Electricity Saving Box Scam (The WORST I've Seen) - Krazy Ken's Tech Talk

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  • Опубликовано: 4 май 2022
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    This is one of the most B.S. product I've ever dug into. From the marketing to the science to the real-world testing, the "Electricity Saving Box" is totally a scam. Here's why…
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Комментарии • 981

  • @ComputerClan
    @ComputerClan  2 года назад +140

    Enjoy the new episode! More rare & retro tech and scam-busting coming soon! Subscribe and stay tuned. 🔔

    • @FlaminXred
      @FlaminXred 2 года назад +5

      9:20 | "so i went ahead and bought one, just kidding, i bought two." You bought 3!!!!!

    • @ComputerClan
      @ComputerClan  2 года назад +5

      @EricPlayz I’ll gladly shout you out for $100, if you’re serious. Throw it at my Ko-fi or Patreon. ko-fi.com/computerclan
      Patreon.com/KrazyKen

    • @BewareTheLilyOfTheValley
      @BewareTheLilyOfTheValley 2 года назад +2

      If you get a lot of comments from people complaining that you cover stuff others have already done, not all of us even know who all of those other people are, not all of us are in deep in the tech Tube side of this platform (I just made that term up on the fly, lol). I watch your channel as more of edutainment and as such, I'm not really seeking out other similar channels because this isn't a genre I'm passionate about. So, as my only point of reference, I appreciate you doing these videos, even if "so and so already talked about it!" 😊

    • @Amorousstake4
      @Amorousstake4 2 года назад +1

      @@ComputerClan Refrigerators nowadays use "DC MOTORS" after a full bridge rectifier and get a 5 star energy rating, consuming less than 50 watts

    • @ComputerClan
      @ComputerClan  2 года назад +4

      @@Amorousstake4 Super! That makes the Electricity Saving Box even MORE useless! My fridge is from 1998, so I believe it's still AC.

  • @marcogenovesi8570
    @marcogenovesi8570 2 года назад +1292

    As a general rule of thumb, if Nikola Tesla is mentioned in the marketing material and you are not buying an electric motor that runs on AC, it's guaranteed bs

    • @Derekzparty
      @Derekzparty 2 года назад +105

      I dunno ... If they only mention Nikola and are selling electric vehicles it could also be a scam

    • @QualityDoggo
      @QualityDoggo 2 года назад +14

      or something wireless

    • @dogwalker666
      @dogwalker666 2 года назад +3

      Exactly

    • @marcogenovesi8570
      @marcogenovesi8570 2 года назад

      ​@@Derekzparty Yes, both Nikola and Tesla car manufacturers are scams

    • @iwinrar5207
      @iwinrar5207 2 года назад +6

      @@QualityDoggo like Verizon wireless.

  • @TheHoaxHotel
    @TheHoaxHotel 2 года назад +400

    90% savings? Pathetic, I need a 200% savings minimum.

    • @astupidmidge
      @astupidmidge 2 года назад +23

      Save so much, your costs become your Income.
      I don’t know logic

    • @theussmirage
      @theussmirage 2 года назад +18

      This product is such a scam, a simple backyard nuclear reactor produces so much electricity that you can sell it back to the power company and achieve 5000% savings!

    • @Ulven3829
      @Ulven3829 2 года назад +1

      You will only save 200% when you have picked up your BMW I8. 😉

    • @AustynSN
      @AustynSN 2 года назад +4

      Along the lines of O2's thinking, but more serious, an overabundance of solar panels gets you there.

    • @gasper5223
      @gasper5223 2 года назад +1

      Heatpump gang😎😎

  • @VraerynDaDragon
    @VraerynDaDragon 2 года назад +507

    "These RUclipsrs already covered that!"
    Never understood why people would actually say this. Are RUclipsrs not allowed to talk about the same thing? Unless someone is being plagiarized I don't see how multiple people talking about one thing is a problem.

    • @SavvySage
      @SavvySage 2 года назад +60

      As I see it: Plagiarism and “Putting your own spin on it” are two different things.

    • @marcogenovesi8570
      @marcogenovesi8570 2 года назад +72

      If it's a scam, the more the merrier, spread the word

    • @ComputerClan
      @ComputerClan  2 года назад +149

      I just put those scenes in there so I have ammunition for when people say "XYZ already covered this." Believe me. I STILL get those comments. x_x
      I don't really care because engagement is engagement, but the ammo is nice. : D

    • @johnandrews9433
      @johnandrews9433 2 года назад +3

      @@ComputerClan wouldn’t it just be easier to say you’ve run out of ideas and want to milk some rehashed content that worked for other creators?

    • @cznyx
      @cznyx 2 года назад +4

      “Simmons already did it”

  • @TheRogueWolf
    @TheRogueWolf 2 года назад +471

    There was a typo in the promotional materials. Instead of "fireproof", it was meant to read "fire proof", as in, evidence that it burned your house down.

    • @volvo09
      @volvo09 2 года назад +5

      😆

    • @nathanmead140
      @nathanmead140 2 года назад +1

      👍

    • @roxcyn
      @roxcyn 2 года назад

      😆

    • @denisdeslauriers7277
      @denisdeslauriers7277 2 года назад +11

      Well, they should say "fool proof", which would garantee that only fools would buy this... :)

    • @TobyFloof
      @TobyFloof 2 года назад +1

      How u have so many subscribers

  • @jonathanX01
    @jonathanX01 11 месяцев назад +13

    Fun Fact: Power companies will actually encourage you to save power. The reason is that if so many people use too much power, the power plant may have a hard time keeping up, which will lead to power outages so they would have to build a new power plant to keep up. Which that is a pain, the cost to build a new power plant would be way too expensive, plus they will have to find a location as you can't really place power plants all willy nilly. The state I am from, the power company will actually provide residents a free power saving kit. Which will often include free light bulbs, a free power strip, and a few other things that will help save you electricity.

