Hi Moms,
I recently started watching Shark Tank and LOVE it! However, as smart as the billionaire and millionaires are, I feel that they overlooked a couple of very obvious things in a couple of products in which they invested, and I am curious what your opinions are.
There was a guy who invented a water bottle that opens from the bottom for easier cleaning. The sharks were all over it and I believe they all wanted to invest in his business. I couldn't believe what they overlooked!! Haven't they ever heard of a dishwasher? Why would anyone hand wash a water bottle when they can just put it in their dishwasher, as long as the water bottle is BPA free? I realize not everyone owns a dishwasher, so I am wondering if people who do not own a dishwasher are this guy's target demographic? I am also wondering why the sharks didn't think of that question to ask him? I own a few BPA free water bottles and always put them in my dishwasher. Who wants to hand wash a water bottle (or any item) that can go in the dishwasher? Curious as to your thoughts.
Also, one of the sharks (Barbara) invested in a man's business, which is an air mattress that is especially fit for the back of pick up trucks for camping. So whomever owns a pick up truck and takes it to go camping, they can sleep on their air mattress in the back of their pick up truck. None of the sharks asked the most obvious question (in my opinion), which is: so you will be sleeping in the open air with no shelter at all? At least with a tent, you have shelter, but to sleep in the back of your pick up truck, there is no shelter. Why didn't the sharks think of that? What do y'all think?
B and Marie - thank you for informing me about truck caps! I never heard of that.
Many people who use reusable water bottles do so because they are environmentally friendly and inexpensive. Hand washing dishes is also environmentally friendly and inexpensive.
Most people I know with pick-up trucks have a cap on the truck. This protects anything in the back of the truck from the elements, and keeps the bed of the truck from filling with snow. It also makes a pick up truck a good place to sleep when camping.
I also like that show.
As for the water bottle, my thought is that I do not run my dishwasher every day. I run it about every 3 days. So on the other two days, I would need to wash it by hand. BTW, I could also see this for baby bottles.
As for the mattress, a lot of people LOVE to sleep under the stars.
We have glass water bottles that are tall and covered with a rubber guard. I wash them by hand and to be honest I mainly wash the mouth of the bottle because it is hard to reach the bottom (if fill with soapy water and shake). I do know why I feel uncomfortable washing in the dishwasher, but I do (maybe the rubber protecting it). I would be worried the bottom of the container would be put on cock-eyed and leak. I can totally see the point if people want to clean what ever settles at the bottom and do not like using a dishwasher for the water bottles. I guess I have to see the water bottle product to really picture it. I also like drinking out of glass vs. plastic. Is this it: http://www.ideastage.com/22oz-Clean-Bottle-113691725?gcli...
Many people have camper shells on their trucks. I didn't realize a regular air mattress would not do the job (I clearly do not go camping in trucks).
I like shark tank too. I think my favorite unexpected item was the paint brush cover. The guys were not MBA's rather real painters. Their item is so necessary. http://www.amazon.com/Cover-Professional-Painting-Holder-...
We love Shark Tank in our home!
However, we didn't see the water bottle episode.
The truck episode? Yes. We saw it. Have you never heard of cabs on the back of trucks? When Tyler and I first started out camping, we were in the back of his truck with a cab that has windows and screens.
There are also tents that companies have made that go over the back of trucks for camping.
I've never worried about bottle cleaning since I have a bottle brush and it's always worked for me.
I'm guessing you've never heard of truck caps.
You can outfit them a number of ways but they are covers for the bed of your truck.
Some are for camping, hunting, some are for holding tools/supplies for business purposes (construction, Mr Fix It types, all kids of stuff).
There's lot's of reasons why a mattress for a pick up truck bed would work just fine.
It would also be handy if you happened to have to live in your truck for awhile.
http://www.leer.com
http://www.4are.com
http://trucks.about.com/od/camperselection/ss/In-Bed-Truc...
I must have missed those episodes. We love Shark Tank, especially with Mark Cuban here in Dallas. We liked the light demonstration a week
or so ago with the UTD alum students (Ilumni) or something like that where your phone can control lighting!
As for bottles, I buy bottled spring water at the grocery and rarely use the bottle again unless it's for watering plants, etc. I don't reuse them for my water bottle.
We are in the plastics business and have all the info on BPA and it has no effect to me. The only way you'll be harmed by BPA is to inject yourself with it on a daily basis. Of course, we and our manufacturers changed some formulas which means BPA free and basically you get a more expensive water bottle.
Same concept as people who fear arsenic and there are normal levels routinely on our hands. I see it as the government trying to scare people. But, I can re-write a formulation which has no BPA, everyone is happier and profits are higher for those like me and manufacturers.
