Product Review: Decor Grates ST410 Classic Collection Décor Design Painted, 4x10 Inches, Floor Register

 

A couple of years ago I replaced the white carpet in my master bedroom with dark engineered hardwood. While renovating the rest of my townhouse, I was looking for new vent covers to match new flooring that was going in other areas of the house, and I came across this which is a perfect match to the flooring in the master bedroom. There is no fancy installation (just make sure you confirm the size of the duct before you purchase), just take the old vent out and put this in. The outside is metal, but the inner part, including the vent flaps, is plastic. The benefit is that they are much easier to open and close than the flaps on the old metal vents, but some people on Amazon have issues with the plastic part partially melting and warping when they turn on the heat. I installed these in the summer, but have used them for a couple of winters. They still open and close just fine and the plastic parts have not melted or warped at all. And, I live in a part of the country where it gets very cold in the winter, so the furnace runs a lot. They look great with the flooring in the room and are a great value for the price.

Product Review: Accord AMFRBLV410 Floor Register with Victorian Design

 

I recently replaced the flooring in my living room and kitchen with LVP flooring and replaced the two, very old, existing floor vents on that level with these. There is no fancy installation (just make sure you confirm the size of the duct before you purchase), just take the old vent out and put this in. The outside is metal, but the inner part, including the vent flaps, is plastic. The benefit is that they are much easier to open and close than the flaps on the old metal vents, but some people on Amazon have issues with the plastic part partially melting and warping when they turn on the heat. I installed these in the summer, and have used them through a couple of winters now. I live in a part of the USA where the winters can be very cold and the furnace runs a lot. I have not had a problem with the plastic melting or warping at all, and the vents still open and close just fine. They look great with the new floor and are a great value for the price.

Product Review: Grip Tight Tools Heavy Duty Plastic Paint Tray

 

These are very small paint trays. They are definitely too small for a full-sized roller. But, perfect to use for a brush, edger, or a small roller, in smaller spaces. They are very sturdy and are not flimsy when holding paint. A great value for the price.

Product Review: Value Combo: Bubble Cushioning Wrap Rolls(30ft/Easy-to-Tear) & 12"X 12" Foam Wrap Sheets 30-Pack

 

This is a combination pack that includes 30 foam sheets and a roll of bubble wrap. The foam sheets are not the kind with the pockets, which are good for dishes. These are best for putting between picture frames with glass fronts or wrapping around smaller items. You can, however, use them to separate glass plates as you stack them. The bubble wrap is pretty standard, has small bubbles, and is perforated so you can separate it into smaller sheets without cutting it. Definitely a good value for the money.

Product Review: 3M Multi-Use Duct Tape

 

This is 3M duct tape that holds strong but is not too "sticky". And, it is easy to tear without the tape splitting as you tear it. 3M is definitely the brand to get and is superior over at least some of the "generic" or off-brand versions.

Product Review: Warner 3" ProGrip Full Flex Putty Knife

 

This is a pretty standard putty knife. The edge is sharp enough that it can remove bumps from old paint drips, or uneven spackle, but not so sharp that you can easily cut yourself with it. And, it can be used to easily spread putty. I definitely recommend it.

Product Review: Red Devil 0542 ONETIME Lightweight Spackling

 

This is a spackle that has a soft, almost cotton-candy-like texture (as opposed to some spackles that are like a paste), but it spreads on and fills in holes easily and dries quickly and solidly so you can paint over it. It is definitely worth the money.

Product Review: EnviroCare Replacement Duster Refills

 

These are basically generic Swiffer dusters. They will fit on the Swiffer duster handles, but I do find they are a bit thinner than the name-brand refills and tend to slide up the handles as you use them, so you have to readjust them a bit. They are, however, much less expensive than the name-brand Swiffer refills. Overall, I would say they are worth it.

Product Review: Magnetic Vent Cover 5.5 x 12 Inch - 3 Pack

 

These magnetic vent covers fit well over floor vent covers and do a good job of eliminating airflow from the vents. However, they will not remain attached to some ceiling vents and can easily fall off those, especially the kind that has a vent control that is like a handle that sticks out from the metal. I am not sure if they would stick better if you have a ceiling vent that you can lay them all the way across, and have them sit flat. But on the kind where it would have to be placed off-set or off-center because the vent control gets in the way, they will easily fall off.

