วันศุกร์ที่ 31 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2556

Rio Brands XCB202CB 01 Sports Anchor

We went to the beach with two beach umbrellas and only one sand anchor. The sand anchor did a great job of digging down deep into the sand and keeping the one umbrella firmly attached -- even in the breeze. We couldn't get the other umbrella (the one without a sand anchor) into the sand deep enough and it blew on to the people next to us, so we had to put that umbrella away.

VERY easy to use Rio Brands XCB202CB 01 Sports Anchor and does a great job. After I got home from the beach I ordered a second anchor for my other beach umbrella. Personally, I think it's a "must" for your beach umbrella.

A Note about my order: Although I ordered the one pictured (with a metal piece on top), they sent me the all-plastic version (twice), which I kept and works great. I would imagine they'd both work equally as well, but in all fairness this review truly pertains to the all plastic version which Amazon calls the "RIO Beach Sand Anchor for Beach Umbrellas". Even though my sand anchors are all plastic, they seem very sturdy and rigid. No problems.

Does this Beach Umbrella Anchor sound like you? You're planning a nice, relaxing trip to the beach. You've got all of your gear, including a super-duper beach umbrella. You get there, and you dig like mad to stick the umbrella into the sand, and then what happens? About 20 minutes later, you're running down the beach as your (formerly clean, pristine) umbrella topples end over end away from you. Children laugh and adults snicker as you drag what-used-to-be-a-nice-umbrella back up the beach. You need one device, my friends, and only one device - this sand anchor. I was dubious that such a small, simple corkscrew gizmo would work, but trust me, I'll be giving these away as gifts to fellow family beachgoers at Christmastime (and they're a tough crowd to please!!). Do yourself a favor, buy this and be happy!!

Coleman Road Trip Beach Shade

I purchased the Coleman Road Trip Beach Shade at Amazon prior to a family spring-break beach trip to Naples, FL. At the same time, I purchased the Sport-brella XL from Amazon. I used both on the trip.

The primary benefit to the Beach Shelters is that it packs up into a very small package. I haven't measured, but I would guess that it is 18 inches long (and only 6 inches tall / deep). It has a convenient handle to carry and weighs a few pounds (lighter than the beach chairs). The Beach Shade is a very good tent design and provides good shade at the beach. There are three collapsable poles that you need to push through sleeves in the tent. Once accomplished, the tent is up. Then, you have to anchor the tent with the stakes and / or sand bags. This tent is a piece of cake to setup with TWO people; it takes us about 15 minutes. It would challenging for one person to set this up-- especially if it was windy. When anchored properly, the tent isn't going anywhere. We used it on a windy day with no problem.

Advantage over Sport-brella
(1) More shade for a longer period-- given the "tent" design.
(2) Small size when packed up.
(3) Has a floor so you are not sitting in sand. The floor extends to the front of the tent.
(4) Can close front and use as "changing room."

Disadvantage over Sport-brella
(1) Harder to install than Sport-brella. Better to have two people install.
(2) Inside of tent gets hot.

Criticisms:

(1). Although it creates adequate shade, the inside of the tent gets pretty HOT. It was 85-90 degrees Farenheit at the beach. We needed to open the rear window in order to stand it-- which takes away from the shade. (We had no such problem with the sport-brella, but the Coleman is more of a tent).
(2). Rear window has open, 1/2 open, and closed. Given the heat issue, it would nice to have other options-- especially given that you must open the window due to heat.
(3). It would be really nice to have some smaller side or top windows like the Sport-brella.

Bottom line. I will definitely use the Beach Shade again. Our family requires two "cabanas," so we can use both the Sport-brella and the Beach Shade. If you only need one, I recommend the Sport-brella-- unless (1) you require the smaller size when packed up or (2) the ability to use it as a quick changing-room is appealing.

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 26 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2556

Honeywell Long Life QuietCare Purifier 17000

As someone who is highly allergic to cigarette smoke and other air pollutants and irritants, I purchased a round Honeywell HEPA air filter when it first came on the market several years ago. It still works well in the living room, but it is quite noisy even on its lowest setting.
This year I purchased another Honeywell air cleaner with a HEPA filter (Model 17400) for my bedroom because I had contacted bacterial pneumonia last year and wanted to make sure I did not get it again. Next, I purchased this Honeywell 17000 Air Cleaner (with HEPA filter) for use in a smaller bedroom which has been turned into a home office and library.

