@OnionSoup A local grocery store imports some UK foods and the Mars bar from over there is close to a Milky Way but not exactly the same. The Milky Way is like a sweeter version of the Mars bar.
@Hanky@werehatrack I remember being excited for that catalog to come when I was young. When they sold truly unique stuff, high end electronics, loose gemstones, etc… This RC piece of plastic that is going to break in a day does not trigger the nostalgia.
Also miss my Edmund Scientific and Heathkit catalogs.
@ponagathos I just posted about Heathkit and Edmund Scientific over on the catalog thread, but reading this here, looks like you beat me to it earlier today.
@pmarin I just checked the catalog thread. I do not specifically remember Digi-Key but it is possible I saw it before. I do remember some catalogs with lots of parts like that. We were pretty poor growing up, so I used to mail out catalog requests and daydream about the stuff inside when they came.
From the Amazon reviews: battery takes 1.5 hrs to charge and lasts 5-10 mins, it’s very loud, works most of the time, and it’s likely to break the first time it falls.
@Seeds, well, this info solidified my decision not to buy another piece of junk, i have enough of that every freakin where except the ceiling, but just so meh knows, Red doesn’t exclusively belong to Georgia & one can always spray paint it Red!! Anyway, Thanks, Seeds, for saving me $20!!
They found themselves selling stuff like backpacks with power banks in them or percussion massagers, stuff I wouldn’t be surprised to find for sale at the grocery store or local pharmacy.
There are good reasons why you don’t want little kids (or big adult kids) driving you up the wall with this toy as they barely miss running over pictures and other wall decorations.
Avoid this. I bought the boat version of this last time on Meh. Got two so I could the boy and I could race them in the pool. Could not get either to pair with the remotes. Meh. Must have suspected they were trash because they did not even blink giving us a total refund.
@jjrogers41 I bought one of these during the last Meh-rathon, and gave it to my dad to play with on vacation last week. It works surprisingly well. I would recommend it, frankly. Neat little toy that handled corners and obstacles like trim very well.
Idea for engineers - a product like this but better quality, where instead of being a pointless toy, you give it a little mop and squeegee, or a scraping tool, so it can be used to wash windows or remove bagworm pods from home exteriors that would usually require a ladder.
Cobweb removal. The moving air will probably be enough to gather the cobwebs, but you will need a mesh in front of the fans and an active scraper system to keep them functional.
Cable puller. Have the robot tow a piece of fishing line. Use the fishing line to pull a cable.
Tree climbing rope puller. Like the regular cable puller, but able to steer, maneuver around branches, and cling to surfaces that are not flat. I want to chop the tops off of trees that are higher than my roof. That requires multiple ropes tied to the parts to be cut off, too safely pull them away from the house.
I learned in the 90’s that “Sharper Image” translates directly to “Cheap Chinese-made Garbage that breaks the 2nd time you use it”. This was when they had a flashy store in the mall.
No Joke. Everything they sell is absolute overpriced garbage. Everything. Run away. Run away very fast in the other direction.
@aciarlotta In the '80s, they had overpriced unusual stuff that you didn’t see elsewhere. That changed in the '90s, which is why they are mostly gone now.
@aciarlotta@werehatrack This is post-bankruptcy Sharper Image. Owned by the same company that owns the name FAO schwarz. They make money by letting other companies put their name on cheap crap.
@aciarlotta Funny, my experience with Sharper Image stores and products growing up with one in my local mall was the diametric polar opposite. I found their products to be well made and engineered, and to do what they claimed. The only downside (for me) were the prices. -shrug-
Contrast this with the current shell brand, which DOES place said name on mostly inferior cheap stuff.
