As Seen on TV

@suspenseful (40192)
Canada
February 3, 2010 11:19am CST
For a while, many of the "As Seen on Tv" items have been appearing on our local stores and I was wondering about what others think of these products. There are still some that you can only get on line or through the mail. We did get those white trays that go under the legs of a couch and are adjustable and we like them very much. I also got those bulb watering things and liked them, but that sort of velvet glove that you use to scrape the hair off your leg I did not like as it is almost like shaving. I am not going to buy one of those leather hand bags as it is not strong enough (read the reviews.) But I am also hesitate about getting the Magic Bullet or the Magic Bullet Express. I love to cook by the way. So I was wondering whether any of those As Seen on Tv products are worth it, considering the shipping and handling and also when they do appear in stores if they are an inferior copy. I do know someone who got the Slam Chop and did not like that. Something about mushrooms. So for those who bought any of those "As Seen on Tv" what products did you regret getting and what products did you liked.
4 people like this
14 responses
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
3 Feb 10
My husband picked up a couple of them for presents, snuggies for the girls and a fancy brownie pan for me. The girls love their snuggies and the brownie pan is pretty cool. They come out of the oven already divided into little loafs, basically.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
4 Feb 10
My friend made a snuggie for my husband since he is in a wheelchair. Only she put velcroe around the edges. They have them in our Zellers stores. I have also seen the brownie pan. I do like anything that makes it easy to cut things into equal pieces.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
4 Feb 10
My husband is an invalid and we wanted something that would cover him when he was in a wheelchair. The velcro was my friend's idea. She is a nurse and we also checked out the clothing for handicapped people to see whether there was an alternative and the prices there are through the roof. And we would had to cut down the snuggie and adapt it for wheelchairers. So what we did was to get some acryllic, plus some quilted material, velcro, and thread and she made it. It was less then a snuggie in cost.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
4 Feb 10
Snuggies with velcro would be a great idea. The one criticism that the girls had was how they were so open in back...
1 person likes this
@Lindalinda (4111)
• Canada
5 Feb 10
Years ago when they were not available in stores I bought my first steam cleaner on one of those sites. It was expensive with the shipping charge but it did a good job. When it gave out steam cleaners were available in lots of stores. Last year I bought the "flavorwave turbo oven" as seen on TV with Mr.T. We have a store in one of the malls that sells only "As Seen on TV" products. I bought it there, so there was no shipping and handling. It is supposed to cook with three heat sources, infrared from the inside out, halogen and convection. You can start with frozen meat. It shows on TV how to cook fried chicken and French Fries without fat. The food looks good but it tastes well, it tastes like it is cooked without fat. I have not used it much and it clutters up my counter. It was expensive and I would not buy it again. In that store they also have the "Stay Fresh green Produce Bags" that are supposed to keep fruits and vegetables fresh much longer and are re-usable. I looked at the price. In that store they cost around $ 10 for a package of 20 bags. I thought that was expensive and did not by it. Last Sunday a friend and I were at a Home Harware Store and lo and behold they had these bags for sale for $ 2.98 for a package of 20 bags. They were the same "As Seen on TV" bags. I bought some. My friend says they work really well she uses them all the time. I started to use them right away but it is too early to tell.
• Canada
7 Feb 10
You are right. Food needs a little bit of fat to taste good. As far as the light bulb in your fridge is concerned there are many American sites on the internet that sell bulbs of all kinds. One of them is www.bulbs.com. They do charge a shipping and handling fee though. Since the US still has the imperial system I imagine you would be able to get a bulb there. Maybe some friends could bring some back for you.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
7 Apr 10
That would be a good idea. We do need better light bulbs while our fridge is still working. The icer has broken down, and now it is leaking. but we have to save up the $1500 or less for the next one, and the next one will have the freezer part on the top or the bottom not on the side.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
6 Feb 10
I am wary about using those things to cook without fat. Even a little oil makes the food tastes better. My husband got me the George Forman Grill that is supposed to cook without fat, just flavorings, and well the flavorings leak out (I guess you have to marinade the food first, but since the marinade also contains oil -) and I saw that turbo oven and when it said about the heat source being a lamp, well we did see a child's oven and it was the same thing. The green stay fresh bags make the food stay fresh a little longer. Our fridge is sort of damp so we have to make sure the food is dry. Only our fridge light does not work as the fridge lights now are metric and it has a imperial socket, but that is another discussion.
