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LEVOIT LV-H134 Air Purifier review

REVIEW – When you combine a pet with a wife that has asthma, you’ll find yourself in need of air purifiers. The chance to review the Levoit LV-H134 Air Purifier came along and I couldn’t wait to give it a try.

What is it?

The Levoit LV-H134 Air Purifier is a large air purifier with a true HEPA filter that is capable of filtering a very large room.

What’s in the box?

  • Levoit LV-H134 Air Purifier
  • Power cord
  • Quick Start guide and warranty info

Hardware specs

  • Rated Space: 710 ft2 / 66 m2
  • Air Flow: CADR rating of 312 CFM (530 m3/h)
  • Item Weight: 27.7 pounds
  • Dimensions: 12.5″ W x 12.5″ D x 29.5″ H

Design and features

The Levoit LV-H134 Air Purifier is certainly a large unit, and as such, it can filter a lot of air without making as much noise as smaller units. Unlike smaller units that I’ve had, this one moves so much air at the high fan setting that you can actually feel the airflow in the room, something my wife really likes. At 29.5″ tall, it will be primarily a floor based unit for most people, however, I found that putting it on my fireplace mantel was a nice location for it. The unit has wheels on the bottom to make moving it easier, although I didn’t feel as though it was so heavy that it would require it.

The filter is 14″ (35.56 cm) tall and 10.5″ (26.67 cm) in diameter, its installation was as easy as pulling the door open, sliding in the filter, and popping the door back on. This is a large filter and the unit is designed to take in air 360°, fully utilizing the cylindrical filter design. The filter is rated to remove 99.97% of airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns including Allergies and pets, smokers, mold, pollen, odor, mold and dust. The filter construction has a fine screen on the outside to trap large particles such as hair, dander and dust. The main part of the filter has a true HEPA filter, and the inside has activated carbon to handle odors.


One of the neat features of this unit is that it has an indicator ring on the display that changes color based on the quality of the air. Red = Bad, orange = moderate, green = good, and blue = very good. During use, it has run at blue most of the time and only occasionally displaying green. The laser sensor for this feature seems to be located after the air has been filtered and detects the number of particles in µg within a cubic meter within 30 seconds for real-time air quality feedback.

The touch display makes operation easy, a light touch is all it takes to change settings. It has three fan speeds, an auto setting, a sleep setting, display brightness, filter replacement warning, and a timer function that will turn off the unit in 1 to 12 hours.

The lowest fan speed only produces 25dB noise that you can hardly hear. The auto mode adjusts the fan speed settings automatically according to the real-time air quality while saving energy. The top of the unit features a fin design that optimizes airflow throughout the room. The unit draws in air at the bottom and expels filtered air out the top.

I’ve got several smaller air purifiers, but they don’t move nearly as much air and are not as easy to operate as the Levoit LV-H134 air purifier. I’m so happy with it that I’ll probably get one of their smaller units for our home offices.

The filters are rated for about 6 months and currently cost $64.99.

What I like

  • Moves a great amount of air
  • Air quality display
  • Large filter
  • Ease of operation

What needs to be improved

  • Nothing that I can think of.

Final thoughts

I’m really pleased with the Levoit LV-H134 air purifier. It really helps clean the air as well as move air around the room to keep it from feeling stagnant.

Price: $399.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Levoit.

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LEVOIT LV-H134 Air Purifier review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 11, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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Enklov Air Fryer review

REVIEW – You’re not going to find a bigger fan of fried food than this writer. Growing up, I regularly attended the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which is famous for having booths of fried food including twinkies, snickers and oreos. Needless to say I’ve consumed my fair share of fried goods. I’ve been intrigued about air fryers for a while, as I get older and my cholesterol levels require me to cut back on the deep fried goodies. So I got the chance to review the Enklov 5.5 quart XL Air Fryer and let me tell you: this one might be a life saver!

What is it?

The Enklov air fryer is a cooking device that allows you to “fry” food by using heated air instead of submersion in grease.

What’s in the box?

  • Air Fryer with removable basket
  • Instruction Book
  • Recipe Book

Design and features

The Enklov air fryer has a sleek black matte design, with a pull out basket that further disassembles for cleaning. Touch controls on the front panel allow you to adjust the temperature, set a timer and turn it on and off. The actual operation is fairly simple, set the temp to allow it to preheat, then put the food in the basket and set the timer. Many of the recipes and food types require you to either shake the basket, turn the food over or adjust it within the basket half way through cooking to ensure it doesn’t stick to the basket and that it cooks evenly.

