Bob’s doing the washing up

Whatever happened to Bob? Did Bob go the distance and survive until today?

Hi Mat, how are you liking Bob almost a year after getting it? Are you still enthusiastic? Every time I do the dishes I think about Bob, but I'd love to hear what the experience is like after months of usage before I commit to a purchase. Regardless, thanks for all you do!

Filling it manually and draining it in the sink is really interesting. I think this is what sets this machine apart. I'm very curious to see how this company develops. Making it this far is impressive either way. I'm also very curious how you'll like it in a few months. And yeah, after the Technology Connections video I'm very curious to see if they'll update the firmware to release some detergent with the pre-wash!

Ordered one today, hopefully arrives quicker than the 14 days it says on the site. I am in the same scenario with a tiny kitchen with no room for a dishwasher, this may fit the bill. Hopefully don’t get charged extra when it arrives.

I didn’t even know these existed until your video. My partner uses so much water washing up, it does make me somewhat tempted.. but then the counter is already full with other gadgets..!

Watching the video again, I'm glad it fits your needs. I was very much against a dishwasher (full sized US one) as well. Growing up in a Chinese household we only used the dishwasher as an oversized drying rack and storage. XD However, once I got married and we started generating more dishes from parties (oh remember home parties?) and baking and being able to fill up a dishwasher in a few days. It's become a nice convince. And just like you, I'm amazed at just how clean glassware is, which completely makes it worth it! I did want to ask, did they want Bob back or are you able to keep it? And if you did have to send it back, did you end up buying one personally?

Please specify how many square meters does your kitchen have

That's a very cute little dishwasher! Great to see another kitchen "gadget" video again, I really hope the company ley you keep Bob with such a positive review in English! :)

Quite a useful device for those who want a small dishwasher. I usually do pots and pans by hand, even with a full size dishwasher.

Did they let you keep it in the end?

I think the company need to be commended for giving an option not to use their cartridges. I think this is a fantastic idea.

The dishwasher (Bosch, not Bob) saved my marriage. That's an argument not to overlook.

I started laughing when the "cassette" was first mentioned ... yet another cassette format discovery on Techmoan <3

Wow! I don't say this often, but I kinda wished I needed this device! As it stands, we have conventionally sized dishwasher in our kitchen. But what a thoughtfully designed, elegant machine! The modularity of the unit is ideal for students living in dorms, or someone living in their first single-room apartment (I think you all call them "bedsits"?). This actually stokes my fantasy of roaming the country in a mobile home or RV. The upsides on your end are well-described but to underscore your point about the machined doing a better job than hand-washing, it is worth nothing that hot tap water in general tends to be very hard and as such, one could really never get a dish or a glass as clean as a machine could with its water softening properties.

I’ve seen a few drawer style dishwashers. Kind of in between Bob and a typical sized one.

I'd be interested in details on the long-term durability of the dishwasher. Anytime you start mixing electronics and water and heating elements and the like it makes me nervous that the thing will eventually just break down. =\ It's not easy to engineer and build a reliable device with all those considerations.

The opportunity for a "Bob's your uncle" pun seems too good to miss! Perhaps something for the title? 🤓 Also, did you say "–Thanks for washing" at the end there? 😳

When I bought my first dishwasher about 20 years ago, I thought of it as my time machine, as it saved me so much time. It also used less water than I would doing it by hand. Two wins.

Great review Mat! I always thought dishwashers were wasteful, lazy and slow, until I started really looking into it and realized how much water and energy it saves vs. using the faucet and sink.

I need one of these! Nifty machine but the price needs to come down...

I like the idea of being able to define your own programs. Modern dishwashers (at least in Europe) try too hard to conserve water and i'd prefer a longer rinse cycle using more water. Not everyone lives in a country where it's crucial to use as little tap water as possible.

Interesting little gadget - some clever features compared to the mainstream. Interesting to see the move to a “consumption” model with the cassettes, though, so you’re always a customer.

