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WORX 20″ 3-in-1 cordless lawnmower review

REVIEW – The last couple of springs I’ve been researching cordless electric lawnmowers because my trusty gas-powered model seemed to be on its last legs. Well, this spring it finally died. As luck would have it, I received a review offer for the WORX 20″ cordless lawnmower. Needless to say, I was very excited to see if an electric mower could perform as well as a gas-powered one.

What is it?

The WORX 20” 3-in-1 cordless electric lawnmower is a lawnmower that’s powered by 2-20V batteries instead of gas.

Hardware specs

  • Rated voltage – 40V
  • Deck width – 20”Cutting diameter – 19”
  • Cut height range – 1.5”-3.5″
  • Grass bag capacity  – 1.4 bushels
  • Machine weight – 66.8 lbs
  • Warranty – 3 years

What’s in the box?

  • Lawnmower
  • Grass bag
  • Mulching plug
  • Side discharge attachment
  • (2) 5.0 Ah 20V Power Share Batteries
  • HR dual charger

Design and features

The mower came pretty much pre-assembled in the box. The only thing I had to do was extend and tighten the handle and charge the batteries.

At first glance, the WORX 3-in-1 looks like a typical lawnmower minus the gas tank and oil dipstick. The battery compartment is located where you’d normally find the gas tank.

The mower is powered by 2-20V 5.0Ah Lithium-ion batteries giving the mower 40V of cutting power.

There’s a battery life indicator located just behind the battery compartment that allows you to check the battery life with the push of a button.

Charging the batteries is done by sliding them into the included dual charger. While charging, the indicator lights flash green. When the batteries are fully charged, the lights will remain solid. Fully charging the batteries takes about 2.5 hours.

The mowers batteries are also part of WORX Power Share. This means you can share the 20V batteries with other WORX garden and lawn tools.

The mowers outer housing and wheels are made of lightweight, durable plastic. The 20″ cutting deck is made of steel and gives the mower a cutting width of 19″. Steel is not only more durable, but it’s also more mulching friendly as grass slides off steel better than plastic or aluminum.

The handle is fully collapsible for compact and easy storage.

When folded you can stand the mower up on end so it can easily be placed up against a wall. I love this because it makes it easier to store in my shed where space is at a premium.

The ergonomic handle is also padded, making it more comfortable to maneuver while cutting.

One of my favorite features is the single lever height adjustment. It allows you to quickly adjust the cutting height from 11/4” to 4” using a single lever. Much easier than my gas powered mower which required each wheel to be adjusted individually. I can’t begin to tell you what a pain that was.

The mower offers 3 different cutting methods. You can mulch, bag, or side discharge. Mulching is done by installing the included mulching plug at the back of the mower. If you choose to bag your clippings as I do, you can use the included 1-bushel bag which easily installs at the back of the mower. Lastly, you can use side discharge by installing the side discharge attachment.

Performance and use

Using the mower couldn’t be easier, just drop the batteries into the battery compartment, and you’re ready to mow. To start it, insert the plastic safety key and hold down the start button while engaging the operating bail handle. For safety, the motor stops as soon as you let go of the operating bail handle.

This mower is amazingly quiet and lightweight compared to my gas-powered model. It sounds like you’re cutting the grass with a fan. You can actually have a normal conversation with someone without having to yell over a loud engine. And its light enough that my 74-year-old mother said that even she could cut the grass using it.

Performance wise it simply blew me away. It cut my lawn every bit as good as my old gas-powered mower. It powered through tall grass and damp grass without issue. And pushing it around was like a walk in the park. Below is a video showing how easy the mower is to start and use. 

I used the bagging function, and the bag was easy to take off and empty. It’s a smaller size (1 bushel) then I’m used to so I did have to empty it more often, but that wasn’t a big deal.

My lawn grows uneven, and some areas have taller grass, being able to adjust the cutting height with a single lever was easy and time-saving.

I was also remarkably impressed by the battery life. I was able to cut my front, side, and back lawn (approx. 6,000 square feet) and still had more than half of a charge left.

