Home 2018

This Apple Watch charging stand includes a backup battery

The GLAWEE charging stand for the Apple Watch holds the watch horizontally, so you’ll be able to make use of the Watch’s nightstand mode as it charges on your nightstand.  Then, you can take the stand with you as you travel, it will charge your Watch even without access to a power outlet.  The vertical tower holds a 5000mAh battery inside that can charge your Watch, and it has a USB outlet to charge your iPhone, too.

When connected to a power source, the backup battery charges your watch as it charges itself.  The four LEDs, seen above the Watch in the above image, shows the power reserve inside the battery.  GLAWEE says their “charger uses the latest safest protective tech for your Apple watch such as: over-voltage,over-current, over-power, over-heating, and short-circuit protection technology to ensure your watch and iPhone are safe during charging.”  Get this charger in black or white for $55.99 at Amazon.

Instant Pot Ultra 6 Qt review

I prefer to cook my own food than eating in a restaurant because it’s cheaper to cook at home and I by cooking it myself, I know exactly what is in my food. But the biggest downside to eating at home is the time that it takes to cook a meal and cleaning up the mess afterward. I’m happy to tell you that I’ve found a wonderful solution to both of those problems; it’s the Instant Pot Ultra Qt.

What is it?

The Instant Pot Ultra 6 Qt is an all in one electric pressure cooker that speeds up cooking by 2-6 times and can be used as a slow cooker like a crock pot, rice cooker, yogurt maker, sauté/browning pan, steamer, and a warming pot.

What’s in the box?

Instant Pot Ultra 6 Qt
6 quart stainless steel pot
Power cord
Wire steam rack
Plastic tools
Condensation drip catcher
Instructions

Design and features

First all, you’re probably wondering how a glorified crockpot can be worthy of a Gadgeteer review. I’m here to tell you that this thing is life changing for me even if I only use it to cook a few different things.

At first glance, the Instant Pot does look like a crockpot except that the lid isn’t made of see-through glass like most crockpots. That’s because the Instant Pot is a pressure cooker.

On the back of the lid is a steam release valve (large black knob shaped object), float valve (small silver object), and a stem release reset button (black comma shaped button).

The lid locks and unlocks with a twist to reveal the stainless steel interior.

You will notice the removable and replaceable silicon seal which keeps the pot pressurized.

In the bottom half of the Instant Pot is the dishwasher-safe stainless steel cooking pot which has marks inside to show fill levels for pressure cooked foods. Instant Pot sells different models of their cookers but the one they sent to me has a 6 quart pot.

The 6 quart stainless steel pot lifts out of the bottom of the Instant Pot to reveal the cooking element at the bottom. It should be common sense that you never put food in this area of the Instant Pot.

The front of the pot has a white on blue backlit display that lights up when the Instant Pot is plugged in. The Instant Pot has 16 cooking programs listed on the sides of the display: Soup/Broth, Meat/Stew, Bean/Chili, Cake, Egg, Slow Cook, Sauté/Searing, Rice, Multigrain, Porridge, Steam, Sterilize, Yogurt, Warm, Pressure Cook, and Ultra.

The program is selected by turning the knob below the display and pressing the knob to select the mode. In the image above, I’ve chosen the Saute mode. It’s also important to note that some of the modes like Saute have different temperature settings that can be customized by using the knob after the mode has been selected.

The Ultra mode is also available to give the cook full control of pressure, non-pressure cooking and time. There’s also a timer that you can use for up to a 24-hour cooking delay start time.

My first test of the Instant Pot Ultra 6 Qt was to cook beef stew. Although I was excited to try the Instant Pot, I wasn’t expecting to be wowed by my first try and definitely didn’t think I’d be wowed by cooking a beef stew in it.

We usually cook a beef stew in a crockpot all day and in all my years cooking one, I’ve probably never uttered the words YUM after taking my first bite. Beef roasts in the crockpot are usually kind of blah, but we use the meat for soups that we make with the leftovers, which always taste better than the original dish.

So in anticipation of cooking the beef stew in the Instant Pot, I googled a couple recipes and settled on this one from Nom Nom Paleo. I picked it because it included ingredients like fish sauce and coconut aminos that I’ve never used in a beef stew before and thought what the heck, let’s see what happens! I couldn’t find any coconut aminos at my local grocery store, so I used soy sauce instead.

The first thing I did was put a little olive oil in the bottom of the pot with rough chopped onions. I used the saute program to cook them for a few minutes.

Then I cut up the beef in big chunks and added the meat, and other ingredients into the pot along with some baby potatoes instead of mushrooms because I hate mushrooms.

I put the lid on top, chose the pressure cook mode for 35 minutes and walked away. Yes, 35 minutes. I was very skeptical that it would be done that quick.

