Product review: Pyle PLDM22 Handheld Laser Distance Meter with Backlit LCD

This laser meter is very accurate. It is rated to be accurate with 1/16 of an inch. The key to getting a good reading is to position the back of the unit (i.e. the side opposite to where the laser is emitted) where you want the measuring to begin. The meter is 5 inches long so if you think you are measuring from the front of the unit it would look like the measurement is 5 inches off.

I started by measuring the accuracy on the gridded mat which is 18 inches long. As you in attached video I placed the laser meter one inch into the grid and got a reading of 17" inches. In all experiments with different distances and different background colors the measurements were accurate.

I also liked that the I could turn on back lighting on the meter, so I could see the numbers very clearly. The meter comes with study canvas pouch, which has a loop on the back so you can carry it on a belt or hang on something when you need free hands.

The laser meter runs on two AAA batteries (which are included). It auto-shut offs after 3 minute of inactivity.

The unit is 5.1" x 2.16" x 1.1" and is splash proof.

Pyle laser meter has quite a few functions: it can measure as a single measure, do continuous measuring, perform additions and subtractions of the measurements, it can calculate areas, volumes, Pythagoras (given 2 sides of a triangle calculate the length of the third side) and so forth. I found the manual explained the functions clearly.

The only negative I can say is that the laser meter has no memory of my settings. For example, when I switch units to inches the next time I turn it back on the units go back to meters, so I have to reset it every time.

Overall, I am impressed. Very accurate measurements and it is easy to use.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Quality Bath Brush with Long Handle, Shower or Bath Brush long handled

I have a couple of bath brushes and this one shot up right to the favorite status.

Here is why:

✅ The feel of the bristles: a nice balance between soft and stiff. It stiffer than many brushes, but not as stiff as a natural loofah brush I have.
✅ Stiff curved handle: stiff handle does not flex, goes exactly where I want it to go. Curved shape makes it easy for me to reach the back.
✅ A loop on the handle allows me to hang it on the bathroom caddy so it drips right into the tub while it dries

Total length of the brush is 14". The length of the handle is 10". The size of the head is 3.5" x 2.5". The height of the bristles is 7/8".

In attached video I show several close-ups of the brush. I also run my fingers through the brisles to give you a better idea of their stiffness. I really like this brush! My favorite feature of this brush is a stiff curved handle which makes it easy to wash the back.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: LED2020 LED Vintage Filament Bulb,A19 Edison Style,4W to Replace 40W Incandescent Bulb,Soft White (2700K)

This bulb is shaped just like an incandescent bulb, but it has a 4W LED filament. The rating says that it replaces a 40 watt incandescent. I did not have a 40 watt incandescent to compare it with, so in attached video you side by side photos of the same lamp with a 60 watt frosted incandescent and the lighting is very similar. The major difference in how the light looks comes from clear glass vs frosted glass of the bulb.

This bulb comes on instantly. The length of the bulb is 4.25" and the width is 2.5". One of the photos in the video has it next to an incandescent light on a 1" grid mat so you can easily compare the sizes. The color of the light soft white (2700K) quite similar to incandescent 60 watt bulb that I was using in my test.

What a nice bulb! It is brighter than I expected and looks just like good ol' incandescent.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: LED Filament Candle light 2W to Replace 25W Incandescent Bulb Soft White (2700K)

This bulb has the look and shape of an incandescent decorative bulb, but it has a 2W LED filament. The rating says that it replaces a 25 watt incandescent. I did not have a 25 watt incandescent to compare it with, so in attached video you side by side photos of the same light fixture with a 60 watt incandescent candle light and even though the lighting with LED light was dimmer the difference was not as big as I expected between 25W equivalent and 60W incandescent light.

This bulb comes on instantly. The length of the bulb is 4.5" and the width is 1.5" (when measured at the widest part). One of the photos in the video has it next to an incandescent light on a 1" grid mat so you can easily compare the sizes. It is slightly longer than 60W incandescent candle light, but it fit my fixture and looked good. The color of the light soft white (2700K) quite similar to incandescent 60 watt bulb that I was using in my test.

This light produced more light than I expected and looks just like good ol' incandescent.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Pyle PSTM40 Pure Clean Steam Floor Mop

After using this steam mop for two weeks I am very pleased with it. It is easy to work with (under 9 pounds in weight) and it does a nice job cleaning.

This floor mop combines a sweeper and steam mop. The bottom of the mop has two parts: the front is a roller brush which picks up particles and the back part has a pad which cleans. With a new England winter we drag in a lot of stand that used to cover up ice spots. The brush did a very effective job collecting this sand in to a container so the pad was not as dirty as I expected after the cleaning was done. The dust container just lifts up when you need to empty it. I found that it is easier to empty not right after you clean, but before you clean the next time. The dust compartment gets some steam coming up from the floor, this makes some of the sand and dust absorb wetness and stick to the sides of the pan, so it is easier to empty the dust pan completely when it dries out.

This map is designed for sealed hard wood floors, tile, and vinyl floors. It also comes with a glider that can be attached to the bottom to use on carpets. The cleaning pads attach to the mop by Velcro. The bottom of the mop has heavy duty built in Velcro strips that grab on to the Velcro on the bottom of the mop. I suppose with time they will pick up dirt and will not hold as well, but so far the hold is very secure, the pad did not come off during cleaning and took a strong pull to remove it. The mop came with two micro fiber pads.

