marcoscu

XREXS Rechargeable Kitchen Timer Review https://youtu.be/wvWgEk99YhQ More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/22hhm9jz Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: https://marcoscucom.wordpress.com/2024/04/26/xrexs-rechargeable-kitchen-timer/ This is a simple but rather impressive looking kitchen timer. In the box, you receive the timer itself, a USB charging cable and a well written and easy to read user guide. Build quality all seems fine and the device has a premium feel not often found in budget devices such as this one. The LED display takes up all the front panel with the controls in large, well marked and easy to use buttons around the side. On one side is a slider for the power and screen display. There are three screen modes - off, standard brightness, high brightness and power saving (10 second auto off). On the other side is a slider for the alert options - standard audio, loud audio, flashing screen and vibration.Around the top are standard buttons to program the timer along with a timer reset and start/pause buttons. The 7.2 x 11 x 2 150g cm unit contains a 1000mAh lithium which is charged through the USB-C port on the side with a status LED confirming charging. The LED screen also has a battery status icon to alert you when charging is needed. The timer will still function when charging. Like all kitchen timers, this one can count up and down and give audio and visual alarms after a preset period. The blue LED display is large, vibrant and easy to see even in a bright and well lit kitchen. At first, I was surprised that the unit did not also function as a clock, but on balance, I think that keeping things simple is the best way and that it would be a mistake to complicate things by offering non timer related options. Operating it is as simple as you might expect. When the front panel display is set to zero, pressing the start/stop buttons begins the timer counting upward. To count down, press the rest button to zero the display and then use the hour, minute and second buttons to input the period you want to a maximum of 9 hours, 59 minutes 59 seconds. Long press unit buttons to fast scroll the time. The side buttons are used to select the display and alert options you require. The device is easy to use with a minimal learning curve and works perfectly every time. Currently discounted to £11.69 on Amazon, if you need an easy to use, easy to see timer that looks a cut above the rest, then this would be a great buy. Music: YouTube Audio Library: Beckoning - Telecasted

AliExpress WH-1000XM5 Bluetooth Headphones Review https://youtu.be/w-nz5b0ZOjo More Info and Purchase: https://www.aliexpress.com/ Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: https://marcoscucom.wordpress.com/2024/04/23/aliexpress-wh-1000xm5-bluetooth-headphones/ I bought the AliExpress "WH-1000XM5 Wireless Headphone" for just £8.64p with free shipping, the Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones, which they very closely resemble, are priced at £319 on the Sony UK website. As with many products on AliExpress they are widely available from many sellers at a range of prices. In the box, I received the headset itself, a short charging lead and a very small user guide. The headphones are lightweight but otherwise seem reasonably well made and don't look particularly cheap and nasty. The earcups and headband are quite nicely padded with a protective film over the earcup speaker grills. There is no apparent distinction between left and right earcups but one has a standard audio input port, USB-C charging port and buttons for Calls/Vol/Track Up and down, Bluetooth On/Off and another button which changes the language of the spoken alerts from English to Chinese and also invokes the phone's digital assistant. Unlike with the Sony original there are no earcup touch controls. The spoken alerts are clear and easy to understand in good English. Charging takes around two hours and uses a USB-C port. An LED confirms charging and this is also used to indicate Bluetooth 5.2 pairing mode, which is fast and with spoken alerts to confirm the connection and power status. One charge will give me around a day of normal Bluetooth use. The audio quality is OK it's fairly good considering the price with a decent level of bass, and clear and well defined mid tones but a high end which is rather muffled and indistinct. I also noticed some clipping and distortion at high volume levels. All in all, for the price the sound is pretty good. The microphone works pretty well and the headset does a reasonable job of call handling. So this is certainly no Sony WH-1000XM5. There is no noise reduction, and other high end features are neither present nor claimed. The build quality, although OK, is by no means premium and the presentation is anything but high end. Their is no carry case or fancy box included and the packaging is distinctly low end. What you get is a decent quality pair of Bluetooth headphones with pretty good but not great audio quality. You may have to move quickly to pick these up as AliExpress fakes seem to vanish instantly and at once from the marketplace when copyright claims are made. They may also be available on Temu, Wish, and other Chinese marketplace websites. The Good Great Price Decent Audio Quality Microphone Bluetooth 5.2 Spoken Alerts Digital Assistant Ready The Bad No Noise Reduction No Touch Controls Poor Presentation Lightweight Build Quality No Audio Cable Music: YouTube Audio Library: Unicorn Heads:My Train's A Comin'

AliExpress 1000w 990 Million Lumens Flashlightt Review https://youtu.be/pS5VoyYtLYI More Info and Purchase: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005807745843.html Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: You never really know what you are going to get when you buy from AliExpress, I have had some bargains and been ripped off a few times but one thing is for sure, never believe the description or review for the products. This flashlight is a good example as it is an excellent product available for a good price but fails to meet the outlandish claims made for it. According to the product description this torch outputs 1000W LED and 990000000LM and is visible at 1500m range! Elsewhere in the description, more modest claims are made that the light output is a more modest and believable 4200Lux. I do have to say here that this is the largest and perhaps the most powerful torch I have yet reviewed. I paid ￡23.47 but it is widely available on AliExpress from a range of sellers for as little as £15. In the plain unbranded white box, I received the torch itself, a very short USB-C charging cable and a shoulder strap. No instructions or information sheet was included. The torch is impressively large at about 265mm in length with a maximum front diameter of 72mm. The body is largely made of plastic with the front lens assembly section made from aluminium alloy. Midway down, is a gromett protected bay containing the USB-C charging port and the USB A power out port – yes, the flashlight is also a power bank. On the other side is the single control button with an LED display around it confirming charging and operation status. On the rear is the large COB light controlled by the same button. Long press the button to activate the COB light, and short press to scroll through the three lighting levels of the main torch and the SOS strobe light. There are lugs front and rear to connect the supplied shoulder strap. The torch claims to be IP68 waterproof and this may well be true. Rotate the front of the lens section to focus the light beam and push/pull to zoom the beam. The torch is much lighter than I expected due to the plastic body but the lens assembly section feels more robust and better made. Unlike many torches, this cannot be disassembled to access the batteries but there are claimed to be three rechargeable 500mAh batteries inside. The front lens can be removed but this does not give access to the battery area. In general build quality seems OK but my torch does rattle and something is clearly loose inside although the torch seems to be working fine. Some buyers on AliExpress claim theirs arrived damaged or not working. Charging is fast and easy with an LED display confirming the charging status. The internal battery is supposed to be 1500mAh and I have no reason to doubt this. There is a USB A output port to allow the torch to work as a power bank and this it does. and although not particularly fast it will allow you to charge or top up your phone or other device. The performance of the torch is better than I expected and although nowhere near that claimed it is very powerful indeed, perhaps the most powerful I have yet tested. The focusable and zooming lens allows it to emit a tight narrow beam of light that looks like a searchlight when projected into the night sky. As you would expect there is fringe distortion when the beam is tightly focused but not enough to detract from its effectiveness. When zoomed out the beam is wide enough to fully cover the room from a short distance. I have to say the output from this budget torch is very impressive indeed. For the price, this is a remarkable buy. There are a few negatives to be aware of but if you want a large and powerful torch at a budget price, then this could be a great buy. The Good Very Powerful USB-C Rechargeable Zooming Lens Focusable Lens Power Bank Wide Angle Lens Shoulder Strap The Bad Large Size Dodgy Build Quality No Battery Access No User Guide Great Price Music: YouTube Audio Library: Mulholland - King Canyon

