Bucky's Blog
We compare plastic straw alternatives
Posted by Dale Ting on
In 2018, the average American used 1.6 single-use plastic straws per day - adding up to a plastic trail that could wrap around the globe two and a half times (Glass straws? Straw straws? Here are some eco-friendly alternatives to plastic). In the past few years, people have begun to cut down on their use of single-use plastics by refusing plastic straws, and businesses have adjusted accordingly.
While some corporations have made sustainable switches easily - like Starbucks, who replaced their straw-fitting lids with ones that customers can sip from directly - smaller businesses are straggling behind. There are so many sustainable straw options on the market now, how do you know which one to choose? Here’s a breakdown of the most popular straw swaps, so that you can choose the best one for your business.
Glass and Metal
Both glass and metal straws are luxurious options that can be reused for years. These are both smart options for sit-down restaurants and higher-end bars where customers will be spending longer amounts of time talking and sipping. Boba shops such as Boba Guys (BOBA GUYS METAL REUSABLE STRAW) and Bopomofo (Boba MOFO Reusable Straw Set) sell branded metal straws, and straw sets are available for consumers to purchase directly for use at home. These sleek materials are an investment for both businesses and consumers. Whereas plastic straws cost pennies per straw, a glass or metal straw can cost upwards of two dollars each. Though they’re a great option for people who love to drink through straws, these materials aren’t the best option for businesses who need to stock up on hundreds of straws a day.
Silicone
Another popular sustainable option is a silicone straw. Similar to glass and metal straws, silicone straws can be purchased directly online, so that anyone can have an eco-friendly alternative for sipping at home. Silicone straws are dishwasher safe, durable, reusable, and flexible - unlike glass and metal straws, silicone straws are bendy, making them safe for teeth and gums. Yet, similar to glass and metal straws, silicone straws are more expensive than the conventional plastic straws - averaging at about a dollar per straw on Amazon, silicone straws are more accessible than their glass and metal counterparts, while still being out of range for most businesses.
Paper and PLA
Paper and “compostable” polylactic acid (PLA) straws are the most popular alternatives to plastic straws in the food and beverage industry. Both of these materials boast quicker decomposition timelines, thus marketing them as more eco-friendly than plastic. Both paper and PLA straws are also widely available to restaurants at low prices. Unfortunately, behind these two attractive features are some ugly truths: paper straws are resource intensive and unpleasant to use after they’ve been sitting in a drink; and PLA straws are not, in fact, easily compostable.
PLA will only “decompose” under specific conditions, often found in specialty commercial facilities that heat the straws for a prolonged period of time (The 4 Truths of PLA Straws) - though these conditions are available in special facilities, backyard compost piles and landfills will not create a proper environment for PLA to decompose. Because these specific needs are rarely met, PLA straws most often just end up in trash bags next to plastic straws.
Bamboo Fiber
It seems like every alternative straw comes with a slew of unique issues - is there any kind of straw that will allow us to enjoy our drinks without killing the planet?! There may not ever be a perfect straw, but there is one kind that is eco-friendly while also being pleasant to use: bamboo fiber straws.
Unlike glass, metal, and silicone straws, bamboo fiber straws are on the cheaper end of the spectrum, making them more accessible and feasible for businesses and individual consumers to use on a daily basis. Another perk to bamboo straws is that they are easily compostable - after use, they can be tossed into a backyard compost bin, and will decompose into compost in a few months’ time. Or, they can be washed and dried for reuse, and they’re fit for multiple uses thanks to the sturdiness of the bamboo fibers.
Ultimately, the most important part about a straw is its ability to hold up in drinks of any kind. Bamboo fiber straws are not as texturally smooth as other materials, but they are all-natural and do not leak toxic chemicals into your drinks - both hot and cold. Additionally, bamboo fiber straws are available in various sizes and diameters, so there’s a bamboo fiber straw for every drink: hot coffee, cold soda, smoothies, and even boba tea.
If you're interested in bamboo fiber straws, check out our PandaBoard straws today!
Read more
We compare plastic straw alternatives
Posted by Dale Ting on
In 2018, the average American used 1.6 single-use plastic straws per day - adding up to a plastic trail that could wrap around the globe two and a half times (Glass straws? Straw straws? Here are some eco-friendly alternatives to plastic). In the past few years, people have begun to cut down on their use of single-use plastics by refusing plastic straws, and businesses have adjusted accordingly.
