OXO Garlic Press Good Grips

For some reason these leave me a little unimpressed. They are surprisingly heavy with very chunky handles but they dont perform any different to any other press really. They arent particularly easy to operate, nor do they do a particularly good job crushing the garlic, they are just OK. The build quality is good but when all said and done they are Zinc which isnt a particularly strong metal. There is nothing radical or new here. I thought the force needed to operate them would be too much for the very people who want better grip, but there you are. They crush the garlic but leave a lot stuck behind in the jaws. In fact MOST stuck behind in the jaws. They also didnt work well with unpeeled garlic, and worse the garlic left behind is then mixed with the ... MoreFor some reason these leave me a little unimpressed. They are surprisingly heavy with very chunky handles but they dont perform any different to any other press really. They arent particularly easy to operate, nor do they do a particularly good job crushing the garlic, they are just OK. The build quality is good but when all said and done they are Zinc which isnt a particularly strong metal. There is nothing radical or new here. I thought the force needed to operate them would be too much for the very people who want better grip, but there you are. They crush the garlic but leave a lot stuck behind in the jaws. In fact MOST stuck behind in the jaws. They also didnt work well with unpeeled garlic, and worse the garlic left behind is then mixed with the skin.....meaning really you might as well peel the garlic yourself and just crush it using the flat blade of a knife and save yourself some money here. I guess if you have to buy a crusher then this is good quality, but I have to say I wonder why you would want a crusher at all. I came away from this thinking that I have bought a tool here that I am unlikely to actually use.

A Let Down

I bought this garlic press to replace an old (different brand) one, that had unfortunately fell to ruin when inadvertently snuck into the dishwasher. I was excited about the attached cleaning tool for the holes, thinking this would make emptying the hopper easier for me, and I was definitely impressed with the weight and comfort of the handles compared to my old model.That said, what I discovered very quickly after beginning to use this, is there is *a lot* of wasted garlic. There is a gap between the press piece and the interior of the hopper which results in a good portion of garlic being left behind in the paper every time. The contrast on output from my old model was notable right away. Moreover, the red cleaning tool component adds no real value in my ... MoreI bought this garlic press to replace an old (different brand) one, that had unfortunately fell to ruin when inadvertently snuck into the dishwasher. I was excited about the attached cleaning tool for the holes, thinking this would make emptying the hopper easier for me, and I was definitely impressed with the weight and comfort of the handles compared to my old model.That said, what I discovered very quickly after beginning to use this, is there is *a lot* of wasted garlic. There is a gap between the press piece and the interior of the hopper which results in a good portion of garlic being left behind in the paper every time. The contrast on output from my old model was notable right away. Moreover, the red cleaning tool component adds no real value in my opinion. It ostensibly makes sure the holes are clear, but it doesn't push through far enough to eject anything; I still need to dig my fingers (or knife) into the hopper every time to pick out the pieces of garlic and paper every time. On the whole, using this feels like a waste of time, and certainly was a waste of money.

Best garlic press I’ve owned

This is a great product. Compared to the other garlic presses I’ve owned it is definitely the easiest to clean. The red cleaning part pushes most of the garlic skin out of the bucket so it doesn’t get stuck in the holes. Besides the cleaning, the actual crush/ press works really well and seems be much easier to press (although this could depend on the garlic). Highly recommend.

Clunky

I got this to replace a press I absolutely hated, and several months later, I find myself reaching for the old press before this one. It’s heavy, as other reviews have said, but the biggest design flaw is that it’s nearly impossible to hold open one-handed, at least if you have smaller hands. The top piece swings all the way around when open, so if you press one clove and want to put a second clove into the press, you have to either awkwardly rest the top piece on something else or come back and open it with the same hand adding the garlic clove. If you just lift the top back and let go, the red piece swings all the way around and mashes into your newly pressed garlic.It also isn’t very efficient, leaving a thick slice of squashed clove. If I gather what’s left ... MoreI got this to replace a press I absolutely hated, and several months later, I find myself reaching for the old press before this one. It’s heavy, as other reviews have said, but the biggest design flaw is that it’s nearly impossible to hold open one-handed, at least if you have smaller hands. The top piece swings all the way around when open, so if you press one clove and want to put a second clove into the press, you have to either awkwardly rest the top piece on something else or come back and open it with the same hand adding the garlic clove. If you just lift the top back and let go, the red piece swings all the way around and mashes into your newly pressed garlic.It also isn’t very efficient, leaving a thick slice of squashed clove. If I gather what’s left after squeezing and fold it up at the bottom of the press I often get more garlic than I got from the first press.

