For months I have been doing research on the benefits of Omega 3 fish oil and finally I had the opportunity to try it out. I have only been taking it for a few days but knowing the benefits is enough for me. The package arrived quickly and there was no damage at all. The bottle was completely sealed and safe. In the even that you weren't aware, I took the time to list the benefits of taking Omega 3.

 1.Omega-3 benefits your heart health. An Italian study (GISSI)7 of 11,324 heart attack survivors found that patients supplementing with fish oils markedly reduced their risk of another heart attack, stroke, or death. In a separate study, 8 American medical researchers reported that men who consumed fish once or more every week had a 50 percent lower risk of dying from a sudden cardiac event than do men who eat fish less than once a month.
2.Omega-3 normalizes and regulates your cholesterol triglyceride levels. Compared to a statin, both fish oil and krill oil are more efficient in doing this. According to a study comparing the efficiency of krill and fish oils in reducing triglyceride levels,9 both oils notably reduced the enzyme activity that causes the liver to metabolize fat, but krill had a more pronounced effects, reducing liver triglycerides significantly more.
Fasting triglyceride levels are a powerful indication of your ability to have healthy lipid profiles, which can be indicative of your heart health.
Studies have also shown that omega-3 fats are anti-arrhythmic (preventing or counteracting cardiac arrhythmia), anti-thrombotic (prevents thrombosis or a blood clot within a blood vessel), anti-atherosclerotic (preventing fatty deposits and fibrosis of the inner layer of your arteries), and anti-inflammatory (counteracting inflammation – the heat, pain, swelling, etc).
3.DHA affects your child's learning and behavior. Do you want to maximize your child's intellectual potential? A study published in Plos One in June 201310 linked low levels of DHA with poorer reading, and memory and behavioral problems in healthy school-age children. In another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in August 2013,11 children who consumed an omega-3 fat supplement as infants scored higher on rule learning, vocabulary, and intelligent testing at ages 3 to 5.
Previous research also found that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and related behavior or learning disabilities are more likely to have low omega-3 fat levels.
Omega-3 has such great impact on your brain health – EPA and DHA keep the dopamine levels in your brain high, increase neuronal growth in the frontal cortex of your brain, and increase cerebral circulation.
“Omega-3 has been found to save the lives of children going through short bowel syndrome (SBS)”4.Omega-3 has been found to save the lives of children going through short bowel syndrome (SBS), which is uncommon but impacts thousands of people in the United States. SBS can occur from birth (when a portion of the intestine fails to develop) or due to an infectious inflammatory disease striking premature newborns. In adults, it can be caused by surgery for Crohn's disease or injury.
Alarmed by the situation, Dr. Mark Puder, surgeon at Children's Hospital Boston,12 said that they knew most of the children with SBS were going to die. Then the physicians noted that when the kids were given the nutritional supplement Omegaven (made of fish oil), they began to improve drastically.
The fish oil treatment was given to 112 children at the hospital, where more than 90 percent of the children with SBS are still alive. There has been striking results that the fish oil supplement is also made available at 70 hospitals worldwide.

 I received this product at a discounted rate for my honest review.


I purchased one of these as a test to see if I could brighten up the room smell in an Airbnb I operate in my home, which is popular and gets daily use.  I always try to leave a pleasant scent via cleaning, but wanted something a bit more sophisticated.  I saw a NYTimes article on scent marketing and started searching on Amazon for choices in an entry-level machine.  My Airbnb suite is just 300 square feet, but has its own HVAC system. I purchased a tea/citrus scent from Aromatech after trying out their various samples (available for order on Amazon).

I've had the Kevinleo machine (sturdy and beautiful quality) set up and operating for about a month, and started with the lowest amount of scent spraying into the HVAC air return (which I installed by poking a hole in the HVAC return and setting up the machine in a bookcase in my my office, which is adjacent to the HVAC crawl space and Airbnb.  Learning the buttons on the keypad is not a big deal to figure out.  If you can the time on an alarm clock, you can set this scent machine operating times/hours/days. Lowest scent is 5 seconds on and 300 seconds off, which means it sprays scent for 5 seconds every 5 minutes.  I set it to spray only during daytime hours when guests would be awake, figuring no one wants to be subjected to a scent while they're sleeping. This setting has been PERFECT and is just right, so every once in a while, you get a pleasant whiff of the tea/citrus scent.  It isn't enough to really take notice that the place has a scent machine -- it's just a pleasant overall essence that's occasionally noticeable.  As it should be, I think. Too much of a good thing is just that.  I liked this machine so much that I bought another one for the bedroom level of my own house.  After trying it out and setting it to scent for 24 hours a day, I can tell you that you DO NOT want to be smelling scent when you're sleeping. Also, for the Airbnb I bought the somewhat expensive Aromatech scent ($149 for 500ml or 16 oz= $9.31/oz).  I'm trying out the White Tea reed diffuser scented oil in the rest of the house, which is $13.99 for 8 oz = $1.75oz.  The less expensive oil works just as well and smells the same for less than a fifth of the cost of the other.  Back to the Airbnb scent machine == it's been operating from 7 am to 10 pm since June 15, and scenting for 10 seconds on/300 seconds off, and when i check the oil bottle in the machine, it still looks nearly full.  It appears I'll be able to go many months without having to refill.  On a note to those who say "the machine doesn't work after a while," I HAVE occasionally set the scent output to a higher number of seconds -- like 20 on, 300 off -- just to make sure the machine occasionally is working long enough to ensure the tube from machine to hvac has some air pushed through it and avoids possible accumulation.  Just a thought.  I'm liking this all so much, I just bought a THIRD machine for the living room level of my home, and will stick to the less expensive white tea reed diffuser scent oil refill tea (the Westin Hotel-ish smell) as my scent.  I hope this helps someone make their own decisions. Eric in LA


Im  using this product for over a year and am extremely happy to have found this great Remedy.

 This has saved me thru the winter from getting that heavy cold, & in the summer from getting

sick from the Air Conditioner.  Im really sensitive to a cold, oh my gosh when this cold hits me it

takes me weeks to get out of it. I tried everything under the sun from Natural products to over

the counter antihistamines .

 I do believe in natural products and I do think vitamin C Helps a little and raw honey is a good

thing to have around. But  this product has helped me immensely. I can say I saved hours of

sitting at the Doctors office. (As a matter of fact last time I visited my doctor he asked me are

you ok? I didn't see you for such a long time)  and im so happy to see that this is available at

Amazon because l always buy this product locally but the last time I was looking for it at my local

Health food store and he was out of it. I started searching I was delighted to find it on Amazon.

I love helping others and at the same time. When I finally find a good product that really works

I feel that I need to share this knowledge with others who are struggling with the same issue.

Im not looking to be critical of other products but I can tell you I have tried many products that

didn't help me at all. Im so glad that I finally found a product that really works & works fast. I will

also share some other ideas that have really helped me since I am aware that Im not the only

one that gets paralyzed from a bad cold.

As soon as you start feeling that tickling in your throat or minor pain do not wait start taking this

cold remedy immediately. I've had outstanding results when I took it more frequently  in small

doses . I took a half a dropper every 3 Hours During the day. Like 5 times a day  sometimes I was

going on for a day or 2 till I felt better but many times after 6-7 hours I forgot that I was feeling

bad.

 Once you missed it & the cold is really heavy it is much harder to get  rid of. But one thing for

sure if you take these drops  you will not feel that heavy congestion that you normally feel with

a cold. You'll be able to function a lot better amid the cold.

When you have a cold make sure to drink lots of water. Also if you can tolerate mix 4oz

lukewarm to warm water with a pinch of salt, mix well & put into a dropper & drip it into nostrils

3-4 times a day.

Of course not to mention you always you have to be careful and make sure that it's not a

bacterial infection if symptoms are severe  and  lasts longer than usual see your Doctor.

Because no natural product can replace antibiotic you cannot play around when you need to get

antibiotics for an  infection. But when you catch it  early enough you won't need to run to the

doctor because  if treated  at the onset  you'll avoid it from  becoming an infection. Mainly what

I realize this product does it takes away a sore throat in hours. I've gone to sleep  with a sore

throat and I woke up  in the morning feeling great. I almost forgot that I was not feeling well last

night.

I recommend you to try this product. I have full faith in it.  It has really helped me, it has  helped

my kids. I keep one bottle at home and one  bottle at work.  Also it lasts longer than I thought.


I usually don't write reviews, but this stuff has been a total game changer for me!  I keep thinking it can't be making a huge difference, but then I'm reminded just how essential it is for me.  I tried a different brand about a month ago and this last week I must have gotten a bad batch because the taste was a little off.  Both times, I immediately felt the difference.  I started breaking out, I was getting irritable, having intense cravings, feeling exhausted, and gaining weight.  As soon as I ordered a new bottle and started taking it again, within a few hours, I was back to feeling better.  I've always had hormones from hell!  This last year, I had a total hysterectomy, which was a huge blessing!  The dr put me on an estrogen patch, which made a significant difference... sometimes, but I would always get major swings between the days I had to change my patch, and I had to keep upping my dose, which was dangerous with my clotting problems.  So, I started searching for other options.  I've known about maca for a while, but it never really stood out to me.  I came across a study that talked about how it actually works on the pituitary gland, which is basically the part of your brain that controls all your hormones.  This caught my interest, because I felt like I just kept swinging myself up and down trying to figure out how much estrogen I needed, since I'm super sensitive.  The maca works by balancing everything out and prevents the guessing game.  When I first started taking it back in February, I had to take it about every 4 hours, otherwise, I would feel the symptoms creeping back.  It usually takes a couple of weeks to build up in your system and notice the difference, but after a while, you don't have to take as much.  Now, I only take it 2 to 3 times a day, depending on how I feel.  My mom also had a hysterectomy and didn't want to get off of her patches, but she finally did and is doing great on the maca too.  It gets rid of her hot flashes.  She doesn't seem to notice a difference in brands, but for me, it made a huge difference.  There are also different types of maca.  The red maca is the best for hormones but isn't just for female hormones since it works on the pituitary gland.  The black is better for energy, but the red seems to give me a good amount of energy too.  This stuff has made it possible for me to lose almost 50 pounds now.  My hormones have been a major trigger for my autoimmune reaction.  I would gain 5 pounds in a single day and would get so swollen, painful, exhausted, and depressed that it was a struggle just to get out of bed.  On top of that, they would trigger severe sugar cravings.  It felt like I was thirsty all the time, but the only thing that quenched the thirst were carbs.  Hormones affect your neurotransmitters, and your neurotransmitters are made up of building blocks that you get from foods.  Sugar increases both your serotonin and dopamine, which make you feel better.  My poor family always knew that when I was hormonal, I NEEDED sugar or I would literally lose my mind.  Since being on the maca, I rarely get any sugar cravings.  Unfortunately, for me, losing weight hasn't been as simple as fixing my hormones and staying away from sugar due to the many foods that trigger my immune system.  However, I keep being reminded that the maca has been essential in my journey to better health, and I literally can't function well without it.  So, I wanted to share in case my experience could possibly help someone else too.