No gas, no oil, no maintenance… no brainer

Maybe the best thing about this mower is that it’s pretty much maintenance free. Especially compared to a gas-powered mower. No more buying gas, changing oil or replacing air filters. About the only thing you have to do is keep it clean and maintain the blade. Over time this mower will pay for itself with the money you save on gas and other maintenance.

What I like

  • Easy to use
  • Collapsible handle for easy upright storage
  • Incredibly quiet
  • Good battery life
  • One lever height adjustment
  • Low maintenance

What I’d change

  • Nothing

Final thoughts

The WORX 20” cordless lawnmower is the perfect choice for small to medium size yards, and it doesn’t cost much more than a high quality gas-powered mower. I like products that make everyday tasks we dread doing easier and in the case of the WORX cordless mower, a tad bit more enjoyable. Personally, I love using this lawnmower, and I’ll never go back to gas again.

Price: $349.99 currently marked down to $319.99 on the WORX site.
Where to buy: WORX and Home Depot
Source: The sample for this review was provided by WORX.

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WORX 20″ 3-in-1 cordless lawnmower review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 8, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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Baseus S17 wireless headphones review

REVIEW – Completely wireless earbuds require that the earbuds balance or seal into your ear canals through pressure, shape, or some combination of the two. There are many add-ones out there that add hooks, different shapes, and tethers for these small individual units. Baseus has created a new model – the Wireless Headphone S17 – that incorporates a soft ear hook into the earbud itself as well as a tether to connect the two halves. I was sent a set in black to test.

What is it?

Tethered IPX5 earbuds with ear hooks, in-line mic, volume control, and digital assistant access.

What’s in the box?

  • Earbuds
  • One set extra ear tips
  • USB2< ->microUSB charging cord
  • User guide (English and Chinese)

Hardware specs

  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • Independent sound cavity
  • High-resolution sound field
  • Tight sealing effectively isolates noise
  • Magnetic housing design, anti-tangle
  • IPX5 waterproof
  • 3 control buttons
  • Comfortable ear hooks
  • Built-in 100 mAh dual battery
  • CE, RoHS and FC certifications
  • Battery capacity: 100 mAh, 3.7V
  • Call/music time: 6-7 hours
  • Standby time: 200 hours
  • Charging time: 1.5 hours

Design and features

Baseus makes a wide range of different shapes of wireless and wired listening products. This latest in their Encok Music line – the Wireless Headphone S17 – incorporates soft ear hooks to hold the actual speakers in place while you workout, run, bike, or just go about your day. Available in white or black, the earbuds have soft, flexible silicon ear hooks with no wire or stiffener inside to break or poke through. This makes the over-the-ear part almost undetectable while wearing. Paired with the hook is a hard plastic disk just under an inch in diameter (2 cm). Around the outside of each earbud is a metallic red decorative ring. Linking the two ends is a flattened oval cord 23″ long. A mic/control module breaks the link a few inches closer to the right earbud than center. A high power magnet in each earbud pulls the two halves together when not in use.

There are two sizes of silicone ear tips included, but it’s easy to make either fit since they are so flexible. With the addition of the permanently attached ear hooks, you don’t need to worry about the seal being what will prevent the unit from falling out.

The mic module is typical – a multi-functional button in the center with “+” and “-” buttons for volume on either side. A – sigh! – microUSB charging port is under a silicone gasket. Holding down the multifunction button will hail your digital assistant

You can wear the tethering wire over the back of your neck or in front. There is a bit of attenuation that comes through when it hits your shirt or neck, so I tended to keep it under my chin. Testing while on a phone call, I had someone tell me which sound they preferred, and they said the sound was better when the mic module was around front. Your mileage may vary.

Performance

The large outer rim of the earbuds gives ample room for a battery and good sized speakers, as well as the magnets that draw them together when not in use. The sound from the S17s is clear and crisp. I heard some nuances in songs that I’d never noticed before. (Did you know there was a trumpet riff with a Harmon mute in Steely Dan’s Babylon Sisters? After hearing it, I went back to my over-the-ear wired headphones and there it was, just waaayyy in the background!)

The bass range you hear with the S17s will sound thinner, of course, due to the smaller speakers, but acoustic music or female voices are absolutely magical, especially in a quiet environment. I’ve been rediscovering Imogene Heap’s lyrics, that were always over-powered by the instrumentals previously. Somehow, you feel closer or more present in the music.

