Product review: Scotch Wrinkle-Free Glue Sticks, 2 Pac

 

 

I am using this glue stick on paper. It works as expected: holds well and is easy to apply. It is exactly what I expected.

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

Review of Scotch glue stick  

Product review: Worx Zipsnip Cordless Electric Scissors Cardboard Cutter Plastic Cutter

 

I chose the Worx electric cutter for several reasons:

    1: I watched several comparison reviews that showed the Worx cutter requiring less effort to cut than other brands. Its strong motor significantly reduces the force needed for smooth cutting.
    2: Blade Quality: Worx is a well-known brand that offers replacement blades. The high-quality, sharp blades make cutting take less effort.
    3: Unlike some cutters with rounded guides, the Worx features a flat guide at the bottom. This allows me to rest the cutter on a cutting mat and slide the cardboard into it, producing straight, accurate cuts. While it’s possible to hold the Worx cutter in the air, I find this less secure and prone to cut lines that curve.
    4. Reasonably lightweight: The cutter weighs 14.65 oz; I find it easy to handle, even during extended use.
    5: The cutter comes with a spare blade, a carrying case, and a charger. However, the charger uses a proprietary round connector with an 8W output, which is less convenient than a universal USB-C port used by some other cutters. However, this is a minor drawback.
    6: The handle is comfortable to hold. To operate, you must press both a lock-out switch and a trigger switch simultaneously, preventing accidental activation. As someone with smaller hands, I can’t reach the lock-out switch with my thumb while holding the trigger. Instead, I hold the cutter with my right hand, pressing the trigger at the bottom of the cutter, and use a finger on my left hand to briefly press the lock-out switch to start. Once the cutter is activated, I don’t need to hold the lock-out switch. This was not clear to me from reading the instructions before purchase, and I worried a bit about how exactly it would work. It turns out that this extra button push is not a problem.

The cutter needed to be charged before first use. It took four hours for the red charging indicator to turn green.

I purchased this cutter to break down cardboard boxes for my composter. It glides through cardboard effortlessly, like cutting through butter. I used to use regular manual scissors. Let me tell you, this is a lot easier.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★

Review of Worx Zipsnip Cordless Electric Scissors

Product review: Rechargable Book Light by from 86lux store Book Light by from 86lux store, free standing light (vodeo review)

 

 This light can clip to a book, as well be freestanding.  Even though it works well as a book light, lighting both pages at the same time, I am using this light as a portable light to light the area where I need to see (desk, bedside). I like that it is small, rechargeable, and provides enough light in spaces without room for a bigger light. The light can tilt down and sideways, so it is easy to position it any way you need.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★    

Review of Rechargeable Book Light by from 86lux store Book Light by from 86lux store

Product review: OImaster Teal Laptop Stand for Desk Laptop Holder Riser

 

The OImaster Stand is well-designed for travel. It is lightweight and works for laptops, tablets, and phones.

The stand is made of plastic parts that fold and turn to make different configurations. It does not have industrial strength, but it is sufficient to hold a light laptop and any type of tablet or smartphone.

It fits laptops and tables of 10 to 17 inches and any size smartphone. In my photos, you see Pixel 6Pro, a relatively large phone.

The stand is 10.3 X 2.8 X 1.7 inches, weighing 10.6 oz.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Review of OImaster Teal Laptop Stand for Desk Laptop 

Product review: Monitor Stand Riser, Klearlook Foldable Computer Monitor Riser

 

The Klearlook stand feels very solid. The neat thing about the stand is that it can be reconfigured in several ways depending on how wide you want to make it. The feet can be totally folded down, totally opened, or one can be folded and another extended. These folding positions give me three options for the width of the riser. The riser has two small draws: one becomes a stand for the phone, and another can be used to store small items such as a YUBI security key or some memory sticks.

