Memorable Products: As Seen on Shark Tank

[bilgistic]

Oh, lord, the bird chirping in the background! "Some people don't even want to hold the bag." Maybe "some people" shouldn't get a dog. I mean, damn, I hate cleaning the catbox, but my cat would either 1) shred me into a pile of ribbons or 2) shamestare me into oblivion if I tried to catch his poop as it was exiting his butt.

Edited June 21, 2015 by bilgistic

[starri]

Coffee Meets Bagel got namechecked on Major Crimes.  I guess they're a bigger deal than the Sharks thought.

[Dilbert-Deaux]

One that sticks in my mind is the Squatty Potty. The mother and son presenting it. 

 

I actually got one. The only complaint I have is I wish they came in a off-brown color.

[Wings]

I am on my second pack (3 per) of Scrub Daddy and have given them as gifts.  I love them! 

[mjc570]

I was just given a Lumino (the light that opens like a book) as a gift.  I had put it on my wish list, then forgot about it because there are much more practical alternatives at less cost.  I have to say, thought, I LOVE IT.  We all sat here taking turns opening and closing it.  It is just a beautiful, well-designed piece. 

[nobodyyoucare]

Coffee Meets Bagel got namechecked on Major Crimes.  I guess they're a bigger deal than the Sharks thought.

Remember Cuban offered 30 million.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/coffee-meets-bagel-dating-app-startup-turned-30m/story?id=32721628

 

Also the market that Coffee Meets Bagel is incredibly crowded, 

[Yokosmom]

Got a pair of the Bomba socks, and they are, indeed, incredibly comfy.

[Shibori]

I got my sister and brother-in-law a Squatty Potty. Half seriously, half as a joke because their kids are obsessed with the commercial with the unicorn pooping rainbow ice cream. It was pretty life-changing for me, so I suspect we'll all get a good chuckle but they'll be converts as well.

[augmentedfourth]

My husband's first Sock Cardigan package, as gifted to him by my mother arrived today. (A week before his birthday, but oh well!) He was really excited about it before he even opened the package. Also, my mother said her procrastination paid off, and since she waited to order during the Black Friday-Cyber Monday, she got two months free, so he'll be getting eight months of socks.

 

Okay, okay, the part you've all been waiting for: The first pair of socks is...*drumroll*...dark gray with pink elephants. My husband thinks they're awesome and is totally planning on wearing them. I also like them and think they're fun, but I can see how they wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. He's even considering gifting a subscription to his brother, but I don't really think my BIL is the type to wear and enjoy pink elephant socks. I could be wrong, though.

[starri]

Technicolor pachyderms is really too much for me.

[Shibori]

I love that Squatty Potty is saying they succeeded *despite* Lori's advice!

 

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/squatty-pottys-ceo-ignored-everyone-made-insane-video-and-boosted-sales-600-168526

[Gregg247]

The day after the couple from Back 9 BBQ (the "chicken-in-a-blender" dip) appeared, I saw it in my Publix and bought some.  It was tasty, but at $7.99/tub, a little too expensive for anything but serving at a party.  Also, when you first take it out of the microwave, it's fine, but after a few minutes at room temperature, it congeals really quickly.

 

I haven't seen it in awhile, so I guess the market test wasn't a success.

[starri]

The day after the couple from Back 9 BBQ (the "chicken-in-a-blender" dip) appeared,

I still smile when I think about Kevin's "Remember the Bass-O-Matic?" comment about that.  And then how get utterly cracked up.

[Lola16]

Maybe draw a cat for you should hook up with this person:

 

http://consciouscat.net/2015/12/15/art-inspired-by-cats-meet-cathi-marro-musician-artist-and-consummate-cat-lover/

[mjc570]

Remember the Food Safe, the container with a timer?  I was given one for Christmas (I guess my mindless snacking/lack of will power is pretty obvious), and I have to admit that I like it a lot.  It's sturdy and well-designed, andmy husband established that even if the batteries are removed, the timer still won't release the lock until the time is up.  Right now, it has the rest of our Christmas cookies in it, on a 4-hour interval.

 

This really was a Shark tank holiday season for us - I got a Lumino (the light that opens like a book) for my birthday a few weeks ago,and  I gave those RFD-blocking cards as stocking gifts (I know they really aren't all that effective, but they were inexpensive and everybody liked them).  I picked up a scrub daddy, since I heard so much about them, but I don't understand why you would want to clean anything using cold water.

