AGPTek’s LED Solar Motion Sensor Wall Light (New Generation)

LED’s have been making a major push into the US market this past year, and making a huge impact too. With the next generation of LED lights now entering the marketplace and the prices starting to make them not only attractive, but irrefutably budget and environmentally conscious choices. And one of the companies that has made a major splash is AGPTek. They’ve become ubiquitous  with cutting edge technologies at a price point that makes sense. Their LED Solar Motion Sensor light is no exception.

Gone are the days of the necessity for heavy, bulky cast aluminum or pot metal wall lights, with their aesthetically unpleasing solar or motion-sensor add-ons, and with them are also gone the days of replacing incandescent bulbs every few months, and the waste associated. This wall lantern looks just as snazzy and functions just as well, or better, than most of the budget lamps you can buy in your local big-box store. The light this AGPTek lamp provides is adequate, and not that harsh, bright almost blue/purple light you get from cheaper, poorer quality LED’s. And because the AGPTek lamp is lightweight, it’s mountable on any surface with zero fears of it falling or damaging walls, and because it’s solar powered with a long life lithium-ion battery, there’s no wiring to do, and no hiring an electrician. The motion sensor will pick up moving opjects up to over 25 feet away, so it can also function as a security lamp as well. It’s also waterproof so outdoors lighting is A-Ok. One day’s worth of sunlight provides you an entire evening worth of illumination. And the LED light is good for thousands and thousands of hours, so no more replacing bulbs every few months either.

I was slow to adopt LED lights because of the price and the quality of light, but this last generation of LED’s has won me over in a big way. And AGPTek’s Solar Motion Sensor Wall Lamp, like all it’s products are first rate, are made of quality components and made to last. Priced at $24.99 (It’s no miniature lamp, this a full-size real deal lantern!), you get plenty of bang for your buck. There’s a place in my home for plenty of AGPTek’s products going forward!

Connect with AGPTeK:

• Online
• On Facebook
• On Twitter
• On Google+
• On Amazon
• Buy yours right here!

I received the above product(s) free of charge from AGPTeK.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

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Zitrades: Low-Voltage Floodlights and Lighting #Review #ZitradesFloodLight

When it comes to items that must be left plugged in and connected, like outdoor lighting that is set to turn on from a timer and when you are most likely not home, safety comes first. I’m all for a bargain and have fallen for the bulk packages of low voltage lighting where a transformer is required, to later not be happy with the output. I also understand what weather-proof means versus waterproof.

I can easily state that the Zitrades lighting failed for me on many ways. First, the product has no gasket, seal, or any preventive measure to call it “waterproof”. I looked for a UL listing or something to inform me the materials used and inspection is even up to safety specs, none could be found. The manufacturer provided me with two lights to review and both advertised a remote, however one box was missing said remote and the light has no way to manually change the lighting for it to perform as advertised. Then comes the advertising where the manufacturer used the following wording in “features” on their listing:

• Ground wire plug in assure your safety in using

Let us get over the part where the proper syntax was not used because if I can understand someone, I really don’t care much when it comes to grammar. What I do care is about the key words such as “ground wire” and “plug”. You look at Zitrades website and they sell many of these lights, with plugs being the prominent ones they “sell”. Well, so far they only sell via Amazon, none are priced on their site and you can’t order and check-out like with a normal selling site. Some icons of products you click and they go to pages that are blank. I contacted the manufacturer and shared that the wording in both the promotion and on Amazon, which states the aforementioned, plus made them aware of the missing remote, however this is the reply I received:

All of my floodlight promoton are about DC 12V, there is no ground wire type, please check the promotions.I make it clear in my description.