Setup

Setting up the air fryer couldn’t be easier, it’s ready to go out of the box – simply plug it in, set it and start cooking.

Performance

We have tried multiple recipes and cooked a variety of types of food in the fryer. Here is a before and after of your standard fare tater tots:

The tots went in frozen at 400 degrees and after a shake half way through they came out perfectly brown and crispy. In fact, we absolutely loved the way they came out. Unlike when baked, they were not mushy on the inside and they kept the crispness until eaten. Definitely our new favorite way to cook tater tots, fries, and sweet potato fries.

Next, we tried a recipe for apple pie egg rolls:

You may be able to tell, they didn’t quite come out as pretty as the picture in the recipe guide, however they were still very tasty and definitely a healthier option than a deep fried apple pie. In the few weeks we’ve had the fryer, we have tried the fries mentioned above, the pies, as well as fried apricot glazed chicken, fried tofu, fish sticks and surprisingly we used the fryer to reheat pizza. The pizza came out especially well and using the fryer will be the only way I reheat pizza ever again. The cheese is reheated to a perfect gooey texture while also keeping the crust with some crispness. I always hated putting pizza in the microwave to reheat and now I won’t do it again.

What I like

  • Great crispness and texture on cooking frozen food compared to other cooking methods
  • Easy to set timer and temp, cook food and prep
  • Faster to preheat than an oven or cooking oil
  • Less greasy and oily food – healthier cooking overall.

What needs to be improved

  • When the drawer is open after preheating or when adjusting the food, there is a VERY loud repetitive beeping – this could be toned down a bit.
  • In cleaning the basket the bottom grill is rather difficult to get clean during hand washing, this can be rather labor intensive depending on how messy the food is that was being cooked. For most basic frozen foods, it’s not bad but the apple pie egg rolls for instance took quite a bit of time to clean with all the gooey overrun.

Final thoughts

Overall, this unit has me wishing I had invested in an air fryer a long time ago! It’s a great cooker, easy to use and fast to cook our meals. It has a wide variety of uses, recipes and will be a highly used item in our kitchen. I think it’s a quality device at a great price. I love that it gives us a healthier option for cooking foods like french fries and tater tots as well. I definitely recommend the Enklov Air Fryer.

Price: $89.98
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Enklov.

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Enklov Air Fryer review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 9, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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IKEA wants to transport your living room to the “Upside Down” with the Real Life Series

NEWS – I’m a huge fan of the Netflix series “Stranger Things” so I was intrigued when I saw that IKEA had recreated the Byers family’s iconic living room ahead of  Season 3’s July 4th return. Not only did they recreate the room as part of the IKEA Real Life Series, but you can buy each piece to put in your very own house.

They have everything you need to bring the room to life, from the infamous letter wall, Christmas lights, chairs and coffee table. Altogether there are 21 different pieces, and IKEA says the cost is approximately $1,441.54.

IKEA says this about the Real Life Series, “We brought to life the iconic living rooms of the most beloved families of all times, through tons of furniture combinations in lots of different styles and sizes – and at affordable prices.” There are two other iconic living rooms that you can recreate from “The Simpsons” and “Friends”.

Just imagine sitting in the Byers living room and watching what is sure to be the television event of the summer.

For more info head over to IKEA.

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IKEA wants to transport your living room to the “Upside Down” with the Real Life Series originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 6, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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Roborock Xiaowa E35 robotic vacuum/mop review

REVIEW – Robotic vacuums suck.  Well, that’s their job, right?  They suck all the dust bunnies, hair, and dirt up from your floors so you don’t have to. Roborock’s new Xiaowa (pronounced ZY-o-wa) E35 robotic vacuum ups the ante by adding wet mopping to its repertoire.

What is it?

The E35 is a fairly standard looking robotic vacuum in the familiar Roomba round design. It has multiple cleaning modes, including wet mopping, and multiple suction levels based on floor material and desired sound volume. Before robots become our evil overlords and while they are still in servant mode, let’s take a look and see if the E35 deserves a place in your home.

What’s in the box?

