Product review: EugeneGreen Brand LED Plant Grow Light 12W

I have tested a number of grow lights in a controlled experiment - planting the cucumber seeds to grow in a pot placed in a sunny window vs under the same size pot placed under a grow lamp.



To test the effectiveness of this grow light we planted several identical pots with cucumber sprouts. The first set of pots was left to to grow near a sunny window inside and another pot was left in an area which does not get direct sunlight and was left under a grow light. The grow light was on a timer for 14 hours a day (off at night).



The attached video is a video diary of the two plants with photos taken every day for 11 days. As you see at the end of 11 days the plants under the grow light is shorter and and has more leaves, the plant in the window is taller (stretching towards the light) and has a couple less leaves. Shorter leafier plants are generally better then the taller skinnier ones.



EugeneGreen 12W Grow light fits into a regular bulb fixture. It has 3 blue and 9 red LED lights to simulate sunlight. The light weight 9.15 oz and is 5.5" long, and 4.75" wide. The light feels well made. The finish of the bulb looks neat, and when I shake it nothing rattles.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Bamos Water Hose splitter Full Metal Body

This 2 way hose splitter has all metal connections which give me a tight seal and no leaks. The outer shell of the hose splitter is made of rubber. Each shut off valve has a relatively long handle and because it is covered with rubber it feel softer. I like these handles better than the short metal handles on the brass hose splitters I have used in the past. I find these longer handles give me a better leverage and because they are softer I can put more pressure with my bare hands.



This hose splitter is excellent.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Unger Pro 961350C Moss Rubber Floor Squeegee with Poly Propylene 22 in

I am using my squeegee on the deck not only to dry it but to push snow off the deck without damaging the wood surface with a shovel. I like that it is made out of heavy duty plastic, it does not rust like the metal squeegee.  It is sold without the handle, and fits any standard broom handle. I got mine squeegee at a local Home Depot - same price but I could put it to work faster.





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Home-X Salt and Seed Spreader

This salt shaker was a disappointment. I imagined that it was similar to a spice shaker where I can cover the holes of the shaker by twisting the cap in some way, and open the holes when I need to use the shaker. Turns out that this salt shaker cannot be closed. The cap has permanent openings. This means if the shaker tips over the salt spills out of the shaker. In addition the salt cannot be stored in this container as it will turn into a brick by absorbing moisture. Finally, I hoped that the shaker would be made out of heavy duty plastic, but the plastic is pretty thin.



My plan for the shaker was to keep it in my car so I can have it ready in case the steps to my house ice up when I arrive home after a day at work. So I needed to come up with solution that would keep the salt from spilling out in the car. I found a thin piece of plastic that I could insert under the cap and still be able to twist the cap. Before using the shaker I need to remove the cap and remove the plastic. The plastic needs to be replaced every few uses as it gets torn by the threads of the cap.



The shaker is 10.5" tall, and 3.5" wide. In attached video I have it next to a half gallon jug of water for comparison. The holes are 1/4 in diameter and work well with Calcium Chloride Pellets but are too small for rock salt. Pellets came out in a nice amount (not too much not too little), but rock salt is a bit too large so I got only a few smaller rocks with each shake.



Looking at how this shaker is built one can create their own shaker from an old coffee jug (or any similar container) by drilling 1/4 inch holes in the jug cover. And if you have multiple jugs covers for that container you can switch between them: use one to store the salt and one to dispense the salt when needed.



With my "fix" it is usable, but overall I am disappointed. A local home improvement store has a shaker full of salt with a closing lid for $10. I hoped I was getting a better shaker but I did not. When time comes to replace this shaker I will be looking for a different model.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: Ames Poly Snow Shovel with D-Grip Handle, 16", Blade

This is an all plastic shovel. Its blade is 16" wide by 12" top to bottom. Its clearance is 4" at the thickest point where the handle attaches to the blade. The clearance was the key for me as I need to be able to push the snow under the railings of the deck and 4" just fits under the bottom of the railing. I was not sure if Amazon description specifies the clearance accurately so I shopped for the shovel in person, but turns out that Amazon description 42 x 4 x 16 inches is accurate with the small number being the clearance not the depth of the scoop.