Product Review: Sheffield 1282 Gadget Folding Lock Back Utility Knife

 

I initially used this to cut out my old carpet to make it easier to remove as I was doing the demo on my townhouse before a renovation. Now, I mostly use it to break down boxes from various deliveries. It works great for both of those tasks, is sturdy, and it is nice to have it able to fold up to make it safer to store. I definitely recommend it.

Product Review: Ironclad General Utility Work Gloves

 

I used these to demo part of my townhome for a remodel, including tearing down drywall/sheetrock and pulling up carpet. They were very comfortable, with no tears or punctures, even when handling tack strips and the like. I still use them when doing something around the house and want to protect my hands. I definitely recommend them.

Product Review: HOMMP Medium Trash Bags, 7 Gallon, 120 Counts/ 6 Rolls

 

If you have one or more small garbage cans (such as are generally used in bathrooms or bedrooms) these are very good. It would be better if they were available in white or clear and were a little bit smaller. It seems that "small" garbage bags range from so small they are basically useless for most small cans, or so large that you end up wasting some room in them and can only economically use it in a medium-sized can. These definitely fall into the latter category. But, they hold up well and you get a lot per roll (and 4 rolls to a package) so they will last a while.

Product Review: Bonsaii Cross-Cut Paper Shredder

 

I have a lower-end shredder that can handle doing one or two things at a time, for short periods of time (like credit card applications that come nearly every day in the mail), but also had a back-log of paperwork that I did not need any longer, but would take days in that shredder, and would undoubtedly cause it to get stuck and clogged. I was able to get through about half of it in less than an hour using this.

I like that it has a self-contained bin that holds a good amount of shredded paper. It does come with one bag that you can to line the bin, but I found it is easier just to empty the bin into a bag when it is full. This is because if the bin is not pushed in place all the way, it will not shred. The power light will just blink when you turn it on, but it will not do anything until the bin is pushed all the way in, and when you put a bag inside it, it tends to cause the bin not to sit correctly. Plus, I found that as it got more full, the clippings would push the back of the bag down so you would get some in the bag and some between the bag and the bin, and it would cause a big mess trying to get the bag out.

The instructions say that you can feed up to 18 sheets at a time into the shredder, but It did get stuck with a thicker envelope (which I do not think was as thick as 18 sheets of paper) causing me to put it in reverse (which worked just fine) to get it out. So, now I stick to about 3-4 sheets at a time and it has not got stuck since then. I also put a couple of old credit cards through it, and it handled them just fine. One nice feature is that it cross-cuts the paper and does not just spit out long strips which can sometimes stick together and leave information visible to anyone with the patience enough to go through it. So, it is nearly impossible to get anything useful from the shredded remains. And, it is a much more cost-efficient option than bringing a bunch of paper to a company that shreds in bulk. It is a good idea to get some of the shredder lubricating sheets as I have found those help keep this in good working order. I definitely recommend this.

Product Review: iRobot Braava Jet 240 Robot Mop

 

I have used this a couple of times in a smaller half-bath/powder room which has tile flooring. I fully admit I hate cleaning floors so the floor had dust bunnies and hair in the corners. So, I went over it with a stick vacuum and then used the dry pad (which is akin to a dry Swiffer duster) and then I used the wet cleaning pad on the mop. Note, that there are three types of pads, wet, damp, and dry. All the pads themselves are actually dry. The damp and wet refers to how much water the unit will spray while cleaning. When the damp pad is connected the unit will spray less water than with the wet pad connected. The robot knows which pad is connected based on holes in the pad attachment that slip into the base of the robot. They look like old-school programming punch cards (for those who are old enough to remember what those were) and based on the configuration of the holes, the robot knows how much, if any, water to spray while cleaning. The robot holds 150 mL of water (so just over half a cup), which is strangely not in the documentation provided with the unit but can be found on the iRobot website. 

The first time I cleaned the bathroom it took quite long. It probably took 30 minutes with the dry pad and another 30 with the wet pad. The second time, just using the wet pad took about 15-20 minutes. After the cleaning cycle, the floor was damp, but not extremely wet. So, the pad did a good job getting up most of the water that was sprayed. How clean it will get your floor will largely depend on how clean you kept it up to the point of using the mop the first time. After the first use of the wet pad, I had to pick up some wet dust/hair clumps that were left on the floor. After the second use, there were almost none of those and the floor was cleaner. So, if you use it once a week or once every two weeks, it seems like it will do a great job keeping the floors clean.