    • @Alex_Vir
      @Alex_Vir 11 месяцев назад +4

      Also reduced loads over cables will let them last longer which means less costs in repairs.

  • @sketchpalosotherchannel
    @sketchpalosotherchannel Год назад +10

    I just found one of these things at a thrift store, I told the manager what it was and luckily they removed it from the floor. No innocent shoppers will be scammed on my watch!

  • @batterybroken
    @batterybroken Год назад +37

    I knew this felt scammy right away 😞 my mom just bought some. I’m hoping she can return them asap and not lose her money.
    The box on one side says “save electricity- save money- make money!” THREE TIMES on just _one side_
    I lost it 😂💀

  • @efficiencygaming3494
    @efficiencygaming3494 2 года назад +86

    10:03 That appears to be a misspelling of "spike buster", a term synonymous with "surge protector". It seems to be commonly used to describe fake power-saving scam devices like this.

    • @jameswalker199
      @jameswalker199 Год назад +3

      Literally never heard the term "spike buster" before, but I guess they have to use something impressive sounding and just different enough to not be totally alien, since I imagine most people are at least familiar with the term "surge protector" even if they don't know anything more than the name itself.

  • @heidispriggs2787
    @heidispriggs2787 2 года назад +208

    I know UVLen didn't cost much, but I think that was marginally more scummy than this box, just because it was giving people a false sense of security that they were protecting themselves and their loved ones from infection.

    • @thedarkdragon89
      @thedarkdragon89 2 года назад +1

      Oh yeah, medical scams are just straight up evil.

    • @blakksheep736
      @blakksheep736 2 года назад +10

      I feel you. There are scams and there are scams, but when you are putting lives at risk for a quick buck, then we REALLY have problems.

    • @benewgillian6823
      @benewgillian6823 Год назад

      Evil..

  • @zh84
    @zh84 2 года назад +54

    It reminds me of a scam product sold in Britain during the 1980s which claimed to cut your telephone bill by 100%! The box contained a pair of scissors with which you were to cut the wire of your telephone. I hope they were insulated (telephone circuits in that period carried, I think, 50V) but it would certainly have worked. After a fashion.

    • @georgeyreynolds
      @georgeyreynolds 2 года назад +1

      I don't remember any telephone wires with 50v in the 1980s. When did that stop ?

    • @kaitlyn__L
      @kaitlyn__L Год назад +7

      @@georgeyreynolds “In the United States, the voltage applied to the line to drive the telephone is 48 volts DC; the UK use 50 volts DC and on some modern exchanges the voltage can reach 60 volts.”

    • @batterybroken
      @batterybroken Год назад +3

      That’s kind of funny. At least the product would have worked! 😭

    • @dieseldragon6756
      @dieseldragon6756 Год назад +3

      @@kaitlyn__L My (UK) landline gives a reading in the range of 60-68v when I measure it at the test socket with nothing connected, despite having no service. This isn't to be unexpected in my area though; I'm on the opposite end of town from the exchange, a local multiplexor was installed to cover my side of town about 12 years ago, and then Openreach moved the lines onto estate DSLAMs that they fitted as part of the national broadband upgrade project.
      tl,dr; My copper now runs about 200m to an FTTC cabinet, then it's all fiber from that point on.
      Surprised they don't drop the voltage down to 50v at the DSLAM though...

    • @kaitlyn__L
      @kaitlyn__L Год назад +2

      @@dieseldragon6756 yeah that seems set for a few miles of voltage attenuation. I dunno if they can’t do it on a per-connection basis (since FTTC involves a ton of tiny DSLAMs), or just choose not to. A house half a mile or a mile away might get something a little more reasonable. I once lived 50-100m from an FTTC cabinet, never thought to measure the voltage.

  • @hgbugalou
    @hgbugalou 2 года назад +37

    There can never be enough videos exposing scams.

  • @jamesedwards282
    @jamesedwards282 2 года назад +44

    I did what you said, I plugged one of these into every socket in my house, now the power company is paying me $200 a month.

    • @Smokeweed420
      @Smokeweed420 2 года назад +3

      I'm saying it Bullshat total lie. Screen shot the return bill.

    • @jangamecuber
      @jangamecuber 2 года назад +7

      @@Smokeweed420 It's a joke

    • @jamesedwards282
      @jamesedwards282 2 года назад +1

      @@jangamecuber 👍

    • @2321kenb
      @2321kenb Год назад +2

      200 back from electric company? Dude, your doing it wrong... what i did was sell my unused power to both my neighbors instead back to electric company, and now im making 398 bucks a month.. they said the things were scams too but shhh dont tell them. Lol

  • @happypants19851
    @happypants19851 2 года назад +106

    Imagine how I (an electrician) felt when my mom told me she had bought one of these 😂

    • @raven4k998
      @raven4k998 Год назад +6

      the black box is the cockpit voice recorder🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

    • @CupwakeRBLX
      @CupwakeRBLX Год назад +1

      @@raven4k998 as an aviation enthusiast. that put a smile on me face.

