Buzzillions Blogs

Watch enough TV and you’re sure to come across an infomercial or two. Pitch men promise to make our lives easier, better, and just plain happier for a bargain price. So which infomercial products got great reviews from users, and which As Seen on TV goods merit a healthy dose of skepticism?

As Seen on TV Products for the Kitchen

The Slap Chop

The claim: Chop, dice, and mince in seconds without switching blades.

The reviews: Nearly all of the customer reviews mention that the vegetables get stuck on the blade rather than actually getting chopped. With a 1.4 average rating, this product appears to be a dud. One Slap Chop review says, “my dull false teeth could do better“. Ouch.

Bottom line: You’re better off using a knife or putting your $20 towards a food processor.

Always Fresh Containers

The claim: They keep food fresh up to 50 days longer than other containers.

The reviews: The Always Fresh Containers get mixed reviews. While eleven people give it a five star rating, nearly as many give them only one star. Fans say they save money by keeping food fresh much longer. One reviewer says, “broccoli and celery rotted in record time in these containers. i had much better luck using a zip lock freezer bag.”

Bottom line: Try at your own risk.

The Magic Bullet

The claim: This all purpose tool can do most kitchen jobs in 10 seconds or less.

The reviews: Most of the Magic Bullet reviews were positive. One reviewer makes everything from smoothies to scrambled eggs and says, “It takes the place of several larger appliances and really saves lots of space on the kitchen counter. ” However, many reviewers note problems with the durability.

Bottom line: Versatile tool, but don’t get too attached.

As Seen on TV Fitness Equipment

The Perfect Pushup

The claim: Supercharge your workout…maximizing strength and definition while minimizing the risks of joint strain and injury.

The reviews: The Perfect Pushup gets almost perfect marks in the product reviews for quality & results. Users also love that they can work their upper bodies without wrist pain, and some started to see results in as little as three weeks.

The bottom line: A quality home gym product for improving upper body strength without wrist pain.

The Ab Rocket

The claim: Ab Rocket gives you the abs you’ve always wanted in 5 minutes a day.

The reviews: With an average star rating of 3.7, the Emson Ab Rocket works for some, but not all. The main complaint is that the machine doesn’t provide enough resistance to produce results.  Ab Rocket enthusiasts give it good reviews as a great alternative to sit-ups.

The bottom line: If you hate sit-ups, this might be a good alternative, but don’t expect washboard abs.

The Iron Gym Pull Up Bar

The claim: Get strong. Get ripped. Quick! Attaches & removes from door frame in seconds!

The reviews: Most reviewers are very impressed with the easy installation process for Iron Gym. They find it “sturdy” and high quality. Some who try to use the bar for sit-ups find it less than stellar, but otherwise satisfactory.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for an easy to install pull-up bar, this one will do the job.

As Seen on TV Electronics

The Clapper

The claim: Turn your lights on and off automatically with a clap of your hands!

The reviews: Users says it’s good for lights that are hard to get to, and a fun novelty item. Most note that is also finicky & takes a bit of practice to get right.

Bottom line: Not quite perfect, but it has its uses.

The MagicJack

The claim: make and receive calls to anywhere in the United States and Canada for free using your high-speed Internet connection.

The reviews: Many find hassles with the product from poor sound quality to inadequate customer service and documentation. Though the device requires your computer to be running to work, lots of people are excited about the cost savings.

Bottom line: A good backup to your home phone, but stick with a real VoIP provider if you want quality.

Sonic Earz

The claim: Amplifies sound from 60 feet away.

The reviews: The average rating for this product is just 2.2. While some users write that it improved their hearing range, others complain about the poor sound quality, interference, and short battery life.

Bottom line: Set the volume high & your expectations low.

We’re extremely excited to introduce you to the newest member of the Buzzillions team, Pehr Luedtke. Pehr joins Buzzillions as our new CEO. Most recently, Pehr was General Manager at Epinions, and prior to that, held senior strategy and sales roles at Levi Strauss and Company. When he’s away from the Buzzillions headquarters, Pehr enjoys running, taking pictures, and finding new sushi joints. He’s looking forward to putting everyone to shame on the ping pong table. Here are a few words from Pehr:

“October has been a month of milestones for Buzzillions. This weekend, the site hit the mark of 1 million products on the site. With 6.9 million product reviews,  that’s almost 7 reviews per product. At the same time, Buzzillions has seen a record number of users on the site & consumer demand for customer reviews has never been higher. Given this remarkable growth & the strength of our small team, I am very confident that Buzzillions can become the leading destination for consumers who are looking both for product inspiration as well as affirmation.”

How can you unlock a door with your cell phone? Which electric toothbrush is best according to product reviews: Oral B or Sonicare? Steve Greenberg has all the answers in his latest TV appearance. Watch and learn:

Oral B electric toothbrush  reviews

Sonicare ratings & product reviews

Thanks to our loyal users & partners, Buzzillions now has over 1 million customer product reviews on shoes. One Crocs brand shoe alone has over 3,600 reviews! Good, bad or indifferent, people have lots to say about their shoes.

Some shoe models like these have over 1,000 product reviews:

Casual Shoes with over 1,000 product reviews:

• Dansko Professional
• Sperry Top-sider
• Rockport World Tour

Sandals with over 1,000 reviews:

• Kids’ Keen Newport

Sneakers with over 1,000 customer ratings:

• Converse All-Star Lo

How many reviews does your favorite shoe have?

Competing in the Wildflower Triathlon in May this year, I have to say I felt a little smug. As the designated runner on a relay triathlon team, I had spent $80 on a pair of sweet running shoes, rather than thousands on the gear that seemed to be standard for pro triathletes and weekend warriors alike. The aerodynamic helmets, bouyant wetsuits & aerobars seemed laughably excessive in contrast to the equipment needed for even the longest running race.  Suckers.

Dude, seriously?

Fast forward three months & I found myself shelling out a month’s rent on a brand new road bike.  Ironically, what brought me to this hypocritical juncture was my love of running. My self-diagnosed achilles tendonitis had been hampering me since well before the Wildflower race thanks to up to 50 miles of running a week. With a marathon closing in a few short months, something had to change.  Not quite ready to hang up the racing shoes altogether, I decided to focus on my training on quality, not quantity, with liberal amounts of cross training. I started prepping for my October marathon using the FIRST training program – three days of running and two or three days of cross training every week. The theory goes that cross training allows for better recovery between running sessions & prevents injury. Perfect.

Being a miserable swimmer, I chose biking as my cross training method. After checking reviews & taking the Specialized Allez & the Trek 1.2 WSD for a test ride, I bought the latter at my local bike store in exchange for my minimalist-runner soul & a good chunk of cash. A few days in & my achilles seems a little bit better. Hopefully, this will all pay off come race day. As for triathlons, I don’t see one in my future, but I know better than to say never.