Product review: TaoTronics Led Grow lights Bulb (Controlled experiment) Product review

My husband is a garden enthusiast who grows everything from seed. This year his plan is to plant something every week through the summer so we have small seedlings in the house all the time.

To test the effectiveness of this grow light we planted three identical pots with peas and corn sprouts. The first pot was left to grow outside in the sun, the second pot was left to grow near a sunny window inside, and the third pot was left in an area which does not get direct sunlight and was left under a grow light. The grow light was on a timer for 14 hours a day (off at night).

The attached video includes the photos taken every day for 7 days. I was skeptical that the plants under the grow light will do better than the plants left outside in the sun but as you see at the end of 7 days the plants under the grow light are significantly bigger. On day 5 the "window" plant got disqualified from the experiment because our cat chewed it. I continued to leave the injured plant in the photos for reference but it looks pretty sad. It should be noted that it was the smallest plant at the time when our cat decided to mess with the experiment. The results at the end of the 7 days are pretty conclusive! Grow light wins!

TaoTronics 12W Grow light fits into a regular bulb fixture. Each bulb has 3 blue and 9 red LED lights. The light weight 9.15 oz and is 5.5" long, and 4.75" wide. The light feels well made. The finish of the bulb looks neat, and when I shake it nothing rattles.

We are able to place six 3" pots under one lamp (we put them into aluminum trays to catch the draining water without taking up extra room for individual plates under each pot).

To get the most out of each bulb one lamp can service two sets of 6 pots if it is moved every 12 hours. Each set of six would have 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. This would be similar to day and night and you will be able to get enough light for twelve 3" pots.

One more tip based on our experience: Get a lamp with a goose neck that moves, as the plants get bigger you want to move the bulb a little further away. One set of our plants got a bit too too close to the bulb and the leaves got damaged.
 
The light was purchased in 2014 and is still in use as of  spring 2018.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: CosyVie Insulated Lunch Organizer Bag

This lunch bag is 5.75" wide, 8" side to side, and 6.5" in height.  This is enough to carry two lunch containers.  The bag is insulated with aluminum foil. It provides a little insulation, but mostly it is helpful because it is easy to clean if there is a small spill.

The outside is made out of striped oxford cloth. It is made neatly and stitching is nice.

When I first took the bag out of the packaging it had a light chemical type odor but overnight that scent was gone.  Overall, I thought it was a nice bag - just the right size for my needs and I like the way it looks.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Tinkle Eyebrow Razor Pack

Good news: I saw some reviews which stated that they got products were not original Tinkle shavers (it was helpful to see photos of the fakes next to the real thing under customer photos). The Tinkle shavers I purchased in November of 2018 were original, and had the Tinkle packaging and logo.

Bad news: This shaver did not work as well as I hoped. It is only good for thin invisible hairs, if you want to shape eyebrows or fairs near the ear that are a little thicker this shaver does not shave closely and leaves visible stubble.  For that purpose I find Personal Trimmer from Panasonic works a lot better.

So bottom line - Okay but not as good as I hoped.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Chairlin Car Seat Cushion for Office Chair Memory Foam

This seat cushion is 16.25 inches wide and 11" front to back and 4" tall when not compressed. It is slightly smaller than the seat of the office chair. It is made out of dense memory foam. The bottom has rubber dots that minimize slipping of the cushion on the chair. 

I set in front of the computer all day and I find that this cushion does make the office chair more comfortable.  I also take it along when we go to the concerts, this cushion makes the hard chairs more comfortable and it also gives me a little extra height to see the stage better.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Magtoe Men's slippers (terry cloth with Velcro closure)

The best feature of these slippers is the Velcro closure.  I can adjust them to be very comfortable no matter whether I am in bare feet or wearing thick socks.

Magtoe men's slippers are made of cloth material and a Velcro closure which allows one to adjust the fit of the slipper.  The sole is made of memory foam, which makes them soft to step on.  The soles are totally flat, no arch support.

