Why Do These Exist? [Archive]

Karen

08-20-2011, 05:28 PM

Okay, I know the real reason is, someone in product development is always trying to create the latest "must-have" gadget, to get us to spend our money on and make then rich.

But that some products make it all the way into production baffle me - how about you?

- Pancake molds - so every pancake comes out the perfect shape - doesn't that take all the fun out of making pancakes?

- Those "eggies" things I see informercials for - honestly, I have never had any trouble hard-boiling an egg, or peeling it once it's done, or slicing one. And if I want a flat bottom so it'll stand up, I can just slice off a bit ...

- Another pancake thing - a pancake batter "pen" so you can draw shapes on the griddle. Wouldn't any old squeeze bottle do just fine, or a piping bag, or even a plastic bag with the corner cut off?

What products do you see that mystify you that someone geared up a factory to make?

momcat

08-20-2011, 06:07 PM

The thing that makes me laugh is all these dumb things you see on infomercials that can only be bought through tv. Within a few weeks I see the exact same items in the Rite-Aid around the corner! The one that really cracks me up is that thing you put in a pan or pot while cooking food and it moves around so you don't have to stir! I guess no matter what you come up with SOMEBODY will give you money for it. :D

pomtzu

08-20-2011, 06:26 PM

I agree with momcat - the stirrer is the utmost piece of junk that I think I've ever seen - and on top of that, I've seen videos where they don't even move because the gravy, or whatever - is too thick!

And the eggies thingy - I think that might be a good idea. :eek: Sometimes the eggs just don't want to peel right, and you lose more egg than you save. I've tried every suggestion to get a foolproof easy peel egg, but haven't found one yet. Eggs that look like golf balls when you're done peeling, just don't look too appealing.

happylabs

08-20-2011, 06:38 PM

I don't know, I just shook my head at the egg thing. I had a feeling they wouldn't work so I just Googled it and found a TV station that did a test on them.

http://www.kfvs12.com/story/15235264/does-it-work-wednesday-eggies

They gave it an "F" for failure.

pomtzu

08-20-2011, 06:49 PM

Lady's Human

08-20-2011, 07:42 PM

Taking a page from Bloom County, the salad shooter and salad spinner.

WHy do they exist? Remember P.T. Barnum's statement....there's a sucker born every minute.

Karen

08-20-2011, 07:57 PM

And the eggies thingy - I think that might be a good idea. :eek: Sometimes the eggs just don't want to peel right, and you lose more egg than you save. I've tried every suggestion to get a foolproof easy peel egg, but haven't found one yet. Eggs that look like golf balls when you're done peeling, just don't look too appealing.

What do they feed your chicken there that the eggs end up so hard to peel? Do you dump them into ice water right after the boiling water to cool 'em down? (We always have ...) I've just never run into that problem ...

kitten645

08-20-2011, 08:28 PM

The amazing thing is that people come into my store asking for this junk all the time. When they ask why we don't carry it, I tell them "Because it's a piece of junk! We only carry proper cooking tools." :rolleyes:

sana

08-20-2011, 09:38 PM

I'd love to make pancakes round myself. You get a happy feeling inside, meaning you feel happy when its round and you've done it yourself.
And the eggies....are a really weird thing...

There is a teabag timer. You hang the teabag on the handle and then set the timer. At that certain time, the teabag is pulled out of the tea. Can't they just do it themselves? :confused: Put in teabag and take it out when you want...

Karen

08-20-2011, 09:40 PM

There is a teabag timer. You hang the teabag on the handle and then set the timer. At that certain time, the teabag is pulled out of the tea. Can't they just do it themselves? :confused: Put in teabag and take it out when you want...

Oh, how funny! I've never seen that one ... That certainly counts as a waste of money!

Alysser

08-20-2011, 10:08 PM

I swear, the stupidest thing I've ever heard of is a vibrating pillow. I don't think it ever made it to stores but I believe someone told me they saw a commercial or something about it. It wasn't a massage pillow or anything, it was an actual pillow you sleep on. I don't know about anyone else but I DON'T see how the heck you could sleep with that crap!