Here are some pros and cons I have noticed after the first couple of uses:

Pros:

1. It is small and can maneuver around tight spaces. It had no problems getting around the back of the toilet and between the toilet and vanity in a small bathroom.

2. The pads are reasonably priced for replacement disposable pads, and there are washable pads available as well, so it ends up being very cost-efficient.

3. The pads can be ejected after you run it by a slide-type button, so you do not have to touch the pad to get it off the unit. Definitely a plus after cleaning a bathroom.

4. It is very light, even with water in it, and has a handle so you can pick it up without touching the bottom.

5. It has a rechargeable battery. While it does not have a docking station that the unit reconnects to and charges from like the more expensive units do, it does have a battery that pops in and out of the unit and plugs into a charging dock (which itself plugs into a regular wall outlet) to charge. It takes a couple of hours for the battery to charge, and when the robot is connected to the app, it has a battery indicator so you know how full the battery is.

Cons:

1. It does not have all the bells and whistles that the higher-priced units have, like a docking station, the ability to schedule times to clean, etc. It does have some "smartness" to it, such as a virtual wall feature that will allow you to set it down and not clean anything behind where the unit starts out, but that is about it. Personally, I just put it toward the back wall of the bathroom and shut the door, and do not bother engaging the virtual wall. It will stop cleaning roughly where it started, so if you do not start it in front of the door, you will be able to open the door when it is done without it blocking the door (if the door swings into the room being cleaned).

2. It does not turn off on its own right away after the cleaning cycle stops. It is just a small point, but it would be nice if it just powered down right away after it stops so it does not waste battery power needlessly.

If I think of any other pros or cons as I use it, I will update the review. But, so far, after just a couple of uses, I really like this, and definitely recommend it, especially if you are not cleaning large areas.

Product Review: Dyson V7 Motorhead Cordless Stick Vacuum

 

I have a multi-level townhome with open stairs that get very dirty and can be a pain to keep clean, especially with a regular vacuum, I have tried other handheld vacuums that just do not have enough power to get the dirt up, especially if I have gone a couple of weeks (or longer) between vacuuming the stairs. This has absolutely solved the issue.

The vacuum comes with a docking station that mounts to the wall, a charger, whose cord mounts in the docking station so it will not get lost and can constantly charge the battery when it is docked, a telescoping tool to allow you to reach up high, a floor tool that allows it to act as a "regular" vacuum, a crevice tool, and a small head that allows for vacuuming the stairs or vents. There are two levels of suction, regular and max. The max setting uses more battery power but will pick up pretty much anything. Even with the floor attachment on it is very lightweight and easy to maneuver up a flight of stairs. The battery comes about twenty percent charged, and it takes a couple of hours to fully charge it the first time. After that, the charging time really depends on how long you use it before putting it back on the docking station. I have used it a few times now and did not fully drain the battery.

There are a few drawbacks. First, the container is very small and fills up quickly. Second, if the rollers on the floor tool get stuck because of hair or other debris, or it gets a clog in any portion, it will not power at all when you pull the trigger. So, it is easy to think that it is broken when it really just needs to be uncloged or unstuck. It is however very easy to empty and you can do it without ever having to touch the dirt and dust. Also, there is no way to lock the trigger in the ON position, you have to constantly hold it down for it to run. So, depending on how much you have to do, your hand may get tired, but it takes less than a minute to do a flight of stairs, and a couple of minutes to do a small area like a front entryway landing, or the like.

While this is not likely a vacuum you would use to do your entire house, especially if you have a lot of floor space to cover, it is perfect to pair with a robotic vacuum to get in places the other cannot go, such as stairs. Aside from the two points I mentioned above, which for me are very minor issues, I have no complaints so far. I will update this review when I need to replace the battery. I know that some people have found that the battery requires replacing (due to the inability to hold a charge) far too quickly, which would cause me to knock it down a couple of stars, but so far I have no complaints.

