REVIEW – I’m an enthusiastic investor in the Google ecosphere. I have a Nest thermostat and Hello doorbell. Before they were rolled up into the Nest brand, I purchased a Google Max, two Google Assistants, two Google Minis and three Google Home Hubs. I particularly love the Home Hub (now the Nest Hub) – the screen size is just right, great sound and ambient information display with slide show. The problem is – if you can call it a problem – sometimes where you want the hub there just isn’t a good place for it to sit. Kiwi Design wants to fix that situation with the Nest Hub Wall mount. So yeah, let’s check that out.
What is it?
The Kiwi Design Wall Mount for the Nest Hub is just what the name suggests – a mount to fix your Nest hub to the nearest wall or other vertical surface.
What’s in the box?
The Nest Hub wall mount and a brief instruction guide.
Design and Features
The mount is almost entirely metal with a rubber hood that covers the core mounting bracket. The bracket itself has 4 mounting holes that allow you to permanently fix the mount to a surface where you care to drill into. Under the wall plate, there is also a 3M sticky pad in case you don’t want to drill holes in your wall or cabinet.
Almost visible in the shot above is the cable management loop (almost visible thanks to black on black coloring). This is a pretty nifty little feature – just make a doubled-up loop of the excess power cord, push it through the loop and wrap it around the base of the mount. No unsightly cords dangling all over the place.
The metal oval is where you place the Nest Hub. There is a rubber disk on the back side of the oval that protects your Hub from any damage and also provides a friction point to prevent the hub from moving around. There is a ball joint between the mount and the oval which allows you to re-position the Hub to a suitable angle.
And the Hub sitting in the mount viewed from the front. Other than a minor bit of the metal oval, the mount is almost completely invisible.
Performance
Kiwi Design certainly brought the rubber to the road with this one. I decided to mount the Hub that lives in my home office because I wanted to reclaim the desk space but didn’t want to lose the Hub itself. I mounted it just to the right of my desk over a set of bookshelves where it would be close enough to see without giving up valuable real estate. I chose to use a wall anchor to mount the…well, mount. To me, that suggests a more permanent solution than 3M tape, and a solution I am willing to commit to.
Here it is on my wall under my whiteboard.
From the side. As you can see, the ball joint allows me to angle the Hub to the right viewing position, and the entire affair is hidden from view. The mount is close to perfect – the only thing I would change is to make the swivel mount somehow capable of a 90 degree angle so it could be mounted under a cabinet (thinking ahead to mounting the Kitchen Hub). Otherwise, this does exactly what you’d expect, it does it well, is solidly made and reasonably priced – some might consider it a little high, but I have an investment in this equipment, so I want premium materials and a mount that doesn’t feel like cheap plastic.
What I Like
The look and feel of the mount and how it gets out of the way to let the Hub shine
The cord management
Being able to angle and swivel the Hub as needs dictate
What I’d Change
Make a 90 degree version – although that is a VERY minor issue compared to how well the current mount works
Final Thoughts
The Kiwi Design Wall Mount for the Nest Hub is just what I’ve been looking for. It feels and works like a well-made unit with all the right touches. I can definitely see myself buying a few more for my other Hubs and I hope they make a mount for the upcoming Nest Hub Max.
Price: $21.99 Where to buy: The Nest Hub Mount can be purchased directly from Kiwi Design at the link below or from Amazon. Source: The sample of this product was provided by Kiwi Design.
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REVIEW – In the world of headphones, design can be as important as: 1. Sound; 2. Quality; and 3. Comfort. Many times it seems like you can have any two of them—just not all three. V-Moda is one headphone maker that disagrees with that. Their headphones—beginning with the original Crossfade to the latest wireless Crossfades—are designed like no other headphones with outstanding comfort and great sound. Except that V-moda doesn’t stop there, because if you want, they offer customization to make your headphones your headphones. They call this customization the V-Moda Over-ear Custom Shield Kit.
What is it?
