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Reviewer ranking: #90
TOP 100 REVIEWER
705 reviews | 249 helpful votes
240 Biodegradable Dog Poop Bags with Stylish Universal Dispenser
2018-04-06 Verified purchase
How much do you love the environment?
Yeah, these bags are nearly twice as expensive as the regular poo pickers, but those black bags aren’t biodegradable, so every time you clean up after your dog, you’re actually making the world a worse place for future generations! You’d be better off to leave the droppings on the ground, than use those black bags!
Actually, come to think of it, even biodegradable bags aren’t as environmentally friendly as just using your bare hands to bring those leavings back home to your compost! But I guess I don’t love the earth enough for that…
IRIS Small Puppy and Dog Training Pet Pad Holder, Blue
2018-04-06 Verified purchase
Like a picture frame for your piddle pads
Our little puppy had decided that his pee pads were lovely toys, that flapped in the breeze as he ran. So, we locked them down in this pad holder, and he hasn’t been able to get at them since. It is smaller than the pads we order, so we’ve had to fold them to get them to fit. Another benefit, the resemblance to a picture frame made me realize we could repurpose the used pads as “outsider art”, and his “sketches” are now featured in three local galleries, with a waitlist for his next “release”!
NEEWER Adjustable Microphone Suspension Boom Scissor Arm Stand
2018-04-03 Verified purchase
Works well with Yeti mic
Works like a charm. Now finally, I’m able to record my voiceovers without hunching over the microphone like an ogre, or sticking it on a stack of books to bring it to mouth level. Now, if only it could improve the sound of voice…
PAWZ Road Large Dog Plaid Shirt Coat Hoodie Pet Winter Clothes Warm and Soft Red XXS
2018-03-19 Verified purchase
Very cute, but our pupper still needs to grow into his XXS
We got the XXS for our newly arrived pug puppy, and although he’s currently swimming in it, I’m sure it will fit him nicely soon!
SmartPetLove Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy, Black Lab
2018-03-19 Verified purchase
A friend when you need him, and a toy after that
When we first brought our puppy home at eight weeks, he was a bit sad to not have his litter mates around. We put this puppy into his bed, turned on the heartbeat, put in the heating pad, and he cuddled right up to it. He still sleeps with it, every night.
However, once we stopped putting in the heat packs and took out the heart, he decided that what was once a friend to keep him company in the dark was now a lifeless shell to be torn apart with gusto.
He particularly enjoys ripping open the velcro, and pulling out the “stomach” to chew on. I’m not sure if we should be alarmed by this behaviour. Thankfully, the puppy seems to be constructed to withstand this barrage of tiny teeth, and it’s still in one piece.
Fitbit Charge 2 Bands, Vancle Special Edition
2018-02-26 Verified purchase
Known issue for Fitbit, but these replacement bands are a good fix
FACT: FITBIT CHARGE 2 BANDS SUCK
The glue that holds the band to the connection fails quite a bit. It happens to a lot of Fitbit owners, and it’s frustrating.
On the previous generation of Charge trackers, the problem was catastrophic. The band was meant to be permanently attached to the tracker, so when it came loose, you were out of luck.
Now, thankfully, the band can detach, so a failure in your original band doesn’t mean throwing away the whole tracker.
These bands are just as good as the original, branded ones – and with the added benefits of being able to colour-coordinate for outfits, and should one break, you have a bunch more to replace it with!
3 people found this review helpful
2018-02-22 Verified purchase
Better than Hue (If you don’t need colours) for a Smarter Home
If you want to see the install process, go to YouTube and search for “Installing a WEMO Light Switch reviewy mcreviewface”. It’s easy, with even just a dangerously small amount of DIY know-how.
Works great; have it set up with my Google Home, as well as the timers built into the WeMo app. No worry about expensive “smart bulbs”, no problems with shoddy manufacturing and bad specs for sizing, and no issues with connectivity.
If you’re thinking about making your home a little smarter, and don’t need a colour changing bulb, I would highly recommend these over a smart light bulb.
2018-02-22 Verified purchase
Good for soup
I use this as a heat-retention wrap around the bottom of bowls of soup, and I have found that they retain their heat 19% longer, compared to un-Speedo’ed soup bowls. Stretchy enough to fit most bowls.
1 person found this review helpful
SanDisk Ultra 64GB microSDXC UHS-I card with Adapter
2018-02-22 Verified purchase
Based on my complete lack of ability to properly judge the technical aspects of this product, I would say it is good
Okay, so here’s how I understand memory cards to work. I buy one that has a little “10” in a circle somewhere on it, because I’ve been told that’s a bare minimum requirement for shooting videos.
Then, I pull this bit of plastic out of packaging that has more plastic than the actual product.
I put this ridiculously small fingernail of plastic into my camera, and whenever I take a picture or video, it somehow stores it all onto something impossibly small.
So, my ranking system for these is pretty simple: is it cheaper than other cards with the same ratings? Is it a brand name I trust? Is it big enough to be handy, but not so big as to make it too pricey?
And finally, when it arrives, does it work?
Based on these parameters, this card is good, and you will be able to take a lot of photos or videos without having to empty it out, or change to a different card.
3 people found this review helpful
Speedo Women’s Plus-Size Endurance+ Side Shirred Tank One Piece Swimsuit, Black
2018-02-22 Verified purchase
Great suit for active swimmers
Fits appropriately. No over-stretched see-thru places. Great for active swimmers.
Shows a bit too much ankle, though.
1 person found this review helpful
EarPeace Ear Plugs – High Fidelity Hearing Protection for Concerts & Music Professionals (Red/White)
2018-02-07 Verified purchase
Full review on YouTube
You can see my full review on YouTube, by searching for “Reduce The Volume! High Fidelity Ear Plugs (Amazon Review)”
These ear plugs are not your average wad of foam – they’re meant to let in the sound, but cut the volume, without muffling the audio experience, especially for music.
How do they work? Pretty well, but only if you know what to expect. If you’re looking for something to completely block a sound, say like a pug snoring, these aren’t the earplugs you’re looking for. You’ll still be able to hear snoring, just at a lower volume. But still, clear as day!
HUGGIES LITTLE SNUGGLERS, New Born, Baby Diapers, 88ct
2018-02-07 Verified purchase
You can use the subscription service for Amazon Prime to help those in need
I use my Amazon Prime membership, and set up a monthly delivery of these to a local family shelter. They get a regular shipment of diapers, right to their doorstep, and I get to justify my Prime, which I usually use for rather silly things, as a worthwhile investment.
1 person found this review helpful
Silicone Wallet Credit ID Card Adhesive Holder Case for Smart Phone Black
2018-02-07 Verified purchase
No more wallet!
I hate carrying a wallet – spend a lot of time in the cab of the truck, and sitting on a wallet means big problems down the road. I tried one of those front pocket wallets, but I kept forgetting and putting it in my back pocket anyway.
Now, I don’t carry one of those new smart phones – just an old flip that I keep in case of emergencies, and I don’t carry that around much. Just stays in the glovebox. But this little pouch means I never have to carry a wallet again.
I got two of ’em – one, I stuck to the inside of my sunshade in the truck. That holds my license and registration. Easy peasy.
The second one is stuck to the side of my ballcap – and I never go anywhere without my cap. That’s got a credit card and a few small bills tucked into it. What else do you need, right?
It’s handy as all get out!
Jamieson Prenatal Complete with DHA
2018-02-07 Verified purchase
Price good? Trust the brand? Then buy them.
There’s a few factors at play for you here:
Do you trust Jamieson as a brand?
Do you need prenatal vitamins?
Are these a reasonable price, compared to the competition?
If you answered “yes” to all three of these questions, then these vitamins are for you. There are no reviews on here that will give you clinical testing information as to the effectiveness of these vitamins as a whole, or whether this brand’s versions are more or less effective than others. All you’re getting here is untested opinion.
The only other considerations are the size of the pills, and the taste. If you swallow them quickly enough, there’s no flavour. If you let them linger, you’re an odd duck, because no pills taste good. I’ve heard that some other brands can produce “fishy burps”, and while we haven’t experienced that here, your experience will vary, based on how your body deals with the vitamins (as well as your tolerance for “fishy” flavours and your propensity for belching).
Size-wise, these aren’t baby Asprins. They’re on the large end of the pill spectrum, but within the normal range for prenatals. Again, your experience will vary based on how well you do with pills. If you were given Asprin crushed up with sugar on a spoon as a child, you might find these hard to take. If you can regularly swallow a pill without water, you’ll be fine here, but you might prefer a sip to help wash ’em down.
So really, it comes down to price and brand trust. We trust them, and the price was fair for us, so we’ll continue to use them.
1 person found this review helpful
Mens Wrestling Sexy Singlet Bodysuit Lingerie Underwear Pant Black XL
2018-01-26 Verified purchase
“Well, maybe I could wear this for…” No. No you can’t. You know where and when you can wear this. No other uses are possible.
Two things to note here – if you read “wrestling singlet” and think this will be made of a thick, durable material, think again. This is a lighter, softer material, with a bit of sheerness. Also, while it’s not incredibly obvious from the images, this does have that little pouch out front for your, ahem, bits.
So, if you were to, say, purchase this item, thinking it would be a hilarious outfit for a polar bear plunge, you may want to consider other options, as this look may get you escorted out of the event under a blanket, and the disapproving glares of the entire organization committee.
There are specific occasions to wear this outfit, and you know exactly what they are. You will not get away with this as anything else.
2018-01-23 Verified purchase
Better than expected. Well designed. Is a floor lamp.
Looks as good as the other, more expensive options, but you’ll swear when you open the box that they went to Ikea, took apart three Lack side tables, and re-wrapped them in about ten pounds worth of additional cardboard and plastic.
Fear not, it’s not as cheap as it might first appear. Once it’s built, it’s fairly stable, and rather nice looking. One thing to keep in mind, the suggested weight limit is only eight pounds – so the shelves are great for photos, not so great for work boots or bowling balls.
Assembly took about 20 minutes, and all you need is a screwdriver. Maybe a rubber mallet, if you have one handy, for the little nubs that cover the screws at the top, but you can probably manage to get them in with your hands.
As for the problems some folks have with over-tightening the legs during assembly, you should be okay if you watch and listen as you tighten. Once it starts to rub against the wood and squeak a little, I finished tightening to the nearest corner, and I didn’t have an issue. Just don’t go crazy on it.
If you find the internal lamp shade is folding up on you, you may have missed adding the little wooden dowels that keep the shade pinned between themselves and the side of the lamp.
This one actually came with a few extra screws – so if you order one and it’s short a few bits, I’m sorry.
Overall, a decent lamp, especially for around $45-50.
6 people found this review helpful
Philips Hue White A19 Single Bulb, Apple HomeKit compatible
2018-01-15 Verified purchase
It is a very nice light bulb
My great-grandchildren gave me this light bulb for my 85th birthday. I did not know that it was a fancy light bulb, but it didn’t seem like a very impressive gift at first. I mean, I remember how impressed my own father was by electrical lighting, as he grew up on a farm where the only light was from candles and lanterns, and when the sun went down, it meant it was time for you to sleep. He told me that these electric lights, while amazing, weren’t what the Good Lord intended for a man to govern his life by, and while it was mighty handy when you needed to get up in the middle of the night to use that other miracle, indoor plumbing, without stubbing a toe on every piece of furniture between your bed and the water closet, by gum, there was no need for an honest man to be up beyond the hours that the sun provided. I don’t know what he might have thought of these new, fancy light bulbs, but I can’t imagine he would have approved. The kids were real eager to set up the light for me, though, so I decided to give it a chance and keep an open mind. I can’t fathom half of the fancy new inventions that seem to pour out of the stores on a daily basis these days; I remember a time when new things came about in a more civilized fashion. Now, it seems you barely have time to even look at the latest doodad before the next one has made it completely obsolete. I mean, I had my old television for forty years, and never had an issue with it. But my son, he goes through televisions like they’re disposable. My goodness, they have six of ’em in that mansion of a house, and hardly a year goes by that they’re not replacing one of them with something newer, flatter, brighter, more connected to some other gadget in the house… I can’t hardly keep up with it all. But anyway, the kids set up this light for me in the lamp next to my bed, which is the only light I have in my room at the senior’s complex. I mean, if I want some natural light, I’ll go down the hall to the looking window – the one with the big, comfy chairs – and sit with old Charles or that talkative Millie, and watch those darned squirrels attack the bird feeder again. My goodness, it’s quite the thing, because Eddie – that’s our maintenance fella – he tries everything to keep those darned squirrels out, but there’s not a thing that works. Crafty critters, those squirrels. At any rate, once the family was gone, I tried out the new light, since I had a book to read, and wanted a little quiet time. It turned on, just as good as any other light, and I could read by it just fine. I will admit, it was nifty that, later on that night, I could dim it down a little on the “phone” that my son Avery gave to me. It was his “old” phone, he said, although it looks pretty new to me, and my goodness, the things you can do with a phone these days! I have the thing on there that lets me control the light, but I also have a program that lets me do crosswords, and another one that lets me watch my stepson’s video show on the You Tubes, but I’ll admit that I don’t watch him too much, because he uses some pretty strong language and he talks about the most unusual things, and let’s just say, he’s no Monty Hall. Nice enough boy, but I hope he stops fooling around one of these days and gets a real job. At any rate, I think I will sign off, and turn my new light off for the night. It is set to turn on, first thing in the morning, which ought to be nice. Just like my father, getting up with the sun, letting the light bring you into a new day. I think I am going to like that quite a bit.
1 person found this review helpful
Johnson’s Dermatologist and Allergy Tested Baby Oil, 591 ml
2018-01-12 Verified purchase
Really helps to adhere glitter!
I poured a quarter of the bottle over my head before setting off a glitter bomb, and it did a great job of making sure the glitter stuck to me.
Seriously. Go to YouTube, and search for “eco friendly glitter bomb”.
The only downsides were the baby-fresh scent that lingered for about a day, and the glitter that I will never be fully rid of.
On the bright side, my skin was positively glowing (and sparkling)
Performance Tool W1638DB Foot Pump
2018-01-12 Verified purchase
Feels a bit flimsy
Does it do its job? Yes, but it’s about as sturdy as a newborn giraffe.
Okay, bad imagery. Now you’re imagining stomping on some poor baby giraffe, and trying to fill a bike tire with its pitiful cries for help.
I promise, no baby giraffes will be harmed by this pump.
But the point is, it’s rickety feeling. Every stomp feels like you could twist this thing sideways into a metallic pretzel. It delivers a fair amount of air pressure per pump, but I found myself going slower because I didn’t want to wreck the thing.
Good for the price, but I worry it won’t last. Would probably recommend spending a bit more for a standing pump instead.
1 person found this review helpful
2018-01-12 Verified purchase
Extreme footage needs protection, too!
I know the Session 5 is designed to be damn near indestructible, but an extra layer of protection on the lens is never a bad idea! All it would take is one good scratch across the front to ruin a lot of video potential. You get six of these little lens covers in a single pack, and that ought to be enough to protect even the most extreme of athletes.
And let’s be honest, while the promo videos for GoPro are all people jumping out of helicopters to ski down a mountain and jump onto a shark’s back, you’re probably using your camera for less extreme purposes, so just one of these will probably last you quite a while!
2018-01-12 Verified purchase
Finally, I can listen to my Oceans Eleven soundtrack while I swim!
Works great! Strapped to the back of a pair of goggles, this MP3 player holds enough music for a nice, long swim, and enough battery power for a few days’ worth of swimming. The earphones work well, although it can be a bit tricky putting them in the first few times. The buds do a decent job of keeping water out of your ears – not perfect, but better than you might expect.
The only downside is the charging method – the 3.5mm jack. Finding extra cables for this is going to be more of a challenge than some other MP3 players, but there are options out there.
2017-12-28 Verified purchase
Measurements are not accurate
Do not buy this light switch if you have a double switch box – it will not fit. You CAN replace the entire box, but that’s a lot more work than every other smart switch on the market. Save yourself the hassle, and spend an extra couple of dollars on a better designed switch.
Want to see what I’m talking about? Search “do not buy the lyasi smart switch” on YouTube.
2017-12-28 Verified purchase
Be VERY careful with water!
Worked all right, but while washing it, a very small amount of water got into the base – not submerged – and it killed it. It did the trick while it was alive, but it only lasted about a month before it’s untimely demise. Pretty pricey for a month of coffee, even by Starbucks’ standards…
Hamilton Beach 40619C Percolator with Detachable Cord
2017-12-08 Verified purchase
Check my YouTube review for details
I’ve got a full review up on YouTube; just search for “Cut the Noise! Active Noise Cancellation Headphones (Amazon Review)”
They work great! Sound is good, and the active noise cancellation is a godsend for bus rides and flights. It’s not as great for running, as the wind going by makes a bit of a rushing noise.
TaoTronics Active Noise Cancellation Headphones
2017-12-08 Verified purchase
I prefer to leave this largely untested…
Okay sure, it fits like a glove, has appropriately sized cutouts for ports and buttons, has a front lip to keep your screen off the ground, and it’s thick enough in the back to flatten out the camera bump. My only complaint is that it’s a bit slippery. Not nearly as slick as the phone on its own, of course, but a little grippier on the back would have been nice.
I refuse to throw my phone down the stairs to test how well it protects against a fall. I will do anything for reviews, but I won’t do that.
(EDIT: I just dropped my phone from waist level onto a concrete floor, and there was no damage)
2017-11-26 Verified purchase
Don’t buy this if you hate attention! Or have a pencil neck…
Great product, both as a face warmer, and as a fun accessory. The design is great – open nose hole for breathing, mesh over the mouth area, a chin cup and lower neck protector underneath the beard – so you’re going to stay warm when you’re outdoors. The beard is fun, and gets a lot of attention.
The only issue I had with the Beardski is the size, but it’s a minor complaint. If it had been too small or too tight, that would have been worse. As it stands, it was a bit loose on my neck, but I sewed in an extra strip of velcro, and now it fits perfectly. Some of my larger necked friends tried it on, and commented that they usually can’t find a face mask that fits them this well, so it’s a trade-off.
It does ride a bit low on the cheeks and ears, so it may leave some bits of the face exposed to the elements, no matter your toque situation. But it’s the most comfortable and fun face protection I’ve ever found.
Beardski RB-50003 Zeke Ski Mask
2017-11-26 Verified purchase
No toilet humour here – just a replacement valve that’s flush with value!
I was pretty sceptical of this valve; the adjustable size with their twist-lock adjustment seemed like it might be flimsy, the lack of a float made me doubt it’s effectiveness, and the claims of being whisper quiet… I mean, it’s a toilet, it’s gonna make some noise when you refill it. You can’t pour water into a porcelain tank noiselessly, unless it’s filling it at a very slow dribble. Also, it was the cheapest option, which always makes me worry.
To my surprise, it’s been an effective replacement valve. The twist-lock is sturdier than it appears, the internal water level shutoff works well (although if the openings for the shutoff become clogged from sediments in your water, it might lose effectiveness. Something to watch!) As for the noise, I didn’t find it louder than the old valve, but I can’t say I noticed a discernable reduction in fill noise. But, it’s not louder, so I’ll call that a win.
It’s quick and easy to install, with clear directions, and all necessary included parts. Took me about 15 minutes, start to finish. Heck, I’ve spent longer on a toilet than that, and I wasn’t doing repairs, if you know what I mean 😉
Korky 528 Korky Quiet Fill Toilet Fill Valve
1 person found this review helpful
2017-11-07 Verified purchase
Good value on the $, but these aren’t clear lenses
Ordered the clear lenses, but these certainly aren’t clear. They’re slightly tinted, which was less than ideal, but still better than no goggles at all; and at around ten bucks, it’s not worth the hassle to return them. They fit well, and they do fog up a touch, but they’re otherwise fine. Probably better quality than their price would suggest.
Global Vision Eliminator Motorcycle Goggles (Black Frame/Clear Lens)
1 person found this review helpful
2017-11-07 Verified purchase
Red? Kinda…
Ordered the red, and it’s definitely more of an orange-red than a pure, vivid red. Like, not apple red. More like the colour of a basketball at night lit by a red neon sign from six feet. Less San Francisco 49ers, more Cleveland Browns. Imagine what colour a yam would glow. If this was a sunset, it would be a much less stormy day. It’s more like the colour of the middle of a fire, as opposed to the base of it. It’s… well heck, it’s orange. Dark orange, reddish orange, orangish red, whatever you want to call it. It’s good, but it’s not just red.
2017-11-07 Verified purchase
Perfect Weird Al glasses!
Got these for a Halloween costume, and man, did they do the trick! They were comfortable, lightweight, with a clear prescription-free lens. Highly recommend ’em for your costuming needs!
Outray Classic Aviator Metal Frame Clear Lens Glasses 2167c2 Gold
2017-11-06 Verified purchase
Good enough quality for an inexpensive costume!
Good costume for the money. No, it’s not going to be the finest sweater + hat combo you’ve ever owned, but this is meant to blend into the crowd, not stand out! You may only get a few wears out of this costume, but c’mon – who dresses up like Waldo more than a few times, anyway? Sufficient for all your Halloween needs!
elope Where’s Waldo Adult Costume Kit, Red/White, Large/X-Large
2017-10-29 Verified purchase
Not it’s intended purpose, but makes a GREAT Weird Al costume wig!
Okay, granted I didn’t wear this for it’s intended purpose. I wore it backwards as part of a Weird Al Yankovich costume, and it worked out pretty incredibly, if I do say so myself.
The wig itself was comfortable – even backwards, I wore it all night without any issues. It didn’t slip around, it didn’t itch, and it didn’t fall apart.
I got a ton of compliments on it!
2017-10-27 Verified purchase
Sufferin’ Succotash!
THiSS THing iSS SStupendouSS! I uSSed to SSpray my mic wiTH SSpittle every time I did a voiTHover, and the SSound SSuffered SSignificantly. THiSS pop filter meanSS THat my audio now SSounds aSS criSSp and clear aS a profeSSSion voiTH actor! Of courSSe, you need a SSuitable microphone to SSuit THiS and really SSoup up your SSound, but in front of every good microphone iSS a SStellar pop filter! SSeriously, THiS SSetup SSaved my buSSineSSSSSH!
2017-10-27 Verified purchase
Good, solid paracord
I was stuck in an ex-Russian compound, and all I had to work with to free myself was a paperclip, two inches of black tape, a credit card… oh, and I stole one of the guard’s smartphones. I used the phone to order a bunch of stuff from Amazon, including this paracord. I also bought some knives, body armor, a lock picking set, gas mask, a bicycle, a parachute, a replica Russian military uniform, three mouse traps, some vodka, a tea set, and some bubble gum. Thankfully, I have Prime, so it was delivered by drone by the next day. Thanks to the delivery driver for flying it in through the barred window, one item at a time. (Did I mention I bought a drone for the delivery?) From these few supplies, I was able to escape my cell, overpower the guards, stop their boss from fleeing in a tank, and blow up the complex (but not before rescuing the children from a local village, who had been held captive and used for slave labor.
Oh, the paracord? I used it as a replacement boot lace. Mine had snapped. Worked great.
Ultimate Survival Technologies Paracord, 550-Pound/30-Feet, Black
1 person found this review helpful
2017-10-27 Verified purchase
Minor issues, nothing that will interfere with you wearing it once for Halloween
It’s a bit short in the arms and legs for me (6’1″, 200 lbs), and the motor smelled a bit like burning the first few times I tried it out. Also, very crinkly suit that makes a lot of noise when you walk. But let’s be honest, you don’t care about that. You want to go out for Halloween as a bowling ball, this is going to do the trick for you, and you’re going to overlook any little flaws. Heck, you’ll probably only ever wear this a few times, so comfort isn’t really a consideration. Looks wise, it fits the bill.
Rubies Costume Inflatable Full Body Suit, Black, One Size
2017-10-27 Verified purchase
Good value option
Great for prolonged photo shoots, live streaming, or other situations where you need your camera on for more than a few minutes at a time. Yes, it’s off-brand, but it did the job just fine, and at a fraction of the cost of a name-brand version. I may regret this, if someday in the future, this starts my camera on fire… but that day hasn’t come yet.
1 person found this review helpful
2017-10-27 Verified purchase
Want a 10ft cable that connect mini HDMI to HDMI? This is that cable.
Here’s the thing. I’m part of the 90% of buyers who are looking for this cable to do one thing – connect something with a mini HDMI port to something with a full-sized HDMI port. This cable accomplishes that goal, so it’s five stars. Nothing wrong with it.
There are ~10% of you who are going to want to know about the transfer speeds and that sort of stuff. I have no idea. Look at someone else’s review for that.
I like the cable because it is super long, connects properly, and didn’t set anything on fire. I’m pretty easy to please, here.
AmazonBasics High-Speed Mini-HDMI to HDMI Cable – 10 Feet (Latest Standard)
2 people found this review helpful
2017-09-28 Verified purchase
Check my YouTube review
I’ve got a full review up on YouTube; just search for “My Squirrel Call Brings All The Squirrels To The Yard (Amazon Review)”. In short, this thing did get the attention of every squirrel I tried it on. The results varied – some were interested, some came towards me, some froze in place, some ran. But they all stopped what they were doing, and almost without fail, they all puffed up and shook their tails for a few seconds first, which made them very easy to spot!
Hunter’s Specialties Squirrel Call
1 person found this review helpful
2017-09-28 Verified purchase
Three cables. For charging phones.
They’re cables. They’re inexpensive. They are braided, so hopefully they’ll last longer than the plastic ones.
Are they better? I don’t have the tools to tell you. As just some guy who needed cables for a phone, I can say that they are indeed cables. For a phone. They charge the battery.
They didn’t make the phone catch on fire. They didn’t snap on their first use. There are three of them in the package, as advertised. They won’t end world hunger. They need to be plugged in to work. They are not compatible with household appliances. They are not effective pet leashes. They make terrible skipping ropes. They do not come with batteries.
Hope that helps!
3 people found this review helpful
2017-09-28 Verified purchase
Hard to see, but a good fit for infiltrating squirrel communities!
I paired this with a squirrel call Hunter’s Specialties Squirrel Call in an attempt to infiltrate a local community of squirrels. While the mask WAS successful in confusing them, they did not accept me as one of their own.
Also, this mask is really, REALLY hard to see out of. The openings near the mouth of the mask are tiny, and that’s the entirety of your field of vision. And because of the tininess of the holes, you feel like you can’t breathe all that well.
If you search YouTube for “My Squirrel Call Brings All The Squirrels To The Yard (Amazon Review)”, you’ll see the mask in action.
The furry ears are a nice touch, BTW.
CreepyParty Deluxe Novelty Halloween Costume Party Latex Animal Head Mask Squirrel
2017-09-14 Verified purchase
GET ONE NOW! This will be one of the HOT toys this holiday season!
Okay, this little guy is seriously adorable! Porgs seem to be some sort of combination of Ewoks and owls, and they are built for pure, unencumbered merchandising. Now, for sixty bucks, it’s true that this little puffball doesn’t do all that much. He (She? It?) squawks and bleats and whistles as it waddles/rolls around the house. That’s it.
But darned if he doesn’t waddle her way into your heart. It’s pointlessly adorable, and ze even comes with batteries already installed!
If you want to see my full review, go to YouTube and search “Reviewy McReviewface Porg” – I’ll have a video up after 9/18.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi Porg Electronic Plush
2017-09-13 Verified purchase
TL;DR – Easy to install, even if you don’t really know what you’re doing. Lots of cables.
Okay, so I am not a hardware guy. Opening my computer case fills me with dread and apprehension. I’m always worried I’m going to find mice living in there, or a giant dust bunny, or I’m going to set it on fire somehow.
I’ve got a Lenovo tower that was juuuuuuust getting by with a 180v power supply, but when I went to add a SSD, I realized just how little that was. The SATA power for my existing drive and CD bay were coming off an adapter on the motherboard, and there were no spare SATA power cables to be had.
