Neon MCB1534D micro stereo system

Rating: 5/5

Review:
An excellent little stereo system

I was sent this small stereo system for review.  I liked the look of it and expected it to be pretty good, but it is far better than I expected at this price both in build and sound quality, and I think it represents excellent value.

The unit looks very nice – it is very compact and has a simple, neat front panel in brushed metal.  The speakers are shiny black, again with a simple front grille, so the whole thing is elegant and will fit neatly into even a small room.   It is easy to set up and has a good instruction manual.  It has an excellent range of inputs:

DAB and FM tuners

CD player with the ability to play mp3 discs too

Bluetooth 3.0

USB drive

2 x auxiliary inputs for things like record deck or connection to TV

They are all good.  There are no number buttons on the remote, so you have to scroll to the track or station you want, but otherwise it's functionally excellent.  Bluetooth pairing was simple both conventionally and via NFC and the connection is stable up to about 5 metres.  Radio tuning and reception is very good.  (Unlike another reviewer here, I find the DAB reception excellent even with just the supplied wire aerial.)  In short, everything works well.

It was the sound quality which really surprised me.  Obviously, you're not going to get top-end hi-fi from a unit like this, but it's very, very good – especially for its size and price.  I have put it through its paces using my Test Playlist which begins with Tudor choral music and ends up with London Grammar and includes most styles in between, and everything sounds very good indeed.  There's a firm but not overbearing bass, the middles are rich and tops are very clear and bright, giving a very well-balanced sound to my ears.  The articulation is very good so that individual instruments and voices are clear even in complex music, a string quartet is very well balanced, rock and acoustic music are great…I can't really fault it.  There's a selection of five EQ presets if you want them, and individual treble and bass controls, so you have the ability to adjust the sound to your taste.  It goes loud enough for a reasonable-sized party and it's just a very good unit.

In summary, this is an excellent stereo at this price.  It is well made and elegant, with surprisingly good sound.  The remote could do with some numbered buttons, but that's the only thing I can criticise in any way, so if you're looking for a very compact system I can recommend this very warmly.

Amazon page HERE

Archeer 237, 20W Bluetooth speaker

Rating: 4/5

Review:
A good compact speaker

I'm quite impressed by this speaker. It's well made, functional and stylish, and it has good sound.

The speaker is nicely proportioned at 21cm x 5cm x 8 cm and weighs around 500g, so it has a good solid heft but is still very portable.  The charging port is on one end, along with three inputs AUX, USB and a slot for micro-SD card, so it's good and versatile. The controls are neat and very clear on the top of the cylinder and all work well. Volume, skip forward and back and pause/play are self-explanatory, and hands-free calls are accepted using pause/play. The manual is just about adequate, and you also get a jack-to-jack AUX lead for wired connection and a standard micro-USB lead for charging.

The speaker seems robust and solidly made and I would expect it to last well even if it's knocked about a bit as it's moved around as a portable speaker. In use, it all works very well. Bluetooth pairing is simple and I found the signal solid up to 8 and sound is equally good whichever input you use.  It does have a loud and intrusive start-up jingle and a loud female voice announcing the mode, which I don't like but which many people find handy.

The sound quality is good, especially for a small unit in this price range. The top and middles are crisp and well-defined, and the bass is firm.  Real, deep bass isn't there, but it's fine for everyday and the overall balance is good. I have tried this with a lot of music, including my Test Playlist which I use on all audio products for a fair comparison. It begins with Tudor Choral music and ends up with London Grammar, and everything comes over well. Classical music sounds rich and full, with a string quartet sounding well balanced and orchestral music rich and crisply articulated, rock is good and punchy, and so on.

I think this is a very good unit at this size and price (£32.99 at the time of writing). It is solidly made with very good sound and I can recommend it.

Amazon page HERE

Ausdom M08 headphones

Rating: 4/5

Review:
Very good quality headphones with dominant bass

Ausdom sent me these M08 headphones for review and I am impressed. They are very well made, exceptionally comfortable and have very good sound - although I find the bass a little dominant.

The headphones are very nicely packaged and come with a standard mini-USB charging lead, a good jack-to-jack lead for wired connection and a comprehensive User Manual in good English. They look very nice, I think, and fold up for easy transport and storage. They offer both Bluetooth and wired connection, and I noticed no difference in sound quality between the two modes. You can use wired connection to connect to non-Bluetooth devices, of course, and also use it if the headphones are out of charge which may be a handy feature.

They are light and comfortable; the ear pads are some of the best I've tried for comfort, and they will be fine for prolonged listening. The controls are the usual you'd expect: on/off and volume + and - buttons which also serve for pause/play and skip forward and back and standard phone controls, and there's a perfectly decent microphone. Bluetooth pairing is simple (standard pairing only - no NFC). I found both the battery life and range good.

Sound quality is very good for many types of listening, but not ideal for me. The bass is extremely full: in some forms of music that's great, but not in all. I test all headphones and speakers (and I've tested a lot) using a playlist of test tracks which give all aspects of the sound a thorough trial. It starts with 16th Century choral music, it ends with London Grammar and it has most things in between - orchestral, choral, vocal and chamber music, classic rock, acoustic music and so on. For rock and the like these are great; the powerful bass really gives it a kick and the deep bass in London Grammar's Hey Now sounds fabulous. However, in classical music I think there's a slight flabbiness in the treble and the bass is too dominant and rather boomy, so articulation of individual instruments and voices isn't always clear.

