Category: Best in Gear

Neekfox Lightweight Travel Backpack

Armdog

In advance of a recent lengthy trip that would involve extensive outdoor walking, I set out to find a good lightweight daypack. Essentially, I was looking for an ultra light weight bag to haul around some necessities like a water bottle or two, portable fan, some small kids toys, passports, and various other small odds and ends. Basically, I needed a bag that wouldn’t add much weight to that load, but also had plenty of pockets and storage spots. I purchased and returned several more expensive options before getting my…

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DeWalt Gyroscopic Cordless Screwdriver

Armdog

I have referred to this gyroscopic screwdriver by Dewalt in other posts as my household project “MVP,” so it may not be surprising to read that this is going to be a very positive review. I received this power screwdriver a couple of Christmas’s ago, just in time to move into a new place. Through a large number of projects like putting together furniture, toys, a sandbox, an outdoor playhouse…this thing has been an absolutely champion. Basically any time I would need a screwdriver, I’m reaching for this thing. The…

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Crown Shades Pop Up Canopy

Armdog

We recently took a trip to the beach and wanted to find a portable canopy or shade we could take with us. We initially considered either getting beach umbrellas, or possibly renting something. But we had about seven people in our group, so I figured it would be a more cost effective solution to purchase our own pop-up canopy. Since renting things at a beach can cost like $25-35 per day, it seemed like this would just about pay for itself over the course of the entire trip. The key…

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Nogent Super Kim Can Opener

Armdog

If you spend some time browsing through Amazon reviews for the most popular can openers, you might be surprised to discover there is apparently an ongoing crisis in the world of can openers. With most product types, after enough digging, you can usually separate the high-quality products from the problematic ones. From reviews for can openers though, it sounds like within the last decade, the reputable manufacturers have been acquired by other companies or cut costs to a degree that has impacted quality. I hadn’t considered this until we purchased…

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Spigen Thin Fit Smartphone Case

Armdog

This review is broadly about Spigen’s “Thin Fit” smartphone case series, but I will also discuss the Samsung Galaxy S20 Thin Fit specifically. From the top I’ll say this to help you see how much I like these cases; by default, I use a Spigen Thin Fit for every phone. I originally started using one with my Google Nexus 5 like six years ago. With every new phone, I try other cases and always end up coming back to these. I have a fairly counterproductive situation with my phone use…

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Axloie Portable Bluetooth Speaker

Armdog

My kids and I have been spending a lot of time outside lately. A couple months ago, I decided it would be nice to have a portable bluetooth speaker for when we’re out there playing. After some research, I came across the extremely well-reviewed Axloie bluetooth speaker. For a roughly $25 speaker, this is a really impressive device. It has surprisingly good volume and I wasn’t expecting such respectable bass. The speaker’s sound quality is crisp and clear, definitely impressive for something at this price and size. It also seems…

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Apple Smart Keyboard Folio 12.9 Inch

Armdog

When I decided to purchase a new iPad Pro, I had some pretty extensive internal debate as to which keyboard case to use. I watched quite a few YouTube videos on the subject, and ultimately it came down to a decision between the original Apple Smart Keyboard Folio and the newer Apple Magic Keyboard. I pretty quickly discarded the idea of a less expensive 3rd party keyboard due to less convenient bluetooth connection and possible battery/charging concerns. My prior experience with Samsung’s keyboard case was overwhelmingly positive, with a seamless…

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Samsung Duo Plus Flash Drive

Armdog

Recently, I decided to start a YouTube channel to share some portrait art progressions and various other things. I have a few smaller flash drives laying around, but decided I needed something bigger to move files around between my PC (USB 3.1) for uploading, Samsung Galaxy (USB-C) for video, and iPad Pro (USB-C) for video editing. I came across this Samsung Duo Plus, which has both USB 3.1 and USB-C connections, so I decided to give it a try. I got the 256GB version, which seemed a lot cheaper than…

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Thermos Stainless King 40 Oz

Armdog

During all of our time at home during the pandemic, I’ve taken to brewing coffee at home exactly how I like it. Previously, when I was physically at work, I viewed coffee as more utilitarian. My coworkers and I shared coffee responsibilities, and when I was first in, I went for a simple and quick brew. At home though, I experimented with the amount of water and coffee to my exact preference, and even started adding some cinnamon directly to the grounds. Now that everyone has been increasing their office…

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