Product review: JIMEJV Mini COB Flashlight - Bright light with aweful quality control

 

The COB flashlight I received was defective. The case covers half the charging port, so it is impossible to recharge the light. Because the case is not attached correctly, it is also very difficult to turn the light on and off as it does not align with the internal mechanism.

I can't recharge it, and turning it on and off takes dozens of tries. When I finally managed to turn it on, the case got very hot while I tried and tried pushing the on/off button mechanism to turn it off.  Poor quality!

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★☆☆☆☆    

Review of JIMEJV Mini COB Flashlight

Product review: SKYBESS Monitor Light Bar

 

 This is my second monitor light bar, so I have a base for comparison. I have used a monitor light bar for about six years, and I love it. I now work remotely and have many more computers at home, so I decided to get another light. Skybess light disappointed me for two reasons.

1. I have four monitors, Skybess light bar can be clipped only to two of them. It is not universal! The two larger monitors are too thick, and the clip slips off and cannot stay on the monitor.
2. On the two monitors where the clip works, the angle of the light is bad. It beams into my eyes; I am not able to change the angle enough the way I can control the BenQ bar.  The swivel does not have enough rotation.

If Skybess were my first light bar, I would never want another one. Very disappointed.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: Mostorlit LED Desk Lamps with Clamp, Double Head, Multiple light levels

 

 I bought this lamp because it has a clamp mount and two heads that can be aimed separately.  This helps me to provide lighting for a dual monitor and oddly shaped desk.  The lamp has several brightness levels and a flexible neck that can be shaped as I need.
Excellent light. No negatives.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Orthland Photo Studio LightBox Lightbox 16"

 

I have an old collapsible 16" lightbox and rarely use it because it is so hard to collapse (it is one of those wireframes that you need to twist just right to fold).  By comparison, this lightbox is so easy to put together. All I need to do is use snaps to lock the box into shape and the slide lights and light shades into the holes in the frame.  It takes 3 minutes to put together and 2 minutes to disassemble.  The lightbox comes with both black and white backgrounds, two light panels, and a light diffuser.  There is a controller that allows me to change the brightness of the light.

The box comes with a nice canvas case that allows storing the box neatly.  The package includes a detailed manual that shows how to put the box together.  However, I did not need to consult it; the assembly is evident and straightforward.

I hope the attached video demonstrates how to set it up and how it works.  It works well!

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: SZHLUX LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants 80W , 2FT Full Spectrum Sunlight Plant Lights

 

 

This is a broad spectrum grow light.  It produces white light, rather than the reddish light generated by another type of grow lights.  Reddish grow lights produce a smaller amount of UVC light. Broad Spectrum lights contain much more UVC light. UVC light is harmful, especially to the eyes.  So it is best to wear eye protection if you are using UVC grow lights. And don't stare into your lights.

How are full-spectrum grow lights different from sunlight? The sun's light contains UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C, but our atmosphere filters out most of the UV-C light. UV-A and UV-B get through the atmosphere. They are the reason we need to wear sunscreen and UV-blocking sunglasses.

This a very bright light. I like that it does not require a fixture; it can be hung on the brackets that come with the light. The package includes brackets, hooks, and a pulley system, allowing you to control how low the lights hang.  Be aware that you can make the hanging system shorter, but you cannot make it longer.  Once you raise the light, you can not lower it.  My original plan was to pull the lights up and down as needed, but that turned out not to be possible with the mechanism included in the package. 

The cord is not long (5 feet), so I am also using my own extension cord to reach the power outlet.

The 3600K light is quite natural; each light covers a pretty good area.


Some assembly tips:

1. The light reflectors slide in from the side.  Slide the side of the reflector that has a lip. The reflectors slide out easily. I wound up taping the light fixture ends with tape to keep them from sliding out while I was installing them. 

2. The brackets snap into the metal part of the light. There are two brackets included for each light.

Good lights, but be safe using them. I recommend UVC eye protection.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★  

Product review: COOSA Essential Oil Diffuser, Hand-Crafted Glass Aroma Ultrasonic Humidifier

 

This diffuser comes with no instructions. It looks like a vase, so I poured water into the "vase" opening.  The entire 100 ml instantly leaked out on to the table.  I was ready to through away this diffuser and write a scathing 1-star review.
After moping up the puddle, I began examining where the leak was coming from and discovered that I could remove the glass dome with a little bit of force.  Once I removed the glass top, I saw a plastic container hidden inside the "vase."  This plastic container is where the water is supposed to go.  Any time you want to add more water, you need to remove the glass top.  This product does not include any instructions, and this product definitely needs instructions; it is not obvious what to do.

