Danby Countertop Dishwasher - DDW496W

I really like how simple this is to use the only problem I have is that my large plates don't fit very well into it. I say large but I feel like they are regular dinner plate size. I have had two different sets of plates and both were the same way.

I have the dishwasher running right now and just wanted to take a moment to write a little ode to my trusty Danby dishwasher, who has changed my life in so many ways through the years. You see, when I first moved into my apartment and discovered that there was no dishwasher I almost decided not to sign the lease. My helpful landlady suggested I search for a countertop option (which I never even knew existed), I did my research, and this is what I bought. Thank goodness because I love my place and I despise doing dishes by hand. If it hadn't been for this trusty, mighty little dishwasher I never would've scored this amazing rent-controlled little jewel.

Now, I bought this 5 years ago, so it was about half the price -- and I still think it's crazy cheap given how phenomenal it is. At the time, reviewers cautioned that it would likely only last about 2 years, maximum. Considering the price and my aversion to washing dishes by hand, there was no way I could resist. I almost feel like I'm jinxing myself.. but it still works as well as it did on day 1 and I've never had to repair anything. I cook every night and run my little dishwasher almost everyday.

Easily the best thing I've ever bought. Ever.

UPDATE
So of course, 1 year later my beloved dishwasher began to leak. My first instinct was to freak out, naturally. After I gathered myself together I poked around on the unit and realized that the decorative window was coming loose. After doing some research I went to my local hardware store and purchased silicon glue for about $3. And then I glued every single component of that window, placed a heavy planter on the open door, and let it dry for a day and a half. And I am delighted to report... HOORAY! It's up and running at 100%. Phew.

(Someone gently suggested that I might actually want to, you know, wash my dishes by hand. To which I replied, puhleaze.)

But, even if my very favorite purchase of all time had in fact died on me (which it DID NOT, 6 years later) I wouldn't have hesitated to buy a new one.

Worked for two years, then kaput! The sump pump that drains water out stopped working and now water sits at the bottom of the unit and will not drain. Buyer beware.

Hi there-we've had our Danby countertop dishwasher for 1.5 years and have STRUGGLED with the unit leaking through the front window. We followed directions given by other folks having similar problems and attempted to seal the window/leaks but after three times, we are finally throwing this dishwasher out. Loved having it when it worked because we have two small boys and it was endlessly convenient for our family. I think the quality of the unit is poor and would not recommend it to anyone looking for a countertop dishwasher. If anyone has information on a good quality, reliable countertop diswasher, let us know as we are looking for a new one.

I live in a small apt without a dishwasher. I've had this over 2 years and don't know how I did without it. I recommend the going over the "tips" I saw in another review, follow them and this little machine will do well for you. It's also a cute machine and solidly built.

I bought the Danby in November of 2005. It is now February 2009. Never has there been a problem. I was at the end of my rope washing dishes in the sink in my apartment in Chicago. At one time, I had three weeks of dishes in sink, countertop........across the stove, and on any space I could find. I just hated washing dishes!
It came to either washing the dishes or simply move out! I ordered the Danby Designer and set it up directly (per instructions). This unit is the absolute best purchase I have made since that time. This unit is my buddy, it has saved me hundreds of hours of toil and low back pain. Whoever designed this amazing machine....................and made it work, should be installed as the next recipient of the Nobel!
Okay, clean the dishwasher with white vinegar every so often, so what?, it is a machine and can get dirty if you are not rinsing dishes and whatnot before putting in machine. RESPECT IT. And it will respect you.
If you pass up purchasing this machine.................your life will degenerate into slavery conditions. Plug this baby in!
David B.
Chicago

I purchased the Danby Designer tabletop dishwasher 4 years ago (it appears that they no longer sell the exact model that we purchased, but this one seems to be almost identical), and it finally pooped out a couple of days ago.

We live in a small apartment attached to our store front, and have no real plans of moving any time soon. Let me just say that this dishwasher has been a relationship saver. We probably one or two loads of dishes every day, and has made the "dishwashing" chores one of the more sought after. I would recommend this product to anyone, and we will be ordering a new one in the next week if we are not able to repair the old one by ourselves (the water pump went out, but otherwise everything else still works great). When we first purchased this dishwasher, we read many rave reviews that ended in "but it did finally die out two years later". Ours lasted 4 years, and has taken a TON of abuse. We always have it on the "heating water" mode. $200 very well spent.