These Honeywell Long Life QuietCare Purifier 17000 really work! This winter I have not had a cold or flu. Also, this Honeywell Air Cleaner with HEPA filter is whisper soft, and I have had no problems with sleeping, working, reading, watching tv, or listening to music when it is running on the low and medium settings. I leave it on all the time, and I've found that it cleans the air best when the door is closed.
It has a convenient handle on the top, so I can move it to another room quite easily. Also, it is light enough that I can take it with me in the car if I want to use it away from home.

The prefilters last about 3-6 months, (and they can be vacuumed often if you have pets who shed). I change my HEPA filter every year, but you can wait 3 years to do so. These filters are easy to change. The Model 17000 is for a smaller room, and the Model 17400 is for a larger space.

Highly recommended for anyone on this Honeywell Air Purifier who has pets, who lives with or entertains people who smoke, and who is allergic to dust, molds, or pollens.

วันเสาร์ที่ 25 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2556

Goodman GSC130181 Air Conditioner SEER

I am now on my fourth Vornado brand fan in the house - I have had them for nearly 10 years, and have found them to be long-term reliable and probably the best fans I've ever owned.

Vornado makes quite a variety of fans, ranging from industrial models that you can put in a garage (which I have), down to smaller kitchen fans that are a bit louder but still put out just as much airflow as the more powerful models.

Two of my Goodman GSC130181 Air Conditioner SEER  ave run 24 hours a day for more than 3 years, with regular cleaning of the grill and air intake. So as far as brand value and quality, you can't get much better.

This specific 630B 3-speed fan is one of their mid-size models. It sits firmly on the floor with a large base, and the control knob is conveniently located on the side of base to fan arm. There are only three speed levels on this fan, vs. some of their other models that feature a steady dial giving you complete flexibility from off to high.

If I had to give this fan a "noise rating" - the low setting is completely unnoticeable after a few minutes and blends into the background - this is the setting I leave it on 24-hours a day. But if you want to move air rapidly, just move it up to medium or high and the noise level increases moderately (but I don't leave it on that setting after I have the temp where I want it).

For home use I recommend pointing this fan into areas where the a/c or furnace might not have the best coverage. You can save a lot of energy in heating/cooling your home due to the distance these fans can move air. Down a long hallway you can feel a strong blast of wind from this fan even on the lowest setting.

Highly recommended Goodman Air Conditioners - don't be afraid of the price, because you're going to have this fan for a long time to come with minimal cleaning. Snapping the front and back grill off is easy, and you can just vacuum out the dust that will gather after prolonged use. All four of my Vornados have lasted a minimum of 4 years with almost constant use, even in very dusty (garage) conditions.

วันพุธที่ 22 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2556

Honeywell Compact Purifier Permanent HHT 011

When I first purchased the Honeywell Compact Purifier Permanent HHT 011 I was ecstatic at the thought that allergens, dust and other air contaminants would be filtered, especially for the price. My room is extremely dusty so I needed some sort of solution and I hoped that this was it.

For the first six months the purifier worked efficiently, or seemingly so. I ran the it, as recommended, 24 hours a day nonstop. When I'm not home I ran it on the high setting (there are three settings), medium when I was around and low when I slept. I cleaned both the outer filter and inner HEPA Air Purifiers regularly as a lot of contaminants were being filtered. I noticed a somewhat significant difference in the air quality of my room (11.5 x 8 ft) during this span.

After sixth months the purifier was rendered useless and actually made the air quality worse. The contaminant intake became less and less, the dust in my room begun accumulating faster (I still dust frequently) and the purifier's fan was blowing out unclean air - air that reeked heavily of dust.

I highly doubt that the HEPA filter is efficient forever and needs no replacement. It is charcoal grey and transmits little light when held to a light source (not sure if this is significant as compared to a car air filter test). I do as the manual suggests and vacuum it (more frequently than recommended) and I vacuum/wash the outer filter regularly. Another review mentioned that the purifier became filled with dust and grime over time; the same thing happened to mine, as evidenced when looking down the air vent. I tried to clean it out by blasting 180+ PSI of air with my air compressor, but it did nothing to help. The dust was very thick, almost lint like, and would not budge at all.

