Finish Quantum released in US

[jt1985]

Finish Quantum Dishwashing Capsules are out. It features:

* POWERBALL with Jet Dry gel for shine

* POWERMAX Bleach (Sodium Carbonate & Percarbonate) to attack tough stains

* Powerful Enzymes (Protease) to soften burnt-on food.

It:
* Dissolves rapidly
* Has no wrapper - water soluble and coating is biodegradable.
* Fits all Dishwasher Detergent Cups.
* Pre-measured, no Guesswork.

 

[jerrod6]

Have you tried it yet? Do you think it cleans better than ElectraSol Finish Red ball tabs? What store did you buy it from?

 

[rolls_rapide]

Ahhh...Youv'e got the Mark II version!

When they were first released in Europe, they had a white powerball.

They were the same size but there was a compartment of blue biological powder; a round white 'powerball' of percarbonate bleach; and a blue gel rinse-aid.

The powder was supposed to dissolve first, efficiently breaking down food stains. Next, the white powder bleach dissolved a little slower (bleaches tend to slow enzyme activity). Finally the rinse-aid gel is supposed to act in the final rinse.

However...

Read the instructions on the pack very carefully. They are not suitable for quick washes, or cooler washes.

They weren't a success for my Bosch Logixx Automatic. I get far better performance with separate detergent, softener salt and rinse-aid.

Sometimes the Quantums become clogged in dispensers, or stuck to items (plates, pots, cutlery, etc).

There should actually be TWO enzymes: protease and amylase. Protease for protein based stains; amylase for starchy based stains.

 

[foraloysius]

Quite a coincidence!

Overhere in the Netherlands they are sold as Calgonit Quantum. I bought them earlier this week and just started the first load with it.

 

[jerrod6]

Cooler washes....so some of my regular program cycles are between 116F and 125F and some are 130F and the heavy soiled ones are 150F to about 170F but I don't use these often, so which one of these temperatures is going to work?

If at lower temps then it won't dissolve?

 

[spoodles]

They are awful in our Bosch too. The film they are encased in would often be found stuck to plates and any plastics in the load afterwards. The packaging is dreadful as well!

 

[logixx]

Calgonit Quantum worked just fine in our Siemens but caused a layer of suds, which even once forced an extra rinse. They also tend to be more expensive than detergent and rinse aid (and salt, if needed) bought separately, while not performing quite as well.

Many modern dishwashers run cycles at temperatures as low as 113 or even 105°F and I'm not talking about quick wash cycles - so the tabs should dissolve just fine. The wrapping is water-soluble anyway.

Alex

 

[aamassther]

Jerrod, Where are you going to store these when you buy them?
It's good to see you posting over here! Todd

 

[jt1985]

The place where I got it was....

Walmart.

 

[jerrod6]

Hi Todd!

I still have 9 boxes of different DW detergents left from my tests last year, but I am down to 1/4 box left of Electrasol Red ball tabs(55 tab box), so that gives me room for a few more tabs...somewhere.

Did anyone notice that Finish ElectraSol Red ball tabs don't exactly say they contain Jet Dry? The box says Jet dry shine, and the tab no longer has a jet dry layer or ball.

 

[jerrod6]

Finish Quantum tabs are not available in my area of the USA yet. Has anyone used it? How did it perform?

 

[dj-gabriele]

I tried it once and found it simply overpriced!
It cleans nicely but again I must tell I never had issues with cleaning bad stains except with Unilever's Svelto tablets and Fairy gel caps that are awful smelling too.
Anyway I find that the thing that works better is powder+rinse agent+salt

 

[jt1985]

Results

It works well. They removed the caked-on food and even left no spots, something regular Finish/Electrasol and Jet Dry combined couldn't do. But I'll stick with my Cascade Complete Pacs, as they really do it all.

 

[jerrod6]

Thanks jt1985. So no over sudsing then?

I alternate detergents every week and move between, Cascade Complete Pacs, Electrasol Gel Pacs, Electrasol Red Ball Tabs, Miele Tabs, and Cascade Complete Gel. Sometimes I use Electrasol powder with chlorine bleach..that works too. It all seems to work. This week I am using 1/2 Miele tab.

I'll try Quantum when it becomes available in my area.

 

[ronhic]

Aldi or Lidl

So far I have avoided the big brand tablets...

Our dishwasher isn't too keen on powder..no matter what we do it never fully dispenses so tablets it is...

I have had great success with Aldi's Logix dual layer tablet...everything comes out clean...it is basic, but works.

When we lived in the UK, Lidl's W5 tablets were fantastic. Our Bosch again loathed powder, but the tablets worked a treat. Which magazine recently praised the Lidl tablets and they rated as high (within a couple of %) as the most expensive Finish ones....

Gets my vote...quality and economy

 

[jt1985]

More washes, and a new favorite.

Well, I am retracting my previous comments. I do like the Quantum capsules. They have, in a way, changed my opinion of the Finish/Electrasol brand. I've always viewed Electrasol as an inferior competitor to Cascade. But now, it's just as good as Cascade, but at a lower price.

 

[logixx]

Here are the test results, in this case only Somat 7 versus Calgonit Quantum, from a dishwasher detergent test by our consumer test magazine (February 2008).

