Does It Really Do That? Moving Products

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) --- The commercials are filled with happy, stress-free, sweat-free people, moving their furniture around almost effortlessly.

Several furniture mover products claim to be able to turn you into a one person moving crew, and make it easy for you to move your furniture whenever and wherever you'd like.

KDKA-TV Morning News Anchor/Does It Really Do That? Reporter Jennifer Antkowiak found a woman who was eager to help test some products to see how they hold up to their claims.

Ingrid O'Toole normally recruits her husband for moving around her nice, heavy bedroom furniture around so she can clean, or she told Jen, she tries, "to move it a little bit at a time, then afterwards, I'm taking ibuprofen so I can move the next day!"

Jen and Ingrid started with a product called Moving Men.

You've probably seen them, or similar items in stores, and on TV commercials.

They have a smooth plastic on one side, and a foamy rubber on the other. You can use them on most flooring types.

The Moving Men system comes with large and small discs. You simply slip them under the item you want to move, and slide away.

Ingrid wanted to try them on a big armoire she has trouble moving out of the way to clean behind.

Moving Men pad ready, Ingrid bends, and "I can't lift it," she tells Jen, straining to try to get the leg off the floor just enough to slide the pad underneath.

That exposes a problem right there. If the item you want to move is too heavy to lift, the Moving Men pads won't be able to help you.

Ingrid tries with a smaller piece of furniture-a little single dresser. She's able to lift the leg and position the Moving Men pads under each one. With that, she's supposed to be able to easily slide the dresser wherever she wants. She pushes and it moves. One pad slides out, but Ingrid says it's easier than if she'd have to move it herself.

Still, she's a little out of breath from having to lift it herself.

Jen took advantage of that moment and introduced Ingrid to a product called EZ Move.

It has reversible pads like the Moving Men, but it also comes with a sturdy metal crow bar-like device that you're supposed to be able to use to gain some leverage and lift heavy pieces of furniture by yourself, and position the slider pads underneath.

The packaging claims it will give you ten times your natural strength!

Ingrid and Jen comment that the bar seems short to work with comfortably on certain pieces of furniture.

Ingrid found it worked better when she used it to try to lift under the leg, versus other spots on the dresser.

Ingrid also liked the pads which had a plastic side for carpet, and a rubbery side with a felt top to use to protect hard wood floors. As directed, Ingrid set the pad with the felt side out for her bedroom floor.

Ingrid said it seemed to get easier as she moved around to each leg, but she was still out of breath by the time she was done from the lifting.

The dresser did move easily, but Ingrid felt it took a lot of work to get to that point.

Jen asked, "If you were not doing this for me, would you have given up on this by now?" "Oh yeah," Ingrid said, "a long time ago."

So, Moving Men and EZ Move: Do they really do that? Ingrid says, "No."

"I struggled a lot. If the infomercial was just to stick it in and go, it's just not doing it."

Ingrid also helped us test a product called the Forearm Forklift.

It's a pair of long, sturdy, woven straps that you are supposed to place under the furniture, cross, and be able to safely lift items you would never dream of being able to lift.

According to the directions and diagrams, Ingrid and Jen position the straps, get into position, place the Forearm Forklift over their forearms, and…

"We're gonna lift with our legs not with our back. Are you ready?" Jen asked. "One, two, three, lift!" But, they didn't feel the heavy dresser budge much at all. They tried again, KDKA-TV photographer Fred Williams tried, but they just couldn't get it to move as effortlessly as it appears in the commercial.

The Forearm Forklift, Does it Really Do That? "Thumbs down," Ingrid said. "I got my workout for today!"

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