Homes and Gardens

From the latest lawn mower to hedge trimmer to that great new way to BBQ, or inside that wizzy vacuum, cool fridge. A big topic this one, with new gadgets appearing daily! Come and read other members experiences or opinions, or share your own with the rest of the community.

True wire free connection as this kit is Wi-Fi and uses rechargeable batteries that should last months between charges. This means you just need to find somewhere to fix an external camera, this kit also includes a second camera and a motion detector even for total darkness so while other kits say they are wireless often you still need something going through an external wall.
Being able to make a coffee shop coffee at home or in the office needs a machine that can grind beans and dispense the coffee and if a Latte is your choice then a device that can froth with steam from fresh milk this offering from Melitta does both.

882352 Neos SmartCaNEOS Internal Camera

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 11 Feb 2019
The first thing that encouraged me to test out this security device is that it only costs £19.99 yes the decimal point is in the correct place. So while it is on sale from a company that make their money from Insurance but at that price for a retail purchase it must be a no brainer. If you then go on to get discounted home insurance that’s another win.

882351 google home huGoogle Home Hub

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 8 Feb 2019
If you know what Amazon Alexa can do then this Hub from Google goes one stage further. It is a 7inch Landscape touch Tablet with the extended back being the speaker to give excellent sound and it sits like a triangular object.
Recently a range of small home security cameras have been received to review. The trend is for them to be Wi-Fi operated so requiring where you place them just needs to be within the reach of a power point, this is one such device.

881901 Philips SpeedPro Max Cordless Stick Vacuum CleanePhilips SpeedPro Max

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 23 Jan 2019
In relation to another vacuum – many years ago – its founder said ‘so easy even a man can use it’ he was a man, so am I, his statement is also true of this offering from Philips. Literally you clip the base to the tube and the tube to the motor and storage container and switch on and use it. No screws and because each section fits only one way it’s that easy.

881767 RevoNext QT3 Quad Driver In Ear HiFi EarphoneQuad Drive Ear Piece

Published in Homes and Gardens by mfereday on 8 Jan 2019
Swedish by design and Chinese by manufacture deliver a set of earphones.

881522 Wahl Aqua Blade TrimmeWAHL Hair Trimmer

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 2 Jan 2019
A visit to a barber between Liverpool Street and Old Street for a totally new brand to me had a presentation for a 99 year old company found me leaving after a very pleasant haircut from a barber at a shop called Ruffians and with a sample of the WAHL hair trimmer to try out in my own home, and before you ask the barber did use one for part of the haircut.

881466 Soundcore Life 2 Over Ear Headphones Active Noise CancellatioSoundcore Life 2

Published in Homes and Gardens by mfereday on 1 Jan 2019
This next headset combines Bluetooth, Noise Cancelling and Hi-Res delivery at a sub £80 price point.

881006 Optoma LV130 300 Lumens LED ProjectoOptoma LV130

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 10 Dec 2018
I am a projector virgin or rather I was until this solid battery offering arrived a few weeks ago. It came with no instructions, it had a power adapter and an HDMI lead so I plugged it into my PC and pressed the power button and after a few seconds I was looking at my Windows desktop. To be fair I had seen lots of other projectors but only as a recipient of another person’s presentation.

881041 Xiaomi MI lpn4013gl body composition scaleChecking your Weight

Published in Homes and Gardens by mfereday on 6 Dec 2018
We love our food but does it love us as the issue of body weight needs to be considered.
While vegetarianism and veganism and both becoming more popular I am of an age when a Sunday Roast is still my meal of choice. However everyone is more safety conscious and while eating pork pink is acceptable meat does need proper cooking and the larger the joint the more important it is that it is properly heated through hence a meat thermometer is required, even in the home, especially if the meat has previously been frozen.
The Ring Stick Up Cam Wired is the latest addition to Ring’s portfolio. It is a security camera, with two-way talk, that can be viewed remotely and is suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications

