Pennsylvania man buys Billy Mays' 'as seen on TV' products for his car to see if they really work

Billy Mays – the king of ‘as seen on TV‘ shopping – could sell anything from dent pullers to miracle glue.

Now one Pennsylvania man has tracked down 15 of the late pitchman’s most famous gadgets to see if they still hold up, and he’s putting them to work on his own vehicles.

We’re talking magnetic arm straps, quarter-cutting scissors, scratch pens, and even a car wash brush from 1989 that might just be witchcraft.

Some worked better than expected. Some were junk. And at least one nearly ended with a guy dangling from the wall like an overconfident Spider-Man.

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The reality check for Billy Mays’ boldest ‘as seen on TV’ gadgets

John Malecki from Unscrewed went all in hunting down a pile of Billy Mays–endorsed gear spanning the ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s. 

Then he hit the shop to see what worked, what didn’t, and what was pure TV magic.

The Tool Band-It, a magnetic strap from 2009, was a straight-up win. 

Malecki loaded it with wrenches, bolts, even a BBQ spatula, and it didn’t flinch. A practical third hand that earns its keep in the garage.

The Ding King dent repair kit had a bigger legacy than most; it basically kicked off the paintless dent repair industry. 

But in testing? It made the dents worse.

‘Go hire a pro,’ Malecki recommended, staring at fresh damage.

The Fix It Pro scratch pen, despite being old stock, managed to improve some scratches. Not a miracle cure, but surprisingly not a total gimmick either.

Then there was the Wash-Matik – a 1989 siphon-powered car wash brush, famously Billy’s very first product. 

It looked like a garage sale reject, but once hooked up it worked flawlessly, making bird droppings vanish in seconds. 

Science? Sorcery? Doesn’t matter, it’s a keeper.

And finally, the Hercules Hook, which claimed to hold 150lbs. 

The team’s ultimate test was to hang their friend Sam from it. 

The hook lasted about half a second before surrendering to gravity.

The salesman of a generation

For anyone who grew up in the ‘90s and 2000s, Billy Mays wasn’t just a salesman,  he was the salesman. 

The booming voice, the blue shirt, the finger point. He could pitch a garden hose like it was the cure for boredom.

Mays became the face of the As Seen On TV boom, turning late-night cable slots into a billion-dollar business. 

From Oxi Clean to Hercules Hooks, his name became shorthand for big claims and bigger personality. 

Even years after his passing in 2009, the products – and the nostalgia – still have pulling power.

So when John Malecki raided eBay for Billy’s greatest hits, it wasn’t just a test of gadgets. 

It was a time machine back to an era when infomercials ruled, and one man could make you believe a dent puller might actually change your life.

And while not everything Billy Mays pushed was worth buying, you can’t deny the man sold some ideas that still slap.

Subscribe to John Malecki Unscrewed on YouTube for more, or watch the full review below:

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