Product review: Wegreeco Bamboo Reusable Sanitary Pads

Let me start by saying that Amazon stock photo shows the pad clipped the wrong way. The gray part goes towards the body. The pads come without instructions, so I looked at stock photo to see how it meant to be clipped. I first used it with the colorful part towards the body and was extremely unhappy because it felt cold, wet, and did not seem to do the job at all. I was about to write a 1 star review and was in process of doing a video to demonstrate that it absorbs liquid very slowly I saw that it does not absorb any water at all. It is waterproof! When I flipped it it was working much better - it absorbed the liquid and the colorful part was working as a protective barrier.



Once I clipped them on correctly (the opposite way from Amazon photos) the pads work quite well: they are absorbent, they latch on tightly, and I do not feel the snap as I sit. I ordered the large size. The large pads are 10 7/8" and 3" wide. With the wings spread it is 7 1/8" wide, from snap to snap it is 6.5".



I tested the pads for colorfastness and they are colorfast. After washing them in the washing machine they did not shrink and came out wrinkle free. I carry a ziplock bag to store the used ones if I am not home. If you overload them they get quite wet and unpleasant (they feel more wet than the disposable kind at that stage).



This listing include 5 pads. At the time when I am writing this review this works out to just under $6 per pad, and feels a little too pricey. I would liked it to be a six pack, as I typically need 3 a day and they take a day to dry.



These pads were provided for testing and review as part of a new product introduction. Getting a free product does not prevent me from pointing out flaws. I included both positives and negatives of my experience and I hope the tip on how to use them will save someone having my initial bad experience.



You can find "Wegreeco Reusable Sanitary Pads" on Amazon via this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★☆

Product review: Aris A Velvet Burnout Waterfall Kimono

This is a very pretty jacket. The waterfall shape is flattering to any figure. It looks beautiful and very dressy. This jacket is a mostly sheer burnout velvet. The sheer part has white, pink, and blue colors, and the velvet is black.



The jacket is well made. You can see its construction in attached photos. The craftsmanship of the piece is very good - neat seams and no loose threads. The body of the jacket is cut generously, but the arms are a little snug. I can wear this jacket over a blouse, but not a sweater.



The actual material is 70% rayon and 30% silk. The jacket has no buttons, so it is quite forgiving in fitting a variety of sizes: it works well whether the fit is a little large or a little small, it still works fine because it drapes in folds in the front. It has a flowing look and it moves in the air as I walk.



You can find "Aris A Velvet Burnout Waterfall Kimono" on Amazon via this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

Product review: ZOMEI Camera Tripod Carbon Fiber Tripod Monopod with Ball Head

ZOMEI Q666C is a nice tripod and scores well on my list of requirement for a tripod. This tripod met four of my requirements for a tripod and fell short on one (but not badly).



My requirements:



* Quick release plate. This tripod include a quick release plate. The release plate is made out of metal and is sturdy with a heavy duty construction. Quick plate tightening mechanism can be tightened by a coin. It holds well.



* Lightweight. This tripod weighs 3 pounds 6.7 oz (this weight include the tripod and the ball head). This tripod is heavy enough to withstand a gust of wind yet light enough to carry around without much trouble.



* Quick release legs. This tripod does NOT have legs with quick release locks. Each collapsible leg is made out of 4 sections and is released by twist locking mechanism. Zomei twist locks do not take a lot of turns and they feels well made.



* Ability to support my Canon rebel digital SLR with 300 zoom lens. This tripod handles my Canon DSR camera with 300 zoom lens without a problem. It is rated to support 30 pounds, way more than I will ever need.



* Flexible ball head or ability to mount any ball head. This tripod comes with a nice ball head and can accept any other standard ball head. The panning and tilting is smooth. The ballhead has three adjustment knobs.



' Pan knob is a small knob at the bottom.

' Ball knob is the medium sized knob. Using it I can position to ball to align with a 90-degree slot for vertical orientation.

' Small knob at the top controls the quick release plate.



This tripod came with a couple of extras:

' The package includes a carrying case.

' Also included us a bag to store the ball head. Since I already have another ball head I find a storage bag useful to store the one I am not using.



Tripod's maximum height is 65", minimum height is 18.6".



This tripod can be converted into a monopod using a provided hex key. The conversion is not fast as it requires working with a number of screws and washers. It is not something I would do on the road as it is easy to loose a washer or a screw. Some of the screws pretty tight.



This is a nice sturdy tripod that is not too heavy!



You can find "ZOMEI Camera Tripod" on Amazon via this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

Product review: OFIYOU Electric Fly Swatter

I have used an old fashioned rubber fly swatter and I thought this one will be just as easy to use, but turns out it is not so. The old style swatter has a smaller flexible surface and it is easier to generate high speed to squash the insect. This swatter is the size of a tennis racket and is made out of a harder material (plastic) so it takes more effort to generate high speed to make contact with an insect. To generate the shock the insect has to make contact with two metal wires to close a circuit. It is not enough to hit the insect you have to hit it right. This swatter has multiple layers of metal mesh which helps, but still there were times when I would make contact and the insect would fly away because it did not close to circuit which is necessary to generate an electric shock.



When I was fast and had good aim it worked. If I hit straight down towards the floor I could see the victim's body and could clean up. If I whacked side to side.... I knocked the body somewhere out of sight. I was not able to find the corpse or be sure the insect did not recover and fly away.



