Paxamo Zen Bomb aromatherapy diffuser review

Aromatherapy, to some, is like healing crystals, chiropractic, or homeopathy – you either appreciate it and take benefit from it or think it’s a bunch of hooey. Whether it is healing, beneficial, or just a nice scent, though, our olfactory sensations can be pretty powerful tools in our situational awareness. Reviewers here rarely post about a leather item without mentioning the aroma of fine leather. Walking into a bakery, or out on your deck while something yummy is on the grill, or even pulling into the driveway when someone is cooking inside can trigger hunger you didn’t know you had or reflections on past feasts with friends. The folks at Paxamo have a line of ultrasonic mist diffusers that brings scents into your home or office environment and don’t draw attention to themselves. I was sent the “ZenBomb” model to test. (Even before seeing the product name, my Lovely Bride looked at it and said “Is that one of those pirate hand grenades? Is there a fuse?”)

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

The Paxamo ZenBomb looks, for all the world, like a walnut bowling ball. (It is also available in a light wood pattern, about the color of bamboo or maple.) It is much lighter than a bowling ball, of course, and has a slightly tear-drop oval on the top where the vapor escapes. There are three legs around a flattened bottom to allow air to pass through the vents and into the diffusion chamber above. A slight twist separates it into two halves, with the water reservoir in the bottom and the vent in the top.

The interior is almost completely lined with white plastic. The operation is simple: put water and a small amount of aromatic oil (1-5 drops) into the reservoir, close the two halves, plug the unit in, and enjoy the scent. There are two fan speeds to assist in dispersing the aroma, and a subtle light that can be activated as well. These are controlled by two buttons on the front of the lower half.

We filled it with water and put in a few drops of Geranium oil, Vetiver oil, and Tea Tree oil. We left it running for a few hours, and the scent was almost immediately apparent. It never seemed to overwhelm, though, like an air freshener in a car, or an aerosol spray, but was just something we started to notice gradually. The unit functions completely silently and did not get hot or have any performance issues.

Recommended cleaning seems to be easy enough to accomplish, although they don’t suggest it unless you are changing out the type of oil in use, or going to store it away for some time. I have expanded my arsenal of oils with a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond for a trio of blended oils. There are a variety of scents out there, and I found each one worked just fine with the ZenBomb.

If your workspace or home needs a bit more atmosphere, or if you want to try aromatherapy, this may be the path for you. It’s a bit expensive ($30.99 at Amazon) if you’re not sold on the practice already, however. You may want to try another diffusion method to see if you like it first. But if you get into it in a big way, the ZenBomb is a quiet, nice-looking machine that will do the job and look good doing it.

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

 

Product Information

Price: $30.99
Manufacturer: Paxamo
Retailer: Amazon
Requirements:
  • Essential oil and electricity
Pros:
  • Quiet
  • Two speeds
  • Pleasant woodgrain look
Cons:
  • Rather large

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Paxamo Zen Bomb aromatherapy diffuser review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 23, 2017 at 8:42 am.

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Super cool superhero artwork for your walls

Fans of Spiderman, Ironman, Batman, and other mans will appreciate these very cool comic collages from artist Mike Alcantara who is known as ComicCollageArt on ETSY. Based in Austin, Texas, Mike uses actual comics to create his one of a kind superhero collages which are then digitally printed on 80 lb. 11×17 inch matte paper.

Each print is priced at $20, but Mike also offers 2 prints for $35 and 3 prints for $50. For more info visit the ComicCollageArt shop on ETSY.

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Super cool superhero artwork for your walls originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 22, 2017 at 1:25 pm.

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Mr. Lentz Double Passport Wallet review

Traveling in today’s environment with heightened security and tightened airline rules/regulations can be a real pain. Just keeping up with your travel documents and passports can be tough. I have been fortunate enough to travel on a regular basis and I am usually not alone when I travel, so that means keeping up with double the travel documents for the trip. Recently, I was offered a chance to review a product that could help make my travel a little easier, the Mr. Lentz Double Passport Wallet.

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

The Mr. Letz Double Passport Wallet is designed to carry more than just your passport. The wallet has four credit card pockets made to hold up to 12 cards. This leather passport wallet although simple in design is well thought out with an included pen and a small notebook.

As noted above the Mr. Letz Double Passport Wallet comes with a pen and a small notebook, but the folks at Mr. Letz also provide you with a small tin of leather conditioner to keep your wallet in great shape for years of use.

As you can see from the first two photos the front and back of the wallet are pretty much the same, the wallet is basically a mirror image of itself (again simple but effective). The top of the wallet does have slits cut into it to allow the included ink pen to be secured into the wallet.

As you can see both sides of the wallet are identical except for the “MR” sampling in the left side and a number stamped on the right side. The rivets are well placed and solid.

Although I will not carry the included notebook, the Mr. Letz Double Passport Wallet has room for all my essentials; two passports, business cards, credit cards and travel industry ID cards. With all of those items packed inside the wallet, it still maintains a slim profile.

