Better Chef 23-Inch Chrome Dish Rack D970-DR-22

out of 5, based on 14 reviews

Rating

Posted

11/27/2025

I have used this rack for a month and it already has several rusty spots. Most of cups were rust stained. I have to say this is not worth $20 at all unless you need any rack shining but can't put any dish or cup.

Rating

Posted

01/07/2026

WARNING: Amazon won't even let you return this piece of junk. It's "not eligible for return" under their new, customer last policy.Note - this review is for the 16" S-shape version of this awful item. I don't know how this made it as an "Amazon's Choice" pick.This is what the race to the bottom looks like. According to the box, it's "made of durable steel" and "high quality". This is not truth in advertising, it's just bold faced lies. The entire product feels light, flimsy, and cheap. The holes on the two sides have sharp, unfinished edges from where the drill punched out. They also only grudgingly match the ends they're supposed to go through, so you need to wrestle a bit to assemble this thing. There are also four plastic caps that are supposed to fit into some the ends of the S-curves, but they're all slightly too large for the actual holes, so you kind of have to jam them in. Once you have it assembled, you can bask in the glow of sadness as you realize this thing is so light and cheaply made that it wobbles and doesn't stay in one place on the counter. Do yourself a favor and spend a little more on a better designed product.

Rating

Posted

11/28/2025

I was very happy when I got this because it was small and fits our limited counter space but I can stack a lot of plates on it. But after a few days it started to rust to the point that the plates are getting stained! So we had to replace it right away than risk our health eating from rust stained plates! I can't believe I paid for something like this! Totally not usable anymore.

Rating

Posted

02/03/2026

This is a nice drying rack. I prefer to wash my dishes instead of putting them in a machine, so I use it a lot. I got my first one back in 2014. After five years of service it started showing signs of rust and the silverware basket finally gave out. When trying to replace it, I looked at a lot of different oppositions from many different places (physical and online). I ordered and returned three different competitors (I may have gotten over involved in searching for a new dish rack). There are a lot that try to look like this one, but are poor imitations. In the end, I searched my order history and bought the same thing again five years later. Photo of the old and new to show how it holds up over time.

Rating

Posted

11/27/2025

As the title says, I like it.The only down side to this product would be that the tray on the bottom doesn't drain directly into your sink. You need to pull it out to empty it, which is a drag.That being said, it fits large and small plates on the top as well as saucers for tea cups, so it's quite versatile.It's very large, so I needed to take off the extra cup rack at the back.Assembly was easy. You don't push the two "number two" shaped silver pieces all the way in, you slip a bolt on there first, then the silver piece, then put the nuts over the end and tighten the original bolt.All in all, I'm happy with this purchase.

Rating

Posted

11/27/2025

From an aesthetic point of view this item seems very pleasing but you need to really ask yourself about the practicality of it.It's very tall. Doesn't fit well on the counter if you have cabinets. It makes it look oversized. It has clear plastic slip guards on the bottom. Necessary because otherwise chrome would side across the counter too, but it doesn't look nice.Then the design flaws. Which are massive. The drainer the water goes into is static. It isn't sloped so the water is standing until you drain it.Additionally, the side pieces are problematic. The container for flatware has holes to drain out the water. Right onto your counter. The drainer tray only fits under the main unit. The side parts, cup holder included, have no tray so they drain directly onto your counter top.I had this product for about twelve hours before I requested a refund.

