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Tsumbay car vacuum cleaner review

Cleaning the inside of my car usually involves two choices, one, pay a couple dollars at the local car wash or, two, drag out my old Dirt Devil hand vac. The Dirt Devil usually wins out (because its free). However, because it requires a power outlet that means dragging out my 50-foot electrical cord. As you can imagine it’s not very convenient, so I jumped at the chance to review the Tsumbay car vacuum cleaner. Hoping it might make my life just a little bit easier.

What is it?

The Tsumbay car vacuum cleaner is a lightweight portable vacuum cleaner that’s designed to plug into your cars 12V outlet (or cigarette lighter).

Hardware specs

  • Suction: 5000PA
  • Voltage: DC 12V
  • Power: 120W
  • Power cord length: 14.8ft
  • Weight: 2.2lbs
  • Size: 16” x 4” x 4.5”

What’s in the box?

  • 1 x Vacuum
  • 1 x  17-inch EVA extended suction pipe
  • 1 x Vacuuming flat nose attachment
  • 1 x Brush attachment
  • 1 x Manual

Design and features

Constructed of a very lightweight plastic the car vac has a sleek design. I received the black version, but it’s also available in white.

The vacuums power switch and power indicator light are located at the top rear of the vacuum, near the handle.

The Tsumbay is a 2 in 1 vacuum meaning it’s both a dry and wet vac (more on that in the performance section).

Dirt cup and washable filter

The front of the vacuum doubles as the dirt cup. Emptying it is done by pressing the latch release button located just in front of the power indicator light. Pull out the small filter and dump out the contents.

A few taps on the ground does a good job of clearing debris from the filter.

The filter is washable, and Tsumbay recommends washing it after every use to maintain performance.

Note: The filter is small and gets clogged up quickly. For max performance, I recommend clearing it out multiple times while vacuuming.

Performance

After plugging the vac into my cars 12V outlet, I fired it up. 

The first thing I noticed was the sound or lack of it. It was surprisingly quiet especially compared to my Dirt Devil or one of those car wash vacuums. Tsumbay lists the vacs decibel level at 65db. For comparison that falls between an air conditioner and a dishwasher on the decibel scale.

I used the extension tube and crevice tool to vacuum the floor of my car. I was pleasantly surprised by the suction power. The vacuum did a good job of picking up small pebbles, grass, and dog hair.

Check out the short video and before/after pics below to see the results.

Another thing I liked was the length of the power cord. Measuring 15-feet It allowed me to reach every corner of my Chevy Cruze, including the trunk.

Picking up dog hair

I have a puggle named Zoey, I love her to death but, she sheds like it’s her job. And even though I use a cover on the front seat, her hair ends up everywhere, the back seat, driver’s seat, even the dash. I often refrain from taking her places because the cleanup afterward is such a pain. Her hair was one of the biggest reasons why I chose to review the car vac.

I used the brush attachment to vacuum her hair from the floor and seats. I was happy with the results. The brush did a great job of loosening the hair from the seats fabric and carpet allowing it to be sucked up.

Finally, a quick and easy way to clean up after a trip to the vet or dog park!

Wet Vac

As I mentioned the car vac also doubles as a wet vac, I tested this by pouring water onto one of the car mats and vacuuming it up. Once again the vacuum performed well. You can see the results in the video below.

One note, the vacuum is only meant to vacuum up small amounts of liquid. In my testing I found anything over 1/4 cup tends to spill back out of the dirt cup.

I also noticed that once the filter is saturated, the vacuum loses most of its suction. Remove the filter and allow it to dry before using it again.

What I like

  • Plugs into cars 12V outlet (cigarette lighter)
  • Lightweight
  • Low noise
  • 15-foot power cord
  • Good suction power
  • Wet vac ability

What needs improvement

  • Extension tube could be a little longer and more flexible.
  • No storage bag

Final thoughts

I love this little car vac. I like the convenience of being able to plug it directly into my car. No more dragging out my 50-foot extension cord, and it’s perfect for spot cleaning. It’s also nice to know that if I spill something, it can be used for that as well.

I used an old duffle bag to store the vacuum and accessories, and it now has a permanent home in the trunk of my car.

If you have kids, pets, or just like keeping the inside of your car clean the Tsumbay car vacuum is the perfect car cleaning accessory.

 Price: $28.99
Where to buy: Amazon

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Tsumbay.

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Tsumbay car vacuum cleaner review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 25, 2018 at 11:25 am.