So, what’s my bottom line here? Great product. Sometimes we confuse simple and basic with average and low quality, that is not the case here. The Mr. Letz Double Passport Wallet delivers a quality built, functional product that meets a purpose. To be honest, although I love the feel and look of good leather products they are not always practical for my travel needs. The Mr. Letz Double Passport Wallet is one of the rare exceptions. Even with all of my cards and passports in the wallet, it is still slim and compact enough to carry comfortably. The wallet should outlast any nylon or other fabric wallets that I have and will get better looking and feeling as it wears. Although I won’t probably carry the notebook the pen is a great feature along with the included tin of conditioner to help keep your wallet in tip top shape. I will say that with a base price of $82 (The Western Brown version I reviewed is listed at $84) it may seem a bit pricey, but this truly is a “you get what you pay for” type of product and quality is not cheap. The Mr. Letz Double Passport Wallet is available on the Mr. Letz web page along with other fine leather products.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Mr. Lentz Leather Goods. Visit their site for more info.

 

Product Information

Price: $82 – $84
Manufacturer: Mr. Lentz Leather Goods
Pros:
  • Slim profile
  • Quality made
Cons:
  • None

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Mr. Lentz Double Passport Wallet review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 22, 2017 at 10:00 am.

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Julie’s favorite gear, Rhinoshield CrashGuard Bumper, and more – Review updates

We have a few quick review updates for you today, including an update to my Julie’s favorite gear list. Click through to see the list of updated reviews and then scroll to the bottom of each review to read the latest updates.

Julie’s Favorite Gear – I added a couple things and removed a couple of things. Can you spot the differences?

RhinoShield iPhone 7 Plus cases review by Julie Strietelmeier. The update is to the CrashGuard Bumper Case section of the review.

FlexUSB Adapter Review by Julie Strietelmeier

Archeer A320 Bluetooth speaker review by Michael Strange

 

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Price:

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Julie’s favorite gear, Rhinoshield CrashGuard Bumper, and more – Review updates originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 22, 2017 at 9:00 am.

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OtterBox: 10 years of iPhone Protection

2017 marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple iPhone, and OtterBox, a company I thought only made dry boxes, has been making cases for every single model since the original game-changing phone ever since.  To mark the milestone, OtterBox hosted an event in San Francisco, CA.

“Pass it On” refers to an iPhone that OtterBox sent to seven cities around the world to highlight the wide variety of cases they make to suit nearly every style you can think of.

The autographed phone itself that traveled the world was on display.

The entire product line was out on display, including a rather curious, squat-looking one.  The black and yellow one in the middle is a case for the very first iPhone, next to a case for the newest iPhone X. As of this writing, the iPhone X has not been released for sale yet. However, OtterBox had this rugged full-size sample on display.  Note the vertically-oriented lens cutout.

Did you know that Lifeproof is also under the OtterBox family?  I didn’t know!

Here’s another iPhone X prototype. Unlike most Lifeproof cases I’m familiar with, this one doesn’t have a front cover, so it’s mostly “splash resistant”.  However, the newest iPhones already have a degree of water resistance, but this case has a black rubbery seal around the opening to keep some moisture out.

Not to be outdone by the likes of Yeti and other premium coolers, OtterBox also had one of their Venture coolers on display.  This one is the Venture 25, which has a 25 quart capacity.  Also available in 45 and 65 quart.  The Venture features latches that can be operated with one hand quite easily, plus modular accessories such as dividers, cutting boards, and external attachments. The Venture coolers are actually made in Detroit. Yes, I was surprised, too.  That tiny gap in the rubber seal is designed to allow pressure equalization to avoid situations where you can’t open the lid after a change in altitude. With two-inch thick refrigerator-grade insulating foam that will keep ice for 14 days, I can attest that this thing feels built to last. And if you’re wondering, it is certified bear-resistant, and prices start at $249.99.

I was sent home with this Pursuit-series iPhone case for my model 7 Plus.  The Pursuit is one of OtterBox’s slimmest yet rugged case.

The case comes in two halves.  The front half has no cover, but it keeps the screen inset so the screen doesn’t lay flat.  An OtterBox tech on site suggested assembling the case with the phone face down into the “front” part of the case first. I noticed a foam ring around the camera cut out. Nice touch. See where the speaker cutouts are? Those audio “holes” actually have a membrane to resist liquids.

That tiny hole on the bottom can accommodate a lanyard (not included)

It’s a little hard to see, but the sleep toggle switch above the volume is actually a rotary cam switch.

The back of this particular color combo is actually a deep blue.

Here I am peeling back the charging connector.  Note how the audio “holes” tilt forward instead of down.

To read more about OtterBox and their family of products, please visit OtterBox.com.

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OtterBox: 10 years of iPhone Protection originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 22, 2017 at 8:00 am.

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