Tuesday 29 October 2002

Dishmatique Flex

In acknowledgment of AKMA’s snazzy new domain name and in appreciation for his exegesis of the phrase “hallowed be thy name”—both in my comments and on his own blog—I thought I should review the Dishmatique Flex, first reported by Allan Moult a couple of weeks ago.

Imagine my surprise to discover in the dishwashing implement area of the Woolworths Metro store adjacent to Town Hall Station not just the expected Dishmatique Flex PowerPad but an additional device: the Dishmatique Flex Brush.

Dishmatique Flex dishwashing system

While both devices feature the classic hollow detergent-dispensing handle that epitomizes the Dishmatique approach to dishwashing excellence, the handles on the new models have been greatly improved ergonomically: broader and slightly flatter, the Flex handles sit more comfortably in one’s hand, offering a more comfortable grip.

Initially I was dubious about whether the silver non-scratch PowerPad could replace both the Non-Scratch White and Heavy Duty Green pads available for the previous model. But the PowerPad turned out to be tough enough for cast-iron cookware and gentle enough for the Teflon-coated bowl of my rice cooker. The Dishmatique Brush is perfect for cleaning the stainless steel strainer in my Panasonic Juice Extractor. Since the Flex devices use a different style of attachment, the old pads have been obsoleted. Such is the price of progress.

My only quibble is that the screw cap at the end of the handle has been replaced by a flexible rubber cap which forms part of the rubberized handgrip. While there is no longer any risk of losing the screw cap, I am concerned that the rubber may not stand up to years of heavy use.

Putting aside that minor reservation, I’m happy to report that with the Dishmatique Flex system, Easy-Do have taken a superb product and transformed it into an outstanding one. I confidently await their assault on the American market.

[I can’t resist the temptation to explain that, although I’ve been using Photoshop since version 1.0, it took me until today to figure out how to deep-etch the Dishmatique photos by using the pen tool and converting the path to a selection instead of laboriously selecting pixels with the lasso and magic wand tools. What a breakthrough!]

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Comments

Wonder what we'll get on eBay for the old pads?

Thanks for the heads up on the Flex Brush. I'll be hunting for one tomorrow ;-)

Posted by: Allan Moult on 29 October 2002 at 06:43 PM

"..it took me until today to figure out how to deep-etch the Dishmatique photos by using the pen tool and converting the path to a selection instead of laboriously selecting pixels with the lasso and magic wand tools."
It's frightening that Im an MCSE and web developer and have NO IDEA what you're talking about. Now I know how users feel.

Posted by: jim on 30 October 2002 at 01:52 PM

Allan, I await your roadtest of the Dishmatique Brush.

Jim, it's never bad to walk a few steps in the users shoes. You can totally baffle me by explaining an arcane Windows networking procedure. In plain (or not so plain) English, the pen tool allows you to accurately draw a complex region around a group of pixels you want to delete. Converting the resulting path (drawn by the pen) to a selection allows you to perform the delete. In the Dishmatique photo, I wanted to remove the shadows cast by the three dimensional objects...

Posted by: Jonathon Delacour on 30 October 2002 at 10:02 PM

Jonathon, is it really that much less bother using the pen tool? I do a lot of selecting in the course of some of my work, and I'm curious about the benefits you describe.

Posted by: AKMA on 31 October 2002 at 04:26 AM

AKMA, once you get the hang of using the pen tool, it's really easy to "draw" an extremely complex selection. You can move and/or manipulate the anchor points to have the path fit closely. Then, you use the Make Selection command (available on the Paths palette) to convert the path to a selection.

But wait! There's another method: the Magnetic Pen tool, which creates a path automatically when you move the cursor along an area of high contrast. You can then reshape the path as above. If you do a lot of selecting, you should give each of these a try.

Posted by: Jonathon Delacour on 31 October 2002 at 10:08 AM

This discussion is now closed. My thanks to everyone who contributed.

© Copyright 2002-2003 Jonathon Delacour