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Floyds of Leadville CBD recovery protein powder review

REVIEW – I workout 3 times a week and immediately after each workout, I drink a protein shake. Why? Because taking in protein after a workout starts the repair process on the muscles that you just thrashed. Even though I drink protein after every workout, about 75% of the time, my muscles will be somewhat sore the next day from the micro tears that happened during the previous day’s exercise session. And sometimes they will be very sore. So, when I was approached by Floyd’s of Leadville with an offer to review their Recovery Protein with CBD which they claim takes the edge off post-exercise pain by reducing inflammation and easing muscle soreness and joint stiffness, I said heck yeah! Did it work? Keep reading to find out.

What is it?

The Floyd’s of Leadville CBD recovery protein powder is a fine whey protein powder that comes in either vanilla or chocolate flavors and mixes with water or milk. But the special ingredient is the CBD aka Cannabidiol. What is Cannabidiol? It’s an extract from the hemp plant and the hip new ingredient being used in products and touted to provide a variety of added health benefits. Some claim that CBD helps with stress, pain, inflammation, and more.

Nutritional info

27g of protein per serving (a serving is 2 scoops)
Whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, hydrolyzed whey protein
Cannabidiol (CBD) 25mg
8.5g of Branched-chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) per serving
No artificial flavors
Made with organic raw cacao
Sweetened with stevia

Calories, 180
Calories from Fat, 18
Total Fat, 2g / 2%
Saturated Fat, 1g / 5%
Trans Fat, 0g
Cholesterol, 0g / 0%
Total Carbohydrate, 10g / 3%
Dietary Fiber, 0g / 0%
Sugars, 5g
Protein, 27g / 52%

Will this stuff make me high?

When you read that the Floyd’s of Leadville protein powder has CBD in it and read that CBD stands for Cannabinoid you probably thought of Cannabis AKA Marijuana, and thought no wonder this oil makes you feel better, it’s because it makes you stoned. Actually, no, CBD oil will not get you high because it does not provide any psychoactive effects (the “high” or “stoned” feeling) that THC, the other Cannabinoid that will get you high provides.

Will CBD cause me to fail a drug test

From what I’ve been reading, the standard serving size of 25mg CBD in this protein powder will not cause you to fail a drug test. According to one article that I read, you would need to consume between 1000 and 2000mg of CBD for it to show up on a drug test. And another article also talked about how it would be highly unusual for there to be any problems with a drug test when taking products that have CBD in them. But it’s also important to understand that very high doses may result in a positive urine test. Ultimately, you need to be fully aware of the regulations posed by your employers and consume CBD products accordingly.

Is this product legal to buy?

Yes, it ships legally to all 50 states.

Let’s workout and see what happens!

With all that out of the way, let’s get down to how it tastes and if I noticed any differences after my workouts when using this protein powder. I have to preface this part of the review by saying that I’m only relating my own experience using this product. I have no idea how or if it will work for you or how you will interpret the taste.

As I already mentioned, I workout 3 times a week on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Each time I pour about 8 ounces of Blue Diamond regular almond milk into a Ninja blender cup, add two scoops of the Floyd’s CBD protein powder, a few ice cubes, a little water and then I blend it for a few seconds to mix it all up and break up the ice. Then I stick the shake in the fridge while I do my 30-minute workout. As soon as I’m done working out, I blend the shake again for another couple of seconds and drink it. I’ve done this routine 7 times so far using this powder and I’ve felt zero muscle soreness the next day. For me, this is highly unusual because I almost always feel at least a little sore/stiff the next couple of days after a workout. I even tried working out harder just to make sure I wasn’t going easy on myself, but I still wasn’t sore. I know this isn’t a scientific test, but just from what I know about my own body, I can say that the CBD seems to work for me so yay!

As for taste, I was sent the chocolate version of the powder and it tasted like… chocolate. 🙂 It was sweet without being too sweet. I like the flavor.

The powder mixes very well and I didn’t notice any clumps or grittiness.