Sophia

The above is copy and pasted as-is. I have only interacted with “Sophia” that gets back to you after midnight every time, as long as it is a weekday and don’t count Friday or the weekend because I went 4 days without hearing anything to just be greeted by the above. I love when companies are so busy with copy and pasting their descriptions that they get so caught up cutting corners, which they then end up attaching the wrong description to the incorrect product. This is a low voltage light, so think Malibu-style lighting. There is no ground in those but the transformer you use has one. The light being sold above has no ground or plug. The sentence is gibberish and I can’t review a product that has in my opinion already a bad beginning. The package has zero information about power sources you can use and even though I have an idea, the consumer should be able to have clear and understandable information. I will not damage my own transformer or worse, cause other damage or a fire because I wanted to test a light that we took apart and other than the wording by Zitrades, we could not find what makes the product “water-proof” and much less weatherproof! The box even has errors where it is printed to state something and then crossed off with a pen (like important information as the input voltage). I replied to Sophia and copy/pasted the above that was not only in this Amazon description but the promotion I signed-up as a blogger, and again silent. I don’t feel like waiting until midnight the next day for a reply when the company resides in California but keeps the oddest hours. Their site states 24 hour e-mail reply and that was false, as was the 8AM to 5PM (PST) hours. I don’t expect someone to jump when I establish contact but I do expect not needing to wait 4 days when you alert them to a remote is missing.

Connect with Zitrades at:

• On-line
• Amazon
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Tumblr
• #ZitradesFloodLight

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Zitrades. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

As a post script, a received the following reply just prior to posting this review:

Re: sorry for my mistake From: Zitrades06/23/2015 04:18 AM

• but you can see that in the picture, the flooldight is DC 12V without power plug in. THE SENTENCE”Ground wire plug in assure your safety in using”MEAN THAT in order to make it safe, you need to use ground wire, thank you.

  Maybe next time, I can give you another plug in floodlight, but this time, I have no plug in floodlight promotion, wish you can understand this.

  I wish you can post reviews with several pictures. Thank you in advance. 🙂

  Sophia

I’ll leave it up to you if you feel this is “standing behind their products”. I can’t recommend this brand at all, sorry.

Alite Advanced Hydroponic LED Cultivation Light

You would think in Southern California, the one thing we have no shortage of is sunlight. In fact, it’s sunny here 11 months out of the year. But a side effect of so much sun is heat. And we have that in spades here too. So what’s a gal to do when you want the brightest, most vibrant blooms and leaves but leaving your plants outside in California is akin to putting them in a blast furnace? Chromo, Inc. has the solution with their Alite Advanced LED hydroponic plant cultivation light.

Chromo, Inc. designed their Alite Advanced LED grow light to stimulate plant growth by producing light at the specific wavelength plants require for photosynthesis. No more weary, tired blooms on your indoor plants and flowers! The wavelengths required for maximum chlorophyll (both A & B) productions are 460nm, 630nm, and 660nm. This Alite Advanced LED lamp produces just those wavelengths, all while fitting into a standard E27 (or A19, if you prefer) socket base! With aluminum fan blades at the back to help dissipate heat, this lamp stays cool even if you run it for 24 hours! With 12 1w LED’s in the lamp head, it is energy efficient and should net you a 50,000 hour life span. That’s one long-lived light! It’s even good for underwater plants. Not too shabby!

Lamps like these will dissipate quickly at long focal lengths, so to maximize growth, one should situate the plant as close and as directly beneath the lamp as possible. The Alite Advanced Hydroponic LED light by Chromo, Inc. is suitable for all stages of a plant’s growth, so don’t be stingy helping your blooms look their best!  It works best in a dry, well ventilated environment, and should be kept away from other sources of heat. It even comes with a one year warranty! Neat-o! Competitively priced at just $28.95, it also qualifies from free shipping via Amazon.com.

Connect with Chromo, Inc.:

• Via the web
• Via Facebook
• Via Amazon

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Chromo, Inc..  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Aennon Headlamp Review #Headlamp

One thing you can never have enough of is flashlights, or so hubby says. Good ones are great, not great ones still have their uses, but bad ones can give you fits. Aennon asked me if I’d like to give one of their products a test drive, and I said sure, because flashlight, right?

For starters it’s LED, which makes it fairly impact resistant and bright. Unfortunately it is a multiple LED emitter, not a single diode. Aennon says it’s good for 30 lumens up to over 160 feet at it’s brightest setting. While I may admit it’s bright enough that it looks like about 30 lumens, at best I’d say the light goes about 40 feet, maybe 50. A far cry from 164 feet. While I don’t doubt you could be seen from that far away, it’s doubtful you’d have any meaningful vision in the dark at that range. It has 4 settings, low, mid, and high, with a red “night vision” setting as well. It uses a single button for all 4, so one must cycle through them to get to one’s desired brightness level. It runs on 3 (included, kudos to Aennon!) AAA batteries, which does make it a little front-heavy, but unlike the rear battery predecessor we own, no wires or pokey clips to power the unit running the length of the head straps.

