Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

This handheld cordless vac seems to be targeted toward owners of messy pets because not only can it be used for sucking up dry materials like pet food or dirt, but the recharging base also functions as an air sanitizer. The vacuum portion has an easy to empty dirt cup that’s lined with nano silver technology to prevent the growth of mold and odor-causing bacteria while the base apparently uses the same UV-C air sanitizing technology as hospitals do. Except that in a hospital it’s used to save lives where as in your home it will probably be used to fight the stank coming from the litter box.

The UV-C bulb in the base will last up to 5,000 hours, but if you leave it running all day and night that’s only about 208 days, or a little under 7 months before it’s time to swap in a new bulb. You can find the Hand Vac / Air Sanitizer at Solutions.com for $99.95, but I have no idea how much the replacement UV-C bulbs are.

[ Hand Vac & Air Sanitizer 2-in-1 ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Looking to add about 2 hours of extra work to your typical day? Then make sure to carry this folding UV scanner everywhere you go and use it to disinfect everything you might have to touch like door handles, telephones, computer keyboards, mice and faucets. Waving the UV light over an object will kill 99.9% of the germs you might come in contact with, but what about that 0.1% that’s still going to end up on your hands? If they’re tough enough to survive a blast of UV light who knows what harm they’re going to cause you? I suggest just staying home all day and working at your computer in your pajamas. If people think you’re crazy for doing so just tell them you’re a blogger. It worked for me!

Whatever Works sells the handheld UV Scanner for $29.99, but it doesn’t include the 4 AAA batteries you’ll need to wage your war on germs.

[ Disinfecting UV Scanner ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I hate shaving. But I guess I can at least be thankful I don’t have to deal with the top of my head in addition to my face. But if I did, you better believe I’d use something like this HeadBlade Sport razer. While it looks more like a concept snowmobile than a razer, the wheels and contoured handle are actually designed to make shaving your own head a bit easier.

In addition to the wheels, the HeadBlade also uses ‘triple blade technology’ which I assume works just like you see in other razer commercials. You know, one blade lifts, one blade cuts, one blade is there for moral support etc. The company also sells a classic version of the HeadBlade but it doesn’t have any wheels and as a result looks nowhere near as cool as the Sport version.

You can get the HeadBlade Sport directly from the HeadBlade online store for just $15, while replacement blades are $8.97.

[ HeadBlade Sport ] VIA [ Nerd Approved ]

By Luke Anderson

One of my favorite things about my job is the fact that I don’t have to worry about keeping my facial hair perfectly trimmed or gone. I keep it trimmed and looking neat, but I don’t carry around a razor to nip that 5-o’clock shadow in the bud. Unfortunately there are people out there that must keep their face smooth all the time, so for those guys, here’s a razor that will keep you smooth without sucking up any juice from your power outlet.

While I can’t be sure how long it will take to charge (or how long a charge will last) it’s a good thought for a device that will only be used a few minutes at a time. It’s pretty thin, so you can slip it in your pocket and head to the men’s room when you feel a bit stubbly. It’s a bit pricey though, coming it at just under $70.

[ Ecotopia ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Looking for a way to test your breath before friends, family or even strangers subtly offer you a breath freshener? While I suggest carrying around a canary in a cage like coal miners did, you might want to consider this pocket friendly Halitosis Detector instead.

I guess you just blow or breathe on the sensor above the screen, and the results will be displayed VIA an easy to understand smiley face. Obviously a smile means you’re good to go, but if you see a shocked face like the one in the product shot, you might want to grab another swig of mouthwash. However I’m not really sure what the ‘WAIT’ message means? It’s not like hiding in the corner for 10 minutes will magically make your breath fresh again. Unless you’re supposed to just wait for everybody else in the room to leave, so you can easily make your escape. (Or as Someguy pointed out in the comments, that’s probably just the message you get while it’s analyzing your breath.)

The Halitosis Detector is currently available for just $10.00 from Restoration Hardware.com, and for that price you just know it must work great!

