Originally posted by Jeroen Wenting:
My policy: don't buy anything sold on those channels, most if not all are overpriced and/or scams.
If you're talking about most Home Slopping Network, etc., then I mostly agree. There are a few late-night/weekend infomercials on the other channels that actually hawk something worth the price. Example: The wife and I love our vacuum bag sealer. Without doing a full analysis, I think it has in fact paid for itself.
BUT...
1. The infomercial was selling version X-1, so there was a better one to be had (at a higher price).
2. When you call in your order they try to sell you A LOT of other things. We were offered no fewer than ten other things, from the extended warrenty, to extra bags and canisters for the sealer, to diamonique rings, to tropical vacations. The operators are "required" to go through this many, BEFORE you've made your order for the base product, so you just have sit there and say "no" ten times before making the original purchase.
3. Our address is probably on a hundred more mailing lists than it used to be. What we did was give this place a fake middle name, so we can throw out anything addressed to Ryan H McGuire without even opening it.
If you don't mind those caveats, there are some reasonable bargains to be had.
As for the bullet... I have a full-sized blender for marguritas and milkshakes, a CuisineArt for chopping tomatoes and peppers to make salsa, and a
coffee grinder for coffee and spices, so this new gadget wouldn't really have a place here. But if it makes sense in YOUR kitchen lineup (and you don't mind the "problems" listed above), I don't see anything wrong with getting one. But don't buy one just to buy one.
Ryan