AliExpress GT4 Pro Smartwatch Review https://youtu.be/D7wQe4Rm6g4 More Info and Purchase: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006068800507.html Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: https://marcoscucom.wordpress.com/2024/04/14/aliexpress-gt4-smartwatch/ The HUAWEI GT4 is a high quality premium grade smartwatch currently priced at around £230 on Amazon. The AliExpress GT4 smartwatch - which very closely resembles the expensive original - is widely available across AliExpress from multiple sellers at a range of prices. The one I am looking at today cost me £20.93 including shipping. The AliExpress watch has a 1.53" 360x 360 display, a stainless steel body, a stainless steel body and a 300mAh battery with wireless charging. The product page claims a wide range of features for it including GPS, NFC, notifications, wireless charging, Blood pressure, SP02, sleep and heart rate tracking, Bluetooth calling, music control, camera control, and multiple sports tracking. How many of these features are actually present and working? In the box are the watch, silicon strap, charging cable and a User Guide in English. The presentation is OK but far from premium grade, the box is low to mid market but attractive enough with some thought given to the design. I was very surprised by the build quality. The watch body feels weighty and substantial with a classy and impressive screen apparent even before switching the thing on. The watch strap is silicone with a simple traditional style metal buckle but does not feel cheap or low end. So far, as regards the hardware, I would genuinely think this was a premium product. Things start to change when looking at the magnetic charger which is lightweight and seems cheaply made The user guide too is not good, being poorly written, badly printed and hard to read but does contain all the instructions needed to use the watch. The magnetic charger works well enough but the magnetic connection is not very strong and it is prone to falling off. I found that I could get two to three days of normal use from a full charge. Turning the watch on for the first time I have to say I was very impressed by the display, which is bright colourful and detailed and would not be out of place on a high end watch and, I think, superior to that of my usual Amazfit smartwatch. The watch paired easily to my phone running the required RDFit app. and I was pleased to see it immediately downloaded and installed a firmware update. The phone link seems pretty stable and I have not yet needed to manually reconnect. The RDFit app covers most of the claimed health tracking modes, although not all are fully supported by the watch. The app is reasonably well designed and easy to navigate, although good eyes are required to read the tiny lettering and often hard to read lettering. A large number of free watchfaces can be downloaded through the app onto the watch but many of them are very similar to each other and not well designed. The watch comes with 5 built-in watch faces which cannot be changed and one custom watch face which can either be downloaded or designed inside the app from your own original photo. For some reason, I have noticed that the active watch faces do seem to cycle of their own accord. The watch interface is simple and easy to navigate reacts instantly and rapidly to touch and is fast, responsive and lag free in use. Again, this could be the screen of a high end smartwatch. From the home screen swipe down to access a shortcut screen with links to important control features, scroll up to view current app notifications, scroll left to view principal app screens (music control, steps, sleep), and scroll right to see widgets for weather, music control, exercise, sleep analysis, heart rate, blood pressure, SP02 and buttons for the four most used apps. The functions of the top button can be defined inside the watch settings app and I have mine configured so that a single press gives the installed apps which can be scrolled through either by touch or rotating of the top button, a double press opens the stopwatch, a long press opens the sports menu. The lower button returns to the home screen, turns off the display and gives an option to power off the watch. The watch monitors these parameters: Steps. Distance, Calories, Sleep, Heart Rate, SO02, Blood Pressure GPS route tracking and NFC. It also shows weather, phone notifications, breathing mode, phone music and camera controls. Let’s look in more detail at watch the watch can do NFC - It may do something since they seem to keep mentioning it, but it will not work in any way I am familiar with and cannot be used for card purchases or to interact in any way I can find with the phone. GPS - There is no onboard GPS but it will offer connected GPS using your phone. The GPS takes a few seconds to sync but there is an onscreen progress bar to take the guesswork out of it. To my surprise, after an exercise session, the full GPS track is shown in the app along with calories used, pace, heart rate graph etc. I checked the GPS track on the onscreen map and it seems reasonably accurate. Steps – The step counter works but with results different from my usual watch . Distance – This works OK and uses the phone GPS but gives acceptably accurate results. Calories – The app calculates this and is probably no more accurate or otherwise than any other, as I have doubts about them all. However, it does seem consistent and is probably good for showing a day on day usage. Sleep – This seems to work and mirrors pretty much the same feature on my Amazfit watch although in less (unneeded) detail. Heart Rate – The heart rate monitor seems pretty accurate and will poll automatically 24/7 in the background although less frequently than my usual watch. Spot readings can also be taken. Blood Pressure Monitor - This attempts to work but, as with every other watch BP monitor I have tried is so inaccurate as to be useless. SP02 Monitor - It seems to work and is reasonably accurate. Music Controls – Yes, this works well and seems to recognise most audio phone apps. You cannot store music on the watch itself but only control playback from the attached phone. Phone Notifications – Yes, these work, and are large and easy to read although do not identify the app used. Siri/Android Assistant: open the watch. tap the screen and speak, audible reply comes through watch speaker Phone calls - Works and you can initiate and answer a call from the watch. Callers voice comes through the watch speaker. SMS Message - Yes, they can be read on the watch screen Lost Phone/Watch Alert – Yes, this works well and is noisy and hard to overlook. Do Not Disturb – You can define a start and stop time and it works just fine. Sedentary Reminder – yes, this seems to work. Weather – Yes, this works too but is very bare-bones. Watch Faces – A small selection can be made from within the watch and others can be downloaded using the app, either way, is a simple process. So this is no Apple Watch, but it is certainly no cheap throwaway item. The hardware seems premium quality with a screen that is bright, clear, fast and responsive. On your wrist, this really does look like a £250 watch. It has all the basics that you may need but many high end features are missing and some of those claimed are not present or do not work correctly. A good number of apps are included but no third party ones such as Facebook, Instagram etc. There is no onboard GPS or NFC and some of the tracking apps, such as for sleep, are rather basic. Physically this watch looks very much like the HUAWEI GT4 but lacks the high end features and of course, will not work with the native HUAWEI apps. This is no HUAWEI although it does look pretty much as good on the wrist. This is a great buy for the price. If you need a well made, and easy to use smartwatch, that performs the basic features OK and looks fantastic then this is for you. If you want a simple sports tracking watch then this is for you too. For the crazy £20 price this is a great buy but don't expect a HUAWEI. Music: YouTube Audio Library: Dove Love - Quincas Moreira

XREXS Red 17 Inch Bluetooth Digital Wall Clock Review https://youtu.be/R1UOYiuJYqc More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/2y7kkwxo Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: This is a large, remote controlled, mains powered wall clock with a big bright red LED display, 17 inches across it also works as a timer, a thermometer, and as an alarm clock with three alarm modes and a range of loud, annoying but very effective alert tones. The clock is also available with a blue display. The clock comes with a full sized remote control used to configure the clock and set the time which can also be done using the control buttons on the clock itself. The time can also be set automatically over Bluetooth. In the attractive box, you get the clock itself, a power cable with a standard UK plug, a full sized remote control, and a well written and easy to read user guide. The clock is all plastic but the build quality and design both seem fine to me. The clock can be wall mounted using the handy enclosed template, or self supporting using the fold out kickstand at the rear. The 42 x 14.5 x 2.5 cm, 0.88 kg clock is nice and simple to use with a large, bright, clear LED front panel display, 12.3 cm high contrast digits, and a range of big clicky buttons on the back to set the time, alarm times and 5-stage brightness. The clock has two AAA backup batteries preinstalled but is powered through the port behind the rear flap where excess cable can also be stored. The backup batteries are to preserve data only and cannot power the display. It comes with a well printed and easy to read user guide and a 2m power cable with a hard wired UK plug. The clock has three basic operating modes: clock, alarm clock and timer. The timers can be operated separately and can count up or down, as required. The maximum timer length is 29 hr 59 min 59 sec with a 90 second ending alert. The alert sound for the three mode alarm clock and timer can be selected from the three sounds available. A nine minute snooze feature is available for heavy sleepers in all alarm clock modes. The clock can also be set to sound an hourly chime. The clock features auto brightness dimming as well as manual brightness control and this along with other features such as 12/24 hour formats, and C/F selectable temperature mode, can be set on the rear panel or using the full sized remote control. Using the remote control you can fully control the clock even when it is mounted up on the wall. On the top right of the clock display is a Bluetooth pairing indicator. The clock will enter Bluetooth pairing mode when first powered on or when the Bluetooth button (centre, top) is pressed for three seconds on the remote control. The clock will then automatically sync the time with any previously paired smartphone. On first use, when the Bluetooth indicator is shown on the clock, pair your Bluetooth phone to 'LED Clock' and the time will be synced as soon as the connection is made. There is no need to install a special app on your phone. So this is a big in your face clock that’s got loads of functions and is simple and easy to use. I think it is a pretty good buy for the pre-discount Amazon price of £41.99 The Good Bluetooth Time Syncing Remote Control Bright display Auto/Manual Dimming Easy to configure 3 Alarms Good Audio Quality Good User Guide The Bad No Smart Control No Battery Power Option Music: YouTube Audio Library: Brisket Taco - Cumbia Deli

