So Joe... » Product Reviews

ReviewMe – An Improved PayPerPost

Joe — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 21:53:27 +0000

ReviewMe is a new form of ‘PayPerPost’, a way of paying bloggers to review products and services. Other methods of reimbursement for product reviews have been criticized by many for their ‘insincerity’, that is, posters are required to give a positive review if they want to get paid, and their is also no indication to the reader that they are getting paid for their review. ReviewMe fixes this issue by assuring reviewers they will get paid for an honest review, and by requiring that the review be labeled as a ‘paid advertisement’.

Their are two sides to ReviewMe, the ‘Bloggers’ who submit their blog to be considered for reviews, and the ‘Advertisers’ who then pick the bloggers they’d like to have review their product or service.

The Bloggers

Signing up is easy. Go to www.ReviewMe.com and click on ‘Sign up now!’. You’ll see the form at the left asking for typical information required for you to get paid (including SSN), and offering the option to get paid via check or PayPal.

Once you’ve created your account you’ll want to submit the site(s) that you want to place your reviews on. You’ll need to fill out a form that describes your site to potential advertisers. For a site like mine, that includes information in many categories, this can be a little tricky (as far as picking the ‘type of site’ you have). After submitting the form, ReviewMe will check to see if your site qualifies to be a part of the ReviewMe process. If approved, you will be notified of your acceptance, and of what your payment level will be. Payments can be anywhere from $20 – $200, based on how your website ranks in some popular sites such as Alexa and Technorati, and your estimated RSS feed subscriptions. My acceptance notice appeared instantly after submitting the application form.

After that, you wait to be notified about a requested review, and you have the right to accept or decline any proposals. As a starting incentive, ReviewMe will even pay you to write a review about them (which is what I am doing now)!

The Advertisers

If you’re an advertiser, and you’d like to order a review from a blogger, their is a handy search tool on the home page. The tool shows the most common ‘tags’ associated with participating blogs, which you can simply click on, or you can type in your own search term. Either method will provide a list of potential blogs, which includes their profile (the part you fill out when you submit your blog), ranking (based on Alexa, Technorati, and estimated RSS feed subscribers) and the cost to order a review. You can them pick as many blogs as you like by adding them to a shopping cart. If you’re not sure which to pick, you can even get a ‘Free Custom Proposal’ from one of the ReviewMe experts.

Once you’ve chosen your blogs, the ‘Checkout’ has you fill out some information on the product that you’d like reviewed. The bloggers you’ve chosen are then notified and have a chance to accept or decline the opportunity to write a review.

Conclusion

Since I’ve just started with ReviewMe, and this is my first review, I don’t have a lot of experience with the process. Based on what I’ve seen and worked with so far, it looks to be very promising. The ability to give an honest review is the most important aspect of this tool, which will help it gain credibility from both advertisers and bloggers. The site is easy to navigate and understand, and the payment system scale appropriately rewards more popular sites. Give it a try, you’ve got nothing to loose!

jWIN JL-707 Projection & LED Alarm Clock Radio

Joe — Fri, 26 May 2006 06:00:00 +0000

A little over a year ago I needed a new alarm clock. I have a shelf on my headboard where I keep my alarm clock, so it’s easy to reach, and I keep pillows leaned up against the headboard, which keeps it out of site. This helps keep my room looking uncluttered, but when I wake up, and want to know what time it is, I have to move the pillows aside to see the clock, not very desirable. While I was looking through the variety of alarm clocks on Amazon, I stumbled across the jWIN JL-707 Projection & LED Alarm Clock Radio. This alarm clock/radio is similar to most, in that it displays the time with a display on the front, but it also has an LED projector built in that projects the time on a wall or ceiling. This works great for me, I have it project onto the ceiling right above my pillow.

Now, anytime I wake up and want to know the time, I just need to look up and there it is, plain as day (but only at night!). The light isn’t so bright that you notice it with your eyes closed (or even open), but it is bright enough to see when the room is dark. You don’t notice it during the daytime or when the lights are on.

The focus of the projector can be changed depending on how far away the projection surface is. One thing I’m not crazy about is that the time for the projector is set separately from the time for the clock, so come Day Light Savings time, you need to adjust the projector separately. Not a huge deal.

The rest of the clock is quite unremarkable. A standard wake to alarm or radio with only one alarm setting. The clock has a power cord and an antenna cord coming out of it, and does allow for installation of a 9v battery as a backup in case the power should go out.