Thanks for sharing this product. As always, a great video. A nicely thought out unit for the most part, the exception being the filling tray at the top, it seems to be prone to flooding/pooling if you pour water in too fast, the lack of even a vague idea of what is left in the water tank is another slight annoyance. The fact you can optimise custom cycles is amazing, lends itself to "off label" use as well (cleaning parts rather than dishes) Cassette is a neat idea, particuarly for the RV/motorhome market, and at least they do offer using traditional detergents/rise aid, a credit to them. Rinsing dishes? I do, I know you probably shouldn't but whatever. I do it more to stop the stink of dishes over the 2-3 days it takes to fill large dishwasher, but that wouldn't be an issue with this machine.

I would love to see a separate video on the Ninja Foodi Health Grill, if that's something you'd like to make.

I’ve been eating a lot healthier these days, since the doc got on to me, I’ve had my eye on those electric grills but always thought they’d be a nightmare to clean I might have to look out for that ninja one and see if I can get it stateside since I can rinse it off and throw the guts in the dishwasher when I’m done

A creat review of a interesting/funny take on a dishwasher. And great with the clear notice of "sponsorship".

Congratulations on getting a dishwasher! With it being French and all, I just couldn't help pronouncing its name inspector Closeau-style: "Beub" 😳 But a neat little kitchen gadget for sure! Why doesn't my full-size, "plumbed-in", unit have a window?! And the UV-C feature is brilliant in these times. The major kitchen appliance makers could learn a few tricks here! BTW, I suppose you could have it semi-plumbed-in by adding a threaded adapter to the kitchen faucet, then attaching the inlet hose to that whenever you do a wash. Might prove more convenient than filling up? 🤔

As a plumbed-inner-disher-washer, I'm more interested in your Ninja Grill, Mat. Unless I've missed an episode, I don't think you've made a show about it. Is it any good/worth the money?

I live alone, and my dishwasher came with the flat. As someone with heart and breathing issues, I find it invaluable as scrubbing and washing stuff in the sink is genuinely exhausting. I guess Bob is wheelchair height as well, which may help some people, such as a friend of mine who recently bought a kitchen top one (though far less costly than this one.)

Well turns out I've just ordered a dishwasher now.. Didn't think I'd have space for one, but that just fits in too perfectly in the space by the sink.. Thanks Matt ;) Seriously though, thanks for the great honest balanced review, and the effort you always put in to these, no matter the subject. Always look forward to your videos and very happy to support your excellent content.

Aaaaaah I just bought something very much like this! I got a low-end one from Farberware* without any window ($80 less than the one with the window - go figure). Super pleased with it so far. It's great in my case, being that I rarely do the dishes if left to my own devices (the angle at the sink just knocks my back out), and I can't use a dishwasher that hooks up to any plumbing thanks to my landlord. So putting the water in myself is perfect. Also... I, too, rinse the plates off first. This is because there's no ability to add separate detergent for a pre-wash in mine, due to how the thing in the door was made. So I do the pre-wash for it real quick. (This way there's less crud to clean off the filters, too.)

I have dishwasher for many years and i can't agree more, you have do adapt yourself to the machine... with time you star to use just the glasses and cups that will fit inside it, and small plates so you can put more stuff inside.

Be careful that Bob doesn't let Daantech take over your home network: "They've by passed the encrypted security, hacked into the server's mainframe!" "Quick! Inject a DDOS into the network algorithm!" "Too late! They're into the system! They're downloading everything!" "Kill it! Kill it! Pull the damned plug!" "....Shouldn't we wait till Bob's done with the dishes?" "To hell with the bloody dishes! We'll use paper plates. Pull the plug!" (nerdy tech guy dives for the mains plug. a shower of sparks as everything fries.)

“A bit pathetic, getting this excited over a dishwasher” hahaha that’s how i felt after watching the technology connections dishwasher video great video! if i were to give feedback, i do feel like you didn’t mention the whimsical appeal of Bob - it’s the most fun dishwasher I’ve seen. I wish you talked about how cool it is that it has a window! There are other countertop dishwashers on the market though, and I’m not sure how the practicality of Bob compares. The main appeal seems to be that Bob is very fun and has a cool window. Other people have brought up the cassette concerns so I won’t

As the owner of a small flat this looks interesting, thanks. Having seen a recent video at Technology Connections makes me wonder whether this unit is capable of a prewash? Probably not, but Alec has strident views on the necessity of this step so as to avoid the dreaded pre-rinsing in the sink. Apologies, if someone above has asked, I haven't noticed.

