57010 Select-A-Spice Auto-Measure Carousel Professional Series, Satin

--Review Updated--- ! See new information at the end of the review !! >-----BEGIN ORIGINAL REVIEW June 26, 2013-----> So I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered this thing. I mean, if it worked as advertised it would be a great addition to my kitchen, but if the reviews I had been reading turned out to be true, then I was sure to be disappointed. Negative reviews included that they leak, and are cheaply made. So I just got mine, and so far I haven't had much problem. Of course I will be updating this review because I am not so sure about some points, but overall I am pleasantly surprised. First of all I will address the filling of these spice containers (as this is the first thing one does after washing them out and letting them dry. Filling them was not super easy at first. If you are like me, you have all sorts of bottles and jars of spice of all sizes and shapes. Some tins even. Some can spill right in, but that is rarely the case. I tried a funnel at first, but because of the way the funnel sits in the top (not straight), that was more trouble than it was worth. I was thinking that I could try a larger funnel, but that just made the problem worse. The solution for me was to cut a strip of paper (I used heavy bristol sketch paper) an a shape that is narrower on one end and wider on the other end. Folding this in half I ended up with a perfect little spice chute that made the containers a breeze to fill up with no spillage. One thing to note is that the container might seem full, but there is a lip twords the back of the spice container near the top that prevents it from being filled up all the way at first. Give the container a good shake with the lid sealed to let it settle then top it the rest of the way off. Next lets talk about the construction quality. This set was not exactly what I would consider expensive. At the same time it is fair to expect a product to live up to the basic requirements of the description no matter the price. I think this does that (so far). None of the containers are leaking, nor do any of them seem either mis-aligned or not sealed properly. I get a satisfying "click" when I replace the top. I have not been juggling with them or anything so I cannot speak to hard use yet, but so far they seem pretty adequate. I do not have a mess by or near my spice rack. They do not feel like they are made of solid gold, but I think they feel equal to their price, and so far they live up to the advertised claims on that front. And then the "Patented Dispenser Dial" Thingy. This is where I deducted one star. This might be a case of me not completely understanding the mechanics of the dispensing technique yet, but I feel like more than a quarter TSP is being dispensed per click. I have no actual scientific measurements to back this up, and I could be wrong. Also, there is a "door" thing below each dispenser that keeps the door shut between servings. This door prevents leaks and also completes the seal for storage. It makes sense, but there are a couple of issues with this current design. One is that if the dial is turned while this door is closed, spice will back-up. Meaning that if you open the door in this case, spice will come out regardless of if you are ready for it. NBD, but not something I expected. Also the door prevents one-handed operation as you have to hold the dispenser and open the door with your other hand to get it rolling. This is no big deal. If the item is indeed dispensing the correct quantity per "click" of the wheel, none of things are of issue to me. Personally, I am not sure there is a way to improve this that I can think of. Included Labels The labels that are supplied with the device are, well, stupid. They are in some space-age font that looks like it came from a free font site. I do graphics, so maybe this is a thing no one else will mind, but the labels to me look like subway signs from the year 2100. Like they are trying way too hard to be futuristic. Also, if you have some offbeat spice names or custom blends, these labels wont cut it. I got a Dymo Letratag Plus Personal Label Maker, LT-100T DYMO Letratag Plus Personal Label Maker, LT-100T (1733013) with it so I could add my own labels with my own custom names. There are some blank labels included, so you could just get away with a sharpie, but these things look cool, and my handwriting and a sharpie would not really sit well on the design front I think. Overall: Although these dispensers are not perfect in every way, overall I think they are more than satisfactory, and an attractive and functional solution for spice storage and use. And besides the labels, they look pretty cool. >----- END REVIEW June 26, 2013 -----> >----- START UPDATES July 21, 2013 -----> Link added to Dymo Letratag Plus Personal Label Maker, LT-100T DYMO Letratag Plus Personal Label Maker, LT-100T (1733013) About the dispenser knob and 1/4 Teaspoon per click: I have tested if the device actually dispensed the advertised amount of 1/4 Tsp per click of the knob. I have found that it does for the most-part. If dealing with a powder/fine spice these spice jars do dispense 1/4 teaspoon as log as the dispenser is held upright. If held at a strange angle or more than 35 degrees it might not despence the full amount IF the jar is not completely full. In instances where dealing with bulky spices (say whole cloves) the measurement is about as accurate as measuring spoons. Not very I guess. It would be like measuring a spoon full of twigs if you can imagine that. About Construction: As I mentioned in before my edits, these bottles are not more durable than the price suggests. I still hold to this statement for the most-part, with a small deviation. The price would lead one to believe that these things must be pretty crappy. I am happy to report that they are not. They still do not feel like they are made from stainless steel, but they are quite sturdy and dependable. They are solid. I will add that the durability does not lie in the material as much as the overall design of the product. They are designed quite cleverly, and because of the thought that went into the design, we find that these devices snap snugly, do not leak (zero leaks out of 12 with heavy use over one month), and have a bottom "hatch" that secures the dispensing area after use. I still feel that these items are worth the small price. As a matter of fact, I tend to think that I got a really good deal. If a very similar item was found in a local housewares store, I am almost positive that the price would be well beyond what I paid here on Amazon. They are really that good. End Result: I am upgrading my review from four stars to five. I am that pleased with them.

