S07.E12: Extreme Sandbox, ABS Pancakes, Total Tie Keep, FireAvert

[yeswedo]

 

Equipment for people who want to run a crane or crush a car; a protein-filled pancake  mix; keeping ties looking sharp; checking in with Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac of Cousins Maine Lobster.

 

Special Tuesday airing

[bilgistic]

"The Total Tie Keep(?)" just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? It badly needs a new name. I'm thinking "Tie Stuffins".

[Primetimer]

Plus 'necktie behavior,' kitchen-fire safety, and extreme playgrounding on an odd-lot Tuesday Tank.

Read the story

[Eolivet]

If my electric stove shut off every time the smoke alarm went off while I was cooking, I wouldn't be able to get dinner on the table. Cannot see consumers liking that idea -- but it's great as a business-to-business product. Meaning Lori is the absolutely wrong partner. It'll sell a lot on QVC, but the first time somebody's roast gets ruined because that thing gets triggered, I predict negative feedback.

 

I liked Mark Cuban trying to intimidate Unseen Investor Jeff. A little surprised he held his ground, but if the company made $750,000 and he owns 60% of it, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

 

The Total Tie Keep guy said he was "a special agent at a federal agency?" Excuse my skepticism, but the last guy to call himself that was Philip from Survivor, and we know how that turned out.

[coastal515]

I actually know the Total Tie Keep guy, Dwight, very well and I can assure you that he does work for a federal agency. But he works with very high level people so he has to be vague.

[Latverian Diplomat]

If my electric stove shut off every time the smoke alarm went off while I was cooking, I wouldn't be able to get dinner on the table. Cannot see consumers liking that idea -- but it's great as a business-to-business product. Meaning Lori is the absolutely wrong partner. It'll sell a lot on QVC, but the first time somebody's roast gets ruined because that thing gets triggered, I predict negative feedback.

 

I thought of that too, though I can't remember the last time I've actually set off my smoke alarm. I had a relative who had that problem, turned out she just needed to clean her oven (something I thought the landlord would do between tenants, but I guess not).

 

But I think consumer purchases will be people buying it for someone else, an older relative for example. There are already products in this space that deal with "stove left unattended" before it reaches the smoke detector stage:

 

http://www.thiscaringhome.org/products/auto-stove-turn-off-devices.php

 

 

The guy seems to really just want to license it, not start a business. I'm a little surprised Daymond didn't see an opportunity to do a deal on those lines.

 

So, is there a significant part of the home audience that likes Kevin? I find him obnoxious and intrusive, but the editors don't seem to miss a chance to capture one of his mean-spirited remarks, and even Cuban is calling him "Mr. Wonderful" now, so I'm guessing production thinks he's an asset to be played up. Or maybe he just own a chunk of the show?

Edited January 10, 2016 by Latverian Diplomat

[ae2]

Stove shutoff guy has a great concept, but it feels over-engineered. And worse, much much too pricey for the home market. Makes sense for rental units I guess.

 

Anyway, the fact that it works based on the smoke alarm is all wrong. You're introducing an extra point of failure. The smoke alarm could fail or have dead batteries, or this shutoff could fail.

 

It operates by sound - does every smoke alarm sound the same? Will the alarm be loud enough to trigger it? What if there are other loud noises in the house? What if it isn't close enough to the kitchen to detect the smoke before it turns into fire?

 

I know its impractical for the shutoff device to directly detect smoke. Most outlets are near the floor, and smoke rises. But I'd feel a lot more comfortable with it if there was some sort of lead probe that you installed in your hood or somewhere above the stove.

 

Protein pancakes? Ehhh, whatever. Could you just buy a giant canister of protein powder for about the same price and mix it into your own pancakes for a lot cheaper?

 

The Extreme Sandbox is another in a line of experience based entertainment that seems to be a trend on the show and in real life. So not surprised they got a deal.

 

But they are so pricey! I know there are people who can afford to spend $300 for an hour of fun, but not me.

 

You can also buy 3 days at Disney World for the price of an hour on their equipment...

 

Their website says a Texas location is opening this Spring. Not quite Dallas, but within 90 minutes of there. 

[designing1]

I didn't see the presentation for the Total Tie Keep, so I went to the product's website and watched their instructional video. That's one heck of a lot of buttoning, tucking, and velcroing just to keep your tie smooth to your shirt. Maybe someone should introduce a line of designer tie bars/tie tacs like men used to wear all the time. Same effect + display some personality in your choice of bar/tac + way, way simpler.

