Billy Mays - You Will Be Missed

We have lost a legend. A self made man. A man of the people. A pitchman unlike any other. A father, a son, and a husband. To his family and friends, my deepest condolences. For the rest of us luckily there are videos of Billy all around. Personally I have watched many. And "Pitchmen" on the discovery channel, will surely not be the same, if it comes back next season at all. To Billy III, your dad may not have been there all the time, but I'm sure that what he did was in your best interest, to provide for you even when he couldn't be there. I miss Billy and I was never lucky enough to meet the man, though I wish I had. I feel like I've known him for years, through Oxi-Clean, the Awesome Auger, Mighty Putty, Ka-Boom and all of the other products I watched him pitch on Saturday mornings. On a scale of 1 - 5, I give you a 10. Billy, you will be missed! "Life's a pitch, then you buy!" -Billy Mays

Topsy Turvy

05/14/2009
The Topsy Turvy is an upside down hanging planter for herbs and vegetables. I bought this two weeks ago. It was very easy to use, however I wish I had read the directions before I bought my tomato plant. The directions state to get a plant with a stem smaller in width than a pencil, I bought a larger tomato plant than the directions called for and the dirt and root ball was too large to fit into the hole in the bottom of the Topsy Turvy. I had to squish and maneuver the roots to get through the hole then lock the sponge around the stem to hold it in place. Actually I found it a little difficult to get everything together, but that may have been my fault, I had the unit hanging on the side of my porch and it was awkward to reach the bottom. Hindsight 20/20 I should have just laid the Topsy Turvy on its side on the porch and set everything up that way, would have been much easier. When I buy my other Topsy Turvys I will be sure to do that. My wife loved the idea so much that she wants me to get a couple more for cucumbers and maybe peppers. I can tell that the plant is growing because it started out pointing straight at the ground, now it has curved up toward the sun in just a couple days. I turn the Topsy Turvy every now and again to make sure it grows evenly. Another thing I like about the Topsy Turvy is the fact that it is reusable. At the end of the summer you just have to pull the plant out, dump out the dirt, clean out the bag, and store it for next year. I am excited to see the results this summer and need to hurry and get my cucumbers planted. I found nice hangers at Lowes that I can just screw into my porch and they hang at just the right height. I give the Topsy Turvy a 5 out of 5 with the right to amend my rating if the plants don't produce (of course that could be my fault as well). I have been watering it methodically though!

05/27/2009
I have another Topsy Turvy now, this one has a cucumber plant in it. I got everything ready on the porch before I hung the Topsy Turvy to add the fertilizer and it was much easier. I had to modify the sponge by making a few extra small cuts because my cucumber plant had three small plants in it. Now my 2 week old tomatoes have grown quite a bit and already have a bloom which makes me happy (happy they are going to live). My cucumber plant is starting much smaller than my tomato plant, so I hope it grows quickly once the weather gets a little warmer. Again I still give the Topsy Turvy a 5 out of 5. One fair note of warning though, make sure your hanger is FIRMLY attached and can stand some wind. My first hanger ripped off my porch during high winds and nearly crushed the tomato plant (my new hanger has four screws instead of two and should withstand the wind a lot better.)

As Seen On TV on CNBC

On Wednesday April 22 CNBC aired a special called "As Seen On TV." Darren Rovell is the host and he interviews management from Telebrands, AllStar Marketing, and classic pitchmen like Ron Popeil and Billy Mays. It was a very interesting show that touched on many aspects both in front of and behind the camera. The special displayed many products and informed viewers of interesting details like at one chain drugstore the PedEgg sold more units than Snickers bars in one month. The more I think about that the more it astounds me, a $10 product that makes your feet soft sells more units than a $.75 candy bar that is prominently displayed next to the cash register. Check out the re-air on CNBC when it's on.

As Seen On TV Special on CNBC

PedEgg - The Revolutionary Foot File

The PedEgg is basic in it's nature. But it seems to perform pretty well. The proof is in the shavings catch. The one time I used it to try it out there were definitely skin shavings that I had to toss. I also tried it on my dry elbows, I don't recommend this since it made me bleed a little bit. It is really meant to be used on your feet. My wife has used it more than me and she is very happy with it. And for $10 at Walgreens how can you go wrong? I think that if you use it regularly it can certainly keep your feet soft and callous free. I rate it a 4.5 out of 5.