To make matters worse the purifier is fastened together by hexagonal security screws (I'm sure the average household does not have the required screwdriver). I recently bought the screwdriver and opened the purifier to clean it out, and found that the inside was a horrendous mess. Every surface and mechanism was layered with dust. The insides of the tubular fans were coated with dust as well. The task of carefully removing components to access all compartments for dusting was tedious and took some time. I've cleaned almost all of the contaminants from inside the purifier, but I am still very skeptical about using it again in fear that I will have the same problem again, perhaps in less time than before.

To sum it all up, this product was good for about six months until the inside of the purifier became festered with dust, and it was extremely tedious to remove it all. I'm not sure when this accumulation of dust began, or for how long the HEPA filter has been ineffective. The purifier does not filter all contaminants, instead sucking some into the interior and spitting it back into the air in my room.

With all of that being said, there are numerous positive reviews on this product; perhaps I am an unfortunate rare case. For the price I'd say it is definitely worth a try, but be cautiously optimistic if you decide to make the purchase.

SF 609 Portable Evaporative Cooler Ionizer

I use this SF 609 Portable Evaporative Cooler Ionizer in my home in Phoenix Arizona in an enclosed room with very little air circulation. It has kept me from becoming sweating over the course of the hot spring nights thus far, and that makes it worth the purchase. It's better than a fan, because a fan wouldn't reduce the temperature in my personal area like this device seems to. It basically cancels out the heat emanating from my computer and other devices. So as a result I don't overheat and am at a neutral sort of "room temperature" typically. It's not chilly, however. In my circumstances, at least, it doesn't provide that coldness you would expect from an AC unit set on 70. So if you have to have that, then I would advise a normal AC unit over this product. But this does prevent me from becoming a sweaty mess by the time I want to sleep. And for that reason I'm happy with it.

If you do use Portable Air Conditioners for say over 5 hours, it will slowly start to build up humidity in a room with little or no ventilation. But even that effect I find to be mild. I've had it go for 7 hours and all I noticed was a very slight dampness on the floor. My computer was fine, and everything electronic was unaffected. It did start to get balmy slowly after that point so I went ahead and opened my window for a bit. But it was only an inconvenience for the many hours of non-sweating it had provided.

My method for draining has simply been to place the unit on the side of my bathtub with one roller hooking onto that ledge, and to lean the other end slightly into the tub, and remove the cap: letting gravity do the rest. This does take a little strength to do, but It's quick and easy. My only complaint about the device is that It's cord is a bit short, about 8 feet long, and only barely reaches to my desk from the necessary socket across my room. Just something notable, but not anything you couldn't work around with an extension cable or something. Make sure to put a lot of ice into it, the instructions don't do justice to how much "2 liters or so" really is in reality! It's a good small buckets worth. That will last all night.

All in all an economic solution to being a sweaty mess in the desert nights.

วันพุธที่ 8 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2556

Ed Hardy HOLLYWOOD Bronzer Tanning

I've been tanning for many years, tried a million lotions & this is by far my favorite. please don't discontinue or take it away. this lotion gives you the best color, smells great, goes on like silk, doesn't streak, & i love the price. i've ordered several bottles & continue to use this as my staple tanning supply. KUDOS to the maker's of this product...finally, a lotion that has it all & doesn't hurt my wallet!!!! if your looking to try something new, this is it. i promise you will be happy & praise the tanning gods for finally giving you "THE GREATEST TANNING LOTION OF ALL TIME." Happy Tanning & thanks ED HARDY!!!! I hate it for whoever said they tried this lotion & basically said the opposite of everything i said & that someone you know got a rash from it. Clearly, you can see by all the comments that this is a good lotion. Lotions do streak if there not put on properly & not everyone has the same taste in a scent for their lotion. I'm sure you can get a rash from anything you try, i'm allergic to neosporin. Maybe when you search for lotions in the future you should start by bringing wipes to the tanning bed with you, read the description listed as "fragrance" to get an idea of what it might smell like & tell your friend to purchase lotions from the "sensitive skin" section. I can't help but to disagree with you on this one. ED HARDY lotion may not have worked for you, but i always have a bottle in my tanning arsenal & i highly recommend it. Maybe ED HARDY should expand instead of keeping to clothes & perfume.....starting with items that cater to the "sensitive" kind of customers.

