shamwow

[fugazi11]

Just wondering if anybody has purchased a set of these and what your reviews are? I'm a bit sceptical, but thought it would be interesting to hear if any other RFDers have made the purchase.

[pkguy]

You can buy them under a different name at Dollarama for $1 each, exactly the same cloth, made in Germany exactly like the Shamwow, just a different color. They good for a dollar, not for what they cost on tv.

[mork]

It is just a chamois cloth. I saw them being demo'd by a fast talking pitch-man like that guy on the commercial. Took a look.. great..

you can buy them all of the place for a lot less than they sell them for. Canadian Tire or Walmart for sure would have plenty to choose from.

Check automotive sections as well.

If you think you like the shamwow, just save yourself some money and pick up a pack of chamois cloths somewhere else. At $1 as posted above, pretty good price!

[mollynix]

Maybe you can buy similar cloths at the Dollar Store and other places, but can you get towel size at these places? I would like a large one for wrapping sweaters, etc that one has to hand wash. I think something like that would be ideal! If anyone knows where I can can get towel size..please let me know. Thanks...Molly

[plymouthhater]

I bought a bunch of 24" x 24" of these made in Germany pseudo chamois at a flea mkt in Florida for $2 ea. They work great. We keep one in our shower stall for wiping down the tile wall after squeegy after shower.

[synaptech]

I'll admit it -- I ordered. Still waiting for them. The sweater rolling was a big feature.

[Dustbunny]

I've had both the expensive and cheap versions of this and there is no comparison IMO. The cheaper versions don't work as well and fall apart a lot faster. I still have one of my original ones and it has to be nearly 10 years old and has been used a lot. I don't know what deals you can find, but here (at home shows and such) you get 4 large towels and some smaller blue ones for $20. The cheap ones I found that looked similar, only lasted a few months before they started to fall apart so just not worth it. It's really quite amazing how much liquid the good ones will absorb in one go. I suppose it depends what you use them for whether you find the more costly ones better or not.

[pkguy]

You can get the big towel sized ones as well at Dollarama for $1 each or 3 of the smaller sized ones for $1. There is no secret to what they are made of, no matter what the name, they are all 100% rayon. You are only wasting your money buying them from the infomercial but it's your money to waste.

[plymouthhater]

You are only wasting your money buying them from the infomercial but it's your money to waste.

I have a rule - never buy anything from an infomercial no matter how enticing a sales pitch from Mr "Set it and Forget it" - within a few months everybody and their brother is making a knock off version of the item and the price plummets.

Use the George Foreman grill as an example i.e. they went from a hundred bucks to as low as $9.99 for the knock off two burger version.

Another fine example is "Oxyclean" ... Dollar Tree in the States has peroxide based cleaners and detergents for a buck.

Anybody else here find it amusing that the informercial people seem to think it's enticing to have a pitchman with a British or Australian accent?

[TheCheez]

These guys have been around the Stampede in Calgary forever. Exact same demo as the infomercial and exact price/scheme: "Order now and we'll double the offer!"

I like em a lot though.

[mork]

this thread had sparked me to buy some the other day. picked up one large one and a 3-pack of small blue ones from dollarama the other day. When wiping up spills and whatnot I find it is best if they are already damp (wet then wring it out).

[Inspector Gadget]

This commercial makes me laugh everytime. I love all of the camera trickeries they use to convince us to buy.

For example, when the pitch man poured cola on the carpet sample, there was excess liquid on the table. He lifts up the carpet to show how much liquid had seeped through. But on the next shot, the excess cola on the table is no longer visible...even before he gingerly rolls and pounds the product into the carpet.

But my favourite is when he contrasts the life expectancy of a sponge to a Sham Wow. He holds the towel in front of his face and says "this lasts ten years", an obvious dub that gives them the flexibility to revise the projected life span of their product in a future commercial.

Sham Wow? Scam Wow!

[pkguy]

They are supposed to be wetted and wrung out with water before you use them just like a real chamois.

As for the British accents. Mr Shamwow and Billy Maes for Oxiclean certainly don't have Brit accents LOL but I know what you're saying....
Whenever they want to make a product seem classier they hire some spokesperson/model with a real or fake British accent. You notice this a lot when it comes to womans cosmetics and hair care products. And of course they always have more upper crust sounding Brit accents, not like theyre from Manchester or Liverpool etc or just crawled out of a pub

[Dustbunny]

I have a rule - never buy anything from an infomercial no matter how enticing a sales pitch from Mr "Set it and Forget it" - within a few months everybody and their brother is making a knock off version of the item and the price plummets.

Use the George Foreman grill as an example i.e. they went from a hundred bucks to as low as $9.99 for the knock off two burger version.

Another fine example is "Oxyclean" ... Dollar Tree in the States has peroxide based cleaners and detergents for a buck.

Anybody else here find it amusing that the informercial people seem to think it's enticing to have a pitchman with a British or Australian accent?

Although somewhat valid to wait for other versions, you have to be careful. Knockoffs are often just cheaply made versions of originals so you don't always get what you think for the price as they skimp on materials, motors, functions. It depends on the product of course, but there are often some very good reasons for buying an original product especially when longevity or power is involved. There are plenty of examples of products where the original was super and worked well while the knock offs didn't even come close.

You really do need to look at things on their own merits because using a 'never' or 'always' just doesn't usually work in reality.

[jl001]

It doesn't seem to work well, likely just waste of money:

http://www.infomercialratings.com/product/shamwow_reviews

[comicbookguy]

that infomercial guy looks just like the green goblin, mr. willem defoe himself, that's what freaks me out.