• United States
4 Feb 10
my wife bought a shamwow at walmart and loves it.
1 person likes this
• United States
4 Feb 10
I think she uses it for everything and I know she washes them and uses them again and again
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
4 Feb 10
I was thinking of getting a shamwow, but did not know if it was any good. I do not like buying paper towels to wipe up everything. I wonder is it good for polishing wood furniture and for cleaning ceramic stove tops?
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
7 Apr 10
I guess that is the next thing I will buy.
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
3 Feb 10
I hgave got the products out of Walgreens here. and like pretty well like the steam cleaning one that ya steam nd clean get window sparkleing and dont get dirty so fast. Look for other things too but havent found them when I look
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
3 Feb 10
I have seen the steam cleaning one. We could have used it to clean our walls when we were fixing up the house. WE have it at our Walmart and our Zellers stores and also at Home Outfitters and it is probably at the Bay. The last three stores are run by the same company. I was looking for that purse to see if it was as good as they said it was, but I guess it was not or they would have had it.
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
4 Feb 10
must not have been
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
7 Apr 10
I read a few reviews and they all said the same thing - it is made for a weak petite woman who cannot hold that much and not good quality inside either.
@verabear (796)
• Philippines
4 Feb 10
I'd personally prefer to check them out in a local store, at least I'd be able to examine them and get a feel for the product. Sometimes they allow demonstrations too, which is always a plus and helps convince customers to make the purchase. The TV promotionals can be very captivating sometimes, hehe.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
6 Feb 10
I always thought that when the product appeared in the stores that perhaps they had substituted not as good cleaner or used a more inferior product, or the one that appeared on Tv was the one they sold in the States, whereas the one they sold here in Canada was similar but less quality then the one appearing on the Tv. We have had quite a few products appear on our local stores and seeing them up close, one wondered why they ever came on the market. They were so inferior. There were a few really good ones, and you could see they were good. but the trouble is that often there are few reviews. I really had to hunt through the net to find a review on that shoulder bag.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
6 Feb 10
Sometimes they put "similar to what is seen on Tv," but often it is not since the product might be inferior. I found that the case in cleaning products. The one on Tv might be able to clean the whole house plus the oil stain on the basement, but the one that is similar you really have to scrub harder and no 100 lb woman could clean her stove using that similar product.
@verabear (796)
• Philippines
6 Feb 10
I think that the problem is there are some manufacturers who have similar products and they would package them the way the ones on TV are done, then sell them in retail stores. Their aim is probably really to confuse the buyers into thinking their products are one and the same. We really have to be careful.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Feb 10
A lot of them don't work. At my job we sell a bunch of them and people are constantly returning them because they don't work. I would personally never buy something that's as seen on tv. They are usually made really cheap in mass quanity and sold marked up. They make tons of money from the as seen on tv crap because people believe anything that is on tv so they go out and buy it.
1 person likes this
@cutepenguin (6430)
• Canada
3 Feb 10
I haven't bought any of the as seen on tv items, but I have had soem given as gifts to me. They sort of worked, although I haven't encountered any that were as good as they said, obviously.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
3 Feb 10
I think they sort of exaggerate. I have been interested in the Magic Bullet Express, but wondered whether the power was good enough. I do remember getting a cheap food processor and it did not last, so I am a bit cautious. Anyway my blender just lost its rubber ring, and it is one of the older models, I also need a food processor, so I was thinking as the Express could do two jobs at once.
@polachicago (18716)
• United States
4 Feb 10
Only some of those products are worth my attention, most are total crop. As seen on TV? I will say no thank you for most of them.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
4 Feb 10
I do know the shoulder bag that suppposedly holds everything is not worth it, because I heard that it was not that good and went to check out the review sites. I need a very strong bag. I want to check out the Magic Bullet Express to see if it is better to buy a blender and a food processor or it. But I would like to know what products would be worth your attention. I know we love those white tv trays that slip under a couch. They were very good. I also heard the Magic Bullet is good and the Slap Chop is crap. I mean generalizing it is like telling me to buy the stuff and then try them out and then have to return them. Or not buying something on your say so. Even if they land in the stores, I have no idea whether it is the crap or the good stuff.