This may not bother you at all, and if you like a real bass boom in your music these will serve you extremely well. They are certainly very good headphones at this price: they are functional, stylish and comfortable. Ausdom make good headphones; I have tried several sets from them and they have all been of very good build quality. These also seem solid and durable so you can buy with confidence, so if you're looking for a set of Bluetooth and wired headphones with really strong bass, I can recommend these.

Amazon page HERE

Amazon Basics - Washcloths (Pack of 12)

Rating: 5/5

Review:
Good flannels

These are nice washcloths.  They are 100% cotton (essential, I think) and a good thickness.

The cloths are a good size, they are well stitched at the hem, feel quite thick and soft and are comfortable to use on my face.  Describing them as having "a spa-like feeling of luxury" may be stretching it a bit, but they're as good as any other cloths I buy from places like Boots and Superdrug, and I find them soft enough and just large enough to use as little hand-towels, too. 

There's not much more to say about bathroom flannels.  In short, these are perfectly decent quality and recommended.

Amazon page HERE

T W Steel - Maverick Chronograph Watch, Model MB13

Rating: 4/5

Review:
Good quality, very big - and expensive!

This is a huge, shiny watch which demands to be noticed.  It seems to be good quality but it seems expensive for what it is.

The presentation and packaging is very stylish: mine came in a large, solid faux-leather box with a polishing cloth and guarantee card (already filled in by hand).  The watch itself is very large (45mm diameter and 14mm thick), it is quite heavy and very shiny.  The mesh steel strap is good and easy to adjust.  This is billed as a unisex watch but on my reasonably large male wrist it looks very big and I suspect it might be too big on a female wrist.

The face is bold, clear and very easy to read.  The crown and chronometer buttons are proportionally large, which also makes them very easy to use.  The second hand is in one of the sub-dials, while the sweep second hand is for chronometer use.  (This makes the chronometer more accurate, of course, but personally I prefer a normal sweep second hand.) The quartz mechanism keeps good time and functionally it's just a good watch, with high quality materials and good construction.

Frankly, this is a bit macho for my taste and I think it is overpriced at well over three hundred pounds (especially with a quartz mechanism), but there's no doubt that it's a "statement" watch and is obviously good quality so if that's what you're looking for it may well suit you.

Amazon page HERE

Charles Wilson Plain Crew T-Shirts, 5-pack

Rating: 5/5

Review:
Good quality and excellent value

Charles Wilson sent me these T-shirts for review; I think they are good quality and represent excellent value.

The T-shirts are made of medium-weight cotton.  I can just make out the darker colour of my jeans through my white ones - but only just - which will give you an idea of the thickness: perfectly adequate but not heavyweight luxury cotton.  They are well made with very solid seams, no stray threads and a soft band over the seam at the back of the neck to stop it irritating, which is a very nice extra touch.  They seem to keep their shape pretty well in the wash, although it's a bit early to tell fully.

Sizing is as expected.  I'm 6feet tall and fairly normal medium build for a man in his early 60s.  I prefer a looser T-shirt and have XL, which fit me nicely across the shoulders and are a good length.  They are comfy and look fine.

There's not a lot more to say about T-shirts.  These are very nice quality and, at just over four quid each, are very good value.  Recommended.

Amazon page HERE

Umi Ultra-Slim Wireless Keyboard

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A very good keyboard

I like this keyboard very much.  It's smart, it's very nice to use and it works.

I have tried this with a Windows 10 tablet and an Android 6.0 phone, bith of which work fine with it.  Be aware that it wouldn't work with an older Android 5.1 phone; I don't know whether this is a foible of the phone or a general incompatibility, but be cautious if you intend to use it with older Android versions.

That aside, set-up was very simple.  You'll need to supply 2xAAA batteries for power (rechargeables work fine); after that, pairing was quick and simple, the connection was solid and the keyboard works perfectly.  I found the keys and the trackpad very nice to use, and it's a good size for my hands: fairly compact but comfortable to use as a normal keyboard.  It does the job very well. 

Umi make good quality products, and this is no exception.  It's smart with an aluminium back and it's very thin with a rest to angle it slightly for ease of use.  It feels solid and robust and I'd expect it to last very well.

In summary, I like the look of it, it's durable and I can just use it without any fuss or difficulty, which is all I want from a keyboard so there's not a lot more to say about it other than to recommend it warmly.

Amazon page HERE

Cleer DJ High-Definition Headphones

Rating: 5/5

Review:
Outstanding sound and build quality

I was sent these Cleer DJ headphones for review and I think they're absolutely superb.  I don't describe myself as an audiophile but I listen to an awful lot of music and I care very much about how it sounds.  I also test a lot of headphones and I think these are quite exceptionally good.