Taz_Zoee

08-20-2011, 10:31 PM

Taking a page from Bloom County, the salad shooter and salad spinner.

WHy do they exist? Remember P.T. Barnum's statement....there's a sucker born every minute.

My mom got me a salad spinner one year for Xmas. I believe I used it once and it is.......actually, I have NO clue where it is now. It was too much of a pain to clean, plus it didn't work. I have better luck just sticking my hand in the salad and turning it over. But we make build-your-own salads now.

kokopup

08-20-2011, 11:06 PM

I know that some of these gadgets exist to do one thing and that is get your credit card Number. Years ago I ordered something from one of the "as seen on TV" type things. Within a month I found that I had been signed up for some service that I did not authorize or want. The credit card statement had their phone number on it so after months of threatening I finally got this service removed. In the mean time I was charged for 3 months of a servive I never authorized or wanted. They said that I had authorized this when ordering my
As seen of TV thing a ma bob. If you will notice they are not interested in cash or checks, just your credit card. I haven't ordered from TV ads since.

sana

08-21-2011, 02:28 AM

http://www.coolgadgets.org/img/weird_gadgets/penguin_tea_bag_dipper.jpg

Here's a picture Karen :D

Pinot's Mom

08-21-2011, 07:42 AM

Taking a page from Bloom County, the salad shooter and salad spinner.

WHy do they exist? Remember P.T. Barnum's statement....there's a sucker born every minute.

Well, then call me (and my husband) a sucker!! We use the salad spinner every day. We have on in the kitchen and one in the camper. I don't like wet lettuce in my salad. The salad shooter I have no excuse for.

The one I can't understand ANYONE buying? A BANANA SLICER!!?? Have you seen this thing? It's flat, the shape of a banana (sort of) with strings across, so you peel the banana, then place this thing over it to make even slices. REALLY?!
:rolleyes:

moosmom

08-21-2011, 07:53 AM

I think the answer here, Karen is the fact that the "inventor" might not have thought of it first, but they're the ones who got the patent and ran with it (all the way to the bank)!!

lizbud

08-21-2011, 10:19 AM

What do they feed your chicken there that the eggs end up so hard to peel? Do you dump them into ice water right after the boiling water to cool 'em down? (We always have ...) I've just never run into that problem ...

I've found the very cold water is the trick. Pour out the boiling water after
and fill the pan with cold water & let it sit for 4-5 mins. Then peel. :)

The kitchen items never interested me, but the super duper glue or the
straps to move heavy furniture practically by yourself,, those I always
watch with interest.

Barbara

08-21-2011, 10:32 AM

Well, then call me (and my husband) a sucker!! We use the salad spinner every day. We have on in the kitchen and one in the camper. I don't like wet lettuce in my salad. The salad shooter I have no excuse for.

The one I can't understand ANYONE buying? A BANANA SLICER!!?? Have you seen this thing? It's flat, the shape of a banana (sort of) with strings across, so you peel the banana, then place this thing over it to make even slices. REALLY?!
:rolleyes:

I am using the salad spinner as well. I have a good Swiss one that just spins perfectly- and your salad will be nice abd dry and not water down the dressing.
But in many other things I am rather Luddite. I have no microwave as there are plenty of things you can cook in no time. I have no bread cutting machine but a big nice bread knife.

sparks19

08-21-2011, 10:39 AM

The foot scrubber. I can see it's purpose especially for elderly people and pregnant women and people with bad backs... but it's the COMMERCIALS that get me.

"scrubbing ou r feet in the shower is so hard... now just run your feet through the scrubber" and they show some imbecile fumbling all over the place trying to wash their feet like REALLY?

so yeah it's not the product so much as the commercials. "is doing *insert mundane activity* too difficult for you... are you only operating on a select number of brain cells? than this product is for you you big idiot" LOL seriously the commercials are almost insulting. is anyone really that stupid?

