Reviews by Nathan and Erin

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Awesome sound, half-baked features

· Hopestar A90 Bluetooth Speaker

This speaker has awesome sound, impressive volume, and a ton of features.. but many of the features seem half-baked. Still, the core functionality is very solid.

A so-so copy of a poor design

· MVBOONE Pixel Watch 4 Charger

At first glance, this looks nearly identical to the official charger, and to be fair, it does charge the watch.

Good design, but poor QA

· Young Electric 4-Bike Hitch Rack

Now that I've got it working, I really like the bike rack, but out of the box it was completely unusable.

Compact and convenient, might struggle with heavier loads

· Collapsible Trunk Organizer

I'm pretty happy with this organizer overall. It's been fairly convenient on the occasions when I have needed it, and it's very easy to flatten down and move out of the way when not needed.

Convenient for a quick charge

· Ntaanoo MagSafe Battery Pack

I use this with my Pixel 9 Pro that I have in a case that adds magsafe-style magnets. I didn't think that it would actually make that much of a difference, just switching to magnetic charging instead of…

Great for music, maps, etc.

· Lamicall Bike Frame Bag

This was very easy to install and fits my bike great. I was a little concerned about the front strap going around a part of my bike that turns with the handlebars (the "stem", I think), but it doesn't…

Great 4k60 HDMI cable

· HDMI 2.0 Cable (2-pack, 6ft)

This cable is solid and reliable, and a great deal at 2 for $7.

Fun idea, but not for me

· Date Night Food Decision Dice: 3 PCS Real Wood Dice Set

This is a fun idea, and it feels pretty well made, but... my wife and I just aren't using them. They were good for a laugh and we've found the dice that match what we did after the fact once, but we've…

My daughter loves these!

· Mini Butterfly Hair Clips (80-pack)

These are super cute little butterfly hair clips!

Fixed backlight, tied to Scroll Lock

· Guiheng Rainbow Backlit Keyboard (104-key)

This keyboard seems relatively fine for $22, but it does leave a little bit to be desired.

Mostly works, up to 1080p120 or 4k60

· HDMI Dummy Plug (2K)

This mostly works, although I had a couple of hiccups, where it would stop working and the light would turn off when connecting or disconnecting a different (real) monitor to the same video card. Not…

As expected, delicious

· Glutino Birthday Cake Pretzel Twists

These tasted exactly as I expected. They were really delicious and a nice treat.

The rounded ones protect your skin

· Facial Grooming Scissors

These work great, they're sharp and cut cleanly. I don't think I'd ever seen a pair with a bulbous/rounded end before, but I can definitely see the value having tried it now.

Mostly works, but missing pins and issues with my cable tester

· 240W USB-C Cable (2-pack, 3.3ft)

There's something about this cable that trips up my cable tester, making it think there's no cable connected when I try to read the e-marker. But when I use it with an actual computer, it seems to work…

Warm and cozy

· WEACT Beanie Hat

I wore this hat for a walk through our local nature preserve, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The hat is warm and cozy and comfortable, just the right amount of tightness so that it held on to my head but…

Cheery little cable for fast charging and slow data

· Hagibis Wedge USB-C Cable

Works great for charging and low-speed data (USB 2.0: 30-40MB/s real-world).

Works at 5K, but not quite 6 ft

· DisplayPort to USB-C Cable

Works great! I was even able to use it with a 5k2k (5120x2160) display at 60hz with a crisp and stable picture! (Using DP 1.4 & DSC [Display Stream Compression] - I'm not sure if that actually uses more…

Great for connecting a modern device to an older monitor or projector

· UVOOI USB-C to VGA Cable

Works with my phone, my iPad mini, and my Macbook, and a Windows laptop! Defaulted to mirroring the display, although the laptops both supported extending and were able to read the correct resolution…

10Gbps USB 3 speeds, annoying light, good value

· Pattern Prime USB-C to USB-A Adapters (3-pack)

These are a must-have for a Macbook, and also convenient for phones and other USB-C only devices.

No video, 1 USB, lots of quirks

· KCEVE USB KVM Switch (2 PCs)

Quick summary: Works for switching one USB-A device between two computers Supports USB 3.0 5 Gbps speeds Having both a button on the main "hub" and an external button is nice They included a…

Small, but does it all!

