GRIPSTIC Review & Video Demonstration & Results

June 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment

One thing that is constantly getting lost in our home, is those darn chip clips…. It’s rather annoying. The part I don’t understand is where they go, and since they are all so large and bulky, why is it I can never find them…?

Manufacturers Site: www.GRIPSTIC.com

Since moving into our new apartment just over a year ago, we seem to have lost a ton of storage space. We lost a huge walk in pantry and our huge walk in closet. Some days it just feels like we don’t have enough space. We also seem to have lost a huge amount of cabinet/drawer space in the kitchen. I love our new apartment and have no plans to move anytime soon, unless we end up buying a house or something, but the storage issue drives me bonkers every now and again. On the upside, it does help me limit the amount of new gadgets and “toys” I buy and bring home from the store. We have to have room for it, and we have to have a need.

When I first heard about the GRIPSTIC, I was quite intrigued. It was an entirely new breed of chip clip. In fact, they aren’t just for chips; you can use them on all sorts of other food items in your kitchen.

Here are just some of the many uses I have found in my own home:

  • Sealing coffee grounds in their store packaged bag
  • Sealing cereal after each meal
  • Sealing bagged spice or seasoning packages
  • Sealing bags of frozen fruits or veggies
  • Sealing crackers (in plastic tubes or bags)
  • Sealing bags of salad
  • Sealing bagged Rice
  • Sealing bagged pasta
  • And sealing bagged sugar or flour ( even the paper bagged kind!)

I love how versatile the GRIPSTIC is, and how many uses I was able to find for it. One of my current frustrations while I am baking is that when I grab any of our bags of sugar (brown, powdered, and even granulated), or flour, they always tend to spill everywhere. Who wants to clean a tone of sugar off the floor, cause its not going to be me?! I think the sugar and the flour in the paper bags are the worst since they are made of 2 layers. The fine particles are always getting stuck between the two layers. I hate how you can never seal them either. Most of the time you are forced to just fold and roll the open ends of the bag up. I was actually really surprised and impressed that I was even able to use this on thicker, paper bagged items like sugar and flour.

If you have ever tried using a chip clip, you will know a few things… they usually are not large enough to cover the entire opening of any bag, and you often can not carry a bag by the clip because it will not hold and the heavier items will fall. For example, I could never carry a bag of sugar by my old clip, but the GRIPSTIC is secure enough and strong enough, that I can carry the sugar across the room by holding it by the GRIPSTIC itself.

One of my favorite things about the GRIPSTIC is how small it is! It’s about the size of a bendy straw, and comes in various sizes. So even with our lack of storage space, it’s just the right size to fit in our silverware drawer. They are also brightly colored, so they stand out really well when I’m looking for them. They also seem to be pretty sturdy too.

I’m really glad I got some of these awesome little things, cause just this week; two of my old chip clips had broken. This is a true story! I have a few magnetic clips on the fridge, which on occasion, my daughter likes to lean into the kitchen and pull them off. They are always falling down, the magnets pop off, the clip itself breaks, and when I was getting my daughter cereal yesterday, one of the old ones broke right where the metal coil tension thing was that held the whole thing together.

I do in fact own a Foodsaver, and I have mentioned in my FoodSaver review, how much I love using it to vacuum seal many of the food items I listed above (minus the sugar or flour in the paper bags). This is still true however, because I lack the counter space, my Foodsaver often lives in a closet. So, it isn’t always the most convenient of kitchen appliances to whip out just to seal one thing. That being said, the GRIPSTIC is an awesome time saving, simple to use, and convenient substitute for my old sealing method.