Edited January 6, 2016 by designing1

[cmfran]

I didn't understand why the FireAvert thing was so expensive. Isn't it basically the same technology as The Clapper, only it just turns one thing off?

[pbutler111]

I kept waiting for someone to ask the Extreme Sandbox guy about competition. If you watch Vanderpump Rules you'll remember that when the guys went on their guy trip, they went to a place exactly like this. I'm surprised any of the sharks would invest in something that's not really scalable and completely vulnerable to competition.

[seacliffsal]

So, the pancakes just show that there are people willing to pay a lot for a trendy item. I agreed with Kevin that glutten free is a small subset of the fitness group (although it is part of a larger trend that could appeal to a select market). During the tie thing presentation I thought back to my dad and his tie tacs and just wondered when those disappeared from stores and why they haven't made more of a reappearance. Daymond wears one (and he always looks good). As designing1 mentioned someone could design tie tacs that reflect personality and interests. I have no personal interest in the tractor business-but I do see it as limited appeal: one of those things people will do once but not as a repeat activity. Interesting that people want to play at what others do for a living.

[Cranky One]

The Southbeach Diet has a recipe for a protein pancake made with cottage cheese and oats and it's really good.

My smoke alarm is so sensitive that non-burnt toast has set it off.

[Missy Vixen]

I was wondering what happened behind the scenes with the fireman, the stove shut-off and whatever contract he had with his 60% for $50K "friend". I'm wondering if any of the parties involved is having their lawyers review that contract or if there is one in the first place. I'm guessing yes. And the 60% for $50K "friend" will find this the most personally expensive deal he's ever participated in.

 

This is the second time we've seen Mr. Wonderful actually offer to take money out of his pocket for an entrepreneur who admitted they were over their head and there were kids involved. Maybe he's not all bad.

[Sara2009]

I thought of that too, though I can't remember the last time I've actually set off my smoke alarm. I had a relative who had that problem, turned out she just needed to clean her oven (something I thought the landlord would do between tenants, but I guess not).

But I think consumer purchases will be people buying it for someone else, an older relative for example. There are already

products in this space that deal with "stove left unattended" before it reaches the smoke detector stage:

http://www.thiscaringhome.org/products/auto-stove-turn-off-devices.php

The tie seems to really just want to license it, not start a business. I'm a little surprised Daymond didn't see an opportunity to

do a deal on those lines.

So, is there a significant part of the home audience that likes Kevin? I find him obnoxious and intrusive, but the editors don't seem to miss a chance to capture one of his mean-spirited remarks, and even Cuban is calling him "Mr. Wonderful" now,

so I'm guessing production thinks he's an asset to be played up. Or maybe he just own a chunk of the show?

My parents and I think Kevin is hilarious, but obviously I can't speak for the majority of people

[Latverian Diplomat]

I was wondering what happened behind the scenes with the fireman, the stove shut-off and whatever contract he had with his 60% for $50K "friend". I'm wondering if any of the parties involved is having their lawyers review that contract or if there is one in the first place. I'm guessing yes. And the 60% for $50K "friend" will find this the most personally expensive deal he's ever participated in.

 

I doubt there's anything sketchy there. The partner kept the guy from going under at a time when he was up against it, which could have been much earlier when the product was not even ready yet. I believe him when he said he also brought an understanding of the multi-unit housing market and how this product could be sold to that market. In a private partnership, equity can be divided up anyway the partners agree to, so the contract is probably rock solid. He was willing to dilute his own equity somewhat, he just didn't want to lose his whole stake. And he both gave good advice about not letting the bright lights and being on camera lead to a bad deal. He seemed fine to me.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Latverian Diplomat

[LittleIggy]

Wonder if the 5 kids the Extreme Sandbox guy had were from a prior marriage or he had them with the fiancée. If the latter, I mean, come on, fiancée means you are going to marry her. What is he waiting for? :-D

[phoenix780]

I saw the Fire Avert product at an industry event (I work in multifamily housing) and they emailed about their appearance on the show, which made it all more fun.  Like I was personally invited (via mass email).  I think it's one of those products that seems really great until you start thinking about the details, which means it could well sell a boatload on QVC or via infomercial if they play up the scare tactics.  