I see three people here have claimed theirs didn’t work? Did they do everything right?? Mine works great, does everything it claims to do, including driving right up the wall and onto the ceiling. It is VERY loud with the gravity drive props engaged, though. I’m having fun with it. As for ‘flimsy’, it HAS to be made very lightweight (just like a drone) or the propellers wouldn’t be able to overcome its weight. I find the build quality to be satisfactory for the price, and a lot of the parts can be gently flexed back into alignment if out of whack. If you’re worried about fall damage, it’s easy enough to put a few pillows in the ‘drop zone’, so to speak. I’m happy with this purchase.
@PooltoyWolf
Spider annihilator is a great use for this. Sort of like the Bug-A-Salt Gun for killing bugs. May as well make a PITA chore a bit fun if you can!
Specs
Product: Sharper Image Remote Control Gravity Rover
Model: 769171000000
Condition: New
What’s Included?
Price Comparison
$39.99 on Amazon
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, Aug 10 - Monday, Aug 14
How much gravity?
@yakkoTDI 3, or 1×1 in Terrence Howard gravity.
@yakkoTDI my Terrence Howard math was off. It’s 1×1=2. So 2 gravity.
Flotation is groovy
Even a jellyfish will tell you that
-Jimi
Great, now I’m hungry for a Mars bar. Thanks a lot Meh!
@OnionSoup American or UK Mars bar?
@OnionSoup @yakkoTDI Elon Musk’s Mars bar.
@OnionSoup @pmarin Never heard of that one. Does is taste like shit?
@OnionSoup @pmarin @yakkoTDI You can only eat his, it never leaves your gut. Eat enough of them, and you die there.
@yakkoTDI both are nice. British ones are called Milyways in the US though.
@OnionSoup A local grocery store imports some UK foods and the Mars bar from over there is close to a Milky Way but not exactly the same. The Milky Way is like a sweeter version of the Mars bar.
Wait? Sharper Image is still around?
@Hanky The name is. It’s not what it used to be.
@Hanky Don’t know how or why!! Everything they make is JUNK!!
@Hanky Looking to buy some Trump Steaks?
@Hanky @werehatrack I remember being excited for that catalog to come when I was young. When they sold truly unique stuff, high end electronics, loose gemstones, etc… This RC piece of plastic that is going to break in a day does not trigger the nostalgia.
Also miss my Edmund Scientific and Heathkit catalogs.
@Hanky @IndifferentDude they never made anything. They were an up-branding company even back in their glory days.
But yeah, at least back then they at least chose products with acceptable quality levels before slapping their brand on them and doubling the price.
@ponagathos i spent so long staring at the lasers and holograms in edmund scientific
@ponagathos @Seeds Which is exactly what you shouldn’t do with a laser unless wearing appropriate eye protection.
@ponagathos I just posted about Heathkit and Edmund Scientific over on the catalog thread, but reading this here, looks like you beat me to it earlier today.
@pmarin I just checked the catalog thread. I do not specifically remember Digi-Key but it is possible I saw it before. I do remember some catalogs with lots of parts like that. We were pretty poor growing up, so I used to mail out catalog requests and daydream about the stuff inside when they came.
A drone that uses propellors to make sure it doesn’t fly.
@werehatrack Ha! I like that.
@werehatrack
So it’s a remote controlled Sophia the Third?
From the Amazon reviews: battery takes 1.5 hrs to charge and lasts 5-10 mins, it’s very loud, works most of the time, and it’s likely to break the first time it falls.
@Seeds, well, this info solidified my decision not to buy another piece of junk, i have enough of that every freakin where except the ceiling, but just so meh knows, Red doesn’t exclusively belong to Georgia & one can always spray paint it Red!!
Anyway, Thanks, Seeds, for saving me $20!! 
Red Rover Red Rover
Send Meh right over!
I think the red is orange
@warpedrotors Orange is the new Red! 🫢
@1DisabledWarVet @warpedrotors Then it must not be Georgia red.
Sharper Image…
We sell the junk because we can
For the good of just us
Except the ones who are dead.
@mcanavino
This may scan better…
Sharper Image
We sell the junk because we can.
For the good of only us,
Which is why we are dead.
or on meh.com, maybe?