3 Simple Steps To Preserving Freshness:

  1. Fold and crease the open end of your bag or packaging, then place the yellow guide bar of your GRIPSTIC under your fold
  2. Slide your GRIPSTIC horizontally across the top surface, being sure that your bag feeds around the guide bar and the outer tube
  3. make sure your GRIPSTIC is centered and the entire opening of your bag or packaging is covered and sealed
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UGlu Review & Personal Results

June 4, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Ok, so ever since I moved to our recent apartment a year ago, one thing I was determined to do was to actually get our damage deposit back… for once, I just want to get a damage deposit returned to us. So I decided to buy a ton of rugs in effort to save our floors. Four runners and five area rugs to be exact. Only thing is, these rugs just WILL NOT stay in place.

About a month and a half ago I decided to try Uglu. The corners of one of my area rugs was starting to curl up, the runners were running away, and the rug under my computer desk and kitchen table were always wrinkled and bunched up, especially where the most weight was put onto them. My runners were probably the worst. Always shifting and bunching up. I had to re adjust them at least twice a day. Almost more of a hassle than it was worth.  And since that time, I have to say, most of my rugs have not shifted and I haven’t tripped even once.

I am so glad I finally found a solution to my rug problem, and to all of you out there reading, you have no idea how happy this has made me. My area rugs are finally secured and flat, I’m not tripping,  and I’m pleased with the look of my floors and curtains.

Who would have thought something so small and seemingly insignificant would be such a great household tool. That’s right, you read me right, I called it a TOOL. Just as you would use nails and a hammer to secure your picture frames to the wall, you can fasten just about anything to anything with the Uglu. As I said, you can use it for just about anything.

So not only was I able to use the Uglu to fix my rugs in place, I also used them on my curtains.  For those of you who work graveyard shift, or have a spouse that does like me, you know how important it is to get some decent sleep during the day.  Ever see those tacky windows with cardboard, foil, or garbage bags covering their windows to block out the light? I have. Though I have never had to resort to such measures, my windows still looked pretty tacky on the inside with my curtains fastened all around the edges with masking tape and packing tape. Finally, after about a year of looking at that ugly tape, I was able to take it all down and now my curtains are all I see. One thing I noticed after some of the colder nights when I had to turn the heater on at night, which happens to be below our bedroom window, was that after a lot of heat exposure, the curtains would come free of the Uglu. So on the colder days we constantly had to press the curtains back to the wall.

I honestly don’t even see and end to the possibilities of other uses.

This little sticky stuff is super strong, so strong, I used it on a bathroom rug and it ripped the rubber clear off the bottom in a perfect little patch where the Uglu had once been. When trying to remove a piece of Uglu from the wall, I had a little trouble, so I used a second piece to try to help pick it up off the wall…..lets just say I am missing a chunk of wall…

Although it might be too strong for its own good on some surfaces, I had no problem when removing it from the carpet. Aside from the couple of issues I experienced, I still like the product, and I would definitely keep buying it.

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Turbo Snake Review & Video Demonstration & Results

June 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Visit Manufacturer Website: Turbo Snake Official Site
Free Gift: Buy 1 bag get 1 free

Growing up in a house of 3 girls, reeked havoc on our shower and sink drains. This was a constant problem and I always remember my dad going to get some big thing from his garage and griping about cleaning the hair from the drains. This became a monthly routine in our house.

Since growing up and living on my own, I never realized how gross that really was. I was fortunate my dad had always been the one to clean the drains with his giant doo dad thingy ma bobber.

But, once I had to start cleaning out my own drains, the putrid smell was enough to make me want to vomit. My husband bought me the turbo snake and just recently was the first time I tried it. I am really amazed at how well it works. Something so small, and affordable, and SOOO easy to use. It is really nice they even come with some handy hooks to hang on a cupboard door under your sink. That way you don’t have to search for it, and it’s right where you need it.

As I said, the smell is so disgusting when cleaning the drains, I like to take a preventative approach to this problem. I really don’t want to smell or touch the nasty, stinky, slimy hairball, so instead of waiting until my sink won’t drain, or the water backs up in the shower and I end up taking a bath, I regularly try to clean all drains once a month.  This is a great product, and I even think I might gift one to my dad for Father’s Day. At least then he won’t have to stomp out to the garage to get his big ol’ tool.  Even though all the kids are out of the house and grown, I’d still like to think he helped in  contributing to the clogged drains and it wasn’t from just us girls.  