@cher913 (25781)
• Canada
3 Feb 10
we actually got a magic bullet as a gift. it was bought at a local big box store here in canada and given to us. i have to say it is one of the best kitchen utensils i own! we make our own fresh fruit juice in it with frozen fruit; we use it to mix up batter for pancakes; we also use it to chop up stuff. we make a lot of juice in it and serve it to company. my mom liked the juice so much, she went out and bought one for herself!
1 person likes this
@jezzmay (1845)
• United States
5 Feb 10
I got the Slap Chop and I love it, but I do not do mushrooms. It works well on onions, and that is a plus for me, no more tears. As far as the rest of the things I have not tried any of those. Happy posting.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
6 Feb 10
I suppose it would be best to get them for a present rather then buy them yourself. I have not tried the slap chop but I was told that it is not that good and that a regular onion chopper cam be just as handy. It would work if there were just two of you. I cannot see it grating hard cheeses though.
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
3 Feb 10
The Slap Chop is nothing more than a reinvented chopped of the kind my mom used when I was a child. My dad has one, too. I found one in my local thrift shop for a dollar and I love it! My dad pointed out a thing that is a ball and you fill it with water and throw it in your dryer with already dry clothes that are wrinkled. It takes out the wrinkles and the additive you have to buy smells good and removes odors. Trouble is, the liquid for the ball is about $10 per 2-3 oz bottle, or so we've heard. The only thing I'd buy that's been on one of those commercials is the window cleaner with the handle that moves so you can clean your front and rear car windows inside easily. I can buy in in Walmart and not pay shipping. They really get you with the shipping. When they offer something extra at no cost except shipping and handling, it'll cost you another $10 to get the "free" item!
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
4 Feb 10
Our health helper got one and did not like it. She could not chop mushrooms as they stuck to the blade. My mother had one of those choppers that she used to chop onions, but I figure it is easier to chop them with a knife or put them in my min food procesor. I do have a couple of dryer balls and they work. They look like plastic porcupine balls and work very well. I am waiting until the Magic Bullet Express comes to our stores, but have not the money to get it right now. SAving for a lap top computer.
@cream97 (29085)
• United States
4 Feb 10
Hi, suspenseful. I have seen these products featured in various magazines and online. I was thinking about trying a specific product. But when I usually will do, I will search on the Internet for any reviews from previous users and customers of this product before I make a decision. I don't want to waste my money falling for something that gives me an empty pocket in the end.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
4 Feb 10
That is what I do as well. I found out about that crappy shoulder bag on a review site and was thinking of buying one, but it said that the place where you can store your passbook was in plastic and I saw that the place where you could put your cellphone was only big enough for one of those flip phones. Also it could not hold enough stuff, and when I looked at the slam chop, I thought it would get dull pretty good. I am waiting to see a review for the Magic Bullet Express since a few on here say they like the Magic Bullet. As for shown on Tv, I do not have a large kitchen or all that equipment like the demonstrators have - more like a church kitchen then a regular one.
@nijolechu (1842)
• Canada
4 Feb 10
I haven't bought anything that was sold on the T.V. infomercial. Its really funny to see people use the Slap Chop on Youtube. It looks like a lot of trouble than its worth. I had a good laugh at the food getting stuck in the blades. But Vince made it look so good, I guess that's his job.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
4 Feb 10
Me I did not want a slap chop because well after using it you have to clean it, so in practical terms, you need one for each vegetable or fish product. It should the guy chopping up tuna and then adding other veggies. Well I thought you do not cut up meat or fish and vegetables on the same cutting board, so why use the same chopper to do it? Did not make sense to me. Besides I hate cleaning out blades.
@hexeduser22 (7418)
• Philippines
4 Feb 10
Me and my mom was a fan of this home tv shopping once upon a time Until we got the first equipment we ordered and we were not satisfied at all. So we never again believed and watched anything about Home Tv shopping or what you call As seen on Tv
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
4 Feb 10
Well it would help me to know what that piece of equipment was that you ordered. I suppose it was one of those ab things for exercise. I would not have gotten it either. But I did get a couple of things that I loved but exercise equipment, I do not look like those models and they were already fit before they tried it, so that put me off.