I would say if your a fan of the show like I am, get one. It is cool looking and I put mine on my laptop.
Metal Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Car Emblem Sticker - Review
This will be a short review because there's really not much to tell. But if you've seen this Metal Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. car emblem sticker on Ebay, there's a couple of things you may want to know before you buy.
I won one of these in an Ebay auction for $1.89 from a seller in China. The seller also has these for a buy it now price of $3.99 but I wouldn't buy it for that price. The metal is a thin brushed aluminum, and comes with a thin plastic protector that you can pull off to reveal a nice finish... or leave it on to keep the finish protected. It measures 3inches by 3 inches and I will admit, looks pretty good. I would never put this 'car emblem' on a car though, why you ask? This particular sticker is concave, remember its metal all be it thin metal. There is a mounting adhesive on the back, but because its arched, like a badge, its concave on the inside. So the adhesive doesn't fully make contact with the item your sticking it too. Only about half of the actual sticker makes contact. And at speeds of 40mph+ that thing will eventually fly off, or even more likely yanked off by someone while your cars in a parking lot.
I would say if your a fan of the show like I am, get one. It is cool looking and I put mine on my laptop.
I would say if your a fan of the show like I am, get one. It is cool looking and I put mine on my laptop.
Case Star Octopus Style Tripod Review
There are many types of octopus style tripods out there, and despite them all having the same basic feature of being able to wrap them selves around something, this one has 2 features that I think puts it ahead of the rest
Before we get to the features I like, lets talk about the basics. The legs on this tripod, like most flexible or octopus style tripods, can securely wrap around a variety of objects. Tree limbs, poles, handlebars, your wrist, etc will act as a secure base for this tripod. The ball joints give it great articulation and the white rubber bands around each ball acts as a grip. Ever try setting a tripod on a rock or uneven ground, this one has no problem with either, just twist and bend the legs to what ever you need the height, angle or level to be.
Camera weight isn't really a problem if you have a modern digital camera. Most modern digital cameras are fairly lightweight, and if you plan on using your phone camera, you can buy this tripod with a smart phone attachment.
I bought this one on Amazon for $3.79 from China and it came with a smartphone attachment.
Now what I think makes this one a bit better then the rest, is first... the lock ring/camera attachment. Many of these type tripods do not offer a removable attachment that can be screwed into your camera much the same way you would a large full size tripod. Thus allowing you to just slide the camera on or off this tripod as needed. This isn't just about convenience though. With this attachment, you can position your tripod without the cumbersomeness of having your camera attached, or worse trying to screw your camera on while in an awkward angle. Instead just place your tripod, then when its secure, slide your camera into place.
The second reason I like this one is the ball joint just beneath the lock ring. A majority of these type tripod do not have this joint, so if you need to angle your camera, it has to be done with the legs. But with a single ball joint beneath the lock ring, gives you much more range of angles to shoot from.
Now there is a problem with this tripod, and really its less of a 'problem' and more of a 'this aint built for that'. Whats it not built for? Being used as a regular tripod. This tripod excels at being twisted, turned, bent and misshapen, but try to bend the legs to perfect straightness, and place on a table... and something just won't feel right. One leg will be slightly longer, one will be bent slightly angled, basically it'll drive you nuts cause you'll look at the tripod and see that its just ever so slightly not standing right. It can be used as a regular tripod of course, but if you need a regular tripod just buy one. This tripod won't be happy unless you use its super power, to be bent into ridiculous positions so you can take selfies and group photos in places no normal tripod would dare go.
Camera weight isn't really a problem if you have a modern digital camera. Most modern digital cameras are fairly lightweight, and if you plan on using your phone camera, you can buy this tripod with a smart phone attachment.
I bought this one on Amazon for $3.79 from China and it came with a smartphone attachment.
Now what I think makes this one a bit better then the rest, is first... the lock ring/camera attachment. Many of these type tripods do not offer a removable attachment that can be screwed into your camera much the same way you would a large full size tripod. Thus allowing you to just slide the camera on or off this tripod as needed. This isn't just about convenience though. With this attachment, you can position your tripod without the cumbersomeness of having your camera attached, or worse trying to screw your camera on while in an awkward angle. Instead just place your tripod, then when its secure, slide your camera into place.
The second reason I like this one is the ball joint just beneath the lock ring. A majority of these type tripod do not have this joint, so if you need to angle your camera, it has to be done with the legs. But with a single ball joint beneath the lock ring, gives you much more range of angles to shoot from.
Now there is a problem with this tripod, and really its less of a 'problem' and more of a 'this aint built for that'. Whats it not built for? Being used as a regular tripod. This tripod excels at being twisted, turned, bent and misshapen, but try to bend the legs to perfect straightness, and place on a table... and something just won't feel right. One leg will be slightly longer, one will be bent slightly angled, basically it'll drive you nuts cause you'll look at the tripod and see that its just ever so slightly not standing right. It can be used as a regular tripod of course, but if you need a regular tripod just buy one. This tripod won't be happy unless you use its super power, to be bent into ridiculous positions so you can take selfies and group photos in places no normal tripod would dare go.
Review - 5.5v Solar Powered Folding Charger Panel
In this modern age, how many of us have gone hiking, camping, fishing, etc only to find our phone, flashlight, or GPS battery dies. Not many years ago, we'd just made sure that we had an extra set of batteries, but now so many products come installed rechargeable and often non changeable batteries. So what options do you have if out on a 3 day hike with no phone. Well you can hope that you don't run into any problems, or want to take any pictures or you can buy a travel solar charger. I decided to buy a solar charger from China on Ebay and got it for $15( I just couldn't see myself paying $200 for a name brand charger from a name brand store). Though I don't trust the rechargeable batteries from China, I have no problem with their other electronics... sometimes you get a lemon but that's the chance you take when your 'Cheap'.. like me.
