I’ve been wanting to try one of those wireless otoscopes for years now to clean out my ears, so I finally pulled the trigger over the summer and ended up buying one. And let me tell you: it’s the weirdest gadget I bought in 2023. Yet somehow, it was oddly satisfying at the same time.

After mulling it over, I bought the Xlife wireless otoscope ear wax removal camera for $22.94 at Amazon, which is great if you’re looking for a different kind of gift. (Make sure to click the on-page 15% off coupon to get this price at checkout). Sure, you can buy a 750 count pack of Q-tips for about $5 on average and it could last you the entire year — but they won’t get your ears as clean as using a wireless otoscope.

The wireless otoscope ear cleaner camera I bought surprised me the moment I first used it. Let me be frank and tell you that I religiously use Q-tips every day, so I thought I had wax-free ear canals. Once I first set the wireless otoscope up and connected via Wi-Fi directly to my phone, I slowly realized that was far from the truth.

Since there’s a 1080p camera on the end of the wireless otoscope with LEDs surrounding it, I’m able to see what it sees through my phone. I’m not sure how you feel about seeing the insides of your ear, but I felt like a captain steering a ship — navigating unexplored territory where my eyes have never been before.

Almost instantly I saw some light ear wax buildup on the sides of my ear canal, along with my eardrum at the far end. It’s weird for sure, but I made sure to be extremely careful to not touch it. Once I scraped out the ear wax, I proceeded to check my other ear. And that’s when I got the biggest shock.

There was a darker mass I could see stuck on the side of my ear canal using the Xlife wireless otoscope ear wax removal camera. It took some time to fetch out of my ear using the scraper tool on the end of the otoscope, but I eventually got that bad boy out of my ear. It was roughly ¼-inches in length, which appeared to be mostly cotton mixed in with ear wax that somehow got stuck in there for who knows how long.

Nevertheless, the experience was satisfying going from shock to relief in a matter of minutes. I’ve stopped using cotton Q-tips altogether since I bought this wireless otoscope ear wax removal camera, but here are some additional ones I recommend.