My personal favorite is the hands free soap dispenser. Now don't get me wrong I actually think this is a great idea. there are lots of times that my hands are covered in gunk and I don't really want to grab onto the soap bottle to squeeze with gunky hands but they advertise it as a germ saver. really? saves you from germs? you touch the top of the soap dispenser and yes there are probably germs there but... you do realize you are about to wash your hands right? lol

pomtzu

08-21-2011, 10:57 AM

What do they feed your chicken there that the eggs end up so hard to peel? Do you dump them into ice water right after the boiling water to cool 'em down? (We always have ...) I've just never run into that problem ...

Yup - always let them sit in cold water before I peel - till they get lukewarm, since I find they peel the best at that temp. Another thing I have found, is the older the egg, the better it peels. I use eggs that have been in the fridge for at least a week, rather than ones I just brought home from the store.

wombat2u2004

08-21-2011, 06:01 PM

I like the exercise machines the best. They have a new model out every few months.
Have you seen the ad where a big fat man uses the latest ab machine and a week later he looks just like Johnny Depp ???
Yep, I'm ordering one right now, if I do, I get two for the price of one plus a free set of steak knives, all for $99.99 per month plus postage and handling.

krazyaboutkatz

08-21-2011, 06:07 PM

Yes, I agree that most of these products are ridiculous. If I do want to try any of them, I always wait until I can buy them from a store. Then I can return them easily when they don't work. I did buy "Mighty Mendit" from Bed,Bath, and Beyond and I love it. It's a special glue that you put on fabric and it's also machine washable. I've used it on a few things that I don't want to sew and so far it's worked out great.:)

momcat

08-21-2011, 06:38 PM

After seeing them on the tube, I got a Yoshi knife at CVS. I love it! Over at Quakerbridge Mall there's a store called "As Seen On TV" where they actually sell all this stuff.

Freedom

08-21-2011, 08:53 PM

Over at Quakerbridge Mall there's a store called "As Seen On TV" where they actually sell all this stuff.

Those stores pop up around here for Christmas shopping. They close end of January.

You can also go to the website, rather than the TV ad phone number.

I figure if the item is any good, it will eventually show up in stores.

I always enjoyed Billy Mays Jr.'s commercials, and was sorry he died so young. The other guy - Vince Shlomi - comes off as a snake oil sales man, IMO. I know Billy Mays couldn't stand him, and it wasn't competition, it was style. That and the fact that Mays felt he had to believe in the product, while Vince, well, he will sell anything if they pay him.

I'd never seen or heard of that teabag timer! :D

kitten645

08-21-2011, 08:56 PM

I will also take exception to salad spinners. I think that's a legitimate tool especially if you eat alot of salad. I wash everything very well and even paper toweling wet lettuce doesn't get enough water off and the dressing does get watered down. Especially creamy dressings like blue cheese. I use my salad spinner for fruit as well. I've found justification after looking at what's left in the water as well..dirt, small leaves....a bug:eek: Mine is dishwasher safe so no problems there.

Lady's Human

08-21-2011, 08:59 PM

Ever try a colander, the spray nozzle on the sink and a few minutes of dry time?

tokolosh

08-21-2011, 09:16 PM

Taking a page from Bloom County, the salad shooter and salad spinner..

Wasn't there a special on a 'combination pocket diaper steamer and turnip twaddler' one day? Lovely image.

I don't think of lettuce as a real substance anyway, so the idea of something to spin it is just a double redundancy in my world.

I don't get 'bottled water', in the Western world.

sparks19

08-21-2011, 09:18 PM

Salad spinners are nothing new. My mom had one in the 80's. I loved to use that thing to dry the lettuce and spin other various things when i was a kid.

Lady's Human

08-21-2011, 09:32 PM

I don't get 'bottled water', in the Western world.

Take two clear glasses.

Take a bottle of tap water from any municipality and pour it into one glass.

Take a bottle of a common bottled water (dasani, poland springs, take your pick, as long as it's not mineral water) and pour it into the other glass.

Put both glasses on a light table.

You'll understand bottled water.

tokolosh

08-21-2011, 10:05 PM

Take two clear glasses.

Take a bottle of tap water from any municipality and pour it into one glass.

Take a bottle of a common bottled water (dasani, poland springs, take your pick, as long as it's not mineral water) and pour it into the other glass.

Put both glasses on a light table.

You'll understand bottled water.

