Product review: Ceafer Womens Winter Wool Casual Socks Warm socks 3% wool

 

I love how these socks feel and how they fit me. They are very warm. I also like the bright purple and teal colors. I wear 7.5 shoes, and they are a perfect fit. The top cuff is relaxed, and I like that.

The socks are called "wool socks," but they only 3% wool. Other materials are 65% polyester, 15% polyamide, 5% spandex, 12% others. I like how these socks feel and look, but I would have liked a more accurate title.

The socks end a few inches above the ankle, but I like shorter socks, so I fold down the top as a cuff. The toe seams are flat, and I do not feel them. Overall, nice quality and a nice fit.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.  

 Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: MYWHITENG UV Light Sanitizer Bag with Ozone - This sanitizer work, passed the banana test

 

UV Light Sanitizer Bag UV Cleaning Box with Ozone is the third sanitizer box I purchased, looking for one that can actually pass a sanitizer test described below.   This box is different from the two I have purchased before because instead of having six small LED lights, this sanitizer has a tube UVC BULB.  This sanitizer did much better on my test than the other two sanitizers I have tested.

All sanitizers I have purchased looked great, and the specs say the right things, but I wanted to be sure that they actually generated enough UVC light to disinfect.  How can someone without real testing equipment tell if the UVC light produced by a sanitizer box actually produces the light in the UVC spectrum and that it is strong enough to disinfect a handful of N95 masks I purchased ten years ago? 

Before I purchased my first sanitizer bag, I did a bit of research. I found an article in Discover Magazine, By Jeanne Erdmann, published on August 3, 2020, "UV Light Wands Are Supposed to Kill Viruses. But Do They Really Work?". You can find this article online to read the details yourself (access to the article is free).  This article describes the "banana" test and provides references to YouTube videos that demonstrate how to do this test. The tests show that UVC light changes the color of the banana skin to brown color.  To make the color change more apparent, a portion of the banana is covered by tape, so when you peel the tape off, you can clearly see the difference for the products producing enough UVC light to disinfect. If the banana color is unchanged, the product does not generate enough UVC light to disinfect.

I performed the banana test on the MYWHITENG box, which you can see in the attached video. The first thing I noticed is that there was a powerful Ozone odor after the test when I opened the box. Ozone is well known for disinfecting properties.  The banana did not change the color immediately after the test, which it would do with a strong UVC exposure. However, the next day, as the banana continued to ripen, I could clearly see stripes on the side of the banana facing the bulb.  So, I believe this box does disinfect. I believe it does it mostly with Ozone but also some with UVC. Given that the banana changed color only on one side, I decided it would be best to flip the masks and rerun the disinfection cycle.

I also liked that this box has a timer, and you can choose how long you want to run the sanitizer.  In my test, I ran the box for 15 minutes.  The bulb has a lifespan of 1500 hours. I really hope the pandemic is over before I run the box for 1500 hours.

I finally found the box I feel comfortable with. Hope this review was helpful, and stay healthy, all!

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: ac Care Washable & Reusable Organic Cotton Face Mask from Mr Mask, COVID-19 mask

 

 

The package contained three cloth masks. The cloth mask's effectiveness is affected by the number of layers, material, and fit.
 
I liked:

1. The mask has a nose clip
2. The mask covers my face starting from the nose going well under the chin. It is not as deep as some of the masks I have, but ok.
3. The mask has two layers; the inner and outer materials are the same, the material is soft and pleasant to touch  


I did not like:

1. I run all my masks through the water test: I pour some water into the mask and see if it leaks or not. This mask starts leaking almost immediately. Some cloth masks resist water much longer.  The mask leaks mean it does not hold my spittle inside the masks and allows other's people spittle to enter my mask.  This quick leaking puts it below average among the cloth masks I have evaluated.
2. The mask does not have a pocket for a filter
3. The elastic used on this mask is not the round gentle elastic, but the ribbon type elastic. It does push on ears harder the round elastic.
4. The mask is NOT color-fast; when I washed it by hand, its color bleed for about 5 washes until the bleed became faint in color.

Comparison of mask effectiveness:
1. Cloth masks provide 30% protection
2. Surgery masks  provide 60% protection
3. N95 or KN95 masks provide 95%

When I go into crowded places, I actually double mask.  This washable mask goes on top of a surgical mask.  A surgical mask does not let through water, so it gives me additional protection against droplets.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.
 

Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: Samadhaan 100% Cotton Fully Adjustable Face Mask, Unisex, Breathable & Washable Nose & Mouth Mask, with Filter Pocket

 

 This mask feels nice and soft. The adjustable earpieces which turn into lanyard is a clever design. This mask does not have a nose clip, so it is not perfect, but it has some good features as well.

The cloth mask's effectiveness is affected by the number of layers, material, and fit.  