Once I added water to the plastic container inside, the diffuser operated without leaks.  The glass itself and how it changes when LED lights change the glass color are beautiful.  The diffuser mist is very thin; if you goal is to humidify the air, this diffuser will not do it.  However, it does enough to spread the scent and give me a pretty light show.

Knocking off a star for the lack of documentation.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: 10'' LED Selfie Ring Light with Tripod Stand Phone Holder Ring Light

This is a tabletop LED ring with a phone holder that places the phone in the middle of the right light.  The ring light produces either warm (yellow) or cold (blueish white) light.  It is quite bright and lights without shadows. The light has a controller that controls not only color but also the brightness of the light.

The LED light runs on USB power which means it can run from an external power battery.  I like this feature because this set up does not require an electrical outlet.  The package also includes a remote which triggers the camera app to take photos.

The phone holder is a little stiff and takes a bit of force to open when to insert the phone. I was able to use it with two phones: one is 3" wide the second one is  2 3/4" wide.  The holder has a gooseneck that can be bent and aimed as needed. The ring light sits on the ball head that is flexible in how it is positioned as well. 

Overall, I thought it was very nice and flexible lighting right.  It can be used for selfies or for any other tabletop photography.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: ILEBYGO 14 LED Vanity Mirror Lights

This kit consists of 14 LED lights with light control.  The light control has a USB connector. These lights are designed to go around a mirror but their use is not limited to just the vanity mirror. I needed a bright light in a closet where I keep paperwork. Regular stick-on lights are not bright enough to let me read the small print on the paperwork, so I was looking for a set of bright light that can run from a power bank since I don't have a power outlet in the closet.  These lights are just perfect.  The lights are very bright on the bright setting.  This set of lights comes with double-sided sticky tape. It attaches well to the mirror and even a wood shelf that I have in my closet. The set includes 30 stickers for 14 bulbs, so it is possible to reposition them.  The sticker goo is removable with a Goo-be-gone product.

The lights are LED lights inside a round dome.  The domes are made out of milky white plastic.  Note that the domes are not removable. If the light burns out you cannot replace just the light.  However, I have been using LED lights for me years and have not had a LED light burn out on me, so it is not something I am worried about.

The lights come with a controller that can be turned on and off with just a push of a button, and two brightness controls to increase and decrease brightness.  I liked that I don't have to click many times to go from off to on.

The length of the cords:
- from clicker to the USB connector is 59 inches
- from clicker to the first light is 31 inches
- the cord between the lights is 10 inches

These lights have many uses  -  form vanity mirror to lightening closets or any dark corner that is not well lit.  Their brightness exceeded my expectations.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: PrawnHz 10-inch Ring Light with Stand & Phone Holder

This ring light exceeded my expectations. It has a well-made tripod stand with quick release leg.  The stand is solidly made and operates smoothly.  It can be expanded to 66" tall.  With this flexible height, I can use it both on the table and on the floor.  The ring light mounts on the stand using on regular 1/4 thread which means the stand can also double as a tripod for a small/medium size camera.  I like things that can do more than one job!

The ring light is 10-inches in diameter and provides bright light. I can change the color of the light from warm to cold via remote control.  The light is powered by USB power. It can run from an electric outlet or from an external battery pack for portability.

The ring light includes a phone holder that I can use to mount the phone and trigger the photo app with the included remote control.  The remote control paired easily with my Nexus phone, the remote control was visible as "AB Shutter3". Pressing the remote control once put it into the Bluetooth mode  (it blinks quickly with a blue light when it is ready to pair).


In the attached video, you can see both the operation of the light and the photos I took using the remote control.  I am pretty pleased with the results.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Gleebom LED Solar Flood Light Motion Sensor

Gleebom LED light has two mounting options: it comes with a fall mount and tall stake mount.  It has a large LED panel (6.5" x 5.5") and two LED lights. Each led panel is 3.5" x 2.5", and each light can be aimed independently with a good radius up and down and side to side.

Two lights generate decent lighting for about 20-25 feet.  I am using the stake option using all three sections together to put the lights at 17" from the ground.

The light runs on a 4500 mAh LiFePO4 rechargeable battery. The light needs at least 5 hours of direct light to recharge.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Modern Wesen Table Lamp, Dimmable Touch Control

This lamp is 16.5" tall, with the shade 11" tall and 6" wide. The shade is made out cream/beige linen (with plastic insert on the inside for stiffness). The base and stem of the lamp are black. The lamp comes with a  bulb.  The description says it is 60W equivalent, but it provides the light equivalent of 40W incandescent bulb.  Given a heavy shade, it provides ambient light.  It is quite good for watching TV - just enough light and no reflections. The lamp has a modern look.

