This year Americans will spend about $12.7 billion on dear old dad on Father's Day, according to the National Retail Federation.
However, many of you may have trouble deciding what to buy your father.
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"I have to find something that he needs and usually it's hard to pry that information out of him," said Ben Bell, an editor at Local 4.
"We men, you ask us what we want our natural reaction is nothing. So, we're our own worst enemy," said Eric Bergmann of Troy.
This year, the Ruth to the Rescue consumer unit decided to test some products that might make good gifts for fathers in metro Detroit. We did a quick poll of our co-workers for some ideas. They were interested in knowing more about The Dollar Shave Club and the Grillbot.
Dollar Shave Club Razor Trial
For many men shaving is a daily ritual and an unavoidable expense.
"The razors that I'm using now range from $20 to $25 even $35 for a set of cartridges for the razors," said Shawn Gannon of Redford.
He's a former military man who wants a good shave, and he was intrigued by the premise behind The Dollar Shave Club.
"Price-wise it definitely intrigues me," agreed Ian Rhodes, Operations Manager at Local 4.
"I love the idea that I can get it delivered right to my door," said Gannon. Three dads agreed to stop by the Local 4 studios to give the razors from The Dollar Shave Club a try.
Here's how it works:
You sign up for The Dollar Shave Club online. You choose one of three razors and those razors are delivered to your home each month. The consumer unit tested two razors, the Humble Twin which actually costs $1 a month and the 4X which cost a little more ($6 a month), but it is the club's most popular razor.
"I'm pretty excited because I love their commercials. I've always wanted to try them out," said Rhodes as he looked at the razors and prepared to start shaving.
All our dads tested one razor on one side of their face and the second razor on the other side. They all used the clubs' Shave Butter ($8), and they all gave the butter very high marks. "I don't have to get my face wet prior to using it. I just apply it and shave and it's something I could do on the go," said Gannon.
Razor Reviews
After shaving with both razors, the men started sharing their thoughts.
"I could feel the cheaper razor didn't get as close. It did a fine job. It was okay," said Rhodes.
Shawn Gannon was impressed with both razors, but also have the more expensive razor the edge. Only reporter Jason Colthorp was unimpressed, as both razors cut him during the shave. "I can always tell that's happens when I use a disposable razor," he said.
When we told The Dollar Shave Club about Colthorp's experience, a spokesperson sent Ruth to the Rescue and email that said, "So sorry to hear about the one dad whose experience was less than stellar."
She offered the following two tips to help dads get a better shave:
*Apply light pressure when shaving. Use a lubricant like a shave butter to glide over your skin and prevent ingrown hair and razor bump
*Avoid products that dry the skin. If you have sensitive skin, stick with products that condition your skin like a rich shave butter.
In the end, from our non-scientific test, The Dollar Shave Club gets one thumbs down and two thumbs up. Local 4's Ruth Spencer asked Gannon, "Would you sign up for The Dollar Shave Club?" He answered, "Absolutely, absolutely, to get a good shave like this for the price. I would in a heart beat."
Grillbot to Clean the Grill
When it comes to Father's Day, grilling-related gifts are probably a big hit with a lot of dads. The Ruth to the Rescue unit decided to test a product called the Grillbot. It's a mini-robot with brass bristles, designed to clean your barbecue grill so you don't have to do the scrubbing yourself. You either need a grill with a "lip" around the edge, or you must close the grill to keep the Grillbot from falling off the grill.
We assembled some Local 4 dads to see what they thought of the product. They were both intrigued and and skeptical.
"I have a brush and it takes me no more than five minutes to clean my grill," said Bell.
As the men started passing the Grillbot around the table, their opinions and concerns started emerging. For example, all the men had some concerns about the price, $129.95.
"I don't think it's worth the money, first of all. Second of all, it does something that I can do for $10. I can buy me a $10 brush brush and do the same thing," said Jim McCardell, a photographer at Local 4.
There were also concerns about safety, with the dads concerned that children might think the Grillbot is a toy.
"They push the wrong button, they little hands here and it turns on you gonna have a crying baby somewhere," said Eugene Smith of Detroit.
And, there were also questions about cleanup. The demonstration video on the Grillbot website says you take the bristles off the machine and wash then in the dishwasher or in hot soapy water.
"It seems like you still have to clean that so you're spending the same effort as you would on the grill as you would the brushes," said Rhodes.
We put the Grillbot to work twice, with cameras mounted inside the grill to record the device in action. We put the Grillbot on the grill, closed the cover, and you can hear the machine start to move around the grill.
"It sounds like there's something trapped in there that's frantic," said Local 4's Ruth Spencer.
You can set the Grillbot to clean for 10, 20, or 30 minutes. The company definitely recommends the longer setting for the dirtiest grills. We ran two tests. One on a dirty grill for 30 minutes and then we ran the Grillbot for another 20 to 30 minutes after we cooked some steaks. In each case, the Grillbot did clean the grill, but:
"It did better in the middle than it did on the sides, in the corners. It still looks like it's got a little bit of gunk." said Rhodes.
Our non-scientific experiment mirrors the results posted in a video by Consumer Reports. The Grillbot does clean the grill, but you can do the job yourself for much less.
Ruth to the Rescue contacted the company about our product test. The CEO and Owner Ethan Woods tells us most product tests for the Grillbot have had more favorable results. In an email, he said the company has sold over 60,000 units in 18 months, far exceeding expectations. He says the company has a return rate of less than 1 percent and when used properly Grillbot does an amazing job cleaning.
Woods had issues with how the Consumer Reports test was conducted and urged any consumer to read the directions very carefully before using the Grillbot to get the best results.
Regarding the price, Woods said they expect to announce a price reduction soon, and he explained that the price is higher because of all the technology that goes into making the Grillbot work.
Finally, regarding safety, his email said, "We have not received one complaint about safety or a child being hurt since sales began over 18 months ago!"
Our dads all expressed a fascination with the high-tech toy, "This is a nice gadget if you love gadgets," said Eric Bergmann of Troy.
However, the dads just couldn't endorse the Grillbot, with one father adding, "If somebody's buying this and I found out how much it cost, I'd be like, 'Wow, you wasted a whole lot of money.'"
Here's the link to the Grillbot website if you'd like to do more research and the company send these links to other reviews.
http://www.sharperimage.com/si/view/product/Automatic+BBQ+Grill+Cleaning+Robot
http://www.hammacher.com/Product/83709?promo=search
For more information on The Dollar Shave Club, follow this link.