Compared to my regular protein powder, I didn’t feel any different mentally after drinking the shake made with the Floyds of Leadville CBD recovery protein powder. I didn’t get the munchies or feel paranoid either 😉 Seriously though, it tasted just like 100’s of other protein shakes that I’ve made and consumed over the years.

What I like

  • Mixes easily with no clumps or grit
  • Tastes good
  • Eased/erased my post workout soreness

What needs to be improved

  • Expensive

Final thoughts

CBD is the hot new ingredient that is being added to what seems like everything right now and I am skeptical of things like that. But at least for my simple try it and see what happens tests, drinking the Floyds of Leadville CBD recovery protein powder after my workouts meant that I would not feel any soreness or stiffness the next day or two. That’s the good news. The not so good news is that the powder is expensive compared to the powder that I normally use. It’s $4 per servings with only 10 servings per bag at a total cost of $40. When I compare that to the protein I normally buy, Floyd’s powder is about 4 times more expensive per serving. For that reason, I will not continue buying it, but if your protein budget is larger than mine, this powder is definitely worth trying if you have issues with sore muscles after your workouts.

Price: $39.95
Where to buy: Floyds of Leadville
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Floyds of Leadville.

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Floyds of Leadville CBD recovery protein powder review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 13, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Click & Grow Smart Garden 9 review

REVIEW – When you grow your own food, you not only nourish your body, but you nourish your mind and your spirit from the effort and time spent tending the plants. Unfortunately, not everyone has the outdoor space to create a garden plot. So for them, we have the Click & Grow Smart Garden 9. Let’s check it out this indoor gardening gadget.

What is it?

The Smart Garden from Click & Grow is a self-contained garden that is perfect for even the smallest indoor spaces to let you grow up to 9 different plants and is also available in a smaller version that can grow 3 plants.

What’s in the box?

Click & Grow Smart Garden 9
Individual pots
Light bar
4 Light bar supports
AC adapter
3 plant capsules that each have 3 pods per pack

Design and features

The Smart Garden arrives in a package that has the instructions printed right on the box. Setup is easy but does require some minimal assembly.

First, you remove the tank which is designed to automatically water the plants and holds 9 plant capsule holders which are already in place.

The next step is to attach the grow light stand to the tank. The Smart Garden 9 comes with 2 sets of arms so you can adjust the height of the grow light as the plants get taller. The arms just press on the tank without the need to use tools. I did run into a small issue with the arms that I’ll discuss later.

Then you route the power cord down a channel on the side of the tank.

Next, you open one of the plant capsules. The Smart Garden 9 ships with Green Lettuce, Basil, and Mini Tomato 3-pack capsules but you can buy refills of other plants as they offer 40 different capsules that include plants, flowers, and herbs like: a variety of pepper plants, kale, dill, dwarf peas, wild strawberries, and many more.

I don’t see why you couldn’t create your own plant pods to grow other plants too and I may try that at some point and share the results with a review update.

When you open one of the plant packages, you find 3 little brown pods. Each pod contains everything needed to grow a plant even if you think you have a black thumb. The pods contain NASA inspired smart soil and the seeds which are already planted inside the pods.

All you need to do is remove one of the plastic capsule holders from the tank and remove the lid.

If you turn over the holder, you’ll see a wick on the bottom that automatically sucks up water from the tank to water the plant.

The plant capsule fits in the holder.

The lid goes over the holder.

Then a clear plastic biodome lid snaps over the top.

The biodome lids create a tiny terrarium-like environment which helps the seeds in the capsule to sprout. It should be obvious that the little biodome lids should be removed as soon as the seedlings are big enough that they start touching the “ceiling” of the lid.

All that is left to do is fill the tank with water by pouring water directly into the receptacle in the lower left corner.

The water receptacle has a built-in water level indicator that rises as you add the water. If you press on it, it bobs up and down to let you know that there is still enough water in the tank. Here’s a 10-second demo showing how that works.