“Designed in California”
Yeah, I heard they were now pretty much climbing the walls there.
There are good reasons why you don’t want little kids (or big adult kids) driving you up the wall with this toy as they barely miss running over pictures and other wall decorations.
But can it make margaritas?
Avoid this. I bought the boat version of this last time on Meh. Got two so I could the boy and I could race them in the pool. Could not get either to pair with the remotes. Meh. Must have suspected they were trash because they did not even blink giving us a total refund.
@jjrogers41 Sounds to me like an advanced case of Customer Service - something that Meh is better at than they’ll publicly admit.
@jjrogers41 I bought one of these during the last Meh-rathon, and gave it to my dad to play with on vacation last week. It works surprisingly well. I would recommend it, frankly. Neat little toy that handled corners and obstacles like trim very well.
Idea for engineers - a product like this but better quality, where instead of being a pointless toy, you give it a little mop and squeegee, or a scraping tool, so it can be used to wash windows or remove bagworm pods from home exteriors that would usually require a ladder.
@ravenblack More uses for durable versions:
Cobweb removal. The moving air will probably be enough to gather the cobwebs, but you will need a mesh in front of the fans and an active scraper system to keep them functional.
Cable puller. Have the robot tow a piece of fishing line. Use the fishing line to pull a cable.
Tree climbing rope puller. Like the regular cable puller, but able to steer, maneuver around branches, and cling to surfaces that are not flat. I want to chop the tops off of trees that are higher than my roof. That requires multiple ropes tied to the parts to be cut off, too safely pull them away from the house.
I learned in the 90’s that “Sharper Image” translates directly to “Cheap Chinese-made Garbage that breaks the 2nd time you use it”. This was when they had a flashy store in the mall.
No Joke. Everything they sell is absolute overpriced garbage. Everything. Run away. Run away very fast in the other direction.
@aciarlotta In the '80s, they had overpriced unusual stuff that you didn’t see elsewhere. That changed in the '90s, which is why they are mostly gone now.
@aciarlotta @werehatrack This is post-bankruptcy Sharper Image. Owned by the same company that owns the name FAO schwarz. They make money by letting other companies put their name on cheap crap.
@zachh Only slightly less scummy than the people who have the Bell+Howell name (which is not Bell & Howell).
@aciarlotta Funny, my experience with Sharper Image stores and products growing up with one in my local mall was the diametric polar opposite. I found their products to be well made and engineered, and to do what they claimed. The only downside (for me) were the prices. -shrug-
Contrast this with the current shell brand, which DOES place said name on mostly inferior cheap stuff.
@werehatrack @ZachH That one drives me insane…
I’m more interested in that tiny FM radio
@PenguinOnTheRox me too
Does Not Work. I want a refund.
@Spindoc
try
Does Not Work. At All. Right out of the Box. Does Not Work. I want a refund.
@Spindoc
contacting
Either a refund, or the last thing I ever buy from Meh.
@Spindoc
customer support
https://meh.com/support
I see three people here have claimed theirs didn’t work? Did they do everything right?? Mine works great, does everything it claims to do, including driving right up the wall and onto the ceiling. It is VERY loud with the gravity drive props engaged, though. I’m having fun with it. As for ‘flimsy’, it HAS to be made very lightweight (just like a drone) or the propellers wouldn’t be able to overcome its weight. I find the build quality to be satisfactory for the price, and a lot of the parts can be gently flexed back into alignment if out of whack. If you’re worried about fall damage, it’s easy enough to put a few pillows in the ‘drop zone’, so to speak. I’m happy with this purchase.
@PooltoyWolf Also, this Amazon review made me laugh.
@PooltoyWolf
Spider annihilator is a great use for this. Sort of like the Bug-A-Salt Gun for killing bugs. May as well make a PITA chore a bit fun if you can!
@PooltoyWolf But I thought you practiced compassion towards spiders!
@Kyeh I do! However, the review still makes me laugh.