While some corporations have made sustainable switches easily - like Starbucks, who replaced their straw-fitting lids with ones that customers can sip from directly - smaller businesses are straggling behind. There are so many sustainable straw options on the market now, how do you know which one to choose? Here’s a breakdown of the most popular straw swaps, so that you can choose the best one for your business.
Glass and Metal
Both glass and metal straws are luxurious options that can be reused for years. These are both smart options for sit-down restaurants and higher-end bars where customers will be spending longer amounts of time talking and sipping. Boba shops such as Boba Guys (BOBA GUYS METAL REUSABLE STRAW) and Bopomofo (Boba MOFO Reusable Straw Set) sell branded metal straws, and straw sets are available for consumers to purchase directly for use at home. These sleek materials are an investment for both businesses and consumers. Whereas plastic straws cost pennies per straw, a glass or metal straw can cost upwards of two dollars each. Though they’re a great option for people who love to drink through straws, these materials aren’t the best option for businesses who need to stock up on hundreds of straws a day.
Silicone
Another popular sustainable option is a silicone straw. Similar to glass and metal straws, silicone straws can be purchased directly online, so that anyone can have an eco-friendly alternative for sipping at home. Silicone straws are dishwasher safe, durable, reusable, and flexible - unlike glass and metal straws, silicone straws are bendy, making them safe for teeth and gums. Yet, similar to glass and metal straws, silicone straws are more expensive than the conventional plastic straws - averaging at about a dollar per straw on Amazon, silicone straws are more accessible than their glass and metal counterparts, while still being out of range for most businesses.
Paper and PLA
Paper and “compostable” polylactic acid (PLA) straws are the most popular alternatives to plastic straws in the food and beverage industry. Both of these materials boast quicker decomposition timelines, thus marketing them as more eco-friendly than plastic. Both paper and PLA straws are also widely available to restaurants at low prices. Unfortunately, behind these two attractive features are some ugly truths: paper straws are resource intensive and unpleasant to use after they’ve been sitting in a drink; and PLA straws are not, in fact, easily compostable.
PLA will only “decompose” under specific conditions, often found in specialty commercial facilities that heat the straws for a prolonged period of time (The 4 Truths of PLA Straws) - though these conditions are available in special facilities, backyard compost piles and landfills will not create a proper environment for PLA to decompose. Because these specific needs are rarely met, PLA straws most often just end up in trash bags next to plastic straws.
Bamboo Fiber
It seems like every alternative straw comes with a slew of unique issues - is there any kind of straw that will allow us to enjoy our drinks without killing the planet?! There may not ever be a perfect straw, but there is one kind that is eco-friendly while also being pleasant to use: bamboo fiber straws.
Unlike glass, metal, and silicone straws, bamboo fiber straws are on the cheaper end of the spectrum, making them more accessible and feasible for businesses and individual consumers to use on a daily basis. Another perk to bamboo straws is that they are easily compostable - after use, they can be tossed into a backyard compost bin, and will decompose into compost in a few months’ time. Or, they can be washed and dried for reuse, and they’re fit for multiple uses thanks to the sturdiness of the bamboo fibers.
Ultimately, the most important part about a straw is its ability to hold up in drinks of any kind. Bamboo fiber straws are not as texturally smooth as other materials, but they are all-natural and do not leak toxic chemicals into your drinks - both hot and cold. Additionally, bamboo fiber straws are available in various sizes and diameters, so there’s a bamboo fiber straw for every drink: hot coffee, cold soda, smoothies, and even boba tea.
If you're interested in bamboo fiber straws, check out our PandaBoard straws today!
Read more
How Giannis Antetokounmpo helped define our core values
Posted by Dale Ting on
One of our biggest challenges is how to be better than all the other companies out there. There are so many other options (many of which are great, we don't pretend to think we have the only good products in the world), how do we get people like you buy from us? After reading the book Traction and meeting with many business owners from all over, one thing to do is define our values (see our values along with our mission and vision statements in the About Us page). These values need to be unique to our company and brands, and we have to really believe in it.
