I Am Actually Impressed By The Finish Quantum Powerball Dishwashing Blocks!

The Good: Ridiculously easy to use, Leaves dishes VERY clean!
The Bad: No interesting scent, Cost/Benefit
The Basics: Finish Quantum Powerball impressed me by actually working, justifying its expense!


Having moved to a place where my wife and I actually have a dishwasher (for the first time in our marriage to one another), we have both been pretty excited about having a dishwasher again. As it happens, that leaves me able to review all sorts of dishwashing detergents. Today, that means I get to review the Finish Quantum Powerball. Like most of the block-style hard dishwashing detergents, I'll admit that I was skeptical when I encountered the Finish Quantum Powerball dishwashing detergent.

The Finish Quantum Dishwasher Detergent are each a block of preformed, premeasured Finish Quantum Dishwashing detergent, with a powerball rinse and Powermax bleach. The pack is about 1/2 solid detergent, 1/2 scrubbing microbeads. The premeasured packs are designed to clean dishes and are each 1 ½” long, 1 1/8” wide and 5/8” tall, sealed in a thin plastic membrane. There are forty-five of the blocks in the package. They seem to be popping up at about $10.00 in retail outlets. That means for $10.00, one is getting 45 loads of dishes washed, as compared to $3.99 for about the same number of loads from a standard box of dishwashing detergent.

The scent is a perfectly generic bleach scent. This product is not designed to make the dishes or the steam coming out of the dishwasher smell like anything, except clean!

The Finish Quantum Powerball is ridiculously easy to use. Remove the Finish Quantum Powerball from the plastic and foil package and place in the primary wash detergent dispenser in your dishwasher. The primary wash is the one that usually has the little flip door that you close after putting detergent in. Put one Finish Quantum Powerball block in there and close it. It does not get much easier than that!

It is worthwhile and important to note that the detergent is not broken up first or removed from the plastic wrap when it is put into the dishwasher. The Finish Quantum Powerball is designed to go in intact. Put it in and run your dishwasher as you normally would.

And the dishes come out clean. Perfectly clean. I have no idea how it works, but it does. The plastic bag that surrounds the Finish Quantum Powerball completely dissolves. It quite effectively dissolved and washed away without a trace!

The Finish Quantum Powerballs were effective at getting off all levels of food matter that had been left on silverware, plastic cookware, and all manner of ceramic dishes and glasses. In fact, I was shocked how the Powerballs cleaned off stuck on cheese that neither my dog nor cat could get off! I put in every combination of cookware, flatware and dishware coated with food, dirt, coffee stains, grease and sauces that I could think of. ALL of the dishes came out clean and clear every time. Not one piece I put in needed so much as a touch up or polishing.

I did notice that the scent does not survive the washing. So, for example, I sent the coffee pot and basket from my coffee maker through the dishwasher when I used one of the Finish Quantum Powerball. The basket came out unscented, but not like bleach or coffee.

This product is simple to use and it works. It might well be ideal for people who have trouble with motor control and might otherwise spill dishwashing detergent when trying to load a dishwasher or those who have trouble judging how much to use. The premeasured packets are very efficient in that regard.

But it's an expensive service for so little benefit. The product works, but the cost seems disproportionate to the benefit to me. Most adults I know are not so lacking in time that the time it takes to fill the detergent tray and put the box of detergent back is what is keeping them from their goals. Moreover, they are able to judge things like how much to use. Therefore, I'm not sure who this would truly appeal to.

It's a good product, just an overly conceived product for a very simple task.

For other dish cleaning-related reviews, please be sure to visit my reviews of:
Jet Dry Green Apple Vinegar Rinse Agent
Ultra Palmolive Pure + Caring Dishsoap
Cascade Citrus Breeze 2-in-1

8.5/10

For other home and garden product reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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