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Oreck WK16001 Air Response HEPA air purifier review

From allergens to smelly pets (or kids), we could all use a little fresh air now and then.  I’m one of those “misses work” type allergy sufferers. I’ve spent a lot of money over the years in an effort to get some relief, especially when I’m home and out of the deadly winds of the desert.  My latest weapon in the battle against airborne particulates?  The Oreck Air Response air purifier. How does it stack up?

To start with, let’s talk indoor air purifier options.  For years, I’ve sworn by my Blueair Classic 505.  It’s quiet, it’s effective, it’s big in a “we’re gonna need a bigger boat” kind of way, and it’s $800.  That’s perhaps a worthwhile investment for a room like a bedroom where breathing is particularly helpful, but what about the rest of the house?  There are plenty of nooks and crannies in the average home that are just crying out for a little air-cleaning love, and I can say that this little Oreck does a heck of a job.

The Air Response I am reviewing is the medium size, weighing in at just under 12lbs compared to my Blueair 505’s 33lbs. It’s also less than half the size at 8.5″ x 16.3″ x 18.6″.  Don’t let its small size fool you, however, as it can really move some air when you need it to.   This smaller unit is designed to completely recycle the air in a roughly 200 square foot room in 12 minutes when at its highest speed.   The unit uses a two-stage filtration system starting with an activated carbon filter for odor reduction, then a HEPA filter.  The cost to replace both is $29.99, which I don’t feel is excessive for the performance.  The display on top of the unit will alert you when you need to order a new filter, and though I’ve thrown everything I can at it for a month, I haven’t been asked to replace the filter.  Given that replacement filters is where most companies “get you,” I’m encouraged by the low cost of replacements.

 I sense something. A presence I haven’t felt since…

The Air Response features a particulate sensor that will automatically change the fan speed if there are more nasties in the air.   Simply set the unit to automatic and it will intelligently manage the air flow. While I initially feared that this was a mere gimmick, I’ve found it to be surprisingly accurate and useful. It was particularly fun when my Corgi decided to shake herself off after running around in the back yard for a bit.  The accent light on the Air Response immediately went from blue (a-ok, chief – no dust ’round here!) to red (I’m givin’ her all she’s got captain!) resulting in her jumping back as if she were under attack by the air police. Shortly after, the light switched down to purple (minor threat from airborne attackers) then finally back to blue.  I say this is a solid feature and not merely hype.  Well done, Oreck!

The Sound of Clean

Assuming you don’t leave the unit in Automatic mode, the Air Response has three user selectable speeds, the lowest of which is essentially inaudible from any more than a meter away, while the highest is audible from the dark side of the moon.  In fact, I found myself needing to play Pink Floyd at eleven in order to drown out the guttural roar of this tiny giant.   If you’ve ever owned a quality Oreck vacuum cleaner, you know that some dark magic must be involved to generate so much air flow in such a small package, and this air purifier clearly shares some DNA with the decades of mini-monster vacuums Oreck has produced.

Summing up

I’m happy with the Air Response purifier.   It’s quiet when it can be, a bit on the loud side when it needs to be, but very rarely stays loud for more than a minute or two.  Remember when your mom told you “It’s good that your open wound hurts! That means it’s healing!”  I’m sorry, but she was incorrect.  However, if your mom had said “It’s good that your air purifier occasionally drowns out the Slayer album you have playing on your 1100 watt speaker system, that means it’s working!” it would have been much closer to the truth.   I say it’s a good thing, I sincerely hope I will not be sued by a particular home decor magnate for saying so.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Oreck. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

 

 

 

Product Information

Price: $229.99
Manufacturer: Oreck
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Effective auto-sensing system that minimizes noise while maximizing effectiveness
  • Attractive design
  • Lighting can be turned on or off depending on your preference
Cons:
  • When at full speed, is louder than the space shuttle

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Oreck WK16001 Air Response HEPA air purifier review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 9, 2017 at 11:00 am.

