Beko products are like marmite... you either love them or hate them.
The Beko DSFN 1530W dishwasher is a cheap but highly effective model. It comes in black and white and measures 60 cm W x 60 cm D x 86 cm H. It requires cold water plumbing only and of course an adequate drain. If placed under a work surface, the pipes at the back sit close to the wall which allows the dishwasher to remain flush with the edge of the work surface and any units either side. It could easily be built in to any kitchen units.
It is a front loader with a pull down door. There is no locking catch which could be a problem if you have little children who like opening the door of machines. If opened it switches off immediately and restarts when the door is closed but of course things do get hot. Dont let children play with it!!
It has two adjustable baskets inside, top and bottom, and can accomodate a lot of dishes, pans etc. The top basket can be raised or lowered as required to accomodate large plates in the bottom basket.
The baskets are totally adjustable, with moveable trays and prongs etc which makes it easy to keep cups, glasses etc standing upright. Unlike more expensive dishwashers Beko have thought about the fact that crockery and glasses do vary a lot in size. Everything is adjustable!
It has a large plastic cutlery basket with comes with `tops` to keep items upright which we removed straight away as they are not really needed. The basket is big enough to take a lot of most items. The basket fits into the bottom basket and can be then slid left or right over the plate prongs to allow for more plates to be accomodated. We have no difficulty getting large square plates in!!
There are 5 main programs from `no heat` 35oC, 50oC, 60oC, 70oC and half load settings. The controls are on the top of the door so when the door is shut these are effectively inside. You select the temperature setting you require and then shut the door and press the start button, which is on the outside. This is slightly unusual but is a nice touch as the control buttons etc are out of sight. In addition there are warning lights for salt and rinse aid.
The dishwashers performs very well with dishes, crockery and glassware coming out sparklingly clean. It also has an effective drying cycle so items are very dry. They do recommend opening the door slightly during the drying stage to help water evaporate. We dont do this and items dry well all the same. We have found it important to ensure that there are no items that trap large amounts of water which will hinder drying, as in any dishwasher. In operation the dishwasher is fast and very quiet.
The dishwasher has plain flat sides and front with no mouldings etc which actually makes it a lot easier to keep clean. We rinse all items before putting them into the dishwasher and its definitely important to remove scraps of food, as for any dishwasher. We also use a dishwasher cleaner once a month. So far it appears to be very economical on salt and rinse aid. THe latter is easily topped up in the commartment inside the door. The compartment in the inside door will take washer tablets or gel tablets with no difficulty.
All in all its a cheap dishwasher which does what it says on the tin. It beats our previous and far more expensive dishwashers (Zanussi for one) into a cocked hat. I cannot comment on long term reliability but it comes with a one year warranty for parts and labour and Domestic and General will give you another two years, parts and labour warranty, on top for a total £60 premium.
On the downside, its cheap, its made in Turkey, the door can be easily pulled down by children...and thats about it.