If you also live in a small to medium sized apartment, this dishwasher is a must have!

I bought this dishwasher in August of 2007. It worked well for about a year. My only complaint was that glasses placed in the corners often came out dirtier than they started, and if our water pressure got low, it didn't clean very well at all.

In November of 2008, the dishwasher broke and flooded our entire kitchen. I'm talking about a lake in the middle of the floor. I called Danby, and the woman I talked to said that the dishwasher was guarenteed for 18 months, and sent me to a repair place. The closest repair shop was extremely far from my house. I left the dishwasher with them for almost a month. Then, when it was finally fixed, I went to pick it up, and all of a sudden the Danby people were claiming that all of their products are guaranteed for 12 months, not 18, and they denied that anyone had ever told me that my dishwasher was covered. After a LOT of arguing, they finally gave me my dishwasher back, but told me they would never cover another repair again.

So guess what? I took the dishwasher home, it worked for a month, and then it exploded and flooded my whole kitchen AGAIN.

We've bought two Danby countertop dishwashers. We used the first one for about 3 years, until it stopped pumping water. We replaced it with another Danby, as we'd been happy with the first. The second Danby began leaking water quickly and severely. I eventually replaced the front loading door with the door from the first washer (which we'd saved for spare parts). That door is also now leaking, and this washer has been in service for about 1 year, maximum. We won't be buying a third.

I am a sixth year physics graduate student. I wish I had known a countertop dishwasher existed sooner! I actually do my dishes now! This would have been a Godsend when I was preparing for my qualifying exam, and I will love having it as I'm writing up my thesis. Mainly it gets 4 stars because it exists and there seem to be few competitors - I do have some complaints about the design.

So far I have had no problems using it. It is a cheap, old-style dishwasher - unlike the newest, coolest full sized dishwashers, it is not good at getting chunks of food off and you need to rinse dishes thoroughly before you run it. Nothing that is not water-soluble should be left on the dishes when you put the dishes in or else it will end up on the "clean" dishes. This isn't so much a design flaw as a feature of a cheap, simple dishwasher.

Here are the design flaws:
1. The hose to connect the dishwasher to the sink is shorter than I would like (4.5 feet) and starts on the right side of the dishwasher in the back. 4.5' would sound like enough, but if you want the dish washer on the right side of the sink, you have 2.5 ' of hose left, roughly, which means it has to be within about 18" of the right side of the sink. (You need some slack on the hose because it has to hang below the sink without much tension.) You can't put it on a counter across from the sink and you can't tuck it in an out of the way place which is not within about 18" of the sink. You couldn't put it under most sinks, for instance. If you can't put it within 18" to the right of your sink or about 2.5' to the left of the sink, you should seriously consider getting a cart to put it on so you can roll it up to the sink when you're using it. This is a serious concern if you're in a small, quirky apartment. (If anyone from Danby is reading this, it would be really nice if one could buy an alternate, longer hose - maybe 8-10' - instead of the default hose to help fit this thing in a weird space.)
2. You can't tell what part of the cycle the dishwasher is in. This means you have no clue how much longer it has to go or if it is in a part of the cycle that can be skipped. It seems to take a long time and if there's a drying cycle I'd like to turn it off sooner.
3. The on switch and the delay switch are not easily distinguishable and don't follow any conventions for what these switches should look like. The on switch does not look like an on switch, so I often confuse them.
4. The name of the cycles on the display doesn't make any logical sense. They are named P1, P2, P3, and P4. The only way to tell whether you're on the short cycle or the long cycle or the energy saving cycle is to read the manual to figure out what on Earth P1, P2, P3, and P4 mean.
5. The water does not drain out of the bottom of the dishwasher very well at the end of the cycle.
6. At the end of the cycle when the water drains, it is very loud. I live in a small one bedroom apartment and if I turn it on before bed it wakes me up when it is done, even though I have been known to sleep through smoke detectors and freight trains passing nearby. It's no problem when I'm awake and it's not loud enough to bother the neighbors since it's not a noise that carries and the noisy part is very short, but it's loud if you're within 40 feet. (A detachable hose on the bottom of water outlet would help dampen the noise.)

So I would get this dishwasher again and I love it, but I think the engineers have some work to do. If you're going to get this, you should get out a measuring tape and make sure it fits where you want it and really plan how it fits.