    • @raven4k998
      @raven4k998 Год назад

      @@CupwakeRBLX excellent have fun👍👍

    • @CupwakeRBLX
      @CupwakeRBLX Год назад

      @@raven4k998 lol

    • @BetweenArt2011
      @BetweenArt2011 Год назад +12

      I've checked it because my Mom wanted 3 of those ;) - good thing is, that she knows "ask son first"... "on the website they said 90%.... and electricity companies want to ban them"... :D

  • @justsomeguy2743
    @justsomeguy2743 2 года назад +52

    technically you can save upto 90% savings because 0% is still in this range

    • @nimblehealer199
      @nimblehealer199 2 года назад +2

      That...... Actually makes sense.

    • @JaredConnell
      @JaredConnell 2 года назад +7

      Actually the led would cost money to run, even if it's a fraction of a cent per year it would cost you money, not save it

    • @justsomeguy2743
      @justsomeguy2743 2 года назад +5

      @@JaredConnell stop using logic we’re trying to scam people 😂

    • @blakksheep736
      @blakksheep736 2 года назад +1

      Note that one of the comments said their bills went _up_ by using the product lol.

    • @justsomeguy2743
      @justsomeguy2743 2 года назад

      @@blakksheep736 shhhhhh stop spreading the truth

  • @spudd86
    @spudd86 2 года назад +86

    Actually depending on the light it may not be changing brightness. High quality LED lights use better power supplies to provide continuous current and incandescent bulbs just stay hot enough through the change in current to not really change in brightness.

    • @volvo09
      @volvo09 2 года назад +10

      You can see an incandescent light flicker on a good slow motion camera... But it is minor compared to a crappy led light.

    • @louistournas120
      @louistournas120 2 года назад +1

      You can also use your hand. Just wave your hand around and you can see if the LED light is flashing.
      Cheap LED lights for the home are lightweight while the ones with a good power supply have more weight to them.
      Incandescent bulb flashing is harder to detect. In our physics lab, we had a spectrum analyzer and this device was fast enough to measure the emitted light fluctuations.

    • @Webleys
      @Webleys Год назад

      @@louistournas120 The strobe disc foran LP turntable works best on fluorescent light but it does work on incandescent light.

  • @InceRumul
    @InceRumul 2 года назад +20

    Classic quackery at its finest:
    1. Start with a legitimate scientific principle.
    2. Take it completely out of context while reminding consumers of how it CAN be useful.
    3. Completely ignore how accurate quantification of the principle is critical to achieving its benefits.
    4. Use steps 1-3 to resell some crap from aliBaba.

    • @blakksheep736
      @blakksheep736 2 года назад +1

      Not just Alibaba. I watch a lot of pseudoscience debunking for fun, and so I've seen all sorts of things be pushed over this model.

  • @jad.george
    @jad.george 2 года назад +33

    The worst part with that product is the power rating at 30000W (30kW)🤣 The whole thing would melt instantly!!! 30kW means almost 100A from the outlet🤣 I could power the whole building (2 floor with 6 apartments each)!!

  • @himynameisryan
    @himynameisryan 2 года назад +29

    There was a device that actually reduced OVER 100% of my electrical bill. It’s called solar, and I’m in Australia so there’s lots of sun. In summer we get around $80 back selling our surplus power to the grid.

    • @blakksheep736
      @blakksheep736 2 года назад

      Pog. Sounds fun.

    • @kevinwong_2016
      @kevinwong_2016 2 года назад +1

      Spam?⚠️👎

    • @josephfrechette9916
      @josephfrechette9916 Год назад +5

      Solar was catch on in the US. Then electric companies realized all the extra power put back into the grid would drive costs down. So several companies stopped buying back the electricity and started charging a "minimum bill"

  • @mrunknown1019
    @mrunknown1019 9 месяцев назад +3

    Whenever you hear a sales pitch like, "This is what your power company doesn't want you to know.", that is the red flag. Power companies will always back you using a device that will save power. There are devices on the market that will help you to save power, however their cost exceeds the benefit. There is one that sells for around $5,000 and some have been sold in Hawaii, and in Alaska where power costs are much higher than in the lower 48 states.

    • @ross-carlson
      @ross-carlson 7 месяцев назад +1

      THIS. Scams like this work as they pray on the uneducated and conspiracy theories out there as they love the idea that they are smarter or know something the rest of us don't - even better when that something is known/controlled by a large company or the government. As these conspiracy theorists have been lied to and scammed for so long by people that know exactly what they are doing, you know people like T***p and the rest of the GQP, that they just believe it as they want - no need - to feel like they are better, superior, smarter. No wonder that most of these people also tend to be racist extremists.

  • @AtrocityEquine01
    @AtrocityEquine01 2 года назад +49

    One way to know a product is a scam: "WE'RE UNDERMINING GREEPY CORPORATIONS"

    • @blakksheep736
      @blakksheep736 2 года назад +8

      The anti-establishent narrative is very profitable. I'll pay good money to see the next product be "invented" by Neo.

    • @jameswalker199
      @jameswalker199 Год назад +2

      @Blakksheep
      That's why you should only trust extremists: all these other anti-establishment pretenders don't really want to upset the status quo!
      And I'm only being partly satirical!

    • @californiadragyn
      @californiadragyn Год назад +1

      What they meant to say was “We’re BECOMING a Creepy corporation!”