If you just need a typical alarm clock, their are many out there that are better. If you like the idea of having the time projected on a wall or ceiling so you can see it in the dark, than this is the clock for you. I’m so used to having this feature that should this clock ever stop working, I will definitely try to find another.

Scanpan Ergonomic 9-piece Chefs Set

Joe — Fri, 19 May 2006 06:00:53 +0000

After moving into my first house, I decided I needed a good set of pans for the kitchen. I wanted something non-stick, but was very displeased with the couple random non-stick pans I already had. With most of them you have to use plastic utensils, otherwise the coating gets scratched and starts to peel off. Well, my pans were all peeling, so I’d end up with what looked like pepper, but was actually non-stick coating, in my food. I Googled around a bit and did some research, and found the Scanpan website. Their non-stick pans use a ceramic-titanium non-stick method that is bonded to the metal of the pan, it’s not just a spray on coating. I looked around and only saw good feedback about them, so I jumped in and bought the ‘Chefs Set‘, a 9-piece set of pans.

The set includes an 11-Inch Covered Saute pan, 11-Inch frying pan, 2-Quart and 3-Quart Covered Saucepans, and a 6-Quart Covered Dutch Oven. I also bought separately an 11-Inch Square Griddle. All of the pans have an ergonomically designed handle that is more comfortable to grip, whether you are right or left handed.

I’ve been using the pans now for four or five years, and I just love them. One of the best purchases I’ve made. Nothing sticks to them, just wipe with some water and everything easily washes out. I don’t use oil or spray when I cook since it’s not needed anymore. I use metal utensils almost exclusively, and I don’t have even one scratch yet on any of these pans, so the technology is sound. The pans are well constructed, with heavy bases to help heat distribute evenly. The handles are sturdy and comfortable, the texture is non-slip, and they don’t get hot, so you can pick up the pan by the handle even after using it a long time over high-heat. The lids are glass, so you can tell how things are going inside without having to lift the lid, and the handles on the lids can be picked up while hot as well. The only blemish I’ve found on any of these pans is on the one I use the most, the griddle. Their is a small ‘wear mark’, where the metal is a bit lighter in color, but nothing is sticking to it, so it’s currently just a tiny visual blemish.

I would strongly recommend these pans to anyone looking for a good non-stick pan. Either as a set, or they can be purchased individually, with a straight handle, or with the ergonomic handle, you can’t go wrong. A good set of pans like this isn’t cheap, but I truely believe I’ll be using these pans the rest of my life, so in the long run the money is well invested.

Sonicare Elite 7500 Dual Speed Toothbrush

Joe — Fri, 12 May 2006 06:00:56 +0000

I’ve been using a Sonicare Elite 7500 Dual Speed Toothbrush for almost a year now. The toothbrush uses sonic technology to clean your teeth. It basically vibrates the brush incredibly fast, which at first feels pretty strange, but you get used to it pretty quick. To aid you in getting used to it, their is actually a feature that starts the brush out slowly, and over 14 days increases the power, which works great. This is just the first of many great features.

Another great feature is a built in timer. The brush can automatically run for two minutes, beeping every 30 seconds. The idea is to have you brush each quadrant for an equal amount of time. So, I start with the outside of my lower teeth, then at the beep move to the inside of my lower teeth, then at the next beep move to the outside of my upper teeth, and at the final beep the inside of my upper teeth, after which it turns off. Works great and helps assure you’re brushing long enough.

The unit has a removable head that should be replaced every 6 months. The replacement heads cost a bit over $10 each. I’ve replaced 1 so far (and will be replacing it again soon), though at 6 months, it was still in very good shape. The brushes come with a plastic cap that you can keep on the end of the brush to keep the bristles clean. The head comes off very easily, which means you could share one brush with more than one person, each person simply puts their head on when they want to use it. The heads even have a color band on them so you can tell the difference between two of them.

A charging base that the unit stands in for charging is included. It allows the cord to be coiled inside the base, which helps eliminate extra cord hanging around. I purchased a dual pack (the 7550) that included one charger, and two brushes to share with a roommate. We could easily keep one brush out of the charger for two weeks without any noticeable decline in power. Living alone now, I just keep the brush in the charger whenever I’m not using it, either way works fine. What’s most interesting to me is that the unit is completely sealed, no metal contacts are visible, yet somehow it charges when in it’s cradle. How does it work? I don’t know, but this definitely makes it easy to keep clean as you can simply hold the entire brush under the faucet.