[AndreaK1041]

I recently bought the Kodiak Cakes pancake mix from a few seasons ago. My husband and I like to make waffles on the weekends, and figured we'd try out some better mixes than the generic stuff we usually use, so we decided to support a small ST business. To make waffles and pancakes you only have to add water to the mix, which is convenient, and the dough smells really good. We made waffles, but no matter how long we cooked them in the waffle iron, they never got crispy. They were really limp and soggy even when cooked all the way through. I wound up putting mine in the toaster oven after taking them out of the iron, and that helped a little. The flavor of the waffles was good though. In the future, we'll probably only use them for pancakes instead of waffles, but I was disappointed that our usual cheaper mix comes out much better.

I bought Kodiak Cakes also for our cabin because "just add water" is very nice for when you are out of town. They are sold at Target.  I also found the texture to be bad. We made pancakes and they are flat and rubbery.  The flavor is good, but the texture is lacking. I think grocery store brand instant pancake mix is much more appealing.

 

I saw that a few people like their Lumio lights... has anyone purchased the blow up solar lights they did an update on Friday for (Luminaid)?  I hadn't seen that original episode and those things looked pretty awesome (great name too, they nailed that). It seems like an awesome gift for my friends who like to go backpacking, but I am curious what people think?

Edited January 10, 2016 by AndreaK1041

[augmentedfourth]

The second pair of Sock Cardigan socks arrived yesterday. They're red and orange with dark blue toes/heels/cuffs, and there's some sort of a star and pinwheel pattern. To me, they look kind of superhero-ish. My husband thinks he likes the pink elephants better. To each his own? *shrug*

[datazoid1701]

The ladies socks so far have been: tea cups, fireflies, and jelly beans. Last month I was accidentally sent the mens socks, which seem to be much thicker and more durable. The ladies ones feel really thin and I don't see them lasting long. I think I'll be canceling my subscription after this month - they just aren't that "fun" or tough enough to wear like...socks. 

[Quickbeam]

I have a few Luminaids and I love them. I have a dark area around the outside of our porch where we come home at night that is now well lit. I also use one in a closet that would be a horrible pain to wire in electricity. They are very handy for camping and durable.

[Guatemama3641]

I've bought many a product that has been on Shark Tank... scrub daddy, nuts and more, groovebook, etc.

The Simple Sugars didn't have a long enough shelf life for me. I had to ask to be off the email list, as the lady was emailing multiple times a week.

I'm still sticking with Groovebook, though each month I keep saying I am going to cancel. The pictures just aren't that great.

Nuts and More... I was so sad that I wasted my money. It tasted horrible and had an awful texture.

Scrub Daddy... I love my scrub daddy.

My friend bought one of those transition swaddle things. She really likes it.

I subscribe to Sock Cardigan. So far I've received 2 shipments. The first was a pair with a black background and green video game characters. The second was blue waves on a white background. I will give them a couple more months then see.

I badly want a Squatty Potty. All three Bed Bath and Beyond locations by me are sold out.

Edited January 16, 2016 by Guatemama3641

[bilgistic]

My toilet is currently being worked on and I just heard the maintenance man slide the Squatty Potty across the floor. It just occurred to me to be embarrassed.

[NikSac]

My toilet is currently being worked on and I just heard the maintenance man slide the Squatty Potty across the floor. It just occurred to me to be embarrassed.

 

Although this made me laugh you know they've seen MUCH worse.

[NikSac]

Just had the chance to try Pipcorn last night.  It was on the clearance rack at Safeway.  I got the sea salt flavor and added a drizzle of butter to it (can't have my popcorn without butter!).  It tasted good, but nothing special and I must admit I didn't quite understand the concept. I know it was supposed to be easier on your teeth, but it wasn't on mine - in fact I'm still picking hulls out of my gums today. The size of the kernels reminded me of when you get towards the bottom of the popcorn bag at the movies and you're trying to decide if you want to bother with the rest or not. If you're comparing convenience popcorn type snacks I'd say I liked it better than microwave popcorn, but definitely prefer other brands of bagged popcorn.

[mjc570]

I agree about the pipcorn.  Hard to eat, not especially delicious. 

[augmentedfourth]

The size of the kernels reminded me of when you get towards the bottom of the popcorn bag at the movies and you're trying to decide if you want to bother with the rest or not. 

 

I was just coming here to say the same exact thing. Eerie.

 

I was unimpressed. My husband liked it. He can have the rest of my bag.

[NikSac]

I was just coming here to say the same exact thing. Eerie.

 

I was unimpressed. My husband liked it. He can have the rest of my bag.

 

How funny!  It was the best way I could think of to describe it. I tried another snack of it today and so much of it is burnt, it's not very good (small batches may not be your friend, Pipcorn).  It seems to be only the lower portion of the bag that's burnt, but it is pretty bad.  Weird. 

 

Glad you have someone to eat the rest of it. My husband was not a fan either, so I tried giving some to the dog and he gave me a look like "what did I do wrong?"  Oh well. Glad I got it cheap on clearance.

