Zealot B5 Wireless Headphones : consumer review

Zealot B5 Headphones : a quick review.
Version/Model : doesn't say, but think it may be 2015 model.

Quick verdict :
Seems a good standard. Clear but bass bias. Thin earpads. Nice try by Zealot  but could be improved.


Note :
Quite hard to find spec on this headphone knowing which version it refers to. One major gripe in reviews is that it has a proprietry port for charging, but in this newer model it uses a micro-usb port (an improvement).  

VicTsing Fullsize Bluetooth Headset/Headphones with mic (my review)

Model # : 515
VicTsing Bluetooth Fullsize Headphones with mic
As seen on Amazon/Ebay
At time, around $25/£16

My verdict :
For the price, very good sound and build quality but (for me) it can't handle powerful audio such as high watts hifi, but good for phones, youtube, low-power sources. Nice bass and crisp treble. Lasts for hours. A good buy but not for power sources.

Spec :

Review : Philips Airfryer (model HD9220/20) : A quick look

Review : Philips Airfryer model HD9220/20
Bought : Autumn 2013
Price (for me) : £80
My cooking skills : Almost zero
My use : cooking fatty foods, usually from frozen

Quick verdict :
Good idea and cooks well but needs improvement and is way overpriced. I can't recommend at that price unless you really want it. I keep having fat smoke incidents but I am reducing these with strategies.

Amazon USA  search 'Philips Airfryer'
Amazon UK  search 'Philips Airfryer'

Good points :
Seems a sound idea. It looks better at intense convection cooking than other fat-free alternatives I have seen
Very simple to understand and use
Very intense heat
Not too noisy
Certainly cooks things thorough if you can get the settings right
Should be especially decent for making things crispy outside but well cooked inside, such as breaded meats or 'oven' chips. I would say moreso for things with 'bulk' inside.
Fat-free cooking. Quite a lot of fat drips down to the bottom of the tray.

Naive review : Braun Oral-B Vitality Electric Toothbrush

A basic naive review by a consumer of : Braun Oral-B Vitality Electric Toothbrush
Bought : In UK
Model information : no package, so all I have to go on is on bottom of brush body : Type 3709 (other info : N2820)

Verdict : Seems a decent quality 'starter'/'bottom of the range' electric toothbrush. No frills but does the job. Look our for when it's seasonally on sale or on Amazon where it seems to be usually cheaper.

This review is on a Oral B Vitality toothbrush I bought in 2012. I presume there is not much change in the latest model, though I cannot be sure.

Amazon USA search : Oral-B Electric Toothbrush
Amazon UK search :  Oral-B Electric Toothbrush

Opening comments :
No frills. No LEDs when charging or using to let me know the state of the battery etc. Has a basic timer that pulses at 2 minutes to imply that this is enough time for cleaning. The newer model may also give the 30 second pulses to tell you to switch to another quadrant of the mouth (I ignore the timer myself). Seems to be a good solid electric toothbrush that is bottom of the range but still decent quality.

Battle of the mini eco-torches : wind-up versus solar

'green' torches seem to be getting more popular (happily), and many are very cheap and meant for a small amount of light (no idea of the amount of lumens. They never usually say, but not much).

In this case I tested an inexpensive Rolson 3 led wind-up torch against a cheap solar 'keyring' 3 led torch available on Amazon or Ebay.

Update Feb 2014
The solar torch bought on ebay/amazon seems to be unable to recharge decently, to the point of being useless now. Either the battery and/or solar panel is not good enough.

I have since bought a solar torch out of Poundworld (UK) which seems to retain power ok. Perhaps they have better Quality Control.  

Conclusion : For me the Solar is the easy winner for brightness and size and practicality and it's cheap.

Update after 2 months : The Solar torch doesn't seem to recharge well. The light is pretty dim. I hope I can sort this out by putting it in strong light for a while    

The details of the 2 torches :

Rolson wind-up torch (comes with wrist strap which I removed):
cost £2/$3.20 (from a shop)

V-fit air-walker (/free-walker/free-glider) review

air walker by V-fit

V-fit air-walker/free-walker/free-glider exercise machine

Conclusion :  Quiet and relatively inexpensive and foldable for storage but you are hardly doing any work other and can't increase the difficulty, and storage position is a bit precarious. Don't buy it.

Overall Score : 2/10
Score per cost : 4/10

Knowledge of product : consumer
Price at time of purchase : £79 ($125) from Amazon UK including delivery

Looking to lose a bit of weight with some low-impact aerobic exercise I can do anytime in the home. Priorities were price, quietness, storage and keeping it interesting. I had not heard of air-walkers/free-walkers/free-gliders until I started searching for suitable equipment. The obvious options were an elliptical machine or a mini-stepper but then I noticed an air-glider and this seemed interesting.

bendy mini tripod : demo

cheap generic bendy mini tripod
score for price : 9/10
score overall : 6/10

I bought a bendy mini tripod for my camera. There are more expensive more 'solid' looking ones (such as the gorillapod)  but for my needs (taking photos on a flat surface) this cheap generic tripod seems ideal at the price. For under £2 I got 2 of them !! They are flimsy but for my need and to complement a bigger tripod (if you need one), this was ideal for me. I'm hoping they don't break easily or something. Probably every household should have one of these at the price. Fits standard screw-in for cameras (1/4 inch I think), so it should fit almost all cameras.

demo : Wahl Clipper : Cordless Minipro

Wahl Cordless Minpro Clipper
Inexpensive small 'travel' clipper
Good : Seems to cut ok and is cordless (uses 1 ordinary AA battery)
Bad : Too noisy and needs oiled.
Score : 5/10
Score per cost : 6.5/10
Buy again ? probably not

Amazon USA : Wahl 9307-1301 Cordless Mini Pro 14 Piece Touch-up and Trim Haircutting Kit


Full review below :

Ice grips for shoes and high heels

In the UK, it seems that councils no longer grit any roads or paths other than main routes during snowy or icy weather, meaning crawling the street on all fours is now a common winter sight.

The time has come for every house to have a set of ice grips for shoes. You can also buy them for high heels. Whether they are any use is another thing.

I have looked around amazon. There are plenty on offer. I have picked out a couple of inexpensive ones that have some reviews for them. One is for ordinary shoes or even trainers I presume. The other for high heels