Personal Care Reviews

This is a very handy gadget once you figure out how the timer works, but you have to reset it all each day. Once you have the current time entered you have to set the alarm using how much time is left before you want it to beep. You don't set the alarm like a clock. It's confusing at first, but it can work. If it's 8 am clock time and you need to take a pill at noon, you have to set the alarm to beep in 4 hours. If you also need to take one at 2pm you need to set the second alarm to beep in 6 hours and so on.

I really like this product. I bought it based on the review below. There is one thing I don't understand. When setting the alarm, I need it set for every six hours, do you set it as a clock? 0600, 1200, 1800...Or set is for 0600, 0600, 0600...Or what? Mine just seems to go off at non specific times. After awhile I just gave up. I know once I fiure out how to make it go off every six hours it will be exactly what I need. Until then it is collecting dust. And yes, I did read and reread the instructions...

I recently received a "Gift of Life" through a Liver Transplant and taking my medications on a timely basis is imperitive.Presently I must take over 35 pills and medications daily. This Pill container with the countdown timer is just what I need.It will hold all of my pills needed for a 24 hour day and the timer with the loud audible beeper has saved me from forgetting it is time to take my medicine many times when I was away from home or fell to sleep and needed a reminder. The timer is easy to set and the size of the unit is small enough to keep with me at all times. A good example of needing a reminder just happened as I am writing this. The beeper just sounded and I took my medicine. I just might have forgot otherwise.If I have to find any fault with this product that would be because of the "childproof" nature of the product it may be difficult to fill or retrieve the pills for someone with weak or imperred finger strength. For me however it is just what the doctor ordered!

The first one we got from Amazon didn't work. They replaced it without a fuss and the second one works good. Not all toothbrushes fit, but we were willing to buy toothbrushes to fit this instead of the other way around. I think it's keeping us healthier too. Noone in our family has been sick since getting it. Knock on wood. eh.

This device is an aid to anyone wanting to keep track of their body fat. I got it because I need to lose some serious body fat :D

What I like:

++ You can measure individual sections of your body
++ It's much more accurate that body fat scales
++ It has a "history" so you can access your previous readings

What I don't like:

++ It's a little hard to get used to holding it in the beginning, but you can get the hang of it if you practice!

Overall: I'd say, if you are concerned about your body fat, make the investment.

My doctor suggested a manual b.p. cuff and stethoscope. I thought I would try this first before making a larger investment. When I brought it into the doctor's office we did a side by side comparison with his manual cuff. This was nearly dead on. The difference in the readings were so minor as to be irrelevant. Even the doctor was surprised at the accuracy.

At this price, accuracy is a given. My scale is accurate. The added features do not add value, however.

The "memory" function simply gives the last previous session's information. Having memory capability should provide at least ten session's information, perhaps more, to provide a meaningful trend. The product description is somewhat misleading in this respect.

The body fat monitor is a) inaccurate and b) inconsistent. The manual even explains that your readings will be different at different times of the day. The best I can say about this feature is that it MAY be helpful giving you a sense of progress provided you only take readings at a specific time of day (mornings are not recommended). Keep in mind that seasonal issues (dry skin in winter, vacation in Hawaii) will alter the monitor's results.

I like Tanita's accuracy--it should be accurate for the price they charge for their scales. Everything else is basically useless in my opinion. I highly recommend you look for a Tanita branded scale that is simply a digital scale. The HD17, even though it has the memory function, appears to provide the same level of accuracy but saves $30+ over the BF681.

I've been using the BF681 since early January and it has worked well for me. The body fat monitor does not claim to provide the same accuracy and precision of, say, water immersion ("hydrodensitometry") or caliper measurements, but it can provide an indication of the direction you're heading from week to week, which is useful information for dieters. If your goal is to precisely know your % body fat, then you should shop for a set of calipers (though good ones can be expensive). If your goal is to monitor your weight loss to make sure you're losing fat and not muscle, then this scale can help you (it has helped me so far). Plus, you can pack it in your suitcase & take it travelling with you.

