Reviews – Page 290

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom shockproof and waterproof Bluetooth speaker review

In 2014 I had a chance to review the cylindrical Ultimate Ears Bluetooth speaker. At the time, it was a uniquely shaped speaker paired with a 360-degree sound. There have been other versions of this speaker such as the Boom 2 and the Megaboom, but the squat, softball-sized Wonderboom caught my eye. Let’s take a look.

The UE Wonderboom is another cylindrical-shaped speaker, but one that goes everywhere. It just begs to be picked up. As usual, the packaging is as interesting as the speaker itself.

Height (102 mm)
Diameter (93.5 mm)
weight (425 g)
IP67 rated
10hr playback
2.8hr charge time

Impatient? The basic instructions are printed on the inside of the box. (1) to turn it on, and (2) for 2 seconds to enter pairing mode.

You get the wonderful, flat, bright yellow micro USB cable. I noticed this one is much shorter than the one they packaged with the original UE speaker I tested in 2014. Cost cutting? Maybe.

On the scale, the Wonderboom checks in at just under a pound.

There’s only one port on the Wonderboom: microUSB for charging. It’s behind a rubbery flap. There is no aux audio port in the back.

This UE speaker has a little color-matched loop. Hang it off your pinky, or maybe attach it to your backpack. It would have been nice if they threw in a basic D-clip accessory.
The controls on top light up. The Bluetooth control is the dot, and the power button is the elongated one on the bottom. The UE logo, which acts as Play/Pause/Skip and Volume Up, does not light up.

Like the original speaker, the Wonderboom is waterproof and can be linked to a second speaker (Double Up). It’s listed at 10 hour playback time.

But how does it sound? In casual testing, I found the sound to be “all around” like the original, and pleasantly full its tiny size. To get more hard numbers, I went to my recording boom.

For this test, I performed sweeps of the Wonderboom (2017), the original Ultimate Ears Boom (2014) and the Bose Soundlink Mini II (2016).

Here’s theWonderboom (blue) vs, the original (green). The Wonderboom had a bit of a high-frequency bump above 10khz. vs. the original. Click for full size.

Next up was the Wonderboom (blue) vs the Bose Soundlink Mini II (red). As I expected, the Bose has a little more low-end boom, as they tend to exhibit. Again, you can click for full size.

I know what you may be thinking: “No bass? No deal!” Yes, if you’re a bass-head, you’d probably go for the Bose. But don’t forget, the Wonderboom is waterproof (IP67) and the Bose is certainly not. If I need to pick a compact go-anywhere speaker, the Wonderboom is a great choice.

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

Product Information

Price:	$99.99
Manufacturer:	Ultimateears
Retailer:	Amazon
Requirements:	Bluetooth, USB charger
Pros:	Compact, waterproof (IP67 at 1m for 30 minutes)
Cons:	Not going to shatter your windows with bass, but sounds great for the size.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth speaker

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom shockproof and waterproof Bluetooth speaker review originally appeared on on May 14, 2017 at 5:10 pm.

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Zero Tolerance 0460 Sinkevich Design Flipper review

As I have said before, I have many pocket knives stashed throughout my hectic world…in my cars, desks, tool bag, EDC gear, etc. They are a very useful tool to have around when needed. Most of my knives range in quality from good to very nice and the Zero Tolerance 0460 by designer Dmitry Sinkevich is no exception. I received this titanium and carbon fiber “flipper” from KnifeArt.com for this review and it hopefully only raises the collective average of my collection…let’s see how it fairs.

Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.

A bit of background:

ZT Knives – Premium American-made tactical folding knives

Zero Tolerance Knives (or “ZT Knives,” as their dedicated fans sometimes say) provide the cutting- edge performance their name suggests. All Zero Tolerance models are American-made with the goal of extremely high manufacturing tolerances and top-shelf materials, a merger of function and performance.

The ZT 0460 has a manual flip blade made from stainless S35-VN steel. The blade has a satin stonewashed finish and a Rockwell 60-62 hardness. The lines of the ZT0460 flow very well giving it a great look, balance, and overall feel in the hand. The blade is 3.25 inches long and 0.12 inches thick. It is made from high-quality American-made steel, CPM S35VN with niobium, vanadium, and chromium carbides. This alloy has increased toughness and wear resistance against chipping that theoretically stays sharp longer.

The flipper blade pivot has a KVT ball-bearing system making the knife easy and intuitive to open.

