Category Archives: Gadgets

Gadgets, Product Reviews

Wybenz Solar Christmas Lights

WYBENZ sent me a set of Solar Christmas String Lights to test and review. I own a similar set solar-powered lights but these have much heavier duty wiring. These look quite nice and beautify our exteriors without having to be plugged. This makes them much more versatile in where you place them around your house.

SPECS

  • Length: 66ft
  • Control Wire: 6ft
  • Strand LED: 200
  • Setting Modes: 11
  • Battery Capacity: 1200mah
  • Waterproof: IP65
  • Solar Panel: 2V 400MA
  • Working Time:Up to 15hours

MODES

  1. Steady On White
  2. Steady On Warm White
  3. Steady On 50/50 Mix White and Warm White
  4. Slow Flash White
  5. Quick Flash White
  6. Slow Flash Warm White
  7. Quick Flash Warm White
  8. Slow Alternate White to Warm White
  9. Quick Alternate White to Warm White
  10. Slow Flash 50/50 Mix White
  11. Quick Flash 50/50 Mix White
Gadgets, Product Reviews

AEGIS 300 Body Cam

My Geko Gear sent me their new Aegis 300 Body Cam to test and review. This is a professional grade body camera with password and encrypted footage and a rugged splash-proof body. It is an upgrade from the Aegis 200 (which I reviewed a few months ago) featuring such improvements as 1552p resolution, a removable/swappable battery pack, GPS, wifi, and electronic image stabilization (EIS).

On the last feature, the results were somewhat disappointing. The footage I got out of the camera were still shaky. In fact, not really any better than without the EIS.

Is the Aegis 300 worth the $50-$80 premium in price from the Aegis 200? If the EIS had significantly improved the footage quality, that would be an unequivocal yes but lacking that, I’m somewhat on the fence. It’s external battery packs are an improvement but they are proprietary and replacement packs are not yet available through MyGekoGear website.

Despite that, with essentially all-day battery life and recording capability, this camera (which is about the size of an old-school Nokia flip-phone) makes for a rugged alternative to most action cams.

AMAZON https://amzn.to/3kMa008

MyGekoGear: https://shop.mygekogear.com/collections/body-cameras/products/aegis-300

Get 35% off using coupon code: BLACKFRIDAY35

Gadgets, Product Reviews

Fairy String Lights

A Marketing Rep at LERTDAI contacted me through Facebook about reviewing a set of their battery-powered LED string lights. They come in a box of 16 lights. All turned and worked though one was flakey at first. Pressing the battery box flat seemed to fix it and it didn’t cause any problems afterward. Some of the LED bulbs do flicker/twinkle adding to the “fairy” or “firefly” effect.

A product photo on their Amazon page shows the lights in a glass of water. Their product specs say they are IP44 rated, which doesn’t mean they are resistant to spray jets of water. The first number in 2 number IP rating is dust penetration, the second number is its waterproof rating. An item has to be IP7 or IP8 rated for it to be classed as immersive waterproof. While I believe the LEDs and wiring is coated to allow them to be waterproof, the battery compartment is not, so I wouldn’t expose that part of the device to water.

The lights can be put in a bottle, vase, or jar to make a decorative centerpiece. Or you can wear it as portable holiday lights. It’s perfect for the season. Currently the entire box set of 16 lights retails for less than $15 on Amazon which makes them a pretty good deal.

AMAZON Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/3kCTAXW

AMAZON AFFILIATE LINK https://amzn.to/3kCTAXW

Gadgets, Product Reviews

Blavor Solar Power Bank after 30 days

In a previous episode, bought and reviewed a Blavor 10,000mAh Solar power bank. Like similar products, it has a built-in solar panel to allow the unit to charge using sunlight. But I wondered just how many days would it take to fully recharge a unit using sunlight alone? I sought to find out.

I fully discharged my unit and left it on my windowsill and checked it daily. I was shocked to discover that after 30 days the unit was still only half-charged. I ended my first video at this point and continued the experiment. After 30 more days, here is the result.

Blavor Solar Power Bank on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3jyTSyI 

Gadgets, Product Reviews

iJoy LOGO Bluetooth Headphones

iJoy Logo Bluetooth Headphones sell for less than $20 on Amazon. I tested their quality and sound and was pleasantly surprised that they weren’t bad, once you change the default EQ setting to something less bass focused. It offers a range of features including a built-in FM radio receiver, a Micro-SD port for playing MP3s, and the option for wired operation with a supplied 3.5mm audio patch cable. It suffers from an opaque user interface that doesn’t provide sufficient cues to its status or settings and a poorly thought through user experience.

PRO
• Good sound quality (in the FLAT EQ setting)
• MP3 player
• FM Radio
• 3.5mm wired audio option
• Confortable padding
• Folding headband
• Inexpensive

CON
• Poor documentation
• Unclear which EQ setting is selected
• EQ reset to default when powered down
• Inserting 3.5mm audio cable turns off headphone

Purchase from Amazon
https://amzn.to/3EB1bP0

Gadgets, Shooting Sports

Camolo Trail Cam

Camolo C0097 Wifi Trail Cam is a budget to mid-range wifi-enabled trailcam sent to me to review. It offers excellent High Def video footage and photos that can be triggered by movement as far away as 60ft. 

27MP 140º IR triggered digital trail cam. Water-resistant IP67. 6-month standby time powered by 8 xAA batteries. 

PRODUCT LINK

https://amzn.to/3wt3232

Gadgets, Product Reviews, Travel

Solar Back Up Camera

The Solarst rear view back up video camera kit was sent to me by MyGekoGear for this review. This is a solar powered wi-fi camera that fits on your license plate frame and allows you to wireless add a rear-view video camera to any vehicle. 

It’s an easy way to install a back up camera to a car, truck, RV or trailer without complicated wiring and professional installation. The license plate has a built in solar panel to recharge the battery powered camera which connections via WiFi to a 4″ LCD monitor that you install on your dash or windshield.

PRODUCT LINK

https://shop.mygekogear.com/products/solarst

15% Off code: MOONDOG15

Gadgets, Shooting Sports, Travel

Orbit 960 4K Dash Cam Review

I’ve been using a Veckle Mini 0906 dashcam for the last two years which I’ve been satisfied with but after using this Orbit 960, it’s blown my old cam away. The display had me a little worried because it didn’t look too sharp. But after I pulled the files onto my computer to review, the level of detail was amazing.

My only complaint is that the tail-gate and lane change warning features don’t seem to work. Or I couldn’t figure out how to make them work? One of its best features is probably the extra sticky suction cup.

Purchase this cam through Amazon through this link to help support us: https://amzn.to/3iSfTZx