The custom shield kit is an extra-cost service V-Moda offers to buyers of their Crossfade headphones. V-Moda’s headphones come with a metal plate on the ear cup exterior. These plates are removable and can be replaced with other colors, metals or customizable designs (what I’m reviewing). These designs can be printed, laser engraved or embossed. Artwork/designs can be either chosen from ready-made selections, personally made and uploaded by you or developed in conjunction with one of V-Moda’s own designers through their concierge service. Each one of these choices has its own pricing structure. These choices are so numerous that I won’t list all the prices in this review. However, to give you an idea, prices for the shields run from a basic color with no printing for $35 all the way up to solid platinum for $28,000—I kid you not! Ordering is done through V-Moda’s web site. Delivery takes anywhere from 2-20 days, depending on design and metal chosen.
Design and features
It’s hard to talk about design for the custom shields because it’s totally up to the buyer. I can only relate my own experience based on what I ordered, but it should give you an idea of the possibilities.
Note that the custom shields are purchased separately and do not include the headphones. Also custom shields can be purchased later for those who already own a V-Moda Crossfade headphone.
Since I am an art director by day, I decided to go with one of my own designs—my personal logo. V-Moda offered to print what I wanted, as long as it followed their basic guidelines and rules. Copyrighted art or design (Coca-Cola or Nike, for example) is not allowed.
If you’re not an artist, V-Mode offers a good selection of designs to choose from. In fact, there are almost too many choices, which can be a bit overwhelming. Also, the multi-step process of making selections can be confusing because choices are dependent on whatever previous selection was made.
The process is: After you choose your headphone (if you don’t already own one), you navigate to the Shield Kit page. From there you choose Type for the design you want and then choose: Color Printed, Laser Engraved or 3D Printed (embossed). After choosing Type, choose Design and then choose: Designs, Monograms or Upload Your Own (my choice). As I said, it can be confusing because the choices are almost limitless. It requires taking your time to get what you want—or close to it. Note that V-Moda’s FAQ section is a big help for answering any questions, especially if you’re uploading your own design. They even provide a useful downloadable template for sizing and placement of art.
For my design, I downloaded V-Moda’s template and used Adobe Illustrator. Accepted formats from most art apps are: JPG, .PNG, .GIF, .BMP, .TIFF, .PSD, .PDF, .AI, .EPS, .SVG, .DOC(X), .CDR.
My logo is usually black/white, but since this process allows multi-color designs, I decided to test that out. After preparing the art, it was then uploaded. I received an emailed confirmation and all I had to do then was wait. It didn’t take long.
Just a few days later, the shields arrived in a bubble-wrapped envelope. Inside were the shields, a small allen (hex) screwdriver and a package of tiny screws. When ordered, you can also choose the color of screws. I went with plain black. All that needed to be done for each shield was removing the six screws that held the original shield and replace with the new design. This process is easy enough to do. Even though the screwdriver and screws are magnetic, the screws are tiny and can easily be dropped or misplaced, so paying attention is a good thing.
The printed shield is identical to the design I uploaded and color accuracy is spot-on. Interestingly, my design on the shield felt slightly embossed even though I did not request or pay for 3D printing. It gave the design a bit of welcomed depth. One caveat is that while one shield was printed perfectly, the other had small but noticeable bubbles in the paint. I’m okay with it, but I can see where some might want to return the defective shield for a re-print.
Once the new shields are screwed into place, that’s it! You now have your headphones.
What I like
V-Moda’s ready-made designs are almost limitless. Any custom design is only limited by your imagination—provided you’re budget allows. All tools are provided and moving and replacing the shields is easy.
What I’d change
There are so many choices and design directions, that unless you know what you want beforehand, the complete process from beginning to end can be daunting.
Final Thoughts
Even though V-Moda’s headphones are unique looking out of the box, I like that they offer this service for those who aren’t satisfied with the stock design. Being able to upload custom designs, using a ready-made design or even using V-Moda’s help with designs are nice choices to have. Plus the price range can fit any budget—even for those with $28,000 to burn!