 

If they want to get into multifamily, I think they have to work on making it a requirement somehow, like smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, or these incredibly expensive light fixtures we have to install to comply with the law.  Maybe we're lucky, but we've only had 5 or so fires in the 10 years I've worked with the company, and I don't think any would have been prevented with their product.  The return on the expense of buying/installing isn't there, in my opinion, but convince some politician somewhere it's a safety thing, have them write a law about it- you're golden.

 

I almost felt bad for the pancake people because Kevin was so harsh in his assessment.  But their entire pitch was about it tasting good and they didn't seem to hit that.  Sucks for them.

Edited January 8, 2016 by phoenix780

[Ottis]

So, is there a significant part of the home audience that likes Kevin? I find him obnoxious and intrusive,

 

 

Kevin and Mark are my favorites, because they speak bluntly and clearly. I'd rather hear someone tell me what they really think than have them give me a bland answer because they are trying to be nice.Kevin clearly has triggers that send him into the "you are a bug to me" mode, and you have to be smart enough not to go there. I'm also pretty sure that some of it is his TV character and he isn't that way to people he knows or even most of the time.

 

If the panel were all Lori and Barbara and Robert I'd learn less and quit watching.

 

I almost felt bad for the pancake people because Kevin was so harsh in his assessment.  But their entire pitch was about it tasting good and they didn't seem to hit that.  Sucks for them.

 

 

Not to mention that looking like the abs guy is 80 percent or more genetics, and then the rest is diet and exercise. Protein pancakes will no more make you look like that than eating an apple every day. It was a pointless product to begin with, and if it tasted bad, it had no redeeming qualities at all. Kevin called them out.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Ottis

[PepperMonkey]

Re: The Fire Avert guy and his 50K SEVENTY percent partner... He can always get new partners to dilute the equity and unless 50K guy puts up more money, he can be diluted down to practically nothing.

 

I learned that from watching Marcus on The Profit when he was negotiating with the "partner" from Sweet Pete's.

[KaveDweller]

My parents and I think Kevin is hilarious, but obviously I can't speak for the majority of people

 

I think Kevin is hilarious and love watching him on the show.....not sure I'd want to partner with him in business though.

[starri]

Kevin is in many ways everything that I dislike about capitalism.  However, he is the most blunt shark when it comes to calling out bullshit.  Barbara does that too, and because she's more diplomatic about it I prefer her approach, but there are some presenters that are so obnoxious, they don't deserve diplomacy.  Also, there are times where he cracks up, and the way he looks when he loses it is kind of hysterical and endearing.

 

Abs Pancakes are on sale for $39.95 plus shipping.  Don't miss this chance.  They also have a subscription service that knocks the price down a little as well.  And bear in mind, that's for a box that contains approximately 10 servings.  I mean, I'm sorry, part of going for that kind of body is having enough willpower to give things like pancakes up.  There are no shortcuts.

 

I guess I'm not #masc4masc enough to get the appeal of driving earthmoving equipment.

 

Tie Stuffins:  I'll stick with my tie bar.

 

Fire Avert:  My smoke detector goes off if you turn on the oven and forget to open the kitchen window.  Add to that my not having used an electric range in close to a decade, and this is not a product for me.  I guess I see the utility in a senior community, but that seems like something that would be people would purchase and get a sense of security that's ultimately false.  Maybe Lori can convince him to consider change the name.  Fire Stuffins sounds good to me.

[vesperholly]

Maybe someone should introduce a line of designer tie bars/tie tacs like men used to wear all the time. Same effect + display some personality in your choice of bar/tac + way, way simpler.

 

Didn't those laser-cut wood bowtie people have tie bars or tacks in their product line? If they don't, they should.

[retrograde]

There are already a zillion protein pancake mixes on the market, and many of the big protein powder companies have them (and a lot of people make their own with regular protein powders), so I couldn't work out what the ABS people were offering that was new (the gluten free angle?) or why the sharks who are "in that space" were so interested. It is true, however, that people who buy this crap don't care about price. Also, all of these high-protein replacement products taste like ass, but they don't care much about that either. 

[needschocolate]

I wish the fire guy would have explained what you do once every thing shuts off - how do you turn it back on?  Is it as simple as turning the knob, or do you have to reset something on the device, which likely means moving the stove out from the wall to access the device?  Or maybe it just turns off the power for a set amount of time then it allows power again - which would be bad if you left the stove on when you left the house.  

