How Do "As Seen on TV" Products Really Rate? The 2003 List (page 2 of 3)

The first thing we learned is that the hard sell doesn't stop with the commercial. To complete most phone orders, we endured a laundry list of additional offers from breathless salespeople who rebuffed attempts to decline mid-pitch. (One offered us a second product, which cost $19.95, for $1. We bit, until learning that the bonus carried an additional $7.95 shipping charge.) Generally, shipping and handling costs were astonishingly high.

Our testing wasn't scientific. Rather, we had people try products in real-life situations. Each item was used according to the instructions by at least 4 and as many as 12 staffers. Some valiantly tried to replicate demonstrations in the ads. Our ratings range from no stars (don't bother) to 5 stars (will change your life). And here are the results:

Revo Styler   
$79.98 + $19.94 (S&H) = $99.92 (for 2)
Promise: "Go from wild to styled in minutes" with the hairbrush that "rotates nearly 100 times a minute, and it will not tangle. It's a miracle." Salon stylist Bruno says it "works for everybody, and it works the first time."

Results: Testers who mastered it really did get straight, smooth, shiny hair. Several who didn't despite watching the instruction video complained of frequent tangling, which feels "like you're getting a noogie." Even the satisfied said the Revo was "clunky" and they'd pay "no more than $25" for one.

Showtime Rotisserie Oven   
$99.95 + $29.90 = $129.85
Promise: "Set it and forget it!" The compact version we tried has essentially the same features as other sizes. Ron Popeil says it cooks "the best-tasting food you've ever had," and "you save time -- it's only 12 minutes a pound."

Results: The instructions make it abundantly clear that you can't just "forget it" and leave the oven unattended. But it does everything else Popeil says. One day we roasted a six-pound pork loin in a conference room. It was speedy, simple, and cooked a "very moist and delicious" staff lunch.

Miracle Blade III Knives   
$39.95 + $14.95 = $54.90
Promise: This set of 11 knives that never need sharpening will "get you out of the kitchen fast and easy." Chef Tony loans the slicer to a carpenter, who uses it to cut Sheetrock before cutting paper-thin tomato slices.

Results: Testers said they're "much sharper than my current knife set," have handles with "a nice ergonomic shape," and "performed well cutting up vegetables and cheese." But a few weren't impressed. Reported one: "I couldn't rock with the Rock 'N Chop, since the heel of the blade is very dull."

Turbo Cooker Plus   
$59.90 + $19.95 = $79.85
Promise: Cook complete meals in just one pan "faster, and with little or no oil." Comes with a timer, racks to stack food and recipe cards. The woman demonstrating says that it "replaced an entire set of cookware."

Results: Don't toss the pots and pans yet. Those turbo times don't include preparation steps: One dish was "great, but it took 21 minutes, and the recipe card said ' ready in 12 minutes.' " Some loved being able to make a whole meal in one pot, but others complained of "way too many parts."

FoodSaver Vac 550    
$129.99 + $24.95 = $154.94
Promise: Vacuum-seals leftovers, fresh veggies, or anything you'd like to keep fresh longer, in special bags and canisters. Saves time and money by reducing spoilage and allowing you to buy in bulk and on sale.

Results: So pricey it would take an awful lot of 10-pound cheese blocks to actually save money, especially since you need to buy more sealer bags when you run out. It does work, though, and is "very cool" to use. Said one tester: "It made me feel frugal and prepared, like a squirrel packing away nuts for the winter."

Bowflex Power Pro   
$999.00 + $129.00 = $1128.00
Promise: Weight machine with tension rods guarantees results after six weeks of training, 20 minutes a day, three days a week. "That's all it takes." The machine is "ready for a quick workout whenever you are. Nothing could be easier."

Results: They had us until the last line. We don't doubt that time and sweat will yield results, yet it's anything but easy to use, especially for beginners. One spent "as much time adjusting the rods as actually lifting," and another wondered, "Why not buy a secondhand weight bench and a few dumbbells?"

Roll-A-Hose   
$19.99 + $6.99 = $26.98
Promise: The flat garden hose rolls up on its own reel. It's "so lightweight anyone can do it in minutes" and so tough that it's "guaranteed not to split or break for a full ten years."

Results: It is "easier to maneuver and put away" than a regular hose, but also "kinks easily" and seems "cheaply made." By our fourth tester, one section of the hose we bought was "leaking like a sieve."

Perfect Pancake   
$19.95 + $6.95 = $26.90
Promise: Two-sided pan makes "picture perfect pancakes every time." So easy to flip that "if you can turn a doorknob," you can use it. Makes a stack of pancakes "in an instant."

Results: No instant here. It makes just one at a time, and the instructions say each one takes seven minutes to cook, "too slow for a hungry family." It was easy to use and generally made fluffy cakes, but testers said they'd stick with their griddles.

Gazelle Freestyle Elite   
$414.75 + FREE = $414.75
Promise: Hyperactive Tony Little, self-proclaimed "America's Personal Trainer," shouts that his fitness machine provides "whole body calorie burning" (as opposed to all those other kinds), "whole body muscle toning" and "more features, more results and more fun than ever before!"

Results: The Gazelle is "simple to adjust" and "gets your heart rate up quickly." One tester said, "It's mindless. Just turn on ' Wheel of Fortune' and go. When Pat says good night, you're done." The construction seemed sturdier than a treadmill of equal value, but "be careful you don't fall off."

• • Shopping Guides

• How Do "As Seen on TV" Products Really Rate? The 2004 List
• How do infomercial products really rate? The 2004 list.
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• How Do "As Seen on TV" Products Really Rate? The 2005 List
• Ever wonder if the stuff they sell on television is any good? So did we. Find out now how our staffers rated some popular infomercial products.
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• How Do As Seen on TV Products Really Rate? The 2006 List
• Our annual ratings of the useful (and useless) stuff sold on TV.
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