The Review Smiths - Issue 41

Review Smiths

Hello readers!

Thanks for joining us again for this month’s edition of The Review Smiths. As predicted the moment I sat down to write this the youngest member of our family has decided to wake up so please excuse any grammatical errors as I type with a wiggly 10-month-old on my lap.

As usual we have lots of great products for you to peruse including a Weber BBQ getting you ready for summer. We also have plenty of high-quality clothing helping you get active in this ever-unpredictable weather some of which I will be using myself as I take on a running event for a charity close to my heart.

The Pandas foundation who offers support for parents affected by perinatal mental illness which affects 1 in 10 women and men. If you would like to donate or share the fund-raising page, it would be hugely appreciated.

Please find the page here.

Thanks as always for taking the time to read this, we look forward to seeing you again for Easter!

Editor and Chief

For all media related enquiries please contact us at info@thereviewsmiths.com

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0208 191 8472

www.thereviewsmiths.com

04. WOOlrOOM KINg OrgaNIc pIllOW

06. MObOT bIg berTha

08. azIO reTrO classIc KeybOard

10. Weber spIrIT e330 classIc gbs lp gb/Ie

12. zeNIKO Mr11 sMarTphONe vIdeO rIg

14. zeNIKO Oc-d1

16. zeNIKO vs5 r

18. gel blasTer surge

20. sNOOzebaNd 2.0

22. gOreWear eNdure gOre-TeX JacKeT

24. shOKz OpeNfIT

26. KlaTTerMuseN sKJOld everyday paNTs

28. TracKleMeNTs specIal edITION chIMIchurrI chIllI relIsh

30. saraMONIc blINK500 prOX b2r

32. saysKy cleaN flOW JacKeT

34. MINIX z100 Odb

36. NebO raMbler ps100 pOWersTaTION

38. NebO slyde KINg 2K

40. NebO ulTIMaTe JuMp sTarTer

Managing Director

WOOlrOOM KINg OrgaNIc pIllOW

A good nights sleep is essential for everyone to stay happy and healthy and the kind of pillow you have can be crucial in achieving this. The advantage of a wool pillow like this one is the fact that they are naturally hypo-allergenic (unless you’re allergic to wool of course, which is incredibly unlikely if you’re worried!), very soft and comfortable for your head.

That’s pretty standard for a wool pillow to be honest so, what makes this King size pillow from Woolroom stand out from any other wool pillow? Well, all the wool used to make this pillow is certified as organic for one thing. So, the sheep used by Woolroom have been fed on organic food and left to roam freely for at least 2 years and they ensure that every bit of wool they use is fully traceable back to the farm where it came from so you can sleep safe in the knowledge that the impact on the environment (and the sheep themselves of course!) is minimal. The cover, despite being mainly cotton also has wool in it for added comfort.

The really useful thing about this pillow however, is the way it has been sealed that allows you to take out and add in wool balls so that you can adjust it to suit your sleeping style. If you need firmness, add more, if you prefer a more malleable pillow, take some out. It also comes with a cotton storage bag, perfect for keeping any un-used wool. This also helps to address one of the most common complaints with wool pillows in that they flatten over time. Simple, just add some fresh wool when this happens. Some may think it’s too expensive but it’s natural, sustainable and hypoallergenic and honestly, any price is fair game to increase your chance of a good night’s sleep in my book!

a greaT Way TO eNsure yOur sleepINg habITs have MINIM al IM pac T ON T he eN v I rONM eNT

MObOT bIg berTha

With so many tools and resources available to the average keep-fit fan these days, it’s often a real issue deciding what to take with you. Your relaxing trip to the gym turns in to a minor military campaign when gathering all your equipment and making sure you have everything you need, stressing you out before you even get there! There are solutions that help reduce your baggage however, one of which is this combo water bottle/muscle roller from Mobot.

