Product review: Air Compressor Tire Inflator with auto shut-off by OneAmg

 

OneAmg has several good features but one massive flaw. The flaw is that the light yellow readout is very hard to read on the gray background, even in the shade. The PSI, BAR, KPA, and KG/CM² are so small and faint that I could not see them at all, even with reading glasses. I think this inflator is for young people with keen eyesight.

Here are the good features:
1. Quick-connect valve. Once I had a tire inflator with a nut that had to be rotated to connect to the tire. This was painful, especially in the winter. It was hard to do in gloves, and touching metal when it was freezing outside was painful. Lesson learned, I only buy inflators with quick connect.

2. Auto shut off. I need to be able to set the desired PSI pressure and have it stop automatically at that level. I do not want to keep retesting with a separate gauge.

3. I am looking for a long power cord so it can easily reach my SUV's front and back tires. This inflator has a power cable that is approximately 10 feet long. Long enough. The Air hose is 21.5 inches.

4. The size of this inflator is smaller than my old units. It is 7.5"L x 7.5"W and 2.75" thick. It weighs 31.30 oz. The airflow speed is 35 liters per minute, which is decent.

Things that could be better:  
1. Hard to read display, light yellow on gray background, very low contrast and hard to see in the shade, invisible in the sun.

2. The inflator had no carrying case. It would be nice to have a case where I can store extra fuses, connectors, and the unit itself.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Review of Air Compressor Tire Inflator by OneAmg

Product review: Memory Foam Seat Cushion. Orthopedic Car Seat Cushions to Raise Height - not a good car seat booster

This is a 2-star car cushion and 5-star chair cushion  This pillow is NOT designed for a car seat, it is much shorter then a car seat and if when I put on the car seat, its edge cuts into my thighs very uncomfortably and cannot be used. I tried positioning the seat with the signage forward and backward, both orientations are equally uncomfortable.

It is, however, an excellent cushion for a chair or theater/concert seats because it has a good fit for that size seat. 

It is 3" hight and compresses slightly when you sit on it. It has no straps, no anti-skid markings on the bottom. I bought it for a car, so I was disappointed but was able to re-purpose it as a chair cushion for concert halls.  It ads comfort and lift, which is helpful for a short person like me.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Dreamer Car Balanced Softness Memory Foam Driver Seat Cushion Seat Pad with Adjustable Strap for short people

This is a 1-star car cushion and 3-star chair cushion  This pillow is NOT designed for a car seat, it is much shorter then a car seat and if when I put on the car seat, its edge cuts into my thighs very uncomfortably and cannot be used.  It is an ok cushion for a chair or theater/concert seats because it has the size of that seat, not a car seat.  The reason why it is not a great cushion that it compresses so much that it gives me almost no lift at all.

Its loft is about 3" hight but it compresses significantly when you sit on it. It provides very little lift. It has a strap, which works well if you are putting it on an office chair. It has a textured bottom which makes it somewhat non-slip.  I bought it for a car, so I was disappointed but was able to re-purpose it as a cushion for concert halls for my husband who is okay with not getting any lift.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Feagar Car Seat Neck Pillow, Headrest Cushion for short people

 

My husband purchased several neck pillows for me because his new Tesla Model 3 has non-adjustable head supports that are not well suited for short passengers (or drivers).  The fixed-position headrest pushes my head forward because my height puts my head at the bottom of the support.  I need to put something under the Tesla support so my head is not bent forward. This neck support was the best of several we have tried.

The pillow itself is made well and feels pleasant to touch. Most of the problems come from the design of the car seat rather than the neck pillow.


Tesla headrest and seat are one piece, they do not have adjustable headrests with metal stocks. To place the neck pillow where I need it (below the built-in fixed-position of the headrest), I had to make the straps longer so the neck pillow can hang at the lower height.

To make a Feager neck fit the seat, I had to make both the top and the bottom straps longer (so it was lower on the seat) and I needed to remove about 1/2" of the loft, so it does not push my neck forward.  The pillow's design allowed me to make all the adjustments, and its quality is very nice.  So annoying to have a new beautiful car that does not feel comfortable. This pillow provided some relief to a poorly designed seat.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: LANGRIA Infinity-Shape Car Neck Pillow Memory Foam Headrest for short people

My husband purchased several neck pillows for me because his new Tesla Model 3 has unadjustable head supports that are not well suited for short passengers (or drivers).  The fixed-position headrest pushes my head forward because my height puts my head at the bottom of the support.  I need to put something under the Tesla support so my head is not bent forward. LANGRIA neck pillow was slightly helpful but not ideal because it really designed to work with the metal adjustable stocks of the headrest.