XREXS Blue 17 Inch Bluetooth Digital Wall Clock Review https://youtu.be/qThGQLZtXyM More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/29gsxofc Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: https://marcoscucom.wordpress.com/2024/04/11/xrexs-17-inch-blue-display-bluetooth-digital-wall-clock/ This is a large, remote controlled, mains powered wall clock with a big bright blue LED display, 17 inches across it also works as a timer, a thermometer, and as an alarm clock with three alarm modes and a range of loud, annoying but very effective alert tones. The clock is also available in red. The clock comes with a full sized remote control used to configure the clock and set the time which can also be done using the control buttons on the clock itself. The time can also be set automatically over Bluetooth. In the attractive box, you get the clock itself, a power cable with a standard UK plug, a full sized remote control, and a well written and easy to read user guide. The clock is all plastic but the build quality and design both seem fine to me. The clock can be wall mounted using the handy enclosed template, or self supporting using the fold out kickstand at the rear. The 42 x 14.5 x 2.5 cm, 0.88 kg clock is nice and simple to use with a large, bright, clear LED front panel display, 12.3 cm high contrast digits, and a range of big clicky buttons on the back to set the time, alarm times and 5-stage brightness. The clock has two AAA backup batteries preinstalled but is powered through the port behind the rear flap where excess cable can also be stored. The backup batteries are to preserve data only and cannot power the display. It comes with a well printed and easy to read user guide and a 2m power cable with a hard wired UK plug. The clock has three basic operating modes: clock, alarm clock and timer. The timers can be operated separately and can count up or down, as required. The maximum timer length is 29 hr 59 min 59 sec with a 90 second ending alert. The alert sound for the three mode alarm clock and timer can be selected from the three sounds available. A nine minute snooze feature is available for heavy sleepers in all alarm clock modes. The clock can also be set to sound an hourly chime. The clock features auto brightness dimming as well as manual brightness control and this along with other features such as 12/24 hour formats, and C/F selectable temperature mode, can be set on the rear panel or using the full sized remote control. Using the remote control you can fully control the clock even when it is mounted up on the wall. On the top right of the clock display is a Bluetooth pairing indicator. The clock will enter Bluetooth pairing mode when first powered on or when the Bluetooth button (centre, top) is pressed for three seconds on the remote control. The clock will then automatically sync the time with any previously paired smartphone. On first use, when the Bluetooth indicator is shown on the clock, pair your Bluetooth phone to 'LED Clock' and the time will be synced as soon as the connection is made. There is no need to install a special app on your phone. So this is a big in your face clock that’s got loads of functions and is simple and easy to use. I think it is a pretty good buy for the pre-discount Amazon price of £41.99 The Good Bluetooth Time Syncing Remote Control Bright display Auto/Manual Dimming Easy to configure 3 Alarms 25 Alarm Tones Good Audio Quality Good User Guide The Bad No Smart Control No Battery Power Option Music: YouTube Audio Library: Lazy Laura - Quincas Moreira

SALA X-Large 12 Pack ShoeStorage Box Set Review https://youtu.be/cbY0CJbCUaE More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/2bwhfn7v Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: What we have here is a lightweight modular storage set consisting of twelve transparent boxes with front opening magnetic door flaps. The assembled 25 x 33.5 x 18.5 cm storage boxes can be stacked horizontally and vertically and can be locked together. The kit arrives dissembled and flat-packed in a large box. Inside you will find the twelve folded transparent casings, door rear panels and additional plastic strips required for horizontal box locking. A well written user guide is included but the best assembly instruction comes from the short video found on the Amazon product page. To assemble each box, first fold the seams of the box casing until it forms the rectangular shape of the box, then fold the small projecting flaps on the casing inwards to allow them to lock in place when the casing edges are fitted into the edging slots of the rear panel. A loud click will be heard when the casing flaps lock in place. Then fit the front panel in the same way. Be sure to have the connector pins on the front and back box ends on the same side of the box to allow them to be stacked together correctly later. This is easier to perform than to explain and examining each box set shows how it is done. The first box I assembled took ages because I tried too hard and attempted to force the casing flaps into the edge slots, the best way is to just position the casing and allow the flaps to connect in their own time. The assembly time got quicker with each box and by the end, it was taking just a minute or so. Once assembled they cannot easily be disassembled so just be patient and do not rush. When the boxes are all assembled they can be locked together using the connector pins on the boxes - it now becomes important that the boxes were assembled correctly to allow the pins to connect vertically. A set of plastic straps is included to connect the boxes horizontally. The boxes are perhaps primarily designed for shoe storage, with each box being able to hold shoes up to UK size 11, but in fact, any suitable object can stored inside. Priced at 32.99 for the set, this is an inexpensive and attractive way to store and display your shoe collection or other precious items. Music: YouTube Audio Library: Silent Partner - 7th Floor Tango

XREXS Drain Buster Unblocker Plunger Review https://youtu.be/1ajB5gYrXsc More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/ykfox69v Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: https://marcoscucom.wordpress.com/2024/04/05/xrexs-drain-buster-plunger/ We have all used plungers before to clear sink or drain blockages and this one does the same job only better. Traditional plungers just use the air in the plunger bell to clear the blockage but this new drain clearer from XREXS incorporates a pump, like an old style bicycle or stirrup pump, to force larger amounts of air under higher pressure down the drain to remove the blockage. In the box you receive the pump, a drain clearing head, a toilet clearing head, a storage bag, and a user guide. Fully extended the drain cleaner is 64 cm in length with a 30 cm body. The toilet head is 17 x 7cm in size and the drain head is 6.4 cm in diameter. Build quality is all excellent, and nothing seems likely to fail or fall off anytime soon, my only criticism is that the storage bag is made from cloth, I think that plastic might have been a better choice. If the toilet head attachment has been folded or squashed during the shipping process, then before first use, immerse it in hot water and press the cup downwards and it will return to the correct shape. Operation is perfectly simple. Attach the small head for use with a sink or bath or the larger head when clearing a toilet. With the pluger handle fully depressed push the head onto the toilet or sink drain hole and form a seal. Add water to cover the plunger head and then, pressing down firmly, operate the pump handle, be sure to always maintain the seal over the drain hole. That really is all there is to it. This is like a normal sink plunger on steroids and will clear the blockages too impacted for traditional plungers to shift. Not a bad buy for just the current Amazon discount price of just £9.99. Music: YouTube Audio Library: Time Slips By - Go By Ocean _ Ryan McCaffrey

REXS 14 Inch Digital Wall Clock Review https://youtu.be/MGhIsOiT50o More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/yspnftf2 Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: This is a large, battery powered wall clock with a big clear display, 14.17 inches across. It also works as a timer, a thermometer, and an alarm clock with three alarm modes and a loud, annoying, but very effective alert tone. The clock is available in black or white casing and in 14” or 18” sizes. All you need is in the box, and in the attractive box, you get the clock itself, a wall mounting template, a full set of batteries and backup batteries and a well written and easy to read user guide. The clock is all plastic but the build quality and design both seem fine to me. The 36W x 14.8H cm, 800g clock is nice and simple to use with a large, bright, clear non backlit LCD front panel display, and a range of big clicky buttons on the back to set the time, alarm times and timer. The clock has two AAA backup batteries preinstalled and 4 AA batteries for the main display. The backup batteries are to preserve data only and cannot power the display. The clock can be wall mounted using the handy template supplied and has a built-in kickstand for off wall use The clock has three basic operating modes: clock, alarm clock and timer. The timer can be operated separately and can count up or down, as required. The maximum timer length is 29 hr 59 min 59 sec with a 90 second audible alert. A 5 minute snooze feature is available for heavy sleepers in all alarm clock modes. The clock features such as 12/24 hour formats, and temperature mode, can be set on the large rear panel which can be accessed even when the clock is wall mounted. Perhaps the main feature of this clock is the lack of trailing cables when wall mounted, and in fact this is perhaps the largest battery powered wall clock I have yet tried So this is a big in your face clock that’s got loads of functions and is simple and easy to use. I think it is a pretty good buy for the pre-discount Amazon price of £29.59. The Good Easy to configure 3 Alarms Timer Audio Alarm Tone Good Audio Quality Good User Guide No Trailing Cables Batteries Included The Bad No Mains Power Option No Smart Control Music: YouTube Audio Library: Woodshedder - Quincas Moreira