  • Xiaowa vacuum
  • Charging home
  • Charging home guide plate
  • Charging cord
  • Extra dust bin filter
  • Bruch cleaning tool
  • Mopping reservoir with pad
  • Extra mopping pad
  • Four extra mopping reservoir filters
  • Troubleshooting guide
  • Installation guide
  • User manual
  • Accessory discount card

Hardware specs

  • Dimensions: 13.7 x 13.8 x 3.6 inches
  • Weight: 7 pounds
  • Battery: 14.4V 5200 mAh

Design and features

As I mentioned above, the overall design is pretty standard for robotic vacuums.  It is round, with a side sweeper brush and collision-sensing bumpers.  It also has an optical collision sensor that sounds good on paper.  More on that later.

Setup

Set up was pretty straightforward.  You unbox everything, snap the clear plate onto the docking station and plug in the cord. Then, you power up the vacuum by holding the power button down for a few seconds.  Once it powers up, hit the button for return-to-dock and it self-parks and charges – a voice prompt reports “charging”. You can also just place the vacuum on the dock manually, but what fun is that?

Downloading the app was a little more difficult because I made it that way. I looked for the app in the Google Play store.  I couldn’t find it.  I tried “Roborock”. I tried “Xiaowa”.  Neither worked. Then I got creative and scanned the QR code on the included setup guide.  It turns out that app control is handled through the Mi Home app. So, live and learn. I guess directions do help at times.  After creating a Mi Home account, I waited for the vacuum to completely charge.  It arrived with about a 35% charge.

The charging base is pretty standard for a robotic vacuum.  It has a status light on top when the vacuum is trying to find it.

I installed the Mi Home skill for Alexa as well so I can be so lazy that I don’t even have to pick up my phone to start vacuuming. I went through the app looking for customization options.  You can name your location and the robot.  I tried “Jeeves”, but when I tried to initiate it via Alexa, she kept hearing me say “GPS” and not Jeeves. So I opted for “Rosie”.  Since the vacuum’s voice is female, Rosie makes more sense than Jeeves, anyway. I can tell Alexa to “turn on Rosie” and the vacuum starts up.  “Turn off Rosie” sends it back to the charging dock.

Performance

Vacuuming

I decided to let Rosie go to town and vacuum. I let her loose and she immediately got hung up on the track to my sliding door.

She couldn’t extricate herself and she said she had an error code 3.  A pop-up on my phone indicated her wheels were stuck and to please free her.  I did, and she happily continued on.

I was surprised how relatively quiet the vacuum is. To my ear, it is noticeably quieter than our Roomba. The other thing that surprised me was how fast it was.  Our home is roughly 2,000 square feet.  We usually have the two guest rooms closed off, bringing the square footage to clean down to perhaps 1,200 – 1,400 square feet.

The shot above shows the cleaning map from the Xiaowa on the left and the Roomba on the right. As you can see, they are essentially the same.  The Xiaowa cleaned the area in 134 minutes.  The Roomba did it in 295 minutes.  The Roomba had completed it before in 225 minutes.  To me, this is a significant difference.

The Xiaowa is designed for a very efficient vacuuming pattern. As best it can, it goes in straight lines to complete an area.  Once it has covered the entire area, it runs around the perimeter.  Contrast that with the Roomba that will move in straight lines, but also a fair amount of random movement, making it more inefficient.

The E35 will also automatically adjust suction based on whether it is on hard flooring or carpeting. That’s a nice touch as it keeps the noise down.

I was impressed with the amount of dust, hair, and dirt the vacuum picked up.  Unfortunately, I was so impressed, I forgot to take a photo. I did take one after another clean, however, which still shows a fair amount of debris captured.

Getting to the dustbin is really simple – just lift the top door. The little blue light shows it is connected to Wi-Fi.

Grab the bin by the finger tabs in the front and back and it lifts right out. A voice prompt mentions that the bin has been removed. This is so much better than our Roomba that always drops debris on the ground.  This bin lifts out very cleanly.

Open the large door, and the debris dumps out easily into the trash can.  Then, snap out the filter and give it a bang or two on the trash can side.

Once debris-free, snap the filter back in, close the bin door and drop it back in place in the vacuum.  The voice tells you it is properly installed and you’re ready to clean again. The filters can be rinsed, dried and used again.

I also used its scheduling feature to run in silent mode overnight.  We woke up in the morning to find the robot sitting on the small black rug we have in front of the front door.  It seems that the Xioawa does not do well with black rugs.  It has both an impact bumper and an optical obstacle avoidance sensor.  It appears that the contrast between the rug and floor confused the optical sensor.

