iPad Stand - Portable Waterproof Travel Stand For iPad, Tablet, Kindle, Smartphone & iPhone by Muzitao

This travel stand is designed to be a simple, effective and darn near indestructible way to prop up a tablet or a cell phone so that you can see the screen. From practical experience in our house, we've also used it to prop up a 5 x 8 inch legal pad in a portfolio, notepads. You could easily put recipe cards in here as well.

The stand with a Bic pen for size
comparison. Photo by DWD.

There are more complicated and elegant-looking stands out there made out of metal with folding arms. There are glass ones that will look beautiful on an expensive desk. This stand is not meant to compete with those.

This little stand is made for real life. It is made out of practically indestructible silicon. It won't break if it is dropped. It has no folding parts to break or wear out. Your toddler can chew on it and get apple sauce all over it and a simple washing makes it as good as new. 

The stand with a Kindle set in it.
Photo by DWD.

This stand comes in 6 different colors. 

As of the date of this review, this stand is $9.99 on Amazon.com. Click here to check current pricing: iPad Stand - Portable Waterproof Travel Stand For Your iPad, Tablet, Kindle, Smartphone & iPhone (Lime Green)

I rate this product 5 stars out of 5.

Note: I received a free stand to test in exchange for an honest review.

AYL StarLight LED lantern

  Perfect for Camping or Just Around the House

Flashlights are great for camping or if you have a power outage but anyone who has spent any amount of time in the dark knows that the usefulness and convenience of a flashlight really drops off if you are doing anything that requires two hands, like playing cards, getting ready for bed or trying to cook or wash dishes. In those times, having a lantern around really pays off.

The AYL StarLight is powered by 3 "D" sized batteries that are supposed to be good for about two years in standby mode (up on the shelf waiting for that camping trip or that power outage).

The light has three modes - low, high and blink mode. The blink mode would be great for marking off the back of a car just in case you have to change a flat tire. In addition, the casing around the top of the lantern can be removed to make a flashlight out of the StarLight. 

The manufacturer claims that it will run for 6 days thanks to the use of a very bright but energy-saving LED bulb. Of course, that depends on the quality of the batteries that are installed and the brightness level that is chosen.

Positives:

The StarLight lantern with a Bic pen next to
it for size comparison. Photo by DWD.

-Very bright bulb.

-Tough plastic body with rubberized trim to offer grip and a little "bounce" if it gets dropped or bumps into things.

-Long life with just a single set of batteries.

-Two hooks - one at the top that is also a handle and one at the bottom designed to be hung from the top of a tent with the casing removed.

-The instruction booklet is full color and well-written.

Negatives:

-It uses "D" batteries rather than a much more common size. Those "D" batteries make the lantern last longer but they are harder to find in the store and are much more expensive than let's say 6 or 8 "AA" batteries would be.

-Installing those "D" batteries is a crap shoot due to poor labeling. I tried them one way and had to remove them and flip them all over. 

-Re-attaching the bottom of the lantern after the batteries are installed is pretty complicated. Considering how easy the rest of the lantern is to use, this is surprising.

This lantern can be found at Amazon.com here: 
AYL StarLight - 300 Lumens Ultra Bright LED Lantern - The Perfect LED Lantern for Camping, Hiking or Any Type of Emergency - Battery Powered Ultra Long Lasting . Click through to check for current pricing. As of the time of this review the price was $35
 
I rate this lantern 5 stars out of 5.

Note: I received a free lantern sample to try out and test in exchange for an honest review.

AquaAudio Cubo Waterproof Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

         This Is the Real Deal

There are a lot of small bluetooth speakers out there and even more mini-wired speakers that make your cell phone or kindle or iPad much more listener friendly. Over the last year or so I have use a couple of different mini speakers set next to the shower on a shelf. Those are okay but it is really difficult to change songs on your smart phone if your hands are all wet.

The AquaAudio Cubo with a Bic pen for size comparison.
Photo by DWD

The AquaAudio Cubo bluetooth speaker fixes that problem because it is waterproof. It is also rechargable via a small mini-USB port (blocked by a little rubbery piece to keep the water out) and can even be used to talk on your phone (I can't imagine that would be good in the shower but it might be great if you like to talk on the phone while taking a bath).

Positives:

-The speaker really is waterproof. I know this because I dropped it into the bathtub and it was fully immersed.

-When you turn it on it says. "Power on" and when you turn it off it says, "Power off."

-It is by far the easiest bluetooth device I have to pair with my phone and my Kindle. Some devices require multiple attempts. This one gets it the first time, every time.
-If you were to place this speaker in the middle of a large room and let it blast out it would not be impressive. But, it is designed to play in your shower and the acoustics in most showers are awesome. This speaker rocks the shower!

-The battery lasts 2.5 to 10 hours depending on the volume level.

-The phone actually sounds very good, especially for a device where the phone was most likely an afterthought.

-The Bluetooth has a range of at least 15 feet.

-The speaker comes in 4 different colors: black, blue, pink and silver.

Negatives:

-The suction cup to attach the speaker to the shower wall is just a bad idea all around. Mine detached itself and fell when I was away from home once. It's probably not a good idea to drop speakers so I decided to just nestle it among the shampoo bottles on the shower caddy. If the speaker did stick perfectly to the wall you'd have to be taken it off the wall on a regular basis to recharge the battery, anyway. Plus, oftentimes I take it with me around the house while I am getting ready in the morning.

The AquaAudio Cubo speaker measures about 3 inches by 3 inches by 2.5 inches (including the suction cup).

