Showtime Six Star Cutlery Set

Product Description

From the popeilfamilystore.com, the Ronco Showtime Six Star Cutlery Set by Ron Popeil makes a fantastic gift! This high-quality stainless steel cutlery set has all of the knives a home will ever need and is designed for the ultimate in performance, quality, and durability.

Just a side note - I do not know if www.popeilfamilystore.com is affiliated with Ronco (www.ronco.com) The price of the set of knives is the same on both web sites.

Product Features:
• All of the knives feature full tang impact-resistant riveting
• Perfectly balanced
• Made of the best high carbon stainless steel
• Lifetime guarantee
• 25-piece set includes: 22 knives, carving fork, poultry shears, and knife sharpener

What it costs $39.99

Ease of assembly N/A

Ease of use 5 Stars
Just pick the correct knife for the job. The only tears I shed when chopping onions now are tears of joy (I always wanted to say that!!!)

Actual performance 5 Stars
This was a Christmas gift I received. The knives come boxed and each knife is sheathed in a cardboard sleeve. There is an old saying, "a dull knife will cut you". No worries with this set as they are super sharp.

These knives are great and perfect for the chef or chef in training. You can also get the optional knife block to display your purchase proudly on your counter for an additional $30. Having children, I keep my set safely locked away in a kitchen draw with a child lock firmly in place. The steak knives get the most use, but I also like the chop and serve knife as well as the bread knife. For carving, I usually use my old electric knife but the six star carving knife tugs at the heart of my caveman sole. As a bonus, Ron throws in the solid food injector for free (I have not used the solid food injector yet). There is also a poultry shears that comes with the set. I use the shears mostly for cutting open my food saver bags (see my earlier review about the vacuum food saver and how the bags are tough as a rhino). The set also comes with a knife sharpener.

Final thoughts on practicality
Good quality knife set. In fact the only knife set you will need if you purchase this set.

I have one minor issue that I am sure Ron will address when he reads this…. When I use the steak knives, and put them down onto the counter or into my knife draw, they some times turn blade up because the back of the knife is flat. This poses a cutting hazard. If the back of the knife was just slightly curved, this would not happen.

A great gift and you can also get the knife set in white.

Final Score
5 stars out of 5

Food Saver

Product Description
This is in my top 10 infomercials. The foodsaver allows you to purchase whole cows and keep them fresh..... Err, no that's not right. The foodsaver allows you to keep food fresh by sealing them into special bags (that you purchase from foodsaver). On the infomercial I love the part when they make the marshmallows shrink in the container!!!

From their website... Keep food fresh up to five times longer with America's #1 home vacuum packaging system. Visit foodsaver.com for usage tips, recipes and more and to view the complete line of FoodSaver products.

What it costs $129.99

Ease of assembly 5 Stars
There are multiple models available, some of them have the roll for the bags right inside the machine. If you have this type of model, just drop the roll in and you are ready to go.

Ease of use 5 Stars

To start you need to make a bag by sealing one end of the roll. Simple enough (and fun to do with the kids. Then you roll out the length of the bag and cut it off. Again depending on the model, there may be a cutter right on the foodsaver to do the cutting. Then you put your food in and then slip the open end into the foodsaver, lock the side tabs and start to seal. The air is sucked out and the bag sealed tight. there is also attachments for sealing cans and you can also get canisters that are designed to work with the foodsaver.

Actual performance 5 Stars

This is a great product especially if you buy in bulk at warehouses. No more freezer burns on meats if you take a few minutes when you get home to seal them with the foodsaver. Also the bags are dishwasher safe so cut them a bit long so you can reuse them. You can also store items for camping such as matches, flares, etc. (you need to make sure you can cut the bag open as they are tough as a rhino skin).

Final thoughts on practicality
I only have minor issues, the first is the typical out of site, out of mind problem. I don't use the machine for leftovers as it is stored in a cabinet and a hassel to get out.

The infomercial also shows them saving bulk cheese. However the cheese in the infomercial is NOT SLICED. If you go to the trouble of slicing up 5 lbs of cheeze and then try to seal it, the cheese will once again join together (and you know how frustrating separating cheese slices can be). So seal the cheese un sliced.

A great gift with plenty of add-ons that you can get. However you need to purchase all supplies from foodsaver and unlike the Rotozip, these are not so inexpensive. Still if you save one or two meats by vacuum packing them, then the cost is offset.

