Consumer

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Mighty Mendit claims to fix any rip or tear.
 
When Billy Mays pitches this one, it's hard to resist.

Mighty Mendit looks like it will fix just about anything, but does is really do that?

We ask seamstress Paula Minydzak, who owns My Needle's Eye, to help us put Mighty Mendit to the test.

"Nothing will really take the place of sewing," says Paula.

Even so, Paula admits Mighty Mendit sounds mighty good.

"Wait before you throw it away, let Mighty Mendit save the day," boasts the infomercial. "The fast, easy way to mend, hem and wear it again. We even repaired a parachute with Mighty Mendit and it still has the strength to safely land this skydiver from thirteen thousand feet."

But does it really do that?

"I'm not sure I would want to jump out of an airplane with this on a parachute as opposed to a parachute that is actually sewn with a heavy duty thread, double stitched, triple switched." said Paula.

I am sure I wouldn't jump out of that plane either, so we move on to our first test.

We glue on a mock pocket seam.

Mighty Mendit is gooey like glue, but the infomercial claims it's not glue -- it's a flexible bonding agent.

The infomercial also claims it is machine washable even after 50 washes, the bond still stays strong.

But read the instructions and you'll find that "Mighty Mendit" has limitations the infomercial doesn't tell you.

You may be able to wash it but not in hot water.

Instructions also say you can't iron it and dry cleaning fluid dissolves it.

Mighty Mendit did work just like the commercial on the ripped hem of my pants.

It was quick and it was easy.

The infomercial makes it appear that Mighty Mendit works instantly, but directions clearly say wearable after two hours, washable after 24 hours.

We tested Mighty Mendit on other fabrics.

We try a denim-like fabric, a leather-like material and an upholstery fabric.

We even put Mighty Mendit to the ultimate test -- Dino, the shredded dinosaur.

Twenty four hours later, we return to see just how mighty "Mighty Mendit" is.

It worked great on the pocket, especially if you can't sew.

The denim-like fabric held well, even though we tugged it hard.

The leather-like fabric did not hold.

The upholstery fabric did not hold either and when it came to Dino, the shredded dinosaur, Mighty Mendit needed some sewing help to put him back together.

Buy Mighty Mendit on the internet and you'll pay $19.99 plus $8.95 shipping and handling for a total of $28.94.

That's far too expensive for Paula.

"Yes, it doesn't do everything," said Paula. "It implies that it will fix more than it will effectively fix."

In the end, Paula gives Mighty Mendit a thumbs right in the middle, not up, not down.

"It's good for some things, not for others," concludes Paula.

Mighty Mendit does do the job on many things, but it is not instant and it's really nothing new.

You can buy similar products that work the same for a fraction of the price.

Fabri-Tac costs about $9 at Michael's.

The bottle is twice as big and costs a third of the price.

If you don't like Mighty Mend It, you also can't get your money back.

They only promise they'll replace the product.

We figure if you don't like it, you probably don't want more of it.

So yes, Mighty Mend It does a pretty good job, but at that price, you really don't want to buy it.

Wait for it to come to a store near you.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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