UPDATE (after going through a 5lb bag): I decided to upgrade my review to 5 stars despite mixing issues, which only exist because there are no additives (mainly no lecithin of any kind, for which I'm grateful), because the protein tastes so neutral both on its own and in smoothies. It also has the best individual protein profile I've seen and has a nice thin consistency when mixed, which is probably what gives it a more neutral taste over other proteins. Lastly, the protein sits really well with me (other proteins will give me acid reflux/make me feel bloated). As long as you don't drink it while it's foamy (see mixing tips below), you shouldn't feel bloated. This is probably the least bloating protein I've tried since it's thin when mixed and the only ingredient is whey.

Mixing Tips: a large blender that allows you to drop the protein in from the top while you have the water moving is the best, but any will do.
I've found that pressing the stir/mix button on the blender gently while dumping an entire scoop of the protein into half a cup of water while the water is just moving is good enough to mix it (it takes a few seconds). There is still quite a bit of foam, but enough of it will settle in a few minutes to make it drinkable. I separate any remaining foam and put it in the fridge to settle so I can drink it later (it doesn't amount to much but probably still a few grams of protein). Alternatively, I'll mix the protein a few hours before I want it and let it sit in the fridge until the foam settles. SMOOTHIE TIP: to make a smoothie, I mix the protein, let it settle as I just mentioned, and set it aside. Then, I blend all the smoothie ingredients in the blender, pour the smoothie mix into the shaker with the protein, and stir with a spoon to combine. Stirring the rest of the smoothie into the mixed protein ensures that no foam is created. You end up with a smooth shake. I find that thick fruits, like a full banana, in the smoothie work the best to neutralize any remaining whey flavor over thinner fruits like watermelon.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Previous Review (after a few days of trying the protein):

The reason why I gave this protein four stars instead of five is because it should really come with a warning that it requires a blender to mix. If you try to stir it, it will clump and stick to the side of your glass. If you try to shake it, it will foam like crazy but still be clumpy. Both of these methods of mixing make the protein undrinkable. You have to mix it in a blender ever so slowly to get it to mix well enough to drink. However, despite mixing it intermittently on the slowest speed, you will still end up with 50% foam. I use this blender method and reduce the foam by putting the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. I discard the strained foam.

I mix the protein with water. To make a fruit/vegetable shake, I would use the method I described above with water or milk, strain out the foam, then mix it in by hand to the rest of the shake (if you use a blender to mix the protein with the rest of your shake ingredients, it will foam too much to be drinkable. Although if you have a very small blending container, it may work as there wouldn't be as much air circulating within it to make it foam).

Other than the issue of mixing, the protein has a great neutral taste and the best amino acid profile I've seen. It's also nice that it's from grass fed cows and is not a byproduct of the cheese making process as most other proteins are. For these reasons, I think I can deal with the mixing issue.


For a little background on me, I used to be a manager at Brookstone and have sold several different models of massage chairs. I don't claim to be an expert, but I know a thing or two. Now for the review:

I've owned this chair (E730) for a little over 5 months now for $800 from the Cavalier Store.

Shipping process:
I don't remember exactly how long shipping took, but I remember it being right in the middle of the delivery window. The shipping company would not step foot on my property and would not come through the gate to the backyard. I'm in Chicago so they left it in the alley and I dragged it through the gate by myself. The company called me a day before and told me approximately when it would arrive so that I could be home to sign for it.

Getting it inside and assembly:
This thing is heavy and big. You definitely need two strong people to carry it. It comes two pieces: the main unit and the foot massager. It was a challenge to fit it through some of the door frames. I had to take two of the doors off so make sure it will fit through yours. Assembly was pretty easy, just follow the instructions and connect a few hoses together for the airbags.

The massages pros:
The massage is really nice. I think it's a little on the harder side so it may not be the best for people who are sensitive, but I love a good hard massage. The airbags feel really nice, especially on your calves. I really like some of the pre-programed massages. The zero gravity really take a load off your back. I used to get massages about once a month and I've stopped going completely since buying this chair. The chair looks nice and the faux leather is really nice too.

Cons: The machine definitely has some quirks to it. For instance, if the timer runs out or if you want to switch from one pre-programed massage to another and you are in zero gravity, the chair will go fully upright and then you can put it back into zero gravity again. The user interface is moderately featured, but is lacking in some areas. I wish there was more customization. For instance, there are a number of manual options, but no way to program a custom massage. There is not a way to designate which airbags to use, it's either all or none. The airbags on your feet can be a little too strong. I don't know if this is just my machine, but the body scanning has not worked at all since day one. It's stuck on the tallest height setting and I cannot change the settings to fit someone smaller. But I'm 5' 10" and it's perfect for me. I haven't reached out to any kind of support to try to resolve this issue. Other than that, I've had no mechanical issues with it. Lastly, there are bluetooth speakers on the outside of the chair, but they are absolute garbage. But who buys a massage chair for its speakers?

Overall rating 7.5/10. It was well worth the $800 I spent on it. I see that it's going for about $1300 now, I'm not sure it's worth it at that price, but it's a solid machine.

A word of advice for any massage chair shopper, BUY THE WARRANTY! I haven't had to use it yet, but many massage chairs, even from well known name brands breakdown and you don't want to spend all this money just for it to die in a few years.


[[VIDEOID:4906b0eeb97740b6aa8918eb22f9e9d3]] This  is  my  review  on  the  FOMI  Lumbar  Support.  Disclosure:  I  was  offered  this  product  at  a  reduced  price  in  exchange  for  my  honest  and  unbiased  opinion.  When  I  do  a  review  I  always  get  one  or  more  people  to  put  their  opinion  in  on  it,  because  people  have  different  likes  and  dislikes  and  I  feel  the  more  perspectives  I  get  on  something  the  better  I  can  review  it.

  So,  my  first  impression  of  the  FOMI  Lumbar  Support:  Over  all  I would  have  to  say  it  was  fair.  Sadly  some  of  it's  value  was  lost  in  my  use  of  it  has  my  chair  has  Lumbar  support  (and  by  my  chair  I  mean  my  husbands  that  I  steal  all  the  time).  So  when  you  pile  Lumber  on  Lumbar  it  gets  a  little  un-comfy.  Now  if  I  laid  back  in  his  chair  it  kinda  suspended  my  back  similar  to  how  a  hammock  would  and  that  felt  pretty  nice  and  the  massage  beads  were  a  very  nice  touch  and  were  not  too  intrusive  to  the  back.  But  all-in-all,  not  for  me.

  My  moms  assessment  of  the  FOMI  Lumbar  Support:  She  put  it  in  her  van  and  drove  around  town  with  it  for  awhile  then  gave  me  her  opinion  of  it.  Overall  she  seemed  happy  with  it  but  wasn't  overly  impressed  by  it.  Though  it's  not  necessarily  uncomfortable,  it  could  definitely  take  some  getting  used  to.

  I  ALWAYS  try  to  find  at  least  one  thing  that  could  be  improved  upon  or  slight  imperfection  in  every  product  I  review  because  NO  product  is  completely  prefect  for  everyone.

  So  the  main  issues  with  this  product  is:  1) It  could  prove  slightly awkward  at  first  and  may  not  use  it  long  enough  to  get  start  feeling  the  long  term  effect  it  would  have  on  their  back.  2) It  presents  its  self  as  having  adjustable  elastic  straps,  I  feel  this  is  slightly  misleading.  The  straps  themselves  can  not  be  adjusted.  Now  there  are  two  straps  going  diagonally  and  one  horizontally.  This  gives  it  a  sense  of  flexibility  to  fit  a  variety  of  chairs,  but  I  would  not  classify  it  as  adjustable.


❤ Skin: Normal, younger, extremely pale Caucasian skin with pink tones and relatively small to medium pores.

This is such a wonderful cleanser, definitely my new staple beauty cleanser. 😃😋😍 I recently got in the whole Korean skincare cosmetics over the summer!! Sadly, I've only tried 2 Korean cleansers in my lifetime and they gave me pretty bad results. They were It's Skin eggshell (which dried me out terribly and gave me the most worst breakout on my forehead) and Skin Food Egg White Cleansing Foam (which was a sample I received that also dried my skin out horribly and left me with a more mild breakout on my forehead). So, I was a bit worried this would dry me out as well!!! 😓😓😓

I have thankfully never experienced any kind of acne, and really rarely only get mild breakouts with products, usually on my forehead, but this may be because I keep a healthy diet and I'm quite young too! But prevention is the key! 😘😘😃😃

Sorry for the rambling, now on to the product! 😌😌😅😅 Wonder Pore Whipping Foaming has such a cute, refreshing packaging. It comes in a shaving cream-like bottle with an adorable baby blue hue. I'm usually a more pinkish and girly type girl but Wonder Pore is just so delicately cute and feels new and refreshing! The consistency is also like shaving cream, it reminds me of marshmallow fluff! 😄 It's extremely gentle, and it was my first time using a foam cleanser so it was definitely a new and pleasant experience! There's definitely a smell, but extreme'y subtle. Usually when I use this cleanser under my nose and upper lip I can detect a mint, maybe peppermint-like feeling? It's super refreshing and cooling and really subtle! I also have rather sensitive skin, but this doesn't irritate it at all! Soo lovely!! 😄😄 At first, I thought this was product was "too" gentle, so I scrubbed more vigorously. Don't be fooled! This scrub is actually a bit tough! After scrubbing vigorously for maybe 2 or 3 days even using toner and moisturizer I've noticed that my nose developed some teeny tiny dry flakes! They were tiny though, definitely not horrible! But other than that, everything has been peachy with this cleanser! It's fluffy and sweet, leaving my skin very soft and clean, but not super tight, squeaky clean. It looks adorable on my sink and has definitely cleared and has really reduced the size of my pores! I've been using this for a few weeks now and it's really improved my skin! Also, the shipping was extraordinarily fast! I ordered this on October 30th and it arrived November 1rst on a Sunday too!! I ordered around maybe 16-18 products? and this along with Hey!Pinkyo Girl lace sheet masks and they were the first things to arrive! This is by far my most adored cleanser, and I'm finally seeing the hype! ❤ I also really love Wonder Pore because of that cute video with Sulli and Key reviewing Wonder pore products! 😍😍😍 Will definitely repurchase!!