Final Score
5 stars out of 5

Rotozip Spiral Saw

Product Description

This is one of my favorite infomercials. From the Home Depot website… The Rotozip spiral saw kit includes RZ5 spiral saw, Zipmate ZM2 Cutting attachment, bit accessory pack, bit case, masonry cut-off wheel, metal cut-off wheel, dry diamond cut-off wheel, and tool bag. Features include a dust sealed switch for long life; wrenchless bit change for fast and easy bit changes; Improved body design with soft grip & detachable handle. Manufactured by the Bosch company (a name well respected in the tool industry)

What they claim it does
Easily cut through brick, concrete, metal, sheetrock, tile, wood, and anything else you can think of.

What it costs $99.97

Ease of assembly 3 Stars
You need to be familiar with power tools to really use this. There is an instruction manual that explains how to use each accessory. It is important to thoroughly read and understand the instructions. Eye protections is mandatory. Ear protection would also be a something to consider.

Ease of use 5 Stars
This is not your ordinary cordless screwdriver. This is one kick but tool. You need a firm grip as the tork from this tool is strong. (kind of like holding a gyroscope). This tool slices through steel (any anything else you put in front of it) without batting an eye. You definitely need eye protection as the grinding wheels throw up quite a light show from the sparks when cutting steel (as any grinding attachment would). I have used this tool more times then I can recall. Cleaning out old grout, cutting off locks, sanding and cutting wood. Making electrical box openings in sheetrock, etc.

Actual performance 4.5 Stars
This is a great specialty tool. As with most spiral bit cutters, making a straight line is difficult. The power of this tool is a bit intimidating and my wife won’t use it. I mostly use the cutting tool (grinder attachment) to cut through tile, metal, and sand wood. As with most spiral bits, they snap often wich is not much of a problem since they are really inexpensive. So you should stock up on them so you have them when needed. Replacement grinding, and sanding wheels also are quite affordable. This is nice since many products soak you on additional parts. You can also find the bits and grinding wheels at most hardware stores.

A neet little feature is the sanding wheel. It has 3 holes in the pads that line up with 3 hole where the pads attach. I did not know why they did that until I turned it on. When spinning the holes provide a perfect view of what you are sanding (don't ask me how).

Final thoughts on practicality

The Rotozip will be forever on my must have tool list. This is a handy tool that can do those little jobs that frustrate the weekend warrior. Broken tile, no problem, rusted on lock, no problem. Sheetrock, “forgetaboutit”. Cutting access panels into you car floor bed, done deal. Cutting cooper pipes, easy. But extreme caution needs to be used. Treat this tool with the up most respect and it won’t let you down. I used this to clear out old grout in my kitchen floor during a recent renovation. Did a great job but WOW the dust storm caused was quite a site. This would get a 5 out of 5 rating if not for the intimidation factor of it. It is not for the faint of heart. Also cutting with the spiral bit can be frustrating if you need an exact straight line.

Final Score

4 1/2 stars out of 5

Shark Cordless Sweeper

Product Description
From the Office Depot website - The Shark Next Generation Intelligent Sweeper features a wide 13" cleaning path and 3-speed electronic control designed for superior all-surface cleaning. The wall-hugging design of the side brush gets into corners and grabs dirt along the walls. The easy steering swivel head provides excellent maneuverability. The telescoping handle allows for easy conversion into a hand-held sweeper that is ideal for stairs. The unique brush-roll system propels messes straight into the dust tray, wet or dry. Instantly available, no bags, filters, cables hoses or dirty exhaust air. The low profile with long reach allows you to clean difficult-to-reach areas under furniture. Cordless design allows for a 60-minute cleaning time, then just recharge it.

What they claim it does

Easily clean up messes without the need to break out the heavy vacuum.

What it costs $59.99

Ease of assembly 3 Stars

You need to assemble the handle, insert the dust tray, and charge the unit prior to use. I had some minor difficulties getting the handle assembled. Perhaps it was just my model as it was a little difficult getting the top handle to insert into the poles.

Ease of use 5 Stars

Simple, enough, just unplug the unit from the cord that it charges with and tap on the power button with your foot. The sweeper bottom pivots so you can reach into those hard to get places (like under the bed).

Actual performance 4 Stars

It does a great job getting the dog hair on my wood floor. The sweeper is only .05 horse power so it is not a replacement for a regular vacuum cleaner. It is light weight enough that you might want to try it on your stairs. This is a bag less system and the dust tray pulls out for easy cleaning. However, if you have dust allergies, handling the tray may cause you irritation.

Final thoughts on practicality
This is an electric sweeper, not a vacuum. It cannot replace your vacuum and really shines for those quick clean ups. I keep it continuously plugged into charge when not in use so that it is always ready to go. I found that if I did not do that, when I needed it, the unit would not have any power. That’s not because of the unit, but rather the unit being used often and the battery just running down.

Final Score
4 stars out of 5