SPECIFICATIONS:

MAKER: Zero Tolerance Knives Design by Dmitry Sinkevich
BLADE SIZE: 3.25″ Long
TOTAL SIZE: 7.5″
BLADE THICKNESS: .121″
BLADE MATERIAL: Stainless S35-VN Steel – Satin Stone Washed – Rockwell Hardness 60-62
HANDLE: Carbon Fiber
FRAME: 3D Machined Titanium – Frame Lock has a Hardened Steel Lockbar Insert
WEIGHT: 2.3 oz.

The handle of the ZT 460 is 4.25 inches long. The frame and frame lock portion of the handle is machined from stone washed titanium.

The opposite side of the handle is made from a bronze carbon fiber composite that is not only lightweight but distinctive as well.

The handle has a hardened steel lock bar insert and a raised, textured spacer for a positive grip. The titanium side of the ZT 0460 has a removable, Zero Tolerance monogrammed belt/pocket clip.

The combination of carbon fiber and aerospace-grade titanium makes the handle durable yet lightweight. Add in the stainless steel blade and the total weight of the ZT 0460 is 2.3 oz.

The ZT 0460 flipper has a reliable, well-engineered frame lock design. When the blade is extended, the frame bends inward to lock it securely in place with zero blade movement.

To close the blade, simply press the frame lock aside and the blade smoothly rotates back into the closed position. The ZT 0460 does not have a closed locking mechanism that keeps the blade from accidentally opening.

As I said above, the Zero Tolerance 0460 is a great size and weight with a solid, well-balanced feel…making for an excellent EDC choice.

The 0460’s stainless S35-VN steel blade is extremely sharp as you would expect but the curve creates a serious point on the business end of this flipper.

That said, the Zero Tolerance 0460 by Dmitry Sinkevich when closed is very unassuming and non-threatening. I have been using this knife for a few weeks and it would make for an ideal addition to anyone’s EDC gear. Its design, size, weight, and quality make for an excellent travel companion or with-you-all-the-time tool. The ZT 0460 flipper is very well made with high-quality materials and will definitely make a great member of my pocket knife collection without a doubt.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by KnifeArt.com. Please visit their site for more info and to order. See below for latest price.

Product Information

Price:	$180
Manufacturer:	Zero Tolerance – Sinkevich Design
Retailer:	KnifeArt
Pros:	Excellent material and build quality Strong, lightweight construction minimalistic design Smooth folding mechanism
Cons:	Somewhat expensive

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Knives

Zero Tolerance 0460 Sinkevich Design Flipper review originally appeared on on May 14, 2017 at 9:00 am.

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Just Mobile AluPlug USB wall charger review

Charging your devices while traveling is a pain – a small one, granted. Remembering to bring the right “wall wart” for each device is something you generally think about when you check into the hotel. The problem only gets worse at home – with every device having its own power adapter, you quickly develop dangerous octopus connections around your outlets. Just Mobile has heard your anguished cries and has presented the AluPlug to handle some of your pain, provided your device uses a standard USB type A connector. Does it really take away your pain, though? Let’s find out…

The AluPlug is a stylish multiport charge adapter for devices which use a USB type A plug on the outlet side. It is a strong adapter made from aluminum which is both a plus and a minus. More on that in a minute. It is about 3 inches across and 6 inches deep, which means when it is plugged in your standard US power outlet it will not block anything else from using the other outlet. The prongs which plug into the wall outlet also fold into the base, making it easy to throw into your bag on the way out the door. You can see the prongs in the folded position below.

And here you can see the USB type A connections. A device plugged into either port will light the LED.

The question is: what kind of devices can you plug into this and how much can it handle? The answer is that each port will charge a tablet with 2.4 amps output (most tablets like an iPad or a Samsung Galaxy Tab require 2.1 amps). Although it does not state this anywhere, I plugged two Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 devices in simultaneously and while this particular model of tablet does not support rapid charging, each went from about 20% to 100% in around 3 hours. My wife’s iPad was even better, going from nearly drained to 100% in about 2.5 hours. My brand new Galaxy S8+ (which supports fast charging) came back from about 40% to 100% in less than an hour. It would appear the AluPlug supports smart and/or rapid charging.

This is a great little device which will attract attention, but there is a small downside to it. As with any electronic device the more load you put on it, the more heat that is generated. Plugging in the two tablets at once caused the unit to get pretty hot. Being made from aircraft aluminum, heat also dissipates rapidly but be warned that if you are trying to beat the hotel checkout deadline you might not be able to unplug this charger and toss it into your bag for 5-10 minutes. Plan accordingly.