All plastic construction makes it lightweight and easy to work with. I was specifically looking for a plastic shovel to use on a wood deck to minimize damage to the deck finish. So far I see no damage to either the deck or the shovel after using it in several snowstorms including one with wet and heavy snow.



I got this shovel at my local Home Depot for 25 cents more but I could put it to use faster since there is no shipping. So far so good, just your basic shovel but meets my needs.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: WORX TRIVAC 12 Amp Yard-in-One Blower/Mulcher/Vacuum

I purchased Worx two years ago.  Overall, I  think the trivac works okay.  The capacity of the bag is not large so you need to empty it often.  It can get jammed with grassy weeds.   I sucked in some dry grass and it got twisted around the blade and it was fairly time consuming to free the blades.  The blown leaves are a bit hard to control (not Worx fault).  The mulcher and vac work well when not jammed.  Slight jamming slows down the flow of air, serious jamming stops the air completely.  The unit weights 9.7 pounds (assembled but empty).



Another weak point is the weak point of this product. The diagrams could have been more clear.  The pictures and the text are on different pages and one had to keep flipping the pages back and forth while reading the instructions.

The unit arrived in 3 parts.  I messed up putting it together:  I put the exhaust bag in the wrong orientation  (with the bag pointing forward, rather than pointing back).   Unfortunately it got wedged in that position, and taking it off  felt like it would break the unit so I left it this way.  Which means I cannot put the strap on my shoulder and it is a harder to empty. I hope my mistake will be an alert to other folks.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: GBGS DIY Window Bird Feeder, 2 suction cups

We own a large number of window bird feeders but this is the first DIY window birdfeeder.  It is a little cheaper that already made bird feeders but it does take a bit of amount of time to put together.



Putting the bird feeder together is not difficult, but two simple things take time:

(1) Each panel is tightly wrapped in plastic and peeling the plastic off each panel takes several minutes. As you remove the plastic film remember to stick the numbers pack on to the panels, it will help with assembly.

(2) The panels are secured with very tight rubber rings. They are very tight so it takes a while to get each of them on. I used a small screwdriver as a level to speed up the streching.  I show my technique in the video.



This birdfeeder has one feature that our birds really like - the perch that spans the width of the bird feeder.  Some birds use it to stand on, others use it to crack the seeds.



It also has one feeder that squirrels like - the removable tray. The squirrels are so clever that learn to remove the tray and dump all seeds on the ground.  For that reason, I put a rubber band around the birdfeeder so the squirrels cannot remove it. 



The window bird feeder are not squirrel proof.  Even though they cannot climb the class, they can jump from the roof or from other things right onto the bird feeder. As most bird watchers know there is no bird feeder that can stop a determine squirrel.  For example, they learned to shake the birdfeeder which closes under the weight of a creature that is heavier than a bird. We no longer fight with squirrels, we  just add more seeds to feed all creatures big and small.  This bird feeder is small, you can see what a tight squeeze it is for the squirrel in my video.



The bird feeder is held by two suction cups. They provide sufficient suction power to hold the feeder, the seeds, the birds, and the squirrels.



Does the rain get into it? Yes. But the birds do not seem to mind. They are used to wet seeds on the trees.



If this is your first bird feeder it will likely that the birds will take a week to find it. For the first window bird feeder nothing happened for entire week, and then after a week my husband spread some seeds under the bird feeder and that seemed to help the birds find it. Now that we have a couple of window bird feeders it did not take them long to find the new one. The bird's favorite seeds are sunflower seeds. We spoiled the local bird population with sunflower seeds and if we put out the mixed seeds it barely gets touched where as the sunflower seeds disappear very quickly.



The bird feeder gets constant traffic all day long, our visitors love it. 



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★☆