 

I have 3  neighbors on my street that have had fires, all caused by the stove been left unattended.  One was away from home, and this product might have kept their house from burning down - then again, maybe not.  The other two were at home and for both, there were flames before the smoke detector sounded.  For one, her son came upstairs to tell her there was a fire in the kitchen and she ran to the kitchen and stopped the fire before it got out of hand.   For the other one, she walked into her kitchen and saw flames coming out of a pan with oil in it (she was going to deep fry something).  She then called her husband at work to find out what to do. Then she walked the 100 feet of so to my house to ask if I have a fire extinguisher.  I did, so I told her to call 911 and I ran the 100 feet to her house with my fire extinguisher.  The fire was still entirely in the pan, although it did damage the above stove microwave, and I put it out (fire extinguishers are amazing).  She got back to her house after I put out the fire.  She was telling me what happened and then, for the first time, the smoke detector went off.

 

I have a smoke detector that is closer to the kitchen than my neighbors' was so it may go off before there are flames.  But it sometimes goes off when I boil water and don't turn on the fan or if I slightly burn something.  The one upstairs goes off if the shower was steamy or if the wind blows a particular way.  The stove shut off thing is not for me.  

[nobodyyoucare]

 

For the other one, she walked into her kitchen and saw flames coming out of a pan with oil in it (she was going to deep fry something).  She then called her husband at work to find out what to do.

How to deal with grease fires in four easy steps.

 

Step 1 Turn off the eye. If gas range fire will go out in a second. If electric range proceed to step two. 

 

Step 2.Put steel lid on pan. If fire doesn't go out in a few seconds proceed to step three. 

 

Step 3 Pour baking soda on fire. Used for small fires if baking soda doesn't work or fire too large proced to step four.

 

Step 4 use fire extinguisher with dry chemicals. Step 4 is last resort and rarely if ever needed if steps 1 and 2 are done. 

[needschocolate]

Nobodyyoucare, that is what I probably would have done had the fire been at my house, but the neighbor came over asking if I had a fire extinguisher because her "kitchen was on fire" - As I ran to her house with the extinguisher, I kept thinking "What in the hell am I doing?!?!"  I was actually surprised to see that it was confined to the pan.  I had no idea where she kept lids or baking soda (electric range), so I went with the extinguisher.  However, now that I have used one, I would probably go with the extinguisher if I had a fire like hers.  All my lids are glass and I would worry that they may shatter and send shrapnel through my kitchen (and through me) and I don't know that I would get that close to a flaming pan.  Plus, I don't think the amount of baking soda I normally have close by would be enough to put out the 2 foot high flames.  The extinguisher worked great - I pressed the trigger for the least amount of time I could and it was out. 

 

By the way, my neighbor is a very smart person, but maybe common sense wasn't her thing, or maybe she just panicked.  She didn't think to call 911 until I told her to.  She also didn't think to wake up her daughter who was sleeping in the room directly above the kitchen. 

[Shibori]

 The Extreme Sandbox is another in a line of experience based entertainment that seems to be a trend on the show and in real life. So not surprised they got a deal.

 

But they are so pricey! I know there are people who can afford to spend $300 for an hour of fun, but not me.

 

You can also buy 3 days at Disney World for the price of an hour on their equipment...

Well, three days at Disney if you go by yourself, don't need a hotel, don't park, don't eat or drink, and don't buy any add-ons or souvenirs.

There's a resort near me has a Jeep off road adventure course. It's $90 for 90 minutes with an instructor if you bring your own Jeep, and $90/seat for 90 minutes to do a ride along where you take turns. So though I wouldn't be interested in the Sandbox at any price, I think there are plenty of guys with disposable income that would, or parents who buy their 8 year old special snowflakes iPhones that wouldn't hesitate to pay so they could post the pics on Facebook.

[ae2]

Well, three days at Disney if you go by yourself, don't need a hotel, don't park, don't eat or drink, and don't buy any add-ons or souvenirs.

There's a resort near me has a Jeep off road adventure course. It's $90 for 90 minutes with an instructor if you bring your own Jeep, and $90/seat for 90 minutes to do a ride along where you take turns. So though I wouldn't be interested in the Sandbox at any price, I think there are plenty of guys with disposable income that would, or parents who buy their 8 year old special snowflakes iPhones that wouldn't hesitate to pay so they could post the pics on Facebook.

 

Sure, but you could say the same about this. $300 if you go by yourself, don't need a hotel, and don't buy any add-ons or souvenirs.