Our first value is Win-Win-Win. Yes, three of them. The first two is for the people we work with: our customers, suppliers, employees. We should work together only if we both win. The third win is for the greater good: if you only win-win (2 wins) and screw the greater good, that doesn't work for us. The idea of products that claim or imply that they are environmentally friendly but actually don't work, or are still wasteful, helped inspire this value.
Our second value is Elegance: Simple and Effective. We want our products to actually work or give the benefit it promised. There are too many products out there that use questionable marketing tactics that don't actually work. We also want our products to be as simple as possible for people to use. We're not going to be working on spaceships to the moon anytime soon.
Two down, one more to go. One of my friends and fellow business owners ran me though an exercise to help me define our values. He asked me to think of all the people who I admire. I came up with some of my role models and famous leaders, but since I'm a big sports fan, he asked if there were any players I admired. That lit up the light bulb. I grew up in Wisconsin, so I'm a Bucks, Brewers, Packers, and Badgers fan (The Bucko brand was inspired Bucky the beagle, named after Bucky the Badger).
The Milwaukee Bucks are the defending NBA Champs, and our star player Giannis Antetokounmpo came to mind. He was the MVP of the league, played through a knee injury, and is an athletic freak of nature (appropriately nicknamed The Greek Freak). But he's so down to earth and humble. Even though he's a champion, he worked on improving his free throws and jump shots over the off-season. He brags about his teammates. At an autograph session, he got up and gave a little girl a hug because she drew him a picture.
We came up with Humble Greatness to add to our company core values.
We think our products and services are great, or we wouldn't sell them. But we're also humble enough to know we're not perfect and will continue to work on improving. We're also not going to do over the top marketing or claims, we're just going to be great and keep improving and have faith that people will reward us with their business.
And that is how The Greek Freak helped us define our core values.
Read more
How Giannis Antetokounmpo helped define our core values
Posted by Dale Ting on
One of our biggest challenges is how to be better than all the other companies out there. There are so many other options (many of which are great, we don't pretend to think we have the only good products in the world), how do we get people like you buy from us? After reading the book Traction and meeting with many business owners from all over, one thing to do is define our values (see our values along with our mission and vision statements in the About Us page). These values need to be unique to our company and brands, and we have to really believe in it.
Our first value is Win-Win-Win. Yes, three of them. The first two is for the people we work with: our customers, suppliers, employees. We should work together only if we both win. The third win is for the greater good: if you only win-win (2 wins) and screw the greater good, that doesn't work for us. The idea of products that claim or imply that they are environmentally friendly but actually don't work, or are still wasteful, helped inspire this value.
Our second value is Elegance: Simple and Effective. We want our products to actually work or give the benefit it promised. There are too many products out there that use questionable marketing tactics that don't actually work. We also want our products to be as simple as possible for people to use. We're not going to be working on spaceships to the moon anytime soon.
Two down, one more to go. One of my friends and fellow business owners ran me though an exercise to help me define our values. He asked me to think of all the people who I admire. I came up with some of my role models and famous leaders, but since I'm a big sports fan, he asked if there were any players I admired. That lit up the light bulb. I grew up in Wisconsin, so I'm a Bucks, Brewers, Packers, and Badgers fan (The Bucko brand was inspired Bucky the beagle, named after Bucky the Badger).
The Milwaukee Bucks are the defending NBA Champs, and our star player Giannis Antetokounmpo came to mind. He was the MVP of the league, played through a knee injury, and is an athletic freak of nature (appropriately nicknamed The Greek Freak). But he's so down to earth and humble. Even though he's a champion, he worked on improving his free throws and jump shots over the off-season. He brags about his teammates. At an autograph session, he got up and gave a little girl a hug because she drew him a picture.
We came up with Humble Greatness to add to our company core values.
We think our products and services are great, or we wouldn't sell them. But we're also humble enough to know we're not perfect and will continue to work on improving. We're also not going to do over the top marketing or claims, we're just going to be great and keep improving and have faith that people will reward us with their business.
And that is how The Greek Freak helped us define our core values.
Read more
5 interesting uses for fine mist sprayers (#5 is from Squid Game)
Posted by Dale Ting on
What are fine mist sprayers?