I'll start with the sound, because that is what matters most here: these are the best-sounding headphones I have ever tried.  They are expensive, but for me they live up to their price-tag.  The sound is crystal clear and beautifully articulated right across the frequency range.  Every note and nuance is, to my ears, perfectly delivered and lossless sources sound quite remarkable, I think.  I have spent a lot of time listening to these, partly just for the pleasure of it, but also to assess them.  This has included my standard Test Playlist which I use to compare audio products which begins with 16^th-Century choral music and goes through to London Grammar with most things in between.  I haven't found a flaw or weakness; individual voices and instruments are perfectly articulated even in a large orchestra or chorus, a string quartet sounds as though you're sitting among them, Leonard Cohen seems to be whispering directly into your ear, rock sounds just great, and so on.  The frequency balance is excellent, with a superb deep bass response when needed and they respond superbly to EQ adjustments at any frequency.  I could go on, but you get the idea.

The headphones have some very nice features, too.  There's a jack input socket on both earcups, so you can choose which side you want to wire them; they have a stereo/mono switch so you can listen with one earcup only and still get the whole sound and they feature Psycho-Acoustic Spectral Compensation (I had to ask what it was) which, when switched on, boosts bass levels at low volume so the sound is equally balanced throughout the volume range.  It's a sophisticated modern version of an old-fashioned "Loudness" switch – which rather shows my age – and it really enhances the sound at low levels.  There's also a variable LED display which can be turned on and off and which I can do without, but which some users will like very much.

They are very well made and robust headphones and I find them very comfortable for prolonged listening – and I've been wearing them for hours at a stretch.  The package is very good, too:

- a nice hard carry case

- two AUX leads with controls for Apple and Android devices respectively

- a coiled DJ lead which anchors into the headphones and has a ¼" jack converter, too

- a USB charging lead

- a decent user manual

- a month's subscription to Tidal for lossless listening.

In short, these are pretty pricy headphones which easily justify their cost with excellent build quality and top-class sound.  I'm very, very impressed with these and if you're looking for some genuinely classy headphones, I can recommend these very warmly.

 

Amazon page HERE 

Noontec Hammo S headphones

Rating: 5/5

Review: Exceptionally good headphones
 
These headphones were sent to me by Noontec for review. Having kept them and used them pretty well daily for a year and a half now, I still think they are excellent. I make no special claim to be an audiophile, but I do listen to a wide variety of music through headphones, usually for several hours a day. I have listened to a great many different headphones and I think these are among the best I have ever heard under £100 - and that includes some dearly loved sets which I have used for years with great pleasure like Bose QC2s, Brainwavz HM5 and HM9 and others. These are up there with the best, possibly now rivalled by Cleer DU.

The sound quality is the critical thing, and it is quite outstanding to my ears. I use a playlist to test audio equipment which goes from 16th-Century choral music to London Grammar and covers most things in between. Pretty well everything sounds as good as I have ever heard it. Clarity and articulation are exceptionally good. The frequency response range on the Hammo S is 5Hz-30kHz, which is beyond the range of normal human hearing at both ends of the spectrum and gives a superb overall sound. It is beautifully balanced with crystal clear treble, wonderful rich middles and a fantastic bass response. They aren't bass-heavy or boomy, but they have a great bass kick when needed, and are incredibly rich and full even at the lowest frequencies. That great, sub-bass resonance in the second half of London Grammar's Hey Now really rolls through these, for example. Theorbo and viola da gamba really test bass response, and both have their full magnificent depth (and they have the sensitivity to allow you to hear the player breathing, too), a string quartet sounds just as though you're sitting among them, every instrument in an orchestra is crystal clear even in pieces like Sibelius's Karelia Suite which can sound horribly muddy if the equipment isn't good enough. Classic rock sounds great, acoustic music has a lovely airy, open sound...and so on. I don't mean to go on, but I really do think these are excellent.

The headphones are stylish, solid and well made, and fold up neatly. They are very comfortable indeed (I've worn them for hours at a stretch without any problem); they're also fully adjustable and provide a good sound-seal. You also get a very nice hard carrying case with a detachable clip, and two 1.2m cables, one plain and one with a microphone and switch for hands-free calls. The cables are a flat ribbon design so they don't tangle and create no friction noise at all.

I am sorry this is such a long review, but I did want to try to do justice to these headphones. I think they are truly excellent and I expect to be using them for a long time to come. Very warmly recommended.

Amazon page HERE

Thorfire PF01S torch

Rating: 5/5

Review:
An excellent little torch
 

I think this is a really good little torch.  I have been using its predecessor, the PF01 for some time now and have found it excellent.  This smaller version seems just as good.

The PF01S is light and very small - about 9cm long and 1.3cm in diameter.  It is powered by just one AAA battery (not included with the torch), but it gives a very good light on full brightness.  (A rechargeable battery works fine.)  The torch is well made and very robust and will easily survive being knocked about in a pocket, bag or backpack, which is what it is designed for.  It also has a detachable pocket clip.