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Activ5 isometric workout device review

The Activ5 handheld system, by Activbody, is a portable isometric workout program that can be used for 5 minute (or longer if you choose) workouts at home, at the office, or while traveling. I’m a fitness junkie,  so I was more than excited to give this a try!  Let’s take a look…

What’s in the box (See pic below)

1 Activ5 handheld device
1 Stand for your smartphone during workouts
1 Towel

Setting it up

The first thing that is required is to go to the app store (Apple or Android) and get the free Activ5 mobile coaching app.  After you follow the directions to register, you will be instructed to power on the device. There is only one button and it is located on the side of the unit next to a little indicator light.  You need to hold down that button for 2 seconds and the indicator will turn blue, which means it’s looking for a Bluetooth connection. After it’s connected, the light turns green and when not connected, the light will be red.  Very straightforward and easy to set up.

Now comes the fun part!  The screen appears below that runs you through a quick tutorial on where to place your hands on the unit to get the maximum benefit and most precise readings on the display.

Now you get to set the max power for each exercise as they come up so you have a starting point and you can track your strength as time goes on. As you can see for the shoulder press, I set my new personal record at 22 lbs. of pressure.  After you set the max power, you go on to the actual exercise.

How it Works

There are many different kinds of exercises and workouts. There is the Activ5 challenge, which is a 6-week workout that you do three times a day for 15 minutes.  Circumstances didn’t allow me to do that for this review, but I will be doing that next and I’ll post an update on my results.  Other types of workouts to choose from are: Upper Body, Lower Body, Get Strong, Get Toned, Yoga Pilates, Awesome Abs, Butt Burner, Lean Legs, Office, Watching TV, Car/Plane/Train, Hotel, and Surprise me! Below are examples of some exercises that you can do (Click on the pics to enlarge).



You can also choose between over 100 sitting, standing and advanced exercises that target the shoulders, chest, biceps, triceps, forearms, core, obliques, back, glutes, hip flexors, quads, abductor and adductors, hamstrings, or calves and shins.  Each exercise has very detailed instructions on how to do them and give you a diagram on what specific muscles are being targeted.  So, depending on your mood or what you want to accomplish, you just pick a workout, follow the instructions and away you go!

When you are actually doing the exercises, the screen looks like the ones below depending on which you choose.  When you squeeze and put pressure on the device from whatever position you are in, you try and keep your indicator stream (the squiggly orange line) as close to the dotted line as you can.  You will be required to push harder at certain times and the goal is to keep as steady as you can on the line.  In general,  I think isometrics are challenging and keeping a position for any length of time requires some mental discipline.  With the Activ5, you don’t think about how long you are holding a pose because you are concentrating on staying on that line!  It’s pretty amazing.

I personally like the top one because I like it to go horizontally across the screen rather than vertically in the skiing screen.  Just my personal opinion.

Additional Uses

There are games on this thing!!!!!  Sorry, I’ve been waiting to blurt that out.  But seriously, if there are days when you just can’t mentally get yourself to focus on exercise (we’ve all been there), playing these games can make you feel accomplished anyway. There are independent gaming companies that have made games that may just get you addicted to exercise.

My personal favorite is Creep Jump (see screenshot below).  If you remember the game “Flappy Bird” from a few years ago, this is a lot like it, but you have to apply pressure to the device to keep the square from dropping or hitting anything. See the screenshot below.  You can play it on different difficulty levels and use different parts of your body to squeeze the device for an extra challenge.  The first time my daughters and I played this game, we all couldn’t put it down and we were very sore the next day!

Final thoughts

All in all, I was very impressed with this device.  I can see people at any age and activity level benefitting from its use. I used to work with patients in an elder care facility and I led chair exercises.  This would have been a great tool to use to help motivate them to move.  I think it would also be a great tool for people recovering from injuries that need lower impact exercise to stay fit while they recover.  As with anything, to see results you need to DO IT and the nature of this program makes you want to keep going.  The results are trackable so you get input from each exercise and each week as you go forward.  It was my intention to complete the 6 week Activ5 Challenge right off the bat and report my results, however, a vacation and a broken phone interrupted that process.  I realized I had used it enough to do a Part 1 review and now I will begin Part 2, which will be the Challenge and I’ll see first hand how my strength improves. Stay tuned!