  • @BaconKingOfficial
    @BaconKingOfficial 2 года назад +66

    I don't recommend the "power saving" box. It almost burnt down my grandparent's house. In July or august 2020 at around 4 am the box started smoking and a few minutes later my pillow dropped and my uncle woke up and saw smoke coming from behind the TV. And my grandpa found out it was the power saving box. 0/10 Useless and almost killed my family because it started smoking out of nowhere. If my pillow didn't fall on the ground I probably wouldn't exist anymore.

    • @Smaxx
      @Smaxx 2 года назад +3

      Wouldn't even expect it to have that power, i.e. all it could do is produce magic smoke. But then again that capacitor might be special in its own way…

    • @3rdalbum
      @3rdalbum 2 года назад +13

      Impossible. The website says it is fireproof! 😝

    • @blakksheep736
      @blakksheep736 2 года назад +1

      Yipes...

    • @blakksheep736
      @blakksheep736 2 года назад

      @@3rdalbum Now that you mention it.

    • @blakksheep736
      @blakksheep736 2 года назад +1

      @@Smaxx maybe the smoke was from the burning plastic.

  • @TheGlitchyMario
    @TheGlitchyMario 2 года назад +73

    So… it saves electricity… by using electricity…?

    • @araigumakiruno
      @araigumakiruno 2 года назад +8

      i used the electricity to save the electricity

    • @TheGlitchyMario
      @TheGlitchyMario 2 года назад +2

      @@araigumakiruno yes

    • @troy3456789
      @troy3456789 2 года назад +2

      To save money you have to spend money.

    • @vishwesh_nh
      @vishwesh_nh 2 года назад

      Just pay to pay even more I guess...

    • @ryanrenolds
      @ryanrenolds 2 года назад

      Yes

  • @dingopisscreek
    @dingopisscreek 2 года назад +44

    The best invention for saving electricity is already here. It is called The Off Switch.

    • @jameswalker199
      @jameswalker199 Год назад +1

      And they are built into every socket!
      At least, they are here

    • @lotuselansteve
      @lotuselansteve Год назад

      @@jameswalker199 You must be in the UK :-)

  • @ragingfred
    @ragingfred 2 года назад +8

    There was an identical product for your car called fuel shark and it claimed the exact same things. You plug it into the cigarette lighter and it's supposed to smoothen the alternator output to make it more efficient and take less power from the engine meaning you get more fuel efficiency. When you open it up it's just some LEDs and a capacitor. Exact same thing.

  • @penzlic
    @penzlic 2 года назад +14

    Gratest thing about this scam is that every couple of years they are alternating (hehe alternating) between "power saver" and "mosquito/vermin repellent device" with same effing thing, just different badge.

  • @RubyRose2077
    @RubyRose2077 8 месяцев назад +1

    i just found this channel after my dad bought one of these for 20 bucks........down the freaking drain..... you're video style is AMAZING, so technical and you cover EVERY claim the scam videos talk about. i love this so much. SUBSCRIBED.

  • @rogerhewettmusic
    @rogerhewettmusic Год назад +1

    This is the first episode of your channel I've watched. I discovered it whilst reviewing the Powersaver, after an ad appeared for it on my FB feed. Well presented and informative approach. Educational too, on the electricity side of things. So...thank you very much!

  • @kbhasi
    @kbhasi 2 года назад +8

    Oh I used to see those for sale at random neighbourhood mall bazaars and kiosks, and I'd think to myself how I wanted multiple, but shortly thereafter I'd realise that something was off about those, and not buy them. Great to see your take on them!

  • @AmaroqStarwind
    @AmaroqStarwind Год назад +9

    If you really want to save power… paint your roof in Barium Sulfate cooling paint, and use a proper heat pump instead of a forced air furnace.

  • @theoldone22
    @theoldone22 2 года назад +21

    Just so you're aware there are a few places in the EU that residential users are charged extra if the power factor is to low. Even in those instances adding a random capacitance with one of those "Electricity Saving Box" is unlikely to help, it needs to be matched to the load.

    • @jonathanalcocer3872
      @jonathanalcocer3872 2 года назад

      Yeah, you basically need an actually intelligent capacitor bank that monitors the power factor and connects or disconnects capacitors to match the load, but for homes it's usually not worth, quality electronics usually have it's own power factor correction built in.

    • @dogwalker666
      @dogwalker666 2 года назад +1

      This is why the energy companies are pushing smart meters so they can charge you for Max Demand just as they do to industry, A true PFC control has inductance as well as capacitive.

    • @WolfGamerBohumin
      @WolfGamerBohumin 2 года назад

      @@dogwalker666 You don't even need smart meter for that, an ordinary dumb digital meter can do that.

    • @dogwalker666
      @dogwalker666 2 года назад +3

      @@WolfGamerBohumin the meters we have before the smart meters are straight analogue watt meters no electronics, the industrial max demand version have a physical pointer,
      They are using the smart meter con to fit electronic meters that can measure the power factor.

    • @DickCheneyXX
      @DickCheneyXX 2 года назад +3

      The overwhelming majority of home loads are purely resistive. It would take a conscious effort to get your power factor bellow 0.95 in a normal residential setting. You would have to have an automated system to bypass or use an array of capacitors for it to make even a tiny difference.

  • @Pillsburydopeboy
    @Pillsburydopeboy 2 года назад +3

    Even though others do the same review, your twist on things never seems to disappoint me. Definitely keep it up!

  • @blueberry1c2
    @blueberry1c2 2 года назад +45

    Installing solar panels on your property is honestly the way to go for reducing energy bills without reducing your energy usage. Could even generate income if your provider allows you to sell power to the grid.

