Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is a pill crusher, OK? It should crush pills into powder. It does do that. But guess what? The flat side of a metal teaspoon and a porcelain bowl do that as well. I should know! That is how I've been crushing my vitamin pills forever--- for at least a decade. Let me tell you, that method works. Let me also tell you, that method is a freaking hassle! First you have to get the right-sized bowl that's flat enough so the back side of the spoon can press into the bottom of the bowl. Then you press down the back of the spoon onto the middle of the pill. But watch out! The pill can scoot out and shoot across the room. Or, the pill can shatter and just a tiny couple pieces can scoot across the room. Even if it doesn't do that, you then have to re-crush the pieces that are still not powder. Again and again. And again. And again..... and again.... Sore wrist and thumb.... Grrrr!!!! Now, contrast that with the Ezy Crush Pill Crusher with Ergo Grip. The crusher has three pieces. It has a top part with a kind of cylindrical plastic pestle that tapers to a gentle point and is threaded like a screw (top side). The partner side (bottom side) is a reservoir that is the perfect inverse of the pestle, and also has screw threads on the outside. These are made of hard plastic. The outside of the unit has softer plastic grippers that look sort of like the gears inside a clock (see photo). The bottom of the crusher, where the reservoir is, is made of see-through plastic-- so you can see if the pill is actually crushed. Finally, in the top part--- inside the pestle--- there is a place to store extra pills. The third piece of the unit is the cover to this storage space. (The three pieces do fully separate from each other, so I suppose there is a miniscule risk of losing part of the device.) How it works is that you drop the pill into the reservoir. Then you insert the pestle into the bottom section via the screw threads. Then you turn the top and screw it into the bottom part until it's tight. That's it! Unscrew the top and you have powder in the reservoir. The handles have a larger radius than the pestle, so you get larger amount of torque--- you have a bigger moment arm. That means you don't have to exert much force in order to get really tremendous pressure inside the pestle. They are also made of softer, comfortable, grippy plastic. It's therefore very easy to turn for old people (not me) and weak people (not me) and lazy people (me!) (That's the Ergo Grip for you!!!!!) Then you just shake out the powder wherever you need it. Screw it back together for storage. A few small glitches I noticed, though, which you might want to be aware of: First, when the unit arrived it smelled a bit of new plastic. I rinsed the unit with Dawn dishwashing detergent and water, and the smell went away. Second, when you crush the pill, if you crush too tightly, the pill will sort of re-crush and then get stuck onto the pestle. You have to flake off the stuck pill on the pestle back into the reservoir. If you're not careful, you could lose some of it. Third, you might need to re-crush it a second or third time to get it totally into fine powder. I figured out a good method. Crush the pill, loosen the thread a little bit (but don't unscrew it totally), shake it around so the pill powder moves around inside the reservoir. Turn the crank again and re-crush it. Do it two or three times in a row. It takes like less than 30 seconds. Really probably less than that. Maybe 15 seconds. Fourth, a tiny bit of pill powder will remain stuck to the inside of the reservoir. This is so very minor to be almost inconsequential. You can scoop out the tiny bit left with your finger, but it really isn't much at all. Overall, this is a REALLY BIG improvement in technology. It has taken a job that was really a time-consuming hassle for me and turned it into something that can be completed easily, cleanly, painlessly (no more sore wrists!) and perfectly in less than 30 seconds. That a five-star to me! Thanks, Ezy Crush Pill Crusher with Ergo Grip! You're the best!!! *sigh* :)