To turn on the light you need to touch the base or the stem.  There is no switch and the lamp cannot be controlled by a wall switch.  The base has two AC outlets and two USB outlets.

If the 40W equivalent bulb is not sufficient for your needs, the instructions state that the max wattage of the lamp is 150W.

My video includes assembly of the lamp:
1. First, you need to unscrew the fixing ring that is shipped attached to the base
2. Then you need to thread the lampshade over the stem and screw the fixing ring back onto the stem
3. Finally, you need to screw in the bulb

You can find Tote boots on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Powerslife Dimmable Eye-Care LED Desk Lamp

I won several LED lamps; most of them have touch control switches where just touching them turns the light on and off.  This one is a little different, it actually requires to hold the on/off button for a second or so. Once it is on changing the brightness requires just a touch.  The light is fairly bright (bright enough to read under); with that said, it is not the brightness desk lamp I own.  In the attached video, you can see the brightness level, especially when I zoom in on the text in a book.

This is medium-size task light.  It has 4 levels of brightness from very dim to fairly light, as you can see in my video.  This lamp does not cast a very large spotlight, it does not cover my entire table, but it does light up my entire large-format book shown in the video.

The lamp has a black glossy finish, which attracts fingerprints. It has a nice diffuser, and looking at the lamp even on the brightest setting does not hurt.  It does a nice job preventing ghosting (i.e., preventing showing multiple shadows).  In my video, you can see a pen directly under the light and just one shadow. Many of my other LED desk lights show multiple shadows.

The base of the lamp is 6" x 5". The neck of the lamp is 13" tall, and the length of the panel is 11.5".   The neck has a lot of flexibility in from being horizontal to the desk surface, to be able to title backward about 8 degrees.  My lamp did not stay in the position I put it in, it slowly went down.  However, tightening the screws in the base of the neck fixed the problem.  AC cable is 79".

The lamp is powered by a detachable USB cord that has an AC plug. But because it can run on any USB cord, it means I can also run the lamp from a power bank, which is often very useful because I can use the lamp without having an AC outlet nearby.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.
Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: MOSFiATA Rechargeable Headlamp

This headlamp has 10 different lamps (6 white LED bulbs, 2 yellow bulbs, and 2 red bulbs), and several settings are very bright. I was worried that so many bulbs would make the headlight heavy, but that worry was unfounded. The headlamp weight 8.5 oz.

The straps on the headlamp are highly adjustable and fit both my relative small head and my husband, who has a larger head.


This headlamp has a nice feature that allows me to see how much life the batteries have left.  If I press a button on the battery compartment,  the battery power indicator lights up, showing me the battery level.

The light is mounted on a bracket which can be ratcheted to angle down so it can be aimed.  The ratcheting mechanism is smooth and re-positions the headlamp easily.

The top of the headlamp has two buttons that control which bulbs are on. There are quite a few combinations, I usually keep pressing until I get the amount of light I desire in a given situation. There are a lot of combinations, so I have not memorized all of them.

The headlamp runs on two 18650 batteries (included). It has a built-in battery charger, and a micro USB cord is included in the package.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Kingso motion activated bulb (avoid!)

Kingso motion-activated bulb is a bright LED bulb (on par with a 60 watt CFL bulb). Its unique feature is that it is motion activation, but unfortunately, motion activation does not work reliably in my lamp. I did see it come on a few times, but most of the time I can wave my hand in front of it and nothing happens. When it turns on, it does not stay on for a long time (less than a minute) even if I am continually moving under the light. So the motion detector does not work if the light is on, and most of the time does not detect motion when the light is off. Flipping the switch seems to help sometimes but not all the time.

I liked its brightness, but since motion detection does not work reliably, I did not find this bulb performance acceptable.

Ali Julia review ★☆☆☆☆

Product review: JACKYLED Plug-in LED Night Light Lamp with Dusk to Dawn Sensor

This night light provides a nice amount of light for night light, by that I mean it does not provide enough light to read, but it allows you to see things at night so you don't trip over furniture in the total darkness.  To provide an unbiased measurement I use a lux meter which measures light intensity.  This light produces 15 lux at 19", for comparison a 60 watt fluorescent bulb at 19" produces 527 lux.

This plug in light takes half of the double wall outlet if it is plugged in the lower outlet. The LED ring is frosted so it is not jarring to the eyes. 

