Product review: FancyStyle Safe RFID Blocking Travel Wallet & Passport Holder Genuine Leather Red Black

There are two aspects to this wallet - organization and RFID protection. As wallet this wallet is excellent. It has good size, large window for the passport, a good number of credit card slots.

Initially, I thought RFID did not work because my badge in this wallet was able to open locked doors controlled by RFID. I contacted the seller about this problem and he told me that security badges typically use 125khz which is low frenquency. Credit cards and other smart cards use higher frequence and this wallet's has material protects from 13.56 MHz or higher that are used by these cards.

I tested an RFID credit card first in two old wallets that have no RFID protection and was able to get a reading with an app called Credit Card Reader and a phone that has NFC. The I tried the same card in the Fancy Style wallet and could not get a reading.

This is a fairly large wallet 4.5" wide x 6" long when closed and 9.25" wide and 6" long when opened. It has 7 credit card slots, one open pocket for the passport, three pockets behind the credit cards for papers or tickets. This is a flip wallet, it has not closure.

This wallet is provided by Fancy Style for evaluation and review as part of a new product introduction. This is an excellent wallet and provides protection for RFID used in credit cards and smart cards.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: DEEPPRO Silent Wall Clock Solid Wood 14-inches Square Non Ticking Digital Quiet Sweep Decorative Vintage Wooden Clocks

I waited several weeks to write this review to see if the clock remained as quiet as it was right out of the box. I have had a couple of wall clocks that started out totally silent but developed a bit of noise after a week of use. So far so good - this clock is totally silent.

This is a very simple basic clock with an easy to read face and nice looking wood finish. It runs on one AA battery which is not included. The face clock shows the time very clearly. Each number is about 1.25" tall. When measured in the center the clock is 12.25" x 12.25" (including the wood frame).

I am attaching a video to show this clock in action, as you hear in the video the clock is not making any noise at all.

This clock is provided by Deepro for evaluation and review. If this makes you skeptical about my review, check my review history. I leave critical reviews when products deserve it. I like this clock - simple design, quiet and looks good.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: 50FT Flexible Garden Hose and Spray Nozzle by BeautyGal

I like flexible hoses because they make gardening easy on my bad back. I have been using them for several years and by comparison do not like this hose as much as the other hoses I have used. This hose has plastic fittings, I have a preference to brass fittings as they form a better connection in my experience and don't get brittle in the sun. The hose ends in my other hoses are protected by brass couplers, in this hose these couplers are plastic. The plastic nozzle included in the package is bad, It does NOT make a satisfying click when I change the spray mode, so it is difficult to get a "perfect" alignment and it requires fiddling back and forth. The setting called "mist" is a spray, it does not mist like a true mist setting.

I have been using flex hoses for a few years and they are much more fragile than regular hoses. Through experience I learned how to "baby" them to make them last longer and here is what I do in case someone finds these measures helpful:

1. When I use the hose I do not put the water pressure all the way up, I open the faucet at about half force (my water pressure is quite strong).
2. When I store the hose, I store it a bucket and bring it inside so it does not sit in the sun. Because they are light it really not difficult.
3. I make sure there it has no pressure on any part of the hose. I never hang it like I do with regular hoses. Even a 100 foot flexible hose fits into a regular size bucket, no problems with fitting this 50 feet hose into a bucket
4. Before storing the hose I drain it completely
5. When I use it I make sure I don't step on it and it does not tangle on anything. I lay it out straight toward the area that I need to water then fill it with water, then stretch to full length in small section (i.e. I do not pull from the nozzle end to stretch the entire length). If you stretch these hoses too much they burst.

I received this flex hose for testing and review at a special discount. Getting a sample does effect what I say. I have a history of leaving critical reviews when the product deserves it. Even though I like using flex hoses in general, I did not like the construction of this flex hose and this nozzle.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: Cooksmark Copper Pan 10 inches Induction Compatible Nonstick Frying Pan, Skillet, Saute Pan

Cooksmart asked me if I wanted to try this skillet and write a review about my experience. If this makes you skeptical about the review, examine the track record of the reviewer. I have a long history of leaving critical reviews when the products deserve it.

So how did this skillet do? Surprisingly well! It has a few short comings but they are not major.

My package had no instructions. No information on whether to use oil or not, whether it needs to be cured, how it should be cleaned. It also comes without a cover and in attached video you see me using my own cover as I was able to find one that is reasonable match in size. I also do not like the shape or thickness of the handle. It is fairly thin and not particularly comfortable, and it gets quite hot.

With the negative things out of the way I now get to the good parts. The coating really works well. I cook several things in attached video, all of them on medium heat, no butter or oil at all.