So, does it work? Yes, it certainly does. This toothbrush leaves your mouth feeling clean. It also improves the health of your gums. I used to have problems with my gums bleeding occasionally, but since I’ve been using this toothbrush, it hasn’t been a problem. I would strongly recommend this or other Sonicare toothbrushes. Other models have the same cleaning benefits, but may have different options (timers, etc).

All Sonicare Models Feature:

smartimerÂ® – 2-minute timer to ensure dental professional recommended brushing time
easy-startÂ® - Gently increases brushing power over first 12 uses
Extra-soft bristles – Extra-soft, end-rounded bristles ensure deep, yet gentle cleaning

Elite 7500 Features:

quadpacerÂ® – 30-second interval timer encourages thorough brushing of each quadrant of your mouth
Ergonomic tapered handle -Tapered handle with luxury soft grip improves maneuverability
Superior cleaning technology - Next generation sonic technology with angled neck, tapered brush head and contour-fit bristles
Deluxe recharge gauge -Shows battery charge status and helps track battery level
Dual speed control - High and low speed settings

Body-Solid PowerLift Weight Bench

Joe — Fri, 05 May 2006 06:00:28 +0000

I recently purchased a Body-Solid PowerLift FID46 Flat/Incline/Decline Weight Bench. I chose this bench because it is very sturdy, and the bench can easily adjust to an incline or decline position. The picture shows the bench with light grey pads, mine looks the same, but the pads are black instead of light grey.

I’ve included some pictures below that show the bench during assembly and after it’s finished. Click any picture to see a larger version.

The package weighs 125lbs, so you may want some help getting it to your destination, though I was able to move it myself by ‘walking’ the box along the ground to the room I assembled it in. The bench comes with excellent instructions, maybe the best I’ve seen. The book not only includes instructions broken down into steps with illustrations and written directions, but also has sections on nutrition, exercises, and even log sheets for your workouts. The hardware is packaged together for each step, and each piece is labeled as to it’s name, and quantity, so it’s very difficult to screw up.

Though the instructions are very good, the bench has a lot of parts, and you really have to pay close attention to both the pictures and written descriptions they give you to be sure you assemble it correctly. I ran into a couple problems assembling mine. The first, which was minor was that I couldn’t get all four screws into the seat back. I was able to solve that problem by using a file to file the holes in the frame slightly larger, so the bolt had a bit more room to catch onto the bolt in the seat back.

The second problem was a bit more serious. I was unable to slide the leg attachment onto the bench. The post that slides onto the bench was hitting the edge of the seat padding, and could not be pushed all the way down. I found a solution, but it required power tools. I put a metal cutting blade in my jig saw, and cut slots on each side of the holes that the seat attaches to. I then pounded the tabs between the two cuts into the frame, which results in an elongated hole for the bolts that attach to the seat. I then put the bolts through into the seat, and slide the seat to a position where I could get the leg attachment on and off. See the pictures below which show the cuts I made, and the tab bent in.

Note that after using the bench a few times, I noticed that their was a much easier solution to this, and in fact it’s probably not a fault with the bench at all. If you put the bench in an incline position, it opens up enough space to slide the leg attachment on and off without hitting the seat. I’m still glad I made the adjustment so I don’t have to worry about that, but if you don’t have tools and don’t want to spend the time to alter your bench, it’s not actually necessary.

The only other problem I had with the bench was that part of the chrome was peeling off the Olympic adaptor on the leg attachment. Not a big deal, you can’t really even tell (at least not yet).

I’ve been using the bench for a bit now and I really like it. It’s very sturdy and comfortable, and adjusts easily. Though it’s a heavy bench, it has wheels on one end that make it easier to move around. I found that you can even stand it on end to take up less floor space when not in use. This bench is even sturdy enough that I’ve been using it for hyperextensions. I adjust the seat back to about 45 degrees, then kneel against it with my feet at the base of the seat back, and then use my weight belt to strap around my calves and the seat back to hold me on the bench. I position the bench so that I can use my power rack to aid me in raising up or down if I need the help. With it’s wide and long base, the bench doesn’t budge even though I’m cantilevered a few feet off the end of the bench. Might not work for someone much taller than me (I’m about 5’9″), but for me, it’s working great! Overall, dispite the few problems I had, I would strongly recommend this bench to anyone looking for a sturdy, flexible weight bench.

