A few weeks ago, I decided it was time to replace my old salad spinner with something new. The old one was great – 15+ years old and still going strong. No cracks in the bowl, dry lettuce the norm, all good. But, it was feeling a little gunky and had some cracks around the lid. My intention was to replace with exactly the same brand. Off I went to Bed Bath and Beyond with my 20% coupon to buy a new one.
However, when I arrived and looked at the possibilities, I realized I had a new criteria in mind. I needed the salad spinner to dry my greens, but I also needed something easy to store. My old salad spinner was large and bulky, and frankly, a pain to put away.
Fortunately, Progressive International offers a salad spinner almost specifically designed for me!
The feature I love the most on the Collapsible Salad Spinner is the collapsible part. It shrinks down to 50% its original size, which makes storage a breeze. I can now put it inside a big pot, or on top of the waffle iron, and get the cabinet doors closed.
It uses a retracting cord pull, with an integrated brake button to stop the spinning, which allows nice control. Mostly, I am drying lettuce, so I crank it as fast as I can. However, when I want to dry greens for cooking, a little water left on the greens is helpful for steaming, so I don’t pull quite as fast.
The basket is quite big, and holds lots of lettuce and greens. I have also used it as a colander, to wash greens and lettuces before spinning.
A couple downsides – even though the lid is clear, water can still get in between the plastic and is a little difficult to drain. And, at $29.95, it is one of the more expensive salad spinners on the market.
Overall, a well-made product good for space-conscious consumers.
December 1st, 2009 at 9:21 pm
a collapsible salad spinner?!?! I’m so putting this on my wish list.
December 2nd, 2009 at 2:17 am
I am considering buying this as a gift but am hesitant at how well it performs as it has almost half as much of the holes around the side where it’s collapsible. If you read this, it would be SO MUCH appreciated if you could send a quick reply just answering whether it drains salad (lettuce, etc) better, as good, not quite as good, or not close to as good.
I’m assuming like many things you’re sacrificing some function for design, does this hold true?
Again, thank you so much!
Nathan.
ca rr ie re.na th anm at gmail dot com (without spaces)
December 2nd, 2009 at 2:21 am
Also, I realize you’ve only had this for a short while, but quality-wise, is it good/well made?
December 2nd, 2009 at 11:10 am
Nathan, overall, I am pleased with the product. Since it has a pull-type mechanism, the faster I pull, the faster the basket spins.
And, I have not noticed any relationship between the amount of holes in the basket and how dry my lettuce is. I don’t think that the lack of holes in the middle of the basket is problematic, I think the water just sinks low or comes up high to the upper holes.
Hope this helps! As for price, I see that Macy’s is having a Friends and Family sale through 12/7, with 25% discounts, and they carry it online. Check around to see if you can find other good deals….
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:25 am
This is great.I was thinking of getting one for my sister, and the collapsible feature for easy storage is the one I like best.
December 4th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
hello,
glad to have found your bloggy blog. It was fun to connect with you yesterday.
January 28th, 2010 at 5:52 am
Well, I’ve had mine for almost 3 months and it is now completely broken. I don’t spin any faster or harder than I should, but the string has broken, and my husband took it apart – but there’s no way to fix it. And unfortunately, I paid over the asking price for this as I didn’t know they were so readily available…
February 2nd, 2010 at 4:26 pm
I recently moved and at the time I was given a Collapsible Salad Spiner as a going away gift. When unpacking the box got thrown away along with the instructions. Having never used this before I have no idea how to operate it can you help or send me instructions I would appreciate it. thank you
February 2nd, 2010 at 7:06 pm
@klam, I would suggest contacting the company, sounds like your product might be defective!
February 2nd, 2010 at 7:12 pm
@ruth, here is a link to the Progressive site which gives details on how to operate the salad spinner. Look at the pictures below the salad spinner, they show how it works. Basically, you put your lettuce/greens in the basket, clean with water, put the basket into the bowl, attach the lid, and pull the cord. Use the little button to stop the spin. And voila, clean and dry greens…
February 16th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
Do NOT buy this product. The string will break after a few months of use and it cannot be replaced. I know…it happened to ours!
February 16th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
David, did you try contacting the company to discuss the product malfunction?