TL;DR
Pros:
Very gentle, yet effective
Extremely subtle mint-like(?) smell
Refreshing mint lingering
Cute container
Leaves pores smaller
Keeps face soft and firm
Can be used as a mask
Cleans your skin without stripping

Cons:
Can dry out skin a bit if you use vigorously

Overall; Holy grail and definitely not a beauty fail!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍


UPDATE: After this review the company reached out to me to try and help “make things right” (my phrasing). I appreciate this kind of customer service, told them they did not have to, but if they wanted, the size was not working for me/us. They sent my a 2/3rd version - the kind I do use. It has arrived, looks very similar to the one in the pics for the 3/4 version, and I tried it in several shoes. I already had my regal shoes set, so tried my dress shoes and 2 pairs of casual. I did eventually find 2 pairs these work with - frustratingly, many of the shoes to not allow me to take out the inserts, so adding anything makes the too tight. But these did work in the two pairs and were fine. So, I appreciate the customer service and that these 2/3rds inserts do work for me. They are fairly “hard” in that you will feel the support. For my needs it’s fine - I have to have a good level. They fit and did not stretch the shoes like the longer ones did, that too is very helpful. Overall I think these are going to work better for me - I’ve not tried my wife’s shoes yet - so I’m glad they reached out. For their customer service and because I can use them and they give good support, I have increased the original 3 stars to 5. The original review is below.

This Plantar Fasciitis Pain Relief Orthotics - Arch Support 3/4 Insoles is not going to work out for us. I got them for myself, but when they did not work for me, my wife tried them, and they do not work for her either.

I also realized: I have 3 sets of 2/3 inserts that I’ve come to really like. I messed up when getting these - I misread the 3/4 instead of 2/3. Therefore, these are longer. Figured I’d give them a try and it would be not much different. It is. The longer set up of the arch support does not work in our shoes.

PROS:
I like the weight - it is lightweight and does not add to the weight of the shoe
I like the bottom - it is actually rather comfortable
I like the cushion feel
I like the support - overall it seemed like it would be a good level of support

Having a need for arch support I find that what I need varies from shoe to shoe (pairs). I also use them in a range of shoe types: gym, dress, hiking, etc. So figuring out the type and style of insert isn’t always easy. I use an expensive full insert on my regular shoes - need the consist support. The other side is, I don’t want to pay that much for inserts for certain shoes I only wear from time to time. So, why not move a set of inserts from shoe to shoe? With 2/3 pairs is it possible and I’ve been successful.

Now that I realize the 3/4 ARE different enough as to alter things - I will not get another pair of 3/4. They do not work for my shoes.

If I could get these in a 2/3 length I would really like them - I’m pretty sure at least.

CONS:
At this length they are too wide at the toe end - they actually push out on the sides of the shoes.
I do not like where they end under the foot - it feels annoying

In the end I am not comfortable on and do not like this 3/4 size. It does not feel comfortable under the foot. And the size at the top end closest to the toes is far too wide. I think what’s weird - compared to other shoes and inserts I have - you can see these are wider. I have “normal” rather than “wide” feet. I tried them in both gym shoes - pushed out visibly on the sides of the material. And on dress shoes - which for men are often shaped into a point - and there too you could these push out. I yanked them out quickly so as not to stretch the leather. These just to not work for me. It’s sad - I did like the feel of my foot in them - under the arch with it’s support - but that was all.


I have just started using Finish Kare products, specifically I started with Finish Kare's synthetic paste wax even though it is actually a finishing sealant.  (Finish Kare 1000P Hi-Temp Paste Wax [[ASIN:B002NZL6M6 15oz Finish Kare 1000P Hi Temp]] They sell 1000p for boats but it works wonderfully on cars as well.  This is a dynamite product because it is both easy to apply and buff off plus because it's for boats which see a much more difficult environment than most cars, one can expect a much longer period of protection than typical car waxes give.  If you're looking for one wax to protect your ride, you really can't go wrong with the 1000P.  It also produces a beautiful shine though some might claim that it doesn't have the depth and wet look that many carnauba waxes give.

To see if I could get the depth of shine and wet look, I was eager to purchase some of Finish Kare's 2685 Pink Paste Wax. It's made from #1 Brazilian carnauba plus some reinforcing resins to give the wax more durability, especially it's resistance to burn-off from heat.  In what has to be one of the sweetest deals I've seen in a long time, you can get three cans of the 2685 for the price of one.  If you apply this wax properly, you'll be fixed practically for life.

I applied one coat to my Ranger this afternoon and it couldn't have been easier.  I did the entire truck including wheels and tonneau cover in about an hour.  I applied this wax during a very humid day (like we have anything else in GA at this time of year) and it went on smoothly and it hazed in about 5 minutes.  On other waxes, I've had a hard time getting them off if they sat too long but the 2685 buffed right off with a cotton towel.  Normally, I have to use microfiber to remove sealants and waxes and on many days, static becomes a problem but not so with cotton.  It's just my opinion but with a cotton towel, you don't remove any of the newly applied product.  Another possible advantage is that this wax (like 1000p) doesn't stain exterior vinyl.  In my experience all I had to do was use a soft bristle brush to remove the dry residue. NOTE: I keep my vinyl in pretty good condition and you may have a different experience if your vinyl has weathered so test and test again.

Note that neither 1000p nor 2685 have any cleaning properties.  If your paint has corrosion, stains or other problems, you'll need a cleaner wax or a polish to fix the paint.  Finish Kare make some products that will help you here: Finish Kare 215 One Step Cleaner & Surface Sealant ([[ASIN:B002NQXLP0 Finish Kare Cleaner Surface Sealant]] but once your paint is good you can add a couple of coats of 1000P to keep the paint protected.

Since neither 1000p nor 2685  have any cleaners in them, they can be layered.  I had three coats of 1000p on my ride before I added the 2685 today.  Tomorrow, I'll add another coat.

Finish Kare, like to many other companies is very spare with information about how to use their products in the most effective way and the stores that sell Finish Kare products just mouth the basic superficial marketing hype without going into the nitty gritty.  So after perusing the forum where these product have been discussed, figure about 24 hours for each layer to cure before another layer can be applied.  If you don't leave enough time between coats, you risk taking off the first coat with the second one.  The current thinking is that it takes about 3 days for 1000p to cure completely and I'd guess a similar time for 2685.

I would have given this product 5 stars except durability is a critical feature of a wax and I haven't had time to test the durability of either 1000p or 2685 yet.  I'll update when I know more.


My wife bought me this for my contact lenses and I was curious and a bit worried based on the reviews I've read.  I waited to write a review until I used it in several scenarios.  The package I received had 2 large bottles and 1 "TSA friendly" 3oz bottle plus 2 of the lens holders.  I wear Air Optic Multifocals, a "open a new pack once a month" disposable.

From the picture you will notice that the lid is red and there is a red/orange warning label around it.  This is to make sure it stands out to you because you cannot use this like you use normal lens solution.  This is a special formula and special holding container that you put your lenses in overnight and it cleans them with a "bubbling" action, which really does bubble away.  The hitch is that you have to have the lenses in for a recommended period of time so the solution neutralizes.  You cannot do a quick soak or put them in for a couple of hours...once they are in you are committed.

So first things first, this stuff is absolutely fantastic at doing exactly what it advertises.  If you leave it in overnight (they say 6 and a half hours, but it really needs more like 8), your lenses feel as fresh at the end of the month as they do at the start.  This was really key to me because for the first 2 1/2 years of wearing lenses, the end of the month for new lenses was something I really looked forward to because my lenses bothered my eyes more and more over the course of the month.  This fixed that - they feel as good on day 30 as day 1.  I won't live without this product again.

However, you need to know that it does not replace regular lens solution.  You need regular solution for the quick soak, the popping out a lens to clean it, etc.  This is a better cleaner, not a new solution.  Though my eye doctor's office didn't really do a good job of covering this in the "consult" I paid for, my personal take is you need a product like Clear Care for routine cleaning, you need regular lens solution for short soaks and those times where you take lenses in and out, and you need a good rewetting solution for those days where lenses are being annoying.  This is part of a total solution.

If you don't pay attention to which bottle you grab, or you ignore the warnings, you will pay a hefty price.  I accidentally grabbed this when cleaning a lens real quick one day instead of my regular solution, which was totally my fault - I was inattentive.  The bottle is covered in more warnings than you can ever imagine and those warnings don't understate the consequences...but I rinsed my lens and popped it back in my eye.  The pain was easily in the top 10 pain moments of my life, and the irritation and soreness lasted for a couple of days.  They are dead serious, you have to let them soak.

The other thing to know is I don't recommend for travel unless you can give long soak times.  I travel on business a lot, and frequently end up taking people out to dinner/entertaining, followed by getting up early.  Despite the bottle recommendations on soak time, I've let it run an hour past and still experienced anywhere from mild to heavy burning.  The heavy burning was after 7.5 hours of soak on my most recent business trip, and it was about 50% of the pain felt in the "rinsed and put back in" incident.  There seems to be some variables in the soak time, and at home I tend to soak at least 8 hours without problems.  For future business trips, I'll just take the regular holders and regular solution.