Tesla seats do not have adjustable metal stocks, so to place the pillow where I need it (below the built-in fixed-position headrest) I had to make the strap longer so it can hang at the lower height. Because of how the pillow is attached, I have to hold it with my neck by pushing it into the seat which is tiresome.

The pillow itself is made well and feels pleasant to touch. Most of the problems come from the design of the Tesla car seat rather than the neck pillow.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: USB Bluetooth 4.1 Receiver Adapter for Car Audio Stereo

This Bluetooth adapter is a receiver, which means you attach it to audio device (car stereo or any other speaker) and pair it with the device that produces sound or music (such as a phone or MP3 player).

To make it work you need to plug in the device into AC source (could a USB port in the car or an external battery). And then connect its audio port to the car's audio port.  The dongle blinks slow blue light when you plug in, press the the button for a few seconds and it begins blinking faster. As it blinks faster the phone detects it as UKIT Bluetooth device.

Note: It is not the right  Bluetooth dongle to add Bluetooth to a computer that does not have Bluetooth.  If you wanted to  play music on the computer and listen to it using Bluetooth headphones this is not the right dongle to get.

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: BlueDriver Bluetooth Professional OBDII Scan Tool for iPhone, iPad & Android

I originally purchased BlueDriver in 2015 and was not particularly happy with the app.  However by January 2016 the app had several revisions and have become excellent.

The original review was fairly critical giving 5 stars to the hardware and 2 stars to the BlueDriver app. For a number of months I had to use an alternate free app (Torque) because BlueDriver just did not stay connected long enough to be useful. However, after a number of updates the app is now excellent and provides a lot of information that the free app does not. It provides clear readout for engine light on (I am including an example from EGR Valve problem). It also correctly showed a recall for the air bag before the manufacture notified me in a letter many months later.

Because of the dramatic improves I felt compelled to replace the critical review with this 5 star review.

The scanner is simple to install and simple to use. A lot simpler than I expected, frankly. All cars and light trucks built and sold in the United States after January 1, 1996 were required to be OBD II equipped. Once I looked up what the OBD-II connector looked like it was easy to locate it. The connector is very distinctive looking, I am including a picture of it in my video for reference. In my car the connector was located under my dash, slightly to the right of the steering wheel.

The OBD II scanner is fairly small: 1.75" wide, 1.74" tall, and 0.875" wide.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: aokway Heavy Duty Tire Inflator with auto cut off

This is a very fast tire inflator.  It works much faster than my old air pump.  My favorite feature is that I can pre-set it to stop at the pressure I desire. I do not have to stop and measure the pressure until I get it right.  The valve has a lever closure, so very little air escapes when I open and close it. I prefer it to the valve that require screwing in.

I attached video you see how I set it to the goal of 32 PSI.   At each step I double checked the pressure Aokway tire inflator was showing with another gauge and Aokway measurements matched the other gauge.

This inflator has a long power cable that allows me to reach the front and the back tires easily.  In addition it has a fairly long air hose (23.6 inches) that reaches the nozzle even if it is at the top of the wheel.  The unit weighs 3 pounds and 2.9 oz.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Memoscan U380 OBDII Car Diagnostic Scanner

   
This review for Memoscan U380 OBDII Car Diagnostic Scanner Trouble Code Reader



I tried two units of this scanner.  I received a replacement because the first one did not work, but the same scanner worked the same.


Memoscan scanner did not work with either of our cars even thought both were listed as compatible.

Both Honda CRV and Chrysler 300 work with another OBD II scanner but with Memoscan we get "Linking Error!" which indicates that Memoscan has trouble communicating with the vehicle.

All cars and light trucks built and sold in the United States after January 1, 1996 were required to be OBD II equipped. The connector is very distinctive looking, I am including a picture of it in my video for reference. In both of our cars this connector is located under the dash, under the steering wheel.