What I like

  • Soft ear tips provide unnoticed security
  • Magnets keep the cable from tangling
  • Access to digital assistant through a single button

What I’d change

  • I’m so tired of microUSB charging cables.

Final thoughts

I like fully wireless earbuds much better than those with wires, but the ear hooks and not having to charge all the time keeps me trying out tethered buds as well. These are possibly the best-sounding pair of tethered earbuds I’ve used and the most comfortable by far. Not having to figure out what to do with the charging case or where to put the buds when you stop using them for a minute (for example, to tell a driver your destination or to chat with a friend you just bumped into) is another notable benefit of the magnetic cling feature.

Price: $25.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Baseus.

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Baseus S17 wireless headphones review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 8, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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Queal meal replacement shakes review

REVIEW – I’m on a new quest to find a healthy meal alternative in the form of a shake or a bar. There has to be a no-hassle way to mix it and consume it and of course, it has to be healthy. My usual go-to breakfast or lunch alternative is Nature Valley protein bars and they are just glorified candy bars with some extra protein thrown in to give them a slight edge over regular candy bars. Today’s meal replacement option that I want to tell you about is Queal meal replacement shakes and oatmeal. Let’s check them out.

What is it?

The Netherlands based Queal powered shake mixes and oatmeal mixes (they offer bars too but didn’t send me any samples of the bars to try #sad) are meal replacements options that are designed to be nutritionally complete with 27 vitamins and minerals. That means that they provide the calories and nutrients that a typical person needs for a meal.

Queal Ready Oats instant oatmeal mixes

Queal offers its Ready Oats oatmeal mixes in single-serve cups and in bulk bags that each make 10 meals. They sent me both flavors of the Ready Oats in the single-serve cup option. They offer a Berry Good flavor and a Carrot Cake flavor.

Each Queal Ready Oats vegan meal provides:

Berry Good / Carrot Break

  • 400 kcal
  • 26.6 g / 27.1 g protein
  • 6.6 g / 7.9 g fiber

You can click the image above to read the ingredients.


To prepare the Ready Oats, you’re supposed to add 200 milliliters of water (~6.8oz) to the cup. You can either add cold water and microwave the mixture for about 2 minutes or use boiling water. Then you stir, wait a minute or two, and eat. Note that the cup doesn’t have a water fill line, so you have to have a measuring cup if you want to get the right consistency.

I had high hopes for the Ready Oats because I love oatmeal and eat it several times a week. While the flavor of the Queal oats was ok, I didn’t like their consistency/texture which felt like I was eating paste. I couldn’t even finish one serving because it was just offputting to me. Of course, others might love it. But coming from someone like me who enjoys steel-cut oats, or old fashioned oats, the texture of the Ready Oats really didn’t do it for me.

Queal Steady powdered shake mixes

Queal offers 4 different types of Steady powdered shake mixes: Standard, Agile, Athletic, and Vegan. Each type has different calories, protein, and fiber totals, but each resealable bags contains 3 complete meals.  Of course, you can customize the calories and make each bag last longer by using less powder per shake.


The Standard mixes provide 700 calories, 35.2g of protein, and 11.7g of fiber. The Agile mixes provide 600 calories per meal, 30.1g of protein, and 13.4g of fiber. The Athletic mixes provide 767 calories, 49.5g of protein, and 13.3g of fiber. And finally, the Vegan mixes provide 700 calories, 30.9g of protein, and 11.9g of fiber.

Queal offers several flavors of each type of shake mix. Some of these flavors include Apple Pie, Cool Chocolate, Chocolate Hazel Nut, Vanilla, Strawberry, and many more.

Preparing a shake is easy. Just add the number of scoops you want (5 scoops is the full serving) and 350ml of cold water (about 12 ounces) in a shaker bottle, shake for 30 seconds, and then drink.

My favorite flavor of the shake mixes that they sent me to try is their chocolate hazelnut. I didn’t make the full 700 calorie shakes since I don’t eat that big of meals each day. I customized my shakes to cut the calories down to about 350-400 per meal. I used the full amount of water though and although the shakes were a bit thin if I drank them right away, the flavor was good. If I mixed a shake and put it in the fridge for several hours, the consistency was thicker and smoother. Either way, they have a very slightly gritty texture which reminds me of pea protein shakes although Queal doesn’t use pea protein.