At $29.95 retail this is on the expensive end of the spectrum for chargers. The design and execution are worth the cost in my opinion, but your mileage may vary. Personally, I would also love to see LED’s for each of the slots so I know when a device is fully charged, but that is a very small concern. Overall, if you want a charger that will make a statement, this is the one to go for.

Source: the sample for this review was provided by Just Mobile. Visit their site for additional information and Amazon to order.

Product Information

Price:	$29.95
Manufacturer:	Just Mobile
Retailer:	Amazon
Pros:	Stylish and sturdy Can handle 2 power hungry devices at once Small and light enough for regular travel
Cons:	Charger can become very hot, so be careful

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Batteries and Chargers

Just Mobile AluPlug USB wall charger review originally appeared on on May 13, 2017 at 9:00 am.

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Trayvax Cinch belt review

Belts, we all have them, we use them and even abuse them at times. Like most men my age, I have owned my fair share of belts, leather, nylon, webbed, solid, and they all perform the same function, to keep my pants up. Now I won’t lie to you at this stage of my life (a little older and a little wider) I don’t wear belts that often, but I do find that when I do it is more often for casual outdoor experiences than for formal occasions. That’s why when Trayvax offered me a chance to try out their new Cinch belt I did.

Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.

You may recognize the Trayvax name from the many news articles and reviews we have done on their various products like the Trayvax Axis wallet that I reviewed in 2016. The Cinch belt is the newest product from Trayvax. It is a nylon web belt with a custom made aluminum belt buckle.

The Trayvax Cinch has the following features listed on their website:

Infinitely adjustable friction belt
Heavy-duty MIL-SPEC nylon webbing
Aerospace-grade tempered aluminum buckle
Anodized finish
Light brush grain pattern
High-tensile strength (2000 lbs)
Instant tensioning and hassle-free locking
Low-profile, minimalist design
Buckle bent to contour with shape of body
Interchangeable buckles
Compatible with concealed carry
Sourced and made in the USA
Lifetime warranty

As stated above, the Cinch buckle is made of anodized, tempered aerospace aluminum. It is designed to use friction to keep the belt secure around your waist. The buckle has a slight bend at the front and rear and has “TRAYVAX” on the front tip and “MADE IN THE USA” towards the rear. The writing looks like it is printed on. The buckles are available in three colors right now, blue, black and gray.

From the back of the Cinch buckle, you can see the cut outs and how the belt is held in place.

The nylon webbing for the Cinch is fairly stiff and is approximately 1 1/2 inches wide. The end is cut nicely to allow you to thread the end through the buckle. The belt sizes run in two size increments starting at 30-32 all the way up to 46-48. The only color available right now is black.

So, what’s my bottom line on the Trayvax Cinch? Simple, rugged, durable, like all things I want in my tools and I like it. While most people don’t think of their belt as a tool, it is for some. I have had experience with similar web type belts and the weak point for long-term use has always been buckle slippage. Buckle slippage is bad enough if you are trying to keep up your pants, but what if you have a pouch or are carrying a weapon on that belt? I did not experience any slippage from the buckle while wearing the Cinch. At 1 1/2 inches, the Cinch is fine for most applications, but you may have trouble fitting it into some dress pants (although a don’t think I have any anymore). For an overall utilitarian belt, I think the Cinch is a good choice. The buckle is contoured well against my body and was not too big as to become uncomfortable while sitting. The three colors available are nice and I understand they are working on more colors (let’s hope zombie green is one). The Trayvax Cinch is available from the Trayvax website starting at $26.99 and ranging to $34.99 depending on the size of the belt.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Trayvax. Visit their site for more info.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Belt, Clothing

Trayvax Cinch belt review originally appeared on on May 12, 2017 at 9:04 am.

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Creative Sound BlasterX Kratos S5 2.1 gaming speakers review

I’ve been playing games for years, yet I’ve always used a pair of cheap Dell speakers for my PC. I never thought much of PC speakers for gaming, instead always using headsets, but when Creative offered their Sound BlasterX Kratos S5 gaming speakers to be reviewed, it piqued my curiosity, and I had to try them out. Would I enjoy gaming with speakers versus a headset? Let’s find out.

