I finally ran out of my Finish Powerball Quantums from 2014 and went to Aldi to pick up some of their dishwasher detergent to try. It wasn't until I got home that I thought of checking Choice for reviews.
Thanks to the Melbourne City Library they reviewed detergents a few months ago.
Chart Source: Choice Magazine, Dec 2015/Jan 2016.
The confusing thing for me is all of the different Finish products. I always assumed the different products were purely a marketing excercise but the following chart says otherwise:
| Product | Performance | Price | Price per Wash | Last OzBargain Price | Price Per Wash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish Powerball Quantum Max with Baking Soda | 73% | $15.49 | 77c | $12.99 | 32c |
| Finish Max-in-1 Lemon Sparkle Conc Gel | 66% | $10.99 | 42c | ||
| Finish Powerball Quantum Power and Pure with Act Oxygen | 65% | $27.98 | 78c | $15 | 42c |
| Finish Powerball Quantum Max Lemon Sparkle | 64% | $15.49 | 77c | $12.99 | 32c |
| Finish Classic Lemon Sparkle Powder Concentrate | 55% | $10.99 | 22c | ||
| Finish Max-in-1 Power and Pure with Active Oxygen | 50% | $15.48 | 67c | $12.99 | 27c |
| Finish Powerball Max-in-1 Lemon Sparkle | 48% | $15.49 | 60c | $14 | 29c |
| Finish Powerball All-in-1 Lemon Sparkle | 45% | $15.49 | 55c | $112 | 16c |
There are a couple of other Finish products not reviewed including the most popular one, Finish Classic Powerball. It also doesn't include parallel imports which might differ in performance. But just based on the above, there is a huge difference in performance between the Powerball Quantum's and the rest.
So I guess you have to weigh the best bang for buck which would probably go to all of Aldi's dishwasher detergents with the powder coming in at 15c per wash (what I bought tonight) scoring a 61% performance. Choice recommends using detergent which is rated 70% or more so the Coles Ultra Plus Pods at 35c per wash and a 76% would be a good buy as well if you think you need that extra performance.
Does your experience differ from Choice's reviews? Any other recommendations not on their list?
P.S. They just did a review on rechargeable batteries which I think may be in the next issue. Would be interested to hear the results if anyone has a Choice membership.
P.S.S. Earth Choice Tablets are on sale at Coles this week for $12.95 or 31c per wash. That's the #1 performing detergent on their list.
I generally use the cheapest Coles or Woolies brand cubes; and find I can't see any difference in the quality of the wash between them and the much more expensive Finish. Stuff comes out clean.