I bought this Ed Hardy HOLLYWOOD Bronzer Tanning because I was needing something that had a bronzer in it. I had been using Swedish Beauty intensifier and wasn't really seeing a difference in color. I must have been in a plateau or something. This made me really dark. I even took a shower about 1 hour after I tanned and it didn't come off. I did notice that I had a little spot on my shirt from it. But, I think it's because I was sweating so bad. I live in St. Louis and it's been 100 degrees everyday for like 2 weeks! So, all in all this lotion is worth the $$ and it smells really nice too. It's like a musky but sweet smell. Kinda weird to describe. The price is EXCELLENT compared to the salons. I paid $65 dollars for my first bottle of lotion in March. That was dumb! I will only buy on Amazon from now on! OOh and a little goes a long way, and it has shimmer tint in it

I have been using this Bronzer Tanning Lotion for about 3 weeks and am tanner than I have ever been using a indoor tanning bed. It usually takes me forever to tan, and with this lotion it doesn't take long at all. I saw results within the first few visits. It has a light smell, and actually smells pretty good as far as tanning lotion goes. I definitely reccomend this lotion.

Australian Ultimate Bronzer Tanning Lotion

I bought this Australian Ultimate Bronzer Tanning Lotion about 2 weeks ago and have only used it 3x so far. Once when I first got it and twice last week, and guess what? I am pretty dang dark! My front and backside are the darkest but my legs and arms are not too far behind! After using it one time I did't really see that much of a difference because the bed I used the bulbs weren't very strong but I had some color. Then after a week or so I went to a tanning salon and used their beds. WHOA! I got out of the bed and was shocked at the color I got, then a few hours later my boyfriend came home and was suprised at how dark I had gotten that day! If a man noticed the difference you know it's some good stuff! Then I went back the next day and became even more tan. It's not orange what so ever but a nice brown. Kissed by the "sun" type of look I like to call it. I haven't been tanning since Friday and today is Monday and I'm still glowing strong! This afternoon I'll go again and maybe add a few more shades to this tan! The only thing I don't like about this lotion is it feels a little greasy until your skin sucks it all in. And after I tanned I scratched my shoulder and the lotion made little balls where I had scratched it off. But I can live with those It doesn't rub off on my white sheets or anyhting like that. But make sure you wait a few hours to shower so you get the full effect of the bronzers and achieve your dark tan!

I purchased this Bed Tanning Lotion at my tanning salon a week ago. Ive only used it about 4 times so far and have noticed incredible results. I was really skeptical when the women at the salon recommend it. Tanning usually makes my skin so dry but this has a lot of moisturizers in it to keep that from happening. I have never gotten this dark in only 4 sessions before. I would highly recommend this. Next time I will defiantly buy from amazon though! Great price! My salon charged $50 on sale.

I was in a huge debate for weeks as to which "Jersey Shore" tanning lotion I should buy: JWOWW's, Snooki's or Pauly D's. I went to my tanning salon for the first time in a few month's and they had this one there. I asked them about it, and they said it was the best, and very popular at that salon. I bought it...and I LOVE IT! I was noticeably darker after one session, and the bronzers work really well. I had a nice glow, and the lotion smells awesome. It doesn't smell like coconut, like all the rest, it has its own scent and it's great. Left my skin feeling really soft and smooth, too. I HIGHLY recommend this lotion, it's the best I've used in a LONG time.