The first thing you notice is the size. There’s quite a bit of capacity inside with the maximum fill being at two pints. (which is about half of your recommended daily water intake as an adult) and probably enough for most of us working out in a normal session so you’re less likely to need to refill it while using it, leaving you to concentrate and focus on your exercise. As well as that, it’s quite lightweight too, weighing in at just under 390 grams, even with all that high density foam on it. You may think it would be flimsy at that size and weight but the bottle is actually made out of recycled stainless steel, giving it a toughness that it’s stature wouldn’t normally deserve! Good job too as otherwise, it wouldn’t be much good for the alternative role it has in your repertoire as a roller. Massaging your muscles and hydration are two crucial ways to ensure your cool-down is safe and healthy and with this water bottle combining the two, you save room in your bag as well as.

The high-density foam on the water bottle has lined ridges that run both horizontally and vertically so your muscles can get massaged from different angles and have also been made with environmentally-friendly foam so you can buy it safe in the knowledge you’re not contributing to any environmental impact when it gets disposed of.

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azIO reTrO classIc KeybOard

Does anybody else find something about the noise of typing that seems to transport you to whatever time period your keyboard was designed in? Soft button presses and a gentle sound for most modern keyboards and a louder clacking sound for original type-writers based way back in last century. Some prefer the nostalgic feel that typewriters bring but, obviously, they’re not exactly practical in this day and age. Introducing the Azio Retro Classic Keyboard!

This thing is, first of all, gorgeous. The aluminium frame embraces a wood or leather surface for starters giving it an air of luxury and ‘specialness’ that you’re definitely not going to get with a bog-standard keyboard! The 2 woodtypes available are Elwood and Maple while the leather is either black or white and the keyboard is designed to replicate those original typewriters both in form (without the paper and ink of course!) and in the satisfying ‘clickclack’ noise that the centre-lit mechanical keys emanate. It’s

very satisfying to those of us who like it but you may want to be careful if in an office – some may not appreciate the noise (weirdo’s!).

Of course, the above is all superfluous if you don’t have the tech to back it up – we’re not still living in last century after all! The keyboard connects either via USB-C cable or up to 3 devices with Bluetooth, giving you the opportunity to switch between devices with ease and is also compatible with both Mac and PC, ideal for those with mixed devices due to work-issued equipment. The battery life is excellent with it only needing a charge every month or two if using it constantly and you get the USB-C charging cable included. The feet are adjustable so you can alter the angle to best suit your typing position too. What’s not to like?

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Weber spIrIT e330 classIc gbs lp gb/Ie

Looking out of the window as I write this, barbequing is the furthest thing from my mind (and, I imagine everyone else’s right now!). However, planning ahead for those lovely summer months gives us that little bit of light at the end of the tunnel that is the winter months and so, we’re going to tempt you with this lovely gas barbecue from Weber…

The main cooking area is a decent size, rocking in at 424 square inches (2,735 square cm’s) with an additional rack set above for resting cooked food. There are two main burners on either side and then, the bit I quite like, you have a searing area where you can whack the temperature up quite significantly to get those nice chargrilled marks on your food that just make it look better! To be fair, it adds a nice little level of flavour too, not going to say no to a bit of searing… The grates themselves are good old cast iron (tried and true when it comes to cooking on a barbecue) and porcelain-enamelled, giving them some longevity and making them much easier to clean up afterwards. The searing part is nestled between the two main heat sources and is a simple matter of switching on when needed – it can even help to get the grates warmed up quicker when you start cooking.

There is an additional burner on the left-hand wing that is perfect for preparing things in a pan such as boiling some veg or heating sauces, crisping bacon for the burgers or whatever else you would normally do in the kitchen so it’s a great way to keep the cooking all in one place. The right-hand wing is a plain surface for dishing up or for resting cooking tools in use with the addition of hooks for your cooking instruments to be stored when not in use.

£64.50

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zeNIKO Mr11 sMarTphONe vIdeO rIg

Technology on phones these days is such that anyone can easily knock together a decent-looking video with not much effort at all. However, you’re still using a hand-held device and no amount of anti-shake tech is going to remove that ‘found footage’ kind of look and you’re missing out on so many interesting filming techniques that you could otherwise use, not to mention it gets boring after a while. This rig from Zeniko aims to give anyone using their mobile phone the potential to have more professional looking videos with a minimal effort.