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The PLX Devices Kiwi 3 OBDII tool will allow you to just relax and drive


As summer approaches, I eagerly look forward to the chance to take a nice scenic road trip, especially when it offers the opportunity for amazing photography. Since I lease my vehicles, I prefer to use an older one that I own or one that a friend owns so that mileage is not an issue.

I have been in situations before when I was enjoying a road trip, and right in the middle of the excitement, the car decided to break down and to “throw a wrench” in my plans. While some breakdowns cannot be avoided, there are others that can be if we are aware of the problem ahead of time or get a discernible warning.

The PLX Devices Kiwi 3 offers a convenient and relatively inexpensive way of knowing about some of the meaningful car issues in advance. It is a Bluetooth OBD2 OBDII Diagnostic Scan Tool for Android, Apple, and Windows Mobile. It promises to provide us with real-time data, performance meters, fuel efficiency info, catalytic converter temperature, coolant temperature and lots more information, all via this small and compact device, and an app for our smart devices. It claims to be “compatible with all cars and consumer trucks built and sold in the United States after January 1, 1996”, and to “support the 3rd party apps Torque, Harry’s Lap Timer, DashCommand, OBD Car Doctor, OBD Auto Doctor, Carista, and Shift OBD (Download on iTunes and Google Play).”

If you would like to purchase the PLX Devices Kiwi 3 Bluetooth OBD2 OBDII Diagnostic Scan Tool, you can pick one up on Amazon for $99.95.

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The PLX Devices Kiwi 3 OBDII tool will allow you to just relax and drive originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 22, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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NazTech MagBuddy phone mount system review

Car mounts for phones have been around as long as mobile phones have been around. With the rise of SmartPhones, their need has only grown, since the phone in your car often takes the place of that glove box full of maps (or the dedicated GPS device), your box of mix-tapes (or mix CDs), and the car club guide for your vacation spot. Naztech recently sent us three models (Vent, Dash, and Anywhere+) of their MagBuddy series to test. I’ve given them a run through and am ready to share the results with you.

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

What is it?

The MagBuddy system consists of three parts: a holder of some type, the adjustable magnetic headpiece that attaches to the holder (which I have dubbed the MagHead, for this article), and a flat steel piece that affixes to your device or case. The last two pieces are the same for each system, but the holder varies. There is a suction mount unit with an adjustable arm to control the height and angle of the magnetic head, one that clips onto your AC/Heat vent, and one that will stick to any flat or slightly curved surface permanently. I’ll discuss each one below.

What’s in the box?

Each box contains a MagHead, two steel plates (small and large) and a holder, as well as an alcohol prep pad. You can buy plates and Mag heads separately.

Design and features

The MagHead is a roughly triangular piece of molded plastic 1.75″ across with a screw clutch socket on the back. The holder’s ball snaps into this and can be tightened so that the Mag head is steady. The face of the MagHead is covered with a soft rubbery material – not quite silicone or neoprene, but somewhere in between. The edges around the plastic under this pad are edged in a thin silver metal. Embedded within the head are strong magnets that will grab on to anything steel quite tightly. This is where the steel plates come in. The large plate is 1.75″ x 2.5″, and the smaller plate is 1.25″ square. Stick one to your phone, iPad, back-up camera monitor or whatever else you want to hold onto, and the MagHead will hold it – up to a point. If you put it on an iPad Pro and go off-roading, I don’t think it will hold for long. But I used it with an iPhone 8 and have had no problem with bumpy roads, railroad tracks and the like encountered on a normal city street. We are using it with the MacBuddy Dash stuck to the windshield, because the dash on the car it’s in is textured, and the suction cup doesn’t hold very well there. (Note the texture on the dash in the photo below.)

Setup

The first thing you’re going to want to consider is where will be the best place for your device. Note that the Anywhere or Anywhere+ model holder can be stuck to any smooth, quasi-flat surface. This doesn’t have to be in a vehicle. You could put one up in a back room for staff to use for pricing or break schedules on an iPad. Or mount your phone to your mirror in the bathroom to check the news or listen to a podcast while prepping for your day, without worrying about knocking your phone onto the tile floor – or worse. Also, the Dash model with the adjustable arm would be just as happy affixed to your monitor support or desk, so that your iPad or Phone is just under your monitor. It’s a hugely flexible system, and once you have the plate on your device, you can easily swap between holders.

