Sometimes a product genuinely is new to the market, has limited distribution, or hasn't gained visibility yet. Pricing is often lower on unreviewed items. For explorers and people willing to take a small risk, discovering an unknown gem can be rewarding—and someone has to be the first to try it.
At a glance
Length
13 min
Channel
Abram Engle
Video from
Dec 2024
Rating
⭐⭐ Great video · 2/2
Best for
Cat owners curious about budget-friendly pet products and honest gear reviews.
What this video answers
Why would anyone buy a product with zero reviews?
Is it safe to buy unreviewed pet products?
How does Engle decide on star ratings?
What should you do if a product you want has no reviews?
Why did some products become unavailable after this video?
Reads the guide aloud in your browser — free, no account.
Summary of No-Review Cat Product Testing
YouTuber Abram Engle set out to purchase cat products with zero Amazon reviews and become their first reviewer. He found six different items—ranging from grooming brushes to interactive toys—specifically selected because they had no customer feedback. By testing each product with his cat Kurt, Engle aimed to provide honest first impressions that would set the tone for future buyers and help these lesser-known products gain traction on the platform.
The experiment produced mixed results. Some products impressed both cat and owner alike, while others fell short in quality, functionality, or appeal. Engle completed reviews on all items he could acquire, rating them based on durability, cat engagement, and whether they matched their product descriptions. He emphasized the responsibility that comes with being a first reviewer—knowing that his honest feedback could make or break a product's success.
Key Moments
Key Products Tested and Results
Cat Running Wheel (Remote-Controlled) — An indoor exercise toy priced at $57 that simulates hunting. Kurt responded enthusiastically, chasing the moving target with high energy. Rated 5 out of 5 stars for ease of setup, safety features (velcro straps), and strong cat engagement.
Door-Hanging Bouncing Toy — Pom-pom balls suspended from a string attached to the top of a door. Kurt enjoyed batting and pouncing on the toy. Rated 5 out of 5 stars for simplicity, durability, and keeping the cat entertained.
Self-Heating Pet House — A cushioned cave with an electric heating pad designed to maintain constant temperature. Failed on multiple counts: poor packaging, no actual heat output, and Kurt showed no interest in using it. Rated 0 out of 5 stars.
Cat Hairbrush with Catnip — A spiky grooming brush with multiple purposes (scratching, combing, teeth cleaning). Kurt loved the unique texture and showed immediate enthusiasm. Rated 4 out of 5 stars as a brush, though the additional claims were unverified.
Plush Octopus Toy — A soft chew toy initially rated 3 out of 5, but upgraded to 4 out of 5 after a few days when Kurt's sustained interest became apparent. Cost only $2.50.
Automatic Rotating Toy with LED Lights — A motorized toy with feathers designed to encourage chasing. Held Kurt's attention briefly before he lost interest. Rated 3 out of 5 stars for moderate effectiveness.
Why Honest First Reviews Matter for Pet Products
When products have no reviews, shoppers face genuine uncertainty about quality, safety, and whether a toy will actually engage their pet. First reviewers hold significant power—they establish baseline expectations and can influence a company's future sales and reputation. Engle treated this responsibility seriously, choosing to be truthful rather than inflating or deflating ratings. For pet owners specifically, honest feedback about products is crucial because a bad purchase doesn't just waste money; it might mean wasted time trying something a pet won't use, or worse, a safety hazard like the non-functional heating pad. This video demonstrates why reading reviews—or finding products that deserve them—is worth the effort before buying.
Questions About Testing No-Review Products
Why would anyone buy a product with zero reviews?
Sometimes a product genuinely is new to the market, has limited distribution, or hasn't gained visibility yet. Pricing is often lower on unreviewed items. For explorers and people willing to take a small risk, discovering an unknown gem can be rewarding—and someone has to be the first to try it.
Is it safe to buy unreviewed pet products?
It depends on the product type. Toys and accessories are lower-risk than anything involving heat, electricity, or ingestion. Always inspect items carefully upon arrival, supervise your pet's use, and watch for manufacturing defects. If a product involves heating (like the pet house in this video), extra caution is warranted.
How does Engle decide on star ratings?
He bases ratings on whether the product does what the listing claims, build quality, how much his cat actually engages with it, and value for money. He separates unverifiable marketing claims (like "teeth cleaning") from what he can directly observe.
What should you do if a product you want has no reviews?
Check the product images and description carefully, read the seller's other listings for credibility, and consider the price point. Lower prices on experimental items make failed purchases less painful. For high-value items, it's safer to wait for reviews or choose alternatives.
Why did some products become unavailable after this video?
