Product review: Cabinet Spice Organizer by Store N More

This organizer has a good idea, but it is not a good implementation of the good idea.

The idea is that it is a double spice rack, that swivels so you can get to both racks while it takes up the space for just one rack. However when I got my hands on it I ran into a few problems.

1. It is made out of cheap looking thin plastic. It does not look nice enough to be visible.
2. I was going to mount it hidden away in a pantry, but it is not possible to mount it on the wall. It has to be free standing. I would have founded wall mounted option useful.
3. Because it is made out of thin plastic it wobbles it does not operate smoothly.

The rack is 9.25" wide, 10.75" tall, 4" deep (both shelves).

This rack was a disappointment, it is a clever idea but in practice it just did not work well.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: Lepow® POKI 5000mAh External Battery Pack

♦ size: 5" x 2.5" x 0.625" (at the thickest part)
♦ weight: 4.95 oz
♦ number of ports: 1
♦ flashlight: no
♦ pass-through charging: no (i.e. the battery cannot charge a device while being charged itself)
♦ charging indicator: bright and easy to see
♦ extras: felt case
♦ cable: 5" mini USB charging cable
For Android devices it matters if a cable used to charge the device is a charging cable or a data cable. In a charging cables the two data connections are shorted together (rendering the cable useless for data transfer), but this fools devices to see the cable as an AC power connection and thus the battery accept a higher current for charging. The cable that came with battery performed very well with Android devices, it is a good charging cable.

The POKI 5000mAh external battery charger has one ports. It performed well using my own charging cable as well as the charging cable that came with this external battery. Even though the charging port is labelled as 2A port my iPad Mini did not perform at its optimal speed. I did get more than 1A on it, but only only slightly more according to my current meter.

To tell how various battery packs perform I measure their performance with a current monitor. The current monitor results are interesting for relative comparison with other external batteries. I test all my external batteries using the same charging cables, running the same apps while charging, and starting all tests at same charge level of the phone to account for non-linear charging. This allows me to compare different external batteries to each other keeping everything else constant.

Samsung Nexus phone:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
0.95A/5.12V
(for comparison the best charging monitor result for this phone is 1.00A/5V)

iPad Mini tablet:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.16A/5.08V (below optimal)
(for comparison the best charging monitor result for this tablet is 1.70A/5V)

I like this external battery's performance with my phone, I like its shape, and its bright charging level indicator. I was less impressed with the performance for my iPad Mini.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Hynes Eagle Women Chic Leather Tote Handbag

I selected the brown bag. It is made out of brown faux leather and has a matching brown lining. I would describe this bag as an "errands" handbag. It is large, sturdy, and made out of vinyl with a finish that is feels fairly soft.

Its size is 21" wide, 11" top to bottom, 6" deep. The handles have 7" clearance between the top of the bag and the top of the handle loop. This opening is large enough to swing them over my shoulder and use the bag as a shoulder bag. For the bag with this large size it makes it very convenient to carry it this way.

It has one large compartment on the inside. It has one zipped pocked on the inside and two unzipped compartments on the inside. It has a magnet snap closure in the middle.

This is a practical handbag. It looks like an attractive work horse rather than a show piece. I like that it has handles that let me swing the bag over the shoulder. I use this bag for shopping. It is sturdy and easy to clean.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: ChargerCity Multi-Use Handheld Pistol Grip 1/4-20 Tripod Camera Handle Mount

This mount double as pistol grip holder and as a small tripod. Its holder is universal - it holds my Nexus phone with extended battery which makes the phone twice as fat as a typical smart phone. For some phone holders it is a an issue, but the phone feels very secure in this holder. The grip opens up to 3.25".

The grip handle can be spread and turned into a tripod. Its height is not adjustable like in other small tripods, but it the angle of the camera is adjustable.

The camera holder is removable, and the screw is a stand 1/4 mounting screw so it can serve is a stand tripod/grip for a small camera as well.

