Product review: Apexel 2 in 1 Clip-on 180 Degree Fisheye Lens + 20x Macro Lens

Left without the lens, right with the macro lens

With fisheye lens

This lens fits any phone as long as it is possible to position the clip over the camera lens. In order to fit the distance between the center of the phone camera lens and the shorter edge of the phone should be less 30mm (1.18"). If the camera lens is lower them it is also possible to mount the lens from the long edge pf the phone as long the distance between the camera photo lens and the phone edge is less than 30 mm.



The kit contains two lenses a macro lens (which is good for taking close up photos of small objects) and a fisheye lens (good for super wide angle). The lenses in this kit hold on to the camera by a compression clip. I have another lens kit which attaches by tightening a brass screw and that mechanism stays on the phone better without moving. With a compression clip you need to be a lot more careful not to push the lens of the camera lens.



I am attaching  photos taken with the lenses in this kit. The fisheye is easier to use as it is easier to take sharp pictures without a lot of adjustments. 20X macro requires quite a bit of work to get crisp photos. Macro photography is difficult to focus even in 35 mm photography, holding the phone steady is even more difficult. The focus area is very shallow and very small, so it takes a lot of patience to get sharp photos. However, even when the photos were not shart I got many visually pleasing abstract color shots. I thought some of them will make beautiful backgrounds, so there is a way to turn mistakes into something useful.



These lenses definitely push my phone's capability beyond of what it was capable of before. I enjoy photography so this made my phone photos much more fun.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★☆

Product review: ZeroEdge Qi Wireless Car Charger Car mount, Windshield/Dashboard and Air Vent Mount Holders

This type of charger has become my husband's favorite charger. It is identical to the Lerway Qi charger that he has been using for over a year. In fact, he loves the style of this charger so much that he decided not to buy Nexus 6 because it did not work well in this charger (Nexus 6 is too long to form a good connection with the coils of the Qi charger). We use this charger mounted on the vent because it puts it into a very convenient position for controlling and seeing the GPS app. The fact that it is a Qi charger make it easy to remove and place the phone without stressing its micro USB connector.



The charger chargers very well. We used Nexus 5 to navigate on a 35 minutes trip using Google maps. The Qi charger was able to keep up with the power consumption of the app and it charged the phone up by 2%. Not all wired chargers are not able to do this, so this performance is pretty impressive.



This car charger can be used for Qi wireless charging as well as wired charging. If your mobile device supports Qi charging the attached charging cable is attached to the cradle, if your mobile device does not support Qi charging then the cable can be plugged in directly into the mobile device. The mount can be either mounted on the windshield, the car vent, or on the dashboard (using provided plate that is glued to the dashboard).



The suction mount works well too. I tried the suction mount on the windshield and the hold is very strong. The mount's jaws open smoothly with one button push.



In attached video I show how the holder mounts in the car vent.



Performance tests:

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I use the current monitor and a 10 minute charging to test to test all my chargers, these tests give me two data points to compare different chargers to each.



10 minute charging test: 7% up charge (this is excellent compared with the other wireless chargers measured with the same phone at the same charge level)

Current monitor: 1.34A/5.10V (also excellent, and very similar to Lerway Qi Charger)

Charging at AC rate



Size info:

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Inside jaws open 3.75"

Inside pad is 4" tall, open on top

Car mount neck is 5"

Charging cord is 58"



We like just everything about this charger! It chargers well and the vent mount is very convenient.



What could be better? This phone charger does not work well with large phones like Nexus 6 so it would be better if the holder had adjustable arms on all 4 sides.



My husband loves this charger so much that it is now a check off point for every new phone - the phone has to work with this car charger.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.







AshopZones review ★★★★★

Product review: Duxtop Whole-Clad Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Induction Ready Premium Cookware

We recently got an induction cookware top and most of our cookware had copper bottoms and did not work. I have done some investigation on what makes good induction cookware and found two major points: multi layer construction and riveted (rather hand welded) handles. Multi layer construction is important for spreading the heat and avoiding hot spots. Three layers is a minimum level that works well, some higher end cookware offers 5 and more layers at a higher price.



