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!
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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.
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19 Comments
a collapsible salad spinner?!?! I’m so putting this on my wish list.
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)
Also, I realize you’ve only had this for a short while, but quality-wise, is it good/well made?
Twitter: kitchengirl
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….
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.
hello,
glad to have found your bloggy blog. It was fun to connect with you yesterday.
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…
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
Twitter: kitchengirl
@klam, I would suggest contacting the company, sounds like your product might be defective!
Twitter: kitchengirl
@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…
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!
Twitter: kitchengirl
David, did you try contacting the company to discuss the product malfunction?
The pullstring on mine just broke today!
I will be contacting the manufacturer.
Twitter: kitchengirl
interesting! How long have you had your spinner? And how many times a week do you think you use it?
The pullstring on mine broke about a week ago. While I was searching for information to contact the company, I ran across this site. Here’s what you should know: After emailing the company two days ago and getting no response, I called the company this morning (800) 426-7101 or 253-850-6111 and spoke to Tiffany. Apparently there were problems with the first batch of lids which were sent to Bed, Bath and Beyond, which is where I purchased my spinner. A new lid is being sent to me.
Twitter: kitchengirl
Thank you for sharing this tip! Great to know there is a solution to the problem.
I loved my Progressive collapsible spinner, however after only 6 months of use the pull cord broke. I thought I would just replace the cord but the top piece is riveted so I cant get at it. Anyone know the company address so I can get a replacement?
The string of the salad spinner broke. Wrote 3 e-mails to Progressiveinterational website over 2 week period. Nobody bothers to reply. Good luck if you buy this because I am NOT buying Progressive products again.
My salad spinner broke too. I’ve only used it about 5-10 times and tonight when I was pulling on the string to make it spin, THE STRING BROKE RIGHT OFF! I’ll be contacting the company to see if they can replace it for me.