In use, it has a press-switch on the end, and three brightness modes:  "Moonlight" (very dim), Low and High, which you scroll through by repeatedly pressing the switch making it very simple to use and it always comes on in the mode last used. I particularly like the "moonlight" mode because I want this primarily to make nocturnal bathroom visits (sometimes more than once at my time of life...) without waking my wife by either switching on the light or blundering into things.  This is perfect: moonlight mode is fine for night-adjusted eyes but not bright enough to wake anyone else.  Scrolling quickly to Low or High makes it a simple and effective normal torch.

If you want a good-quality, very compact torch to carry with you or just to use around the house this will do you very well. Warmly recommended.

Amazon page HERE

Libratone Q Adapt Lightning IEM

Rating: 4/5

Review:
Good quality but very overpriced

These are stylish IEMs with good Active Noise Cancellation and decent sound, but I think they are very expensive by comparison with others of similar quality.

The first thing to say is that these are for Apple products only, presumably produced as a response to Apple's decision not to have a headphone socket on the iPhone 7.  They do not have a standard connection jack; they connect and are powered via a lightning connector only, so they won't work on non-Apple phones.

The earphones are very nicely made: they look very stylish and seem good and solid so they should last well.  The controls are simple and work well, allowing control of calls, music and the Noise Cancelling system.  This is good and genuinely does reduce external noise very significantly, although with in-ear phones there's always a limit to how much they can keep out.  The range of silicone tips means that they should fit most ears comfortably and there's a nice little carry-pouch supplied.

The sound is good.  I test all audio devices using a standard list of Test Tracks from 16^th Century choral music to London Grammar and everything sounds fine through these; tops are pretty sharp, middles sound very nice and there's a decent bass which gives a pretty good sound on really testing things like a theorbo, a viola da gamba or London Grammar's Hey Now.  I'd be very happy with these at around sixty quid, but at well over a hundred and fifty I'd expect something more special than this with really crisp definition and a deeper, better balanced bass.  There are some extremely good in-ear buds, some with ANC, for a fraction the price which match these on sound, I think – but, of course, they won't work with newer Apple products, which may allow Libratone to get away with charging this much.

So, overall these are decent quality earphones which will probably serve you well, but I do think they're very expensive for the quality of sound.  

Amazon page HERE

A couple of other in-ear buds with ANC which are very good at under 40 pounds are:

233621 H610 earphones HERE

August EP720  HERE

Eaget E30 500GB USB 3.0 external hard drive

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A very good portable hard drive

I was sent this Eaget 500GB hard drive for review by the distributors well over a year ago and it has been excellent.

The packaging is nice, and you get a USB3.0 lead and a decent instruction manual in good English. The drive is about the size of a smartphone (12 x 7.5 x 1cm). It has a neat, attractive design: plain white surfaces with a small, attractive logo and an aluminium edging-band. It's only external features are a small blue LED which is lit when the drive is plugged in and flashes during data transfer, and a USB3.0 input socket for the supplied connecting lead, which is compatible with any USB socket on your computer or device. It's a very nice object and is extremely portable - a little heavy for a pocket, perhaps, but very easy to tuck into a briefcase or bag.

In use, it just works very well. It is USB-powered so you just plug it into your computer and use it. Windows 10 installed it instantly without any fuss, and after that it was just like having a very large internal hard drive. It has 465GB total free capacity, and data transfer via drag-and-drop is dead simple. I only USB2.0 on my laptop, and I get speeds around 14MB/s - that's just over 1 minute per GB. (You can probably expect around 5 times that with USB3.0, but I can't vouch for it.) I initially copied about 100GB (which took around an hour and three quarters) without any difficulty and the drive was just slightly warm at the end of it, so it will plainly be fine for prolonged use. Since then, data transfer, playing music from the drive and so on has been completely trouble-free.

There's not a lot more to say about an external drive; this seems very good in use, it's neat and compact and it does the job. I will update this review if I have any reliability problems, but so far I'm delighted with this. I've been wanting a backup of my data in a more portable form and this has provided an ideal means of doing it. Recommended.

Charles Wilson Pea Coat (navy)

Rating: 5/5

Review:
An excellent pea coat

I think this pea coat is really nice. It's very well made and looks very good.

The coat is made from 60% wool and 40% polyester, which makes it fairly light but it's still good and warm – and the polyester component should make it hard-wearing, too. It's very nicely made: stitching is very solid throughout, buttons are securely fixed, the detailing is good and the lining looks very classy. It's just a nicely made coat with an air of quality about it.

The fit is good. I'm six feet tall and a fairly average build for a middle-aged man. XL fits me well across the shoulders and around the chest and abdomen, with a bit of room for some layers underneath. It comes down to the tops of my thighs, which is a good length for a pea coat. The arms are slightly long, coming over my wrists and to almost the base of my thumbs, but I don't find this a problem and I like the overall fit very much.

I think this is an excellent jacket – especially at this reasonable price. It looks and feels a good deal more expensive than it is, I think. I'm very pleased with mine and I can recommend it very warmly.

Amazon page HERE

Charles Wilson page HERE

Vernee Mars smartphone

Rating 5/5

Review:
A very good mid-range phone

This is a very good phone for just over £200.  We're getting some impressive phones at this price these days, and this is one of them.

