First there were no hands sensor soap pumps. Now it's a touchless, no-hands-needed paper towel dispenser. The designers say that this design helps save a lot of paper towels in the long run — take a peek and see how it works.
This paper towel dispenser works much like a dispenser in a public restroom: You move your hand in front and the paper towel rolls itself out. The difference here is that you can control how long the paper towel is: If you take your hand away quickly, you get just a short bit of towel. Wave your hand in front of the other side of the dispenser, and the paper towel is cut cleanly and neatly for you. (It takes any standard paper towel roll.)
What do you think of this gadget? It's a bit of a hard sell for us, since it comes with quite a price tag ($139.95 to $159.95). The designers claim that it quickly pays for itself, though, in its more efficient use of paper towels. We do like the sanitary aspect to this; scrambling for a paper towel or the faucet when covered with gunky, food-covered hands always feels a bit gross.
Do either of those factors overcome the gadget-y-ness of this dispenser? Has anyone tried it out?
• More information: CLEANCut Touchless Paper Towel Dispenser
Related: Why Being "Paper Towel Free" Is Overrated
(Image: CLEANCut)
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What a waste of resources... Why not spend that money on reusable tea towels, reserve a roll of paper towels in a dark corner for dog puke, and build up an immune system?
I'd really like to meet the person who thinks this is a good idea.
Ditto to the above comment. Spend the money on reusables and the extra water to wash them.
Agreed. Use a cloth towel. This is absurd.
What a terrible idea. Save a few paper towels by using a plastic, cumbersome, electrically powered device that has to be shipped all the way from China? Pays for itself? How many paper towls can you buy for $150?
Eh. Waste of money & resources.
agree with above brilliant comments. i usually have one roll of paper towels in case of disgusting emergencies and it lasts me 6 months or more.
in my view, this is yet another example of the antibacterial paranoia that's sweeping the continent.
Ridiculous. If the pick-a-size rolls of towel aren't good enough for you and you feel this actually fulfills a "need", you need some real problems to deal with. Even with unlimited funds, I would never use this.
That being said, if it were what I thought it was: a revolving sheet of cloth which is somehow sanitized inside the unit, that would be interesting. Sort of.
@mimee25 - ha! Like those weird, gross towel-on-a-roll things in old public restrooms. But sanitizing inside - now there is a truly interesting idea.
There is no reason why an energy-sucking device that dispenses a resource-destroying, wasteful product is better than a fricking tea towel. Ditto to all above comments.
So silly. I use a stack of white washcloths.
We have a roll of paper towels, but it is reserved for bacon grease (we don't get the newspaper), and anything that comes out of either end of the dog.
ditto to everyone else
i agree with everything. and no one mentioned that it is also an aesthetic fail.
Lazy and even more lazy.
I've been trying to become less and less reliant on paper towels, but just through its very existence this product has made me want to eliminate them from my life forever. So, in that sense, yeah, it's helping conserve paper towels.
Totally agree with the ones that say this is a horrible waste of money and resources. A few dishcloths to wipe up and toss in the washer with the rest of the towels makes much better sense. You wouldn't even notice their addition to the wash loads.
We only buy paper towels to clean up cat barfs, but I'm starting to consider using the more threadbare dishtowels for this purpose since I can just toss those in the washer too... but I'd need to store them elsewhere from the kitchen-dedicated towels just because of the ick factor.
I actually have one in my kitchen and couldn't be happier with it. It's more sanitary than any other paper towel holder on the market. You don't have to touch any part of the roll, only the piece that you dispensed.
The convenience is also amazing. By breaking two beams quickly, you have the EXACT amount of paper towel in your hand without touching anything. The appliance looks great in my kitchen and matches my other appliances perfectly. It also takes any brand/size paper towel roll!
Everyone that uses it literally goes out and buys one. I would suggest this appliance to anyone.
P.S. According to Mythbusters, sponges and dish towels are among the highest contaminated items that are part of our daily life. Therefore, Go Paper Towels!
I actually found it extremely convenient in the kitchen. It's so modern & pretty looking and I was even able to install it myself haha!
Having a plethora of dishclothes in the kitchen is no fun and just adds to my unlimited loads of laundry.
Being able to just grab a little paper towel here and there & not having a whole roll taking up space on my counter has been super nice.
..I think it's a fabulous product & have recommended it to a ton of friends who are also just as satisfied as I am.
I have two young children, and this product has been a lifesaver for me. My kids are constantly spilling stuff and when my hands are either wet, it's really easy to just get as much (or as little) paper towel as I need without actually getting all the other paper towels on the roll wet.
Also, side note... My dog (Rover) has this obsession with grabbing the paper towel off the table and ripping it to shreds-- now he can't do that!
For my home, having this paper towel dispenser has been nothing but a positive experience!
Those last 3 comments have got to be bogus.
I received one of these as a gift, and at first I thought it was absolutely ridiculous. To be perfectly honest with you, I have come to LOVE it. Its one of the most used appliances in my kitchen, and it serves multiple purposes. I also happen to think it is extremely aesthetically pleasing and looks very high tech/fancy in my kitchen.
Another plus---my kids (and husband!) actually like it because they think of it as a cool new gadget. Thus, they clean more often!