Brush Hero detail cleaning brush review

When I was in high school, my dad asked me to detail his Bronco. It took me all day, but his truck looked better than the day he bought it. I remember having to really work at it to loosen up the grime, grease and brake dust. I still love the sense of satisfaction from really cleaning my cars, so the Brush Hero detail brush looked like it might make getting into the nooks and crannies easier.

What is it?

The Brush Hero uses water pressure from a typical garden hose to spin a cleaning head, making loosening dirt easier and more fun.  It’s intended for cars, patios and grills, gutters, garden tools, pools, pets and even people (with some caveats.)

Hardware Specs

  • Heavy-duty plastic construction
  • Approximately 13-1/2” long, with cleaning brush attached
  • 2-1/2” at its widest
  • 8.1 ounces

What’s in the box?

Brush Hero wand
Two removable brush heads, one firmer for “serious muck”, and one softer for “sensitive surfaces.”
User manual
Card inviting persons having trouble with the Brush Hero to call “customer service rock Star Julie.”

Design and features

Brush Hero comes in a transparent plastic box, adorned with their logo, a list of objects suggested to be cleaned and several usage photos including a happy dog being washed.

The user manual is fun to read. I got several chuckles and appreciated the humor, particularly the “Brush Hero is for external use only” comment (use your imagination here 😉 ).

The Brush hero feels tough. I started by attaching a brush head. It goes on with a hefty push and stays on quite securely. The handle is ergonomic, with a grooved surface that will help prevent dropping it when one’s hands are soapy. A thumb-operated off switch/pressure control allows the Brush hero to be turned off without having to return to the water valve. I gave the wand a number of twists and bends and determined it should hold up reasonably well under normal circumstances.

The middle of winter in upstate New York’s snow-belt isn’t a great time of year to give the Brush Hero a proper shakedown, but I gave it the old college try. Firing up a 50,000 BTU kerosene heater and performing a bit of plumbing to give me hot water in my garage, I made an attempt to give my 2008 Smart Car a much-needed bath.

The Brush Hero started spinning as soon as water was flowing. Out of the box, the brush head spins freely, but when in operation, there is a surprising amount of torque, even with my home’s moderate water pressure. Concentrating first on my rims, the Brush Hero cut through brake dust, road salt, and mud effortlessly, fitting into the tightest places, even behind the valve stems. The brush spins relatively slowly, but with ample force to dislodge stubborn dirt. Three nozzles at the base of the brush it clean and prevents the brush from trapping debris that might damage my precious vehicle’s paint. Water flow is well controlled so I didn’t get soaked in my 45-degree garage.

The brush head fits into places that would have been challenging.  I was able to clean the openings around the wiper arms, the air intakes and under the gas door without mucking about finding different brushes. Cleaning the door frames without spraying water all over the interior of my car was a bonus.

The pressure/shutoff switch worked flawlessly, completely cutting off the water flow. I noticed little difference in rotation speed, but this may be more pronounced with higher water pressure than my house can provide.

Here’s the before and after of my little chariot.

What I like

  • Well-constructed
  • Brushes clean well
  • Excellent torque
  • Doesn’t leak
  • The valve cuts water flow completely
  • The brush head fits into places fingers can’t
  • The user manual is a hoot!

What needs to be improved?

  • The manual says a hose quick connect is included, but it wasn’t in the box
  • Add an extra external shut-off valve and a few additional quick connect couplings allowing the Brush Hero to be removed and other tools to be installed without the need to turn the water off at the spigot.

Final thoughts

I was initially thinking this was going to be one of those “as seen on TV” type gimmicks. Pleasantly, I found it’s well-constructed works as described, and genuinely fun. I’m looking forward to warmer weather when the Brush Hero will definitely be used more often.

Price: $34.99
Where to buy: Brushhero.com or Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Brush Hero.

Charge your Apple Watch directly at the wall socket with this Wiplabs charger

Your Apple Watch charger won’t take up an inch of desk or nightstand space when you use the Wiplabs Apple Watch Wall Stand.  You’ll still have to use the charging puck that came with your Watch; just connect the USB plug on the cable into the power supply inside the Wall Stand, then plug the Wall Stand into a wall socket.

The Wall Stand is compatible with all series of the Watch, and it will work with any band.  And unlike some charging stands I’ve tried in the past, the Wall Stand works with either the metal or the plastic charging puck.  The Wiplabs Apple Watch Wall Stand is $19.99 at Amazon.

