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Love it for my unconventional use!I didn’t buy this for the reason that I expect most people buy a baster. I have two Dieffenbachias in a single rectangular planter, and I’ve been researching for many months, trying to find an attractive self-watering planter, or at least an attractive AND affordable planter that would accommodate a portable (fits into any container) self-watering accessory or DIY equivalent.Most of the planters that are the size I need which include self-watering elements are way out of my budget that I’m willing to spend on the planter, and many did not fit my decor. These particular plants really love to nearly dry out and then undergo a thorough watering every 2-3 weeks. In the spot that I have them, I also need to rotate them once or twice a month to ensure even growth. Since buying the plants last summer (2016), I’ve been tediously lifting them out of the planter (they’re still in their original pots, sitting inside a bigger planter that holds both of them) and dragging these heavy things to the shower or sink, where I drench them with a gallon each of a weak fertilizer solution. The plants are very happy. I am not. I tried another solution of just watering directly in place, and using less water, but I found the plants were not doing as well when I did that. They really love to be thoroughly drenched (but also thoroughly drained)!So I finally gave up on the idea of finding an affordable, convenient self-watering solution (and an affordable planter big enough to accommodate such), and I came up with a Plan B. Enter the baster!So what I have done is cut six little Styrofoam squares that came with some packaging, and I placed them on the bottom of my external planter to act as “feet” for the two original (10″) plant pots. The Styrofoam squares are just under 2″ in height, which is perfect to provide room for thorough drenching and draining in the original pots.So what I do is prepare a gallon of half-strength fertilizer solution and put it into my watering can and empty the entire contents into one pot. Then I repeat for the other pot. By the time I am done watering the second plant, the first plant has drained quite a bit of water. At that point, I stick the baster down into the external planter and suck up some of the excess water and empty it into a bucket. I usually do it twice, to make room for more water, then I set a timer to come back in about 20 minutes and empty it again. I set another timer to check back in an hour to empty any remaining water.I realize that I could have accomplished a similarly convenient setup by drilling a hole in the bottom of the planter and creating a drain spout that I could plug up when not in use, and perhaps place a bowl under it during watering times. But I had a fear that the seal would one day not hold, and I would end up with ugly water stains on my carpet, so I decided to pass on that.This baster is super handy because of its long length, making it very easy to reach all the way to the bottom of the pot and drain the excess water so it doesn’t drown the plants or become stale or moldy. It is the next-best thing to a self-watering planter for assuring that my plants get all the water they need, with no worries about overwatering or drowning them or ending up with rotting roots.I love my super-long baster! Who knew it would be so handy for something other than cooking!

Great for aquarium spot cleaningI have a small turtle in a 55 gallon tank. There really isn’t a lot of mess to clean but to keep it easier to clean I leave it empty (no rocks on bottom). This means It’s just all glass. I got this baster so that I could spot clean the larger (dodo) debris that sits on bottom. With it being just all glass, it makes it easier just to spot clean larger debris rather than to constantly be cleaning rocks or getting the larger vacuum out. It’s perfect because it is super long and I don’t have to get my hands in the water at all. It suctions up debris extremely well (bottom and floaters).

Am amazing tool for cleaning aquariums!I use this to suck up dirt in my aquarium, and it works like a charm. My tank is a 20G tall and I needed something long enough to keep my hand above the water line. This tool gets behind and under rocks, plants, and those hard-to-reach areas the vacuum just can’t get to. My tank is so much cleaner, and easier to clean since I started using this. I really do see a difference. I was amazed at how much dirt I was drawing up in this baster when I first started using it. Now the water is significantly cleaner when I do water changes, proving just how well it works. I plan on ordering additional basters for my other tanks. I highly recommend this if you have an aquarium and really want to remove all the dirt in those inaccessible areas and keep your fish healthy and happy.

aquarium enthusiasts friendbought to clean my shrimp tank as a regular tank vacuum would suck up all my baby shrimps, works out perfect to suction up the bottom, and works really good for pulling out pest snails that get in there! i know that’s not the intended purpose but works great for what I needed it for.

Works, but drippyThe point of a baster is that you suction liquid at point A and transfer it, tidily, to point B. The baster drips out the front end as you try to make the transfer. It’s worse if the suctioning is of less than the full tube. I use it for taking mead, cider and beer samples, so clean up (and general sanitation) is pretty crucial for me. Drips are a serious no-no. The graduated marks on the side of the baster are a nice touch, and could be quite useful if, yanno, I wasn’t loosing liquid constantly, making those marks irrelevant. Shame, I really wanted to like this more than I do.