Fine mist sprayers, like The Bucko Fine Mist Sprayers, are pumps but spray a fine mist like an aerosol instead of a stream like a normal sprayer. You might have heard of them under the brand Flairosol. With a short pump, the mist starts and stops with your pump. If you pump it a few times, it will mist continuously until about a second after you stop pumping. The whole time, it gives an even, controlled fine mist.
What can you use The Bucko Fine Mist Sprayers on?
Here are four ways people are using fine mist sprayers:
1. Thick and curly hair
Our fine mist sprayers work on any hair, but really well on hair of people of African and Asian descent, especially Asians with curly hair. Rosie Chuong, founder of API Curls, demonstrates our sprayer for thick, curly hair compared to a regular spray bottle.
2. Car wax
Scott with Dallas Paint Correction and Auto Detailing is a fan of the fine mist sprayer for spray waxing cars. He talks about how other spray bottles leave too much wax on the surface where you have to wipe most of it off. But with the fine mist spray bottle:
"When you apply spray wax, you want a misting on the panel. Buff to absolute perfection. This bottle is so effective, so efficient, I can get 4 or 5 cars out of this bottle."
3. Art/painting
The fine mist sprayers are great for painting, Julie from Cheap Joe's Art Stuff describes. "It's fun, it's great to use, and it's interesting to use for creating washes and effects on the fly while you're painting."
I had to look up what a paint wash was, and found out that it's thinned out paint they use to give a "water color" appearance to a painting. If there are any artists out there that can comment on this, please do so!
4. Houseplants
People love using our fine mist sprayers on houseplants. You can find our sprayers for sale at many plant shops. This video from Techplant demonstrates how a fine mist sprayer is great for plants:
"You can see how nice and even it is on the plant, you can see how the water just sits perfectly. My old sprayer just kind of blasts it and it goes everywhere but the plant."
Note: The spray bottle in this video isn't the same as ours. Ours actually sits without wobbling.
5. To make it look like you're sweating on Squid Game
Apparently fine mist sprayers like ours have made it to Hollywood (or the Korean version of Hollywood at least). Check out how a fine mist sprayer was used on the show Squid Game (after the director yells "cut"):
Where to get your fine mist sprayers
We have three sizes of fine mist sprayers, a mini 5 oz, the regular 10 oz, and a jumbo 24 oz. Take a look here if you'd like your own!
Read more
5 interesting uses for fine mist sprayers (#5 is from Squid Game)
Posted by Dale Ting on
What are fine mist sprayers?
Fine mist sprayers, like The Bucko Fine Mist Sprayers, are pumps but spray a fine mist like an aerosol instead of a stream like a normal sprayer. You might have heard of them under the brand Flairosol. With a short pump, the mist starts and stops with your pump. If you pump it a few times, it will mist continuously until about a second after you stop pumping. The whole time, it gives an even, controlled fine mist.
What can you use The Bucko Fine Mist Sprayers on?
Here are four ways people are using fine mist sprayers:
1. Thick and curly hair
Our fine mist sprayers work on any hair, but really well on hair of people of African and Asian descent, especially Asians with curly hair. Rosie Chuong, founder of API Curls, demonstrates our sprayer for thick, curly hair compared to a regular spray bottle.
2. Car wax
Scott with Dallas Paint Correction and Auto Detailing is a fan of the fine mist sprayer for spray waxing cars. He talks about how other spray bottles leave too much wax on the surface where you have to wipe most of it off. But with the fine mist spray bottle:
"When you apply spray wax, you want a misting on the panel. Buff to absolute perfection. This bottle is so effective, so efficient, I can get 4 or 5 cars out of this bottle."
3. Art/painting
The fine mist sprayers are great for painting, Julie from Cheap Joe's Art Stuff describes. "It's fun, it's great to use, and it's interesting to use for creating washes and effects on the fly while you're painting."
I had to look up what a paint wash was, and found out that it's thinned out paint they use to give a "water color" appearance to a painting. If there are any artists out there that can comment on this, please do so!
4. Houseplants
People love using our fine mist sprayers on houseplants. You can find our sprayers for sale at many plant shops. This video from Techplant demonstrates how a fine mist sprayer is great for plants:
"You can see how nice and even it is on the plant, you can see how the water just sits perfectly. My old sprayer just kind of blasts it and it goes everywhere but the plant."
