As Seen On TV!

If you can use a doorknob, you can read this post. Well, maybe not.

I admit, I have a weird fascination with "as seen on TV" products. I've never actually bought anything directly from TV (something Puddin' can't say- how'd The Perfect Pancake work out?), but I have purchased some products that I've found in other places (in a store or online). All the commercials make sensational claims, and I'm curious to know if they can do any or all of what they say they can do. Now, its easy to dismiss those claims outright (especially when they're being pitched by Billy Mays), but I figure that they all have to work on some level, and I just want to know that is.

So far, I've purchased 3 such "as seen on TV" products. One because I needed it, one because I thought it might work, and one out of sheer curiousity. How well do they work? Let's find out:

What: The Handy Switch
Purchased: Amazon.com
Does it work as advertised: Yes

I bought this one because I needed it. There aren't any convenient light switches in my basement, so a simple wireless switch seemed like a good idea. And it works perfectly. If I had had the need, I would have bought more, but I only needed the one. I'd recommend this for anyone looking to avoid any actual work in installing a light switch, like me.

What: ShamWow
Purchased: Target
Does it work as advertised: Yeah, for the most part

This one was just pure curiosity. How well does it actually work? How absorbent is it really? Well, I just had to find out. The best way for me to describe them is that they aren't really towels; at least, they don't really function like towels. They don't wipe well. In fact, they suck at wiping. Okay, that's not entirely true. When the ShamWow is dry, it'll soak up anything in any manner. But when its wet (or damp), it doesn't wipe up anything. It'll still soak up liquid when wet, but it won't dry anything when wet. Wring it out all you want, it'll leave a small film on whatever surface you're trying to dry. But that's not to say its not useful; as a sponge, its great. I also tried out some of the things they showed in the commerical, just to see if they're true. Drying wet clothes rolled up in a ShamWow? Doesn't work at all. Soaking up liquid from carpet? Seemed to work alright. Its not as effortless as they show, but it was effect enough. I don't know how well it would remove a stainable liquid like cola or wine, and unless Puddin' steps up and volunteers his carpet, I'm not going to find out. Also, when they're completely saturated, they do drip. Overall, they're just really good sponges.

What: Mighty Putty
Purchased: Bed, Bath & Beyond (I was buying my mom a Christmas present)
Does it work as advertised: I think so

First off, if you're keeping score, that's Billy Mays 2, that Vince guy 1. Now, I didn't try and pull a tractor trailer with a chainlink made of Mighty Putty, so I can't vouch for that. But I did use it to hold up some towel racks in my bathrooms, and that worked fine. Would it be able to hold something heavier than a bath towel? Sure. Would it be able to hold 350 pounds like they say in the commercial? I doubt it. I mean, I'm a big guy, and while I'm shy of 350 (thankfully), I don't think it could hold my weight. At least, I wouldn't trust it to. But for small things, its good. I also tired it on a leaking pipe, which seems to have worked. I think. The drip hasn't stopped, but it has slowed. It could be because the putty didn't seal the leak properly, but I think its more a factor of me not knowing exactly where the leak is. I'm going to add some more putty later to get complete coverage around the pipe and see if that does any better. And if not, I've got a ShamWow in place to catch all the drip.

There are probably some more TV products out there that I'll buy at a time later than now. ANd if so, I'll review those as well. But there are two products that I definitely won't be getting: the Snuggie and the Slanket. And I guess in reality, they're really one product. Either way, I hate it. If I ever saw someone "wearing" one of these, I would be forced to punch that person. "Can't use a blanket?" Are you serious? You've got to draw a line somewhere, and I draw it at a blanket with sleeves.