Performance

As mentioned earlier, you’ll need to use a steel plate that matches the size of the device you want to be held, and any case you put over the plate may loosen the MagHead’s grip. I had the large plate inside my iPhone 8 Plus leather case (above), and the first bump I hit sent the phone into the floorboard. Even that thin layer of leather was enough to loosen the MacHead’s grip.

My wife’s iPhone 8 has Qi charging, but when it’s inside the case with the steel plate on it, the phone doesn’t charge in a Qi charger. Pop it out of the case, and it charges as expected.

What I Like

  • There are two plates included with each mount, and more can be bought.
  • Can be used by multiple devices, and each device can attach to any holder.
  • Fully adjustable for different viewing angles.
  • Sturdy, yet easy to mount device onto.

What needs to be improved

  • Larger items may break loose.
  • You have to use the metal plates, which may affect wireless charging of device.
  • The plates can be mounted to the case or your device.
  • Some cases may weaken the grip if mounted directly to the device and covered by a case.
  • Metal plates on the back of phones that have Qi charging are going to have problems. Period.
  • The Silicone band of the bicycle handlebar model would be a nice individual sale, like the steel plates. It would enable the connection through my leather case to be secure on rougher roads.

Final thoughts

Phones do everything nowadays. There are so many different uses that we can’t be without them for very long. This is never more true than when we’re driving, it seems, especially when you’re in an area you don’t know well. All the questions about routes, service stations, food, and parking that come up in any normal car trip are easily solved by using your phone. Having it in a single place where it can be referenced without taking your eyes off the road and the instrument panel makes using it for navigation safer. Having it be adjustable so that a rider can adjust audio settings is also a plus. This series of holders offers something for everyone: an adjustable swivel-arm model to attach by suction to the windshield or dash, an air vent clip model, and a model that sticks to almost any surface to offer the swivel head, magnetic snap-on mount.
If you aren’t worried about losing the Qi charging feature, it’s fantastic. Otherwise, there are compromises. You may find an area of your phone where the plate doesn’t block the charging connection, but will it hold your device securely enough over construction and off-road driving?

Pricing is reasonable, and there is a wide variety of holder styles to choose from. $29.99 for cupholder model; $24.99 for Bike mount, CD slot mount, dash mount, windshield mount, or Anywhere+; $19.99 for headrest mount, air vent mount, Anywhere, or desktop. Extra plates, $9.99 for a set of two (one of each size).

Price: Varies depending on the item
Where to buy: The Naztech website or Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Naztech.

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NazTech MagBuddy phone mount system review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 20, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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VAVA E-Touch Phone Holder for Car, Electric Auto Lock iPhone Mount review

These days, our phones are an extension of our daily lives, and we take them with us everywhere we go. I am no exception, and when in my car, I usually lay mine on my center console/armrest and just have the charging cable draped wherever and plugged into my USB power jack. Whenever I need to glance at my phone, it has been an issue since I would either quickly glance down at my center console while driving, or grab the phone as soon as I am at a traffic light or stop sign. While many dash mount phone holders are available, my issue has been that I have always hated fiddling with the buttons that need to be depressed to remove the phone, or fiddling to depress the phone correctly in the holder to engage the manual mechanism to lock it in securely. The VAVA-Touch Phone holder aims to resolve these issues, so, let’s see how it did.

What is it?

VAVA E-Touch Phone Holder for Car, Electric Auto Lock iPhone Mount, is a dash mountable cell phone holder that electronically manages to secure and release your phone.

What’s in the box


1 x Phone Holder
1 x Micro USB Cable
1 x Instruction Booklet

Design and features

This is a typical vehicle cell phone holder, with a suction cup at the bottom, that in this design is secured by pressing the base onto the dash and turning the gray colored part of the base clockwise to secure and counter-clockwise to release.
At the bottom part of the holder mechanism, there are two ports, one USB, and one micro USB. The micro USB port is used to power/charge the battery that is built into the holder, and the regular USB port can be used to power/charge your cell phone or any other USB accessory. The built-in battery means that once charged, the holder can operate and charge your device without being plugged into a power source.


Just below the phone holder, there is the arm that holds the phone holder mechanism, that can be extended to move the phone and holder closer to you or further away from you.

 

To the right and left of the ports, you will notice a “bulge” on the surface of each side. These “bulges”, are actually the touch-sensitive areas that disengage the arms of the holder to release the phone. When the phone is placed in the holder, the arms automatically and electronically close. This is accomplished by the pressure that is placed on the back of the holder when the phone is inserted.
The picture below shows the accessory charging cable plugged into the bottom of the holder. This cable can be used to charge any accessory that can be charged via USB, or to power any such device.


