# Worst "As Seen On TV" Products **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 14, 2017, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309 "2017-09-14T11:45:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/61 "2017-09-15T18:15:48Z")
> [@PoppaSan](#): > > I thought they were a joke first time I saw them also but the wife says they use them at the assisted living place she works at. Night staff takes a few minutes to set them up as they have time available and the old folks can put their feet in on their own. Faster than having a staff member do it for those that are able. When my mother had hip replacement surgery she had to get one of these because she was not allowed to bend past a certain amount. But the sock thing didn’t really work out for her that well. She also had to have a bunch of bars installed and a weirdo thing to put on top of the toilet so she basically didn’t have to sit down. That thing was nasty. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/62 "2017-09-15T18:23:41Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Wha…? 😕 > > Every picture in my house is hanging on a monkey hook. Although, I don’t know if that’s the actual brand name. Some of my frames are pretty heavy though and they work just fine. I don’t remember the name Monkey Hook (had to look it up), but I used a bunch of these to hang pictures and stuff. Never had a single problem with them, and they were easy to use. I haven’t removed any of the pictures, but I would think that the hole left behind is a smaller than with most picture hangers. The one item that (I believe) was originally advertised “as seen on TV” that really works are furniture sliders. We’ve moved dressers, desks, tables, couches and all sorts of things with those. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/63 "2017-09-15T18:53:59Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > Also Alton Brown did a video reviewing useless kitchen gadgets. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgFeVlw2Ywg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgFeVlw2Ywg) Nice idea, and I generally like Alton Brown, but what a terrible video. It’s basically Alton saying “here’s a kitchen gadget, it’s bad”. And just when I start wondering what’s so bad about it, and why doesn’t it work, he’s on to the next one. And he reads Amazon reviews to me, which I’m capable of reading for myself. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/64 "2017-09-15T20:50:05Z")
> [@anomalous1](#): > > **Morbo** What sponges are these, I am definitely interested, tired of the same old boring sponges here > [@gigi](#): > > QVC sells them as the Scrub Daddy: > > [Scrub Daddy Set of 6 Pink Flex Texture Sponge Set Sponges - QVC.com](http://www.qvc.com/Scrub-Daddy-Set-of-6-Pink-Flex-Texture-Sponge-Set.product.V35122.html) Those are them. They have them at Home Depot. Their main benefit is that they’re super hard and resilient. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/65 "2017-09-15T21:25:27Z")
> [@Orwell](#): > > The one item that (I believe) was originally advertised “as seen on TV” that really works are furniture sliders. I received a [Lint Wizard](https://youtu.be/OwfnKMbzutg) as a gift, and to my amazement, it worked surprisingly well. I liked it better than those sticky-tape lint rollers. Like most ASOTV products, the build quality wasn’t great—it broke after a few years of use—but the damn thing worked exactly as depicted in the advertisement. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/66 "2017-09-15T21:34:01Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > Those are them. They have them at Home Depot. Their main benefit is that they’re super hard and resilient. And you can clean your spoons in the smile! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/67 "2017-09-15T21:36:36Z")
[Forever Comfy](https://www.google.com/search?q=forever+comfy&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwihnoHWkqjWAhWPyIMKHSpUCzAQ_AUIDCgD&biw=1920&bih=1069). I’ve had two, neither lasted more than seven months before the gel insert leaked. ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/68 "2017-09-15T23:01:24Z")
Don’t remember the name of the product, but years ago there was an infomercial for spray-on hair. The idea was that you used the gunk in the aerosol can to fill in any bald spots on your head. IIRC they had an audience full of balding men and went around and sprayed this stuff on them and everyone oohed and aahed. I cannot imagine how this would fool anyone who saw you from several feet away, let alone someone close to you. And what happened if you got caught in the rain? ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/69 "2017-09-15T23:05:12Z")
We got the spray-on hair for my brother’s 40th birthday party. Believe me, it wouldn’t fool anyone within a 30-foot radius. And, yeah, it started running down his forehead when he started sweating. Funny as could be. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/70 "2017-09-15T23:13:38Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > [Forever Comfy](https://www.google.com/search?q=forever+comfy&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwihnoHWkqjWAhWPyIMKHSpUCzAQ_AUIDCgD&biw=1920&bih=1069). I’ve had two, neither lasted more than seven months before the gel insert leaked. In the immortal words of Legends of the Fall, “Forever turned out to be too long.” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/71 "2017-09-15T23:19:16Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > > [@anomalous1](#): > > > > **Morbo** What sponges are these, I am definitely interested, tired of the same old boring sponges here > > QVC sells them as the Scrub Daddy: > > [Scrub Daddy Set of 6 Pink Flex Texture Sponge Set Sponges - QVC.com](http://www.qvc.com/Scrub-Daddy-Set-of-6-Pink-Flex-Texture-Sponge-Set.product.V35122.html) I’ve never bought those, but I believe they were presented on the ABC program Shark Tank. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/72 "2017-09-16T04:54:15Z")
