Product review: Belkin 12 Outlet Home Surge Protector Extended Cord 4156 Joules

I purchased a 10 feet 12 outlet version of the Belkin extended cord. This is a well designed and well spaced out power center. My video shows how several large power bricks and chargers fit on the power strip. For example two Eneloop chargers do not fit next to each other, but if they are plugged in the ends there is enough room left to plug in a medium size plug between them. I was able to replace two power strips with zero room to expand with one Belkin strip and I still have plenty of room to expand.

⬤ Size:
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The power strip is 4" wide, 12.5" long and 1" thick. The power cord is 10 feet (3 meters). The surger protector provide 4156 joules in surge protection.

⬤ Extra features:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The strip has detachable clip to keep cords tidy.

In my video I show the top and the bottom of the strip. You can see that the back of the surge protector has two mounting holes for hanging the strip on the wall.

The on/off switch is on the side, next to the cord.

This surge protector has sliding safety covers. Closing the covers on the outlets that are not in use will minimize dust and debris getting into the outlets.

⬤ Light indicators:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* The "Protected" green light should be on when the power switch is turned on. If this light goes out at any time, it means that your Surge Protector was sacrificed to protect your equipment and the strip should be replaced.
* The "Not Grounded" red light should not be on. If this light turns on, you may have a ground wiring problem. In my video you can see my using the the protector in an strip without a ground wire and the light is on, then you can see the strip plugged into an outlet with a proper ground and the light is off.

⬤ Warranty:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connecting a Belkin Surge Protector to an improperly grounded outlet will void all Belkin warranties. If your home is properly grounded and the Surge Protector's "Not Grounded" red indicator light is on Belkin will replace the surge protector at no cost.

I am very pleased with surge protector, it takes up a lot less space than the two power strips it replaced and I have a lot of free outlets left for further expansion.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Pro-Line Helping Hands Soldering Station with Illuminated Magnifier & 15 Watt Soldering Iron

Have you wished to have another hand while working on the project? Pro-line helping hands soldering station gives you two extra hands! This soldering station has a pair of strong alligator clips that can be used to hold items while you are soldering, glueing, or working on any project. The stand is stable and the metal "hands" that can hold items as small as jewellery and as large as a circuit board. The built-in 2x magnifying lens is position right, and the ring of 10 LED lights casts a nice bright light exactly where you need it.

The heavy steel base is 8" x 6.5" in size with slip-resistant feet for stability. Flexible arms are 5" apart and end with alligator clips that can hold a variety of objects securely in place. The loops is 5.5" inches across and 10 LED lights are mounted in a circle around it. The goose neck that holds the loops and the lights is 8" long. The neck is very flexible and stays in the position you put it.

Soldering iron stand, solder spool holder, brass mesh tip cleaner and cleaning sponge are attached to the base. The unit runs either from AC power (AC cord and adapter are included) or on 4 "AA" batteries (which are not included).

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 audio cables. He thought the alligator clips worked great, the light was sufficient, the magnifying glass was helpful. After completing the project he gave both the soldering station and the soldering iron 5 stars.

I received a sample station and soldering iron with a request for an honest review. Getting a sample does not influence what I say, the review is purely based on how the product worked. My husband is very happy with the soldering iron and the soldering station.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: OXA Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard

This bluetooth keyboard has some features I liked and some features that I did not.

On the positive side:
✅ I liked the size and the feel of the keyboard. It is 9" wide and 5.5" front to back. It weighs 7.8 oz.
✅ The balance between the comfortable key size and the compact size of the keyboard is good. Each is 3/8" square, made out of hard plastic with a nice matt finish.
✅ It has a rechargeable battery, which uses a standard micro USB cable.
✅ It has an on/off switch so you can turn it off when not in use.
✅ Most keys are in the standard layout. Function keys work by holding down fn key and a numeric key at the same time.

On the negative side:
❌ The biggest negative for me is the location of the space bar. It is located next a lip which is slightly higher in height than the space bar. This lip is located right at the front edge of the keyboard in front of the space bar and when I use my thumb to hit the space bar as I do during regular typing I hit the lip instead. In order to use the space bar I need to change how I type which slowed me down.
❌ I am fairly light on the keys, I don't hit them with force, and occasionally my regular keystrokes did not register on this keyboard. It requires a stronger touch.
❌ The keyboard tablet stand only works when the tablet in a landscape orientation. If you insert the table in a portrait orientation it tilts backwards and cannot be used (see video). If you need the tablet to be in a portrait orientation while you type you would need to use another stand.

The balance of positive and negative works out to a general okay rating: it works but not ideal.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: OXA Bluetooth Wireless 3.0 Keyboard with Aluminum Alloy Holder

I have tried several bluetooth keyboards over the last year and this one is among my favorites.

✔ For me it achieves a perfect balance between size and comfort.
✔ Keystroke response is excellent, there is no delay, keys have the right sensitivity for my key strokes, no key strokes were lost as I typed
✔ The keys feel good and have a nice feedback. The accuracy of my typing is good using it.

OXA keyboard has a solid feel to it. It weighs 14.7 oz. It is 9.75" wide, 7.5" front to back, it is 0.25" thick. Each key is a tad over 1/2" by 1/2" in size. The size of the keys is very comfortable, I did not feel I had to adjust my hand position at all. The individual keys of the keyboard are made out of hard plastic. The base of the keyboard is made out of aluminium. The keyboard has very nice feedback, I felt confident that I was making good contact.

