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 ★★★★★

Food review: Luxury Barberry Coated Turkish Delight w/ Pomegranate Flavor and Double Pistachio / Gourmet Gift Box

I loved the flavor of this desert.  It is sweet without being overly sweet, a little bit tart, and has a chewing texture without sticking to my teeth. Is made out of Turkish berries called Zerenshk which are similar to cranberries but a little sweeter and smaller than cranberries that we see in see in Northeast.



They come in an attractive box with 16 pieces in each box.  Originally I thought I might bring them as a contribution to a holiday party because they looked attractive and the size of the pieces is right not too large and not too small.  However, after trying one I decided I liked them too much and kept them for myself.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Gel Pens Set Caliart - 100 pens and 100 refills

I like gel pens and I using for many crafty things from writing holidays cards to coloring books. This is a review of 100 pen set from Caliart.  The large set include 100 gel pens and 100 refills.



With 100 pens there is a nice variations of color intensity in many colors and this is great for shading from light to dark.  The  tips are fine and work well for detailed work.  The mix includes different variations including glitter, metallic, and neon in addition to the regular colors.



Some gel pens are known for occasionally producing skips because the ball is not covered evenly with ink, this is not the case with Caliart pens - the ink flows well and evenly.  The ink has no smell.



Overall, I like the nice selection of colors, a nice variety of glitter and non glitter colors.  They come in a plastic pockets, however the plastic is  easy to tear and after some use one of them already has a tear.  So I need to be gentle with them and eventually will need to store them some other way.





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Lumsing Grand Series A1 Mini Portable Battery Charger 6700mah External Power Bank

♦ size: 7/8" x 3 7/8" x 13/16"

♦ weight: 5.1 oz

♦ capacity 6700mah

♦ number of ports: 1

♦ flashlight: yes

♦ pass through charging: No (i.e. the battery can charge while being charged itself)

♦ cable included: Yes, 1 micro USB cable



This is a compact external battery with one port and small flash light.  I am using this battery with my Android phone.  It chargers the phone slightly below optimum, but I like that is fairly small for its capacity.  The flashlight is small and not very bright, it is bright enough for emergencies like to light the key hole or something that fell on the floor of my car.



I also tested to see if the battery supports pass-through charging (i.e. whether the battery can charge mobile devices while it is being charged). This battery does NOT supports charge through charging. It can not charge while being charged.



Overall, compact for its capacity and charges my Android phone at AC level.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: ToJane LED Long Swing Arm Desk Lamp

Many LED lamps come with a large number of options for the level of brightness. Frankly, I find that annoying. I just want on and off, I don't want to keep clicking, missing the brightest setting and doing it again.  If you feel the same way this lamp does just that. It has a rocker switch on and off.  It looks like an old fashioned engineering desk lamp with a metal round bulb shade.  It has a regular bulb base and comes with a LED bulb. My lux meter shows that the brightness of his bulb is about the same as 60W bulb.



I measured its brightness with a lux meter at 19" (532 lux) and compared it with a reading I got from a 60 watt CFL bulb at the same distance (527 lux). The spotlight it generates is somewhat smaller than a CFL bulb. It is sufficient to light the entire large format book, but not enough to light my entire desk surface with the same amount of light - the edges of the desk are darker.  In the video you can see it lighting a large book, the book is fully in the light, but you can see the edges of the desk that are not well lighted.  This is a nature of LED lights and to be expected.



The free bulb is 7W LED bulb, the maximum power that his lamp can handle is a 40W LED bulb (which in brightness is similar to 200W incandescent bulb).



This desk lamp comes with a base and a clamp.  It has two joints, nad has a lot of flexibility, but not as tall as my other engineering lamps.  The highest I could raise the shade is 17" from the table.  The third joint that controls the shade can pivot 360 degrees. 

I like the simplicity of this lamp - on/off and takes regular LED bulbs.  No bells and whistles, it just works!





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Bestoss 20000mAh Portable Charger Power Bank External Battery Pack Slim High Capactity

♦ size: 7 3/4" x 3 3/4" x 1/2"

♦ weight: 14.9 oz

♦ capacity 20000mah

♦ number of ports: 3 USB ports

♦ flashlight: no

♦ pass through charging: Yes (i.e. the battery can charge while being charged itself)

♦ cable included: Yes, 1 micro USB cable

♦ The battery can be charged using USB, micro USB, and C-type cables





This is a thin battery with a large capacity of 20000 mAh. It has three USB ports.  At first I thought it could only be charged with lightening or type-C cable, but then saw that on the side it also has a port for micro USB.  So this battery can be charged by three different cables depending on what cable you are carrying for you phone. Pretty nice!



I am using this battery with my Android phone as well as to charge stand alone speaker MP3 player placed away from the wall outlet.  I run the speaker off external battery and it gives me a good way to judge the capacity of the battery as I know exactly how many days I can get out of it before the speaker runs out of juice.  This battery compares well with my best battery giving three days of power. My phone is charged at the optimal rate (I am including screen shots of the power meter readings).  It chargers the phone slightly below optimum, but I like that is fairly small for its capacity. 



I also tested to see if the battery supports pass-through charging (i.e. whether the battery can charge mobile devices while it is being charged). This battery does supports charge through charging. It can charge devices while it is being charged itself.



Overall, compact for its capacity. Its capacity and rate of charing compares well with  my best external batteries.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: HIEGOO Two Layer TPE Yoga Mat

I do stretching exercises every day and wanted to have a spare mat at work so I don't have to carry one back and forth.  This mat is 0.2" thick and is made out of two layers of foam. One side has texture and one is smooth.  The stock photos show the ribbed surface point down to the floor, but I found that using it in reverse also creates also makes the mat totally non-slip. I keep the ribbed side up because it  prevents the edges from rolling better when I use it that way.



The mat is a good size (68" long and 24" wide) and has no unpleasant scent. I did not have to air it out before using.  The mat provides good cushioning and give good protection to my knees for poses that require me to stand on my knees.

I use it on hardwood floor and it does not slide at all. In attached video you can see me trying to move it my moving my foot - I am not able to do it.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★