Colonel Littleton Possibles Bags review

REVIEW – In our hectic lives, our world can get pretty crazy at times with work, school, home improvement projects, travel, etc. We have several spots in the house we call the Danger Zones, where if you’re crazy enough to leave something important in those spaces, you do so at your own risk.  I’m pretty AR about some things and have several sanctuary spaces I keep my gear so 1) I know it’s safe and 2) I have it when I need it and don’t have to go searching around the house to find my stuff when I’m late getting on the road. All that said, I also like keeping my gear organized/protected in these spaces and use various boxes, bags and bins to make that happen. Colonel Littleton has created three general purpose leather pouches to help do just that, called the Possibles Bags. He’s sent me one of each size to checkout for this review.

What is it?

The Possibles Bags are handmade drawstring leather pouches created to hold nearly any small to medium item(s). The Possibles Bags come in three sizes: small/No. 1, medium/No. 2, and large/No. 3.

In times gone by, people used bags like these for trips into the wild and stuffed them with medicines and survival items. It’s still a jungle out there – only the essentials have changed. Today, you might stash your bag with jewelry and accessories, coins, mobile phone, etc. Use them to hold your valuables in your golf bag, or to hold your cat’s eye or aggies. The possibilities are endless.

Hardware specs — Sizing & Weight

  • Large No. 3 – 9.5″ H x 7.5″ W / 1.4oz
  • Medium No. 2 – 7.25″ H x 6.5″ W / 2.1oz
  • Small No. 1 – 5.13″ H x 3.75″ W / 2.9oz

Design and features

The Possibles Bags are handmade in the Colonel’s workshop from soft, dry-milled leathers. They have a simple, practical design meant to carry anything from some of your EDC bits/cables to your golf balls. The drawstring closure ensures that what you put in them stays safely and securely within. The design and engineering on these bags are very old school but are meant to be nearly foolproof.

These bags are constructed from two pieces of leather stitched together with thin nylon thread. The leathers are soft, supple and has a wonderful smell. The bags feel great to hold and will last many years of use, growing softer with time.

The top opening is held closed by a round leather lace drawstring threaded through brass eyelets. These eyelets not only serve in the closure system but adds strength along the top of the bag similar to rivets.

There is a small circular piece of leather that the drawstring ends go thru that enables you to synch the bags closed. There is a small copper tab on the drawstring ends to keep the leather cord from coming undone.

The back of the bag has the Colonel Littleton logo, product name, warranty, and Lynnville, TN embossed into the leather.

Our family and friends have a semi-regular card game we play (Tripoly) and keeping your stash of dimes in a safe and known location is key. I’ve decided the black No. 2 bag is the perfect size to do this. Plus when I belly up to the card table with this bag, it reminds me of an old western movie as the cowboy sits down to play poker and plunks their bag of loot on the table. I’ve also been using the largest of the pouches in my 1943 Navigator Bag to hold all my EDC gear that rattles around the bottom of several of its pockets.

What I like

  • Excellent handmade craftsmanship
  • Soft, supple dry-milled leather
  • Simple/practical design

What needs to be improved

  • None

All three sizes of Possibles bags are available in black, vintage brown or saddle tan leather. There is a brass tag for your initials.

I have easily found uses for the No.2 & No. 3 bags but am still searching for a purpose for the smallest of the trio in my world. It’ll most likely end up holding some jewelry that is currently bouncing around our safety deposit box.

Final thoughts

Like all of the Colonel Littleton gear I have used over the years, the Possibles Bags are made with the same old world craftsmanship and attention to detail I have come to know and appreciate. These bags are relatively basic, yet not only get the job done but give off a vibe of times gone by. The Possibles Bags are made of high quality leather and materials and will certainly last the test of time.

Price: Large (#3) – $75 / Medium (#2) – $65 / Small (#1) – $55
Where to buy: available directly from the Colonel Littleton website.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Colonel Littleton.

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Colonel Littleton Possibles Bags review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 24, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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Julie’s favorite gear, SnapRays Guidelight, Hairmax LaserBand, and more – Review updates

REVIEW – You have probably wondered what happens to the products after we review them. Do they break shortly after the review is posted or do we continue to use them for years and even decades later? To answer these questions, we regularly add quick updates to our reviews so you can read our comment on how well the product has held up over time. Check out these latest review updates by clicking on the review titles below and then scroll to the bottom of the page to read the latest dated updates.