Queal uses oats, whey and soy protein in their mixes along with a small amount of Sucralose for sweetener. I don’t like that Sucralose is used and wish they would offer unsweetened versions or use stevia.

I will say that the Queal shakes are better in some ways compared to the Huel meal replacement shakes that I have also reviewed. With Huel, it would give me gas and cause constipation problems if I drank too many of them because I don’t think they have enough fiber per meal. Yeah I know, TMI. But with Queal, I didn’t notice these issues.

What I like

  • Shakes have good flavor
  • Affordable per meal price of about $1.61 for a 400cal meal
  • Doesn’t cause gas (for me)

What I’d change

  • Use a natural sweetener instead of Sucralose
  • Need lower shipping prices

Final thoughts

I didn’t like the Queal Ready-Oats, but I liked the Steady shakes quite a bit. They are easy to mix and taste good. As long as you don’t mind whey, soy, and Sucralose, they are pretty healthy compared to eating most protein bars or fast food. The biggest issue with Queal isn’t what’s in them or the price of each meal which is pretty affordable. The biggest problem is the shipping fees to the US. Shipping is $22.59 for orders above $50.82 and for orders below $50.82 shipping is $56.47. Ouch! At one time I think they had a US distributor but it doesn’t appear to be the case now. Based solely on taste, nutrition, and price, I have no problem recommending Queal. But when you put their shipping prices in the mix, it makes it harder to do that.

Price: Ready Oats single serve cup $2.82/10-meal Bag $22.59, Steady shake mixes $7.91 – $8.47 per 3-meal bag
Where to buy: Queal.com
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Queal.

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Queal meal replacement shakes review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 7, 2019 at 11:30 am.

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Onn Android tablet review

REVIEW – The Onn tablet is an affordable gadget with lots of free apps and a micro SD card slot for extra storage.

What is it?

An 8-inch tablet with 16GB and a 2-pixel camera.

What’s in the box?

  • Tablet
  • Charger
  • Instructions
  • Coupon for $20 off Walmart eBooks

Hardware specs

  • 8″ IPS panel
  • 2.5D touchscreen
  • 800 x 1280 resolution
  • 1.3GHz quad core processor
  • 2GB RAM +16GB ROM
  • Operating system: Android 9
  • 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera
  • 2-megapixel rear-facing camera
  • 5-hour battery life
  • Maximum RAM Supported: 2GB
  • Wireless Technology: 2.4G/5G a/b/g/n WIFI, Bluetooth 4.0

Design and features

My first impression of the Onn Tablet was that it reminded me a lot of our Kindle Fire and iPad Mini 4, in both the size and feel.

While the price is also quite comparable to a Kindle Fire, my son claims the games available on the Onn tablet are of much higher quality, and that makes sense since the Kindle is marketed primarily as a reading device. (Not to slam the Kindle Fire, he uses that often for reading downloaded library books.)

Meanwhile, the iPad mini costs more than three times as much as this tablet, but it comes with a lot more storage, higher picture quality, more bells and whistles, and the Apple name attached.

Besides its price, one thing that really sets the Onn tablet apart is its unique navy blue/dark greyish color, which really makes it pop next to the iPad mini and Kindle.

Setup

Setup was simple and clear. Step-by-step instructions came on a decal you could easily peel off the screen.

You could connect it to your Gmail account and create a password if you wanted. It took about 5-10 minutes. And then we just waited until it fully charged, which took about 30 minutes.

Navigation

The navigation and operation were intuitive and similar to other tablets we’ve used.

On the upper right-hand side of the tablet, you find the volume (+ and -) toggle, with the power button next to it. (Also note, by holding the power and volume-down button at the same time, you can take screenshots.)

The charging port is centered at the bottom.

On the back, you find the speaker (lower left) and the rear-facing camera (upper left), making it nearly identical to the setup of the Kindle Fire, as you can see above in the side-by-side photos.

And the 3.5mm headphone jack is along the very top edge, with the slot for a micro-SD card next to it.