The scanner displays information on a small screen on the hand held unit. The scanner works as soon as car is turned on. There is no need to turn on the engine. The scanner goes through a series of messages (see video) but for both of our cars the sequence ends with "Linking error!"

Memoscan comes with an impressive manual. It is well written and easy to understand and includes 36 pages of trouble codes.

Unfortunately the replacement unit also generates "Linking Error!". It appears that the seller has a bad batch of these. I have reviewed another OBD II scanner (a bluetooth unit) and it worked it both cars, so I know the connectors are not faulty. This connector is always on according to documentation. Just in case I have tried running it with the engine off, with the engine on, and with the key on ACC setting.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link. Based on my experience I would stay away from it.

Ali Julia review ★☆☆☆☆

Product review: Car Window Shade Sun Shade To Protect Your Baby in Rear Seat

On long trips where I am the passanger in the cat I have been using a plastic sun shade held down by suction. These shades are typically used for babies but I have been using it on the passagenger side window.  Suction cups do come off every now and then and a fabric door sleeve sounded like a better idea in theory.

I have tried it on the doors of small size SUV and a small size sedan.  The sleeve I shaped to the car door shape, sloping on one side, taller on the other.  It fit on the rear door of both cars.  It was too small for the front door of wither car.  However, even though the shade is not larger enough to fit over the front door that actually works out fine because it leave the side mirror uncovered and it does not obscure the mirror from the driver's view. 

This sunshade is made out thin nylong fabric. The sun shade does not totally block out the sun, it dims it.  In attached video I show a few comparison with and without the sun shade so you can see the difference.  It does obscure the view through the window, you can see things but not clearly.

If you are using it for a baby in the back seat it works better as you don't need to worry about exposing the side mirror, shaded view out of the window.

The shade size is 20.5" x 31"


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★

Product review: Tiergrade 3 port Car Charger Adapter

We usually travel with a lot of gadgets so a 3 port car charger is very useful to us.

I checked each port using Nexus6p while its battery was 33% full keeping all other variables (what apps are running, whehter the screen is on or off, and so forth the same). At 31%-33% full level Nexus 6p uses rapid charging if possible.  Nexus 6p does not suppor QC charging so that port performed the worst, the 2.4A port quite well.

QC 3.0 port: 1610 mA / 4.077V
middle 2.4A port: 2300 mA / 4.14V
top 2.4A port: 2270 mA / 4.15V

The charger fits into the port tightly and does not unplug easily. Overall, pretty good charger.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Car Vacuum Cleaner by Hikeren

This vacuum is 14.5" long. Despite being small and light tt works better than my cordless vac (although not as well as a large corded vacuum).  It has a very long cord (170") so I can clean the trunk without moving the plug.  The bac picked up sand, small twigs, and small stones.  It does not do well picking up dry leaves because they are too big to be sucked into it. 

This vac comes with several attachments: the crevice nozzle, a brush brush and a hose. All three attachments as well as the vac itself fit into the carrying case that came in the package.

I found the filter a little difficult to remove. I had to pull the edge and I thought I was going to break it as it resist me. The clip that holds the dust compartment feels a bit fragile, but so far no problems.

I received this vacuum for testing and review. I included pluses and minuses of my experience, and I hope the video gives you a good idea of what to expect.  Despite being light and small it does a reasonable job.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Weiyi 12V Digital Air Compressor,3 Minutes High Speed & Tire Pressure Preset

This is a very fast tire inflator. The first time I used it I was very surprised when it claimed it was done - but double checking with another air pressure gauge confirmed it. My favorite feature is that I can pre-set it to stop at the pressure I desire. I do not have to stop and measure the pressure until I get it right. There is a catch on how this pre-set value works. I have to set it about 2 PSI higher than I want. This is because this compressor uses a valve that rotates rather than snaps on like my other compressors. While I am rotating the valve (both putting it on and taking it off) a lot of air escapes and my calibrated gauge shows that the pressure is about 2 PSI less than what I set the value to. However this 2 PSI has been consistent, and it is easy enough for me to remember to set it higher.

The compressor can run from built-in battery, from car power ports, or from AC power. Cables for car port and AC power are included. The built-in battery can inflate two tires (Amazon description says three tires, but the manual says two tires) on one charge (from 0 to 35 PSI). This inflator's battery needs to be recharged every three months. It takes 2 to 3 hours to recharge it.

