I've always been a bit skeptical of things like these but I'm glad to
have tried them now. With all things you have to have the right
expectations. Without getting too science-y ice works by absorbing the
energy(heat) of your drink and changing state. State changing takes a
lot of energy and that's why ice can cool a big drink. These soapstone
clearly aren't going to melt so they can only cool so much. The benefit
though is that you don't get anything added to the liquid. The real use
is in cooling small things and keeping them at a set temperature until
you're finished.
Build- It's soapstone. It's a cube. ...Not
really much else to say. The bad that comes with the cubes I've found to
be really handy. With all the little cubes it's easy to have them get
lost in the freezer or get knocked around. Once you realize you can juts
store them in the bag right in the freezer it's much better and they're
always there ready to go.
Function- As I said above these are
for small drinks. I found that 2-3 cubes were able to keep things cooler
for much longer than usual. You know how when you have just a little
bit of something left and go to drink it later it's warm? Yeah, yuck.
These prevent that. This package comes with enough that you can share
them with a few people at a time.
Something to note is that
because these are a soft stone they shouldn't be used in and carbonated
drinks as they will break down. As long as you are only looking to
maintain a temperature or cool something small I think you should try
these out. I received this product free in exchange for nothing more
than my honest opinion.
This watch box by Ohuhu looks great on a desk. A combination of solid
construction and nice materials means this is something you won't mind
sitting out in view to display your watches.
Build- Lets get this
out of the way first: it's not natural leather. Does it matter? Not the
least bit. The PU leather that covers the box adds just teh right
amount of sophistication while not driving up the cost of something that
really just sits there it's whole life. The viewing windows in a
quality polycarbonate. I'm able to bend it a little so it's not glass
but again; I have no problem with it because you'd really never notice
as it's very clear sturdy. The material that covers al the internals is a
thin felt type that lets a little fluff out in transit so you'll need
to clean the inside of the cover with a quick wipe. Pillows are a soft
foam type material with hard sides to help keep their form. My only
complaint about this box is the the ribbon that is used to stop the lid
from bending all the way backwards naturally falls inside when you close
it and could cover a watch or two from being displayed clearly.
Function-
I have to admit I still haven't figured out how the watches stand up
like they do in the picture. When I close the clasps around the pillows
they sit flat against the bottom. It probably wouldn't hurt to include
some wedges to lift the top end. Because the pillows are soft it allows
you to latch your watches around back but if you wrists are very small
of very large you may not be able to due to the fixed size. Everything
about the box feels solid so everything they used works together well to
make you feel like your watches are protected. The latches closes
cleanly and snaps in too.
If you're looking for a moderately
priced case to keep your watches, this is one I'd personally recommend.
Mine look great so now the only thing I have to do is decide where I
want to put it. I received this product free in exchange for nothing
more than my honest opinion.
No one likes having a cord hanging around when you're trying to get
things done while listing to a bit a music. These bluetooth headphones
by Eineo help eliminate that problem but they aren't without their
shortfalls.
Build- Construction is your usual glossy plastic. Not
the strongest but they're pretty light. This set includes multiple ear
pieces in black and translucent white as well as the vertical rubber
extensions. The latter are pretty handy because they're no overly
obtrusive in your ear but they're able to keep things from falling out
when you're moving around a lot. The biggest problem I have with these
is that they stick out so far. From the edge of the ear cushion to the
outside is a whole inch. This takes away from the overall aesthetic and
when I try to wear them in earmuff style hearing protection they get
jammed into my ears. The small cord connecting each side is perfect
length wise and the flat design prevents tangles from developing during
storage.
Function- Out of the box the best way I can describe the
sound quality is muffled. It turns out that they're not incapable of
producing high frequencies but the default setting has them a little
low. I have an Android device so I just grabbed an equalizer app and
turned up the higher frequencies and now everything sounds great. Lows
are good for such a small speaker as well. I was able to call my wife
and even though the mic is at your ear she said she was able to hear me
fine. Buttons are simple with one on/off/take call/hangup button and
direction buttons for selection songs and volume. They work fine but the
on/off one is somewhat flush with the case and hard to find sometimes.
If
you're looking for a basic set of headphones to work or work out in,
these can work. I only found them to get a little uncomfortable after a
2-3 hours due to plastic resting on my ears. Buy them with the right
expectations and you'll be fine. I received this product free in
exchange for nothing more than my honest opinion.
I can't argue with anything I've seen so far. While I've noticed some
people complain about ground noise I think that comes down to the car
you're in and the quality of it's wiring. My experience has been nothing
but positive.