Now, the thing to note here, some Lenovos (like mine) have a 14 pin motherboard power connection, and most power supplies (like this one) have either 24 or 20+4 connections. I did manage to find an adapter, so all is well for the motherboard.
Installation was a snap, even for a dope like me. First off, of course, you TURN OFF THE POWER AND UNPLUG THE MACHINE.
Okay, just wanted to put that out there, just in case. Anyways…
All you need to do is remove four screws in the back, holding the power supply in place. Take off the side of your case (or however you get access to the guts of your machine), follow the connections from the power supply, and unplug them all. Take note of what you unplugged, so you don’t leave something unpowered. Once it’s all unhooked, you can gently wobble the power supply out of it’s spot.
Putting the new supply in place took a bit of wiggling, like moving a couch up a narrow flight of stairs. Once in place, the same four screws hold it there.
I plugged in everything I needed – including my new SSD. I have a ton of SATA power spots available now, so there’s room for future growth. There’s also a ton of cables I didn’t need, but thankfully, I had room to tuck them off to the side in my case.
I crossed my fingers, and powered it up – and hooray! Nothing caught fire! Nothing smelled like burning! Nothing sounded like you’d stuck your finger in a ceiling fan! Yes, it runs warmer than my old, smaller power supply, but the fans in my case seem to be doing an adequate job of keeping it relatively cooled, overall.
So far, I’m happy! I’ll update this if it does end up catching on fire, even though it would likely be my fault, not the power supply’s.
EVGA 500 W1, 80+ WHITE 500W, 3 Year Warranty, Power Supply 100-W1-0500-KR
3 people found this review helpful
2017-09-11 Verified purchase
Terrible if you want to ruin your watch and get a new one!
I hate these screen protectors.
I mean, yeah, they do a great job of keeping the screen unscratched. But here’s the thing. There are other, newer, shinier, and cooler smartwatches out there, but my wife won’t let me get another one while this one is still working!
I have abused this thing to no end – slamming my wrist in car doors, falling on ice, and even letting my nephews “play with it” for a few hours. Every time, it either holds up or the protector cracks. And there are six in a package, so I have to just put a new one on.
It’s been months, and I’m still stuck with the same watch; and it’s all these screen protector’s fault!
1 person found this review helpful
2017-09-11 Verified purchase
Yarr, she blows! (That’s a good thing!)
No, this doesn’t do bike or car tires, or basketballs or footballs. It does air mattresses and pool toys. Know what you’re buying, read the descriptions!
Yes, this has a shorter cord, but I found it plenty long enough to inflate an air mattress from the 12v cig lighter without having to pull the bed halfway into the driver’s seat. Unless you’re driving a monster truck, you’ll be fine.
It’s fast, efficient, and takes up very little space.
Not recommended for – kite launching, bubble blowing, door slamming, deck cleaning, leaf blowing, snow clearing, cloud moving, floor sweeping, pet brushing, morning alarms, table clearing, clothes drying, candle blowing, drink chilling, hand warming, car propelling, rodent repelling, rocket launching, or hair drying.
Coleman QuickPump 12-volt Pump
2 people found this review helpful
2017-09-11
Like a pair of Spanx for your hard drives!
I bought a new SSD as a companion to the one I “installed” when I first bought my computer. I say “installed” because all I did was attach the cables that were connected to the CD drive to my new hard drive, and then left it floating in the case! Both my old and new SSDs were 2.5 inch drives, and my desktop case has 3.5 inch attachment points.
Cue this little beauty. It came with the cables that most SSDs don’t, so it’s worth the money right there. But then, you can stack two drives together like a data sandwich, and slot them into a 3.5 inch bay. No more floating drives for me!
Includes everything you need, including the screws! Thanks for making my computer look just a little less like a hot garbage pile inside the case!
2017-08-30 Verified purchase
Attention 2024: These glasses are good
Not that anyone is going to be looking at the reviews for solar observing glasses in the near future… but should this review still be visible in 2024, I would highly recommend this package. You get four pairs of regular glasses, a sweet pair of higher quality glasses that fit like 90’s Oakleys, a camera filter and a bunch of eclipse info.
Best part of it is, it’s eclipse tested! I stared at the 2017 eclipse for at least an hour, and I didn’t go blind!
1 person found this review helpful
2017-07-25 Verified purchase
One Becomes Four
(To the tune of Two Become One by the Spice Girls)
Had a port that was a single
USB cords couldn’t mingle
Say you have been there, say you have been there
Want a way to make connections
Without undue space distractions
We can achieve it, we can achieve it
Get yourself an Anker baby, get some more, get some more
‘Cause tonight is the night when one becomes four
I need some ports like my computer doesn’t have space for
(Wanna plug a mouse in, baby)
I had a single plug, now I’m back for more
(Wanna add a keyboard, baby)
It’s USB three, add all your peripheries
(If you want an ACTUAL review, there’s lot of good ones here that break down the tech side. All’s I know is, it works, it’s slim, and it’s faster than the old USB hub it’s replacing, all at a good price)
5 people found this review helpful
2017-07-24 Verified purchase
Don’t get discouraged if you can’t inflate it the first time you try!
Love it. Yes, it takes practice to fill these things up – you’re not going to get it on your first try. Seriously, go to YouTube and look up “the truth about inflatable hammocks” to see how badly I botched it the first time I tried!
But now, I can fill this up in no time flat, wind or no wind, and they are the comfiest outdoor seating you can find. Great for camping, music festivals, or just chilling in the backyard or park. If you’re out in public, you will get looks and questions from curious passer-bys.
These may be last summer’s hot ticket item, but they’re not going out of style. Comfort is always cool!
2017-07-24 Verified purchase
I love it; my cat hates it with a passion that could destroy us all
You’re darn lucky that I’m the one writing this review, and not my cat.
At first, he was cool with it – it’s light enough that he didn’t feel like he had a weight around his neck, and the clear sides meant he wasn’t feeling trapped. But then, he realized that the cone kept him from pawing at a cut on his head, and he got a bit upset. His favourite way of displaying this is to throw up. Thankfully, none of it got in the cone.
Next, he realized he couldn’t effectively headbutt walls anymore (which caused the cut in the first place). That made him rather upset. He retaliated by peeing next to, rather than in, his litter box.
However, he realized that, with careful placement of the cone, he could still reach his food and water. His mood did not noticeably improve, but it did refuel him for more “retaliations”.
It was soft enough for him to be able to sleep comfortably, which allowed him to rest up, and begin his final retaliation maneuver at approximately three in the morning, which was a combination of dragging the cone against the closed bedroom door, and loudly complaining about it. This went on for about ten percent longer than average “anger strikes” (which usually are the result of not getting petted enough, getting petted too much, or pushing all of the food out of his bowl and subsequently thinking he was going to starve to death overnight).
Now, he is an average sized old cat, and the medium size fit him perfectly. I don’t think the small would have worked at all. The collar portion is soft, but it held pretty securely, thanks to the supporting snaps.
He’s had it off for a few days now, and he’s almost forgiven us – but he’ll never forget.
7 people found this review helpful
2017-07-24 Verified purchase
UPDATED: Needs A LOT more work before it’s as good as other Orzly screen protectors
UPDATE: Gone through two of these protectors now. First one popped straight off when the phone was dropped from about three feet up, after only about a month. Second one lasted two months, but side adhesive failed, and let dust get underneath. The fingerprints have been a problem since day one, and the rainbow effect has been evident on both protectors. I would not recommend these.
Longtime Orzly customer, and I’ve loved their tempered glass screen protectors! But this one… I get it, it’s hard to get tempered glass to adhere fully when you’re dealing with a non-flat display like the OnePlus 5. But the solution of only having adhesion on the edges doesn’t feel like a great solution for me. I’m getting the rainbow effect, and I can see the tiny black dots in certain situations. Also, I’ve already somehow gotten a scratch in the 9H glass – and I don’t make a habit of walking around with a pocket full of diamonds, lemme tell you! I’m worried that, if it comes to a drop, this edge adhesion isn’t going to add any structural strength to the display, and I’m going to end up replacing both the display and the screen protector. Yes, it’s better protection than the plastic screen protector that OP supplies pre-installed on the 5, but it’s got a long way to go before it’s a perfected product. Keep working, Orzly.
2 people found this review helpful
2017-07-13 Verified purchase
Ooh, a lapel mic! Makes you look like a motivational speaker, or a 60 Minutes interview!
Okay, so if you’re doing professional audio, this isn’t for you.
This is for those of us who need something better than what your cell phone can record. Those who need a small, simple mic that’s cheap, and gives you a decent amount of recorded clarity and volume.
I use this for my YouTube videos, when my camera’s mic just won’t cut it alone. It makes me look a heck of a lot more “pro” that I am (at least, to some people. Others have told me I look ridiculous with this little lapel mic).
The cord ain’t the longest – I run this to a small digital recorder that I keep in a pants pocket while I shoot, so if you’re hoping to have this feed back more than a few feet, I’d suggest getting an audio extension cable.
The foamy bit on top of the mic does a pretty good job at cutting down on wind noise and the blowing sound that sometimes comes with a mic that’s close to your mouth.
As I said, it’s not pro level – but it does the trick, at a decent price.
Neewer 3.5mm Hands Free Computer Clip on Mini Lapel Microphone (3X Lapel Microphone)
1 person found this review helpful
2017-07-04 Verified purchase
Your father wanted you to have this, when you were old enough…
It’s a more elegant lighter, for a more civilized age…
So yes, it’s great to have a USB lighter that doesn’t limit you to an ignition space of about the thickness of a quarter, and allows you to light larger items like cigars, kindling, and candle wicks with ease; but but what’s really awesome about this lighter is that it is as close as you’re going to get to a real, working lightsaber. Sound effects not included.
And no, it doesn’t project a long beam of light, just a little “x” of plasma – but it’s still pretty cool!
Be warned, this is not safe for kiddos – the x is made of hot, hot pain, so don’t touch! And remember, you do have to flip the little switch on the bottom, next to the USB port, before you can light up.
2017-06-19 Verified purchase
Abused to the max, and still protected well!
If you want to see the video of how well this stands up to extreme abuse, search YouTube for “Smash Test for Google Pixel Protection Products (Amazon Review)”.
Here’s the summary – I stabbed and cut it with a large knife, hit it with a hammer, chopped at it with both a hatchet and a large axe, and tried to set it on fire with a propane torch.
It survived. Mostly. More than I thought it would have! Sure, the point of the knife penetrated the case, when dropped from a foot above, but really, is “stab-proof” really on your list of must-haves?
It will, in lesser cases, protect your phone adequately, especially for the price 🙂
Google Pixel Case, Fosmon DURA-T [Flexible | Gel] Slim TPU Back Cover Case for Google Pixel (Black)
2017-06-19 Verified purchase
Solid protection for your phone!
If you want to see the video of how well this stands up to extreme abuse, search YouTube for “Smash Test for Google Pixel Protection Products (Amazon Review)”.
Here’s the summary – I stabbed and cut it with a large knife, hit it with a hammer, chopped at it with both a hatchet and a large axe, and tried to set it on fire with a propane torch.
It survived. Mostly. More than I thought it would have! The glass did break when I dropped the heavy knife onto it, point first, from over a foot above it, and it broke when I hit it with the axe. But the test subject underneath came away with very minimal damage!
This is an extreme case, but for everyday use, this protector is going to be great 🙂
Spigen Full Cover Glass Google Pixel Screen Protector with Tempered Glass for Google Pixel – Black
2017-06-12 Verified purchase
Some quick answers on this weird, murky water
(You can see my full review on my YouTube page – just search for Reviewy McReviewface)
To answer the most obvious questions:
Yes, it’s actually black.
No, it doesn’t smell bad.
No, it doesn’t have a taste.
Yes, it’s pretty pricey for municipal tap water from Dallas TX with some mineral “concentrate” mixed in.
No, you can’t filter out the colour with a Brita filter.
Yes, the bottle looks like a holdover from a 90’s fad drink.
Yes, the marketing material is full of non-claims and half-statements.
Yes, again, it’s expensive water.
No, it’s not proven to hydrate you any more than regular old water.
Yes, some people are serious as all get out about this alkaline water stuff.
No, I’m not serious about this alkaline water stuff.
Yes, I just wasted my money.
No, I’m not going to convince anyone who is serious as all get out about this alkaline water stuff not to buy alkaline water.
No, I haven’t drank it all yet.
Yes, I’ve made other people try it.
Yes, they were grossed out by the look of it.
Yes, they were surprised that it didn’t taste bad.
No, I don’t recommend it.
No, I won’t be buying it again.
Yes, I’m aware you don’t care about my opinion, since you likely have already made up your own mind about this product.
Yes, I’m done.
6 people found this review helpful
2017-05-31 Verified purchase
Didn’t like the product, but appreciate their customer service
I did not find that this product worked for me, after testing it for several months. I noticed no change. I contacted the seller, and they refunded my purchase price immediately. I am impressed with their customer service.
1 person found this review helpful
2017-05-30 Verified purchase
Nifty snippers for small tasks
It took me a minute to figure out how to open these scissors – you slide the cap off like a ball point pen.
They’re not the handiest in terms of use, with no finger loops, but they’re the handiest in terms of keeping a pair in your sewing basket.
Oh, and while they’re fine for things like patterns and thread, I wouldn’t recommend cutting heavy fabrics with these, unless you hate your fingers and want them to suffer.
2017-05-30 Verified purchase
No skills? This controller won’t help, but it won’t hinder like a cheap controller will!
Okay, so full disclosure here. I was a gamer when I had an Atari 2600 growing up. I was a gamer when we got a Nintendo. I was a gamer when Doom came out on PC. But then, I got older, games got harder, and now, I’m no longer a gamer.
But, I started playing Rocket League on the PC, and it’s pretty fun. But using the keyboard to control the game sucked. So I bought a cheap no-name brand controller on Amazon. It was worse. I returned it.
This controller is a thousand times better. It responds instantly to button strikes and thumb pad moves, it doesn’t stick and freeze, and it’s easily recognized by my system without having to muck around with drivers and settings.
I’d love to say that, thanks to this controller, I’m now a fearsome opponent and a skilled gamer – but this is just a controller. It’s not magic. I still suck at modern gaming, but at least I can’t blame it on my equipment anymore.
So, if you’re a weak gamer like me, or you’re buying a controller as a gift and you don’t have a clue about these things, listen closely. Don’t go cheap. You don’t need the most expensive controller on the market, but the quality difference between the cheapest pad and this one is huge.
Microsoft Xbox 360 Wired Controller for Windows
1 person found this review helpful
2017-05-13
Cheapest option, surprisingly, is not the best option!
This controller looks and feels great, but it sluggish to respond to button presses, the thumb pads don’t physically stick but the signal does, and it frequently stopped working altogether. And yes, I installed all of the proper drivers, checked the connections, etc. It’s just not that good of a controller. Spend the extra few bucks on a real one.
I returned this – I’m an awful gamer to begin with, and compounding my lack of skills with a wonky controller makes for very lousy scores!
BEBONCOOL Wired Game Controller Gamepad with Vibration Feedback for Windows PC/Android TV Box/Steam
2017-05-05 Verified purchase
It’s Not Canadaland, But It’s Pretty Sweet, Eh?
Big fan of the Canadaland podcast, so I had this on pre-order. Cuz I’m Canadian, so I felt like the polite thing to do was to wait in line.
This book really works on a couple of levels. One, if you’re unfamiliar with the typical Canadian stereotypes, Brown and team do a great job of laying them out, and then knocking ’em flat like a Maple Leafs’ chance at a Stanley Cup. For those of us in the know, who repeat these ideas of what it means to be Canadian like some kind of self-congratulating mantra, it’s a delightfully stinging send-up that mixes a pleasant nostalgia with biting satire and poutine-sized plates of sarcasm. Also, the occasional eff-bomb, eh, so keep this one away from the Timbits.
It’s not one of those pulsing page-turners that will keep you up all night; it’s a fun read that’s better suited to a coffee table, flipped through at random for a chuckle. Robert J Sawyer has nothing to worry about on that front.
Be warned, however – this is NOT a written version of a Canadaland podcast. Brown’s journalistic drive on that podcast takes a detour here for a wacky Sunday drive through the heartland of what we perceive our country to look, both to ourselves and the outside world. There are detours, dead ends, and plenty of tangents. This is not an arrow-straight commute to work in the morning, lemme tell ya, bud.
Also, thank you for mentioning House Hippos in this book. We need more reminders of House Hippos in our everyday lives.
The Canadaland Guide to Canada
8 people found this review helpful
2017-04-28 Verified purchase
Great for older Android phones that can’t connect directly to a PC!
Okay, so I have an old Oneplus One, and it still does a pretty good job of shooting high quality video. The problem is, the only way I’ve had to transfer this video to my desktop prior to this is to upload it to dropbox, which is painfully slow!
This little dongle is a life saver for me, and within the first day of owning it, has saved me over an hour in transfer time!
If your older phone has a micro USB connection, and you need to transfer files, this is a must have!
2017-04-18 Verified purchase
Meh, it works when it works, but only if you don’t look at it sideways…
Irritating when it doesn’t work, but useful when it does. The arms are pretty loose, and will retract with the slightest pressure. The ball joint on top is hard to secure, and it tends to give out if you haven’t cranked the lock hard enough.
That being said, as long as you treat it very, very carefully, and try not to breathe on it, it makes a decent cell phone tripod for the price.
AmazonBasics Lightweight Mini Tripod
1 person found this review helpful
2017-04-18 Verified purchase
Betcha can’t eat just one (handful)!
I’ve got a full video review that’s too big for Amazon. Go to YouTube and search “How Many Nerds Can I Eat? (Amazon Review)”
First off, yes – you get a full kilo of candy. I weighed it, and it was within a few grams.
These are assorted flavours (orange, grape, strawberry, lemon, lime), but I compared them to actual Nerds, and there is a flavour difference.The strawberry ones weren’t as sour as the real ones, and had a more perfumey, rosey flavour that was a little lighter, more delicate, more sophisticated than the tart, sugary teeth crunching beauty of the originals.
That being said, these were very tasty. So far, I’ve eaten about 1/3 of the bag by myself. The resulting sugar rush/crash roller coaster has left me sleep deprived and bloated, but it’s sooo worth it. Haven’t you always wanted to see exactly how much candy you could eat in one sitting?
The bag is resealable, if that’s important to you. I prefer to leave it open, so I can dip my hand in randomly throughout the day without wasting precious sugar calories on negotiating a closed bag.
5 people found this review helpful
2017-04-11 Verified purchase
Not too deep, not too shallow, solid construction, good hangers on the back
A very nice shadow box frame. I used it to make myself a Play button for hitting 100 subscribers on my YouTube channel. Any failings in that project are due to my own artistic “creativity”, and no fault lies with the frame. If you want to see the video, just look for “Shadowbox for DIY Play Button” on YouTube.
MCS Dakota Wood Shadow Box Frame 8×10 in Black (52731)
2017-04-03 Verified purchase
Fine for phones, but not that sturdy
Very flimsy. The telescoping legs have a lot of give to them, and I wouldn’t trust them to hold up anything more hefty than a cell phone. It does the trick, but I’m not expecting it to last forever. It is very light, but the included bag is pretty cheap, and mine was already starting to come apart at one of the seams. The included phone holders work as expected. For ten bucks more, I’d recommend you splurge a little and get the Amazon 60 inch tripod AmazonBasics 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod with Bag
1 person found this review helpful
2017-04-03 Verified purchase
Good stripping brush – doesn’t pull on the topcoat!
My cat does not enjoy being brushed. He resents behind held down, he hates the way most brushes pull on his fur, and I think most importantly, he prefers to remove loose hair by rubbing against all of my black clothing five minutes before I have to leave for work.
This brush seems to be a better choice for him. He’s still not overly fond of the process, but it does a better job of removing loose hair without pulling and tugging. I usually measure how much hair I can take off him in a sitting by filling a small Tim Hortons coffee cup; this brush, in five minutes, filled the cup halfway with a pretty well compacted hair ball. That’s usually a 20 minute job.
The only thing I’ve noticed, since we started using this brush, is that he’s had a bit more exposed dandruff on his back. I don’t know if this is due to the undercoat being stripped out more effectively, allowing old flakes to come up, or what. It’s a pretty minor concern, though.
He’s about as happy as he’s going to get when being brushed, so I’ll consider that a win. It also saved me money on lint rollers!
2 people found this review helpful
2017-03-14 Verified purchase
Kinda tall and smelly, but does the job
Sure, it’s great to keep all your documents together, but this wallet really needs to be aired out before you use it – the plastic smell is pretty strong. Also, does it need to be that tall? This is not fitting into your pocket.
Pretty colour, though.
2017-03-14 Verified purchase
It’s soft, small, and fun to throw around – but c’mon! Pass accuracy MATTERS!
Mini football! How can you hate a mini football! It’s small, it’s soft, and you can throw it around the house without worrying that you’re gonna break everything! Okay, so it’s not *THAT* safe, as my wife won’t let me play with it in the dining room. She says it’s still got enough heft to it to break some of the fancy china. Fair enough. She playfully threw it at my head, and it bounced off painlessly. Unfortunately, it bounced perfectly into the cat’s water bowl, and now I have to clean it up, for some reason. It’s always the receiver’s fault? Since when? The QB is the LEADER of the team, the HEART and SOUL, the LEADER. It’s up to the QB to put that ball where the receiver has the best chance to catch it – not upside the head with no warning! That’s BUSH LEAGUE, man! Step your game up!
But yeah, good mini football. Once I’m done cleaning, I’m gonna go outside and toss it at empty pop cans on the fence. Gotta warm up the arm, since I don’t see this team’s QB taking us very far…
POOF 6-Inch Pro Mini Foam Football, Assorted Colors
2017-02-27 Verified purchase
Seriously, a bowl and spoon work better. Or your hands. Mush the fruit in your hands instead.
Do you own a spoon and bowl? Then you’re already in better shape than if you ordered this.
But if you really need another kitchen goo-gaw to fill up your cupboards, and have a desire to mash up to seven raspberries at a time, then by all means, buy this product.
It’s cheap, white plastic, it’s small, it’s oddly shaped and it’s pointless.
Dr. Brown’s 715-P2 Designed To Nourish Make-A-Smash Food Masher
1 person found this review helpful
2017-02-27 Verified purchase
This will not work to get you backstage at that Lionel Richie concert you’ve been dreaming abou
If you’re using this for a costume, then it’s great. The lanyard is long enough, and the “pass” can help you convey your costume idea.
I can’t say this will *NEVER* work to help you sneak in somewhere, because there are exceptions to every rule, and some venue is probably gonna hire someone who doesn’t ask questions, think for themselves, and had never actually seen a press pass before.
For the other 99% of situations, this will either get you laughed at, or thrown out. You’d be better off trying to talk your way into a venue with nothing. Seriously, who issues a press pass with it’s own “press pass” lanyard? No one.
This is the equivalent of writing “DRINKING AGE ID” on a scrap of paper, and trying to get a liquor store to sell you beer.
Beistle 57879 Press Party Pass, 25-Inch
2017-02-27
Love my Google Home!
If you search for “Google Home Review for Canadians” on YouTube, you’ll see my unboxing and review. I’ve had a Google Home since November 2016, and I absolutely love it. The ability to play podcasts without worrying about subscribing and finding a player; asking random questions and getting immediate answers; playing music from YouTube and Play Music; getting information on the traffic conditions on my commute; providing knock-knock jokes for my nephews when they visit… there’s a lot this thing can do!
There’s also a lot it can’t do yet, but it’s always evolving.
8 people found this review helpful
2017-02-24 Verified purchase
Good quality, and you get what you pay for
It’s good, but is it any better than the multi-coloured stuff you can buy at a dollar store for a considerably lower price?
Sure, it’s a nice, uniform colour, and it’s a good quality foam. But at 30 bucks for six tiles (that’s five dollar per tile for the mathematically impaired), it’s pretty pricey. I recently picked up a pack of the cheap stuff for three bucks. It included eight squares (that’s less than forty cents per square) and while it might not last as long, you could replace it several times over at that price point.
All that being said, it does what it says it does. It provides good grip and cushioning for a workout area. I have these on my basement floor, under a workout bench and an elliptical machine, as well as some free space for floor work.
So, it looks better, lasts longer, works better, but costs more. You can use the cheap stuff, and probably replace it a few times, and still save a few bucks over this – but in the end, do you want the hassle? Only you can decide that.
4 people found this review helpful
2017-02-24 Verified purchase
Good glue
It’s a good bottle of wood glue. I used it for a cookbook holder, and after gluing and clamping, that thing is solid as a rock. Or, as a group of pieces of wood that have been securely attached together with a strong adhesive. Probably the latter. I think a rock could probably break my cookbook holder, if it was a big enough rock. I’m not going to even compare it to the strength of a gorilla, because that’s crazy talk.
Anyway.
Good glue, handy bottle that seals nicely and keeps a pretty tidy applicator tip. Better than the two other bottles in my garage that got all hard and useless because the cap didn’t seal correctly.
1 person found this review helpful
2017-02-21 Verified purchase
This is one of those products where a layperson’s review is useless to you
I have no way, as a regular person without access to a lab of fancy equipment, to know if these are actually working.
They are pills – rather large ones at that – and the count on the bottle appears to be correct.
I have not been poisoned by them, so I guess they’re at least not killing me.
I’d probably buy them again.
Bayer Inc. One A Day Specially Formulated Men Multi-Vitamin Tablet
1 person found this review helpful
2017-02-21 Verified purchase
Yes, it makes cotton candy out of hard candy! No, really!
I was skeptical, but it really works! Heat it up, throw a couple of hard candies in the top, and seconds later, you have cotton candy! We tried it with Jolly Ranchers, cinnamon hearts, and peppermints, and they all worked.
Cleanup was easier than it looks – by the time we were done playing with it, it looked like the buildup on the sides would take forever to scrape off; but you can take it all apart, and a quick soak in hot water takes care of the residue!
All in all, this is a surprisingly good little machine! I was prepared for it to be a cheap toy, but it’s not!
Nostalgia Electrics PCM305 Vintage Collection Hard and Sugar Free Cotton Candy Maker
14 people found this review helpful
2017-01-28 Verified purchase
Not much of a party…
I’ve got to say, it’s not all that much of a party. Requiring three AAA batteries, it seems like a lot of power for six LEDs. The casing is hard plastic, so be careful when it’s getting thrown around in the bath, because it’s heavy enough to hit tub bottom if dropped from an arm’s height in shallow water, which for me meant loose pieces rattling around inside.
The lights are a bit underwhelming with the bathroom lights on, and only really look like a party if you turn off all the lights. But then, you’re bathing in a dark bathroom, and that’s not exactly safe.
Mine also leaked a bit, and the case had obvious condensation inside after the first use. It didn’t kill the lights – it still works just fine. But I made sure the case was tightly screwed together and the gasket was in place, so I don’t have high hopes for this product lasting all that long.
Video attached, more for your amusement than anything else.
Party in the Tub – Watch It, Spin It, Dunk It, Splash It!
2017-01-23 Verified purchase
Great bench – strong, sturdy, and I’m totally going to get around to using it soon!
Good quality bench. It’s sturdy, and didn’t take too long to assemble. Glad it didn’t come in a million pieces! Now that it’s been a week, it’s begun it’s real job of holding that box that I swear I’m going to go through this weekend, and see what I need to keep and put away properly, and what can just go in the garbage. Seriously, this weekend. Gonna do it.
Until then, the padding is perfect for making sure that the laundry that’s just temporarily being stacked on it doesn’t fall off on the floor. Once I fold and put away all those blankets, I’m definitely going to use this bench to do some exercise. I tried it out right after I put it together, and I did several bicep curls while I watched the downstairs TV. Okay, I did three, but they were really good curls, okay. Super effective. My arm hurt for, like, twenty minutes.