In summary, I consider this stuff a must-have, but it has a specific purpose and role.  It is not a jack of all trades, it has a job.  That job extends the life of your lenses and completely improves their comfort, but understand the limitations and whatever you do, do NOT underestimate the warnings.


Uniqueness of Liuan Guapian Green Tea
-------------------------------------

Liuan Guapian (Melon Slice) green tea is one of China's top 10 green teas. The dried leaves are a rich, dark green color, rolled slightly lengthwise, measuring about 1 inch in length. Infused the color of the tea liquid is yellow with a green tint to it. The smell is a green, vegetal smell, fresh and sweet, with a suggestion of seaweed (which to our minds means healthy). The taste is similar: refreshing, vegetal, healthy. The aftertaste is pleasant, lingering, decided but also subtle.

Liuan Guapian green tea originated in Anhui province in the early part of the Qing Dynasty (1636-1910 CE) and was a tribute tea to the emperor. After the leaves are picked, the bud and stem are removed, leaving the top two first leaves only, which are pan-fried over a low heat in small amounts (about 150 grams at a time). If you like Taiping Houkui (and we do), you'll love this tea. Provides 3-4 quality infusions (maybe more depending on your taste).

Brewed color: Yellow with green tint. Flavor: Refreshing, green, vegetal, sweet almost, with a suggestion of seaweed. Aftertaste: Subtle, lingering, but decided. Preparation: For best results, use spring or mineral water. Bring it to a boil, then, after taking water off the heat, wait about 10 or 15 seconds before onto the side of the pot or gaiwan (avoid pouring on the leaves directly).

Origin: Anhui province, China. Classification: Green tea. Processing: Machine picked. Package size: 150 grams (5.3 ounces).

Health Benefits of Liuan Guapian Green Tea
------------------------------------------

1, excitement role: The caffeine in tea can be excited about central nervous system, helping people to boost morale, improve thinking, eliminate fatigue, improve work efficiency.
2, diuretic effect: caffeine and theophylline in tea have a diuretic effect, for the treatment of edema, water stagnation tumors. The use of black sugar detoxification, diuretic effect can treat acute jaundice hepatitis.
3, cardio-spasm: Caffeine has a strong heart, spasm, smooth muscle relaxation effect, could relieve bronchial spasm, promote blood circulation, the treatment of bronchial asthma, relieving cough and phlegm, myocardial infarction good supplementary drug.
4, inhibit atherosclerosis role: Tea polyphenols and vitamin C have a role in promoting blood circulation to prevent arteriosclerosis. So, among those who regularly drink tea, hypertension and coronary heart disease incidence is relatively low.
5, anti-bacteria, bacteriostasis: tea polyphenols and tannic acid act on bacteria and bacterial proteins can be solidified and will kill bacteria. Can be used to treat gastro-intestinal diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery, enteritis and so on. Skin sores, festering pus, trauma, broken skin, wash affected area with tea, there are anti-inflammatory bactericidal effect. Mouth inflammation, ulceration, sore throat, with tea to treat, there are some effects.
6, weight loss: tea in caffeine, inositol, folic acid, pantothenic acid and aromatic substances and other compounds that can regulate fat metabolism, especially Oolong tea for protein and fat have a good decomposition. Tea polyphenols and vitamin C can lower cholesterol and blood lipids, so tea can lose weight.
7, anti-caries effects: Tea contains fluoride, calcium fluoride and teeth has a great affinity, can become a more difficult to dissolve in acid, "fluorapatite", as to the teeth with a protective layer improve the capacity of dental caries prevention acid-resistant.
8, inhibit cancer cell function: It is reported that flavonoids in tea have different degrees of in vitro anti-cancer effects, the role of a strong alkali Vitex, morin and catechin.

[[ASIN:B002K2MUUY Lipton Green Tea - 100% Natural, 2009 New Spring Green Tea, 50 Fresh Tea Bags from China by A2AWorld Green Tea]]


Anyone who knows anything about ttc(trying to conceive) or is ttc, you will know how quickly tests add up. Finding cheaper options is always there, but you are worried about the accuracy. So when given the chance to try these I of course took it. Upon arrival I was very pleased with them. I loved that the packaging was simple yet effective. I of course took them out right away to "test" them. For starters I love that it came with a box for storage when not in use. Each test is labeled very simple, yet noticeable. They are marked very differently from each other and should cause no concern about a mix up. Each test is wrapped individually, which you want. The test strips are pretty thin, which you can expect with any dip stick style test. This particular set comes with 50 LH strips(ovulation) and 20 HCG strips (pregnancy). For anyone who may have not used these, I will explain a little. You simply collect a small amount of urine in a cup and dip these into it. The strips are have a "max" line mark to which you do not dip past. Very easy, and even easier is that there's an illustration showing this on each test strip package should you forget.

Getting into a little more details of each, I'll start with the LH(ovulation) strips. These show you when your LH surges, which is usually 12-48 hours before ovulation. Average is 36 hours. Giving you a better idea of when to bd(baby dance). On a normal cycle you ovulate 14 days after the first day of your last cycle, however most people are not average. That's where these tests come in handy. Depending on the length of your cycle will determine when you should begin testing with LH strips. Sadly this set doesn't come with a testing chart, so I will post them for help.
Cycle 21 days.......start testing on cycle day 5
Cycle 22 days.......start testing on cycle day 6
Cycle 23 days......start testing on cycle day 7
So on and so forth. If your cycles 30 days you test on day 14. If your cycle is irregular, start testing based on the shorted cycle you had. These are not like pregnancy test and should not be taken first thing in the morning. Most recommending testing between the hours of 10am-8pm. Although most get the best results after 12pm. For these to read positive the line must be as dark or darker than the control line. Most women will always see a line, so please be sure you check the darkness to insure a correct positive. After getting a positive you can quit testing as you know your LH has surged and ovulation is pending.

Now onto the HCG(pregnancy) ones. These are much more simple to use and really have no line watching of time frames. These particular test ring in at 25miu, which is the lower normal for most store bought test. They are actually a bit more sensitive than some more expensive tests. These should be used with first morning urine as it tends to be more concentrated, however feel free to test anytime should you want. As most know a line is a line regardless of the darkness. If you get a line on these you know there's a baby on the way.

I have tried both tests and have had excellent results. I am always worried about evaps and these have yet to have one. Even after sitting and drying for some time the strip remained completely white. While both of these are recommended to not read past 10 minutes, I have noticed that the LH strips do take a bit to finish running. I usually read it at 10 minutes exactly for the true reading. I have tried many different brands tests and these definitely rank in the top. The best part is the price is so low for such a generous amount. If taken correctly these could last a few months. Unless of course your like myself and take way too many. I love these tests and I'm so glad I was able to try them out. I will be recommending them to my friends and family. I will also be reordering these should I need more in the future although I'm hoping to get my positive HCG with these soon. Happy testing, baby making, bright positives, and good vibes ladies.


I really appreciate the simplicity of install and operation of this relatively inexpensive UV Air Purifier.

First of all, all those that have issues with the templet ---- Buy a decent Tape Measure ----learn how to Read, Measure and Use the Tape Measure or, at the very least, find someone knowledgeable that can Show You How to Read and Use a Tape Measure  ---- The Tape Measure IS your Friend...

A few extremely Simply measurements will save a Ton of ill reviews.  After I Measured and RE-Measured the base unit and compared it to the template, I felt I was 99.997% accurate and confirmed the manufactures template measurements were very very close ... using a digital caliper I was able to get within .030 of the pencil marks I made on the template ---- close enough for the girls we dated in High School ----  utilizing a piece of standard 3/4 inch painters masking tape --- I again measured, with a tape measure, the EXACT Center of my "After A-Coil  Duct"  and carefully -- but skillfully -- using an ULTRA FINE TIP SHARPIE, marked the center location on the Duct --- using very Simple Math (not common-core bs) I found the distance from the Center of my Duct to the Center of the lamp holder on the base unit and the Center of the Hole on the template and marked the duct carefully....I did this for BOTH Lamp Holes.... Being in the Electrical Service field for many years, I had thee exact size hole saw required AND  recommended by the manufacture --- Buuutttt -- I choose to error on the side of caution and use a 1/4inch larger diameter hole saw ---- juuusssttttt incase my "math" was off a little ( I had some adhesive backed foam tape I was prepared to use IF the holes were too far off or out of round ).

I gingerly drilled a pilot hole with a #35 drill bit for the Center of Each Lamp in the Duct and taped the manufactures templet to the duct utilizing the measurements previously mentioned ----- I was astonished and to my amazements the Tape Measure I used earlier to measure the locations of the center of the holes were Spot on to the Template!!!!  Henceforth, and with wild abandon, I installed a Hole saw in my Cordless drill and drilled through the ductwork above the A-Coil --- being extremely careful NOT to let the hole saw cut all the way through the thin sheetmetal,  --- I didn't want to play "go fish" for the cutout in the bottom of the duct ----- I cut through about 2/3rds - 3/4s of the duct and used a pair of pliers to bend the cutout back and forth until it separated from the duct and removed the "burrr" with a piece of emery cloth.

 The mounting screws used to fasten the unit to the duct didn't fit holes in the unit ----- soooo, again using the tape measure and a sharpie, I carefully but strategically measured and marked the mounting hole location on the duct, and used a #35 drill bit to predrill the holes for the mounting screws----- again spot on ---  once the mounting screw holes were drilled I placed the unit on the duct and made sure ALL the mounting Holes lined up ---- if they didn't line up, I feared it would be a "Do Over" either above or below or left or right of my original measurements.... no big deal, after reading many ill reviews of the mounting template being off -- I was prepared for the worse --- adjusting my location ----whew--- luckily all was good, due to my superior tape measuring capabilities.

I used latex gloves and installed the lamps into the lamp holder being extremely careful to avoid touching either lamp.  Everything lined up and after using extreme care utilizing the manufacture supplied screws, I mounted the Unit to the Duct and plugged the unit in.

Oh Man !!  All Good !!

Unit powered up, and has been working non-stop since install.  Eventually I will install a current switch or air-flow switch to regulate the lamps power up when the blower energizes during heat cycles or cooling cycles.