Powerline Power Rack PPR-200

Joe — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 06:00:12 +0000

I recently purchased a Powerline Power Rack PPR-200. If you’re not familiar with what a power rack is, it’s basically a metal rack that holds a weight bar, and provides safety catches that allow someone to lift heavy weights without a spotter. Should you not be able to lift the weight for that last rep, you can set the weight down on the safety bars, and be able to safely crawl out from under the weight. The PowerLine PPR-200 is reasonably priced, easy to adjust, and has a ‘lat’ option. It is very similar to the RockSolid PKR-127, as well as a number of other racks. It appears that the main difference between racks is the size of the tubing used, and if it is bolted or welded together. The PPR-200 uses 2″ tubing, and is bolted together. More expensive racks use 2.5″ or 3″ tubing, and are welded. For my needs, being a beginner, the PPR-200 is more than strong enough for my needs. If I should get to the point where I’m moving close to 1000lbs around, I’ll be happy to buy a stronger setup!

The main rack (without the optional lat attachment) comes in three boxes (note that the weights and barbell are not included, nor is a bench):

21kg (46lbs)
22kg (48.5lbs)
19kg (42lbs)

The instructions, which I’ve included here, are almost non-existent. Their’s a page showing all the pieces, and an exploded diagram of the rack, but that’s it. I’ll describe here how I put mine together, and the few gotchas I ran into. The nuts and bolts are 3/4″, I used a 3/4″ socket, and a 3/4″ open end wrench (you’ll need a wrench to hold the bolt as you tighten the nut). Open the bag of hardware and separate them according to size. Though the bolts all look the same, their are three different lengths that need to be used in three different places. Despite what the parts list shows, their are 8 of the longest bolts, not 4.

Note that some pictures are included within the text below, but all pictures are available at the bottom, click a picture to get a bigger view.

I started by putting together the two sides of the rack. The main vertical pieces appear at first glance to not have a specific top or bottom, but they do. Notice in the pictures that the bolt holes on one end are parallel with the larger 1″ holes, while on the other end, they are perpendicular. The perpendicular holes are the bottom side, this will align the large holes on the two vertical supports so the support bar can pass through them. I had the first two vertical pieces upside down the first time, but luckily I noticed before I got much further. Bolt the two vertical pieces to the bottom piece using the 70mm long bolts (middle size). Don’t tighten the bolts right away, just get them enough that the structure won’t fall apart, this makes it easier to align all the holes as you assemble with other pieces.

Next, I attached the two top side pieces to the top back with the two shortest bolts. I then attached the two sides to the top with 70mm bolts. Be sure that you arrange the sides properly so the longer legs of the side are towards the back of the rack, which is also where the top back piece is. Then, with the longer 75mm bolts, attach the bottom back piece and the top front ‘chin-up’ bar, and you’re ready to stand the rack up.

It’s a little awkward to stand up, but I was able to slowly lift and slide the rack until it was vertical. Go around and tighten all of the bolts, be sure not to miss any, remember, this rack is going to be holding hundreds of pounds over your head! Attach the black end-caps at the top back corners, and slide the plastic feet onto the four corners of the base. My kit included four extra plastic pieces that look like they were intended to be some kind of feet. They aren’t listed on the parts list, and aren’t as tall as the regular feet, so they don’t touch the ground if you attach them on the bottom. They do snap on to the 2″ frame at any location, I just don’t know what they would be used for, so they are waiting in the box. Let me know if you know what they are for!

Once the rack is together, slide the long poles through the holes in the frame, and use the small pins to hold them securely in place. One of my poles had a little extra metal in the hole the pin goes through, so I had to use a small round file to clean it up, allowing the pin to slide through easily. Slide the shorter support pieces into place and use pins to hold them in place as well. I used a label maker to mark the holes that I want to use for bench presses and squats so I’m not having to count holes all the time. You could also use a label maker or a marker to number the holes.

