Off! Clip-On Starter Kit

by OFF!

Product Features

• Provides mosquito protection without putting anything on your skin
• Protects against mosquitoes that may carry West Nile Virus
• Quiet, battery-powered fan circulates repellent all around you
• Uses an active ingredient with no scent; each refill provides up to 12 hours of head-to-toe protection

Product Description

Off! Clip-On Starter repellent provides personal protection from mosquitoes. If you move, allow a few minutes for the unit to rebuild its protection. Protects against mosquitoes that may carry West Nile Virus. Unlike ordinary personal repellents, OFF! Clip-On repellent provides mosquito protection without putting anything on your skin.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6 x 5 x 4 inches ; 7.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001H1JJHG
• UPC: 046500703188
• Item model number: 70318
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,104 in Health & Personal Care (See Top 100 in Health & Personal Care)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely worthless!, July 8, 2009

By 

George B. Langer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Off! Clip-On Starter Kit (Health and Beauty)

I waited a couple of weeks to finally buy two of these as they were out of stock in several stores where I live. I should have paid attention to all the negative reviews, but there were also some positive ones so I took a chance. Big mistake. I returned my unopened one for a refund and threw the other into the garbage after several trial days.

I don't understand how some people give the Off! Clip-On a good review and that it repels mosquitoes. They must not have any mosquitoes present or they work for the company. I clipped it onto my shorts, sat or stood in one place for long periods of time and I was devoured. I had mosquitoes all over my legs, even aiming the contraption and blowing directly and inches away at them as they were still biting.

If SC Johnson keeps these things on the market after this summer I will be amazed. They must have tons of them returned.

BEWARE!

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Actually works...but it comes at a cost not worth paying, August 13, 2010

By 

monoblocks (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Off! Clip-On Starter Kit (Health and Beauty)

After all the negative reviews I wasn't sure about this thing, but a local retailer had them in stock and on sale so I decided to give one a shot. I admit that I've always been somewhat adverse to spray-on repellents and even with this one I question the safety of constantly breathing whatever this chemical is made up with, especially considering the dire warning SC Johnson has in the instructions about immediately washing one's hands after handling the chemical insert. But safety concerns set aside (as usual), I fired it up and lo and behold it actually seems that the little bugger does do its job, at least with the mosquitoes that happen to hang around our particular neighborhood.

I picked one evening to launch the clip-on a few days ago where the critters were particularly ornery and thick in numbers. I clipped the device to my chair and switched it on...and waited. For the hour and a half I was outside I received ZERO mosquito bites, which for this summer makes a record for me. That said, whatever aroma the device gives off doesn't actually create some sort of 'magic shield' like the TV commercials seem to proclaim. Mosquitoes still flew in uncomfortably overhead and nearby, often within inches me. They seem to loiter a bit before finally flying away. But the defining moment for me was one that happened last night when I was using the clip-on when I was out on the driveway working on one of our cars. One particularly large mosquito caught my attention when it landed on the fender of the VW barely a foot or so away from from where I was seated on my stool, sat there (I was sorely tempted to take a swipe at it, but didn't because a) I was curious as to what it was going to do and b) knowing me I'd probably DENT that blasted car and I'd never hear the end of it) for several seconds, then appeared to think better of it and instead took off and left. This episode seals the deal for me; I'll go with this sucker for as long as it continues to repel these blasted mosquitoes.

All that being said, as of now the 'deals' here on Amazon simply are NOT. It's far cheaper in the local brick & mortars than in here at the time of this review posting. It seems clear that some sellers listing here in the Marketplace are trying to cash in on this. With my purchase I got change back from a five and three ones. Even if I had paid full price I still would have been on the under side of an 10-dollar bill, even after our state coffers got their chunk of the purchase. The refills seem to be in stock when and wherever I've checked for them (I haven't needed one yet, however, since I'm still well short of the supposed 12 hours of use that one repellent insert is claimed to be good for. The clip-on unit comes with a single insert in the basic starter kit, and the 2-pack refills go for about four dollars locally. The unit uses two AA batteries for its fan motor (off-brand alkaline cells were included and pre-installed); at this point I'm curious as to how long these will last in comparison to the life span insert.