I gave this 4 Stars because I don't know the longevity of the lamp life based on how often it will cycle on...we will see

I really hope this is a helpful review for all those DIY'rs.


I'd been using the Fitbit One with great success for 6 months, dropping over 25 pounds...and one day, our Health-o-Meter digital scale just stopped working.  Since I was already using a Fitbit One and am familiar with the Fitbit online dashboard, the Aria has been a no-brainer replacement for my old scale.

The Hardware
In some ways, the glass top makes the Aria seem fragile, as does its slim height.  However, this thing is heavy, and feels fairly solid on the inside.  The Aria is also pretty bulky, larger than any other scale I've owned.

The Software
Setting up the Fitbit Aria is incredibly simple.  The instructions are in the box, and in my case the wireless setup went exactly as the instructions indicated, without a hitch.  Not all Amazon reviewers have been this lucky, so be aware that depending on your network you may encounter some issues.

Once connected, the Fitbit Aria will sync your weight and body fat to 'the cloud':  a Fitbit dashboard utility that is free.  You can read this information in a browser and also install supporting software on your PC, Mac, or mobile phone.  You can do all sorts of things with the information, such as start logging your food and exercise and make the Aria part of your weight control plan, but in my case it just gets lumped in with the Fitbit One data I was already using.  Other people in the house can use the scale as much as they like without having an account, or you can have the Fitbit send them a setup e-mail that will start tracking their weight:  up to 8 different people can have this feature.

The Readings
So let's talk for a moment about the accuracy.  Since my old scale was broken, it's hard to be 100% sure they would match up, but it seems to be reading about the same weight as my old digital scale.  I've seen no reason to doubt the weight readings.

The body fat though is a different story.  I've learned how to use a pair of calipers to do the 'pinch test' of body fat percentage, a process that requires some time and a partner:  pinch several places, jot down the numbers, run them through an online calculator.  The Aria skips all this hassle and uses electrostatic technology to 'read' your body fat in a few seconds.  I've noticed it can be about a percentage off from my pinch measurements, and it is affected by other factors.  If I've had a lot of water to drink but it's because I just did a ton of cardio and sweated a lot off, I might see the body fat reading go up...which can't be right if I haven't eaten since the last measurement and I've just been drinking water.  If I'm wet from the shower, that also tends to change the reading.  My conclusion is it's best to step on the Fitbit dry and naked at the beginning of the day.  If you want to take readings more often, expect the numbers of both body fat and weight to move around.  Long term, you'll see if you're on an upward or downward trend, and I've even had days where I lose a pound but gain a percent.

For You
It's important to remember that your goals are long-term and not worry about every day.  Step on the scale at the same time every day, but think about the numbers in weeks or even months.  The Body Fat is a nice measurement to keep you thinking about how much fat you take in and how much you burn, but don't rely on the Aria to be super-precise:  be happy with the fact that it's still pretty good.

Conclusion:
The Fitbit Aria is a bit pricey for digital scales, but if you're looking for a way to lump in a lot of information, the online aspect is a big extra that the Fitbit brings to the table.  If you're already used to Fitbit devices, you'll find this integrates into the dashboard really well.


Some history first is needed, I have a  herniated disc on lower back, hurts into my tailbone

Sore lower back, sore behind, I even sit on a leather recliner, still didn't help

A year ago bought an oval donut to try, put an ice pact inside the middle, relieved the pain, was ok

Except the ice packs did damage to my skin on my seating area, red, itchy, miserable.

Quit using ice packs, but oval donut by itself was too uncomfortable, causing me to look at other solutions

I come across the purple seat, I decided on the large size, fits perfectly on my leather recliner

First 3 days, my behind was already so sore, back as well. It came in 2 days, ty amazon

I didn't enjoy sitting on this seat because of the honeycombed style, never sat on anything like this, but after sitting the first day, I noticed little pain in my back area, and lessened pain in my bottom area, so decoded to give it a week to see

Plan was if I didn't like it I'd send it back, and try another seat, or use it along with another seat to alternate days using different products to find one that works and I enjoy sitting on it

After 3 days it seemed to loosen up, or I got used to it, or both, but my butt improved everyday, and my back pain lessened a lot. It does not get hot like a regular seat. But not cool either, I missed having some coolness so I did this.

I put a towel on my chair, a large flat  ice pack on the towel, and the purple seat on top off all of it.

In about 10 minutes I feel some coolness, not enough to damage area like my other seating system, but feels so much better for me.

I cant say if it's for everybody, but works fantastic to me, and seems well made, so I expect it to last, the ice packs I used are made with heavy material, blue strong covers, cost 11 bucks at a famous retailer. And I'm now set, and much happier,

As with any new material you sit on, I'd say give it 3 days, my behind was so sore I thought I could never be happy sitting on gel honeycombs, but everyday I improved and got used to sitting on this, I still don't love sitting on honeycombs but it the best relieve for my soreness I've ever had.

Now I can't imagine life without it, saved me from buying a new chair, wife and I are saving money for updating our home, or I'd try a few more seating with cooling gel and memory foam, just to see if there's a better option out there, and one day I will, but till then the royal purple helps greatly and is my saving grace, hope this helps.

Remember other reviewers claim to send it back you pay shipping and restocking fee, so there's a price to pay to try it, so if you do at least give it 3 to 5 days because if I sent it back after the first day, idk where I'd be right now, I was so miserable.

Glad I gave it a chance, love it, but it's not perfect, ty and gl

Update, had this nearly a month now, used to it, have no problems sitting on a gel honeycomb now, still put an ice pack underneath the cushion, I will not be looking any further for a solution, I found it.

Be careful of one thing is I have found I reclind my recliner  all the way back to take a nap woke up an hour and a half later and my butt was sore as heck so sit upright using this on a full recline when I'm taking a nap I have to remove the cushion.

You can lay back some now but my leather recliner goes back a long way and I think it spread my butt cheeks and made everything hurt so I can recline about halfway and I'm OK with the cushion, full recline I remove the cushion  and I put it back when I sit upright again, I hope I explained well thank you and good luck


Source Naturals L-Tryptophan has performed miracles for me.  It's an amino acid that helps build the brain's feel-good chemical, serotonin.  I've used it for about 2 years after reading [[ASIN:0142003646 The Mood Cure: The 4-Step Program to Take Charge of Your Emotions--Today]] for its nutritional advice, upon the recommendation of this book: [[ASIN:0553380788 Protein Power: The High-Protein/Low-Carbohydrate Way to Lose Weight, Feel Fit, and Boost Your Health--in Just Weeks!]].

I was shocked by the difference it made for me in the quality and quantity of my sleep. I'd spent the last year or two waking up, wide awake, at 3:30 in the morning & was unable to go back to sleep.  I take 1500 mg of Tryptophan (3 500 mg capsules) and 400 mg of chelated magnesium before bed and now enjoy deep and restful sleep.  [I've recently added in another supplement, melatonin; you can read more about that at the end of this review].

I find that I am more resilient, resistant to stress, & easygoing since taking tryptophan.

I experienced its incredible mood-boosting effect earlier this year after enduring a ruptured appendix.  I suffered several complications & had to be put on super strong antibiotics that depleted all my B Vitamins and sent me into a quick but INTENSE bout of post-surgical depression (much like what heart bypass surgery patients experience, according to my surgeon).  I spoke with my physician to get his approval, then took just 500 mg of tryptophan that afternoon and then 1500 at bedtime, as usual, and bounced back to my usual cheerful self within JUST 2 DAYS.

Just a suggestion--be sure you're taking it on an EMPTY stomach (about 1-1/2 hours after eating anything).

This is an amino acid & any trace of protein in your stomach will compete with the tryptophan. Don't take with milk; take with water (some experts suggest a couple of sips of apple juice--but I use H2o).

If 3 capsules at bedtime (or an hour before) on an empty stomach won't do the trick after a few days, then it's possible you aren't low on serotonin.  If you awake groggy, you're taking too much.

Here's something else that works: 400 mg of CHELATED magnesium (not just magnesium oxide, make sure it is chelated magnesium); the best I know of is this one: [[ASIN:B00014D2DW Chelated Magnesium 200mg - 180 - Tablet]]. Works wonders for sleep and health; most Americans' magnesium levels are chronically low, which can lead to heart issues and other preventable diseases. Get this book to learn more: [[ASIN:1583331565 The Magnesium Factor]].

Hope this helps someone out there; I wish I'd known about tryptophan 10 years ago!

P.S.  For hardcore insomniacs for which tryptophan won't do the trick (give it time & remember to take on an empty stomach), try some melatonin; read my review of this product for more detailed info:  [[ASIN:B001G7R49Q Source Naturals Melatonin Complex Sublingual Peppermint, 100 tablets (Pack of 2)]]

****UPDATE P.S.  Also, please remember that supplements work slowly, over time.  Metabolisms vary.  Educate yourself; I highly recommend you start with [[ASIN:0142003646 The Mood Cure: The 4-Step Program to Take Charge of Your Emotions--Today]] to quickly "zero in" on your own personalized needs.  Good Health (and good sleep) to All!


This is a really nice shaving brush. On arrival it was already nice and soft, compared to some other badger brushes which can sometimes need to be broken in more before getting soft. The handle is made of nice wood, very much resembling the pictures in the item listing. I have uploaded a photo of the brush I received, next to my usual daily brush which I would consider to be of average size, so that you can see that the handle of this one is a little bit longer, and you can see the size of the badger hair plume which is a similar size. The materials all appear to be of high-quality, and it seems well-made. The wood is very smooth. and nicely finished. The handle might be a bit longer than my preference, though that may be because I am used to the other brush I showed in the photo which has a shorter handle.

The brush lathers nicely. The bristles are soft, and only very few of the bristles came out when using this brush, noting that a new brush like this will usually lose a few hairs early on. So this is a positive comment not a negative one, meaning that it lost fewer hairs than some competing brushes.

