Today I’m taking a closer look at a plastic wrap dispenser that was sent to me as a sample for my online store. It’s designed to dispense and cut plastic wrap, wax paper, and foil, while adhering to most flat surfaces.
Where to Purchase
Because I declined to include this in my online store, I don’t have a link to purchase the sample I tested. There appears to be a better designed model on Amazon for about $21 as of July 2022. I have not used that model, so I can’t vouch for it.
Plastic Wrap Dispenser Review
When I first cracked open this plastic wrap dispenser, I immediately remembered an As Seen on TV product called Wraptastic featuring Billy Mays disciple Marc Gill. That item didn’t gain much of a following, presumably because it didn’t work very well. In the years since, a number of similar gadgets have appeared online – including the sample that was sent to me.
The dispenser is meant to work with rolls of plastic wrap, wax paper, and aluminum foil. It features magnets and suction cups on the bottom so it can be used on a counter or the side of a fridge. To use the dispenser, you simply pull the wrap to the desired length and cut it off with a swipe of the included cutter. Although it seems to be a pretty simple and straightforward concept, the entire process is made more difficult with this device.
To load the dispenser, you must pry open the housing – which has a tendency re-close, thus making the clumsy loading process even clumsier. There are two end caps and a tube-like “axle” of that holds it all together. I found that this plastic tube easily slid out of position while holding everything together in my hands. Once you have the tube and end caps in place, you then snap the roll into the unit – if it fits. I found that only about half of the rolls in my kitchen fit into the unit. Some were too wide, yet others were too thick to spin within the chamber.
Once you get a roll in the unit that fits and spins, you then feed the wrap through the top, close the unit, and you’re ready to go. After that, you simply pull the wrap to the desired length and cut it off. In my tests, I found that the suction/magnets were rarely strong enough to keep it in place, and it constantly popped off the counter or fridge. I tried to use a very gentle pulling motion to dispense wrap, which seemed to help a little. Whenever I used a moderate amount of pulling force, however, the unit detached from the surface.
In the end, I was disappointed in this unit because I really wanted to like it. The idea behind this product is great, but the implementation is a failure. I may have to look into other, more popular models online, but I cannot recommend this one.