Pocket Chain Saw Survival Gear Cool Outdoor Camping Tools

This pocket chain saw is a 25" long chain saw blade attached to two nylon handles. The length of the saw with the handles is 40 inches. It comes in a handy pouch which keeps the package neat and compact. It weighs only 4.7 oz on my digital postal scare.



To test the saw I enlisted the help of my husband to do the sawing while I held the end of the branch he was working on in place. The video shows the cutting of 1/2 inch branch. The entire process took slightly over 5 minutes. The attached video includes two short snippets in the beginning and the end of the sawing session.



Observations:

1. The saw worked but required a lot of energy and a good amount of time

2. The blade did not flip while it was in use, no adjustments were required

3. The blade came out pretty clean and no time consuming cleaning was required



The chain saw is most effective for cutting old trees or stumps still standing upright. Limbs on the ground require stepping on the tree limb to give it enough weight to counter the sawing motion. To cut a horizontal branch on a tree it helps to have two people, as the second person can hold the branch steady.



I received this saw from Stunning Gadgets with a request for an honest review, be it good or bad. This is a useful gadget to have in emergency, its small size and light weight are its biggest assets. Putting it to use does require effort and time, which is not unexpected, of course.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★☆

iFlash® Ultra Slim 3200mAh Portable Power Bank Backup External Battery Charger with Embedded Micro-USB and Flashlight

Ultra Slim 3200mAh External Battery Pack looks very slick, it is quite thin. One unique feature of this external power pack is that it has a micro USB cable built into the side of the unit (see attached photo collage). It pops out of the side on a coiled cable, so if your mobile device takes a micro USB connector you don't need to carry any extra cables. This built-in cable delivers very rapid charging (see test results below). The power pack also has a port which allows you to connect other connectors, so it works with devices that have proprietary connectors as well.



I tested Ultra Slim 3200mAh External Battery Pack with Galaxy Nexus Phone (running ICS 4.0.4), Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (running ICS 4.0.4) and iPad Mini.



I received this power bank from the manufacture for an honest review be it positive or negative. Top reviewers are often asked to review new battery packs and one of the benefits of being asked to test different power banks is that it gives me an opportunity to compare them to each other using the same charging test, so I can compare them using "apples to apples" comparison. This set of tests allows me to provide unbiased results as the numbers speak for the performance of each unit.



I received two identical units black and white, having two of them allows me to test for consistency in manufacturing. Ideally I want to see the same performance numbers for both units, and this was the case with the two Ultra Slim power packs .



My methodology is to charge each mobile device on each port of the unit for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charge in that 10 minute period. In addition I tested charging two mobile devices at the same time. Each line in the table below represents a separate 10 minute test. I use Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.



➨ General features:

======================



Ultra Slim 3200mAh external battery weighs 3.2 oz. Its size is 2.25" x4.25 " x 0.375". The pack has one USB output port and one built-in micro USB cable.



In addition to the built-in micro USB cable Ultra Slim comes with a charging cable and two tips - micro USB and iPad. It did not have tips for Samsung Galaxy Tab or lightening connector for iPad Mini and I used my own charging cables during the tests. I am attaching a photo of the Ultra Slim 3200mAh during one of the test next to my tablet for size reference. You can find this photo by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo in this listing.



Ultra Slim 3200mAh looks very slick: it is thin, has a nice finish, and in general has a look and shape of a smart phone. It shows the charge level by displaying 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% on panel. When it is charging, however, this indicator gets turned off. But the charging continued even when the lights were off. This is a little different from how other external power pack indicators work (they stay on when you are charging),so I wanted to mention it. In addition to the charging capabilities, Ultra Slim has a built-in flashlight.



➨ Test Results:

======================



✔ Galaxy Nexus Phone

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

White unit: AC ~~~~~ 6% change in charge in 10 minutes (built-in mciro USB charging cable)

Black unit: AC ~~~~~ 6% change in charge in 10 minutes (built-in mciro USB charging cable)



White unit: AC ~~~~~ 2% change in charge in 10 minutes (separate charging cable)

Black unit: AC ~~~~~ 2% change in charge in 10 minutes (separate charging cable)



✔ Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

White unit: AC ~~~~~ 1% change in charge in 10 minutes (separate charging cable)

Black unit: AC ~~~~~ 1% change in charge in 10 minutes (separate charging cable)



✔ iPad Mini tablet

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

White unit: AC ~~~~~ 1% change in charge in 10 minutes (separate charging cable)

Black unit: AC ~~~~~ 1% change in charge in 10 minutes (separate charging cable)



➨ Key finding:

======================

✔ This power pack has great performance with built-in micro USB cable.