· aceyoon Keychain USB-C Cable (240W)

The best cable is the one you have with you, and this cable is incredibly capable and handy! I was able to use it for ~90w charging along with 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 / USB4 data transfer, and it's…

Convenient but slow

· USB card reader

This card reader covers a range of different types of cards, and the option of USB-A or USB-C is convenient. However, it DOES NOT operate at a "10 Gigabits Per Second" Data Transfer Rate - that's just…

Only 17w (total) when two devices are connected

· SAMONPOW 25W Dual-Port USB-C Charger

This is a cute little charger that's great for low-powered devices like smartphones, tablets, earbuds, etc. It can even (slowly) charge my macbook at about 19w! (Although I also tried with a Windows…

Splits 1 port 4 ways, ignores the other port

· USB 9-pin splitter

Works, but the implementation is sub-par from a bandwidth perspective. Each 9-pin header on the motherboard is actually two USB ports, so this splitter, going from one 9-pin to two 9-pin headers is…

Great USB 2.0 cable for printers and other devices

· USB A to B printer cable

Works great for connecting a computer with a standard USB-A port to a printer, scanner, multifunction center, USB hub (including one built into a monitor), 3d printer, older camera camera, Arduino, hard…

Minor flaws, but fantastic for the price - actually waterproof!

· YD05 Waterproof Bluetooth Earbuds

These are kind of amazing for $7, so while I have a few complaints, I really can't knock them very hard.

Works for 4k and 1080p, issues with other resolutions, DP->HDMI only

· DisplayPort to HDMI Cable

I tested this cable with 2 PCs (one with an AMD RX 6800, one with a Geforce GTX 1650) and 4 monitors. For DisplayPort output and 1080p or 4k, it just worked with no trouble. Crisp picture and correct…

Fast charge, slow data, nice feel

· USB-C 100w braided cable

This is a great for charging most laptops, and just about any other usb-c device: phones, tablets, earbuds, etc. - provided the device is within 3 ft of the charger!

Perfect for an old monitor or projector

· HDMI-VGA adapter

This is perfect for connecting an older monitor or projector to a newer computer with an HDMI output.

Spares you from needing a dongle

· USB-C to mini-B cable

Works great! Provides power and a data connection to your calculator or any other mini-USB device you might have without needing a dongle!

Good for up to 65W charging and USB 2.0 data

· USB-C cables (4-pack)

This is a great cable for charging most USB-C devices: any smartphone or tablet, camera, earbuds, even low-to-medium powered laptops at up to 65W (3.25A 20V).

Simple connection for 4k and beyond

· USB-C to DisplayPort Cable

Works great! It has both high-speed USB-C lanes dedicated to DisplayPort, meaning it can do 4k60 (3840 x 2560 resolution a.k.a "4k" at 60hz) even with devices that only support DisplayPort 1.2, which…

Good USB Type-B to Type-C cable

· USB-C to USB-B printer cable

Works perfect to let my MacBook print on my printer! It used to be able to print and scan wirelessly, but one MacOS update broke printing and another broke scanning. So then I was stuck using a cable +…

Pretty good for the price

· 100w USB-C charging brick

Overall I'm pretty happy with this charger. It's not the smallest 100W charger I own, but it's fairly compact and lightweight, and it does it's job well. It's suitable for leaving plugged in at your…

Simple to use, great sound, low latency, supports microphones

· USB-C headphone adapters (3-pack)

I'm a big fan of these - and wired headphones in general - there's no batteries to worry about and it's simple and straightforward to connect and disconnect.

Good charger for most USB-C devices, not just laptops

· 65w USB-C charging brick

Overall I'm really happy with this charger. It's not the smallest 65W charger I own, but it's fairly compact and lightweight, and it does it's job well. It's suitable for leaving plugged in at your…

compact, pretty lights, bad USB-C port

· Guiheng Compact Keyboard (68-key)

Mostly happy with this keyboard, but I am a little annoyed that they screwed up the USB-C port, so you have to use a USB-A to USB-C cable. If you use a USB-C to USB-C cable, it doesn't work at all.

