Product review: Utility Knife 6" by Zelite Infinity.

Zelite utility knife is midway in size between a Chef's knife and a Paring knife. in the past, I have not used utility knife as often as my chef knife or my pairing knife. But this knife is so sharp and maneuverable that I am using it quite a lot. My most common use for it is for cutting cheese and meats for making sandwiches. It also works well on cutting tomatoes for those sandwiches. I use it when a paring knife feels too short, and chef's an overkill.

Zelite utility knife is very sharp, and its handle fits my hand very well. The knife feels sturdy but it is not heavy. The knife weighs 5.2 oz.

It has a beautiful pattern on the blade. This is because the knife's blade is made out of laminated stainless steel. The higher quality of Japanese knives use laminated steel which has this beautiful pattern. The use of laminated steel improves the strength and rust resistance of the blade (and it looks beautiful).

A note on packaging. I don't often comment on packaging unless there is something special about it. This knive comes in a very attractive packaging, the box packing is sculpted to the knives shape and is made out of red velvety material. The presentation of the knife is suited for a gift.

This knife was provided to me for testing and review by Zelite as part of the new product introduction. It is a nice quality knife and good to work with. Using automobile analogy if the chef's knife is the car's engine, the utility knife is the sun roof. It is not strictly necessary, but often nice to have.

You can locate this Utility Knife on Amazon via this link.


Ali Julia review

Product review: UEB US Plug Socket with Energy meter Watt Voltage Current Meter

UEB socket is a nice tool for anyone who is energy conscious. For example, I have two things that keep my feet warm in the winter equally well - a set of electric booties and an electric carpet mat. I have been wondering which one is more efficient from the energy consumption point of view. Now I know!

Electric booties draw 41.5 W
Electric carpet is 49.5 W

UEB socket has a large easy to read display. Documentation is not the best, some portions of it is hard to understand due to translation, but the socket itself is not that complicated to figure out. UEB meter has several different modes. One of the modes allows you to see the actual costs of electricity of an appliance plugged directly into UEB (you need to enter the cost of electricity in you area using "set" mode) another shows electricity consumption graph for the last 7 days.

The unit runs on two button batteries either LR-44 or AG13. One set of batteries is included in the package. It comes with an insulator which can be just pulled out. You don't need to open the battery compartment. If you do closing the compartment is little finicky because you need to make sure that contacts in the cover are inserted into the slots in the body of the unit.

I am an energy conscious person, I find the ability to compare different appliances (like lamps and monitors and my feet heating options) more useful than the ability to track the cost of one specific appliance. I can see it being useful for tax purposes if someone had a home-based business and wanted to deduct the cost of electricity for the appliance they were using in the business.

This product was received at no cost to inspect and provide an honest review. No compensation besides the product was provided and the company was made aware that my review may be positive or negative depending on my experience with the product.

You can find this Socket energy meter on Amazon via this link.


Ali Julia review

Product review: Polaroid 2x3 inch Premium ZINK Photo Paper

This is a review  of Premium Zink Photo paper.  I am using Premium Zink paper in a Polaroid Snap camera. I took photos both inside and outside and they came out slightly blueish. I have used Zink paper in the past and saw no blue cast. When I look closer at the packaging I noticed that the temperature range for the use of the Premium paper is fairly narrow: 68°F to 77°F degrees. It was definitely colder than that for my outside shots, and probably on the border for the inside shots as we keep the house at about 68 degrees in the winter.

Other than the blueish tint I like many things about Zink paper. The image on the paper cannot be smudge as the process uses no ink. The print feels thick and very glossy. Unlike the glossy print I get from my ink jet printer Zink paper does not show finger prints. Pretty neat!

Each paper sheet is 2" x 3". The paper is inserted into the camera with the bar code facing down, shiny side up. The camera takes 10 pieces of paper at a time.

I received this paper for evaluation and review. Bottom line: Premium paper is a cheaper alternative for Zink paper (about 25 cents per sheet as I write this review) if a blueish cast will bother you make sure you plan to use it the recommended temperature range. Unfortunately the temperature range is not shown in Amazon description, only on the foil wrapper of the paper itself.

You can locate Polaroid Premium ZINK Photo Paper on Amazon via this link.


Ali Julia review

Product review: Boning Knife 6 inch by Zelite Infinity

This boning knife is longer and thinner knife than the chef's knife and a pairing knife. I do not think of it as essential to have in the kitchen, but if is very handy for fine work. If you do a lot of boning it will be easier to use than a chef's knife because it is easier to follow curves. I also like it for work that requires finesse such as coring an apple because this knife is so maneuverable.

It is very sharp, and its handle fits my hand very well. The knife feels sturdy but it is not heavy. Its weight is 5.1 oz.

This knife has a beautiful pattern on the blade. This is because the knife's blade is made out of laminated stainless steel. The higher quality of Japanese knives use laminated steel which has this beautiful pattern. The use of laminated steel improves the strength and rust resistance of the blade (and it looks beautiful).

A note on packaging. I don't often comment on packaging unless there is something special about it. This knife comes in a very attractive packaging, the box packing is sculpted to the knives shape and is made out of red velvety material. The presentation of the knife is suited for a gift.