The feet on this are good and grippy, so even when I leaned my bike against it for a few days, it didn’t slide across the concrete floor at all. Of course, the box holding that organizer shelf was leaning on the other side, so it balanced it out pretty well – but what I’m trying to say is, the feet are good. This bench doesn’t move around.
It can hold up to 300lbs, which is great, because I have a few things that I might need to stack there, just for a few days, and I’m happy that I’ve got such a strong spot to keep stuff up off the floor – temporarily, of course.
I’m gonna be so buff.
CAP Barbell Flat Weight Bench, Black
4 people found this review helpful
2017-01-20 Verified purchase
Bulbs hum, no matter the socket or switch
I started at a base of five stars. I took off two for the two negative things here:
- These aren’t dimmable in the same way an incandescent light will be. They are full brightness for the top third of the dimmer switch, completely off for the bottom third, and it’s more difficult to dial in a suitable setting than it was with the old bulbs.
- They create a noticeable humming noise when dimmed. And before you downvote this, know that we tried the bulbs in a few different sockets, some with and some without dimmers, and they buzzed every time. It’s the bulb, not the switch.
On the positive side, they all work, they’re fairly inexpensive, they stay cool to the touch, and they’re cheaper than the old bulbs.
Do not get the 4K Daylight White, unless you like the LED equivalent of the glaring fluorescent lighting at work, and want to replicate it at home. The 3000 and 2700K bulbs will treat your eyes much better.
That being said, as soon as we find better dimmable LEDs, we’re replacing these. The dimming levels are forgivable; the hum and colour brightness are not going to work for us.
2 people found this review helpful
2017-01-19 Verified purchase
Perfectly dim!
Good for nightlights, but also other situations where you want a dim light in a candelabra fixture.
We have a secondary light fixture in our master bathroom that had two old 3w bulbs, but we hardly ever used it. Now, with the 1w bulbs, it gives us the option of having the regular 60w-equivalent fixture on, or at night when you want to preserve your night vision and/or just not wake up the other person, flipping on a soft, blue-ish light that gives you enough lumination to see, but not enough to fully wake you up!
Plus, being LEDs, these should last a good, long time and cost practically nothing in electricity!
Globe Electric 1W Blue Light (9000K) C7 LED Light Bulb, 2-Pack, E12 Base, 00336
2017-01-04 Verified purchase
Equally bright, but the long-term energy savings make you seem brighter, too
Super happy with these little bulbs! They fit just like the old halogen ones, and the light’s a little bit sharper and whiter, which is nice for our kitchen.
The light is just as good as the halogens. Yes, they take a fraction of a second longer to illuminate when you flip the switch, but it’s only noticeable if you have one of each in a fixture to compare them. They’re about equal to a 25W bulb each in terms of brightness, so six in a kitchen does the trick.
The biggest thing for me is going to be the cost savings of LED vs halogen. Right now, we’re paying about $0.04 per kWh for electricity, so the six 50W halogens in the kitchen were costing just over a penny per hour, or $36 over the next three years (assuming 3,000 hours = 3 years’ of use), which is the expected lifespan on a typical 50W halogen spotlight.
The LEDs are going to cost just a tenth of a penny – for all six – per hour, or $3.60 over the next three years. But the difference is, I shouldn’t have to replace these LEDs after three years. Most LED bulbs like this one are good for 30,000 hours – or 30 years, using the same rate as the halogens.
You can get a pack of halogens for about $18 (Philips 213462 Halogen 50W GU10 Flood Light Bulb 6 Pack) These LEDs cost me about $30. Over 30 years, I would have to buy ten packs of halogens. So I save twelve bucks the first year, but over the 30 years, I’m spending $180 in bulbs and $360 in power for halogens; or $30 in bulbs and $36 in power for LEDs.
So, in the long haul, I’m saving at almost five hundred dollars, just by swapping out a light bulb. And that’s if the cost of power doesn’t go up – and it will. It’s a little change that requires no work or thought, no change of habits or expensive upgrades.
In short, there’s absolutely no reason that I would ever go back to halogens.
2017-01-03 Verified purchase
This keyboard trumps other wireless options!
I’m writing this review for my boss – he’s a pretty high-up guy, so he doesn’t have the time. Funny, since he’s on Twitter, like, constantly…
Anyway, he loves Twitter ‘cuz he can type on his phone (iPhone 4, BTW, and he could totally afford a newer one, but he says the screen is too big). He doesn’t use a desktop or a laptop, but he’s recently gotten a promotion, and we’re kind of forcing him to do more stuff that he simply can’t do on a phone.
We showed him his predecessor’s computer, but he was like, no way. I thought he was just being pushy for kicks when he said he couldn’t use the keyboard, that it was too huge, but after everyone else left, he showed me why. For most people, your fingers can easily reach about half the keyboard. For my boss, his full hand span only reaches four letters! Seriously, as much as he could spread his fingers, he could only get his pinky on the A, and his pointer finger barely brushed the F!
This little keyboard was the perfect solution! It’s wireless, which the IT folks at the new job weren’t crazy about (not secure enough, they said), but it’s the perfect size for my boss. He’s been typing up a storm with it, and he says he finally feels like he’s been included in the modern world!
You should see the smile on his face as his tiny fingers rush across the keys! He’s been emailing everyone – his buddy in Russia, his daughter, and the complaint address for CNN – without having to hunt and peck with one tiny finger at a time!
This might be too small for some people – my boss says I have to call them “haters” – but I guess you could use it like a remote for a boxtop Android set, or for other mobile options where you don’t want to be tied to a regular-sized keyboard. It’s responsive, and you can actually feel the keys move, so you can be sure of what you’re typing without having to look at the keyboard. The track pad, while a bit small, works just fine, too. Boss doesn’t usually have a problem with touch pads – he’s pretty hands-on, if you catch my drift…
So, whether you’re a short-fingered vulgarian or someone needing a mobile option, you can’t go wrong with this keyboard!
10 people found this review helpful
2017-01-02 Verified purchase
Good piece for a home gym
Good machine, fairly easy to assemble, but one heck of a heavy box! It’s not as fancy as one you’d find in a big commercial gym, but it does have a few smaller bells and whistles. The fan is kind of nice. The speakers aren’t anything to write home about, but they’ll do for a small space. The machine is pretty quiet – the little bottle of oil takes care of any noise from the rails. It’s pretty stable, so you don’t feel like you’re going to tip over if you get going at a good pace. The heart rate monitor isn’t all that convenient, but it’s better than not having one at all. The display is pretty basic, but again, for home use, it’s sufficient.
This wasn’t a part of any new year’s resolution, so I have hope that this won’t just become an expensive clothes hanger after six months. We’ll have to wait and see on that.
Watch the price – it can fluctuate quite a bit. I hesitated when it was priced at just around $700, and by the time I pulled the trigger, it had jumped by about 75 bucks.
Schwinn 430 Elliptical Machine
14 people found this review helpful
2016-12-31 Verified purchase
Flame on!
Got this for my dad, who smokes the occasional cigar, and has a large collection of “refillable” lighters, torches and other gadgets that inevitably die out and never produce a flame again.
Yes, the ignition point on this is pretty narrow, but he just lights a piece of cedar to light his cigar, and instead of relying on butane, he just plugs it in with the included USB cable. The ignition button on the side takes a little getting used to, compared to other lighters.
Battery life seems decent – he’s used it once or twice a day for the last week, and it’s still on it’s initial charge.
Didn’t notice any high-pitched noises, like some other users.
4 people found this review helpful
2016-12-19 Verified purchase
Doesn’t work with IFTTT for me, but (update!) Google Home integration works!
(UPDATE 1/24/17: Google Home integration has dropped. It has made this 10x more useful to me. The integration takes no time at all to set up, and the response time is somehow faster than the stock WEMO app!) I bought this because of the announced plan to integrate it with Google Home, and because I was under the impression that, in the mean time, I could cook up an IFTTT recipe as a workaround.
The instructions are incredibly simple, but sadly, they were not reflective of the setup experience. It took several attempts to get the WiFi working on the plug, totaling about a half hour of frustration.
Once it was up and running, it does perform it’s key objective: you can turn it on and off from the WeMo app. The app is a little laggy, but not exceptionally so. If it weren’t for the other compounding frustrations, I probably wouldn’t have even mentioned it.
For me, the biggest frustration so far has been attempting to tie this switch to my IFTTT account. I have tried numerous times, reset everything, and even reached out to WeMo on Twitter for help, and it’s all been for naught. I can not get this to link. My WeMo app says it’s done, but IFTTT says it’s not. (I no longer care, because Google Home integration)
So, for now, this plug is only moderately useful. I’ve set it up for our Christmas tree, and put a timer on it that turns it on at sunset, and off again at bedtime. That’s pretty rudimentary, and I could just use a timer from the hardware store for that, at a fraction of the price. (Now, it’s set up on the air purifier in the bedroom, which I can turn on and off with a GH command, as well as set timers, turn off from outside the house, etc)
Once the integration for Google Home comes out, I’ll re-evaluate it. If it remains as buggy as it has for IFTTT, I’ll return it. I’m trying to streamline the number of apps I have to open to work with my “smart” home, and if this won’t work with my existing hubs, I’m out. (It works, I’m keeping it)
WeMo Switch, Compatible with Amazon Echo (Works with Amazon Alexa)
2016-12-16 Verified purchase
So much cardboard! But beneath the packaging, some very nice frames
These are very good frames, okay? The criticisms I have do not, in any way, have an impact on their primary goal – hold a picture on a wall with a bit of nice border and a piece of clear protection in front of said picture. It does that job admirably.
What’s wrong with these frames? It’s the cardboard, in two different ways.
First, the packaging was insane. A giant box, in which was more cardboard, creating a support structure around the frame that ensured you could drop the whole package from at least three stories up without denting a corner or cracking the plastic. I’m all for secure shipping, but this was overkill.
Second is the cardboard backing for the frame itself. I would have preferred it to be something a bit more substantial, to help this frame last the test of time.
All that being said, the frame itself is a good, sturdy wood. You do have to attach the hanging hardware yourself, and I worried that the frame might split from the screws, but it held together just fine. The plastic has two sheets of protective film (one on either side), so you will definitely get a nice, clean, unmarked view of whatever is in your frame. Sizing was perfect, and the 18×24 artwork we put into them fit like a glove.
So long as you can overlook the shipping overkill, you’ll probably be quite happy with these frames.
Craig Frames 18×24 Picture Frame, Smooth Wrap Finish, 1-Inch Wide, Wood Composite, Black (1WB3BK)
2016-12-16 Verified purchase
Under fifty cents per spoon? You actually get a little more than you pay for here
I bought these teaspoons for just under five bucks – that works out to around 42 cents per spoon. What do you expect for that price?
Well, they’re going to exceed your very limited expectations. They are metal, not plastic painted silver, so that’s a good thing. They’re hefty enough, so you’re not going to bend it in half if you try to scoop something stiffer than mayonnaise with it – but it’s not meant to be an ice cream scooper. There are indeed twelve pieces in the set. And they are generally spoon shaped.
Really, it beats going to IKEA or Walmart if you just need a couple of cheap teaspoons.
Winco 0014-01 12-Piece Dominion Heavy Weight Teaspoon Set, 18-0 Stainless Steel
2016-12-13
Seriously, who uses their CD player in their car anymore?
My wife is very particular when it comes to car phone holders. They can’t be mounted too high, or on the glass. They can’t have really sticky adhesives that might wreck the dashboard. They can’t block vents, and they can’t be too flimsy.
Thankfully, I found this little fella, and he works like a charm. The mount sits right at radio level, so it doesn’t block the view. It doesn’t sit too far out from the dash, so it’s not in the way of the controls. The only adhesives are inward facing, to help bulk up the CD slot holder.
Now, it does block the view of the radio clock from the driver’s perspective in her particular car, but it’s otherwise perfect. The part that you insert into the CD slot of your radio holds just tightly enough to be stable, but not so stiff that you’d think it would wreck the radio. And of course, should she ever want to pop in a CD, it’s a simple matter to remove this phone holder for a while.
The arms hold the phone nice and tight, and the feet keep it from sliding down at all. It holds her regular sized iPhone, as well as my big ol’ OnePlus (about the size of the larger Samsungs or the big iPhone).
The only thing? Make sure your car has a CD player. This would be useless in my old car, with it’s ancient tape deck!
2016-12-12 Verified purchase
Spoons so nice, your coworkers will steal them; so inexpensive, you won’t really care
Got these spoons at a cheap price (about seven bucks) because someone in our office is a spoon hoarder. Seriously, there’s nary a spoon left on the whole floor.
The packaging was pretty cheap, but who cares? It did just enough to get these spoons to their badly needed new home.
For size comparison, here is the larger dinner spoon, as compared to the smaller teaspoon Winco 0014-01 12-Piece Dominion Heavy Weight Teaspoon Set, 18-0 Stainless Steel.
They have a good heft to them – not flimsy at all. These should last, provided someone doesn’t smuggle out a pocketful of them each night on their way home from work.
They’re not fancy, but they’re stainless steel utensils at a good price – so, if they’re going to go missing anyway, what’s the point in getting sterling silver?
Put them in the shared cutlery drawer yesterday, and so far, we’re already missing three.
Winco 0014-03 12-Piece Dominion Heavy Weight Dinner Spoon Set, 18-0 Stainless Steel
2016-12-01 Verified purchase
Suitable knockoff battery replacement for my adequate knockoff sports camera
I bought a cheap GoPro clone Mini Sports HD Action Camera DV A9 1080P 30M Waterproof Underwater Camera 120°Wide-angle Lens H.264 Helmet Cam (Black), and the battery died after just a few weeks. Like, we’re talking absolutely zero charge holding. I grabbed this battery on a whim, not even measuring to see if it was the right size or power, and thankfully, it’s worked out for me. I once again have a functioning camera!
The charger does not include a cable, but if you’re like me, you have several dozen micro USB cables lying around, so it’s not a huge issue. The charger works pretty quickly, and I’m tempted to put the old, dead battery into it, to see if it will either charge it or start it on fire.
Obviously, that’s a joke. The old battery is getting disposed of. Glad I don’t have to toss the whole camera along with it!
Rapid Charger and 900mAh Rechargeable Battery (single) and for SJ4000,SJ5000,SJ6000, SJCAM cameras
2016-11-29 Verified purchase
Much more disposable than the Fitbit itself!
Already cracked one of these, but I ain’t mad – it means I cracked a cheap screen protector instead of cracking my Fitbit screen!
These go on in seconds, adhere easily, fit well, don’t interfere with the touch screen, and most importantly, keep your screen safe!
My first screen protector lasted about six months – let’s see how long it takes for me to bang up this one!
2016-11-08 Verified purchase
Average Consumer needs cheap, reliable, big storage, and fast speeds. This card does all four.
If you want a technical breakdown of the read/write speeds, there are some other reviews here that will go into that sort of detail for you.
If you just want a card for your phone or camera, but don’t really know all the in’s and out’s of the tech, I can give you my completely unqualified opinion.
This works. It stores a ton of media. It does not come with the SD adapter, so if you’re going to be transferring files to a computer, you’ll either need one from a previous micro SD card, or you should just find a different card to buy that includes one.
If this is just going into your phone, never to re-emerge, then you will be fine without the adapter.
It is fast enough to record video – there are cards out there that have a classification of less than Class 10, and these tend to be too slow to record video with. No worries here.
Something else to note – there’s no storage case included. If this card is going to be spending time outside of your phone/camera/whatever, consider how you’re going to protect it.
For the average consumer, this is what you’ll want – a good card from a reputable brand, with loads of room and good speeds, at a reasonable price.
Sandisk 32GB 32G Ultra Micro SD HC Class 10 TF Flash SDHC Memory Card – SDSQUNB-032G-GN3MN
3 people found this review helpful
2016-10-21 Verified purchase
Makes noise, not music
I paid $1.34 for this, and I feel like I got my money’s worth. For fun, I hooked this up to a little FM radio/amp, and it outperformed my expectations, in that I could actually make out the words in the songs. Make no mistake, this is not a high-performance speaker, but for DIY sound projects that don’t require high fidelity, you should be fine. And yes, the little blue LED in the middle is a nice touch.
Blast King 73BICE20 2 1/4-Inch Square Tweeter with Grill and Illuminated Blue LED Center
2016-10-20 Verified purchase
When you need an HDMI cable, but don’t feel like spending hours learning about EIA/CEA-861 standards
There are two ways to review this cable:
- A blind test comparing this cable to at least two higher priced, brand name HDMI cable of the same length. This would require a duplicate set of every piece of equipment (screen, output device, etc), running simultaneously with some sort of measuring device to show the exact speed of transfer; or
- Use it like a normal person, and assume it’s good enough because it does what you ask of it.
This is definitely a review in the second category.
I use this to send information from my Raspberry Pi to a small external screen. I wanted something relatively short, so the 1m (3.3ft) length was perfect for me. If you’re not sure about how much length you’ll need for your own setup, always err on the side of excess. Nothing worse than finding out that you’re just thiiiiiiis much too short. But, if this cable just needs to run from a boxtop cable setup to your TV directly above it, you should be fine.
It’s gold plated. That’s a good thing, in theory. Really, I can’t tell if it’s plated, painted, or actually just really yellow metal. It works, and that’s all the thought I really want to put into it.
It also comes with a little velcro strap to keep your cord in a loop, for storage. You probably won’t need it when you’re using the cable, since the cable is so short. I stole it to keep my other cables in a neat, manageable bundle.
Yes, it’s a male to male connection, which works for just about every single input/output port I’ve seen.
It is, in the end, a good HDMI cable that arrived in one piece, and hasn’t failed me yet. That’s about all any reviewer can tell you – unless they have a much better equipped testing setup than I do! If the price is right and the length works for your setup, go for it.
2 people found this review helpful
2016-10-20 Verified purchase
Taking it back to the old school / cuz I’m an old fool / who plays Double Dragon II
I am totally digging this controller, dudes! I was, like, so into my NES growing up – and then I got a Playstation, and that controller had way too many buttons, right? I mean, I played Frogger on a 2600 with a super simple joystick as a little kid, so the NES controller seemed soooo advanced! Beyond that? Man, I don’t have enough fingers for all them buttons.
I have set up an NES emulator on my Raspberry Pi 3, and this beauty works like a dream with it. Simple plug and play – no software to install, no batteries, nothing complex in the setup. I was up and playing Mario in no time flat, without having to dig around in the basement for my old console and cartridges!
I’ve seen a few reviews that say that the directional controls are, like, a millimeter off from the old original controller, but that seems like a helluva small detail to get hung up on. It fit in my hands like I remember the old controller fitting, but hey, I’m no expert. I’m just a guy who wanted to play Double Dragon again.
Yes, the cord is long enough – I know, the wireless controllers are the thing now. But when I was a kid, I remember squatting on the floor, sitting inches away from the television so I could swap out games without getting up. Plus, we had a 19 inch screen, so the closer you got to it, the bigger it seemed.
If you’re under the age of 30, none of this probably makes any sense to you. If you grew up with the original Nintendo system, this controller is just like coming home. It’s rectangular nostalgia in familiar shades of grey.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-10-17 Verified purchase
A hard case to crack – but that’s sort of the point, isn’t it?
Good, solid case for my Raspberry Pi 3, but it does have a few issues for me:
I have a camera attached to my Pi, and the cable doesn’t have anywhere to pass through on the case. The ventilation grill on the end is removable, so for now, I’m working without the grill. I will probably grind out room for the camera ribbon on the grill at some point, but it would be nice to see that option available in a stock model.
As noted elsewhere, it can be hard to remove the micro SD card from the Pi while it is in this case – especially with the Pi 3, which doesn’t have a push-in, bounce-out for the card.
The only other concern for me were the heat sinks, which as a Pi rookie, I have no idea what I should do with – and of course, as with pretty much everything in the Piniverse, there are no instructions.
Otherwise, it’s a perfectly cromulent case that protects the circuit board, and gives you access to all of the ports.
Enokay Case for Raspberry Pi 2 Pi 3 Model B B+(B Plus) Color Black
1 person found this review helpful
2016-10-11 Verified purchase
Rendered useless by a bad Segmoi cable, but I’m sure I’ll find another purpose for them some day!
Insofar as I was able to tell, they work just fine. I had purchased this to connect to a HDMI to 3 RCA cable that turned out to be absolutely useless, so these little dodads will go into the “box o’ random electrical bits” until I find a use for them.
But, to answer a few questions – Yes, you get a pair of them. Yes, they’re female-to-female. They are slightly flexible, and they are permanent attached.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-10-07 Verified purchase
Bought batteries boasting no boutique brand, but bearing bountiful… shoot, what’s a “b” word for extra power?
When you’re working with a single battery, any extra juice is good. And at the price I paid (about 13 bucks for the pair, not each), these batteries are perfect backups for those long shoots. Are they as good as the branded Canon battery that came with my camera? Of course not. They seem to last about 70% as long between charges (and charge in about the same amount of time), but let’s say I could shoot for x hours on my single original battery. Now, I have an extra 1.4x of battery time for way less than the cost of a single branded battery, and I can keep two in the charger while I shoot with the third. That ain’t not half bad. No regrets here.
2016-10-05 Verified purchase
Best pair of (hot) shoes (adapters) a camera guy could order!
I was going to make some sort of joke about my wife seeing this order and being all excited because it said shoes, but she pointed out that the joke was, on top of being sexist, really dated and lame. She’s right. So, on with the review.
Yes, you get a two pack of hot shoe adapters here, and they fit just fine in my Canon camera.I use one to mount my cell phone on the top of the camera, so I can see a live feed when I’m filming; the second one is attached to a mount for a GoPro, so I can get a second view from a similar, but slightly offset angle, using an under-camera hot shoe mount bar. I’ve also used it to mount a separate audio recording apparatus.
The twisty bits can secure the adapter down to the camera body, and up to whatever you’re adapting it for. They tighten up nicely, so everything is secure and steady. They’re all metal, so you won’t have to worry about weak plastic threads here.
No, they don’t come in a nice box, but seeing as how you probably are going to recycle the box five seconds after you open it, does it matter if they come in a box or a plastic baggie? Not for me, it doesn’t. Maybe the larger set of adapters gets the boxes?
These things seem to fluctuate in price quite a bit, as well as availability in the Amazon warehouse, but I got my set of two for cheaper than a single, so keep an eye on them, and buy when you see a good price change. I got mine for $6.49 with Prime shipping, to give you an idea. If you get them direct from the seller, watch for higher shipping costs.
Neewer Two(2) Pack of Durable Pro 1/4″ Mount Adapter for Tripod Screw to Flash Hot Shoe
1 person found this review helpful
2016-09-30 Verified purchase
A terrible, no good, very bad cable!
It’s been a while since I’ve encountered such a shoddily made product on Amazon – and I have reviewed some strange stuff! I’m going to expand on my review a bit, because I would hate for you to follow my folly and ignore a short, negative review because you don’t trust their opinion. I wan to explain to you exactly why you would be better off simply throwing ten dollars into the nearest paper shredder, rather than wasting it on this glorified skipping rope.
On first glance, this cord looks solid enough. The connections look like they should be, and the cable has that nice braided look that makes you think it might have actually gone through some sort of quality control check at some point in design and production.
It obviously has not.
First, and most importantly, the cable straight up doesn’t work. Yes, I realize it’s one-directional, only going from an HDMI source to an RCA display. But you might as well connect your two devices with a overcooked spaghetti noodle, for all the good it did. No signal came through. I think, if I left the input and output completely unplugged from each other but stacked like blocks, they would transfer more signal by osmosis than they do through this cable.
Not only that, but as you can see in the pictures, this non-functional cable is also shoddily made. The caps for two of the three RCA plugs peeled away from the connection the very first time I removed them from a connection. And yes, I removed them properly. Actually, if I had viciously yanked by the cable, it might have saved these caps for at least one or two uses.
I am not going to bother to return this, because at $11, it will cost me too much in return postage, time and effort. Good money after bad and all. I’ll consider it a lesson learned. I will toss it into my junk wire box, to be cut up as needed for parts for costumes.
Please, heed my call. Don’t do as I did. Don’t waste your money. This is not the cord you’re looking for.
2016-09-28
Don’t bother wasting your reading on this review; just go read this book instead! Right now!
This book was the first one of Moore’s that I read, and I have gone back to it more than a few times. It is, in short, a wonder.
The story is rich and fun, the characters thick and read, and the writing is like an all-you-can-eat burrito buffet – spicy, saucy, familiar but still exciting, and you can’t stop going back for more. I’m going to end the comparison there, because gastrointestinal issues aren’t the direction I’m trying to go here.
I’ve often heard characters described as the “Everyman”, but Charlie Asher is perhaps the truest everyman you could find, if every man is secretly a little worried that they might be more beta than they want or hope. He is warm, funny, and kind, but also neurotic and awkward when it’s required. He is full of hope and love, but also worries and fears. He is the great father, the good husband, and the terrible love interest.
I could go on and on, gushing about how much I enjoyed this book – but why would you read this review when you could be reading the book instead? If you like strong, funny, heartwarming and occasionally delightfully offensive writing, you need to grab any of Moore’s novels, drop everything and cancel all your evening plans for the next week. You’ll be glad you did.
2016-09-25 Verified purchase
Two caps, one price
Bought these because my opened-package Canon T5 was missing a body cap and rear lens cover for the 18-55mm lens. Thanks, Best Buy.
Anyway, despite the obviously secondary market branding on these, they work just fine. Both caps screwed on with minimal effort, and are sturdy enough that I’m not concerned about them. They’re also pretty inexpensive, but so are lots of other options on Amazon.
I guess what I’m saying is, if this set is a few pennies cheaper than the other options you’re looking at, you can feel comfortable picking these. They’ll cover what needs to be covered.
Unlike Best Buy’s open-package sales, which no, I’m totally not bitter about. Not at all. Why do you keep bringing it up?
eForCity Camera Body Cap and Rear Lens Cover Cap Compatible with Canon EOS
2016-09-25
Good quality band, suitable replacement for smaller wrists
Just to be clear – this is just the strap, people. If you buy this and are all upset that you didn’t get a Fitbit with it, it means you didn’t read the description, and it’s your fault.
Okay, so assuming you already have a Fitbit Blaze, you’re tired of the plain, boring band that your Fitbit came with, are you? You want something a little showier? This might be the replacement band you’re looking for, but there are a few things you need to keep in mind.
First, this is a shorter band. If you have the large band for the Fitbit Blaze, this might be too small for you. I wear my old large strap with the buckle right about in the middle of the strap, but on this new strap, it buckles up with only a hole or two to spare. The end that sticks out is too short to go through both of the securing loops. Small wrists will be happy here.
The buckle is also noticeably larger on this strap than on the original, as you can see in the photos. I found that, at times, it would get in a way a bit. It’s nothing you wouldn’t get used to fairly quickly, but at first, it’s a bit irritating.
On the positive side, the strap is solid, and it fits the Fitbit Blaze as well as the original strap did. No complaints about the secureness of the connection, or the workings of the side buttons. The leather, despite sounding a little odd (crazy horse leather?) actually seems pretty decent – it feels like leather on the inside, and a little bit like suede on the top side. The white stitching is very distinctive, and draws a bit more attention to the band than the original.
Overall, I may use this band on occasion to dress up my Fitbit, but due to it’s shorter length, I probably would not use it as my daily wrist strap.
Please note, I was provided with a sample or discount on this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I try to only review items that I will use in my daily life, and things I can actually provide other consumers with useful information for. My reviews are always based solely on the merits of the item, and I take pride in my reviews.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-09-23 Verified purchase
Simple & solid
I wanted a side mount for the batteries for my ring light, so that I could mount a secondary screen to the top of the camera. It doesn’t have to be something elaborate – it just has to hold one extra piece slightly to the side of the camera body. It does this one job, and does it well.