Stick Up Bulb

Over a year ago while wandering through Bed Bath and Beyond I picked up the Stick Up Bulb to provide more light in my closet. The package includes everything you need except batteries and even has an extra krypton bulb. It was very simple to install, remove sticky protector, stick to wall. It actually worked very well in the beginning. Did exactly what I expected of it as long as I remembered to turn it off when I was done. However one morning, I pulled the string and the bulb came on then dimmed to off. No big deal right? I'll just change the batteries, nope didn't help. Ok how about the bulb, nope no difference. So now it doesn't work at all.

I tried finding an "800" number for the company, but I couldn't even find that. The number I eventually found is (973) 227-8777, for Telebrands, the company that handles calls for As seen on TV products including the Stick Up Bulb. I called the number on 4/1/2008 and the customer service rep told me to send the unit back and request it be inspected, then they would send me a new one. On 4/3/2008 I sent the broken one back (I'll provide the address at the bottom of the post). Let's see how long it takes for me to get a replacement.

Overall when it worked the Stick Up Bulb was what I expected it to be. I suppose it could have been brighter, but maybe my closet just has a weird layout. Who knows. I rate it a 2 out of 5 3 out of 5, but this may be revised based on the outcome of my sending the unit back.

Telebrands Customer Service
79 Two Bridges rd.
Fairfield, NJ 07004
(973) 227-8777
Request to have your Stick Up Bulb inspected.

UPDATE: 04/14/2008
Good news, I received my replacement Stick Up Bulb on Saturday April 12. I was excited that it came so quickly. Obviously Telebrands takes customer service seriously. They sent me a brand new unit. So if anyone else has a problem like this where the light just stops working rest assured you will get a new unit if you just send it back. I bumped up the rating to 3 out of 5 for the quick replacement.

UPDATE: 09/10/2008
Bad news, my replacement Stick Up Bulb isn't working anymore. Same problem as I was having before. I moved the rating back down to 2 out of 5 for the awful quality control issues.

Perfect Pushup

A friend of mine bought the Perfect Pushup and recommended it to me. I had my wife get it for me as a valentines day present. We bought the $20 version (plastic handles) from Wal-Mart instead of the $40 version (metal handles) available on the infomercial. My first impression was it was a simple design, and seemed well built and plenty sturdy.

The directions are simple; first do as many pushups as you can, then look on the chart to determine your workout routine (always round down to the nearest 10). The instruction sheet has a 21 day calendar with your daily schedule on it. The schedule is easy to follow, basically you are doing pushups every other day. Every few days the pushups get a little harder, but if you follow the routine then they are just right. The best part is it takes less than 10 minutes to complete all 3 sets of pushups. I space them out through the day; one when I wake up, one after work, and one before bed.

My max at first was 15, so I rounded down to 10 for the first routine. 8,6,4,2 (20 pushups three times every other day) was my first pushup breakdown. It was tough in the beginning but I followed the chart to the "T" and I noticed right away that they got easier to do. As they got easier the chart added another set and moved from floor pushups, to chair pushups. After completing all 21 days, the chart has you do your max again to get ready to start again. My max was 30 this time around. Now I'm doing 40 pushups every other day (20,12,8). I have already noticed increased strength, and after only one month increased muscle definition. On the website, Perfect Pushup, they have a section that provides a new style of pushup each month. This makes the Perfect Pushup even more effective.

Now after saying all that I do have some issues with the Perfect Pushup. On the infomercial the guy showing the product is absolutely ripped, but I have not noticed much of a change in my abs even though I have followed the directions and sucked my stomach in while doing the pushups. My other complaint is that the directions tell you to do all these things while you are doing the pushups, breathe a certain way, suck your belly button toward your back, etc..., it winds up being so much to concentrate on that I sometimes lose count and other times I feel I'm going to fall on my face.

My overall opinion of the Perfect Pushup is this; It is a VERY effective product, that if given and chance and stick to the routine can make a huge difference. I highly recommend this to anyone trying to gain muscle definition and strength in your upper body. I rate it a 4.5 out of 5.