As kitchen appliances go, this glorified filter/cleaner combination takes the cake for ostentatious displays of excess, but I mean that in a good way. I had no idea what it was for when I first laid eyes on it, but my second thought after this was that I wouldn’t mind owning one, nonetheless.

That’s the trouble with out tech devices and gadgets, a lot of them are going down the “good design” path, which is not at all bad for the consumer, in the same way that diamonds, while basically pieces of super-hard carbon, is not useless for the fashionable lady. For your edification, said device is officially called the SWV-08AM Megasonic Cleaning Device, and it is used to remove “dirt and agrochemicals” from your crystal kitchenware, from your organic produce, or from your hands after a particularly dusty round of golf in your backyard.

It can’t be more obvious that this product is meant for the wallet’s-too-thick, gotta-get-rid-of-a-wad-of-cash crowd, but at the same time, a lowly peon like me can’t help but drool at its solid stainless steel construction and looks, the turntable-style “stylus” faucet, and the suave technology behind the megasonic (ultrasonic?) wave inducer that cleans by causing “micro cavitations” that shakes the impurities from the object being cleaned. The integrated “P-sediment” filter adds utility to this decidedly stylish appliance.

                                             A diagram of the cleaning process.

Two large buttons lets you choose between “soft “and “hard” settings for the water pressure, and everything except the faucet itself is swathed in sleek brushed-aluminum look stainless steel – the faucet is (what else?) chromed. Adding the blue accents around the large buttons and the power button completes the illusion of a high-tech audio or computer peripheral device, never mind it’s usually found perched on top of your kitchen sink near the veggies and the frying pans.

                                              A cheap, and wholly unattractive alternative.

No prices have been given yet, but considering its uhhmm, less than utilitarian nature, I wouldn’t be surprised with a high, 4-digit number. Who would have thought cleaning appliances could turn into objects of geeky desire?