Somat 7 / Calgonit Quantum

Overall Score: B (2.1) – B (2.4)

Cleaning: B (1.8) – B (2.4)
Tea: 2 / 3
Milk: 2 / 3
Ground Meat: 2 / 2
Egg Yolk: 1 / 2
Egg-Milk Mix: 1 / 2
Starch: 1 / 3
Oatmeal: 2 / 3
Cleaning after storage: 3 / 4

Rinse aid substitution: B (2.3) / C (3.4)

Salt substitution: B (1.7) / C (1.9)

Gentleness: B (1.8) / B (2.1)
Glasses: 1 / 1
Silver: 2 / 3
Stainless steel: 1 / 1
Glazing: 3 / 5
Discoloration of plastic: 4 / 4

Ratings explained

0.5 – 1.5 = A (best)
1.6 – 2.5 = B
2.6 – 3.5 = C
3.6 – 4.5 = D
4.5 – 5.5 = E (worst/fail)

 

[jerrod6]

Logixx

What does cleaning after storage mean?

I don't think Somat is sold to the USA but I would love to try it. Is there significance to the number 7 in the Somat name?

 

[logixx]

"Cleaning after storage"

They test how well the detergents clean after being stored in a warm and humid environment for some time - some weeks IIRC. Claro tabs, by the same manufacturer as the Miele detergent, started dissolving on their own while still in the box. All the other detergents remained intact but the ingredients became less effective over time.

The "7" is supposed to represent the number of functions Somat will perform. It contains: 1) detergent 2) rinse aid 3) water softener 4) stainless steel protection and shine 5) glass protection/anti-etching 6) cleaning booster 7) something to activate the detergent at 104¡ãF ("low-temperature activator" - as Henkel calls is)

Alex

 

[iheartmaytag]

I saw the new Finish at Wal-Mart last night. It was a little pricy at $4.74 for 20 tabs. I will try them some other time when money isn't so tight.

 

[jerrod6]

Alex

I like everything Somat 7 does except the water softening and I don't really care for rinse aid. I like to use my own rinse aid and I worry about using water softening along with a DW that has a water softener...wouldn't that make the water too soft?

 

[logixx]

Yeah, I guess it would make the water too soft. That's why your LaPerla has the Tab function, which deactivates the softener and minimizes rinse aid dosing.

I once saw the cycle progress chart for Bosch/Siemens dishwashers (Euro versions) and it showed that, with activated 3in1 function, the dishwasher will only do one interim rinse with a low water level (to maximize the carry-over effect) and raise the final rinse temperature by 3°C. I'm all for separate products, too.

 

[saturn74]

uhm

Somat seems our italian Pril all in one

 

[nmaineman36]

I tried the Somat 1 and wasnt impressed. I even left the my Miele in the Powder detergent setting so that the water softener can do its thing. I just picked up the new Finish Quantum Tabs at Wally World. I have not tried it yet and I will report what my experience is with it. It is kinda cool.
I got to fix a KDS 17A yesterday and it had a plugged drain valve. So we tried a tab in the KitchenAid and it pretty much stuck to the dispenser. Hopefully in my Miele I wont get that problem.

 

[jerrod6]

Thanks

Let me know how it works..although I have to say that on the standard Electrasol tab box it mentions that you may still need to use rinse aid. Is this statement on the Quantum box?

 

[nmaineman36]

I was reading the box and it says not to use a short wash cycle. Well that does people no good if they have a vintage machine with a rather fast wash cycle. They also say on the box that if your dispenser is wont let the tab sit in to put it in the bottom of the machine when you start it. With the KitchenAid KDS17A the wash portion is a short 7 mins. Not anywhere long enough to dissolve the tab completely. I have a load washing in my Miele and the Main Wash is a rather long 45 mins on the normal cycle. I have a rather grungy load in it right now so i will report how it did...

 

[gansky1]

I wonder if etching and other horrors would occur if these tabs were used with softened water as I have. I have only short-cycle vintage dishwashers so the tablets and packets don't interest me, but in the long-cycle machines I wonder if there would be problems. Is there any info on the box about the phosphate content? Within a year or so, all the phosphates will be gone from dishwasher detergents and it will be interesting to see what the performance will be in the majority of machines that aren't equipped with automatic water softeners.

 

[nmaineman36]

Well I unloaded the Miele and I have to report that I am impressed. everything came out spotless and feeling very clean. No grit or residue. The glasses were gleaming and the silverware looked like they were hand polished. And No rust spots on my knives. I would rate it a 99. Think Cascade might get a good run for the money . Oh and it has a Phosphate of 8.3% and made in Poland.

 

[gansky1]

Curiosity once killed a cat...

I saw this at Sprawl-Mart yesterday when I was buying cleaning supplies for work. I couldn't resist temptation and bought the 12 pack with 3 bonus pods for a total of 15. It was $4.42 - a little on the spendy side, the Great Value brand was $4.xx for thirty tabs. I usually use the GV powder which always gives amazing results but then, with that hurricane of water action, it doesn't take much detergent to get good results.

I'm building a grimy load over the course of the week in the KDS-18 and I thought these might work pretty well in the soak & scrub cycle which adds soaking time in the pre-washes. We'll see... I'll also try one in the Normal cycle, if I can get it in the dispenser, to see how the performance is.