You've seen infomercials for a million products. And if you've bought any of them, you know they almost always suck. So "Good Housekeeping" thoroughly tested five of the most popular products you've seen on TV. And here's what they found.
#1.) The Shake Weight. It's supposed to sculpt your arms in just six minutes a day. "Good Housekeeping" found that the DVD workout actually takes about 9 minutes . . . which still isn't too bad. And more importantly, it worked. But a second group of people worked out with two-and-a-half-pound dumbbells for 30 minutes a day, three days a week. And they actually got better results.
#2.) The ShamWow. It's supposed to hold 12 times its weight in water. And believe it or not, it's true according to "Good Housekeeping". They found that it actually holds THIRTEEN times its weight. But the more they washed it, the less absorbent it got. And even though it was good for cleaning electronics, a regular towel was better for most spills.
#3.) The MagicJack. It's the thing that plugs into your computer and uses your Internet connection so you can have a phone line for just $20 a year. And it works. But the sound quality isn't as reliable as a landline. Plus, it has issues with 911, and the police can't automatically find your address when you call from it. So "Good Housekeeping" says it's a great option for a SECOND phone line.
#4.) UGlu. You might not know this one, but the slogan is, "The strength of super glue. The convenience of tape." So, in other words, it's extra-strong double-sided tape. "Good Housekeeping" tried it on 14 different materials, including metal, plastic, wood, and fabric. And most things stuck together really well, even if they got wet. The only thing that made the bond weaker was heat. Overall, they say it's good for small fixes. But it can't hold as much weight as it's supposed to, so it's not very good for big jobs.
#5.) The Nuwave Pro Infrared Oven. "Good Housekeeping" says it's only worth paying $150 for one if you don't have a REGULAR oven. On average, they say it cooks things 50% faster than a conventional oven does . . . mostly because you don't have to preheat it. But it tends to dry the food out, and it isn't good when you want to reheat something.
Helpful tips. It seems that despite some drawbacks from each of the mentioned products, the benefits seem to outweigh it. Good post.
ReplyDelete