As the water is used by the plants, the water level indicator sinks into the receptacle to let you know that it’s time to add more water. The design is both genius and simple.

Earlier, I mentioned that I had an issue with the support arms for the grow light. Can you see the problem in the image above? If you can’t see it, look at the right support arm. See how there’s a gap where the grow light attaches to the top of the arm? That gap is there because I can’t get it to seat completely and I’m afraid I’ll break something if I put even more pressure on it. I’m equally worried that I won’t be able to detach the grow light when the time comes to add the other support arms to increase the height of the grow light when the plants get tall enough.

The grow light itself has 9 white and red LED lights which are programmed to turn on and off at different times of the day in order to provide the needed light for the plants to grow. I happen to have the Click & Grow Smart Garden set up in Gadgeteer HQ which is in a basement office. For that reason, I really don’t care when the grow light is active or inactive because I don’t sleep down there. But if you have a very small living area, that might be a consideration as to where you decide to place this indoor garden because there isn’t a way to customize the light schedule.

It’s time to grow the veggies!

I set up the Smart Garden on 6/28/18 and the lettuce seeds were the first to start sprouting just a few days later on 7/1/18. It is funny how exciting something non-digital can be! 🙂 A couple days later the basil sprouted and then finally when I was almost ready to give up, the mini tomato seeds sprouted.

I thought it would be fun to create a time-lapse video showing the growth progress of the plants, so I set up the Brinno TLC200 Pro time-lapse camera and here is a quick 1-minute video showing 9 days of the Click & Grow Smart Garden 9.

It’s really cool when plants grow and you had to do was add the water. So I have my little garden going inside the house and Jeanne has a 50 x 50 foot garden outside. So far my garden is doing better than hers but don’t tell her that I said that!

What I like

  • Completely automatic, just add plant capsules and water

What needs to be improved

  • No way to customize the grow light timing
  • Grow light extension arms can be too tight to connect fully
  • Refill plant capsules are expensive at almost $10 for a 3 pack

Final thoughts

It’s going to take several weeks before the plants are big enough to harvest and eat. Especially the mini tomatoes. So I decided to go ahead and post my review now and then follow up with updates as time goes on to show the progress. That said, I’m impressed so far by how easy the Smart Garden is to use.

Price: $199.95
Where to buy: Click & Grow and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Click & Grow.

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Click & Grow Smart Garden 9 review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 12, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Canvaspop PhotoBooks review

REVIEW – When I’m not writing code, my primary hobby is photography. I’ve never created a photo book, so when the chance to review the Canvaspop Photo Books product came along, I jumped right at the opportunity.

What is it?

The Canvaspop Photo Books is an iOS app that you use to create a 6″x6″ photo book in either softcover or hardcover.

Design and features

The Canvaspop Photo Books app is a pretty simple app. You start by selecting either the softcover or hardcover product. Next, you select between 20 and 30 photos, and then a cover photo.




You can tap and hold a photo to drag and switch it with another photo or tap a photo to either crop it or replace it with another photo.

When I initially started to add photos, I noticed that if a photo was added to your phone album after you start the app the list of photos in the app did not refresh, so make sure you have all your photos on your device before you start. There is also an option to add photos from your Instagram account.

You can also apply a filter at this point to all of the photos, available filters are: Natural, Black and White, Vivid.



After arranging your photos, tapping “Done” takes you to the checkout where you can set your quantity and start the checkout process. Both Apple Pay and credit cards are accepted. The rest of the checkout was pretty standard and my book arrived in about two weeks.


The photo book arrived in pretty minimal packaging but was in perfect condition. Overall I’m really happy with both the quality of the book materials and the actual printing and color.

The cover has an almost flat finish, whereas the pages have a slightly glossy appearance which I found to be perfect.

The app does not have any ability to add any text to any of the pages or covers, so you’ll want to edit an image with such information if you wish to have that included in your book. There’s also no ability to span an image across two pages, so if you want that you’ll have to create two images and add them to each facing page.


