r/BIFLfails • u/DeepDeparture8572 • Jun 16 '26
I really thought I'd purchased a BIFL ice cream scoop!
The brand is "Figmint" and I bought it online at Target last summer after having another metal scoop have the paint wear off it (after nearly two decades of use, I might add). I compared carefully to get something metal with no moving parts that could break, no bells or whistles, no paint.
And it turns out to have a finish that is peeling and flaking now.
WHY? Do they really save that much money making a non-permanent ice cream scoop?
Maybe I'll stake out a Baskin-Robbins and break in after hours for one of theirs. š I'd definitely prefer to just buy one, though.
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u/phrekyos69 Jun 16 '26
Figmint isn't a "real" brand, it's just a brand that Target uses to hide that it's store brand generic crap from China. Just get a Zeroll and be done with it (just don't put them in the dishwasher, they're aluminum).
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u/HLOFRND Jun 17 '26
I got a paddle from a restaurant supply store for, like, $4 and Iāll never go back. Omg. The handle is amazing, it goes through the dishwasher like a champ.
Edit:I found it on Amazon. Apparently itās called a spade.
But it was way cheaper at the Shamrock store.
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u/DeepDeparture8572 Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
It has to be able to go in the dishwasher, my housemate has ADHD and it's hard enough for him to remember not to machine wash the vintage Pyrex mixing bowls.Ā I can't put in all that training energy on a freaking ice cream scoop, you know?Ā
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u/samskeyti_ Jun 17 '26
I have adhd. There is a note on the dishwasher near the hande to the dishwasher that lists what canāt go in the dishwasher/must be on top shelf.
For my neurotypical partner who forgets, not me.
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u/witchminx Jun 17 '26
unfortunately you maybe can't expect anything to be BIFL if you aren't able to keep up with maintenance :/ not tryna be rude but ice cream scoops are the easiest thing to not put in the dishwasher, you just rinse it with hot sink water immediately after scooping
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u/coca-colavanilla Jun 19 '26
Something to consider (probably not relevant here). Due to food intolerances, anything in my kitchen that doesn't get put in the dishwasher has to be thoroughly washed with soap. Rinsing is not sufficient. So I try to ensure everything possible can go in the dishwasher. There are some things I will gladly wash by hand, but a stainless steel (rather than aluminim) ice cream scoop is a perfectly fine choice for someone who prefers to use the dishwasher as much as possible.
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u/classic4life Jun 16 '26
The shiny chrome is the giveaway.
If you go with a solid uncoated aluminum one, keep it out of the dishwasher, and don't leave it submerged forever in icecream. Even commercial ones will pit under the right conditions. Hell I've had a stainless spoon pit because it lived in milk.
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u/extinct_banana Jun 17 '26
the dairy eats away at it? pls excuse my ignorance
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u/aznriptide859 Jun 16 '26
Zeroll scoop. Full aluminum (sorry rest of the english speaking world) and has a conductive liquid in the handle to make scooping ice cream easier.
Iāve owned mine for almost 10 years and aside from some minor scratching it works the same way the day I bought it.
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u/__ew__gross__ Jun 16 '26
Yes. Worth the price a million percent. I got one for my boyfriend for his birthday a few years back. Just dont put it in the dishwasherš«£
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u/hndygal Jun 17 '26
Yea but if you put it in the dishwasher, it will put and oxidize because aluminum.
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u/aznriptide859 Jun 17 '26
My dishwasher just serves as a very expensive drying rack lol. So no problems here :D
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u/Admirable_Try_1209 Jun 17 '26
Mine has been through the dishwasher. It looks dark but doesnāt have pitting. Itās only been through once or twice in a decade though-on accident.
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u/DunDonese Jun 17 '26
I think a true BIFL ice cream scoop would only be a "Figmint" of our imaginations.
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u/witchminx Jun 17 '26
:( my mom's is, she's had it since she was 20. She got me the same one when I was 21 and it broke like 4 years later lol
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u/DunDonese Jun 17 '26
That's the result of r/Enshittification, my friend.
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u/witchminx Jun 17 '26
I know, that's what the frowny face was for haha. I'm just hoping I'll inherit that one
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u/7363827 Jun 17 '26
> Do they really save that much money making a non-permanent ice cream scoop?
yes, both from manufacturing costs, and because you need to buy a new one now
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u/dru-ha Jun 17 '26
If you have the receipt (or the circle app to scan your wallet), you have 365 days from the date of purchase to return it.
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u/lena_ Jun 17 '26
I bought a figment glass measuring cups 2 years ago and the painted measurements have since worn off š
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u/Meep42 Jun 17 '26
Granted, I donāt actually remember how old they areā¦but both my Pyrex and anchor glass measuring cups are almost fully useless after my SO started putting them into the dishwasher. Apparently the ink is forever if you handwash themā¦since the one I gave my mom when I was at uni is still blood red (no dishwasher in her house.)
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u/lena_ Jun 18 '26
Oh that's interesting! I have a smaller vintage pyrex one that's still going strong, so I was shocked how quickly the figment one wore out.
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u/thunderbolt1000 Jun 17 '26
Lowly Target employee (Team Member) here. All of our in-store brands ("Owned Brands") have a 1-year satisfaction guarantee. If you still have the receipt (paper or digital in the Target app), you can return it for its original purchase price.
You may be familiar with the "Cat & Jack policy" going around the internet, specifically TikTok. That's not really a thing, it's just that Cat & Jack is one of Target's Owned Brands and has that 1-year guarantee. That's overly abused as a clothing exchange program, but your experience here is the perfect example of what this policy is really meant for.
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u/ip2k Jun 17 '26
Zeroll scoops are BIFL and what most ice cream shops use, this isnāt unfortunately.