The only thing it is lacking that I liked in another keyboard is keyboard back light. This is a very minor nit and not a deal breaker in any way.

I tested this keyboard with my iPad Mini and my Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet. Both worked well, paired easily and remembered when both the keyboard and the tablets were turned off. I also was able to have both of them paired with the keyboard at the same time.

The keyboard has a stand that holds a tablet in either vertical or horizontal position. The stand is very grippy, you can see that in the attached video. Both of my keyboards fit the stand, but only when the case/folio is removed.

I found that I type much faster using this keyboard than on screen keyboard, especially when I have to mix letters and numbers in the text.

I am attaching a video which shows pairing the keyboard and using it with my tablets. What is particularly nice is that some application do not display on screen keyboard, so you get the benefit of the entire screen containing the information without being covered by on screen keyboard. Some applications still display on screen keyboard even when the keyboard paired with the device, so it depends if the application developer anticipated bluetooth keyboard use or not.

I received this keyboard for testing and review (be it positive or negative) from the manufacturer. I hope the video will help you set your expectations.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Leather Conditioner & Restorer by Leather Nova

I used this leather restore to rejuvenate my office chairs. It did a really nice job restoring their dull finish to shiny good looking leather. The content is a clear oil. This package include an applicator which worked very well in spreading the oil and picking up dirt. Be aware that the cleaning solution has a pretty strong scent. After applying the oil to leather it should be left on the leather for 1 hour before it is buffed. The strong scent dissipated over night. The bottle itself still smells and I store it in the plastic bag so I don't smell it.

The solution also waterproofs leather. It is not suitable to use with suede.

I received a sample for testing and review. I am very pleased with the results, however I did not like the scent of the solution. Luckily the scent does not persist for a long time.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Ableconn USB3E1000 SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet Network Adapter

This is a very nice compact Ethernet adapter. It feels solidly made and has metallic aluminium finish.

It is compact in size. This network adapter is 3"L x 7/8"W x 5/8"H. It weighs 1.5 oz. The network cable is 3" long. It is powered directly from the USB port.

To see whether it performs up to its specification I tested it connecting two Linux systems using iperf performance measuring tool.
I also compared its performance with two NICs built-in into my computer.

The network adapter performed well, as well as one might hope for a Gigabit adapter.

✔ For those who are interested in the specific details of the tests I am including them below.

Using USB 3.0 Port
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USB 3 half duplex
[1] 0.0-10.0 sec 1.05 GBytes 901 Mbits/sec

USB 3 full duplex
[2] 0.0-10.0 sec 996 MBytes 835 Mbits/sec
[3] 0.0-10.0 sec 1.06 GBytes 905 Mbits/sec

Using USB 2.0 Port
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

USB 2, half duplex
[4] 0.0-10.0 sec 361 MBytes 302 Mbits/sec

✔ For comparison, performance of two built-in NICs in my computer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Internal Ethernet NIC, Intel 82579V
-----------------------------------

Half duplex
[ 3] 0.0-10.0 sec 1.09 GBytes 935 Mbits/sec

Full Duplex
[ 5] 0.0-10.0 sec 1.08 GBytes 930 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 0.0-10.0 sec 1.05 GBytes 901 Mbits/sec

Internal Ethernet NIC, Qualcomm Atheros AR8151 2.0
-----------------------------------
Half duplex
[ 3] 0.0-10.0 sec 1.09 GBytes 934 Mbits/sec

Full duplex
[ 5] 0.0-10.0 sec 1.05 GBytes 900 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 0.0-10.0 sec 1.05 GBytes 899 Mbits/sec


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

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Product review: Ableconn USB3HUBE0 USB 3.0 3-Port HUB with RJ45 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet

This 3-port network adapter comes with an AC power adapter. I was able to use the Ethernet and the USB slots (with memory sticks as well as charging a phone) without the power adapter. The power adapter can be used for USB devices that require more power than you can get directly from the USB port.

This network adapter is 4.125"L x 1.75"W x 0.875"H. It weighs 2.3 oz. The network cable is 2.5" long. The power adapter has a 68" power cord.

To see whether it performs up to its specification I tested it connecting two Linux systems using iperf peformance measuring tool. I also compared its performance with two NICs built-in into my computer.

The network adapter performed well, with the speed one might expect from a good quality Gigabit adapter.

⬤ For those who are interested in the specific details of the tests I am including them below.

♦ Ableconn Ethernet + 3.0 USB ports ASIX Elec AX88179
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Half Duplex
[ 3] 0.0-10.0 sec 1.05 GBytes 901 Mbits/sec

Full Duplex
[ 5] 0.0-10.0 sec 988 MBytes 828 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 0.0-10.0 sec 1.05 GBytes 897 Mbits/sec

⬤ For comparison, performance of two built-in NICs in my computer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
♦ Internal Ethernet NIC, Intel 82579V
-----------------------------------

Half duplex
[ 3] 0.0-10.0 sec 1.09 GBytes 935 Mbits/sec

Full Duplex
[ 5] 0.0-10.0 sec 1.08 GBytes 930 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 0.0-10.0 sec 1.05 GBytes 901 Mbits/sec

♦ Internal Ethernet NIC, Qualcomm Atheros AR8151 2.0
-----------------------------------
Half duplex
[ 3] 0.0-10.0 sec 1.09 GBytes 934 Mbits/sec

Full duplex
[ 5] 0.0-10.0 sec 1.05 GBytes 900 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 0.0-10.0 sec 1.05 GBytes 899 Mbits/sec

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★