Source:  The sample for this review was provided by Activbody, Inc. please visit their site to learn more or to purchase.

 

Product Information

Price: $199.90
Manufacturer: Activbody, Inc.
Requirements:
  • iOS or Android device with Bluetooth
Pros:
  • Portable
  • Fun
  • Can be used by a person at any fitness level
  • Requires only 5 minutes per workout
Cons:
  • If you don't like isometric exercise this is not for you

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Activ5 isometric workout device review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 31, 2017 at 11:00 am.

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BodyGuardz Trainr Pro iPhone case review

With so many wonderful exercise tracking apps on smartphones these days, it seems like a waste of a good run to leave it at home. The trouble is finding a safe way to take it with you. Luckily, there are much better options than pocketing your device and having it slap against your thigh for a few miles, or carrying it in your sweaty hands, threatening to shoot out of your grip like a blade of soap. Enter the Trainr Pro.

This case/armband solution converts from everyday phone to workout companion, and back again when you’re through. I feel I should tackle this review in two parts since there are two individual pieces that have two distinct purposes… the case itself and the fitness band.

Part 1: The Case

The Trainr Pro case is fairly no frills. It’s not particularly handsome, but that’s not its goal.

Nothing exciting, but it does the trick. The sides are imbued with slots to snap it into the armband.

Once the phone is in the case, which was easy enough, even with the rigid sides, the edge of the case is a surrounded by a rubber, shock-absorbing material. It’s got a nice grip and texture to it as well, so it works as a decent everyday case. Covering the back is a thin, semi-transparent sheet of plastic with a good-sized cutout for the camera lens. The case doesn’t add very much weight or bulk to the already large iPhone 7+, but it certainly does drop the sexiness of the device a bit. I was never a fan of phone cases, and this is yet another case that reminds me why. Your mileage may vary.

Part 2: The Band

Accompanying the solid, grippy case is the armband. It mirrors the same sturdy construction and aesthetic of the case, sporting the same black and gray color scheme, along with strips of lighter, reflective material.

The fabric of the band is smooth and seems as if it would fit most arms. I could imagine if you’ve got some serious biceps, you might have to make do with your phone being strapped to your wrist or forearm, but that’s an extreme case. Once I got the band positioned on my arm and secured the velcro strap, it didn’t budge. The fabric is smooth and comfortable, not padded, but it doesn’t really need it.

The iPhone 7+ is one of the largest phones ever made, and it’s got some weight to it, to be sure. Despite that, there wasn’t too much bouncing around of the phone on my arm… I really only noticed it when making very quick movements. The case is very secure when strapped in place. Almost ridiculously so. I should elaborate.

My first mistake when using the armband was to place it on my arm before attempting to attach the case. It’s nearly impossible to gain the leverage to snap the case in place while the band is on your upper arm. There were several moments in my first couple runs where I ended up walking for minutes on end trying to get the case to click into place.

First of all, it’s tough to align the tabs on the case with the grips on the band, as there isn’t much margin for error. They must be more or less perfectly aligned. Then, the force it takes to snap the case in place is more than I thought it would be. It’s easier to notch one side of the grip plate in place and then sort of push out on the other side while pressing down on the front of the phone. Even while doing this, it still takes a good deal of force.

But once that thing is in place, it’s not going anywhere. And that’s really what you want when you’re strapping your $800 phone to your arm just so you can run. At its core, the Trainr case functioned beautifully.

Miles down the road with minimal bouncing and no slip.

I feel like I’m getting the hang of taking the case in and out of the armband, but I’ll admit that the first few attempts were a bit worrisome. With all of those horror stories of people bending their iPhones with seemingly little effort, it always makes me cringe a little feel like I’m going to twist or torque the screen too much.

It could certainly be much easier to get the phone in and out of the armband holder. Though their website states that it’s a “snap,” it feels like more of a pry.

