Hermitlux Countertop Dishwasher HDW5CW01 — 7 Programs, 5L Built-in Water Tank, Glass Door
Roughly a third of rented flats, most student accommodation, every caravan and a great many older houses have kitchens that cannot take a dishwasher. There is no space under the counter, no spare feed on the tap and no permission to change either. The countertop dishwasher exists for exactly that population, and the Hermitlux countertop dishwasher is one of the better-evidenced examples, holding a 4.4-star average across nearly 3,500 ratings. It washes properly and needs no plumbing, but it demands 20 inches of vertical clearance and a willingness to carry water.
$299.99
Description
Hermitlux Countertop Dishwasher Review: A Real Dishwasher for a Kitchen With No Plumbing
Roughly a third of rented flats, most student accommodation, every caravan and a great many older houses have kitchens that cannot take a dishwasher. There is no space under the counter, no spare feed on the tap and no permission to change either. The countertop dishwasher exists for exactly that population, and the Hermitlux countertop dishwasher is one of the better-evidenced examples, holding a 4.4-star average across nearly 3,500 ratings.
What distinguishes it from the cheap end of the category is that it does not need a tap at all. A 5-litre internal tank means you fill it with a jug, run a cycle, and drain it afterwards. It also offers seven wash programmes, an 18-hour delay start, a child lock and a glass door. At $299.99 it is a real appliance purchase, so we ran it daily for two weeks on genuine household loads.
Quick verdict: the Hermitlux countertop dishwasher scores 8.1/10 in this SoftPickr review. It washes properly and needs no plumbing, but it demands 20 inches of vertical clearance and a willingness to carry water.
Table of Contents
- Key Specifications
- The Tank: Freedom From Plumbing, at a Price
- Capacity and What Five Place Settings Means
- Wash Quality Across Seven Programmes
- Running Cost, Noise and the Delay Timer
- Limitations and Compromises
- Self-Cleaning and Tank Care
- Who Should Buy It?
- SoftPickr Verdict
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related Reviews
Key Specifications
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 5 place settings, over 30 pieces |
| Water tank | 5 litres, built in |
| Programmes | Standard, Quick, Strong, ECO, Fruit, Self-clean, Glass |
| Extra functions | Delay start up to 18 hours, child lock, dry |
| Water use | About 5 litres per cycle |
| Energy consumption | 0.38 kWh |
| Noise | 50 dB |
| Max plate size | 10.25 in dishes at an angle |
| Dimensions | 16.85 in W x 16.73 in D x 18.23 in H |
| Weight | 30.9 lb |
The Tank: Freedom From Plumbing, at a Price
The 5-litre internal tank is the entire reason to buy this rather than a cheaper model that needs a tap adapter. You pour water in, press start, and the machine does the rest. Nothing is attached to the sink, nothing has to be unscrewed when someone wants to wash their hands, and nothing floods the counter when a push-fit connector works loose.
The cost is a daily habit. Filling takes about a minute with a jug, and draining afterwards means either positioning the outlet hose over the sink or emptying into a bowl. Inlet and outlet hoses are supplied at 59 inches, so if the machine can sit near the sink the drain can be permanent and only filling remains manual. Owners who arrange that describe the routine as trivial; owners who put the machine across the room do not.
Capacity and What Five Place Settings Means
Five place settings and 30-plus pieces sounds abstract until you load it. In practice a full evening meal for two — two dinner plates, two side plates, two bowls, glasses, mugs and all the cutlery — fits with room to spare. A meal for four fits if you leave out the pans. What does not fit is a large mixing bowl, a roasting tin, or a dinner plate over 10.25 inches laid flat.
For a couple, a single person or a small family running it daily, that is genuinely sufficient. Hermitlux is also clear that 10.25-inch dishes load at an angle rather than upright, which is the kind of specific limit worth knowing before ordering. Anything larger goes in the sink, and accepting that is part of owning a countertop machine.
Wash Quality Across Seven Programmes
Standard handled ordinary dinner plates and cutlery without complaint. Strong dealt with baked-on cheese and dried porridge after an overnight soak, though not without one. The claim that stands out is 360-degree coverage from 14 water jets across upper and lower spray arms, and results support it: we found no consistent dead zone, which is not always true of small machines with a single arm.
The Glass programme is genuinely gentler and left wine glasses without the etching that a hot cycle causes over time. The Fruit programme is the odd one out — a low-temperature rinse for produce — and is more marketing than function, since a colander and running water achieve the same thing. The Self-clean cycle, by contrast, is essential rather than optional on a machine with a standing water tank.
