As-Seen-on-TV Products Test ? ?
#1
02-23-2011, 11:40 AM
As-Seen-on-TV Products Test ? ?
As-Seen-on-TV Products Test
Member's -> Has anyone purchased any of the below ?
Post & give your review if you have, or what you think , if you haven't Fill in some empty space's & give member's something 2 read 
Order now, and the second one is absolutely free! (But no, it won’t work, either.)
BY Jared Gall, Photography by Roy Ritchie
There’s a ton of money in what appears, at first glance, to be junk. Just ask Mr. Ginsu, the Abs man, and George Foreman. Grillmaker Salton paid Foreman $137.5 million for the use of his name in perpetuity on its grill, basically a low-dollar, plug-in frying pan with ridges to drain off fat. The King Tut of hucksters, Veg-O-Matic’s Ron Popeil, sold his business five years ago—ever see his tool that scrambles an egg in its shell?—for $55 million. That got us thinking of automotive cockamamie like gas savers and smokeless ashtrays. What’s out there? We logged on to AsSeenOnTV.com and filled our virtual cart with $144 of the finest and flimsiest items that late-night TV—or, in this case, midafternoon internet—has to offer.
1. Sun Zapper
The Sun Zapper, AutoVent SPV, and The Swivel Seat
($16.95 + $6.95 S&H)
THE PROMISE: “Provides protection from the blinding sun, as well as reflections from other cars and reflective surfaces.”
HOW IT WORKS (SUPPOSEDLY): The tinted plastic panel clips to your sun visor. It’s like sunglasses but without all that strain on your ears. The “Sliding Sun Terminator” provides extra protection.
DOES IT WORK? It’s supposed to shield you from reflective surfaces but is itself a reflective surface. If you try to stare right through it, you’ll be confused by reflections of the cars behind you, of the rear of your car, and even of your own face. Also, the Sliding Sun Terminator is a small panel so dark it might terminate the driver—or others he crashes into. Flipped up so that the driver isn’t looking directly through it, the Sun Zapper works okay, but the constant play of reflections across its surface and the two-tone view out the windshield are unsettling.
Rating: 1 (out of 5)
ALTERNATIVELY YOU COULD: Drive while wearing a welding helmet.* *Not actually recommended. Just buy sunglasses.
2. AutoVent SPV
($19.95 + $6.95 S&H; buy two and the second is $9.95)
THE PROMISE: “Silently and efficiently eliminates stale, stuffy air from inside your vehicle, even on the hottest summer days!”
HOW IT WORKS (SUPPOSEDLY): A small, solar-powered fan clips to the top of your window and blows hot air out of the vehicle while it is parked.
DOES IT WORK? We placed thermometers in two Mazda 3s parked side-by-side in the summer sun. The car with the AutoVent clipped to the window heated up less quickly, but after just a couple of hours, both cars were the same temperature inside. The solar-powered fan has no switch, so, amusingly, it is always on when pointed at the sun—inside the car, tied to your dog, it doesn’t matter. It also has no battery, so the power quits as soon as the unit is out of direct sunlight. Which is good, because it’s not like the sun moves in the sky or anything.
Rating: 1
ALTERNATIVELY YOU COULD: Roll down the windows for a minute when you first get into the car
3. Swivel Seat
($19.95 + $7.95 S&H)
THE PROMISE: “Let[s] you climb in and out of your car without twisting and straining your back or hips.”
HOW IT WORKS (SUPPOSEDLY): Add-on device is placed on a seat, and it swivels, kind of.
DOES IT WORK? It consists of two plate-sized disks of one-eighth-inch-thick plywood (severely warped, in our case), covered in “plush faux sheepskin.” The disks are connected by a bearing that sounded like it was filled with sand. Just place the unit on a seat, sit down, and rotate, though we found that there tended to be less resistance between our pants and the car seat itself. Also, one of the wood pieces broke. The weight limit for the device is just 250 pounds, rendering it useless for a potentially very profitable market segment.
Rating: 0
ALTERNATIVELY YOU COULD: Avoid being pathetically weak
4. Wiper Wizard
Wiper Wizard, Smokeless Ashtray, and Pops-a-Dent
($12.95 + $7.95 S&H)
THE PROMISE: “Will clean and sharpen the [wiper] blades, restoring complete windshield contact for better performance.”
HOW IT WORKS (SUPPOSEDLY): Simply slide the Wiper Wizard along your blades, and—voilą!—the edge is restored. Your wiper is as good as new.