Works great

· GuanTing 12V 2A Power Supply

Works great, revived a monitor who's original power supply had gone missing.

Helped bring an old PC to life

· Computer Screws Kit

Exactly what I needed, with plenty to spare.

COOLCIRC 120mm PSU Fan Review

Works great, brought new life to an old PSU.

Dual-Band USB WiFi Adapter (600Mbps) Review

Windows 11 has a built-in driver so it just works, no need to run some sketch exe. Gets about 300mbps in real-world conditions.

USB 3.0 to USB-C OTG Adapter Review

They're only USB 2.0, not 3.0. They don't even have the extra pins for USB 3.0, and if you try to transfer files, the best you can get is about 40MB/s, even with an external SSD that can do 800-900MB/s…

XPG Core Reactor SATA Power cable Review

Works great.

Raspberry Pi Zero Acrylic Case Review

Acrylic case works and looks nice, as long as you don't mind the "feet" being slightly different heights, causing it to sit at an angle. Assembly was a little bit confusing and I'm not sure I got it…

Raspberry Pi Zero 2W Acrylic Case Review

Works great! My Pi zero 2w fits perfectly. I didn't realize that there's no way to remove the microSD card while it's in the case, but I guess that's a feature for some folks. I haven't tested the…

12V RGB PC LED Strip Review

Works great! Adds a little fun to my computer. Nice for slightly older systems that only support the 4-pin 12v option.

4-Port USB 3.0 Hub Review

Uses USB 3.0 connectors, but has a USB 2.0 chip inside, so it only operates at USB 2.0 speeds - about 40MB/s. Also, it back-feeds 5v into the USB-A male plug when powered via USB-C. I suppose some folks…

ARGB Light Controller Review

Adds a fun little bit of pizazz to a computer when paired with an ARGB light strip/fan/etc. I really like the default rainbow effect, and there's lots of other effects to choose from. The connector was…

SATA to PCIe Power Cable Review

Works great, an excellent way of adding a bit more performance to a basic office PC. Having two SATA connectors means it isn't exceeding the 54W (4.5A @ 12V) of the SATA specification if the GPU draws…

ARGB LED Strip (WS2812B) Review

Fun lights, pair it with an ARGB controller (or compatible motherboard) to add a bit of sparkle to a computer. There's adhesive on the back, which makes it fairly easy to stick to the inside of a…

Thermalright TL-S12-S X3 47.6 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack Review

I bought a 3-pack, but only two of them worked. They gave me a 1/3 refund, so I guess it's fine. My motherboard doesn't have the right connections for the RGB, it only has the 12v 4-pin, whereas this…

TEAMGROUP MP34 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive Review

This drive has been a great workhorse for a filesystem cache and running docker images from. I like that it has it's own DRAM, so it doesn't have to rely on the HMB. Also, somehow I managed to get it at…

Sapphire Radeon VII 16GB Graphics Card Review

Awesome GPU for AI nonsense. I haven't tried gaming on it yet, but might eventually.

Mushkin Essentials 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3200 CL22 Memory Review

Works great. The 3200 speed is JDEC, so any system that supports it just gets it automatically, no need to turn on XMP.

Cougar Pioneer-X ATX Mid Tower Case Review

Fine for the price I paid, and it can handle a lot of hard drives. The hot-swap drive bay on the top is a nice touch.

Asus STRIX B350-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard Review

This MB has been great. First in my desktop, where it saw a Ryzen 1600, 2600, and 5700X3D, and now in my home file server where, combined with an LSI SAS card in IT mode, I can have 12 HDDs + an NVMe…

AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor Review

Awesome CPU, and a great value these days. I think it's just below the cutoff for official Windows 11 support, but if you bypass the requirements check (e.g. via rufus), windows actually runs great on…

ADATA XPG CORE Reactor 850 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply Review

Works great, all the cables and connectors I need and then some.