Julie’s favorite gear

Pixel 2 XL review By Julie Strietelmeier

Snap Power SnapRays Guidelight review By Julie Strietelmeier

Zibra Open It! review By Julie Strietelmeier

Hairmax LaserBand 82 hair growth laser light device review By Samuel Pair

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Julie’s favorite gear, SnapRays Guidelight, Hairmax LaserBand, and more – Review updates originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 24, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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Wyze Sense review

REVIEW – Let me get this out of the way right from the start… I love Wyze products. I reviewed the Wyze Cam and have gone on to buy additional cameras and help my neighbor purchase and set up more cameras for his home. I think they are an awesome bang for your buck when it comes to small home security cameras and now Wyze has added two new sensors that work with the Wyze Cam to create an affordable basic home security system. Let’s check it out.

What is it?

Wyze Sense are small contact and motion sensors that work with Wyze cameras to create a basic home security system.

What’s in the box?

Starter kit comes with:

  • 2 Contact sensors
  • 1 Motion sensor
  • 1 Sensor bridge
  • Reset tool
  • Instructions

A Wyze Camera is NOT included in the starter kit, but one camera is required for the setup.

Design and features

The starter kit comes with 2 sensors.

There’s the small motion sensor shown above which can detect motion 120° up to 26′ away. Just place the sensor about 6 ft up on a shelf and it is good to go.

The contact sensor has two pieces that use a magnet to know when the contact between the pieces has been opened or closed.

Installation

Wyze knows how to design a system that anyone can install. The Wyze Sense installation isn’t any different. It takes only a couple of minutes to get up and running and most of that time is just figuring out where to place the sensors.

You will need a Wyze camera though. The camera is needed for the Sensor Bridge which plugs into the USB port on the back of the camera.

The Bridge is the module that the sensors will talk to.

To install the contact sensor, you remove the adhesive on each piece and then stick them on something that will open, like a door, a window, a cabinet, etc.

I placed mine on the front door so that when the door opens, the contact between the two pieces is open and when the door shuts, the contacts close.

For the motion sensor, I placed it on a high shelf. Can you find it in the image above?

The only criticism about the sensors that I can think of is that they are bright and stick out since they are made of white plastic. It would be great if Wyze offered them in black too.



The next step in setting up the sensors requires you to launch the Wyze app on your mobile device and add the new products. The app leads you step by step through the process which only takes a couple of minutes. As you can see, you have to link the sensors with one of the Wyze cameras so that any triggered events will capture a video clip.




When the setup is complete, the sensors will show up in the Wyze app dashboard where you can quickly see their status.




Going into each sensor from the dashboard will allow you to see more info including times when the sensors detected an event. The sensors also send alerts just like camera motion events do.

I’ve been testing these sensors for the past few weeks and have had zero false positives on the contact sensor and the motion sensor has been rock solid too. Just know that it will detect your pets which may or may not be an issue for you.

What I like

  • Inexpensive
  • Simple to install
  • Reliable

What needs to be improved

  • More sensors please! 🙂

Final thoughts

Wyze has done it again. Not only do they offer the absolute most affordable and best experience in security cameras, now they are branching into sensors to create a basic home security system. If I sound gushy that’s just because I have loved using Wyze products in the past and am truly excited about what they will come up with next. FYI, I already know what’s next. It’s a smart light bulb and of course, I’ll have one to review soon.

Price: $19.99
Where to buy: Wyze
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Wyze.

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Wyze Sense review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 24, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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Playdate is a game system with a b&w screen and a crank. Shut up and take my money!

NEWS – Do I consider myself a gamer? Heck no! The most exciting gaming that I’ve done lately has been a rousing game of Words With Friends on my phone. #Sad. That doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate when something new and interesting comes along and the Playdate certainly looks interesting.

Playdate is a handheld gaming system from Panic, a company who has been making macOS and iOS software for 20 years. The device features a hi-resolution 400 x 270 pixel 2.7-inch black and white display, a traditional D-pad controller, and a crank. Yes, a crank! The crank is an analog controller that looks wonky as heck but that’s what makes the Playdate interesting. How the heck will it work and what will the games be like?

It looks cool as heck and I want one right now! But unfortunately, Playdate isn’t available yet. We won’t be able to get our hands on one until 2020. ARGH! But when it is available, it will set you back $149 and you’ll receive a new game for it at no extra charge each week for 12 weeks. Want to know more? Head over to the play.date site and sign up to be notified when the device is available

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Playdate is a game system with a b&w screen and a crank. Shut up and take my money! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 24, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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Why Is Huawei Under Fire?

Have you noticed that Huawei has been under fire recently? We discussed previously how Huawei has gone from a respected technology giant to a banned service within the US. What caused all this, and what has happened so far? Why Huawei Is Under Scrutiny The main issue that countries have with Huawei right now is that the company has very close ties to the Chinese government. Huawei was vying to become the world’s best supplier of 5G, but many countries feared that by adopting Huawei’s plans they would be allowing them to spy on data transfers and report the details back to the Chinese… Read more