Works fine for a few months, but then starts to develop leaking problems. Ends up flooding the counter-tops with dishwater. Don;t think I'm the only one who has encountered this problem -- see the other reviews.

This dishwasher was the greatest thing since sliced bread !!! I have a family of 5 when I brought this 2 yrs ago !! and I have to say I had no problems !! I washed dishes EVERY night !! some times 3x a day .. She was going strong until the leaking started recently .. UGh what a freaking pain in the neck !! if the window was better made I could go on using this washer for much much longer as it still works fine .. but what the hell were they thinking when they put the damn flimsy window there for and its only holding on by about 5-8 pegs ??? needless to say I have gotten my moneys worth and more from this excellent machine and yes I recommend it !! but dANBY HOW ABOUT A MODLE THE HAS NO WINDOW SO WE CAN ALL HAVE A GREAT MACHINE OK LET ME AD i WISH IT ALSO CAME IN BLACK OR STAINLESS STEEL ..

Got this dishwasher to satisfy the wife until we can get a full sized appliance. I thought the Danby would be good due to it's small size and water saving features.

Purchased in September, 2007, and everyhting went fine for about 8 months - It was a bit small for normal sized plates, but seemed to do the job oneverything else. Then, for some reason, the dishwasher got pissed and started barfing all over the place, sort of like my cats. Apparently, the water shut-off valve broke, and it kept filling with water. And filling, and filling, and filling...water all over the counter, cabinets, and floor.

I finally found someone to fix it after looking for an "authorized" repair center for a week. At least I thought I did. He had it in his shop for two months. Finally got it back, and now it doesn't work at all. It's now a big paper weight, sitting on my counter. Does Danby care? Nope. Told me to return it where I got it. Guess what? Amazon won't take it. I don't blame them.

Now I'm out $200 for and applicance that worked for 8 months. If this joke of a company won't honor their warranty period, this junk is going to become a rifle target.

UPDATE: Different Danby Rep at customer service is going to ship me a new machine!! WOW! The first ne was junk...let's see what the replacement machine does. Thanks, Danby!

I have owned it for 8 months now and use it 3 times each week. It does a great job cleaning and has never once had a malfunction. For the money it was a the best purchase I have made for my home!

Our 496W has worked perfectly for many months and saved a ton of work. It is perfect for two people and is easy to install and connect. You need to brush food off dishes before loading them in to the well-made, microwave-like unit, which cannot clean off dried remnants. But that minor gripe that is probably common to all compact dishwashers; this has still been an excellent buy.
My best advice: If you can't spare countertop space, buy a $50 Bekvam kitchen cart from Ikea! This cart is the perfect size and height, moveable, very solid, and is practically made for this dishwasher [and its digitally-controlled sequel, the Danby 497W]: [...]

This is a great item if you need a dishwasher and don't have a lot of space to work with. Also, the seller provides superb customer service if you have a problem or concern...

I bought this item eight years ago for our office. You know how there are always a bunch of coffee cups in the sink? I got sick of looking at them, and I bought the little dishwasher. It has worked great from the first day. Five years ago we moved into an office with a full sized dishwasher, and we put the little Danby in our 5th wheel. I am the envy of everyone in any RV park because I have a dishwasher in my unit. It gets the dishes as clean as any residential dishwasher,and it uses far less water than hand washing. It uses about a tablespoon of dishwasher detergent. If this little guy ever gives out I have more than gotten my money's worth and I will run right out and get another one. (I wish it came in a stainless steel finish to match the appliances in my 5th wheel.) Actually, it does large wine glasses quite well if you put them at an angle, and the coffee cups fit neatly under the fold down rack. I have no complaints, and it has solved problems for me in two different settings. Go out and buy one!

Loved the Danby, but there's a crucial design flaw. We had a burning smell for a month that we couldn't pinpoint, and it turned out that it was from our Danby. Thankfully we caught it before it caught our house on fire, but on the last wash wisp-like burnt plastic started floating in the air and around the Danby, and settled in front of it. Very dangerous. If you research online you'll find others who have had similar fire problems. Obviously they should be recalling all their countertop dishwasher products, don't know why they haven't yet.