The built-in LED light provides better lighting than your phone alone would provide and also gives you 5 levels of colour temperature (all the way up to daylight level) and brightness, giving you good flexibility for lighting. To further enhance this, other variations of light-source are available such as LED or RGB and there is also an on-camera microphone to help enhance the audio pick-up. All of these attachments are extras you will need to buy separately but the rig is perfectly fine doing it’s job by itself, they’re not needed to get good use out of it. One aspect I particularly liked is the detachable Bluetooth remote control with a range of 30 metres, giving you the ability to set up the rig on a tripod and film yourself without having to rely on anyone else being there to hold the camera – perfect for streamers or content creators that don’t have the luxury of extra friends helping them out!

The rig charges via USB cable (provided) and, as well as having a plug-in option to charge your phone, can also act as a wireless charger while your phone is attached. There is a 3/8” port for a tripod and 6 ports sized at ¼”, giving you plenty of customisation opportunities to suit whatever it is you’re trying to achieve. The phone holder can be set up horizontally or vertically and it can hold up to 95mm in width but, if you have a phone smaller than 57mm, this rig will not work for you!

zeNIKO Oc-d1

Elsewhere in this issue, we have reviewed the Zeniko MR11 rig, designed for holding phones in place and getting professional looking video content. The OC-D1 is one of the attachments you can use with that rig, an on-camera microphone. Thankfully, it’s not just an attachment for that rig but is also compatible with other cameras and recording equipment meaning you can attach this to any device with a 3.5mm jack, making it fairly versatile. It also comes with 2 types of cables: The TRS is good for picking up both mono and stereo while the TRRS cable also allows the microphone to be picked up separately from the right and left stereo, allowing you better control in the post-edit and able to control the volume input independently of background noise.

As well as the technical advantages these cables bring, you have two multi-directional microphones on the top of the unit that are easy to swing in to place and have a 360° reach so that you have as much coverage in the right direction as much as possible when capturing your audio. Speaking of audio, you also get a low-cut filter that helps diminish bass in the lower end of the spectrum, cutting out a lot of background noise and giving you a much clearer recording of what actually matters. As well as this, there is a +/-10Db switch, giving you the option of turning up the volume pickup if needed or turning it down if you’re getting distortion.

The battery life is good, lasting for 15 hours before re-charging is needed and a nice little (literally!) feature is an inbuilt air-bag that helps to absorb shock (when walking for example) which keeps the audio quality crisp and clear and allows you to move around without fear of losing out. A tidy little package!

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zeNIKO vs5 r

This RGB (Red, Geen, Blue) light from Zeniko has been designed to be used independently or you can mount it on the Smartphone video rig from Zeniko, reviewed elsewhere in this issue. When used like this, it provides a great backlight, set up with minimum hassle but this lightweight (comes in at 86g’s) light has many other uses, even if you don’t have the rig or set up to make use of it when recording content.

For starters, it has several different lighting effects ranging from a candle-light glow to lightning, allowing you to help set the scene (where a real candle isn’t possible for example) for a romantic night in or for your horror movie project you’re working on! Of course, one light may not be enough to set the scene so, if you have more than one, you can use the available app to synchronise multiple lights and control them all with a single button press (the range is about 12 metres, leaving you plenty of room to play with), giving you full control of whatever lighting option you need. As well as this, the light ranges from a soft glow to a full daylight (and higher!) intensity allowing you to tailor it to suit.

I mentioned previously that this was compatible with the video rig but as well as that, the VS5 R comes with a magnetised back, allowing you to position the lights anywhere as long as there is metal to cling to (Handy hintcorners of plaster walls often have metal in them to help stabilise during construction!). It also has a handy flip-hook on the back so you can either attach it to hang it from the ceiling or from a suspended line or even use it to support the light at an angle.

a greaT, value-fOr-MON ey pelleT gu N T haT

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£44.99

gel blasTer surge

Spud guns. Yep, you read that right, spud guns. That’s what I had when I was a kid playing with my mates. Still remember the wrinkled skin you got from permanently carrying around a leaking potato all day. I also remember the height of tech at that time was getting a spud gun that also combined the ability to put caps on it, giving a very satisfying ‘crack’ whenever you shot it (we were far more easily pleased back then!). Now, although technology has obviously come on a lot since then, many ‘blasters’ ended up having an impact on the environment that a good ol’ spud gun never did. Thankfully, the Gel Blaster Surge has that environmental impact firmly in mind.

