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- Verified Buyer
It was in a box unwrapped with other stuff I ordered. It was pretty dirty honestly, at least not really the kind of presentation value you come to expect with a new product from a trusted brand. As I considered returning it, I took a step back and wondered. What were my expectations, truly? I clicked a button and it showed up on my doorstep 2 days later. My spatula was dirty and I was able to clean it easily. What are my values? Somewhere between not being petty over a spatula and succumbing to Daddy Bezos’s empire? What if you, reader, read this review and order one for yourself. What if it’s dirty? Will it defeat you, ruin your day? What is important to us? 4 stars.When a heat resistant spatula is not needed, this is the best one out there. It’s sturdy enough to use when making bread, flexible enough to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl and the little raised area keeps it up off the countertop when not in use.I have several of these. They work much better than the silicone ones. As far as I can tell, they are pretty sturdy. I don’t know if they are resistant to extremely high heat, but I use them for stirring things in my frying pan and haven’t had any problems. And you can’t beat the price!Nice and flexible. Catches everything on the rims of bowls and pans.Seems to be made well.The handle was much shorter than my other spatulas. Too short for my need.I got really tired of having to remover the blade from the handles of my spatulas/scrappers to remove the crud that builds up in them. I do not remember this happening with the spatulas of years gone by. But it seems to be an issue with spatulas of today -- the cheap ones, the expensive ones, the ones with wooden handles and the ones with handles of metal and plastic. Not sure why this happens, but it is maddening.So this single piece spatula does away with that problem. No seams or joins to trap butter, batter or frosting. Pop it in the dishwasher, and you're good to go again. And the handle design, which slightly elevates the blade from the counter top, is an unexpected plus. No setting the spatula down for "just a second", only to find when you pick it back up it has picked up errant sprinkles from the counter -- or that it has deposited a smear of frosting on your formica, tile or granite.But, oh that sticker! I ignored other reviewers who complained about the sticker. How hard could it be to get a sticker off? I thought they just weren't trying.In truth the sticker is fairly easy to get off. But the glue that affixed it? Forget it. It will not budge for soap, Goo-Gone, steel wool....you name it. Rubbermaid must have bought this stuff at a NASA surplus sale. That little strip of glue residue remains, an irritating reminder of Rubbermaid's inconsiderateness. So I took it down a star for that -- and am sorely tempted to take it down four stars. But in truth this is a serviceable spatula; easy to clean, with a semi-flexible blade and a study handle. The off-white color is a little grim, but a quick trip through the dishwasher and it's returned to its original industrial look -- it doesn't get greyer of dingier over timeA lot of potential purchasers have asked if this is made of rubber or silicone. The answer is no --- if what you mean by "rubber" is natural rubber from a rubber tree. Nor is it silicone, which is heat resistant and known for its hypoallergenic nature. The blade is made from Thermoplastic Rubber, TPR, a synthetic material which has both the characteristics of rubber and plastic. TPR is a relatively new class of polymer. It has the solubility and thermoplasticity of polystyrene, while at ambient temperatures it has the toughness and resilience of vulcanized natural rubber or polybutadiene. It is not stiff, but is moderately flexible. You will not be able to snap it in half with your hand, which has been my experience with "stiff plastic junk". But like stiff plastic junk, and unlike silicone, you can't use it for hot temperature cooking, like melting sugar or making gravy. When exposed to heat, it will start to deform/melt. The handle, according to Rubbermaid, is made of polypropylene plastic. Polypropylene is a low cost, chemical resistant plastic which is why I assume Rubbermaid uses it for the handle. However the join of handle to blade appears seamless; you will not notice it.I wish Rubbermaid made this in colors -- it would seem easy enough to add color to the plastic handle. But Rubbermaid has to do something about the glue. The glue cheapens a product which, while inexpensive, is a good buy.It can stain. Rather surprised me when it did. Haven't used with heat so cannot comment on that. As much as it is a single unit it still has grooves and other odd places material can catch during use. I'd buy it again, but am also looking at other options.I like it