Some great feedback and tips here already, so without repeating to much, here are extra points:

There is an improved unit, the (Danby DDW497W). Looks like the same mechanicals, but with fancier/easier controls (including delayed start).

Most surprising use, not having to look at dirty dishes any more, just load and close.

It uses less water than hand washing. Also useful for saving water in small households that already have a large underused dishwasher.

Typical daily loads, two) one for the pots/pans, one for the dishes.

Takes up only slightly more space than a full size dish drying rack and way more sanitary than a tub of greasy water.

The extra water heater has several uses. It sanitizes, it compensates for unheated water, it improves cleaning power, it speeds drying (open the door at cycle's end). One negative, soft plastic (think salsa containers) tend to bend a bit.

The biggest item we've fit (read:stuffed) inside is this massive double-handled, 5 quart pan. Just don't expect anything else to fit inside at the same time, including the lid: KitchenAid 5-Quart Sauté Pan

Run the silverware basket every other load. Its rarely filled by a single meal's worth of forks and takes up as much room as 2-3 bowls.

Load dirty side down for maximum cleaning.

It seems calibrated for Corelle bowls and plates, so if you have that, no worries on fit.

I brought the included faucet adaptor to a specialty hardware fittings store and bought a compatible quick release, to which I attached a flexible nozzle. Now when we disconnect the washer, we connect the nozzle. No more splash and pressurized water [again] reaches the whole sink. See customer images (adaptor setup) for view.

If performance drops, run a cycle with distilled vinegar and then an empty one with just water. Rerun the water-only cycle until no more suds come out.

Final tip: if you have a particularly soiled pot/pan, run it on the second load. Putting it in the sink under the drain spout of the first load makes a great pre-wash.

7 years ago, I bought a Danby countertop d.w. - I think it's this model # as it looks the same. It worked perfectly, ran smoothly, no leaks for all that time. I wasn't paying attention one day & loaded it wrong, so the spray arm got jammed and I think I did something to the motor. IT STILL CLEANS, NO LEAKS - it's just loud now. I live in a quiet San Francisco studio apt., so I'm going to replace it with exactly the same (if not newer) model.
The reviews on other small d.w.'s aren't so good, & I'm going with what's proven to be a durable washer of dishes! A top spray arm would be a nice addition, but the models with 2 are often higher & I can't fit those.
With any small d.w., you DO have to rinse old eggs & sauces from plates or the whole lot can come out spotty. No large plates will fit & you have to load it so that nothing falls in the way of the spray arm.
In my tiny place, it fits perfectly near the sink. I really like it and can't wait for the new one!

The first dishwasher I was sent blew up, literally. I plugged it into the wall and there were sparks and smoke galore. I returned it and they sent me a new one, which seems to be working just fine. A slight learning curve on how to load the machine to get the best results, but overall, a good investment in roommate relations.

This is a marriage saver if you can't fit a full size dishwasher.

Ours started leaking from the front after 2 years. The rubber seal around the inside window came loose and water came out of the corners of the front panel. If this happens to yours, go buy some silicon sealant. The manufacturer recommends 3M brand but I could only find GE brand.

The sealant is clear goo that you squeeze out of a tube. Put your rubber ring back around the inside window panel and then put sealant all the way around it. On mine I followed up with a layer of silicon tape but this was probably overkill.

Works fine now, still going strong.

I run the rinse cycle every time in order to flush out the hoses.

I have had the dishwasher a few weeks now. It doesn't quite hold all it says it can but I just run it a little more often. I love not seeing dishes in the sink and it fits on my counter just right. The dial is a little hard to tell where it is in the cycle but when I was reading other reviews before I bought it and one of the reviewers suggested that he solved this by just taking a marker and marking it so you could tell. Overall I am very pleased with this product.

We lived in a tiny NYC apartment with no dishwasher, so this appliance really saved the day... however getting a unit that wasn't defective was a bit of a challenge. I ended up having no fewer than four dishwashers shipped to me. Two of which worked out of the box, but then "died" after a year of use. Three of them arrived with shipping damage, and the one that didn't had defective hosing that wouldn't attach to the unit. My latest Danby countertop dishwasher has expired after a move cross-country, something about the journey didn't agree with it. I think some water got up in the electrics.. be sure to THOROUGHLY dry the thing out for a few weeks if you ever have to move I guess. Not sure what the next step will be, as the big-box retailers have stopped selling it, mb the manufacturer has discontinued??!! Well, Godspeed if you decide to buy this guy.