I'm pretty hardy about stuff like that ;) For most of the world's population the criterion for drinkable water isn't 'Does it look nice?' but 'Will I die if this gets inside me?' I can understand shipping it to places where the second answer is 'yes', but just can't get right in my mind about the idea of water as a commercial product in the West, with all the environmental and personal-expense overheads that it involves.

Lady's Human

08-21-2011, 10:11 PM

We had a water cooler when we lived in MA. After working in a bottling plant, I got to the point where I couldn't stand the taste of tap water from the chlorine.

As to the environmental overhead, PET bottles are 100% recyclable, so unless the consumer is clueless, the plastic will be recycled into either more bottles, or rugs, or car parts, ad nauseum. Just because people can throw it in the trash doesn't mean they do.

Marigold2

08-21-2011, 10:27 PM

I use a salad spinner to wash fresh red leaf or green leaf or Boson lettuce.
I think most of these were invented by someone who saw a need, a need that they had and tried to find a way to solve it.
Since it worked well for them they decided it would work for others.

tokolosh

08-21-2011, 10:28 PM

We had a water cooler when we lived in MA. After working in a bottling plant, I got to the point where I couldn't stand the taste of tap water from the chlorine.

I passed through a pulp-mill town once, where I heaved every time I turned on a tap drank pop until the bus left. So I understand what you mean about smell. But really, even if I'd stayed in that armpit of a place I would eventually have gotten used to it.

As to the environmental overhead, PET bottles are 100% recyclable, so unless the consumer is clueless, the plastic will be recycled into either more bottles, or rugs, or car parts, ad nauseum. Just because people can throw it in the trash doesn't mean they do.

True. But it's still creating something that to my mind has little real cause to exist in the developed world. You can turn the bottles into other somethings, but that's ultimately just shuffling the plastic around - at an energy cost for the recycling itself, not counting the processing and transportation of the water to begin with. And meanwhile I believe we're still manufacturing plastic from scratch anyway. Eventually I see a time when we just run out of things to turn our plastic into, so I don't think of recycling as a permanent solution. There's signs of that in the city I live in already. If they could turn the bottles into clean water that would be great :D

I'm just sayin'. I don't get it. Because I come from a mindset where the bar for 'drinkable' is so different, bottled water looks to me like just as much of an invented market as the salad spinner or anything else mentioned here.

dab_20

08-21-2011, 10:30 PM

Take two clear glasses.

Take a bottle of tap water from any municipality and pour it into one glass.

Take a bottle of a common bottled water (dasani, poland springs, take your pick, as long as it's not mineral water) and pour it into the other glass.

Put both glasses on a light table.

You'll understand bottled water.

Agreed! I use the containers that filter water though. Saves on wasting plastic!

Some of those commercials, especially that foot scrubber one mentioned above, are so ridiculous!! The actors are just horrible, smiling that stupid smile while doing whatever their doing. LOL Drives me nuts.

And the "Order within five minutes and you'll get a second one free!". Oh, please, how many times is that commercial on a day?

Lady's Human

08-21-2011, 10:33 PM

Ask the Mayor about the water in Newton, MA.

Also, I've never seen a boil order come out for Poland Springs.

Karen

08-22-2011, 12:29 AM

Ask the Mayor about the water in Newton, MA.

Also, I've never seen a boil order come out for Poland Springs.

We lived in an old house on an old street in Newton, and because lead was used in so many pipes for the water system, our water bills came with not a one-sentence warning, but a booklet titled "lead in your water." I never ever drank the tap water, want to keep all the brain cells I have, thanks! We always recycle all our water bottles, and any other plastic we can. If some day I move someplace where the water is clean, I'll drink it, no problem, drank the tap water growing up.

sana

08-22-2011, 01:09 AM

Well, then call me (and my husband) a sucker!! We use the salad spinner every day. We have on in the kitchen and one in the camper. I don't like wet lettuce in my salad. The salad shooter I have no excuse for.