Note, the side mount is not connected to the camera in any electrical way, so if you have an uncabled flash that you usually use on the camera-top mount, don’t expect it to communicate with the camera body from the side. You’ll need to connect it some other way (infrared, cable).
I looked at getting one of those hot shoe attachments that hold two other hot shoe mounts above the camera, but they look really tall and unwieldy. This is simple and compact.
My only complaint with this bracket is that the attachment point for a tripod is in the bottom of the screw that holds the camera to the bracket. I thought it would attach directly to the metal bracket – seems like it would make more sense, to me.
The side mount can be moved slightly side to side, and can be rotated as needed before you lock it down with the knob. For other flashes, this will help to customize the light you need for particular shots.
The rubber over the metal on the camera half of the bracket does a decent job of helping hold the camera body in place.
So, I have a side-mounted ring light battery, a secondary monitor, mounted on a tripod with a cable shutter release. What do I shoot with this nice little setup?
Cat pictures.
NEEWER® Flashgun Flash Bracket for Flash Hot Shoe Digital DC Camera Arms Bracket
2 people found this review helpful
2016-09-22 Verified purchase
Good pegs, so long as they’re the right size for your board
This is another one of those reviews where no, I don’t “love” this product – it’s just cribbage pegs – but there’s no reason to take a star off, either. These are, for what they are, exactly what they claim to be and what you require of them.
They are nice little metal sticks to play cribbage with. I got the exact number of pegs that I was promised. All three colours are there. They come in a little velvet pouch.
I would assume you could use them for other purposes, if you were so inclined; but for the life of me, I can’t imagine what other possible use you could find for crib board pegs other than for use on a crib board. Tiny flag poles?
Oh, and if you’re not sure what diameter the holes are in your crib board, go out to your garage and grab your drill bits. If the 1/8 inch bit fits nicely in the hole, these pegs will work for you.
WE Games Standard Metal Cribbage Pegs with Velvet Pouch – Set of 9 (3 Brass, 3 Silver, 3 Black)
3 people found this review helpful
2016-09-19 Verified purchase
The Coronel’s original recipe cooked up real nice in this deep fryer!
I saw the story about the nephew of Col Sanders accidentally leaking the original recipe for KFC, and I thought, why, I need to try that! But of course, I needed a deep fryer.
I had to use it in the garage, since my wife can’t stand the smell of hot cooking oil – and it really does saturate the whole house! So, I set up shop in the garage, dredged and floured my chicken, and went to work. I ended up doing around 40 pieces, so I could feed a tailgate party.
This fryer worked exactly as I needed it to. The lid kept the worst of the splattering oil from making a huge mess or burning me; the handle stayed cool to the touch; the chicken only stuck to the basket once or twice, and it could hold up to four large legs, or five to six large thighs at once. The filter in the lid also kept my garage from stinking!
The chicken was a hit, and when I got home from the football game, it was a cinch to clean up. It’ll be ready for our next frying adventure!
Secura 3.2 Quart STAINLESS STEEL DEEP FRYER
3 people found this review helpful
2016-09-15 Verified purchase
A review for people (like me) who just want an SD card that works!
This is for everyone who just wants a memory card for their phone or camera or whatever. You probably would like to care about benchmarked read and write speeds, it sounds complicated and you’ve a bit too busy to take the time to figure all of that out. If you do understand and care about the more technical aspects of these cards, there are other great reviews on here that really delve into that stuff. Check them out!
So, here’s the simplified version for people who just need some storage:
This is the little card – MicroSD is smaller than SD. This comes with an adapter that looks like an SD card, so you can use it at either size. Phones these days tend to use MicroSD, while bigger cameras still use SD. If you don’t know which one to get, this is a good compromise, because it will work in both.
It’s HD – You can get just SD, or you can get HDSD. This is the HD one. There’s also the SDXC type, but if your device uses that, you can use any type of card, including SD and HDSD. If you are using this for a device that’s somewhat new, you’re likely to be safe with HD.
This is fast enough to record video – The class talks about read and write speeds. This is Class 10. A lot of cameras need at least Class 6 to record video, because anything slower than a Class 6 means you’re recording faster than you can remember, and it’ll just stop recording on you.
This holds a lot – Sure, there are bigger cards available now, and the prices have come down a lot. But 32GB holds a lot of stuff. You can hold 1,000 photos, 2,000 songs, and just over an hour of video, and still have 8GB left for other files. Alternately, you could take about eight thousand pictures. That means you could take one picture every minute for the next five and a half days.
It’s a decent price – At around ten bucks, that’s a pretty good deal. Buy two if you want to be able to swap them out on occasion. It’s cheaper than going up to the next bigger card, usually. I have older 2GB SD cards that I bought years ago for a heckuva lot more than ten bucks that are, at this point, just my emergency backup cards.
I use this card in my Canon Rebel T5. I shoot video and pictures, then pop it out, put it into the adapter, and copy the files over to my computer. Pretty simple, and it does the trick for me. No complaints.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-09-14
Great for spots where unexpected darkness might not be a good idea!
Okay, first the positives. These are very nice lights. They are sleek and sophisticated, but not so much that you can’t completely ignore then when you don’t need them. They mount easily with the adhesive strip along the back, and they don’t light up unless a) it’s dark enough to warrant it, and b) someone walks in front of them. I have one in the back hallway for when we come home late at night; one in the garage in case of power outage; and one in the basement stairwell, to help light up the stairs. They’re bright enough to illuminate the area around them, without blowing out your eyes in the dark, and the lights stay on long enough for you to have moved out of their sensing path, but not so long that you end up blowing through batteries.
Speaking of which, the only con I could find was the batteries. Each of these light bars takes four AAA batteries, so this set of lights used up my entire supply of spare AAA’s. Highly recommend you add a pack of batteries to your checkout basket.
Otherwise, a very nice set of lights that you’ll never have to worry about accidentally leaving on. Please note, I did receive a discount or sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review, and I do actually use this product in my own home.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-09-13 Verified purchase
Maybe I ought to have played D&D first?
Wanted to get more information about being a Dungeon Master, but maybe I over-estimated my own level of dummy-ness on this subject, as I’ve never even played D&D. Hoping to get together a group of like-minded folks who want to learn to play together, and hope this book will come in handy when the time comes. As it stands, without that background in the mechanics of the game, I’m a bit lost in this tome – but it’s still an interesting read!
2016-09-13 Verified purchase
Works to connect phone to DSLR camera for additional live view screen
Working with a Canon Rebel T5 and wanted to connect an old Samsung Note as a secondary live view screen. This adapter, plus the cable that comes with the camera, makes it happen. I use the “DSLR Remote Control – Camera” app in the Google Play store, and it’s only a delay of a second, at most, for the live view.
One thing to note, the shutter button will not adjust the focus while I’m plugged in to the adapter, and I have to change focus through the app itself or set the lens to manual focus.
The cable itself seems to be sturdy and well made. The micro USB connection was a bit of a tight fit, but with a little firm pressure, you can get it seated properly. That sounds a lot more suggestive than I would have liked…
Love the bend in the phone end of the adapter, so the cable doesn’t jut out. Well thought out design.
Monoprice Micro USB OTG Adapter (109724)
2016-09-11 Verified purchase
When photos and video on your phone just won’t cut it anymore
I love this camera! Yes, it’s not as fancy as the T5i, but who are you to judge? In my price range, this is the best camera I could have asked for. And by “my price range”, I mean what I could afford after selling my old Rebel XT on Kijiji, and saving for a few months. Hey, we can’t all afford a Hasselblad!
Okay, so it’s got one flaw for me – it doesn’t have an external mic port for getting better sound on video. But the tiny little mic that’s built into the body does a decent enough job of catching sound. I’m not exactly shooting the next major motion picture on this, ya know?
I’m not a professional. I shoot family events and vacations. I make YouTube videos. I have a few Canon lenses that I didn’t want to go to waste. I got tired of using CF cards that were a right royal pain to transfer to my computer. SD cards are fast and cheap these days, and I can plug them right into a port on my computer (If you don’t have this port, the included USB cable will help you transfer your photos.)
Note, you will need at least a Class 6 SD card if you want to record video. I tried it with an old Class 2, and it would only grab 9 seconds of video before it auto-stopped due to the read speed. Anything larger than 8GB will do – although my old 2GB card would hold about a hundred pics in a pinch – and you can usually find usable cards for under twenty bucks.
The settings are incredibly easy to get the hang of. I haven’t taken a photography course in nearly 20 years (back when they taught you to roll your own B&W film canisters and develop your own negatives, for crying out loud!), but whether you want to play with all the settings or just want to aim and fire in a hurry, you’ll be set.
It comes with a battery and a charger, but I’d recommend buying at least one extra battery. There’s nothing worse than running out of juice in the middle of the day with no backup!
The standard camera does not come with a stabilized lens, but again, you’re not buying the top-of-the-line camera. You’re buying a good, solid camera that will give you great photos and video, especially when compared to a cell phone. The 18-55mm lens is very versatile, and will be enough for a lot of the pictures you’ll take on a regular basis.
What I love about these DSLRs is that you instantly look like you know what you’re doing. While everyone else is shooting on their phones, you can stride in with your fancypants camera and demand instant respect. Try one of those hip-mounts for extra coolness. Mutter something about F-stops and ISO speeds while you line up your shots, and watch the phone-shooters shrivel up in envy.
Canon EOS Rebel T5 18MP DSLR Camera With 18-55mm Lens Kit
13 people found this review helpful
2016-09-11
This cassette converter will have you walking on sunshine!
I’m a child of the 80s, so the chance to dig out my old Earth Wind & Fire cassettes and bring them back to life? How could I say no?
Right out of the box, I was a little disappointed that there was no belt clip on the back – so, my dreams of cruising the paths on my roller skates, blaring Spirit of the West on a pair of big ol’ headphones died a quick death. Also, the front door is a bit flimsy, and if you don’t close it properly, can lock in an unaligned position.
BUT! Let’s not get too caught up in the negatives. This DOES allow you to both play your old cassettes for that true old school experience, as well as transfer the music via the USB port, so that your memories can make the leap to the digital age. It properly captures that ‘tape experience – and be honest, if you didn’t want that hissing sound for nostalgia’s sake, you’d just buy a digital copy of the music.
I wouldn’t bother with the software CD. Just download Audacity or any other digital audio editor.
It does run on AA batteries, but only for the stand-alone mode. If you’re plugged in to record via USB, it doesn’t need batteries.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a glove box full of memories to transfer!
Please note, I was provided with a discount or sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-09-09 Verified purchase
It’s super effective – at confusing the heck out of my cat and making me laugh!
I have not laughed this hard in a long time. My cat is a senior – he’s just a hair over twenty years old – but he had never encountered anything like this before. I got him a size medium, but I think he would have been more comfortable in a large. At first, I put all four legs in, and buttoned up the middle, and he just flopped to the floor in confusion. He seemed to enjoy the warmth and softness, but wasn’t keen on the restrictiveness. Once I took his back legs out, and just did up one snap on the belly, he was *slightly* more at ease with it. Again, a larger size might have helped. I let him wear it for five minutes while I took pictures, and then took it off, and put it on the floor in front of him. He was definitely interested, and stood on it, sniffing madly. When I moved to put it back on him, he didn’t run off – so, he maybe sorta didn’t completely hate it? That’s a win. He got a big cuddle afterwards for being such a good sport about it all – but it’s going to be his Halloween costume, so he’ll need to try it on a few more times before the end of October to get used to wearing it!
5 people found this review helpful
2016-09-07
Great grip on the phone and the bike – but big straps cover buttons
When I ride my bike, I like to have my phone handy. Usually, because I’ve got tunes playing on my wireless speaker in my front basket, and I need to be able to change up the playlist now and again. Also, Pokemon. So, a bike mount like this is an awesome addition to my cruiser.
There are lots of pros with this mount – the swivel ball joint means you can orient your phone any way you need; the side clamps are solid, and the stretchy corner bands make it rock-solid, no matter the terrain; the screw vice for the handlebars grips the bar firmly, and it easy to install; it comes with an alternate set of corner straps, which seem like they’d work with slightly larger phones.
There is a con, however, and it’s those stretchy straps. I tested this out with three different phones (iPhone, Samsung Note, and OnePlus One), and every time, part of the strap covered or pressed down on something critical, like the power buttons, volume controls, and headphone port. Covering the port isn’t so bad – you can just push it to the side a bit to plug in a set of headphones. But when it’s pressing on buttons, you run the risk of powering down unexpectedly or messing with the settings. Granted, it isn’t usually pressing down with enough force to click the button, but going over bumps, it’s possible. You can slide it over so that it doesn’t rest on the buttons, but it will slide back or just give you less grip for your phone.
All in all, it’s better than leaving your phone loose in your basket, or smooshed into a pocket, but you’ll need to watch out for those straps on your controls.
Please note, I was provided with a discount or sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-09-07 Verified purchase
As good as bike helmets get
I hate helmets. They always kind of perch on top of my head in an odd way that makes me look like a mushroom. They’re sweaty and heavy and ugly. But I’m not about to go without one.
I hate this helmet a lot less than any other I’ve tried. My old helmet is actually a skateboard helmet, and it made me sweat. This one is ventilated nicely, and I didn’t sweat nearly as much.
I hate the chinstraps that always feel like they’re choking you. These ones were pretty easy to adjust, so they laid pretty flat against my neck and throat.
I hate how I can’t wear sunglasses with a helmet, because the parts behind your ears get squished painfully into your skull. This one has a bit of a detachable visor, so not as much sun is in my eyes.
I hate adding extra padding in to make helmets fit. This one didn’t come with extra padding. Instead, there’s a dial at the back like a hard hat, so you can snug it down to fit. This also makes it a lot lighter than my old helmet, which weighed a lot.
I hate how dorky helmets look. There’s nothing you can do about that, no matter how nice of a helmet it is. It looks better, as an adult, to wear an actual bike helmet on my bike, as opposed to a childish skateboarding helmet, though. As for the safety it provides, short of throwing myself off my bike at full speed, I can’t tell you if the protection is sufficient. If I ever bail on my head, I’ll come back and update this review.
I hate that I was given a discount or sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review, because some people will dismiss this review. Trust me, for the amount that I loathe bike helmets, it’s a testament to GranVela that I don’t hate this one, and will actually wear it as my go-to helmet from now on.
3 people found this review helpful
2016-09-07 Verified purchase
Works in a pinch, but it pinches!
Needed to force it A LOT to get it to attach to my GoPro accessories. The gaps between the prongs are too small, which means the arms bend outwards, and you can’t get the screw all the way through without some serious torque. Managed to wedge it on, may never get it off.
niceeshop(TM) Black CNC Aluminum Alloy Tripod Camera Mount Adapter for GOPRO HD HERO 2 3 3+ 4
2016-09-07
Every move you make / I’ll be watching you…
Let me preface this by saying, this is not a webcam. This is a USB security camera. If you want something to record your goofy antics as you sit in front of your computer, you’re not going to like this camera.
If, on the other hand, you want to keep tabs on your home or business without spending a fortune, or installing big, obvious cameras, you might want to take a closer look. This camera works with all sorts of different security recording programs – I used iSpyConnect to test this out. Once it was downloaded, it discovered this camera on my system without any issues or drivers to install.
The camera has two manual turning rings to adjust focus and depth, so you can make sure you’re getting the best image and capturing the correct areas. These focal points can be locked down with a set of thumb screws. It also comes with a bit of mounting hardware, so you can secure it to a wall. The camera itself is a solid little package, made of metal and glass.
The cable for this is very long – about three meters – which means you can run this from your computer to the lookout point you need without too much trouble. This camera is not waterproof, so it will need to be set up indoors, but you can set it up to look through a window. There is no microphone built into this camera – thus, it won’t work very well as a regular webcam.
The camera has pretty good resolution, which means your surveillance footage won’t be too blurry to be useful. The street photo in my review here was taking by pointing the cam out a second story window. Yes, there’s glare in the glass, but I did this as proof of concept, so I didn’t do anything to set up optimal mounts and lighting.
I will probably set this up in the front window at the house, to watch my Amazon packages come in – and get pictures of any kids who try to swipe my stuff! Be warned, children – Reviewy now has eyes everywhere!
Please note, I was provided with a discount or sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
3 people found this review helpful
2016-09-06
Holds an adult, handles rocks and rapids, and stays inflated for hours!
Arrr! Me and me mateys needed a sturdy craft for sailing down the river this summer. The other pirates, they opted for rental rafts and inner tubes. Not I! I sailed the mighty river on the back of a giant inflatable unicorn pool float!
Yes, I know this is meant for pools and lakes, but it handled a rough river passage just fine! It went over rocks, it bounced off a bridge abutment, and held my 190lbs without an issue.
In the video, I mention that it’s hard to steer on fast moving water, but it’s been pointed out to me that I don’t know how to paddle properly. I need to learn how to do a j-stroke, and then it should be smooth sailing!
The unicorn inflates very quickly, and yes, a hairdryer on low heat works perfectly! At the water’s edge, I used a regular pump, and had it sea-ready in under five minutes. The valves can be opened all the way for easy inflation and deflation, partially closed to allow you to blow in a bit more air without any getting out, or closed completely.
The handles are nice and sturdy, and give you a good gripping point to get back up on the float if you, say, fall off in the middle of a river.
All in all, it’s the best ride this pirate could have asked for!
Please note, I was provided with a discount or sample in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
3 people found this review helpful
2016-09-06
It’s purrfect!
I know, this is meant for a child (and it’s actually large enough that adults can use it as well), but my cat loves to be bundled up when it’s cold outside, but without restricting his upper half. This mermaid tail blanket was perfect for him!
Yes, since he’s just a little cat, it’s a lot of blanket for him, but when he’s feeling extra cuddly, we wrap the tail around him like a nest, and he settles right in.
The blanket is a nice knitted piece, and the only knock I have against it is the tight opening at the bottom, near the fin. It’s juuuust big enough to squeeze your ankles through, but not big enough to walk around with it on. If a young person were to be wearing this, you’d probably want to check that they don’t bind their feet with this blanket. Kids will jump up and run around without any notice, and if they’re too tucked into this blanket, they’re likely to go for a tumble.
Thankfully, my cat’s paws don’t get caught up at all in the hole, so we’re not too worried here.
Please note, I was provided with a discount or sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
2 people found this review helpful
2016-09-06 Verified purchase
This thing makes breakfast a piece of (pan)cake!
Used this to make beer pancakes for a tailgate party, and it worked like a charm! In previous years, we were mixing in a big bowl, then ladling the batter onto the griddle we have on the barbecue for football games. This usually resulted in a huge mess of beer and pancake batter that we would try to hose down with more beer, which then attracted wasps. Not the best tailgate guests.
Not this year, jack! This year, we mixed everything up in dispenser itself, so there was no mess in the transfer. And with a couple of quick pulls of the trigger, we had perfectly portioned pancakes, ready to be smothered in whiskey maple syrup! The lid also meant that the wasps couldn’t get in to the batter, and they could go bug the next tailgate over, with their margaritas and watermelon just sitting out in the open!
Yes, this meant smaller batches of batter – it held about 8-10 pancakes when it was 3/4 full of our admittedly thick and boozy batter – but it was so easy to mix, I didn’t mind having to do it a bit more often.
The trigger is solid, and the springs make sure you’re getting an exact cutoff when you close off the opening at the bottom. It’s easy to clean afterwards, and generally made the pancakes a lot easier to manage!
2 people found this review helpful
2016-09-01
Thin, bright, strong and light! This art board is more than all right!
When I was a kid, I used to trace stuff out of catalogues by tearing out pages and taping them to my bedroom window, and holding a piece of paper over the top to copy the image below. That angle is a killer for your wrist! I used light boards in art class, but those were huge, bulky, expensive pieces of full-on furniture.
This is better. It’s light, portable, adjustable, affordable and since it’s LEDs, it doesn’t get hot, use a ton of power or require expensive light bulbs.
It comes with a pack of tracing paper, which makes it super easy to copy over an image, but really, thanks to the adjustable brightness, almost any weight of paper will do.
This is great for aspiring artists, graphic designers, or if you’re feeling creative and re-purposey, it works for some odd ambient lighting, or in the back of a shadow box, it could make for a killer display for your collectables! Discount doctor? Cheap x-ray display! Tattoo shops can use this to work on their designs. Make shadow puppets! Create a false window for light in a basement room! The uses aren’t endless, but it’s a pretty versatile product, if you let it be.
It is very thin and light, so you won’t need much room to store it between uses, and the acrylic front seems to be pretty durable and strong.
Please note, I was provided with a discount or sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Light Box Dbmier Tattoo Supplies A4 Ultra Thin Artcraft Tracing LED Light Pad 8.27″ X 12.20″
1 person found this review helpful
2016-09-01
Incredibly light, impressively strong!
I love hammocks like this one. I slept on one for six months, when my apartment was too small for a bed, and I never regretted a single night of it.
This hammock is ridiculously light. It’s nylon, and while that might make some of you think of it as flimsy, just think about what parachutes are made of, and what they have to hold. This hammock is rated to 500lbs, and honestly, I never felt like it was going to give on me. My old hammock is a big, bulky rope affair, and while I have taken it camping a few times, it’s just too large and heavy to be considered ideal.
This one packs up insanely small, into a pouch that’s attached to the side so you’ll never lose it, and it doubles as a pocket while you’re using it.
I was eager to test this, but I don’t have any camping trips planned in the near future, so I took it down to the basement and tested it off the rafters. It’s comfortable as you would expect, strong, light and fantastic. I can’t wait to take this on my next backpacking camping trip!
Please note, I was provided with a discount or sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
3 people found this review helpful
2016-09-01
Rocking out like one of them new-fanlged cars!
I have a classic car. Okay, “classic” might be pushing it a bit. I have a 1998 Buick Century. To give you an idea of how old that is, it doesn’t have cup holders, okay? But it runs, and it gets me from point A to point B, so I’m not complaining about the car.
Except for one thing – it has a tape deck. Yes, I have a few old classic tapes that I can cycle through, but there’s only so much Dinosaur Jr. and Spirit of the West that I can take. I tried a cheapo cassette adapter a few years back, and it didn’t work at all. The cord was always catching on something internally, and the stereo would play about eight seconds of music before it spit the adapter out again. I had all but given up.
When FORE asked me to review their tape adapter, I had my doubts – but then I tried it.
Success!
I was able to cruise around, listening to all my digital music, and not once has the car tried to spit out the adapter!
If you have a “classic” car with the old tape deck, and want to expand your music beyond the radio or what you found at a gas station bargain bin along the highway, this is the ticket to any driving tune you desire!
Please note, I was provided with a discount or sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-09-01
Twinkle, twinkle, LED lights / with a twist, you burn so bright!
Whether you’re looking for a little bit of sparkle for a room, or you want to add some light to a project, these adorable little lights are just the ticket! I tested them as ambient lighting in the spare bedroom, where I was told they were “dreamy”; as outdoor patio lights for a gathering on a warm summer’s night, where we forgot to bring them in when a light rainshower came through, and returned to find them burning bright; or as part of a costume, where their light weight and flexible cable are going to add a bit of “wow”.
Yes, there is a paper disc between the batteries and the connection inside. Remove it first, and the lights will come on with a light twist of the base.
Please note, I was provided with a discount or sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
2016-09-01
Zzzzap! Get the temperature of anything without having to, you know, touch stuff
Works great! I did have a bit of difficulty getting the battery plugged in – the wires and 9v cap are tucked up into the handle a bit, so you might have to fish them out with a fork or something. Rest assured, the connection is in there. Also, thank goodness they include a 9v, because otherwise I’d be stealing them from my smoke detectors again…
It’s super simple to use – just point, pull the trigger, and let go to see the temperature. If you’re not sure about your aim, you can turn on the laser guide (I will always have this on, because I watch too many spy movies). It toggles between C and F (this IS a Canadian site, so why you would want F is beyond me!), and there’s no on or off switch – just pull the trigger to get started.
From what I was able to test, it was reasonably accurate on appliances, human skin and light bulbs. So, good for discovering fevers, making sure your overclocked computer isn’t on the verge of a literal meltdown, and checking for cold spots in insulation in your home. Also, for shooting random stuff and making “pew pew” noises while your wife looks on disapprovingly, because you’re wasting the batteries.
Please note, I was provided with a discount or sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
2 people found this review helpful
2016-08-31 Verified purchase
Bright as you need it to be!
I have a few headlamps around for camping, but they’re the cheap ones – either on or off, that’s it. This is a much better headlamp.
This one has three different brightness settings on the regular lamp, as well as a red light that’s either solid on, or flashing for emergencies.
I love the red light – it helps you to maintain your night vision and gives you juuuuuust enough illumination to get around.
It also lets you angle the light down towards your feet, which means you don’t have to walk along like a hunchback just to see the trail at night.
My only issue was figuring out how to switch between the two colours, but that’s only because I tried to figure it out without reading any directions, to see how intuitive it was. It’s not the most obvious solution – a quick double click switches it back and forth – but it does the trick.
One neat trick this lamp does that I haven’t seen before – when you crack open the battery case to replace the AAAs, a small plus sign glows red to show you which way to arrange the pos/neg alignment of the battery. Handy as all get out, since it’s usually darkest when the batteries die out.
Please note, I was provided with a discount or sample of this item, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-08-31
Good cans at a good price
I’m not one of those audiophile guys who has a Tidal subscription and raves about the complex sound that vinyl produces. I’m just a guy who wants to play some games on my computer at two in the morning without waking up my wife.
For me, these work. I have a blue backlit keyboard and mouse, so the LED lights on the side of these fit right in, so it looks like a more coordinated system than it actually is. (The LEDs don’t turn off when you flip the switch on the cord, though – they are perma-on) They’re bulky, in that good, solid way – who wants flimsy headphones? They’re not heavy, though, so you’re not going to get headphone hair – or in my case, a nice crease on my bald head! The ear cups and padding at the top are nice and soft, which makes these very easy to wear for long periods.
They plug in and just work, which is nice. Sure, it comes with a driver install disc, but personally, I never trust those things. Thankfully, nothing was needed to get these cans working – just plug and play.
There are two cables – a USB and a single audio attachment – but they thoughtfully include an adapter for plugging in to computers with separate ‘phone and mic jacks, like mine. Very helpful!
The sound quality is better than I expected, although my expectations weren’t too high. I mean, Beats by Dre these things aren’t. But for the price, they pump out some pretty good noise. The base, while not adjustable on the headset itself, is decently thumpy. Volume control on the cord works just fine.
They don’t cancel out exterior noise any more than sticking your fingers in your ears would, but there’s only so much you can expect at this price point. If you want full, true and complete noise cancellation, you’re going to be shelling out the big bucks.
The mic is decent – again, you’re not going to record an album with it, but it’s good enough for game chatting, or doing a bit of voice overs on some videos. If you’re big time on YouTube, it’s probably not going to cut it, but I’m happy with what it provides.
Please note, I was provided with a discount or sample of this product in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-08-30
He took a duck in the face at two hundred and fifty knots
Gibson has been one of my favourite sci-fi authors for the longest time, but this was a bit of a departure from my expectations. Instead of far-flung cyberpunk hacker adventures, it’s the beginning what you might call a “social science fiction” trilogy that creates the most unique, well-rounded and intriguing characters you could hope for. Gibson’s trademark wordsmithing is in full effect here, starting strong and whirling towards the conclusion at an ever-increasing pace that leaves you dizzy and out of breath by the last page. I’ve read this several times, and each time, I find myself looking at the world with a slightly different lens for days afterwards; everything slightly surreal and heavily branded.
I can’t say enough to properly praise this book; if you like Gibson’s previous works, but want to see a story set about a week from now, you should drop everything to begin your journey with Cayce.