Build- If I absolutely had to find something to
not like, it would be that it is made of plastic and feels light. Really
though there's no need for it to be heavier as the circuitry is pretty
simple and a metal body would probably make it fall off your dash. You
get three buttons; one for on/off and answer/hangup, and two direction
ones for seeking and volume. They're big so it's easy to hit them
without taking your eyes off the road. The package comes with a nice
little USB car charger and an extra 3M pad. If you happen to have some
metal behind your dash or are willing to take it apart to add some,
there is also a magnet on the pack to simplify things. The power cord on
the unit is a little thin but not so much that it will just snap.
Function-
Pairing couldn't be simpler if you have a NFC enabled phone. Turn the
device on by holding the power button ant tap your phone against it.
After the first time it will immediately pair and you're ready to go.
When not on a phone call you can use the select button to play and pause
music as well. Other than that sound quality seems to be good. I even
tested it by setting it on a running air conditioner and my caller could
hear me fine.
This kit has good features, accessories, and just
works well. I have no complaints so I think it's a good buy. I received
this product free in exchange for nothing more than my honest opinion.
I was very impressed with the construction of this camera and it delivers on video quality as well. There isn't really a "Brand Name" for dashcams but I think this is a good benchmark to compare others too. I can't show you the full quality in my video because of file size limits but it is 1080p and looks nice.
Build- This is a very sturdy camera and I'm confident carrying it around and letting it take some bumps. If the suction mount gives out(it hasn't) and the camera falls and bounces around you shouldn't have any problems. It's a little larger than a lot of dashcams I've seen but not so large that anyone will wonder what the bowling ball hanging in your windshield is. All buttons are on the back so even when mounted in your car you can see all the functions. The 3" screen is large and plenty bright for reviewing footage even in sunlight. You get three cords: mini-usb, mini-usb charger, and gps antenna. The mini-usb plug dates this cam a bit but my only complaint comes along with the GPS antenna. It is So. Stinkin. Long. It does allow you to choose placement but I'd rather not have to go through the work of pressing another cord behind trim pieces. I recently reviewed another BlackBox camera and that one had the antenna on a 4 inch cord right on the suction mount so you never even had to think about it. I'd like if this one had that too. Function- Video quality with this one is great. I had no trouble viewing license plate numbers once they were 35-50 ft away and that's about as good as you'll get with 1080p. The menus aren't the most straightforward but you should only need to set them once and then the camera will just turn on and off with your car(assuming your car cuts power to the outlets when it's off). You won't have to be distracted by this screen when driving at night either as it turns off after a few seconds even when recording. Just hit the ok button and it comes back and hit it again to lock the current footage. Once you have something you want you can either take the camera down and use the supplied cable to hook it up to a computer, or juts pull the memory card. The mini hdmi port allows you to hook right up to a TV as well. For viewing on a computer I recommend grabbing a piece of software called Registrator Viewer(just google it). This allows you to watch your videos right next to a live map of the location the video was taken.
I'm very impressed with this offering from BlackBox. Between the durability due to the nice construction to the great results you see in the video this one deserves all five stars. I received this product free in exchange for nothing more than my honest opinion.
The XS1 is a good little camera that works but isn't without it's faults. When it comes down to it once it is placed in a car and powered on it records nice video and the GPS information is a neat addition. It comes with two suction cups; one with the GPS and one without so you can choose or use it as a spare.
Build- The entirety of the camera is made of plastic. This makes it very light but I'd prefer something a little stronger as you never know where you may have it for downloading video. The body is about half an inch thick and the lens sticks out the front another inch. Speaking of the lens: for something that records such nice video I'm disappointed that the housing is made of that cheap chrome plastic. There are 5 buttons: power, menu, ok, and two directions. To attach to the mounts you just push up and slide over for a friction fit but be careful because the joint is just plastic. The included charging cable is VERY long so you can tuck it behind the cars trim and still have it reach anywhere you need. Anyone decent with wires could chop the plug off and wire it right into the car too. If you're planning to use the GPS version of mount it's really handy because the antenna is hard mounted right to it. You won't have to deal with running any cables behind bodywork.
Function- First off I have to point out the menus are somewhat confusing to use because of the minimal buttons you are working with. You'll get it with a little work though and there should be no reason for you to have to touch them after that again. This is due to the fact that once the camera detects that power is on it automatically activates and starts recording. You don't need to take it down until there's something you want to pull off the card and even then you could just pull the card itself out. The ability to set it and forget it is great. Just remember that if your car doesn't disable the plugs when it turns off you'll have to plug and unplug yourself to turn it on(or use the power button). The screen on this model always stays on and that's a big minus. If you're driving at night you don't want to be seeing it the whole time. Once you have a video you can take the card or attach the supplied micro usb cable to a computer and watch them. If you are using the GPS you can open the video in the supplied program and see location and speed on a map as the video plays. I recommend searching for a program called Registrator Viewer as it's a little nicer if not still somewhat clunky. Those aren't even the only ways to watch. If you have a mini-hdmi cable you can plug the camera right into a big screen TV and let everyone see.
