My Product Reviews and Thoughts: October 2016

Sunday, October 30, 2016

EC Technology Ultra-Portable Mini Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Cute Wooden Nut Shape Review

The EC Technology Wireless Bluetooth Speaker came in a plain brown box with a white cardboard sleeve around it with the name and picture of the speaker on the front. In the box is the speaker, charging cord (mini plug) and instructions. The speaker itself looks nice and pretty cool in its wooden nut shape. There is also a hand strap lanyard attached to the top of the speaker.

This is a pretty simple speaker to use with only having one button on one side of it (on/off button) and the mini USB port on the other. There is also the LED indicator light above the on/off button that turns red when charging, blue when charged and flashes red and blue when pairing.

To control the volume and tracks on this, you will have to use your device you have it paired with to turn it up/down and to change the track you are listening to. I assume the speaker volume is set to max and can’t be changed. You can short press the power button on the speaker to recall the last track, but other than that there are no other controls from the speaker.

This thing is pretty tiny at about 2 inches square and that makes this very portable and should fit in your pocket if needed.

I am surprised at how loud this little speaker can get. It won’t be a focal point at your next party and rock you out of the room, but it is plenty loud enough to fill a room and be enjoyed by a few people or for your individual enjoyment, so it is a little more than a novelty and conversation piece. My wife actually told me to turn it down when I was showing it to her.

I would recommend this to family and friends for anyone looking for a nice, easy to use, compact Bluetooth Speaker. That and it’s just fun to look at.

DISCLAIMER: This was offered at a discounted rate in exchange for an honest review. I rely on reviews from the community when making purchases, so I believe in giving honest and unbiased reviews to help others. I am not obligated to leave positive feedback and receive no compensation for doing so. I am not associated with the seller in any way.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JUMPXPK

EC Technology Bluetooth 4.1 Wireless Sports Headset with Apt-X Stereo Review

The EC Technology Bluetooth 4.1 Wireless Sports Headset with Apt-X Stereo come in a plain brown box wrapped in a white cardboard sleeve with the outline drawing of the headphones on them. In the box are the headphones, Mini USB cord, and extra ear buds and instructions.

The call these the “SHINE” and I am guessing that is because these are made with a hard shiny black plastic for the ear pieces. Does make them look a little high end or someone may say they look like cheap plastic depending on your take on it. I could see both sides of it.

I try these right out before charging them and they turned on and worked right out the box before charging them. Later it took about two hours to charge them the first time. The charging cord (mini) is really short, so I used my own.

Their headphones are built differently than most other headphones. These have the LED status light on the top of the left ear piece that turns red during charging and blue when completed. This light also flashes blue/red when in pairing mode. The left earpiece also has the multifunction (on/off) button on it along with the volume up and volume down buttons. So you have to use the left ear piece to do everything instead of the right earpiece like most headsets. Not that is a bad thing, but it is different and takes some getting used to.

This didn’t take long to pair with my phone and showed up right away when I scanned for it. Once paired, it connects automatically now when I turn them on. Surprisingly this headset doesn’t have any voices notifications and only gives you different beeps when you pair, connect and turn on and off. Almost all headsets have that now.

The ear pieces are surprisingly nice and fit in my ear really well and are comfortable to wear while I am working out. There are extra ear pieces if you need to find the right size for you. The wings that are built into these go around your ears to help hold them on. These are soft and flexible but aren’t bendable and cannot be form fitted to your ears like some other do.

I didn’t have any problem with the Bluetooth dropping or getting choppy when wearing these. The sound, even at full volume, sound great. The volume is loud enough I did have to turn it down a little not to hurt my ears.

If you have an equalizer app on your phone (Apple now has that built in) with a little tweaking, the bass and overall sound is superb. I have these for listening to music while I am working out and not really to use for making phone calls, so I didn’t test that part of it, but based on listening to the music, I would bet these work just fine to make phone calls on. These are not noise cancelling, so they do allow some noise leakage at lower volumes.

These are a really nice somewhat cheap sports earphones and would be great for anyone looking for a Bluetooth headset. For the price, these meet or beat other headphones in this price range and I would recommend these.