I am taking the time for the review because I believe in complimenting those that make great products I enjoy. I have already contacted Danby & told them them so! I have had my Danby four years on my counter top and it works perfectly. I can put ANY fry pan or pot, etc. into the unit for cleaning. I also use it to clean dust off loads of cups & glasses, spatualas, Spring cleaning etc. because I want a clean kitchen and run a tight ship. I have been using my Danby for 3-4 loads a day since I received it & no problems. 4years x 365 days X 3 loads a day = 4,380 load cycles without a problem, and for only $200. !! Anybody that is STILL doing dishes by hand is nuts not to have this dishwasher.

BAD: The glass is cracking & I use crazy glue. Danby should go to a solid stainless door and end that one problem they have. TRY Tap Plastic for a replacement window. I cannot find an orginal replacement. BUT the machine is so good it is worth the time to repair the window myself(about a $20.00 repair item). Those having break downs might clean their screens and the sump trap area out occassionally, and maybe pre-clean heavy deposits off dishes & pans to make it easy on the water pump.

was it worth the price? yes, but then i am a lazy, lazy man.

things it will clean well:
ceramics, glassware, not much else. if you have dinnerware made out of the right materials, this is the right dishwasher for you.

great unit, easy to install, leak free. very, very noisy, though it could be worse.

if you wash bowls in there, don't expect anything else to get clean, the bowls will block the water from hitting anything else. do them in a seperate cycle.

if you drink lots of tea like i do, make sure you hand wash off the cups first, or else the leftover bits won't get cleaned off

don't put cheap flatware in there, it will eat them alive (but then, that can be said of anything that is cheaply made being in a dishwasher)

I purchased this DW from Target through Amazon. It leaked like a sieve within 24 hours. Amazon was wonderful about returning it and crediting it to my charge card. This is the fifth Danby DW in three years. It works well but breaks down frequently and the service is terrible in NYC. Avoid them. Also bought a Danby frig for my vacation home. Looks great but arrived damaged. Danby was no help at all. Avoid Rainbow Appliances whose manager called me a liar when I reported the damage.

I purchased this unit to save time from hand washing dishes, and it saved a ton! Every day for a year I used it without a problem. Used the short wash cycle and it did the job just fine. The dishwasher cleaned better than any built-in unit I've ever used.

I don't recommend using jet-dry in the unit, it seemed to overcoat my glasses. If you get the dishwasher, once it's done washing, open it to let everything air dry.

Some plates blocked the sprayer, but rearranging them solved the problem.

Any disadvantage could not possibly outweigh the time savings and convenience of this dishwasher. Well worth the money and used very little energy and water.

Except, I don't recommend for two people who use a lot of glassware in a day, because you'll probably have to run twice in a day (for a descent larger portable dishwasher, check out the GE line, one model number is GSC3500NWW).

I just received my Danby and have used it only 3 times. It was a snap to set up. All hoses seem secure, no leaks.
It's a good size for the countertop or...I bought a rolling cart. Instructions for use could be a little more descriptive. However, it's easy enough to figure out. Dishes are sparkling clean! All in all, looks like it uses much less water than I do to handwash.

I've loved this dishwasher due to it's size and price. ( The only other countertop dishwasher available is too tall to fit under cabinets) However, even though I only use it every two or three days, before 6 months water was coming out of the window seals. I took the window out myself and super glued the seals and window in place which luckily worked out great. The seal around the door came loose and again, luckily I was able to fix that. Sadly, almost 2 years after purchasing my dishwasher, it began to leak from underneath. The cost to diagnose and repair would come too close to my original purchase price, so It's a goner! I really expected to get longer usage time from it since I never used the sani-mode and usually ran it on the shortest wash cycle, combined with using it 2-3 times per week. If I had used it everyday with full wash and sani-mode, I expect this little dishwasher would never have seen it's first birthday. DANBY....Please step up your game!!!

This countertop unit works very well in our apartment and we love not having to do dishes by hand.

We've had the washer for about 6 months now and have had no troubles. Hooking it up in our older apartment required a trip to the plumbing supply store for an adapter ring to make the sink attachment fit. The quick-release sink attachment is very convenient for hooking up the washer, but does make the water spatter onto the counter during normal sink use. Not a major problem, but somewhat annoying.