One feature of most robot vacuums is virtual walls, where you can block off an area for the vacuum not to enter. Unfortunately, the E35 doesn’t come with any.  You have to purchase them separately.  The virtual wall is a black magnetic strip that you place at a boundary that you don’t want the vacuum to cross. Not including some of the material is a bit of an oversight. Plus, who wants to put black magnetic tape all over the floor?

Mopping

One of the attractions with this model is that it also can mop. To test out mopping, I closed Rosie in my master bathroom.  You have to block access to carpeted areas and take up any throw rugs or you will wind up with mopped carpet.

To mop, you put a mopping pad on the mopping reservoir and fill the reservoir with water.

The reservoir fits under the back of the robot.  Here it is sticking out as I slid it into place.

And, here it is snapped in place.

Because it installs in the back, and the vacuuming area is in the front, the robot does a cursory vacuum before dragging the mopping pad over the area to be cleaned.  Here is Rosie, happily mopping away.  Note the complete lack of a wet streak behind the vacuum.

I watched it mop the entire bathroom.  It covered the main areas, including entering the toilet room and the doorway.  Then, it went around the perimeter before completing the cleaning and stating that I needed to take it to the charge station as it couldn’t find it. Of course, that’s because it was locked in the bathroom.

At one point, I did see a slight wet streak behind it, but essentially, the floor was dry immediately. It took 16 minutes to clean the bathroom, but I figured since I never really saw any moisture, it didn’t really do anything. I was wrong.

There was a fair amount of dirt removed.  Pretty impressive, and perhaps a little embarrassing. Of course, there would be no point in mopping a perfectly clean floor. The pads slide in a channel and then use velcro to stick to the reservoir, making them easy to remove and clean.

Other points

The Mi Home app provides status for the vacuum.

You can choose from cleaning several modes:

  • Pure mopping
  • Silent (really: quiet – it isn’t silent)
  • Standard – standard suction
  • Strong – stronger suction for heavy dirt
  • MAX – maximum suction for really heavy dirt

You can also do spot cleaning by placing the vacuum in a dirty area and choosing spot cleaning.  The vacuum will clean in a spiral, covering about a five-foot circle.

Finally, if you are so inclined, you can run the vacuum by remote control.

Of course, that negates a lot of the benefits of having a robot to do the cleaning for you.

Like most robot vacuums, it will find its way home at the end of the cleaning cycle, or, in the middle, if it needs to recharge.

You can also check cleaning logs to see how the vacuum has been doing.

Xiaowa also allows for scheduling so it can clean when you aren’t around.

What I like

  • It’s quiet, relatively speaking
  • It’s fast
  • It mops
  • Large debris bin
  • Alexa integration
  • Nice voice prompts

What needs to be improved

  • Gets stuck too easily on a sliding door track
  • Gets stuck on a black throw rug
  • No included virtual wall
  • Virtual walls have to be stuck to the floor

Final thoughts

I really like the Roborock Xiaowa E35 robot vacuum with some reservations.  As I wrote this, I had it mopping the large living area.  It got stuck three times on the sliding door track. Grr…

Still, it mopped the roughly 750 square foot area in 93 minutes while I sat, watched golf and wrote this review.

With its excellent debris removal, great bin design and mopping, it looks like Rosie will have a permanent place here.

Price: $359.99 ($305.99 with Prime)
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Roborock.

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Roborock Xiaowa E35 robotic vacuum/mop review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 29, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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The must-have toaster for gamers

NEWS – If you’re a PC gamer, you’re probably already familiar with Razer, the maker of gaming peripherals and laptops.  What you might not know is that Razer is going to make a toaster.  Say what?  Yes, you read that right, a toaster.  This all started when a fan made a Facebook post asking for a Razer toaster.  The CEO of Razer, Min-Liang Tan, challenged him to get a million likes, and then they would make one.  As community interest grew, Razer created an April Fools prank, which only fanned the flames more.

Although the fan never got to a million likes, he did inspire at least a dozen people to get Razer toaster tattoos–I can’t quite imagine doing this myself–and eventually, Razer gave in.  Last month Tan confirmed on Facebook that they are going to do it.  No word yet on a release date or the price, but when it arrives, I will certainly buy one.  (If my wife lets me.)  What about you?  Are you getting the toaster, the tattoo, or both?

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The must-have toaster for gamers originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 20, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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