# What products should be more popular than they are? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 4, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707 "2012-03-04T05:31:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707/41 "2012-03-05T07:42:24Z")
> [@Tibby or Not Tibby](#): > > O.K, I solicit comments about pressure cookers and ask for product suggestions of your own… Earlier [thread on pressure cookers.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=268818) ---
**Author:** ![Corcaigh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Corcaigh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corcaigh)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707/42 "2012-03-05T14:27:52Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Would that be Ireland? Well done! _clap clap_ > [@](#): > > I’m guessing that either gas economy or some sort of licensing requirements are to blame. Not sure about gas economy, can’t do a straight comparision between an automatic and a manual. Licensing? Well you pass your driving test and get a full driving licence and can drive any vehicle in the class that you qualified for (car, van, tractor, lorry, whatever). I passed my test in an automatic and am not allowed to drive a manual car unsupervised (ie I need to have a qualified driver with me, and use L plates - dear gawd I’m not explaining L plates!!) I had someone refuse a lift [from me] because my car is an automatic … > [@](#): > > Here in the US, almost everyone drives an automatic; even most light trucks and many sports cars come with automatics as standard. I know! It was great, I could drive, even if you beggers will go on the wrong side of the road! I had to replace my 14 year old car last year, and had a terrible time finding an automatic that was less than 5 years old - I searched online and found a grand total of 8 in Co. Cork most of which were BMWs. ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707/43 "2012-03-05T15:58:07Z")
Ross retail stores. You can find some great clothes and shoes there. My wife is a fashionista but does it on a shoestring budget. People are always so surprised how little she spent on her outfits. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707/44 "2012-03-05T17:35:44Z")
Laundry detergent tablets. When I was a renter, using the laundromat, I found these ridiculously convenient. I’d sort my clothes at home, decide how many loads I’d be running, and bring the correct number of tabs. No big box, or heavy bottle, no transferring the acceptably priced big box or bottle to a more convenient container. Just grab a few tabs and go on my way. This also dovetails nicely with my confusion over the popularity of dishwasher tablets. Dishwashers are designed to use multiple stages to clean dishes, and dispense detergent/rinse aid at the designated time. Tablets skip the first wash cycle and only dispense during the main cycle. Everyone keeps (or could keep) their dishwasher detergent right next to the dishwasher, under the sink, there’s never any transportation issues. I fail to see any convenience for a dishwasher tablet over powder/liquid, yet they are very popular\*, while the laundry tablet is nowhere to be found. \*If they clean better, why not crush up the tablets into powder and put it in a stinking box? ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707/45 "2012-03-05T18:58:41Z")
Check Tide Pods. I just saw the announcement today, a measured amount of liquid detergent in plastic. No mess measuring. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707/46 "2012-03-05T19:04:49Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Lots of anti-pressure cooker propaganda in my family convinced me not to try one. My grandma had one explode on her ceiling, and swore off them ever since. My mom couldn’t cook so we didn’t have one (or a blender or coffeepot or toaster oven or grill). > > I think Crocs (shoes) should be more popular than they are. They come in a lot of modern, dressy designs (including business-appropriate flats and heels!), and are much more comfortable than non-Crocs. People wearing orthotics should try Crocs, and they’re also popular for people with plantar fasciitis. And they’re cheap! You forgot Ugly. Ugly, Ugly, Ugly and Ugly. But I am sure that they look good on you!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707/47 "2012-03-05T19:14:12Z")
I have two pressure cookers: a small one suitable for cooking a meal and a big one that can hold several quart jars and is suitable for canning. I can’t exactly remember the last time I cooked a meal in one. It was probably at least four years ago and it was most likely a corned beef brisket. They are generally more trouble than they are worth just to cook supper. I’ve never been in a position, though, where I had a sack of dried beans that I needed to cook right now. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707/48 "2012-03-05T19:24:51Z")
KMart has a brand of bottled flavored waters that are non-caloric and so very tasty (under the name Smart Sense). The trunk of my car is usually filled with them as I like to have them around wherever I go. > [@rachelellogram](#): > > I think Crocs (shoes) should be more popular than they are. They come in a lot of modern, dressy designs (including business-appropriate flats and heels!), and are much more comfortable than non-Crocs. People wearing orthotics should try Crocs, and they’re also popular for people with plantar fasciitis. And they’re cheap! I used to own a pair of 'em. The one thing that made me toss them out was the fact that they are way to good at not releasing any heat. I’m sure my feet melted them at some point. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707/49 "2012-03-05T22:38:54Z")
[Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce](http://www.amazon.com/Mae-Ploy-Sweet-25-Ounce-Bottle/dp/B00016UX0K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330986042&sr=8-1) and [Huy Fong Sriracha Hot Chili](http://www.amazon.com/Huy-Fong-Sriracha-17-Ounce-Bottles/dp/B001EO5ZHO/ref=sr_1_6?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1330986161&sr=1-6)Sauce I’d slather these sauces on everything if I could, including my [schnoodle](http://doghouse.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/schnoodle_4.jpg). Wings? You bet your bippy! Forget Buffalo Style—go Asian. ---