DISCLAIMER: This was offered at a discounted rate in exchange for an honest review. I rely on reviews from the Amazon community when making purchases, so I believe in giving honest and unbiased reviews to help others. I am not obligated to leave positive feedback and receive no compensation for doing so. I am not associated with the seller in any way.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J1FJ0P0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01J1FJ0P0&linkCode=as2&tag=ec05b1-20&linkId=eb5dd707b725e46531ff085af2744378

EC Technology 3-Coils Wireless Charger Qi Wireless Charging Pad Charger

The EC Technology wireless charger is awesome. It is thin and stylish looking with the shiny black top and silver sides. In the box are the charger, mini USB cable, and the instructions. Not that you need instructions. This couldn’t be any easier to use. Plug the cable into this wireless charger and the other end into a power source and lay your phone on it. Even my little kids could figure this out without instructions.

I have a single coil wireless charger and it works but is pretty small (about half the size of this one) and you have to get your phone on it just right to make it work, so I thought I would give a 3 coil charger a try and I sure am happy I did. You still have to get your phone somewhat centered on this charger to make it work, but it’s so much bigger than my last one that I feel like I can just throw it on here and it charges.

My phone does beep when it starts charging, so I know if it’s charging or not but there is also a LED light on the end (opposite side of where the cable plugs in) of the charger that turns blue when it is charging as well. The LED light flashes red/blue when the phone isn’t on correctly and not charging, red when the phone is not on it at all and purple, red/blue together when the phone is done charging.

This charger charges pretty fast, not as fast as if it was plugged in, but not too bad for wireless. It also doesn’t seem to run as hot as my old wireless charger as well. They recommend your power supply have an output of at least 2Amps for this to work correctly. So no cheap 1Amp chargers should be used with this. Not sure they even sell those anymore but just in case you have an old wall charger, check it first before using it with this.

I am using this on my SG6 phone with an Otter box case on it and it works fine with leaving the case on it. I also bought a Qi Wireless charging receiver for my wife’s iPhone 6 Plus and it also has no problems using this wireless charger with an Otter box case on it.

I think overall, this is a great wireless charger that would work for anyone wanting to get away from plugging their phones in and want to go wireless. I give this a two thumbs up.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FWZ5MKU/ref=twister_B01FWZ5JMG?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

Abory 10 Pcs/Pack Aluminum D-Shape Carabiner Review

The Abory 10 Pcs aluminum D-Shape carabiners are awesome. They are a high-quality aluminum alloy that has a spring-loaded clip that can be locked down with a screw lock that is built in if needed, so you have the best of two worlds in one carabiner. Not to mention each one of the ten comes in its own different color that looks pretty cool.

They are very lightweight, but not bendy or flimsy at all. I use them on the skunks leash (yes, I have a pet skunk, had three at one point), and various bags and backpacks and they stay attached, have not bent and the color has not worn off at all. I'm very happy with them so far.

Between me and the wife, we have found all kinds of uses for these carabiners. Never realize it until you get some. Work really well in the parrot cage holding his toys on the cage or hanging the bird feeders from the trees and the squirrel feeders from the fence as well.

These are very easy to attach and release when needed with the spring-loaded the clip and a piece of cake to screw the locking nut on and off when you need to make sure these don’t come off or undone when placed on something.

For just under a buck a piece at the time of this review, these are a great buy and if I ever needed more, I would buy these again.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C0BES2M

EC Technology Bluetooth 4.1 Headset Sports Headphone Review

The EC Technology Bluetooth 4.1 Headset Sports Headphone come in a plain brown box with an outline drawing of the headphones on them. In the box are the headphones, mini USB cord, and extra buds and instructions.

At this price range I was expecting a little more than I would a cheap pair at half the price, and after getting these out of the box, I wasn’t disappointed. These are made with a pretty solid rubberized plastic body and shouldn’t break with normal wear and tear and shouldn’t have a problem with sweat while you are working out. With that being said, I wish they would have come with a hard case or at least a soft case to carry these around with. I hate having to find a place to store the extra ear buds and USB cord in.

I was excited to try these out and they turned on and worked right out the box before charging them. Used them for about an hour or so and then it took about an hour and a half to charge them the first time.

The charging cord (mini) is really short, so I used my own. There is a LED light on the side of the left earpiece that turns red during charging and blue when completed. This light also flashes blue/red when in pairing mode.

There are three buttons on the top of the left ear piece. The on/off (multi-function), volume up (next track) and the volume down (last track). The mini charging port is on the side of this ear piece as well.

