Say, for example, you’re in an apartment without a dishwasher. What do you do? Outside of immediately moving to another place or giving up entirely and perishing, you’re going to want to consider a countertop dishwasher. The model I tried, the Hermitlux Countertop Dishwasher, is an brand with a name evocative of an old man living in a cave who wears Gucci but is, despite that, a solid solution for folks who don’t have the ability to run water and waste lines in their kitchens.

The Hermitlux Countertop Dishwasher has a compact 16.85 x 16.73 x 18.23-inch design that can, theoretically, hold up to five place settings. It’s a practical option for apartments, dorms, RVs and other spaces where a standard dishwasher may not fit. It can hold dishes up to 10 inches in diameter, which means you could feasibly stuff it full of Thanksgiving dishes and let it clean while you relax.

A built-in 5-liter water tank means it can operate without being connected directly to a water line. You can also connect the dishwasher directly to your tap, allowing it to refill as needed. The dishwasher offers seven washing programs for different loads and cleaning needs, while its glass door and interior LED light let you check on dishes during a cycle. Despite its small footprint, it can handle everyday plates, bowls, cups and utensils. The real trick is learning how to load this little guy. Interestingly, it also has a fruit-washing setting that lets you rinse off your produce.

In terms of usage, the system is dead simple. You load it up, place a pod or soap in the washer, and start it. It’s surprisingly quiet, with only a light susurration noticeable from the kitchen when it’s running.

How does it clean? The first few tries left a bit of a soap smell on the dishes until we dialed in the timing and positioning. Ultimately, you need to rinse your dishes fairly well before putting them in the machine, which could be annoying to folks looking for a fire-and-forget solution. That said, the dishes were as clean or cleaner than they would be out of a larger unit.

Who is this dishwasher for? Well, a single person in a smaller apartment will love this thing. If you measure your counter space before purchasing, you’ll be able to place it in an out-of-the-way spot and route the waste hose into a bucket or drain. You’ll then be able to load a day’s worth of dishes, a breakfast plate, a soup bowl, a few plates, and some cutlery, and you’re golden.

For bigger families, you’ll find that this augments your dishwashing setup but won’t really replace a full-sized dishwasher. I’d say a couple that doesn’t eat much, or a couple with one small child, would be about the maximum number of people able to use this comfortably.

The unit comes in a number of styles including a model for narrow spaces at 14 inches. There’s even a “color screen” model with realistic icons on the front.

The bottom line? The Hermitlux has a funny name but works really well. At $299 on Amazon it’s one of the cheapest countertop dishwashers I’ve seen and the build quality is excellent. While it will never replace a Bosch under-counter monster, it’s absolutely a good choice for folks looking to wash a few dishes a night without digging in dirty sink water.