✔ Using your own charging cables the power pack works with both Galaxy 7.7 Tablet and iPad Mini but performance is on the slow side.

✔ I observed the same performance for both the black and white model, which is good and reflects consistency in the manufacturing process.



I highly recommend this power pack to people who can take advantage of the built-in micro USB cable.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.







AshopZones review ★★★★★

GreatShield Mariner (IP-68 Certified) 100% Waterproof Protective Pouch Case for 8" tablets (iPad Mini, Galaxy 7.7, and others)

Mariner looks very cool and feels well made. It is very different from several other waterproof cases I own.



When not in use it looks like a neat looking white cylinder. This cylinder turns into a seal for a waterproof bag that is stored within it.



The cylinder lid opens when the connectors on both sides of the cylinder are pushed in at the same time. It is closed by snapping the lid shut. Listen for the click to be sure it closed.



In attached video I show opening the cylinder, inserting each of my two tablets (iPad Mini and Galaxy Tab 7.7) inside of it. The video also shows my water test with iPad mini: putting the case under water and using the iPad Mini while it is wet and inside the pouch. I also show removing the tablet and packing up the case back for storage by rolled it up into the cylinder.



The whole system is very neat and good looking. It worked well both in terms of being waterproof and keeping the ability of using the tablet while it is in the bag. I would rank it above other waterproof bags I have tried.



I received Mariner from the manufacture for testing and sharing my experience be it positive or negative. I am not compensated for this review or have a business relationship with the manufacture. The manufacture does not have any influence over the content of my review. I've done my best to test the product and provide an honest review. I hope the video gives you a good idea of what to expect.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

Nano flash drive, V7 Mini USB Flash Drive, 32GB

This V7 nano flash drive has 32 GB capacity. The nano drive is really small: 7/8"L x 1/2"W x 1/8"H. I am attaching a couple of photos which shows this flash drive next to a regular flash drive and in use with my MP3 speaker player for size reference.



The drive has a small loop at the top, so it can be attached to a key chain if a loop if needed. My favorite use for this flash drive is in the MP3 player you see in the photo, I used to use this player with a regular size memory stick and a tiny one is so much more convenient.



The 32G capacity allows you to store 5416 photos each one is 12 MegaPixels or 250 minutes of 13 Mpbps HD video. The memory stick has a 5 year limited warranty.



The maximum speed that USB 1.0 devices can achieve is 12 MB/s while 2.0 devices can theoretically achieve up to 40 times of that at 480Mbps (although real speed it typically somewhat less than this theoretical maximum).



I measured the performance of V7 nano flash drive with several utilities and its performance falls in the middle of other USB 2.0 memory sticks I have tested.



To test various memory cards I run the same set of tests so I can compare them to each in "apples to apples" comparison, this way if some unit does not perform well I notice it by comparing it to other devices I have tested. My test consist of copying a large set of mp3 files totalling 638916 Megabytes.



V7 SDHC write performance:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

✔ 1.642s (cpu) 1:55.52 (clock time)



For comparison I including numbers for copying the same set of files to SanDisk USB2 memory stick, Transcent microSDHC class 6 card, and to the hard drive of my computer.



✔ Transcent microSDHC : 1.482s (CPU time), 1:33.97 (clock time)

✔ SanDisk USB2: 1.358s (CPU time), 1:23.53 (clock time)

✔ Hard Drive: 0.573s (CPU time), 0:00.58 (clock time)



For read performance test I use Linux Disk Utility Benchmarks.



V7 SDHC Read-only performance:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

✔ Minimum read rate 18.0 MB/s

✔ Maximum read rate 31.3 MB/s

✔ Average read rate 27.0 MB/s

✔ Average access time 1.4 ms



There are a couple of small negatives I want to mention (not deal breakers just for completeness of the review).



1. This memory stick does not have a led indicator which shows that the memory stick is being accessed. If I am using multiple memory sticks I like to see the reassuring flashing of the stick I am writing to so I can be sure I am accessing the right stick.

2. The memory stick has a pretty tight fit, I use the grippy material used to open can lids to pull the memory stick out the USB slot of my hub.



I was supplied a sample for testing and an honest review, be it positive or negative. I really like this nano flash drive and would recommend it to others.





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.