As badger brushes usually do, it did have a slight musky odor when wet initially.  This brush had less of that musky odor than the last new brush I got (not the one in the photo). This brush has just a very slight amount of that odor, which is already almost gone now that I have used it. These badger brushes typically have that scent initially and then it resolves naturally with use, usually within the first couple uses, but that process can be sped up, particularly if you happen to get a brush that has more of that scent. Because that scent is so slight with this brush, which is another positive for this product, I will add some comments here in case you happen to have more of that musky scent with your brush, even if it is a different brand brush than this one, in case this information might be helpful to you. Again this is considered normal and dissipates over time with use.  There a number of home remedies meant to speed up the process of getting rid of the odor from a new badger brush… People do any number of the following remedies, sometimes using combinations of them. These remedies include mixing a spoonful of Borax in a cup of hot water to soak the brush in for a few minutes, or doing the same with Oxiclean, or with vinegar. Others use Dawn dish soap. Others use two-in-one shampoo and conditioner, or deodorizing pet shampoo, and others preferred to lather up the brush with a more heavily scented shaving cream and allow it to dry on the brushes overnight. I have done a combination of almost all of these, with other brand of brushes, but I have not tried the vinegar or the pet shampoo.

Just to be completely clear, I did not need to use any of these methods with this current brush, as it did not have a problem with the scent, but for your information this is what I did with my last brush (which had quite a stink)… I lathered the brush up two or three times with Dawn dish soap, once with Borax, twice with Oxiclean, twice with Pert shampoo/conditioner, and I lathered the brush up with Taylor of Old Bond Street’s Sandalwood shaving cream two times, then left the shaving cream on the brush overnight, and then after rinsing it in the morning the odor was gone.  If you have a badger shaving brush which has a strong initial musky odor then hopefully some of these tips might help.  You likely won’t need to do all of them, and based on my smell test after each of these methods, I think that the most helpful may have been the dawn dish soap and lathering with the shaving cream and leaving that on the brush overnight.

This is a good brush, it makes a nice lather, the bristles are soft, it does not have any significant badger stink, it is good quality, and it will get good use going forward. I like it!


This is the second manufacturer I have purchased Barley Grass Juice Powder from; TerraSoul (TS from this point forward) was the first. The issue I had with TS was the taste was significantly stronger than what I was used to (prior to that, I started drinking Barley Grass from a Japanese brand Barley Grass Powder), AND it was extremely difficult to get it to mix/dissolve in water.
After reading many reviews on ZNaturals (ZN), I decided to give this one a try; especially since it specifically mentions it dissolves "easily in water". Well, once I received it, I immediately put it in the refrigerator, which it recommends (interestingly, no other Barley Grass Juice Powder product that I saw recommends this), and finished the last of my TS.
About a week later, I tried the ZN for the first time. First impressions, it mixed better than the TS in water; not perfectly, not 100%, but better than the TS. I still don't understand this as from everything I read, one of the advantages to Juice Powder over just Barley Grass Powder, is the removal of the cellulose, which is not digestible AND is supposedly what makes the Powder clump and NOT mix in water. So, if any Barley Grass product is a Juice Powder, its cellulose has been removed, and it should be completely dis-solvable/mixable in water, right? I even asked ZN before I bought their product about this, and they responded "mix vigorously" in water and it should completely dissolve/mix. While it did not 100% mix, it was definitely better than the TS; there was a little undissolved juice powder floating on top, and the longer I let it sit, more would settle to the top (again, not a huge amount, but not 100% dissolved either).
The second thing I want to mention is the taste. As with the TS product, and apparently ANY Barley Grass Juice Powder, the taste is much, much stronger than just Barley Grass Powder (at least the Japanese brand I was drinking). It is much more like wet grass; whereas the Powder was more like a strong green tea flavor. In my opinion, the ZN was very, very slightly sweeter (natural sweet, not a sugar sweet) than the TS. I actually don't mind it, but several others I've given it to could not drink it straight, they had to add something (juice, almond milk, something...) in order to drink it. I drink it straight, just a scoop of the Juice Powder and approximately 8 ozs of water, every morning.
The only other thing I will say, since there were several reviews that mentioned this, is that on some mornings, I can detect a very, very light saltiness to it; however, it is EXTREMELY light, and I really have to smack, smack, smack my lips/mouth and really try to search for it. I did not find it "overwhelmingly salty" or that it had a "strong salt flavor" to it. I DO NOT add salt to any food (on a very low sodium diet), I don't cook with salt, and I very rarely eat extremely salty foods (guilty pleasure 1 or 2 times per year). My point is, that I am usually very sensitive to salt, to the point where I have even stopped ordering steaks at many restaurants, and have pretty much stopped eating out at all,  because everything seems overly salty to me now. So for what its worth, I did not find the ZN product to be salty...at all.
Bottom line, if you can stand a very strong "grassy" flavor, and you mix it very, very vigorously (or in a blender or something like that), then this seems to be a good product at one of the lowest price/oz that I found. I will probably buy again.


This is a review for Baetea Complexion Detox Tea ● Get Healthy + Glowing + Imperfection Free Skin ● Potent Traditional Organic Herbs ● Ultimate Way to Nourish & Fortify from Baetea....

Product Description
THE STRUGGLE IS REAL!

Everyone wants to look and feel their best. For some, maintaining healthy glowing skin is easy, but for others it's a living nightmare. What can you do? You want to give your skin a warm, healthy glow...

BAETEA COMPLEXION TEA IS THE ONLY SOLUTION YOU NEED!

Complexion Tea is a delicious antioxidant-rich green and white tea blend with minerals that will detox and nourish your skin cells. Specifically formulated to fortify the skin and help sustain health and hydration.

The ultimate way to nourish and fortify your skin. Baetea Complexion Tea feeds, nourishes skin cells, and reduces internal impurities to promote glowing skin.

WHAT SETS US APART?

Besides being tried and true, we've found a healthy and natural way to take cleanse, rejuvenate, and take your skin to the next level.

DELICIOUS TASTE

Delicious blend of traditional organic herbs, light and refreshing with floral notes. With Organic Green Tea, White Tea, Goji Berries, and Osmanthus Petals. Made From Only The Best 100% Skin-Friendly Natural Ingredients. No Nasty Artificial Ingredients.

THE BEST COMPLEXION TEA - Happy Healthy Amazon Citizens Agree That Baetea Complexion Tea Is The Best They Ever Tried.

GET HEALTHY GLOWING SKIN - Antioxidant-Rich Green and White Tea Blend With Minerals That Will Detox and Nourish Your Skin Cells. Specifically Formulated To Fortify The Skin and Help Sustain Health and Hydration.

DELICIOUS TASTING TEA - Light and Refreshing with Floral Notes.. A Delicious Blend Of Traditional Organic Herbs With Organic Green Tea, White Tea, Goji Berries, and Osmanthus Petals, Complexion Tea Is The Ultimate Way To Nourish and Fortify Your Skin. Made From Only The Best 100% Skin-Friendly Natural Ingredients. No Nasty Artificial Ingredients.

CLEANSE & REJUVENATE - Your Skin Will Love This Herbal Infusion, Which Helps Rejuvenate You From The Inside Out. Allow Your Body To Rid Itself Of Toxins That Have Been Building Up For Years. Helping To Promote Clear Glowing Skin.

STEP OUT WITH CONFIDENCE - Baetea Complexion Tea Will Leave You Feeling Clean, Hydrated and Refreshed Ready To Step Out With Confidence.

Use Complexion Tea to cleanse and rejuvenate your skin.

  Get Healthy, Glowing, Imperfection Free Skin

  Antioxidants to Rejuvenate and Hydrate

  Feed and Nourish Skin Cells

  Reduce Internal Impurities to Promote Glowing Skin

  Light and Refreshing with Floral Notes

Allow your skin to rid itself of toxins that have been building up for years. Helping to promote clear glowing skin.

WHAT IS BAETEA?

Baetea is a health and lifestyle company with a desire to promote an active, healthy and balanced lifestyle. Our products are made from only the best 100% natural ingredients for your body. The ingredients we use are designed to help eliminate fat while improving your overall body health.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Baetea is a detoxifying tea blend of certified organic herbs which have been formulated specifically to enhance your weight loss program as part of a healthy diet and exercise regimen. Blended with Wu Yi tea from China’s Fujian province, choice green tea and senna leaf, Baetea aids in digestion and weight loss. Baetea is also rich in vitamins and antioxidants. More info

WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS?

Chinese Oolong Wu Yi, Organic Green Tea, Organic Rooibos, Ginger, Pomegranate, Guarana, Senna, Birch, Stevia, Honey Powder.

NOTE: Our teatox does NOT produce a laxative effect. Senna is only 1% of our blend. We use senna leaves, not an extract, so the laxative effect is greatly diminished. This small amount of senna is used to aid in digestion.

All the product information can be found here http://www.baetea.com/  Disclosure: product was provided for review, thank you


