Customer Reviews

Kamenstein 4536 Perfect Tear Paper Towel Holder, Stainless Steel

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

When this product first arrived, I really loved it. It did everything it claimed to do. I could tear off towels with one hand, and I loved the sound of the racheting mechanism as the spring rod in the center rotated.
After about 3 months, however, the racheting mechanism simply stopped working. The towel rod spun freely, and I could no longer tear off towels with one hand; I'd get 15 towels instead of one. A few days later, and the mechanism had seized completely. Now, what used to be a one-hand operation is difficult even with two hands, because the towel dispenser does not rotate, or rotates only 1/4 turn, and then seizes.
There is no warranty on this product, so if you get a lemon, you'll be making lemonade with your tears as you weep over your paper towel roll dispenser that no longer works.

Edit: I disassembled the paper towel dispenser to determine whether it could be repaired, and this is what I found. The racheting mechanism is made from two plastic parts. The first is a star-shaped center piece with "arms" that extend from the points, and the second is the outer bezel that rotates around the center arm. The outer bezel is visible on the assembled product as the black "knob" at the base of the paper towel rod. In essence, the racheting mechanism is like putting a card into the spokes of your bicycle wheel -- it makes a clicking noise. What I found was that all of the plastic "arms" from the inner star piece had broken off and were lying inside the bezel. So the rod would free-spin until one of the broken pieces happened to jam the bezel, and then it wouldn't spin at all.
I called Kamenstein's customer support number to try to order a replacement star-shaped piece, but so far they have not returned my call.
The internal components of this product are plastic, and function by passing the ridges on the inside of the bezel over the plastic arms of the inner star as you unravel your roll of paper towels. That's the clicking sound you hear. But this presents two unavoidable problems. First, the brittle plastic arms can break, as happened to mine. Second, the ridges on the inside of the bezel will eventually wear out, and the rod will spin freely -- no more clicking sound or racheting motion. This is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of time. The parts will wear out, probably sooner than you'd like to think. I bet there are a lot of 5-star reviews here that will come back and change their minds in six months or so.

Edit: Two weeks later, I finally received a call from Kamenstein. They are not able to supply replacement parts. However, they sent me a completely new unit, and did not ask for the original one back. The new version they sent, though, is very shoddy compared to my original. What used to be a lovely compliment to my kitchen has been transformed into a cheaply made knock-off. The center post is not straight, and the knob on top is crooked to the degree that the towels still cannot spin freely. Extremely disappointing.

I absolutely love this paper towel holder; I have yet to find fault with it. In comparison to other stainless paper towel holders I have owned and subsequently worn out, this one seems to be the best yet. The build quality is superior, and I like the "click-click-click" sound it makes as you pull the paper towel. It also stays clean looking and doesn't show water spots or finger prints as readily as other models. Also, it fits all sizes of paper towel rolls including "Bounty Big Rolls," so no worries there.

Go out and buy the Perfect Tear! You'll love it.

I recently received this paper towel holder and we have been putting it to good use in the kitchen. It is wonderful and great looking. After tossing out our old oak holder that was soggy from water on the kitchen counter, this one is a dream. It is sturdy, classy looking, very functional and well made.

I like how with the One Handed Paper Towel Holder, no one has to argue if the paper towels have to go under or over (you know, since people do that with toilet paper, hehe).

This is a very convenient paper towel holder that works great when placed at the end of the kitchen counter. That way, when you walk into the living room with your dinner plate in your hand, you can simply use the other hand to pull a paper towel for yourself. A good buy.

Another good thing about the One Handed Paper Towel Holder is that, because it's designed to be placed on a table or kitchen counter, it's not attached to anything. So, when you pull a paper towel you don't have to worry about the whole thing popping off and crashing on the floor.

I ordered two of these towel holders, and one works very smooth. I can pull off one to four sheets with one hand very fast and easily. The other isn't near as smooth operating, but if I pull near the bottom by the heavy base I manage most of the time until the roll becomes low. The unit that works smoothly has a little dent in the base from being packed poorly for shipping, and the one that doesn't work so well has a larger dent in it from poor packing also. They arrived on different days packed the same way. A few scant air pillows for shipping protection aren't enough with the heavy bases these units have. They are built very well and worth the money, but I'd think twice before buying one that I couldn't inspect for shipping damage first.

I would suggest this product to anyone. I does exactly what the description of the product says it does. With kids, obviously, grabbing a paper towel while in a hurry without worrying about pulling off the whole roll is fantastic. It is solid, will not fall over, and it matches just about any decor. Great Product!

After a few months the ratchet action stopped. I took it apart and the ratchet action was created by flimsy plastic parts which simply broke off!

Looks good, but poor quality!

I, too, really like the design and concept of the Kamenstein Paper Towel Holder. Unfortunately, after about a year the ratchet has stopped working - an all too common problem it seems. At least my Towel Holder has not jammed, but it now takes two hands to dispense the towels. There does not appear to be any way to disassemble my unit. It seems to be riveted together.Also, I find it very frustrating that I've been unable to find any manufacturer contact information. I wouldn't buy this item again since it would most likely fail in a year or less.

This is a great product, probably best I've used so far. The stainless steel is nice looking and decent quality, and the click-click turning mechanism works well and is kind of fun. I haven't had any problems with it, and it fits all the towels (Scott big roll) I use without having to screw off the top part (towel fits right in from top). Highly recommend...

I can't believe I'm writing a review for something as mundane as a paper towel holder but I absolutely recommend this. It's heavy enough that you can operate it with only one hand and the way the center spool works, it really does give you a perfect tear every time. This product was brilliantly designed.