# Don't waste your time/money on \_\_\_\_ (stuff that DOESN'T work) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 3, 2010, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747 "2010-12-03T01:56:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/101 "2010-12-09T11:51:49Z")
> [@BomTek](#): > > A couple relevant links. One, an [article from Cracked](http://www.cracked.com/article_17606_7-high-tech-products-their-cheap-ass-ingredients.html) that discusses more than a few of the items that have been mentioned here. > Two, and I hate to add my two cents to this goddamn argument, but I love [this one](http://cheezcomixed.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/129115793545040623.jpg). > > As for the OP, I’m somewhat ashamed to say that my otherwise intelligent mother and wife both bought Shake Weights. For one thing, as has been discussed in another thread recently, there’s no such thing as spot reduction, and for another, of COURSE the fucking thing won’t work if it just sits in the closet. Just like all the other gimmicky exercise equipment you’ve bought :rolleyes: there is actually a gyroscopic thingy my physio has me use occasionally, but it isnt for spot weight reduction, it is for working specific sets of muscles that are otherwise a pain to work on. At home, I kill time while ice mining in EVE [or whatever thing i am doing with a fair amount of wait time] I putz around with 5 pound had weights, and 2 pound hand weights doing various muscle groups. Or I use my squeezy ball. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/102 "2010-12-09T17:25:57Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Tried an Oxo brand mandolin. […] Instead of slicing at an angle Guillotine-style like our old one, this smashed into the food head on. I think Cook’s Illustrated did a review of mandolines a while back. If you want, I could leaf through my back issues and see if I could find which they recommended. ETA: Google tells me it was from [May of 2008](http://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipment/overview.asp?docid=13281). Let me know if you want me to dig it up when I get home. > [@BomTek](#): > > Two, and I hate to add my two cents to this goddamn argument, but I love [this one](http://cheezcomixed.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/129115793545040623.jpg). Personally, I’ve always been partial to [this](http://roosterteeth.com/archive/episode.php?id=118). (Hopefully the right link–can’t be sure from work.) > [@](#): > > As for the OP, I’m somewhat ashamed to say that my otherwise intelligent mother and wife both bought Shake Weights. For one thing, as has been discussed in another thread recently, there’s no such thing as spot reduction I thought the point wasn’t reducing the fat on your arms but getting toned muscles to [del]give better handjobs[/del] look good in sleeveless tops. ---
**Author:** ![rostfrei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7bcc69/32.png) [@rostfrei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rostfrei)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/103 "2010-12-09T20:32:21Z")
I was having a particularly non-butch moment one day at Walgreens and decided to buy one of those Pedi-Egg things. Supposedly, you were supposed to use it to remove dead, flaky skin. Maybe I wasn’t doing it right, I rubbed my heels with it, but it didn’t remove that much dead skin. And to make matters worse, the dead skin remnants reminded me of something you’d sprinkle on top of spaghetti. I ended up throwing it away. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/104 "2010-12-09T20:36:29Z")
They actually work really well, but 1) you have to have DRY skin; don’t use it anytime after a shower. And two, you have to really work at it; 5 minutes every day for a week to see a difference. The Parmesan type stuff was your dead, calloused skin coming off! You can get the same results at a good pedicure, but who has the money/time for those regularly. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/105 "2010-12-09T20:36:49Z")
My mom has one and raves about it. Could be a case of your M Ving. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/106 "2010-12-09T20:47:27Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > They actually work really well, but 1) you have to have DRY skin; don’t use it anytime after a shower. And two, you have to really work at it; 5 minutes every day for a week to see a difference. The Parmesan type stuff was your dead, calloused skin coming off! You can get the same results at a good pedicure, but who has the money/time for those regularly. See, I like to use it just out of the shower or, even better, after my feet have been slathered in lotion and saran wrap and then a thin pair of cotton socks over night. But I have insanely thick callouses that make the pedicure lady (back when I was seeing her every two weeks) cluck and scold me. Seriously, Ped-Lady, I don’t grow them on purpose! But the warm water or lotion overnight softens things up enough that the PedEgg just shaves the thick skin off like a nice cheddar on a microplane. Sorry, gross image, but that’s exactly what it’s like. I heart my PedEgg. My PedLady probably hates it, because I haven’t seen her in a year. Cluck, cluck. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/107 "2010-12-09T20:52:56Z")
OMG, your successfully use it on softened/lotioned feet!? I used it once on wet feet (with what I thought to be pretty bad callouses) and it was _not_ a pleasant surprise. But yes, it’s exactly like a microplane. But for your feet! ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/108 "2010-12-09T20:56:52Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > OMG, your successfully use it on softened/lotioned feet!? I used it once on wet feet (with what I thought to be pretty bad callouses) and it was _not_ a pleasant surprise. > > But yes, it’s exactly like a microplane. But for your feet! Like I said, REALLY thick callouses, especially on my heels. I seriously wonder if it’s some sort of psoriasis or something - the top layers of epidermis just don’t seem to leave on their own. My unegged feet are like hooves. I’ve actually caused visible scratches on my SO’s legs in bed just from my feet. :smack: If you have normal feet, using it wet might be ouchy, if you only have a small layer of dead skin cells to remove. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/109 "2010-12-09T21:43:04Z")