Soul lag and tethers. Logo allergies. Post advertising. Viral distribution. Oligarchs and their new powers. The secondary market value of old calculators. Brand espionage. Post 9-11 realities. Cool hunting. Deep niche viral pattern hacking. New concepts upon concepts upon visions.
Simply brilliant.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-08-30 Verified purchase
You will either adore it, or flee from it
Did you ever buy a book on the recommendation of a salesperson at the store, only to get four pages into the story and realize that the two of you are so vastly different in your reading tastes as to nearly constitute a completely unrelated species of book lover?
Yeah.
This is not a bad book, by any means. It is just not at all what I was looking for. And it not a book that I found myself compelled to finish.
The main character is awkward in a way that will come across to some as genuine and endearing, and others as painful and unsettling. I’m in the second group. Again, there’s strength in the writing to be able to evoke such a strong reaction. Her main action seems to be pining – for the man who has been her companion in several lifetimes, and the child who she believes she will connect to, despite him never having been born to her.
Reincarnation, awkwardness, a sharpness of vision and thought that cuts outwardly like a scalpel while protecting the complexity behind it with a near violent fanaticism… every page deeper made me more and more uncomfortable, until it completely pushed me out.
I’m giving it three stars, not because I like it, but because I respect the talent that managed to make me retreat from it.
Not my cup of tea at all, but it might be yours. We’re probably not friends if it is, though.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-08-30 Verified purchase
Putting the Oy! in Tea Tree Oil
So, I haven’t the foggiest what this is, but my wife wanted some, and this was far less expensive than local sources. Apparently, it’s great for keeping wounds clean – either two drops in a cup of water to use as a topical wash, or a drop on the dressing itself to help ward off infection.
They say it’s 100% pure essential oil, and while I have no way to independently confirm that, I also have no reason to doubt it. It’s also Australian, which is apparently where it originated from. I guess someone tried selling Winnipeg Tea Tree Oil or something, and now they have to point out that theirs is the good stuff.
It’s steam distilled, which thanks to the incredibly creepy book Perfume, I now know is only one of several methods for removing essential oils from plants, the other main one being cold pressing. Seriously, don’t read that book.
Also, don’t make tea with this. Just don’t.
2 people found this review helpful
2016-08-30 Verified purchase
The goggles! They do something!
They are about as good as you would expect them to be. Really, it’s late and I’m tired because I was out at the pool tonight after work doing my lengths, so this review’s a little uninspired. But, here’s the thing – my eyes get all cloudy and puffy from chlorine, and I can actually see the screen to write this review, so that should be proof enough that these are some decent goggles.
Decent. Low profile. Low price. Low expectations? You’ll do fine with these goggles, seriously. They are straight up decent. The only reason it’s not five stars is because there’s nothing to rave about here, they’re just a solid, good, somewhat unexciting pair of goggles.
Finis Lightning Goggle – Clear/Aqua
2016-08-30 Verified purchase
Thin and strong!
A gentleman never kisses and tells.
That being said, these are very thin, but strong. See the attached video. No, there’s nothing salacious going on in this video, so it’s SFW.
Yes, this is a long video – but what’s a condom review video without a little delayed gratification? 😉
The soundtrack is one of my favourite classical pieces of all time, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. So, if you have the time, sit back and enjoy the soundtrack, with all of it’s building crescendos and mounting tension…
And should a gentleman try to persuade you that he is too, uhm, substantial for the confines of a contraceptive, perhaps show him this video, then suggest he see a doctor?
They are very lightly lubricated, so if that’s a concern for you, now you know.
24 Okamoto Crown Condoms, World Famous Super Thin and Sensitive Condom, for Extra Sensation
10 people found this review helpful
2016-08-30
So much text held in one little badge!
Neat little gadget! It’s quick to charge, very easy to update the information on it, and has varying levels of brightness for all sorts of different situations. It has a magnet and a pin backing, so no matter what you’re wearing, you can add this badge to your ensemble.
Wondering how much text it can hold? Check out the video! It’s more than you might expect.
I charged this badge up to full power, set the display to the lowest level, and started running it at 8am. It’s been cycling Shakespeare for over seven hours now, and still going strong.
Please note, I was provided with a discount or sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
3 people found this review helpful
2016-08-26 Verified purchase
Have you ever “felt” like you needed a small pocket for organizing your tech flotsam?
I have a junk drawer. You have a junk drawer. We all have a junk drawer. What we put in that drawer varies quite a bit, but I’ll bet dollars to donuts that you have a few bits of tech flotsam in there. Chargers, dongles, cords, adapters, what have you.
For me, this little bag is such a simple, yet elegant thing. For instance, I have a 1TB backup SSD that, until today, has been stored in it’s ugly shipping box at the back of my top desk drawer. Now, it’s softly and safely encased in practical yet beautiful felt, and it’s become the sort of item that looks cherished, rather than forgotten.
What will you use yours for? It could be makeup, or cables, or batteries. Probably not a sandwich. You could use it as a travel wallet. You could toss in old storage cards to keep them all in one place. It’s not quite wide enough for a pair of glasses, but you could fill it with your car information (registration and insurance cards) and make yourself look a little more put together the next time you get pulled over. It’s just a touch too small for my phone, which is similar in size to the biggest size of iPhone; anything smaller would fit wonderfully, and would protect your screen from scratches.
But rest assured, whatever you store in this bag’s single pocket will be secure, with a nice, firm elastic that holds the front flap down.
Please note, I was provided with a discounted or free sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
2 people found this review helpful
2016-08-25 Verified purchase
Good, strong stick on both sides
Works great! Using it to keep some green construction paper up on my wall as a cheap version of a green screen for my home movies, and it’s working much better than rolling pieces of duct tape into cylinders and pressing them between the paper and the wall, hoping they don’t come loose. The only issue I have is that the outer area of the roll can get linty between uses, but I’ve wrapped the thing in some packing tape to keep it clean and fresh.
I’m the only one who gets excited talking about two sided tape, aren’t I?
Scotch Permanent Double Sided Tape, 12 mm x 22.9 m, 1 Roll, (665-C)
2 people found this review helpful
2016-08-24
You light up my life!
What a great little disc! It is indeed waterproof, but much to my surprise, it floats!
It goes through a whole rainbow of colours, either by manual choice or on an automatic cycle. Either way, it’s an enchanting bit of light and colour that you can toss in with a bouquet of flowers, liven up bath time, or leave out on the patio furniture for some evening mood lighting.
It runs on 3 AAA batteries (not included) and a cell battery for the remote (included) and the screw-top seal seems to do a great job of keeping water out of the battery compartment.
Please note, I was provided with a discount or sample of this product, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
2016-08-24
Plucking good!
The original tuner I received was dead on arrival, and I posted a review about it. The company reached out to me with some great customer service, and sent a new one right away. This one works perfectly!
Now, to be fair, I don’t have the most sophisticated guitar setup. I have a four-string cigar box guitar that, mostly, hangs in the garage and is more a piece of decoration than an instrument. That might be partially due to my complete ineptitude when it comes to tuning by ear. Seriously, I’m terrible at it.
This tuner makes it a lot easier – just clip it on the guitar towards the top of the tuning thingy (terminology fail), move it so you can see it, and pluck each string, one at a time. Depending on what you want it tuned to, you can now pluck and tune, pluck and tune, until the screen lights up green on the note you’re looking to tune to.
It’s so easy, even I could do it! Now, my cheapo guitar sounds like an actual instrument, and I’m watching YouTube videos on how to learn to play “Stairway to Heaven” when I ought to be washing dishes.
Please note, I was provided with a discount or sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I know that means some of you will think I’m just shilling – but if I don’t actually like it, I won’t review it!
2016-08-19
Torture tested, performed admirably in ridiculous situation
So yes, this little gadget does an admirable job of removing lint and pilling from clothing. And yes, I know they said it doesn’t work very well on pet hair, right there in the description. But I couldn’t resist seeing just what it could do with pet hair anyway.
Yes, I did test it on a pilled sweater, and it worked fine. But that doesn’t make for a very exciting video, now does it?
Instead, I took it downstairs to my cat’s bed. Now, this particular bed hasn’t been de-furred in months, and he’s a hairy little bugger! He sheds more in a day than you would think an average cat can hold on his body for a year. Every once in a blue moon, I remove the hair out of his bed, and come out with enough to felt myself a hat, if I were that kind of person.
So, the lint remover met it’s match, and I have to say, performed admirably, given that it was well outside mission perimeters. It brought his bed back to a semblance of unfuzziness, for which I am incredibly grateful. And, despite the massive amount of hair it injested, it didn’t give up the ghost! Good job, Just-f-Care!
Please note, I was provided with a sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Lint Remover – the Best Electric Rechargeable – For All Types of Clothes and Fabric…
4 people found this review helpful
2016-08-18
It’s big enough, it’s tough enough, and it doesn’t leak!
Dude, sweet smoothie bottle! When I’m up at 4am, ready to go pump the shotguns (that’s what I call doing my bicep routine), the last thing I want to do is dig out a blender to make my morning smoothie! Now, I dump my protein powder, almond milk, eggs, and a shot of espresso in here, and give the forearms a little warmup with some shaking. The little ball on here does a good job of mixing it all up; the straw pulls from the bottom, so you don’t just get the lightly mixed top stuff; the one-handed pop-top is easy to use; it doesn’t leak, like, at all; and I can just pop it in the dishwasher when I get home, so it’s ready for the morning.
I got the pink one because there’s this dude at my gym that’s always swiping other guys’ bottles and chugging their smoothies on the sly. Total jerk move. But I noticed, he only steals from other dudes. Probably worried he’ll get, like, girlie protein or something stupid. So yeah, he doesn’t touch my bottle now. Better solution than one guy, who mixed up a smoothie with like, a ton of laxative to bait the thief, but then forgot and chugged it. Bad day in the gym bathroom, lemme tell ya…
So yeah, awesome bottle that totally does the trick for smoothies or whatever liquid you wanna mix on the go.
Please note, I was provided with a sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
AVOIN colorlife 29oz. Sport Tritan Smoothie Bottle (Many Color Option) – BPA Free
2016-08-12
The hammock you can bring ANYWHERE!
Man, I love these inflatable hammocks! I now own three of them! This one does have some different features that might not fit everyone’s particular needs. It is, of the three, the lightest of the bags, which is awesome if you’re taking it camping or backpacking – but since it’s lighter, it does have a tendency to blow away a bit easier in a breeze. Keep your eyes on it!
The construction on the packing bag isn’t the strongest, and the top of the carrying strap ripped free within the first few days. Be careful, and watch for loose stitching. However, this is just the carrying sack, so I’m not too worried about it.
It also has a different construction than the other bags I’ve tried when it comes to the air-gathering end of the bag. Instead of having four flexible strips (two in each “mouth”), this bag has only two – one on the outside of each opening, with a looser shared connection “lip” on the inside. This does take away a bit of stability once it’s sealed, which means you have to make sure to roll it nice and tight before you climb on. However, this would make it a lot easier for children or people with shorter arms to fill the bag, so I’m not willing to take a star off for it.
If you search on YouTube for “hammock championships”, you’ll find my review of all three bags. This one does take the bronze out of the bunch, but it’s still a perfectly good inflatable hammock, and it does usually come up as less expensive than the others.
4 people found this review helpful
2016-08-09 Verified purchase
Makes veggies look ALMOST like pasta…
Okay, so my mom bought this – and sure, it works really well. It totally cuts up veggies so that they look like noodles. She was raving about how easy it was – just like sharpening a pencil, she says – and how simple it was to clean with the little wire brush dealie it came with. Oh, and she was all happy about the peeler thing in the box.
Grownups get excited over the strangest things.
Anyway, it’s all fine and good EXCEPT she totally thought she could pull a fast one on us, and replace the pasta noodles in our spaghetti dinner tonight. I’m all like, okay, healthy blah blah blah, but give us a little respect, wouldya? No one is going to be all like, ooh, my pasta is totally like usual but OMG it’s actually zucchini?! No way!
12 people found this review helpful
2016-08-08 Verified purchase
I spy with my endoscope-enhanced eye…
Bought this for a very specific purpose – we had a hive of bumblebees under our back deck that I was looking to locate and relocate. As you can see in the video, I have zero control when it comes to feeding this thing down in the cracks below my deck, and it gives you a very shakycam experience. However, the software is easy to download, it worked right out of the box, the lights are adjustably bright, and it allows you to see areas you normally wouldn’t be able to access.
Oh, the bees? Their ground-level hive was tragically lost in a recent rainstorm. Hopefully they build in a better place next year.
2 people found this review helpful
2016-07-27 Verified purchase
Theftproof – when you take it with you
This is a great basket, because it’s the only one I’ve ever owned that hasn’t gotten stolen. Since you can unclip this basket and take with you, say when you go shopping, you can simply walk back to your bike, click it back into place, and ride home. Other baskets have left me standing with a bag full of perishables while I stare in resignation at my mangled bike. I guess there’s a guy in the neighbourhood who either really loves bike baskets, or wants cyclists to suffer. Have you ever tried to bike 8km home on a residential road with a bag of salad fixings on one handlebar, and a bag containing a 4L jug of milk on the other? It’s not fun. Get this basket, so you – the rightful owner – can take it with you wherever you go.
Wald MFG 3114GB Front Lift-Off Basket, 11.75X8X9 (White)
1 person found this review helpful
2016-07-27 Verified purchase
No pica measurements, but you don’t need them anymore anyway
A good, solid metal ruler that, while it is perfectly serviceable, will never replace my beloved pica gauge, wherever it may be. True, I have no use for a ruler that can measure in picas these days, as I do very little layout in a physical format anymore. But it was comforting to know it was there, should I need it, nestled snugly in my fanny pack, next to my CD player and my CP Caps and Spelling Guide (14th Edition).
These days, all I really need is a good straight edge for line drawing and cutting. Is the line exactly 10 picas long? I really don’t need to know – it’s not trying to fit between an editorial and an advert on page five of the arts section. Inches and centimeters will have to suffice.
The Pencil Grip The Classics Stainless Steel Ruler with Cork Backing (TPG-152), 12-Inch
1 person found this review helpful
2016-07-27 Verified purchase
X-Actly what I needed!
Ahh, X-Acto. There are certain brands that come to define a product, like Sharpies, Post-Its, Scotch Tape, and these useful little knife blades. I know they’re labelled as No. 11, but to be honest, I had no idea that there were different blades – I thought they were just one kind of cutting tool. These do fit into the X-Acto holder that I have, which I’m happy about.
What other blade types are there? I’ve found numbers up to #104, which include everything from standard craft knives to fine saw blades, concave carving blades, heavyweight wood chiseling blades, to a keyhole saw blade. Now, to be fair, I’ve only ever seen #1 and #11 in stores, but I’ve been assured that the other, more specialized blades do exist.
But why stop there, X-Acto? How about a #309 blade, for cutting hair? Or a #747, for cutting through the packaging on airline peanuts (at a TSA-approved length and sharpness, of course)?
The one I use the most? The No. 404 blade. That’s right – blade not found. Which is why I had to order this five-pack of replacements. I lose X-Acto blades like ultra-marathoners lose toenails (often, and usually with a lot of blood involved).
But in all seriousness, these are perfectly cromulent blades, of the usual X-Acto sharpness and strength. And I’m not just saying that because I don’t want to tick off the people who make ultra-sharp knife blades…
X-Acto No. 11 Knife Blade, 5-Pack (X211Q)
2016-07-25 Verified purchase
Beauty is fleeting, but a good perfume on Amazon is forever
My wife loves this stuff, but it can be hard to track down in stores. I wanted to get her some for her birthday, but they were sold out. I got samples of a bunch of other scents, blindfolded her, and got her to pick a favourite:
Sex In The City Perfume By For Women Kiss Eau De Parfum Spray: “A little too simple. Flowery but cheap. Like something you would get with a little girl’s first toy makeup kit.”
Kim Catrall’s Spark Seduction by Liz Claiborne for Women: “Again with the flowers? But with a hint of… something in the background that’s not quite pleasant.”
The Beach by Calvin Klein: “This smells like salt and sand. Who would wear this?”
In the end, I came here and bought her favourite, which ended up being cheaper than in the stores anyway! I don’t have much of a nose for perfumes, as a guy, but I do know that I like the smell of this on my wife.
I just try to ignore the name on the bottle. I’m not SJP’s biggest fan.
Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely for Women, Eau de Parfum, 3.4-Ounce Spray Bottle
2016-07-21
By the time you need one of these, it’s too late! Plan ahead and protect yourself from ancient airliners!
How often are you on an airplane, and you go to plug in your headphones, only to find that the connection needs one of those old-school two pronged connections?
What’s that? Almost never?
I was provided with a sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review, so here it is. I haven’t been on a plane in at least five years that would require one of these.
But maybe that’s just me? I’m usually flying out of a fairly major Canadian hub, so maybe we just get the newer planes? I asked my sister, who flies in the ‘States and Europe quite a bit, and no, she hasn’t needed the airline headset in a very long time.
So, since I can’t really evaluate this thing on a field test, all I can do is review it based on how it looks and feels. It seems like a solid adapter, and it fit my headphone plug with a nice, solid click. The prongs are said to be gold-plated, and I have no reason to doubt them on that. They look shiny.
Are they useless? Not at all. I’m putting one into my carry-on bag for the next time I travel. It’s one of those items that seems like a frivolity, until you’re stuck on a long flight with a dead iPad, next to a screaming toddler, and your fancy noise-cancelling headphones are replaced by a pathetic pair of airline-branded ‘phones that sound like a tin can on a string.
If you travel a lot, it’s one of those things to chuck in your bag, just in case. You may never use it, or it may be your salvation.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-07-21 Verified purchase
It Blows! (Uhm, that’s what it’s supposed to do? That’s a good thing…)
I debated getting the ultra-lightweight version of this dryer, but it must be filled with helium, because I can’t imagine anything lighter than this. It’s got three speeds (if you count off as a speed), three heat settings, a cold button, a good length of cord, a big diffuser and a small focusing nozzle. In short, it’s a hairdryer. It’s got enough guts to get the job done.
My roommate tried to make fun of the fact that it’s pink, but I shut that down right away. I don’t buy into this coloured gender garbage. If I want a pink hairdryer to match the hand towels in my bathroom, that doesn’t make me any less manly. I can still bench a solid 135lbs, wear size 12 shoes (wink wink), and can change the oil in your car, because I have a coupon for the local lube joint. I eat red meat on weekends, I drink Coors Light, and my hair is perfectly coiffed. Deal with it.
BTW, this is a two-pronged North American style plug, so it will work with the safety outlet in most bathrooms these days.
Revlon RVDR5029F 1875W Ionic Ceramic SmoothStay Dryer
2016-07-19
Poweradd Pilot X7, I choose you! (It’s super effective!)
This is a brick of a battery! It’s portable in much the same way that a Winnebago is portable, but I think you could probably run the whole camper off the power in this thing! Yes, it’s heavier than most spare power sources, so this isn’t going into your back pocket (I tried, and it pulled down my pants like a fifth grade bully). It also doesn’t come with an Apple charging cord – but it says that right in the description, so seriously, read before you buy things, people!
But here’s the thing. I’m a level seven Pokemon Go player, and it’s only my first day. I called in sick to work, and spend the whole day wandering around town, catching little monsters. I almost got hit by several cars, and I walked into three parking meters and one stop sign – but despite the constant use on my phone, I never even came close to running out of power. The rapid charge port had me up and running faster than my other backup battery ever could have, and while the other people I saw out Go’ing had to stop and find a free outlet in a coffee shop, I was taking over three different gyms in the downtown core! By tomorrow, I fully expect to be leveled up to at least 10. And I couldn’t have done it without this charger.
In short, it’s awesome but heavier than expected. If you have a bag with a shoulder strap, you should be good to go!
Please note, I was provided with a sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
2016-07-14 Verified purchase
It is *ACTUALLY* fast! Who’da thunk it?!
I’m not a fan of these get-charged-quick schemes, in general. All a bunch of hogwash and hoopla. But just try it, they said. It’s better, they said.
Well, I gave it a fair trial, but I already knew what my review was going to say – good charger, sure, but nothing special. I was driving to work, and my Android phone was sitting at about 60% battery – not nearly enough to make it through the whole day of playing Pokemon Go while I pretended to update spreadsheets. I need at least 90% to get me through to lunch. So, I plugged in the car charger, shoved in the supplied micro USB cable, and cabled up my phone, hoping to add a few extra minutes of poke-time to my morning. My usual cigarette port charger can give me up to 5% more in the time it takes to drive to work.
And yet, sure enough, it said right there on the screen that it was “charging rapidly”, and by the time I got to work, about ten minutes later, the charger had pumped my battery up to 89%. I was, to put it mildly, gobsmacked. Mine wasn’t even listed as one of the compatible devices for this rapid charging wizardry! And it even has a second USB port, to charge another device at the same time!
What else have I dismissed, with a wave of my uninformed hand, passing up on unknown power and wisdom? This charger has opened my eyes, I tell ya! There is so much wonder in this world, if only you’ll open your mind to it!
Please note, I was provided with a sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-07-13 Verified purchase
I don’t need Pokemon Go to get active; I just need measurable stats! </geek>
Okay, so you’re out there with your Squirtles and your poke balls and your Pikachus (Pikachi? Pikachoose?), but you know what I wanna catch? How many steps I take in a day. How much time in fat-burning mode I spend. What my heart rate is. And, the reason I moved up from the original Fitbit, what time it is, and who just texted me?
I started off with the Fitbit Flex, which is a great gateway drug to the world of activity-oriented wearables. But there’s no clock, and doubling it up with a watch makes you look like an eight year old girl with an armful of jelly bangle bracelets. So, I moved up to the Charge, but the glue that connects the soft and hard plastics is problematic, to say the least. Damn thing practically dissolved on my wrist within six months.
Here, finally, is everything I want in a wearable. It’s got the time, it counts steps and flights of stairs, it gives me a history of my resting heart rate, automatically detects active times as well as sleepy times, tracks my runs with GPS when you bring along your phone, lets you adjust your music without pulling out said phone (you will have to connect the Blaze a second time on Bluetooth to get access to these controls), and it gives me an instant glance at notifications from the phone.
Now, it’s designed to only notify you of phone calls, text messages and calendar events, but what if you get tweets? Facebook notifications? You’re not out of luck, you just have to go outside the box. If you’re on Android, go find the “Fit Notifications (for Fitbit)” app on Google Play. It’s free, and you can get any notification that your phone gets. That app alone elevates your new Blaze to something much more than a fitness tracker!
My only concern has been the syncing between the Blaze and my old OnePlus One phone. It seems to drop the connection about once a day, and it takes a lot of fiddling to get it back again. It seems to be an issue mainly with the phone, so I won’t take stars off the Blaze for it. For the record, rebooting both the watch and the phone at the same time will sometimes fix the spotty sync. Sometimes.
The wearable itself is super light, fits well on my wrist, and doesn’t jut out too much. A full battery charge seems to last, with all my notifications, about three days, but it recharges quickly. The strap is comfortable, and can easily be swapped out for other straps. There are also plenty of alternatives for straps with cases on Amazon, if you, say, want a steel case with metal straps.
This is the best product that I’ve used from Fitbit, bar none. It’s a great reminder to get active when I’ve been sitting for too long, and once this Pokemon thing gets officially released in Canada, it’ll probably be great to show me just how stupidly far I had to trek just to catch a Charizard.
Team Rocket’s blasting off again!
Fitbit Blaze Smart Fitness Watch, Black, Silver, Large
5 people found this review helpful
2016-07-13 Verified purchase
Clean and clear and under control!
Now, I’m going to make certain assumptions about this product. It says it’s anti-shatter and scratch. I’m not going to abuse my Blaze just to test this. But some stuff I can test. Does the oleophobic coating repel the smudges of oily fingerprints? Sorry, no. It also doesn’t completely fit the Blaze screen – the protection is about a millimeter short on every side. And make sure you read the directions on the Amazon listing, because the ones on the back of the box are pretty simplistic and don’t mention half the stuff included in the box (and are lifted from their instructions for cell phones).
Now, what this does have is everything you need to successfully place this protective glass on your Blaze. There’s an alcohol pad, a static cloth, and a dust absorbing sticker to get the surface perfectly clean; there are three guide stickers so you can carefully place the protection down without getting those dirty fingers in the way, and there’s a little slab of plastic to help you push out any bubbles that might get caught under the glass.
For me, it was a seamless process, much better than any other protective coverings I’ve used on my phones. It went down smoothly, and there were no bubbles that needed to be squeezed out. If you didn’t know it was there, you’d think it looks stock.
All in all, the cons are minor, piddly concerns, and the biggest pro is that you’re adding what I assume is a great extra layer of protection to your pricey wrist computer for mere pennies.
2 people found this review helpful
2016-07-13 Verified purchase
Good, short cord for your “it can almost reach!” needs
Perfect for all of those times where the cord runs just a few feet shy of the nearest plugin. For me, it was a television in the bedroom that, sure, I could shift it a few feet over, but then I wouldn’t be able to see it from the bathroom when I leave the door open, and I might miss up to half an inning while I’m, you know, making use of the facilities. What can I say, I’m a regular guy!
Thanks StarTech, now I can watch the tube from my bed and my throne!
StarTech. com Power Cord Extension 16 AWG Negro
2016-07-12 Verified purchase
The fastest way to say “I don’t know, buy yourself something nice” without actually having to talk to someone
Bought one on Prime Day for $30, and got $5 for myself… which I then wasted on tiny boxing gloves keychains Ringside Small Boxing Glove Key Ring, Black single serving Pringles Pringles Sour, Cream and Onion, 39gm, Spongebob stickers Unique SpongeBob SquarePants Sticker Sheets, 8ct, and a Disney cup Unique Disney Cars Plastic Cup, 16-Ounce. Hey, at least it was all free, right?
Super quick turnaround on the gift card – it arrived by email within a minute or two.
Amazon.ca eGift Card – All Occasions
2016-07-11 Verified purchase
Good locks, but the TSA can still get in your bags
Good little pack of locks, which fit nicely through luggage zippers, with plenty of keys, to give you the illusion of security when you travel. And sure, it might stop the quick opportunist from rummaging through your stuff, but don’t be too smug there. The only reason they let you fly with locked luggage is because the TSA has a master key, and can still go through your stuff whenever they feel like it.
That’s why, instead of their intended use, I put these locks on my basement windows. They keep out thieves and animals, as long as they don’t work for the TSA 😉
Lewis N Clark TSA12/3 3 Pack Travel Sentry Mini Padlock, Gold, One Size
2016-07-11 Verified purchase
If you need one, this one works
Hangs well, but the suction cups don’t really stick all that well. If you have any sort of texture in your shower tiles, or grout lines in the way, you’ll be relying on the shower head hanger exclusively. But the cups aren’t weight bearing, just there for stabilization, so it’s not a huge issue. Tray is big enough to hold your toiletries, so it’s another one of those “if you need one, this one works” reviews.
InterDesign Milo Bathroom Shower Caddy for Shampoo, Conditioner, Soap – Bronze
1 person found this review helpful
2016-07-11 Verified purchase
Incredible, but hard to fill on a windless day!
I am a hammock guy. I camp with my hammock. I crash there after mowing the lawn. Heck, I used one as a bed replacement in a 300 sq ft apartment for half a year. I love hammocks.
So, when I saw these inflatable hammocks pop up this summer, I was intrigued. Suffice to say, they are as good as their hype.
Now, I was tempted to take off a star for one reason only – if there’s no wind, you are not going to inflate this thing with any sort of ease. Forget the videos you’ve seen. On a still day, you’re going to have to work HARD to get this thing filled up. See my attached video (also on YouTube, just search for Reviewy McReviewface) where I fill up the first one I bought, the black colour. I bought this second one for my sister for her birthday.