This model by Black Box is a decent choice. I have a few complaints but nothing that would keep me from recommending it if you find it for the right price. I received this product free in exchange for nothing more than my honest opinion.
Today I'm going to try something new and review multiple parts from a single company that can be used together to make an almost complete quadcopter. Just add your own flight controller, receiver, and battery. Let me know what you think.
All of these products are sold on Amazon by Best-World. Just click on the titles to be taken right to the product page.
My video includes several parts but you can see the assembly of throughout it. This frame is in my opinion the perfect one to use as your first 450 size quad. It combines all the elements of cost, build, and function. When starting out you just want something basic that won't eat a hole in your pocket when you crash it; and yes I mean "when". This is right at that price point. Even further because this is the most copied frame you can find replacement arms anywhere. When I've broken them before it was about 8 bucks for a replacement.
Build- The arms of this quad are quite strong with no perceptible flex. Mounting holes are quite deep so you won't be using the small screws that come with your motor. No fear: longer ones are included here. The plates are where I'm a little disappointed. they are just strong enough that they wont be breaking in flight but you can bend them in your hand. Once assembles it isn't a problem but at least 3mm of material would be nice. They are pretty long so that does allow for plenty of space to mount everything flight related inside and still have room on top.
Function- The best design feature of these frames is that they allow for the front arms to be spread out and provide a less obstructed view when flying a camera. They also have a dedicated spot for your battery that protects it from above and below. Another element that I would like to see is the bottom plate also functioning as a power distribution board. In this case you have to either provide your own or go with a spiderweb of cables.
Even with this frames shortcomings, I'd still recommend it to someone wanting to build their first quad. There are some features missing more advanced users may want but that would mean you're spending more. Give this one a shot. I received this product free in exchange for nothing more than my honest opinion.
My video includes several parts but you can see the motors at the beginning and attached and running at the end. Best-world's motor selection includes a few different KV ratings. In this case I tried the 1400KV set of 4. First, having the matched set is just always convenient. You never know if a set of motors will be from a similar batch and having them packaged together give better odds of similar performance. The motors operated as expected. Each spun freely when not powered and consistently when they did have it. I took one apart and found it to have two good bearings, two set screws on top for adjustment and a c-clip on the bottom. The winding weren't perfect but so far they haven't shown issues. Every time I raised the throttle they spun up great so I have no complaints. These would be perfect for a budget setup so I'd recommend them. I received this product free in exchange for nothing more than my honest opinion.
My video includes several parts but you can see the ESCs at 1:11 and being attached throughout it. There's not much to say about them. Do they make your motors spin, Good news: Yes! I bought these as a set and each one power the matched motors similarly such that I couldn't detect any difference in pitch as thins spun up. No hesitation either. One great benefit of these is the lack of low voltage cutoff. This does mean that you need to monitor your batteries some other way. The advantage though is that when your in the middle of squeezing just one more minute out, your LV cutoff won't kick in when your way up in the sky. If it does you get a paperweight falling out of the sky and no-one likes that. Features like this are up to personal preference but I'd rather not have something that can cause a crash. If you're looking to so a basic cheap build I'd say to give them a try. I received this product free in exchange for nothing more than my honest opinion.
My video includes several parts but you can see the station at 6:06 where I solder wires to an XT-60 connector. This tool is the sort of thing you don't know you need until you're dropping parts and/or burning yourself. It's simple but having slots that are designed specifically for your connector means that they won't be moving at all. This product holds a bunch of different plugs so you'll get a lot of use out of it if you do varied work.
For example: I solder a lot of XT-60s and you need to have one hand for the solder and one for the iron. That means you need to find a way to steady the small part, but if you've ever put them int he jaws of a Helping Hand you know that they aren't steady at all. Any pressure pops them out or makes them move so you end up melting something or burning yourself.
Build- The main body is solid aluminum. I like that you won't able to melt it and it has enough heft that it doesn't slide around when using it. The two thumb screws on either side are big enough to easily loosen. I found it best to adjust them just big enough that a plug could slide it snugly and then pull them in and out without having to open it all the time.
I really think it should be a little cheaper but if you're going to be soldering a lot of connectors and you have room in the budget go for it. I received this product free in exchange for nothing more than my honest opinion.
Build- It's soapstone. It's a cube. ...Not
really much else to say. The bad that comes with the cubes I've found to
be really handy. With all the little cubes it's easy to have them get
lost in the freezer or get knocked around. Once you realize you can juts
store them in the bag right in the freezer it's much better and they're
always there ready to go.