The washer gets dishes clean and just barely fits our largest plate (about 13" across, I think). It holds plenty of dishes for a unit this size. I rinse out the dirt trap in the bottom of the unit after each wash, which is thankfully very easy to do. The unit isn't the quietest washer in the world, but it's definitely not too loud, either.

This is a great unit that does do an excellent job cleaning dishes, and pots and pans as well. Simple to use, dependable...and easy on the wallet. It does hold service for four without trouble. Takes just 1 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent per load. If you use the new tablets currently on the market, break them in half...use just one half. A full tablet is too much. No noiser than a traditional undercounter under unit. Easily servicable as well.

I bought one of these over ten years ago and it worked great. A couple of years ago I moved into a house with a built in dishwasher and gave the Dandy to my daughter who used it for two years until it died. Then I bought her another one for Christmas. I'm happy to see it is identical to the old one, and seems to be working just as well.

This is the first portable dishwasher that I've ever owned, so I don't know what to expect in comparison to other dishwashers, but this one seems to be great. It definitely does the job, is easy and accessible. I have to get new plates because the ones I have now are a little bit too big to fit. (So if you love the dishes you have now, take measurements.)

I would recommend.

Although not quite "counter-top" size, it is very effective in cleaning extremely dirty dishes. Using the long cycle, it easily removes dried-on food with minimal water and energy usage.

Unfortunately, the manual is lacking in clarity and directions. It does not provide translations for the symbols located on the dishwater that indicate different cycles. Initially, washing was a bit confusing but issues quickly resolved with continued use. Also it is not quite clear on placement of dishwasher detergent, but you generally get the idea that there is no traditional cup.

**SHIPPING DAMAGE** This may be just a reflection of my local UPS service, but the product arrived with obvious shipping damage. The replacement (ordered directly through Target) also arrived with damage. The packaging does not seem to be sufficient for the weight and bulkiness of the product.

I have my Danby Countertop dishwasher in a small kitchen in Brooklyn, NY and it is just plain a great product. I have had it for almost two years without any problems and I use it constantly. I sometimes worry that Danby might change the design because even if mine broke I would buy another one without hestitation.

Seems to work just as well as most large sized dishwashers I've encountered. It doesn't do silverware as well as I'd like, but everything else comes out clean.
For those of you who already own the product and were maybe having trouble with the sprayer arm not rotating- it's probably your plates in the back blocking it. My smaller plates hang down below the basket enough to stop the arm from spinning. I fixed that by sticking a butter knife horizontally inside the basket just below the plates to boost them up half an inch. No problems with the arm since.

If I had to do it over again, I would.

1 year light use in Mexico. Shipped in by UPS to border.
Developed a crack in the center bottom of front door panel.
(Goop applied and no migration of crack.)

Purely "spring-clock" cycle timer & power. Zero electronics.

Amazing secret is the "hot water heater" really works from any water warm enough to be flowing.

Uses I think, 1 Gal. of water per cycle. Hooks up to kitchen/bathroom sinks. 120V and if memory serves correct, about 600W.

The heater works so well with so little demand due to the fact it heats little water in wash/rinse for an entire cycle.

My co-author Gudrun thought it was loud. To her, sure. EU stuff in home appliances is quieter and higher quality & cost.

With the concept of a robo dishwasher in the home in MX being very Star Trek like... this unit doesn't strain local resources (water/electric) and gets the job done. And if your cleaning up from a summer garden party, its about 4 loads.

Big Hint! Bring Auto-Dishwashing Powder/gel with you! No local dishwashers=no supplies! I think the "tabs" are great and that is a lot of "tab" for the amount of water used.

My story. 1 year ownership.

I've waited nearly a year to review this product so that I could better speak to it's durability over time. I have to say, I was a bit wary of buying this because of some of the negative reviews, but I'm so glad I did!

I live in New York City and have never had a dishwasher. My kitchen sink was always chock full of last nights dinner plates, utensils, pans, etc. I absolutely hate to hand wash dishes. Every time I'd visit a friend who had a dishwasher, I'd salivate just thinking how great it would be to have one of my own. So, I put the Danby 496W on my wish list last year and received it in mid-December. To date, I've had NO problems whatsoever. It runs like a dream, hasn't leaked, and cleans amazingly well. I was so psyched to use my new dishwasher that I literally washed every single thing I owned the first day I had it. Does this sound extreme, well, if you're someone who'd rather insert bamboo spikes under your fingernails than hand wash dishes, than you understand my elation.