It is adequate for small, dark spaces, and with it being LED it should be very energy efficient and impact resistant. Aennon’s claims it is good for around 16 hours of continuous use at it’s lowest setting. Depending on the battery type you use, that could be possible. Aennon also claims the front lens is shock-resistant glass with a anti-reflective coating. It is not. It’s plastic. Aennon further claimed to not having a “bobbing effect” with no brain squeeze. Unfortunately, it does bob, and in fact slides down the front of your face over time. It has a 90° swivel, but the bevel on the plastic lens means it’s going to start shining into your eyes range fairly quickly. Aennon also claims the headlamp’s lowest setting is suitable for nighttime reading. I would not recommend it. LED’s use a bright, harsh, blue-ish light that reflects very sharply off the page and hurts your eyes pretty quickly.

Overall, this is a simple light for simple, household tasks, like depositing old tax records into the attic storage box, or taking out the trash. But I wouldn’t consider it for camping or hiking. I’ll be glad it’s around during a power outrage, though! It is more comfortable than our previous headlamp, but not nearly as bright, focused or useful. Sadly, it is more expensive, too. At $17.50 (at time of review), there are better values to be had out there. I would say it’s decent, but I’ve had better, and for less. And the dubious claims (to outright non-truths!) are very troubling. Aennon does back the headlamp with a “What if something breaks-100 % satisfaction-or-money-back-guarantee”. So there’s that.

Connect with Aennon:

• On the web
• On Facebook
• On Amazon
• #headlamp

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Aennon.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

Almondina Cookies: No Bake Valentine’s Day Gelato, Sorbet and Ice Cream Heart Treats

For those of you unfamiliar, Almondina is a thin cookie that is not only less punishing caloric (only 30 calories each) wise but absolute deliciousness!  Most dunking cookies I love more how they look than how they taste because the cookies are so dry, they suck the moisture out of your mouth.  You try to dunk them to soften them and then they fall apart, so now your hot coffee is not so enjoyable anymore with pieces of dissolved cookie with every sip!  Almondina has fixed the problem but I find them better than most packaged cookies I have ever enjoyed because they are so versatile!  You do not have to commit to one flavor because they are thin cookies that come in different varieties.  You have chocolate based to the original vanilla tasting ones, to cinnamon, to even pumpkin.  You want yogurt dipped, Almondina has it and even chocolate dipped, so again this is more than just a cookie you have with a hot drink.  It is a cookie that stands alone in it’s own class of thin (but delicious) crisp cookies.  I love almonds and it started with how the nut tasted but it is also a healthier alternative.  What I like is the amount of almonds and fruit you get too.  I am not cheated out of anything, just eating less fats!  It may be a “better-for-you” cookie but what makes this dreamier, is you get all the flavor and can’t believe one thin cookie could do so much! I will be reviewing the cookies later this week and will have a giveaway for my readers.  Yes, that means the sample pack I received could be yours! So, stay tuned and just a small hint, start following and liking them on Facebook 🙂

Let Almondina Cookies make your Valentine’s Day treats not only easy and quick to make, but they will look like you dedicated all day to them. The cookies are toasted already so no need to toast in the oven. You can even add sprinkles, chocolate ganache or just the Almondina crumble itself.

I started by using Almondina Choconut, a delicious chocolate cookie that is studded with almonds and raisins. I take the cookie and break off some of the nuts to use later as decor. Using a food processor, I pulse until get a nice mix of fine and medium crumbs. In a small bowl, I add the crumb to be used for later. I again repeat the above process with the Original Almondina cookies and the Almondina AlmondDuo, a double nut cookie, which features not only almonds but also pistachios.

Take your Valentine’s Day cookie cutters (I have both metal and plastic) . Get your favorite ice cream, sorbet, or even gelato out of the freezer. I do one flavor at a time and if I do not have a flavor…..I make it. I had left-over boysenberry preserves I made a few days ago and folded it into vanilla bean ice cream to make boysenberry ice cream. You can use a cherry preserves or any flavor you desire. This not only saves money but also makes those flavors you dream of into reality.