I bought this from watching Alex the trucking guy on YouTube. Since I do Uber and sit down a lot I’ve been looking at truckers lifestyle because it is similar and one of the things they mention is the ultimate seat cushion. Not going to lie I was skeptical. No way a seat cushion could get rid of my but pain ache and sores and on top of that it was over 100 dollars too. I looked over the reviews and saw positive ones so I guess I’d give it a try plus as I mentioned before Alex the trucking used it so I’d thought it be good. Anyway shipping took about a week and half and came in a big cardboard box. Then when I opened it I received the ultimate seat cushion as well as the back cushion I ordered and the double seat too. I did read the reviews so they did mention that it smells or it is toxic and it can also melt too. When I took out the seat cushions from the packaging I did notice a smell or I guess you could call it fumes. Yeah it was really strong. But I didn’t care, others do if you read the reviews but all I cared about was if it worked or not. So I read the instructions and properly put the seat cushion together and even with the cover on it still emitted a strong smell. Then I put the ultimate seat cushion in my car seat and man it was huge barely fit. I am 6’0 so I already and cramped in my car. I previously owned a Toyota Camry and was cramped in it. Then I purchased a Honda HRV 2019. I was okay in it but when I put the ultimate seat cushion on it my head was hitting the ceiling so I adjusted my seat down but it still wasn’t enough but enough to drive which suited me. I’d recommend if you put this in your car maybe remove the drivers seat because that alone takes up 2-3 inches of height which would help a lot if your tall. But then I’d go to home depot and make your own driver seat from wood steel or plastic and somehow make it work. I’m actually considering this because I’m on the border we’re it’s annoying having my head hit the ceiling of my car and just taking time to get used to. The double seat cushion I purchased too wasn’t the best. Maybe for sitting down for a hour on foldable chair but for car seats I wouldn’t get it. I returned it and am going to buy the royal seat because on the chart where it describes the dimensions and the weight and so on. There was another review on here saying if the ultimate cushion is to much and the next step down is the double seat. Eh.. I don’t agree because I bought both and keep in mind I am under 200 pounds around 176 lbs. The guy mentioned that if you are about this weight then the double seat would work but I doesn’t maybe if you weigh 100 pounds or less. I’d say the next step down after the ultimate is the royal then maybe the double seat after that. I did have to wash the ultimate and the back cushion because they smelled so bad. I put it in my washer for cold water like instructed because heat is its enemy. To much heat will make the cushion melt. After the washer it still smelled so I put it in my bath tub and used my dish soap(Dawns platinum x4 cleaning power) that seems to work but still smelled so I squirted about half a bottle over the cushions making sure soap was in the squares on both sides or at least most of them. After that I let it set and came back checking up every 10 minutes and every time I would take them out of the water and re submerge about 4 times then leave and come back and do it all over again a couple more times. Then it the smell finally started to go away but smelled when you got really close but it was good enough for me. I did notice hat doing that did something to the plastic or the purple stuff like it started to peel off so just be careful when doing this. Over all the cushion is nice and comfortable recommend 5/5 I only used it for 1 day maybe I’ll keep updated on my review late on.


I participate in fitness competitions so knowing my body composition is crucial to structuring my diet properly and ensuring my training is effective. For the past few years I've had DXA scans or BodPod measurements every 6 months to get a good picture of how I was progressing. After doing a lot of research into using ultrasound for body composition analysis, I decided to try the BodyMetrix. It costs about the same as three DXA scans and I figured if it was even remotely accurate, it would be well worth the investment.

=== The equipment ===
The BodyMetrix device was surprisingly light but the construction is very good. It comes with a small 2 fluid ounce bottle of ultrasound gel. At the rate I was using gel, I'll probably order a large refill. There are a number of 5 liter containers for about $20 here on Amazon. The software is downloaded from their website so there's no CD provided in the box.

=== User profile ===
Creating a user profile is a very simple. Entering your name, gender, height, weight, and "Athletic Type" is easy enough. The Mac software didn't allow me to edit any of this after the profile was created, so I had to make a few profiles while I tested to see which Athletic Type gave me the most accurate measurements. Note: The Windows version allows you to manage and delete profiles.

=== Single points / body fat calculations ===
I quickly learned that getting good images and measurements with the BodyMetrix does require some practice. My first attempt said I was 15.5% body fat, but after practicing spot measurements for about an hour I was able to consistently get estimates of 8.3% which is about what my last DXA scan estimated as well. I recommend using lots of gel and be sure the devices makes good contact at a 90° angle to the skin. Many of my poor measurements were due to being slightly off 90°.

The software provides a number of formulae to estimate body composition with varying margins of error. I found the Jackson & Pollock 7-site equation gave me the best estimate. There are new equations being developed and published in scientific/medical journals that I'd like to be able to try, but maybe in a future software update.

=== Image scans ===
Taking image scans requires a lot more practice. Again, lots of gel and good 90° contact will give you great results. There are a few settings that will need some adjusting in order to get an ideal image:

Intensity: Similar to contrast in photos, it makes light areas more white and dark areas more black. This can help in defining interfaces between muscle, fat, and bone. You do lose finer details, though, such as inter-muscular fat distribution.

Maximum Thickness: This adjusts how much depth of the scan is shown in the image (10mm - 100mm). Lower thickness means you can see smaller features near the surface and higher thickness shows deeper features but compresses smaller features so they're not visible.

Scan Speed: The device creates an image as a series of single slices. Lower scan speeds makes each slice one pixel wide (good for large areas such as the entire quadricep) and higher speeds make the slices about 6 pixels wide (good for small areas such as the bicep). There's some skill required in gauging how fast to move the device relative to the scan speed in order to get a well-proportioned image.

=== Summary ===
The BodyMetrix was well worth my investment as I found it's accuracy to correlate very strongly with a recent DXA scan. The Mac software isn't as good as it could be, but it does the job. The Windows version is much better - it allows for very fast measurements and more options for data analysis. I highly recommend watching all the videos on IntelaMetrix's YouTube channel as they show exactly how to take all the measurements. Plan to spend a few hours getting a feel for how the device works and you'll be able to take reproducible measurements very easily and consistently.

Overall I'm very excited in how the BodyMetrix will help me get into peak condition for upcoming competitions as well as monitoring my progress in the off-season.


[[VIDEOID:9794b2fab37038e32d0050b3959ef8b0]] This is a review of the VIKTOR JURGEN Heated Massager.

Summary – I have used different massagers before, however, this one is the Papa Bear of them all. What I love about this one is how much power it packs. When you put this on, you have a range from 1 which is a nice solid massage up to 10 which has a power hard to believe considering the size. The controls are very easy to use and you can use this without reading the directions in my opinion. There is nothing cheap about this. This unit weighs just over 6lbs and that is perfect to add the right about of tension to feel each and every movement.
In terms of quality, there were no shortages in this department either. This is made of PU Leather which is soft and it has a nice mesh material backing. As you can see in the photos, all the stitching is done using nice thick thread and is uniform and tight. Photos give you no justice as to how nice this is and feels. I made a small video so you can see what type of modes you can select from. Hands down I am very impressed with this massager and if you are like me and end your work day with stress, you will have a solution after using this. The only problem you will have if you live with others is getting it away from them to use it yourself!

Features
-Does an excellent job in reducing stress and tension when you have a long day. I personally feel the area this works best on is the neck, however with the design, you can use this on your upper back, lower back, buttocks, thighs, etc.
-Has a built in safety mechanism so if you use this to the point it gets too warm, this wills imply turn off and only allow this to turn back on after one hour time frame has passed.
-This uses 2 massage balls which create a nice soothing and relaxing tapping – sensation.
-Has 20 different massages modes. You can use the auto feature which will cycle through all 20 modes in a 15 minute span or you can select your favorite manually.
-Has 10 different intensity settings. (I recommend you use one if you are a petite women or upwards of  ten which is a very intense massage. I personally only use 5 or 6 as the intensity and I am a rather fluffy man.)
-Has an easy to view lighted LCD display. There are also leds so you can verify this is plugged in and to verify if this is in automatic or manual mode. (Green is automatic and red is manual.)
-Does not consume a large sum of power. This will use 110/220v at 60watts.
-Made of high quality materials. The upper portion of this is made of PU Leather which is soft and the lower side is covered with a nice durable thick mesh which is nice and comfortable. All the stitching is with thick thread, uniform and tight. There are two straps which hand down with loops on the end and big thick solid snaps. (These can be used to pull down on to add more pressure or can be used to attach to each other to keep it wrapped around.)
-Comes with a nice long cord. I measured and it is approx. 89” long which is ideal to plug in and use nearby on a chair-recliner. (Does not limit you to being very close to an outlet and avoids the need to use an extension cord.)
-Comes with a 90 day guarantee and a 3 year replacement warranty .

If you have questions about this item, please feel to leave me a comment and ask. I am usually very quick to respond and would be happy to assist with anything you need in determining if this is the right product for you.

I don’t know about you, but I depend very heavily on reviews that are posted on Amazon. I also read what reviewers on Amazon have to say. I want to help others by providing my reviews that detail the product as well as the experience I have with the products that I get on Amazon.

Please note I have no relationship with this seller. I did receive this at a discounted price in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.  I take my reviews serious and will only provide my true feedback. Thank you!


I give probiotic to my son since he was 1 month old, however i was nursing. Just love it, great product, nice price.
Let's start with a mini biology lesson: Trillions of bacteria already live in your child's (and your own) gastrointestinal system, many of which are considered to be good because they help keep him healthy. They've been there since birth, when your baby's GI tract became colonized with good, bad, and benign bacteria (known as flora) as he passed through the birth canal and picked up some of your microbes. Because babies delivered by C-section miss out on this, they initially end up with a different collection of flora, (Scientists suspect that this difference in colonization may be behind the higher incidence of allergies and asthma in C-section babies, but more research is needed.)
 Probiotic Benefits for Children:
  There is evidence to suggest probiotics are safe and effective in treating persistent diarrhea in children.
  Saccharomyces boulardii has therapeutic properties in the treatment of acute diarrhea in children.
  Lactic acid bacteria as probiotics reduce the risk for infantile eczema.
  Probiotic and prebiotic supplementation improves the symptoms of children with atopic dermatitis.
  Probiotics and prebiotics significantly prevent eczema and atopic eczema in infants.
  Supplementation of mothers and their babies with the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri reduces IgE-associated eczema and may reduce respiratory allergic disease later in life.
  A probiotic mixture has positive effects on symptoms of constipation in children.
  Bifidobacterium infantis and Lactobacillus acidophilus reduces the incidence and severity of necrotizing enterocolitis in very low birth weight infants.
  Lactobacillus reuteri and Bifidobacterium lactis supplementation of children fed formula reduces adverse events, e.g. antibiotic use, diarrhea, etc.
  Long term use of probiotics and synbiotics reduce the incidence and severity of respiratory diseases during the cold season.
  Probiotic bacteria reduce the duration and severity of common cold episodes.
  Probiotic therapy has therapeutic value in treating Klebsiella infection in children.
  Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus reuteri reduce the duration of diarrhea in children with mild gastroenteritis.
  "Prophylactic probiotics for preterm infants reduces mortality."
  Saccharomyces boulardii is an effective adjuvant in treating acute childhood diarrhea.
  Lactobacillus reuteri significantly shortens the duration of watery diarrhea associated with rotavirus gastroenteritis in children between 6 and 36 months.
  Probiotics demonstrate immunomodulatory effects in atopic pediatric patients by increasing the TH1 immune response which counterbalances the dominant TH2 immune response.
  Saccharomyces boulardii inhibits Escherichia coli infection in children.
  Probiotic strains from breast milk are superior to antibiotics in the treatment of infectious mastitis.
  Human breast milk contains Lactobacillius strains which are effective in the treatment of mastitis during lactation.
  Probiotics prophylaxis was as effective as antibiotic prophylaxis in children with persistent primary vesicoureteral reflux.
  Lactobacillus reuteri accelerates gastric emptying and improves regurgitation in infants.
  The consumption of fermented milk with Lactobacillus casei in lactating mothers has a positive effect on the mother and offspring's immunological status.
  Acne may respond favorably to probiotics due to their involvement in normalizing the gut-brain-skin axis.
  Probiotics prevent IgE-associated allergy until age 5 years in cesarean-delivered children.
  Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Bifidobacterium lactis are safe and effective in reducing early otitis media and antibiotic use and the risk of respiratory infections during the first year of life.
  Postnatal probiotic and prebiotic treatment is safe and increases resistance to respiratory infections during the first 2 years of life.

