Product review: Sunset Vista Designs Cast Iron Turtle Garden Stepping Stone - comparison of three different turtle stepping stones

This year I decided to decorate my garden with turtle stepping stones. So far my collection consists of three different turtles. I am posting a review of each of them, along with comparison between the three.

I am including a collage of 5 photos number 1 through 5 that I will be referencing in this review.

13 inch Sunset Vista Designs Cast Iron Turtle Garden Stepping Stone is my favorite of the three stepping stones.

Photo #1 shows a close up of the turtle shell, photo #2 shows the underbelly of the stepping stone. The turtle is authentic looking, has a good looking shell, and is very solidly made out of cast iron. It is 13 inches long and 10 inches wide.

Photo #3 shows this stepping stone on a digital scale, and it weight in over 5 pounds. It is a substantial stepping stone. Due it its weight and a nice construction it does not warble on the ground no matter where you put it.

Photo #4 shows the stepping stone in my garden. It is positioned on a slight incline yet it sits solidly on the ground and when you step on it it does not warble. The turtle shell design also provides good friction and holds my shoe sole well even when it is wet, it is not slippery at all.


Photo #5 show all three stepping stones. My second stepping stone is Midwest-CBK Turtle stepping stone. Rather than being one solid piece of cast iron it is made out of multiple smaller turtles with open spaces between them. It is a pretty design and is solidly built but when soil and water come through the open spaces it gets a bit dirty and slippery. I rank it second in my favorite list.

The third turtle in my collection is Iron Verdigris Garden Turtle stepping stone. It is lighter and not as solidly built. It tends to warble in the spot where Sunset Vista Designs turtle sits like a solid rock. So I have it placed on the flattest least challenging location on path. I also like its black color less than the other two stepping stones. This is my least favorite stepping stone (still ok, just third in the pecking order).

I love my turtle stepping stones path. It makes me smile when I putter in my garden.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Food review: Japanese Ginger dressing by Tonton

I love the ginger dressing you get at some Japanese restaurants. Tonton ginger dressing tastes just like what you get at the restaurants! I found many uses for it - salads, of course, but it is also good as marinade. I used it on shrimp and chicken with excellent results.

I am attaching a collage of two photos. Photo #1 is the testament to how good this dressing is. I was going to take some pictures of the dressing on a spoon for this review, I figured I would have a few weeks to do it... but soon the bottle was completely empty! When I went back to the little gourmet shop where I bought they were all out! The second photo is the Nutritional facts and ingredients.

Highlights from nutritional facts:
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The bottle contains 18 tablespoons of dressing
Each table spoon is 20 calories
Total Fat 1.5 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Sugar 1 g

Ingredients:
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Onion
Tomato
Celery
Soy Sauce
Canola Oil
Corn Syrup
Vinegar
Ginger
Garlic
Sesame oil
Lemon juice
Black pepper
Secret blend of spices

The ginger flavor is pleasant, yet not overwhelming. I am not big fan of celery flavor and even though it is high on ingredient list I don't taste it. The flavor is tangy, just a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy. It does not feel oily. I will be buying more - this is really good stuff!

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: side by side comparison of laundry mesh bags

I like using 4 compartment mesh bags when I do laundry. They keep pesky bra straps to themselves rather than getting tangles and snagging other delicate items. They are also handy for keeping socks together!  They protect all sort of dedicate undergarments well.  I recently purchased two more of these mesh bags made by different manufactures to compare. I compared Whitmor 6154-988 Laundry Mesh Bag and Honey-Can-Do LBG-01146 Hosiery Wash Bag

Turns out there is a difference that makes me like this Whitmor mesh bags better. I am attaching a collage of 4 photos number 1 through 4 under customer photos that I will be referencing in this review.

Photo #1 shows that the bags are about the same length 17.5"  Blue label is the Whitmor wash bag, and the white/orange label is the Honey-can-do wash bag.  Honey-can-do bag is 7 inches wide, Whitmor bag is 7.5 " wide.  Honey-can-do bag is 7 inch deep, Whitmor is 8 inches deep.

Photo #2, #3  and #3, #4 show the construction of the pockets.  This is where the major difference between the two bags exists.  The Whitmor bag dividers end 6/8 of an inch from the top, Honey-can-do dividers end  2 1/4 inches from the top.  Why is this significant?  Because during the laundry content of one compartment migrates to another compartment in Honey-can-do bags much more than it does in Whitmor bags because their dividers leave large gaps at the top.