LETOUR Solar Camping Light Review https://youtu.be/RsS5YEI0NtQ More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/yrttx3b6 Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: This new remote controlled combined solar powered camping lamp and power bank from LETOUR is simple but versatile with a good long running time coupled with an unusual design and multiple features. In the box, you get the lamp, remote control, and a USB charging cable. No user guide is included and none is needed. The build quality of the plastic bodied lamp is lightweight but it’s IP45 water and dust resistant and seems well made and built to last. The 16 x 10 cm, 264g lamp has a solar panel on the top with above it the flexible plastic hanging hook which is adjustable and can be folded into the body of the lamp when not needed. Below the panel is a small recessed grommet protected bay housing the micro-USB power in port and the USB A output port. Next to it is the 4 LED battery status light and below it the single operating button. Short press the button to scroll through the lighting modes - three brightness levels plus fast and slow SOS patterns. The 42 LED 2000 lumens lamp is rechargeable with a 6-hour charge of the 2200mAh battery giving up to 8 hours of light depending on the lighting mode used. The lamp can also be used as an emergency power bank by connecting your phone or other rechargeable device to the USB-A port. A fully charged battery should allow you to charge a mid range phone or top up a power hungry high end device. Power bank charging speeds are not fast but it will get the job done in the end. The credit card sized remote control is lightweight but is non generic and designed for this unit with buttons for On, Off, SOS, and each brightness level. It works well, gets the job done, and will save having to traverse the campsite at night to control the lamp. The light is IP45 waterproof, can be safely used outside and should be fine in normal levels of rain but in the event of a downpour bring it inside to be on the safe side. Using the hanging hook it should be good for in tent use with the remote control allowing it to be easily controlled when in your sleeping bag. Priced at just £8.39 before discounts, this would be a pretty good buy as a camping, travel or emergency light and power bank. The Good Light Weight Compact Size 5 Lighting Modes Remote Control USB-C Charging The Bad Dated Micro USB Port Music: YouTube Audio Library: Time Slips By - Go By Ocean _ Ryan McCaffrey

XREXS 16.5 Inch Digital Wall Clock Review https://youtu.be/4aa7-Bn6XeY More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/yo93x72s Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: This is a large, remote controlled, mains powered wall clock with a big bright display, 16.5 inches across it also works as a timer, a thermometer, and as an alarm clock with three alarm modes and a range of loud, annoying but very effective alert tones. The clock is available in five display colours and five sizes. Mine is the Large sized Ice Blue display model. In the attractive box, you get the clock itself, a power cable with a standard UK plug, a full sized remote control, and a well written and easy to read user guide. The clock is all plastic but the build quality and design both seem fine to me. The 41.91 x 14.47 x 2.48 cm, 0.88 kg clock is nice and simple to use with a large, bright, clear LED front panel display, 4.84 inch high digits, and a range of big clicky buttons on the back to set the time, alarm times and 4-stage brightness. The clock has two AAA backup batteries preinstalled but is powered through the port behind the rear flap and features a useful post to wrap the excess battery cable around. The batteries are to preserve data only and cannot power the display. It comes with a well printed and easy to read user guide and a good length power cable with a hard wired UK plug. The clock has three basic operating modes: clock, alarm clock and timer. The timers can be operated separately and can count up or down, as required. The maximum timer length is 29 hr 59 min 59 sec with a 90 second ending alert. The alert sound for the three mode alarm clock and timer can be selected from the range of sounds available, including music, beep alerts and nature sounds. A five minute snooze feature is available for heavy sleepers in all alarm clock modes. The clock features auto brightness dimming as well as manual brightness control and this along with other features such as 12/24 hour formats, and C/F selectable temperature mode, can be set on the rear panel or using the full sized remote control. Using the remote control you can fully control the clock even when it is mounted up on the wall. So this is a big in your face clock that’s got loads of functions and is simple and easy to use. I think it is a pretty good buy for the pre-discount Amazon price of £33.99. The Good Remote Control Bright display Auto/Manual Dimming Easy to configure 3 Alarms 25 Alarm Tones Good Audio Quality Good User Guide The Bad No Smart Control No Battery Power Option Music: YouTube Audio Library: Too Late Now - Go By Ocean _ Ryan McCaffrey

JJC TP-S1 Sony Camera Shooting Grip Review https://youtu.be/fSdl6qPIBDM More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/yudr9p7q Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: Having just bought a Sony ZV-E10 camera, I was tempted by the official Sony GP-VPT2BT but changed my mind when I saw the £144 price tag. I looked around for alternatives and there were several but this one was the cheapest but for just £44 could it be any good? This handgrip works with the following cameras: Sony ZV-1, ZV-1 II, ZV-E1, ZV-E10, ZV-1F, a6100 a6400 a6600 a6700, a1, a7 III, a7 IV, a7C, A7C II, A7C R, a7S III, a7R III, a7R IV, a7R V, a7R4A, a7R3A, a9, a9 II, a9 III, FX3, FX30, DSC-RX0 II, DSC-RX100 VII. The packaging and presentation are rather low end and in the box, you receive the Grip, CR202 battery, wrist strap, and a user guide. The box and Amazon listing says the device is the TP-S1 but for some reason, the user guide calls it the BTR-S1. The build quality is OK but lacks the premium feel of a high end device, but that is perhaps to be expected for the price. The 46 x 193 x 40 mm grip attaches to the tripod mount on the underside of the camera with a thumbwheel giving a secure tight fit. The grip opens up to form a non-extendable mini tripod with a detachable Bluetooth LE remote control built into one leg. The tripod is stable enough with the ZV-E10 kit lens fitted but less so when a longer or heavier lens is installed. Press the large button on the hinge below the thumbwheel to allow the camera to tilt 180° front or back. Press the rectangular button on the rear of the grip just above the tripod legs to rotate the head a full 360°. The head tilt and pan operation is smooth, slick and easy to use. The remote control is powered by a CR2032 watch style battery which should last a good length of time although I would have rather had a rechargeable battery. The proper clicky buttons on the remote are well laid out and easy to find by touch or eye. On the front face are buttons for focus/zoom, with below a large button to start/stop video or stills image taking (lightly press to obtain focus, fully press to take an image). Below these are buttons mirroring the camera's Autofocus and C1 buttons, the function of both buttons can be defined in the camera settings. On the top left of the front face is a handy status LED. On one side of the remote is a lock/unlock switch to prevent accidental operation and on the other side turret switches to select movie/stills mode and zoom/focus operation. The selection made will determine the way the main and top two buttons operate. I have to say it all works well enough. I have had no Bluetooth issues and all the buttons work reliably every time. I like the way that the remote control is detachable and the LED confirms the Bluetooth connection. On the negative side, I have to say I do not like the cheap feel of this unit, although this does not affect the way it works. Some users have reported that the legs do not fully close to form the handpiece of the grip, but I have to say my one seems OK. On balance, I am very happy with my purchase with the only drawbacks being the cheap feel and poor presentation of the product. Music: YouTube Audio Library: Unicorn Heads: Town_of_24_Bars

XREXS Electronic Whistle Alarm Review https://youtu.be/nKIn7ufh_UU More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/26qzqny4 Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: This is an electronic noise alarm which offers a choice of three electronic alert sounds, all very loud and impossible to ignore. The design is sports orientated with a lanyard attached to allow it to be hung around the neck when not in use. It would be perfect for a referee, teacher, or anyone needing to gain attention in an outdoor space very quickly. In the box, you receive the alarm itself with a lanyard string attached, 4 CR2032 batteries (installed), a tiny reset pin, a carry bag and a short and rather unnecessary user guide. Build quality is lightweight but acceptable for the £11.69 pre-discount price, The alarm is 5.35 inches long by 1.54 inches across and although quite lightweight at around 75g, it sits nicely in the hand and feels quite substantial. On the front is the speaker opening, on the top is the alert sound On/Off button, on the side is a small turret switch to select power on and three alert sound options. The alert tones vary from a shrill screech to an electronic burble but all are very loud and impossible to ignore and almost painful to the ear when used indoors or at close range. In fact it can get as loud as 125dB +/-5dB., which is VERY loud. This is an excellent device and useful to teachers and referees everywhere. My only criticism is the use of watch button CR2032 batteries, the device is large enough to accommodate the more powerful and easier to find AAA style, or better still, a built-in rechargeable. That said, for the price, this is an excellent buy and with it, your days of being bored are behind you. Music: YouTube Audio Library: Clover 3 - Vibe Mountain