> [@anomalous1](#): > > Three pointless/crap ones i’ve encountered. > > 1.) Wax Vac… does not work at all, its the silliest thing. > 2.)Shamwow… Towels work better. > 3.)Monkey hooks (the curved metal wires that insert into drywall)… These things couldn’t support a banana, and they don’t stay in straight. > What are your experiences? Does anyone else think that Shamwow is a rather unfortunate name for a product? _ **“It’s a Sham! Wow!”** _ ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/73 "2017-09-16T11:09:07Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > For some reason these crossed my mind just a few weeks ago and I googled to see if they were still being made. I remember one of them in my house during my childhood (but I don’t remember if I or anyone else tried to use it in that time.) They have been [on the market for 45 years](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujW3qf9fyXk) and (I think) have cost $19.95 the whole time. (Which means that it [cost the equivalent](http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/) of over $100 in 1972.) Wow, $100 for that piece o’ crap? As Rosvirein said, children’s ‘toy’ poles are better. I have a 4-piece rod that is about 20 inches long when disassembled. Works fine, too. Throw in a couple bobbers, a few hooks, some split-shot and a small reel, and you’ve got a great fishing tool that’s compact as well. It probably cost me $50 in today’s money, but worth it. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/74 "2017-09-16T17:25:36Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I just saw this one for the first time: > > [https://www.sockslider.com/?mid=9217033](https://www.sockslider.com/?mid=9217033) > > While I feel bad for people who can’t bend to put on their socks, I can’t help but :dubious: :smack: I saw that item at Bed Bath and Beyond a few weeks ago. I’m toying with the idea of picking it up. My two concerns are: that it looks like if might overstress the elastic in the socks and shorten their useful life, and that having it to rely on removes a certain amount of personal incentive for me to drop about a hundred pounds. In the months leading up to my hip replacement in 2015, the joint was physically incapable of flexing that far, regardless of my weight, and it would have been a VERY welcome addition to my collection of knickknacks, gewgaws, and gadgets. Especially for my daughter, who got dragooned into dressing my right foot once a day. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/75 "2017-09-16T17:35:11Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > I got a Perfect Pancake for Christmas once. Which is like two regular cheapo teflon pans hinged together in a clamshell fashion. > > “As easy as turning a door knob!” the commercial said. It was not. > > I have no problem making pancakes the old fashioned way, on a regular flat pan. But this clamshell thing was a complete pain. The biggest problem was that the two sides didn’t touch. And the teflon was very slick. So no matter how quickly you flipped the pan from one side to the other, the half cooked pancake would just slide out the side and onto the stove. I didn’t even get to test how the cold side would perform once you flipped the clamshell over because the pancake never ended up there. I didn’t have that problem with mine. I had the problem of “you can only cook one pancake at a time.” When it takes half an hour to make three short stacks for your family’s breakfast, you’ve reached a point of diminishing returns. I do still use the batter dispenser for making uniformly-sized pancakes on my standard griddle (my griddle technique is successful because I know to wait for the bubbles on the surface to pop before I try flipping the pancakes. And because I never flip pancakes in black-and-white). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/76 "2017-09-16T17:45:13Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > > [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > > > One of the most useless items I’ve tried is also one that seems to have a lot of fans. The RonCo Pocket Fisherman. > > For some reason these crossed my mind just a few weeks ago and I googled to see if they were still being made. I remember one of them in my house during my childhood (but I don’t remember if I or anyone else tried to use it in that time.) They have been [on the market for 45 years](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujW3qf9fyXk) and (I think) have cost $19.95 the whole time. (Which means that it [cost the equivalent](http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/) of over $100 in 1972.) It would be interesting to compare a 1972 Pocket Fisherman with a current-day one. Is the earlier one better-made and more reliable? Or do modern plastics allow the newer one to be better quality? ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/77 "2017-09-16T17:46:26Z")
actually I still have a few items that are still head together by mighty putty… ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/78 "2017-09-16T18:12:23Z")
The self-draining garden hose (I want to say – “Pocket Hose?”) works a treat. It doesn’t really fit in my pocket, though. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/79 "2017-09-16T19:22:48Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The Egg Scrambler wins by being so transparently stupid, but a close second is the Miracle Thaw defroster. This is just a piece of aluminum with no special abilities – despite the ad – to allow your food to evenly defrost. You might as well just put it in a metal pan. But apparently a lot of folks don’t realize that. > > [Miracle Thaw Defrosting Tray As Seen on TV for sale | eBay](https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=miracle+thaw+defrosting+tray+as+seen+on+tv) > > In case you actually believe in this item: > > [Skeptic Friends Network - Miracle Thaw - The Bogus Miracle](http://www.skepticfriends.org/forum/showquestion.asp?faq=2&fldauto=24) _Sheepishly raises hand_ But, in my defense, that was a very long time ago and we realized our error shortly after acquiring it. :smack: I don’t think I’ve ever purchased an As-Seen-On-TV product since. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309/80 "2017-09-16T19:38:38Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > When my mother had hip replacement surgery she had to get one of these because she was not allowed to bend past a certain amount. But the sock thing didn’t really work out for her that well. She also had to have a bunch of bars installed and a weirdo thing to put on top of the toilet so she basically didn’t have to sit down. That thing was nasty. I was going to say exactly the same thing about my mom, who broke her hip a couple of years ago and had it replaced. Dad isn’t always there to pick things up when she drops them, or help her with her socks and slip-on shoes, so she has this little clippy thing on a stick she uses. She also has that toilet-top thing. You’re not one of my siblings, are you? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-as-seen-on-tv-products/796309.md?page=5)