Engle speculates that certain sellers may not have had proper authorization to sell items on Amazon, or the products were discontinued. This is a real risk when shopping for niche or no-review items.
This video is genuinely helpful for pet owners who want to know what actually works before committing money and time. Engle's honest approach—refusing to inflate ratings just because he's the first reviewer—shows integrity and respect for future buyers. The real-world testing with Kurt provides authentic, observable feedback rather than vague marketing speak.
What stands out most is how varied the results were: some products exceeded expectations at a fraction of the price of alternatives, while others failed in basic ways (the heating pad producing no heat, for instance). That honesty and willingness to call out failures makes this a trustworthy review format. If you shop for cat gear on Amazon and want to see unbiased, first-hand testing of quirky or new products, this is absolutely worth watching.
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Video transcript for “I Bought Cat Products With No Reviews” Accessibility
A full written transcript of this video, provided for accessibility. Select any timestamp to jump the video to that moment.
online reviews or what a lot of people use to determine whether they want to buy something or not is a product absolutely amazing no complaints five out of five recommend or is it one out of five absolutely terrible do not purchase this I'm in the hospital and I need help but what do you do when there
is no reviews I buy products online for my cat Kurt a lot and I use reviews to determine whether a product is good or not and if I should get it but I came across a product that I wanted and it had zero reviews nothing and I I thought to myself I have the opportunity to be the first reviewer for this product and
maybe possibly the only so I decided I would do it I would buy this product as well as set out and find a ton of products that have no reviews and become the first reviewer of these products so I got six products total for this video the first one being a cat hairbrush with catnip a durian shell design cat
grooming brush for long short fur indoor cats kitten green I've had many brushes for Kurt that he's liked this one called my eye has no reviews so we're going to be the first one to review it this one is a plush toy for cat chewing kitten self teasing animal toy kitten cat nibs interactive playful teething toy cat
supplies it's just an octopus I had no reviews it was $2.50 so I had to try it out then we have this that I'm really excited for cats bouncing toy hanging door cat scratch rope scratch rope cat teaser and exercise toy pom poms retractable cats toy now this is basically just these
balls that hang from a string that you attach to the top of a door this could be really fun I'm excited to be the first reviewer for it kovo indoor electric heaing Pet house large soft cat cave with autoc constant temperature Deluxe pet products bed for cat supplies puppy and rabbit it is a self-heating
house for your cats also a puppy or a rabbit I've actually already ordered it but it says currently unavailable now so that's not a good sign I'm so excited for this one to come in it is the cat running wheel interactive cat toy cat wheel exerciser cat running treadmill for indoor adjustable speed simulated
interactive hunting cat toy hunting cat toy with ro remote roll cat toys it's basically like the Swift Paul's toy that I've done before it's like the big square and it goes like 200 mph and Kurt went ballistic over it however that was like over $200 this is $57 and it's made for cats it's made for
indoors because the other one was made for outdoors I set it up indoors I had to put like bricks on it and stuff so this one could be a game changer this is a legit product it could be amazing I am so excited for that but with it only being $57 it could also would be terrible but we're going to find out
okay I was super excited when I found this did a video with this one time but it was a dog toy by Swift Paws and it's actually expensive and this one was not expensive but it is now currently unavailable on Amazon and it had zero reviews so this could end up very badly um it has a charging port but it did not
come with a charger however it actually can be Wireless um it turns on already and you can control the speed which is pretty crazy okay so you Veil throw it to a chair or something where it doesn't move okay it shouldn't shouldn't go anywhere all right it's actually really cool that it came with these velcros cuz
it solves the indoor issue and the line's pretty tight now it's just a matter on if it works but I actually have High Hopes so far Kurt seems interested we have this tied on it's what's supposed to what Kurt's supposed to chase after and now all that's left is turn it on so here goes nothing oh
who hold on Buddy oh oh it works oh it stops on its own it's catered to a cat's [Music] liking it's behind you he thinks he has
it oh he was chasing after the wrong thing look under your pole dude he's like ah oh oh don't break it don't break it don't break it Kurt oh okay I'm going to turn it off wow I mean this was this is actually really impressive and it took like half the
time that the other one took to set up it's very simple so it comes with a remote I don't know if it works or not let's turn it on and see I have it at a slow pace yeah the remote doesn't do anything but it's fine you can control everything right here and as you can see Kurt absolutely loves it oh my
goodness this is awesome five out of five for me okay this came in it actually interestingly says that it's supposed to come in tomorrow but it's been here for like a week and a half so that's a little weird but you just stick it to the door and it hangs down I don't think it could be bad like I think
Kurt's going to love it unless it's just really bad quality and breaks it's actually adjustable which is pretty cool you just click this thing and can pull it through so let's go about right here okay it feels good it doesn't feel like it's going to come down so now see if he likes
