Customer Reviews

Off! Clip-On Starter Kit

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(44)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

Someone purchased one of these for me, and I had serious doubts that it would work. I have been staying in at dusk because the mosquitoes are so bad it's painful to be out. Tonight I had to do something, went out and in just a few minutes I had 3 bites and was doing nothing but killing mosquitoes. Remembered I had the Off Clip On and gave it a try. I was amazed at how well it worked. I was out for over an hour, moving around, planting some plants and not one bite. Hung it on my belt and my entire body was safe, head to toe. I would see the mosquitoes flying near me and then fly away. A little expensive when you include batteries, but still love it, great product.

My family and friends call me 'their private mosquito repellent'. If we are outside together, mosquitos will always concentrate on me. So I was very happy to go and buy this item.
To my dismay, it was AWFUL, I wouldn't say it attracted more mosquitos than usual, but the sound distracted ME from chasing them away, so I got more bites than usual!
In theory it works creating a bubble of protection around you, and not good when you are moving. Well, I was sitting in my patio. Not walking!
Back to the spray until something better comes up.

I figured I'd try this out - I am always getting eaten alive while others seem to only get one or two bites. It did not help at all! In fact, it appeared as if it actually attracted the mosquitos even more so!! Needless to say, I'm back on the hunt looking for some affordable miracle device that I don't have to actually put on my body / clothes (i.e. lotions or sprays).

I live in TX, and we have a lot of mosquitos here. Unfortunately, I have always been a mosquito magnet - I walk out the door, and the mosquitos swarm around me. I like spending time outdoors, but I hate having to use the smelly, sticky sprays to repel the mosquitos. When this OFF Clip On product came out, I was excited but skeptical, as most non-spray mosquito repellents just don't work. THIS REALLY WORKS! I am amazed, and thrilled, at how well this keeps the mosquitos OFF of me (pun intended). I use mine every time I go outside to tend to the garden and water the plants, so it's used a lot - I've been through 2 refills over a 3 month period. Not too bad. I think it's well worth the price for the effectiveness and the convenience. (The price from the Amazon vendor is too high ($12.99) as it retails for $8.99.) but you can get these at any grocery or Target/Walmart.) I highly recommend it!

Update: I used this for several months, and for some reason, it stopped being effective. The mosquitos started biting, and were not deterred by the Clip-On. I changed the batteries and the refill in the unit, so I know it was at full strength, but the mosquitos kept biting me. Definitely strange, and disappointing, because I thought I'd finally found the answer to controlling mosquitos.

I'm sitting on my deck with a fresh refill and battery, and no breeze. This is my second refill...I wanted to give the device a fair shot before commenting.

I've been sitting for some time now, so should have a pretty good Off cloud around me. The mosquitoe traffic is quite light at the moment, early evening. At least 2 mosquitoes have landed on me (maybe more, I can't see my ankles -- the laptop is in the way -- or what's going on behind me!); they were immediately squashed. A third buzzed around the keyboard and my bare arms without landing.

A bit later: It's getting to be dusk, there are more mosquitoes and they are landing on and near me and my cloud. I am not allowing them to bite; I don't doubt they would have. When I am wearing the spray-on repellant, I expect mosquitoes to buzz around me, but not land on me. With this product, you don't expect them to come near you! They are. Period.

To be a fair experiment, I would turn off the Off clip-on and see how the two experiences compare (with and without the device). Maybe tomorrow night.

But, based on my experience tonight--which is very similar to previous uses of the product--I can only give it 2-1/2 stars. It works, SORT OF.

Pros:
- works as it should - repel insects

Cons:
- Uni-directional. The presence of even a gentle wind, limits the effectiveness of this clip-on considerably.
- The size of this clip-on is ridiculous. Imagine this hanging on you (unless you are a Star Trek fan. "Beam me up, Scotty!") while you walk around the house.
- It is very easy to forget about the fan power switch. Once you forget to switch it off, the supposed to be 12-hour refill is gone in just one use... and so is the battery.
- Uses two double AAs. A power hog.

Will never buy again.

I would give it 0 stars if that was an option!
One hour sitting in the same chair and a series of mosquito bites later, I have given it a chance, it does NOT work!