February 2018 – Page 7

Save on dry-cleaning costs with the LG Styler Clothing Care System

I try to avoid buying dry clean-only clothes because it’s a pain – and expensive – to have to run things over to the dry cleaners. And I tend to avoid wearing the dry clean-only clothes I do have for the same reasons. With the LG Styler, you can wear your clothes and extend the time between trips to the dry cleaners, because the Styler can remove odors, reduce wrinkles, and keep clothes cleaner by sanitizing at home. You can even use the Styler to quickly and gently dry clothes that can’t go in the clothes dryer.

The Styler looks like a tall, thin cabinet (about 72″ tall X 17.5″ wide), so it can fit in your laundry room, your closet, or even your bedroom. It uses pure water to produce steam to clear away odors, wrinkles, bacteria, and even allergens. LG says that 80-90 minutes in the sanitizer cycle reduces allergens and bacteria by 99.9%, which is more effective than 3 hours in sunlight.

Inside, the Styler has a moving hanging bar to vibrate clothes 180 times/minute to help reduce wrinkles and odors. There’s also a rack for sweaters and things that don’t need a hanger, a pants press for sharp pleats, and an accessory hanger for ties, scarves, and the like.

There’s no plumbing required; you just load up the portable water container and empty the collection container as needed. No chemicals are required for cleaning, but you can add an aroma kit to add refreshing scents onto your clothes.

The LG Styler is available in espresso or white; MSRP is about $1800. Learn more about the Styler and find a retailer on the LG Styler website.

SOLGAARD Lifepack: The Carry-On Closet review

I travel a lot for my job and I am always in search of a more user friendly, convenient and rugged suitcase or bag to help me move quickly through the airport. I have closets full of suitcases, duffels, backpacks, etc., each with their pros and cons but none of them were exactly what I was looking for. When I received the Lifepack from SOLGAARD I was extremely excited, one because it was a new suitcase and that alone gets me excited (hey, I’m a regular traveler so I kind of geek out on suitcases) and two, it offered a unique storage solution for my clothes, shoes, and toiletries that I have never seen before but we will get into that in a little bit.

What is it?

The SOLGAARD Lifepack is a carry-on sized hard sided roller suitcase that is extremely rugged and durable and comes with a collapsible closet that stows away inside the suitcase for easy packing and unpacking for your trip.

Hardware specs

The dimensions of the Lifepack are 21.6″ tall (including the wheels), 14″ wide and 9″ deep, complying with all airline carry-on size requirements (please double check with your airline on size requirements before taking this or any bag as a carryon) and has a 38 liter volume. The hard shell is made from jet black polycarbonate, which is reinforced with a gunmetal grey aluminum frame for the perfect balance of strength and weight. A TSA approved lock is integrated into the bag so you will never again worry about leaving your lock in a hotel room or having it bent or smashed as it dangles from zippers (this has happened to me on numerous occasions). The Lifepack also comes with a lifetime warranty.

What’s in the box?

The SOLGAARD Lifepack comes with the suitcase and a collapsible closet system for easy packing and unpacking or when you just need to quickly get into your suitcase to find that one thing that would normally have you digging through your neatly packed bag.

Design and features

The Lifepack has been very well thought out and constructed. Starting with the suitcase itself, the shell is as sturdy and durable as I have ever experienced in a piece of luggage. The video on their website demonstrates being able to sit and stand on the suitcase with little give. The four wheels on the bottom are high quality and glide with ease, something that is a feature you look for if you have ever owned a bag that has cut costs by using low-quality wheels. The telescoping handle is very solid and doesn’t rattle around like with other bags I have owned. It responds to your movements instantly and glides with ease over hard floors, carpet, and concrete. On the underside of the handle is a very soft, plush grip that makes pulling this bag through an airport very comfortable in your hand.

My favorite feature of the shell is the closing mechanism and the integrated TSA approved lock. SOLGAARD has eliminated the zipper and instead has used an attaché style closure so never again will you have to deal with a zipper coming off the track, getting a piece of clothing or the liner stuck in it or worry that your bag can be easily cut into even when locked. The lock is built into the frame on the shell directly under the side handle and used a 3 digit wheel locking system so you don’t need to remember where you put your key to your suitcase.

All of the features mentioned above already make this my favorite hard-sided carry-on suitcase that I own but what really separates the Lifepack from the competition is the patented internal collapsible closet system that makes for extremely fast and easy packing and unpacking. As you can see in the pictures, this internal closet is made from extremely lightweight and rugged fabric and hangs easily from the trolley handle, allowing you to see all of your clothing easily and remove just what you need without rummaging through your bag to find a shirt or pair of socks. once packed, the closet collapses and fits easily into the suitcase where you can snap it securely into place so it doesn’t fall out should you open the suitcase while it is standing upright.