**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:** [March 5, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707/50 "2012-03-05T23:12:00Z")
I prefer to measure my laundry and dishwashing detergent, rather than have them in tablets or packets. If I’m doing a small load of undergarments, for instance, I’m not going to need the full amount recommended. If I’m doing a load of Bill’s jeans after he’s just overhauled a car engine, (or whatever it is that he does with the car that means his jeans are an oily, smelly mess), then I’m going to need the full amount. Actually, I’m probably going to need a little detergent for a presoak, and then the full amount for a full wash. And probably another full cycle without detergent afterwards. When I had to use laundromats, I transferred the detergent to ziplock bags. Now that I have laundry facilities at home, I don’t find it overly burdensome to measure out detergent. ---
**Author:** ![qubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f07891/32.png) [@qubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qubed)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707/51 "2012-03-05T23:18:17Z")
If you’re looking for easily transportable detergent, Method has a fairly new ultra-concentrated version: [http://methodlaundry.com/](http://methodlaundry.com/) It’s not cheap, but it’s certainly lightweight and portable and lets you control how much you want in each load. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707/52 "2012-03-05T23:18:25Z")
I associate pressure cookers with my mom’s poverty-cooking. She was never exactly a gourmet cook, but when we were growing up our family never had much money, and she made what I called “the eternal soup” - that is, throwing in everything that was cheap and available into the pressure cooker, and cooking it up, saving the leftovers, and then adding cheap and available stuff to the leftovers, cooking it up, saving the leftovers … Thing is, she was of the opinion that chicken bones added flavour and retained them, so after a few iterations the pressure cooker was like a chicken’s graveyard, with bones floating in a pulpy mass of mushy vegitables. This experience, probably unfairly, put me off pressure cooking. ---
**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:** [March 5, 2012, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707/53 "2012-03-05T23:46:10Z")
Chicken bones and skin can add a lot of flavor to liquid. However, they don’t RETAIN flavor, and should certainly be removed from the stock. And I imagine that facing a bowl of chicken bones would put just about anyone off their feed. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707/54 "2012-03-06T00:11:33Z")
I’ve had a couple of LED flashlights for a few years, and I don’t particularly like them. Use the same number of batteries as a regular flashlight, but the light output seems to be dimmer. It’s also a different color temperature, but I don’t care so much about that in a flashlight (unlike in a lightbulb, which is one of many reasons why I loathe CFL’s). ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707/55 "2012-03-06T00:43:08Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I’ve had a couple of LED flashlights for a few years, and I don’t particularly like them. Use the same number of batteries as a regular flashlight, but the light output seems to be dimmer. It’s also a different color temperature, but I don’t care so much about that in a flashlight (unlike in a lightbulb, which is one of many reasons why I loathe CFL’s). Ah, I completely forgot to put in the part about GOOD LED flashlights. My bad. You’re totally right, the low-end LED lights are utter crap, arguably worse than the incandescents because they don’t even put out enough usable light. That’s the market preying on uneducated consumers with crap products that feature LEDs as more a buzzword than a useful feature. But good LED lights can be very, very bright and much more conservative on a lumens per watt basis. If you’re picky about temperature, there are companies out there that produce specialty color temps (warmer, colder, “pure white”, etc.) and colors (red or green) or even other wavelengths (such as infrared for night-vision use). By the way, it should be easy to find “warm white” CFLs today that look much like the incandescents. If you’re not super-sensitive to color, they could easily pass. (They’re not perfect, obviously, and still have a slight green tinge, aren’t quite as yellow as some incandescents, etc., but certainly they’re far nicer than the harsh white florescent lights in offices). I will note that some of the poorer CFLs, even warm-white ones, show up terribly in photographs because the sensor is less capable at auto-white-balancing than our eyes. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707/56 "2012-03-06T00:56:30Z")
> [@bump](#): > > During the work week, I typically still use the DE razor, but with canned gel or stuff like Cremo Cream or King of Shaves, simply because it’s probably 15-20 minutes that I can sleep in. > > Most people haven’t put in the time to be able to shave effectively with a DE razor, so for them, it would be pretty gory at first. Hell, some guys I’ve talked to don’t even really know how to shave with one of the modern razors and still get a lot of razor burn, etc.. so moving to a less forgiving razor seems insane. How long does it usually take men to shave their face using canned gel or stuff like Cremo Cream or King of Shaves? ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707/57 "2012-03-06T18:35:13Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > Ross retail stores. You can find some great clothes and shoes there. My wife is a fashionista but does it on a shoestring budget. People are always so surprised how little she spent on her outfits. It requires time and a less-popular size. Size 10 is the most popular with 8 not far behind. If she’s a 0-4, she’ll have a lot better luck and need to spend less time finding quality stuff. But I don’t know why women of that size would shop anywhere else! And all women can find shoes, purses and home decor there. I think _Bar Keeper’s Friend liquid cleanser_ is virtually unheard of. Not stinky or bleachy like Comet or Soft Scrub but just as effective. Men shaving their own neck should be more popular. Sometimes I see an attractive man and that all goes away when he turns his head and I see a little carpet merging from his collar to the back of his head. So I guess I don’t know why fogfree shower mirrors aren’t more popular for this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-should-be-more-popular-than-they-are/614707.md?page=2)