Price: $35 – $28,000 US Where to buy:V-Moda Source: The sample for this product was provided by V-Moda.
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REVIEW – Tired of your old, creaky office chair wheels rolling across that cracked plastic mat? Stealtho office chair caster wheels may be just the thing to rejuvenate your trusty office chair.
What is it?
Stealtho wheels resemble inline skate wheels, made of an elastic polyurethane, for a smooth, scratch-free glide across your hardwood floors.
What’s in the box?
Pretty straightforward: I found exactly five replacement wheel assemblies.
Hardware specs
From the product description:
STEALTHO embedded support skirt, no wobble even with worn-out base housing holes.
Wheel has two additional thrust ball bearings in the cage that prevents them from falling out.
STEALTHO combined the elastic polyurethane with luminophore on the base of strontium aluminate which can radiate light at a level 20 percent. It increases the wheels wear, as well as makes the wheel glow in the dark and roll over cables. This combination of durability and “no stumble” function gave STEALTHO the basis for its PATENT (currently pending).
The body of the wheel is made of heavy-duty tool steel and its shape is achieved by 3-times pressing at a temperature of 3000 ºC, that’s why the set of wheels can withstand up to 660 pounds.
STEALTHO wheels fit standard office chairs from Herman Miller Aeron, Mirra 2, Steelcase, Dxracer, Humanscale Freedom, Lazyboy Serta, Hon Nucleus, Boss, Staples, Office depot which have the universal grip ring stem 11 mm x 22 mm (7/16″x7/8″), (don’t fit IKEA).
It’s important to note the last part. The casters will fit chairs that accept a 7/16″ diameter stem. Apparently IKEA, chairs are different.
Setup
Simply pull out your old casters and insert the Stealtho ones. Here’s my dirty office chair, resting atop a floor mat.
Notice how the Stealtho assembly is slightly taller than my original ones. You may have to readjust your seat height.
Wheels installed! Piece of cake. No more floor mat.
Performance
The first thing I noticed was how grippy these wheels are versus my original hard plastic ones. They glided smoothly but sometimes changing directions meant a brief moment of “sticky” grip, similar to wearing new sneakers on a smooth basketball court. However, after a week of use, I noticed the wheels were getting a little dirty and the grippy “squeak” sensation has gone down a bit.
The wheels are advertised as glow-in-the-dark, and it’s true. However, my desk area isn’t very bright so the wheels never got enough ambient light to be visible in the dark. I took a flashlight and “charged up” one wheel to see the effect. You can’t see the wheels in the background, but they’re there… not glowing!
What I like
Easy to install
Rolls smoothly without the need for a floor mat
What I’d change
The glow feature isn’t very powerful
I wish the wheels weren’t quite so grippy
Final thoughts
Despite the grippy squeak of the Stealtho office chair wheels, I kind of like not having a plastic floor mat that keeps shifting around my floor. That’s a tradeoff I can live with.
Price: $39.99 Where to buy: Amazon Source: The sample of this product was provided by Stealtho.
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REVIEW – The past few years I’ve had the opportunity to review both of Thinkware’s flagship dash cams: the F800 and F800 PRO. With many other brands to choose from, the 800 series continues to be my dash cam of choice. I’ve even had the Thinkware 12v power cable hardwired into my vehicles enabling all of their features to be fully functional. That said, the only negative/criticism I had in those reviews was the F800’s HD resolution. In today’s high-res world, 1920 x 1080 is a bit meager IMO. Well, Thinkware has finally addressed this shortcoming in the new Q variant of the series, bumping the resolution to 2K QHD (2560 x 1440)…a welcome upgrade. Let’s see if it lives up to the anticipation .
Since the F800, F800 PRO and Q800 PRO are nearly identical in form and function, I will be plagiarizing myself while describing the Q800’s shape, ports, and shared features but dive into what differences there are. Here you can see, that other than lens/camera assembly the F800 PRO and Q800 PRO are identical.