Keep your beer bottle chill and protected with BottleKeeper

There are TONS of different bottles, flasks, tanks, and other container-type products for holding all manner of beverages. And that’s totally fine, because there is no “perfect” beverage holder. But BottleKeeper seems to be a bit unique. Slide your glass beverage bottle inside the neoprene-lined BottleKeeper and it will keep both your bottle and your beverage cool and protected. Take it to the beach, to the picnic, to the pool—just about anywhere that you might normally not want to bring a bottle for fear of it getting broken or warming up too fast. The latest version, Standard 2.0, includes powder-coated finishes in multiple colors and a built-in bottle opener in its tethered cap and retails for $34.99. Other versions and sizes available also. Visit BottleKeeper.com for more info or to order.

Giving new meaning to home delivery – Amazon can now deliver a pre-constructed 20- or 40-ft tiny home to you

Usually, when you hear about tiny homes, you hear the story of how the owner has crafted their home themselves.  If you aren’t handy, there are some options for buying a pre-made tiny home, if you’re lucky enough to find a manufacturer you can work with.  Now any of us could have a tiny home because Amazon can ship a finished MODS home complete with appliances (those shown in the photos).

There are two models of the MODS homes at Amazon at the moment:  a 40-ft version and a 20-ft version.  Both versions are built from a new shipping container, and both have a bottom sewer connection, easy side water, and electrical connection.  Both have double patio doors that can be secured behind the container doors.  They are fully heated, insulated, and air-conditioned.

The 20-ft home has 160 square feet of interior space.  It comes with a kitchen with microwave, fridge, and sink, and a 2-piece bathroom with toilet and shower.  The 40-ft model has 320 square feet, and it has a bedroom, shower, toilet, and sink, plus a small kitchenette and living area.

The 20-ft MODS tiny home is $23,000.00 plus about $4380.00 to ship.  The 40-ft MODS tiny home is $36,000.00 plus about $3755.00 to ship.  Learn more at Amazon.

Oberon Design Sonoma Tote review

Oberon Design is a USA-based company that designs and creates beautiful, useful leather accessories and bags.  The Gadgeteer has reviewed many of their products over the years, and we’ve been selected to put another of their bags to the test.  I was happy to be selected to review the Sonoma Tote when Oberon Design sent us one; it’s just the right size to hold my normal EDC, laptop bag stuff, plus a 13″ MacBook Pro and/or a 12.9″ iPad Pro.

Specs

As specified on the Oberon website, the Sonoma Tote is:

  • High quality; American made
  • Size: 12″ tall x 14″ wide x 5″ deep
  • Weighs 1.8 lb
  • Adjustable length strap handles; maximum 12″ under-arm space
  • Interior 9″ x 7″ zippered security pocket
  • 2 additional interior slip-in pockets and a pen holder pocket
  • Interior keyring hook
  • All seams are triple stitched, taped, and bound
  • Solid brass, durable Sam Browne studs
  • Interior pockets are constructed from spill resistant, top grade ballistic nylon, which is strong and lightweight

Design and features

The Sonoma Tote is a new offering from Oberon.  They describe it as a classic tote shape with an Oberon twist.  The twist is apparently a strip of embossed, colored leather bisecting both the front and back of the bag.  The rest of the bag and the straps are black leather, which lets the colored strip shine.  There are five design/color combinations available.  I received the acanthus leaves design in navy.

I opened the shipping box to find the Sonoma Tote wrapped in brown paper to protect the leather during shipment.  A thank-you card with a small, handcast charm is taped to the wrapping.



Two other cards shipped with the bag.  The left card explains how to use the Sam Browne studs for adjusting the strap length and closing the bag.  The middle card explains how the design for the Sonoma Tote came about, and it explains the pricing for this bag:  “This lovely new addition to our handbag line will be priced according to our new Oberon Direct program, direct from us to you. No wholesaling means we are able to bring this exclusively to you at a very reasonable price for a premium, US bench-craft product.”  Also, as the bag was designed in honor of Oberon’s home in Sonoma, which was recently devastated by wildfires, Oberon says:  “In support of the vital ongoing efforts, with this introductory offer $20 of every purchase will go directly to the Sonoma County Fire Relief Fund. ”  The card on the right is the previously-mentioned thank-you card with the charm.

Design and features

The front of the bag is seen in the top photo.  The back of the bag is also decorated with the embossed design strip of leather.

A close-up of the back of the tote shows the beautiful, embossed leather design strip.  You also see the back strap attached with the Sam Browne studs, and the metal piece, with the Oberon name, that attaches the closure strap to the back of the bag.  Note the even, straight stitching and the bound top edge.