I would recommend this product to anyone with a female in their life. lol. Or even Men with longer than average length hair. Basically, everyone could use it, and should have one. Now, that I think about it, I think this handy little hair ball liberator, could actually eliminate the need to buy drain-o or even other drain unclogging chemicals. Another great way to reduce chemical usage and save money! AWESOME!

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Hercules Hooks Review & Personal Results

June 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Some months ago I noticed my bathroom cabinet starting to lean to one side and it wasn’t hanging levelly. I wasn’t really sure why until a few weeks later and I noticed that the Hollow Wall Anchors we had used to hang my cabinet was starting to tear up the wall and the screw inside the anchor was starting to bend. Before I had gotten a chance to fix it, a loud crash came from the bathroom some short time after. The entire cabinet had fallen off the wall. Even the nice glass door on the cupboard busted off.

I think the problem was that I might have had too many bottles of lotions, and sprays, and various other things in a basket atop the cabinet weighting it down. The wall was hollow, and anything we tried after that to hang my cabinet just didn’t work.

As you might have read in previous reviews, I decided to pull of an “As Seen on TV” Christmas, so when I started getting ready for the holidays, I stumbled upon the Hercules Hooks. Mind you, my cabinet had been taken down and had been out of commission for probably 3 months. Instantly I thought of my cabinet, and how badly I wanted to be able to hang it back up. So I bought a few packages for family and friends, whom all just moved recently, and I knew they would be needing some of them for their decorating needs…. And lucky for me I was able to snag myself a box at a good price. I was determined to get that cabinet hung before guests were to come over for November and December get togethers.

I find the Hercules Hooks a little difficult for me to install because you have to push them into the sheet rock with a good amount of force, and I am just plain weak.  But my simple solution was just to have my husband install them. lol. My cabinet is now back on the wall and I’m pleased to say, that I was able to put EVERYTHING thing back on the shelf/cabinet where it had been and the weight is in fact, no match for the Hercules Hooks. Just as the name says, these little hooks are strong, just like Hercules.

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Grabbit Review & Video Demonstration & Results

June 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Ok, so first off, I personally do not have a use for this….. But I definitely know a few handy men of who could really use it. But it peaked my curiosity, so I bought it anyways. This is definitely something my dad can use and would be great for Fathers day or his birthday. My dad is the know it all sorts, who has the skills to build or do just about anything. In fact, recently, he just built himself a 2nd garage.

I tried to test it on my apartment balcony, but unfortunately when I tried to strip a screw it just kept drilling deeper and deeper into the railing. I guess the wood was just too soft. Blowing the gift surprise, I had to take it to my dad to test. We did a normal screw, a square holed screw, and a bolt screw. If you see the pics, the bolt screw doesn’t even have a hole in it! You would normally use a wrench to tighten and loosen it. The first screw we tested, was the regular ol wood screw. The directions for the Grabbit say to use the one side of the bit ( basically to drill into the screw. flip it over, then use the other side to catch on the stripped edges and extract it out). The first screw came out so easily, we didn’t even have to flip the extractor bit over to use the other side. With the square holed screw, we were able to use both sides and it worked like a charm. The bolt was a little trickier, as we had to use the 1st side of the bit to drill a hole into the bolt….. I wasn’t sure we would even be able to do that, since we didn’t even have a hole to get us started. Low and behold, I did in fact drill a hole into the bolt with the Grabit! Then I flipped the bit over and used the other side to extract it. I could not even believe that I had just done that. I was pretty shocked. These little bits are AMAZING. I just wish I had more of a use for them. At any rate, my dad was pretty impressed by them too. So since Father’s Day is right around the corner, this handy little tool will definitely be making it into his gift bag along with a couple other As Seen on TV goodies I found for him.