What is it?
The Q800 PRO is a screen-less dash cam, shaped more or less like a thick deck of cards with a growth on its side to house the lens assembly. Like it’s predecessors, I love the minimalistic, non-distracting form factor of the Q800 PRO. Other than verbal/audio notifications, you can hardly tell it’s installed in your vehicle being tucked behind my rearview mirror. The Q800 PRO is even more stealthy than the original F800, housed in all-black (vs gray) plastic and packed full of the latest tech, features, and Sony’s 2K/high resolution 5.14MP Sony STARVIS camera sensor.
What’s in the box?
Main dash cam unit
Mount with 3M tape (1ea)
12v power cable
Adhesive cable holders
16gb microSD memory card with adapter (consumable)
Quick start guide/warranty card
Hardware specs
• Resolution: Front – 2K QHD (2560 x 1440) / Rear – Full HD (1920 x 1080) [Optional]
• Camera: Front – 5.14MP Sony STARVIS / Rear – 2.13MP Sony STARVIS [Optional]
• Frame Rate: 30 fps • Viewing Angle: 140° (Diagonal) • Dimensions (WxDxH): 4.2 x 1.3 X 2.4 inch • Weight: 107.5g (0.237 lb) • Storage Temperature: -4°~ 158°F / -20°~ 70°C • Operating Temperature: 14°~ 140°F / -10°~ 60°C • Capacity: MicroSD card 32/64/128GB (UHS-I) • Input Power: DC 12/24V, Built-in Super Capacitor • GPS: Built-in GPS Antenna
Design and features
The top of the Q800 PRO has four slots that slide onto the mounting plate which allows for easy installation and removal of the device. The mounting plate is securely held to the windshield by a 3M adhesive strip (vs suction cup mount). The dash cam locks onto the mounting plate with a secure, wiggle-free connection.
The main face of the Q800 PRO has the mic mute, SD card format, WiFi, and power buttons in addition to the GPS, recording, and WiFi status LEDs located on the left. The Q800 PRO’s speaker is also located on the front of the device. Like the F800 and F800PRO, the Q800 PRO’s speaker impressed me just like its brethren, definitely the clearest and loudest dash cam I have experienced to date.
The Q800 PRO’s camera is on the left side of the device, engineered to sit very close to the windshield to reduce distortion and glare. The camera housing is able to rotate vertically approximately 90 degrees to accommodate nearly any windshield angle and vehicle design.
The right side of the Q800 PRO has its video-in, power, and external GPS ports. The video-in port is for the rear, second channel camera. The Thinkware Rear View Camera is an optional accessory that connects to the Q800 PRO via microUSB cable providing HD quality video with a 2.13MP Sony STARVIS sensor and 140 degree viewing angle. The rear video feed can be viewed concurrently with the main, front-facing video on the PC Viewer.
The top of the Q800 PRO has a recessed reset button, microSD card slot, and microphone. Thinkware includes a 16gb microSD card. The Q800 PRO can accommodate up to a 128gb card. Considering the Q800 PRO records in 2K with video taking up twice the space/capacity of standard HD, seems like Thinkware could have included a 32 or better yet 64gb microSD card with their premium device.
Installation
Instead of sending a standard 12v power cable that plugs into your cigarette lighter, Thinkware includes their TWA-SH hardwiring cable with the Q800 PRO. I had the hardwiring cable professionally installed during the F800 PRO review and it has performed perfectly. In addition to looking cleaner and more polished, the hardware kit enables you to use all of the Q800 PRO’s Parking Mode features/capabilities.
Once installed a majority of the configuring, managing and viewing/downloading video is all done via the Thinkware app available for iOS and Android devices.
The Thinkware app even helps you align the dash cam when first setting the 3M mounting plate as you can see here with the blue & green lines.