Product Review: MCombo Electric Power Lift Recliner Chair

 

I bought this for my mom when her old recliner broke. She was having trouble getting out of chairs as she gets older, so wanted a power recliner that would help with getting up. This comes in two large boxes, one with the back/headrest and one of the arms, and the other with the base and the other arm. The box with the base is somewhat heavy (in the neighborhood of 88 pounds) and the other one is very light. The chair itself is very easy to put together. The arms and back just slide into place. The instructions are a little light when it comes to describing how to connect the power components, but it is pretty easy to figure out by looking. There is a power pack that connects to a cord under the chair that then plugs into the wall. That powers the chair itself through the remote (which also connects to a cord under the chair). Then there is a separate power pack that will power the two USB ports in the right side panel of the chair. All in all, it takes about 10-15 minutes to put together.

It is fairly comfortable, although not as comfortable as some of the more plush recliners out there. The only drawback is that using the remote is the only way to get the leg rest up and down. You cannot put it down manually, which makes getting out of the chair quickly a bit difficult, especially if you are fully reclined,a nd could get you stuck if the power goes out or the remote accidentally gets unplugged. That said, for a mid-range priced power recliner it is a very good value. I definitely recommend it.

Product Review: Vanance 9W (80w Equivalent) Smart Light Bulb Multicolor & Dimmable

 

I love these bulbs. It is a bit more expensive than a traditional LED bulb (you get just one for the price you can get a pack of at least two depending on the brand), but once it is set up it is much more useful than a regular bulb. It has a sunrise and sunrise and sunset feature that will automatically dim or illuminate the bulb in the morning and at night. It makes it much easier for your eyes to adjust to the light or the dark. Unlike a bulb in a smart plug that you can set to turn on or off at certain times, it does not blast at full brightness or make the room pitch black immediately. For example, you can set the bulb transition from 0% brightness to 50% brightness in a half hour. Or from 0% to 100% brightness in 10 minutes. You can also schedule timers to just turn the bulb on and off at certain times so they are on when you get home or turn off when you go to work.

They also work with devices like Amazon echo units, so you can turn the bulbs on or off with a voice command. If you have more than one bulb, you can set them as a group in the Alexa app and have all the bulbs in the group turn on or off at one time. They are pretty easy to install, assuming you are pretty good at connecting devices to your Wi-Fi network. You do need to download the Magic Home app and walk through the setup process. One thing to know, you need to have the lamp you plug it into already turned on when you screw the bulb in. Then the bulb will blink which tells you that it is discoverable to your network. If you screw the bulb in, then turn the lamp on, the bulb may not be discoverable by your Wi-Fi network. Once the bulb is set up, you just leave your lamp on and let the bulb turn on and off.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes smart home devices. If you are technophobic though, setting it up will probably make you go mad. Once it is set up, even if you are not all that technologically inclined they are pretty easy to use. And, I have not had an issue with them having to be reset even if my wireless network goes down. They reconnect themselves without a problem. They are definitely worth the price as long as you are willing to handle the setup process.

Product Review: Newness Premium Apple Corer Remover

 

It is great if you want to make baked apples, or some other dish where you do not necessarily want wedges, but want the core removed. 

It is not flimsy at all (which can happen with less expensive kitchen gadgets), is made from quality material, and is easy to use. I am very satisfied with it.

Product Review: Hefty Scented Small Garbage Bags

 

If you have a small or a small-to-medium trash size trash can in an office, bedroom, or bathroom these are a good option. If you have a true medium size trashcan these will likely be too small. Whether they will be a little small or way too small, depends on the size of the can. 

They are not good for square trash cans unless the can is extremely small, but can be used on round cans that border on medium-sized. For example, I have a medium-sized square trash can that cannot fit in at all. I have another medium-sized round can that, while these don't fit it perfectly, will work on it. I also have a small square(ish) can, and these are perfectly sized for it. 

Product Review: Nicetown Blackout Curtains

 

I am one of those who need a room as dark as possible (at least at night) in order to sleep well. The townhouse complex I live in has lampposts that are on all night, one of which is pretty close to my bedroom window. I got the black curtains to block as much light as possible, and these block out nearly all the light coming through which is much better than my old curtains. I would not say they cancel a ton of noise, but they do seem to keep as much of the cold that comes through the windows in the winter from getting all the way into the room. So, they do have some energy efficiency. But, even if you do not care about those aspects if you are just interested in the blackout effect, I definitely recommend these.