[Kiss my mutt]

I bought some of the O Dang hummus dressings (they were out of the hummus itself) in all five flavors. They were so gross that nobody in my family of 6 liked them. I don't know if the hummus itself is better but I don't think I'll try it.

[NikSac]

Thanks for the warning Kiss my mutt! I'll skip those too.

 

It's pretty surprising to me when food products do well on the show but then turn out to be such a disappointment. There's so much competition out there, how do these products even get on shelves?

[Lola16]

I haven't tried Simple Sugar but because of the episode I got Hempz Sugar Scrub and I swear by it.

[ClareWalks]

I've tried a few Shark Tank products.

 

Kodiak cakes (pancakes): blech. My husband wanted to try these but I am skeptical of all protein-added things (he got the protein-added ones). They tasted like...they had added protein.

 

Simple Sugars: I have been using these scrubs for a couple years, I love them. I prefer the body scrubs to the face scrubs, and the rose scent is the best (grapefruit is also good). 

 

Mission Belts: I got my husband 3 of these. He is obsessed. Absolutely loves them. Highly recommended.

 

Shefit: I ordered this today, we will see how it goes! 

 

I wouldn't mind getting a Squatty Potty and a Scrub Daddy. But I figure a little step stool would work just as well as a Squatty Potty.

[AndreaK1041]

I saw Kodiak Cakes in this month's Costco coupon book, so despite across the board poor reviews here, their business appears to be growing. They do have appealing packaging.

[LeGrandElephant]

I still have groovebook, and I use it to send photos to my elderly relatives, though I'm always annoyed about it and considering cancelling because the app is so glitchy. I wish they'd make it more stable and give some more options like an easy way to do captions, but it's worth all the hassle because it still the cheapest way to send photo books and the books themselves are perfect for sending photo albums to my grandparents.

[questionfear]

We had a super crappy week, and it ended with my wife's aunt sending us Wicked Good Cupcakes. They were awesome, I was pleasantly surprised!

[zxy556575]

Has there ever been an update on the Tree-T-Pee? The inventor, Johnny Georges, was the single most memorable and remarkable person I've seen on the show. Maybe the lack of follow-up is because the investor was guest shark DeJoria, or I just missed the update, but I really really hope he's been successful post-show.

 

Here's an excerpt from ABC News:

 

Georges was overwhelmed with the public's outpouring response following his appearance on "Shark Tank." His inbox flooded with over 56,000 emails in just a day after "Shark Tank" aired and he sold thousands of Tree-T-Pees that night, he said.

 

Since appearing on "Shark Tank, Georges has been traveling the country, showing farmers how the Tree-T-Pee works and making deals. Recently, he landed a deal with powerhouse retailer, The Home Depot.

 

"I got a lot of passion, because I have a 17-year-old son, and almost a 3-year-old daughter, and I want them to have a better world than what we had," Georges said. "I want them to know that their daddy made a difference and set the example."

[LeGrandElephant]

Has there ever been an update on the Tree-T-Pee? [/i]

I don't remember any updates, but now I can tell you their website doesn't work at all on an iPad....

[nobodyyoucare]

https://www.facebook.com/treetpee/that works. 

[marny]

My husband and I had dinner at a Tom & Chee this past weekend and it was really good! The sandwiches we had were tasty, but the strawberry lemonade donut grilled cheese we had for dessert was stellar.  We're still talking about it 2 days later!

[NikSac]

My husband and I had dinner at a Tom & Chee this past weekend and it was really good! The sandwiches we had were tasty, but the strawberry lemonade donut grilled cheese we had for dessert was stellar.  We're still talking about it 2 days later!

 

Must say that donut sounds really, really weird!  I'm glad it was good though. Brave of you to order it hehe.

[ClareWalks]

My Shefit is still in production. They say it will arrive at the end of the month. A bit annoying is how many emails I have received about it. They have sent me like 4 emails and they all say the same thing, basically sorry about the wait, thanks for your business, wow, Shark Tank orders are backing us up, yours will be ready in late March, blah blah. Stop emailing me, dammit, Shefit! Unless you have actual news!

[starri]

I had the opposite from with Taaluma totes.  There just doesn't seem to be a middle ground.

[starri]

As I was waiting for my luggage this afternoon, I saw a Biaggi go by on the carousel.  It actually looks like a much better-made product than I would have thought.

 

Although if Lori wants money from me, she'll have to take it from my corpse.

[ClareWalks]

Still waiting on my SheFit, those bitches. It's almost a month past when they said it would arrive. Emailed them a few days ago and have gotten no response.

