OROS Discovery jackets review

Like flipping a switch on a lamp, it’s turned from summer in the 90’s to what already feels like winter in the 30’s here in Southern Indiana. When the leaves start turning and the mornings get crisp, it’s time to grab a jacket. OROS apparel sent me some jackets and outerwear to check out that use the same technology that protects astronauts in space to keep you warm on earth without weighing you down. Let’s take a look.

What is it?

OROS jackets use a thin breathable insulating aerogel material called SolarCore which uses the same technology that NASA uses to keep astronauts warm and toasty in outer space.

OROS sent me two jackets and a pullover shirt let’s take a closer look at each one.

OROS Women’s Essential Quarter Zip

When OROS sent me the samples in September, it was still in the 80’s – 90’s here in Columbus, Indiana. It took a few weeks for the weather to cooperate enough so that I actually wanted to try on the gear for more than a few minutes at a time.

The lightest item that they sent me was the Women’s Essential Quarter Zip which is more like a shirt than a jacket and is perfect for 60-degree weather, drafty office buildings, or even on flights. That is is how I tested the Essential Quarter Zip a week ago. It was the only long-sleeved clothing that I took with me on a vacation to Sanibel Island Florida.

I always get a little chilled waiting at the airport gate and also on the plane, so this shirt was a perfect remedy for that. You can see that Jeanne is wearing a bulkier hoodie and I am wearing the Essential Quarter Zip which is much lighter but still kept me warm.

Just looking at the shirt, you wouldn’t notice that there’s anything special about it. It looks like an ordinary gray knit shirt. But it has a special layer of the SolarCore material between the front and the back panels of the shirt, and even around the neck. Note that the sleeves and side rib areas of the shirt do not have SolarCore.

The shirt feels heavenly to wear. The sleeves are silky smooth and feel like they are lined with microfleece inside even though they really aren’t.

The Essential is made of 88% polyester and 12% spandex. It only comes in the gray color that you see here in sizes XS to 2XL. Their sizing might run slightly large. I was sent a Medium and I think I would have been better served by a Small.

The shirt has a quarter zip nylon locking zipper at the neck and the collar has a flap that covers the top of the zipper to prevent it from rubbing your neck or chin if you like to wear it completely zipped up.

In the image above you can see the OROS logo on the left shoulder. There’s also a second logo on the back right hip.

Another feature of the Essential Quarter Zip is the thumb hole in each sleeve cuff that makes it easy to keep the sleeves from sliding up your arms if you put another layer over the Essential.

I wondered how the SolarCore material would stand up to being washed, so I ran the shirt through the washer and dryer. I’m happy to report that it came out looking and feeling no different than when I first unboxed it.

The OROS Essential Quarter Zip saved me when we came home from Florida and got off the plane in Indianapolis to 35 degrees and rain. I hadn’t been smart enough to bring a coat with me would have frozen if it hadn’t been for this shirt.

Price: $120.00

OROS Women’s Discovery Fleece

The next heaviest jacket that OROS sent me is their Discovery Fleece which is available sizes XS up to 2XL and in Charcoal, Green, and Reflecting Pond colors. No, I didn’t name that color which is blue 😉 I was sent the Charcoal version.

The Discovery Fleece is made of 100% polyester with a 100% nylon lining.

The jacket has a stand-up collar and a nylon zipper with a large easy to grab zipper pull.

There are two pockets on either hip that have small zipper pulls.

The image above shows one of my favorite features of this jacket. Can you guess what it is? It’s the longer waistband in the back. It really helps keep your lower back warmer.

Like the Essential Quarter Zip, the Discovery Fleece also has SolarCore on the front and back. The sleeves and side rib area of the jacket do not have SolarCore which keeps the jacket lightweight and comfortable.

I really like the OROS Discovery Fleece multi-season jacket. It has a nice understated look, is very comfortable, and will keep me warm in the spring and fall temps.

Price: $150.00

OROS Women’s Discovery Jacket

The Discovery Jacket is the heaviest jacket of the trio. It is designed to be versatile and to withstand various cold, wind, rain weather conditions. The jacket is available in black, green (what you see here), and gray. It’s made of 90% polyester/10% spandex and has a 100% nylon lining.