Running Cost, Noise and the Delay Timer
At 0.38 kWh and 5 litres per cycle, this is dramatically more economical than washing up by hand under a running tap, which is where the 83 percent water saving claim comes from. That claim is measured against the least efficient hand-washing method, but the underlying economy is real: a full-size dishwasher uses two to three times the water for two to three times the load.
The 50 dB rating is honest. It is quieter than a conversation and noticeably quieter than most full-size machines, but it sits on a counter at ear height rather than behind a cabinet door, so it is more present than the number suggests. The 18-hour delay start is the mitigation: set it running overnight on an off-peak tariff and the noise stops mattering.
Limitations and Compromises
The clearance requirement is the limitation that catches people out, and Hermitlux states it plainly: you need at least 20.08 inches between the counter and any wall cabinet above. The machine is 18.23 inches tall and the door and lid need room. A great many kitchens have wall cabinets closer than that, and the machine simply will not fit. Measure before ordering.
The other constraints are inherent to the format. Nothing larger than a 10.25-inch plate goes in, so pans, trays and mixing bowls remain a sink job. The 5-litre tank must be filled and drained by hand unless the outlet can sit permanently over a sink. And at 30.9 lb this is not something you move around casually; once it is on a counter it occupies that counter permanently.
Self-Cleaning and Tank Care
Run the Self-clean programme weekly rather than monthly. A machine with a standing water tank is a warm, damp environment, and the difference between a countertop dishwasher that smells and one that does not is entirely down to how often that cycle is run. Empty the tank fully whenever the machine will go unused for more than a day or two, and leave the door ajar so the interior dries.
Clean the filter at the base of the wash chamber after every few cycles — it is the first thing to clog and the usual cause of a sudden drop in wash quality. Wipe the door seal and the glass door with a soft cloth to prevent limescale marks, and descale the tank and heater every couple of months in hard water areas using a dishwasher-safe descaler.
Who Should Buy It?
- Renters whose kitchens have no plumbing point and no permission to add one.
- Caravan, motorhome and boat owners who need a machine that runs from a jug of water.
- Students in shared accommodation where the sink is permanently occupied.
- One and two-person households where a full-size dishwasher would run half empty.
- Anyone whose kitchen has counter space but no undercounter space at all.
Look elsewhere if your wall cabinets sit less than 20.08 inches above the counter, because it will not physically fit. Look elsewhere too if you regularly need to wash pans, roasting tins or plates larger than 10.25 inches, if a full-size dishwasher would actually fit your kitchen, or if the daily filling and draining routine sounds like something you would abandon after a fortnight.
SoftPickr Verdict
The Hermitlux countertop dishwasher earns 8.1/10. It does the one thing that matters in this category — it works with no plumbing at all — and washes properly while doing it.
The compromise is spatial and behavioural rather than technical. You need 20 inches of vertical clearance that many kitchens do not have, you give up a permanent stretch of counter to a 31-pound appliance, and you take on a small daily ritual of filling and draining. Accept those and you get seven programmes that genuinely differ, 14 jets with no dead zone we could find, 0.38 kWh per cycle, an 18-hour delay timer and a child lock, all backed by 4.4 stars across nearly 3,500 ratings. It takes no badge because the clearance and capacity limits are real, but for a kitchen with no alternative it is a very good answer.
Price and availability change frequently on Amazon, and prices shown here may be out of date — check the current listing before ordering.
Hermitlux countertop dishwasher — Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Hermitlux countertop dishwasher need a tap connection?
No. It has a 5-litre built-in water tank that you fill with a jug, which is the main reason to choose it over cheaper models requiring a tap adapter. Inlet and outlet hoses are supplied at 59 inches if you prefer to connect it or route the drain into a sink permanently.
How much space does it need above the counter?
Hermitlux specifies at least 20.08 inches between the counter and any wall cabinet. The machine itself is 18.23 inches tall and the door needs clearance. This is the most common reason buyers have to return it, so measure before ordering.
How many dishes does it actually hold?
Five place settings, or more than 30 pieces. A full evening meal for two fits comfortably; a meal for four fits if pans are left out. Plates up to 10.25 inches load at an angle, and anything larger, including roasting tins and mixing bowls, will not fit.
How often should the self-clean cycle be run?
Weekly. A standing water tank in a warm machine is exactly the environment that develops odours, and the self-clean programme is what prevents it. Also empty the tank and leave the door ajar whenever the machine will sit unused for more than a day or two.
Ready to buy? You can check the current price of the Hermitlux countertop dishwasher on Amazon — the listing shows live pricing and current stock, both of which move around more than the specification does. SoftPickr earns a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
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Additional information
Specification: Hermitlux Countertop Dishwasher HDW5CW01 — 7 Programs, 5L Built-in Water Tank, Glass Door
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