This didn’t take long to pair with my phone but I did have to scan for it three times before it showed the first time on my phone to pair with it. Once paired, it connects automatically now when I turn them on.

The ear pieces are surprisingly nice and fit in my ear really well and are comfortable to wear for hours while I am at work. There are extra ear pieces if you need to find the right size for you. The wings that are built into these go around your ears to help hold them on. These are bendable and can be form fitted to your ears compared to most that are hard and can’t be moved. Nice feature.

I had a little problem with the Bluetooth dropping or getting choppy when wearing these when I got ten to fifteen feet away from my phone but other than that the sound, even at full volume, sounds great. The volume is loud enough I did have to turn it down a little not to hurt my ears.

I have an equalizer app on my phone and with a little tweaking, the bass and overall sound is superb. I have these for listening to music, but the wife did call me one time while I had these in and I had no problem hearing her or her hearing me. These are not noise cancelling, so they do allow some noise leakage at lower volumes.

These are a really nice somewhat cheap sports earphones and would be great for anyone looking for a Bluetooth headset. These are almost as good as my other pair that were a $100 more a few years ago. Pricing and technology has gotten so much better now.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KJYIN1Y/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01KJYIN1Y&linkCode=as2&tag=ec05b1-20&linkId=3e535e39a6eb209128d01bc273af8a9f

ZesGood Set of 3 Cheesecloth Review

The ZesGood Set of 3 Cheesecloth is exactly what I was looking for to use for this year’s Halloween main decoration. I bought a projector and the AtmostFX Halloween DVD’s and needed something to hang in the window to project the hologram images on and this is just the right thing to do it on.

It’s lightweight, somewhat thin and see through, but still has enough area on it to capture the image on it but let it shine thru to the other side. I first thought they might have been a little too small for what I needed, but they do stretch a little and you can combine these together if needed and they fit almost perfect over my front window and make the projection looks awesome from the sidewalk in front of the house. You might actually think there are ghosts in my house if you were walking by.

There are three packages with 3-yards of high-quality cheesecloth in each. These are grade 50 mesh and will also work very well for cooking or straining food and sauces if needed. This is also thin enough you can cut this up and make smaller or into separate pieces if needed.

This should last a long time and is reusable if you take care of it and wash it when needed. May have to buy more for next year’s Halloween now.

Overall, great cheesecloth and well worth the price for what they are asking for

My Rating: 5 Stars

Found on Amazon at:

https://www.amazon.com/ZesGood-Cheesecloth-Halloween-Christmas-Decorations/dp/B01HQ841HQ/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1477449592&sr=8-24&keywords=cheesecloth

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Prompter Submersible LED Light Review

The Prompter submersible LED light is a pretty cool little light. With ten LED lights, it’s pretty bright and you don’t want to look directly at it when you have it turned on. It screws together and you have to unscrew the two halves in order to insert three AAA batteries that you must supply before using this the first time. Also remember to remove the little plastic piece that covers the battery in the remote as well.

This has a rubber O-ring between the two half’s and you need to make sure you get this screwed back together pretty well with this in place and not damaged so it doesn’t leak if you actually plan on submerging this light in some liquid.

This light doesn’t have an on/off switch or any other controls on it and everything is controlled by the remote control that comes with it. So don’t lose it or break it. Maybe even mark the back of it with something to tell you what it belongs to in case you have multiple ones like I do.

The remote is a standard small and thin wireless remote that is coming with everything nowadays. It has buttons for on/off, brightness +/-, 12 different colors along with 4 different functions (flash, strobe, fade and smooth).

This light couldn’t be any easier to operate and looks great and very bright when using it. I bought this for my son’s Halloween party and it will work as is but the orange is a little red or pink looking and not a great rich orange color I was hoping for but still looks pretty cool in the water. Thinking about adding this to the bottom of the punch bowl to give it that witch cauldron look.

I really like these LED lights and they have gotten better, cheaper and come with remotes now. For the price, this is a great deal and worth every penny.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Prompter-Submersible-Controlled-Waterproof-Halloween/dp/B01LVZF6N9/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&keywords=Submersible+LED+Lights

LLCJ 2 x High Power 1156-8SMD LED Light Bulbs Review

Size: 2 Pcs

The LLCJ 1156 LED light bulbs are just what I was wanting to replace the stock bulbs in my car. These seem and look bigger than the normal bulbs, but they fit perfect in the socket, without any problems and are easy to install.