Setup and management
Setting up the Q800 PRO’s involves connecting your smartphone to the dash cam via WiFi and using the mobile app to tweak things as you like. The process requires you to press the WiFi button on the front of the dash cam, directly connect to its WiFi (for me it is Thinkware_44), then start up the app.
In addition to accessing the Q800 PRO’s camera (memory card/camera/recording/road safety/system) settings, the app also provides a listing of recordings and enables you to download these files from the microSD card to your smartphone wirelessly. Each 146mb file takes several minutes to download. Viewing videos are definitely easier by removing the microSD card and watching them on the Thinkware viewer on your computer.
Noteworthy Features
Built-in GPS sensor – the 800 PRO series has the FASTEST built-in GPS I have ever tested.
Driver assistance – Includes lane departure, forward collision avoidance, and forward vehicle departure warning.
Speed camera alerts – the Q800 PRO has an internal database that warns you when you’re coming up to an intersection or location with a known speed camera standing watch.
High-temperature protection system – a built-in thermal sensor protects the Q800 PRO hardware and data against intense heat by automatically turning it off to prevent overheating.
Dual channel capable (aka second camera) – Thinkware also offers a rear camera that captures HD video @30fps.
Geo-Fencing – allows drivers or parents to stay alert of the vehicle location.
Locate Vehicle – enables drivers to find the vehicle’s current location.
Driving Impact Notification – will notify owners when their vehicle has sustained a significant impact.
Energy Saving Parking Mode – reduces power consumption by 1/3 less and gives 3x longer video recording than typical parking mode.
Performance
Thinkware’s new optical lens and improved 5.14MP Sony STARVIS image sensor combine to deliver impressively crisp and clear video quality in 2K QHD. The Q800 PRO just works…once installed, it blends into your car only needing to be accessed when something bad happens or an alien spaceship zips across the horizon.
Video Quality
As I mentioned above, the Q800 PRO uses a Sony 5.14MP STARVIS QHD (2560 x 1440) sensor that captures 2K video at 30fps. The clarity and detail in all lighting condition is excellent. Like the rest of the Thinkware’s 800 series dash-cams, the Q800 PRO gives you a relatively wide viewing angle with a 140-degree view of the road.
With its better lens and greater resolution, the Q800 PRO’s daytime video is excellent. The detail, color, and clarity make for a much improved image quality over its predecessors.
Thinkware’s Super Night Vision 2.0 and Sony improved Exmor CMOS image sensor are very good at capturing light, producing low-light and nighttime video.
Here is an example of the Park Mode video. Even though my parking garage is dimly lit with shadows and bright lighting, the lights are not overexposed and the detail is very clear and detailed.
Thinkware Viewer
The Thinkware PC viewer is one of the best features of using their dash cams, very well polished and intuitive. Other dash cam manufactures either create a half-baked viewer or do not offer one at all. The Thinkware viewer is an excellent integrated tool for viewing not only your driving video but speed, lat/long, Google map location, and three-dimensional G-forces the car is experiencing at any particular moment. These G-forces are illustrated in the bar graph under the video and the dial with a car in it with X- Y- and Z- axis in the lower left corner of the window. Like the F800 and F800 PRO, the Q800 PRO records in 1:00 minute blocks but its 2K resolution bumps the file size from approximately 85 to 146mb in size. So, I swapped out the 16gb microSD card Thinkware provides with a 64gb one I had laying around, to (obviously) hold more video at one time before the dash cam overwrites itself.
F800 PRO vs Q800 PRO:
As I mentioned above…other than the lens assembly, there is no outward/physical difference between the F800 PRO and the Q800 PRO. The Q800 PRO’s improved resolution and video are the only things that truly set it apart from the F800 PRO, the features are the same.