The Whitmor bag is made out of softer nylon mesh, honey-can-do bag is made out of stiffer nylon mesh.  This makes no difference in washing, but the soft bag is slightly more pleasant to touch.

Overall, I like Whitmor mesh bags better because they keep the content in each compartment through the entire laundry much more consistently.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Black & Decker AF-100-3ZP 30-Feet 0.065-Inch Line String Trimmer Replacement Spool

The automatic feed spool on GrassHog advances the string without needing to bump on the ground. The benefit of this system is that cutting is easier as it constantly replaces worn out string, the down side that the usage of the string is faster than when done manually.

I have tried wounding the string by hand and found it a bit cumbersome and a bit time consuming, so I figured less than $5 per spool is not to bad to save me 5 minutes of time wounding and dealing with jammed string. Each spool contains 30 feet of 0.065 inch diameter round line. It is factory spooled and is wound tighter than when I wound the spool by hand.

At the time I purchased these replacement spools the official Amazon description listed only GrassHog NST2018 as compatible model. I can confirm that it works with the new Black & Decker NST2118 Cordless Electric GrassHog String Trimmer/Edger.

To replace the spool:
1. Remove battery
2. Squeeze the tabs on the spool cap to release it
3. Pull the empty spool out by pulling directly away from the housing
4. Clean out the housing from debris
5. Make sure that the level that controls the spooling is aligned with the edge of the housing
6. Take a string from the new spool and feed it through the eyelet in the housing
7. Push the spool into the housing and rotate it until it feels seated and the tabs of the spool align with the holes in the housing
8. Put the cap back on
9. The string outside the housing should be 5 3/8 inches, if it is longer than this length use scissors to trim it

Overall, I am pleased with the spools - they should take me through the next couple of summers!

You can find "Replacement Spools" on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: CrazyOnDigital Bluetooth Keyboard Tablet Stand Leather Case for Google Nexus 7 Tablet

This keyboard was purchased for Google Nexus 7 Tablet. I also used it with Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet. The keyboard works, but has not become a popular item in our house. In this review I will detail the pluses and minuses of this keyboard case.

I am attaching a collage of 4 photos numbered 1 through 4 that I will be referencing in this review.

I LIKED:
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1. The keyboard works and the keys have a nice feedback when you type. I have small hands and found it comfortable to use. My husband with his bigger fingers found it somewhat less comfortable.

2. The keyboard worked with both Nexus 7 Tab and Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet. Galaxy 7.7 tab is a bit wider than Nexus 7 and I used it in its own case sitting on top of the keyboard case, as shown in photo #4.

I DID NOT LIKE:
-------------------------

1. Usability
-----> I hoped that when I use the blue-tooth keyboard I would have the entire screen of the tablet as usable area. However, the on-screen keyboard is still displayed when I use the blue-tooth keyboard. So I did not gain any screen real estate, only the convenience of the physical keyboard. Photo #4 show what you see when you use this keyboard: you see two keyboards.

2. The keyboard case has a number of issues.
-----> The tab that holds the tablet in the case has Velcro (see photo #1), which makes it difficult to open and close the case. My other leather case has just a leather tab (no Velcro), it holds the tablet well and is easy to open and close. Using this case the Velcro grabs in the position you don't want it to be in and it takes some fussing to position it correctly.

-----> The case closes by inserting a tab into a loop on the outside of the case. The loop is tight and closing is not easy to do. Because it takes some work to get the tab into the loop it is likely not to last for long a time. My other leather case closes by having magnets built into the cover. It is a much better mechanism - quick and easy to use, and it will not wear out. Photo #3 shows the case closure.

-----> The case stand mechanism is rather warbly and works only in horizontal orientation. This is ok when you use the keyboard, but I often use the vertical orientation without the keyboard and I lose this capability when I use this cover. Photo #3 shows the stand mechanism. You can see that the stand forms a loop when it is opened and that loop gives the mechanism a lot of slack, which causes wobbliness.

----> The case is very thick. Photo #2 shows a measuring tape next to the case, you see that it is 2" thick. The keyboard itself is pretty thin, and the tablet is very thin, it feels like the entire case could have been thinner without giving up protection for the content.

----> The empty case on the digital scale weight in at 11.9 oz. Pretty hefty. By comparison the tablet itself is 12 oz. So the case with keyboard doubles its weight.