วันอังคารที่ 7 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2556

Millenium Tanning Paint Auto darkening Lotion

Let me tell you guys about my experiences with this product...first off..I'm a guy..I wanted this product to get a pretty good jump on the tanning season..and living in Southern California in April that's pretty easy to do. When I started using this product... I was by no means dark, but definitely had distinguishable tan lines. I have fair skin (burn rather easy) but also tan rather easily. I will also state that I do not use tanning beds, only the real sun.. so I cannot comment on what beds would be like (but I'm sure they would work better or at least as good). First off...I see lots of things about people saying it smells like flowers...or it smells like burnt hair (lol).. Well my bottle smells like sugary vanilla... if it doesn't smell like something ants would want to invade...then it probably isn't real.. Also the consistancy is more of a tan color and its the consistancy of an average lotion...its not super thick and its DEFINITELY not watery. When I've used this product outside...after I'm done tanning it smells exactly like when I put it on..you just smell like vanilla ice cream...I don't know how body chemistry can make this product smell like burnt hair...or menthol..or any of the other crazy things here unless the solution was fake. The product works decently well..it will get you darker...but only maybe as dark as you would get in 6 sessions outside over the span of 4. I've learned that this product does not work very well if you put tanning oil on first... so with that said for best results you would have to go SPF-free using this product outside...which I wouldn't recommend for very long (maybe 30 mins on each side at most). I got better results also by leaving the product on for 3-4 hours AFTER tanning without washing it off. I did not find that this product causes streaks..but I definitely would put more effort into making sure its even and smooth than I would with basic tanning oil just to be sure... and use common sense..do not use this product on your face...use a more natural face bronzer or just let it be slightly different colors and let it be.. I personally use Crystal Faces by Australian Gold and my face is a bit lighter but its very natural in color.

So things you may have learned from review.

1) This Millenium Tanning Paint Auto darkening Lotion smells like Vanilla Ice Cream, or something very sugary vanilla that ants would like.
2) This product is NOT watery, its tan-ish in color and has the consistancy of an average lotion.
3) This Sunless Tanning Lotions WILL work outside.
4) This product works BETTER outside without sunscreen (atleast in my experiences, if you put sunscreen on I'd give it a full hour to dry so you make sure the bronzer can still absorb completely).
5) After use this product smells exactly like it does when applied.
6) This product WILL make you tanner in less time, but think something along the lines of "Ill get tan in two days what I normally would in three", not some ridiculous "I used this product for 10 minutes and now am darker than people in the Carribean." ....atleast if you're using it outside, can't really state results of tanning bed.

I would say also that this product doesn't last maybe as long as you would wish it would.. I would say you may can get 15-20 full body uses out of one bottle, but don't expect it to last all su mmer. I'll probably give this product 5 stars because it was as I expected...it smells nice..it definitely works better than not using it..and its a very good price (considering what you get is actually real).

Australian Ultimate Bronzer Tanning Lotion

I have been a serious tanner for years now and always look for the best products with the best outcomes. I have tried pretty much everything on the market just to say whats good and whats not. This last year when I started my tanning sessions, I looked for a great bronzer, that wouldnt make me itch or turn me red as a lobster. I dont like products with any type tingle. When I went to the salon, the girl recommended JWOWW, I was a bit skeptical as it was quiet pricy. But read over it, and then smelled how great it smelled and purchased it. It was the BEST buy I have made towards my tanning. It tans my face and my legs ( which seem to take AGES to tan), my tummy is reallly dark and I have only been using it a couple weeks. It is a definite buy is you are a serious tanner, looking for a great dark, beautiful even tan. I LOVE this product! Although, now that I know Amazon carries it, Ill be buying from Amazon rather than the crazy price my salon sells it for!!!!! If you feel your at the plateau of your tanning and cant get darker, try this....You will defiantly see a difference!!

I love this, i recently bought Indoor Tanning Lotions from the tanning salon but will be ordering through amazon because its half the price. The first time i used it I fell in love with them smell and wheni got out of the tanning bed i didnt smell or feel gross like some of the other ones do. It worked the first time i used it! I realllly like it! I tan year round but was tanning more for a trip and this helped speed the process.

I purchased this Australian Ultimate Bronzer Tanning Lotion here on Amazon on Friday and recieved it early this afternoon. Soon after recieving it I went to the tanning salon to try it out and I LOVE IT. Im going on a cruise the end of the month and I needed something to give me some color, after only laying 13 mins (didnt wanna fry myself first run) I have noticable color!! And after reading the reviews (some good some bad) about the smell, let me tell you the smell is light and airy. Not heavy like someothers. I actually like this smell because If I were to go run errands or do some shopping I wouldn't have that "I just tanned" smell.