Duxtop has 3 layer construction and riveted handles.



The cookware has a nice heavy feel and the shape of the handles is very comfortable because of the rounded grip. My old pots have Bakelite handles so they don't get hot. Duxtop cookware has metal handles and they can get hot if I am cooking for a long time. I have to remember to check and see if I need to use a pot holder.



The set includes



1. 2 frying pans (8" and 10"), the larger one has a lid

2. 1 sauté pan (3 quart) with a lid

3. 2 sauce pans (1.6 qt and 3 quart) both with lids

4. 1 stockpot (8 quart) with a lid

5. Steamer insert that fits both the 1 quart sauce pan and 8 quart stockpot

6. Two pot Bakelite holder stands



As I side note I want to mention that the 8 quart pot works well with my Polder Strainer (9.5 inch diameter by 8 inch height), which I use to cook pasta.



This cookware works on induction cooktops, gas stoves, electric stoves as well as halogen stoves so it would fit into any kitchen.



Overall, I am very pleased it looks good and works well.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

Product review: AmorTek Original Car Dash Cam

When this dash cam works and the video file is saved successfully and can be displayed the quality of the video is quite good. However I ran into a number of technical issues which detract from what could have been a nice dash cam.



The first unit I received could not advance past the "welcome" page. The return and replacement was easy as anything on Amazon.

The second unit records without problems, however many of the files on the micro sd are not viewable. The error reads "The format of xxx.mov cannot be detected." This is a serious problem because unlike many cameras that save small files often this camera saves large files, so if something goes wrong when it saves the entire recording sessions is lost.



By trial and error I determined the video files are not saved correctly related to how the dash cam is stopped. It appears that if I disconnect USB power and let it run for a few minutes on internal battery until it runs out of juice it saves the file the file is saved fine and they can be played back. However if I stop recording by just turning off ignition in the car (which is what I have always done with the other dash cams) the file is not saved properly and is corrupted. I also was not able to read the file when I used on/off button to turn off the unit itself prior to turning off ignition.



On the positive side:



✔ Video quality of the dash cam is quite good as you can see in attached video.

✔ This camera has an excellent suction cup mount, stayed on even on rough roads.

✔ The dash cam uses standard micro USB cables.

✔ The cam has an LED display so I can tell that the cam is aimed correctly. The display flashes a bit as you drive, I have not seen this with the older dash cams we own.

✔ Recording starts as soon as it gets power so you don't have to remember to turn it on.



The AmorTek package includes the camera, two mini USB cables, and cigarette lighter USB adapter.



The user interface is straightforward and even though the manual does not contain details for each button and each option, it contains a picture where each button's function is labelled. I found the manual sufficient to configure my video cam. All defaults are reasonable.



Overall, this dash cam has good potential but appears to be an early version which still has some technical issues to iron out especially with reliable saving of files.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Kmashi MP828 20000mAh Lightning Fast Charging Dual USB External Battery Backup Pack

This is a review for Kmashi MP828 20000mAh Lightning Fast Charging Dual USB 2Amp Input External Battery Backup Pack Power Bank. This seller has a history of re-using the same ASIN number for multiple products, which means the reviews for the old and the new external packs are mixed together and the buyer has to figure out on their own if the review is relevant or not. I got this battery on July 5, so at least as of July 5th this listing was for the 20000 mAh external pack and not the previous product.



♦ size: 6.25" x 2.25" x 1.25"

♦ weight: 14/6 oz

♦ number of ports: 2

♦ flashlight: no

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

♦ cables: 1 charging cable and 1 AC cable



The external battery performed very well charging both my Android and Apple devices. The test results showed it to be at the top of ratings for both devices on both ports.