The pellets provided for the Surge contain gel that is non-toxic, non-staining and has no impact on the environment with no danger to pets (starch based)! That’s a lot of boxes ticked but not a lot of good if the gun can’t deliver them. Now, this is the bit where any fondness I had for the old spud gun becomes purely nostalgic: This thing churns out shots at a rate of 10 per second on fully automatic mode and at distances over 100 feet and a speed of 170 foot per Second! What spud gun? The pellet container comes pre-loaded with 800 pellets ready to go and you get an extra 10,000 ‘gellets’ to help keep your fun going for quite a while (18 minutes worth if you were able to fire continuously!).

Couple this with an built-in battery that gives you 4 hours-worth of life before recharging via the supplied USB-C cable in just 45 minutes and there’s no way you’re not winning those battles with this thing by your side!

You also get 2 choices of barrel – one for the faster rate of fire mentioned above and the other for a more conservative 90 feet per second and you can switch from fully automatic to single shot when needing to conserve ammo.

sNOOzebaNd 2.0

I’ve always fancied being able to drift off to sleep while having music playing in my ears and am quite jealous of those that can do it. But, every time I tried, the buds or headphones end up being uncomfortable at best and painful at worst. Needless to say, sleep isn’t really an option with those being the only two choices I have! So, the Snoozeband seems to finally be a genuine solution to my problem. I’m also quite glad it’s not just me in all honesty!

The speakers themselves are only 4mm thick and are buried within the material of the Snoozeband. In effect, it feels like you’re just wearing a headband when you settle down. With no buds to insert or plastic-bracketed headphones to dig painfully in to your head, the whole issue of comfort is addressed, just like that! You can access the speakers and the battery via a covered zip located on the front (so you can take them out when washing the headband) and there is an adjustable Velcro strap on the back. Small buttons on the front control the volume and the power on/off so no need to fiddle with complex button presses, it’s all quite intuitive.

The headset connects via Bluetooth and works with all sleep and audio apps so will find a use no matter what system you use. The battery life is about 10 hours before you need to recharge but you can set the Snoozeband to automatically turn off after one or two hours so you don’t end up draining the battery if you find sleep while listening to whatever you’re listening to. There are no flashing lights while in operation and no audio notifications for low battery or when it switches off, perfect! My new favourite bedtime accoutrement.

gOreWear eNdure gOre-TeX JacKeT

We’ve all seen those poor cyclists who have had to go through wet and horrible weather with those unfortunate wet and muddy marks up their back kicked up from their rear wheel. In most cases, their top doesn’t cover up their errr… part of the body closest to the saddle and so the wet and cold, at worst, end up slipping down where the sun don’t shine and, as you may expect, it’s not a pleasant experience! Gorewear to the rescue!

This jacket has been designed specifically for those cycling or hiking in adverse weather conditions and it shows. First of all, the back of the jacket is longer than the front, extending low enough that when you’re riding a bike, much of the grime thrown up by your back wheel is directed to the outside of the jacket, protecting your clothing underneath. As well as this, it’s been designed with an overly large hood so that you can cover your head while still wearing a cycling helmet. This is so welcome as most helmets aren’t waterproof (through necessity) and it’s always been a problem when it rains. One further touch that sets this jacket above the rest is the way the elbow space in the sleeves has been designed to work with your elbows’ position while cycling, making for a more comfortable ride, highlighting the care and attention that has been put in to this jacket.

Speaking of waterproof, it may come as no surprise that this jacket is exactly that (it’s Gore-Tex afterall!)! There are Velcro sealers on the cuffs, a drawstring for the hem and the usual level of breathability you’ve come to expect from Gore-Tex. Once this is on and sealed up, you’re staying dry! And, while it’s not wet and grim, you can roll it up for storage and it only weighs about 270 grams, barely worthy of note.