    • @graealex
      @graealex 2 года назад +4

      I think many North Americans have potential to first save on consumption, without losing anything. Although EU laws already made a lot of devices more energy conscious.
      Anyway, electricity in the US is way too cheap for people to consider saving, or installing solar.

    • @bills6093
      @bills6093 2 года назад

      Cali has postponed the vote, but they were going to charge rooftop solar owners an $8 per KW "grid participation charge", and reduce rooftop solar incentives. They will get their money one way or another.

    • @graealex
      @graealex 2 года назад +1

      @@bills6093 That's fucked up. But as I said, your electricity in the US is way to cheap to make PV - to make even just saving on for example new appliances - attractive.
      From what I gather, here in Germany, electricity cost per kWh are triple. I can't even fathom why you'd install PV on your own roof if a kWh is only around 10 cents.
      Here, me buying a new fridge is something you can calculate, and know that it will take only a few years until you have 100% amortized the cost of that new fridge through electricity savings.

    • @NeekSquad
      @NeekSquad Год назад

      Solar panels work less when they get to hot

    • @graealex
      @graealex Год назад

      @@NeekSquad You are right, but generally hot climate is hot because there is more sunshine on average, and because there is less precipitation. That plus more than accounts for the loss in efficiency. A solar panel in Texas will always produce more kWh per year than let's say here in Germany.

  • @genepezzulo
    @genepezzulo 2 года назад +16

    A small correction: reactive power is not directly increasing the energy drawn from the power plant source, instead it's a problem because it increases losses during transport. The out-of-phase current flowing in the conductors is not doing any work in your house, but it heats up the conductors between the house and the power plant.

  • @julzmusic8708
    @julzmusic8708 2 года назад

    Did not think I’d be spending my Saturday evening binge watching your channel, but I’m really enjoying all of this content and the detail offered!

  • @macbuff81
    @macbuff81 2 года назад +13

    These types of scams never seem to go out of date. It's the PC version of those supposed fuel savings devices for cars. Mythbusters did a great episode on that one

    • @lukeforehand8311
      @lukeforehand8311 11 месяцев назад

      Myth busters are sponsored and accountable to those with money. They claimed an open tailgate didn't affect gas mileage. I know, from experience over many years, that is not true. These "RUclipsrs" are looking clicks. It's all about the money.🤔

  • @troy3456789
    @troy3456789 2 года назад +22

    Keep up the good work. Also, mention that LEDs add consumption of energy. This device is a source of energy loss.

  • @fletch6720
    @fletch6720 2 года назад +24

    I love these scam episodes keep them up

    • @kevinwong_2016
      @kevinwong_2016 2 года назад

      *hate *don't keep them up

    • @fletch6720
      @fletch6720 2 года назад +2

      @@kevinwong_2016 but why though? he seems to really enjoy them, they seem to be really engaging for the audience, and they're super well done

    • @nerdyboi121
      @nerdyboi121 2 года назад +3

      @@kevinwong_2016 if you’re joking, okey dokey
      if not, here’s your clown pass

  • @uzaiyaro
    @uzaiyaro 2 года назад +2

    This is legitimately probably the best video on how AC works. I try explaining it to friends who don’t really get the concept of what I to call Hertzian waves, but this video is a great primer. Good job!

  • @stickylightning852
    @stickylightning852 2 года назад +1

    Another excellent video. Your AC/DC was so awesome I will share it with my coworkers and save myself from multiple conversations!

  • @gustukas
    @gustukas 2 года назад +3

    Love you Ken! Love the new intro background too :)

  • @WooShell
    @WooShell 2 года назад +9

    I plugged one of those magical gas savers into my car, and - surprise - I didn't have to go to a gas station ever since then. The jury is still out on whether that's related to being an EV, but we'll see..

  • @prinzlunas1904
    @prinzlunas1904 2 года назад +2

    "other creators have covered the product". You are the first one that got recommended to me and the first one i am watching because of it.

  • @martincoburn6522
    @martincoburn6522 2 года назад +2

    Love the video, and who cares if other channels have covered stuff you want to cover, I had never heard of those other guys and this is new news to me. Keep up the great work!

  • @Dragonorder18
    @Dragonorder18 2 года назад +6

    I've found one of those in the house a couple weeks back. Had to check it out, and saw by another channel that It was a terrible scam box alright. I never would of bought it myself on common sense. But family doesn't always follow common sense...

    • @raven4k998
      @raven4k998 Год назад

      what did you do to it burn it with a blow torch I hope🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

  • @danielrhouck
    @danielrhouck 2 года назад +8

    I wish all the various “obvious scam” signals were more reliable. Yesterday I purchased a legitimate service from a legitimate company, with a legitimate countdown timer. It was a hotel room, and the countdown was for when they would assume I’d left the page and let others book the room, not for when a deal expires, but still.
    5:44 I have LED lights; I don’t think they oscillate to the AC

    • @Smaxx
      @Smaxx 2 года назад +1

      It really depends on how the internals are built. Some more expensive/elaborate lamps might include their own smoothing circuit to actually use somewhat proper DC to provide constant light, but that's typically not necessary, given due to the fact that it's typically not visible to the blank eye.
      Another way to test it is the stroboscope effect (especially with LED torchlights): Use the LED light to light up something rotating fast (like a PC fan). With the light shining on the fan, you might be able to see the fan in multiple positions at the same time and/or the fan actually spinning in the other direction (think of car wheels turning in some older TV shows while accelerating). The exact effect depends on the fan speed, the light's frequency etc. but it's definitely noticeable. It helps if there's some colored label or sticker on the middle of the fan.