What I like
Great build quality
2K QHD (2560 x 1440) resolution
Additional features and functions
Stealthy/minimalistic form factor
Very good video quality (especially Night Vision)
TWA-SH hardwiring cable included
Dual channel/camera capable
Quick GPS lock
Excellent PC viewer
Solid companion smartphone app
Easy to install/use
What I’d change
Included microSD needs to be higher capacity
Final thoughts
I really like Thinkware’s 800 series of dash cams…so much so, I have had them hardwired into several of my vehicles. I have always prefer their screen-less, minimalistic form factor. The Q800 PRO raises the bar by bumping up the camera’s resolution from 1080p to 2K. As I have said in past reviews, I prefer a higher resolution sensor and Thinkware has delivered with their latest & greatest. The Q800 PRO is jam-packed with features you would expect from a high-end dash cam (tho I can see many not using some of its more advanced capabilities). I love the all-black PRO’s stealthy look and vibe. Bottomline: I recommend the Q800 PRO for its video quality, design, features, and polished ecosystem. If you’re thinking of buying or upgrading your dash cam, I definitely recommend the Q800 PRO be on the top of your list.
Price: $299.99 Where to buy: Amazon or Thinkware. Source: The sample of this product was provided by Thinkware.com.
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REVIEW – When our family first started buying mobile devices several years ago, I purchased an Anker USB charging hub and put it on our pie safe. This created one central location in the house where everyone could put their gadgets for high-speed charging. These days, however, it seems that we always want to keep our devices handy. We have this compulsion to respond quickly to text messages, check the weather, or play music via a Bluetooth speaker. Whether or not such dependency upon our gadgets is a good thing I’ll leave for you to decide, but it certainly leaves us wanting to have more than one charger in the house and even to have more than one type of charger, as our tablets still require a USB cable but our phones support the Qi wireless charging standard. I could purchase a handful of charging stations and scatter them around the house, but it would be nice to have a solution that fits more naturally into our living spaces. This is where Brightech comes in. As the name of this company suggests, many of their products integrate charging technologies into light fixtures. This is an elegant way to solve my problem, so I’m hoping that the Brightech Maxwell floor lamp will fit nicely into our living room.
What is it?
The Brightech Maxwell (Wireless Charging Edition) is a floor lamp that has three shelves, one of which has a power outlet, a USB port, and a Qi wireless charger. It’s designed for the living room, and I think it would probably work best next to a couch or a chair, thus providing easy access to devices being charged.
What’s in the box?
The Maxwell comes with:
All the parts necessary to assemble the floor lamp (shelves, poles, sundry hardware, and a light socket with cord)
A light bulb
A rectangular, off-white lamp shade
A manual with 3 pages of assembly instructions, a customer care card, and a giveaway card
You’ll need to have a large Phillips screwdriver and a rubber mallet to assemble the lamp, as these tools are not included. (A regular hammer will work in a pinch, though it might crack the plastic pieces, if you’re not careful.)
Hardware specs
1 LED lightbulb, 9.5 watts at 800 lumens
1 Qi wireless charger
1 USB port (the website says there are 2 ports, but there’s only 1)
1 US electrical outlet
Weight: 13 pounds
Height: 63 inches
Shelves: 10.25 x 10.25 inches
Design and features
Brightech describes the Maxwell lamp as both Asian and modern. When we lived in Thailand, we saw a lot of rectangular lamp shades, though often with images. When a shade like this is combined with the austere style and black color of our lamp then a fusion of Asian and modern is a pretty good summary of its style.
Installation and setup
I hope you’re comfortable with the phrase “some assembly required,” because that’s a requirement for this gadget. One evening after dinner, my wife and I set out to assemble the floor lamp. The manual walked us through the process using a combination of pictures and textual instructions. For the most part, it was well-written. There were a couple places that were slightly confusing, but as this lamp is reasonably straightforward to assemble, we were able to figure it out without any snafus.
We started with the base and connected the poles with screws. It uses a set of interesting two-sided screws that connect the poles under each shelf with the corresponding poles over it. This is a nice solution for keeping everything together nice and tight.
