Customer Reviews

Progressive International GPC-5000 Cherry-It Multiple Cherry Pitter

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I really liked the Good Grips Pitter but ended up with a very sore wrist so decided to try this version thinking the 4-up load would be faster and less stressful. First, let me say that the design of this device is effective and while it doesn't feel like the highest quality item I've used, it does a decent job with little effort. It seems a good value for the price.

Overall, it didn't seem any faster than the single fruit pitting operation because you have to carefully load four cherries into their slots and then change your hand position to push down the lid (which rises again via spring with little effort from you), and then change position again to extract the pitted cherries. The good thing about that is you are less likely to get serious muscle fatigue when doing a large batch because you aren't quickly repeating the exact motion over and over like with the single pitting tool. In my case, that repetitious activity, although efficient, aggravated my carpel tunnel.

There is more to clean up with this unit than the single fruit pitter, but it's not bad. Everything rinses clean pretty easily. One note: the locking mechanism locks the spring tray that releases the fruit up and out of the way so the unit will stay closed, but it is not locked closed and with the spring tray locked up those very sharp cutters are exposed, so you need to be careful when handling and cleaning the unit.

In the batch I did, 80% of the pits were removed cleanly on first try (I counted cherries and pits). I laid the cherries in the slots in various positions but didn't notice any difference in effectiveness. The single pitter was a bit more effective. The main difference for me, however, was that with the single fruit pitting operation, I was instantly aware if the pit was out or not (did it fall in the cup?), whereas with this gadget, the only way I could easily tell was to tap the end of the unit after each operation to get all the pits to bunch up at the back of the receptacle so after I'd pitted the next four, I could visually check for four pits. That's the reason it only got 4 stars from me. Who wants to do that? It lengthens the process, but without extra care of some sort, some pits will remain to cause you problems later.

I, personally, haven't come across any cherries small enough to use the four small slots.

The bottom line is that I'll continue to use this device for big batches in order to spare my wrist (and will be very careful to make sure the pits are out), but I actually liked the Good Grips pitter a lot and if I didn't have the wrist problem, I'd just continue using that.

I just used this cherry pitter for the first time this evening - I did a whole bag of cherries in less than 10 minutes while watching television. As the other reviewer stated - it pits four cherries at a time, the tray has 4 small holes and 4 larger holes and all the mess (juice/pit) stays in the tray. Also, of note, I pitted some cherries with the stems on as a test and out of 24 cherries - 20 kept the stem in place and removed the pit - and the other four I was able to put the stem back in place - [...]. Great product.

I tried it for the first time today, and it's OK. I like that it pits up to four cherries at one time, and that you can choose between small or large sizes by flipping the plastic tray around. It makes a hole in a cherry that looks just like a canned pitted black olive hole, with an X shape on one side and a round hole on the other. Now I don't have to deal with juicy mess and the potential for getting cut using a paring knife to pit my seven pounds of cherries!

I really like this pitter. Ok, it may leave a few pits on smaller cherries but with the big ones it is a breeze. That is the only reason for 4 stars. It cleans up in a breeze too. This made my jam making so much easier.

I purchased this pitter to make use of the small pie cherries that grow on my property. I'd never bothered picking them because pitting with a knife left me with nothing usable, and regular cherry pitters were always made for large cherries. This pitter gets a solid two thumbs up for me, for pitting large amounts of pie cherries. The reason I did not rate it 5 stars is that #1. It misses the pit in about 1 in 8 small cherries. This is an acceptable average, though, and removing each cherry with a squeeze identifies which were not wholly pitting. Reason #2. It is somewhat difficult to clean. Any cherry juice that gets stuck to the upper section is all but impossible to remove without soaking and scrubbing with along brush. Washing immediately seems to help. Despite these drawbacks I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this pitter to anyone interested in processing large amounts of cherries quickly. It's very easy on the hands and the work goes quickly. This little gadget turned what has been, in years past, a tree full of bird food into a pantry full of canned cherry preserves and pie filling!

Unrelated, but worth mentioning to cherry growers- I've never been able to keep the birds off my cherry tree when the cherries got ripe, but in the past year we started keeping hens and ducks for eggs. During the day they rest and play under the cherry tree- apparently these big birds moving around underneath has totally scared off the birds who'd be eating my cherries!

Other cherry pitters I looked at only pitted one cherry at a time. This pits 4 cherries and the pits (seeds) are captured below. It worked pretty well. My adult daughter said she did get a cherry that still had the pit in it. So I recommend double checking the cherries before giving to a young child or a special needs person who may not be able to communicate that there is a pit in that cherry.

Keep a paper towel handy because you might get cherry juice on your hands.

Easy to use and pretty effective, but after exactly 3 uses a large portion of "metal" coating from one of the metal pit-extracting units came off in my cherries. Considering that I was using this tool to prep food for my twin 18 month olds, I was less than thrilled. Save your money. Cheap is one thing...dangerously cheap is another.

I used to purchase frozen cherries because they would come pitted. Most of us know that the taste of fresh cherries cannot be beat but who wants to spend hours pitting and cleaning up juice? Pretty much nobody. This pitter will pit four cherries in a couple of seconds.

I haven't had any problems with pits remaining in cherries. I also haven't had problems with juice splattering outside of the device. Typically, the cherries are cleanly pitted. On some occasions, however, the pits along with cherry remnants are removed. These remnants can be problematic as they become lodged in the metal spears that pit the cherries or in the top of the device. The metal spears are sharp so it can be difficult to remove the cherry remnants from them. It is also difficult to remove the cherry pieces that become stuck in the top of the device because a plastic spring loaded piece serves as a barrier. (You can see the plastic spring loaded piece it in the primary product image.) You will have to use a thin cleaning wand to remove stubborn cherry remnants that become lodged in the lid because the spring loaded piece cannot be removed.

I would use caution when pitting cherries around little kids. The process of pitting cherries is pretty cool and could be an attractive activity for a little kid. Just remember that the way the cherries are pitted is with a very sharp spear.

I'm impressed with how quickly I can pit a container of cherries. I can now incorporate fresh cherries in my fruit salads, beverages and ice cream creations. For a family that places an emphasis on fresh foods and efficient preparation, this item is a necessity.

For those with an interest in a product's country of origin, this cherry pitter is made in China.

I love the taste of cherries but rarely got them because they were always such a p.i.t.a. to eat. I saw this and was intrigued, but balked at spending that much for such a specialized item. Eventually, I caved and got it... and ate about three pounds of cherries the next day.

It takes just a few moments to figure out how to use the thing the first time and do a couple of batches to get your rhythm down. During that time, you'll think "ehh, the single shooter might actually be faster." But once you've got the routine down you will be working really quickly : 1) rinse a bunch in a colander; 2) rip out all the stems; then 3) start putting them in 4-up and FLY through them. (Really, that's the way to do it-- don't do "4 stem rips and then 4 pittings, repeat" because that will take a while. Do all the de-stemming, then fly through the rest.)

I am really in love with this thing! Small, stores easily, efficient, foolproof, keeps things CLEAN... WOW!

I saw this item in my grocery store where they were doing demos. I had to have one. It works like a charm. The only downside would be from a quality issue. I doubt this will be very durable for the long haul, but what product manufactured in China is??