 

Obviously there are some people who will and do pay for Extreme Sandbox. The point is, even compared to other high priced entertainment options it is very pricey. 

[Latverian Diplomat]

Re: The Fire Avert guy and his 50K SEVENTY percent partner... He can always get new partners to dilute the equity and unless 50K guy puts up more money, he can be diluted down to practically nothing.

I learned that from watching Marcus on The Profit when he was negotiating with the "partner" from Sweet Pete's.

It depends on the partnership agreement. The Fire Avert guy may only be able to dilute his own equity with other partner's approval. That was one reason why he had to call the guy.

Edited January 10, 2016 by Latverian Diplomat

[Jersey Guy 87]

The extreme sandbox doesn't seem sustainable to me - I'd love to try it, but at $300 I'd try it once and that would be it.  And only if it were local to me (I wouldn't travel somewhere just to play with heavy construction equipment).

 

I no longer wear a tie enough to have to spend money on something to fix a problem I don't remember being a big deal when I did wear a tie a lot.

[Guest]

I have a Shark Tank protein pancake mix in my pantry-- Kodiak Cakes (in their protein-enriched formulation).  It's good.  And cheap.  Like $11 at Costco for 4 quart or so size bags.  Fitness/foodie fanatics will often just mash up banana with egg and fry it-- that's a protein pancake that's cheap, gluten free and all natural.  

 

Extreme Sandbox-- I can see Mark Cuban taking his kids and that's about it.  I laughed at comparing it to a theme park.  Looked like work to me.  

[nobodyyoucare]

 

(I wouldn't travel somewhere just to play with heavy construction equipment).

Actually there is a theme park based on driving heavy construction equipment. 

 

http://www.diggerlandusa.com/

 

There is also a diggerland in the UK but I don't know if there is any connection besides the name.

 

There is also Dig This! in Las Vegas. http://digthisvegas.com/

 

http://www.cracked.com/article_15955_the-9-most-baffling-theme-parks-from-around-world.html

 

So there is a trend in this type of thing. 

[Jersey Guy 87]

There is also Dig This! in Las Vegas. http://digthisvegas.com/

 

 

Vegas makes total sense for this type of thing.  It's in the desert, for one thing, so there's plenty of open land nearby.  Plus, you're out there for a conference/convention/whatever and get tired of gambling - head out and smash a car with a large piece of machinery.  I still wouldn't travel somewhere just to play with the heavy equipment but a destination I'm likely to be at for business travel anyway (like Vegas) I'd take a trip to check it out (and find a way to expense the $300 while I was at it).

[LeGrandElephant]

I don't understand how you can dilute the other partners equity without their permission, but I guess I just don't know much about this stuff. Something like that happened in the movie The Social Network where one of the original Facebook partners got tricked into agreeing to dilute his share to practically nothing and I didn't really understand the details there either (but at least in that case it wasn't entirely behind his back - they had to trick him into signing something to approve of it). If you go off and sell shares by yourself don't you have to sell only your own shares? Don't you need approval to sell a percentage of something that is owned by someone else?

Edited January 24, 2016 by LeGrandElephant

[StatisticalOutlier]

There is also Dig This! in Las Vegas. http://digthisvegas.com/

 

I didn't see the show, but I've had this place in Vegas on my radar for some time.  I think Mr. Outlier would love it.  He once hopped in a forklift and figured out how to use it to move a load of bricks, and said it was a lot of fun.  I can imagine that really big machinery would be a gas. 

I didn't realize there was another outfit doing this, and I went to the Extreme Sandbox website.  I think they're more expensive than the one in Las Vegas.  But I noticed a link to a fire truck, and ironically, Mr. Outlier programs vehicle simulators, and among them are fire trucks, with tillers.  Unfortunately, Extreme Sandbox doesn't let you drive the fire truck, but instead uses it kind of like a limousine.  Too bad--I think it would be really fun to set two friends loose in a fire truck to maneuver through a course--one driving the truck and one driving the tiller.  And hey, fill it with water so it's real tippy. 

[nobodyyoucare]

 

If you go off and sell shares by yourself don't you have to sell only your own shares? Don't you need approval to sell a percentage of something that is owned by someone else?

Yes legally you have to either give consent or written approval to sell someone elses shares. Usually someone who goes for investment gets approval beforehand to give away equity usually an agreed upon amount from the other shareholders or has to clarify it is their own shares. Sometimes deals get canceled because the approval was not written down in a legally binding agreement.