A dishwasher is an essential tool for many, and it was one of the first big kitchen appliances I purchased when I could finally afford it. Now that my kids have grown up, I thought I’d really miss it during my vanlife adventures. Loch sent me their $459.99 / €459.99 countertop Capsule dishwasher to test out while staying in a tiny home on a remote beach and during a two-month road trip in my van. This dishwasher is impressive, washing and drying two place settings quickly at bacteria-killing temperatures of up to 75 degrees Celsius (167F) in as little as 20 minutes. It can even sanitize your gadgets with a UV-C light blast.
What I discovered during this review is more about my own habits than the dishwasher’s performance. When dealing with limited resources—like space, energy, water, time, or money—I found I’m okay with washing a lot of dishes by hand. Plus, I don’t want to become overly concerned about germs, despite claims that our cellphones are dirtier than toilet seats.
The Good
- Cleans and dries in about 20 minutes
- Looks great on the countertop
- Fits larger pans
- Sanitizes phones and can wash fruit
- Doesn’t need plumbing
The Bad
- Loud
- Pricey
- Niche product
The Loch Capsule has a clean, minimal look that fits well on any kitchen counter. Although the outside is made of plastic, the tub is stainless steel, which is a great touch for durability, hygiene, and controlling odors. Its dimensions (46.5 x 26.2 x 51.5cm or 18.3 x 10.3 x 20.3 inches) provide ample room for large dinner plates and pans that typically don’t fit in other compact dishwashers.
If you’re cooking all your meals at home, you’ll likely only need to run it once a day for one person or twice for two. It comes with an external clean water tank, making it usable anywhere you can plug it in, and you can hook it up for consistent supply if you prefer.
Everything my wife and I used for breakfast and lunch came out spotless—except for our 12-inch pan, which didn’t fit due to its handle. The optional “Dual Tray” utilizes the space above the bowls well. Just an FYI, the fruit-cleaning mode doesn’t dry the items afterward.
Setting it up is pretty easy: plug it into the wall for power, fill the fresh water tank, and connect a hose to the sink for wastewater disposal. In my van, I had to install it in a less conventional spot due to space constraints, which required an optional waste water tank since the provided hose was too short.
Its white display features easy-to-use capacitive buttons that work even with wet fingers. However, the noise level is something to consider in smaller spaces; it maxed out at about 56dB, making it significantly louder than my built-in dishwasher that operates at 38dB. The sound fluctuates with the water and pump action, so don’t expect it to serve as a white noise machine.
The Capsule uses UV-C light for sanitization, which is effective for cleaning both gadgets and fruit. The basket can fit around seven apples, washing them in about eight minutes, or 12 with UV cleaning included. A waterless UV mode is also available for sanitizing baby bottles and personal devices.
Loading the Capsule can feel a bit like a challenging puzzle. Initially, it took me ages to load dishes, but I’ve improved to about a minute or two now. An optional $19 “dual tray” helps increase efficiency, either for larger items or for washing utensils and small flat items.
There are several cleaning modes available, from a quick 15-minute Meal Wash to a more intensive 152-minute cycle. I found the 15-minute option worked well enough that I rarely needed the longer cycles unless there were particularly tough stains. For my test, I loaded it with a full breakfast and lunch spread, including greasy plates and utensils. Everything came out clean and mostly dry, similar to my larger built-in machine.
That cycle used 2.5 liters (0.66 gallons) of water and 220Wh to 300Wh of power, peaking at 900W. However, I noticed the 15-minute wash often took 20 to 25 minutes in reality. The most extreme wash mode ran for a lengthy 2 hours and 28 minutes, using about 420Wh and nearly 4 liters of water.
In comparison, I also washed the same number of dishes by hand in just six minutes using only one liter of water, with no power consumption. My method involves scraping off food scraps and using a soapy sponge in a bowl of tap water. While vanlife cleaning isn’t as thorough as a regular kitchen, it’s been good enough for us.
If I had the Loch Capsule in my van, I’d probably need to run the 15-minute mode twice daily to keep up with dishwashing needs, leading to roughly 500Wh and 5 liters of water each day, which is a marked increase in both energy and water usage. This dishwasher suits those traveling with more resources than I typically do, or vanlifers who plan to stay at serviced sites often.
Importantly, most vanlifers don’t carry full-sized dishes, making more compact options from brands like Comfee or Farberware, priced around $300 or lower, potentially better choices. Loch also offers a Capsule Solo for $399.99 that lacks UV features and plumbing hookup, which is the same as the Capsule otherwise.
Even in a tiny home, I find it tough to justify the $459.99 price tag, even on sale for $390.99. For one or two people, it’s often quicker and more practical to wash dishes by hand, freeing up counter space. Plus, my clean hands don’t necessitate a UV device to tackle germs that aren’t a real threat.
To justify purchasing the Loch Capsule, you’d need to strongly dislike washing dishes, have easy access to power and water, and minimal space, yet still deal with large pans and dishes. It’s a niche market, but the Loch Capsule does fulfill that need effectively.
The Loch Capsule is an impressive countertop dishwasher with minor downsides—just not the right fit for me.