it C look [Music] good [Music] job
[Music] woo yay if I was to write the first review ever for this toy I would give it a solid five out of five stars it's cheap does what it says and Kurt likes it this is how this came in I'm guessing this is the heating house that I ordered that has no reviews but this is the packaging
I'm not even lying it's literally just a clump this is not a very promising start for this um and so far I would give this a zero out of five stars in terms of packaging because this is terrible so let's get into it and see if the product's any good this kind of looks like the house part so yeah I we're just
going to try to figure this out and see see what we can get so that cord goes to the back I mean this thing looks nothing like the listing super wrinkled obviously because of the way it was packaged but even if it wasn't it's just not what the picture showed at all the way we set it up we put the cushion
inside of here the heating pad right here and put the little cord covering on so I mean I think that's all that you would do it's pretty self-explanatory the settings I don't know I'm guessing just different heat but yeah it does not look look it does not look good at all it's not very accurate and looks pretty
poor quality so we're definitely going to supervise this thing when we plug it in because we don't need any house fires to happen I'm going to put it on the lowest setting that I can for safety purposes but it is on and we'll see if it heats up okay um it's not warm in the slightest I put it on uh the highest
setting now and nothing we have nothing and especially through this thick cushion even if it got a little warm you would not be able to feel it at all I mean we can put Kurt in it and see if he likes it just as a house but the heating part is no good that's not good for the review
buddy look oh and if it's not bad enough that it doesn't even work and serve the purpose that it's supposed to Kurt does not even like it and he just Army crawled under here well he is not using the bed as this product's first and probably only review since
it's not even available anymore I'll give it a zero out of five stars and say that it does not heat up and the packaging is awful it doesn't look remotely close to the image online and my cat hated it so here the comb has came in the purpose of this comb is a corner brush which is used for cat
scratching combing hair slow feeding teeth grind Ing and teeth cleaning so well that's a good sign I don't know any of the other stuff other than cat brushing but he's already seeming to like this so maybe it'll get a good review the brush itself which looks pretty interesting it's pretty
spiky oh yeah he likes it like he's probably never felt this brushing before because look at all the design like how spiky and crazy looking what do you think oh he loves it he is loving yeah there's hair in it already I'm going to put it on the ground and see if he rubs on
[Music] it for this Kurt definitely liked it I would give it as the first raater of this product four out of five stars because it does everything it says I don't know the the teeth cleaning and those kind of claims that's why just for the sake of describing the product I don't know if that's very accurate but
as a brush Kurt loved it this came in today in this intricate packaging but you probably cannot tell what it is an octopus it's an octopus W all right let's see if he plays with it go get it whoa oh snap
I would give it a solid three out of five that's the first rating ever I'm actually impressed I know I said it briefly but I got to jump in here and reiterate it is a few days later now and Kurt loves this thing I have to up it to a four out of five it could possibly go for a five out of five
but it is like the stringy material that I don't like to leave him with alone but Kurt loves this octopus four out of five solid rating and it was $22.50 I forgot to highlight this product in the beginning but I also got this this is an interactive cat toy for indoor cats automatic kitten toys with
Four Feathers electric cat toys with LED lights 360° rotating cat exercise toy USB rechargeable cat toy for indoor cats gray it's basically just like a car for cats with a feather on top you'll see there we go oh my goodness [Music]
oh you got it don't break it oh I would give this a three out of five it kept his attention for a little bit and it works but he kind of just ignored it after like 30 seconds but there's probably cats out here that would really like this so three out of five by buing cat toys with no reviews
would I suggest it maybe I mean it made it fun you had no idea what you're going to get sometimes the packaging was crazy sometimes the product itself was not really what you expected in a good way but sometimes in a bad way I think we went three for six four for six like positive reviews as well as a couple of
fails but a lot of times when the products have no reviews they are cheaper so I found some gems unfortunately some of them are now currently unavailable I have no idea why I don't know if these people didn't have permission to be selling these I don't know what happened I it took me a while
to find these products on Amazon so I would not be surprised but overall being the first reviewer kind of felt good as well you know you're kind of setting the precedent going forward for these companies and setting people's expectations to a reality you have it in your control I Could Have Lied I could
have said these products were amazing I could have said these products are terrible I could have set these companies up for success or derailed them to a bad path but I was honest I was honest with all of these products and being the first reviewer I took very seriously but it was a fun video let me know what else
you want to see I'll catch you guys in the next one thank you for watching peace out
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