Wonderful Product But There's a Less Expensive Alternative
Written: Jan 10 '07 (Updated May 13 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Space savers, multiple accessory options, excellent for organizing closets neatly.
Cons: Can be expensive if you don't do your homework, minor shedding problem.
The Bottom Line: These hangers are a must for clothes horses or people who just need more organization in their closets.
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| girlsgotpipes's Full Review: Joy Mangano Huggable Hangers |
I've been watching Joy Mangano hawking her velvet flocked hangers on Home Shopping Network for years and they seemed like a great idea. When I went to the HSN website I saw numerous complaints about hangers arriving broken, or breaking after they were being used so I was hesitant to shell out $19.98 for TEN hangers (yes, that's $2.00 a hanger plus shipping and handling).
Fast forward about two years and one day I'm in Bed Bath and Beyond and lo and behold, they have their own version of these suit hangers priced at $9.99 for ten. I immediately whipped out my 20% off coupon received that week in the mail and bought a pack to try them out.
I was amazed. Just replacing 10 of the plastic tubular hangers I already had with these thinner ones gave me back about an inch and a half of space. If ten hangers could do that, I could only imagine what 60 of them would do for my overcrowded closets.
I went back the following day and bought a few more packs and my closet was neat, easy to organize and much more spacious. Things like silk blouses and camisoles that used to fall off the old plastic hangers were now holding fast to the flocking and weren't going anywhere. The hangers have small indentations on them to better hold garments with spaghetti straps. I no longer felt like I needed a machete to get through the jungle of my clothes!
Now I know this sounds more like a review of Bed Bath and Beyond's hangers but here's the kicker...at the time, BB&B was only carrying the hangers in black and I wanted some light coloured ones for my lighter coloured clothes so I bit the bullet and ordered some of the original Joy Mangano ones from HSN in linen colour.
When I received them I was stunned...after holding one of the HSN hangers up to one of the BB&B ones, I realized that they were IDENTICAL in every way except the HSN ones have a Joy logo on them and the BB&B ones have indentations on them for spaghetti straps (a valuable feature in my view). They were probably even made by the same manufacturer. The ones I got from Joy arrived intact and as of this writing, 7 months after I received them, not a one has broken so I don't know what those folks who complained on HSN's website were doing to them.
There are a few cons though:
1. The hangers from HSN had a bit of flaking off of the flocking. There may have been similar flaking with the black BB&B ones, but being a true New York City dweller, more than half of my wardrobe is black and I may not have noticed it. It was easy to brush off of the things it landed on though and the flaking has stopped since I put the hangers into use.
2. In the case of both the BB&B and the HSN hangers, if you're the kind of person who prefers to snatch clothing off the hanger without removing it from the closet, you risk either stretching your garment or possibly breaking the hanger. The flocking really does hold on to the clothing so you'll have to take a little care getting your clothes out...not a big deal though.
3. The hooks on both hangers seem a little short to me. In my case this hasn't presented a problem because I have solid wooden closet rods about 4" in circumference, but it could pose problems for those who have closets with narrower closet rods.
4. I wouldn't put my heavier winter coats on these hangers...they're very slim and although Joy claims the hangers can hold 10 lbs, I prefer not to chance it.
The Pros:
1. Joy has improved her hanger clips for holding skirts and pants...they used to be horrifically cheap and wouldn't hold anything up. The new ones currently available on HSN, although expensive (19.95 for 20 clips), are very sturdy and in my view worth the price. They also fit the BB&B hangers just fine.
In addition, she has a number of other accessories available though I haven't used any of them other than the clips and the "Deluxe" pant hanger that holds up to 4 pairs of pants. I found the pant hanger awkward to use for pants so I use it for scarves and pashminas...much better for those or for storing off-season pants that you won't be reaching for often, if at all.
2. BB&B now offers their hangers in camel, light blue and green in addition to black. I've also seen fuschia from time to time.
3. While writing this review I took a look at the HSN page and noticed that HSN is now offering a 100 pack of the hangers (50 shirt and 50 suit hangers) for $100.00 plus 11.95 shipping and handling. A far better deal than they've offered in the past. I don't know how long they'll have this offer, but those interested can save a bit on it by buying from HSN through the Ebates website. (HSN very rarely offers online coupon codes for anyone but new customers.)
4. The hangers from HSN come in lots of different colours with a choice of chrome or brass coloured hooks so they can coordinate with just about any decor. (I have seen some complaints about the shade being off when people ordered additional hangers, so be warned).
All in all I'm glad to recommend these hangers to anyone who may have been hesitant.
UPDATE: Bed Bath and Beyond now offers a pack of 50 hangers for 39.99. Add in a 20% off coupon (sign up for the mailing list on BBB's website and you'll get them regularly) and the whole pack is about 31.00 for 50 hangers.
AN ADDITIONAL UPDATE (5/13/09): I saw the 50 pack that Bed Bath and Beyond carries at Costco for $15.99 this past weekend. I'm STILL thrilled with the original hangers I got and there have been no problems to date!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
girlsgotpipes
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Reviews written: 32
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
Vocalist, Shopaholic, Home Chef
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