Product Review: Shur-Line 06100 Gallon Can Paint Pourer

 

This is a pour spout that fits a one-gallon paint can perfectly, makes pouring the paint into a tray a whole lot easier, and avoids causing a huge mess with paint dripping down the side of the can. When the paint on the pourer dries you can just peel it off and reuse it. I definitely recommend it.

Product Review: Mr. Longarm 4.9 in. W x 4.4 in. L White Foam Applicator

 

I have a townhouse with a lot of vaulted ceilings and painted most of the rooms a couple of years ago. This definitely helps with edging at the top of the vaulted walls. It would work even better if I did not have popcorn ceilings in some of the rooms, so right at the very top, I had to have a professional go up there with a brush to finish. But for the edges that were not against the popcorn ceilings, this gave awesome coverage, much better than a roller, and allows you to do a lot of painting before it wears out (which you will know has happened when it starts peeling away from the backing). I definitely recommend it.

Product Review: ALLWAY GPS5 Paint Pouring Spout for 5-Gallon Containers

 

I renovated my townhouse back in 2020, which included painting most of the rooms. Thus, I purchased a couple of 5-gallon buckets of paint. Of course, those are very heavy and hard to pour paint from. This makes it much easier to pour from the buckets, regardless of whether they have the tab you pull out or the cap you unscrew. If your bucket has the former, you can separate the "inner portion" which is the pour spout itself, from the base, and just push that into the hole after you pull the tab out. If it is the latter, you simply unscrew the cap on the bucket, and screw the base with the spout in it, on the same threads. It definitely helps keep paint from getting everywhere or pouring out too fast from the bucket. I definitely recommend this.

Product Review: Fitbit Alta HR Charging Cable

 

The charger for the Alta and Alta HR will likely break down eventually and they are not like other charging cables that use a mico-USB connection. This charger has prongs that have to connect to the back of the Alta HR, that do break off or lose a good connection over time. This is the official Fitbit cable and is a bit more expensive than the knockoff cables, but I have seen reviews of some of the cheaper cables that cause the units to go haywire. And, Fitbit is very particular about what they will not warranty and what will void the warranty on the Fitbit, so it is best to use their cable.

Product Review: IUKUS PC Microphone with Mic Stand

 

I use this for audio/video conferencing on my home computer when I work at home. The people on the other end seem to be able to hear me well and I have not had any issues with feedback or had anyone comment about my audio cutting in and out. It is really handy that it comes with a small tripod and can sit on a desk, and has a long enough cord that you can easily move it out of the way when not using it, and move it closer when you are. It is a great deal when using it in that context. I do not use it for gaming, so I am not sure how well it does or does not work for doing that.

Product Review: Amazon Basics USB 3.0 Universal Laptop Dual Monitor Docking Station

 

This is pretty much a plug-and-play device, with the caveat that you need to install the drivers before you connect it to your computer. I am not sure what happens if you do not, but the instructions make clear to do that first, and if you do, it is very easy to get up and running.

My office instituted a work-from-home policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I needed to connect multiple monitors to my laptop in order to efficiently work from home. This has one HDMI port, one port that allows you to connect a monitor with a VGA connection, and then has several USB ports so you can connect a flash drive, an external hard drive, or whatever other USB devices you would like. It also allows you to connect speakers and a microphone if you so desire. The only thing I would have liked it to have is two HDMI ports so you can connect two monitors via HDMI. Aside from that, I am very satisfied with it.

Product Review: ELMA Winter Leather Gloves for Men

 

These are a nice, inexpensive, pair of leather gloves. My only complaint is that, even though the finger length is perfect for me, they are a bit tight, although less so after wearing them a few times. The inner lining is very soft, and warm. It is not warm enough for an upper midwestern winter when the high temperatures can be in the teens (at best) and sometimes even below zero degrees Fahrenheit. But, they are perfect for the fall and spring. The fingertips work well on a smartphone screen, at least to unlock it, but are not the greatest for the smaller touchscreen details. But, I am rarely using my phone outside (aside from occasionally taking a call when I am going for a walk), so that is not really an issue for me.

Product Review: Apple Watch Series 4

 

I bought mine refurbished from Amazon. Despite being refurbished it looks brand new and may have well have been factory-sealed. If you have an iPhone, it is extremely easy to set up. You just pair it with your phone and it connects to your account and basically sets everything up automatically. You have the option of having it download a bunch of apps at one time, or you can pick and choose apps to download after the watch is set up. I have used it mostly for workout and sleep tracking, but there are a lot of other apps specifically for the watch available. I have not come across any issues with it having been refurbished, and getting it that way is much more cost-efficient than getting it brand new. 

