Me-mythreads

Wednesday, 24 February 2016

SoundSOUL 180ml Aromatherapy Essential Diffuser

I was sent this diffuser for an honest and unbiased review.

This was good timing because I have been trying to find an alternative to burning candles to get rid of smell from cooking. I've read that candles have poisonous substances and are not good for you. This is my first experience with a diffuser.

The main types of diffusers are nebulizer diffusers, ultrasound diffusers, heat diffusers and evaporative diffusers. For a nice review of the different types you can go to http://wellnessmama.com/23343/essential-oil-diffuser-review/ The Soundsoul is an ultrasonic diffuser, where you add essential oil to the water. Because it doesn't burn the essential oil, you only use a few drops at one time, and it will last 2-3 hours. I like that it is quiet, and the water tank is big enough to last for 4 hours. The unit will stop when either the set time is up or when all the water is gone. The box also includes a measuring cup so that you don't have to hold the diffuser directly under the tap. There is a choice of different colours so it can also be used as a night lamp. The mist is also strong enough for me. One thing to note is that when you press the "Mist" button, make sure you hold it down for a little bit. At first I didn't hold long enough and the mist did not come on.

I do have a few suggestions for improvement. The English on the packaging and the manual is not too professional looking. In addition, it would be nice if the "light" and "mist" buttons are right below the mist outlet, so that we don't have to keep turning the diffuser around. Lastly, the cord groove at the bottom is very small, and my cord doesn't fit in it. Luckily, even when I don't use the cord groove, the unit stays even on the table.

You can buy this product here: http://www.amazon.com/SoundSOUL-Aromatherapy-Ultrasonic-Humidifier-Continuous/dp/B016KDLD0G The price is very reasonable at the time of my review at $26.99.

Sunday, 15 November 2015

TaoTronics Car Dashboard Camera Review (TT-CD05) Review

I bought a couple of car dash cameras before in Hong Kong but the batteries broke very quickly. These are now becoming more popular and after some research, I have picked the TaoTronics Car Dashboard Camera TT-CD05 to try.

Compared to my other cameras, this produces a much higher quality video. The wide angle is really handy, because when you mount the camera behind the rear view mirror, it is not always possible to point the camera at the exact direction that you want. But with the wide angle, it doesn't matter. Everything is included.

The camera is very light but well built. As consistent with my experience with Taotronics suction cups, they are very sturdy. The camera probably won't come off, unless it is very hot in summer. The USB cable is long enough to wire the dashcam around the passenger side so that the cables are out of the way and almost invisible. One of the features of this camera is the auto on/off engine, so that the camera turns on when you start the engine. Unfortunately, in my car, there is power to the cigarette lighter even when the ignition is off. So I have to manually turn the camera off when I leave the car. It is not a huge deal, as I have it mounted so that the on/off button is easily accessible. One suggestion is to look into the possibility of solar power. That would solve the wiring issue. Some solar panels can get charged by either natural sunlight and also indoor lighting.

As with many other dashcams, the camera does loop recording. The bonus is that when you buy this camera on Amazon, it comes with a 32GB brand name Sandisk TF card (also called micro SD card). At the highest resolution it takes about 5 hours before the first recording is overwritten. The camera has a G sensor so that when the car comes to an abrupt stop, the video that is recorded will be locked and not overwritten. I set mine to medium and it works quite well.

I have tried this in day driving and night driving and the images are good. Of course you cannot expect to see easily the licence plates coming the opposite direction unless you are stopped, but all dashcams tend to be like that. In the rain, it's hard to see, because the water drops on the windscreen reflect and diffuse the street lights and headlights. But this is a problem I expect with most cameras.

I own a quite a few Taotronics products and they have the best warranty. If you have any problems, they always resolve the issue to your satisfaction. The camera comes with a one year warranty and can be extended for an additional 6 months if you register the product. You can buy this product here: http://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-Dashboard-Camera-G-Sensor-Screen/dp/B0119F9EPG/