To see how well different chargers and external batteries charge my mobile devices I use a Nexus phone and an iPadMini to test each of them. The current drawn from the battery depends on each device using the battery. The port rated with maximum capacity of 2A does not always deliver 2A, what is actually delivered is controlled by the device based on many factors such running apps, level of charge, and so forth. I always use the same two devices and I do my tests with the devices charged to the same level, running the same applications and using the same cables to keep everything the same. This allows me to do a relative comparison of each battery and identify the ones that do not perform well. Note that these tests are not testing for the maximum current each device can draw on each port as neither of my devices can max out the port.



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.



Finally, I check if the cable that came with the battery is a charging cable (i.e. capable of charging at full AC rate) or a data cable (charging the battery at USB rate). This is easy to tell using the current monitor, and this package includes a charging cable.



Samsung Nexus phone:

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port 1: 1.02A/5.06V (excellent comparing the performance of the same device with other chargers)

port 2: 1.00A/5.06V (excellent comparing the performance of the same device with other chargers)

(for comparison the best charging monitor result for this phone is 1.00A/5V)



As noted above these tests are not designed to test the maximum capacity of the port, so 2A port not showing 2A is not an indication of a problem



iPad Mini tablet:

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port 1: 1.31A / 5.08V (average for 1A port for the same device with other chargers)

port 2: 1.40A / 5.10V (good comparing the performance of the same device with other chargers)

(for comparison the best charging monitor result for this tablet is 1.70A/5V)



The battery has a nice capacity and fast charging rate both both Android and Apple devices. I have been using this battery pack for the past two weeks and have been pleased with it. During a 3 day heat wave I used it to power a USB powered fan and got three days on one charge.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

Product review: Ivation Universal Smartphone Camera Lens Kit All Smartphones,10x Telephoto Lens,Fisheye Lens, Macro Lens

This lens kit exceeded my expectations. I am attaching a slide show of the photos taken with the lenses in this kit. I thought the photos came out quite well. I included photos from the same spot with and without the lenses so you can see the difference. My favorite lens in the kit in a fisheye lens, it allowed me to take very interesting photos that I could not take without it, the photos are always sharp no fussing with the lens is needed. 10X lens gives good magnification, but requires manual focus so it takes a bit of work to get crisp photos. But as you see in the photo I was able to take photos of bees on flowers. About half of the bee photos I took were sharp and half I did not quite got right. Photography is one of my favorite hobbies, so I am really enjoying these lenses. Photos with my phone are much more satisfying now!



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.







AshopZones review ★★★★★

Product review: CHILIPET bird feeder

This is a very simple bird feeder. The metal mesh container screws into the round metal top. The seed container is 8" long, and the round top is 8.5" wide. The top has a short metal loop that can be hung on a branch or a sheppard's hook.



We have a motion activated wild life camera aimed at this bird feeder, so we had a lot of fun watching all the critters who discovered the bird feeder.



We filled the bird feeder with sunflowers. We have a couple of other bird feeders and sunflowers seem to be their favorite food.



From experience with other bird feeders we know that birds like to have perches. To add perches to this birder feeder we put three twigs through the mesh. As you see in attached video the birds used them extensively, however sometimes they did just hang on to the mesh without using the mesh. When the bird feeder has perches there is a lot more traffic at the bird feeder. However, the perches are removed by squirrels (see delightful video which captured it) because perches poke squirrels in the belly.



Speaking of squirrel... Does this bird feeder have squirrel proof mesh? No! As you see in attached video the squirrels had no problem enjoying the sunflower seeds. Squirrels are very smart. It took the squirrel several attempts to find the best way to get the seeds, but they figured it out within a few hours. We have three resident squirrels and each one found a slightly different way of using the feeder.



If this is your first bird feeder be patient as it takes birds some time to find the bird feeder. When we put up our first bird feeder it had no birds for about a week. Because we have other bird feeders it took them about two days to discover this one.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.







AshopZones review ★★★★★