When reading this review, do bear in mind that I am in late middle age and that my use may not reflect yours. I don't game or tweet, for example; I use the phone for calls and texts, music, checking email, some catch-up TV and video streaming, occasional photos and occasional web browsing. I don't use data. All this means that I cannot advise on lots of technical specification and so on, but my ordinary user's take in the Vernee Mars is this:

The packaging is stylish you get a charger (with a UK adaptor if in the UK), a Type-C USB lead for charging and data transfer, a pin for opening the SIM tray and a quick-start guide. The phone itself is very attractive: it's slim, stylish and has a robust plastic case with a flat back. It's quite heavy, but not excessively; I like the solid feel of it and I find it very comfortable to use. There is fingerprint unlocking on the right hand edge below the volume and power buttons.  It's no better or worse than any other I have tried, but personally I prefer to stick to PIN locking. The 5.5" screen is excellent to my eyes with bright, true colours and very tolerant of viewing angle. Video, TV catch-up and so on look great and everything works very nicely for me. The Mars runs Android version 6.0, and with an impressive 4GB RAM everything is very quick and smooth and pretty intuitive.

The internal memory is 32GB and you can expand with a micro-SD card of up to 128GB capacity (I've used a 32 GB card and it works fine). Set-up was very easy.  This is a dual-SIM phone, which can be a very handy feature, but note that the memory card and second SIM share a slot, so you can't have two SIM cards and a memory card installed at the same time.

In use, everything I want works very well. Wi-fi connection was very straightforward as was syncing with my account. The battery lasts for several days with my use. The speakers aren't bad for smartphone speakers (which isn't saying much, I know) and through headphones or an external speaker - both wired and via Bluetooth 4.0 - the sound is excellent. There's no NFC, but normal Bluetooth pairing is very quick and simple, and stable up to a decent range. The rear camera has a very good 13mp resolution and the front camera is OK at 5mp. I have found both to be fine, other functions also seem very good and apps install quickly and without fuss.

In short, this is a really good phone with excellent specs (which I have copied below) for the price. I'm extremely happy with mine;  it seems to me to compete very well with models like the Umi Super and if you like the look of the Mars it should do you very well.  Very warmly recommended.

Amazon page HERE

Model:Vernee Mars
Product size: 151*73*7.6mm
Net weight: 161g

General:
Material: Plastic
Colour: Grey,Gold
Release date: September 2016

System:
OS: Android 6.0
CPU Processor: Helio P10 (MT6755)
CPU Core: 8Core 2.0GHz(64-bit)
GPU: Mali-T860MP2-700MHz

Storage:
RAM: 4GB
ROM: 32GB
Memory Card: Supported up to 128GB

Display:
Screen Size: 5.5"
Screen Resolution: 1920*1080
Multitouch: supports 5 touch

Camera
Camera Pixel: 13M F/2.0
Camera Pixel: 5M F/2.8

Network
Cellular: 2G/3G/4G
GSM: /3/5/8
UMTS: 1/ 8 FDD LTE: 1/3/7/20
Network Conversation: Micro SIM+Nano SIM / Micro SIM + TF Wi-Fi:WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4G/5G
SIM Card Type: 1 micro sim + 1 nano sim (SIM+SIM or SIM+TF)
SIM Card Quantity:2
GPS: GPS/AGPS/GLONASS
NFC: not supported
Bluetooth Version: 4.0

Other Features:
Sensor: gravity sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor, Hall, fingerprints, compass, gyroscope

Packing List:
1 x Phone
1 x Battery (built-in)
1 x Data cable (100cm) TYPE-C cable
1 x AC power charger adapter
1 x user manual
1 x SIM Needle

House of Marley - Get Together Mini speaker

Rating: 3/5

Review:
Rather disappointing sound

This is an attractive and well-made speaker, but I don’t think its sound quality justifies the price tag, I'm afraid.

House of Marley make good quality audio products and there is no doubt that this is very well made.  It's compact rather than "mini" at roughly 25cm x 13cm x 13cm and it has a real heft to it so it's portable but very solid.  It looks great with the bamboo facing and canvas finish and works very well: battery life is good, Bluetooth is simple to connect and solid up to at least 8m, AUX input is fine, the controls work easily and as you'd expect and it goes good and loud without audible distortion.  In many ways this is a very nice bit of kit, but for me it is let down by the sound quality.

I have played a big range of music through this speaker from 16^th-century choral music to London Grammar with most things in between.  It's not that the sound is actively bad, but at well over a hundred quid I'd expect something pretty good, and this is just…well…OK.  It's fairly well balanced, but I don't find the treble articulation all that clear and the bass is decent but lacks real depth on things like a theorbo, a viola da gamba or London Grammar's Hey Now, so it all sounds just a bit lacklustre.  Crucially, too, there is audible hiss, especially when playing it quietly; it's the sort of hiss which rides on top of things like a violin, a soprano or a hi-hat and I do find it intrusive.  Also, an over-aggressive noise reduction system cuts the sound in quiet passages in things like a string quartet unless the input volume is turned way up and the speaker volume right down. All of this is far less of a problem at higher volumes so it may not bother some listeners, but it often spoils the sound for me.   