The package also include a camera remote control and a SD memory card reader. I tested the remote with my Android Nexus phone and it works fine. I tried the remote with a built-in camera app as well as the Camera 360 app which is mentioned in the remote documentation. Both apps worked, however I was not impressed with Camera 360 app as after a few shots it crashed and I had to reboot the phone otherwise the camera did not work not only with Camera 360 app but any photo app. I uninstalled Camera 360 app and will not be using it. However, I do like the pistol grip and the remote.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: EKOO E2 Mini Sports Camera

I am normally very good at figuring out how to make things work, however I was not able to make this camera work. I was able to charge it and saw the charging light turn on and turn off when the camera was fully charged. However that was the only signs of life I was able to solicit from this camera. I was not able to turn it on or record any video or photos.

This camera arrived with no manual or instructions of any sort. I contacted the manufacturer and received a digital copy of the manual. According to the manual the camera should be fully charged before being turned on and is turned on by pressing the power button. According to the manual: "The blue LED will turn on for about 1 second before hardware starts to load. After about 3 seconds the yellow LED will turn on indicating the camera is ready for use." On my camera nothing happened after I pressed the power button.

The camera has no display. The camera has a small LED and all feedback from the camera is communicated by changing the color of this LED (yellow, blue, green, red) and the speed of flashing of the LED. The LED is small so outside in the bright light it is hard to see. This style of communication with the camera is very difficult.

Ekoo video camera is small, it is 2.25"L x 1.25"W x 0.625"H. It weighs 1.45 oz. This camera is not waterproof, the charging port and the SD port are totally open to the elements. For an outdoor camera it is a significant shortcoming.

The camera accepts a micro SD, which is not included in the package, you need to provide your own.

Since the camera did not work, I am not able to comment on the quality of photos and video it generates. However, even if it worked I listed several serious short comings in its design that put it below other sports cameras in my opinion.

Overall, I cannot recommend this camera.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★☆☆☆☆

Product review: NorthONE Digital Tire Pressure Gauge

What I really like about this tire gauge is that it has a back light on the display and the light on the tire coupler. Even my presbyopic eyes can see it really well without glasses. And in an emergency I can check my tire pressure in complete darkness.

I compared the reading of this digital tire gauge with my old reliable mechanical tire pressure gauge and it showed accurate results. After it takes the reading the displays stays on for 30 seconds which is more than enough for me to see the reading, there is no need to hold any buttons for this to happen. One thing could have been better: it does not turn on automatically when you press the tire valve, you need to press a button to start it. After 30 seconds it automatically turns off to save the batteries.

Speaking of batteries, it runs on 1 CR2032 and 3 LR44 batteries. The batteries are included. The gauge can message pressure from 0.5 to 100 PSI in 0.5 PSI increments so it can be used for a large range of products. The readout provides pressure as PSI, Bar, Kpa, or kg/cm. Its operating range is from 23°F to 122°F.

The size of the gauge makes it comfortable to hold yet not too large to keep in the car's console. I really like it. I hope the video provides a good illustration for my review.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: The Hoon Outdoor LED Solar Spotlight

The first night I put out this spot light it stayed on for 5 hours. However starting with a second night when it had to be recharged by the sun it does produce light for about 2 hours. The spot light is located in the area that gets sun just about all day, but I live in New England and it is fall so the sun so it is not the best conditions for the solar light. However, my other solar lights are doing better under the same conditions.

This is a photo sensitive spot light, which turns on when it is dark outside. The light is pretty bright at about 5 feet distance. I have it lighting a sign with the house number. However, if I put it across the walk it does not light the sign well enough (10-12 feet away). For curiosity I pointed it up at 25 foot flag pole we have and the light on the flag was very faint.

I like the design of the spotlight. I can adjust the angle of the solar panel and the angle of the spotlight independently. The light is waterproof, we had a few rain storms since I installed it and the light continued to function the next day. It has three settings low light, bright light, and off. The difference between bright and low setting is not big, so I am using it on low setting so it would last longer. But other than the first night I am not getting more than 2 hours light out of it.

The light has entire plastic construction (stake, pole, body). There is one metal screw that adjusts the angle of the solar panel. Plastics do not last a long time when they are exposed to the sun continuously. I have had a number of plastic solar lights and typically I get only 2 seasons out of them.

If you need a light for short period of time at short distance this is a reasonably priced spot light that will meet those needs. If you need to light a larger area or for a longer period of time this is not the right spot light.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