Product review: Evo Dyne Silver Polish, Silver Cleaner 8-oz Bottle Silver Jewelry Cleaner

 

 I use Evo Dyne to polish a silver and pearl necklace.  It worked but required quite a bit of work.  It took many passes over the chain; it was hard to get all the details polished.  I include before and after photos so you can see the chain looks much better, but I have not restored it to its original look.

The solution does not have a strong scent, but instructions say to use it in a well-ventilated space and wear gloves, so you don't get it on your skin.

Not fast, not effortless, but it does remove most of the tarnish.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Esorun Wireless Charger Stand,15W Fast Charging Pad for Qi Device,Compact Phone Charger Stand

 

I am using this wireless charger for Pixel 6 Pro.  This charger works well with it in both horizontal and vertical orientation. The charger is slim and light, just under 3 oz.

Pixel is a large phone 6.5 inches in height, 3.0 inches in width, 0.4 in thick.  I wish the lip of the hold were a bit wider, so I don't have to be so careful when placing the phone on the charger.  The charger has an anti-slip pad, and it feels sturdy when the phone is on it.

Wireless charging, of course, is significantly slower than a wired charger. But slow charging is good for battery life, and wireless chargers are very convenient.

The measured the speed of charging with the Charge Master app.  There is a significant difference in charging depending on whether you use a light or dark theme.  In the light mode with the screen turned on, the charger cannot keep up with the power consumption (discharging at a -91 mAh rate).  In the dark mode, the charger can charge at a reasonable speed (charging at a 1271 mAh rate).  When the screen is off, the charging speed is also reasonable.  For comparison, the phone discharges at a 532 mAh rate when not on the charger in white mode.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

 

Product review: GOLABS Portable Power Station R300, 299Wh LiFePO4 Battery Backup, PD 60W Type-C Quick Charge, 300W Pure Sine Wave AC Outlet

 

 My favorite feature of GOLABS Powerstation is its portability.  The GOLABS box comes in a case with a handle, it weighs 8 pounds and 11.5 oz, and its size is 8.5"L x 7"W x 7.5"H.

There are three ways to charge the power station: a supplied AC charger that takes about 6 hours from being fully discharged, a 12-volt car charger, and solar with a supplied DC5521 cable.

The power station supports pass-through charging (i.e., you can use it while charging).  The display shows you the information about usage and charging, and if you are doing both, it shows the net watts.


I tested the station by taking out the battery from my laptop, setting the power options to never go into sleep mode, and not to shut down the screen and measure how long it could run.  The laptop ran for slightly under 6 hours.  This is the best-case power usage scenario as I was not running any programs on the laptop other than the idle mode of the operating system. If the computer were doing more intense work, the power consumption would be higher, and the battery would last less time. I thought this was an impressive performance.

Once I exhausted the battery in my laptop experiment, I timed how long it took to recharge the GOLABS battery fully. Using the charger that comes with it charges @35watts/hr.  It is possible to charge it faster by buying a 100-watt USB-c charger.

I have done this full discharge to the automatic shut-off point (2%) followed by full charge without interruption (100%) for the first cycle (only once) based on a comment in QA on the product from the QLABS rep.


To determine how long any devices will run on this battery, you need to divide 299 watts_hours by the amount of power a device draws.  A watt is a current multiplied by voltage.  For example, if I measure my USB fan with a current monitor, I get 0.40A and 5.05V, which is 2.02 watts.  This means this fan should run for approximately 148 hours (6 days) before this USB is exhausted.

Using a laptop, expected 6 hours of use and 42W.

Using a personal heater, expected 15 hours of use and 11W.

Using a bluetooth MP3 speaker player, expected 99 hours of use at 1W.


I like that the display shows the level of power left in the battery.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Breatheze KN95 Face Masks Disposable Made in the USA

 

 Breatheze KN95 masks are surprisingly comfortable and relatively thin compared to other KN95 and N95 masks I own (for example, made my 3M). This light construction makes it easier to breathe through. I also like the shape of the mask.  Some masks come too close to my lower lids, and these masks are about 1/4 of an inch below my eye.

These masks have a nose clip.  During shipping, the clip was folded and formed a sharp V that I needed to mold to my nose to avoid a gap.

Unlike many KN95 masks with elastic loops that go all around the head and provide a snugger fit, these masks have elastic loops around areas. I would have preferred around the head option.

The masks came in a thin, crinkly plastic bag; it tore immediately as I opened it.  It is too fragile to store the masks. I had to find another packaging for storing the masks.

I always perform a water test on the masks I buy. I fill one of the masks with water, hold the water in the mask for about a minute, and test for leaks and wetness on the outside of the mask.  This mask did not leak, so it means it can protect me from spittle-carrying COVID droplets.

I took the mask on and off several times while testing it, and the loops stayed attached and did not snap off, which appears to be a common issue with some of these masks.

Even though KN95 masks are not the same as the N95 masks, they provide reasonably good protection.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Nice 'N Clean Sanitizing Hand Wipes (144 Total Wipes) | Wet Wipes Infused with Aloe & Vitamin E

 These wipes are often out of stock, but they are worth the wait. I like them better than other wipes I purchased over the last two years.  They are 70% alcohol, very moist, and have no additional fragrance.  The alcohol scent evaporates in seconds, and there is no added fragrance that lingers for a long time.

Each wipe is 8" by 6" in size.  Each wipe is individually wrapped, and each package is 4.25" x 2". The wipes are so moist that when I put them on the table, they leave a wet spot, so they are very good for cleaning. Great size for carrying a few packages in my purse and pocket to use when I need to sanitize on the go.

These wipes are small in size; each wipe is 4" by 7".  The wipes are damp, not as wet as many other wipes I have used in the past.  On the positive side, I liked that each wipe is fairly thick with a textured/perforated finish.


CDC recommends using solutions with 60-95% alcohol content for COVID-related sanitizing, and Nice 'N Clean comes in at 70% are well with the recommendation.

I also liked that these wipes are made in the USA.  This listing includes six boxes with 24 wipes each.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: GOLETIO Balcony Deck Hanging Table

 

 The table has some imperfections, but overall it works well for me.

I hoped the adjustments on this table would allow me to use it on either the wood railing or the wrought iron railing, but unfortunately, the wrought iron railing is too narrow, and the brackets do not adjust to that width.  It worked fine on the 3" wood railing; however, the two brackets appear slightly different in width.  On the widest setting, one fits perfectly, and another one is a little too snug.  When I removed the table, I saw that it scraped the wood on one side but not the other.  I move the table, and again the left side is snug no matter where I place the table.

I was able to put the table together without any tools in under one minute.  The table is made out of heavy-duty black plastic, and the brackets are metal with a black finish.  One of the metal brackets had a scrape that exposed the raw metal. It will need to cover the scratch with Rustoleum, so it does not rust.  Fortunately, the black finish allows me to fix it without making the paint too obvious.

The convenience of the table is very good, especially on a small deck.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: WALRUS OIL - Cutting Board Soap

 I liked that this cleaning solution is totally unscented.  I usually use dish soap to clean my cutting board, and this solution works just as well.  It foams well, as you can see in the attached photo.  I am very fond of my well-used cutting board; I hope this soap will make it last longer.

I am not giving it five stars because it is more expensive than dish soap, but I am not sure if it is better.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