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Off Grid Tools Survival Axe Elite review


Survival tools run the gamut from a pocket knife to axes and even beyond. I don’t know if there is any real definition of what a survival tool is, so I guess it comes down to what an individual would consider to be a survival tool. With that in mind Off Grid Tools has offered up for review their version of a survival tool, the Survival Axe Elite.

Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.

Although not all survival tools will have multiple useful features, to me the most effective ones will. The Survival Axe Elite delivers on the multiple use aspect being advertised as having 30 features. Now, just for clarification, features may not mean tools or uses depending on your definition. As you can see by the picture below from the Off Grid Tools website all the features are shown and listed.

Again, you would need to decide and define what you consider a feature.

I will break this review down by the axe head section and the handle section. Before I go too far into this review I want to address the “hatchet” in the room. I know some of you may look at the Survival Axe Elite and say, “isn’t that a hatchet?” And by many definitions, the tool could be considered a hatchet, but hatchets are also known as hand axes so by accepted terms the Survival Axe Elite is an axe.

The head of the axe contains the majority of the Survival Axe Elites tools the main two to me being the hatchet edge and the hammer head. Although the other tools can be useful, those two are the workhorses of this section of the tool. I don’t want to discount the other features here like the pry bar and gas valve shut off, or even the built-in sockets, but I consider those to be ancillary items.

The handle of the Survival Axe Elite covers the full tang of the axe. The rubberized 33% glass filled nylon handle has some interesting feature including a six-inch reciprocating saw blade and a hardened glass breaker.

There is a locking mechanism at the bottom of the axe that keeps the reciprocating blade lock in place when in and outside of the handle. I will say that when the blade is deployed the locking mechanism does not hold the blade locked in place on my Survival Axe Elite. The blade lock is low enough on the handle that it should not interfere with your use of the Survival Axe Elite.

I mentioned the glass breaker before, but the handle also has a seatbelt cutter built into it. Both would seem to function well, but I must admit I did not try out the glass breaker. As with the blade lock both of these items are low enough on the handle so they should not interfere with normal use.

I mainly tested the Survival Axe Elite by using the hatchet, hammer and saw blade. The hatchet blade is good for chopping, I wish that the blade was sharpened a little better, I believe this would make chopping wood easier. The hammer was also good at what it does, hammer. The grip was comfortable for both chopping and hammering. I did try out the nail puller and it also performed well. That brings me to the saw feature. First, let me say I love the fact that the saw feature is included on this tool, that being said I think the tool would benefit from a redesign of the locking mechanism. I am just scared that I will hit the back of the blade making it close on my fingers. The blade did cut well and the way the system is designed makes it a little more ergonomic when cutting.

So, what’s my bottom line here? The Off Grid Tools Survival Axe Elite is good. From what I did it functions well. The features have been well thought out but, I would honestly only use some of the features in an emergency (mainly the hex sockets). The build is solid and the materials seem to be first rate. The oxide coating has held up so far and will help protect the Survival Axe Elite while it waits to be used. Even with the minor issues I have had with this tool, I would still recommend it to someone that was looking for a tool of this type. The Survival Axe Elite is available on the Off Grid Tools website for $89.99.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Off Grid Tools. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order one.

 

Product Information

Price: $89.99
Manufacturer: Off Grid Tools
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Well built
  • Built in tools
Cons:
  • No axe head cover or case

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Off Grid Tools Survival Axe Elite review originally appeared on on July 2, 2017 at 9:45 am.

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Portland Reflector Afterglow and Twilight reflectors review


My son recently started taking up running as a school sport, and that also includes the occasional team run in the Presidio in San Francisco. Some portions are shared by cars, so I started looking around at reflectors. Here are some by Portland Reflector, from- wait for it- Portland, OR.

I was sent two different kinds of reflectors: The Afterglow and Twilight.

The Afterglow is a two-part reflector held together by powerful magnets:

  • Uses Reflexite® retroreflective material
  • Size WxH: 157mm x 140mm (6.2″ x 5.5″)
  • Total weight: 49 grams (1.7 ounces)
  • Made in the USA

Each package comes with a silver triangle and your choice of a second color: silver, yellow, orange, pink or blue.

Here’s the magnetic Afterglow attached to my son (age 11).  The LED flash on my iPhone was used for this, and it’s already wicked reflective.

The Twilight strap reflector is a slightly smaller triangle with cutouts for your straps. Like it’s big brother, the Twilight also comes in silver, yellow, orange, pink or blue.  You get one per package.

  • Uses Reflexite® retroreflective material
  • Strap opening size: 35mm x 13mm (1.4″ x 0.5″)
  • Product size WxH: 125mm x 112mm (4.9″ x 4.4″)
  • Weight: 6 grams (0.2 ounces)
  • Made in the USA

I discovered the Twilight fit a strap/buckle on my daypack perfectly.

