Strainer, Funnel Set and Drink Stirrers Reviewed: 4 Small Tools

The Juvale strainer is one stainless steel bowl with a handle, and it is wide. The spec line gives 10.4 inches long by 10.3 inches across, with a depth of 4 inches, while the product title rounds the length up to 11. Allow for that gap if you plan to rest it over a particular pot or bowl.

It weighs 6.4 ounces, light enough to hold in one hand over the sink. Juvale says the steel resists rust and that the handle is shaped for a steady grip. The title also calls it dishwasher safe, which is Juvale's care claim, and the page adds no other cleaning rule.

The more useful number is the mesh. The spec line lists openings of 0.05 inches, which is about 1.3 millimeters. Juvale calls the mesh ultra fine and suggests rinsing quinoa, draining rice, straining yogurt, sifting flour and filtering tea or matcha, which is a long list for one mesh size.

Whether 0.05 inches suits all of those jobs is a question the product page leaves open. Measure the smallest grain or seed you rinse and hold it against that figure: if it is smaller than the opening, some of it will fall through. For tea leaves, ground spices or flour we would expect to want a tighter weave, and Juvale states no finer figure.

The buyer evidence is thin in one way and strong in another. Few written reviews were available for this strainer, so buyers' views on the handle, the rim or how the mesh ages are missing. The star breakdown is a clear signal, though: about 82 percent of the 4,238 ratings are five stars, 12 percent are four, and only 1 percent are one star.

That breakdown is good news for the plain jobs, which are rinsing and draining. It says less about the fine jobs the brand also lists, because a happy rice rinser and a disappointed matcha sifter would both vanish inside the same 82 percent.

We would skip it if you cook pasta for a crowd, since a bowl 4 inches deep fills fast and a deeper colander gives you more room. We would also skip it if you strain fine sediment and your particles are smaller than 0.05 inches. For rinsing a cup or two of grain and draining small batches, the size and the steel are a sound match, and the low share of poor ratings backs that up.

Delove sells these funnels as a set of six, from extra small to large, and the range of sizes is the whole point. The spec lines give a wide-end diameter of 5.1 inches and a weight of 0.08 kg for the set. The plastic comes in mixed colors.

Delove describes the plastic as food-grade and BPA free. That is the brand's own claim, and we repeat it as theirs. Delove states no heat limit and no cleaning rule, so we would hand wash them and keep boiling liquids away until you know more.

The design idea is easy to follow. Each funnel has a narrow spout, and Delove says the spouts run from miniature to standard bottle necks. The set nests into one stack, and each funnel has a loop on the side for hanging in a kitchen, garage or utility room, so the stack is easy to store.

The brand lists powders and granules along with liquids, so spice jars and flour canisters are in scope. One reviewer says the set "fits even my tiniest of jars and bottles". Another says all the sizes they needed were in the set, that the funnels fit together and that they are made well.

The complaint comes from a four-star review: the plastic is a bit flimsy, from the tiny funnel to the large one, but fine for the price. That fits a plastic set this light, since a thin funnel can flex when you push it into a snug neck. Three written reviews make a thin record, so treat the pattern as a hint.

The star breakdown is strong. About 83 percent of the 1,895 ratings are five stars and 10 percent are four. Only 3 percent are one or two stars together, and the written reviews we read give no reason for them.

We would skip this set in two cases.

If you fill bottles with hot syrup or hot stock, a metal funnel is the safer choice, since Delove gives no temperature rating. And if you want one sturdy wide funnel for heavy jobs, six thin ones will feel like a compromise. For spice jars and bottles of mixed neck sizes, a nesting set like this earns its drawer space.

The Delove spoons are four pieces of stainless steel, each 7.6 inches long and 0.5 inches wide. The set weighs 0.09 kg. Delove says the steel is 18/8 and that the handle is extra thick, and the title adds a tiny spoon end that doubles as a salt or condiment spoon.

Length matters more than anything else here. Delove says 7.6 inches fits virtually any shorter cup and glass, and a tall glass will swallow a spoon this short.

One buyer in Australia says the spoons are long enough for long glasses, so reviewers disagree a little. Measure your tallest glass before you rely on either view.

Narrowness is the better reason to buy. A US reviewer went looking for narrow stainless spoons and says these are exactly that. The reviewer needed to reach into narrow-mouthed containers, including small canisters of lime powder, and says 7.6 inches reaches into jars without being absurdly long.

Another reviewer, in Australia, uses one for small measures of stevia.

A third buyer bought the longer 10-inch size of the same style and used it to stir honey into cold drinks. The reviewer says honey clumps on a regular spoon and that a skinny whisk scrapes unpleasantly. That is a different size from the 7.6-inch set, so read it as support for the shape, not for the length.

Care is simple on paper. Delove says the spoons are dishwasher safe without harsh detergents, and one reviewer says they are heavy and wash well in the dishwasher. We have no complaint to report about rust or bending, because the written reviews we read are all positive.

That gap deserves a plain note. The star breakdown shows 87 percent five stars and 10 percent four, with only 3 percent at one to three stars across 1,239 ratings. The critical reviews are too few to read, so we can't say what the unhappy buyers dislike.

We would skip these if your glasses or pitchers are taller than 7.6 inches, or if you want a spoon that doubles as a muddler or a bar tool. The spoon end is tiny, so it will not scoop much. For a mug, a jar or a short glass, four reusable steel spoons are a calm, practical buy.

The Mozeat Lens sticks are the odd one out here, because you throw them away. You get 100 wooden sticks in the box with round ends. Mozeat says they are natural birch with a smooth surface and no burrs.

The size figures need a careful look. Mozeat says 6 inches long, and the spec line gives 5.94 by 1.1 by 0.08 inches, so the sticks are a little under 6 inches and thin.

Mozeat does not explain the 1.1-inch figure, so check it against your cups before you count on it. The bundle weighs 4.6 ounces.

Mozeat calls the birch food-grade and safe for hot and cold drinks, and calls the material environmentally friendly and renewable. Those are the brand's claims. Mozeat gives no care rule, which makes sense for sticks made to be used once.

The reviews are short but useful. One buyer used them as the stems for succulent favors at a wedding and says the round end gave good support for a glued card.

The same buyer found the sticks sturdy, and none broke. Another uses them in porcelain mugs instead of spoons and reports no scratches.

Now the limits. Only 17 ratings stand behind these sticks, so each one moves the percentages a lot.

The breakdown shows 80 percent five stars, 7 percent four stars and 13 percent one star, which is about two ratings. No written text came with those low ratings, so we can't say whether they are about breakage, size or shipping.

That shapes our view. The three written reviews are all positive and fit the product, and a pack of plain sticks is not a complicated purchase. But with a record this short, we hold the verdict at conditional instead of a clean recommendation.

We would skip them if you stir a drink every day.

Wood sticks are for guests, offices and crafts, and a steel spoon will pay back more over a year of mornings. Skip them too if you need a stirrer longer than 5.94 inches. For a party, a craft table or a tray of coffee stations, a bulk pack is the right format.