I liked:

1. I test every mask I buy by filling it with water.  This tells me how effective they are in preventing spreading the spittles that carry COVID-19. This mask held water for a reasonable time before it began leaking.  It is not as good as a disposable mask that does not leak at all, but it well for a cloth mask.
2. The mask is large and covers my face starting from the nose going well under the chin as a good mask should.  
3. This mask has adjustable earpieces so that you can adjust a snug fit around any shape face.
4. This mask has a pocket for a filter.  The opening is on one edge, not in the middle.

I did not like:

1. The mask does NOT have a nose clip, so I can not adjust to fit around my hose. It gaps and can let in spittle with COVID.

Comparison of mask effectiveness:
1. Cloth masks provide 30% protection
2. Surgery masks  provide 60% protection
3. N95 or KN95 masks provide 95%

When I go into crowded places, I actually double mask.  A washable mask goes on top of a surgical mask.  This mask works well for that purpose, and the gap around the nose is not critical because a surgical mask has a nose clip.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: LAOPAO Mini Tire Inflator Portable Air Compressor for Car Tires Handheld Air Pump

 

 This inflator works very unreliably with my car.  

I used the tire inflator on all four tires of my Honda CRV. I was able to get it to work on the first tire (after several failed attempts when it did not turn on), but I could not get it to work on the other three and I tried many times.  After trying LAOPAO inflator on the three tires that did not work, I immediately attached my old tire inflator, and it worked, bringing my car to the desired tire pressure.  So the tires were not overinflated, and they needed more air to bring the pressure to the desired level.  

The air hose of LAOPAO is very short (9 inches), so I needed to be uncomfortably bent over to operate the unit.  With my old tire inflator, I can comfortably stand holding it in my hands while it is connected to the air valve on the car.

I thought the interface was not as easy to use as any other tire inflator I have used in the past. The two main controls look almost identical. One is a circle within a circle; another is a circle with three arrows that almost touch each other, so they they also look like a circle.  They look very similar in instructions, written in a small font.  In addition, instructions are not accurate. For example, a command to switch units does not take a double click of the three arrow control; it also requires a press of a circle control, in my experience. Each operation takes about three seconds to work, so it is not immediately clear if the command worked or not. In most cases, I waited, and nothing happened.

I was looking forward to making this unit something I carry in my car because its dimensions are so attractive ( 6 inches long and 2.25 inches wide), but I found it frustrating to use and not reliable enough to use during an emergency.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★☆☆☆☆

Product review: BIHRTC 3.6 Inch Scissors Small Embroidery Scissors Sharp Stainless Steel

 

These small scissors are very cute.  They are also comfortable to hold and pretty sharp.  I do a lot of crafts and sewing, and I am enjoying having them in my toolbox.
They are slightly longer than 3.5" end to end.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★
 

Product review: HOPE C+ UV Light Sanitizer Bag - Failed the Banana Test

Hope C Satinizer is a nicely built sanitizer box. It looks great; the specs say the rights things, but does it work? Hospitals that use UVC sanitizer have very expensive, powerful machines.  How to tell if the UVC light in this box sanitizer is actually producing the light in the UVC spectrum and that it is strong enough to disinfect my handful of N95 masks purchased ten years ago?  

Before  I purchased this sanitizer bag, I did a bit of research. I found an article in Discover Magazine, By Jeanne Erdmann, published on August 3, 2020, "UV Light Wands Are Supposed to Kill Viruses. But Do They Really Work?". You can find this article online to read the details yourself (access to the article is free).  This article describes the "banana" test and provides references to YouTube videos that demonstrate how to do this test. The tests show that UVC light changes the color of the banana skin to brown color.  To make the color change more apparent, a portion of the banana is covered by tape, so when you peel the tape off, you can clearly see the difference for the products producing enough UVC light to disinfect. If the banana color is unchanged, the product does not generate enough UVC light to disinfect.

I performed the banana test on the HOPE C Satinizer box, which you can see in the attached video. I performed two tests; the first test is a three-minute test because the auto-shut happens at 3 minutes.  And then, I ran the box nine more times, giving the banana a total of 27 minutes of light exposure. In both tests, the banana color, unfortunately, remained unchanged.

Note 1: I wanted to run it 10 times rather than 9 times, but the box began blinking red; it ran out of battery even though it was plugged in during the test.  I left it plugged in overnight, but it did not recharge enough to start working again; it continued to blink red.

Note 2: The human eye cannot see UVC lights. The LED light you see in the HOPE C Satinizer box's small window is a white LED light going through a purple plastic; it is not ultraviolet light.

I have a hand full of N95 masks I bought ten years ago, and I wanted to be able to sanitize and re-use them during the COVID-19 pandemic.  HOPE C Satinizer box is the right size for the job, and I liked that it operates closed so I would not be exposing my eyes to UV light. If I did not do the banana test, I would have thought it could disinfect my masks. Sadly, since this box cannot change banana skin color, it cannot disinfect my N95 masks.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★☆☆☆☆