Family portrait!

It seems like such a simple thing, but I found these reflectors from Portland Reflector to be clever and well-made. If you like things that are still made in the US, look no further.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Portland Reflector. Please visit their site for more info.

 

Product Information

Price: $19 (Afterglow) and $9 (Twilight)
Manufacturer: Portland Reflector
Pros:
  • Bright
  • Clever
  • Made in the USA
Cons:
  • None

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Portland Reflector Afterglow and Twilight reflectors review originally appeared on on July 1, 2017 at 9:30 am.

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Koogeek SK1Smart Socket review


I’m in the process of slowly automating my home, so when the opportunity to review the Koogeek SK1 Smart Socket, I jumped at the opportunity. I anticipated turning light on and off from afar, and dimming them to suit a particular mood… I get ahead of myself. 

The Koogeek socket arrived in a sturdy box, nestled in a form-fitting plastic tray and a tiny 3” X 3” instruction card. The socket itself is very basic, about 3 inches in diameter, a standard bulb socket on one end, and the flange that goes into the lamp’s socket on the other. There is a single pushbutton on the socket to perform all of its functions, including turning the lamp on and off without using the app.

Screwing the lamp into a lamp socket revealed the first hurdle in my plan to electronically dominate my home: With the Koogeek socket installed, the bulb is raised about 1.5 inches from the existing socket. I found that in the lamp I had chosen for use, the bulb was raised enough to contact the loop that holds the lampshade. I found a slightly smaller profile bulb that fit, but it’s still tight. On lamps that have more space above the bulb, this would not be an issue.

I downloaded their app, created a user account and went through the pairing process. It was refreshingly simple. Screw in the bulb, screw the socket into the lamp, turn the lamp on and hold the solitary pushbutton until it flashes. Open the app, click the “+”, and type in the number of the device conveniently located on the socket and that form-fitting plastic tray it arrived in. Nice touch. I can imagine if this device were placed in a difficult to reach location, it might be tedious to get the number from the socket itself.

Voila! I’m in business. The whole process taking no more than a minute. The app reliably turned the bulb on and off from any location in my home. I moved on to creating scenes – essentially macros for automating multiple Koogeek device actions into a single button. For example, I used the “Good Night” scene to turn the light off. If I possessed additional Koogeek products, it would have been simple to string my desired instructions into a Scene and execute with a touch of a button.

I searched everywhere in the app for a method to dim the lamp only to find, there is none. Nope, my dreams of dimming the lights before movie time were gone. Bummer. Also non-existent was the ability to put the socket on a timer – The app page is blank. Another bummer. What they do have is a nifty “details” page showing the lamps power consumption and historical usage.

Koogeek’s app is compatible with Apple’s ”Home” app, inviting me to further integration fun. After going through the process of adding the socket to the app, I found the functionality to be virtually identical – on, off, and scenes. That’s it. The device is touted to have Alexa connectivity, but this is limited to Koogeek’s P2 socket at this time.

Next, I attempted to control the socket when disconnected from my home network (on a 4G cellular network), only to find Koogeek requires integration through Apple TV, which unfortunately I do not own, so I was not able to test remote functionality.

I found the Koogeek SK1 socket useful, but only for the most basic functions and only while in my home. The socket is sturdy and reliable but lacks many of the functions of its competitors such as dimming, timers and the ability to control away from the home network. I’m hopeful that as Koogeek’s products evolve, more functionality will be added.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Koogeek. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

 

Product Information

Price: $39.99
Manufacturer: Koogeek
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Simple setup
  • Reliable performance
Cons:
  • Lacks dimming
  • Lacks scheduling
  • Lacks control away from home network
  • No Alexa connectivity

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Koogeek SK1Smart Socket review originally appeared on on June 30, 2017 at 9:00 am.

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Mychanic Pod Light Review


“Oh cool” was my son’s reaction when he saw this… thing.  What is this thing?  It’s called the Pod Light from Mychanic, a unique take on the work light that goes almost anywhere.

 

  • Sphere is 3.5” in diameter
  • Base is 2.25” in diameter
  • Sphere + Base is 4.5” tall
  • 250 lumens
  • Weight: .6 lbs
  • Includes 3 AA Duracell(R) batteries
  • Durable ABS housing
  • Patent pending

The first thing I noticed:  Batteries included!  It also meant it wasn’t USB rechargeable, something I’ve been looking for in lights recently.

Let’s take a look at that base.  It’s magnetized on both the concave side (to hold the pod) and the flat side, for mounting on a metallic work surface.

Feeding time!  The Pod Light takes three AA batteries.