Note: The spray bottle in this video isn't the same as ours. Ours actually sits without wobbling.
5. To make it look like you're sweating on Squid Game
Apparently fine mist sprayers like ours have made it to Hollywood (or the Korean version of Hollywood at least). Check out how a fine mist sprayer was used on the show Squid Game (after the director yells "cut"):
Where to get your fine mist sprayers
We have three sizes of fine mist sprayers, a mini 5 oz, the regular 10 oz, and a jumbo 24 oz. Take a look here if you'd like your own!
Read more
We read bad reviews for PandaBoard Bamboo Fiber straws
Posted by Dale Ting on
And finally... bad reviews for our newest products, PandaBoard Bamboo Fiber Straws. Since our straws as so new, we only have 48 total ratings for it on Amazon for a total rating of 4.4 stars.
Here are some of the good ones to start, just to get us in the right frame of mind:
"I thought we'd never find a straw that meets all our family's needs. This one doesn't taste like paper, it doesn't fall apart, feels super natural and is apparently biodegradable and compostable. And it's so much cheaper than reusable straws!"
"These are great ! I got them for my Daily Harvest smoothies and my homemade boba teas. They hold up but you can tell they are environmentally friendly because they’ll eventually soften. And they are big enough that they don’t get clogged."
And now to humble us (and to learn how we can improve), we looked for our bad reviews. I only found one 1 star review, and then had to go to a 3 star review. Of course we think we have a great product, but it's also because it's relatively new and we don't have that many total reviews. Anyways, here's our one star review:
"The straw is good but it has an unpleasant taste and texture"
I think it depends on what you're comparing it to. I think we're all used to plastic, which we don't think tastes like anything. For me, it's got a better taste and texture than paper, but yes I can see that it's different than a plastic straw.
Our three star review:
"Great product I would consider using again if price drops"
Our straws definitely are more expensive than plastic straws. There are so many more plastic straws made that it's gotten really cheap. Hopefully, as more bamboo straws are being used, the price will come down. Especially because bamboo grows a lot really fast.
Thanks for checking out our blog series on bad reviews! As always, we think we have great products and we hope you enjoy them, but we're always looking to improve where we can and they may not be a fit for everyone.
Still want to buy our product? Shop for The Bucko here!
Want to see more bad reviews? Check out:
Bad reviews for Regal Beagle Fine Mist Sprayers
Bad reviews for The Bucko Soap Scum and Grime Cleaner
Read more
We read bad reviews for PandaBoard Bamboo Fiber straws
Posted by Dale Ting on
And finally... bad reviews for our newest products, PandaBoard Bamboo Fiber Straws. Since our straws as so new, we only have 48 total ratings for it on Amazon for a total rating of 4.4 stars.
Here are some of the good ones to start, just to get us in the right frame of mind:
"I thought we'd never find a straw that meets all our family's needs. This one doesn't taste like paper, it doesn't fall apart, feels super natural and is apparently biodegradable and compostable. And it's so much cheaper than reusable straws!"
"These are great ! I got them for my Daily Harvest smoothies and my homemade boba teas. They hold up but you can tell they are environmentally friendly because they’ll eventually soften. And they are big enough that they don’t get clogged."
And now to humble us (and to learn how we can improve), we looked for our bad reviews. I only found one 1 star review, and then had to go to a 3 star review. Of course we think we have a great product, but it's also because it's relatively new and we don't have that many total reviews. Anyways, here's our one star review:
"The straw is good but it has an unpleasant taste and texture"
I think it depends on what you're comparing it to. I think we're all used to plastic, which we don't think tastes like anything. For me, it's got a better taste and texture than paper, but yes I can see that it's different than a plastic straw.
Our three star review:
"Great product I would consider using again if price drops"
Our straws definitely are more expensive than plastic straws. There are so many more plastic straws made that it's gotten really cheap. Hopefully, as more bamboo straws are being used, the price will come down. Especially because bamboo grows a lot really fast.
Thanks for checking out our blog series on bad reviews! As always, we think we have great products and we hope you enjoy them, but we're always looking to improve where we can and they may not be a fit for everyone.
Still want to buy our product? Shop for The Bucko here!