 

The Sonoma Tote has a rectangular profile when seen from the side.  The bottom is flat, but it has no metal feet to protect the bottom from the surface it sits on.  You can see the bag is sitting up on its own in this picture, and I’m happy to report that the bag sits stably even when fully loaded with all my gear and devices.

You’ll also note that the top of the side panel appears pinched together.  A small section of the top of each side is sewn together to give the tote shape and to slightly divide it into a front an back section.  This slight division works nicely to hold my iPad sleeve in place inside the bag.

The interior of the bag is empty, except for the pockets on the tote’s back wall.

The back wall of the Sonoma Tote has the zippered security pouch, a pen pocket, and two slip-in pockets.  There’s a leather badge sewn on one of the slip-in pockets with the Oberon Design logo.  At the upper left, you will see the keyring keeper.  It’s made with a leather strip and a metal clip, so it should hold your keys securely.

This image is taken with the front of the bag facing up.  That’s the iPad Pro Cache sleeve at the top, with a small catalog between the sleeve and the front wall of the bag.  The Cache fits in that front area like it was made for the Sonoma Tote.

Here’s a view of the zippered security pouch on the back of the bag.  You can see my iPhone 7 Plus in one of the slip-in pockets.  You can also see black and red pouches on the right side of the bag, a blue pouch clipped to to keyring keeper at the top of the bag, and the Tom Bihn Cache at the bottom of this image.

I keep the Tom Bihn Cache sleeve for the 12.9″ iPad Pro into the front area of the Sonoma bag, just behind the Sam Brown stud that holds the bag closed.   This sleeve, with the iPad Pro inside, fits easily in the front section and still allows the bag to close with the stud.  This Cache can actually hold my 13″ MacBook Pro Retina, and the Cache will still fit in the front section and allow the bag to close.  If I needed, I could actually have my laptop in the Cache and slide my iPad between the front of the bag and the Cache – but that makes for a very heavy load.  I’d only take both if I were going on a long trip.  I’d make do with one device for a daily trip.

Loose in the bottom of the bag are three Eagle Creek Pack-It sacs, loaded with my small “I’ll take it, just in case” things.  These are the small size sacs, each measuring 6″ x 8″.

The blue bag holds an Apple USB wall charger, charging cables, stylus, and my iPod touch.

The red bag holds toiletries, and a pen (for some reason…)

The black bag holds a Pearl compact mirror/powerbank, plus a few other small items.

My sunglasses in their case fit into the bottom of the bag, and my iPhone 7 Plus slides into one of the slip-in pockets on the front of the secured zippered pocket.


The interior zippered pocket holds my three car fobs, wallet, folding comb, Swiss Army knife, LED flashlight, and a BIC pen.

The Sonoma Tote holds everything I need when I’m having an “everything plus the kitchen sink” day.  I can take my smaller EDC kit and spread it out between my Eagle Creek bags and the secured zippered pocket, or I could even just stick a small purse with my normal carry items in the bottom of the Tote beside those Eagle Creek bags.

The Tote has plenty of room for my laptop and/or my iPad Pro when I need them, but I could easily remove the iPad sleeve and use the Sonoma Tote as a handbag.  It’s beautiful, stylish, and sophisticated enough to complement your nicest business outfit, and no one would think it was a gear bag until they see you pull out a laptop.  My daughter saw me carrying it when we went out to dinner, and she complimented my new handbag; she was doubly impressed when she saw everything I was carrying inside it.

What I like

  • Beautiful design
  • Well constructed
  • Stands on its bottom, even when fully loaded
  • Secure interior pocket to protect small items
  • Key holder at the top of the bag
  • Big enough to hold all my normal EDC things, plus all the cables and accouterments that I keep in my laptop bag, plus a 13″ MacBook Pro Retina or a 12.9″ iPad Pro in Tom Bihn Cache sleeve – or both the laptop and iPad, if needed.

What needs to be improved

  • It would be nice to have feet on the bottom of the bag to keep the leather off the floor

Final thoughts

The Sonoma Tote is just as beautifully designed and constructed as you would expect from Oberon Design.  The bag is big enough to hold everything your laptop bag plus your purse can hold and is beautiful enough to look like you’re carrying a designer handbag.  It fits comfortably on your shoulder, or you can carry it in your hand or on your elbow with ease.  And when you purchase this great gear bag for yourself, you’re helping out the folks who are trying to recover from the devastation of the recent wildfires.

I think this bag is perfect!  I think you’ll like it, too.

Price: $295.00
Where to buy: Oberon Design
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Oberon Design