This looks cool and I’m very tempted - but in this new world, I guess we have to start thinking about possible import fees on items from other parts of Europe :(

Well that's neat. I hate washing up (particularly the squeaky fingers from washing up liquid) so this seems like a nice solution. The cleaning solution seems a little expensive and someone else mentioned how it seems like printer ink, on that basis I wonder if the cartridges can be refilled and the chip reset. Eco-friendly cartridges are one thing but it would've been just as easy to put in tanks that you fill yourself.

I stayed in an older house for a few months in 2019 and this would have been perfect. I’ve heard Bob’s your uncle a few times but this is the first I’ve heard Bob’s your dishwasher.

Neat, kinda surprised they didn't provide a connection like North American portable dishwashers - you just put an adaptor on the end of your sink faucet and the fill and drain hoses run to that. Here's one as an example: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004H3XSBE/. Though you could probably retrofit that to a Bob if you were so inclined.

We have a full-size fancy dishwasher and I still find myself washing stuff up in the sink! The habit is too ingrained in me I think.

Glad you found a dishwasher that fits you needs. I have to say, the Bob washer is pretty expensive for it's size, however. It's around $478 USD. A high quality full sized built-in dishwasher such as Maytag starts at about $100 more and would wash a lot more dishes. But the Bob did do a nice job, I must say. As for the pots and pans, I never put them in the dishwasher. Not because it won't clean them, although I don't really trust it (Although it just hasn't learned the trick of scrubbing with steel wool pads), but because the hot water and the strong detergent have a bad effect on the plastic and bakelite handles. They loose their shine and become really ugly. As for the heat of the water, most dishwashers can heat the water if you are filling it with cold. But the instructions tell you that it costs more in electricity than if you run the water in your sink until it's hot and then turn on the washer. This is due to the electric heating element in the bottom costing more to run up the temp of the cold water than running the hot water till it's hot and the cost of heating in the water heater. I would imagine that if you put hot water in the tank, it wouldn't take as long to wash as it wouldn't have to take time to heat the water. My dishwasher instructions say it's not necessary to pre-rinse the dishes before placing them in the dishwasher and I have found this to be true. They get very clean with the strength of the detergent I use without pre-rinsing, although of course you do want to scrape food off and clean those filters in the Bob. But you have to do that in any dishwasher. As for the cassettes, They sound like a really good idea, especially the one that cleans the washer. Something I hadn't done in a while and needed to do. I bought a product that went into the detergent dispenser and did a great job of cleaning out the old mess in my washer. I know you and the Misses will enjoy your Bob. Have fun. And as always, great job, Mat.

I´m very much interested in its ability to clean up oily grills. On the manufacturers website they mention a depth of 49 cm. The oily grill rosters I have are 49,5 in lenght. Would you know how long a piece of cookware it could actually contain, in case the manufacturer is being conservative with the measurements?

When you said you don’t have to plumb it in, I thought you said “plug it in”, so I was confused when you showed the IEC connector. Of course, that would have been quite miraculous.

Much like you, I haven't seen the need to use a dishwasher since the 1970s and didn't own one until I moved into my current home 4 years ago and inherited the one that came with the place. But after watching Technology Connections recent episode about dishwashers, I've found out how useful and efficient they can be--even the huge, dinosaur of a machine that's in my kitchen and I use it more often now. Regarding the machine you demonstrated, it looks like a great solution for you and I hope the good people at DAAN let you keep it. The window in the door of the machine is a cool styling touch and practical as well. Now for the snarky comments: How long do the batteries last and does it use ferric, CrO2 or metal cartridges?

A lot of comments about pre-rinsing etc. Some dishwashers have a built in garbage disposal grinder unit...they can take all food waste and dispose of it...others like this one, and the (full size) Bosch do not have grinders...so they are quieter but the filters get all those large chunks of gunk in them (all dishwashers keep reusing the water throughout the cycle. So either way you have to rinse the food waste, either before the cycle or after. Personally, the big loose stuff I will quickly scrape off... the rest seems to break down enough that it doesn't fill the filter and I only have to clean the filter maybe once a month or every two months.