Rating

Posted

11/27/2025

Now that it's arrived and I've put it together, I see the design flaws that would have prevented the purchase had I known. First of all, this is not chrome but chrome plated. Secondly, the drip tray does not run off into the sink, the tray has to be pulled out and dumped. The plastic tray is also 'skewed' a bit so sliding it out to dump it is not a smooth process either. The glass holders (metal arms on the sided for holding glasses) are totally useless for 'glass' glasses. The weight causes my glasses to fall off. The photo I took shows the glass on the arm-I positioned it there hoping I could take the photo before it fell... Both the taller glasses and low ball glasses could not be hung there to dry; I suppose plastic tumblers or coffee cups with handles can safely be placed on the metal 'arms'. One must carefully choose which arm to hang a glass on or the whole piece will fall off. Perhaps there were some plastic clips of some sort that I did not get in the box with this unit??? There was a bag with eight screws and a little wrench to put them on with but that's the only hardware I got. There are four plastic 'feet' that prevent the metal from sitting directly on the countertop. Sort of feels like 'caution-adults only dish drainer'! Kids would definitely need supervision to use this! As with the silverware caddy, the glass holders are not secured to the unit; the accessory 'holders' simply hang on with two wires that easily slide from one side to the other of the drainer making them very unstable. The web photo shows all the same size glasses hanging there so nicely-not this one! The last wire on the bottom shelf keeps the dishes contained within it but it is wider than the plastic drip tray so the water drips out onto the counter. We have hard water so if I don't keep my eye on that issue, we will eventually have hard water stains on my white tile that I already struggle to keep clean-not to mention having water on the counter rather than in the drip tray! The silverware caddy hangs on the edge with no 'stabilizer' so it slides from side to side...it is a REALLY NICE LOOKING UNIT. The footprint is much smaller than my old one so I did recoup some counter space...Just a couple of tweaks and this would have been a great dish drainer! The plates stand very nicely on the top and it does look great! I suppose one could take a couple of short pieces of wire and attach the accessory holders to the drainer; now that I've opened it and used it I guess that's what I'll have to do! I actually feel bad for the review (really, I do) but ultimately the utility of the item is more important than it being eye candy!

Rating

Posted

11/27/2025

I bought this 2014. The design and size were perfect for my kitchen. However it rusted terribly. But I still loved it and bought another one in 2016. But this time I would be proactive and coat it first. I’m no dummy! I used six, yes six cans of clear rustoleom, letting each coat dry as instructed. Within four months it stated rusting again. I’m a dummy. Don’t waste your money.My next one will be plastic.

Rating

Posted

11/27/2025

Let me start with the negative: we needed a box cutter to fit the clear plastic end pieces in, which begs the question of why the metal S couldn't have simply arrived with closed ends. That said, it was easy to assemble and a blast to use. I bought 2 of them and together they take up the whole counter area between my sink and oven. The lower level is flat enough that you can put a plate over it and rest your ladle or spatula there while cooking, so little functional counter space is lost. The upper level is perfect for those large pots, pans and salad bowls that hog the whole dishwasher. I really enjoy this drying rack and wholeheartedly recommend it. A drying rack is a must in general because not every meal produces enough dishes to justify running the dishwasher.

Rating

Posted

11/20/2025

I have space in my tiny kitchen to cook with this compact dish drying rack. Silverware in front, plates on top, cups on the back, and larger items on the bottom. A pull-out tray underneath for the water that gathers in the drying. Easy to put together and I am no handy girl, just use the small side of the tool provided. No more drying mat for me.

Rating

Posted

11/15/2025

In general, I really like this for my small studio apartment. I was very concerned with all aspects of aesthetics about my apartment, and my kitchen counter space is very small so I wanted both a functional dish rack as well as one that was not an eyesore. But I didn't want to shell out $70 for a simplehuman. This is pretty aesthetically pleasing as far as dish racks go, and it is very functional. I like the amount of space between the two tiers- there is more than you could find on a classic cheap folding dish rack, so you can dry many more dishes at a time. The top rack is very stable and can support heavy pots and pans. I do not make use of the glass holder attachment; I really have so little space and it is unnecessary because of the spacious bottom tier. The size is absolutely perfect for a small kitchen. I think it is just what you need for one or two people. That said, I have two complaints. First that the utensil holder came slightly damaged - the plastic drainer had a piece chipped off, so a small puddle forms on my counter underneath. I did not realize in time to exchange it; I had thrown out all packaging by that time. Second, I am concerned about the white plastic drainer. I am sure it will stain, turn brown, and perhaps mold. I'm not sure what the company could have done differently - maybe just a different color, like a deep blue, could hide the stains for longer. For now, I just try to be diligent about pouring out the water a few times a week and cleaning it with antibacterial kitchen spray once every two weeks. Overall, I am very satisfied and would purchase this again. It is my favorite dish rack of all dish racks I have owned (which is about 4 different kinds).