Here’s the kicker: once I got this thing inflated, it was amazing. Incredibly comfortable. I could have fallen asleep on it within a hot minute.
So yes, it’s not the easiest thing to get it full of air, but once you do, you will completely forget about the effort that went into filling it!
Couple of notes – when you close the mouth of the bag, make sure you roll it once or twice to make sure you get a good seal. If you do this, your bag won’t leak at all. It’s pretty sturdy feeling, but I’m guessing a sharp rock underneath or a hot spark from a nearby fire would spell doom for this inflatable hammock. It doesn’t have pockets like some other models, but I can’t see how a pocket on the side would be all that useful or accessible. It rolls out pretty quickly, and packs back up into it’s bag without much effort. If you’re thinking about taking it camping, be warned, it’s going to cost you a bit in weight and size. It packs up to the size of a small pillow, and weighs about as much as a DSLR camera.
If you’ve read all this, and you’re still not sure if you want to buy one, ask yourself – do you enjoy relaxing? Do you want something with the comfort of a hammock without the hassle of straps? Are you a cool kid this summer? If you answered yes to at least two out of the three, you should get this inflatable hammock!
33 people found this review helpful
2016-07-11 Verified purchase
Mediocre bounce, odd smell, but great for alternative-use plans!
I didn’t use these for tennis. I drilled two holes in each one, and hung them from the rafters of my garage so I know exactly how far to pull forward when I’m parking my car. So, the fact that they weren’t overly bouncy, or had a bit of a gasoline smell didn’t really effect my use of these balls. If, on the other hand, you actually want to use these for their intended purpose, you might be a bit underwhelmed and/or disappointed.
Other possible uses? Dog toys (wash ’em first), door stops, outsider art paint application, roofed frisbee dislodgers, stress balls, or punch holes in them and use them on the legs of your patio furniture to keep it from scratching your deck?
Probably just about anything, other than hitting them with a tennis racket.
Tektonik Sports 3-Pieces Tennis Balls
2 people found this review helpful
2016-07-07 Verified purchase
Mosquitoes and other small bugs? Sure. Bees? BEES?! No.
Okay, I bought this on a whim, because there are bumblebees in my back yard, and I was thinking about moving the hive. But after taking one look at this thing, I’m having second thoughts – and that’s with nice, non-aggressive bumbles!
First off, the sizing. I don’t have an abnormally large head (usually a 7 3/4 hat size), but the crown of the hat stretched over my dome like one of those Under Armour beanies. We’re talking skin tight. If a bee were to attempt to sting me anywhere along that part, that stinger’s going straight through into my noggin. Bad news.
Then there’s the mesh. I was careful putting this over my head, because I’m pretty sure that breathing too hard would tear it like a wet tissue. It’s very thin, and while it would keep a buzzing bee some distance from your face, if he were to land on the mesh, he could easily get close enough to sting. It’s so light that it collapses in towards your head at every angle. There is some sort of strange loop at the bottom of the mesh, which I took to be a sort of internal collar. If that’s not what it’s for, I’m out of guesses.
Granted, I am going to keep this around for some of those muggy summer nights of mowing the lawn, when the mosquitoes can get a bit thick in the air. It might stand a chance against them. But I’m in Alberta, where the skitters aren’t too terrible. If you live in Winnipeg, don’t even think about getting this hat. They will kill you, and take it away with them as a trophy.
I guess, in the end, for a seven dollar veiled hat.. it’s about what I should have expected. It’s certainly not robust enough to handle bees, and that’s my main complaint. This should be marketed as protection from small biting insects only.
NAVA White Beekeeper Beekeeping Hat with Veil Mosquito Fly Head Net Face Protection
2016-07-07 Verified purchase
Plastic feels thinner, but perfectly serviceable
So, here’s the thing with chargers. If they charge, they’re good. If they don’t, they’re bad.
I’ve taken off one star because it feels a little flimsier than the standard charger that’s included with the Fitbit Blaze, especially the lid. Should that every break off completely, the charger would become pretty much useless. Good, long cable. Haven’t noticed any measurable difference in charging times between this one and the original. I just wanted an extra to keep at work, in case I need an out-of-house charge.
But, in the here and now, it works just fine, even though it looks like a muon trap for tiny mouse-sized Ghostbusters.
2016-07-05 Verified purchase
Great for movers and shakers – and you won’t believe what they’ve done for the cables!
Sorry for the clickbaity headline!
I have to admit, I wasn’t holding out high hopes for these headphones. They look chunky and heavy, right? Also, there are a few typos on the back of the box (pechargeable batteries? I don’t think I want to know…) But that’s where the negatives end.
The protective carrying case is strong but soft; the ear hooks secured these buds into my ears better than any other wireless bluetooth earbud that I’ve tried, and I literally could not shake them out of my ears; it comes with three different sizes of soft ear pieces (like most of the headphones I’ve tried, but it’s good they at least keep up with everyone else); the sound quality is very good, and the headset did a better-than-expected job of blocking out outside noise; three simple buttons that don’t take much of a learning curve (up volume/next track, stop/answer, down volume/last track) but the coup de grace for me was twofold – how that middle button works on my Android, and two little pieces of plastic that every other headphone manufacturer should copy right now.
First, the pairing with my OnePlus One went smoothly, and to my delight, a long press of that middle button (about 2 seconds) didn’t just automatically dial the last number called, like so many wireless bluetooth headsets I’ve tried. No, a long press took me to Google Now, which allowed me to make calls, send texts or use any number of voice commands for my phone! Love it!
Second, it comes with two little clips that help bind up the excess cord that connects the two halves. I’ve always hated how that cord dangles on the back of my neck! With this system (as shown in the photos), you can keep the cord at any length you please. For me, that means having it fairly tight across the back of my head – no more dangle!
TL;DR? Hooks good, sound good, cable management good, buttons good. Bit large near the ear, but not a real problem.
Please note, I was provided with a sample of this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-07-04 Verified purchase
Works OK at holding together an already damaged screen
Okay, so I bought this screen protector to try to hold together the shattered corner of my screen – I know, closing the gate after the horse already got out of the barn. But I had a cheaper, plastic screen protector on before, and it didn’t save me.
After peeling off the old protector (and the layer of sticky gunk it left behind), I cleaned off the surface with the provided alcohol pad and static-free cloth (note, I didn’t find the dust stickers until afterwards!) I then plunked down the new tempered glass, and watched in amazement as the adhesive grabbed nearly the whole screen with just the touch of a fingertip – just like they promised! My last one went on with much squegeeing and bubble moving. Here, there was only one little bubble (some fast moving dust jumped on between cleaning and application), and of course, the damage zone.
I was really hoping that a new protector would be able to adhere to all the little shards and hold them together, but it’s not quite working the way I had hoped. Time will tell if it manages to grab hold, and extend the life of my display a little.
As far as fingerprints go, it’s a definite improvement over the old protection, which would hold a greasy fingerprint like a film noir detective. Touch sensitivity hasn’t suffered at all, and the surface has a nice, silky feel.
When I get a new phone, I will probably look up this brand to see if they have one for whatever kind of phone I get – I’m only withholding a star because it didn’t work the miracles I unfairly asked of it. Hey, it might be unrealistic, but it’s the reason I bought it. If you’re like me, and hoping to hold together a broken display for a little while longer… it’s good, but not a miracle worker.
Note: My phone took a tumble, and the tempered glass cracked all across the front of my phone – but the display below was saved. Bumping this back up to five stars, because one more crack would probably spell the end of this phone!
1 person found this review helpful
2016-07-03 Verified purchase
Not the movie by the same name, but a good product all the same!
I accidentally ordered this product, thinking it was the 1992 camp schlock horror classic, The Shower Mirror, starring a young Anna Kendrick as a deranged juvenile delinquent, and featuring an unlisted cameo by Ray Liotta, who is only onscreen for seven seconds before he’s killed. A real piece of work, lemme tell you! I won’t spoil the ending for you… okay, yes I will. The mirror is a metaphor for the killer’s resentment of kids who got hot showers with soap.
However, I can’t say I’m overly upset about the mistake, as this mirror has proven pretty useful. It is not, as the ad copy suggests, fog-free, but throwing a handful of water on it now and then clears it up for a while. You can also follow the advice on the box and rub some bathing products on the surface to help it stay fog free, which seems like a waste of my very expensive shampoo and conditioner, thank you very much! It is super easy to install, light, and holds a standard razor. It’s not huge, but certainly big enough to help you get your morning shave done.
Better Living Products The Shower Mirror
2 people found this review helpful
2016-06-29 Verified purchase
They fit like a… glove. Huh.
If these gloves were a character in NES’ Super Punch Out, they’d be Piston Hurricane – not the champ of the minor circuit, but close. Easy to slide on and off, enough padding for some casual bag work, but makes it very hard to hold a beer while you box. One size. No wrist support. We’ll see how long the mesh on the insides stands up, but so far, so good. Elastics in the wrists may stretch if you’re not careful with them. If you’re looking for pro level gloves, look elsewhere. If you’re a schlub like me who occasionally takes out his post-work commuter road rage on the cheap bag in the basement, and all you want is something to keep you from grating your knuckles on the canvas, these’ll work just fine.
Everlast Neoprene Heavy Bag Gloves
8 people found this review helpful
2016-06-29 Verified purchase
Decent little punching bag
Seems like a good quality bag for home use. Obviously, if you’re looking for pro gym level equipment, you probably shouldn’t be trying to find the cheapest bag on Amazon. Also, if you’ve never actually seen a bag in person before and are expecting a full size bag, be sure to re-read the description. This is smaller than the big gym bags, but big enough to hit. Also, yes, it comes empty. As they tell you in the description.
What caught my eye was the thought that you can fill it up with “what ever you desire.” So, in the spirit of discovery, I tried a few options.
Old clothing: Makes for a nice, soft punching surface, but it takes a lot of clothing to fill this bag, even though it’s not that large. I had to steal my roommates’ winter coats, but they won’t notice for a few months. Watch for zippers.
Plastic bags: This took three trips to the grocery store to swipe enough “free” grocery bags to fill up the space, and it totally wasn’t worth it. They don’t fill the bag well, and every punch feels like hitting butter wrapped in a gym bag. I think I twisted my wrist.
Shoes: Too lumpy. Hurts when you jab a high heel.
Water: I don’t recommend this at all. Had to leave the hose running in through the top of the bag to keep it full enough to hit, and it would slosh out a third of the bag on every hit. My basement is a mess.
Leftover food: I only got to hit it for a minute before my dog got between me and the bag, and tried to drag it off to his kennel. Thankfully, the chains and canvas held firm. Easy to wash off dog slobber from the outside, less easy to clean out last week’s tuna casserole from the inside.
Amazon packaging: Had plenty from this shipment, and after a few rounds of pummeling, the cardboard breaks down into a nice, soft filler.
New Heavy Duty Black Canvas Punching Bag With Chains
26 people found this review helpful
2016-06-28 Verified purchase
What makes you beautiful? Gotta be you!
You know, I don’t understand why conditioner is so much more expensive than shampoo. I mean, shampoo does all the hard work, right? It gets the hair clean! What does conditioner do? It highlights the hard work of the shampoo, and hogs all the credit! If this conditioner were a member of One Direction, it would be Harry, pardon the pun. The shampoo would be Niall, who IMHO carries the entire group but never gets the credit he deserves.
But yes, if you want the full One Direction experience, you can’t just have Niall. You need the sparkle of Harry; Liam and Louis would be the hairdryer and brush, I guess. Zayn was that gel you used to use as a teenager, but then you realized it looked ridiculous, and you stopped getting your mom to buy it.
What I’m trying to say is, this conditioner does a lovely job, when paired with it’s shampoo partner, of bringing out the best in your “normal” hair (not overly coloured, and not requiring something to deal with excess oils or a dry scalp). It smells pretty nice, too.
Bed Head Urban Antidotes Re-energize Conditioner by TIGI for Unisex – 25.36 oz Conditioner
2016-06-28 Verified purchase
Helps my “freakin’ awesome hair”
As you can see from the before/after photos, this shampoo does an amazing job! The hair in the before picture is flat, greasy and dull. After just one application of this shampoo, the hair in the after photo is glowing, healthy and happy! It leaves your hair silky and smooth, and…
Oh, my wife just gave me trouble for “wasting” her good shampoo. Hey, my hair needs hydration, strengthening and shine, too! She’s a little possessive on this stuff, and she’s very loyal to this brand and type. I like her hair, and while I can’t say it’s all down to the shampoo she uses, it certainly doesn’t seem to hurt.
Bed Head Urban Antidotes Re-energize Shampoo by TIGI for Unisex – 25.36 oz Shampoo
1 person found this review helpful
2016-06-28 Verified purchase
Updated review – Died after exactly 100 days
Our last coffee grinder had part of the blade snap off, after years of faithful service, and had to be replaced. It was still grinding, but leaving little bits of metal in the grinds, and the unbalanced blades sounded like a tiny motorcycle revving inside a salad bowl.
We chose this one for the brand name and the good reviews, but my wife was less than enthralled with it after it’s first use. Yes, the cord winding base is handy, but it’s smaller than our old one, and the lid’s a bit tricky.
Will it suffice? Of course. But having to grind two batches for a single pot of coffee (granted, it’s a large pot) isn’t exactly ideal. Probably better for people who only make a small pot of coffee.
Update (Oct 12, 2016): The grinder died on us this week. I guess it heard what we’d said about it being small, and decided to remind us that a small, working grinder is better than a broken one. Not sure what killed it – it lived a life of luxury on our kitchen counter. No drops, no water contact, no reason for it to give up the grind.
It arrived June 27th, and ground it’s last grind on October 6th. Assuming we didn’t grind a test it the very first day we got it, that means it was with us for exactly 100 service days.
We brewed a pot almost every day, and each pot took two grindings. Let’s say that “almost every day” means we skipped a day a week. That’s two grinds, six days a week, or an average of 1.714 grinds per day. At 100 days of life, that means it gave us approximately 171.429 uses. Let’s round that to 172. It cost us $19.99CDN for this piece of equipment, so that means we paid nearly TWELVE CENTS per grind?
That, my dear friends, is a bad deal.
2016-06-28 Verified purchase
The least exciting thing you can buy on Amazon!
I was worried that this might not fit in my cutlery drawer, so I did what everyone on Amazon does – I ordered it anyways, and hoped for the best. Measuring is for things you buy at the hardware store. Luckily, it fits in the drawer with a bit of room to spare.
The tray is pretty sturdy, and as advertised, it does hold cutlery. It was a darn near perfect fit for my pieces – large and small spoons and forks, and butter knives. It does have two extra areas that, I would guess, might work for longer knives or other kitchen gadget items. I don’t have any other cutlery, so I put my cheap chopsticks in the smaller one, and my fancy chopsticks in the other.
I don’t really “love” this tray, but it delivers exactly what it promises (which is a pretty low bar to shoot for, but whatever) and I don’t have anything bad to say about it. Seems mean to withhold a star just because you’re afraid of the word “love” (although, if I weren’t so scared of it, I might have more than a single setting of cutlery and a bunch of takeout chopsticks to store in here…)
10 people found this review helpful
2016-06-27 Verified purchase
AKA plastic plate that covers the don’t-touch bits inside a wall plug box
It never ceases to amaze me how a simple thing like a replacement wall plate for a electrical outlet can be named so excitingly!
Leviton (floaty?) 86003 (so many numbers!) 1-Gang (cool, tough) Duplex (better than just saying two holes) Device Receptacle (fancy!) Wallplate, Standard Size, Thermoset (oooh), Device Mount (tech) (Ivory) (light yellow)
It doesn’t levitate, you only get one of them, it’s not in a gang, it includes no devices whatsoever – but it’s a perfectly serviceable plug cover, and it does come with a screw.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-06-22
Rrrrrrrreally a great product for prize-hiding cups – you know whose I’m talking about…
Only Canadians know the true struggle. You go to a particular coffee shop that offers you an opportunity to “roll” up the “rim” of your cup, in search of wealth, fame, or at least a fee doughnut or coffee. Oh, and it sounds so simple, am I right? Rolling. It makes you think of kids in the long summer grass, merrily tumbling down a meadow hill. But getting under the rim is more like an ugly brawl – there’s usually biting, clawing, a few choice mots français, and if you’re really lucky, you end up spattering yourself in old, cold coffee. It sounds like one of those bad infomercials (oh no! the blanket fell off! if only there was a better way!), but every single Canadian knows exactly what I’m talking about.
In the photos, you’ll see a rim that’s been rolled by hand (ugly, and average time to unroll of 10-20 seconds), and then the clean roll of a Rim Roller (clean, average time: 2-3 seconds).
This is a wonderful little gadget that you would only scoff at until you try it. It’s quick, it’s clean, and it flat out works. The grip is steady, the blades are safely tucked away where they can’t possibly hurt you, and it’s dead simple to operate. If you don’t catch on to how to use this roller within five seconds, you might be American. I will be keeping this in my car from now on, ready for the next season of rim rolling.
Please note two things – I was provided with a sample of this product in exchange for an honest, unbiased review, and use of this Rim Roller does not improve your odds of winning. I just wanted to show off the winning rims I had stashed in my desk from last year (that I forgot to cash in before the deadline, of course!)
Really want to improve your odds? Buy larger sized coffees, and don’t be afraid to hit up gas stations that serve branded coffee and offer rim-rolling prize cups.
Rim Roller for Paper Coffee Cups – Roll up the Rim Easily (Brown) (Brown)
1 person found this review helpful
2016-06-21
Science fiction that seems so plausible that “fiction” seems a mislabeling!
You’re probably here because of Trump. I’ll get to that in a minute.
I have been hooked on Sawyer’s writing for years, now. He’s one of those authors that you don’t just read, you discover. And if you haven’t read any of his works before, you are on the precipice of something incredible.
Although I’d be hard pressed to call it his best work, it’s only because of the strength of his previous stories. I blasted through this book in just three days. It’s wasn’t the easiest read, but I simply couldn’t put it down. Three groggy mornings due to late night binges.
Our protagonist is Jim Marchuk, a psychologist from Winnipeg. He’s found a way to tell, without doubt, whether a person is a psychopath – and they’re not nearly as rare as you might have hoped. The story drags poor Jim through the ringer, but allows him to use his strengths to, ultimately, discover a horrible truth about human consciousness, and save the entire world.
Once again, Sawyer delves deep in his research, and writes about a fiction that sounds so realistic, it actually seems to explain some current events. Or course, everyone who has read the book recently can see the parallels between a certain state of consciousness, and the Donald. I’ve heard Sawyer say that he had no idea Trump would be where he is today, or the book might have gone a slightly different direction. Indeed, he also didn’t foresee the rise of the federal Liberals, which is why his PM is Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi. Nevertheless, Sawyer weaves together the political and the social into a tight, thrilling tale that bucks like a bronco, and snares you entirely.
As I’ve become accustomed to, after reading a Sawyer, it leaves me pondering not only the storylines he presents, but everything it touches. He is a master writer, and will keep you up late into the night, pondering our own existence, our place in the world, and whether we can ever truly know another person.
If I had only author to read for the rest of my life, it would be a toss up between Sawyer and Gibson – and I do believe Robert would win out in the end. Do yourself a favour, and pick up this book (or any of his works). It will be your new literary addiction.
4 people found this review helpful
2016-06-21 Verified purchase
How not to get screwed when you need to get screwed
So, you know when you run out of pickles, and you don’t remember until you’re at one of those membership-only restaurant-supplyish bulk stores, so you buy a barrel of pickles large enough to last your family for several generations?
I am missing ONE screw for an outlet on my wall, and this was the best deal for them on Amazon. Yes, I could have gone to a hardware store and bought ONE screw for about fifteen cents, but I didn’t. I ordered in online like the lazy lump that I am.
Now, I need to select a single screw from this ten pack. I could just grab one at random, but where’s the fun in that?
First, I looked at all of the screws, searching for obvious imperfections. You know, chipped paint on the front, burrs in the threads, that sort of thing. That didn’t help, they were all perfect. Likewise, they were all the same length. So, next, I weighed each and every one. No noticeable variations.
Okay, so I judged them on an arbitrary skill – the ability to not roll under the couch when I dropped them as I try to get a screwdriver into the impossible angle to attach the plate to the wall, because I was too lazy to move the couch more than a few inches from the wall. Three of them are now lost forever, and from the remaining seven, four fell straight down and didn’t roll away. These screws went on to the finals.
For their final trial, I tried to balance each one with a flat head screwdriver in their slots. The winner was able to stay upright for seventeen seconds.
This, the least rolly, the best slot gripping, the prettiest screw, is currently holding the wall plate around my plug in the living room. It screwed in smoothly, sits flush against the plate, and is completely unnoticeable to all but the most discerning screw aficionados.
The remaining six screws went into that old pickle jar, with all of my other loose and unloved screws.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-06-17 Verified purchase
When you hurt yourself as often as I do, this becomes a really good option!
So this takes the place of ice cubes and hot water bottles? Who has a hot water bottle anymore? Sorry, here in the real world, you either microwave a bag of rice for heat, or slap on a half-eaten bag of frozen peas to cool things down.
This, of course, is a huge improvement over all of the above options. The sleeve wraps securely, so you don’t have to sit perfectly still, balancing old food on your injury like some sort of horror movie buffet table.
The elastic is very long, so it should give you enough room to wrap pretty much anything you need to apply heat or ice to.
The gel pack stays flexible when it’s frozen, so it contours to your body and really gets the cold up close and personal with your bruises.
I usually say something funny in my reviews, but I’m hurt and this ice pack is really helping….
Okay, how about this? In a pinch, you could use this as a portable beer koozie to keep your drink cold. That’s funny, right?
Maybe it’s just the meds. I’m gonna go lie down for a while. With my ice pack on.
Caldera Therapy Wrap, Multi-Purpose
2 people found this review helpful
2016-06-17 Verified purchase
Works to keep my injury on ice
This thing is cool, man. Unless you need it to be hot, I guess. But I’m using it to ice down an injury, so cool it is. Appreciate the cover it comes with – keeps the cold gel pack from coming into direct contact with my skin, which could lead to frostbite, or so I’m told.
I ordered this as a refill for the Caldera Therapy Wrap, Multi-Purpose, so now one of the gel packs can stay in the freezer while the other is wrapped around… well, I’m not going to tell you about my injury. Little embarrassing. Suffice to say, this duo helps me keep the ice on, pretty much constantly.
Caldera Multi-Purpose Therapy Gel with Cover
2016-06-16 Verified purchase
I shall call it… Scooty McScooterface
My wife just got back from the hospital after breaking her ankle, and thanks to some quick shipping, this walker was waiting for her when she got home. For some reason, she didn’t feel like putting it together, so it had to wait until I got home 😉
Assembly was pretty easy – just a matter of lining up the handlebars with the wheels, popping the handles down into the storage mode, and screwing down the handle from the inside with the supplied allen wrench. I, too, have no idea what the three zip ties they included were for. It took about ten minutes from unboxing to scooting.
Setting the height requires two adjustments – one on the handlebars, and one on the knee pad. The knee pad one is incredibly easy to move; the handlebars are a bit stickier, and you might need the allen wrench again.
The first time we set it up, I had the knee rest at the highest setting. It looked low, but it was way too high for her (she’s about 5’9″). We put it down two times before we found the optimal height, where her hips were straight and her leg wasn’t flaring out to stand straight.
The pad is soft enough to be comfortable, but hard enough to give you real support. The steering is smooth, and the brakes work very well. There is a way to lock the brakes when you’re getting on or off the scooter – depress the brake lever, push and hold the little button on the side, then release the brake lever. To unlock, just depress the lever again.
My wife was enthralled with it. She’s not too comfortable on her crutches, but this required no learning curve at all.
I’m looking into accessories now – basket, cup holder, maybe a horn or a bell. Maybe some of those streamers for the handlebars. Gotta pimp the ride, right?
It folds up small enough to fit in any car trunk, but it does have some heft to it. This is great for keeping you grounded, but less great for storage and travel.
All in all, it’s 1,000,000 times better than crutches. It’s expensive, sure, but can you put a price on your mobility?
Updates
(6/30): A piece of the latch for the steering column broke off. I tweeted them, late at night, and they responded early the next morning, and customer service is following up to send a replacement. If I could add an extra star for their outstanding level of service so far, I would!
(7/20): The replacement part still hasn’t arrived, and may not for another week. Meanwhile, the pad post has developed a major crack that is threatening to break off the entire leg-resting area. Yes, it’s been used pretty much constantly for six weeks, but it’s beginning to fail in multiple spots. Taking a star off. It’s still invaluable, but it seems like it’s nearly disposable.
(8/11): The replacement part finally arrived today. At this point, she’s finished with the scooter. It’ll be good to replace the piece in case someone else needs it, but for us, it came way too late (and in the most ridiculous packaging I’ve ever seen!)
DV8 Aluminum Steerable Knee Walker
6 people found this review helpful
2016-06-15 Verified purchase
You stay with me – you’re the pick of the litter!
Some times, I can’t decide between a shower and a bath. I like the idea of sitting, but bath water gets cold too fast for my liking – plus, I feel like a human tea bag, and that’s not a very pleasant image, now is it?
So, I got myself a shower seat, so I can enjoy a nice, hot shower without having to stand up on my hind legs like some Rory Calhoon! Now, I’ll give credit where it’s due – this chair was a snap to put together. No tools required, and it only took about five minutes. It’s fairly intuitive, but the instructions are there (and easy to follow!) if you need them. It doesn’t weigh too much, but it’s pretty sturdy, and the feet grip well to a tub bottom. I have mine sitting in my old-school claw foot tub – I was worried it might rock or sway, since the bottom isn’t perfectly flat, but it’s rock solid.
The only quibble I have with the chair is the backrest. Yes, it works to rest your back against, but it’s a bit wobbly if you use it as a hand hold to get in or out of the tub (the handles on the seat itself are a better option for that). The rest isn’t screwed down like the rest of the chair, so it’s just not as solid feeling. The metal supports slide up inside the back rest, and it’s held in place with those little push-in buttons you see on crutches and camping chairs.
Outside of that, it’s a great addition to the bathroom. Oh yes, sitting. It’s the great leveler. From the mightiest Pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn’t enjoy a good sit?
Carex Adjustable Bath and Shower Seat with Back
5 people found this review helpful
2016-06-10 Verified purchase
Strikes the right “cord”
It’s a good, solid cable, so long as you understand a few things:
It’s male to male. If you don’t know what that means, look it up before you order.
It’s three feet long. That’s 91.4cm. Just under a meter. One yard. 0.000493737 nautical miles. However you measure it, make sure you understand how long you need a cord to be, before you order this one.
It has 3.5mm connectors. That’s what most phones and computers use for headphone jacks. This will not work with some guitars and stereos.
This is just a cable. It doesn’t come with a stereo.
It only works if you plug in both ends. Or use it as a skipping rope for a small child.
It’s not indestructible. If you abuse it, it will either stop working, or work less well.
If you understand these points, and this cord is at a good price compared to the others listed, then you will be happy with your purchase.
Startech.Com MU3mmS 3-Feet Slim Stereo Audio Cable-M/M (3.5mm)
2016-06-10 Verified purchase
I can’t get over the fact that there are no batteries in this thing!
Let’s get one thing straight – there are no batteries. The technical explanation I was given was that this is powered by a quantum shifter that opens up a small wormhole to the universe where all of the batteries that you have ever lost end up, and draws it’s power from that nearly endless supply. Have you ever said, where did I put those batteries, they were right here a second ago…? Then you’re helping to power my Tap switch. Thank you.
In all seriousness, I have no idea how this thing works. But it does.
Somehow, it connects effortlessly to your Philips Hue hub, and after a few swipes on the app, it’s set up for four different lighting configurations – the three little buttons, and the background of the rest of the front plate is another button.
