I’d like to consider myself a prudent shopper. I don’t buy the cheapest of what I’m looking for and strive for long term value with superior products. The peer reviewed rating system is a major indicator of how I lean in my purchases. As you’ll see below, my opinions on the products vs the ratings are clearly differing.

Bad Purchases

Here are a few of my most recent Amazon purchases and they are all bad.

Strikeforce Bowling Shoes – 4.6 out of 5

I didn’t want to trade in my Storm bowling shoes but the laces had been pulled so much that I was practically tripping on them. Plus the sole was coming off the heel and it was time to replace. I looked for more Storm shoes and couldn’t find the ones I wanted for so I figured, what the heck, I’ll try a new brand instead of replacing the laces. Unfortunately, these suck. They feel clunky and rigid. Perhaps they will break in, but my early reaction is uncomfortable and generic. My rating – 3.3 out of 5

AquaDance Shower Head – 4.8 out of 5

Going off of 12 ratings is clearly a small sample size. Surprisingly, the higher priced shower heads are far and few between. This one looked neat and although I was concerned about all the spray areas and pressure, I figured technology will prevail. Naturally, the concern was warranted as the pressure from this head sucks. I’m currently using this weird mist setting which is not the pressurized water bolt I prefer. I’ll be moving back to my old shower head. My Rating – 2.8 out of 5.0

Battery Powered Heating Socks – 3.7 out of 5.0

I used the battery powered socks for one golf round and they sucked. I couldn’t even tell if they were on. It seems like they turn themselves off if they get too hot so they don’t explode. With 3 batteries powering these bad boys, you’d think you’d notice the heat. When I overhead John Harbaugh on the sidelines of an NFL game being asked if he was using any heat supplements, and he said, “layers, the battery operated warmth sucks.” I concurred. I will add that I haven’t used these in indoor settings where they may be more effective. My Rating – 2.5 out of 5

Golf Gloves – 4.5 out of 5

What a mistake trying to replace the FootJoys. I’m a big Callaway fan. I use their irons & woods, enjoy TopGolf, and own hundreds of shares of the company. I was hopeful that these would improve upon the FootJoy gloves that most golfers use in the cold. When golfing in frigid temperature, and considering I have terrible circulation to my extremities, I need warm gloves. These would be fine in 50 degree weather but not 30 degree weather. The material is too thin for warmth, although grippy. Not better than the FootJoys and more expensive. My Rating – 2.6 out of 5

Tile Scrubber – 4.3 out of 5

My shower is tiled and needs to be cleaned every 2 weeks. No one, and I think I can literally say no one, likes to clean the shower. Using a sponge and spray is more work than anyone on rec time wants to do. I figured this could aid the process. Instead it rotates slower than molasses and is poorly constructed. It looks fancy, but it’s useless. Once again, perhaps I was expecting more, but left underwhelmed. My Rating – 2.7 out of 5