The timing was unfortunate. Most of these were HE products, but they did not dissolve in the dispenser drawer during the brief fills and, if added to the drum, banged and thumped around for what seemed like most of the wash period because the very low water level was not conducive to rapid dissolving. I would smush up one for the load I was washing and add it to the dispenser drawer, but in HE machines, they could not be used as tablets.
Surf was also available as tablets.