DOES IT WORK? Sort of. We tested it on an intern’s Honda Accord and saw debatable improvement. So we followed up with another treatment, and now he needs new wipers.
Rating: 2
ALTERNATIVELY YOU COULD: Rain-X a pair of goggles and drive with your head out the window.
5. Smokeless Car Ashtray
($9.95 + $6.95 S&H)
THE PROMISE: “Pulls the cigarette smoke into the ashtray where it passes through [a] super-absorbent activated-carbon filter that instantly removes the smoke and odors.”
HOW IT WORKS (SUPPOSEDLY): Plug it into the cigarette lighter (which presents a problem, seeing as you’re going to need it to fire up your cancer stick in a moment), and a fan pulls smoke into the can. There it is filtered and exhausted out the back of the device.
DOES IT WORK? It doesn’t. Smoking in press cars is expressly forbidden, so we lit up a Camel in the author’s cube. The neighbors instantly complained. Not having the ashtray buried in a cup holder gave us a great view of the “filtered” smoke blowing from the unit’s exhaust vent. It runs on batteries, too, so you can have a nonfunctional smokeless ashtray with you wherever you go.
Rating: 0
ALTERNATIVELY YOU COULD: Use that $10 bill to roll a, um, cigarette.
6. Pops-a-Dent
($19.95 + $7.95 S&H)
THE PROMISE: “Professional quality dent remover.”
HOW IT WORKS (SUPPOSEDLY): Using a glue gun that’s included, you smear hot glue onto a threaded stem resembling a rigid, flattened suction cup, which you then affix to the middle of the dent. When the glue cools, lay the plastic bridge over the stem and screw a **** onto its base. As you tighten the **** against the bridge, it pulls out the dent; repeat as necessary.
DOES IT WORK? We chose the Pops-a-Dent not just because of its awesome name (although that was a factor), but because the patent-pending, arched design is claimed to eliminate the possibility of causing other dents—apparently a risk with these sort of things. Nevertheless, we could clearly see the metal bowing at the feet of the bridge, and it seems entirely possible that these indentations could become permanent. The pressure the unit applies to the sheetmetal is tremendous: During one application, when the glue finally gave way, the device shot more than 10 feet into the air. But, lo and behold, after four tries, the dent was nearly gone. As a bonus, the glue gun can be used to repair the Swivel Seat.
Rating: 4
ALTERNATIVELY YOU COULD: Go to a body shop. (Wow, a product that’s better than the alternative!)
More at Car and Driver :
Digital Slot Cars Tested: Carrera, SCX, Scalextric
^^^Above would be `fun...^^^Beside Amy, does any other
member have Slot Cars ? If so, tell us about them : )
Member's -> Has anyone purchased any of the below ?
Post & give your review if you have, or what you think , if you haven't Fill in some empty space's & give member's something 2 read Order now, and the second one is absolutely free! (But no, it won’t work, either.)
BY Jared Gall, Photography by Roy Ritchie
There’s a ton of money in what appears, at first glance, to be junk. Just ask Mr. Ginsu, the Abs man, and George Foreman. Grillmaker Salton paid Foreman $137.5 million for the use of his name in perpetuity on its grill, basically a low-dollar, plug-in frying pan with ridges to drain off fat. The King Tut of hucksters, Veg-O-Matic’s Ron Popeil, sold his business five years ago—ever see his tool that scrambles an egg in its shell?—for $55 million. That got us thinking of automotive cockamamie like gas savers and smokeless ashtrays. What’s out there? We logged on to AsSeenOnTV.com and filled our virtual cart with $144 of the finest and flimsiest items that late-night TV—or, in this case, midafternoon internet—has to offer.
1. Sun Zapper
The Sun Zapper, AutoVent SPV, and The Swivel Seat($16.95 + $6.95 S&H)
THE PROMISE: “Provides protection from the blinding sun, as well as reflections from other cars and reflective surfaces.”
HOW IT WORKS (SUPPOSEDLY): The tinted plastic panel clips to your sun visor. It’s like sunglasses but without all that strain on your ears. The “Sliding Sun Terminator” provides extra protection.
DOES IT WORK? It’s supposed to shield you from reflective surfaces but is itself a reflective surface. If you try to stare right through it, you’ll be confused by reflections of the cars behind you, of the rear of your car, and even of your own face. Also, the Sliding Sun Terminator is a small panel so dark it might terminate the driver—or others he crashes into. Flipped up so that the driver isn’t looking directly through it, the Sun Zapper works okay, but the constant play of reflections across its surface and the two-tone view out the windshield are unsettling.