  Received this product at a promotion price in exchange of my honest opinion.


I first bought and reviewed these about 3 years ago. (07/2015)
I am now editing my review to add more information. (06/2018)

Charcoal bamboo inserts are my favorite because the fleece-like outer layer stays bone dry against baby’s skin. Out of all the inserts I’ve bought, See Diapers are the most impressive. The length and the square edges of See Diapers inserts make them perfect for covers b/c they cover the PUL completely, so the PUL isn’t directly against baby’s skin-- unlike shorter inserts with rounded edges. In addition to being longer than others, See Diapers are darker than others and hold up better in the wash. They are also thinner and more flexible-- compared to others, which are thicker and bulkier-- without sacrificing absorbency. They can keep my 20+ lb super soakers dry overnight (12+ hours) even without doublers.

I have also ordered charcoal bamboo inserts from Naturally Nature, AngelicWare, and Bottoms Beautiful. The Bottoms Beautiful, I returned immediately without even washing b/c their product description was misleading re: the length. (They are advertised as 16.5” but are actually 13”, whereas See Diapers are advertised as 14” and are truly 14”.) The Naturally Nature, I returned because they started pilling and the seams started falling apart on more than one insert just after the first wash. The AngelicWare, I kept and have been using since 2015, but I would not buy them again, as they are shorter and bulkier than See Diapers.

In fact, I was so impressed with See Diapers the first time I ordered them that I ordered a second set (07/2016) the same day that the first set arrived. I ordered another set about two months later (09/2016) because I wanted to try them without gussets. (I prefer gussets.) I ordered a fourth set (06/2016) almost a year later because (Surprise!) I had babies 18 months apart. In my most recent order (06/2016), the inserts were softer than ever and so dark they were almost black. The quality was remarkable. I honestly wish I had an excuse to order more, but I already have a nice stash-- 12+ covers, 12+ pockets, 50+ inserts, and 8+ doublers. Plus, my youngest is turning 2 soon, so my diapering days are nearly done. At any rate...

What makes See Diapers better:

-A full 1” longer than other brands

-Thin/soft, not thick/bulky-- but still no leaks

-Seams hold up in the wash 3 years later

-Nice, square edges and darker color than others

-Priced the same as others, despite higher quality

-Not as much pilling as others

- No sewn-in tags, so they are reversible

NOTE: I use them with Bububibi/BB2 covers. [[ASIN:B01HP1GXI4 BB2 Baby One Size Printed Minky Minkee Snaps Cloth Diaper Cover for Prefolds (One Size, Monkeys)]] (No Velcro, just snaps, so I can't speak to that issue.) Two inserts in the daytime, one insert and one Thirsties hemp doubler at nighttime. [[ASIN:B002FB7FLY Thirsties Hemp Inserts 2-pack, Size Large]] I try new detergents recommended on CD blogs occasionally, but these have mostly been washed with Ecos Free & Clear over the years-- though lately I'm using a mix of Ecos, Tide, and Foca to see what I like best. If you try to only use one insert with an older/larger baby, or if you use a detergent that can cause buildup, and so on, you might experience leaks. However, after 6+ years of cloth diapering, these are the best inserts I've ever used.


Hoover's BH70700 Quest 700 Bluetooth Enabled Robot Vacuum Cleaner for Carpet and Hard Floors is a member of Hoover's Fall 2016 new product release.

Hoover is a special brand in the vacuum industry.  Indeed, in the United Kingdom, vacuuming is referred to as "hoovering."  They are a pioneer of the industry.

Hoover's latest products aim to get them back as a premium brand in the space.  Over the years, Hoover's products had been driven towards a race to be a more affordable option.  While many of those options still exist, Hoover is now attempting to take on premiums brands such as Roomba and Dyson with some of its latest products.

This robot vacuum clearly takes on iRobot's Roomba brand.  I have owned a Roomba for nearly five years, therefore, I was excited to check out Hoover's offering.  Many of the features on this Hoover compare beautifully to my similarly priced Roomba.  Automatic docking station, virtual wall, fantastic side brush, and bumper are features that make the two units very similar and perform nicely.  In addition, this Hoover includes a remote control and bluetooth, features I do not have on my Roomba.  The battery run time of up to 90 minute is also vastly superior to my Roomba.

Overall, operating the unit, I see similar performance to my Roomba, though the long battery runtime of this Hoover seems to make it more capable from the first use.  I felt my Roomba always worked best on a super clean floor, the Hoover doesn't suffer as much if you have a corner or spot under some furniture that has been neglected a couple weeks.  The Roomba would tend to get filled up or clogged up easier if you didn't start with a super clean room.  Once the Roomba had been operating, automatically, several weeks, it was great.

The bluetooth and remote are handy, though a scheduled vacuuming is ideal.  Running the unit in the same room or rooms 2-3x per week keeps the carpet looking oh so fresh.  There really is no match for regular multiple times per week vacuuming.  That would be a chore with a heavy, large upright vacuum.  However, with the Quest 700 from Hoover, the robot does the work for you, which makes the multiple times per week vacuuming that leaves your carpet so fluffy, comfortable, and clean, easy to achieve.  That is my favorite feature of robot vacuums, unlike people who might keep putting off the chore, the robot won't.  You truly see over the first couple weeks, your carpet gets nicer and nicer.  A 15 minute upright cleaning just can't match multiple, robotic vacuum sessions throughout the week.

My least favorite feature of these vacuums is cleaning out the bin, keeping the brushes clean, etc.  It's a rather dirty job.  That's why, again, it's best to start with a clean carpet and use these units for maintenance, that will keep down the maintenance you have to do on the robot!

I would also caution they are best to use in rooms and a home without cables, shoes, or other objects in their way.  Otherwise, the robots are going to drag these objects around your room.  You want a rather clear room for the robot.  Furniture is fine, it will gently bump into it and change direction, but movable objects or cables are not so great.

Overall, Hoover has a very competent entry level machine with the Quest 700.  I prefer it to my nearly five year old entry level Roomba.  It's a great introduction to robotic vacuuming.  Should my budget allow in the future, I would like to see if the features and performance of the higher end Hoover Quests might impress me even more.  Still, this unit is a sweet spot.  You get a lot of convenience and features at an affordable price.

I certainly recommend this Hoover Quest 700.  I am excited to have this in my home!


Update (050719):  I have since received another unit from customer service and also purchased another unit from a different vendor. When using the flosser I now place the rubber plug into the charging port after learning my lesson with this unit.  I gave this one to my sister to try and advised her to place the small rubber adapter into the charging port when using it. I noticed after using the unit that calcium deposits developed inside the charging port. I cleaned it out, but it did not help my situation. The unit would not power on.

Today, I received correspondence from customer service:

Hello dear.

Sorry for disturbing again.

According to our technical team, the water flosser stop working probably because it get wet. But our water flosser are IPX7 waterproof. It wouldn't get wet even using it while taking shower. Could you check that whether you plug the cover for charging interface? Please remember to plug the cover while using.

By the way, your review is really important for us. We would be grateful if you can remove it at your earliest convenience.

Looking forward to your response.

Sincerely
CSmile service team

After the email, I upgraded my review to reflect 4 stars instead of 3. However, I am still not sure if the unit was defective or stopped working because of me using it without the adapter inside the charging port.  I advised customer service they need to update their instructions on the site and those with the unit to state to place the small adapter inside the charging port when in use.

I will not be removing my review because it was my honest experience of using the unit. As I advised customer service I will update the review, but not remove it. I think it would be dishonest to do so because I was sent another unit. I am still not sure if the unit wasn't defective or if it failed because of the charging port not being protected. I mean this thing is supposed to be waterproof, right?

Previous review: This water flosser works as described. If you haven't used one of these before, it is quite a different feeling against your gum line.  It fits well in your hand, but you can't effectively use it without mistakenly hitting the power or pressure mode buttons. Most of the time, I have to hold it on the bottom (by its base) because otherwise being able to maneuver it around can be frustrating because of the sensitivity of the pressure mode and power buttons before you can get it into your mouth.

I cannot describe how many times I've had to wipe down my mirror and walls because I accidentally pressed the power button before I could get it into my mouth. Holding it at the base is the best way to use it.

For two days I have not been able to use the water flosser because it stopped working. It has a full battery but yet will not turn on. I filled it with water and made sure the water tank was attached correctly...nothing. I placed it on my sink and walked away. I returned and could hear a noise of some sort. Upon investigation, the water flosser had come on and was squirting water onto the ceiling and light fixture in my bathroom. Crazy! I tried my darnedest to make sure it was off before leaving it alone, but it wouldn't come on. I assumed it would be another day of not working. However, it started working and sprayed my ceiling and light fixture before I could turn it off.

I'm not clear why it is now working intermittently. It's not one that I would recommend because if it is waterlogged then I would have to question if it is really waterproof.  Because I am not careful with the amount of water that gets on the flosser because I thought it would not be a problem.  The water issue is about the only thing that I can imagine could have made it stop working or working on its own.

**Update: I reached out to the seller regarding the issues with this device. The seller was very nice about replacing it. I was sent another one with no problems.  Customer service is excellent and aims to please. They are very serious about making your purchasing and user experience pleasant. They will do what it takes to make you a satisfied customer.