[ClareWalks]

I finally got my SheFit. I am disappointed. First of all, it's bigger in the bands than advertised. I thought I was ordering the size required for a larger chest and smaller band, but even tightened all the way is inadequate. Second, it is VERY hard to put on. I mean, you can slip it on over the shoulders just fine, but there are three hook-and-eyes with the zipper on the chest, and the hooks are tough to get all at the same time (they are far apart and teeny). Once you get them snapped, it is very difficult to get the zipper, because there is a tiny flap of fabric that covers the base of the zipper and you have to get it out of the way to fasten it. It took me, no joke, 5 minutes to get all this shit done. Then once it was on and I'd tightened the straps, it was itchy as hell. So many exposed seams on the insides of the cups. Not only that, the bottom band was really wide but wasn't sturdy enough - it still felt like I'd fall out of the bottom of it. I am returning it without exchanging the size, ASAP. 

ETA: I have to pay the return shipping, too. BIG FAIL, SheFit.

Edited May 6, 2016 by ClareWalks

[mjc570]

ClareWalks:  Thanks for the excellent product review.  I've gotten a number of Shark Tank products over the years, and was thinking about the SheFit, but I', glad I waited.  Thanks for taking one for the team!

[sadiegirl]

2 hours ago, mjc570 said:

ClareWalks:  Thanks for the excellent product review.  I've gotten a number of Shark Tank products over the years, and was thinking about the SheFit, but I', glad I waited.  Thanks for taking one for the team!

ClareWalks - I too, was waiting for your review before ordering one.  I guess I won't be ordering one now.  Thanks for the update.

[Jamoche]

I think I found out what happened to those reusable stick-on ties: http://www.fanatics.com/COLLEGE_Texas_A_And_M_Aggies_Kids_Accessories/Texas_A_And_M_Aggies_Youth_Lil_Guy_Sticky_Tie_Dye_Tie_-_Maroon_White

And my grandmother is still loving all the Wicked Good cupcakes and pies. She's in assisted living and always complaining about the food there.

[scootypuffjr]

I know at the moment there are a lot of complaints about yet another balance board, but I think I might could use one.  The Spooner board reminded me of a similar product pitched by a mother and daughter team a while back, which they claimed strengthened the core and helped reduce fat around the middle.  I looked on Amazon and found nothing, but I know some of you guys have amazing memories and might could help me out.

On the other hand, my 20 year old son is slightly overweight and, imo, not active enough, and the Spooner board might appeal to him more.  ClareWalks, I know you are a trainer - is this kind of product helpful?  Would it really help improve core strength and overall fitness?  Most of my exercise is only walking my dogs, though I do live in Western PA so that means a lot of hills, which I m sure helps a bit.  I am seriously thinking about getting one of these products, but would like an expert opinion first.  (Sorry the SheFit didn't work out for you, but that is one problem I'll never have to worry about!)

[ClareWalks]

3 hours ago, scootypuffjr said:

I know at the moment there are a lot of complaints about yet another balance board, but I think I might could use one.  The Spooner board reminded me of a similar product pitched by a mother and daughter team a while back, which they claimed strengthened the core and helped reduce fat around the middle.  I looked on Amazon and found nothing, but I know some of you guys have amazing memories and might could help me out.

On the other hand, my 20 year old son is slightly overweight and, imo, not active enough, and the Spooner board might appeal to him more.  ClareWalks, I know you are a trainer - is this kind of product helpful?  Would it really help improve core strength and overall fitness?  Most of my exercise is only walking my dogs, though I do live in Western PA so that means a lot of hills, which I m sure helps a bit.  I am seriously thinking about getting one of these products, but would like an expert opinion first.  (Sorry the SheFit didn't work out for you, but that is one problem I'll never have to worry about!)

I can't remember the exact product you're talking about, but I've seen a lot of balance boards and balance trainers. They definitely help with, well, balance ;) And core strength to an extent. They certainly will NOT make someone burn fat, unless you are doing actual exercises on them, in which case they're not really adding much fat-burning to the existing effort. They do more for the stabilizing muscles in the ankles, knees and hips than they do for the core, if I'm being honest, in my experience. A better investment for strength exercises you can do in your home might be a little set of dumbbells, and checking out circuits on YouTube :)

[scootypuffjr]

Thanks, ClareWalks.  My balance is kind of crappy - I can trip over literally nothing - so I might still consider getting one, but maybe a little less seriously.  I appreciate your input.

[ClareWalks]

On 5/7/2016 at 11:37 AM, scootypuffjr said:

Thanks, ClareWalks.  My balance is kind of crappy - I can trip over literally nothing - so I might still consider getting one, but maybe a little less seriously.  I appreciate your input.

If you want to work on your balance, you can get a similar effect by standing on any slightly unstable surface, including beds or pillows and couch cushions put on the floor. If you stand on one foot it's even better. Start with "sets" of 5 seconds each and work your way up. You can even lean forward on one leg like a flamingo or something. I'm all about doing things as cheaply as possible ;)