I have always hated living out of a suitcase when I travel so before receiving this bag, I would get to my hotel and immediately unpack my entire bag and put the suitcase in the closet or on the side of the bed. Now that I am using this suitcase for my shorter trips, I simply open it, take out my collapsible closet, hang it from the handle and voila, I am unpacked. No more accidentally leaving a shirt or pair of pants in a hotel drawer that I forgot to look in, it’s all right there just as I packet it. No more storage cubes to separate my pants from my t-shirts and no more jamming all of my stuff into the suitcase as I race out the door to catch my flight, wondering if I left anything behind.

What I like

The rugged design and durability of the shell is sure to impress even the most seasoned traveler and suitcase abuser. The collapsible closet has completely changed the way I pack and unpack and makes finding what you are looking for effortless. I am in love with the closure and locking system. I can’t count the number of times I have broken a zipper or got it caught on something, which always seems to be when I’m in a hurry. At $249 right now on their website, I think this is a great value for the quality and ingenuity you get with this suitcase.

What needs to be improved

From a design and value standpoint, I honestly have nothing bad to say about this suitcase and portable closet system. At this time it is only offered in the one color that is shown in this review so for those of you who don’t like black luggage, this will be a negative, but for me, I prefer black luggage and the combination of the black shell and gunmetal grey frame is extremely sharp and professional looking.

Final thoughts

If you are looking for a high quality and durable carry-on sized roller bag I cannot recommend this product enough. If you are like me and are tired of having to sift through all of your neatly packed clothing to look for a specific item or are tired of spending time unpacking and repacking your suitcase when you get to your destination, this is a great solution for your travel needs. I have used this on three work trips and will NEVER go back to my other carry-on sized roller bags after using the Lifepack. Every feature of this suitcase is well thought out and engineered to make your life as a traveler easier and it is extremely successful in that effort. I could not be happier with this product and am very comfortable recommending it to our readers, which is why I am giving this the highest rating of 5 stars. Job well done, SOLGAARD!

Price: $249.00
Where to buy: SOLGAARD or Amazon.
Source: The samples for this review were provided by SOLGAARD.

DJI ups the game with the DJI Mavic Air

Just when you thought it couldn’t get much better, DJI has upped the game with it’s new ultraportable Mavic Air consumer drone.

Building upon the success of its Mavic Pro, Mavic Pro Platinum, and Spark drones, DJI has proved that it has much more innovation up its sleeve.

The Mavic Air is sleek and small, yet packed with professional level features such as collision avoidance sensors (forward, backward, and downward), a 12MP camera capable of capturing 4K video, a 3 axis gimbal, excellent battery life, and 8GB of internal storage.

The Mavic Air also has SmartCapture (gesture control) and quick shot modes that enable you to make pre-programmed flight sequences that really lend that professional look to your videos. Multiple active object tracking makes filming your subject easier, more flexible, and safer.

With a flight time of 21 minutes and a range of 2.4 miles (4km), and a max speed of 42 mph (19 m/s), the Mavic Air is sure to impress.

Priced at $799, the Mavic Air offers a great value for the impressive features that are packed in this little drone.

The Mavic Air is available from DJI.

The 70MAI promises to be the world’s smartest dash cam featuring voice control

In today’s fast-paced world, technology has become an integral part of our everyday lives. Whether for entertainment or security, dash cams are now popular devices and manufacturers have responded to the needs and demands of their customers with innovative and convenient designs.

Enter the 70MAI, which is being touted as the world’s first and smartest English version of an AI powered voice controlled dash cam that promises to make driving safer and more enjoyable. It boasts the ability to capture photos and videos via voice commands, therefore not requiring the driver to remove their hands from the steering wheel. In the event of a collision, the 70MAI will automatically record the event and will safeguard the recording by placing the footage in a separate folder for future use. It also features full 1080P HD video, a 130 degree field of view and an app that allows you to view both previously recorded and real-time video.

The 70MAI is easy to install via the built-in mount and is powered by a cigarette lighter power adapter which is included in the package. Once the power adapter is plugged in, recording is triggered when the vehicle is started.

The 70MAI is priced very economically at $39USD plus shipping and can be purchased from Indiegogo.com.

Buyers can expect to receive the 70MAI starting in March, 2018.

When a Rubik’s Cube just isn’t frustrating enough, pick a Clover

Actually, the standard Clover Cube is apparently the more frustrating version of a Rubik’s Cube, and this Clover Icosahedron D1 IQ Brick takes the standard Clover Cube to a new level. Brando says a core feature of Clover Cubes are the two locations on each edge that allow the puzzle be rotated freely. This Icosahedron has 20 sides and 72 axes of rotation. That’s more than enough variations to make me decide to use this Clover Brick as an attractive paperweight, but it would be a great challenge for the person who never met a puzzle they couldn’t solve.

Brando describes it as designed for both left and right brain training, creative thinking, and for improving both your IQ and your EQ. The Clover Icosahedron D1 IQ Brick is $98.00 in Brando’s Lifestyle collection.