VAVA E-Touch Phone Holder mounts to the dash or windshield if so desired. The following picture shows the side view of the holder, mounted to my dash with both the power cable and my iPhone lightning cable attached. On the top of the arm behind the holder is the knob that secures or releases the extension arm.

To the right of the top knob is another knob that releases and secures the arm so that you can raise or lower it to the desired position.

This next picture is just a front facing view, with the cables attached. This is what you see from the Driver’s perspective before you attach the phone. Notice the gray pad at the surface of the back of the holder. That surface is the pressure pad that is engaged when you place your phone into the holder. The pressure on the pad activates the arms to securely close onto the sides of your phone


Once the phone is seated in the holder, the securing arms automatically close. In the following picture, I have my iPhone in the holder, with the lightning cable attached to charge the phone.

What I like

I like that the holder mounts in a very sturdy way to the dashboard, and when I tested it while driving on very rough NYC roads, the vibration was minimal. It is well built, and the electronic mechanism for opening and closing the securing arms works well.

What can be improved

What can be improved and what is my biggest disappointment with this holder, is that QI wireless charging is not built-in. The ability to place my phone in the holder, and have it charge wirelessly would make this a 5-star review.

Final thoughts

The VAVA E-Touch Phone Holder for Car, Electric Auto Lock iPhone Mount is a well-made mount, and it adds ease and convenience to secure your cell phone to the dash or windshield while maintaining it within proximity for easy viewing and access. The fact that it stays well secured to my dashboard and is not very affected by vibration makes it easy and practical for me to use. I currently have it installed in my car, and I use the charging port to power/charge my iPhone. I do believe that I will continue to use it at least until one with QI wireless charging is available. However, I am not convinced that the convenience of the powered security arms makes it a great value at its current price point when compared to other available holders that while not powered, are much cheaper.

Price: $29.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by VAVA.

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VAVA E-Touch Phone Holder for Car, Electric Auto Lock iPhone Mount review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 18, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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PAPAGO GoSafe S780 dash cam review


I’ve only had one previous dash cam, and it was a very cheap one. While I was waiting for the PAPAGO! GoSafe S780 dash cam to arrive, I didn’t have my hopes set very high because I had never heard of the company. When it arrived I was unexpectedly surprised by this high-quality dash cam. PAPAGO! seems to have quite a variety of dash cams and accessories.

What is it?

The PAPAGO! GoSafe S780 dash cam isn’t your run of the mill dash cam – it’s a high-quality dual camera, low light dash cam that is capable of great performance regardless of the time of day.

Before I received this product I knew nothing more than its name. Being a photography nerd, as soon as I opened the shipping box and saw the “Sony Sensor” on the front of the box, my hopes suddenly raised. Sony makes some of the best camera sensors on the market.


Hardware specs

Screen 2.0″ color LCD display screen
Chip Professional Sony image sensor chip
Angle View Front: 150 ° ultra- wide-angle lens F1.5. Rear 180° F1.9
GPS Supports GPS-Antenna (Sold separately)
TPMS Supports PAPAGO! TireSafe D10E TPMS (Sold separately)
Video Format 1920X1080P60, 1920X1080P30, 1280X720P30, .MP4 format
Storage Device MicroSD card (Class 10, 8GB or above. Supports up to 128GB)
Battery Built-in super capacitor
Weight .12 lbs
Dimensions 2.2″ x 1.2″ x 2.4″

What’s in the box?

  • GoSafe S780
  • Rear Camera
  • Interconnect Cable
  • Car Charger
  • Suction Cup Mount
  • 3m Adhesive Mount
  • Micro SD Card
  • User Manual
  • Warranty Card



Design and features

The dual camera design allows you to place the second camera either in a rear-facing position out a rear window or facing the cabin of the vehicle to record the occupants. This is a great feature for rideshare drivers who need an extra level of protection for themselves and their passengers. I occasionally do some YouTube videos, so this will come in very handy for those moments when I don’t have my regular camera running.

You can use the far right button to quickly change which camera(s) the display shows. The modes are: Front, Rear, Front and Rear (like picture-in-picture), and off. Regardless of the mode, both cameras record to separate video files at the same time.

The S780 turns on automatically and starts recording when power is applied to the plug. The camera will record 5-minute segments of video, replacing the oldest files when the memory card is full. Embedded supercapacitors provide enough power to save the recording when power is lost, either from turning off your vehicle or in the event that a crash disrupts power to the camera. A 16gb memory card holds approximately 90 minutes of video files before the files are overwritten.