I cook from scratch and have so many spices. It holds alot and you can do a 1/4 teaspoon, shake or use a tablespoon easily to get the spice out. It also keeps me from walking back and forth getting and putting up spices. I will be ordering another one for the rest of my spices and they are stackable. Love it.

I really wasn't expecting much for the price and looking at the positive and negative review I though I had an idea of what the problems were. I was really surprised by the build quality and the ease of setting it up. Took all of 20 minutes to install and fill all the spice containers. A few of the reviews talk about problems sealing and the auto measure being more than it is supposed to be. So let's talk about the seal. I had one container that I didn't need right off the bat so I decided to fill it with water and see how airtight the seal is. It would not leak water out of the top lids at all and the auto measure on the bottom didn't really leak,but did once you opened the lid. I am not saying it is as airtight as a jar, but it is not bad at all. Now once you have used them you do have to be careful about spices getting in the lid hinge for the shaker, not so much for using the lid for measuring spoons. While some might complain about this, this is not a shaker jar where you can crush past any spices that get in the threading with the lid, if you let too much get in the hinge it can effect the seal. A simple way to get past this I keep a small basting brush handy and just give it a little sweep after I am done. One nice feature over a regular shaker is the wider lines do not clog as bad as a normal shaker when you are working with steamy foods. For the auto measure dial I have tested it with a couple of different spices. The powders do tend to measure a little heavy, but that is easily avoidable by quickly turning the dial one full rotation as soon as you fill it. That way you prefill the individual slots without the top slot sitting with the powdered spices cramming it full. For dried spices I like to give it a couple of taps, then use the top slot to measure from. If not they can be a little light in the measurement. Neither is that big an issue because if you only cook to specific measurements and never taste your not really cooking in the first place. One of two things would have made this a 5 star review if the price was just slightly less expensive even though it is a deal at $20 I think $15 would making it a huge bang for the buck, the last is while it is a nice design, if it were easier to clean between fills. As it is it is easier to use it for specific spices each time because cleaning the auto measure can be a hassle. So an enthusiastic 4 of 5 stars.