The tablet only has 16GB of storage. After just a few weeks, we’ve already used 47 percent of the space it came with, without a single saved photo or video. However, in the long term, we plan to use it with a 32GB micro SD card, which we found on Amazon for $5.

When the screen is on, it has four navigation links running along the bottom with quick access to Walmart, a back button, the home screen, and recently used items. When you’re on the home screen, there’s a fourth navigation button at the bottom, three stacked dots, which take you to the settings.

On the Settings page you can adjust:

  • Wallpapers
  • Themes
  • Screen Manager
  • Widgets
  • Desktop Settings
  • Effects
  • Hide Apps
  • System Settings
  • Launcher Settings

Within the System Settings, there’s a search bar at the top to search all settings. You can also set a night light schedule and add emergency information.

You can also see:

  • Network and internet (wifi, data usage, hotspot)
  • Connected devices
  • Apps and notifications
  • Battery (current percentage and the estimated time it will run out of power)
  • Display (wallpaper, font size)
  • Sound profile
  • Storage (percent used and remaining GB free)
  • Security and location
  • Accounts
  • Accessibility (screen readers, display, interaction controls)
  • Google
  • System (languages, time, backup, updates)

Performance

The Onn Tablet comes pre-loaded with popular apps like Google Chrome, Drive and Maps. And with the Play Store you can download all sorts of goodies. My 11-year-old son was impressed with the selection of free games.

When you download apps, they’re automatically put into categories: Games, Tools, News & Books, Lifestyle and System. However, you can manually move them if you choose.

If you swipe up, it will show you all of your apps. If you swipe down, it shows you any notifications.

In addition to using it for a whole lot of gameplay, this tablet’s been great for communication (Google Hangouts) so my son can chat with his friends or keep in touch with me, without needing a cell phone. Messages even pop up if he’s playing a game, which isn’t the case on his Chrome book. (Of course, you need wifi, which you wouldn’t with a cell phone and data plan. But for us, it’s a nice compromise to hold off on getting him a phone for a while.)

This tablet is also nice for watching videos. With a screen resolution of 800 x 1280, you get a clear, vibrant picture. In fact, I need to drag my son away from watching YouTube shows on this little device he’s claimed as his own, and I can see it coming in very handy for travel.

The 2-megapixel camera in the front (rear-facing) worked very well, even capturing my wiggly dog.

The selfie camera is only 0.3 megapixels, so it’s not high quality. But for goofing around or (somewhat grainy) video chats, it’s passable. Though I’d imagine most people’s cell phones would give a much clearer picture.

Battery life was decent. While the first charge only took about 30 minutes, after a month of use it takes just under two hours to fully charge it. The manual lists it as having 5 hours of battery life, but right now ours give us about 6 hours of continuous use, playing games and watching videos. That should be plenty long for everyday use but might not hold up for overseas flights or long-distance road trips, unless you also bring a portable charger.

We only ran into a couple of hiccups. First, we couldn’t get the headphones to work. My son tried two different pairs but the sound kept coming out the speakers as if the headphones weren’t even plugged in. The third pair worked like a charm. The only difference was that the third pair has a TRS connector and cable (with an additional ring on the connector) and the first two were TS.

My son also had trouble downloading some animated and 3D backgrounds. Not a big deal, but a hiccup.

What I like

  • Easy setup
  • Intuitive navigation
  • Great selection of apps

What I’d change

  • Headphone jack to be more compatible
  • Improve front-camera quality

Final thoughts

It’s a solid tablet for a reasonable price. Great for kids and the budget conscious.

Price: $64, current promotion includes $20 off Walmart eBooks
Where to buy: Walmart
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Onn/Walmart.

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Onn Android tablet review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 7, 2019 at 8:25 am.

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Dyson fans, Glacier Tek vests, Tom Bihn shopping bag, and more – Weekly roundup

NEWS – If you’re done with the fireworks and picnics and need another way to kick back on this holiday weekend, I have just the thing. It’s a full listing of all our posts from the past 7 days. Enjoy!

REVIEWS

NEWS

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Dyson fans, Glacier Tek vests, Tom Bihn shopping bag, and more – Weekly roundup originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 6, 2019 at 6:50 pm.

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