Customer Reviews

simplehuman Dish Racks, Steel Frame, with Bamboo Knife Block

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Given the expense of this dish rack, I wonder how many reviewers are suffering cognitive dissonance to give it a full 5 stars. This dish rack has good features, but some of the downsides haven't been listed here.

a) Worst feature: most of this dish rack is plastic, including the drip tray, the silverware holder, and the bottom portion of the knife holder. The only steel is the outer wall and, of course, the wiring. The plastic drip tray has a very cheap feel to it.

b) Best feature: infinitely configurable. True, the spout can only handle 3 directions (it's not long enough to go to the other end of the dish rack), but since you can flip the plastic tray, you can still orient the dish rack with the cup rack facing outward. The inner rack can also be flipped, and the silverware holder can be placed at either end to suit different kitchen geometries.

c) The bamboo knife rack is an interesting gimmick, but not tall enough to accommodate anything longer than a steak knife.

d) The plastic feet raise the dish rack way off the ground. If you have overhanging cupboards, you probably won't want to use these plastic feet. However, be aware that the dish rack can then move and slide quite easily on the steel wire feet.

Overall rating is 4 stars, because this product is better than average both in looks and in function. However, the product is a little bit overpriced for what you are getting. Don't assume premium construction from the premium price.

When I bought this dish drying rack 2 1/2 years ago I thought it was perfect for my granite, white, and stainless steel kitchen. It looked good and solid, and seemed to make sense functionally. BUT - I quickly discovered that its flipping capability was useless to me, as I immediately found the configuration that suited me best and stuck with it. Next I discovered the knife insert in the utensils rack accommodates small knives only. You are apt to break off the tip of a medium to large sized kitchen knife if you insert it in one of the slots provided. (In their current product description Simplehuman claims to have remedied that problem. You might want to check.) When I went to give the rack a thorough cleaning I found that though it comes apart (a helpful feature), even the 'parts' are unwieldy and hard to fit in either sink or dishwasher (most unhelpful). The little spout underneath (which leaks onto the counter) collects crud and is impossible to get at properly to thoroughly clean. It is by now permanently yuckky. Within six months after purchase the metal rack had started to rust at the weld joints, where I noticed the plastic coating had already begun to peel away. This has continued, and by now the area under the utensil rack in particular is full of rust. Clearly the plastic coating is not up to life in a kitchen, and there is a ventilation problem. I have wearied of the fruitless struggle to keep the rack clean and hygienic, and am now looking for a replacement. I don't mind paying extra for a superior product, but this expensive rack has not outlasted my cheap old rubbermaid model, as I had hoped. I most emphatically do NOT recommend it.

The title pretty much sums up my feelings about the simplehuman steel frame dish rack. As with all (or at least, all of the ones I've used) simplehuman products, you can see that someone actually put some thought into the design. The tines flip up and down so you have flexibility in racking dishes and pots, there's a flap that extends to catch drips from cups in the side holders (which flip back when not in use to minimize space needs), and a drainage system that funnels water back into the sink. It comes with a set of plastic feet to raise the rack should you have a sink with a tall lip. I don't, so I left them off - looks better that way, and should be easier to keep clean.

The best feature for me is the knife holder. There's a bamboo insert that keeps knifes safe and secure while drying. Finally a place to put good knives without the risk of damaging or blunting the blade (or cutting yourself). Excellent!

A minor quibble - the folding racks are a bit stubborn to move sometimes - you have to press them in so they fold down, which can be a bit awkward, especially with wet hands.

This also comes in white, but gray looks better (to my eye) and I hope will be easier to keep clean. While Amazon is an excellent place to buy this, you can also find it at the bed and bath store that has those discount coupons. Depending on sales tax, that can be a bit less expensive.

Yes, it's a lot to spend on a dish rack, but I've never been disappointed when buying good quality products -- spend a bit more now, and not have to replace it for a long while. My other simplehuman dish rack is four years old and still looks and works great -- hoping the same for this.

Length:: 2:30 Mins

Thought it might be helpful for potential buyers to see the dish rack in situ. Very happy with it after 3 days. Plenty of room for dishes, silverware, pans, large plates. Only time will tell whether this rack will succumb to the rust I'm bound & determined to banish, but the coating seems robust, and the design solves lots of other dish rack-related issues you didn't even know you had.