£249.99

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Some ear buds are designed to block out all surrounding noise and those type of buds have their place in the market without a doubt. But, sometimes, you need (or want) to keep that awareness of your immediate surroundings keen and not block out all that useful noise. A tough ask when you think about it – having a bud lodged in your ear usually makes hearing anything else a strain at best! These buds from Shokz aim to solve this problem.

In order to achieve a good sound hitting your ears the buds make use of a low-frequency algorithm that sends lower frequency soundwaves to your ears, ensuring you hear them due to the proximity to your ear canal. As they don’t block up the ears, you are then able to hear external sounds, simple! Of course, the tech making this happen is much more complex than it sounds and involves carbon polymer 20 times stronger than steel (as well as being more robust, this reduces any vibrations affecting the sound quality), an 18mmx11mm dynamic driver custom-built for these buds and ear hooks made with flexible memory wire that can adjust to any ear size ensuring a good fit and far less likelihood of the buds slipping out of place although the weight of just over 8 grams per bud makes this less likely also. An added bonus of the memory wire is that it’s thin enough to allow you to wear glasses comfortably at the same time.

Of course, as with any kind of tech these days, there is an app and the one that pairs with these allows you to connect your buds to two separate devices. The battery life is about 7 hours before re-charging is needed and the case holds enough for 3 recharges before it needs charging itself.

KlaTTerMuseN sKJOld everyday paNTs

Before the “fnarr, fnarr, snicker!” brigade start, these are not underwear ‘pants’ that you can wear every day but are named pants in the American style meaning what we refer to as trousers. Now we have that cleared up, let’s take a look at this offering of ‘Mens Pants, Off The Mountain®’ from Klattermusen shall we? No snickering!

These trousers are designed for summer time use and are relatively light and loose-fitting as a result. They are made from organic cotton with elastane and have an adjustable elastic waist to ensure a decent fit. The loose fit around your legs helps to increase air-flow, keeping you cool on those hot summer days you’ll likely enjoy while out galavanting around the countryside (or just plain old vanting, no need to rush…) and multiple pockets allow you to keep all-sorts of handy bits and pieces to aid in your adventures. Two roomy, zipped thigh pockets, 2 reinforced hip pockets (the amount of these I’ve worn holes in with my keys is ridiculous so this is a welcome addition for me!) and 2 slanted pockets on the back provide all you’re likely to need for transporting bits and pieces.

They can withstand a fair amount of wind but, once it starts picking up, you’re going to really feel it so probably not good to wear them if you’re planning on going higher up or on a particularly windy day. From a practical point of view, they are machine-washable at 40° and come in a variety of colour choices. Klattermusen take great pride in making sure that their garments are designed with maximum sustainability in mind and have done so since their inception in 1975, nearly 50 years ago, way before most others had even acknowledged there was a problem. You can’t ask for a much better pedigree than that so you can purchase these safe in the knowledge that your impact for doing so is minimal.

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£229

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TracKleMeNTs specIal edITION

chIMIchurrI chIllI relIsh

The latest addition to the Tracklements range of artisan condiments is the NEW Special Edition Chimichurri Chilli Relish. A popular, green sauce originating from Argentina and Uruguay, this is a veritable flavour fiesta of coriander, oregano, parsley, garlic and lemon juice. And as if that’s not enough, Bird’s Eye Chillies are slipped in to get the party started on pretty much everything this cheeky relish touches. Traditionalists may say it should be reserved for complementing the richness of churrasco - grilled or barbecued meat - but, in our opinion, it deserves a seat at any table.

£4.10

saraMONIc blINK500 prOX b2r

I’ve reviewed a few microphone sets in my time and this is the first set I have come across that actually gives you an LED screen on both the transmitter and the receiver. It’s one of those “Why hasn’t someone done this before?” moments. No more rushing over to the mic wearer to adjust their equipment for them (be honest, most people wearing the mic have no idea how to use it, which is not their fault, there are just so many different models out there), they can now look at the screen and do it themselves, what a relief!