Very interesting and seemingly well thought out product. Well done, Mat. I must say when I heard you say “If you need...” I gave my screen a very hard look, expecting “then Bob’s your uncle.”

Wow, Bob looks like the king of dishwashers! I almost wish I hadn’t had kids so I could invite him into my home to join me and the wife in some good clean fun

As someone pointed out this looks like printer business. Perhaps it is even programed that if you wash without their cartrige it would break after a certain amount of time. This would be ok for let's say a student or a small studio. Also, I went on the site and when you fill in your delivery detail it ask for your gender and birthdate. Why would they need that. It's absurd

With a normal dishwasher, you do not have to rinse stuff before you put them in the washer.

Interesting product. I feel like you glossed over the detergent cartridges a bit. If I was looking to buy something like this, the fact that you need to buy proprietary cartridges for optimum performance would scare me off. (It smacks of printer manufacturer tactics) When you say you can use normal detergent, does that mean you can just put a detergent pod into the chamber, or does it have compartments that release detergent at different points in the cycle (like most other dishwashers)? It also seems much more expensive than many full-sized washers. You could get a slim-line dishwasher for nearly half the price that might still fit in your kitchen, has more capacity, has a better energy rating than this (A++ compared to A), will connect directly to your house's plumbing so that you don't have to manually fill it every time, and will work fine with normal detergent. Might be something to look into when the time comes to return this.

I didn't want a dishwasher before due to the size of our kitchen (looks very similar to yours), and now I do!!! Just need to convince the wife...

You're very much not supposed to prerinse dishes for a dishwasher! Only scrape off large food particles into a bin. If people are prerinsing because their dishwasher isn't working, they have either configured the water hardness incorrectly 😥, or trusted the marketing on their dishwasher tablets "no need to add salt" 😭 Technology Connections also just did a good video on dishwashers.

Very timely topic for me, I've been watching for such a product, the website says it will be available in America soon. I showed the video to my wife and she is interested in a Ninja grill as well, lol

Thanks for the video Mat. The water low consumption of yours makes me wonder how much out dishwasher uses.

I have had a dishwasher all of my adult life (I washed so many dishes as a kid growing up...I would rather use paper plates than hand wash). The price per wash with the cartridges seems reasonable compared to full size machines (but a full size will wash about 4 times as much per wash). I will say, if you continue using it, be careful of what coated pans you put in (usually it isn't recommended to put them in dishwashers) ... make sure they say dishwasher safe (same with plastic ware). Also don't put good (expensive) kitchen knives in it. Other than that, everything goes!...and I mean EVERYTHING

It’s great to see that BOB got more work after the carnage that was his Microsoft operating system

Great video, as always. In the US, our dishwashers take upwards of 3 hours!!! This is due to the mandated chemical formulation of our dishwashing soap by our Environmental Protection Agency.

Bob vs. The Ninja! The level of design that went into the Bob is striking - the packaging, the UI, industrial design all show real thought. And while things like changing the sounds may seem trivial, my LG clothes washer plays such a cloying melody it sends me into a sour mood every time I hear it. Thanks Mat - I'm bookmarking this for future reference in a design class I teach.

That's very tempting. You and I seem to have had the same interior monologues regarding getting a dishwashing machine (not much space in the kitchen, it's easy enough to do it by hand when it's just one or two people, but I miss the super-clean results of a machine). I visited the site and signed up to be informed if/when it becomes available in the States. Separate from anything else, I'm sure that if they get US distribution and they make a commercial for cable TV, they'll tout the portability and convenience of the thing with a shot of Bob on top of a picnic table happily cleaning dishes while in the background, people are fishing at the side of a pond. It's like a rule of advertising: communicating "Sure, it'll work great in an RV" by including a shot of it inside an RV is the cowards' way.

It seems Japan is not part of the world ;-) Otherwise the claim would be "One of the smallest Dishwasher in the world" as these tabletop machines are quite common here. The smallest Dishwasher from Panasonic has around 20% less box volume (NP-TCR4/NP-TCM4 series, https://panasonic.jp/dish/comparison.html). Additionally they also contain a dryer and cost in the range of ~250 GBP. The cassette are quite pricey but at least you get the option to use normal detergent (even with some limitations). However, in the end I think Bob is something like Nespresso. Seems to be well designed and functional but quite expensive for daily use (normal dishwasher detergent costs less than half per wash).

