Product review: WANLONGXIN 899 USB Charger Portable Multi USB Port Rapid Charger 6 Port USB Socket Fast Charger with LCD Display current monitor

A geek like me loves chargers that have a built-in meter so I can see how well the charger works. I normally use a hand held current meter, measuring one port at a time. This meter shows me the information for each port at once. To see how well the built-in meter is working I measured the readings with my hand held meter as well as Android apps that show me charging rates on the device itself. The results are not always identical but they are close enough for a good estimate. It is certainly good enough for at home non-scientific applications.

How did it charge? It did really well for all of the Android phones: Nexus 5, Nexus 6p, and Posh phone. It charge iPadMini at 0.93A, which is below optimal. My iPadMini charges the fastest when it can draw more than 1A. Since most of my devices are Android, this charger is a good match for my needs.

The wall charger is 3 3/8 c 3 3/8" x 1 1/2". It has a 57" long AC cord which has has a regular size wall plug. It weighs 8.4 oz.

I have been using this wall charger for several weeks, it is powering devices on each port. It works well well without getting overly hot. I like that it takes up only one slot on my power strip and has a reasonably sized AC cord.

This wall charger was provided for evaluation and review. Getting a sample does effect what I say. I have a history of leaving critical reviews on regular basis whenever the product deserves it. Whether I had a good experience or bad experience you will hear exactly what happened.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: PriTek Surge Protector [UL Listed] 6-Outlet Overload Protection Power Strip Charging Station with 4 USB Charging Ports

This review is for two level power strip with 6 AC outlets and 4 USB ports.

This tower power strip works very well in tight spaces. It has a very small foot print yet accepts large plugs next to each other. The AC outlets are well spaced out. I can plug in several Eneloop battery chargers next to each other without problems. I like the all black color as it makes the power strip almost invisible.

The strip has a 73.5" power cord (not retractable) and a regular size grounded power plug.

I tested the 4 USB ports with a current meter and my Android phone. The phone was charged at the optimal AC rate on each port.

This power strip is provided by Pritek for testing and review. Getting a free product to test does not prevent me from leaving critical reviews when the product warrant it. However, this is not one of them.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Startreasureland Bath Bomb

These lavender bath bombs initially have a very strong scent, but once they are dissolved in water the scent it not overpowering and pleasant. I store them in a linen closet to take advantage of their strong scent and muffle the scent in the room at the same time. Each bomb is about the size of a golf ball. Each is a one time use product, the entire bomb fizzes away in about 2 minutes leaving the scented water infused with a moisturizer. I now tried a couple of different bath bombs, some generate bubbles like a bubble bath but these bombs do not. There is a bit of foaming as the bomb fizzes and then the foam quickly disappears. These balls are a little smaller than some others I have tried, but I do not think the size matters, it infuses enough moisturizer. On the positive side I had to wait less time until it all dissolved and the bath water was ready. Overall a very pleasant and relaxing experience.

Each ball is decorated with a dried flower. This gives these bath balls a unique and beautiful look, however I have to remember to remove the flower before tossing the ball into the water to avoid adding stuff that can clog the drain. The balls turn the water fairly deep purple. I was concerned that this bright color will leave stains or will color the shower liner but it did not.

This bath bomb was provided to me for testing and review. Getting a free product does not effect what I say, the review is based purely on my experience with the product. From my history you can see that I leave 1,2,3 star reviews as well as 5 star reviews,. I always try to be fair and honest, include pros and cons as well as video/photos.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Bestguarder 12MP HD 1080P Outdoor Game & Trail Hunting Camera Scouting Camera

I am really enjoying this camera. We see a lot of wild life in our area and it is fun to peek into the life of our visitors. The camera is activated only when something is happening, so every video it captures interesting. The battery use is quite good, it recorded a large amount of videos every day on the same set of batteries for almost 2 weeks. On some days 32G of data was recorded at which point the camera stopped recording. In attached video I included videos with the camera mounted in several different locations, during the day and during the night. The camera is mounted on a tripod using the screw on the bottom of the case. The camera is waterproof and has been out in several rain storms without any problems.

The camera runs on eight AA batteries (not included) and you need to provide your own SD card (up to 32G in size). The battery tray opens by pushing a small button in the corner. The camera has a menu driven interface which is well designed and intuitive.

The video quality is good overall, but varies on lighting. Shooting in very bright sunlight overexposes somewhat (I included a sample in the video). The wild life camera also takes infrared pictures in total darkness. I have included a couple of video clips taken at night when the camera switched to infrared. You will be able to recognize those clips because they are black and white.

The camera produces AVI and JPG output.

The camera records 1080P video and images up to 12MP.
* Image Sensor: 12.0 Mega Pixels
* Picture Size: 12MP=4000x3000 / 8MP=3840x2160 / 5MP = 2944x1656
* Video Size: HD:1920x1080,15fps / 1080x720,30fps

I wish 1920x1080 was 30 frames per second rather than 15 fps. My video editing software does not work well with 15 fps and I have to convert the video to 30 fps or shoot in 1080x720. My video includes video shot in both resolutions, but because Amazon compresses videos which degrades the quality of the image you are likely not to see any difference between the videos shot in different formats. The output you see on Amazon is best viewed as a time stamp image, because of the compression the video you see in a blown up image is much worse compared to what you get from the camera.