880701 Vax VBT3ASV1 Blade 2 Max Cordless Vacuum CleaneVax Blade2 Max

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 7 Nov 2018
It’s been a while since a new VAX vacuum has come my way. Here an offering that the demonstrator held up with two fingers of one hand and as far as I know he was not a weightlifter so it is quite a light unit that can be used on floors, upholstery or ever picture rails.
A handheld stain and odour removal so if your pet misbehaves it need not be a disaster. So this is not a carpet vacuum or carpet room cleaner this is a handheld battery operated spot cleaner so ideal for an accidental spill or pet misbehaving.
While I have a Nespresso machine I like the taste of Cappuccinos and Dolce Gusto machines do one as good as a decent Barista can make but of course there are two great advantages, you make them at Home and they are a quarter of coffee shop price.
I am sure we all get spiders in the bath and I am told that autumn is the peak time. While some things freak me out, spiders are not at the top of my hate list but really large ones can be challenging especially those that do not want to be put in a glass to be disposed of.
The Hitachi 460W 2.1 soundbar model AXS460BTU offers a convenient way of providing reasonable quality sound – something that slim-line TVs often lack.

880512 Philips HR2332 Viva Collection Pasta and Noodle MakePhilips Pasta Maker

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 17 Oct 2018
Not something to stick onto your table to roll out the pasta to very thin slices or ribbons but a tool that allows you to put the ingredients into and, out of the unit comes the pasta – and noodles – ready to be cooked and eaten.
The Vax Blade 2 Max is a very efficient lightweight A-rated handstick cordless vacuum cleaner with a longer than average runtime. It could well be the only vacuum that a family will need

880340 Stainless Steel Colour Terraillon My Cook 15Kg Scal15kilo Kitchen Scale

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 30 Sep 2018
Having recently told you about a kitchen scale that is treble the normal maximum of 5kilos, another arrives shortly afterwards. This one is from Terraillon and is called The Chef Kitchen Scale and it has an amazing 15 year guarantee.
The Homedics MyChill Personal Space Cooler operates on the evaporative cooling principle and can sit on the corner of one’s desk to provide a localised stream of cooled air.
In a way a throwback to the past a mechanical timer which works solely by counting down from a set figure to zero and then ringing a bell to warn you, a simple process that should still enable you to extract things from the over without them burning.

880071 Edifier Powered Soundbar S50DEdifier Soundbar

Published in Homes and Gardens by mfereday on 6 Sep 2018
With a choice of five input streams, this next product belongs to Edifier’s family of speakers.
While for some a kitchen scale able to measure up to 15 kilos may seem overkill for others especially those using large copper pans will say at last. As the dimensions are bigger so to the great relief of those with less than perfect sight is the display.
As an ex chef and keen home cook for over fifty years I know that food poisoning is a rather nasty - and for some – potentially dangerous condition. So basic hygiene is key and knowing when various items are hot enough to kill bugs is vital so a quite simple tool like a meat probe is not just useful but vital especially when dealing with larger items.

879868 SCOTT UK Reusable Food Storage KiScott Bags

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 10 Aug 2018
This product consists of ten bags of one size and five bags of a larger size, three air exaction valves and a pump to remove the air so whatever you want to ‘keep fresh’ without air making it go off, you are able to store items in a fresh state for far longer by being in a vacuum.

879866 Image1Zero Water

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 3 Aug 2018
Filtered water is often the best option simply because unfiltered water can have a taste and as this could even be kept in the fridge it is also chilled. So it is opportune for those who drink bottled could switch to something like Zero Water. One large supermarket chain has recently increased a two litre bottle of own brand water by 25% that is when they have stock.
A visit to the HMS Belfast on the Thames introduced me to a company called Cello and its range of televisions.
A while ago I got up early to attend a presentation and eventually I received the first of the requested items from this event. One of - shall we say – more difficult things to get hold of but in a way something that may be of use to a great number of people.