The swatter comes with all documentation entirely in Chinese. The labels on the switches are in Chinese (the label on the handle say "on/off"). The swatter is rechargeable and has an American electric plug. The label said 220V (it is made in China and aimed at different electrical system) but modern appliances are able to properly adapt to the different voltages and I was able safely to recharge the swatter's battery.



This is not a toy: touching the mesh with fingers will cause a mild electrical shock (not fatal but painful). Swinging the plastic "racket" could damage the furniture or whatever else you might hit in pursuit of the insect. The racket is made of hard plastic, it is not flexible.



I was provided a sample swatter for testing and review. Before I tried it I was hoping to use it on hornets, but because the kill rate is not 100% I don't think I will try it on insect that can fight back.



You can find this " Electric Fly Swatter" on Amazon via this link.





AshopZones review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Startreasureland 925 Sterling Silver Pendant Necklace 10mm White Freshwater Cultured Pearl (Jewelry)

This pendent has a very pretty design with a pearl surrounded by wavy halo crystals. The metal is sterling silver (has a stamp) and the the stone is a freshwater cultured white pearl. I measured the pear with my digital caliper and its size is 0.364 inches. The circle is 9/16" across. Both the pendant and the chain look delicate. The chain is 18" long, the chains look similar to liquid silver design.



I received a sample necklace for evaluation and review as part of new product introduction. Getting a free product does not effect what I say, I leave critical reviews when the product deserve it, but this is not one of them. I thought this pendant was even more attractive in person than in the photo.



You can find "Startreasureland Silver Pendant Necklace" on Amazon via this link





AshopZones review ★★★★★

Product review: Cozy Products CT Cozy Toes Carpeted Foot Warming Heater for Under Desks

My feet get really cold in the winter and I purchased this heated mat as one more option to keep my feet warm. I like it! In about 4 minutes after turning on the carpet I can feel it through my slippers. It does not feel hot to touch yet there is enough heat to keep my feet warm. I like it better than Mastex electric booties which really get hot and I cannot keep them on for too long.



The color of the mat is gray. The stock photo looked a little greenish to me but I was happy to see it has no green in it at all. The mat is 17.5" x 17.5". It is okay to use on top of the carpet and on top of wood. It does not get hot enough to damage either surface. When I was shopping for a heated mat I considered another mat but it could only be used on concrete or tile floor as it gets warmer and over time can discolor other surfaces.

I have been using this mat for 2.5 months. It is placed on top of a silk area rug and I see no changes in the rug.



I am quite pleased overall. Would I like to see any changes? Yes. I wish it was available in more colors so I can match it to my carpet better. I would like it to have a light to indicate that pad is on as a reminder for me to turn off at night or when I am not using it to save electricity. Despite these two minor things my feet are definitely happy.



You can find "Cozy Carpeted Foot Warming Heater" on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★☆

Product review: USB 3.1 Type C Cable Tenswall - USB 3.1 spec compliant cable

Tenswall type-C cable is a thick braided cable - it feels and looks well made. It is 40 inches long and easily plugged into a phone with a silicone skin on.

I originally thought it was a 3.1 complaint cable, but in-depth tests by Benson Leung show that it is not.



What is 3.1 compliant cable? USB 3.1 spec specifies that the termination resistor that advertises the maximum available current should be set at 22K which advertises 1.5A of current. Benson Leung has a series of excellent reviews of Type C cables. Benson works for Google's Pixel group and has pointed out that many type-C cables violate the USB 3.1 specification that states that the termination resistor that advertises the maximum available current has been set incorrectly at 10K which advertises 3A of current rather than the correct value of 22K which advertises 1.5A of current. The non-compliant cable could be harmful to devices that are not limited to 2.5A-2.6A such as the ones that Benson evaluated in his reviews. I had an interesting discussion with Benson about my observations of turning this bug into a feature for rapid charging with Nexus 6p, and in general he does not approve of non-compliant cables and said that at minimum people should label them to be sure they are not used as general purposes type-C cables for all devices. I have been using these non-compliant cable with my Nexus 6p with no ill effects with 2.4A car chargers but as they say "use at your own risk". If you do plug in the car charger side of the cable first and the phone second as Benson reported differences based on the order what side of the cable is plugged in first.



All test were done keeping all conditions the same: same level of charge for the phone, same apps running, keeping the screen on so I can see the results.



1) Using a car charger on a port rated 2.5A

Nexus 6p battery is at 39%, at this level it will use rapid charging if possible (i.e. up to 2.5A)

** Tenswall Type C to Type A cable (non 3.1 compliant) -- 1.3A

** Another Type C to Taype A cable (non 3.1 compliant) -- 2.5A



2) Using a wall charger on a port rated 2.4A

Nexus 6p battery is at 37%, at this level it will use rapid charging if possible (i.e. Nexus 6p is cable of drawing up to 2.5A, the port is cable of providing up to 2.4A)

** Tenswall cable ------ 1.27A



Attached are images from my tests that show the results with both cables.



I received this cable from Tenswall for testing and review.  It did not perform as well as other non-compliant cables.



YOu can find this "USB 3.1 Type C Cable" on Amazon via this link





AshopZones review ★★