In the box you’ll find:

2 x Sound BlasterX Kratos S5 satellites
1 x Sound BlasterX Kratos S5 subwoofer
1 x Micro USB Cable (1.8M)
1 x power cord
1 Warranty and Technical Support Booklet
1 Quick Start Guide
1 Safety and regulatory leaflet

I had one hiccup when it came to setting up these speakers. My desk simply wasn’t built for them! My previous set of speakers sat above my head on the top of my hutch, but that’s not the optimum place for gaming. With the hutch, my monitors have to be smaller to accommodate, and therefore I have two monitors side by side, forcing me to use the top for my speakers. For game testing, I placed them surrounding a single monitor, but for day to day use, I had to set them behind each monitor.

The light from the Aurora Reactive Lighting system looked really nice under the monitors, but of course, the sound suffered a bit by having them there. It wasn’t enough that I had to reconfigure my desk, however.

On the back of the subwoofer, you’ll find most of the ports, switches, and buttons for the speaker system. Starting from the top, there is an LED button that switches between five preset lighting combinations, a dial for the bass level, red and white audio in ports, ports for the satellite speakers, a 3.5 mm audio in port, the cord for the external audio control dial, Micro-USB port, auto standby switch, which when on, will turn off the lighting after 20 minutes of inactivity, and lastly, the AC port. Whew, that’s quite a bit!

The external audio dial has a 3.5 mm audio out port for your headset, a microphone in port, and the whole top is one big dial for adjusting the volume. I loved how smooth it was to adjust the volume controls, including the bass controls on the subwoofer.

So, let’s get down to the audio specs on these speakers:

Total Watts: 60 Watts(RMS)
Satellites: 2 x 12 Watts
Subwoofer: 36 Watts
Frequency Response: 55Hz – 20 kHz
Input Rating: 100-240V ~ 50/60Hz 1.3A

You can choose to just use hardware settings, or choose to install the Creative Sound Blaster Connect software to tweak and perfect the settings.

The Dashboard has general information about your settings and makes it easy to turn settings on or off. It also shows the sound experience settings, which can be a preset or user customized.

Under the Sound tab you’ll find the Equalizer, Acoustic Engine, and Scout Mode, which allows you to pick up footsteps and speech a little easier. I only used this mode in the game, and while I could pick up footsteps a tiny bit better than without it, a solid pair of headphones still worked better for the very detailed sounds.

Lastly, the Lighting tab allows you to customize the lights on the speakers to whatever color set you desire. You can also change up the presets to something new if you like. Make sure you plug in the Micro-USB cable if you want to change these settings.

Now that we have the technical information out of the way, let’s talk about what we really want to know. How good is the sound quality? Well, I tell you what, I use my PC sound system for everything from gaming, to videos, to music, and I was very impressed with the overall usability of this system. As you can see in the above pictures, my standard EQ settings have the bass only boosted a little bit, and if I add more, it is simply too much (and I love bass!) for my tastes. From Christmas music to pop music, the speakers sounded really good.

When it came to gaming, I had to get used to sitting in the center of the speakers. Once centered, it was pretty nice playing Overwatch and Battlefield 1. The explosions in Battlefield were far beyond the sound quality of my gaming headset, and overall, Battlefield 1 was a dream to play with these speakers. Overwatch was pretty good, as long as I wasn’t playing competitively. I preferred to play without my headset and use these speakers when just dropping in to play a game of Battlefield or a casual game of Overwatch.

I had to tweak a few settings to get these speakers to play nice with my usual headset, which plugs in via USB. I had to set my default communications device to my headset (since it did not plug into the speakers) and set the headset to be the default communications device. Switching back and forth between them was easy; I just clicked on the volume control and selected which one I wanted to use. Once I figured that out, everything went very smoothly. Using another gaming headset that plugged into the control dial via a standard 3.5mm port worked great, and the sound quality from them was just as good as if plugged directly into my computer, so non-USB played very well with this system.

Overall, I really liked the Creative Sound BlasterX Kratos S5 gaming speakers. Other than the short connecting wire between the satellite speakers and the sub-woofer (which is a minor complaint!), I had no complaints about it whatsoever. I feel the product is worth the price and my system has been significantly upgraded to the point where I used my headset only when competitively gaming. If you are looking to upgrade your PC speakers, I would highly recommend taking a look at the Creative Kratos S5 gaming speakers. There are a lot of 2.1 speakers on the market, and these ones are definitely worth looking at.

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

Product Information

Price:	$129.99
Manufacturer:	Creative
Pros:	– Great sound quality – Customized lighting looks fantastic – Good for everyday gaming
Cons:	– Short cables

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Gaming accessory, Speakers

Creative Sound BlasterX Kratos S5 2.1 gaming speakers review originally appeared on on May 11, 2017 at 10:43 am.

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