I'm sorry to be critical; I admire the Marley Foundation and support its aims, but just as a speaker at this price I think you can do a lot better.  For sheer sound quality I'd recommend the ADX Pulse V4 (which is almost half the price); a similar style can be found in the Archeer A320 (which has a really powerful bass) and the August WS300 has excellent sound and also Wi-Fi connectivity – and all are significantly cheaper than this one.

So, a well made speaker, but only a very qualified recommendation, I'm afraid.

Amazon page HERE

Wileyfox Swift 2 Plus smartphone

Rating: 5/5

Review:

A very nice phone at a very good price

This is a very nice 5" phone, with good performance and solid build quality.  It compares well with rivals at this price like the Umi Super or Elephone P9000 and it's good to see a British company producing good quality, reasonably priced phones.

When reading this review, do bear in mind that I am in late middle age and that my use may not reflect yours. I don't game or tweet, for example; I use the phone for calls and texts, music, checking email, some catch-up TV and video streaming, occasional photos and occasional web browsing, and I don't use data. My ordinary user's take on the Wileyfox Swift2 Plus is this:

The packaging is very stylish and you get a Type-C USB lead for charging and data transfer and a quick-start guide. The phone itself is very attractive: it's slim, stylish and has a very nice, robust aluminium case. It's quite heavy, but not excessively, and I find it very comfortable to use. There is fingerprint security (but I prefer to stick to PIN locking). The 5" screen is excellent to my eyes; it's a pleasure to use with bright, true colours and very tolerant of viewing angle. Video, TV catch-up and so on look great and everything works very nicely for me. The phone runs Android version 6.0.1, and with 3GB RAM everything is very quick and smooth and pretty intuitive.

The internal memory is 32GB but you can expand with a micro-SD card of up to 128GB capacity (I use a 32 GB and it works fine). Set-up was very easy, but there is no manual available. The quick-start manual is adequate but basic, access to SIM and micro-SD card slots is very easy using a pin to release the tray and if you're familiar with Android the lack of a manual may not bother you, but for some users it might be a drawback.

In use, everything I want works very well. Wi-fi connection was very straightforward as was syncing with my account. The battery lasts for several days with my use. The speakers aren't bad for smartphone speakers (which isn't saying much, I know) and through headphones or an external speaker - both wired and via Bluetooth 4.0 - the sound is excellent. Both NFC and normal Bluetooth pairing are very quick and simple, and stable up to a decent range. The rear camera has a very good 13mp resolution and the front camera is OK at 5mp. I have found both to be fine for my use, and other functions also seem very good.

In short, this is a really good phone with excellent specs for the money.  I would suggest checking out the Umi Super and Elephone P9000 which are also excellent phones at a similar price (but both are 5.5") to make sure that the specs suit you best, but I can recommend this one.

Amazon page HERE

Boostek E7 Bluetooth & Wired headphones

Rating: 5/5

Review:
Very nice sound

They were sent to me for review and I think they are functionally very good, with impressive sound.

The headphones are very nicely packaged and come with a standard mini-USB charging lead, a good jack-to-jack lead for wired connection and a decent User Manual in pretty good English. The headphones look good, I think, in black and silver and don't go in for a lot of flashy "design" which is just fine by me. They fold up for transport and storage. They have both Bluetooth and wired connection, and I noticed no difference in sound quality between the two modes. You can use wired connection to connect to non-Bluetooth devices, of course, and also use it if the headphones are out of charge.

These are on-ear headphones; they are fairly light and, as long as you get on with on-ear pads, very comfortable. The ear pads are good and have enough movement to sit comfortably and give a good sound seal. They have a good firm grip but aren't too tight, and I find them fine for prolonged listening. Bluetooth pairing is very simple both via standard pairing and NFC, and I found both the battery life and range good. The controls are a feature, in that the volume and skip controls work by swiping a finger in the desired direction. It took a couple of goes to get the hang of it, but they work very well. There are also standard basic phone controls and a perfectly decent built-in microphone.

Sound quality is very good. I test all headphones and speakers (and I've tested a lot now) using a playlist of test tracks which give all aspects of the sound a thorough trial. It starts with 16th Century choral music, it ends with London Grammar and it has most things in between - orchestral, choral, vocal and chamber music, classic rock, acoustic music and so on. I thought these performed very well on everything; articulation is very clear, tops are bright without being harsh and the middles are rich and full. The bass is very good; it's not over-dominant but it's all there so the sound is very nicely balanced, and the bass responds very well to a bit of EQ boost if you want it. Instruments and voices in classical music are distinct and sound very good, rock really rocks when it needs to, acoustic music sounds bright and airy…I'm impressed, and the rolling deep bass in London Grammar's Hey Now, which really tests bass response, comes over very well.

There is now a crowded market in headphones in this price range, but I think these hold their own very well. You can get headphones with a more dominant bass, but for balanced, clear sound these seem excellent to me. In short, these are a good quality pair of versatile, mid-range phones which, if anything, out-perform their price. I can recommend them.

Amazon page HERE

Dikete Flexisoft heads for Braun toothbrushes

Rating: 5/5

Review:
Very good toothbrush heads

I was sent these toothbrush heads for review and I am impressed.  I have used Braun electric toothbrushes with Oral-B heads for many, many years, and it has never occurred to me to try another brand, but these are very good indeed.

