards the middle to give more space for items below.

I didn’t have to do this, as even my tall-stemmed wine glasses fit in easily enough. Still, it’s nice to have options and space for bigger items if required.

This dishwasher has an extra Power Wash spray arm, located at the back right of the tub. This is designed to help clean the dirtiest of items, which should be placed above this. It’s a bit of a mystery how it works.

Unlike the similar 3D Zone wash option on the Hotpoint HF7HP33UK, which can be turned on and off at the touch of a button, the Power Wash option comes on automatically. The manual says that it’s used for some washes and to check the wash cycle table for details; the table doesn’t mention this arm.

Wash cycles are selected using the programme button on the front. Handily, there’s an icon guide to the wash cycles on the top of the door.

Select and cycle, and the LCD screen also shows a text version of the wash, so it’s easy to understand what it does.

Wash options include Intensive+, which increases pressure and water flow to the spray arms, a half-wash option, and an option to turn on or off the automatic door opening. Once a wash is selected, the LCD shows the cycle’s run time, and counts down in real time.

Most of Hoover’s home appliances are smart, and the Hoover HF 6B4S1PX 80 is no exception, connecting to the hOn app. This app offers a wider range of wash cycles, including specials for crystal glass and shorter, faster cycles. It’s handy to have, but I think it’s more valuable because it gives a quick way to keep an eye on a wash.

The app’s Eco Scheduling feature is well worth having. If your electricity has a time of use tariff, there will be cheaper prices at certain times of the day. Tell the app when these are, and the app can easily be used to schedule a wash for when it’s cheapest.

Performance

• Low running costs on Eco mode
• Good cleaning on all wash cycles

I started by using the Eco mode, which should be used for standard washes. This is the most efficient mode and, in my tests, costs 18p to run (assuming an electricity unit cost of 24.5p per kWh). That shows the B-rated appliance in operation, and this dishwasher is 4p per cycle cheaper to run than the Hotpoint HF7HP33UK.

You have to get an A-rated appliance, such as the integrated Hisense HV693A60UVADUK, before you get much cheaper running costs. On this cycle, the Hoover H-DISH 700 HF 6B4S1PX 80 costs 1.13p per place setting to run.

Wash performance was generally very good on this cycle. I added a cup with dried-on tea stains to the top, and this was easily cleaned up.

The same was true of a coffee mug, with the Eco cycle enough to remove all of the mess from the cup and bring it back to its best.

I then added some trickier items, starting with a plate with dried-on ketchup stains. All residue was cleaned off and the plate was fully clean.

With a red wine glass, the dried on residue was removed and left the glass clean.

However, I did notice that the angle the glass had to be put at meant that there was a small water stain around the lip. A little rinse and a dry with a tea towel removed this; sliding the cutlery rack open and standing the glass at a taller angle also would help.

A plate with dried-on mac and cheese was also thoroughly cleaned, with no residue left.

And, the spoon that I used to serve up the mac and cheese was also cleaned properly, which was good to see.

My toughest test is the glass bowl used to make microwaved scrambled egg. A lot of the mess was rmoved, but there were clear dried-on bits of mess left on it.

I had to turn to the Insense cycle, which cost 52p to rup, to remove this mess properly, which the dishwasher did well.

For slightly dirtier-than-average dishes, there’s an Auto programme, where water and temperature are adjusted based on the dirt level detected. I found that this cycle cost 35p to run, which is a bit more than the equivalent cycle on the Hotpoint HF7HP33UK. This handled all of my lightly soiled items (plates, glasses, etc), and did a  reasonable  job with the egg bowl, just leaving a small trace of dried-on egg.

Finally, I tested the quick wash, which takes 59 minutes and cost 34p to run. That’s a little expensive, but the cycle does do well with standard stains, such as dirty coffee mug. If you need dishes in a rush, then this mode is good, but I’d stick with the cheaper Auto cycle where possible.

Should you buy it?

FAQs