This knife was provided to me for testing and review by Zelite as part of the new product introduction. If you are skeptical of my review because of this, please take a moment to look at my other reviews and see that I leave many critical review (1 star, 2 star, 3 star) when the product deserves it. Getting a free product does not guarantee a glowing review and I always state this before accepting a product for review. It is a nice quality knife and good to work with. If the chef's knife is the car's engine, the boning knife is the car's stereo system. You can get to your destination without it, but it makes it more fun getting there.

You can find this "Boning Knife" on Amazon via this link.


Ali Julia review

Product review: Smart phone camera lens Kit 3 in 1: 198 Fisheye Lens,15x Macro Lens 0.63x Wide Angle Lens

The kit includes 3 lenses: a fisheye, a wide angle and a macro lens. Initially I thought I had only two lenses in this kit, but his was because the wide angle and macro lens are shipped screwed into each other and have only one lens cap between them. Fisheye lens has a cap of its own. The side that screws into the holder does not have a lens cap. Another kit I own has caps for both ends of the lens, which is better. The lens holder is a clip. The clip is very nice, it opens easily but holds very tightly. Finally, I like that they come in a case. It helps to keep all pieces together. The case has a carabiner, so I can clip it to my purse so the lenses are always handy.

I included photos taken from the same spot with and without the lenses so you can see the difference. My favorite lens in the kit is the fisheye lens, it allowed me to take very interesting photos that I could not take without it, the photos are always sharp no fussing with the lens is needed. Wide angle lens is also easy to use. The macro lens provides magnification but focus is more challenging and requires a bit of fussing. This typical for a macro lens, so not a knock on this lens specifically.

I received this kit for testing and review. Getting a free product does not prevent me from honestly describing pluses and minuses of my experience.

YOu can find this camera lens kit on Amazon via this link.


Ali Julia review

Product review: DALSTRONG Santoku Knife 7"

This is an excellent knife. It is a general purpose knife for dicing, slicing and mincing. Santoku translates from Japanese to mean "well-balanced" and is designed with the weights of the blade and the handle to be equally balanced. This balance in combination with an ergonomic shape of the handle makes cutting and dicing with it quick and easy. It is very sharp, everything I cut feels as easy as cutting soft butter.

The knife comes with a protective sheath. Protective sheath is unlocked by pulling out a small black pin as I show in the video.

This knife has a limited "rocking" travel in comparison to a Western-style chef's knife. When the blade rests on the cutting plane there is very little clearance above the cutting plane from heel to the tip. The Santoku design is shorter, lighter, thinner, and more hardened (to compensate for thinness) than a traditional Western chef's knife.

The "scalloped" sides that give this knife its unique look create small air pockets between the blade and the material being sliced and reduce cutting friction. The higher quality of Japanese knives use laminated steel which has a beautiful pattern. This knife has this laminated finish. Not only does it make the blade look beautiful but it also improves the strength and rust resistance of the blade.

It can be washed in a dishwasher, but I prefer to wash it by hand so it will last longer and there's no risk of them cutting the plastic coating on the appliance racks.

The packaging of the knife is very nice. The box looks attractive and also includes a very nice manual, a cleaning cloth, and a key chain with Dalstrong logo. The manual covers information from maintenance to how to hold the knife.

YOu can find "DALSTRONG Santoku Knife" on Amazon via this link.


Ali Julia review

Product review: Dante RFID Blocking Slim Wallet for Women with many Slotsoduct review:

I have been using this wallet for almost two weeks and I like having so many compartments: 10 credit card slots, one ID Window, two currency pockets, one zippered pouch. I got the red color as my main purse is red and is a pretty good match in color. Initially the credit card slots were very tight and it took some effort to pull out each credit cards but after about of week of daily use it got better as the leather stretched out.

Its size is 3.75" x 7.25" (a little smaller than Amazon description).
The id compartment is 3 5/8" long and 2 5/8" wide. It fits both the drivers license and the passport card (which is tiny bit large than the driver's license).

Drivers license is 3 3/8" X 2 1/8"
Passport card is 3 1/2" x 2 1/4"

There are two aspects to consider about this wallet. First, how does it fit all items one wants to carry in the wallet. Second, is RFID protection worth paying extra for.

RFID
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When is RFID useful? There are three types of credit cards:
1) Cards that have only magnetic strip do not emit any kind of data for the thieves to steal. RFID protection is not needed.

2) RFID cards which are are identified by wavy lines on the card (see attached photo). These cards came into being a few years ago and has not became widely used. RFID chip cards produce radio waves which can be picked by thieves that are are a few feet away from the card and can be targets for electronic pick pockets. RFID protection is needed.

3) The new EMV chipped cards they are now a requirement and are common. EMV cards work either by being inserted into a check out terminal or by Near Field Communication (NFC). NFC radio signals degrade very quickly, they can only be transmitted within a very short distance measured in centimeters. This need for proximity makes the risk of electronic pick pockets extremely low. In addition, the data transmitted by the card is encrypted which further minimizing the risk. Whether RFID protection is needed is more of a personal preference rather than yes or no purely based on the technology.

So what is the bottom line? For the old fashioned magnetic strip cards RFID protection is not needed at all. If you have the old RFID type credit card, the RFID wallets are useful. For the EMV credit cards they are not really needed but could provide peace of mind for those who worry.

This wallet is provided by Dante for evaluation and review. I hope my review was helpful to figure it if the wallet is match for your needs. RFID protection is not a key feature for me, but I like the way it looks and the number of compartments it has.

YOu can find "Dante Wallet" on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review