For the first 6 months we loved the Simple Human dishrack. But then it started to rust. It was so good we decided to buy another. It lasted 9 months, but now it too is badly rusted. Given the somewhat high price of $70, we expected the racks to last longer.

Poor quality, very expensive, very difficult to return if you've ordered directly from Simple Human. The bamboo knife block looks nice but if your trying to put anything bigger than a paring knife in there good luck, it's too short. The lower rack is cheaply made and it wont hold very many dishes. The drain director is cool and may be the only worth while feature on the rack. If you order it from Simple Human watch out. They wont accept a return because you think it's over priced and not well made. So much for "satisfaction guaranteed" It will cost nearly $30 to ship it back. You can get a shipping label from them if you exchange it for something else but you have to buy the new item and supposedly will be refunded the exchange item when it ships back, 2 1/2 weeks now and I've seen no refund.

Most dish drainers just leave a puddle beneath them, but this one funnels water directly into the sink by ingenious and thoughtful design features, especially the bottom spout that can be directed to any of the four sides, and the optional feet. The manufacturer provides four of the feet which add about an inch of height to the legs. I installed just two feet, on the side away from the sink, and that makes the slant steep enough for the draining water to truly flow downhill into the sink, exactly what I want it to do. The whole unit is quite adaptable, with lots of features that let you choose how you like to use it. And it's much nicer looking than the usual old dishrack. I also really like that there are 3 roomy holders for silverware, two of which are very handy for drying the canning jar lids that we use often, and which other racks let fall through the cracks. I simply removed the knife rack and use it separately, thus gaining more space for drying. It's a nifty system they've created here.... works very well, looks great, and seems sturdy, though I've only been using it for a week, so can't vouch for longevity yet. I can see that the reviewer who mentioned the difficulty of cleaning it may have a point, as there are a lot of very small apertures for ventilation and drainage and they may tend to get clogged without a weekly thorough brushing out. I figure that's just part of the price to pay for having a highly functional system in a constantly wet environment.

We have this simplehuman rack, as well as [simplehuman Dish Racks, Compact, Plastic (KT1104)] simplehuman Dish Rack, Steel Frame, with Bamboo Knife Block, White (we're not big fans of dishwashers). We bought both as a Rubbermaid replacements because of the 5-year warranty and "stainless steel wire rack" stated in the plastic model description. Turns out, it's just epoxy-coated steel in both units, and after 10 months of use is rusting through. I started the warranty process two days ago for the smaller unit, and these are the only two options I was given for this issue:

"Thank you for your inquiry and we apologize for any difficulties you are experiencing with your dishrack. Unfortuantely, we do not currently have replacement wire plate holder. In order to replace your unit, you'll need to send it to us. Once we receive it, we'll be glad to send you a replacement. If you would like to proceed with this process, please respond directly to this email and a prepaid UPS label will be emailed to you. Another option would be to charge you for a new unit first and use that packaging to return your defective one (note: You must order the unit through us by phone). When we receive the return, we will then issue a refund. Please let me know which option you prefer."

In essence, we don't really stand by our product, but if you put out cash or go without a dishrack for a few weeks, we'll replace it so that you can repeat the process in another 10 months. No thank you.

While the size and look of this rack is nice, it is a bear to clean. It's drain-spout must be unscrewed (no easy task) in order to dredge out the gunk that builds up. The drain board is covered with grooves and ridges that collect dirt and stain. I throughly take apart and clean this thing once a week - and it takes a good ten minutes. Not worth the effort of the money.

This dish rack is not only beautiful but also very functional. My last dish rack was smaller, and I only wash what I can fit and leave half of the dishes in the sink for later washing. But with this Simplehuman dish rack, I can wash a sink-full of dishes and then admire how pretty it all looked inside it!
The version/model of the one I own is white and because of it, you can very easily see the stain on the tray beneath the wire frame, which can be a bit unsightly. According to the instruction manual, everything from the drip tray, utensil holder, and inner wire frame are all dishwasher safe. Unfortunately, I wish they had also made the rack base removable so it could be cleaned easily.

3/1/10'

Does anyone have trouble removing the drip spout? I can see in the back of the drip spout (right below the tray) and it's all black, but I can't seem to unscrew it to remove the spout for cleaning!