The stand is rated to support weight up to 55 pounds.
The stand's size: 16.5"wide x 7.8" back to front x 3.1" high

Overall, nice stand - sturdy and stable.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Review of Monitor Stand Riser, Klearlook Foldable Computer Monitor Riser

Product review: ASUS ROG STRIX Arion Aluminum Alloy M.2 NVMe SSD External Portable Enclosure Case Adapter

 

 This is a good-quality aluminum enclosure. It looks and feels solid. Because the case is metal, it cools well. I use it to store a large SSD card as an external backup of my critical data. Since it stores critical files, I wanted to use a well-cooling case, and this enclosure fits the bill. It came with type-C to type-C cable, as well as type-C to type-A cable. It also comes with a bumper case and Velcro hook. The Velcro hook turned out to be very helpful, as I use it to hang it on the computer rack when I am making a backup.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Review of ASUS ROG STRIX Arion Aluminum Alloy M.2 NVMe SSD External Portable Enclosure Case

Product review: Sweetzer & Orange Floral Habit Tracker Calendar - 24 Month Daily Habit Tracker Journal Daily Tasks

 

My favorite part of these style calendars is the hanger. Unfortunately, the workmanship on the habits calendar I received was poor. The hanger was not threaded correctly on one side; it was on the outside of the spiral on one side. There was no proper quality control to reject this unit.

24 months coverage is achieved by printing the table on both sides of the page, so for the second year, you would need to flip the calendar, and old writing would be on the back side of each page.

I use this calendar to keep track of daily tasks I need to do every day.
There were not enough daily lines for my needs, and the small weekly and monthly lists were too small and short to be useful. I would have liked the entire page to be just daily tasks. I wound up customizing the pages by copying and pasting the top part of the page over the bottom half and then reprinting the pages. Then I scotch taped the reprinted pages over the calendar I received so I could take advantage of the hanger.

Bottom line, I was able to make it work for me, but I had to do a lot of work to overcome the shortcoming of the original layout. Plus, I had to open the binder to fix the hanger.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Review of S&O Floral Habit Tracker Calendar - 24 Month Daily Habit Tracker Journal

Product review: Indeme Large Wall Calendar July 2023 - December 2024

 

 This is an 18-month calendar with full pages months from July 2023 to December 2024.  Each daily square is 1.75" tall and 1.75" wide.

I used to order beautiful Lang calendars, which are not only practical but decorate, but in the last few years they got pretty expensive, so I decided to try this style of calendar which is less pricey. This calendar has no images; calendar info is printed on one side of a relatively thin paper (compared to Lang textured thick paper). The finish is flat (i.e., not glossy), so it takes well to pen and pencil for notes.

The calendar is wider than the Lang standard; instead of 12" wide, they are 15" wide. It requires a bit more space, but gives more room for notes.  

The calendar has a metal hang inserted into a spiral that holds the pages, and this hanger works very well: it is easy to flip pages and never tears like a single hole in a Lang calendar.

Bottom line: this calendar is not as attractive as Lang calendars but it is practical and works well for those who like to make notes on the calendar.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Review of  Indeme Wall Calendar July 2023 - December 2024

Product review: Feteulo Large Wall Calendar July 2023 - December 2024

 

This is an 18-month calendar with full pages months from July 2023 to December 2024.  Each daily square is 1.75" tall and 2" wide.

I used to order beautiful Lang calendars, which are not only practical but decorate, but in the last few years they got pretty expensive, so I decided to try this style of calendar which is less pricey. This calendar has no images; calendar info is printed on one side of a relatively thin paper (compared to Lang textured thick paper). The finish is flat (i.e., not glossy), so it takes well to pen and pencil for notes.

The calendar is wider than the Lang standard; instead of 12" wide, they are 15" wide. It requires a bit more space, but gives more room for notes.  

The calendar has a metal hang inserted into a spiral that holds the pages, and this hanger works very well: it is easy to flip pages and never tears like a single hole in a Lang calendar.