After a couple of years, the face plate popped off. It actually still worked, and I could use a rubber band to keep the plate in place, but I did not want to do that long-term, and I was leery of using superglue on it.  Because it was out of warranty, Apple wanted $600 for the honor of sending it in to get fixed. So, needless to say, it was a lot more cost-effective to purchase a new one. I do not think the face plate popped off because it was refurbished. I just think that is a thing that happened with the older model. So far, I have had no issues with my new watch.

Product Review: SNSIR Screen Protector 44mm for Apple watch Series 6 (44 mm)

 

These are great for keeping the screen on the Apple Watch covered. There is no loss of the touchscreen interactivity and it is very easy to install. If you download a QR reader you can scan it with your phone and be linked to YouTube and see a video on how to put it on. It is really no different than installing a screen protector on a phone or tablet. If you can do that you can easily put this on. The only thing I would say is that a two-pack is kind of overkill unless you have more than one person in your household with an Apple watch. It would be nice to have the option of purchasing just one at a bit of a lower price. But, these can lose adhesion after a time, so having a second one readily available is not the worst thing in the world. That said, I am definitely satisfied with the purchase.

Product Review: iRobot Braava Authentic Replacement Parts - Braava jet 200 Series Wet Mopping Pads

 

These are the wet pads for the Braava 200 series of robot mops from iRobot. Meaning, when one of these pads is on the mop it will spray more water on the floor and make more passe of the room. Basically, it is the pad that will make the robot do the deepest cleaning job. There is a bit of a scented solution of some kind on the bottom of the pad that gives off a scent as the robot mops up the water. I am not sure if it contributes anything more than just scent or it if actually helps clean the floor.

The mop knows which type of pad is attached based on the perforations in the "card" (for those old enough to remember the punch cards that were used for computer programming years ago, it is like that) that slips into the base of the mop to attach the pad. Depending on how large a room you are mopping you may have to use more than one pad and one cleaning cycle to get the entire room clean. You do want to make sure that if there are any bigger lint balls or more than just a minimal amount of dust or dirt on the floor that you use a vacuum and/or one of the dry pads (which is like a Swiffer sheet), otherwise this will just push them around. These are best used if your floor just needs relatively light cleaning (for example, if you clean them once or twice a week on a regular basis) or in relatively low-traffic areas that have a hard surface floor.

Product Review: Whitmor Set of 2-10 x 10 x 10 inches-Turquoise Collapsible Cubes

 

I got these to keep my pantry organized. They are great for packets (things like taco seasoning, dry mixes, etc.), bagged items like chips, or other things that you want to keep together but do not really sit well on a shelf or in a cupboard. They are reasonably sized so they do not take up a ton of space (as long as your shelves are at least 10" deep) and are simple to set up (just unfold them and put the support across the bottom). I definitely recommend them as an inexpensive storage solution for a pantry or a closet.

Product Review: Tile Mate 4 Pack

 

This is a good source to keep track of things like keys, wallets, purses, etc., as long as they are in close proximity. I am sure everyone has done the "mad scramble" to find their keys or wallet while trying to leave for work, or just head somewhere that he or she has to get to within a certain amount of time. These will totally eliminate that. If you are used to setting up internet-connected devices, these are very simple to set up. They connect via Bluetooth to your phone via the Tile app. You name each tile, and from then on, you can find that particular tile (if it is in range of your phone) by choosing "find wallet" in the app, and it will play a tone from the tile that gets louder the longer it takes you to find it. Conversely, if you have a tile at hand but cannot find your phone, you can click the button on the tile and it will ring your phone. If a tile is out of range of the phone it will show on a map the last location it was before the phone lost connection so you can see if you left it at work, a restaurant, etc. Those are all the free features, and Tile does have a fee-based membership that adds features like notifying you via a phone alert if you leave the tile at home or work (basically if you move out of range of a tile), allowing you to send a notice to other tile users that something is lost, and notify you if someone finds it. Etc.

Overall, I love these. If you are going to put one in a wallet I would suggest getting a pack that includes the "slim" tiles, because the regular ones are fairly thick. That said, I was able to move some things around in my slim wallet and put a regular tile in one of the credit card slots and it works fine. I definitely recommend these, as long as you do not want something that will give you a precise location (that will get you within feet of what you are looking for) in the app.

Product Review: Evelots 2 Pack VHS Storage Bag

 

If you are those who shelled out quite a bit of money on Disney VHS tapes over the years and do not want to part with them but want to store them out of the way, these are perfect. They are much like the DVD storage bags Evelots put out with three sections because of the inner plastic pieces that reinforce the seams. They will keep dust and water out, allowing you to keep them organized and stored on a shelf or in a closet without taking up a ton of space.

