Product review: Yes4All Wall Mount Chin Up Bar

Amazon has carries two types of chin up bars from Yes4All  combined in one listing. I purchased the newer version which is one piece bar (not the one that has rivets connecting two pieces).

I purchased this chin up bar to follow Dr. Kirsch exercise protocol for shoulder pain. Which means I use it to hang from the bar rather than do chin ups. I was looking for something I can mount in the basement and something that was not too expensive. This bar met these requirements.

The bar is meant to be mounted on the studs which are 16" apart. The mounting plate dimensions are 7" x 3". Mounting hardware is included. The horizontal grips extend 12" from the wall and vertical grips extend 15" from wall.

I am including a few photos to show close ups of the hardware, the mounting plate, and the bar/supports. When I was shopping I wished I could those things to finalize my decision.

Overall, pretty good. The mounting instructions could have been better.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: SmartSpeed Cat Window Seat Mounted Cat Bed with Suction Cup

I want to start with a few words about the construction of the seat. The suction cups are LARGE (3.25"), so they provide a secure hold. The string that holds the seat is made out of twisted metal wires, like a heavy duty picture frame hanging wire, so that is also very secure even if the kitty runs its claws over it. The seat is made out of canvas bag with a waterproof lining inside the bag. The top material has a feel of canvas (it is not plush). The plastic tubes are hollow this provides structural strength. So I believe it can hold a couple of heavy cats. Our kitty cats are pretty small (7 and 8 pounds) so it sure holds them well. In attached video you see them rubbing against the wires supports and pulling on them with their paws, we held our breath watching them but the shelf held without a problem. The shelve has been up for more than 2 weeks with the cats going up and down and we did not need to readjust or reattach it.

Assembly was easy. The plastic parts push together to form a frame. The canvas bag is pulled over the frame. The canvas seat has two small holes through which you need to feed the wires that to to the top suction cups. As the cats sit on the shelve it does not remain taught, it kind of sags in the middle forming a nest.

I have to say that our kitties did not take to the shelf right away. They did not like the texture of the canvas. We fixed that by putting a towel over it as we know our cats love any towel. With the towel in place they had an initial fear of the seat, but we enticed them to try it out by placing a couple of Greenies in the middle of the shelf. Our kitties love Greenies so they went for it. Once they were on the shelf they realized it was a pretty good place to be. By the next day they did not need any enticement, and we see our cats taking turns sleeping there as well as looking out of the window. We put the window seat on the windows across from our bird feeders as our indoor cats often look at the birds through the windows.

The seat comes without assembly instructions. My video include the major steps
1) putting together the frame of the seat
2) threading the wires through the seat
3) inserting anchors into the suction cups
4) attaching the seat to the window

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Way Basics Eco Stackable Storage Cube Plus and Cubby Organizer

Each storage cube is made out of corrugated cardboard covered with paper lining. The cardboard boards are held together by small wooden pegs and strips of fairly thin 3M glue tape. These connections are not strong if the force is not exactly perpendicular to the connection. In practical use this means the cube comes apart easily if something pushes on the walls sideways. I found out that using the cube with books and other heavy items causes them to fall apart and now use the cube to store light clothing items. The cube can be used with the opening either up or to the side (i.e. all walls are finished).

I got the cedar color, which is natural wood color. The finish is neat looking but it is pretty obvious that it is not real wood. The size of the cube is 12" width x 14" height x 10.5" depth.

The assembly was pretty easy, the boards are connected by wooden pegs and glue tape. No tools were needed except on the last step when I used a mallet to make tight connections on the last step.

Note that each sale is for one cube. The pictures that show more than one cube show how the cubes can be put together as a demonstration.

Bottom line: Not bad looking, but disappointing constructions.  They are not  heavy duty. Since the cubes are made out of cardboard do not use them in rooms that have high moisture content.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: ICZI USB 3.0 3-Port Hub with SD/TF Card Reader Combo laptops and iMacs

This hub has three USB slots and two card reader slots(1 micro SD and 1 SD). It is compatible with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0.  I tried USB memory sticks that were both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 and both worked.  In above photos I show the hub on 1/2" grid for relative size reference, you can also see that its cord is 6.5" long.

To test how well the card reader worked I ran bench marking utility and compared them with the standard real life benchmark.
You can see the results below, this is an average of 30 samples.


➨ USB 3.0 port and USB 3.0 memory stick
==============
Average read rate ~~~~~~ 0.406 GB/s
Average write rate ~~~~~~ 0.137 GB/s
Average Access time ~~~~~ 1.31 msec

  

For comparison industry standard benchmarks for 3.0 USB reads (real-world (i.e. NOT THEORETICAL) speed based on 2017 benchmarks)

➨ USB 3.1 gen 1 ~~ 3.2 Gb/s
➨ USB 3.1 gen 2 ~~ 7.2 Gb/s
➨ USB 2.0 ~~ 0.32 Gb/s

The speeds I saw in my testing are slightly faster than USB 2.0. This is not the speediest hub and falls below the 3.1 USB benchmarks. On the positive side the hub feels solid, the cards slides into the slots smoothly. I like that micro SD card is not seeded deeply so it is easy to insert and remove.  The hub is compact and fits nicely in the busy space near the computer. 


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: COMFITS Over The Door Shoe Organizers - 24 Pockets and Hanging Closet Organizer Storage

This over the door hanger has double sided hooks to work with think and thin doors.  I am using the thin ends to put over the door and the longer hooks is holding the shoe organizer. In attached photos are show the hooks on 1/2" so you can see their dimensions and thickness.  The hooks are quite thin and I had no trouble opening the door.  However, if your is very tight you might have a problems and the hooks door require about 1/8" of clearance.

The canvas organizer is made out of grey canvas, the pockets are generously sized.  I show how Crocs fit into the pocket, and Crocks are pretty wide and stiff shoe so this gives you a good idea of what the pockets can fit.  I would not describe the organizer as beautiful, but it looks good on the inside of the closet door.  The closet looks much more organized and has more room with the shoes off the floor.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: YIGII Hook 3M Self Adhesive Brushed SUS304 Stainless Steel Hooks (4 Pack)

I got a set of Yigii stainless hooks and I am quite pleased with them.  They have 3M sticky tape on the back and hold well on textured surface.  Note that they do not work on painted surfaces, they work on surfaces like glass, metal and plastic.  In attached photos I show the hooks on 1/2" grid so you cane how each hooks extends from the wall.  The hook is a nice size and I am able to hang quite a bit of stuff on each.

The listing includes 4 double hooks.  They are quite sturdy and have a nice clean brushed stainless steel look.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Eparé Egg Cracker Topper Set – Soft Hard Boiled Eggs Separator Tool - Shell Remover & Cutter

There are lots of different ways to top an egg this gadget adds another option. This little device drops a guillotine on the egg to crack and behead the shell in a perfect circle. It takes a little practice to develop the perfect touch. As you see in video sometimes the egg shells is removed perfectly and lifted by the topper, and sometimes it scores the shell and leaves it on the egg and it is necessary to remove it separately using a knife.

The instruction recommend not to wash the egg topper in the dish washer. The manual also contains a warning that the edges are sharp and to take caution while washing the egg topper not to cut your fingers. I wash the egg topper with a small brush that can get inside of the topper.

The set include two egg holders, two egg spoons, and one topper. The entire set is made out stainless steel. The only down side to egg holders being metal that if you like your boiled eggs hot, the holders get hot as well. My ceramic egg holders don't have the same issue. But the matching holders look good in the beheading ceremony! It is a nice set and a perfect gift for an egg lover who has everything.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★