Bottom line: this calendar is not as attractive as Lang calendars but it is practical and works well for those who like to make notes on the calendar.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Review of  Feteulo Wall Calendar July 2023 - December 2024

Product review: VIVO Keyboard Tray Under Desk Pull Out Tray

 

I got this tray because my desk is 27" wide with rounded edges and has a post in the middle, so a small clamp on keyboard tray was what I needed. This tray's solid area for the keyboard and mouse is 20" (which is quite tight). The tray is 25.5" wide with clamps, which are on the outside of the keyboard area. The entire tray barely fits. I have to use a smaller than standard keyboard to fit a mouse next to it.

How low the tray is below the desk is not adjustable. The drop is just 2 inches below the desk, 3" including the thickness of the desk. I got the tray to drop the keyboard for my 5'2" stature, and I would have preferred a 5" drop from the surface for the best ergonomic position with 90" elbow positions.

One big surprise was that the tray is not one solid piece of wood but comes as two pieces clamped together from below.   I  thought the wrong item was delivered when it arrived in a small box; I expected the box to be at least 20 inches wide.

The assembly was fairly simple; everything fit well, the keyboard moves smoothly, and the keyboard feels sturdy when I type.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Review of VIVO Keyboard Tray Under Desk Pull Out Tray

Product review: BITOSEE Refillable Retractable White Out Correction Tape

 

 This is my second white-out tape dispenser. The first one I used is from Bic and covers writing in one stroke. Bitosee does not work as well; it requires many strokes. The Amazon description said the package includes 2 dispensers and 2 carrier tapes for replacement. I did not get the extra replacement cartridges. Disappointed.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

   

Review of BITOSEE Refillable Retractable White Out Correction Tape

Product review: KIDINIX Adjustable Height Standing Desk sit stand computer table

 

I have been using the desk for over a week for work. Which means I use it 8-10 hours a day. The mechanism that raises and lowers the desk works very well: it is smooth, and I can adjust to be at a perfect height when I am standing. When I am sitting, the desk is a couple of inches too high for me. I would have preferred it to be 2 or 3 inches lower, so it would be at the height of a keyboard tray, and my arms could be at a 90-degree angle for the proper ergonomic position. I am thinking of taking off the wheels to make the desk shorter. The top of the desk is not as sturdy as I hoped; with a big monitor on top of it, it has a bit of a shake when I type. Not terrible, but not as steady as I would like.

The top of the desk is 29.82" wide × 18.89" in depth
The height can be adjusted from 29.3" to 45."
The desk weighs 25.8 pounds.
The wheelbase is 23.82" × 19.29."

The desk is made of wood and steel. The adjustment mechanism is located on the underside of the desktop (right front).  I have to press it when I move the desk up or down. The wheels have breaks. The wheels are pretty big (2.36") and move okay on the carpet. The load capacity is 33 pounds. I have a 29" monitor and a full-size keyboard/mouse on the desktop. The 18" laptop did not fit next to the large monitor, so I had to keep it on the small rolling table next to this one, as I like working with two monitors active.

Bottom line: This desk allows me to vary sitting and standing, quickly changing positions throughout the day. My back is happier when I don't sit all day.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Review of KIDINIX Adjustable Height Standing Desk

 

Product review: SUNEE Dotted Journal Spiral Notebook

 I am a list maker and use a lot of journals to keep track of things. I like dotted journals; this format lets me keep my notes neat.

I was a bit disappointed by these journals because when I received them, some pages were half torn out of the spiral and were sticking out. These pages are still usable but likely to get torn out as I write and move my hand over them, not to mention that the journal just looks "messy."

The three journals arrived packed in a cellophane envelope inside the shipping bubble mailer. The cellophane was in perfect condition, so the damage to the journals did not occur during shipping but rather is a manufacturing defect.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Review of SUNEE Dotted Journal Spiral Notebook

Product review: Poyday Microfiber Hair Towel Drying Wrap

 I have been using hair-drying wraps for a few years to preserve curls after washing my hair, so I have quite a bit of experience with these towels. These wraps are 80% polyester and 20% polyamide; they are not as absorbent as 100% cotton wraps. They are okay, but I don't like them as well as the cotton wraps.

