Customer Reviews

Zyliss Smart Touch Salad Spinner 4-6 Servings, White

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Once upon a time I purchased a Zyliss salad spinner. It had a mechanism that was operated with twine. A lot like a yo-yo. Exactly like a yo-yo. I was a little skeptical, how long could the twine last anyway? However, I decided the health benefits of salad was worth $25 and purchased it. Eleven and a half years later the twine broke as I forsaw. A forlorn search through craft stores failed to yield strong twine with the correct diameter. Other twines/string snapped after a few uses.

Once again I shopped glumly and found the Zyliss was highly favored among reviewers. but with a twist. I couldn't find the highly reviewed model in stock. The newer model (this one) however was available. It sported a lever with a lock (to keep it out of your way when not in use), a brake (for those who can't wait for that first luscious, juicy, delectable leaf) and a internal mechanism to convert your up-down motion into moisture-removing centrifugal force. Once again, I was highly skeptical. The twine was fine! What is wrong with the modern world anyway? But since I figure the health benefits of salad outweigh $29.98, once again I purchased.

I've had this for three weeks now. It's been in use almost everyday. Usually, it has trouble engaging when you pump the lever. It can take up to 5-6 tries before the spinning starts. Today the cog jammed.

Like all Zyliss products, it looks great.

If this continues, I will return to Amazon. And remove some stars from this review.

But really, I want 29.98 of that awesome twine so I can repair my old salad spinner.

Update - Sept 10, 2008

I've had the spinner for about a month and a half now. Still eating lots of salad almost daily. I dropped the lid of the spinner on my tiled kitchen floor. It's a very heavy lid and a small plastic piece that hold the entire spinner section in place popped out. I was able to fix this with a drop of super glue (non-toxic, of course!).

The clogs haven't jammed since. I have no problems now starting the spinning action. I've figured out the correct rhythm to keep it spinning. It's working great.

Now I don't know what to think. I can't exactly advocate dropping the lid to fix the cranky mechanism.

I guess I'll simply state that, all things considered, the lid is reasonably robust but not indestructible.

Update April 23, 2011

Life has it's ups and downs and this salad spinner has had more than it's share. I dropped the lid *again* on my tiled kitchen floor and the same plastic piece popped out. More glue but the results were not good. This time the cogs clog, it's all back to original state. Should I close my eyes and slam the lid on the floor a few times? Right now, it's a very pretty colander.

Meanwhile, I've realized that laces for sneakers are amazingly tough things and just the right length. For $1.98, I've got enough enough twine to repair my original salad spinner twice.

Having used both the older model with the pull cord and this newer, "improved" model, I believe that the older model is far superior to this one.

It is true that this one moves around less when operating it, but the mechanism is harder to operate: Pulling is simply easier than pushing for most people.

After owning this new model for less than six months, the lever on top snapped in half (I am a woman of average strength, so I wasn't using it too hard). The design made it impossible to fix, so I have just purchased the older model again, which I am relieved is in stock here again.

Avoid this model. (Zyliss is a good company, so I imagine they will not make this substandard product for long anyway.)

We have owned a number of spinners and when this one was new it had great spinning action. Very easy to use with the press down lever. However after about 1 year of usage 3 - 5 times a week the product broke down gradually. The handle first started to loose its ability to go up and down smoothly and would catch at the bottom and not come back up. A piece attatched to the top that would interlock with the inside basket became loose and fell off. Eventually the basket warped and it was diffucult to put the top on to spin the salad.

I would not buy this product. Durability is a real problem.

It's beautifully designed, solid, and nice to use - when it works. Ours has just broken down five months after purchase. Push down and the basket does NOT spin! Don't buy one.

We bought this to replace a 20-year old salad spinner and today, after 3 months use, it broke and can't be repaired. The gears are worn out. They are made of soft plastic and are bent, worn, and misshapen, which makes the whole spin mechanism non-functional. Also, the metal parts have started to rust. Absolutely do not buy this. It looks nice, works nice, but will not last, because the quality is horrible.

This product is great. The up-and-down pump is such an improvement ergonomically over the old crank-style salad spinners. I like the stop function--I don't have to wait for five minutes for it to stop spinning. It takes about 30 seconds to learn to use the locking mechanism. It's quick and easy to get your lettuce done. We've had it for a year with no problems.

I used this spinner for about a month (just long enough to lost the warranty). The strength of the handle dissipated after only a few dozen uses. The cord doesn't catch and the strength of the spin is slow. Very disappointed. Will buy a new one with a longer guarantee and easier to return if needed. Possibly from a department store or Bed Bath beyond.

It's a more expensive item too than some of the tried and true. Even if the design isn't great on other models.

I give this 5 stars, but there are some glitches. I just bought my second because I liked the first one so much. The problem I had with the first is that the handle cracked from me pushing on the very end of it to create the spinning action, rather than distributing the down force more towards the middle where the most support is. I fixed the first one, but making a metal plate to replace the gray inlay. After that it worked perfectly. I'll be adding the plate to the second one to prevent the cracking in the first place while still allowing the most leverage, for the quickest spin. With that being said, I think the crack may be prevented by making sure that the downward force on the handle is always concentrated halfway up the handle rather than at the very end.

The spinning action of this is the best of any of the salad spinners I've tried. I use it twice a day so any spinner that can hold up to that is very good - I've tried many others and they've all had all kind of annoyances associated with them. This is by far the best! With some, the plastic bowl inside the main bowl wobbles and flies around, sometimes even jamming rather than staying centered while spinning. This one had none of those problems.

This salad spinner is super easy to use and drys out your fresh salad with minimal effort. It also fits quite a bit of lettuce if you tear it into smaller pieces. Worth the money spent :)

I've been using this spinner for about a year with no problems. The push lever is still very smooth and I have experienced none of the warping, rusting, or slipping that other reviewers have mentioned. This is a salad spinner that I have never regretted purchasing.