I ended up getting the lat attachment as well a few days later. The instructions are just as bad (I’ve attached them here). It comes in two boxes:

21kg (46lbs)
4.5kg (10lbs)

The kit does include a long pull down bar, perfect for lat pull-downs, and also includes a shorter straight bar to attach on the bottom, which could be used for bicep curls, rows, etc. The carriage that slides up and down, and holds the weights, is designed to hold weights with a 1″ hole. It can still hold Olympic style weights (as the product picture above shows), but since I already had some weights with 1″ holes from an old beginners weight set, I use them instead.

Besides adding labels for the frequently used positions of the support pins, I’ve already made some small modifications to my rack to add functionality. I added some stick on hooks to hold the weight bar clamps. Since I don’t have a machine for calf raises, I tried leaning against the back of the rack with the barbell on my shoulders, which works fine, but quickly started scratching the paint off of the rack. I used some aluminum sheet that I had laying around, and bent it around the rack pieces, affixing it with double-face tape. Now at least the rack isn’t taking the abuse. I also made some spacers to attach to the barbell so I wouldn’t lean to much to the left or right when doing calf raises. They are simply a piece of PVC cut in half with pipe insulating sleeve taped to the inside, and duct-tape and Velcro used to hold the two halves together, and allow quick attachment/detachment to the barbell. Not fancy, but works great!

I’ve used the rack a number of times now, and so far I am very happy with it. It’s very sturdy and durable, looks great, and functions well. The only change to the design that I’d make is to have the safety bars chrome or stainless steel instead of painted. When you push them through the holes in the rack, unless you are perfectly straight when guiding it through, it scrapes on the sides of the holes, and some of the black paint scrapes off. Not a big deal, but chrome or stainless would be more durable, though it would probably raise the price, which is probably why they didn’t do it. All in all, I can definitely recommend this product to anyone looking for a power rack.

Make Room for Staples in your Kitchen!

Joe — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 03:53:22 +0000

No, I’m not talking about those little metal fasteners, I’m talking about those basic food items you can’t do without. Instead of hiding them away in your pantry and your cupboards, showcase them! This not only frees up room in your pantry and cupboards for other items, but creates a visually appealing display in your kitchen, and puts those often used food items within closer reach.

Now simply putting those boxes and bags on a shelf in your kitchen isn’t very attractive. All of these items are different sizes and shapes for one, so they don’t stack well. More importantly, the packaging generally isn’t nice to look at. Instead, take advantage of some of the newer transparent containers to organize all of these items. They make it easy to find what you are looking for, they’re generally airtight, so they’ll keep the food fresh longer than those rolled over bags and tucked in box tops, and you can choose matching sizes to make them all fit well in the space you have available.

So, what will you need? First, you’ll need some shelves to put these item on. My kitchen is pretty small, a galley style kitchen, but I have a little space available at the end where I could put some shelves. I like a more modern look, so I went with the adjustable chrome shelves that have become popular lately. They are easy to clean, and are adjustable, so they’re perfect for this purpose.

Next, you’ll need some containers. Their are many different kinds, in different shapes and colors. I prefer the containers to be transparent, so the food is easily visible. After all, when your staples are displayed this way, they look great, why hide them! The containers I use are Snapware ‘Square Grip’, which are are available in three different sizes. They are airtight, transparent, and the sizes fit great on the shelving unit I described above. Note that you can save some money by looking for ‘sets’ that include a number of containers. These sets are cheaper than buying all of the individual containers, so figure out how many containers of each size you require, and get as many kits as you can to fullfill that number. Snapware has a 10 piece set that includes one large, two medium, and two small containers for about $20. Otherwise, the large (120oz) are about $7, the medium (64oz) about $6, and the small (32oz) about $5 (each). You can then by individual containers to fill out whatever sizes you still need more of.

Finally, you’ll probably want some kind of labeling. Though you can see the food through the container, you often can’t tell the difference between items based on appearance. For example, can you tell the difference between salt and sugar by sight? How about flour and corn starch? I use a DYMO LetraTag 11944 Electronic Labelmaker to make labels on their white plastic tape, and place the labels on the lids (the white labels match the white lids of my containers perfectly), so they’re easily visible, and the plastic cleans easily without damage.

Here’s some pictures of my setup, filled with all the staples I could find, and I add more all the time (I’ve already got more containers than are in the pictures). Things like pasta, rice, nuts, chocolate chips, raisins, baking ingredients, etc. all make for great fillers, they look great, and they’re handy to grab when you need them. So, add some great looks and functionality to your kitchen, setup your own staples shelves!