I really like how fast it inflates and that it stops on its own when it reaches the setting I selected. As long as the internal battery has a charge this pre-set value is remembered when the unit is powered off and then turned on again.

The compressor comes with a case. However, the case only fits the compressor itself (tightly), there is no room for the cables. It is very important to keep the cables and the unit together, so I consider the case size to be a flaw.

I received this compressor for evaluation and review. Overall, its main features are excellent. However, it does have some minor flaws which I covered in this my review.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Ecandy Universal Wireless Bluetooth FM Transmitter

I have been using FM transmitters in my car for many years as I like listening to audio books when I drive. The key to clear transmission is to find am empty radio station, static and noise will come from the stations that are not clear rather than from the FM transmitter itself. To find vacant FM stations in my area I used a web site "radio-locator (dot) com/cgi-bin/vacant" where you can enter your zip code and get a list of stations to try. It usually take me trying a few stations to find which station gives me the best sound (the least amount of noise or hiss).

This FM transmitter can either connect via Bluetooth to a smart phone, or play music from USB micro SD card, or connect to phone/mp3 player via an audio cable.

This FM transmitter has a couple of nice features that put above many others I have tried:

1) A nice large display which clearly shows the station and other messages
2) An easy way to scan the stations, if I press the forward button it quickly advances to station I want to tune to, I don't need to click one a time
3) I have complete control and can select any station (some base models give you a limited choice of stations which may or may not correspond to vacant stations in your area)
4) The display is on a goose neck so I can turn it to face me
5) The plug forms a very right connections with the car port so it does not loose connetion when I drive

The Bluetooth connected easily with my Nexus phone (device is show as BT20), and when it connected the status "Nexus 5 Bluetooth connection" is displayed on the screen.

This FM transmitter is missing some of the features my favorite FM transmitter has (Satechi) a remote control and ability to bookmark from the remote control. However, the Satechi unit is twice as expensive. This FM transmitter performed better than other FM transmitters I have tried at this price range

This fm transmitter is provided by Ecandy.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Rionix LB38 Premium Nano-Titanium Coating for Automobiles

The Rionix comes in a vey small pump bottle. It is hard to tell the relative size from the stock photo, so I am including a few photos in context. The pump produces a very fine mist, and should be applied on wet car preferably in the shade. The mist is very fine and if there is any wind it will be it into your face. Learn from my experience and always be aware of the wind direction. The application is pretty easy it does not need a hard polish, just light buffing.

On the negative side, not only is the bottle very small but a good portion of the solution leaked during transit. When the bottle arrived it was wet and leaking from under the cap. The packging was wet and I got a lot of it my hands. In one place in documentation it said to wear gloves when applying the solution, so I am not sure how safe it is to get on the skin.

The documentation has several inconsistencies. For example, in one place it said it could be applied to wet or dry car, in another place it said to apply only to wet car. I applied it to a wet car just be safe. It was also inconsistent on which surfaces I could spray. I avoided the glass and treated only the painted surfaces.

Ingredients from the box: Titanium Diozide, Silicon Dioxide, Ethyl Silicate, PolyDimethylsiloxane, Paraffin Distillate Aliphatic Hydrocarbone, Ultrapure Water.

100 ml NET 3.4 fl.oz.
Product of Korea

I received Rioinix for evaluation and review. The bottom line: the package and the documentation needs improvement. The amount of spray you get should be clearly stated to avoid surprises. It has been slightly over a week since I applied the coating. The car does look shiny and I see the water rolling off as beads.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Rear View Mirrors Blind Spot Mirrors

As you see in attached video this mirror really works to reduce a blind spot, however its weakest point is the ability to stay stuck to the car. One of our cars has textured finish and this mirror did not stick at all. The second car initial held the mirror, but it came off in a few days. The time it is staying is getting shorter with time, so I will need to come up with another way to attach it.

There is a very narrow area where you have to mount the mirror to make it show a blind spot to the driver. It takes two people to position it as I had to move it around quite a bit to find the right spot and angle. In attached video you can see how I placed it and what it looks like from the driver's seat with another car placed into a blind spot.

On the positive side, it does work and shows you what you otherwise cannot see. On the negative side,the mirror is quite small (1 5/8" x 1 7/8") and you can see that the reflection is quite small. It does not stick to all car finishes. If you have smooth plastic near the window frame (rather than textured or velvety) then chances of it sticking well are better.

