Products I still love & some I don’t anymore

If you’ve been a reader of mine for a while, you know I don’t pull any punches when it comes to my reviews.

But have you ever wondered if there are products I’ve been sent to review that got a great write-up but fell flat later on? Or products with which I ultimately fell in love and have continued to use well beyond my review period?

I thought I’d do something I’ve never done before — and that’s update* you on some of the best products that continue to stand the test of time, and tell you about a few that are wavering or have downright failed me.

STUFF I STILL LOVE

mifold booster seat: once your kid gets the hang of it, it really works well and there is no better option for a portable booster seat. Period.

Indochino suit: Big B was so happy with his first suit that he’s purchased five more since, plus a couple of blazers. We also talked my brother-in-law and his entire wedding party into having their suits made there and they’re thrilled. My cousin also got his wedding suit at INDOCHINO based on my recommendation and he looked very dapper (and comfortable) this past weekend.

Sudio headphones: I don’t use them for long-haul travel, but for commuting and shorter trips, they’re my go-to headphones. The battery life is unwaveringly good and the sound quality is stellar.

Springfree Trampoline: I won this and yet had I paid for every last dime of it myself, I’d have zero regret. My kids are on the trampoline nearly every day for three seasons out of the year. Even though it’s really cool, we barely use tgoma; the novelty wore off quickly.

Tail-Wags: excellent ski helmet covers that still look brand new after two intense ski seasons.

Tieks: still my favourite shoes. Though I’ve learned after owning five pairs that the classic, original leather pairs fit my feet best. The patent ones took too long to break in and my faux snakeskin ones don’t seem to fit my feet as well, even though they’re all supposed to be the same shape and fit.

SST Cosmetics: I still use the eyeliner/shadow stick and the highlighter stick all the time! And they have yet to require sharpening…

RAZOR Delta Wing: If my son could avoid riding his bike and only ride his Delta Wing, he’d be a happy boy. It’s his preferred mode of transportation around our neighbourhood.

SLOTDOG: If you don’t have one for this BBQ season and you cook a lot of hot dogs, you have to get one. We haven’t barbecued a hot dog without SLOTDOG-ing it first since we got it.

Nintendo 3DS: The K Man has had this for three or four years and is still obsessed. It still works perfectly, charges quickly and has a good-lasting battery. And the games are growing with him nicely.

Rowenta Steamer: We finally stopped putting this steamer away because we use it so much, so it just lives in our master bathroom. I don’t iron, but I don’t mind steaming at all thanks to this guy.

Gliding Shelf Solutions: I want to do every cupboard in my entire house with these. Love, love, love our sliding shelves.

Weber Genesis BBQ: We have never had a BBQ last this long — and the little lighter button still works, too!

Oral-B ProfessionalCare SmartSeries 5000 Toothbrush: I share this with Big B (we just change out the brush tops) so there have been two of us using it daily for five years, and it still runs and cleans our teeth like it’s brand spankin’ new.

Snug Organics’ Sherpa Sleeper: To date, I have yet to find better winter PJs. Miss Q got The K Man’s hand-me-down so it was worn for many, many years and washed hundreds of times. I wish they made them in bigger sizes. Like, including adult sizes.

Naturepedic waterproof mattress protector pad: I feel certain that there is no better mattress protector on the planet. It’s as organic as you can get while maintaining true waterproofing, but because the waterproof layer is sandwiched between two brushed cotton sides, it’s not even noticeable under your or your kid’s fitted sheet. I paid a small fortune to have one shipped from the States when they were briefly unavailable in Canada and I needed one when the Novo protector pad (see below) totally failed.

Organic Lifestyle shredded rubber pillow: The K Man has been using this since he went into a bed at 3 years old (and he just turned 9), and it’s still every bit as comfy and amazing.

STUFF IN QUESTION

Stella & Dot Getaway Bag: So I love this bag’s function. It can hold a lot of stuff and the colours are awesome. I’ve sold so many people on this bag since I got it. But after only about four months of use, the vinyl handles are cracking and splitting. I wrote in the review that I’d pay more for leather accents and I stand by that because this wouldn’t happen.

FoodSaver 2-in1 Vacuum Sealer: Look, I really wanted this to make me a more organized meal planner and I had big dreams of making all manner of freezer meals to reach SuperMom Elite Status. But it took up a lot of space on my counter considering how little I used it, and the cost of the replacement rolls and bags is pretty high. I haven’t given it away but I’m waffling.

Garden of Life RAW Meal: Make no mistake — Garden of Life makes, in my opinion, the cleanest protein powder on the market. Real ingredients and lots of checks and balances to ensure that it’s super high-quality. And I still make the recipe featured in this post, but I don’t use RAW Meal anymore because I find it chalkier and harder to consume than Garden of Life RAW Fit. RAW Meal requires two scoops to RAW Fit’s one scoop of poweder, and it’s the same amount of protein.

Nature’s Aid: When we first discovered this product, it had only five ingredients. Once we used up our bottle and I went to replace it, I didn’t realize until we got home that there are now several more ingredients — some of which I find questionable. So we don’t use it nearly as often and I need to go back into the review and update it with the new ingredient list.

STUFF THAT ENDED UP SUCKING

HP Slate 7 tablet: My Dad loved this thing hard for about two years. Then it started getting really slow and doing that thing that our phones do when the newest model comes out on the market…the slow death. We’ve had iPads for 7 or 8 years and even the oldest one works like a charm, so we suggested he invest in an iPad Mini. He’s never looked back.

NOVOshield Waterproof Mattress Protector: Grrrrrrrrrr! This pad worked for about a year and then — BAM! — one night, the pee went right through like it was a piece of cheese cloth. Thankfully we were on top of it and let the mattress air out immediately, but had my kid not woken up and slept in it for several hours, this fail could have ruined the mattress. DO NOT BUY.

ViNCi Tab II & Tab II M Early Learning Tablets: This was one of the first experiences I had with a product that worked well leading up to my review and then completely crapped out afterwards; I updated the review after trying to liaise with the company and figure out if I got a lemon…but after getting about five replacements that were all another version of terrible, the whole brand was the lemon. I see this is still available on Amazon, so consider yourself warned.

*Each section’s products are listed in order of the most recently reviewed.