But these quibbles and concerns aside, it does appear that the local mosquitoes find a level of displeasure whenever I turn this thing on. And I'll have to try it the next time I'm on a hike to see how the REALLY wild ones are affected. But at the very least, for as long as the local blood suckers continue to find it a rude and distasteful annoyance I'll ride this puppy for all that it can give.

UPDATE:
------------
I've modified my review to reflect several discoveries about the Off Clip-On as I continued to use it over the past few days. These are listed below:

1) Range: there is a definite range that the Clip-On is effective. I discovered this first hand when I left the unit clipped to a table and then got up to walk approximately ten feet away into the garage. Within minutes mosquitoes were flying into the open garage and taking turns diving in on their intended target, presumably to make a meal out of me. Despite being exposed for a good 20 minutes to the output of the Clip-On, it apparently has little lasting effect on exposed surfaces and mosquitoes seemed distinctly oblivious to any past exposure that I may have had when I was next to the running Clip-On.

2) Motion: The effectiveness of the Clip-On seems to work best when I'm more or less stationary; clipping it to my belt and then moving around the yard (like when I was doing yardwork) appears to dull whatever 'field' this device creates that is such a turn-off to mosquitoes. The pesky blood suckers seem much more intent on attacking in this sort of situation. When I'm seated and for the most part set in one place, the off-gassing from the Clip-On is more effective at keeping the mosquitoes at bay.

3) Air Movement (wind): Winds greater than all but the slightest of breezes appears to mitigate the potency of the Clip-On's outgassing. In calm conditions--such as what we get here around dusk--the Clip-On is most effective. But as wind speeds swell up the 'shield' that the Clip-On supposedly creates is not nearly as effective at keeping mosquitoes from taking their best shots at me.

4) Unintended Effects: this becomes the deal-killer, and the main reason that I've adjusted my rating of the Clip-On down from five stars to one, the minimum allowed (right now I wish it could be ZERO). I've rudely discovered that whatever the ingredients are within that insert pack, in addition to fighting off the local mosquito packs they're also most effective at being an anti-MONOBLOCKS chemical agent. Call me slow, but I've finally put 2+2 together and noticed that after each time that I'm exposed to the actively running Clip-On, a distinct and pronounced headache follows within minutes, specifically centered around the sinuses in my nasal passages but quickly spreading itself through and into the top of my head. This headache lasts for several hours after the last exposure, and is not controlled by my usual methods of headache treatment (ibuprofen, aspirin). The pain only subsides when presumably the chemicals within me become diluted enough and/or worked themselves out from my body. It reminds me a bit like how a caffeine headache normally hits me, but more focused in location and pain, longer lasting and impervious to my usual over-the-counter headache remedies.

I realize that this is likely a very personal reaction and that it's more than likely that for a majority of users there will be no similar effect. But I can't review for everyone else...only for me. And in that light, this product has gone from being an effective mosquito blocker to an abject failure. Even as I write this I'm suffering from another one of these headaches, from an exposure to the Clip-On that ended well over three hours ago. Based upon the past couple of headaches, I've still got another hour or two to go. When a product appears to cause me physical pain, there's no other rating for me to consider but that of a complete FAIL. A shame too, because it does seem to repel the local cadre of insect blood suckers. But for me it's simply not worth the price I'm currently paying.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This thing is utterly worthless, August 16, 2009

By 

J. Thomas (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Off! Clip-On Starter Kit (Health and Beauty)

I bought one of these clip-on fan things and pack of refills to take camping this summer. Not only does it not repel mosquitos, they actually land on thing! The only time mosquitos are repelled by this product is when they happen to fly through the draft from the fan, they get blown a little off course.

Don't waste your money on this, it is completely ineffective.