Wednesday
Jul082009
July 8, 2009 You need GoToob
Here’s the vaunted GoToob line mentioned by by Till in a Forum post. They’re squeezable and 3-1-1 compliant.
Update on July 8, 2009 by
Frank@OBOW
Frank@OBOW
And Humangear’s capCap is pretty cool too.
Reader Comments (14)
Well I never!
Those Gotoobs are really natty little things. I saw them on another site but didn't take any notice, I didn't realise the larger ones had suction cups or that they twisted to show a contents name. Now THAT would have been handy for me a few trips ago when I confused my un-labelled travel bottles and dumped body lotion on my hair!!
I also appreciate exploring new web sites, I 'm forever searching for travel items / related sites. Thanks for that.
Thanks for posting, Brad. I do love these things. Yes, you can turn the ring to say "Shampoo, Soap, Conditioner, Lotion, Sun and ***". So you have six different identifiers. Plus there are different colors and sizes. That should take care of the lotion in hair problem. :)
They do squeeze very cleanly. You can pop out the soft silicon tube part from the stiff plastic ring for easier cleaning. Squeezing out the last bit of my hair cream from the tube is difficult, though. I simply unscrew the cap and stick my finger in.
What I don't understand is why they do not make a 3oz version. I bet many people would love to maximize the content. Though, personally, two ounces of anything will last a long time for me.
I love my GoToob. I can never find the kind of toothpaste I like in the sample size, so I have one of these filled with toothpaste. In fact, I often find myself using it at home, as well. It dispenses my toothpaste in a much more controlled fashion than the original tube and I don't end up with a glob of toothpaste in my sink. Yes, I am a klutz and I need all the help I can get.
REI has stacks of them. I bought a couple today.
Yeah, I actually use one of them at home, too. I have two different hair creams that I like to mix, one for texture and one for shine. So I make the mix in the little GoToob and put the big containers in the drawer so they don't eat up my limited counter space. Glad others have discovered them, too. Bought mine at REI, too, by the way.
The Humangear is a nice leak-proof cap but I am waiting for the stainless steel Autoseal water bottle from Contigo to be available since it doesn't require screwing on and off to get a drink.
If the Autoseal technology on this water bottle is anything like the coffee cup I have (also sold on their website), it's a product that fits the best of both worlds-- leak-proof and convenient one-handed drinking.
I also like that they sell just the lids since that is the part most likely to deteriorate over time. I had a freak accident that ruined my coffee cup lid and was happy to discover that I didn't need to replace the entire cup. I saved some cash and, more important to me, I kept something out of the landfill.
Their website says the water bottle's stainless steel version won't be available until winter so I'll be patient. I could go for the BPA-free plastic version but I want this to be the last water bottle I buy.
Various products are at www.gocontigo.com
Purchased GoToob from REI. Loved the wide opening, squishy texture of tube and suction cup. Had it hanging in my shower, just a couple of days from purchase; about the third day it dropped from the tiled wall and the plastic lid broke. The tube & lid are relatively functional now, just won't hang it from suction cup anymore. Considering purchasing next from: www.easytravelerinc.com. They sell refillable tubes of various sizes (can use for food/drink), plus tubes can be rolled into smaller sizes when not in use.
I am surprised not that it fell down (suction cups under changing temperatures have a tendency to do that) but that the plastic cap broke. Where and how did it break?
Some of the things you can do to improve suction cup performance are to clean the spot with alcohol, breath on the suction cub directly before you stick it to the wall, use the smoothest and flattest surface you can find (glass is best, tile is often uneven).
As you say the spout mechanism still works. The cap is broken anyway, so it is useless for travel. But I'd try those tips and see how long you can get it to stick in the shower or on the bathroom mirror.
I did read some reviews somewhere that mentioned falling/breaking related to suction cup failure. Probably best to avoid the suction cup model.
No need to avoid the suction cup model; just avoid using the suction cup or learn how to use it and not set the expectations too high. The suction cup model is the 2oz model, it's the bigger one and many people will want that. But it has to be clear that a relatively shallow suction cup at this particular spot of the tube will not be able to hold a fully filled 2oz tube for more than a couple of days, especially if the surface hasn't been prepared or is not ideal. Glass and mirrors are ideal, tile depending on the kind is second best, also flat clean plastic would be good. Anything with a structure won't work well.
I will put my 2oz tube to the test right now on my bathroom mirror. I don't have any tile. Ok, I just filled it with water. Press the suction cup to the mirror that is not spotlessly clean as I admit. Dry mirror, dry suction cup. Thorough pressing of cup against mirror for three seconds. It is Sunday 6:30. Let's see when it comes down. Bets are taken, of course. :)
The tube came down after less than four hours with the careless method described above.
Then, today, I fixed the suction cup to a slightly steamy mirror and there was a drop of water where I pressed the cup against the mirror. This is practically like wetting the cup.
It is a bit more than four hours ago and the tube is still in place.
The second method described above yielded the best result but still less than 24h. I also tried cleaning the mirror with alcohol and wetting the cup properly. It came down in less than ten hours. So the suction cup is a sales gimmick, just don't even use it. But the actual design and utility of the Go-Toob are first grade and I know of no other product like it.
Yeah, the suction cup doesn't hold that long, but I find it's great at my yoga studio during a quick shower (no shelf there). They actually print "Suction is temporary" right beneath the suction cup, so I guess that's a warning (kinda depends on your definition of temporary, I suppose). I checked out their site - I see that they offer to replace any broken caps.
Oh, and a friend of mine was at an outdoor trade show recently - he said humangear is coming out with a 3oz version. It's supposed to be out before the '09 holidays. Better still, the 3oz doesn't have a suction cup. Can't wait - these things are great.
When im not traveling, i use mine to take my salad dressing to work with me. They are BPA free, so why not, ya know?
They are truly a great idea!