Product Review: OAGear Backpack Cooler

 

I use this to bring my lunch to work, as well as a protein drink I have later in the afternoon. I usually put about 4 of the small, flat, ice blocks in the insulated middle portion of the bag and it kept everything cool, as advertised. In fact, when I get home and take the ice packs out, they are usually still partially frozen. The insulating capability of this is much better than the lunch bag I was using before. In that, the same ice blocks were melted by the time I left work. The only thing I would change is to make the non-insulated front compartment larger so more items will fit in that. That aside, it works as advertised, and I definitely recommend it.

Product Review: PWR+ 6.5 Ft Samsung-Galaxy-Tab Table

 

I have one of the old Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets which has a 30-pin connector. The charging cable that came with it is starting to break down, so I got this to replace it. The tablet recognized it right away, and the cable charged it normally. Since this is one of the Samsung products found to infringe on Apple's products, it is no longer supported so having an off-brand replacement cable available is great.

Product Review: Adoric Wasp Trap Catcher

 

I have had wasps getting into my townhouse for years and tried this a few summers ago, putting it outside of my patio door. It took a while to catch anything, just using sugar water, but then did get a bunch of wasps. Later in the summer, however, it did get a honeybee. When the flowers in my garden were blooming the bees pretty much ignored it, but after things started dying off, the bee got caught in it. After that, I did not use it again. Over the course of the spring and summer, just one wasp got in the house, which is much better than in prior years when I would get at least 3-5.

Product Review: Zeskit Cinema Plus 4K 3ft High Speed with Ethernet 22.28Gbps HDMI 2.0b Cable

 

This is a great inexpensive high-speed HDMI cable. If you do not have a 4k UHD player you do not really need this kind, but if you do, then it will give you a great picture and sound without breaking the bank. Just keep in mind this is a 3-foot cable, so you will need to keep your player relatively close to the TV, projector, or receiver you are plugging this into. But, if you are looking for a high-speed cable, this is a good, inexpensive option.

Product Review: MedCenter Monthly Medication Organizer

 

I got this for my mom, who has to take a boatload of pills each day because of being in congestive heart failure and chronic pain. To complicate matters she has to take them in the morning and evening and routinely has taken them late, or forgotten to take them at all on a given day. And, she has never had a good system to keep track of what she did or did not take on a given day. This solves both problems. It comes with 31 separate cases which have compartments for morning, afternoon, evening, and night. You could, if you so desired, fill them all up at the beginning of the month, or do it on a weekly basis.

The clock/alarm component comes pre-set with 4 different alarms. The only thing that knocks this down a star for me is that you cannot disable or enable individual alarms. They can only all be on, or all be off, so if you only need to have two alarms set you must set multiple alarms for the same time, so more than one goes off together. For example, setting the morning and afternoon alarms for the same time. Also, the clock unit talks for everything, which is great for people who have poor eyesight or are blind (although there is no braille on the clock surface, so someone who is blind would need assistance with the initial setup), but you cannot turn that off, so if you are setting the clock or one of the alarms it talks through minutes and seconds which is a bit annoying. Nor is there a real volume adjustment. The only volume adjustment you can make is via a switch on the back that allows you to choose from loud or very loud. So you will get at least a loud verbal reminder to take your pills at whatever time(s) you set (plus a backup reminder a half hour later in case you ignore the first alarm even after turning it off). There is no option to have it just buzz like a "regular" alarm clock. Basically, we recycled the clock and just set reminders on Echo devices.

Those issues aside, it is a great option for an older person who has to take a lot of pills, whether it is every day, every other day, etc. The compartments are big enough to hold a good quantity of pills unless you take a lot of very large (as large as some multi-vitamin tablets for example) pills. But if most of your pills are relatively small they will all easily fit. It is a bit pricey for a pill case, but definitely worth it under the right circumstances.

Product Review: LG BPM25 Blu-Ray Disc Player

 

It is a decent refurbished blu-ray player at a reasonable price. The only drawback is that it does not have a wireless adapter, so if you want to connect it to the internet to use any of the streaming services or need to update the firmware, you have to use an ethernet cable. By this point, I doubt that most people will stream anything through the player since there are much better options like Firesticks and Rokus and since almost every TV is a smart TV, but you still have to update the firmware from time to time to play newer blu-rays. That is really the only drawback. Otherwise, it is easy to set up and gives a nice 1080p picture (as long as your TV supports a 1080p output), and upscale DVDs to a better picture.

Product Review: Business Source Products - Bookend Supports

 

I got these to use on floating shelves next to my fireplace that I have books and other nick-nacks on. They are pretty standard bookends. They easily up a row of hardcover and softcover books just fine.