Product review: Raqpak Travel Laundry Set with Adjustable Bungee Clothesline, Clothes Pins, Sink Stopper

In my efforts to travel light I like doing laundry on the road. This kit has everything I need - a stopper to turn the sink into a wash basin and a clothesline with clips to dry things out. This listing contains two lengths options 1.3 m and 1.8 m. Because the length are specified in metric measures I made a bit of the mistake ordering the short one, it is only 41 inches, where is the long one is 71 inches. However, even a short one works because I can attach it on angle between two adjacent walls.

The weak point of the set are the suction cups. They can hold very light items, but something like heavy hiking socks (one of the things I like washing on the road) are too heavy for the suction cups. The good news is that this clothesline also has hooks under the cups and using the hooks it can support more weight. The challenge with hooks it to find to places to hook them, but usually I can figure something out.

Bottom line here is that if you are planning to dry light items you can take advantage the suction cups, if you are planning to dry heavy things you need to use hooks.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: BirdRock Home 55" Extendable Snow MOOver

Several weeks ago I purchased the "BirdRock Home 55" Extendable Snow MOOver".  I own a Honda CRV, which is a pretty tall car and in the past I always found the squeegee part of the snow brush worked more effectively for snow removal especially from the roof. When I saw this snow mover I thought it has a potential to be a really good match for me. I am writing this review after the first snow (and ice) event with the BirdRock snow mover and it worked very well, better than my old brush scraper.

In the past I owned brushes with two different extension mechanisms - the twist and the button release like BirdRock. The buttons work much better when the weather is cold and wet. The twisting mechanism often froze on me just when I needed it. I also like the foam handle, they don't chill my hands. 55" length is a very good length is long enough to push the snow off the roof the car on the other side. I am fairly short and the car is fairly tall, 55" just enough to reach accross. The width of the head 14". 55" length is the length of the moover when it is fully extended, when it is collapsed it length is 36".

The orange head the moover is made out of stiff synthetic rubber type material which has some give it to it. I can flex it a little bit with my fingers, but it is stiff enough that it does not bend pushing the wet snow. The scraper on the other end is made out of hard stiff plastic and has a good shape - small enough to get it into crevices next to the side mirrors.

Overall, I am quite pleased with my new snow and ice tool.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: BB Prevent Outdoor Faucet Cover

These covers are made out of nylon fabric with 1/4" insulation material between the two layers.  The insulation layer feels like plastic packing sheets.  It provides light protection, it is probably not sufficient for a deep deep freeze we occasionally get in New England. So it is always best to turn off the water and drain the the pipe for winter and these covers provide some extra insurance.

These covers are easy to install - I just slipped them over the faucet and tightened the Velcro around the pipe.  The package included two covers.  Their size is 7" by 5.5".  The Velcro strip is 6".


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Lemome Bullet Journal - dotted design

I really like this notebook.

(1) I like the dotted design, it allows me to write straight no matter what orientation I use the notebook in
(2) The notebook lays flat no matter where I open it, I do not need to "train" it
(3) I like that it has both the bookmark ribbon and the elastic that keeps the notebook closed
(4) The notebook's cover has a nice texture, it has slight give to it 
(5) The bookmark has an elastic loop to hold a pen
(6) There is a pocket on back cover to keep small notes. It arrived with a sheet of colorful sheet of page dividers tucked away in the pocket.
(7) The pages have a perforation so pages can be ripped out neatly if needed

The size of the notebook is 8.4" by 5.7". It has 180 pages.

This is the first time I bought a notebook with a dotted design and I really like it.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Pro Line 15 Watt Soldering Iron with Ceramic Heating Element & Ergonomic Cool Grip Handle

This a nice soldering iron. It comes in a 12" x 4" x 2" case. The soldering iron has an ergonomically shaped handle which is 6.5" long. It stays cool while you use it, and its texture is grippy. The package includes a 2" x 2" safety stand. The soldering iron has ceramic heating element and heats up quickly. Maximum temperature is 824°F (440°C). The tip is iron-clad chrome-plated and replaceable. The soldering iron has a 8-foot power cord.

In attached video you see my husband working on the banana plugs for the audio cables. He thought the soldering iron worked well. The soldering iron has been in use since 2014, he uses it for a couple of projects every year.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Cartman Windshield Sun/Snow Shade

The windshield shade is made out of light weight nylon. Its size is 59" x 27.5", in attached photos you can see it on Honda CRV SUV. The windshield is covered fully side to side but not all the way from the top to the bottom as you see in the photo on the left.

 The silver side up is used as a sun shade, and the black side up is used as a snow shade.

The windshield shade has flaps on the sides to hold the shade in place.  The suction cups held well when I tried them in the warmth of the house, but they do not stay attached to the metal or glass in the cold weather.  However I am able to tuck the flaps into the doors and that holds the shield in place.  The flaps are in the middle of the shield and as you see in attached photos the top and bottom edges flap in the wind.  I thinking of adding additional straps at the top of the shield to hold the top from folding over.