I did find that there was quite a bit of dust/crumbs in the book, probably from the trimming process, however that wiped of fairly easily.

What I like

  • Color accuracy was perfect.
  • Quality printing and binding.

What needs to be improved

  • App needs the ability to add text (title) and copyright information.
  • App needs the ability to save the book layout so you can finish or reprint it later.
  • No Android app is available yet.
  • There’s no ability to span an image across two pages.

Final thoughts

I am extremely pleased with the photo book, and the shortcomings of the app aren’t too big of a deal since if you know about them you can work around most of them.

Price: $15 to $25
Where to buy: Canvaspop
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Canvaspop

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Canvaspop PhotoBooks review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 11, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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Solo New York Draft backpack review

REVIEW – The backpack market is littered with bags that look good, can carry a laptop/Tablet, and have pockets for phones and water bottles. Solo makes a good many models, some of which we’ve shown here at the Gadgeteer. I have been using this latest one, the Draft, for a month or so, and am ready to give you my report.

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

What is it?

A three-pocket bag for daily carry, the Draft throws a lot into the mix with internal organization, including padded laptop pocket, tablet sleeve, and space for several pens, business cards or headphones. A raincoat, umbrella, or jacket can easily fit rolled into the main space alongside your other items.

Specs

  • (from the website)
  • Fully padded 15.6″ laptop compartment
  • Internal iPad®/tablet pocket
  • Multiple front pockets
  • Mesh side pockets
  • Internal organizer section
  • Padded back and backpack straps for added comfort
  • Sports zipper pulls
  • Smooth nylon fabric
  • Ultra-lightweight

What’s in the box?

  • Just the pack

Design and features

The Draft is a slim urban backpack for daily carry. Nothing about it screams “expensive” or “tourist.” The vertical zipper is nicely recessed so that there is a bit of fabric included in the pocket beyond what pokes out into the interior. The horizontal pocket at the base has even more room, with actual extra fabric included to make it bump out from the main body of the bag. You can’t fit a jacket or biking helmet into this, but it is plenty of room for a small tripod, an extra lens, or, as I do, your bag of meds and personal care items.


I like the t-bar zipper pulls. They let you grip the zips fully, whether you have gloves on or not. They also look pretty neat.


The two net drink pockets on each corner are perfect for a can or bottle, but can also hold your AirPod charger, your small camera, or a flash unit for your main camera. That stretchy net stuff is really adaptive. I have almost decided this would be the One Bag for me, but then, I got a couple of others from Julie the other day, so we’ll have to see if I come back or stay with the new units.

What I Like

  • Slim, yet roomy design
  • Front pockets actually have dimension
  • Pockets for full-sized laptop and full-sized tablet

What needs to be improved

  • Can’t find any real faults

Final thoughts

In the end, the choice of a backpack is extremely personal, so we can’t choose for you. But if you’re looking for something that will let you commute with the bare minimum, plus a few things like chargers, a jacket, or a nice set of headphones, you’ll want to at least check this one out. At $50, it’s not a bad choice to have in your closet.

Price: $49.99
Where to buy: Solo New York and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Solo.

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Solo New York Draft backpack review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 11, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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Nikon’s new COOLPIX P1000 lets you photograph a needle in a haystack from 1 mile away

Ok, that’s a wild exaggeration, but seriously, the just announced COOLPIX P1000 from Nikon has a 24-3000mm lens. Nope, that isn’t a typo and yes, I thought it was too. That’s right, this camera features an incredible 3000mm lens. That’s 125x optical zoom. It also has an aperture range of f/2.8-8, and a 16MP BSI CMOS sensor. A camera with this type of zoom lens works well for nature and moon photography. The COOLPIX P1000 will start shipping in September and can be pre-ordered now at Adorama and B&H Photo.

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Nikon’s new COOLPIX P1000 lets you photograph a needle in a haystack from 1 mile away originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 10, 2018 at 11:55 am.

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