Dan! Dan! Dan... Tech

Don’t make the mistake of aggressively pre-washing the dishes. Remove the loose food items but put the greasy dishes into the machine straight away. The machines are designed to use the oil and grease from the dirty dishes to lubricate the mechanism. Plus you waste a ton of water with a hand pre-wash.

After watching the Technology Connections video on dishwashers I am wondering how this little unit organises it's cycles and releases it's detergent. This is what youtube has done to me 🤦🏻‍♂️ Great content as always!

I've been cleaning glasses , lenses, plastic doohickeys, optical discs, plugs and lots of other things with UV light for years, works great. Edit: The machine also uses ultrasound. Hmm. That was a great presentation/review of a very neat product. Now I'm almost wishing for my current ugly countertop dishwasher to give up the ghost so I have an excuse for getting a Bob.

I had a counter top dishwasher at my old place and loved it. It plugged into the faucet - you could unclip it, remove the drain, and use the sink normally

The UV LED sounds like an absolute gimmick, and most likely will be a deep purple LED, that does nothing.

Really enjoyed this video, just got a new dishwasher but this would have been ideal as it takes us 3 days to fill our dishwasher. The only thing that would put me off is cost of the cassettes. Wonder if this is subject to import tax now. Ps look forward to electric car. I had an electric scooter (50cc motorbike type) for 3 years and i loved it until it died 3 miles from home one day

I have never thought about getting a dish washer. I used to joke that didn't need one because I had a wife. In reality I used to like washing up as I found it relaxing. And secondly I always thought about them as not being environmentally friendly products. We do have a small Miele dishwasher but it never got plumbed in due to chaos in my house.

An excellent unbiased review as always, Mat. Interesting conclusions, too. I hope they don't want it back. :)

Just as a comparison, normal dishwashers go from 250 € and can go easily go over 1000-2000 € (I can even find some costing more than 3000 €). Of course those can handle the dishes for a lot more people, but obviously they don't work with internal tanks and need to be plumbed in. And they are also much, much larger. The smallest one I found is almost twice the width.

Bob looks very good, but it is about the same price as a basic, free standing full-sized dishwasher. I guess all the mechanical parts and controls are pretty much the same, only the case is smaller. I expect you'll find you want to keep using one - you'll just get into the habit of only using it once a day. Put the dirty dishes in after each meal and put it on before you go to bed, that's what we do. Have a great weekend, Mat.

Looks very well made, I like the peep-hole in the front! I was only wondering if the use of these propriety cartridges doesn't make it more inconvenient... And also the way of having to figure out every time how to load it properly. I'm happy there that my Swiss home came with a normal-sized dishwasher (quite usual nowadays here), I just fill it up and let it run every now and then, used to be up to a week in normal cases, with the Corona-Situation a bit more often, as I prepare a lot more meals at home.

I am definetly looking foward to that electric car story. Even if that's currently less relevant with all the "stay at home" and lockdown stuff going on.

I like the video and the product. I love how it has a light and a window so you can watch it washing the dishes. Table top dishwashers aren't new of course, but they are around twice the size of this one and have to be plumbed in. I’m very much looking forward to the EV video because I find the subject absolutely fascinating.

Holy crap, I've been waiting for something like this. All the countertop dishwashers I've seen have been rubbish, were too large for my limited counter space, and required an inlet. I live by myself, so this would be perfect! Now I just have to hope they bring it across the pond...

Oh that's lovely. If I ever buy a dishwasher, that one will be top of my list. However, I do kind of like doing the dishes by hand since it's the best time for me to catch up on YouTube. In fact, I was doing the dishes watching this right now :)

Just wanted to thank you for being one of the most transparent content creators out there! It's really not a given in these days. Have a good one!

And here's me about to start work, then up pops a Techmoan video. Damn you Matt! 😀

Perfect for the guys that come home from work and wash up and go racing in the street.. #misunderstood lyrics