MADISON (WKOW) -
MADISON (WKOW) -- In the first of our three-part "Does It Work" series for May, we tested three products: Robo Stir, the Gyro Bowl and the Schticky.
Madison mom, Melissa, and her daughter Cammy, answered are call for help testing these products.
We started with the Gyro Bowl, which is marketed as the 100 percent kid-proof bowl. Notice they don't call it spill-proof.
"Hey, why does this not work," Cammy said, as she turned the bowl upside down and nothing came out.
The Gyro Bowl worked well for some things. It's not going to spill if you just carry it around, and we were shocked that all Cammy's animal crackers stayed in when she accidentally dropped it from an end table onto the floor.
But when we put raisins and peanuts in the bowl and Cammy jumped up and down, we had a small spill. Also, some raisins and peanuts got jammed in between the swiveling bowls and we had to take it apart to get them out.
Melissa says, "At this point, I would throw it in the trash if it was mine."
It wasn't perfect, but Cammy found the bowl entertaining, so we gave it two out of five stars.
Our next product, Robo Stir, is billed as the third hand you've always wanted in the kitchen.
The battery-powered (four AAs) automatic stirrer has three speeds. You're supposed to be able to turn it on and walk away. But it seemed to need optimal conditions. For instance, we had to change pots and thin Melissa's pasta sauce to get it going well. But even then, it didn't seem to work as well as it does in the commercial.
"I don't like things that have single uses, limited uses," Melissa said, adding she wouldn't buy it.
Robo Stir was so ineffective in our testing we gave it just one out of five stars.
The final product we tested was the Schticky. If you've seen the commercial, you know how it's supposed to easily pick up all sorts of things, from pet hair, to cat litter, to coins.
We recreated lots of the tests and the Schticky worked fairly well, and Melissa liked the way it picked up the cat hair around her house.
She also liked the way it rinsed off easily and dried sticky again, like the ads claim it does.
"Well, it's easy to use. It's easy to clean," said Melissa. "And it's not something you're gonna use for a little bit and throw away."
Melissa said she would buy it, so we gave the Schticky four out of five stars.
On Wednesday, May 9, on 27 News at 10, we look at Wen, which is marketed as the revolution in hair care. And we'll ask the question, Does It Work?