I also prefer not to have a rubber band edge like these towels do, I can wrap it better with a straight edge.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: DALAMHARI Blueberry Kombucha Tea Drink Powder

 

1. No instructions in English, not aimed at the US market, should have at least put a sticker in English.
2. I ordered blueberry. It is too sweet; even when I doubled the amount of water, it was not acceptable. I would have liked a lot less sweetness and more tartness.
3. Uses Erythritol as a sweetener. It causes me to have the runs.

I am not a fan.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: Self Adhesive Laminating Sheets, Self-Seal, No Heat Needed, Letter Size, 9 x 12 Inch by VIOLETTO

 This solution might work okay for small things, but laminating an 8"x11" page of paper is very difficult.  You need to use two sheets: first, attaching it to one side of the page, and then attaching the second laminating sheet to the other side of the same page.  It is very difficult to align the laminating sheets precisely.  In addition, small air bubbles remain throughout.  Much, much, much worse than a real lamination machine.  Maybe good enough for child play, but for essential papers that adults will see.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: Yechen Sofa Side End Table, Snack Side Table C Shaped Table for Coffee Laptop Tablet

 

This table comes with good easy to follow instructions.  It took about 10 minutes to put it together.  Everything fit together easily; all the tools I needed were included.  The table is pretty steady, with no shaking. It rolls easily, two of the wheels have breaks.  I like that it is narrow and I can fit into many places.  The table dimensions are: 22” L x 14” W x 26” H

My primary use for this table is as an extension to a computer desk. It is the same height as my rolling computer table. This extension gives me more room for the computer mouse at the same level as my keyboard.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: ASprink 12mm / 0.47" Label Tape Compatible Brother Label Maker TZe-231

 

ASprink tapes work well in my Brother PT-D210 P-Touch. I like having a combination of colors so I can color code my stuff.  This has pastel purple, blue, and pink along with the white and the clear tape. I have not had any issues with jamming. Note:  The tape had a blue insert that told me to tighten the tape counterclockwise before use.

The adhesive backing has a slit in the middle just like the original Brother label tape, this slit makes removing the adhesive backing very easy, I just need to start from the split.

Bottom line: works well, good choice of colors.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: BIC Wite-Out Brand EZ Correct Grip Correction Tape

This is my first experience with corrective tape, in the past I always used the liquid white out.  It took me a little practice to get the angle of how to hold the tape dispenser so the tape comes out evenly.  It works well on thin lines, if you have a line that is thick and requires two swipes to cover an area then if the tape overlaps then the firt tape strip might start lifting and crunching up. 

So the benefit of the tape compared to liquid is that you don't need to wait while it dries, and that the liquid does not dry up in the bottle.  The benefits of the liquid is that it is easier to get get good coverage of large areas.

I expect that this six pack (I paid $12 for 6 dispensers) will last me the life time. I've been using it for a few weeks making one or two corrections every day and still barely made a dent in the first dispenser (which contains 33.5 feet of tape). I will post an update if the tape becomes unusable due to age.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Cavepop All Occasion Greeting Cards Box Set Assortment

The Cavepop cards are made out of high quality paper and are blank on the inside.  The designs are attractive and what I would call minimalistic.  Some cards have just the writing on the front, like 'thank you' or 'happy birthday', others simple drawings. I thought they were just right to give to co-workers (male or female) as they are not too cutsie yet attractive.  The all occasions collection includes 6 thank you cards, 9 birthday cards, 2 wedding cards, 8 general cards with no clear occasion, 2 congratulations cards, 3 sympathy cards and a few others. You can see them all in my video. High quality paper stock and modern look - just right to make someone you know feel special.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★