The one I can't understand ANYONE buying? A BANANA SLICER!!?? Have you seen this thing? It's flat, the shape of a banana (sort of) with strings across, so you peel the banana, then place this thing over it to make even slices. REALLY?!
:rolleyes:

Here's a Crazy Banana Slicer. People are too lazy to actually cut bananas themselves? :confused:

http://www.go4asseenontv.com/images/banana_slicer.jpg

Karen

08-22-2011, 01:27 AM

Bananas being the easiest thing to slice, I cannot imagine how that product ever made it to market!

phesina

08-22-2011, 05:36 AM

I use a Brita water filter pitcher. Pour tap water into it, the water runs through the filter and comes out much better. No extra expense for the water and no plastic being added to the landfills.

Freedom

08-22-2011, 07:50 AM

Just go to the "as seen on TV" web site, some are pretty odd!

I think years back, Super Glue started out as one of these products. Now, you find it everywhere. That product took off! Works well, I always have some on hand.

I don't get the Debbie Meyer green bags, food keeps longer in her bags than in others? I never tried them, but 2 friends did and weren't impressed at all.

pomtzu

08-22-2011, 08:07 AM

We don't do bottled water here on a regular basis, but if we are away from home and yearn for a drink, then bottled water it is. We have our own well, so don't have to worry about chlorine, fluoride, runoff off of who knows what, old lead pipes and who knows what else. I can't stand the taste of drinking water, other than what we have here at home. Years ago when my brother lived in FL, he lived in an area where there was a high sulfur content in the water. That was before the days of bottled water, and they had to always boil it. The smell was disgusting - like rotten eggs.

Re: the salad spinner. Didn't Tupperware come out with one of these many years ago - before the ones you see on t.v.?

I don't order anything I see on t.v., since just about all the department stores and pharmacy chains have the "as seen on t.v." sections now. Darned it I want to pay their outrageous shipping fees that amount to more than the product itself is worth!

sparks19

08-22-2011, 09:54 AM

yes Pomtzu. I don't know if it was tupperware or not but salad spinners have been around for a long time.

lizbud

08-22-2011, 10:33 AM

I'm pretty hardy about stuff like that ;) For most of the world's population the criterion for drinkable water isn't 'Does it look nice?' but 'Will I die if this gets inside me?' I can understand shipping it to places where the second answer is 'yes', but just can't get right in my mind about the idea of water as a commercial product in the West, with all the environmental and personal-expense overheads that it involves.

Sort of proves the OP's point doesn't it? People will likely buy most
anything if it's advertised cleverly.

cassiesmom

08-22-2011, 10:47 AM

Hmmm... a tea bag timer ... I've made tea and then gotten distracted-- I come back, the bag is still in the cup, and the tea is cold.

Pajama jeans? Do I wear them on the street or do I sleep in them?

kokopup

08-22-2011, 10:32 PM

Thinning hair is a problem that plagues both men and women. Many solutions are available for stimulating hair growth and to nourish existing hair. Some are shampoos; others require surgery. One of the newest and perhaps most affordable and least painful remedies is the HairPro Laser Brush, which revitalizes your hair using NASA-developed technology;)

lbaker

08-24-2011, 10:09 AM

To return a minute to that "Eggie" thing... some years ago (back when I actually had a home computer and logged in almost every day) there was a Thread here on Pet Talk called "How to Peel an Egg". I forget who started it but it turned into one of silliest, most absurd, hysterical threads ever :D Of course it started out serious and some very good hints and advise were given but THEN... one thing led to another (as they are prone to do here at Pet Talk ;) ) and MY GOODNESS!! Just goofier and goofier...

smokey the elder

08-24-2011, 10:26 AM

There is a legit hair restoration product out there. Like many cool discoveries, it was found by accident.

I don't like the TV products that have screaming peddlers, and especially the exorbitant shipping they charge. I have a practice of never buying a new product that I haven't handled; too much like "a pig in a poke", IMO. They can 'shop almost anything.

kuhio98

08-24-2011, 01:23 PM

Karen

08-24-2011, 04:14 PM

Why would anyone make or buy these:
Crocheted body parts!?! :eek::confused::eek:

I mean, what would a person do with crocheted sperm and reproductive organs?