The exterior of the jacket has a water repellant coating and there’s a hood to keep your non-water repellant coated head dry. Note that the hood is not removable and does not have drawstrings.

The jacket has a tall collar that’s lined in a silky short pile “fur”.

The sleeves have an extended knit cuff that keeps the wind from blowing up your arms. This jacket also has a longer hem at the bottom like the Discovery Fleece jacket.

OROS put an inspirational quote inside the lining of the jacket that says:

Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.

Although I didn’t show an image, this same quote is printed inside the Discovery Fleece jacket too.

In addition to the zippered pocket at each hip, there’s a zippered chest pocket inside the jacket that is large enough to hold a phone, sunglasses, wallet, etc.

The OROS Discovery Jacket not only looks nice, but it’s comfortable to wear, moves well, and really keeps you warm with the SolarCore thermal material.

Price: $215.00

Final thoughts

I’d never heard of the OROS brand before being offered the chance to review the Essential Quarter Zip pullover, Discovery Fleece, and Discovery Jackets. Now I can say that they are quality made outerwear that will make you look and feel good while wearing them.

I’ll update this review in a month or two after we’ve had temps in the 20’s and lower.

Source: The samples for this review was provided by OROS. Please visit their site for more info.

 

Product Information

Price: See above
Manufacturer: OROS
Pros:
  • Very comfortable
  • SolarCore insulating material does a good job of holding in heat while remaining thin
Cons:
  • Essential Quarter Zip is expensive

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OROS Discovery jackets review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 3, 2017 at 12:00 pm.

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Use the magic of fire to charge your gadgets

Can you imagine what the first humans thought when they were able to create fire for the first time? You can experience a tiny bit of that magic by harnessing the energy from fire to charge your gadgets. The FlameStower converts heat from a campfire into electricity that you can use to charge your USB devices.

This small device has a collapsible cup that you fill with water and a metal blade under that cup that you insert into the fire.

The fire heats the blade, which heats the water in the cup, which iturns into 2.5 watts (average) of power. That is enough to charge your phone in about 2.5 Hours or or if you don’t want to wait that long, it will provide about 2 minutes of talk time for every 1 minute of charge time.

The FlameStower is priced at $99.99. You can read more about it at stowerenergy.com and Amazon.

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Use the magic of fire to charge your gadgets originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 13, 2017 at 9:00 am.

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The Pocket Shot Jr. Slingshot review

You’re familiar with the classic slingshot design, right? Well, the gang at Pocket Shot has tossed that out the window, reimagining the slingshot concept with a completely new form factor. We’ve got the mini-sized version of their product, the Pocket Shot Jr., for testing. I also recruited a pair of teenagers to help with testing. Teens & slingshots: a perfect pairing. If you have kids, you know what I mean.

Let the adult-supervised mayhem begin!

Design and Construction

The Pocket Shot Jr. Doesn’t look like any slingshot you’ve ever seen. There’s no handle, no y-frame, and no rubber band. It’s a ring attached to a latex pouch. The pouch itself tapers to a point where your ammo sits when shooting, and has a set of flanges (Pocket Shot calls these “power fins”) that maximize power and accuracy. The whole design looks like something out of a dystopian sci-fi film… maybe the Hunger Games, or a Mad Max film. Whatever your genre preference, it’s a slick looking design.

The Pocket Shot team didn’t just stop with the new form factor; there’s some nice engineering design going on in the finished product. The grip ring is composed of two parts: an internal threaded sleeve that the pouch snaps onto, and an external locking ring that tightens down to secure the pouch. This allows for quick and easy change-out when your latex pouch needs replacement (they are rated for 200-400 shots before wearing out). There’s also an integrated screw-on lid that allows you to keep your ammo stored in the pouch when not in use, which also doubles as a wrench to tighten the locking ring. With the cap in place, you can stuff the pouch into a ring for super-compact (1/2” by 1-3/4”) package that fits easily into a pocket. The ring components and lid are made from high-impact polycarbonate composite for extended durability. There’s a lot of attention to detail in the design and materials here, and I have no doubt that these components will last a long time under extended use.

Time to Shoot Stuff!