I do think you have to be careful when you use it so that you don't have some of the problems others have had:

TIPS

1. Clean out the food screen each time your run the dishwasher.
2. Run the hot water first to get it really hot before connecting the dishwasher.
3. As soon as your cycle is done, crack the door open so dishes can dry quickly. This will also help save your window's seal and it will be less likely to leak!
4. Clean out the dishwasher once per month. I pour two cups of white vinegar into the bottom of my empty dishwasher (make sure to do this after water has filled the machine, just before the cycle starts) and then run it through the longest cycle. It will help dissolve any buildup and will keep your dishwasher running well.
5. Be careful how you load the dishwasher. As another reviewer said, if you have a dishes or utensils in certain places, they will hang down too low and the spinner arm will hit them and not work properly. This isn't that complicated, you figure out how to best load it by trial and error. It's amazing how much you can cram in this and still get a sparkling clean load! For example, I've put six 10.5 inch dinner plates, 4 salad plates, 3 bowls, 4 mugs, two 10-inch knives, two wooden spoons.
6. Let's be honest, the 'cup' rack/shelf on the upper left side of the dishwasher is useless for cups. I've found it very useful for washing small bowls (i.e. cereal bowls). This frees up more room for mugs in the bottom rack.
7. Once you've got your dishwasher fully loaded, slide utensils like long chef's knives, wooden spoons, etc. in between your other dishes so that they are lying on their sides. Just make sure that they aren't hanging down too low!
8. I find that powdered detergent works better than gel detergent. I have no idea why, but I really thing it cleans better. Make sure to use detergent that contains enzymes as they help dissolve leftover food from your plates and utensils.

This product didn't work. Though, I've given one star because the return process was completely painless, thanks to Amazon. I've returned the non-functioning product and received a full refund.

i got this because it is small had it for about 4 months worked great sometimes the knob sticks but its okay until the gasket around the window started to leak called/ email the danby service department talked to a lady said she'd send out the parts then she said id have to have a serviceman look at it if i took it in she gave me a # the man said he only makes housecalls so i'd emailed her back she said the warrenty would cover it tryed to call the serviceman back two months later he answers takes my info says hell callback after he okays my warrenty info with danby still waiting now this week the window falls off so now i cant even use it looking for a new dishwasher without the window save your money do the same cause danby service sucks

I read all 14 reviews and went ahead and bought it. So far, so good! It is working just as promised. I think part of what helped me was reading everyone else's responses. I made sure I had everything tight. I ran the hot water before I hooked it up. I knew to take the round thing off the bottom of my faucet so I could attach the nozzle (the nozzle sucks - it throws water and aerates a bit too much), but it has to be there for the dishwasher attachment. I was also able to attach it without any tools. Anyway, my daughter helped me hoist it onto the counter and I had it hooked up and running in 10 minutes. We HATE washing dishes and this is worth the price. Everything has come out clean and shiny. I am not afraid to eat off my own plates anymore!

It is a little large for most counters, but it fits under my cabinets and the hoses are long enough that I have it shoved in the corner so I have a bit of counter space next to the sink. My apartment is small (kitchen is a 6 foot long galley), but I am more than happy to lose the counter space to get clean dishes in return.

Check all hoses before turning on, watch for leaks the first time you run it, and pay attention to plates in case they drop down through the rack and stop the spinner-thing (my salad plates cannot go in the right-back corner - have to be in left-back corner). Well worth the price so far!

I am delighted with this dishwasher. My local appliance store assured me there were no dishwashers of this size and I could have had it a year ago had I only known. Glasses come out perfect without any heating element. Uses very little water and detergent. I recommend it highly. It was not difficult to unpack or install. The instructions were clear.

Having moved,needing a dishwasher I purchased the Danby. Arrived quickly, and it runs as it is suppose to. No problems, love the machine. This is the second unit I purchase.

Absolutely 'love' it, performs better than I expected!!! I received on time, however w/ cosmetic damage. I was given the option to replace or receive 20% discount. I've been very pleased w/ my buying experience on Amazon. Amazon deserves 5 Stars for their customer service. I've never experienced better!