WiFi 6 USB Adapter (1800Mbps) Review

It initially shows up as a USB flash drive with an exe file to install the driver, which seems a little sketchy, although VirusTotal mostly passed it (71/72 scanners said it was safe, 1 said it was…

WiFi 6 Mini USB Dongle (AX900) Review

Works fine, real-world wifi speeds are around 160-180Mbps (5Ghz, Wifi 6, 1 gigabit internet connection). Bluetooth appears to work, although I didn't connect it to anything, I just scanned for nearby…

PC Motherboard Buzzer Review

Beep! Works great, helps with debugging when you don't have a video signal.

FENVI AC1200 WiFi PCIe Adapter Review

Works good, real-world download speeds of ~725mbps! Windows 11 has a built-in driver. The way the antennas are connected to the bracket makes it a bit more work to swap between half-height and…

AX210 WiFi 6E PCIe Adapter Review

Works great! Real-world download speeds of nearly 2Gbps on my LAN, and 565Mbps on the internet! I also, appreciate that it includes the low-profile adapter (which is fairly easy to install), the…

WiFi RP-SMA Antenna (5dBi) Review

Works great; a little bit taller than the ones that came with my motherboard, which I assume gives it a better signal.

WiFi 6E 2T2R Antenna Review

Works fine. The magnetic bottom is nice both for snapping it to things and for giving it a bit of weight to make it stay put on non-metal surfaces.

USB-C 3.1 Gen2 Extension Cable Review

Works, and at the correct speed. I tested with a ESD310 USB SSD connected via this extension cable - about 950MB/s (7.6gbps) via the cable vs 980MB/s (7.84gbps) when connected directly to my laptop.

RGEEK USB-C Front Panel Extension Review

Works great! I couldn't test the full speed because my motherboard doesn't support it, but 5Gbps worked fine.

Magnetic Charger for Fitbit Charge 5/6 Review

It works!

BABQ USB-C Front Panel (3.5") Review

Works great! I can only get 5gbps out of the USB-C port, but that's a limitation of my motherboard, I assume this would operate faster if my motherboard could. Shipped 2 days after placing the order,…

ID-COOLING SE-214-XT ARGB 68.2 CFM CPU Cooler Review

Great cooler for ~$16.

EVGA Black GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB Video Card Review

Great GPU, just wildly overpriced. I picked it up for just over $300 after the 20-super series launched and, honestly, that should have been the launch MSRP. It's literally the most I've ever spent on a…

Dell P2715Q 27.0" 3840 x 2160 60 Hz Monitor Review

Pros: beautiful, crisp picture, with excellent factory calibration. USB Hub. Two DP inputs (with a miniDP cable/adapter).

Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory Review

Good RAM, served me well for years. A single 2x8gb kit works great at the advertised XMP speeds, but 2 kits (4 sticks) had to drop down to slower JDEC speeds. Might have just been the motherboard,…

AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor Review

Solid gaming and all-rounder CPU. Very happy with it in general, and especially at the garage-sale price I paid for it!

Looks good, but poor quality control makes for a bit harder assembly

· SCREENMAX 120" Foldable Projector Screen with Carry Bag

I picked this up when it when it was on sale for $43, and for that price I'm satisfied with it. However I'm dinging it one star because some of the metal rods that make up the frame aren't threaded…

Great sound!

· Kanto ORA4 Desktop Speakers

I love these speakers! They're a little pricey, but they sound great, especially when paired with a subwoofer.

Hit-and-miss quality, useless warranty

· EcoVessel Insulated Water Bottle

My wife and I bought two of these last year and hers is still in good shape, but mine started showing little "blisters" in the rubber around the opening after a few months. Also the ring between the lid…

Good picture and overall package, a few small annoyances

· Dangbei N2 Projector

This is my first projector, I bought it after watching The Hook Up's budget king 2025 roundup video on youtube. It was one of his top 3 for "Best All-In-One", and the only of the three that had a stand…

Fits like a glove

· Partyreal iPad Case (9th Gen)

Fits my 9th gen iPad well, provides a nice grippy texture, and I assume it will provide some protection if I ever drop it. $5 well spent.