I am not a camper nor own or have been in a pick up truck do I have no idea about the mattress.
I agree with you... love the show!
As per your question about the water bottles, I use reusable water bottles for my entire family and I hand wash all of them, even though I have a dishwasher.
As per your air mattress question: http://www.amazon.com/Rightline-Gear-110830-CampRight-Sta...
We actually TiVO Shark Tank here!! We loved last week's episode for Mo's Bows!! Loved that Daman will mentor him!!
The air mattress? That's what cabs are for...and there are also tents that companies make for the back of trucks. I know here in Northern VA we see a LOT of trucks with the cabs on the back...they have windows...some of them are a tad taller too...have the "aerodynamic" look so you can actually sit up in in the back.
I have sooo many water bottles that I don't even watch for new ones...we wash ours after each use...so I don't recall seeing that episode...
We LOVE the Tank Updates!! It's great to see how companies have flourished or changed under the mentorship of the sharks..
Well, I never put my water bottles in the dishwasher... Even if they are dishwasher safe. Lol.
As for the air mattress, I would be all over that! When the weather is nice, I often camp in the open air. (Usually sleep in a hammock, because I don't want as many bugs all over me.) so it would be great for camping... Plus, it would be ideal for drive-in theaters, day trips, etc. plus, I'm not sure what company, but they do make tents that fit over the bed of a pickup, as well as the hard-shell covers many people own. So it would be handy to get both, and turn the truck into a comfy tent rather than pitching one on the ground. Hey, no worries about getting flooded out of your tent if it rains (as I did when I went camping two weeks ago... Lol.) another consideration is people like my FIL, who works as a construction manager and is often sent to job sites all over the place, sometimes driving 2-3 days to reach his destination. It would be great for him to have something comfy to sleep on without having to pay for a hotel. Just find a decent rest stop, and take a nap. :)
Have you considered reading books? :)
Its a water bottle, who washes water bottles, it is water. Sure if someone is sick I hand wash the mouth bit but I have never washed a water bottle.
Yeah sounds like everyone cleared up the truck one for you.
I have never watched this show but it sounds like the ideas are kind of stupid. Did they run out of good products a week into the show?
We do watch Shark Tank and it's always entertaining to see the ideas people come up with. I also like the follow-up shows where you get to see how the people have been doing since they started partnering with the Sharks.
The water bottle idea seems silly to me. We use the Lifefactory water bottles, which are glass with a rubber coating on the outside (to protect them if you drop them or whatever). I love them because the glass is dishwasher-safe, and I KNOW it is clean (unlike plastic, which can get scratched, and then bacteria can grow). I was a little worried at first because I thought my kids would drop them and break them, but they are remarkably sturdy so far! So to me, I don't think I would buy a water bottle that is plastic of any kind.
With regard to the camping thing - meh. I hate camping in any form, so I guess I'm not a good judge of that market. I figure I spend my whole life trying not to be homeless. I'm not going to go on vacation and pretend to be homeless.
We have been putting a mattress in the back of our truck for years when we take the kids to the drive in. Do they have to be a special size to fit?
First of all, dishwashers don't wash the inside of the bottle - opening from the bottom is still better than not.
Second, can't you just put a regular old air mattress in a pick up truck?
Third, this show sounds like an utter waste of time.
I almost never put my water bottles in the dishwasher even though they are all BPA free. I would never think not to invest in that product just because people have dishwashers. Many people choose to handwash anyway.
Trucks can have shells. But even if they didn't, plenty of people camp outside without shelter all the time. That doesn't seem ridiculous to me at all.
Also, keep in mind that a typical Shark Tank presentation actually lasts between one and two hours (usually closer to two if the sharks are interested). It is heavily edited for TV, so the questions you are wondering about may have been asked but not shown on the air.
I love Shark Tank too, but you have to remember that it is reality TV. They show you the best (aka most entertaining) parts, not the nitty gritty business parts.
Don't see the program, but I don't have a dishwhasher.
My husband mixes up fiber in his water bottle, and it gets grungy fast. I got a set of steel ball bearings that we can toss into a bottle, shake a bit, and drain it all out (saving the ball bearings, of course). Quick and efficient. Rice or other grains work, too, but it rots and I cannot bring myself to throw out food.
I have slept in the back of a pickup, and on the open ground. It's wonderful! The first time I saw northern lights was sleeping outdoors in Canada. I hate tents – they always smell stale to me.
I have a dishwasher. It gets turned on twice a year. I rather hand wash and have everything super clean because I scrub it. Love the water bottle idea.