The sizing is true to size, and the width is adjustable with the help of Velcro. Since they have open toes mthey feel cool in hot weather. The foam bottom absorbs the sweat.  Good slippers for the summer months.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Secura Automatic Electric Milk Frother and Warmer

 The funny thing about this milk frother is that the first time I tried it I thought it was broken because it was so quiet.  I am used to a hand-held frother: its motor makes noise and I make noise clanking it against the cup.  This electric frother is totally silent, the milk did not appear to be swirling. When the light went off  indicating it was done I was fully expecting to find the same old milk I poured in. I opened it and it is all froth!  In my photo you see in the froth from soy milk, which comes out a little softer than cow milk. Whole milk, of course, makes the thickest creamiest foam, soy milk and almond milk also work with less dense larger bubbles.

The instructions on cleaning said not to submerge the frother in water and not to microwave.  I removed the frother and washed it with a wet sponge. As long as I do this fairly quickly after the froth was done the clean-up is very easy.

The max and min amount of milk is marked on the container.  The minimum is 1/3 cup of milk, the maximum is 2/3 cup.

The frother has two modes to generate heated froth or cold froth.  The frother can also be used to warm milk without frothing (minimum of 1/3 cup and maximum of 1 1/4 cup).  If you want to just warm the milk do not insert the frother spring.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Santamedical Wrist Digital Blood pressure Monitor with Case

Santamedical blood pressure monitor is wrist blood pressure monitor.  The wrist monitor is not as accurate as an arm blood pressure monitor I have (the arm monitor matches my doctor's measurements more closely) but the wrist monitor is easier to use and it gives consistent readings.  The key to monitoring blood pressure is to know when it starts changing so as long as the readings are consistent they are giving me good information.  I find that I am using it more often because it takes so little time, no fussing around with latching the arm band on the arm monitor which always takes me a few tries.

Overall, I rate it "okay" reducing some points for the lower accuracy compared to the arm blood pressure monitor.

I am attaching a collage of 4 photos that I will be referencing in this review.  The first photo shows the entire content of the package. The monitor itself, the white plastic case for storage of the monitor, instruction manual.

The monitor runs on two AAA batteries (included). The battery compartment is shown in photo 3.  It has a plastic tongue that goes under the batteries and makes it easy to remove the batteries.  The plastic container is very handy, the cuff rolled up and easily fit into the case.

The 4h photo shows me taking the measurement. The position of the monitor on your hand as well as position of the hand relative to your heart are very important to get accurate measurements.  Once you find the hand position that is comfortable use the same position every day to get measurements that can be accurately compared to each other.

As I mentioned earlier the key to home monitoring is to notice a change.  If you measure the blood pressure in different position one after another you will notice that the reading are not the same, that's why it is important to use the same position every day.  The monitor should be at the same level as your heart.  The manual shows extending the hand with the monitor in front of you. Another position that works is to place your hand on your chest with monitor at your heart level.  I find that putting my hand on my chest is easier, and it gave me the same reading as when extending my hand in front of me.

The monitor has two buttons. The one with a circle is that on/off button.  As soon as you turn on the monitor it starts measuring.  It takes approximately one minute to get a reading.  The second button is a memory button which will store the results.  The unit has automatic power-off function if you forget to turn it off manually.

How to set time? There is a small hole on one the side (the top side if you have the display facing you).  Use a small sharp object like a sewing needle to click it.  One click puts you into "adjust time" mode. Then use the left button (memory) to advance the digits. When the month is set correctly click the hole again to advance to the next number to adjust (days of the months) and so forth.

The screen displays your blood pressure and pulse.  It also has a low battery indicator.  The entire wrist band (measured on the inside) is 11.25", you need to allow a minimum of 2" for Velcro closure to secure.  That means it can accommodate wrists up to 9.25" in circumference.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