Muting, mic gain and ‘audio in’ levels are all adjustable on the transmitters and they can also host lavalier microphones via the 3.5mm jack if you prefer the look and don’t want to rely on the built-in mic’s. As well as this, both transmitters provided have up to 8GB storage independent of the receiver so, if they get disconnected for whatever reason (scenery, range, weird signals disrupting the pick-up – although this is somewhat mitigated by the set automatically finding the frequency with the least amount of latency, a great help), you still have the audio files to fall back on which is a nice little touch, brownie points for this idea. The operating range is about 100 metres, less than some others out there but, with the aforementioned independent back-up storage on the transmitters, this is less of a worry than you may think.

The receiver has a 3.5mm jack so you can listen to the audio directly as you are recording and you have the ability to set the recording to either Mono or Stereo, depending on if you’re using one or two transmitters. Both transmitters and receivers have about 10 hrs worth of battery life and the charging case can re-charge them up to two times, giving you 30 hours of usage – plenty of time for most situations.

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laval I er OpTION.

£152.56

a greaT, easy TO use MIcrOphON e seT T haT ’ s

relaTI vely IN e X peNsI ve fOr W haT IT dOes , T hu M bs up!

If you’re in to outdoor running, you’ll already be aware that the kind of clothing you have is essential for maintaining good body temperature as you run. Too thick, you overheat and excessively sweat, too thin, you lose heat, potentially leading to all sorts of muscle problems, not to mention when it starts inconsiderately raining on you halfway through! A breathable top that is lightweight and has some waterproofing as well as some way to regulate air flow is the kind of thing you need and this Clean Flow jacket may be what you’re after.

The fabric making up this jacket is 92% polyester and 8% spandex, giving it a good level of stretchability and comfort. The hem and wrist cuffs are half elastic so you have a good seal that helps to keep your body heat in and the rain out. To help with air regulation, there are small holes in the sleeves near the cuffs and to the top of the back panel which all adds to the breathability of the garment. You may think these would be prime leaking points but this isn’t the case due to the construction and are essential to maintaining a good airflow, helping to regulate your body temperature as you go.

The jacket is lightweight, coming in at 104 grams for a men’s medium-size and, due to the material and construction, bundles up nice and small, allowing it to be transported easily stashed away while you’re running, ready to whip out as soon as the rain starts coming. It comes in a bright yellow, aiding visibility when out and about and also has a reflective heat transfer logo that shows up in dark conditions. The zips are solid and reliable but then, YKK are an established and well-known brand and generally are!

saysKy cleaN flOW JacKeT a

£153

MINIX z100 Odb

Everything is getting smaller. Chocolate bars, wagon wheels, and definitely computers. I remember when I got my first PC as an adult, bloomin’ ‘ooge fing it was! A stack a couple of foot tall housed the motherboard and all the other essentials needed (including the ever-present giant cooling fans) such as the mightily fast (ahem) 256MB RAM and equally as impressive 8GB hard disk drive! My my, how things have changed…

This PC from Minix is, first of all, able to fit in one hand. In all honesty, it’s only a little bit larger than I remember my hard disk drive from that PC alone being! And it packs an awful lot in for that size. It has 8GB RAM with 256GB storage (like someone just switched the numbers round off my old one) and is completely fanless. Minix have optimised the design to ensure maximum heat dissipation so there is no need for a fan and, because of that, dust accumulation is far less of an issue too, ably abetted by the anti-static design. It also runs silently, ideal for environments where quiet is preferred. The processor is the Intel® Quad Core N100, ideally suited for office work and browsing – don’t expect any high-end gaming on this thing but that’s not what it’s designed for.

You get two HDMI slots so you can double screen (essential for office work these days), 5 USB ports (1 type C, 2 type A and 2 x 2.0), 3.5mm jack for headphones and mic and an ethernet port too for when the Bluetooth 5.2 connection isn’t enough. It also comes with Windows 11 Pro pre-installed so you can get started straight away. I remember paying about £800-900 for my old PC (first time I was able to get credit on anything!) and this rocks in at less than a third of that price. All you need is a keyboard, mouse and monitor and away you go. Kids these days, no idea how good they’ve got it.

£239.50

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NebO raMbler ps100 pOWersTaTION

It’s frustrating when you’re out and about and an electronic device you rely on runs out of charge and there’s no charging points! I’ve suffered this when getting out of the flat once in a while (I get bored and distracted easily, a change in locale can help alleviate this problem for me) writing these reviews and wherever I end up doesn’t have an available charging point. Well, that’s exactly what a powerstation is for and more fool me for not making use of one earlier!