Conclusion

All in all, after testing it on several runs, I’d give the Trainr high marks on what it promises. It’s a shame that the unique snap-on function couldn’t be a little bit easier to use. Given the case’s expensive and delicate contents, I hate to twist and press and bend something that has my phone in it. But I think for many people, it would be a good way to take their phone with them.

See you on the road!

The Trainr Pro is available now from BodyGuardz for $49.95.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by BodyGuardz. Please visit their site for more info and to order. Check them out on Amazon too.

 

Product Information

Price: $49.95
Manufacturer: BodyGuardz
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • – Case is very sturdy and drop-resistant
  • – Armband and case are very secure during activity
Cons:
  • – Phone and case are tricky to get in and out of the armband frame
  • – Case itself is nothing to get excited about

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BodyGuardz Trainr Pro iPhone case review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 22, 2017 at 8:32 am.

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The Molekule Air Purifier breaks down indoor pollution on a molecular level

”Sometimes, all I need is the air that I breathe…”

To some allergy and asthma sufferers, this cute line from the Hollies classic song is a way of life. What most people take for granted can be a life-long problem for others. Pollutants, mold, pollen, viruses, and dust that we breathe is five times more concentrated indoors, where we spend 90% of our time. Air filters can trap but not eliminate it. Now, there is an indoor air purifier that kills the bad stuff we breathe—dead. Introducing Molekule, the world’s first molecular air purifier.

Molekule is backed by the EPA and 20 years of academic research & development. It breaks down and destroys harmful microscopic pollutants regardless how small, including those 1000x times smaller than what a HEPA filter can collect. In fact, there is nothing left that can build up on filters.

Pollutants are trapped indoors where they concentrate and multiply to harmful levels. Indoor pollution can contribute to a wide variety of health issues for everyone, not just asthma and allergy sufferers. Independent lab studies have shown 3.9 million E.Coli were completely eliminated in a single pass through a Molekule system. Molekule broke the E. Coli bacterium down into harmless molecules.

“Molekule disassembles and converts pollutants into harmless elements that are meant to be in the air. This is done by creating a catalytic reaction that happens when a nanoparticle-coated filter is activated by light. Pollutants are broken down into their most basic molecular components, making them safe for us to breathe,” according to a company statement.

Molekule can be connected to wifi and will become smarter over time to respond to the individual needs of a household. Using its iPhone or Android app,  the device can be controlled remotely. Alternatively, Molekule can be controlled without WIFI via its built-in touch screen display.

A limited quantity of Molekule air purifiers will be available for pre-order at a special price of $499 USD with one year of filters free. Molekule will retail for $799 US. Based on usage and the environment, the device automatically determines when filters need to be replaced. Filters will be automatically mailed to consumers for an annual rate of $99 US per year.

Visit www.molekule.com for more information.

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The Molekule Air Purifier breaks down indoor pollution on a molecular level originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 19, 2017 at 6:46 am.

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Deal: Fitbit is having a summer sale!

I bet you’re sitting in a chair as you’re reading this. It’s time to stand up and get moving, and Fitbit is going to help you get motivated because now through 7/28, you can save up to $30 off of select fitness tracking devices AND they will throw in 2-day shipping on orders $50 and over for free.

Fitbit is one of my favorite fitness tracker makers and we’ve reviewed almost every device they’ve made.

The Fitbit Charge 2 is priced at $129.95 right now, which is a savings of $20. Check out our Fitbit Charge 2 review for more info on that one. It’s one of my faves.

You can also save $20-$30 on the Fitbit Alta. We haven’t reviewed this one – yet. But a review is currently in the works.

The Fitbit One and Fitbit Zip aren’t on sale, but if you order one, you’ll get 2-day shipping for free, so you won’t have wait too long to start recording your activity. For more info on these trackers check out our Fitbit One and Fitbit Zip review.

Head over to Fitbit to read more about their fitness trackers and take advantage of their summer sale which ends on 7/28.

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Deal: Fitbit is having a summer sale! originally appeared on on July 12, 2017 at 4:32 pm.

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