I know some people are like, why would you want this? Isn’t the whole point of the Hue lights that you can control them from anywhere through the app? Why go backwards with a switch?
First off, this isn’t just a switch. It’s some mystical, magic-powered thing that you can mount on the wall, but also pop off and use like a remote. Still with no batteries, somehow.
Second, I’ve found a lot of scenarios where this is a useful addition to my Hue setup. Visitors can turn on lights without downloading an app and signing in to my network. I can turn on the lights when my phone is charging or otherwise unavailable. And placing it near the hard-wired light switches reminds us not to flip the switches!
The only thing to watch is that you need a good, firm press of the button to get it to work. If you delicately press it, it doesn’t generate the power required to make the connection. You don’t need to pound on the thing, just a firm press until it clicks.
Philips Led Hue Tap (Compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple Home Kit and Google Assistant) – 452524
2 people found this review helpful
2016-06-09
Better than cardboard, but not as good as Samsung Gear
Oh, neat! So, what do I do with this?
– You put your phone inside the back of it, strap it to your head, and voila! 3D virtual reality! With the right apps, of course.
Nifty! Let’s try out this roller coaster one! So I just pop my phone in the back.. hey, it won’t stick to these suction cups, and there’s no other way to secure the phone inside!
– Yeah, I might have to knock off a star for that (and one other issue). If your phone doesn’t have a completely smooth, flat back, those suction cups aren’t going to do any good. Luckily, the phone you have in there is on the larger side, so it can’t really move around in there. A smaller iPhone is probably gonna rattle around.
Well, okay, let’s move on. So I just fit the straps around my head like this?
– No, you have it on backwards and upside down. I don’t know how, since it’s pretty easy to figure out how this ought to work. The straps are nice and adjustable, and the foam around the eye piece is pretty comfy. It’s also pretty light, for a thing to strap your big ol’ phone to your face. It also looks a lot nicer than the ones made out of cardboard!
Oh, and I can adjust for my eyes?
– Yep, there are sliders on the top that let you move the lenses closer or further apart, and let you focus in and out.
Cool! Now, the app says to sync to my headset, then hit a button. What button?
– Sorry, that’s the other problem. You have no access to your phone once it’s in the case. No button pushing for you! But on the bright side, no chargers or batteries to worry about. You might want to get one of those bluetooth gamepads to work with this setup.
Okay, that’s slightly annoying, but the app’s working now without it… whoah, that’s dizzying!
Yep, despite those two flaws, this thing works very well, and you get a full 3D experience!… and you just threw up on my shoes.
Sorry, that’s pretty lifelike! And disorienting!
– Yeah, you probably should have been sitting down the first time you tried it.
2016-06-09 Verified purchase
If you know what this is, and are looking for one, then it is a good one.
Can’t quite bring myself to say that I love this item, since the screws were pretty short, and couldn’t actually reach past the plate itself to the bracket on the wall. Thankfully, had some spare screws around from an old faceplate to sub in. It looks good, connects easily to the VGA cable, and keeps things looking cleaner in the office.
What else can I say? This isn’t going to be one of those impulse purchases. If you need one, this’ll do. If you don’t, I’m sure Amazon can show you something in a nice pair of headphones? Maybe a sweater?
StarTech.com VGAPLATE Single Outlet 15-Pin Female VGA Wall Plate (White)
2016-06-09
I’m a big “fan” of this cooling pad!
It’s currently 30+ degrees Celsius, and everything is overheating. The computers. The phones. The cat. The people.
This cooling pad took care of three quarters of them.
This is a saucy looking product, what with it’s black metal grill and trio of blue LED-lit fans. It connects with a USB cable, and you won’t believe how quietly it runs! Seriously, if it wasn’t for the gentle breeze and the lights, I wouldn’t have thought it was working!
It’s sized for a 17 inch laptop, but there’s no problems using a smaller one. Heck, even laying out a few phones on top helped to cool them down.
It’s also sized for a medium cat, although they don’t tell you that on the box. Mine climbed on, and had to be forcefully shoo’ed away. He eyeballed it, and I’m sure he’ll be back to lay on it again as soon as he can.
What else do you want to know? It has adjustable feet to change the angle, an on/off switch, an extra USB port to replace the one being used to power the pad, and won’t cut it as an A/C replacement for your living room. You can barely feel the breeze if you smush your face against it. That being said, it’s enough to keep your electronics and curious pets a few degrees cooler, so it’s definitely worth the investment!
Please note, I was provided with a sample of this product in exchange for a fair, honest and unbiased review.
HAVIT HV-F2056 15.6″-17″ Laptop Cooler Cooling Pad – Slim Portable USB Powered (3 Fans)
28 people found this review helpful
2016-06-09
Dead on arrival 🙁
I really wanted to like this, it’s such a cute little mic! I’m giving it a star because it’ll still be useful as a toy for kids. Unfortunately, it straight up doesn’t work. I tried it out on several computers and phones, and it didn’t record at all. But still, hate is a strong word.
It does have some nice build features – the braided cord is nice, and it’s long. Be warned, this really is a TINY microphone – smaller than my pinkie finger! There’s also some very badly translated instructions on the back, which are not helpful at all. “The microphone does not use headphones / earphones with wheat.” What?
Please note, I was provided with a sample of this product in exchange for a fair, honest and unbiased review.
2016-06-08 Verified purchase
Split the signal without losing a beat!
They do exactly what they promise to do – they split the audio line in two. You also get two pieces in this order, so you can either have two people listening to two different devices each, or plug one splitter into another, and have three people listening to one audio source.
These splitters are flexible, so they bend and give a little. It’s nice that they’re not hard, cheap plastic.
Audio quality doesn’t seem to change when using these, which is essential. If they muck up the sound, they’re as good as useless.
I’m using one of the splitters on my home stereo, so that I can run a Chrome audio line in without having to unplug my record player. The other one is on my computer, so that I can run a line to my speakers and another to a set of headphones. I can now turn off the power at the speakers themselves, and listen on the headphones without monkeying around with cables!
There are plenty of audio uses for these splitters, and since you’re getting two pieces, it’s a pretty good deal for the cost.
Please note, I was provided with a sample of this product in exchange for an honest, original and unbiased review.
2016-06-08 Verified purchase
There’s a reason these are the must-have item of this summer!
I am a hammock guy. I camp with my hammock. I crash there after mowing the lawn. Heck, I used one as a bed replacement in a 300 sq ft apartment for half a year. I love hammocks.
So, when I saw these inflatable hammocks pop up this summer, I was intrigued. Suffice to say, they are as good as their hype.
Now, I was tempted to take off a star for one reason only – if there’s no wind, you are not going to inflate this thing with any sort of ease. Forget the videos you’ve seen. On a still day, you’re going to have to work HARD to get this thing filled up. See my attached video (also on YouTube at […])
But here’s the kicker: once I got this thing inflated, it was amazing. Incredibly comfortable. I could have fallen asleep on it within a hot minute.
So yes, it’s not the easiest thing to get it full of air, but once you do, you will completely forget about the effort that went into filling it!
Couple of notes – when you close the mouth of the bag, make sure you roll it once or twice to make sure you get a good seal. If you do this, your bag won’t leak at all. It’s pretty sturdy feeling, but I’m guessing a sharp rock underneath or a hot spark from a nearby fire would spell doom for this inflatable hammock. It doesn’t have pockets like some other models, but I can’t see how a pocket on the side would be all that useful or accessible. It rolls out pretty quickly, and packs back up into it’s bag without much effort. If you’re thinking about taking it camping, be warned, it’s going to cost you a bit in weight and size. It packs up to the size of a small pillow, and weighs about as much as a DSLR camera.
If you’ve read all this, and you’re still not sure if you want to buy one, ask yourself – do you enjoy relaxing? Do you want something with the comfort of a hammock without the hassle of straps? Are you a cool kid this summer? If you answered yes to at least two out of the three, you should get this inflatable hammock!
24 people found this review helpful
2016-06-01 Verified purchase
More interchangeable bits than… something else with interchangeable bits?
Replacing a very old and very cheap set of tiny computer screwdrivers that I actually pulled out of a Christmas cracker – no joke. Now, that set only had three pieces – this one has 45 (42 bits, the extension arm, the handle and the tweezers). The old set had cheap plastic handles, and this one has a good rubber grip – but the plastic does feel a bit cheap under that. The driver head is a bit loose when you slot in the extension arm or the bits, but the magnet in the back gives it a good, firm hold. The cheap cracker set came in a cheap plastic sleeve, while this set comes in a fancy plastic box that flips up the bits when you open it. It actually looks pretty well designed, like it won’t just break in a week. The folding action also helps keep the bits in place while the case is closed, so you don’t get sprayed with loose bits when you open it. The old set had just two different Phillips and a flat head. This one has bits for screws I’ve never imagined. There’s the U2.6, for instance, which looks like a tiny set of bull’s horns. The tweezers are a nice addition, and they’ve got a good, sharp point at a very handy angle.
This would be a five star review if it wasn’t for the slight wobbliness in the way the handle holds the bit. It won’t negatively effect your use of the set – it just feels a little less polished.
3 people found this review helpful
2016-06-01
Cosplayer’s Delight!
There is nothing but love here. Gaffer tape can be pretty pricey stuff, so even at a 1″ width instead of the 2″, this was a steal of a deal. The roll is about the size of a personal pizza (gawd, I wish I could get a decent 1″ thick personal pizza, amiright?), and it’s a nice olive colour, dark enough to have a bit of presence but not just boring old black,
Seriously, this stuff is awesome. I use it for creative-type stuff, like cosplay costumes, and it beats duct tape, hands down. It’s more paintable, just as durable, not glossy, and from my experience, a bit more durable. Don’t get me wrong, duct tape has it’s place, but this stuff is another level of tape. It tears well, wears well – but it’s not quite so good for all-weather purposes. Save this for indoors stuff, and use the cheap duct tape for outdoor repairs.
If you’re taping down cords on a stage, or covering seams, you might want to spend the extra bucks on the 2″; but for my crafty purposes, this more than does the job.
2016-05-19 Verified purchase
Yep, it’s a bag for drum sticks.
It holds drum sticks. It does not come with it’s own drum sticks or drum kit – those are sold separately.
I don’t know why you need a bag for drum sticks, but that’s what my nephew wanted – and he plays the drums. I don’t.
He says it works fine. I can’t see why it wouldn’t.
Protec Drum Stick Bag with Internal Storage Pocket
2016-05-19 Verified purchase
They DO make ’em like they used to!
This is a good, solid tripod. And the price! While I’m not usually one to spend like a Rockefeller, even I couldn’t really quibble with the cost.
Of course, in my day, we didn’t have these fancy tripod. If you were really lucky, someone on your block would have a duopod that you could rent for a nickel a day – or in the poorer neighbourhoods like mine, someone would make a unipod out of an old stickball bat, broken hockey stick or somewhat straight tree branch.
Oh, there were no telescoping legs, let me tell you. And levels? You just had to eyeball it. Our old versions certainly didn’t come with any carrying bags – zippers were for the rich! And detachable mounting plates? I used to tie my old Kodak to the unipod with half an old boot lace.
Oh, things are better now, but those fancy clips on the legs aren’t going to hold on forever, you know. They’ll wear out, eventually, just like my knees, and back, and neck, and eyesight. But you can’t worry about what’s going to fail tomorrow. Or at least that’s what the remaining collection of poker buddies say. We’re down to a threesome most nights. Some reason, my grandkids chuckle when I tell them that…
Oh right, the tripod. Yes, it works like a dandy. It pivots every which way, adjusts to every height, and so far, hasn’t slipped in the slightest. I sure wish I had feet as well planted, let me tell you! This tripod is more stable than the whole Kentucky Derby! Get it – stable, horses… oh, never mind.
It’s a fine piece of photographic equipment, even if it had to be shipped all the way from the Amazon. My, those Aztecs or whatever, they sure can build ’em! My hat’s off to them!
What do I use it for, you ask? Well, I’m a bit of an amateur ornithologist, now that I’m retired, and it’s sure nice to always have my camera at the ready by the window in case a fine specimen lands out in the tree there. What? No, it’s not pointed at Mrs. McCready’s bedroom window… now wait just a cotton pickin’ second, just because her blinds are open… How dare you? I’m no peepin’ Tom! I take pictures of birds, thank you very much!
…No, you can’t look at the pictures on my camera’s memory card right now. Don’t make me smack you with this tripod!
AmazonBasics 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod with Bag
29 people found this review helpful
2016-05-19
This remote control has “triggered” a positive review!
I don’t have a smart phone, so I’ve missed out the selfy craze so far. But an external shutter release has given me a chance to get in on the fun with all the young kids and their hashtag yo-low snapping chats!
I have an older Canon EOS Rebel DSLR, and it worked very well with it. I was able to stand about a meter away from the camera, and take the picture without any help, or having to rush to get myself together before the timer went off! The ability to adjust focus from the trigger was also a nice-to-have feature.
Yes, it’s made of plastic, but so is everything these days. It’s light, but not cheap feeling.
I also took my camera outside to use the button lock for a long exposure shot of the night sky – but I didn’t take off the lens cap. I might not be that good of a photographer. But it was nice to be able to effortlessly slide up the trigger button to lock it in place, and walk away. Long bulb exposures are a pain when you have to hold down the shutter release on the camera body itself. Trust me, I’ve tried.
It may not have the super long range of an infrared trigger, but it’s a lot more reliable, and for under ten bucks, you really can’t beat it!
2016-05-13 Verified purchase
Can’t get it to work
Plugged this into my 2000 Buick Century, and can’t get it to connect. Tried several OBDii reader apps, and nothing. I would try it on my wife’s car, but she drives a Nissan, which they explicitly say it won’t work with. So, for me, it’s a rather inexpensive but useless plug that keeps dust and debris out of my diagnostics port. I guess that’s something.
Oh, and don’t download the app in the documentation – it’s the same thing you can find in the Google Play store, without the sketchy feeling of downloading from an unknown source!
2016-05-08 Verified purchase
Mice yes, spiders no
I put this in my roommate’s room, because he’s not the neatest guy, and there were mice sneaking in to eat the pizza crusts he was “saving” in his pillow case. After just one week, there were no new mouse droppings, and he’s given his notice that he’s moving out. Thanks Bell and Howard! I’m keeping them plugged in, and I don’t hear anything!
Taking one star off for the claim that these things repel spiders – I have one in the basement, and there’s a spider that not only used it as an anchor for his web, but he actually hangs out on the front of the speaker grill.
Bell + Howell Ultrasonic Pest Repeller, 4 Pack
2016-05-08 Verified purchase
Sextuple your pleasure, sextuple your fun!
All six batteries worked, so that’s a five-star product right there. The charger looks a bit cheap, but it does the trick. Haven’t mastered the art of changing batteries mid-flight yet, but I’m sure I’ll get there with more practice! It’s nice to go from eight minutes of flight time to whatever eight times six is. Makes walking out to the park with my drone worth the six block return trip!
2016-05-06 Verified purchase
My teeth hurt, but my soul is smiling!
When I was a child, my parents would, on very rare occasion, buy one of those unhealthy, sugary cereals, filled with marshmallows. Lucky Charms, usually. I can count the number of times this happened on one hand. But every time it would happen, I would be filled with this pure, bright happiness. There’s something about little, freeze-dried blobs of colourful sugar in your cereal bowl that just makes you smile.
When I moved out on my own, one of my first grocery purchases was a box of Lucky Charms. I was always very careful when I poured the cereal, lest I use up all the marshmallows at once, and leave a sad box of sugar crumbs and lackluster cereal. I dreamed of picking out every little marshmallow in the box, putting them in a bowl, and eating them all at once.
Today, I lived that dream, and more.
First off, some nutritional information. The bag says that a serving is 30g of marshmallows, which sounds like a lot. There’s a photo of exactly how many marshmallows that is – it halfway fills a small canning jar. Oh, and from that 30g serving, you’ll find 25g of sugar. Just in case you were under the delusion that there little bits were in any way, shape, or form good for you.
There are five shapes and colours of marshmallows included here – purple crescents, pink pyramids, yellow moons, blue blocks and pink… okay, I don’t know what shape that’s supposed to be.
To start with, I decided to roast one. You can see from the pictures, they don’t look so good afterwards. They don’t so much roast as spontaneously combust when exposed to an open flame. They burn with a blue flame, if you’re curious. The resulting burned lump of sugar tasted similar to a campfire roasted marshmallow, but only slightly. It left a small, chewy lump of sugar in my mouth. I would do it again.
Next, I tried mixing a handful of them in to a cup of hot chocolate. Here is where these little beauties shine. They melt like crayons in a hot car, leaving streaks of rainbow sugar swirling across the top of the cup. And, they taste like the little marshmallows you get in the pre-mixed hot chocolate, but they last a little longer before dissolving completely away.
The next morning, I finally lived my dream. I measured out a serving of marshmallows, poured them into a bowl, covered ’em with milk, and called it breakfast. It was everything I thought it would be. Tiny, sweet chunks of melty styrofoam delight that left the milk sweeter than the sugariest cola. I was scoffed at, but those to dare to dream big often are.
For lunch, I made myself some peanut butter toast, and sprinkled some marshmallows over the top. It added a sweet crunch, which was nice, because we always buy the peanut butter that doesn’t have any added sugar or anything.
I wanted to try something interesting with them for dinner, but my wife drew the line at marshmallow-coated chicken breasts. Instead, I made dessert with them. I didn’t actually bother with a real cookie recipe, but just threw a bunch of things in a bowl until it resembled cookie dough, then baked them. This was probably the least successful use for them, as the marshmallows immediately burnt and stuck to the bottom of the pan, while the rest of the cookie remained raw. They taste a little funny, and they look terrible. I can’t put 100% of the blame on the marshmallows here, however. I might try again in the future, but maybe just add two or three to the top of each cookie, instead of mixing a cup and a half of them into the dough itself.
Finally, for a nightcap, I picked out ten little pink marshmallows, and drowned them in vodka. They dissolved terrifyingly fast, but left me with a sweet shot that I’m pretty sure would be popular at a party. So long as no one sees me making them.
I’ve discovered that many people have an aversion to these mini marshmallows, and were disgusted that I was eating them. I feel sorry for these people, for whom something so simple and bright will never be a nostalgic thrill ride of the taste buds.
But if you’re like me, and you want to give a little gift to the child you used to be… don’t think about it, just do it. Make yourself a mini marshmallow smoothie. Put them in your coffee. Mix them with your popcorn at the movies. Or just sit on the floor in your pajamas on a Saturday morning, and eat them by the handful, straight out of the bag.
Hoosier Hill Charms Cereal Marshmallows, 453g
115 people found this review helpful
2016-05-05 Verified purchase
Ready to be organized!
I placed these in a file labelled “Filing Tabs”, so that I’ll always be able to find them when I need to label a new file. As of right now, I only have the one file folder, but it’s clearly labeled in a bright, fun colour. I’d suggest using a sharpie to mark them, as some inks tend to smudge on these, and pencils don’t mark it very well at all. They stick very well, but not permanently – which is great, in case I get more filing tabs, and need to move the tab labelled “Filing Tabs” to a larger folder to hold them all!
Post-it Filing Tabs, 2″ x 1.5″, Angled, Assorted Primary Colours, 24 Tabs/Pack
1 person found this review helpful
2016-04-19 Verified purchase
Mars can be so lonely, but not when you have a good book to keep you company!
Ordering this book online before my work trip was nothing short of fate. I am currently stuck in a bus station in Mars, Pennsylvania, which is twenty miles north of Pittsburgh. Okay, it’s not so much of a bus station as it is the Mars Area Public Library, which was our drop-off point.My sales team and I were sent here on a fact finding mission, and I was separated from the rest of the team during a freak storm. They, believing that I was in the restroom in the back of the bus, left without me. Of course, my phone and wallet were already on board, and I am now left with no way to let the team, or the rest of the company back in Pittsburgh, know that I am alive. I’m sure they fear the worst.
In the meantime, I have cracked into this paperback, which I was saving for the long ride back home, and it’s amazing how many parallels there are to my current situation! Weir’s novel reads like half adventure, and half do-it-yourself, with a healthy dose of heavy technical information thrown in for flavour! I have devoured this book, and Mark Watney’s perilous adventures have made mine seem tolerable. For that, I give my thanks.
I tried to plant potatoes in the reference section, using the crumbs of the potato chips I had packed in my lunch, but the librarians put a stop to that pretty quickly. I also tried to manufacture oxygen with a pocket lighter and a AA battery, but they asked me to stop that, too. I asked if they could call my company for me, but they said they can’t let patrons use their phone.
After reading about Mark’s ingenious use of the rover, I hit upon the equally brilliant idea of using the library computers to send a series of photos back to the main office, showing books spread out on the carpet spelling out the word “OKAY”. This allowed us to begin to communicate over the vast distances. They said they would call and have the bus turn around, but I told them that it would be better to have the bus drive around the city of Pittsburgh first, to gather enough momentum to get all the way back to Mars. They said that wasn’t necessary. I said, recheck the fuel calculations, and they said the bus would stop at the Kwik Fill in Cranberry on the way back. I said a prayer for their safe travels.
When the bus gets here, I will jump from the second story window, and hope that I can reach the speed required to match the bus as it drives past, landing safely on the roof. How I get down will be another challenge for our brilliant team of rescuers, and I have great faith in their abilities and ingenuity.
While I wait, I’ll keep reading, and see if my buddy Mark can give me any other tips on how to survive.
The Martian (Mass Market MTI): A Novel
3 people found this review helpful
2016-04-19 Verified purchase
Great little addition to the key chain!
I got this for my husband for Christmas, because he’s forever looking for his keys. I set it up for him, and now, when he can’t find his keys, instead of asking me to help look, he asks me to help him look and I tell him to use the Tile app, and then he spends his time looking for his phone instead! What an age we live in!
It’s small enough that it doesn’t hamper my husband’s ability to completely misplace his keys, which I guess is better than my previous suggestion of attaching one of those big sticks they hang on keys for gas station washrooms.
The alert noise is nice and loud, so when he’s finally found his phone, he’s able to find his keys within seconds! He’s used it about once every three days, and the battery is still kicking!
Tile (Gen 2) – Phone Finder. Key Finder. Item Finder – 1 Pack (Discontinued by Manufacturer)
1 person found this review helpful
2016-04-19 Verified purchase
Enough power to keep you going as long as you need!
Cheap batteries! I go through an average of three AAA batteries a week, between my wireless headphones, television remotes, usb mouse and… well, some other items… you don’t need to know about. Ahem.
At any rate, there’s nothing worse than running out of batteries, and with this, you need never fear a lonely night of dead batteries again. For your flashlight, or something. Right. Flashlights.
So…
The only issue I had was the packaging, which was a bit tore up by the time it got here. 50 AAA batteries aren’t as big as you might think, and they arrived in a padded envelope. Guess it wasn’t quite padded enough. But it didn’t effect the batteries themselves, so it’s a minor quibble.
They are shrink wrapped into pairs, which will help me keep track of which ones are already used and dead.
For my flashlight. Flash. Flashlight.
Universal Battery D5323/D5923 Super Heavy-Duty Battery Value Box AAA, 50-Pack
1 person found this review helpful
2016-04-18
Probably more advanced that I require!
Pros: Quick shipping / Travel case / Solid construction / Magnet and hanger on back / Travel case / Easy to read display / Two types of leads / Seems to be accurate / Good backlight
Cons: Instructions could be more readable / Blue protective case was slightly loose / Had to remove internal input jack cover (jammed)
I’m not an expert in this stuff, but it works great for my needs – checking batteries to see if they have any charge left, and making sure the power’s off when I’m doing work on an outlet.
4 people found this review helpful
2016-04-15 Verified purchase
I have no business owning a drone, and yet, here we are.
I have never flown a drone before. In fact, I suck at those old flight sims, and I regularly make paper airplanes that would probably fly further if the paper had been left unfolded and let drop to the floor. So, of course, I went out and bought a drone online, watched exactly zero minutes of informational videos, read three of the pages in the manual, and proceeded to power it up in the spare bedroom.
First off, it only took me about three minutes to unpackage the drone. The zip ties were unneccesary, and ought to be twist ties. I was seriously worried about damaging the arms of the drone while I freed it – mostly because the only sharp thing in reach was an old, rusty hunting knife, and trying to wedge that between the tie and the drone was difficult. I only cut myself twice in the process (no stitches!)
Next, I realized I needed four AA batteries for the remote, which I’m sure I would have known had I done any sort of reading. Thankfully, I found batteries when I gutted a nearby smoke detector, the remote for the TV, and found one loose one under the bed.
My drone already had the landing skids attached, but not the blade guards. Those were a snap, with the screws already in place. I actually had a small screwdriver ready for this purpose, since I figured there would be at least one screw somewhere to tighten or loosen. This was the extent of my preparation.
Okay, so it’s out of the box, assembled and powered up. Thankfully, the drone battery already had a charge on it, so it was ready to fly right away, no charging required. Waiting for a charge might have resulted in actually reading the whole manual!
I did read the part about pairing the drone to the remote, after a few minutes of randomly hitting buttons and switches and getting absolutely no where. It’s pretty easy, but you need to know the trick of it (left toggle all the way up, then down, with power on both remote and drone).
Once that was done, I thumbed the toggle and immediately sent the drone no where, since I wimped out and only powered it up to the first level. This spins the blades and creates a pleasant breeze that will slightly disturb papers piled within a foot in any direction.
Emboldened, I pushed up hard, and sent the drone blazing up into the ceiling, where it smacked hard and dislodged a bit of the popcorn and paint. I panicked and reversed, and the drone dropped like a small plastic rock. It landed right side up, and bounced on it’s landing tracks. No damage done.
I spent the rest of the remaining initial battery charge trying desperately to figure out how to control this thing. It flailed around the room like a drunken hummingbird, smacking walls with abandon. At one point, I flew it directly at my own head, and panicked, I dropped the control and plucked it out of the air. The blades smacked my fingers pretty good, but drew no blood.
I then took it outside – see the attached video. Be sure to watch for overhead cables!
The photos and videos are not exactly high quality, but they’re good enough to share online, and really, what more would you need it for? When I blow the video up on my monitor, it’s a bit pixelated, but certainly still viewable. The included 4g card gives you plenty of space to record – you’ll run out of battery power before you fill up the memory.
The battery lasted a little over seven minutes, but I didn’t time it precisely. I treated it roughly, and it survived the first few encounters. This is better than I expected. I will be taking some more time over the next few days to try flying it outdoors, with fewer walls and ceilings to run in to, and see if I can’t get the handle of this flying business.
Syma X5C 2.4G 6 Axis GYRO HD Camera RC Quadcopter with 2.0MP Camera
16 people found this review helpful
2016-04-13 Verified purchase
Better than bunny ears!
Far superior to the bunny ears we had when I was a kid, trying desperately to keep a steady picture for something other than the CBC. This doesn’t have the longest cord, but it was sufficient to give us seven channels of over-the-air (OTA) HD-quality local channels. You can get better results if you take the time to position the antenna in the direction of the signal you want, but even without much effort, you’ll get something.
Digiwave BMX HDTV Digital Antenna – ANT4500
2016-04-13 Verified purchase
When you just can’t live without another television remote…
Transitioning from a Chromecast, because it’s sometimes a pain to have to go through a phone/tablet/laptop to watch things on the television from online. Managed to set up the Roku in about twenty minutes, including signing in to Google Play and Netflix. It does run a bit slower loading up each of the channels, but the trade-off is worth it to have a remote and the self-contained online portion. Between this and an HDTV OTA antenna, we should be able to cut our cable TV – except we won’t, because sports. The Rdio button is pretty useless, but the other three constitute 90% of our online viewing. And yes, the Canadian selection of channels isn’t amazing, but we’re used to it, thanks to years of terrible service from our internet and cell phone providers.