[ Halitosis Detector ] VIA [ Geek Sugar ]

By Luke Anderson

You can imagine that I see a lot of strange gadgets whilst scouring the interwebs. Sometimes they’re funny, other times they just seem poorly designed. This one I simply find terrifying. It takes a lot of faith to scrape an incredibly sharp piece of metal across one’s face. Fortunately we have the luxury of fancy plastic razors with carefully designed blades, and we don’t really have to worry about getting (many) unnecessary cuts. The only problem is that those blades can become quite costly. What’s the solution? Sharpen those old blades!

While I’m sure that this product works exactly as advertised, it just scares me. I have no issue sharpening my kitchen knives or a pocket knife, as I don’t scrape them across my face on a regular basis. However, the slightest imperfection on the tip of the blade can land you a nasty cut, and my ugly mug doesn’t need any help. Then again I use an electric razor, so I wouldn’t need to drop $20 on this anyway.

[ Taylor Gifts ] VIA [ RGS ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Shaving sucks. And if you’re anything like me you only do it once a week, which means it’s twice as much work because you have to clean up the sink and counter afterwards. So ‘mad props’ to Philips Norelco for their T980 trimmer which uses a vacuum to suck the trimmings into a built-in chamber that can be periodically emptied.

The trimmer also has something called ‘SteelWave Technology’ which is apparently a self-sharpening system for the blades and is rechargeable, keeping the number of criss-crossing power cords in the bathroom to a minimum each morning.

Amazon has it for $39.99.

[ Philips Norelco T980 Turbo Vacuum Trimmer ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While the packaging might make it look slightly appealing sitting on a store shelf, I wouldn’t touch this Korean-made black toothpaste with a 10-foot toothbrush. The magic ingredient that makes it black is of course charcoal, or should I say ‘charcle’ based on the packaging? Either way, if it’s good enough to filter the impurities out of water in a Brita filter, it must be great in a toothpaste right? Not so much according to DesignNotes:

This morning I tried it for the first time, the experience ended up being less pleasant then I first thought it would be. I was fine seeing the black stuff on my brush, it wasn’t until it went into my mouth when my stomach started to turn. Near the end I barely could brush my tongue and when I spit it out to rinse I felt a bit queezy. In the end though my mouth did feel clean, but I’m not sure if the weirdness that I felt would be something I’d want to do again.

Given the choice I’ll stick with Colgate, Crest or just living with cavities thank-you.

[ Black Toothpaste ] VIA [ Popgadget ]

By Andrew Liszewski

You’ll never be without a washcloth as long as you carry one of these unique MiniTISSUEs in your pocket or purse. What looks like a small mint candy is actually an 8.6″ x 9.8″ washcloth that has been hydraulically compressed, and individually wrapped to stay germ free. Once it’s needed you just have to pour water over one of the tablets and it will expand to the point where you can unroll it to its full size.

I kind of like this idea, particularly for use when camping or other outdoor activities, but couldn’t they have put a bit more effort into not making them look like tasty breath mints? I’m sure it’s all part of the novelty and in good fun, that is until the lawsuits start rolling in from people who ended up with stomach pains instead of fresh breath.

A box of 96 MiniTISSUEs is available from Solutions for just $12.95.

[ MiniTISSUE ]

By Andrew Liszewski

There are lots of great reasons to own a dog but even I’ll admit that having to deal with their ‘business’ is unpleasant at best. A shovel works great when you’re in the backyard but they’re not so convenient when out on a walk, and that’s why the Swoop was created. It’s billed as man’s ’second best friend’ and if you have a particularly large dog (or smaller bear) as a pet you’ll appreciate its design.

It looks kind of like a flashlight but pulling back the top portion reveals a set of claws that open to grab and scoop the animal’s ‘business’ in a single action. It includes a set of baggies that cover the claws, preventing them from getting messed up in the process and also provides a convenient way to transport the materials until you can find a garbage can to dispose of them.

The Swoop is available on the Pet Pro website for about $40 and includes 26 of the special baggies. You can also buy an additional set of 160 baggies for about $45.

[ Swoop ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]