Works with Android and Raspberry Pi

· USB to Optical Sound Card

I bought this to connect a Raspberry Pi to my AI41 speakers via toslink and it works perfectly. I set it to be the default output for alsa, installed shareport-sync for AirPlay from my wife's iPhone,…

The least bad option out there

· JSAUX Lightning to 3.5mm Adapter (2-pack)

All the headphones adapters we use seem to wear out over time, but these jsaux ones seem to last longer than the official apple ones and be better quality than any other option we've tried.

Sends spurious play/pause commands at the slightest touch

· bcall Lightning to 3.5mm Adapter (3-pack)

These adapters sound and work fine, as long as your completely still. If you move at all, they send erroneous play/pause commands, especially when you meant to have your audio paused. Tried out two out…

Fun toy for kids, but doesn't last very long

· BEZGAR RC Car (1:14 Truck)

Update: after less than a week's worth of use, the steering stopped working on my son's car. It just twitches a little now instead of turning all the way over.

Goodenough

· ORICO 4-Port USB 3.0 Hub

Pros: - 2/3 of USB 3.0 speeds Light is soft and difused

Hugely helpful for my son

· DefenderShield Blue Light Glasses (Kids)

We bought these glasses when we noticed that almost anytime my son was looking at a screen for more than 15 minutes his eyes were watering. These have helped eliminate the tears.

The station wagon and the batmobile!

We got my wife the orange RadWagon 4 a bit over a month ago, and we both liked it so much that we decided to get a second #ebike, the blue Aventon Aventure.2.

Great way to add Ethernet to a laptop or PC

· TP-Link UE300 USB 3.0 to Gigabit Ethernet Network Adapter

Works fine with Windows and Mac. This adapter can basically max out a gigabit Ethernet connection. I have it connected to a USB port on the back of my monitor so that a single cable gets me not only…

Super-fast

· Silicon Power 256GB Superior V30 UHS-I microSD

Probably the fastest microSD card I've ever used. Makes writing a large image file to the card much more bearable.

Flavor without Fuss or Nightshades

· The Nutrient-Dense Kitchen: 125 Autoimmune Paleo Recipes for Deep Healing and Vibrant Health

I’ve had this book for a little over a year now, and I’ve cooked from it quite a lot. As a former fan of cream of chicken soup from the can the Cream of Chicken Soup with Broccoli and Root Vegetables is…

Great Christmas Gift especially if on sale

· Blue Orange Gobblet Gobblers

This is made entirely of plastic now which was a bit of a disappointment however the game is perfect. The game itself is a more complex version of tic tac toe but the more complex elements make the game…

Just beautiful

· Tibetan Singing Bowl (3.5")

I have been wanting something like this for my own meditation practice. It has a beautiful tone, and has become the way I wake up my son in the morning. We both enjoy it very much. Would buy again.…

Does NOT have 60W power delivery, otherwise it's fine

· LG 43MU79-B 43" 4K Monitor

Pros: - Big, beautiful screen. Big enough that you don't have to scale things Identical to the LG 43UD79-B except with a better warranty (3-year vs 1-year). (Some of the specs are different, but the…

"blue" is really purple

· Amazon Basics USB-A Cable with Lightning Connector

Works great, although the "blue" color is definitely purple.

The Perfect Cookbook

· Made Whole: More Than 145 Anti-Inflammatory Keto-Paleo Recipes to Nourish You from the Inside Out

As someone who also went through the AIP and still can’t do dairy or nightshades this book feels like the cookbook I always wanted but never knew how much I needed. Wanting to maintain nutrient density…

The most flavorful snack for the whole family!

· Wild Zora Meat & Veggie Bars (Lamb)

These bars are an excellent snack! We keep them on hand for both us (the parents) and our almost three year old and he loves them as do we. It's nice to have a snack that is AIP friendly and has a great…

Bad design, breaks almost immediately

· Speck SeeThru Case (MacBook Pro 15")

I'm on my second one; the first either arrived broken or else broke within the first few days. I figured it was a fluke and exchanged for another one it since Speck products have always been high…

Exactly what this Momma of a little one needed to get back to the AIP Diet for Celiac Disease!

· Healing Kitchen: 175+ Quick & Easy Paleo Recipes to Help You Thrive

While I'm a big fan of the blogs both of these ladies put together this book hits the ball out of the park. The recipes are simple and the basics of the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol are easy understood and…

Great product for a great price.