Roku Stick Streaming Player 3500CA, Purple
3 people found this review helpful
2016-04-13 Verified purchase
Practical, and the prettiest of the two baskets on my “cargo” bike
Good basket. It was fairly painless to connect this to my bike, but attached well enough to hold a bit of weight, and discourage bad people from ripping it off. With this on the front and a milk crate strapped to the back, I’ve managed to make my bike pretty ugly, so it’s practically theft proof. My only issue was an attachment that eventually shook free from the strut to the bottom of the basket, but a zip tie got that fixed up. I could go get some replacement hardware, but there’s a lot of things with that bike that I “could” do to make it better, and I haven’t done a single one of them in years…
Wald 198 Front Bicycle Basket (14.5 x 9.5 x 9, Black)
2016-04-13 Verified purchase
It does the job, what else do you want to know?
This is another one of those products that, really, you’re reading the reviews? It’s thread sealing tape. You either know what it’s for, or you don’t. There’s no way for the average Joe to break down whether this brand worked better than the others. I ripped off a chunk of this, wrapped it around the threads of a hose, and promptly forgot about it. And even this is too long of a review!
If it’s cheaper than the other tapes you’re looking at right now, buy it. If it’s not, buy the other one. Seriously, find something better to do with your time than comparison shop thread seal tape!
LDR 200 1200 1/2-Inch by 520 PTFE Thread Seal Tape
5 people found this review helpful
2016-04-13
My new running partner!
It’s not a fanny pack, okay? This isn’t 1990, and you’re not MC Hammer. This isn’t some gaudy pouch for your Tamagotchis and Pogs. This is a running belt – it’s a serious thing, a modern mix of sporting equipment and phone protection. Before this, I kept my phone in one of my shorts pockets, and my keys and wallet zipped into another. It was like running with saddle bags on.
Now, with a good waist pack that is designed to work with today’s larger phones, it makes my run that much easier. Yes, the green colour is more of a neon yellow, but it does a great job at keeping your stuff secure. The front phone pocket is elasticy and stretchable, and it holds your phone tight against the flexible front window. It makes checking your notifications a breeze while you’re on the move. I tested it with both my large phone and a smaller, older iPhone, and it stayed in place both times, even without anything else in the pack. The back section is big enough to hold pretty much everything but the kitchen sink. It’s adjustable, and it seems to hold on the size you adjust it to very well, even after moving around with it. Cinch it snug, and it will not end up around your ankles by the end of a run. The earphones hole has a rubber cover, so if you run into a light rain shower, it won’t just pour into the phone compartment.
The only downside was a strong plastic smell when I first opened this waist pack, but it went away fairly quickly.
I did receive this product without charge in exchange for an honest review.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-04-13
Does your phone hang low? Does it dangle to and fro? Secure it to your arm, to keep it safe from harm!
I have a big phone, a OnePlus One. It’s like, huge. I’m not just bragging here. Seriously, it’s bigger than most guys. So, it’s a problem sometimes when I go for a run, because it honestly gets in the way. The rest of the time, I love having a big phone, but when I run, I’ve either got to hold in my hands, which gets a LOT of weird looks, or I risk it falling out of the bottom of my shorts. Not good options. I’ve tried strapping it down, but it’s too big for most of the products on the market. So, I was skeptical about this armband. Nothing worse than trying to cram your big phone into something small and cheap. Thankfully, this armband actually measures up. My huge phone fit perfectly – including the top flap to keep it really secured in place, which some of the other, smaller bands couldn’t do. I also let my buddy try it on his phone. He’s got an iPhone 5, so it’s totally normal sized for most guys (although he still gets a little insecure about it at times). While it might look a bit odd to see a smaller phone in there, it holds it in place without any wiggling around. So, while it will work for less-endowed phones, it’s really meant for big, meaty phones like mine, and the bigger iPhones.
The velcro is nice and strong, and the strap has plenty of give, so it sits pretty well, even with my massive phone tucked into it. I waved my arms around, and it didn’t even budge.
The touch screen is flexible, secure, but still allows you to touch your phone in all the right ways. I mean, if you’re going to run with it, you still want to be able to play with it, am I right? Your side buttons will be harder to reach, with the LEDs in the way, but everything up front is nice and accessible.
The lights are very, very bright for their size. I’m pretty sure this armband alone would make you safely visible in even the darkest night. It has two strobe settings (fast and slow), and a solid “on” setting. It will draw a lot of attention to your phone, but it’s safety, not modesty that we’re talking about here.
The only drawbacks are the key pocket, which was a little too shallow to be trustworthy for me, and the on/off button for the lights, which isn’t securely attached, so it might take a few seconds to locate it in the dark. The wires are all neatly tucked away under a velcro tab, so you won’t have to worry about it falling out on you.
All told, this is a great armband to keep your larger phones secure when you run.
I did receive this product without charge in exchange for an honest review.
2016-04-06 Verified purchase
Make Vegetables Great Again!
My wife was looking for a way to cook healthier, but not in a way that you end up with a boring place of sad veggies. We were in the bookstore one day, and I saw this title. I said to my wife, “Oh, my, god. Becky, look at her menu. It is so big.
She looks like one of those health guys’ chefs.
But, you know, who understands those health guys?
They only talk to her because she looks like a total professional cook.
I mean, her pantry, is just so big.
I can’t believe it’s just so well rounded, it’s like, out there, I mean— yum. Look!
She’s just so… thug!”
I like big beets and I can not lie
You other eaters can’t deny
That when a meal goes by, it’s an itty bitty pie
Stuff that round thing in your face
You get full, eating greenage and roughs
‘Now you feeling that belly’s stuffed
Fitting back in the jeans you’re wearing
I’m hooked and I can’t stop sharing
Oh baby, I wanna cook with ya
Some home made pasta
My homeboys tried to warn me
But Pumpkin Chili makes me so hungry
Ooh, instead of fast food junk
You wanna eat like you give a funk?
Well, use Thug Kitchen
And stop your stomach from twitchin’!
I’ve seen them bakin’
Wanna eat what they’re makin’
It’s sweet, neat,
But they swear like they’re on the street!
I’m tired of other cookbooks
Sayin’ fried foods are the king
Take the average health nut and ask him that
Don’t wanna pack so much fat
So, fellas! (Yeah!) Fellas! (Yeah!)
Has your girlfriend got the book? (Hell yeah!)
Tell ’em to bake it! (Bake it!) Bake it! (Bake it!)
Bake that healthy stuff!
Thug Kitchen got back!
Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck
10 people found this review helpful
2016-04-06 Verified purchase
Less than impressed with results on bonded leather
Less than impressed with how it works on bonded leather. Tried to repair some surface scratches on the arm of the couch, and maybe it’s user error – I’m not a leather expert – but no matter how carefully I applied the first coat, it left very visible white residue on the nearby black leather.
LeatherNu Complete Leather Color Restoration & Repair Kit
2016-04-06 Verified purchase
Up your nozzle game, go metal!
Those cheap plastic nozzles suck! Seriously, I went through three in a single summer, and every single one started leaking for various cheap plastic cracks and seams within days. Argh!
This metal one is old school, and it works. It’s simple, sturdy and dependable. I don’t need a fancy one, just something that works and doesn’t leak like a Panamanian law firm.
Gilmour 573TF Full Size Zinc Pistol Grip Nozzle with Threaded Front
1 person found this review helpful
2016-04-06 Verified purchase
Knock knock! Who’s there? A decent 7″ tablet under $100
We got two of these for just under a hundred bucks apiece, and for that price, they’re a great deal. They’re a good size – portable enough to travel with, but big enough to make a difference over just using your phone. The battery life is decent out of the box, but the chargers are not the quickest draw on the block. They run Android, and load pretty quick. We loaded up an app that locks the display to a single website, and used them in a booth display at a trade show.
Why two? For this terrible joke I just made up: Two tablets walk out of an Internet bar. The Android tablet asks, hey, did we take care of the tab before we left? The Apple tablet says, don’t worry – iPad the server.
2016-04-06 Verified purchase
Puff puff, but don’t pass up on this deal!
My wife has allergies, and this little steamer has helped her breathing at night. It’s not a warm steam, so at first, you might not think it’s doing all that much; but after a few pulls, the mellow started to set in. She was all, like, whoa, it feels like my lungs are opening up, man. I thought that was pretty deep, y’know? Like, there was this elemental connection between the water vapor and her very soul, right? It’s gotta be a pretty clean intake, eh, ‘cuz I was all like, you want munchies now? And she was, like, no, I’m going to go to bed and enjoy a restful night’s sleep. And I was like, whoa. She’s got it sitting on her bedside table, but she leaves it unplugged so the little LED doesn’t shine in her eyes at night. I was all like, you’re going to leave that out in the open? And she was like, okay, you’re taking this joke well past the point of being funny anymore. And I was like, whoa. She totally gets me, right? And now she totally gets to take a deep, clear breath when she’s counting to ten before she calmly asks me to, like, totally stop it already.
1 person found this review helpful
2016-03-31
I’m a big four-eyed lame-o and I wear the same stupid sweater everyday
Love the design, but this sweater sizes small. I got a large, and had to sew panels in the sides to make it fit. It looks ridiculous after my alterations, but really, I don’t think it took away from the overall aesthetic. Wear it to Simpsons Trivia Nights at the local bar, and they now know me as Ugly Sweater Guy. I couldn’t be happier!
1 person found this review helpful
2016-03-31 Verified purchase
It sharpens stuff
Took this to my old, rusted axe head, and it got it back into serviceable condition. I’ve never used a sharpening stone before, but there are online videos to show you how to use it. I would say that I love it, if I felt that way.
No, I don’t have attachment issues, why do you ask? What do you mean, I’m typical for what? Why are you walking away? Commitment issues? No, seriously, it’s a fine sharpening stone, I just don’t… what? Hey, now that’s not fair, I do care! Wait, come back! I’m sorry! No, I don’t know why I’m apologizing, but… Okay, fine. I love this sharpening stone. Okay? Yes, I do mean it! No, I’m not just saying it… what? Oh, so now it’s not good enough, it’s too forced?
I give up. I’m going to go sharpen my axe again with this perfectly serviceable stone, to which I have no emotional attachment, because that would be weird, considering it’s basically a rock in a box that I bought online.
SE SS6 6-Inch Combination Sharpening Stone, Box Pack
17 people found this review helpful
2016-03-31 Verified purchase
I saw the light!
When I was in Grade Nine, I took shop class, because I had to take an elective and the other options weren’t all that appealing. In retrospect, Home Ec probably would have come in handy… But that semester, I made a thing that was mounted by the telephone and held a little roll of calculator paper so you could write messages. Calculator paper and land line phones, this gives you an idea of how long ago I took shop class.
I have a few saws, but they’re large, lacking any hint of finesse. I’ve always wanted to try making dovetail joints, but with my hand saw, it would have been a nightmare. So, I ordered this little beauty, watched a few YouTube clips, and had at ‘er.
Now, what I made can only be called a dovetail joint in the loosest definition of the term, but this saw made the cuts easily and with precision. My measurements were the issue here, not the tools. The blade is very flexible, the handle is comfortable, and the whole assembly is pretty light weight.
I look forward to many more messy and misguided carpentry attempts with this tool.
STANLEY 20-331 4-3/4-Inch 23 Points Per Inch Flush Cut Pull Saw
3 people found this review helpful
2016-03-29 Verified purchase
Good game, just not for Sheldon!
You know what, random person who downvotes my reviews on Amazon? I changed my mind. I’m not gonna let you win.
Sure, I could just prattle on about how much I enjoyed the second expansion pack; how it gave me and my friends an additional twenty to thirty minutes of enjoyment (at least!), and how good it is to add in a new expansion every now and again, to keep things fresh and original…
But that’s the crux of it, isn’t it, Sheldon? (I don’t know your name, person who downvotes me, so I’ll call you Sheldon) Keeping things fresh. There were, at last count, 342 reviews for this expansion pack, and many of them say the same thing. This is a good product. You either believe them, and buy it; or you don’t, and don’t. My little contribution is but a speck of dust in a sandstorm, so why not make it sparkle if it pleases me?
Sorry, Sheldon, but I won’t stop because my sparkle shines too bright for your mole-like eyes to handle. I won’t suppress myself because of your disapproving clicks. You can take all the shots you want, Sheldon, but you’ll never take me down. I’ll fly higher than you can ever imagine.
Not that you’ll ever see this review, of course. This isn’t a game for the likes of Sheldons.
Cards Against Humanity: Second Expansion
10 people found this review helpful
2016-03-29 Verified purchase
This gives you more cards to play with that are different from the original cards
This is a game that I like. The expansion pack makes the game have more cards, and I like that. The new cards are funny. I would recommend buying this expansion pack, but only if you have the game. Buy this one first, then you can buy the second one if you want more cards.
There. I wrote a normal review. Are you happy, random person who downvotes my reviews on Amazon? You’ve succeeded in crushing my very soul. I wanted to express myself, and you have pushed me back into the drab little box, walled with your own shallow expectations and sadness.
I know why you downvote me. You wish you could be free, and it kills you to see someone else flourish. You need to keep me down, so that you don’t accidentally remind yourself of just how downtrodden and shackled you are.
Fine, have it your way. Stay inside the box. Close the windows. Never dream, or dare, or try anything. Keep your head down. Follow the leaders. What’s the point of it all, we’re all going to die anyway.
Good game.
Cards Against Humanity : First Expansion
3 people found this review helpful
2016-03-28 Verified purchase
Measuring SPOOOOoooooOON!
Good spoons, but I was hoping to be one of the lucky ones to get the limited edition autographed version. Luckily, the Prime Minister was in town last week, and I got him to sign them personally. He looked a bit confused, so they might be the Pierre set instead of the newer Justin?
Trudeau 5-Piece Measuring Spoon Set
9 people found this review helpful
2016-03-28 Verified purchase
Saved from “sink”ing by this handy plug!
Before this, we had one of those thin, flat drain “plugs” that was really just a suctioned piece of plastic trash. It got slimy, no matter how clean you kept it, which meant that any time a dish so much as touched it, the “plug” would slime out of the way and let all of the water out of the sink. At first, it was just a little frustrating; but soon, it became a vexation, a curse upon our sink. We went days without washing a dish, because no one wanted to deal with that stupid, slick bit of sink stopper. We started eating more fast food, so that we could avoid dishes. We stopped hosting family dinners. We drank wine straight from the bottle. We were on a path towards destruction.
The InterDesign Forma Sink Kitchen Sink Drain has saved us. It only does one job – keeping a sink full of water – but it does it well. Our family is happy to see us again. We’re cooking at home, eating healthy and have lost five pounds. We’re drinking less, feeling better, saving money and are living life again.
How many other seven dollar purchases have done so much?
InterDesign Forma Kitchen Sink Drain Stopper – Clear/Brushed
3 people found this review helpful
2016-03-28 Verified purchase
Now I can charge my Fitbit in TWO DIFFERENT ROOMS!
Ordered a new cable because I lost the old one. I found it the same day that this package arrived. Now, I alternate between the two cables like a rich person. What a world we live in.
2016-03-28 Verified purchase
Truly tangle free! Take THAT, hair conditioner ads!
I have spent months trying to tangle this cord, but to no avail. I crammed it into a junk drawer; I put it in a box with a set of christmas lights; I let my cat play with it; I even tried tying it in knots. Every time, it sprung back into line without a single kink or tangle. It’s amazing. And since everyone knows that Internet bits flow fastest through straight lines, this cable is a clear winner. I haven’t seen speeds like this in a long time – finally, I can watch the U-tubes without all that annoying stop and start stuff! Thank you, Fosmon!
1 person found this review helpful
2016-03-28 Verified purchase
thumbing through writing as rich as a fine Norwegian forest
Sure, you wear your plaid shirts and keep your beard well oiled, but I’m the alpha lumbersexual hipster ’round these parts, because I have a book about Scandinavian wood burning! You all saw me, sitting alone in the forest with my bespoke, locally sourced custom axe propped up next to me, thumbing through writing as rich as a fine Norwegian forest, occasionally stopping to feed my imported and endangered pet reindeer, and you shook in your cruelty-free vegan leather boots. My sweaters are woven from forest-scavenged grizzly fur sheddings, my suspenders are vintage French Canadian, and my personal woodland library makes yours look like a first year Boy Scout summer reading list. I am currently making a new bookshelf from freshly felled pine, using only the finest Japanese woodworking tools and nary a nail or a dab of glue; and when I am done, this book shall be the only tome good enough to rest upon it. Bow before me, lesser men, for I have read this book!
Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking, and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way
15 people found this review helpful
2016-03-28 Verified purchase
Lasts as long as a modern NHL season, then dies like every Canadian team’s playoff hopes
Lasted about eight months, now the blades won’t spin anymore. Tried cleaning and oiling it, but to no avail. And I’m not one of those super hairy dudes who grows an entire Grampa Ear Forest every few days – I’m talking 4-6 stray hairs that are nonetheless unsightly, and tickle the inside of my ear like the dickens. This should be easy work for a decent trimmer.
This is the third one I’ve had in three years – they just don’t seem to make one that will last more than a year, which is a shame. Of course, if I stopped buying the very cheapest model out there, I might have better luck?
Wahl 5548 Ear, Nose, Brow Wet/Dry Trimmer
1 person found this review helpful
2016-03-28 Verified purchase
Very Secure!
When I ordered these for some company iPads, the boss said there’s no way a glue pad would hold securely enough. I plunked one onto his head and shoved him out of his chair. I guess you could say, I won the battle but lost the war. When I get my next job, I’m going to recommend ordering these locks again. I saw my former boss at the market last week, and it’s still on his head. When the lock portion is removed, the glued portion has a very low profile, and you could barely see it through the bandana he now wears wherever he goes.
1 person found this review helpful
2015-11-05 Verified purchase
Four stars
These coffee stir sticks are too bulky.
Easy@Home 10 Ovulation (LH) Tests Plus 2 Pregnancy (HCG) tests – Midstream Test sticks
2015-11-05 Verified purchase
Good price for a good, solid keyboard for the average user
Most people couldn’t care less about keyboards. It’s just a data entry device. Simple. Those people are still probably using the stock keyboard that came with their computers.
You’re not like that, are you? But here’s the thing, you’re not one of those people who care too much about keyboards, either. You see them tweeting about the pros and cons of the new ergonomic angles, wireless vs wired, the virtues of a gaming keyboard and the wonders of mechanical switches. It’s a lot to keep up with.
No, you just want a decent keyboard, am I right? You don’t want to spend a fortune, but you like a bit of clickiness in your keys. You want backlighting (sorry, this one isn’t adjustable – just on and off).
Yes, it’s a gaming keyboard, but don’t let that scare you off if the most gaming you’ve done is Tetris. It’s not like you’re getting some alien configuration. It’s perfectly usable for the average user.
One thing I’ve come to love about this keyboard is the volume knob at the top. You’ll never know until you have it there, just how handy it can be.
The only thing I wish this keyboard had was a way to dim the backlighting. That’s it. Otherwise, it’s my daily driver, and it’s held up very well.
AZiO Levetron L70 Led Backlit Gaming Keyboard (KB501)
1 person found this review helpful
2015-11-05 Verified purchase
Those are supposed to be baggy!
“I’ve never had a body suit fit this snug or this well before…”
-Homer Simpson
Inflatable Chub Suit Costume (White)
2015-11-05 Verified purchase
Looks like a brick but it does the trick!
Need more power in your life? Sure you do!
What you need, my friend, is more plugs. More USB ports. More time with family and friends, more hours of sleep, more pay, more sunshine, more healthy meals.
This baby will help with the first two.
1 person found this review helpful
2015-11-05 Verified purchase
What this cable does in the privacy of it’s own packaging is none of our business!
I don’t care what you audiophobic dolts say – a male-to-male cable is JUST AS NATURAL as a male-to-female, and in some cases, it’s the PREFERRED cable. If you can’t accept that cables come in all combinations, maybe you don’t deserve to have an audio cable at all. DON’T HATE!
Startech.Com MU6mmS Slim Stereo Audio Cable-M/M, 6-Feet (3.5mm)
2 people found this review helpful
2015-10-22 Verified purchase
Very long!
I did have to tie this in a few knots to make it shorter, but it’s nice to know that I have the extra length if I ever need it!
GE 55006 Indoor/Outdoor 40-Foot General Purpose Grounded Extension Cord (Green)
2015-10-22 Verified purchase
They’re AAA batteries, what do you want from me?
I am taping these to a black tee shirt, along with several fast food packages of salt, for a Halloween costume.
I am going as a polar solvent.
I don’t really get Halloween.
Maxell 723849 LR03 20MP AAA Cell 20-Pack Brick Battery
2 people found this review helpful
2015-09-25 Verified purchase
Pretty. Heavy for it’s size
As advertised, backs up your stuff. Pretty. Heavy for it’s size.
Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1TB Portable External Hard Drive USB 3.0, Blue (STDR1000102)
2015-09-25 Verified purchase
Five Stars
Works well, very quiet unless it’s on the highest setting, and even that isn’t all that loud.
Sunbeam Tabletop Air Purifier, 99-Percent Contaminant Removal, Black
2015-09-25 Verified purchase
Works well, but occasionally have to unplug it and …
Works well, but occasionally have to unplug it and plug it back in again when the side buttons stop working.
Ugee M708 Art Design Graphics Drawing Tablet with 10×6 Inch Drawing Area 2048 Level -Black
2015-09-25 Verified purchase
have fun. My grandmother didn’t see it that way
I thought it would be a thoughtful gift – a way to start off on a new adventure, make some new friends, have fun. My grandmother didn’t see it that way.
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Fantasy Roleplaying Game Starter Set
2015-04-24 Verified purchase
\_(ツ)_/¯
You know what’s a bad idea? Buying RAM based on someone’s best guess of what they have in their system without seeing it for yourself. This stick of RAM, of course, wasn’t the right one, so it currently holds a place of honour as the fanciest bit of techno flotsam in my “computer scraps and cables” box, which rests in glory on the lowest shelf in my basement – where I put stuff that I don’t care if it gets wrecked in case of a flood.
I’m sure it’s fine, if you need this particular size.
Super Talent DDR2-800 SODIMM 1GB/128×8 Value Notebook Memory T800SA1G/V, Bulk
2015-04-24 Verified purchase
Four Stars
Don’t press too hard when you turn these on, or you might crack the clear plastic.
LIGHT IT by Fulcrum 30010-303 3 LED Wireless Stick-On Tap Light, 3 Pack, Black
2015-04-24 Verified purchase
Four Stars
Wish it came with more than two keys, but the locks work well.
Master Lock 3009D Keyed-Alike Warded Padlock, Steel, 1-1/2-Inch, 4-Pack
2015-01-05 Verified purchase
I’m a Sap for good maple water!
Tastes like maple, but not that much.
De l’Aubier Sap Water (Flow 2013)
2015-01-05 Verified purchase
Nice sticks
Good for drumming. Used by a three-year old, given by someone with no musical knowledge, so don’t ask about the 5B thing – just know, you’re only getting one pair of sticks, not five.
Stagg SM5B Pair of 5B Maple Sticks, Wood Tip
2 people found this review helpful
2015-01-05 Verified purchase
Exactly what it sounds like.
It is a mouse trap. What do you want? Terrible for slicing vegetables, not recommended as a hair removal device. Ugly but serviceable if used as a phone stand. No batteries included. Probably floats. Tastes awful. Not overly aerodynamic. Will hold stuff under the spring, like papers, car keys or recently alive mice. Does not do windows. Holds exactly zero MB of music. Smells like wood, mostly. Bad for snow removal. Worst musical instrument ever. Not recommended for children under three. Do not use internally. Somewhat flammable, except for the parts that aren’t. Comes in one colour combination. Not quality jewelry. Might be useful to fight crime, but only in really specific and unusual circumstances. Does not connect via USB. Second worst item for jotting down notes. Makes a creative if not cruel doorbell replacement. Does not answer to “Victor”, even though it’s clearly labelled.
15 people found this review helpful
2014-12-11 Verified purchase
Good protection
A bit bulky, but offers serious protection for your phone. No major drops to test it yet, but the few minor falls so far have been completely protected.
2014-12-11 Verified purchase
Good value for the money
Good, solid and simple record player. Nothing fancy, but great for my less-than-impressive collection of occasionally-played platters.
Audio-Technica AT-LP60 Fully Automatic Belt Driven Turntable – Silver
2014-08-22 Verified purchase
Delicious!
Move over coconut water… actually, I never liked coconut water anyway. This is a great post-exercise beverage, with just enough flavour to make it more interesting than plain water, but it’s not like drinking maple syrup. Also good as a mix with bourbon – of course, it will give the drink a slight maple flavour, but that should be a given!
2014-06-11 Verified purchase
Fine replacement for original battery
Previous, original battery was dying after 6 hours of occasional use; nice to have a fresh start for an older phone!
2014-06-09 Verified purchase
So far, so good
Set it up on the deck after seeing a few early wasps whip by, and within minutes, two of them had buzzed in to take a closer look at the fake nest. Oh great, I thought, they’re not fooled at all. But since then, there have only been a few occasional visits from the little jerks, and while attributing a lack of wasps to this product might seem similar to Lisa Simpson’s magic tiger-deterring rock, I’ll take any relief I can find from the pests!
1 person found this review helpful
2014-05-30 Verified purchase
Cheaper than Authentic (In Both Ways)
I have a good Buff, but wanted something more disposable for running. There aren’t the prettiest designs, and they’re thinner than the real thing, with a bit of a chemical smell on them right out of the package. But they air out quickly, do the job, and I won’t be too worried to lose one on a long run. Worth the money for six of ’em.
Bundle Monster 6pc Seamless Style Bandanna Headwear Scarf Wrap Lot – Set 1
2014-05-23 Verified purchase
Awesome!
I used to have an ugly PC tower standing next to my TV, so that I could pull out the wireless keyboard and mouse and queue up some Netflix. Now, I have one tiny little attachment in the back of my television, and while there is about a ~1 second delay between the laptop screen and the TV, the quality is excellent and the convenience is worth every penny.
One thing, my unit came with a wall charger, not the USB power plug seen in the pics. No difference for me, but if you have limited room on your power bar, you might want to look into a separate USB cable.
Setup is a breeze, and guests love the ability to share YouTube clips from their phones!
2014-05-23 Verified purchase
Seriously tiny!
I have this hooked to my ancient record player because I didn’t want some big, clunky audio receiver hogging space on my bookshelf. This amp is small enough to easily hide, but if you’re looking for big sound, look elsewhere. With the volume all the way up, and hooked to a pair of equally small speakers, this gives enough sound to fill a room, but you won’t be throwing a dance party with it. It’s perfect for my needs, and it’s tiny price makes it a good little alternative!
Lepy LP-2020A Class-D Hi-Fi Audio Amplifier with Power Supply
2014-05-23 Verified purchase
Not much to say that isn’t in the product description…
It’s speaker wire. There is 50 feet of it. It seems to do the job of hooking my speakers to the amp.
<shrug>
RCA AH1650SN 50 Feet 16-Gauge Speaker Wire
6 people found this review helpful
2014-05-23 Verified purchase
Tiny speakers with decent sound at a great price
I have these hooked up to a LP-2020A+ Lepai Tripath Class-T Hi-Fi Audio Mini Amplifier with Power Supply for my ancient record player, and it’s not a hookup for a window-shaking party. It’s loud enough to listen, but the sound out of these little speakers is pretty clean. They nearly disappear into the bookshelf, but they aren’t exactly cube-shaped; they’re a little longer than they are tall or wide. Still, a good little pair of bookshelf speakers for a really reasonable price.
Pyle-Home Pcb3bk 3-Inch 100-Watt Mini Cube Bookshelf Speakers (Black)
4 people found this review helpful