Easy to use. It does take about 30 seconds to come up with weight and body fat.

I got this scale because I read that it would store previous measurements to track your weight history. After reading the manual, it apparently does not do that.

Additionally, according to the manual the scale's body fat measurement does not work properly if you are considered "athletic" or "fit", which makes that feature useless for me.

We have used the Tanita body fat scale for many years to help us watch our weight and keep track of our body fat. While I loved its usefulness and low price, in the long run we moved on to a new scale.

First, the good things about this scale. It's relatively cheap when you compare it against other body fat scales. It's also easy to use just for weight. You simply kick a button with your toe to turn it on, step on it, and it shows you your weight to within .5 pounds.

Doing the body weight is more annoying though. You have to press a button to get it going, choose adult or child, then choose male or female, and then sit there and scroll through the numbers to find your height. If you miss it, start all over again.

Then you stand on the scale in bare feet. In essence the scale sends a mild electrical signal through your body - you can't feel it at all. By knowing your height and watching how fast the signal takes to get through your system, the scale can determine how much of you is made up of fat. That number is displayed for you after around 5 seconds.

I really liked the scale but found that sequence to get to the body fat REALLY annoying after a while. We moved up to a Taylor system that had a memory so you input your values once and then just "recalled" them later with one button. We also discovered when we did this that our Tanita was about a pound off, and that its body fat measurement was a full 3.5%. So while the Tanita had been good at general ranges, apparently it wasn't extremely accurate.

I'd recommend this Tanita as a great way to get into body fat scales if you don't have one yet. But if you are actually going to start paying attention to it, I'd really recommend going with a unit that has a memory in it. They aren't that much more money and they are VERY worth it.

I have this scale and am very pleased with it. It is easy to use and I have had no trouble with it. Also like the body fat feature. Check out the book "Treat Your Own Knees" if you have knee pain- also available here at amazon.

For the price, this product isn't too bad, but don't expect too much from it. The "massage" basically amounts to it vibrating a lot, which can feel somewhat nice, but not as much as I had expected. The unit also doesn't put off much heat at all. You can get more heat from sticking your feet near a light bulb.

However, being able to control the product with my toes was fairly nice, and I do use it occasionally. I just don't think it should have been labeled as a"Pro Ultra." There's nothing really "ultra" about it.

My husband bought me this massager for my birthday. I'm an elementary school teacher, and my feet are always tired and sore.

In response to a few other reviews here, I must admit that the machine doesn't heat as much as I'd like, and the cord is about a foot too short, but I really do consider this a good value for the price.

The foot pad area is large enough to accommodate feet even bigger than mine (!), and the massager, especially when set on high, hits all the right sopt, just on the bottom of the arch, and that sore spot beneath the toes. After a good 15 minutes of "regular" massage, I like to curl my toes under or contort my feet sideways, to get even more coverage!

No, this isn't a miracle cure for tired feet. But it's a nice, relaxing end to a hard day. I recommend this product to anyone with realistic expectations of its benefits, but who still is willing to take a chance on a nice, relaxing product.

If you are looking for a dual purpose item, this will serve you well as a food massager and foot warmer. When I first placed this under my desk, it rattled around a bit and scared my cat, who ran terrified down the hall. But, don't fear...once you place a towel or carpet under the unit, it is fine and very quite. You just hear a gentle hum.

You will be amazed at how light your legs feel after just a few minutes. All the controls can be turned on and off with your toes! That alone is a great feature. This unit has special "Toe-Tap" features. You can turn on the lo/hi vibration intensity button with your big toe of your left foot. The Heat on/off button can be pressed with your right big toe and then the massage on/off button is easy to turn on with your heel. You can also turn the lo/hi and on/off button with your heel

The unit feels warmer when you turn the massage function off and could be used in those cold days of winter when you just don't feel like wearing slippers. Once you turn off the infrared heat function, you will still feel the heat for quite a while.