We purchased this keyboard case for keeping up with business email when we travel, but because of its thickness and bulk it turned out not to be very portable. My husband totally dislikes it and does not use it with his Nexus 7. I use it occasionally with my Galaxy 7.7, keeping Galaxy tab in its own case using just the keyboard. This keyboard case turned out to be less useful than we hoped.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: Cyberpower CP685AVR UPS - 685VA/390W AVR 8-Outlet RJ11/RJ45 Compact Design EMI/RFI USB

I am attaching a collage of 3 photos number 1 through 3, which I will be referencing in this review.
 
This is a fairly small unit and I use it for my electronics other than the main computer: nettop that serves as my home-made DVR, a TV, and a sewing machine. The battery powered outlets are used for the nettop and for the TV. The sewing machine is on the surge protected outlet (not battery powered).

I call this battery a fairly small unit based on how much run time it provides when it runs on battery. How long the unit can run on backup power depends on the device's usage of power. Here are battery backup runtime estimates for this 685va backup battery. Also, keep in mind that as the battery grows old45 you will get less run time from the fully charged battery.

1. All-in-one-computer (i.e. a fairly weak computer with a screen) is estimated to use 50 watts an hour and will run 45 minutes
I expect my nettop and TV to be somewhere in this category.
2. Basic desktop with LCD screen is estimated to consume 100 watts and will run 20 minutes
3. Powerful desktop (such as a gaming system or a development system where you do compiling and linking) is estimated to consume 200 watts and will run 5 minutes

685va unit has 4 full-time battery powered outlets and 4 surge protected outlets (2 of which are spaced far away from each to accommodate 2 transformer sized plugs).
The unit is surprising light and relatively small. Photo #2 shows the view from the top with a pen placed on top of the unit for size reference. The unit can be used flat or upright.

CyberPower has a USB port (see photo #2) so it can commute with the computer to do a graceful shutdown before shutting down. The battery is compatible with Windows and Linux. I have not tried it with a Mac. I am running Linux on the nettop so I did not have to install any software, the support for this functionality is built into Linux. PowerPlanet software is provided for Windows and be downloaded from CPSwww com web site.

CyberPower also has a cable to connect to a phone, FAX, or other network equipment.

If you are wondering why the sewing machine is protected, let me share my expensive lesson with you. Two years ago I was painfully reminded that a modern sewing machine is a computer and its main board can be fried by a power surge. After a power glitch my sewing machine stopped working. When I took it to a repair shop they told me that the main board in the sewing machine was fried and needed replacement. To replace the mother board my sewing machine had to be sent back to the factory, and not only was it expensive I also lost the use of my sewing machine for over a month. My sewing machine was plugged into surge protected power strip but it did not protect it. The surge protector of the battery backup provides more protection that the power strip so when my sewing machine came back from repairs it was immediately placed on a power backup just like the rest of my computers.

Photo #3 contains a schematic for battery.
1. Battery and Surge protected outlets
2. Surge protected outlets
3. Power switch
4. Power on indicator
5. Electrical wiring fault indicator (e.g. bad ground) if this light is on, you need to disconnect the unit
6. Communication ports (fax, phone, etc)
7. Circuit breaker (can be used to reset after overload)
8. USB port to PC
9. Widely spaced outlets that can be used for recharges and other wide plugs

This battery backup replaced an older unit: it is lighter, smaller in size, has more features, and fairly inexpensive. If used for devices that don't consume a lot of watts it provides a reasonable amount of backup power. I am quite pleased with it so far.

I purchased CyperPower battery Backup 685va at a local CostCo as the price there was better by a considerable amount.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Food review: So Delicious Creamy Cultured Coconut Milk Yougurt

I love yogurt, I love coconut, I love trying unusual foods - when I saw this on the shelve of a local supermarket I had to try it. I was surprised that I did not like the taste all that much. It did not have much of coconut flavor, it was a bit sweeter than I expected, it did not taste creamy. The yogurt is light peach in color. It was not terrible, but did not taste great to my palate. I am not planning to buy it again.

Nutritional Facts:

1 container size is 179 g
Calories 140, fat calories 60
Total fat 6g 9%
Saturated fat 6g 30%
Trans dat 0g
Sodium 5mg 0%
Total Carb 22g
Dietary Fiber 2g
Sugars 19g
Protein 1g

If you have medical reason such as lactose intolerant or allergies, I can see how it might be a reasonable substitute for the milk-based yogurt. But without those extra reasons I don't think I will be buying coconut milk yogurt again after my curiosity about it has been satisfied.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