I am slowly replacing all the bulbs on my car with the newer LED technology because they last longer, are brighter and use less power than a normal incandescent bulb. I just finished replacing all the interior lights and the trunk light with blue LED lights and they look amazing and I am now working on the exterior lights. I may even go with blue running lights and leave all the others as white.

These do look really good and brighter than the originals behind the red plastic of my back turn signals. You can defiantly tell the difference in the color from the before to the after and they do look whiter than the old bulbs.

Now if we can just get the price if the LED headlights down and stop selling all the other lights in a 10 or 20 packs, these last for 50-100k hours, who needs all those bulbs?

Overall, for under $7 at the time of this review, you can’t beat these LED lights for replacing your old, outdated incandescent bulbs on your car, truck, RV or camper. Go ahead, pull the trigger, you will be happy with your decision to do so.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/LLCJ-1156-8SMD-Running-Reverse-Parking/dp/B016BNJMPI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476430293&sr=8-1&keywords=B016BNJMPI

Amzdeal BBQ Heavy Duty 58" Black Gas Grill Cover Review

The Amzdeal BBQ Heavy Duty 58" Black Gas Grill Cover (actual measurements are 57x24x46) says that it is heavy duty in the title to start with, but this really is a thin cover compared to the one this is replacing, but I paid $45 for the last one and this is under $15. It has a polyester outside with a kind of foiled inside. So this should keep the weather out during the four seasons in the mid-East.

I have a full size 3 burner grill with the searing station and a side table on each side and this cover does fit with no problems and covers the whole grill all the way down to the deck. It’s not real easy to tell which way this goes on, but it you can find and see the seams and turn this the correct way, it goes on and fits perfect. Not so much if you have it turned wrong. A hint, the drawstring should go to one end or side of the grill and not to the front or back to be on right.

That storage bag, not sure about you, but my cover never comes off the grill unless I am using it, so not sure why the storage bag. Maybe some people move theirs inside and don’t need the cover year round? You could use the storage bag for something else if needed. It does have a zipper on it to close it.

The cover itself has a draw string on the bottom of it that can be secured or tightened to keep the cover on the grill when needed.

For the price, this is a great grill cover and works as described. This material shouldn’t break or crack like my last one did and overall I think this will be a great cover and do what I need it to do.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Amzdeal-Heavy-Grill-Garden-Outdoor/dp/B01GL00Z9S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476689044&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=BBQ+cover&psc=1

Monday, October 24, 2016

FRK Digital Body Weight Bathroom Scale Review

The FRK Digital Body Weight Bathroom Scale (400 Lbs. Capacity) looks and feel like a high-end scale when it first arrives and you take this out of the box. You can feel how heavy this is when you first pick up the box after it is delivered. It’s all tempered glass surface has a look and feel like a heavy, nice, well-built black glass scale.

At twelve and a half inches square, it is just the right size for my oversized body and feet, and in the meantime, the black glass scale looks great in my bathroom.

FRK must know about us Americans and our bulging waistlines. As this scale goes up to 400 pounds. Not found into many scales out there right now. Hopefully not too many people need that at this time, but nice to have when or if needed. They also supply the two AAA batteries required to operate this and the scale will automatically shut off to save those batteries when you are done using the scale.

What I like about this scale is the step-on activation. You just step on and once it stabilizes in a couple of seconds, it gives you a weight. Most other scales, you had to touch it or slightly step on it to turn it on and calibrate it to zero and then you could step on it to get your weight. Hate that.

This scale has a nice big, easy to read and backlit LED screen that it displays your weight on. No squinting or bending over to try and read the weight required any more. You can also have your weight display in pounds or kilograms depending your preference. There is a switch underneath the scale to change this next to the battery compartment.

The only thing with this or any glass device is the smudging from your fingers and feet that look pretty bad on this black glass plate. Other than that, this scale works very well so far and is a keeper and if anything was to happen, there is a 2-year warranty that comes with it.

Overall, great tempered glass scale that accurately reads your weight for a great price. Would recommend this scale to anyone looking for a new scale.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/FRK-Accuracy-Bathroom-Platform-Technology/dp/B01LS4N120