This camera was provided to me by Bestguarder for testing and review as part of a new product introduction. Getting a discounted product does not effect what I say. I have a history of leaving critical reviews on regular basis every time the product deserves it. Whether I had a good experience or bad experience you will hear exactly what happened. This camera is intuitive to use and produces good video. It is a lot of fun to see see our visitors!


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Wild-Vision Full HD 5.0 Trail and Game Camera

We see a lot of wild life in our area and we love watching what our visitors do. I own several wild life cams and this one falls in the middle of the pack. I thought its user interface was not as intuitive to use as my other cameras (I will give some specific examples below), but it records reliably and both video and sound are pretty good. Another area where it did not do as well my other wild cams is the battery life, it lasts about a week on full of new Kirkland's AA batteries where the other camera go between 2 to 3 weeks on the full set of new batteries.

The camera runs on four AA batteries (included) and also has another compartment where you an add four more batteries to extend the period when the new batteries are needed. I run the battery with all 8 batteries installed. The camera writes video to a SD card. A 4G card was included with the camera, and it can accept cards up to 32G in size. I am running it with a 16G card. The camera is activated only when something interesting is happening, so every video it captures has something good on it.

The video quality is highly dependent on lighting. In the day light it is very good, however at dusk or right into the sun it is okay but not outstanding. The wild life camera also takes infrared pictures in total darkness (black and white). I have included a couple of video clips taken at night when the camera switched to infrared. When you see a black and white video that's the one that is taken at night.

This camera is large, robust, has a great camouflaged case. It is waterproof and has been out in several rain storms without any problems.

The camera can run in "test" mode or real mode. Test mode allows you to see what the camera is recording using the LCD screen. In the test mode you can also change settings via menus displayed on the LCD screen. The camera produces AVI and JPG output.

Some of the user interface quirks I mentioned earlier:
1. There are two buttons that don't do anything. In particular one looks like you would use to switch from camera to video mode, but this function in reality is controlled from the menu.
2. One of the common operation is formatting the SD card, however on this camera it is difficult to find and how to do this, it is not on the top level of menus like in other cameras. To format the SD card you need to keep hitting up button until you enter the mode that shows you the files on the sd, then if hit menu, you will see an option to delete the file or to format the SD card. I do this every time I move pictures from the camera to the computer.
3. In order to remove the SD card you have to take the camera off the tripod and take it apart. In my other cameras I can remove the SD by flipping the back cover open while the camera is still on the tripod.

In addition to the camera in its waterproof case, the package include USB cable for TV hookup TV cable, a mounting strap, and a user manual. The user manual is good to get you started but does not explain all details, such as how to format the SD card.

Overall, I like the camera. It is a lot of fun to see see our visitors!

This camera is made by Wildkamera in Germany. The camera was provided to me for testing and review as part of the new product introduction as products so people can hear and see some first hand experience. If the fact that I received a product at a discount makes you skeptical about what I say check my review history, I am leave critical reviews when the products deserve it. I state prior to accepting any product that review will be positive or negative strictly based on my experience with the product. I only deal with sellers that are interested in honest and factual reviews. This camera is made in Germany and I was hoping that it would be a Mercedes of my game cams and become my favorite. But I was somewhat disappointed in the battery life and some of the user interface choices. On the positive side it works well and records video reliably. I hope my video helps you set the expectations for how it works.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Aocome 4 Port Mini USB 3.0 Hub with Individual Power Switches and LEDs

I was looking for a compact 3.0 USB hub with a long cord. And this hub meets these three requirements. The cord is 31 inches. I verified that this hub indeed supports 3.0 USB speeds on each one of the four ports. Attached is a graphic with benchmarks for each of the ports using 3.0 USB card, all benchmarks showed 3.0 USB speed. And its size is fairly compact: 1.75" x 3.75".

I received this hub for evaluation and review. Benchmarks show that the performance meets the specs.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Lovelyou 12 Pack Mosquito Repellent Bracelets

I used these bracelets for three weeks before I wrote this review to be sure how they work. I like doing gardening in the evenings when it is not hot, but I get eaten by mosquitos when I garden at the end of the day. I would have loved to have an alternative to a bug spray that works. These bracelets have a very nice smell - very lemony. However the radius of their effect is very small. When I put one on my wrist, my legs were still bitten. When I put them around each ankle that seem to help the legs but my arms were bitten. If use 4 at a time - around the ankles and around the wrists it does seem to help to keep mosquitoes from exposed areas. Overall, the bracelets did not work as well as I hoped, they are ok but not great.

The bracelets come individually sealed. Once you open the package the bracelet can be used fro 200 hours (after that it no longer has any scent left). This means each can last about 8 days. Using four at a time they go pretty fast.

The bracelets are stretchy and they will work on children as well as adults. They are small initially. When stretched they are pretty gentle and do not squeeze my wrists or legs.

I received these bracelets for evaluation and review. Getting a review sample does not effect what I say - good or bad. The bracelets did have some effect but with a small radius so they did not work as well as I hoped.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