Comfee CDWPF1201PS (dishwasher freestanding with 12 place settings): our review

Dinner plates are only part of the washing-up. With 12 place settings, the usual capacity of a full-size dishwasher, the Comfee CDWPF1201PS gives you a familiar amount of loading space. Place settings are a standardised measure covering plates, glasses and cutlery, rather than a promise about how many people you can feed before running it. A family Sunday roast brings serving dishes and pans into the reckoning, and those occupy space that neatly arranged plates would otherwise use.

Will your everyday dishes leave enough room for the cookware? That is the useful question. The cutlery basket gives forks and spoons a designated home, but it also occupies room within the load. The roasting dish has ambitions of its own.

For a household clearing ordinary meals regularly, this is a familiar capacity to work around. We would be less confident about leaving an entire gathering's washing-up until the end of the evening. Think about your largest regular load before choosing around the place settings alone.

Electricity consumption is the main reason we hesitate. The declared eco figure of 92.3 kWh/100 cycles sits among the highest declared electricity consumption figures. For a household running the machine frequently, that makes each completed load worth thinking about, particularly if the dishwasher often starts with room still available.

Water consumption is 11 L/cycle on eco, which uses more water than the declared average. For a couple who collect dishes across several meals, organising a reasonably full load makes practical sense. That does not turn this appliance into a particularly restrained user of resources.

Its energy class is E. Taken together, these details temper our enthusiasm for an otherwise straightforward proposition. Both consumption measurements apply to the energy label's eco programme; they should not be used to describe an intensive wash. Compare consumption at similar capacities, since a smaller machine can consume less overall without using less for each plate.

The eco programme lasts 230 min, a long run of the sort found across most dishwashers. That is not a fault in itself: allowing more time is part of how eco programmes save resources. The practical question is when you need the contents again.

After dinner with friends, leaving the wine glasses until the following morning may suit you nicely. Starting a wash shortly before you need the same plates for another meal calls for different planning. Work backwards from unloading time, rather than expecting eco to rescue a hurried kitchen reset.

An intensive programme and a half load option are confirmed. We like having those choices for different washing-up situations, although half load should not be read as a promise to halve consumption. The eco duration cannot tell you how long intensive takes, either. Choose the programme for the dishes, then leave enough time for the job.

This is a freestanding dishwasher, so its own front remains visible in the kitchen. Choose it when that format suits your cupboards and the space you have available. Anyone planning a continuous run of matching furniture fronts needs a different installation type.

Width is 59.8 cm, height is 84.5 cm and depth is 60 cm. Together, those measurements describe the space occupied by the appliance: check all of them against your intended position, rather than relying on a familiar-looking gap. A recess whose measurements you know by heart still merits another look before ordering.

Depth matters when considering how the front will line up with neighbouring cupboards, while height needs checking against any overhead restriction. These dimensions give you a starting point for planning the position; leave room for the connections required by the installation instructions too. Settle the arrangement before the appliance arrives. Delivery day is a poor moment to negotiate with a cupboard.

The CDWPF1201PS is well placed overall in our scores, with a clear role in households that want familiar loading and straightforward washing choices. That overall standing still leaves room for a different recommendation when your usual pile of dishes or your priorities call for it.

The Hisense HS693A90XAD for larger loads is better suited to large loads of dishes, with a higher place settings capacity of 16 place settings. That extra loading room is useful when cousins stay over and serving bowls join the breakfast plates, though cookware still needs thoughtful positioning.

The Miele G 7980 SCVi AutoDos K2O uses less water on its eco programme. Consider the Miele G 7980 SCVi AutoDos K2O if reducing water use is a priority, while remembering that consumption comparisons need the context of capacity. Start with the washing-up you regularly produce, then decide which compromise you are prepared to live with.