Speaking of use… operation is super-easy. The ammunition drops into the pouch. You hold the ring with one hand, pull back the pouch with the other hand behind the fins. Aim at your target, release, and you’re shooting. We were firing at targets within moments of opening the packages. Reloading takes seconds. The lads both commented on how easy the Pocket Shot Jr. was to operate, and how much fun they were to play with.

If there was one area that the boys had a bit of trouble with, it was learning how to shoot accurately with the Pocket Shot Jr. It takes some practice, and you have to resist the urge to pull the pouch back as far as you can (a short pull is recommended). The practice ammo supplied with the package is made from bright orange 10mm ABS plastic, designed for safety and findability. We had a tough time getting accurate shots from more than 10 feet away from our target setup. When we swapped out the practice ammo for smaller AirSoft pellets, we found that accuracy and distance were much improved. Pocket Shot also makes a variety of metal ammo for more serious applications (like hunting), but we were doing basic target practice here and did not test these alternatives.

It’s also important to note that the model we tested is the smaller model; the full-size Pocket Shot packs a lot more power and includes options for upgrading the pouch to a “pro” version for more power. The big-boy version also includes a variety of upgrade options that work with basic design, including an attachment to shoot arrows! You can check out the full lineup on the Pocket Shot web site, as well as a bunch of fun videos about the product… for kids, I think the Pocket Shot Jr. is an ideal place to start (with the practice ammo) to get all the fun. And it is fun to play with, indeed.

It’s also important to note that the Pocket Shot, like any product in this category, can be dangerous. Our testers wore protective goggles throughout the evaluation and were under adult supervision for the whole process. These devices should never be aimed at other people, and appropriate caution should be used to ensure safe handling!

Conclusion

The Pocket Shot Jr. is an innovative, modern-day upgrade to the classic slingshot. It’s also designed, manufactured, and shipped from right here in the USA. At a retail price of $12, it’s a fun and inexpensive entry point to the world of Pocket Shot products. Replacement pouches and ammunition is inexpensive as well. Check out the Pocket Shot Jr. and the full lineup of Pocket Shot products at their website. You can also check out our review of the regular sized Pocket Shot, Pocket Shot Hammer, and the Pocket Shot Arrow kit.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Pocket Shot. For more info visit their site and you can order one from Amazon.

 

Product Information

Price: $12.00
Manufacturer: Pocket Shot
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Innovative design
  • Great construction and materials, all made in the USA
  • Easy to learn and use
  • Compacts nicely for pocket-sized storage
  • Included cap keeps all your ammo stored in the device when not in use
Cons:
  • Takes some practice to shoot accurately

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The Pocket Shot Jr. Slingshot review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 7, 2017 at 9:43 am.

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OneLogFire makes campfires simple and portable

My idea of camping is sleeping with the windows open. But if I was actually going to camp outside, I would consider taking a OneLogFire with me. The OneLogFire is a self-contained campfire with everything you need except a match.

These kiln dried fire logs burn from the inside out. They are made from Minnesota harvested Red Pine trees and feature a rope handle for easy transport and a non-toxic firestarter on the side of the log for easy lighting.

Each log will burn for about 2 hours and since there are no chemicals involved, you can feel free to roast marshmallows and hotdogs over them without making the food taste weird or making you glow in the dark after you eat them.

OneLogFire logs are priced individually at $18.95 from www.onelogfire.com and you can find package deals on The Grommet and Amazon.

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OneLogFire makes campfires simple and portable originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 29, 2017 at 11:19 am.

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Crank up the perfect weenie roast

My mouth is watering just thinking about a perfectly roasted hotdog in a soft bun with just the right amount of ketchup but no mustard because mustard is disgusting 😉 I can’t remember the last time I had a hotdog cooked on an outdoor grill, let alone over a campfire. If I had a fire pit, I would seriously consider buying a Crank-Eez from Firebuggz.

The Crank-Eez is a specially designed hotdog skewer that has a 36-inch long food grade stainless steel rod and a fun wooden handle that you can crank to turn the hotdog over the fire for just the right level of burnt goodness.

The fork at the end of the Crank-Eez secures the wiener so it won’t fall into the fire. And if you’re not a fan of hotdogs, you can roast two marshmallows at a time.

You can read more about the Crank-Eez at firebuggz.com and you can order one for $19.39 from Amazon.

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Crank up the perfect weenie roast originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 21, 2017 at 4:55 pm.

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