Rating: 1 (out of 5)
ALTERNATIVELY YOU COULD: Drive while wearing a welding helmet.* *Not actually recommended. Just buy sunglasses.
2. AutoVent SPV
($19.95 + $6.95 S&H; buy two and the second is $9.95)
THE PROMISE: “Silently and efficiently eliminates stale, stuffy air from inside your vehicle, even on the hottest summer days!”
HOW IT WORKS (SUPPOSEDLY): A small, solar-powered fan clips to the top of your window and blows hot air out of the vehicle while it is parked.
DOES IT WORK? We placed thermometers in two Mazda 3s parked side-by-side in the summer sun. The car with the AutoVent clipped to the window heated up less quickly, but after just a couple of hours, both cars were the same temperature inside. The solar-powered fan has no switch, so, amusingly, it is always on when pointed at the sun—inside the car, tied to your dog, it doesn’t matter. It also has no battery, so the power quits as soon as the unit is out of direct sunlight. Which is good, because it’s not like the sun moves in the sky or anything.
Rating: 1
ALTERNATIVELY YOU COULD: Roll down the windows for a minute when you first get into the car
3. Swivel Seat
($19.95 + $7.95 S&H)
THE PROMISE: “Let[s] you climb in and out of your car without twisting and straining your back or hips.”
HOW IT WORKS (SUPPOSEDLY): Add-on device is placed on a seat, and it swivels, kind of.
DOES IT WORK? It consists of two plate-sized disks of one-eighth-inch-thick plywood (severely warped, in our case), covered in “plush faux sheepskin.” The disks are connected by a bearing that sounded like it was filled with sand. Just place the unit on a seat, sit down, and rotate, though we found that there tended to be less resistance between our pants and the car seat itself. Also, one of the wood pieces broke. The weight limit for the device is just 250 pounds, rendering it useless for a potentially very profitable market segment.
Rating: 0
ALTERNATIVELY YOU COULD: Avoid being pathetically weak
4. Wiper Wizard
Wiper Wizard, Smokeless Ashtray, and Pops-a-Dent($12.95 + $7.95 S&H)
THE PROMISE: “Will clean and sharpen the [wiper] blades, restoring complete windshield contact for better performance.”
HOW IT WORKS (SUPPOSEDLY): Simply slide the Wiper Wizard along your blades, and—voilą!—the edge is restored. Your wiper is as good as new.
DOES IT WORK? Sort of. We tested it on an intern’s Honda Accord and saw debatable improvement. So we followed up with another treatment, and now he needs new wipers.
Rating: 2
ALTERNATIVELY YOU COULD: Rain-X a pair of goggles and drive with your head out the window.
5. Smokeless Car Ashtray
($9.95 + $6.95 S&H)
THE PROMISE: “Pulls the cigarette smoke into the ashtray where it passes through [a] super-absorbent activated-carbon filter that instantly removes the smoke and odors.”
HOW IT WORKS (SUPPOSEDLY): Plug it into the cigarette lighter (which presents a problem, seeing as you’re going to need it to fire up your cancer stick in a moment), and a fan pulls smoke into the can. There it is filtered and exhausted out the back of the device.
DOES IT WORK? It doesn’t. Smoking in press cars is expressly forbidden, so we lit up a Camel in the author’s cube. The neighbors instantly complained. Not having the ashtray buried in a cup holder gave us a great view of the “filtered” smoke blowing from the unit’s exhaust vent. It runs on batteries, too, so you can have a nonfunctional smokeless ashtray with you wherever you go.
Rating: 0
ALTERNATIVELY YOU COULD: Use that $10 bill to roll a, um, cigarette.
6. Pops-a-Dent
($19.95 + $7.95 S&H)
THE PROMISE: “Professional quality dent remover.”
HOW IT WORKS (SUPPOSEDLY): Using a glue gun that’s included, you smear hot glue onto a threaded stem resembling a rigid, flattened suction cup, which you then affix to the middle of the dent. When the glue cools, lay the plastic bridge over the stem and screw a **** onto its base. As you tighten the **** against the bridge, it pulls out the dent; repeat as necessary.
DOES IT WORK? We chose the Pops-a-Dent not just because of its awesome name (although that was a factor), but because the patent-pending, arched design is claimed to eliminate the possibility of causing other dents—apparently a risk with these sort of things. Nevertheless, we could clearly see the metal bowing at the feet of the bridge, and it seems entirely possible that these indentations could become permanent. The pressure the unit applies to the sheetmetal is tremendous: During one application, when the glue finally gave way, the device shot more than 10 feet into the air. But, lo and behold, after four tries, the dent was nearly gone. As a bonus, the glue gun can be used to repair the Swivel Seat.