Now this charger advertised several things, but like many items on Ebay, buyer beware of the small print or items that look surprisingly like a name brand. Lets go down the list;
1) 5.5v 5W 1000ma current - which is what you get roughly when plugged into a USB port. This item did provide that current, and did fully charge up my iPod touch. BUT the condition had to be full sunlight. Shade, indoors, partially covered cells... were all no go.
PASSED - So at the end of the day, it worked as intended. As far as I'm concerned every other feature is just frosting
2) Water proof panels - well without actually opening this thing up there's just no way to see if the panels are water proof, I can say they are made of a hard plastic/plexi material not unlike glass. There is a thin skin over the cells, much like a screen protector film that you get on a new phone, yet this film is not removable.
UNKNOWN - Which means it can survive a few water drops on it without penetrating to the cells.
3) Water Proof Cloth - Like the cells its impossible to check if its water proof. The cloth is a tightly woven nylon and likely has a plastic backing, much like a backpack. So lets presume the cloth is waterproof, but the seams won't be.
UNKNOWN - Even the best packs leak at the seams in a downpour. But then lets ask our selves, why would we use a solar power charger in the rain? We wouldn't, so the question of waterproof is really MUTE. Its small enough that I plan on keeping mine in a freezer bag sealed and in my pack. If I need to use it after a rain passes, pull it out and lay it on the freezer bag so the bottom of the charger isn't exposed to continuous moisture.
4) USB cable output - Pretty straight forward... has it, works
PASSED - Not a big deal, but something to keep in mind. If you're bringing your phone, iPod, camera, or whatever. Remember to bring its USB charging cable too. Otherwise this charger will be useless.
5) Durability - The cells are what I worry about, when you hold this charger all folded up, you just feel like you're going snap it in half by accident. So I dropped it, yes on purpose. First with it folded up from about 10 feet high, it landed on hard ground, no cells were damaged.
PASSED - I like this item and don't want to buy another, so I'm not going to do the drop test with it opened up.... instead I did a crush test. One of the selling points was that it has grommets to attach to the back of your pack so it can charge while your hiking. So I opened it, attached to the back of my pack and put on my pack. Then I backed into a tree, then sat down and fell backwards on to it. No damage with the exception of some marks on the film that covers the solar cells, so as far as I'm concerned its durable enough
I suppose the gist is that it works as advertised, reasonably durable and is at the very least water resistant. Definitely worth the $15 I spent, and suits my needs for charging small electronics in the field. Something else to keep in mind, this might collect more light if the screen protector type wasn't covering the solar cells. Right now it works fine for my needs, however as the 'film' gets more ragged, I'm likely to use a razor and carefully cut around the edges and remove that film to expose the solar cells better. If it comes to that, I'll update this post.
1) 5.5v 5W 1000ma current - which is what you get roughly when plugged into a USB port. This item did provide that current, and did fully charge up my iPod touch. BUT the condition had to be full sunlight. Shade, indoors, partially covered cells... were all no go.
PASSED - So at the end of the day, it worked as intended. As far as I'm concerned every other feature is just frosting
2) Water proof panels - well without actually opening this thing up there's just no way to see if the panels are water proof, I can say they are made of a hard plastic/plexi material not unlike glass. There is a thin skin over the cells, much like a screen protector film that you get on a new phone, yet this film is not removable.
UNKNOWN - Which means it can survive a few water drops on it without penetrating to the cells.
3) Water Proof Cloth - Like the cells its impossible to check if its water proof. The cloth is a tightly woven nylon and likely has a plastic backing, much like a backpack. So lets presume the cloth is waterproof, but the seams won't be.
UNKNOWN - Even the best packs leak at the seams in a downpour. But then lets ask our selves, why would we use a solar power charger in the rain? We wouldn't, so the question of waterproof is really MUTE. Its small enough that I plan on keeping mine in a freezer bag sealed and in my pack. If I need to use it after a rain passes, pull it out and lay it on the freezer bag so the bottom of the charger isn't exposed to continuous moisture.
4) USB cable output - Pretty straight forward... has it, works
PASSED - Not a big deal, but something to keep in mind. If you're bringing your phone, iPod, camera, or whatever. Remember to bring its USB charging cable too. Otherwise this charger will be useless.
5) Durability - The cells are what I worry about, when you hold this charger all folded up, you just feel like you're going snap it in half by accident. So I dropped it, yes on purpose. First with it folded up from about 10 feet high, it landed on hard ground, no cells were damaged.
PASSED - I like this item and don't want to buy another, so I'm not going to do the drop test with it opened up.... instead I did a crush test. One of the selling points was that it has grommets to attach to the back of your pack so it can charge while your hiking. So I opened it, attached to the back of my pack and put on my pack. Then I backed into a tree, then sat down and fell backwards on to it. No damage with the exception of some marks on the film that covers the solar cells, so as far as I'm concerned its durable enough
I suppose the gist is that it works as advertised, reasonably durable and is at the very least water resistant. Definitely worth the $15 I spent, and suits my needs for charging small electronics in the field. Something else to keep in mind, this might collect more light if the screen protector type wasn't covering the solar cells. Right now it works fine for my needs, however as the 'film' gets more ragged, I'm likely to use a razor and carefully cut around the edges and remove that film to expose the solar cells better. If it comes to that, I'll update this post.
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