Ever since we first stumbled upon the diminutive dishwasher named Bob in the basement of the Sands convention center at CES 2019, we’ve been wondering when the little guy would arrive stateside.
The answer is this year. Daan Technology, the French startup behind the Bob, started shipping the small footprint dishwasher in Europe in 2020 and had originally slated the Bob to arrive in the US the same year. While that model Bob stayed in Europe, an updated global version is finally set to start shipping this year.
The company started a Kickstarter campaign this month and has bundles featuring Bob starting at $379 with an expected ship date of September 2022. For those who don’t want to buy through Kickstarter, my guess is the company will begin up selling Bob on its own website later this year.
Order options include a hose to connect the dishwasher to a faucet (Bob also has a one-gallon water reservoir that can be filled manually) and a range of colorful faceplates. The Bob Premium also includes an interesting UV-C ultraviolet option that allows the user to disinfect items (like phones) that can’t get wet.
While Bob’s Kickstarter backers get a starter pack of the company’s proprietary detergent cartridges (called cassettes), they’ll also want to order extras. Like the Tetra dishwasher, Bob’s small size necessitates special detergent cartridges to get the dosing right.
Speaking of Tetra, when we caught up with the dishwasher’s manufacturer Heatworks late last summer, they had just opened up preorder with a target ship date of May 22nd of this year. The company made the rounds at CES in January (see my interview with Heatworks founder Jerry Callahan here) and is still on track to ship this year.
While countertop dishwashers have been around for years, this new generation that includes the Bob and Tetra features smaller footprint sizes (both in terms of countertop size and resources) and puts a greater emphasis on aesthetics, with design touches like Bob’s colored faceplates or Tetra’s Frog studio driven design.
So if you’re in a small apartment, RV, or a cabin in the woods and would like to ditch the sponge, you’re time has arrived as we seem to be entering a new golden age for tiny dishwashers.