This thread has taken a turn for the gross yet awesome. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/110 "2010-12-09T22:16:12Z")
Are you kidding? We haven’t even mentioned DivaCups yet (though that might be better off in the other thread…). There are enough DivaCup threads for every other female doper at this point 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/111 "2010-12-10T03:58:28Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > This thread has taken a turn for the gross yet awesome. > [@lindsaybluth](#): > > Are you kidding? We haven’t even mentioned DivaCups yet (though that might be better off in the other thread…). There are enough DivaCup threads for every other female doper at this point 😉 Oh, Divacups definitely belong in the other thread! But for this thread, and to up the gross quotient, I’ll submit [Instead](http://www.softcup.com/), the disposable menstrual cup. As a long time Keeper (another brand of cup like the Divacup) user, I thought I’d love Instead for camping - no need to rinse out the cup like the Keeper, just use for a day and toss. Turns out it fits NOTHING like the Keeper - it’s more like a soft diaphragm, and I just couldn’t get it in the right spot up close to the cervix. Leaked like a motherfucking sieve and was really unpleasant to remove. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/112 "2010-12-10T13:33:49Z")
I’ll second that. DivaCup=awesome. Instead=Teh Suck ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/113 "2010-12-10T17:19:22Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > And just what, pray tell, would they use a Mac FOR? There’s almost no commercially available software for it! I’ve looked into getting a Mac. Let’s see, I can surf, and I can do word processing. Nope, no games for me! I don’t want to make this (add to?) a recurring hijack, but I just came across an article this morning at [FastCompany.com](http://FastCompany.com) that might be of interest: [Ten Mac Apps That Make Windows Users Drool](http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/chris-dannen/techwatch/10-mac-apps-make-windows-users-drool?partner=homepage_newsletter). I have no idea whether the referenced applications are worthwhile, either in general or to you specifically, but it made me think of this thread. I’ll note that I use neither Mac nor Windows by choice, so I’ve got little interest in any for/against position for either. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/114 "2010-12-10T17:30:23Z")
Of those apps, I would only use one or two. I’d use the library organizer and MAYBE the music organizer. It looks like the music organizer is useless without iTunes, though. The other apps are for things that I am just not interested in doing. I’m sure that they’re very useful to some people. I’m not one of those people. The library app DOES make me drool, but I’m not going to buy a whole new computer just for my library. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/115 "2010-12-10T18:10:58Z")
Ultrasonic pest control devices. _“They no work.”_ ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/116 "2010-12-10T18:16:05Z")
**WhyNot** , I was just mentioning DivaCups for the ick factor ;). ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/117 "2010-12-10T18:48:34Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > **WhyNot** , I was just mentioning DivaCups for the ick factor ;). Yeah, I know. Same for me upping the ante to the Instead cup…just…going with the flow. 😃 _d&r_ ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/118 "2010-12-10T18:53:00Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > I’ve found that even the tooth pastes do a good job of whitening; however, my husband grew up somewhere that had something weird in the water that caused his teeth to form an odd colour as opposed to just getting stained from coffee/tea, etc and whitening doesn’t work on him. > > I don’t actually remember what was in the water though… Too much fluoride might leave extra-white spots. Or he might have gotten exposed to tetracycline as a child or in utero (we think that’s why my teeth are hideous). ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/119 "2010-12-11T01:07:43Z")
Ped Egg? It’s just a cutesy substitute for **ordinary sandpaper.** That’s what I use, and my podiatrist, an MD, approves. Monster Cables are merely big wire, with a clear plastic shell to make the wire look even bigger. The wire on most lamps is 18 ga. zip cord. Go to any hardware store or Lowes, and you can find the same thing in 14 ga. That will handle anything your sound system can honk out. You don’t need fancy gold-plated ends, either. Strip and twist the ends, and “tin” them, that is, give them a simple coat of solder to keep them from fraying and corroding. That’s as “monster” as you’ll ever need for your speakers. Besides, the insulation on one side has ridges, so you’ll know which side goes to which terminal. They also sell 8 ga. wire, if you just want to impress your friends, and that’s bigger than Monsters. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/120 "2010-12-11T04:28:55Z")
**AskNott** , it’s not sandpaper. It’s not a grit at all. It is literally a microplane for your feet. When used properly, the inside part “catches” the shavings, rather than having them fly everywhere as if you used a _real_ microplane. Shaving != sanding. Secondly, a [podiatrist is a DPM](http://www.podiatrychannel.com/aPodiatrist.shtml) - doctor of podiatric medicine - not an MD. If yours is an MD, then he’s a DPM/MD. > [@WhyNot](#): > > …just…going with the flow. _giggle_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747.md?page=7)