Rating: 4
ALTERNATIVELY YOU COULD: Go to a body shop. (Wow, a product that’s better than the alternative!)
More at Car and Driver :
Digital Slot Cars Tested: Carrera, SCX, Scalextric
^^^Above would be `fun...^^^Beside Amy, does any other
member have Slot Cars ? If so, tell us about them : )
Last edited by Space; 02-23-2011 at 12:10 PM.
#2
02-23-2011, 12:09 PM
Automotive Spyware: Vehicle Tracking Systems and Data Recorders Tested - Gearbox
Big Brother is Watching: Electronic nannies can tell what your car and its driver have been up to.
BY MICHAEL AUSTIN, PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROY RITCHIE
January 2011
Pages: 1 Photos
Whatever your reasonas a business owner, concerned parent, data-obsessed nerd, or even suspicious spouseyou might want to know how and where your car is being driven when youre not behind the wheel. Weve collected four devices of varying levels of sophistication (and price). Each offers real ease of use and a healthy outlet for your paranoia.
Escort Entourage PS
The Entourage gives you full-on, Mission: Impossiblestyle live monitoring. The portable units info (theres also an Entourage model you can hard-wire into your car) is accessed through a website, which reports speed and location superimposed over Google Maps. You can also set alarms that notify you via e-mail or text message when the Entourage detects movement or leaves a customizable geographic perimeter. The downside: Access to all this information requires a subscription, $14.95 a month. ($299.95; 800-964-3138; www.escortradar.com)
BEST FOR: Tracking where your car goes if it gets stolen.
Davis Instruments CarChip Pro
The CarChip Pro plugs into the OBD II port under your cars dash and spits out information by the bucketful. It records vehicle speed as often as once every second, along with four selectable parameters such as throttle position, engine speed, and even timing advance. It can also read and clear check-engine-light codes. The downside, for Luddites, is that it requires a computer. But once the data is downloaded via the included software, you get a highly detailed report. And the CarChip remembers specific cars, so it can be swapped throughout a fleet. ($119.00; 800-678-3669; www.davisnet.com)
BEST FOR: Obsessive-compulsives and business-fleet owners.
LandAirSea GPS Tracking Key Pro
Looking for some cloak-and-dagger spy gear? Look no further. The Tracking Key Pro is a self-contained GPS receiver and recorder, powered by two AA batteries. The 100-hour memory is designed to outlast the 80-hour battery life, and the unit attaches to your car with a strong magnet. Its the ultimate grab-and-go solution for the PI on the move. We even tried it under the bumper of a test car, and it still worked. The tracking key is passive, which means you need to download the recorded data to a computer. That said, it will display the cars travel history on a map or generate a report that includes the approximate addresses of stops, such as hourly-rate motels. ($248.99; 847-462-8100; www.landairsea.com)
BEST FOR: Checking alibis.
Lemur Vehicle Monitors SafeDriver
The SafeDriver also plugs into your cars OBD II port, sending information wirelessly to a key fob that displays maximum speed, distance traveled, and hard braking events (0.40 g or greater). The fob can be separated from the sensor (you can update the statistics after a trip), and it lets you know if the sensor gets unplugged from the OBD II port. Its great if you want a simple driving report card, but it lacks detail. ($69.95; 866-302-0054; www.lemurmonitors.com)
BEST FOR: Keeping tabs on a new teen driver.
Big Brother is Watching: Electronic nannies can tell what your car and its driver have been up to.
BY MICHAEL AUSTIN, PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROY RITCHIE
January 2011
Pages: 1 Photos
Whatever your reasonas a business owner, concerned parent, data-obsessed nerd, or even suspicious spouseyou might want to know how and where your car is being driven when youre not behind the wheel. Weve collected four devices of varying levels of sophistication (and price). Each offers real ease of use and a healthy outlet for your paranoia.
Escort Entourage PSThe Entourage gives you full-on, Mission: Impossiblestyle live monitoring. The portable units info (theres also an Entourage model you can hard-wire into your car) is accessed through a website, which reports speed and location superimposed over Google Maps. You can also set alarms that notify you via e-mail or text message when the Entourage detects movement or leaves a customizable geographic perimeter. The downside: Access to all this information requires a subscription, $14.95 a month. ($299.95; 800-964-3138; www.escortradar.com)
BEST FOR: Tracking where your car goes if it gets stolen.