The main thing to say is that they seem almost identical to the Oral-B equivalent in both design and quality.  I simply can't tell the difference when I'm using them, and at £8 for an 8-pack at the time of writing they're less than half the price of Oral-B.

I will update this review if I have any problems with durability, but after several days' use they're performing very well and I'm not expecting any difficulty (and even if they do turn out to have a slightly shorter life, they're still very good value).

So, buy with confidence, I'd say.  These do the job as well as Oral-B at a fraction of the price.  Recommended.

Amazon page HERE

Archeer 32GB flash drive

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A good flash drive

Archeer sent me this 32GB flash drive for review and I think it's very good.  It is a standard swivel design and is USB 3.0, and it does the job very well.  I only have USB 2.0 devices to test this on, but it gives up to about 22MB/s write speed on a single large video file and around 15MB/s when writing music with fairly standard length tracks, which is a good speed.  Media all play perfectly well from the drive.

There's not a great deal more to say about a flash drive.  It's not the cheapest available, but it's good quality.  It is too early to assess durability definitively; I will update this review if I have any problems later, but I'd expect this to last very well because Archeer make good quality stuff and it has an 18-month warranty.  So far, I've had no problems at all – which, with decent speeds, is all I really want from a flash drive. Recommended.

Amazon page HERE

Umi BTS-2 compact Bluetooth speaker

Rating: 4/5

Review:
A good compact speaker

I was sent this Umi BTS-2 speaker for review.  I think that as a small unit for under twenty quid (at the time of writing) it's pretty good.

The speaker is very nicely packaged and comes with a micro-USB charging cable, a jack-to-jack lead and an adequate manual in comprehensible English. It has a good, durable feel to it and seems solidly made with a stylish look.  It is very compact - I measured it as 17.5cm (l) x 5cm (max width) x 6cm (h).  The AUX input and charging port (and a reset hole) are on the back so they are reasonably accessible but unobtrusive. The controls are on the top; they are stylish (but not that clear) and work very well, giving volume up and down, pause/play and skip forward and back, plus the power button and a "mode" button if you want to change input modes without unplugging the AUX cable, or change the Bluetooth pairing. Hands-free phone calls via the inbuilt microphone are simply controlled by the pause/play button. Bluetooth connection was straightforward; it is solid with a good range of at least 7m and the jack input allows connection to non-Bluetooth devices.  I noticed no difference in sound quality between the two modes.

In use, I found the sound pretty good for such a small speaker. I have listened to a lot of music through it, including my Test Playlist from Tudor choral music to London Grammar and it all sounds pretty good. The output is clear and hiss-free, the tops and middles are very good and it goes surprisingly loud (to me) without distortion. The bass is not great – for a small unit at this price it's not bad, but don't expect hi-fi depth: things like the low strings in Sibelius's Karelia Suite or the deep bass in London Grammar's Hey Now get rather lost. Battery life seems to be around 8 hours and may possibly improve to the manufacturers' claimed 10 hours after a few cycles.

I think the speaker is good value at this price. It's a very nice-looking object which is well made and has decent sound as a desk or bedside speaker, for example.  Recommended.

Amazon page HERE

Accuweight Digital Bathroom Scales

Rating: 5/5

Review: 
Very good scales

I was sent these Accuweight scales for review and I am impressed.  They are robust, very elegant and do a good job.

The scales are powered by a standard CR2032 coin battery which is supplied and readily available when replacement is needed.  They have three display modes: kilogrammes, pounds and (hurrah!) stones and pounds which are simply selected by a switch on the underside.  They are dead simple to use: you step onto them and they come to life and register your weight in a couple of seconds.  The display is large and clear so you'll be confronted with the truth even on the bleariest of mornings, and they turn off after 10 seconds.

The scales are a good size – easily large enough for my Size 11s but not so big as to be cumbersome.  They look great – slim, simple and elegant – and seem very solidly made with a sturdy frame underneath and a thick, tough glass surface which is very easy to clean.

In short, these are just what I want in bathroom scales: they weigh accurately in the units I want, they look very good and seem built to last.  At this price I think they're very good value, too, and I can recommend them warmly.

Amazon page HERE

August WR320 Wi-Fi Receiver

Rating: 5/5

Review:
An excellent, flexible unit

August kindly sent me this unit for review, and I think it's excellent.  It's a neat little box which turns any speaker system, including a full stereo system, or even headphones into a Wi-Fi enabled device.  It also allows normal Bluetooth and wired connection, so it's very versatile.

It comes neatly and simply packed with good quality connecting leads: two jack-to-jack leads (one for input and one for output), a jack-to-phono lead for output to a stereo system or similar and a standard micro-USB lead for powering the unit. 

Wi-fi set-up was pretty simple.  The app downloads and installs without difficulty and connection is pretty easy after that.  (I already have an August Wi-Fi speaker and this uses the same app.)  Once connected, you can stream from internet sites or play your own music via the app and it's excellent. Because it's wi-fi, lossless really means lossless so music from places like Tidal sounds great – and I love having my full TEAC stereo system Wi-Fi enabled.