JYJZPB NP-FW50 Battery Charger Set Review https://youtu.be/SGEFBudEcnc More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/2y48p7yq Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: https://marcoscucom.wordpress.com/2024/04/20/jyjzpb-sony-zv-e10-battery-charger-set/ Having recently bought a Sony ZV-E10 camera, although otherwise delighted with it, I have been less than impressed by the battery life, and so additional batteries needed to be obtained. original Sony NP-FW50 are fearsomely expensive but there is a wide choice of alternatives out there. This set comprising a charger and two batteries seemed a pretty good buy. I should say that the identical product is available under a range of brand names from AliExpress for £10 less than the Amazon price of £35.99 but the longer shipping time and possible problems with returning it made me select Amazon despite the higher price. As well as my Sony ZV-E10 it also supports batteries compatible for Sony Alpha A6000 A6400 A6500 A6300 A6100 ZV-E10 A7 A7II A7RII A7SII A7S A7S2 A7R A7R2 A5100. In the box I received the charger, two batteries, and a USB-C charging cable, no user guide or product specifications were included, which was a pity. The build quality seems fine, although the 35.6 x 38.1 x 9.4 cm case was lighter in weight than I was expecting at just 280g. The case seems well made and attractively designed with the two batteries clicking into custom slots to charge and for storage and once in place they will not fall out or work loose. In the lid is a metal storage bay capable of holding two full sized SD cards, there is something is something of a learning curve in mastering the art of opening the bay, but once clicked shut, the cards are not going to fall out. On the front of the case are four LEDs, to show which batteries are currently either charging or being used to charge an external device. On the side are USB-C and Micro-USB power in ports and a single USB A power out port. Looking at the two batteries, branded JYJZPB and rated at 7.4V 1300mAh, they seem functionality identical to the Sony originals and for me at least work just as well. Charging is simple and obvious, Just insert one or both batteries and they will begin charging as soon as the unit is connected to a USB power source. It takes about two hours to fully charge one or both batteries from flat. The LEDs on the case will glow red to show which batteries are being charged, but there is no indication of the current charge held. The Amazon listing shows the device working as a power bank charging an external device and I assumed that the unit had an internal battery for that purpose and to charge the camera batteries. No, the unit uses the camera batteries as the power source with blue status LEDs showing which of the two batteries are being used and with a maximum output of 10w. Take note that the device supports Android only and cannot be used to charge iPhones. So there it is. This is a neat and well designed device that will charge and store your camera batteries and house your spare SD cards. It works well and gets the job done for a price that will not break the bank. Music: YouTube Audio Library: Last Train to Mars - Dan Lebowitz

Aptkdoe BK01 Wireless Earbuds Review https://youtu.be/c7x_jHWRVh4 More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/2a34my5r Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: It is has been a while since I reviewed a bad set of earbuds and I am not going to start today. Technology has moved on and gone are the days of drop outs, thin sound and flimsy construction. This one is no exception and is a perfectly good if rather unexciting new entry into a very busy marketplace. The main difference between this an the last almost identical headset I reviewed from Aptkdoe is the increased battery size and music play time available. All the latest boxes are ticked – Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C charging, IP7 water resistant. This set in addition is robust, well made and unlike many of the rivals fairly easy to remove from the magnetic case. In the box, you receive the wireless earbuds, charging case, charging cable, spare gels and a well printed and easy to read User Guide. Despite the light weight, everything has a quality feel to it but without the flimsiness of some rivals. I am not usually a fan of the AirPod style stem design but it usually does make for superior sound quality, more secure fitting and easier handlinmg.This new headset is compact in size, both the buds and case, with a glossy black finish that is otherwise similar in design to the many rivals out there. There was a time when you had to pay plenty to get decent quality True Wireless Earbuds but the introduction of Bluetooth 5.0 seems to have changed all that. Before Bluetooth 5.0 all but the most expensive TW earbuds would continually drop out, crackle, pop and generally prove more trouble than they were worth. The earbuds use the very latest Bluetooth 5.3 technology which is supported by the latest high-end smartphones but of course, they will also work with older Bluetooth devices. Bluetooth 5 adds a longer range of up to 15m and greatly improves both the stability of the wireless connection and battery life. First time pairing could not be simpler and took just a few seconds. Simply remove the two buds from the case and pair them in the usual way to your phone looking for the name ‘BK01’. Subsequently, taking the buds from the case powers them on, and they connect to each other and to the phone automatically, returning them to the case turns them off and begins charging. You should get at least 8 hours of music time from each 90 minute bud charge and up to 48 hours in total from a fully charged case, which also takes just 90 minutes to charge. There is a small but useful LED display on the case that shows you both the case and bud charging status. These stem format buds are easy to remove from the magnetic case and holding them by the stem prevents accidental button presses, for me a major selling point. The buds are small, neat and comfortable to wear even up to the full 8 hours of music per charge. Sound quality is excellent for a TW headset with a very decent level of bass together with clean mid-tones and a sibilance free high end. Calls were clear to hear and easy to make, perhaps due to onboard ENC mic noise reduction. I found call quality to be fine at each end of the conversation with no dropouts or excessive background noise. Each bud has a single soft touch button on it which can be used to end/reject calls, play/pause music, navigate tracks, alter volume and invoke your phone’s voice assistant. The buds can be used as a stereo pair but can also operate individually. The buds are IPX7 water resistant rating and should be fine in the rain or at the beach but not for swimming. Currently available for £19.99 before discounts, they are incredibly well priced for the technology available, indeed this headset compares very well with the high-end rivals I have tried as regards sound quality and features. If you want a pair of good quality, good sounding true wireless earbuds at a budget price then I doubt you would find much better than these. The Good Lightweight Comfortable Good Audio Quality Good Build Quality Auto On/Off Bluetooth 5.3 Magnetic Case IP7 Waterproof The Bad No Dual Device Pairing Music: YouTube Audio Library: Too Late Now - Go By Ocean _ Ryan McCaffrey

ULBTER Sony ZV-E10 Screen Protector Set Review https://youtu.be/RH5wCXpRek8 More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/26v943ul Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: I have to say that this screen protection kit for the Sony ZV-E10 camera is a cut above the rest and I think a real bargain for just £7.49 In the box, you get 3 hardened glass screen protectors, 3 wet cleaning papers, 3 dry cleaning papers, 3 dust removers, 2 hotshoe spirit levels, a user guide and a useful storage box. Applying the screen protector, which is glass and not just a transparent film, is easy enough. Firstly, clean the screen using one of the tiny wet papers, then remove any moisture using one of the dry papers, next use the dust removing sticky pad to take care of anything not already removed. Finally, remove the label and protective skin from one of the glass screen protectors and carefully press it sticky side down on the monitor screen of the Sony ZV-E10 camera. Press down carefully and push any bubbles to the edge and off the screen. This works well and should any tiny bubbles remain they will not be visible when the screen is active. Also included in the kit are two spirit levels designed to fit into a camera cold show mount. The spirit levels are made of rubberised plastic and fit smoothly but firmly into the cold shoe mount and once in place will not fall out accidentally. The spirit levels have a central marked circle, centre the bubble within the circle to achieve a true level. Frankly, I would be happy to pay the purchase price for the spirit levels alone as they are of decent quality, work well, and are not the cheap and nasty items I was expecting. Finally, the whole set is presented in a useful heavy duty plastic storage case which will be needed to store the unused items. I am not sure why three screen protectors and two spirit levels were included. The screen protector is not hard to fit and once installed should last a long time, if not the full active life of the camera. Most cameras have only one hot/cold shoe mount and this is often used by lighting or other devices, so many if not most users will probably not need even one spirit level. I have to say that as my camera is installed in a protective cage, which has two cold shoe mounts in addition to that on the camera, having the two spirit levels is good. Once installed you soon forget it is there. The screen display is just as bright as before, the touch screen capabilities are not impared and the Oleophobic Layer of the protector keeps fingerprints to a minimum. The tempered glass gives a good layer of protection to the camera monitor screen and should disaster strike, then you have two spare protectors in the box. The screen can rotate fully as before and remains flush to the body of the camera when folded back. If you have a Sony ZV-E10 camera this kit would be a good buy even if it came with just a single protective screen. Three screens and two spirit levels may well be overkill, but it does make it a bargain indeed. Music: YouTube Audio Library: Lazy Laura - Quincas Moreira