    • @Liz_ArdE
      @Liz_ArdE 2 года назад

      Signals work best when they are many, often having one doesn't mean that you're dealing with a scam. It's when you have a lot that you should go the other way. There are websites that are poorly formatted and are completely legitimate, there are services that have countdown timers that are completely legitimate, there are stores that have upsells that are completely legitimate, only having one isn't much of a red flag.

    • @danielrhouck
      @danielrhouck 2 года назад

      @@Liz_ArdE One of AtomicShrimp’s videos was about a specific scam (fake job offer and convincing you to buy equipment for the job with your own money given a promise of reimbursement) where *almost all* of the red flags had happened to me in a single instance and it was legit. There were just adequate reasons for all the red flags and other signs of being legit which weren’t present in the scam.

  • @blodyholy_
    @blodyholy_ 2 года назад +2

    This was a very intuitive video with regards to how AC/DC current works; boiled down to a layman's perspective; product review aside. Thank you Ken!

  • @zaptainkuboom5520
    @zaptainkuboom5520 2 года назад +1

    Just got an ad this morning for the (not kidding) Blaux Bidet. "Blaux Bidet is set to change all that. With a powerful nozzle that is guaranteed to do the job, the Blaux Bidet will be your #1 way to #2. It’s clean. It’s gentle. It’s eco-friendly. And right now it’s available for an amazing deal." Would love to see you test it out.

  • @liamcollinson5695
    @liamcollinson5695 2 года назад +3

    I love how one of the companies used eco in its name even though it is a useless block of plastic that will just end up in the bin

  • @MrMegaManFan
    @MrMegaManFan 2 года назад +3

    I can't imagine a single one of these devices you've covered that ISN'T a scam. It's pretty much guaranteed if you review it, it is.

  • @denisdeslauriers7277
    @denisdeslauriers7277 2 года назад +1

    Thank you for making this video. People require a refresher on this particular scam.
    I was working for an electrical utility, (in electricity metering!) and we've seen this come around and around time and time again. Kinda frustating.

  • @chris9413
    @chris9413 Год назад +2

    Hey Ken,
    Great video!!
    But one thing I’d like to add as an electrical engineer: the power factor only goes from 0 up to 1.

    • @xXxmlg_vacxXx
      @xXxmlg_vacxXx 2 месяца назад

      Considering it makes it go up more than 1 it will revert to -1

  • @justanotheryoutubechannel
    @justanotheryoutubechannel 2 года назад +4

    I’m genuinely shocked it did anything at all. I mean I know it’s a scam, but wow it wasn’t an empty box, and it actually reduced energy by 100ma which is a real surprise even though it’s useless.

    • @blakksheep736
      @blakksheep736 2 года назад +2

      Yes. I wouldn't have been even kinda surprised if all the thing did was make its LEDs turn on.

  • @deeppathak1806
    @deeppathak1806 2 года назад +6

    my relative bought from a offline sales person this 7 years ago I had one question how can something that consumes power itself from the mains save electricity

  • @marksterling8286
    @marksterling8286 2 года назад

    Great video, this is one of the best explanations of power factor. Thanks Ken, I am going to use this as my go to video when explaining powerfactor to others.

  • @janetkouns7800
    @janetkouns7800 4 месяца назад

    This sounded crazy and happy I found your channel. So glad there are people like you to share the truth about these products! Thank you.

  • @sysierius
    @sysierius 2 года назад +11

    They are great for AC noise smoothing tho.
    I bought one just for my audio set.

    • @endymallorn
      @endymallorn 2 года назад

      Okay, that’s a viable use-case, but wouldn’t any capacitor in series also work then?

    • @sysierius
      @sysierius 2 года назад +2

      @@endymallorn yes, but i don't want an ugly square box hanging out of my socket.
      And as he said: cheap on aliexpress.
      I have a bit beefier version tho, with two caps and a voltmeter build in.

    • @tylertraina9480
      @tylertraina9480 2 года назад

      I was actually thinking about picking one up for that actually. I know high end audio companies that make similar products that are significantly more expensive

    • @dogwalker666
      @dogwalker666 2 года назад +2

      @@endymallorn parrallel not series.

    • @dogwalker666
      @dogwalker666 2 года назад +2

      @@tylertraina9480 I would not recommend it the build quality is appalling there is no internal fuseing and as the motor start capcitor is unbranded I wouldn't trust it to not explode.

  • @wompastompa3692
    @wompastompa3692 2 года назад +3

    4:37
    I thought we used AC because stepping up and down between high and low voltages in the early 1900s was trivial compared to DC. That paired with high voltage/low current transmission being more efficient due to less resistive losses through the cables.

    • @Bob1997654321
      @Bob1997654321 2 года назад

      The high voltage, low current transmission is what allows the long distance. Granted he simplified it down to “it can go long distances”, but he had the right idea.

  • @TbM
    @TbM Год назад

    Found your videos and must say you remember me of "Captain Disillusion", the part at the end when you ironically tell us that there is even more scam out there, the art-style of this video, and the detailed explanations with nicely animated clips...

  • @uzaiyaro
    @uzaiyaro 2 года назад +2

    I’m fairly sure the resistors are just for the LED power supply. Interesting they don’t even have any diodes, so they’re connecting those LEDs with resistors straight to the mains. That sounds nice and fire-provoking.