Davis Instruments CarChip ProThe CarChip Pro plugs into the OBD II port under your cars dash and spits out information by the bucketful. It records vehicle speed as often as once every second, along with four selectable parameters such as throttle position, engine speed, and even timing advance. It can also read and clear check-engine-light codes. The downside, for Luddites, is that it requires a computer. But once the data is downloaded via the included software, you get a highly detailed report. And the CarChip remembers specific cars, so it can be swapped throughout a fleet. ($119.00; 800-678-3669; www.davisnet.com)
BEST FOR: Obsessive-compulsives and business-fleet owners.
LandAirSea GPS Tracking Key ProLooking for some cloak-and-dagger spy gear? Look no further. The Tracking Key Pro is a self-contained GPS receiver and recorder, powered by two AA batteries. The 100-hour memory is designed to outlast the 80-hour battery life, and the unit attaches to your car with a strong magnet. Its the ultimate grab-and-go solution for the PI on the move. We even tried it under the bumper of a test car, and it still worked. The tracking key is passive, which means you need to download the recorded data to a computer. That said, it will display the cars travel history on a map or generate a report that includes the approximate addresses of stops, such as hourly-rate motels. ($248.99; 847-462-8100; www.landairsea.com)
BEST FOR: Checking alibis.
Lemur Vehicle Monitors SafeDriverThe SafeDriver also plugs into your cars OBD II port, sending information wirelessly to a key fob that displays maximum speed, distance traveled, and hard braking events (0.40 g or greater). The fob can be separated from the sensor (you can update the statistics after a trip), and it lets you know if the sensor gets unplugged from the OBD II port. Its great if you want a simple driving report card, but it lacks detail. ($69.95; 866-302-0054; www.lemurmonitors.com)
BEST FOR: Keeping tabs on a new teen driver.
#3
02-23-2011, 12:57 PM
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Southeast PA
Posts: 25,136
I own the pull up bar as seen on TV, and I love that. I would never buy any of these though lol
#5
02-23-2011, 03:44 PM
Hi Pacer, Hows the USAF treating you ?
I also think it's a decent price to know where you car is all the time : ) I am constantly amazed at the creations of these latest devices...I know `if I had a expensive ride, that I would invest in one. When I had my latest Monte, I would stress out everytime I had to leave it in a parking lot 4-Sure...
If any memeber has any of the above listed units, please post your review, and if anyone buys one, let us know what you think ?
I think `if I had teenages, that it would be a great investment
...I know how crazy I drove when I first got my license, and I will never 4-get how bad it was when I lost it for Street Racing 
Thanks, everyone for your comments/posts on this thread...
It's one of those threads, that you never know what you will find/see or read
(It's a SpaceThread: ) LOL "It's all over the place" : )Escort Entourage PSThe Entourage gives you full-on, Mission: Impossible–style live monitoring. The portable unit’s info (there’s also an Entourage model you can hard-wire into your car) is accessed through a website, which reports speed and location superimposed over Google Maps. You can also set alarms that notify you via e-mail or text message when the Entourage detects movement or leaves a customizable geographic perimeter. The downside: Access to all this information requires a subscription, $14.95 a month. ($299.95; 800-964-3138; www.escortradar.com)
BEST FOR: Tracking where your car goes if it gets stolen.
#6
02-23-2011, 06:44 PM
Can't spell PIMP without an MP
Monte Of The Month -- November 2010
2010 Monte Of The Year
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Grove City, Ohio
Posts: 2,626
I don't have any of the products mentioned. However, my wife bought me the 'Gator Grip' a few years ago and it is one of the most used sockets in my set. I LOVE it.
#8
02-23-2011, 06:50 PM
Can't spell PIMP without an MP
Monte Of The Month -- November 2010
2010 Monte Of The Year
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Grove City, Ohio
Posts: 2,626
I don't think they make them anymore. I would NEVER have bought it for myself. I "know better" than to buy something like that. I guess that I can occasionally be wrong too!
#9
02-23-2011, 06:50 PM
That swivel seat sounds dangerous in an accident. All sounds like someones good idea gone horribly wrong though. Some even sound like a bad idea, come to think of it. The last "As seen on TV" thing I bought was a box of Shamwows at CVS (when the annoying guy claimed you couldn't get htem in stores... they were at state fairs and crap the whole time), and they work better than a towel... but basically just spread water around.
In some cheap vacation spots they have these "As Seen on TV" stores. Really interesting in concept. Never been in one though.
In some cheap vacation spots they have these "As Seen on TV" stores. Really interesting in concept. Never been in one though.