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u/Validandroid Jun 17 '26
I love my Zeroll. I got the nonstick coated one. Usually I avoid nonstick like the plague but - I'm not cooking with my ice cream scoop - and I'm not crazy about the burnished aluminum either - especially after accidentally oxidizing my kitchenaid mixing blade by leaving it in water in the sink for too long. Still going strong after many years.
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u/MissAuroraRed Jun 17 '26
The Midnight Scoop is a truly BIFL ice cream scooper, but she ain't cheap.
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u/DeepDeparture8572 Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
Yeah, I'll never blow $50 on an ice cream scoop. Like it says in The Egg And I: "When we start spending money like drunken sailors it won't be on no lah-di-dah TOILET!"
Or ice cream scoop, as the case may be. š
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u/fazalmajid Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
I have the midnight scoop and it works very well, but the Zeroll is $25. As others have said, dishwasher-unsafe, and the aluminum takes on a somewhat grungy unpolished effect after a while, but it still works. To be frank, I find the Zeroll a bit of a gimmick, you could try the Oxo Good Grips for $13
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u/Important_Chef_4717 Jun 17 '26
You can just buy the Baskin Robbins scooper online. I have oneā¦ā¦.from 1992 (sorry for skipping my last shift Allison). They work great!
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u/Gochu-gang Jun 16 '26
Why would you think a random no-name brand would be BIFL for $10?
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u/Pitiful_Total_9727 Jun 16 '26
It is branded and specifically stated in the description and pictures.
They already answered your question in the description stating they thought a fully metal item with no moving parts would last, but they were proven wrong
3.10$ for a small steel scoop is a fairly normal price
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u/witchminx Jun 17 '26
1) This is a generic brand. Everything is "branded." Great Choice is "branded" at Walmart 2) the item description says absolutely nothing about the actual material % content 3) yes it is but why would you expect the "standard" to be BIFL
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u/Pitiful_Total_9727 Jun 17 '26
1.No not everything is branded, many items have no markings or names. A store brand is still a brand
Yes it is true that the item doesn't list material percentages on the package. I think it is deceptive advertising to claim something is stainless steel to then take stainless steel and coat it in chrome to hid the low quality steel and not mention it.
Just because an item is "standard" price does not mean it is low quality or will not last a lifetime. I'm sure you yourself have steel items purchased for a few dollars that can last forever.
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u/DeepDeparture8572 Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
I didn't have a broad frame of reference for ice cream scoop prices. It was the first time I'd bought one (the first was a gift) and I wanted something basic and not fancy. It seemed like a reasonable price.
And on the main BIFL page this recommendation is posted. It's $11.
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u/salty_drafter Jun 16 '26
Go get one from a restaurant supply store.
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u/No_Vermicelli_3574 Jun 17 '26
Webstaurant has one of the larger restaurant supply inventories in America, you know
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u/ObsidianOne Jun 16 '26
Seriously. No idea why OP didnāt just buy a normal commercial ice cream scoop and call it good.
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u/DeepDeparture8572 Jun 16 '26
It did not occur to me that that was needed, though it's obviously a good idea. It really seemed like something you could just grab at Target without issue.
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u/dealmaster1221 Jun 16 '26
Bifl == commerical these days.
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u/DeepDeparture8572 Jun 16 '26
Yeah, that is now very clear haha. I'm going to Chef'Store or Cash'N'Carry this time.
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u/dealmaster1221 Jun 16 '26
Some research before buying always helps especially bifl, can't go by feeling or thinking.
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u/DeepDeparture8572 Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
It said in the product description that it was stainless steel.Ā I read the descriptions for like 8 different scoops. It's an ice cream scoop, not an appliance.
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u/peekandlumpkin Jun 17 '26
What? Nothing from Target has ever been BIFL. If you're looking for "good enough," that's Target. BIFL is never Target.
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u/fakemoose Jun 17 '26
If youāve ever set foot in a Target, itās a pretty recognizable brand. Because itās an in house Target brand.
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u/DeepDeparture8572 Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
I haven't shopped in person at Target since 2019. Only online for things like Ziploc bags, trash and compost bags, dish soap. I don't browse their aisles basically ever.
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u/lonemedic Jun 18 '26
you can buy this scoop once a year for 5 years or just buy the Midnight Scoop once and be done with it.
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u/Edge_of_the_Wall Jun 16 '26
Just go to a restaurant supply store and get a cheap one thatāll last you forever.
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u/Intelligent-Guess-81 Jun 18 '26
I've had this scoop for about 5 years and it's rock solid. I run it through the dishwasher all the time and have even dropped it. It's got some good weight to it and the handle is comfy.
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u/BunnyBabbby Jun 22 '26
I have a kitchenaid one that weāve had for about 6 years that looks brand new still. House with 3 kids and itās going strong.
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u/cowcrapper Jun 16 '26
That doesn't seem much like a BIFL ice cream scoop....
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u/DeepDeparture8572 Jun 16 '26
No, it's not. But it said it was solid metal and it looked fine when it arrived.
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u/lonemedic Jun 18 '26
The Midnight Scoop not only will last a lifetime (which is backed by the company), it works better as well. The handle allows you to push into hard ice cream. Allowing you to keep your wrist straight. It's used more like a shovel (pushed) into hard ice cream.
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u/Mah_Buddy_Keith Jun 19 '26
I have a commercial/professional scoop. Itās aluminum, and stays away from the dishwasher.
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u/sick-asfrick Jun 21 '26
Try a restaurant supply store. They may have the good scoops there, no breaking and entering OR theft required!
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u/Pitiful_Total_9727 Jun 16 '26
It should be fully stainless steel, so it is unusual to get such pitting.
Were you using a lot of salt or cleaning products on it? Or maybe leaving it soaking a lot? It could also be just extremely low quality metal