I bought the first one just before Xmas... While not the sturdiest of "forever-lasting" material, I don't anticipate that these will 'break' or shatter any time, soon. I've found that most products today are only about as good as the manner in which they are treated. The racks are VERY light (lightweight materials) which makes them ideal for installing up under the cupboard, to save counter space. Installation took all of about a minute and a half, and operates beautifully (BEAUTIFULLY!). The rotation is exceptionally smooth, and the individual holders are designed in such a way as to make removal and replacement of the selected spice very simple, and not at all cumbersome. We loved ours so much that we went back and purchased a second. To anyone that knows how to take care of their useful items and is willing to take the day or so getting used to something a little different, I HIGHLY recommend this little gem. If you are the type of person that requires immediate gratification with next to no effort on your part, don't bother. You will only end up writing a negative review to cover your own feelings of inadequacy and mask your ineptitude... I've read a great deal of complaints that the spices "clump" in these. I hate to say it, but that will happen in ANY container (even air-tight containers) if they are left to sit for any length of time. I've had both onion and garlic granules turn to "bricks," living in Central Texas. Thirty seconds in the Bullet took care of that, and sealing some rice grains in a teabag within the container can alleviate some of that, as well. Moisture will enter ANY container, once it's opened, and making sure that the container is snapped closed (completely) can insure a longer life. If your spices sit in ANY container long enough to clump, perhaps consider removing it from long-term storage in smaller amounts. People should top expecting inanimate objects to remove the slightest of inconveniences from all of our lives. Overall, this is one of the best convenience-oriented purchases we have found, for our kitchen.

My immediate impression was "cheaply made but convenient". I bought this because I don't have the space for a spice drawer or cabinet, and thought this would be a solution. Then I took it out of the box. I started by figuring out how to mount it under my cabinet (very simple, 3 screws), the super cheap plastic felt like it was going to break when I was putting the handle on, and the prospect of removing it made me think twice about if I wanted to actually mount it. Ends up I didn't get that far. I filled one of the containers with basil leaves, lids and dispenser feel terrible, but are usable and might break in, but it doesn't matter because you definitely wont be using it long enough. Next, I tried Ginger, same feelings towards that container, but whatever, it'll break in, right? (No) The last one I tried (this would be 3 out of 12) was garlic. As the container was half full the cheap plastic cover popped off and the viewing window, which isn't glued, but instead held on by 4 pegs that someone thought were rivets, popped off spilling most of the garlic into my sink. Whatever, maybe a little superglue? No. I decided to check the one I put ginger in first, only to find that the ginger was leaking out from that viewing window AND the dispenser wheel. Checking the rest of the containers I found a second one which the front and window popped off just by picking it up. 4 stars for the idea, 0 stars for design, fabrication, material and negative stars for quality control. But hey, at least my kitchen will smell like garlic powder and ginger for a few days.

I ordered two of these racks as a Christmas present. Great in theory. But, the implementation needs some work. First, on rack #1 there were 5 containers with extremely loose dispensing screws at the bottom that required some tightening before use; which is no big deal. Then, the stainless ring at the top had come loose during transport, due to a very cheap glue. Also, the handle on this one was broken off, forcing it to be the bottom rack. Next, rack #2 had 2 loose dispensing screws. It also had a top ring that had come off due to the glue. I ended up super gluing this one so it could be used at the top. There was also a container in this rack that did not come with the stainless facing or the front "glass".This means I have an all-black, unusable container. I do not know how to report this, as there does not seem to be an option, except returning the entire product. Third, I am an Amazon Prime Student member and paid to have these items One-Day Shipped on Dec. 19. I received the shipping notice with a "guaranteed" delivery date of the next day. But I did not receive these the next day (Fri. Dec. 20). They arrived the following Monday (23). I left this information in the product feedback, but still have not been contacted by anyone. In conclusion, the product actually works great, if you're willing to fix some quality control issues from the company. This should be a 2 star review, but due to the execution of the product and the smiling face from my Mother on Christmas morning. It earns 3/5.

works good for the family

I purchased 2 of these, one black, one white. They will be a great addition to my kitchen for both convience and space-saving. I read other reviews and do not believe in my case the fact that the individual spice boxes are not air tight will be a concern. I use the spices frequently so I do not feel that there will be a problem with the spices clumping. The labels are a little small but that is more my eyesite. I have a way to make my own. The ability to measure spices is very helpful. I feel these will be a very helpful addition to my counter. Considering another for baking spices. I would purchase again.