There’s a single diamond-shaped button on the top of the softball-sized light.  You get a low (6 surround LEDs) and a high (all LEDs) setting.  There’s no setting for just the central LED.

Here’s the Pod Light, mounted on a metal part under my hood.

How long does the Pod Light stay lit? To try this, I installed a set of regular rechargeable Eneloop AA batteries and let it sit on the brightest setting.  After a few hours, the LED intensity dropped.  I’d say the listed 7 hours is pretty accurate.

By the next morning, it was more like a dim night light. The Pod Light kept putting out a faint glow of light (not very useful) for nearly 36 hours before going completely dark. I’m not sure how alkaline AA batteries would fare, but the discharge curve is probably a little different.

Mychanic states that “you won’t be able to put it down” and I think they’re right.  The sphere shape just feels fun, and I ended up going around the house to see where I could stick the magnetic base (appliances, shelves, car door).  I still wish the Pod Light was USB rechargeable, but at least they were good enough to include AA batteries.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Mychanic. Please visit their site for more info.

 

Product Information

Price: $19.99
Manufacturer: Mychanic
Requirements:
  • 3 AA batteries (included)
Pros:
  • Two brightness modes. Base sticks to any magnetic surface
Cons:
  • USB rechargeable would have been nice.

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Mychanic Pod Light Review originally appeared on on June 29, 2017 at 9:00 am.

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ShedRain e-Motion motorized compact umbrella review


Do you carry a compact umbrella with you for rainy days? I have one in my drawer at my day job and one in the glove compartment of my car just so I have all my bases covered. The overall design of compact umbrellas hasn’t changed much over the years unless you include the button on the handle that automatically extends the canopy over your head when you press it. Yes, that’s a very handy feature, there hasn’t been a button to automatically close the umbrella until now. Let’s go singing in the rain with the ShedRain e-Motion motorized compact umbrella.

What is it?

The ShedRain e-Motion motorized compact umbrella is a 14″ long umbrella that fully opens and closes with the press of a button.

What’s in the box?

ShedRain e-Motion motorized compact umbrella
Protective sleeve
AC adapter
Instructions

Design and features

At first glance, the ShedRain e-Motion motorized compact umbrella looks like an ordinary black umbrella that you probably already own.

The umbrella is 14″ long when closed and features an 8-panel design that is made of a black polka dotted polyester material that has a rain repellent Teflon coating, sturdy fiberglass ribs, and a steel shaft.

The e-Motion has a comfortable rubberized handle with a wrist strap. But when you look a little closer you’ll notice two arrow buttons and a battery status LED below them.

The ShedRain is powered by a built-in rechargeable battery that can last for months on a charge which is done using the included AC adapter. The adapter plugs into a socket on the bottom of the umbrella handle and a small rubber cover protects the socket when it’s not being used.

Charging the umbrella is as easy as plugging the cable into the umbrella, plugging the adapter into a wall outlet, and then waiting for the LED on the AC adapter to turn from red to green.

There’s also a status LED on the umbrella handle, which turns red when the battery needs to be recharged. I’ve yet to see it light up because one charge provides enough power for up to 150 openings and closings.

How does it work?

It really couldn’t be any easier. You unwrap the velcro strap around the closed umbrella and press and hold the up arrow on the handle. That’s it. To close you press and hold the down button. Like I said, easy.

See it in action

As you can see from the video, using the ShedRain is easy and it’s fun too. I love it!

Final thoughts

Most standard umbrellas offer a one-button open of the umbrella, but they still have to manually push the folded canopy down the handle. I bet some of you thinking that people are lazy if they can’t even close an umbrella without needing a button or a motor to do it. But think about it for a minute. Closing an umbrella is awkward when your other hand is holding something, you have dexterity problems or you only have one arm in the first place.

The only criticism of the ShedRain that I can think of is that it uses a proprietary AC adapter. I wish it used a microUSB or USB Type-C connector instead so I could charge it at the office, in my car, etc. As is, you have to to make sure not to lose the AC adapter that ships with the umbrella.

Note: I’m not sure what happens if the battery in the umbrella is completely dead. Will it open? I have sent that question to ShedRain and will update the review as soon as I get an answer.

The ShedRain e-Motion motorized compact umbrella makes using an umbrella fast and easy by completely opening and closing it with the simple hold of a button. Now I look forward to rainy days!

Source: The sample for this review was provided by ShedRain. Please visit their site for more info.

 

Product Information

Price: $99.00
Manufacturer: ShedRain
Pros:
  • Very easy to use
  • Opens and closes with the press of a button
  • Compact
  • Rechargeable
Cons:
  • Uses a proprietary charger

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ShedRain e-Motion motorized compact umbrella review originally appeared on on June 28, 2017 at 4:56 pm.

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