The lamp quickly grew until it was too large to assemble on the table, so we moved it down to the floor. There are three shelves: the base shelf, the middle shelf, and the charging shelf. Two power cords are built into the back of the charging shelf; one goes down and plugs into the wall, and the other goes up and connects to the lamp.
The socket is held firmly in place with a wingnut, and a small chain hangs down under it and turns the light on and off. There also four holes in the board that holds the socket, allowing some light to shine done onto the charging shelf below, a nice touch.
Once we added the final piece to the top, we opened up the lamp shade and slid it down into its spot. The somewhat rigid material feels very similar to a standard lampshade. Four plastic fasteners keep it from moving around. The final step was to attach the four plastic clips used to hold the cord against the poles, thus keeping it out of sight.
It took us about 30 minutes to assemble the Maxwell.
Performance
The charging shelf has a Qi wireless charger built into it. When an Qi-enabled phone is set on the shelf, it begins charging, and it works just as expected. There’s a small LED between the plug and the USB port that is normally red but turns green when a phone is charging. I’m not a big fan of the LED; it doesn’t really fit into the soft ambiance of our living room, but it is handy to know at a glance when my phone is being charged.
There is also a USB port for charging other gadgets, and you’ll need to supply your own cable for this. When charging my tablet, I can prop it up using the built-in stand, thus keeping the shelf free for charging a phone. This is a nice little addition to keep things neat.
The included lightbulb is a warm white LED that uses only 9.5w. It’s bright enough to read by, though not so bright as to blind everyone in the room. The top of the lamp shade is open, making it easy to change bulbs.
Location
Once the lamp was assembled, we needed to find a home for it. For our family, we decided that the best location would probably be in our living room, so we removed the end table and lamp beside our sofa and put the Maxwell in its place. The first thing that we noticed was that it was a bit wobbly on the carpet due to the small base. Most new homes these days in our part of the country are built with hardwood floors in the living room, so this won’t be an issue for everyone. Although the lamp looks great here, it didn’t really function too well for us. Unlike the end table, the charging shelf is too high above the couch arm and felt awkward, plus it was not quite steady enough to safely hold a glass of ice tea while watching TV. (As an alternative, it’s worth noting that Brightech makes the Madison, which is an end table with a built-in wireless charger; that probably would have worked better here.)
We decided to try the spot beside our recliner, and we’re much happier with it here. It fits nicely into the niche between the recliner and the fireplace, provides light for reading, and it’s perfect for charging a phone.
I think the lamp could also work well in a study or den and maybe even in a master bedroom if there’s a chair to put it by.
Materials
Brightech’s website says that the Maxwell is a “floor lamp in an all-wood frame.” I was immensely disappointed when I opened the box and found that this lamp is not made of solid wood but of MDF. If you’re not familiar with MDF, it’s basically sawdust mixed with resin and wax and compressed with heat and high pressure. It’s a manufactured product, and while it’s made from wood byproducts, it’s not wood. It’s neither as durable nor as strong as real wood, and it completely lacks its warmth and beauty. To hide the MDF, Brightech covers the poles and shelves of the Maxwell with a plastic veneer that has a wood-like pattern. The only advantage of MDF is that it’s less expensive than real wood. I hope that Brightech chooses to be completely transparent and change it website to say “MDF” or “engineered wood product” instead of “all-wood.”
What I like
Asian, modern design
Wired and wireless capabilities
Chargers built into the lamp
What I’d change
Be transparent about using MDF (or use real wood)
Final thoughts
The Maxwell has found a nice home in our living room, and I’m super happy with the functionality that it provides. I really like the way that Brightech has integrated charging capabilities into a floor lamp, and I’m hoping that this concept finds its way into other furniture in our house. Whether or not you should consider buying the Maxwell largely depends on upon your views of wood. If you don’t really care about wood, or if you’re looking to save some money, then you should definitely take a look at the Maxwell. If, however, you prefer real wood furniture, then you should probably pass.
Price: $59.99 Where to buy: Amazon Source: The sample for this review was provided by Brightech.
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