Swiss+Tech ST53130 Palm-Grip Micro-Max Xtreme Pocket Tool Kit by Swiss+Tech

    Not too excited by this multi-tool

As a general rule, I am a fan of multi-tools. They are useful in a car or in an office. I teach high school and I have one in my desk at school. This multi-tool set is different than any other kind that I have seen, though. Every multi-tool set has to be something at its heart and the other stuff is built around it. For example, the classic Swiss Army Knife is a folding pocket knife with extra stuff attached to it.

The Swiss+Tech ST53130 Palm-Grip Micro-Max Xtreme Pocket Tool Kit is a pair of pliers at its heart. The screwdrivers fold down and become the handles. It's not a half bad set of pliers except for the fact that the handles do wiggle around. This is why I recommend these sets for an office. Most situations that require a tool in an office are not ones that require top end tools. They require a a couple of twists with a screwdriver or a couple of easy pulls with a set of pliers. Not even MacGyver would try to use this set to do work on a car or a furnace - it is too bulky and too heavy.

This set really is heavy, especially for something that is labeled as a pocket tool. It weighs half of a pound and it is just too heavy to carry in a pocket or on a belt clip (you would have to buy that separately). If you carry a heavy duty backpack most of the time, you could find a nice interior pocket to tuck it into. 

But, because of its weight and bulk I am just not too excited by this multi-tool. If you were trying to work in a tight place the width would just get in the way. If you are looking for an office tool set or maybe something for the car that you can tuck in the trunk and forget about you should probably go a small tool set like this one instead:  Apollo Precision Tools DT9706 39-Piece General Tool Set. It comes with a little case, contains 39 different tools and costs less than $1 more than this multi-tool. Sure, it's a cheap set of tools, but at least they're specifically designed to do the job you asking for them to do.

I rate the Swiss+Tech ST53130 Palm-Grip Micro-Max Xtreme Pocket Tool Kit 3 stars out of 5. At the time of this review, the Swiss+Tech ST53130 Palm-Grip Micro-Max Xtreme Pocket Tool Kit cost $18.99 on Amazon. Check here for current pricing: Swiss+Tech ST53130 Palm-Grip Micro-Max Xtreme Pocket Tool Kit.

Note: I was sent a free multi-tool in exchange for an honest review through the Amazon Vine program.

ECR4Kids School Stack Resin Chair (6 Pack) 12" seat height

These are perfect chairs for children in pre-school, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. By the time they get to first grade, they probably are a little too big for these chairs. The seat sits 12 inches off of the ground. They come in four different colors: blue, red, yellow and green.

The bright colors are sure to be a big hit with the children but the fact that these chairs are very easy to stack is sure to be a big hit with the adults. The molded plastic is very strong. The fact that each one of these sturdy chairs is one molded piece of plastic means that children won't get their legs pinched by loose rivets in the seat and students with long hair won't get their hair pulled by rivets in the seat back. 

I rate these chairs 5 stars out of 5.

As of the time of this review, a set of 6 of these chairs cost $94.99 on Amazon.com. Click here to check current pricing: ECR4Kids School Stack Resin Chair (6-Pack), 12", Assorted Colors.

Note: I received a set of these chairs for free from the Amazon Vine program so that I could review them.

Leegoal(TM) Samsung Galaxy S3/S III Rugged Hybrid Belt Clip Holster Hard Case Cover - Blue

  Cheaply made. Really Cheap.

I like to clip my cell phone to my belt. I just don't like to keep my phone in my pocket for a number of reasons.

The case. See that little piece of metal in the middle? That
little piece of metal makes the clip work. Now, it is
worthless as a belt clip.

When I first bought my Samsung Galaxy 3 I bought a relatively expensive case ($29.99) that featured a holster type cover that clipped to by belt. When I wanted to access the phone I slid it out of the holster and then slid it back when I was done. But, after a year, the clip broke on that case.

So, I turned to Amazon to find an inexpensive replacement. I was not expecting something that would be as nice as the other case nor was I expecting something that would last as long. But, this thing lasted three days before the clip broke. 

Note: the only reason that I bought the case was for the belt clip. When it broke after three days it became a pile of useless plastic bits for me. Worse than useless. 

Pros:

I was told that it would take up to 6 weeks for this case to arrive from China. It arrived in 10 days.

Cons:

It broke after just three days.

I rate this phone case 1 star out of 5. 

Coast LK375 Light Knife by Coast

   Kind of a Cool Combination.

Blade length: 3.75 inches
Total length when unfolded: 8.5 inches

At first glance, this may seem to be quite the weird combination - a flashlight and a folding knife. Coast makes both flashlights and folding knives so someone back at Coast Corporate Central must have thought it would be kinda cool to mix the two together. And, you know what?  They were right, it is kind of a cool combination.

Pros:

So, what's the bottom line?

Pros:

-The stainless steel blade of the knife is super-sharp right out of the box.

-The flashlight is water-proof.

The knife next to a Bic pen for size comparison. The red
button is the flashlight on/off switch. 

-The flashlight has two settings: 110 lumens and 29 lumens. The Bright setting is very, very bright.

-The flashlight is powered by a AAA battery so that you won't have to make a special trip to meet the jeweler when the battery dies.

-You can open the knife with one hand.

-When the knife is unfolded, it locks securely and feels very solid.

-It is very easy to unlock but unlikely to unlock on accident.

-It comes with a belt clip.

Cons:

-The knife is simply too big for every day use for most people. This is a good idea, once you get used to it. I would be interested in seeing the same thing done with a smaller knife.

-I wish it would come with a way to attach it to a carabiner so that it could be attached securely to a backpack (inside or outside).

-There are basically no instructions that come with the knife. 

As of the time of this review, this flashlight cost $58.18 at Amazon. Click here to check current pricing: Coast LK375 Light Knife.

Note: I received a free knife in order to write an honest review through Amazon's Amazon Vine program. 

I rate this knife/flashlight 5 stars out of 5.

Simply Simily 26 Ounce Stainless Steel Water Bottle - BPA Free - Classic Screw-on Cap

This water bottle is nothing fancy - it is just a well-made back-to-basics type of bottle and that is a good thing. It is simple and everything is done just right.

So, my family and I took this water bottle out for a real world workout and went for a hike in a state park. We stored this away in the backpack to see if it would leak. I attached a key ring (in the picture below) and a cheap caribiner. I attached it to a loop in the backpack to keep it upright just in case it leaked (I would hate to have lost a cell phone just because I was testing a water bottle. 

But there was no reason to worry. I let the bottle roll around in the back of my car for more than two weeks and there were no leaks on the back seat.

Positives: 

-Large opening. Easy to fill, easy to pour out.

-I like the key ring hole at the top - for the reason I mentioned above.

-Fits perfectly in a cup holder.

-Won't crack or shatter like the hard plastic bottles can. Last week, I saw a student of mine drop a brand new hard plastic bottle on a table and crack the top so that it leaked every time she drank from it. 

A photo from the family hike. Photo by DWD.

Negatives:

-It has no "cool" factor. No one is going to be impressed by this bottle as a fancy new toy. No filters, no flip out straws. (but, then again, there is so much less to break with this bottle when compared to all of those other bottles...)

I rate this bottle 5 stars out of 5.

As of the time of this review, this water bottle cost $9.95 on Amazon. Check here for current pricing: Simply Simily Stainless Steel Water Bottle.

Note: I received a free water bottle so that I could write an honest review.