In my latest review, I took on the challenge of testing five gadgets I found on Temu. These items were all priced between $1.70 and $10 and have been making rounds on social media. The question I aimed to answer: do they actually work? Here’s a detailed breakdown of how they fared.
Where to Purchase
I purchased all of these items on Temu, but the listings there tend to disappear quickly. I’ll include links to the Temu listings where I found them, as well as their Amazon equivalents. Keep in mind that the Temu listings may not be available for long, as they rarely stick around!
- Egg Topper: Temu | Amazon
- Floss Dispenser: Temu | Amazon
- Ice Cube Tray: Temu | Amazon
- Juicer: Temu | Amazon
- Peanut Sheller: Temu | Amazon
Egg Topper
Price I paid: $2.25
The Egg Topper is a stainless-steel device designed to remove the tops of eggshells cleanly. Right out of the box, it had a Mickey Mouse-like appearance, but its performance was anything but magical.
- First Impressions: The build felt solid, but water trapped inside during washing was concerning.
- Testing: The topper consistently failed to crack the shell. It slid off the egg, even with considerable force. After some trial and error, pressing directly down from the top yielded slightly better results, but it was far from seamless.
- Final Verdict: Impractical and unreliable. Even when it worked, it wasn’t efficient. Not recommended.
Note: Some viewers wrote in suggesting this was meant for boiled eggs – and it can be used for that. I was attempting to duplicate what is shown in the product listing, which is raw eggs, as you can see in the photo below. Egg toppers can be used for boiled or raw eggs. I chose to test this model with raw as depicted in the advertising.
Dental Floss Dispenser
Price I Paid: $1.70
This pocket-sized dispenser comes preloaded with 10 floss picks and promises convenience on the go.
- First Impressions: The dispensing mechanism was satisfying, but the build quality was questionable.
- Testing: It worked well with the included floss picks but was incompatible with popular name-brand picks due to size discrepancies. The dispenser felt fragile, making refills a hassle.
- Final Verdict: A nifty gadget that quickly loses its charm once the initial floss picks run out. Unless replacements become available, it’s not worth the investment.
Six-Cube One-Click Ice Tray
Price I Paid: $6.49
This ice tray aims to simplify ice-making with its unique dispensing lever.
- First Impressions: The tray seemed sturdy, but its tiny capacity (2 oz of water) raised questions.
- Testing: After freezing, the lever released all six cubes into a glass as advertised. However, the cubes were small, and the process of filling and balancing the tray was tedious.
- Final Verdict: It works but offers minimal utility. A standard ice tray is cheaper and more practical.
Manual Fruit Juicer
Price I Paid: $5.65
This device claims to be a compact solution for juicing everything from oranges to apples.
- First Impressions: It was bulky, with a strong factory odor. Initial skepticism arose from misleading marketing videos showing unrealistic juice output.
- Testing: The juicer struggled with every fruit I tried. Oranges left behind significant pulp, lemons floated around awkwardly, and apples bent the handle without producing juice.
- Final Verdict: A frustrating gadget that failed to deliver. Its cheap construction and poor design made it a complete miss.
Peanut Sheller
Price I Paid: $10.36 (for two)
This hand-crank gadget promises to shell peanuts (and even pistachios) quickly and easily.
- First Impressions: It felt cheaply made and required assembly. The crank was fun to turn, but performance was underwhelming.
- Testing: For peanuts, it worked inconsistently, leaving shells and debris mixed with the nuts. Pistachios fared slightly better, but the overall effort and mess made manual shelling seem more efficient.
- Final Verdict: While somewhat functional, it’s no match for the simplicity of shelling by hand. A fun concept but poorly executed.
Conclusion
While it’s true that you can find hidden gems on Temu, none of these five gadgets made the cut. The Ice Tray and Dental Floss Dispenser came closest to being useful, but their limited practicality kept them from being true winners. As always, I suggest doing your research before purchasing viral gadgets—they often look better in videos than in reality.
Have you tried any of these products? Tell me what you think in the comments below.
Video Review
Below you can watch my full review of these items.