The app gives real flexibility. If you have more than one speaker you can put them in different rooms and choose which to play (including all at once if you like), configure them to act as left and right channels to give wireless stereo and so on. It just works, and once I'd got used to the app (which didn’t take long) it was all very simple.

Use as a Bluetooth receiver is also simple and gave a good solid connection up to at least 8 metres. AUX wired input also works fine from my Hifiman music player, so it's a cracking unit which is simple to use and gives real flexibility to my stereo.

I'm delighted with this unit.  August make good quality products so I'm sure it will be durable and I can recommend it very warmly.

Aplic vertical mouse

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A very good mouse

I was sent this mouse for review and I like it very much.  It is well made, works very well and is extremely comfortable to use.

I have been using a (different) vertical mouse for some time now.  It has made a big difference to my hand, which used to get quite painful at times due to using a conventional mouse, so I know the idea is sound and this one seems very good so far.  Plug and play genuinely works with Windows 10; just plug in and it is fully functional within a few seconds.  All the buttons and scroll wheel work fine and are well positioned for easy use and there's a good long lead.  It's comfy in the hand and I like the removable "palm rest" which allows you either to rest your entire hand on the mouse and move it effectively from the elbow, or remove it to rest the heel of your hand on the desk and move the mouse from the wrist.  Probably the best thing I can say about this mouse is that after a few minutes use, I forgot about the mouse itself and just used it without thinking – which is what I want from a mouse.

It must be said that it's a bulky and rather ugly thing – but that's just a hazard with vertical mice.  For me it's well worth it for the comfort and lack of any hint of RSI.  I will update this review if I have any durability issues, but it seems very well made and I'm not expecting any.  If you want a right-handed vertical mouse, I can recommend this one: it's very reasonably priced and does the job very well.

Amazon page HERE

Etekcity Kitchen Scales

Rating: 5/5

Review:
Very good kitchen scales

The manufacturer sent me these scales for review and I think they are excellent. I use kitchen scales a lot so I want something really good, and these fit the bill.

The scales look very stylish and they are also extremely good in use which is the critical thing for me. They seem very robust and should stand up to the knocks, scrapes and drops of frequent kitchen use.  They sit solidly on non-slip feet and have a good sized weighing surface (about 22cm x 19cm). The surface is brushed stainless steel, covered with a very tough, clear plastic layer, so the surface doesn't get smeared with fingerprints and so on and is extremely easy to clean. The display is backlit, large and very easy to read and the control buttons are convenient and easy to use.

The scales have four units: grammes, ounces, fl. oz. and ml.  (Personally, I never fl. oz. and ml, but others may find them useful.)  I have tested them and they are accurate to 1g or 0.1oz and have a tare (or zero) function so you can reset to zero once your container is on the scales and just weigh the contents as you add them. They use 3 x AAA batteries which are supplied and are easy to get when you need replacements. 

I'm very pleased with these scales. They are well made, they look very good and they work very well.  At just over ten quid at the time of writing I think they are excellent value, too, and I can recommend these very warmly.

Amazon page HERE

Etekcity 4-way power strip with USB ports

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A good quality power strip

This power strip was sent to me for review: it is very good.

It comes very nicely boxed and has an instruction booklet, which is largely redundant because all you have to do is plug it in, turn it on and use it.  There's not a great deal to say about a power strip, but the two important things are that it seems very robustly made so it should last well and that it is nicely designed.  It is slim and discreet, and very easy to use.  There is a single on/off switch, so the four sockets are not individually switched, but it does have surge protection.

The four USB charging ports are grouped at one end, which is a design I like.  Some other strips I have tried have the ports in parallel with the power sockets, so plugging in a larger power unit sometimes blocks a USB port.  The ports work just fine on my devices; they are rated up to 2.4A and automatically charge your device at the appropriate rate.

That's it, really.  It's a well made, well designed power strip which does the job it's made for and I can recommend it.

Amazon page HERE

Reshow car cassette adaptor

Rating: 4/5

Review:
A good adaptor

I was sent this adaptor for review and so far it has been good.  A car cassette adaptor is a pretty niche item these days, but I still have an elderly and much-loved car with a cassette deck.  I have used FM transmitters to connect my phone or mp3 player to the radio but there are so many pirates as I drive around that the connection is pretty unreliable so an adaptor like this is very handy.  This one works well; it's dead simple to use and gives reasonable sound.

The adaptor comes simply packed and with a basic guide – but you don't need much.  You just push the adaptor into the cassette player, plug the jack into the headphone socket of your music source and the music will emerge from your car stereo.  You can move the output lead to emerge from the body of the adaptor in various positions, so it should fit pretty well all car cassette players and it seems solidly made.

The sound is pretty good. I find the level quite low, but boosting the volume of both source and car stereo gives decent volume.  It's not as bright as it might be on the trebles – but that may just be my cassette player, which is not in the first flush of youth.

Overall, this is a very decent item which is reasonably priced and well made.  I will update this review if I have any problems with durability, but I'm not expecting any and if you need a car cassette adaptor, I can recommend this one.

Amazon page HERE