The surface of the skillets gets a little brown, and until I put it under water I was not sure how much cleaning it would require... half of the baked on stuff came off just from the water flow, the other half with a gentle rub of a soft sponge. Frying meatballs is something that typically requires a lot of scrubbing with a steel brush when I use my stainless steel skillet. This was so easy!

Some other observations:

~ The bottom is mostly magnetic, so it will work on the induction cooktop. I say "mostly" because there is a small circle in the center that is not magnetic. I show this in the video.
~ The bottom of this skillet us totally flat. Which means it will work on induction cooktop, gas stoves, electric stoves as well as halogen stoves.

Overall, even though not perfect the coating works really well, I like not having to scrub and I like being able to cook without adding extra oil.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Bestten 6 Outlet Outdoor Power Stake with Covers

This outdoor power strip has a number of good features (16/3-gauge cord, long sharp stake) but turned out not to fit several of the plugs I wanted to use in it. The designers of this plug chose to put the cover for the outlet on the side of the outlet rather than on top of the outlet. This limits the width of the plugs that can be plugged into the outlet on one side. I am having a lot of trouble with most plugs that are not the small standard plugs. The built-in outlet cover is not removable. I looked at my other outdoor strips and I see that the covers are attached in different orientation, limiting the size of the plug from the top rather than from the side. The outlets are spaced pretty tightly so the larger (thin and long) plugs that fit width-wise cover up more than one outlet.

This outdoor outlet strip has no GFCI protection. GCI is a device that shuts off an electric power circuit when it detects that current is flowing along an unintended path, such as through water or a person. It is used to reduce the risk of electric shock and is common in outlet used around water and outdoors.

The outlet itself works reliably, and the stake is nice, it is sharp and fairly long so it holds well.

I received this outdoor outlet for evaluation and review at no cost as part of new product introduction. Getting a free product not effect what I say. I have a long history of writing critical reviews and this is one of them. The outlet cover limits this power strip to regular size small plugs.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: JULIUS JA-577 Women's Silver-Tone Ultra Thin Dial Mesh Band

The band on this watch is beautiful. It is made out of stainless steel and really nice. The face of the watch is simple and classy which contributes to the watch's expensive look.

This is a fairly small watch. Its face is 1" wide and 0.3" wide. The band is 8" long and has an adjustable buckle. To adjust the band size it takes a small screw driver to open the clasp (a screw driver is used for leverage, not to unscrew). This little guy is particularly tough, I tried doing with out a small screw driver and could not.

My video shows how to adjust the clasp, and how to open/close it. To adjust the clasp you need to open the lock. The lock lifts up by putting small screw driver in the opening and pressing down. Once the clasp is open I put it on my hand to get the new position. The hooks of the closing clasp go over a bar in the clasp. Before closing the clasp, you need to flip the watch over and make sure a small groove on the clasp aligns with the grooves on the band. This what holds the clasp in place, if the grove on the clasp is between groves on the band you will not be able to close the clasp. Once the clasp is in its proper position you need to close the clasp, which is again easier to do with a small screwdriver. Insert the tip of the screwdriver in the slot on the clasp and push down. Listen for the click. If this is done correctly the clasp no longer slides on the band.

To close the clasp on your hand or open it is easy to do with one hand and it does not take a lot of force. The small hooks on the safety plate go over the bar on the clasp and then the safety plate clicks in to close if you press down.

The time on the watch is pretty simple to set as it shows only time, the knob has only two positions - "in" position is regular operation, "out" position sets the time. The watch has Japanese quartz movement.

I received this watch for evaluation and review. If this makes you skeptical about what I say, please examine my history. You will see that getting a free product does not effect what I say, I leave critical reviews when the products deserve it. I hope the video helps to see what to expect from this watch. I really like the watch, I think it looks really elegant.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Silk Scarf by Salutto

This scarf comes with several designs and I got I got "Color 64" color which looks like a Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night. Its beautiful and the silk quality is very nice. The stock photos do not show the entire length of the scarf (they show only one half). I included a photo of the full length scarf and I really like how the full length looks. The stock photo colors are pretty accurate. This is a bright silk scarf with a dominant royal blue color. The silk is medium thickness. In attached video I show my hand behind the scarf so you can see that it has some thickness to it. The scarf is fairly long (60") and is 16.5" in width. This length is enough to tie the scarf into a French knot.

This scarf is hand hemmed. The edge is nicely rolled and neatly finished, the stitches are almost invisible. The scarf design is the same on both sides with the reverse side having somewhat muted colors.

This scarf was provided to me by Salutto for evaluation as part of the new product introduction. Getting a sample does effect what I say. I have a history of leaving critical reviews when the product deserves it. I described pluses and minuses of this scarf. The visible stitching is a minor issue and from a distance they do not detract from the beauty of this scarf.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★