Overall, it does makes snow removal easier after a snow fall, even though I think how it attaches to the car can be improved.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Cartman 3-in-1 Collapsible Car Snow Brush- Ice Scraper

This three in one tool include 35.5" shovel, 30.5" show brush, and 27.5" ice scraper.  The tools feel fairly sturdy, compact and light weight.  Especially handy for our smaller car.

The workmanship is a pretty rough, the metal edges are not well polished and I scraped my hand on a sharp edge when putting the shovel together so be careful.

Changing heads is fairly easy if you use something other than you fingers to press the button and then the handle to keep the button depressed by the sides and then with the button depressed pull or push the handle as needed.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: JEBSENS Z6 Metal Architect Swing Arm Desk Lamp

Not that long ago LED lamps did not quite work as desk lamps because they did not cast a large enough spot light. Jebsen's LED Desk Lamp proves that those days are in the past. Not only is the light bright it cast a large area of light. In my video I turn off all the lights and you see all the light cast by this lamp at my desk with a book on the desk. This lamp has three levels of brightness and is controlled by a touch control on top of the light. The lamp operates smoothly and what I really like that it is quite tall. Its first joint is 19", the second one is 16.5", and the light panel itself is 11.5". What this means is that I don't have to mount it in the middle of the table, I can mount near a corner and still light the entire table. My old lamp has to be mounted in the middle, and sometimes gets in my way when I want to spread something on the table (like when I am sewing).

The light has a nice sturdy clamp. It attaches well, however you need an Allen wrench to adjust it. You also need an Allen wrench to adjust other angles. Allen wrench is included.

This lamp produces very nice bright light as well as a large spot light. I like it!


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Flashlight WUBEN Waterproof 1200 Lumens CREE LED Rechargeable Battery and Zoom

Wuben flashlight is a very bright flashlight. It generate an even bright beam of light that can be zoomed. It has 5 modes of light: Eco,Low,Medium,High, and SOS.

In addition to a permanent light on setting, the light can me turned on briefly when the button is pressed half way down. The instant-on light only stays on while you hold the button half way.
When the button is pushed all the way down it switches modes.

This light runs on one 18650 battery. The battery is included.  The flashlight also servers a re-charger, it can be plugged in using a standard micro USB cable.

The flashlight is waterproof to IPX-8 standard, which means it is protected against water submersion in water. The flashlight comes with a couple of spare o-rings in a plastic baggie.

Wube flashlight feels very solid. In attached photos you can see it on the 1/2" grid and on the scale. It is 6.5" long and weighs 6.2 oz (with the battery installed). It comes with a wrist strap and a micro USB cable.  I liked that the cable had a braided jacket.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Yes4All Wall Mount Chin Up Bar

Amazon has carries two types of chin up bars from Yes4All  combined in one listing. I purchased the newer version which is one piece bar (not the one that has rivets connecting two pieces).

I purchased this chin up bar to follow Dr. Kirsch exercise protocol for shoulder pain. Which means I use it to hang from the bar rather than do chin ups. I was looking for something I can mount in the basement and something that was not too expensive. This bar met these requirements.

The bar is meant to be mounted on the studs which are 16" apart. The mounting plate dimensions are 7" x 3". Mounting hardware is included. The horizontal grips extend 12" from the wall and vertical grips extend 15" from wall.

I am including a few photos to show close ups of the hardware, the mounting plate, and the bar/supports. When I was shopping I wished I could those things to finalize my decision.

Overall, pretty good. The mounting instructions could have been better.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: SmartSpeed Cat Window Seat Mounted Cat Bed with Suction Cup

I want to start with a few words about the construction of the seat. The suction cups are LARGE (3.25"), so they provide a secure hold. The string that holds the seat is made out of twisted metal wires, like a heavy duty picture frame hanging wire, so that is also very secure even if the kitty runs its claws over it. The seat is made out of canvas bag with a waterproof lining inside the bag. The top material has a feel of canvas (it is not plush). The plastic tubes are hollow this provides structural strength. So I believe it can hold a couple of heavy cats. Our kitty cats are pretty small (7 and 8 pounds) so it sure holds them well. In attached video you see them rubbing against the wires supports and pulling on them with their paws, we held our breath watching them but the shelf held without a problem. The shelve has been up for more than 2 weeks with the cats going up and down and we did not need to readjust or reattach it.

Assembly was easy. The plastic parts push together to form a frame. The canvas bag is pulled over the frame. The canvas seat has two small holes through which you need to feed the wires that to to the top suction cups. As the cats sit on the shelve it does not remain taught, it kind of sags in the middle forming a nest.

I have to say that our kitties did not take to the shelf right away. They did not like the texture of the canvas. We fixed that by putting a towel over it as we know our cats love any towel. With the towel in place they had an initial fear of the seat, but we enticed them to try it out by placing a couple of Greenies in the middle of the shelf. Our kitties love Greenies so they went for it. Once they were on the shelf they realized it was a pretty good place to be. By the next day they did not need any enticement, and we see our cats taking turns sleeping there as well as looking out of the window. We put the window seat on the windows across from our bird feeders as our indoor cats often look at the birds through the windows.