AshopZones review ★★★★★

Metrokane 9251 All Chrome Electric Rabbit Wine Opener

After a couple of back surgeries my hand strength is pretty bad. One of the things that is difficult for me is opening wine bottles. When Metrokane asked me to test and review Metrokane Electric Rabbit Wine Opener I eagerly agreed knowing I will be one of their weakling testers.



I finally found the wine opener that is easy for me to use! All I have to do is press the bottom button on the wine opener and wait until the motor stops, and then push the top button to eject the cork from the wine opener. No strength needed at all! At the 4th of July gathering we opened a few bottles using it, and they all worked equally well.



Attached video starts with the use of the foil cutter - one has to squeeze and turn it to cut off the foil. Then the video shows extracting the cork, and finishes up with ejecting the cork.



The bottle opener comes with a charger. It takes 5 hours to fully charge the opener. The top of the opener has a digital display which shows how many bottles you can open with the remaining charge. The fully charged unit can open 30 bottles.



I am attaching a collage of photos (which can be located by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo).



✔ Photo #1 shows the use of the foil cutter

✔ Photo #2 shows wine opening removing the cork

✔ Photo #3 shows the cork coming out of the wine opener

✔ Photo #4 shows the cork being ejected

✔ Photo #5 shows the wine opener being charged (just starting, so it shows 0 bottles)



The Metrokane Electric Rabbit Wine Opener comes in an attractive round box. It would make an attractive gift.



Electric Rabbit Wine Opener has a 1 year warranty. It can be returned for repair or replacement to Metrokane (proof of purchase is required) to the following address:

Metrokane Consumer Service

150 East 58th Street

New York, NY 10155





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

Toddy Gear 5 x 7 Inch Premium Microfiber Smart Cloth Touch Screen Cleaning

This cleaning cloth is generously sized 6 7/8" on one side and 5" on the other side. You get one cleaning cloth in the package. One side is terri-cloth like micro fiber, the other side is satiny cloth. It is machine washable.



Toddy cleaning cloths comes in many colorful designs. The design appears only on the satiny slipery side, the micro fiber side has a solid color.



I am attaching a photo collage which shows both sides, as well as in use cleaning glasses for relative size. The photo can be located by following 'customer photo' link under the main photo.



I received a sample cleaning cloth from the manufacture to share my opinion with it whether positive or negative.



Is it better than other less expensive micro-fiber cleaning cloth? No. But one side has a colorful print and you are paying premium price for the colorful design.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



AshopZones review ★★★☆☆

32 GB sd card

My V7 microSDHC memory card has 8 GB capacity. This capacity allows you to store 1354 photos each one is 12 MegaPixels or 63 minutes of 13 Mpbps HD video. The memory card has a 5 year limited warranty.



I testd both the microSDHC card directly and the microSDHC with SD sleeve.



I measured the performance of V7 micro SDHC memory card with several utilities and found its speed reasonable. It falls in the mid range of various memory cards I have tested in the past, it is neither the slowest nor the fastest.



To test various memory cards I run the same set of tests so I can compare them to each in "apples to apples" comparison, this way if some unit does not perform well I notice it by comparing it to other devices I have tested. My test consist of copying a large set of mp3 files totalling 638916 Megabytes.



V7 microSDHC write performance:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

✔ 1.654s (cpu) 2:37.83 (clock time)



V7 microSDHC with sleeve write performance:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

✔ 1.437s (cpu) 2:40.11 (clock time)



For comparison I including numbers for copying the same set of files to SanDisk USB2 memory stick, Transcent microSDHC class 6 card, to hard disk of my computer,



✔ Transcent microSDHC : 1.482s (CPU time), 1:33.97 (clock time)

✔ SanDisk USB2: 1.358s (CPU time), 1:23.53 (clock time)

✔ Hard Drive: 0.573s (CPU time), 0:00.58 (clock time)



For read performance test I use Linux Disk Utility Benchmarks.



V7 SDHC Read-only performance:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

✔ Minimum read rate 19.1 MB/s

✔ Maximum read rate 22.3 MB/s

✔ Average read rate 21.9 MB/s

✔ Average access time 0.9 ms



V7 SDHC with sleeve Read-only performance:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

✔ Minimum read rate 14.9 MB/s

✔ Maximum read rate 22.2 MB/s

✔ Average read rate 19.3 MB/s

✔ Average access time 1.0 ms



The only small negative I have to say that the packaging of the card does not include a plastic case which is included with some other cards. I like having a spare memory card when I travel and find these cases pretty handy.



I was supplied a sample for testing and an honest review, be it positive or negative.



AshopZones review