As soon as you put the lid on top, you’ll hear a video game style tune to let you know that it’s starting to cook. Then at the bottom of the display, you can see a graph which shows the temperature/progress indicator. The indicator provides a visual on the cooking progress from preheating through to cooking and the Keep Warm mode which is activated by default.

Although the beef stew is only supposed to take 35 minutes to cook, that’s actually the pressure cooking time. The 35-minute countdown doesn’t begin until the pot is pressurized, which can take 10-15 minutes or so depending on the temperature of the ingredients.

But the great thing is that you can set the mode and time and then just go do something else. When the cooking is done, you’ll hear a beep. You can release the pressure by pressing the pressure release button and wait about 5 minutes till all the pressure is disappate dand you can open the pot, or you can allow the pressure to release on its own and the food will be kept warm for you.

When I opened the Instant Pot, I was greeted with a drool-worthy aroma, but I still wasn’t impressed until I took my first bite. I have to tell you, that the beef stew I made in the Instant Pot was the best beef stew I’ve EVER had in my life. And no, I’m not just saying that. I’m being 100% serious. The meat was perfectly cooked and tender and the potatoes were perfect too. Just thinking about it makes me want to make it again.

For Instant Pot cooking test #2, I decided to try using up some Thanksgiving leftovers by making some turkey noodle soup. This time I didn’t have a recipe to go by. I just used leftover turkey broth that Jeanne’s brother gave us from their Thanksgiving day turkey that we shared with them. I used a couple cups of leftover turkey meat cut up into bite-sized chunks.

But I started out adding mirepoix and some butter to the pan in saute mode to sweat the veggies. If you don’t know what mirepoix is, it’s just a fancy name for diced carrots, onions, and celery.

Then I added the turkey broth, the turkey, some dry noodles I found in the cabinet that were probably 2 years old, ground pepper, and a hodgepodge of herbs. I gave all the items a quick stir, locked the lid, chose the soup mode and let the Instant Pot do its thing.

About 30 minutes later I opened the pot to another great meal.

With just those two dishes, I was already a huge fan of the Instant Pot, but then I also used it to cook some steel cut oats for breakfast one morning. They turned out decent but I need to tweak somethings before I use the Instant Pot to cook them from now one.

I also used the Instant Pot to make spaghetti using this recipe. I love pasta, but it’s a pain in the rear to pull out a frying pan to brown the hamburger, use a saucepan to heat up the tomato sauce, and use a big pot to cook and drain the spaghetti. With the Instant Pot, I only needed one pot for the whole meal.

You can brown the meat right in the Instant Pot using the saute mode. Then drain the fat (or if you use ground turkey like we do, you don’t even need to drain it), pour in the sauce, break up a pound of uncooked spaghetti noodles in half, pour in 1.5 jars of water, add some spices and herbs, shut the lid, pressure cook for 8 minutes and you’re done. It turned out perfectly yummy. Imagine a whole pot of spaghetti cooked in about 20 minutes with only one pot to wash (it can go in the dishwasher too). It’s truly a game changer in my house.

What I like

  • Fast cooking
  • One pot easy cleanup
  • Safety features prevent you from opening the lid if there is pressure in the pot

What needs to be improved

  • I seriously can’t think of anything

Final thoughts

I love the Instant Pot Ultra 6 Qt and know that I’ll be using it regularly from now on. I can’t wait to try making chili, steaming vegetables, and other recipes. If you like to cook or even if you don’t, you should really check out the Instant Pot. It makes cooking so easy, fast, and flavorful while making cleanup a breeze.

Price: $149.95
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Instant Pot.

CouchCoaster solves the problem of where to put your drink

No matter how carefully your furniture is arranged, sometimes you find yourself without a convenient, secure place to put your drink while you read or watch TV.  With the CouchCoaster, you can have a steady, easily reachable place to hold a bottle, cup, or can right on the arm of your sofa or chair – without leaving behind stains or rings.  Made of flexible, weighted, BPA-free silicone, the CoachCoaster has a tacky base to hold it in place over the arm of your sofa or chair. The arm must be at least 5.5″ thick with gently sloping sides; the furniture can be made of leather or fabric.  If the arm won’t work, you can open the coaster and lay it along the seat, tuck it between the cushions, or even lay it over the back of the seat.

CouchCoaster holds bottles, glasses, bottles, or cups up to 3.5” in diameter; a slot in the side accommodates cup handles, and an insert gives a tighter fit for smaller bottles and cans.  CouchCoaster was created by Barry Freeder from London, UK, but it’s available to us in the USA for $25.00 through Amazon.

HEAdesigns Wingman knife review

I have reviewed my fair share of finely crafted pocketknives made from some of the best materials available. But all of them were more or less of classic folder design. The HEAdesigns Wingman aspires to be different, specifically created with a “futuristic, next level design.” Let’s see how well it does achieving its objective.

What is it?

