Can you turn an old driver’s license into a guitar pick, highlight a book without leaving permanent marks, or transform an empty wine bottle into a glowing decoration? I tested three unusual gadgets to find out how well they actually work. One of them turned out to be more fun than I expected!
Where to Purchase
Below are links to the listings where I purchased the items in this review.
Pick-a-Palooza Guitar Pick Maker
First up is the Pick-a-Palooza, a device that punches guitar picks out of thin pieces of plastic. I paid $23.95 for it, and at the time of my review, it had a 4.7-star rating on Amazon with over 4,000 reviews.
The package includes the punch itself, several colorful starter strips, a small file for smoothing rough edges, and a guitar pick holder keychain. The punch works almost like a heavy-duty stapler. Just insert a piece of plastic, line up the area you want to use, and press the lever.
I started with the included strips, and the results were impressive. The punch required very little effort and produced a pick almost instantly. One of my picks had a slightly flattened tip, but that seemed to be an issue with how I operated the punch rather than a consistent problem. The other picks came out nicely.
Making Guitar Picks from Old Cards
Things got considerably more entertaining when I started making picks out of old arcade cards I’ve collected here in Las Vegas. I used cards featuring characters from Willy Wonka and SpongeBob, including an Oompa Loompa, Veruca Salt, and Squidward.
Positioning the characters took a little effort, and I sometimes had to trim the cards before feeding them into the punch. But once I had everything lined up, the Pick-a-Palooza worked remarkably well.
For my final experiment, I dug out an old driver’s license that expired in 2011 and punched out a guitar pick featuring my own face! The thicker plastic required slightly more force, but the punch handled it without a problem.
I ended up with a rather unusual collection of custom guitar picks, and I had a surprising amount of fun making them.
My verdict: The Pick-a-Palooza does exactly what it claims. It’s easy to operate, allows for plenty of creativity, and could make a fun gift for a guitar player. At nearly $24, it might be difficult to justify if you only need a few picks, especially since I didn’t establish how these homemade picks compare to commercial picks during actual playing. But as a novelty gadget, I enjoyed it more than I expected.
Transparent Highlighter Tape
Next, I tested a pack of transparent highlighter tape that cost $7.98 on Amazon. The idea is simple: Instead of using a traditional highlighter that permanently marks a page, you place a strip of colored transparent tape over the text.
The manufacturer claims the tape can be removed, repositioned, and written on without damaging the paper underneath. That could make it particularly useful for textbooks, borrowed books, or other materials you don’t want to permanently alter.
I began by comparing yellow highlighter tape directly to a conventional yellow highlighter. While the regular highlighter made the text stand out a little more, the tape was surprisingly close. Both were readable, although the tape didn’t have quite the same intensity. I also tested the different colors. Yellow and orange were the easiest to read through, while some of the darker colors, particularly blue, made the text slightly harder to see. None of them made the words completely illegible, however.
Can You Remove and Reposition Highlighter Tape?
One of my biggest questions was whether the tape would actually come off without damaging the paper. After all, that is its main selling point.
I applied strips to a regular printed page, removed them, and stuck them down in different locations. To my surprise, they continued sticking even after multiple applications. The tape didn’t leave any noticeable residue or damage behind. I also tested it on glossy instruction manual pages, where it performed equally well. It adhered to the surface and peeled off without pulling away any ink or paper.
Next, I tried writing on the tape using three different instruments: a ballpoint pen, a pencil, and a Sharpie. The pencil and Sharpie worked well. The ballpoint pen struggled a little when I first started writing, but it eventually worked, too.
For a more realistic example, I applied the tape to pages from The Fight for the Final Frontier by John J. Klein. It looked quite convincing as a highlighter substitute, and when I removed the strips, the pages appeared undamaged.
My verdict: Transparent highlighter tape is a niche product, but it works well for its intended purpose. It isn’t necessarily better than a regular highlighter for readability, but if you need temporary highlights that can be moved or removed, it’s a practical solution. For students who want to resell their textbooks or anyone who doesn’t want permanent markings in a book, I can see the appeal.
Wine Bottle Cork String Lights
The final product was a 10-pack of wine bottle cork string lights that I purchased for $10.95. Each unit consists of a cork-shaped battery compartment attached to a roughly three-foot strand of tiny LED lights.
The idea is to feed the light strand into an empty wine bottle and use the cork-shaped piece to hold it in place, turning an ordinary bottle into a decorative light. The lights come with pre-installed, replaceable LR44 batteries. Reviews were generally positive, although some buyers complained that the lights became dim after a short time or didn’t last more than a few hours.
My first test used a standard empty wine bottle. After straightening the wire and feeding it into the bottle, I switched off the room lights to see the result.
I was pleasantly surprised. The light looked much more impressive inside the bottle than it did by itself. The cork fit nicely, and the illuminated bottle made an attractive decoration that I could imagine using for a dinner party or holiday display.
Testing Different Bottles and Containers
Next, I tried the lights in a wine bottle that had melted candle wax running down the sides. The effect wasn’t bad, but the wax obscured some of the light. I preferred the appearance of the plain bottle, although the wax-covered version had a more subdued glow that some people might like.
I also tested the lights inside a larger glass decanter. One strand looked a little sparse, but adding a second strand made a big difference. The decanter looked much better with two sets of lights inside.
The main drawback with larger containers is that the cork-shaped battery compartments may not fit securely in the opening. The thin wires can also be a little frustrating to straighten and position.
Finally, I tried the lights in a plastic water bottle filled with water. The product listing mentioned waterproof LEDs, so I wanted to see what happened. The submerged light strand worked and produced an attractive effect, although the cork didn’t fit tightly in the bottle opening.
I wouldn’t assume the battery compartment itself is waterproof, and I would only use these around water according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
How Long Do the Wine Bottle Lights Last?
Battery life was my biggest concern with these lights, so I left four sets running to see how long they would stay illuminated. The results were interesting. All four remained quite bright for approximately four hours. Around the six-hour mark, they had noticeably dimmed.
But they didn’t completely shut off. In fact, when I checked them after approximately 30 hours, all four still had a very faint glow. Even the light strand submerged in water was still illuminated, although it was quite dim.
That helps explain the mixed reviews about battery life. If you’re expecting the lights to remain bright enough for a decorative display, around four hours is a more realistic expectation based on my test. But if you’re simply measuring how long they emit any visible light at all, they can last considerably longer.
My verdict: These inexpensive lights are an easy way to turn ordinary bottles into attractive decorations. I especially liked the appearance of the lights in a standard wine bottle and the larger decanter with two strands. The main limitation is brightness over time, but for occasional use during a dinner or special event, I think they work quite well.
Final Thoughts
All three of these gadgets performed surprisingly well in my tests, although they serve very different purposes. The Pick-a-Palooza was easily the most entertaining of the bunch. I had a great time turning old cards and even my expired driver’s license into personalized guitar picks. The highlighter tape was probably the most practical item for someone who regularly works with books or printed materials. It did what it promised without leaving permanent marks. And the wine bottle lights offered an inexpensive way to create attractive decorations, provided you don’t expect them to maintain full brightness all night.
Of the three, the Pick-a-Palooza was my personal favorite for sheer entertainment value, but I could see a use for all of them.
Have you tried any of these gadgets? Let me know what you think in the comments!