The massage platform has raised accunodles (raised bumps in the plastic) for the stimulation of the soles of your feet.

The instructions recommend only using this unit for about 15 minutes or less. I found 3 minutes was a good amount of time and produced the desired light leg feeling. This is a unit you use while seated and standing on it can cause damage. They also recommend using the unit with "socked feet" and never with shoes.

The perfect gift for anyone who sits at their desk for most of the day or for those friends who stand all day and just want to come home, sit on the couch and relax.

This unit will fit nicely under your bed (or some couches) or you might just want to keep it permanently under your desk! That is where my "Foot Pro" is going to live.

Like many others, I decided to buy an electric razor in the hopes of saving money, since blades are so expensive. So...I read all the reviews and decided this was the one for me. I read the instructions carefully, fully aware that it might take 2-3 weeks for my skin to adjust. However, I had no problem getting a good, smooth shave the first time, without any irritation whatsoever. My biggest disappointment was how long it took to get a smooth shave. You have to shave alot slower with the electric than with blades. I shave my legs every day, and with a blade I can finish in 5 minutes. The electric razor took 20 minutes! Unacceptable!!! I'll continue to spend the bucks on blades rather than spending 2 hours a week to shave. I returned the product for a refund.

The razor is a bit louder than my previous electric razor, but this unit has more options than what I had been using such as three settings for short (stubble), short & long (2 or more days since shaving last), and long hair growth. Another feature I liked was that the foil heads on the unit move independently of one another--giving you a better chance getting at those odd-shaped places like the knee and ankle areas. No electric razor I've tried gives the same close shave as using a blade razor (hence 4/5 stars), but I'll take slightly less closeness over the irritation and razor rash from a blade shave any time!

Beware of so-called Amazon rebates. They are phony and will never materialize. I am still waiting after three months for my $50 rebate in Kitchen & Houseware. Amazon now refuses to reply.
Sleazy.

The brushing unit itself is of good quality and works well.
Its a little slow for my tast but newer faster units are already out.

The Oral Irrigator or what have you, just stinks, mine wouldnt shut off for about a week at one time, leaving me to leave it unpluged. I figure the switch is bad.

Anyway the weak pressure couldnt blow anything off your teeth,
unless your riddled with serious gum disease you will hardly feel it after the first uses.
Its why i bring it down to only 3 stars.

Get just the brush alone, with a differnt water system if youd desire one.

I must also agree that the Oxy Jet Oral Irrigator isn't a good as it could be. I never liked the old Water Picks because the pressure was set too high; however, the highest setting for the Oxy Jet Oral Irrigator is still too low. After I used the oral irrigator, I went back and flossed and found the irrigator missed some stuff. If you don't floss regularly, the irrigator is better than nothing but it doesn't beat flossing. Even my dentist agreed and suggested that I continue using floss. This, of course, makes the irrigator unnecessary and a waste of money. I love the toothbrush/plaque remover so next time I'll only purchase it and save myself a couple of bucks.

I have been delighted with my purchase of this device. The 2-speed toothbrush has a small rotating head that is easy to manuvuer and effectively cleans all surfaces of the teeth. It has a handy built-in timer that tells you when two minutes has elapsed so you know when you have reached the four minutes of brushing time most dentists recommend. Its even smart enough that you can shut it off for up to 30 seconds to reload your brush (or expectorate) without resetting it.

The oral irrigator will not replace flossing, it is not intended to do so. So following brushing I still spend a minute or two flossing my teeth. The oral irrigator does a fanstastic job of massaging the gums (it feels wonderful!), improving their health, and washing away bacteria under the gum line.

Water pressure is quite sufficient, higher water pressure runs the risk of damaging the delicate periodontal ligaments which attach the guns to the teeth.

Adding some hydrogen peroxide to the water or a disinfecting mouthwash makes the oral irrigator even more effective.