The package contains 6 plug-in lights, I included photos in the bathroom and in the hallway.

YOu can locate these night lights on Amazon


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: TV LED Light Strip JACKYLED 6.6Ft 60Leds LED TV Backlight Strip

This is my second backlight strip. These strips have a lot of uses. The first one I use around the computer monitor and above the keyboard tray, so I can see the keyboard in the dark.  This strip I am using around the back of the TV. It is 6.6 feet long (60 LEDs).  I plugged into the the USB port on my TV so the LEDs go on automatically when TV is turned on and turn off as I turn off the TV.  The strip remembers the color I selected. I prefer the white light (it actually light blue color).

The strip has a control which allows me to select the color as well as to turn the strip on and off manually. It also has a "demo" mode which changes the colors.  The strip has a large variety of color options (19 options).

Configuring the strip was easy.  The main trick is to plug in the strip to its extension cord in the correct orientation.  The pins go in either way, if you do it wrong the strip will not light up. Tip: the LED lights and the control lettering should face the same way.  A long press on the on/off key turns off the lights on the strip manually when I want to override the automatic on/off coordinated with the TV.

The strip never gets hot, the on/off key is totally cool, the lights are barely warm and the strip stays at that temperature for many hours.  Overall, a nice backlight strip.

YOu can locate this strip on Amazon


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: IVISII LED Video Light Stand Lighting Kit

This Christmas I replace my old light kit that used 200W incandescent photo lights with with LED Panel set. The panels have bi-Color light settings 3200K and 5600K. The 32000K gives a warm yellowish glow that is very flattering, the bright white at 5600K is sharp and cold. The height of the stands adjusts easily with the turn of the knobs. The stands are well balanced and even at the tallest height the light feel stable. The height ranges from 25" to 75".

My old photo lights used to get so hot that I would need to use a glove to adjust the position of the lights. The LED panels are a lot easier to work with: they stay cool and knobs allow me to change the angle easily. The panels have no glare. In the old lamps I had to use defusers to prevent glare,  these LED panels do not need defusers.

The back of each panel displays the temperature, the brightness, and the channel. The channel is used to pair each light panel with the remote. By changing the channel on the remote it can talk to each of the panels without interference.

45W in LED lights is very bright, each panel is just as bright as my 200W incandescent photo light.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: BenQ ScreenBar Office Lamp Light

This monitor bar exceeded my expectations. First and most important it provides light without getting in the way.  Once I mounted it I was able to position it in such a way that I don't see it at all.

My ViewSonic monitor has a thin bevel of 3/4". I was worried that the bar will hang lower covering some top portion of the screen. It does not. The mechanism that holds to the monitor can be tilted in a variety of ways, and it was easy to find a position where it aligned with the trim.  There are no screws, no tape, it works by gravity.

The light bar comes with a switch that can change the brightness and color of the light.  The same switch is used to turn the light on and off.  The bar generates no glare on the screen. It provide excellent light for the desk below it and the keyboard which is on a movable try below the desk in my set up.

The lamp runs on USB power using a special proprietry cable which slits in two: one goes to the back of the light bar, the other one goes to the switch.

The lamp feels solidly made, it is fairly heavy and has dark grey/black finish.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: LED Dusk to Dawn Bulb, A19 Frosted E26 Auto On/Off

When I shop for LED bulbs the amount of choices is dizzying. If I can't see them turned on side by side I am never quite sure what they will look like when I get home this is because manufactures do not have a standard of how they specify what their light is equivalent to. In attached photos I show the light produced by 7W Bailida LED bulb and fluerescent 60W bulb.  You can see that LED light appears to be slightly brighter, it generates colder white light than fluerescent bulb.  They both light my entire work desk.  The LED bulb has shaper edge between the lighted and dark areas.

In this review I am comparing Kunshi 10 Watt 1100 Lumen LED bulb and a 60W Sylvinia incandescent bulb.

Comparison of the bulbs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

✔ Bailida 7 Watt bulb is 4.5" long by comparison the old incandescent bulbs were 4.25" long (these measurements include the base). The LED bulb weighs 3.2 oz, the incandescent bulb weighs 0.90 oz.

✔ The LED bulb produces white daylight light (6000 Kelvin).

✔ Both lights are frosted and the light is even and visually pleasing.

✔ Both lights turn on instantly.

✔ LED bulb is NOT Dimmable

✔ LED bulb turns on automatically when it is dark.  It can be used inside or outside, I am using it over the basement stairs and now don't need to worry when I come through the basement entrace rather than from the house where the switch is located. 

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 ★★★★★