I rate this bluetooth speaker 5 stars out of 5 and can be found at Amazon.com here: 
The AquaAudio™ Cubo - Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker with Strong Suction Cup for Showers, Bathroom, Pool, Boat, Car, Beach, Outdoor etc. / Optimized Buttons for Easy Control / Amazingly Powerful & Crystal Clear Sound / Compatible with All Devices with Bluetooth Capability + Siri Compatible - 10 hours Playtime Rechargeable Battery / with Built-in Mic for use as a Powerful Hands-free Speakerphone [100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE - WE GUARANTEE YOU WILL LOVE IT!] (Black)

As of the time of this review, the price on Amazon.com was $29.95. Click through to check on current pricing. 

Note: I received a free speaker to test in exchange for an honest review.

Monkey Fist Self Defense Keychain 1" Steel Ball Double Line 550lb Tensile Strength Military Paracord (Length 6 5/8") by Muzitao©

So, I had never heard of a "Monkey Fist" until very recently. But, once I saw one I got the idea immediately. Hold the key ring in your hand and swing the little ball end at a bad guy until he goes away. 

My "Monkey Fist" with a Bic pen for size comparison.
Photo by DWD.

Once I got mine in the mail I decided to go on the internet and quickly found a number of videos that demonstrate the effectiveness of this self-defense tool. The videos showed me two things: 1) There are some really freaky guys out there making self-defense videos and 2) this monkey fist thing can do some real damage. I saw watermelons split open and dry wall mangled. I also saw one guy insist on putting the key ring around his finger. I would not do that - if your opponent were to grab the monkey fist he could pull on it and really do some damage to your finger.

Instead, put your keys on this thing and hold on to the entire collection of keys in your fist and swing away.

Note: on those videos I saw much longer cords being used. After thinking about it I think a longer cord would be of use only if your opponent was pretty far away. If you are grappling with someone, a longer cord would require more swing and more arm movement that you may be able to actually come up with.

So, how high of quality is this product? I have no idea how long this would last if it were used repeatedly. But, then again, who is regularly getting into fist fights? And, if you do get into tons of fights this Monkey Fist is cheap enough that you can buy another one without breaking the budget. By the way, these come in 11 different color schemes.

Note: I received a Monkey Fist for free in exchange for an honest review.

I rate this product 5 stars out of 5. 

Holmes Group HAP3000UV-TU Tower Air Purifier, Mini by Holmes

       Great for a small room

This small tower-type air filter is a sharp-looking unit designed for a 10 foot X 10 foot room. It has multiple filters and an ionizer. 

Set up is very easy. The filters come installed inside the unit wrapped in plastic bags (to keep them fresh, I suppose). The user has to pull the filters out and take them out of the bags and re-install them. That takes about a minute if you pay attention. It took me two minutes because I did not pay attention and panicked because I could not remember the order the filters went back into the unit so I had to consult the owner's guide. Fortunately, the owner's guide had a couple of pictures that showed me what to do.

As I already mentioned, this purifier has multiple filters. As the air is pulled through the purifier it will first go through the "pre-filter" - a lightweight sponge-like filter glued to the plastic grill on the back. Then it goes through a HEPA-type filter that is designed to be carefully cleaned and re-installed every few months. The third stage has a carbon filter that is designed to remove odors. The fourth filter uses UV rays to further clean the air by killing germs.

There are two speed settings. The low setting is very quiet. I prefer the high setting because we have been running this unit in our bedroom at night and I like the "white noise" the fan makes. 

The unit measures 6 inches wide, a little over 13 inches tall and 7 inches deep. 

There are multiple settings on this device. The fan has two settings, the UV bulb can be turned off. There is a warning about using the ionizer in a confined place around small animals. But, they claim that the process is completely harmless to humans. If you are worried, the ionizer can be turned off.

Update: I have used this purifier for 3 and 1/2 years now and it is still going strong. All you have to do is clean out the filter every once in a while.

Note: I received a free purifier through the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

This purifier can be found on Amazon.com here: Holmes Group HAP3000UV-TU Tower Air Purifier, Mini.

I rate this unit 5 out of 5 stars. 

DE 2600mAh Lipstick Style Powerbank-Portable Battery Charger- with 3 Function Flashlight by DE

     Great for travelers.

Extra battery power for cell phones and tablets is a hot new market since batteries never seem to last long enough, especially if you are a heavy user of apps or Instagram or the like. If you can't leave your phone plugged into a computer or into a car's electrical socket than you could easily run out of power before your day is done.

If you are running a little short of power at the end of a busy day, this little battery may just fit the bill.  

Weighing in at less than three ounces, this little battery is a convenient size and carries a so-so punch. It nearly completely re-charged my almost dead Samsung Galaxy 3 but it did no more. I have two other battery chargers that are about three times the weight and are larger. This battery charger sacrifices convenience for power but it is not an unacceptable sacrifice. 

I took this charger on a trip recently and I was surprised to discover that the most useful aspect was not being able to plug it in to my phone. Instead, I really took advantage of the little LED light on the end. It has three settings (very bright, dim and strobe). I found it useful in my hotel because I used it to read at night and I used it when to find my way around without turning on all of the lights and waking up the kids. I felt confident that if I could have left the flashlight on all night and not used all of the battery.

The Battery Charger with a Bic Pen for
size comparison. Photo by DWD.

The strobe light would be useful if you had a breakdown on the road and wanted people to notice your car sitting there.

The battery charger does not have a power indicator - it has a blue light while it is charging, a red light for when it is discharging into a device and when it is out of power it has no light. 

For the price, this is a solid, no-frills charger with enough power to make it worth your while and with a convenient flashlight. That is why I am rating this 5 stars out of 5. 

Note: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest review.

At the time of this review, this charger cost $11.99 on Amazon.com. Click here to check on current pricing: DE 2600mAh Lipstick Style Portable Battery Charger

Company website: www.DEWorld.com