Give them to someone lacking them? As a "joke"? Looks like someone had too much time on her hands ... and an anatomy textbook handy!

cassiesmom

08-24-2011, 04:25 PM

Why would anyone make or buy these:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnOptimisticCynic?section_id=6761029

Crocheted body parts!?! :eek::confused::eek:

I mean, what would a person do with crocheted sperm and reproductive organs?

The gall bladder has removable stones -- that's too funny! There are some "medicine nerds" out there for whom this might be a perfect humorous gift.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/plush/6708/images/8450/

lbaker

08-24-2011, 04:26 PM

EW EW EW :eek:

cassiesmom

08-24-2011, 04:28 PM

On "The Big Bang Theory", Sheldon and Leonard's shower curtain has the periodic table of the elements on it...

Check these out! Brain freeze ice cube trays!
http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/kitchen/d29b/

RICHARD

08-25-2011, 01:58 PM

I saw a product that helps you carry plastic bags from the car into your house.

I 'invented' the same product years ago...

It's also a key chain, rock climbing aid and 'brass knuckle'..

LO,

http://www.acmeclimbing.com/ProductImages/blackdiamond/lightdsm.jpg

A carabiner.

;)

RICHARD

08-25-2011, 01:59 PM

why would anyone make or buy these:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/anoptimisticcynic?section_id=6761029

crocheted body parts!?! :eek::confused::eek:

I mean, what would a person do with crocheted sperm and reproductive organs?

Make baby blankets?

happylabs

08-25-2011, 03:16 PM

Why would anyone make or buy these:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnOptimisticCynic?section_id=6761029

Crocheted body parts!?! :eek::confused::eek:

I mean, what would a person do with crocheted sperm and reproductive organs?

LOL! I have no idea but I found this one on Etsy today while I was looking for a Kindle Cover. It is a "pee pee protector"

http://www.etsy.com/listing/74803225/peepee-protector-blue-with-little?ref=sr_gallery_1&ga_search_submit=Search&ga_search_query=pee+pee+protector&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade

What will they think of next? I think I just shielded myself from that with a cloth diaper when my son was a baby. :D :p :rolleyes:

Roxyluvsme13

08-25-2011, 03:59 PM

Everybody needs a crotcheted gallbladder ;).

I find all infomercials extremely ridiculous. Especially the weight loss ones. "I lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks and now I look like a freakin' model!" :rolleyes:

sparks19

08-25-2011, 04:44 PM

pomtzu

08-25-2011, 04:48 PM

And its also a handy thing to put on my keys so i can attach them to the strap of my purse so i never lose them

That's exactly what I do after losing a full set years ago! :D

Karen

08-25-2011, 06:54 PM

What will they think of next? I think I just shielded myself from that with a cloth diaper when my son was a baby. :D :p :rolleyes:

Yeah, really - by the time you put that on, it's likely already too late! Spare cloth/diaper/towel ... whatever's handy will do!

wombat2u2004

08-25-2011, 09:08 PM

I bought one of these Irish Dog Carriers a couple of years ago.
Very handy for when the dog gets tired, and needs to be carried.

http://img1.imagehousing.com/12/0d9cd82e21993e21d30be530cf7538c8.jpg (http://www.imagehousing.com/image/833708)

RICHARD

08-26-2011, 08:39 AM

I have always wanted a boner, like this......

http://spinelesswunderboner.com/

Like, WTH was that all about?:confused:

happylabs

08-26-2011, 08:46 AM

LOL. Wasn't quite sure what that was going to be. :D
They don't really describe it very well.

sparks19

08-26-2011, 10:22 AM

Yeah, really - by the time you put that on, it's likely already too late! Spare cloth/diaper/towel ... whatever's handy will do!

it takes half a second to put it on lol same as putting on a wash cloth or something...except cute :) you just keep them around the change table so it's always handy... like washcloth or towel would be

I mean why do I have a cute little monkey ouchie pouchie when just a bag of ice will do? becuase sometimes I like to "cute" things up a bit lol makes the mundane a little more fun haha

of course.. I haven't had any use for them since I only have a girl and she never peed on me while changing her diaper lol.

but yeah... it was something people used anyway so someone made it cuter. still just as useful :)