Lexenic 24oz Vacuum Insulated Cocktail Shaker Review https://youtu.be/lkQDwSsuT5A More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/yrzcnvm4 Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: https://marcoscucom.wordpress.com/2024/03/12/lexenic-24oz-vacuum-insulated-cocktail-shaker/ This new Cobbler style cocktail or martini shaker set from Lexenic consists of a 24 oz tumbler with measuring cap and internal strainer, a two-sided measuring jigger (1.0 oz & 0.5 oz) and an attractive fluted long-handled stirring spoon with end tamper. The set is supplied in a well designed branded presentation box, which has a distinctly upmarket feel to it and adds to the appeal of the set as a gift. The cocktail mixer set is entirely made from high gloss food grade 304 18/8 Stainless Steel and has a robust and well made feel to it. Nothing looks likely to scratch, mark, break or bend anytime soon. Good quality food grade steel is important as the metal has a crucial role in both dissipating the heat and mixing the drink. Unlike many cheaper and lesser rivals, this one has a vacuum-insulated, double-walled construction and although it does mute the satisfying rattling of ice cubes while shaking, it keeps your drink cold without freezing your hands. Inside the cap are easy to read marks for 1 to 6 oz measures with a built-in filter on the end cap to keep solids out. Using it, of course, is up to you. It can be used with the supplied steel strainer which gives a smooth pour at 45 degrees while holding back ice solids or Boston style with a mixing glass. Either way, the results will be delicious. This is a nice product, well made and easy to use and I hope that soon a deluxe version will be made available with perhaps a recipe or cocktail preparation guide. If you are keen to have a try at mixing your own fancy cocktails, this would be a great way to start. It is not cheap at £44.98 but there are many more expensive rivals out there and in any case, some things are worth paying for. More Info and Purchase Music: YouTube Audio Library: Jane Street - TrackTribe

TOFLANTUR Football Shin Pads Review https://youtu.be/KIx3lkmTysU More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/25anvc6h Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: When I was at school the sports shin pads we had - when we bothered to use them - were heavy and bulky, never fitted very well and soon woked free from the socks during the heat of the game. That has all changed now and these new shin pads are far lighter, easier to wear and use and can be custom fitted to the leg of the owner. In the box, you receive a pair of 153 x 100 x 5mm 35g shin pads, two EVA foam pads, a storage bag and a simple but well written user guide. The build quality and presentation are both fine and have the feel of a quality product, well designed with some thought behind it. For best results, the pads have to be customised and preformed before fitting. This can be done in two ways. Firstly you can remove the pads from their plastic packing and place them in an oven preheated to 100°C for two minutes and then press the pad firmly against the shin for around three minutes until it hardens and takes the shape of the leg. The second way, which I think is easier, is to place the pad still in its plastic bag into a tray of boiling water for just five seconds and then press it against the leg in the way described above. If you don't get it right the first time then just reheat the pads and try again. You can then attach the supplied self-adhesive anti-slip EVA foam pads to the inside of the shin guards for additional protection. When this has been done you can use scissors to trim the pad to the exact size you need. Once completed the pads will be moulded precisely to your leg and this plus the non-slip surface of should ensure the shin pads will not work loose during play. The shin pad itself is tough and rigid enough to give protection against direct blows from boots, hockey sticks or hard objects and the rear pads are soft enough to reduce the force of any blows or impacts. Priced at just £8.99 before discounts per pair these pads should be a must for any sporting youngster. Music: YouTube Audio Library: Look Both Ways - Nathan Moore

Aptkdoe HD65 Wireless Earbuds Review https://youtu.be/yHCpCfPUU8U More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/25laqhfz Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: https://marcoscucom.wordpress.com/2024/03/09/aptkdoe-hd65-wireless-earbuds/ I am not usually too much of a fan of ear clip design earbuds but it usually does make for superior sound quality as well as a more secure fitting and this is the case here too. This headset is larger in size, both the buds and case, than the in-ear rivals but the larger case and buds are more difficult to lose and fitting them into the case is easier. There was a time when you had to pay plenty to get decent quality True Wireless Earbuds but the introduction of Bluetooth 5.0 seems to have changed all that. Before Bluetooth 5.0 all but the most expensive TW earbuds would continually drop out, crackle, pop and generally prove more trouble than they were worth. As technology develops each headset is better than the last and this new set which features the latest Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity and USB-C charging has some of the hardware on board. Aside from Bluetooth 5.3 this headset also boasts IPX7 water resistance, ENC microphone noise reduction, USB-C charging as well an active case design new to me. In fact, this is certainly one of the most technically advanced sporting headsets I have tried yet. But is it any good? In the box were the clip-on earbuds together with a short USB-C charging cable, three pairs of gels (one fitted), a slightly larger than normal charging case, and a well written and easy to read User Guide. The case is lighter in weight than you might expect but everything has a quality look and feel to it. The earbuds use the latest Bluetooth 5.3 technology which is supported by the latest high end smartphones but of course, they will also work with older Bluetooth devices. Bluetooth 5 adds a longer range, reduces latency and greatly improves both the stability of the wireless connection and battery life. First time pairing could not be simpler and took just a few seconds. Simply remove both buds from the case and pair in the usual way to your phone looking for the device name HD65. Subsequently, taking the buds from the case powers them on, and they connect to each other and the phone automatically, returning them to the case turns them off and begins charging. Auto-on and pairing starts when the buds are removed from the case giving a slightly faster connection time with a voice alert confirming connection. The buds can be used together as a pair or individually. If no device is connected the buds will power down after about five minutes. The 480 mAh Lithium Polymer case battery can recharge the buds around 4 times, giving a total of around 60 hours of music. A full charge will give around 15 hours of playtime from each bud, with one hour from a ten minute charge. There are LEDs on both the buds and case to show charging and connection status with the buds charging automatically when placed into the case. The case features an unusual design with the LEDs showing the charging status of the case and each bud visible through the transparent lid. The clip-on over ear format buds are easy to remove from the magnetic case and in use holding the flexible ear hook prevents accidental button presses, for me a major selling point. The buds are neat and comfortable to wear and are far more secure than in-ear rivals. Sound quality is excellent for a sports headset with a very decent level of bass together with clean mid-tones and a sibilance free high end. Calls were clear to hear and easy to make. I found call quality to be fine at each end of the conversation with no dropouts or excessive background noise. Each bud has a single multi-function soft touch button which can be used to end/reject calls, play/pause music, navigate tracks, alter volume and invoke your phone’s voice assistant. This works well and is easy to use. The buds are IPX7 water resistant rating and should be fine in the rain or at the beach but not for swimming. Currently available for £24.99 before discounts, they are well priced for the technology available, indeed this headset compares very well with the high-end rivals I have tried as regards sound quality and features. You would need to go a long way to find a better sporting wireless for anywhere near this price. The Good Lightweight Comfortable Good Audio Quality Good Build Quality Auto On/Off Bluetooth 5.3 Magnetic Case IPX 7 Waterproof The Bad No Apt-X Codec Music: YouTube Audio Library:Too Late Now - Go By Ocean _ Ryan McCaffrey