The seat comes without assembly instructions. My video include the major steps
1) putting together the frame of the seat
2) threading the wires through the seat
3) inserting anchors into the suction cups
4) attaching the seat to the window

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Way Basics Eco Stackable Storage Cube Plus and Cubby Organizer

Each storage cube is made out of corrugated cardboard covered with paper lining. The cardboard boards are held together by small wooden pegs and strips of fairly thin 3M glue tape. These connections are not strong if the force is not exactly perpendicular to the connection. In practical use this means the cube comes apart easily if something pushes on the walls sideways. I found out that using the cube with books and other heavy items causes them to fall apart and now use the cube to store light clothing items. The cube can be used with the opening either up or to the side (i.e. all walls are finished).

I got the cedar color, which is natural wood color. The finish is neat looking but it is pretty obvious that it is not real wood. The size of the cube is 12" width x 14" height x 10.5" depth.

The assembly was pretty easy, the boards are connected by wooden pegs and glue tape. No tools were needed except on the last step when I used a mallet to make tight connections on the last step.

Note that each sale is for one cube. The pictures that show more than one cube show how the cubes can be put together as a demonstration.

Bottom line: Not bad looking, but disappointing constructions.  They are not  heavy duty. Since the cubes are made out of cardboard do not use them in rooms that have high moisture content.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: ICZI USB 3.0 3-Port Hub with SD/TF Card Reader Combo laptops and iMacs

This hub has three USB slots and two card reader slots(1 micro SD and 1 SD). It is compatible with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0.  I tried USB memory sticks that were both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 and both worked.  In above photos I show the hub on 1/2" grid for relative size reference, you can also see that its cord is 6.5" long.

To test how well the card reader worked I ran bench marking utility and compared them with the standard real life benchmark.
You can see the results below, this is an average of 30 samples.


➨ USB 3.0 port and USB 3.0 memory stick
==============
Average read rate ~~~~~~ 0.406 GB/s
Average write rate ~~~~~~ 0.137 GB/s
Average Access time ~~~~~ 1.31 msec

  

For comparison industry standard benchmarks for 3.0 USB reads (real-world (i.e. NOT THEORETICAL) speed based on 2017 benchmarks)

➨ USB 3.1 gen 1 ~~ 3.2 Gb/s
➨ USB 3.1 gen 2 ~~ 7.2 Gb/s
➨ USB 2.0 ~~ 0.32 Gb/s

The speeds I saw in my testing are slightly faster than USB 2.0. This is not the speediest hub and falls below the 3.1 USB benchmarks. On the positive side the hub feels solid, the cards slides into the slots smoothly. I like that micro SD card is not seeded deeply so it is easy to insert and remove.  The hub is compact and fits nicely in the busy space near the computer. 


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: COMFITS Over The Door Shoe Organizers - 24 Pockets and Hanging Closet Organizer Storage

This over the door hanger has double sided hooks to work with think and thin doors.  I am using the thin ends to put over the door and the longer hooks is holding the shoe organizer. In attached photos are show the hooks on 1/2" so you can see their dimensions and thickness.  The hooks are quite thin and I had no trouble opening the door.  However, if your is very tight you might have a problems and the hooks door require about 1/8" of clearance.

The canvas organizer is made out of grey canvas, the pockets are generously sized.  I show how Crocs fit into the pocket, and Crocks are pretty wide and stiff shoe so this gives you a good idea of what the pockets can fit.  I would not describe the organizer as beautiful, but it looks good on the inside of the closet door.  The closet looks much more organized and has more room with the shoes off the floor.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: YIGII Hook 3M Self Adhesive Brushed SUS304 Stainless Steel Hooks (4 Pack)

I got a set of Yigii stainless hooks and I am quite pleased with them.  They have 3M sticky tape on the back and hold well on textured surface.  Note that they do not work on painted surfaces, they work on surfaces like glass, metal and plastic.  In attached photos I show the hooks on 1/2" grid so you cane how each hooks extends from the wall.  The hook is a nice size and I am able to hang quite a bit of stuff on each.

The listing includes 4 double hooks.  They are quite sturdy and have a nice clean brushed stainless steel look.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Eparé Egg Cracker Topper Set – Soft Hard Boiled Eggs Separator Tool - Shell Remover & Cutter

There are lots of different ways to top an egg this gadget adds another option. This little device drops a guillotine on the egg to crack and behead the shell in a perfect circle. It takes a little practice to develop the perfect touch. As you see in video sometimes the egg shells is removed perfectly and lifted by the topper, and sometimes it scores the shell and leaves it on the egg and it is necessary to remove it separately using a knife.

The instruction recommend not to wash the egg topper in the dish washer. The manual also contains a warning that the edges are sharp and to take caution while washing the egg topper not to cut your fingers. I wash the egg topper with a small brush that can get inside of the topper.

The set include two egg holders, two egg spoons, and one topper. The entire set is made out stainless steel. The only down side to egg holders being metal that if you like your boiled eggs hot, the holders get hot as well. My ceramic egg holders don't have the same issue. But the matching holders look good in the beheading ceremony! It is a nice set and a perfect gift for an egg lover who has everything.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★