An ex-coworker once gave me a sound bit of advice. He said when contemplating a purchase, a new job, or life change, one should judge it according to how it would affect the quality of your life. Well, after an extended visit to the In-laws, and using their under-counter dishwasher, we found ourselves once again wishing we could have a dishwasher to handle the moderate daily accumulation of glasses, bowls, and silverware that sit in the sink. Unfortunately, short of a total remodeling, there is no way to fit a traditional under-the-counter dishwasher in our kitchen. The Danby countertop proved to be the solution.

Is it small? Not exactly - it takes up quite a bit of counter space, and we had to shave a quarter inch off of one cabinet to make it fit. Is it quiet? As dishwashers go, it's not too bad, but it is up at ear level, so if you are in the kitchen while it is running, you know it. Is it easy to use? Yes, once you decipher the cryptic little symbols on the front. The thing that looks like a fried egg apparently is the international symbol for "drying with heat", and the button that controls whether the heating element is used is hard to figure out. There is no locking handle like on most under-counter models. You push the door closed until it clicks. This also takes a little practice until you gain confidence. Is it easy to install? Yes. Other than the aforementioned cabinet mod, it was just hook up the hoses and plug it in. Oh, we did have to replace a non-standard thread Price-Phister faucet with a utilitarian Moen to get the quick-disconnect adapter to fit. BTW, they recommend you do NOT have a sprayer on the faucet to which you connect the dishwasher, as high back pressures could cause it to burst. Usually the connection for the sprayer can just be plugged.

Does it get the dishes clean? YES! Does it eliminate hand washing? Not entirely, partly because it doesn't hold much. (It is designed for plates, and we use a lot of bowls.) We have not yet tried to wash plastic things using the "no heat" setting, which only uses the temperature of the incoming water and not the heating element.

Has it improved our quality of life? You bet!

Minor quibbles: 1)The unit is very heavy, very shiny and slippery, and therefore hard to lift. (The unpacking instructions mention a handle...there is none.) If you are a senior or a small person, get some help to unpack and install it. 2) In order to use the quick-connect hose, you have to install an adapter piece on the end of your faucet. This piece, although it contains an aeration screen, has a very small opening, and it takes practice not to squirt water all over the place when you turn the water on when the washer is not connected. The inclusion of a quick-connect sprayer nozzle would be a great improvement on the product.

I bought one of these second hand from an Australian couple that swore "it would change my life." They were right. I love not having dishes stacked up in my sink where I'm too lazy to wash them! I have the unit on the counter next to my sink, where it just barely fits below my cabinets (removed the plastic feet to get it to fit.) The hose stows away behind the unit when it is not in use and then it is a quick 5 second hook up to the faucet. It can heat your water to a very high temperature if necessary. Generally though the water temperature from my faucet is high enough, and the unit will heat the water anyway for the last part of its run. The unit is pretty quiet too, not silent, but you can work/watch TV in my small apartment while it is running without any problems.

I haven't had any issues with it at all. Cleans dishes great. My 10.5" dishes fit in without any problems. For your average New York City apartment this is a great addition.

*** YOUR PERSONAL REVIEW ***

I've had this for over a year and NOW i'm reviewing it... IT WORKS MINT. no leaks or anything. My Wife does tend to put in more dishwasher liquid than needed so at times water will come out but it's her fault for overflowing the fountain.

If it were to burn out tomorrow I would buy another one thats how satisfied I am with this product for an apartment.. I used the exact measurements to be sure it fits under the countertop. LOW water usage and heats the water up when it's not at the correct temp.

One thing I did do though is use a RED sharpie and color in the white indent on the timer to see exactly where it is.. Just so I can walk by and see the progress.

ENJOY

I've had a Danby Countertop dishwasher for a couple of years now (mine was the model DDW396W). It worked pretty well until the plastic window came loose. This is apparently common with these machines--Danby has instructions on their website on how to fix it. I glued the window back in with 3M Scotch-Seal Industrial Sealant 800 and the dishwasher is now back in use. I like this machine, I just wish it was more durable. Perhaps the newer DDW496W model is a little better built.

I have had my Danby for about eight months. It is small, but does an outstanding job cleaning the dishes. No problems with it, no leaks, easy to hook up, and it hooked up very nicely to my pur water filter i already had on the sink. Outstanding product!