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Mighty Putty Review, Video Demo & Results

May 27, 2011 by 1 Comment

Visit Manufacturer Website: Mighty Putty Official Site
Free Gift: 6 tubes for the price of 1

When I first tried the mighty putty I decided to try out one of the demos they performed in the infomercial, which was with broken mug. I actually had a handleless mug which had sat in my cupboard for several months unused. When I mixed the Mighty Putty together, I could actually smell the two components mixing together, which, to me smelled like burning plastic. It wasn’t unpleasant and it wasn’t overpowering, so it did not bother me in the least bit.

I made a new handle and let the mug sit for about an hour, and when I returned to see how my results came out and I am pleased to say that the Mighty Putty held up to my test. The putty had hardened and was solid and firm enough for me to take a drink from.  Curious at how it would do in the dishwasher I washed the now, not so broken mug. Upon taking it out of the dishwasher it was still in tact. I tapped it on the counter a few times to check it and tried wiggling the handle. After a little jiggling, I felt the Mighty Putty handle start to come loose then it came off all together. I’m sure it would have held up a little better had I not been fiddling with it, but that’s what testing is all about. I like the product and I’m not the least bit disappointed. So I would have to say it’s a pretty alright product.

Another one of the tests I performed was by attempting to repair a cracked, leaky hose. The cracks in the hose were right at the end of the hose, which was where the spray nozzle was attached. These small cracks in the hose were enough to get a person soaking wet, should they be standing too close to the handle. Since obviously you will be holding the nozzle, there really wasn’t any way to avoid getting sprayed.  After I read the packaging, there were several uses listed. Plastic/ rubber did not happen to be listed, so I wondered if it would fall under the category of “& more”. I had a little difficulty getting the putty to bond to the hose, so I just molded it as best as I could. When I returned to the hose an hour later the putty was, once again solid as it had been before. After turning on the hose, the hose did still leak, just a little bit, but it did prevent me from getting sprayed as the leaking water just dribbled down the hose. I would rate this product an 8 out of 10.  It does what it says it does, and they do say that it will “bond and repair to almost any surface”. They do not say EVERY surface. Rest assured more test will be performed and more results will be coming soon
 

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The One Second Needle Review

May 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Visit Manufacturer Website: The One Second Needle Official Site
Free Gift: Buy 1 get 1 free + free sewing kit

I have never been much of a Suzie Homemaker, and I’m fairly certain it has to do with the fact that I lack the patience to take on such time consuming craft projects. One of things I disliked the most was sewing, it felt tedious to me. I disliked it so much, that when a button needed re sewn; I would make it my husband’s job to fix it. I think part of my problem was that no body ever really sat down with me as a child and taught me to be crafty. I could never crochet, knit, sew or do any of those domestic wifely duties.

While I was pregnant, once I hit nesting mode, it was time to get ready for baby. I took sewing lessons from my sister, and I finally got the knack down pat. I learned to sew a felt owl mobile, and several bibs. As much as I loved making such a heartfelt gift for my soon to be princess, the most frustrating thing was constantly having to re thread my needles. What a pain in the booty!? Cutting the thread, licking the end, straining my eyes and peering over my glasses to see the eyelet. It would take me at least a couple tries to get it in, and sometimes after sewing for a bit the thread would slip out. By then the end of the thread was frayed, and nearly impossible to re thread. So when I watched the infomercial for the One Second Needle, the #1 thing that came to mind was, how much I had wished I had had that product when I made that mobile. It would have saved me time, as well as patience, and perhaps the mobile could have gotten completed in under 3 weeks.

Since receiving the One Second Needle, I have been able to keep my patience in tact and tackle anything I can get my hands on that needed repaired. From buttons, to hems, to loose threads in some of my favorite shirts. It takes absolutely no time at all before my new needle is threaded and I’m on my way to Suzie status. This is a great product, and I think it would be great for just about anyone, from kids that are first learning to sew to even people with poor eyesight.

 

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