· Epsoak Epsom Salt 19 Lbs

My mail lady hates it when this package arrives, but you can't beat the price especially since I take an Epsom salt bath 2-3 times a week.

The perfect counter top compost bin

· Chef'n EcoCrock Counter Compost Bin

We bought this compost bin after our first bin didn't work out, and we are so happy with this one we ended up getting another one for a family member this Christmas. Looks nice on the counter. Is easy…

Works great except for a couple of annoyances

· VTech DM221 Baby Monitor

Works pretty well, except two major annoyances:

Five Stars

· Anker PowerCore 15600

Works great - fast charging and lots of power.

Helps me do better work

· Weller WESD51 Digital Soldering Station

Not to blame shoddy work on the tools, but I do find that I can do much better soldering work with this iron v.s. the cheap ones I've always used in the past. Being able to precisely set the temperature…

Nice, lightweight stroller.

· Summer 3Dlite Stroller

Does the job very well - durable and easy to pack up when not in use.

Cheap, fun, and durable/repairable

· Hubsan X4 Quadcopter (H107L)

I love this thing. It's definitely a "toy" but it's a lot of fun, and while it does seem to break pretty easily, I've been able to repair it every time, from wires getting ripped out to blades getting…

Nice accessory, great price

· Coromose Dot View Case (HTC One M8)

Works perfectly, and a much better deal than the official one. I seem to drop my phone a lot, so I've already cracked two of these cases (on my third one now), but so far my phone has escaped unscathed.

Works perfectly.

· Anker Astro E1 5200mAh Power Bank

I got one of these for my wife last Christmas, and although she doesn't use it all that often, it is incredibly handy when she does. It can recharge her iPhone 5s from dead to full - while she's using…

Not recommended for a Raspberry Pi.. or at all.

· 7" Raspberry Pi LCD Touchscreen

Works, but not well. I think the main problem is that it draws too much power. If I have only a keyboard and this display connected, then I get a picture (usually). But if I try to also add a wi-fi…

Cuts down drying time and leaves everything super soft!

· Smart Sheep Wool Dryer Balls

These dryer balls are exactly what I was expecting. The price can't be beat I've seen them sell locally for 8 dollars a ball. I use these with a lot of our regular laundry but especially when drying our…

Inaccurate description: smaller battery and some parts missing

· The Hubsan X4 H107L Quadcopter Crash Pack

I ordered this crash pack the other day and while the description and picture already seem to disagree somewhat, the pack I received matched neither:

Good battery, great value

· NOOT battery for Samsung Galaxy S3

A couple of months after purchasing this battery, the manufacture emailed me asking for a review: "How was the battery? Were there any problems or issues with using the battery? Also, when you were…

Works great at full brightness but flickers when dimmed

· HitLights Dura GU10 LED Bulb (5W)

I tried this out after having trouble with the LightingEVER 4W bulb and having to send it back because it flickered when dimmed. Reading some of the other reviews here, I was hopeful that this bulb…

Flickers slightly when dimmed

· Lighting EVER GU10 LED Bulb (4W)

This is the first dimmable LED I've tried. It works great at full brightness, but the hood that I installed it in has a lower 2 levels of brightness, and at the lower level this bulb flickers just…

Does the job

· Comprehensive DP2HDMF DisplayPort Male to HDMI Female 8" Cable

This came with a monitor I bought. It works great, although I mainly use the DVI cable.

Misleading description: requires an extra $25 payment for state efile

· TurboTax Home and Business

This was my first time trying out turbotax and it seemed like it was doing a good job, but at the end, it told me that I'd have to pay an extra $25 to finish filing my taxes. I was under the impression…

Suprisingly small, perfect for light usage

· GIGABYTE GB-BXA8-5545 Mini-PC

Pros: - Surprisingly small - I was expecting something closer to the size of a mac mini, but this is significantly smaller. Extremely fast and easy to assemble, at least once you get the bottom…

Favorite song on a great album

· As We Reach by We Are Creation

I first heard this song when my mom was in the middle of battling cancer. It meant a lot to me then and means a lot to me now. Great words. Truly inspired.