I tested three gadgets that promise to solve everyday annoyances: the Ready Spready peanut butter knife, the Trivae lid holder and trivet, and the Forever Glow Bar. Some of them worked better than I expected, while others felt more like interesting ideas than real upgrades to things I already use. Here is my take on all three after putting them through some real-world tests.
Where to Purchase
Below are links to where I purchased the products for this video.
Ready Spready Review
The first gadget I tested was the Ready Spready, a plastic spreader that attaches to the lid of a peanut butter jar so you always have a built-in utensil ready to go. In theory, it sounds like a clever idea. I paid $16.99 for it on Amazon, where it had an underwhelming 3.3-star rating at the time I bought it.
Before I could even use it, I had to wash the lid, sand it down, wipe it with alcohol, apply an adhesive pad, and then let everything sit before testing it. That already felt like more effort than I wanted for a gadget that is supposed to make life easier. I also had immediate concerns about compatibility. If I switch between peanut butter brands, will the same lid fit both jars properly? In my test, Skippy and Jif did not play equally well with each other, which adds another layer of inconvenience.
Once installed, the Ready Spready did technically work. It spread peanut butter well enough, and it did not snap off during my tests like some reviewers claimed. I made multiple peanut butter sandwiches with it, including one with creamy peanut butter and another with extra crunchy. It handled both without breaking.
That said, using it felt awkward. Holding the lid as the handle is strange, and it never felt as natural as using a regular knife. I also ran into the issue that the spreader touched the bottom of one jar, which meant I could not fully close the lid. That is not ideal for something that is supposed to live inside the jar full-time.
I can see the appeal of the concept. Having a built-in spreader means one less utensil to dirty, and it does scrape peanut butter from the sides pretty well. But because it is glued onto the lid, it feels less flexible than it should. I also found myself thinking that a magnetic version (which does exist) of this idea would make a lot more sense than using adhesive and reusing the same lid over and over.
In the end, I would say the Ready Spready addresses a real problem, but it does not solve it better than a normal kitchen knife. For me, it feels like more trouble than it is worth.
Trivae Review
The second item I tested was the Trivae, which I bought for $60 after seeing it advertised on Facebook. It had a much stronger 4.4-star Amazon rating with more than 600 reviews, so my expectations were a little higher here.
The Trivae is a kitchen gadget that can be configured in several ways. It works as a pot lid holder, a trivet, a dual trivet, and even a serving stand. Out of the box, it looked simple enough, but once I started using it, that simplicity actually turned out to be a strength.
I tested it with several lids of different sizes and shapes, including a tiny lid, a medium lid, a 12-inch lid, and even the oddly shaped lid from my Gotham Steel pasta pot. It handled all of them without any issue. I also tested the weight claim by placing heavier cookware on it, including a HexClad pan, a Popsmith, and two different crockpots. It stayed impressively stable throughout all of those tests.
What I liked most was using it in a real cooking scenario. I put a hot lid on it while boiling water, and it kept the condensation contained instead of dripping all over the counter. That was genuinely useful. I also realized I could rest a spoon on it and keep that off the counter too, which was another nice bonus.
The closed configuration also turned out to be more useful than I expected. In that position, it acts as a double trivet and gives extra protection for the countertop while taking up very little storage space.
My biggest hesitation with the Trivae is the price. Sixty dollars is a lot for what is basically a multi-use kitchen accessory. But unlike some gadgets that feel like a gimmick, this one actually did what it claimed to do. It held lids securely, protected the counter, and gave me a wide, sturdy trivet when I needed one.
I would call the Trivae the winner of the three products in this video. It is expensive, but it actually solves a problem and lives up to the advertising better than I expected.
Forever Glow Bar Review
The last product I tested was the Forever Glow Bar, which I paid $11.99 for online. This one is basically a photoluminescent glow bar that charges in light and then glows in the dark. The big selling point is that it never needs batteries and can supposedly help during emergencies, camping, power outages, and other dark situations.
I tested it in several ways. First, I charged it with a very bright flashlight for about a minute and then walked around my dark house to see how useful it was as an emergency light. It definitely glowed, and for the first several minutes it looked pretty bright. But in practical terms, it did not function like a flashlight. It did not really light my path, and after about 15 minutes the brightness dropped off noticeably.
At around 30 minutes, it was still glowing, but it was no longer useful as a real light source. After that, it settled into a long faint glow. I also tested it after leaving it in direct sunlight and found that it charged up very well that way. In complete darkness, it stayed visibly bright for a short time, then dimmed over hours. Even after several hours, there was still a very faint glow left.
That long tail of dim glow was interesting, but it also helped me understand what this product really is. It is not a replacement for a flashlight, and it is not going to light up a room. The emergency-light angle feels overstated to me. Once the initial brightness fades, you are left with something that is more comforting than useful.
Still, I kind of liked it, and there is something oddly satisfying about it. It feels well made, it charges easily, and the fact that it can keep a faint glow for hours is genuinely neat. I just think its best use is as a soft glow on a nightstand, in a kid’s room, or maybe while camping if I only want a little bit of ambient light. Maybe you could attach it to something like a backpack that you need to find at night.
So while I do not think the Forever Glow Bar really solves a major problem, I do think it is a fun little item with a nice glow and decent build quality.
Final Thoughts
Out of the three gadgets, the Trivae was the one that impressed me the most because it actually delivered on its claims in a useful way. The Ready Spready worked, but felt more awkward and complicated than I wanted. The Forever Glow Bar was probably the least practical of the bunch, but also the most oddly satisfying.
If I had to sum it up simply, I would say one of these solved a real problem, one addressed a problem without improving much on the old-school method, and one was mostly just a neat novelty.