Good but not perfect design - better than anything else

The bit for crushing the garlic is beautifully engineered and sleek and works really well. I love the attachment that allows one to clean the grill well by pressing the garlic remains back out.BUT although the handles are chunky and easy to grip they are no longer than average so one gets no greater leverage with this product than with any other. I had lost my arm and grip strength and needed that help - this product did not give that help - therefore an imperfect design.

Good quality

I've owned several garlic presses over the years and have found the heavy duty metal ones to be the most effective and strongest. The cheaper ones soon break under the pressure, as I like to press several cloves at the same time to save time when preparing food. This press is excellent and definitely heavy duty, as it's quite heavy, and the packaging actually states that it's capable of pressing several cloves at one time. I've used it for a couple of months and it has lived up to its advertised promises and my expectations. It is more expensive than other presses but if you want an effective and strong press I can't recommend this more strongly.

Handles fell apart, so its quite painful to use - but it still crushes garlic

The garlic crushing part works just fine. Unfortunately a year or so in, the handles started retaining, and then dripping water all over whatever I was cooking. Later on, the 'soft parts' and then the metal underlayer, both came completely off. I'm still using using it, as it still crushes garlic just fine. But the jagged metal handle insides that were never meant to be seen by anyone, are hurting my hands as I squish the garlic. For a fairly expensive product, I expected better. And, as these things are not cheap, I don't feel like I can simply replace it while it still crushes garlic. Therefore I'm forced to live with this disappointment. It is possible that they improved the design with the new model. However, if I were going to spend money on a garlic press ... MoreThe garlic crushing part works just fine. Unfortunately a year or so in, the handles started retaining, and then dripping water all over whatever I was cooking. Later on, the 'soft parts' and then the metal underlayer, both came completely off. I'm still using using it, as it still crushes garlic just fine. But the jagged metal handle insides that were never meant to be seen by anyone, are hurting my hands as I squish the garlic. For a fairly expensive product, I expected better. And, as these things are not cheap, I don't feel like I can simply replace it while it still crushes garlic. Therefore I'm forced to live with this disappointment. It is possible that they improved the design with the new model. However, if I were going to spend money on a garlic press again I wouldn't risk it. I would find something that is a solid one-piece, with no chance of anything ungluing, made of stainless steel.

OXO ® Garlic Press a keeper!

The OXO Garlic Press may possibly be the last Garlic press I ever own. The Zinc cast construction is simple and solid with a ~5mm hinge pin and a toothed cleaner built into the back. The steel mesh through which the garlic is pressed is also quite thick (~3.5 mm). The broad rubberized handle provides an excellent grip and the angle allows for a lot of torque. For those with a weaker grip, you might want to select a garlic press with a configuration that provides more leverage. But for me the OXO is a keeper.

Superb product

All OXO products I have bought - and I have a number - have been outstanding: sturdily built; aesthetically pleasing, simple, functional design; strong enough to withstand daily use, and all the usual wear and tear typical of a busy kitchen. The garlic crusher is no exception. Satisfyingly ‘chunky’. Does the job without complaint. Easy to clean. Feels as though it will last for years.

Works pretty well, does leave a flattened clove

This is one heavy duty garlic press. I'm a bit on the fence about whether this approach is truly superior to pounding the garlic with a meat tenderizer or similar hammer type tool. It's easy enough to crush garlic on a cutting board, then cut it up with a knife. The press is handy, though, if you have a lot of cloves to process.It is large enough to accommodate 2-3 small to medium size garlic cloves at a time. It pushes some of the garlic through the grating, and then I find I need to use a flat edge (e.g. a butter knife) to scrape it into the food.It leaves a flattened garlic clove against the inner side of the grate that does not seem to get pushed through. A sort of skin. It's not the end of the world; the skin is easily pried up using a butter knife (or ... MoreThis is one heavy duty garlic press. I'm a bit on the fence about whether this approach is truly superior to pounding the garlic with a meat tenderizer or similar hammer type tool. It's easy enough to crush garlic on a cutting board, then cut it up with a knife. The press is handy, though, if you have a lot of cloves to process.It is large enough to accommodate 2-3 small to medium size garlic cloves at a time. It pushes some of the garlic through the grating, and then I find I need to use a flat edge (e.g. a butter knife) to scrape it into the food.It leaves a flattened garlic clove against the inner side of the grate that does not seem to get pushed through. A sort of skin. It's not the end of the world; the skin is easily pried up using a butter knife (or fingernails) and either used in food, or tossed in the compost.But I wonder if there isn't a better way to fragment garlic that doesn't leave so much material. By the way, I did try crushing garlic without first removing the paper skin, and it seemed to work pretty well.It's a handy little tool, easy to hold, and so far the hinge has held (after a month of use). We'll see if that holds true long term but even if the hinge breaks, it would be easy to insert a small rod or screw as a substitute.A decent tool and worthy replacement to my 25-year-old little garlic press!