    • @repairdroid77
      @repairdroid77 2 года назад

      Just 50% Cycling the LED's. They illuminate during half of the sine wave power cycle. The resistors just dump the current down to allow the LED's to function without popping like firecrackers. In dumping the current down they convert the excess to heat.

  • @ThorMaxx
    @ThorMaxx 2 года назад +7

    Hey Ken, have you ever heard of Electronic Rust protection systems for cars? Smells like a scam to me… any interest in covering it?

    • @12pagani
      @12pagani 2 года назад +1

      I've heard of those but I seriously doubt they would work on a car. Now old warships and other floating museums actually use these to reduce galvanic corrosion due to the saltwater condition but the vessel is partially submerged IN the corrosive solution. A car is not typically submerged in the corrosive solution for the electrical field generators to be affective

  • @Semmelein
    @Semmelein 2 года назад +1

    I really enjoy the way you take on these scam tech products - so please keep on reviewing them. Doesn't really matter if others have reviewed them too.

  • @ChristopherKlepel
    @ChristopherKlepel 2 года назад

    Well done this video seemed more indepth and informative than I was expecting

  • @Namorah1
    @Namorah1 Год назад

    @ComputerClan Ok, this was hilarious! I have some decent technical knowledge and was about to TRY to attempt to explain to a friend how bad this is and couldn't even figure out where to start with the stupidity lol... I gotta say, you did a fantastic job of breaking it down bit by bit and doing it on a level that was easily understood, entertaining, and best of all on RUclips, RIGHT!

  • @langolier9
    @langolier9 3 месяца назад

    This is what happened I had to choose between listening to you and cleaning my room and being hungry versus eating and watching TV and I chose to clean my bedroom just so I could listen to you and now my room is mostly clean. You are a miracle worker.

  • @Mark-eu5vy
    @Mark-eu5vy Год назад +1

    Calling out those who call out…before they call you out.
    I like your energy 😂

  • @sarahwegmann7345
    @sarahwegmann7345 2 года назад +1

    I saw an ad on this video that " improves vision " and "will break the eyesight industry" and they drag out a video with "reviews" but at the bottom of the page it said this is not a real eyesight improvement method.

  • @rhodahart879
    @rhodahart879 9 месяцев назад +1

    Thank you so much for your easily understood explanations. Being 56, I'm ashamed to admit how little I understand. But, thanks to your examples and comparisons to everyday things, I now have a better understanding. God bless

  • @losermonkey666
    @losermonkey666 2 года назад +1

    you’re the only one who can bring the krazy ken experience to the table

  • @uzaiyaro
    @uzaiyaro 2 года назад +1

    I love the words “up to.” I can be up to 99% capable of taking jumping and smacking my head on the moon. Considering “up to” is a number which includes 0.

  • @jooei2810
    @jooei2810 Год назад

    You have gotten me to sub to 4 different RUclipsrs so far, thank you Ken!

  • @jerryfacts9749
    @jerryfacts9749 Год назад

    Excellent video and description! I see many of these Scam power saving devices being advertised. There should be laws against these types of devices.

  • @Mr_Xaver
    @Mr_Xaver Год назад

    I love the fact that at 1:56, the text even reads it will not mean that my energy usage will decrease nor resulting in changes to the meter. So they already tell you their claims are wrong

  • @AaronBraxton
    @AaronBraxton Год назад

    Thank you bro. Glad I found this entertaining video. I almost purchased 2 of those products on Facebook. You saved me around $80!

  • @tynguyen7000
    @tynguyen7000 2 года назад +1

    I love this series so much.

  • @LJTobek
    @LJTobek 2 года назад +2

    In another review I've read about this device they x-rayed the black box, it's actually not a capacitor but just a dummy. The two conductors just ended in the black box (not connected obviously).
    Also sometimes there are more components in there (namely a varistor with some restistors) which could actually prevent voltage spikes, but really inefficient

  • @keithlevkoff8579
    @keithlevkoff8579 2 года назад +1

    I think I can tell you what the LEDs do...
    And it also explains the term spike buster and the picture on one of the websites you showed that seemed to show noise being removed from the line.
    In the audio industry there are similar little devices whose purpose is to filter noise on the power lines...
    These consist of a little box with one or two LEDs on them that you plug into an outlet.
    The capacitor is a simple filter - across the AC line - and will filter high frequency noise that originates from outside or from other equipment that you have plugged in.
    And, since the LEDs are connected in series with the capacitor, or something similar, they will flash if significant noise is being filtered.
    (The description suggests that these devices "harvest the noise and burn it off as harmless light".)
    They are sold with the intention of reducing noise that might adversely affect sensitive audio gear... and may actually help in that regard... if you have a noise problem.
    But they are NOT claimed to "reduce your electric bill".
    It looks like these guys may be using the same internal circuitry...
    But they've garbled the explanation of what it does... or just done a bad job of stealing or translating it...
    And made completely outrageous claims to make it marketable to a general audience...

  • @realsentientpotato
    @realsentientpotato 9 месяцев назад

    Thanks for making the video crazy ken. This scam was on Amazon recently and were it not for this video my mother would have fallen for it

  • @Sparkette
    @Sparkette 2 года назад +1

    I'm no car expert, but about that alleged gas-saving device, I know of one way it could actually potentially work, and that would be by functioning as a "defeat device" to disable or inhibit the car's emissions controls. Which would make the green "eco" label on the packaging pretty ironic.