The package includes two mirrors but only one adhesive enhancer prep. It should have included at least two or more. If you don't mount both mirrors at the same time you cannot use the prep for the second mirror.

The way the mirror is mounted is that the base is attached to the car via a sticky tape, and then the mirror attaches to the base with a magnet. This allows you to angle the mirror as needed. However, if your the angle is large the bond with the stand is weaker and you are increasing the chances of the mirror flying off when you hit a bump on the road. So finding a good position for the base is key.

I received this mirror for testing and review as part of new product introduction on Amazon. I described pluses and minuses of my experience with the product. Bottom line, if your has a smooth finish that takes sticky tape well this mirror reduces the blind spot.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Z-Edge Portable Powerful 12V DC Wet/Dry 100W Car Vacuum Cleaner

This vacuum is 15.5" long and weighs 1 pound 9.6 oz. It felt quite light and I was not sure if it would have sufficient suction, but it surprised me. This vacuum works well especially when I put a crevice nozzle attachment: it picked up all kinds of sand, twigs, and stones in my car in just a few sweeps. It worked better than my hand held wireless vacuum which I used to use for this job before.

Zedge vac comes with several attachments: the crevice nozzle (my favorite), two types of brushes, and a hose. The package also includes a carrying bag. The bag is very snug and fits the vacuum and attachments, but not the hose. I would have liked the bag to be bigger so it is not so snug and I would have liked it to be big enough to fit the hose as well so I could keep everything together.

The AC cord is 184" inches long. I can reach not only my back seat but even my trunk without unplugging it from the port in the front of the car.

Changing the filter is easy. There is a button next to the on/off switch that pops off the dust compartment. When you close it you need to point the dust compartment down because the filter does not lock in, so you need to use gravity to keep in the right orientation.

Despite being light and small it really sucks (in a good way).

YOu can find this vac on Amazon via this link

Ali Julia review

Product review: BlueDriver - Bluetooth OBDII Scan Tool

I give 5 stars to the hardware and 2 stars to the BlueDriver app. Luckily, there is an excellent free app called Torque that works very well so I am only deducting 1 star from the rating because there is another option to replace the app that comes with BlueDriver. In attached video I show both apps, including Torque running while the car is being driven.

The Bluedriver app even though it initially connected constantly lost connectivity so I could never get past the first screen. I have spent quite a bit of time on testing it on two different cars (Honda CRV and Chrysler 300C) and never got past that first screen. Torque app, however, connected instantly and had a lot of information about the car as you see in the video.

The scanner is simple to install and simple to use. A lot simpler than I expected, frankly. All cars and light trucks built and sold in the United States after January 1, 1996 were required to be OBD II equipped. Once I looked up what the OBD-II connector looked like it was easy to locate it. The connector is very distinctive looking, I am including a picture of it in my video for reference. In my car the connector was located under my dash, slightly to the right of the steering wheel.

The OBD II scanner is fairly small: 1.75" wide, 1.74" tall, and 0.875" wide.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Catch Caddy Car Seat Catcher

I saw a similar product on Shark Tank. This is not the same product but it has the same function. I have not used the Shark Tank product so I can't compare all features, but I remember that it was soft made out of neoprene where as this product is made out of plastic.

Catch Caddy is a plastic pocket that goes between the seat the central console. Catch Caddy width flexes but it is pretty stiff and has a minimum width of 5/8" of an inch. It fits only on one side of the console in my car (I never realized my car has gaps with different width). But the side that it fits into is the near the driver side, so if I had to pick one that would be that one. The edges of the caddy are hard so I lowered the caddy below my seat so I don't accidentally hurt myself on the edge. If the car seat is moved the caddy needs to be repositioned, but that is not an issue for me as this hardly ever happens. The benefits of the hard pocket is that it is easy to take out and clean. Because the fit is tight it does not move as I drive or corner. The opening is very narrow so it is not a general purpose storage area, however I did use it to store driving directions once until I needed them. I am attaching a video which shows how it fits into my car (Honda CRV).

The caddy is 14.25" long. The top is 3" uncompressed, the bottom is 5/8". 5/8" gap is required, if you gap is smaller than 5/8" at any point (as it is on my passenger side) the caddy will not fit.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