The mop came disassembled and was very easy to put together. The instruction were very clear (words and pictures), and the pieces fit together easily without any fussing.

From the floor to the tip of the handle is 47". The handle is not adjustable. I am 5'2" and found that height just right for me. It comes with a nice long cord which is 95".

I thought the mop did a fine job cleaning. The steam is released by a button on the handle. Pushing the mop on the tiles floor were easy. The mop head is fairly large (10.5" inches across) and there were some places where I wanted to clean but could not fit in in.

The mop is not perfect, some of the minor nits I have are

1) The water container is difficult to remove. It is large, smooth, and fits tightly into the base. There is nothing to grab on to pull it out.
2) After the cleaning some water drains onto the floor, so don't leave it on wood leave it on a surface that does not mind being wet. I found a plastic container cover which is almost the exact size as the mop head and when I store it I put the mop on top of this cover so any small amount of drainage stay on the plastic and evaporates.

Overall, I thought the mop did a nice job. It was easy to use, it did a nice job cleaning, and I liked how it swept up the sand before mopping so the pad remained fairly clean.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Pawtec Dual 2-Port USB Wall Charger 5V 4.2A

Pawtec wall charger is a compact 2 port charger with retractable prongs. Due to its nice size it takes up just one slot on a power strip. It is 2"L x 2"W x 1"H and weighs 2.8 oz. The package includes a travel pouch.

I tested Pawtec charger with Samsung Nexus phone and iPad Mini tablet.

I run the same set on tests on each battery pack I own, so I can compare them to each other using "apples to apples" comparison. This set of tests allows me to compare different chargers as well as see how performance changes with each upgrade of the operating system. I am including the details of the tests below for those who want to see the nitty gritty.

For those who are interested in the bottom line this battery pack worked consistently with both devices and charged the devices charging them at slightly below average rate.

★ To prolong battery life
==================================

Li-ion batteries do not need to be fully charged nor is it desirable to do so. In fact, it is better not to fully charge, because high voltages stresses the battery. Li-ion should never be discharged too low. This is why battery manufacturers typically ship batteries with a 40 percent charge. The low charge state reduces aging-related stress while allowing some self-discharge during storage. If you plan to store the battery without using it apply a partial charge before a long storage period.

★ How I tested this battery pack
==================================

I use a USB current monitor and a charging test to test each port. The current monitor shows the voltage and the current flowing between the battery and the device.

I started running these tests when my Android devices had HoneyComb operating system so I was able to observe the improvements in charging with different version of the Android OS. Before 4.21 I could only get fast charging on 1A port, and would get bad performance on 2.1A port on my Android devices. After upgrade to Jelly Bean 4.21 I see the same performance on 2A and 1A ports as it is controlled by the device negotiating the protocol with the charger. Google reverse engineered the Apple protocol and now my Android devices typically charge similar in speed on both ports of a good charger. This is not true for Apple devices. They do better on ports designed for Apple (2.1A ports).

An addition variable for Android devices is whether a data cable or charging cable is used to charge the device. The charging cables short the two data connections together (rendering them useless for data transfer), but this fools devices to see the cable as an AC power connection, and thus accept the higher current of the charging source.

The 10 minutes test consists of charging each mobile device on each port of the battery pack for 10 minutes and measure how much each unit was charge in that 10 minute period. Since the charging speed is non-linear I start charging each device from approximately the same charge level. I use Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.

★ Test Results:
======================

✔ Samsung Galaxy Nexus Phone
--------------------------
Port 1: AC charging rate ----- 4% change in charge in 10 minutes
Port 1: current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.95A and 5.12V

Port 2: AC charging rate ----- 4% change in charge in 10 minutes
Port 2: current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.96A and 5.12V

✔ iPad Mini Tablet
--------------------------
Port 1: AC charging rate ----- 1% change in charge in 10 minutes
Port 1: current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.46A and 5.10V

Port 2: AC charging rate ----- 3% change in charge in 10 minutes
Port 2: current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.53A and 5.12V

★ Summary
------------------
This is a small 2 port charger. It takes up just one slot on the old fashioned power strip, and since I am always running out of space on my power strips this is a big plus for this charger.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Pyle PSTMH10 Pure Clean Handheld Steamer Birdie

This is my second handheld steamer and it has two big pluses compared to the old one. First, it has a very long 200 inch cord. This means I can clean a large area without needing to move the plug. Second, it has nozzle with a very long neck. When you clean with a handheld steam cleaner you cannot tip the unit itself too much for safety. A long nozzle is helpful when I wash the tub because I am working with something that is very low and long neck allows me to bring steam below the unit. My old handheld steamer has a long nozzle which is about half the length of this one and it was cumbersome to use to clean objects that were low.

Pure clean handheld steam cleaner comes with several nozzle heads: the short nozzle, the long nozzle (my favorite), an angled nozzle, and a squeegee head. There are two cloth covers and two brushes. Also included a measuring cup with a long beak which makes it easy to fill the water compartment.

In attached video I included cleaning of bathroom sink with 1 week worth of mess in it, including dried up toothpaste. Everything came off with the steam only, no cleaning solution was needed.

The steam cleaner worked well, it was easy to assemble, the very long cord made it easy to use without needing to move the plug. I was able to clean the entire bathroom on one tank of water with about 1/2 left over.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★