I use a parchment square and under that place some plastic wrap. You can also use the plastic wrap by itself if you do not have parchment.  Take your cookie cutter and place it in the center of the paper/plastic. Stuff the cookie cutter with the above frozen treat of your choice and I find using a spoon and stuff by the “sliver” versus scooping is the easiest way to avoid air pockets. I use a small spatula to smooth out the Gelato and then simply use my hands to push the form out. You can also use the assistance of the parchment paper you used the cookie cutter on if you have enough overage, this also avoids getting ice cream on your fingers. Rinse and repeat!

*The above is Pistachio Gelato

 

*The above is Coconut Sorbet 

*The above is Dark Chocolate Gelato and the Boysenberry Ice Cream I made

I then place cover the molded treat and place it in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. If you are making more than one, make sure to not allow your ice cream to soften too much. I suggest placing the pint back in the freezer to keep it from melting. This is why I like to work with different flavors because I can rotate as I work.  If I need to hurry up a creation, I place it in the ice cube tray for a fast chill.

While everything refreezes, I start making ganache. Ganache is a simple recipe of 1/2 heavy cream and 1/2 chocolate. I use a mix of bittersweet and semisweet chocolate and slowly melt it on the stove. For convince, I place my ganache in a glass dish with a spatula for easy scooping.

Once the molded heart has hardened again, I take out one heart at a time and begin to decorate. You can use several ways:

• Spread Ganache and then the Almondina Cookie Crumbs.
• Stud the hearts with the nuts you recovered from the cookies before making the crumb and then only applying crumble to the sides.
• Make a Mold of Gelato and fill only 1/4 of the way, add Almondina Crumble and then fill again with Gelato. This gives you a crumble in the center.
• You can do half Ganache and half crumble, so you get different textures

More Ice Cream

Return the decorated heart back and allow it to set for 20 to 30 minutes. This will of course vary by size of cookie cutter and amount of frozen treat used.

I used some ganache and stencils to not only decorate the dessert but also my plate. You just smear a small amount of ganache and then some red colored sprinkles, or any color of your choice. Lift the stencil and then you have a cute design. Place the plate in the fridge and if the plate is freezer safe, it is much better because it then gets as cold as the hearts, This buys you time when you put everything together. Get your Love Bug and you have a gorgeous and delicious dessert that required no oven and just some opening and closing of the freezer ❤ This also a very kid friendly project, so make it a family thing too ❤ Enjoy!

To locate where you can buy Almondina’s Cookies or to view their large selection, please visit:

• On-line– http://www.almondina.com/
• Facebook– https://www.facebook.com/Almondina.Brand
• Twitter– https://twitter.com/almondina

I received the above product free of charge from Almondina Cookies.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Smiley Mission: Emergen-C

I got the opportunity to try the some of the latest flavors of Emergen-C, thanks to Smiley (www.smiley360.com), and let me tell you, if I wasn’t already a fan, I certainly would be now!

A lot of times, with these “immune booster” drinks, they taste like some unholy combination of ground-up Flinstones vitamins and Alka-Seltzer.  Which is about as tasty as it sounds. That’s not the case with Emergen-C. You get a 1000mg of Vitamin C, a little jolt of energy from 7 B-vitamins, 24 different nutrients, antioxidants and electrolytes, and a glass full of great flavors that range from super orange, raspberry, blueberry-acai, cranberry-pomegranate, pink lemonade…the flavors go on and on. Chances are, there’s at least one for you! Did I mention they’re fizzy, too? Yeah, they’re fizzy. Score!

As for the purported benefits, I can say that this is definitely a “your mileage may vary” situation, but I can tell you from experience that I rarely leave home without a glass of my Emergen-C. There’s a lot of yucky germs floating around out there in crowded places like grocery stores, malls, and movie theaters. People coughing, sneezing, generally being unclean, snotty, germ factories. I will always welcome a little kick to my immune system before wading through all of that.

I will say that I like mine with a little more water and sip throughout the day, where as hubby makes one small 8 oz. glass and chugs it. Weirdo. He loves the little kick he gets and the electrolytes and potassium for after strenuous activities. But I can safely say this is an Emergen-C household, for now and the immediate future!

Check out Emergen-C and find your flavor or flavors:

• On-line and you can order FREE Samples– http://www.emergenc.com/
• Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/EmergenC
• Twitter- https://twitter.com/EmergenC

I received the above products free of charge from Smiley.  I am not obligated in providing a positive/favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the brand and/or products, which may differ from yours.