NEEWER Sony ZV-E10 Camera Cage Review https://youtu.be/qqWoru6uswM More Info and Purchase: http://tinyurl.com/28vcyx9j Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: Having just bought a Sony ZV-E10 camera, as I do with every device I get, I looked around for the best accessories for it. The most important I think is a camera cage, both to protect the camera from impact damage and also to allow easy mounting of additional accessories without putting strain on the rather lightweight camera body. There are plenty of cages available, all very similar and priced between £35 and £60 with this one from Neewer coming in at £44 before discounts. I selected it in part due to the good reviews and also because I already use camera and video equipment from Neewer and have always been very happy with it. In the box, you get the cage itself together with a small double-sided sticky pad, a magnetic fitting tool preinstalled to the cage, and a poorly printed and very short user guide. The build quality of the cage is first rate and it has the look and feel of a professional piece of camera kit. The cage attaches to the camera body using the tripod screw mount in the camera base and a small angled screw on the side, be careful not to tighten it too much to protect the camera body, and it may well be that the small pad included is to give additional protection. A double-ended mounting tool is provided for both screws and is held magnetically inside the cage when not needed. The cage surrounds the camera body and features multiple Arri compatible mounting holes of ¼ and ⅜ inches, a cold shoe mount, and an expanded hot shoe area to allow unobstructed access for Sony ECM-W2BT Microphone, HVL-F32M Flash, and other accessories. The Arca style baseplate is compatible with DJI RS 2 RSC 2 RS 3 RS 3 Pro gimbals as well as a wide variety of tripod quick release heads. The non removeable silicone hand grip adds greatly to the usability and security of the ZV-E10 camera, which is not noted for its heavy duty construction. A range of top and side handles, lighting, rails and other bits and pieces are available from Neewer, Smallrig and others and will attach directly to the cage. I have been using it now for several days and have found no issues with it so far. The build quality is good and all is as I would like it to be. I can fit my Field Monitor on top and my wireless mic receiver to the side coldshoe mount without obstructing access to the microphone, SD card or battery. The camera's monitoring screen and fold and rotate freely too when the cage is in place. I am happy with it and regard this as a good buy although not necessarily a better one than any of the many rivals. Music: YouTube Audio Library: Lazy Laura - Quincas Moreira

Milifox Garden Plant Dibber Review https://youtu.be/GgUZNiVC_L8 More Info and Purchase: http://tinyurl.com/25v3ltnw Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: https://marcoscucom.wordpress.com/2024/02/29/milifox-plant-dibber/ So what does a dibber do? A dibber is a handy tool to use when planting seeds, seedlings, and small bulbs. It is a long pointed stick that pokes holes in the soil to create space for growing these plants. There are several different types of dibbers, long ones, short ones, miniature ones, round ended ones and sharp pointed ones like this new model from Millfox. The dibber, which arrived well padded and simply presented is 27.5 cm long including a 12.6 cm metal tip with an 11 cm wooden handle and a shaft 3 cm across at its widest point. The tool is lighter in weight than I was expecting at just 140g but feels well made and robust with a stainless steel tip and a generic wood handle and shaft. Unlike with some lesser rivals, here the metal tip is screwed in place rather than glued. A garden dibber can make a big difference to the success of your plants. It helps you create evenly-spaced holes and ensures that your seeds are planted at the right depth. Pointed dibbers like this one go deep and can create an air pocket at the base of your seedling plug. In loose soils, this isn’t an issue, but be sure to add some soil (or compost) in the hole to fill any possible air pockets before adding your seedlings. Planting seedling plugs with a dibber is nice and quick – press and twist the dibber, pop the seedling in and you’re done. When transplanting seedlings, don’t worry if your holes are too deep – most young seedlings can be buried deeper than soil level. If you need a decent quality dibber for your garden for the Amazon price of just £6.99, this has to be a good buy. Music: YouTube Audio Library: Lawrence - TrackTribe

AliExpress Reusable Dolce Gusto Coffee Pod Review https://youtu.be/4_xvAQSgrD8 More Info and Purchase: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32960367041.html Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: https://marcoscucom.wordpress.com/2024/03/15/aliexpresss-reusable-dolce-gusto-coffee-capsule/ Although they may not be for coffee aficionados, Dulce Gusto and the many rival coffee capsule systems, do have an appeal, as they are quick and easy to use and can give very enjoyable drinks, often of more arcane coffee brews that would otherwise require high end coffee machines and a certain level of skill to produce. The big drawback is that the coffee pods or capsules are expensive, cannot be reused and are environmentally unfriendly. Reusable coffee capsules can be obtained but they too can be expensive. However, on AliExpress and other Chinese online stores, they can be found at a more reasonable price. On AliExpress there are many reusable capsule packages available, so hunt around to find the cheapest and most suitable for you. Take note that not all Dolce Gusto type capsules will work in every Dulce Gusto machine, so check the listing for compatibility. The one I selected was available in a range of options from just a single pod to multiple pods with metal tampers and other add-ons. I went for the cheapest option of a single pod which arrived in a branded box together with a tiny brush and plastic coffee measuring spoon and cost me just £5.38 with free shipping. Delivery from China took about two weeks. Build quality seems OK. The capsule body is made from metal and seems pretty robust, the lid is of a quite thick silicone with the brush and spoon of low-grade plastic. The capsule has a very fine mesh bottom and a rubber or silicone outlet below it. The lid has a precut hole to allow the needle jet of the Dolce Gusto machine to enter and inject hot water into the coffee grounds in the capsule. Operation is not a simple business and some time has to be spent determining how much coffee to put in the pod and what setting to use on the machine. There is no hard and fast rule about this and the only way is by trial and error. Grind your coffee to a medium level, then add it to the capsule and tamp it down well. Then fit the lid to the capsule and ensure a tight seal is made. Next - and this is the tricky bit - align the hole in the silicone lid to the needle jet of the coffee machine. Take care with this as getting it wrong may damage both the silicone lid and the coffee machine itself. It does get easier and faster with experience. The first few cups I made with it were pretty dire but after a while the coffee got better - or I got used to it - and it may well be that over time a decent cup can be had from it. But the time and effort of filling the pod, tamping it down and carefully inserting it into the machine does rather detract from the ease and speed of the pod system. The price is good and if you have the time and patience then this may well be a cheaper way of using your Dolce Gusto machine. Music: YouTube Audio Library: Woodshedder - Quincas Moreira

AliExpress JBL Tune 760NC Bluetooth Headphones Review https://youtu.be/qdhKN_LqZag More Info and Purchase: https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-760NC-.html?spm=a2g0o.best.search.0 Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: I have reviewed quite a few AliExpress items now, some have been good, others not, and some outright scams. I am not quite sure which category this one fits into. The JBL Tune 760NC headset retails for just under £70 on Amazon but it is widely available from a range of suppliers on AliExpress and can be bought for as little as £20, so it must be a scam, right? Inside the attractive and well-designed display box, which seems in every respect to me to be identical to the JBL original, was the headset itself, a very short bright orange USB-C Charging Cable, audio cable, a concertina style Quick Start Guide and large and dense book of legal disclaimers and bumf. The User Guide is easy to read although not very informative. All the specifications I list here are taken from the enclosed user guide and may or may not be accurate. The on-ear style headphones feel very lightweight and not particularly well made or robust. The headset looks good with an attractive black silk finish to the body and what looks like PU leather for the headband and earcups. The padding is good but not luxurious with the cups bearing a a large and prominent L and R inside the cups. The all plastic headband can be extended an inch or so and the cups themselves can be rotated and positioned pretty much any way you want. I found the headset to be rather a tight fit and not very comfortable, although the light weight did reduce the strain. The right cup has all the electronics and along the edge of the cup are buttons for Power On/Off, ANC On/Off, vol/track Up and Down, and Play/Pause/Call Answer/Reject/ Personal Assistant. There is also a standard 3.5mm audio cable port for the headset to be used in wired mode. The buttons are all flush, black and hard to identify by sight or by touch. Red/Blue/white LEDs are present for Bluetooth and ANC status alerts and charging confirmation, in addition to audio alerts. The Active Noise Cancellation, as with all such headsets is better described as Active Noise Reduction, does actually work and quite effectively for sustained low pitch rumbles – traffic, road roar, engines, – rather than for sudden high-pitched noises but in general it works well and makes a noticeable difference. The headset can also be used as normal earphones and an audio cable is provided for this purpose. Unlike with many other ANC headsets I have tried with this one there is little if any difference in the music quality with ANC on or off. Bluetooth Pairing, as with all Bluetooth 5 devices, was simple enough and achieved in the usual way by depressing the Multi-function/Power button for several seconds. The connection is indicated by the usual Red/Blue flashing LED. After pairing, subsequent connections to the same device are automatic and almost instantaneous. This headset can connect to two Bluetooth sources and to pair with the second headset, keep the headset turned on but switch off Bluetooth on the first device and pair manually to the second, when the first device is turned on again it will automatically pair to the headset. I have to say that I was not happy with the quality of the Bluetooth connection as it suffered from repeated dropouts when only three feet away from the source device. Battery life seems fine to me and I have no reason to doubt the claimed 35 hours of music time with Bluetooth and ANC ednabled and 50 hours with them off from a two hour charge. Time will tell how the battery fares in the long term. This headset is lacking a few features often found even on cheaper units these days. The is no FM radio, SD card slot or NFC pairing option. When I first tried the headset the bass was overwhelming and distorted but when I adjusted the EQ on my phone the sound quality became much better and tests connected to my Mac confirmed this. The bass is prominent but is clean, and smooth, mid tones are clear and detailed and very easy to listen to with high frequencies lacking in sibilance or shrillness. The sound quality of this headset is OK for the £20 price but I am glad I did not pay the £70 price of a real JBL. I have never used a genuine JBL Tune 760NC so cannot do a side-by-side test. The packaging of the headset here is excellent and seems genuine to me but the lightweight build quality, rather average sound quality and poor Bluetooth connection make me doubt the claims of it being genuine. Also, when pairing the headset name is displayed as TUNE760NC whereas I am informed the genuine article shows up as JBL TUNE760NC. As a sub £30 headset this is not a bad buy, the sound quality is OK and the ANC works quite well but to me, it lacks the quality feel and performance of a premium brand device. The Good Good Price Attractive Design Good Packaging Microphone Bluetooth 5.0 Good ANC The Bad No NFC No SD Card Slot No Radio Middling Audio Quality Poor Build Quality Music: YouTube Audio Library: Mulholland - King Canyon