My dentist immediately noticed the improvement in the health of my teeth and gums when I started using this product. It only takes ten minutes at night to brush, floss and irrigate my teeth, and I have not had a cavity since I started using this product.

Highly recommended.

Like the others, I've been using Biore Pore strip. I needed a more economical solution and this is what I've found. For best results:

1. You will need to make this part of your routine and with patience your skin can get clearer after repeated use. Honestly, after one use I can feel my skin get smoother as the surface dirt are sucked away.
2. You will need to open up your pore before use. Apply a hot/warm face towel or water on your skin.

Personally, I think this is a little more effective than a nose strip. However, the cons to using this product:

1. Red marks will appear when left on one area for a time (especially true for those with sensitive skin).
2. After use, you will need to follow the cleaning instructions of the product. Unlike nose strips where you just toss the product in the trash. However, you will get used to this procedure and it isn't difficult to do. Panasonic has provided a cleaning tool, but I prefer to use cotton swabs and tissue as my cleaning aid.
3. The motor is noisy.

The unit is completely submersible so you can use this while in the shower. I like having a mirror while using the product (just like when shaving).

There are people who are lucky not to be plagued with evident blackheads on the nose. If nose strips don't work for you, this may produce similar lackluster results. However, to those who seem to need this product - have patience and you will see results.

I'm writing this because I am really surprised by how many people are not happy with this product. It really is great! I would guess that those who were not happy with it weren't patient enough with it. You have to spend about an hour the first time you use it, trying the different motions on areas of your face and applying different amounts of pressure in order to find out what works best for you. I wet my face at the sink for a few minutes with warm water and use it, and it works fine, but it works best after/during taking a shower or a bath. This product totally beats boiling water and using a blemish extractor to get rid of your blackheads. And, it's cheaper than buying tons of those Biore strips and it works even better. I used the pore cleaner on my husband, and he even likes it! One more important note: It also says on the package that you need to use it for a month in order to really get all the blackheads clean. I'd say it took about 2 weeks on me. From what I have read in the other reviews, the folks who didn't like this product expected perfection in one use. You won't get it all taken care of in one use, but you will notice an improvement that just gets better with more use. Regarding skin type, this is obviously best on people with oily skin and combo skin (that's me). However, folks with dry skin could still use it and enjoy it as it gives the face a nice massage and toning. I hope this helps!

My skin is moderately oily but sensitive. Skin pore size was medium. Previously little acne but visible pores/blackheads up close. Previously washed face twice a day with Neutrogena Oil-Free Cream Cleanser.

Biore strips worked well at removing blackheads, but always left my skin irritated. The surface of my skin felt tighter than the flesh below it. Felt like my skin was like foil, it got wrinkled over large areas if I touched the areas involved.

This product works, but does not produce large results immediately. Followed device usage with Neutrogena cream cleaner. Washed twice a day with Neutrogena cream cleanser. Used the device for about 3-5 minutes after taking a shower for a period of 2 weeks.

Keep the suction tip moving and move in opposing directions. Don't stay in any area too long to avoid bruises. The bottom of my forearms are as sensitive as my face. I practised on bottom side of forearms before using the device on my face. Short strokes worked better than longer strokes. Tip of nose was difficult to apply suction to. A plucking motion worked well for the tip of the nose, but only a few plucks each session. My skin is sensitive so after showering, the areas i worked on were visibly pink for 5-10 minutes. I have had no bruises or marks that lasted longer than 10 minutes during this 2 week period. Particularly satisfying when cleaning the device, since all the crud off my face was visible.

Visible decrease in size and number of visible pores and blackheads after 2 weeks. My brother is also using this product on my recommendation. He tells me his results are similar.

Based on my experience, I recommend this product in conjuction or replacement of Biore strips as part of a facial cleaning routine. I recommend face washing only twice a day, using a good facial cleanser with this product.