Want to see more bad reviews? Check out:
Bad reviews for Regal Beagle Fine Mist Sprayers
Bad reviews for The Bucko Soap Scum and Grime Cleaner
Read more
We read bad reviews for Regal Beagle Fine Mist Sprayers
Posted by Dale Ting on
Here's another installment of our "we read our bad reviews" series, as we check out the bad reviews for our fine mist sprayers. Of course, most of our ratings are great, as we have a 4.6 out of 5 rating on Amazon with 1,161 ratings. Here are a couple:
"I love a good product that does exactly what it's supposed to but I REALLY LOVE GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE and together you've got an unbeatable combo!" - greengirl
"These are awesome! First spray bottle I have ever had which actually works like an aerosol spray." - KDDid
But of course, here are some of the one star ones.
One star review #1:
"Of three, one works great. The other two are totally non-functional. Of course, the first one I used happened to be the sole functioning one so by the time I found out the other two were duds, it was too late to return. Joke’s on me, Amazon! To the landfill with this garbage."
First of all, you have to admire the fact that this reviewer made an infographic and a video. I would be frustrated too if my sprayers didn't spray right. I think this person got a defective batch. On the bright side, he/she blames Amazon instead of us. :) But in the end, we'll take responsibility for it. We do seem to get a few that are defective, and in that case we definitely want to make it right by sending out replacements. Make sure to contact us. We'll look into offering a warranty and better communicate how to get a replacement if it doesn't work.
One star review #2:
"I use this for diluted Whip It. Lasted about a year, then just stopped working. Learn from my mistake. Use only for water for misting plants, hair, makeup, etc."
Our fine mist sprayers only work with water like liquids. I tried to look up Whip-It to see what kind of liquid it was, but it seems like Whip-It is a brand of dispensers. I'm guessing the reviewer was trying to use it for whipped cream or something? We'll go back and check our listings to make sure it says "water like liquids only" and look into a sprayer that can mist oils.
As always, if you have an issue with our products, please don't hesitate to contact us. We'll do our best to make it right.
Still want to buy our product? Shop for The Bucko here!
Want to see more bad reviews? Check out:
Bad reviews for PandaBoard Straws
Bad reviews for The Bucko Soap Scum and Grime Cleaner
Read more
We read bad reviews for Regal Beagle Fine Mist Sprayers
Posted by Dale Ting on
Here's another installment of our "we read our bad reviews" series, as we check out the bad reviews for our fine mist sprayers. Of course, most of our ratings are great, as we have a 4.6 out of 5 rating on Amazon with 1,161 ratings. Here are a couple:
"I love a good product that does exactly what it's supposed to but I REALLY LOVE GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE and together you've got an unbeatable combo!" - greengirl
"These are awesome! First spray bottle I have ever had which actually works like an aerosol spray." - KDDid
But of course, here are some of the one star ones.
One star review #1:
"Of three, one works great. The other two are totally non-functional. Of course, the first one I used happened to be the sole functioning one so by the time I found out the other two were duds, it was too late to return. Joke’s on me, Amazon! To the landfill with this garbage."
First of all, you have to admire the fact that this reviewer made an infographic and a video. I would be frustrated too if my sprayers didn't spray right. I think this person got a defective batch. On the bright side, he/she blames Amazon instead of us. :) But in the end, we'll take responsibility for it. We do seem to get a few that are defective, and in that case we definitely want to make it right by sending out replacements. Make sure to contact us. We'll look into offering a warranty and better communicate how to get a replacement if it doesn't work.
One star review #2:
"I use this for diluted Whip It. Lasted about a year, then just stopped working. Learn from my mistake. Use only for water for misting plants, hair, makeup, etc."
Our fine mist sprayers only work with water like liquids. I tried to look up Whip-It to see what kind of liquid it was, but it seems like Whip-It is a brand of dispensers. I'm guessing the reviewer was trying to use it for whipped cream or something? We'll go back and check our listings to make sure it says "water like liquids only" and look into a sprayer that can mist oils.
As always, if you have an issue with our products, please don't hesitate to contact us. We'll do our best to make it right.
Still want to buy our product? Shop for The Bucko here!
Want to see more bad reviews? Check out:
Bad reviews for PandaBoard Straws
Bad reviews for The Bucko Soap Scum and Grime Cleaner