This one from Nebo is pretty much an all-rounder and can charge near enough anything electronic you’re likely to have with you. It has 2 USB-A charging ports, a USB-C Bi-directional charging port and even a wireless docking port as well as 3 different lighting modes for night time use. The thing that sets this apart however, is the adaptability provided by multiple adaptors allowing all sorts of different types of power socket to be accessed – even to the point of including European and American socket adaptors for plugging in to wall sockets. Several cable types are includedDC to USB-C, USB-C to USB-C and a car charger, giving you all the options you are likely to need. This really does feel like an all-in-one kit.

The battery itself is a massive 26,000 mAh! To put this in context you’re looking at a device that can power-up a mobile phone 6-8 times, a laptop a couple of times and other, less intense devices even more times before it needs recharging itself. And that recharging only takes about 3-4 hours before it’s good to go all over again! On top of that, it also has through-charging so you can charge your other devices simultaneously, while in the car for example – a very handy feature for those driving from one place to the next.

£219.99

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With a preponderance of flashlights that seem to be getting smaller and smaller, it is somewhat refreshing to get one that ‘feels’ like a flashlight! The kind of one that incompetent security guards used in 80’s action flicks, you know what I mean? It’s fair to say this one is far superior to those ones of course, so let’s take a look at it.

To begin with, this thing can knock out up to 2000 lumens worth of light up to a distance of just over 400 metres (those 80’s flashlights were lucky to go 40 metres and any hero with a good level of dark clothing or boot polish stripes on their face just blended in to the background…) over a 2 hour period. Obviously, this may not be practical from a run-time point of view and so you have a lower setting at 500 lumens that doubles the usage time and reduces the range to 34 meters. Not quite so spectacular but likely to be more practical, especially if you need the light for close-up work. Adding more flexibility is the 4x adjustable zoom function that narrows or broadens the beam to suit your task and there is also a red light option (flashing and steady) which is ideal to set a hazard or warning light This is made even more useful by the addition of a magnetic base which means you can set the torch aside without worrying about it rolling off – as long as there is something the magnet attaches to of course!

The torch itself is relatively lightweight at under a half a kilo and easy to handle due to the rubberised grip. It’s waterproof to IP67 level and made from aircraft-grade aluminium – it’s tough! It charges via USB-C and takes approximately 4-8 hours to fully charge while the lights are COB which are generally larger and less prone to breaking down than your regular LED’s while still emitting the same level of light.

NebO ulTIMaTe JuMp sTarTer

There’s nothing worse than getting out and about somewhere in your car, having a relaxing day enjoying the countryside or at the seaside only to find out at the end of the day that your battery is flat because someone forgot to turn the lights off when you got there! Cue embarrassing requests for a jump-start in the vague hope someone has some jumper cables in their car because you certainly haven’t…

Well, now you can make sure you’re never in this situation again. Not only is the Nebo Ultimate Jump Starter capable of jump starting your car (clue’s in the name folks…) with a solid 1500 Amps-worth of jolt (a 1000 is enough for most family cars so 1500 should cover near enough any vehicle type), this 15000 mAh battery also comes with an option to re-pressurise your tyres! Yep, you read that right, no need to try and find a garage with an air pump while driving on dodgy tires, this thing does it for you. With up to 130 PSI, you’ll have more than enough, regardless of what you’re driving (alright, we’ll draw the line at massive construction vehicles…) and the digital display let’s you know when you’re done. The multiple nozzles provided ensure you can make use of this regardless of your tyre type.

As well as jump-starting your car and re-pressurising your tyres, it comes with a standard 3-pin plug socket (220-240 Volts AC) so you can charge pretty much anything from this device, especially when you consider it also has a USB-A and a USB-C portal too. To top it all off, it’s got a floodlight that has 3 settings – White Area Light and either Red Area Light or flashing red light for when you need to indicate a hazard. You’re not going to need much more else in your car if you have this kit and it only weighs in at just over a kilo.

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£249.99

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