  • @THE_MEGA_KNIGHT_2
    @THE_MEGA_KNIGHT_2 9 месяцев назад +2

    I have something like this, and I looked at it and thought it was a router, and when I took one out and really looked at it, i didn't know what it was meant to do, so now I'm going to question my grandma of why she bought these and if she knows what these things even are

  • @fdolbec123
    @fdolbec123 2 года назад

    Hyped to see the next one! 😊

  • @felicityc
    @felicityc Год назад +2

    I bought thirty of these and plugged them into every outlet in my home. I had to take some of them apart so they would fit on the same outlet since I had to plug some of them in upside down. I also bought two surge protectors and plugged more of them in.
    My electricity bill has lowered dramatically, but it is very dark, and my computer doesn't work for some reason, so I'm posting this on my phone. I also don't know how to charge it anymore.

    • @n578md2
      @n578md2 Год назад

      Charge your phone at work. Problem solved.

  • @ndc5544p
    @ndc5544p 2 года назад

    Thank you for your service Mr. Krazy Ken

  • @aaroncheah2088
    @aaroncheah2088 2 года назад

    This item has been around for decades and very rampant in Malaysia too. Mostly sold at rural areas.

  • @apetersenTV
    @apetersenTV 2 года назад +2

    At 3:33 I expected him to say, "More inconsistencies equal more red flags."

  • @MrSchimpf
    @MrSchimpf 2 года назад

    Love that ElectroBoom and John Ward's styles got shout-outs here. 😂 I'm always about bad electrical devices getting burninated!

  • @wisteela
    @wisteela 2 года назад

    Was great to see your take on these things that I've watched Big Clive cover.

  • @maggie1014
    @maggie1014 11 месяцев назад +2

    I bought 2 of them, of course I didn't check your place before, I laugh so hard at how gullible I am. Keep the good work

  • @mybootscamewithoutstraps
    @mybootscamewithoutstraps 16 дней назад

    Other RUclipsrs may have covered this topic, but when I went to go searching for how these devices are a scam, I found your video first and therefore this is the first time I'm even hearing about them. I really hate the whole notion of somebody else. Already covered a topic as if to say that nobody else should talk about it with a different perspective.

  • @uplink-on-yt
    @uplink-on-yt 2 года назад +2

    On the positive side, if I find myself in desperate need of two LEDs, four resistors, a capacitor and a power plug, this fits the bill (subject to the values of the resistors and of the capacitor)

  • @HotelPapa100
    @HotelPapa100 6 месяцев назад +1

    What baffles me is that YT unscrupulously still runs ads for these scams.

  • @Rangerman9404
    @Rangerman9404 2 года назад

    I saw an ad for this recently, I think it was on Facebook and my initial reaction was too good to be true

  • @Daiyam99
    @Daiyam99 2 года назад

    In France, since the installation of the smart meter Linky, the power company Enedis is billing the apparent power to residential customers. The change of meter is inducing a change of contract where the billing goes from W (real power) to VA (apparent power). If you don't want to pay extra fee (50€/y), you must move to this new contract/meter. Yep, really cool...

  • @oystercatcher943
    @oystercatcher943 7 месяцев назад +2

    Thanks for this. I burst out laughing when I see these obvious scams on YT. Adverts should allow comments. It’d be great fun!

  • @bryanchalker
    @bryanchalker 2 года назад

    Love your videos. They’re thought provoking and brain-enlarging every time:-) …I have a question though and forgive if it’s a dumb one. Does the “power factor” you talk about on the packaging apply in residential areas in Asian/Euro countries? I know it’s still,a scam, but just wondering if they talk about it in the packaging as a target for users who might be familiar with the term in their area.

    • @trevcam6892
      @trevcam6892 2 года назад

      It's globally common.
      Domestic customers are not charged for reactive power (the result of a low power factor- less than 1). As it says, things which cause reactive power consumption, like refrigerator motors, might have power factor correction capacitors built in anyway.
      The reason large industrial installations with many large motors are charged for reactive power is that the sum of all the motors create low power factors.
      This results in the infrastructure providing the power has to be robust enough to handle the total current (reactive and real) meaning larger cables, larger transformers, and larger generators, which is costly. Therefore it is in the consumers' (and utilities) financial interest to install power factor correction capacitors which will be switched in and out automatically depending upon the measured power factor at any moment in an attempt to bring it back to unity PF, i.e. 1.
      Historically it's simply not worth measuring reactive power in a domestic environment because the power used is predominantly real power with just a very small amount of reactive power. It would need a second meter to measure reactive power.
      However, I notice that my domestic smart meter also measures reactive power but I don't get charged for it, just real power. Sounds a bit sinister. Maybe when smart meters are more widely used the utility companies will start charging for reactive power as well.
      You have been warned!

  • @vinfinityremakerguy
    @vinfinityremakerguy 4 месяца назад

    he is basically the captain disillusion of products: cd debunks fake videos (maybe a little doctored), and cc debunks fake (or atleast slightly scammy) products
    i love it

  • @avalonofbabylon3024
    @avalonofbabylon3024 7 месяцев назад

    I got an ad for this kinda thing a week ago safe to say this scam is never going away

  • @donaldevans5752
    @donaldevans5752 Месяц назад

    Great video again Ken .

  • @didikohen455
    @didikohen455 6 месяцев назад +1

    I've seen ElectroBoom's video, and I also enjoyed yours for the overview of marketing and websites that are part of the scam, both of you approach it from different angles so it's not a repeat of the same, in my opinion.

  • @kemahp
    @kemahp 8 месяцев назад

    Hey boddy. Unknown for you, you are my best friend regarding scam Infos. Keep your good work on.