Katsu 4” Mini Chainsaw D-04 Review https://youtu.be/g4sCmL5rV0I More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/yprekszn Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: https://marcoscucom.wordpress.com/2024/03/06/katsu-4-mini-chainsaw-d-04/ This little chainsaw is widely available on Amazon, AliExpress and other platforms in various packages and under a range of brand names, so hunt around to find the best for you. Since I already had several compatible batteries, I selected this body only model currently priced at £19.99 on Amazon. Similar models complete with batteries and spare chains are also out there In the box, I received the mini chainsaw itself, an adjustment wrench, a screwdriver, protective glasses and a user guide. This is a body only kit and of course, no batteries were included. It uses Makita LXT type 18/21v batteries and these are easily found online. Build quality seems fine. The body is made from robust industrial strength plastic with the chain made from stainless steel. This device looks to be built to near professional standards and capable of more than just garden use. It is reasonably heavy but too much so for sustained one-handed operation. The chain saw worked straight from the box for me but it is best to fully charge your batteries first. It is possible to adjust the fitting of the chain using the supplied wrench but I found no need for this as the prefitted chain worked perfectly. The User Guide goes into some length regarding fitting the chain and adjusting the device for best results, so take care not to lose it, but as I said the chain saw worked perfectly straight from the box for me. Operating the chainsaw is easy and straightforward. There is a locking switch just above the trigger which needs to be released before use, then just pushing on the trigger starts the device up. There is a hinged guard above the chain to reduce spillage and splatter. Above the blade is a single white LED to illuminate the cutting area when working in restricted light. The motor will immediately stop when the trigger is released so there is no danger of it running out of control. After use be sure to re-engage the lock and remove the battery. Take care when fitting the battery always to ensure the lock is selected and to keep fingers away from the trigger area, just in case. I use my saw with two batteries, and a two hour charge should allow for more or less continuous working with one charging as the other is in use. The status LED on the power adapter changes from red to green when the battery is fully charged. Although the chainsaw is best suited to small branches and tree limbs up to about two inches in diameter, it will cope with thicker and larger items when necessary. I was amazed at just how powerful it is We had been thinking of engaging a tree surgeon to take down some overgrown thick hedging but I am pretty sure the mini chainsaw can take care of it. Some reviewers have reported the motor can burn out and this may well be the case if it is used incorrectly. The motor is not large and is best used for no more than two or three minutes continuously and then allowing it to cool for a minute or so. Also, I am careful not to ask too much from it and do not attempt to saw logs clearly beyond its capabilities. That is the way I have used mine and I have seen no indications of overheating. So I have been very impressed by the chain saw which does all I want and need and more. Is it perfect? No, I would have been happy to pay a few pounds more for a robust carry case and a protective casing for the chain when not in use. Also, it would be good to have the locking button colour coded so it can be confirmed at a glance that t it is engaged. However, these are just niggling points that may well be addressed in the next version. I have the 4-inch version but for just a few pounds more a 6-inch chain version is available but I think for most small garden work the smaller version is more than adequate and for the price of less than £20 before discounts, it surely represents a rather good buy. The Good Great price Good Build Quality Powerful Saw Action Long Battery Life The Bad No Storage Chain Guard Lock Switch Not Colour Coded No Carry Case No Anti-Cut Gloves Music: YouTube Audio Library: Savior - Telecasted

AliExpress Red Light Therapy Mask Review https://youtu.be/_LIN2-q85vU More Info and Purchase: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005168963693.html Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marcoscu6 Blog: https://marcoscucom.wordpress.com/2024/03/03/aliexpress-red-light-therapy-mask/ I have ordered several AliExpress Red Light Therapy products over the last few months and I have to say that I have not been disappointed in them yet. There are a great many scams out there on AliExpress and similar Chinese marketing sites, so take care when ordering, but there are also many bargains to be had. Shop around the many AliExpress sellers to find the best price, often the same product is available under different names at a range of prices. Take note that delivery can often take several weeks. On the AliExpress product page, there are several options for this mask. I paid ￡95.97 for the most expensive option which included the neck panel and related fastenings, the basic model with just the face mask currently sells for just￡57.19. In the box, I received the face mask, neck panel, battery/control box, 2 eye protectors, mounting straps, USB-C charging cable, storage bag, and a user guide. I have to say the build quality seems first class, the mask and neck panel are both made from heavy duty silicone and seem built to last. The control panel/battery has a bright and easy to read LED display and is simple and intuitive to operate. The user guide is well written in good English, easy to read, and actually makes sense. The device consists of a mask and a separate neck panel each with 60 matrix LED light units on the inside surface which rest on or close to the skin when in use. The mask and neck panel are held in place with adjustable velcro straps. Both are separately plugged into the combined rechargeable battery unit and control box. This features a backlight screen with buttons for colour selection, light intensity and timer. There are 60 beam light matrix units in the mask and 60 in the neck panel each housing 4 individual LEDs, making a total of 240 LEDs in the mask and 240 in the neck panel. I do not own a spectrometer ( I wish I did) so I cannot test the output power or frequency of the LEDs, but I have no reason to doubt the claims of the supplier. We are not told the power of each LED but 0.5w is usual for devices of this type. The unit outputs the following colours and frequencies: Blue light 460nm - Anti-bacterial and skin repair Yellow light 590nm - Anti Acne and skin marking Red light 630nm - Anti-aging, collagen production, skin elasticity Near Infrared light 850nm - Skin repair, promotes skin metabolism The unit features a built-in 3000mAh rechargeable battery with a charge time of 1 - 2 hours yielding between 10- 30 minutes of use depending on the intensity and colour mode selected. Take note that the USB charging cable has a non standard plug on the battery end, so take care not to lose it. Operation is simple enough. The mask and neck panel can be operated together or separately and are plugged into the battery/control box. The box features a small display panel on the front with below it buttons for Power, Near Infrared Light, Light Intensity, Colour Selection, Timer Up, Timer Down. Long press the power button to turn on and then select the light colour (M button), 4-stage light intensity (E button), NIR light On/Off. The three visible light colours can be used individually or together with NIR. Use the timer Up/Down buttons to select the timer mode: 10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes. All the selected options are shown on the screen. The unit is comfortable enough in use, although I did find the mask rather a tight fit, designed, I suspect, for female oriental faces, and although it did fit I found it more comfortable to use a short velcro belt as an extension to that supplied with the product. How well does it work? That will take time to tell and may well be subjective, but I have no reason to think this model will work any better or worse than the many much more expensive rivals available. I have seen very similar models for sale at several times this price on Amazon and elsewhere which I suspect are functionally the same. I think this is worth taking a chance on. Music: YouTube Audio Library: Too Late Now - Go By Ocean _ Ryan McCaffrey