The Wingman is a Wharncliffe flip folder made from 6Al4V aircraft grade titanium and S35vn stainless steel. HEAdesigns took two years with fifty refinements in that time and over a dozen prototypes to perfect their vision. In addition to looking like it’s meant as a prop for the latest SciFi movie, the Wingman is engineered for serious speed and performance as well.

Design and features

The titanium handle is 4.8 inches in length. I received the green version highlighted with yellow/gold titanium hardware. This picture captures the 3D contouring and wrapped edges of the handle pretty well. The handle is nicely sized with an excellent textured, quality feel and overall weight to it.

Specifications:

Blade:

  • S35vn steel, 3.5in blade length flat ground from 1/8in stock w. 3 grinds per side
  • Two-tone sandblast and hand sand flat finish with full depth speed groove
  • This blade flies out faster than Dominic Toretto at a drag race

Handle:

  • 6Al4V Aircraft Grade Titanium starting at a .19in custom designed to angle taper down to .09in
  • 4.8in long by 1.12in wide with heavy interior scalloping for weight reduction
  • Machined lock relief, steel lock insert, over travel stop, ceramic bearings, and detent
  • Full cutouts through both handles with 3D contoured and wrapped edges unlike any other design

Hardware & Clip

  • 6Al4V Ti hardware and clip
  • Custom HEA pivot with mirrored AEH on back with torx accommodations
  • Blind screwed clip with design cues that make it feel right at home on the frames
  • Full-Length Ti backspacer with hidden hardware, secure screw tech, hidden lanyard hole, and speed milling down the entire piece

The Wingman is just over 8 inches long when extended and weighs in at a 4.2oz. The blade itself is 3.5 inches in length. The custom HEA pivot is very responsive and lightning fast deploying the blade. The pivot has a polished surface and HEA machined into it.

On the flip side, the pivot has a mirrored AEH on back with torx adjustment point. The right side of the handle has a titanium blind-screwed pocket-/beltclip with matching space-age design. The belt clip is stiff and does a solid job of keeping the knife securely on your belt or in your pocket. There are two cutouts through the entire width of the handle, with the lower one going thru the blade as well.

The top of the Wingman has a full-length titanium back spacer. There is a channel machined into the spine of the backspacer for feel and design.

There are ridges machined into the thumb ramp and blade flipper for added friction/grip when force is applied (aka flipping the blade open).

The precision frame-lock secures the blade into the open position with zero blade movement and little chance of the blade accidentally closing. To close the blade, simply press the frame lock aside and the blade smoothly rotates back into the closed position. The Wingman does not have a closed lock that keeps the blade from accidentally opening. Though this is unlikely under normal circumstance, the blade seats firmly within the handle and doesn’t deploy without a good amount of force.

The two-tone blade is razor sharp as you would expect, created with six grinds to achieve its unique style and shape.

The spacer has a hidden lanyard hole built into the rear of the handle…a nice touch.

The Wingman is available in gray, green, gold, blue, and bronze.

Sam Abdelrahman is the founder, president, and lead designer of HEAdesigns, creating bold, futuristic knives. He brings a decade of engineering experience, the highest quality materials, and excellent craftsmanship to all HEAdesigns products. His goal for the Wingman specifically was to create the perfect midsize flipper “that looked like it could move at the speed of light”.

Positives

  • Unique, futuristic design
  • Made from high-quality materials
  • Excellent engineering
  • Lightening fast blade deployment
  • Rock solid, wiggle-free frame-lock
  • Nice contoured feel to the handle

Negatives

  • The space age design might be too much for some

Final thoughts

HEAdesigns had a vision of designing a pocketknife that pushed the limits on style and design while striving for the highest quality of materials and craftsmanship. The Wingman hits the mark on all those counts. Functionally this midsize flipper/folder is fast, well sized/weighted and ideal as a high-end EDC.

Price: $329.00
Where to buy: HEAdesigns.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by HEAdesigns.

Bellroy has already slimmed down our wallets. Now they slim down our keychains!

We’ve seen what seems like dozens of different key chain solutions here on The Gadgeteer.  Our current find, the Bellroy Key Cover, looks like a little leather taco to enfold your keys to keep them away from scratchable electronics they share space with.  Bellroy has mastered the art of designing slim-profile wallets that carry all your stuff in a slim package, and now they have designed a key case that’s worthy of the Bellroy name.  The Key Cover is 1.7″ x 3.1″ closed; it has a magnetic closure to keep it closed and the keys corralled inside.  Outside is a leather loop to attach a car fob; the interior has a metal and elastic band that inserts through the holes on the top of the keys.  As always, Bellroy says their leathers are “premium hides tanned under gold-rated Leather Working Group environmental protocols, then dyed through so they age gracefully.”

The standard size Key Cover holds 2-4 keys; the Plus size is a little longer (3.6″) and has an extra internal loop to hold 2-4 more keys.  The Key Cover is $44.95; the Plus is $49.95.  Both sizes are available in caramel, black, blue steel, or teal leathers from Bellroy.