While recording you can press the down arrow button for 3 seconds to capture a picture without interrupting the video recording. These are saved to a separate “photos” folder on the memory card and are not overwritten.

There’s also an emergency mode, which is activated by pressing the far left button while the device is recording. This mode will lock the current file so that it is not overwritten when the memory card is full. The locking of the file will also occur when the g-force sensor detects a crash – something I declined to test.

The main camera has a SONY Starvis sensor with a 150-degree ultra-wide angle lens, which is not only glass but has anti-reflection coating as well to eliminate flaring when facing bright lights. The quality is really good. You can make out street signs very easily, but license plate numbers were difficult to make out, but I think that’s more a limitation due to the 1920×1080 resolution than it is the camera itself.

The second camera has a 180-degree view and a SONY Exmor sensor and also features a glass lens and anti-reflection coating. The camera has a wide enough angle of view that even mounted on my rearview mirror, it was wide enough to capture both driver and passenger, seeing slightly out each side window.

Also available is an optional accessory called the TireSafe D10E (sold separately), which enabled the unit to display your tire pressure and temperature in real-time. The unit also supports a GPS antenna (sold separately) to record speed and for GPS logging on your videos, to automatically correct the time, and for other related functions. However, you can only use one of these at a time.

Something I never expected to see in a dash cam is the PAPAGO Driver Assist Features, which include Stop Sign Recognition, Stop and Go, Driver Fatigue Warning, and Headlight Reminder to help you stay safe on the road. For example, when the unit “sees” a stop sign, it will display a stop sign on the screen and give an audible beep. These features are able to be turned on and off in the settings. The stop sign feature worked well, picking up every stop sign, but if you’re going over 25mph you won’t stop in time. I would be nice if it could pick them up a little farther away. The stop and go feature worked well also, giving a lower toned beep when it detects the car in front of you has started moving, but you haven’t.


The S780 has three recording modes: Automatic Recording (Loop recording), Monitor Mode (1 picture per second to save storage space), and Motion Detection(motion-activated recording). The monitor mode is useful to make a hyperlapse video with, as it saves the pictures as frames of the video.

The unit also supports microSD cards up to 128GB which allows approximately 8 hours recording time before it loops over old videos at 1080p30 setting. The unit comes with a 16GB card.

Although there is an included quick start manual, there were no instructions for the wiring of the rear/second camera. After some discussion with Papago support, I found out that the cable for the rear camera has two bare wires that you must connect to ground and the 12 volt backup light signal. If you’re placing the camera at the back of the vehicle that would mean connecting to the backup light wire. If you’re placing the camera in the passenger compartment then you can just leave the wires disconnected, as it’s not really going to do anything for you.

If you don’t have any electrical knowledge this might require some installation help from an auto shop or a friend.

When you have the backup wires connected, the display automatically shifts to the rear camera and provides some on screen distance guides when you place the vehicle in reverse.

What I like

As I mentioned before, the Sony sensors really make this thing. The clarity and dynamic range for both day and night use are really superb. If you’re not into photography like I am, you might not fully appreciate the low light abilities of this dash cam.

One thing I really liked was the extensive menus and settings. This enables you to customize each of the features, and disable features you don’t want on.

The microphone is extremely good, it picked up sound clearly, and from a fair distance away, such as someone standing outside of the vehicle talking to me and the sound of my turn signal.

The primary power plug has a 13-foot cord, allowing you to run the cable behind panels and such so that it’s not in the way. It also has mini-USB connectors and instead of those tiny and fragile micro-USB connectors.

The GoSafe S780 is eligible to receive a lifetime of free upgrades as soon as they are issued, who can’t like that!

I really like the automatic camera view change when going into reverse.

What needs to be improved

  • Needs better instructions about wiring the rear camera.
  • I felt the buttons on the camera were a little too hard to push. Being that the camera is normally going to be mounted up and out of the way, I think they could have gotten by with buttons that were a little easier to push so that the unit didn’t move when pressing them.
  • Both a suction cup mount and a 3M tape mount are included for the main unit, and the rear camera has a 3M tape mount as well as holes and screws for optionally hard mounting it.

Final thoughts

Being one of the more expensive dash cams on the market, I felt as though it was a little pricey for the features it has. Sure, the video and audio it produces are fabulous, but it lacks things that other lower cost cameras have such as touch screens and fewer cords.

Price: $279.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Papago!

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PAPAGO GoSafe S780 dash cam review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 22, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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