Rating

Posted

11/17/2025

I love this drainer it is very nice. I wanted something that looked nice and that was more practical to use and keep clean easier than the flat squared ones from like Wal-Mart. I was constantly fighting with the one I had bleaching it and still it wasn't clean enough plus the prongs break after so much use. This drainer is so much more practical and easy to use definitely easier to keep clean and very stylish and pretty to look at. I have never seen a two tier dish drainer. I love the design of this whole thing. well worth the money. I paid whole price for this dish drainer but this is my honest and unbiased opinion/review of the dish drainer

Rating

Posted

09/19/2025

This Dishrack is quite attractive in my kitchen. I used to have an old plastic one and now I enjoy washing the dishes just to hang them on this attractive silver rack. The 22" one I bought was too large by width but I made some adjustments to it so it would fit in the section I needed it in. I do have some suggestions about the design though.1. My dishrack is placed directly below kitchen cabinets. For this reason, I needed a rack that would allow the plates to go on the bottom rack as opposed to the top. I wish they made the rack slightly taller, (about an inch or 2) to accommodate switching the racks so I could put plates on the bottom as opposed to the top.2. The 22" rack is so wide that I could not place the cup holders and cutlery on opposite sides of eachother. For that reason alone, I was almost forced to return the dishrack until I noticed the cup holders could hang adjacent to the rack instead of on it's sides. However, the design of the hook doesn't allow the cup holders to hang off this edge, because its only designed to hook off the sides. So, I had to cut the hook into two, to hook and loop it under the rack wires, and secure it on the adjacent side of the rack. Now it fits perfectly and looks even prettier with the glasses facing me as I wash and place them on the hook, and it's so much easier to get my glasses from this side as well. As a suggestion, I would ask the manufacturer to make the cup holder and cutlery hooks, such that you can hook it up to any side of the dishrack you choose. My last suggestion is in regards to the threading and screw-cap nuts. I think making the threading a little longer is better, because the nuts would not screw into one of the threads. I just had to leave it open ended. Also, the threaded ends themselves take a bit of jostling to get them through the holes for assembly.Otherwise I love the dishrack and will see how it holds up. So far so nice.Otherwise, I love my dishrack.

Rating

Posted

02/17/2025

I am writing this review because I think a few things should be noted before a purchase decision is made.Out of the box, I got a little excited until I tried to complete the assembly. The biggest red flag was the chintzy wrench/spanner provided to tighten the bolts. Just awful !! Mind you I am 50+ and am having a little arthritis so maybe OK for a younger person with no hand/strength issues. The tool was so bad if you pull too hard I think it may break/bend.Next, the bolts. When inserting the two shelf levels into the "S" frames, I found it VERY hard to get all ends properly inserted and therefore was not able to use all bold provided (8 in total) - due to not enough threads exposed when inserted through other end before screwing. (Sorry for my vulgarity)The screws/bolts themselves - cheap! Once I located my own wrench that would work for this job, I attached 7 of the 8 bolts. However one of the bolt "Capps" came of and upon further inspection I would almost swear it was hard plastic - which makes sense given how it snapped off.The dish rack itself, I like how it looks and operates. Large capacity, room for dishes, baby bottles, sippy cups etc. I also love how the plastic tray (water catcher) easily slides in and out. I will happily return to report on whether or not the actual rack holds up and does/doesn't get rusty - fingers crossed.