Archive for October, 2009
Braun ThermoScan and Vicks ComfortFlex for Taking Kids’ Temperatures on the Road
As seasonal flu and H1N1 swirled through my school district earlier this month (way earlier than past flu seasons), I thought for sure I’d have more opportunity to test two new-to-me thermometers: the Braun ThermoScan Ear Thermometer and the Vicks ComfortFlex InSight Thermometer. Miraculously, the flu fairy skipped over my house and my kids haven’t missed a day of school yet this year (knock on wood; I probably just jinxed myself). That said, I had a case of the crud, and was able to record a mild fever on both of the products.
The Braun ThermoScan for aural temperature-taking is the Porsche of all home ear thermometers. According to the manufacturer, more pediatrcians use the Braun ThermoScan Ear Thermometer than any other brand; frankly, I had no idea they were sold for home use, as well. Indeed, the thermometer-loaded-with-features is available to anyone willing to spend $48 on Amazon.com.
I like that it delivers a reading within three seconds — perfect for squirming babies (no wonder doctors use them). In theory, the reading is accurate, too, given that the ear tip is preheated to 93 degrees, where as conventional room-temperature tips may have a cooling effect on the ear canal, resulting in an inaccurate temperatures.
Another helpful highlight: a flashing light tells you when the tip is correctly positioned in the ear and it’s ready to record. (I took my temperature in front of a mirror, using this feature.) There is also a memory function, to help track up to 8 different temperatures over time, but frankly that’s a bit high-tech for me — I’d likely just write down hourly readings if I needed to keep track for a doctor’s report or the like.
For travel, it comes in its own protective carrying case with room for storing disposable ear tip (lens filters), which retail for under $6 for a box of 40 on Amazon.com. (The thermometer comes with 21 filters to start.) I suppose that’s the only bummer with this thermometer: that you need to replace the lens filter after each use to avoid spreading germs. The thermometer runs on two AA batteries.
The Vicks ComfortFlex InSight Thermometer retails for $14.99 at drug chains like Walgreens or major big-box stores like Target. If your child is too young to hold the probe under her tongue, you can use this under the arm or rectally (with a probe cover, for sure). It’s much more compact than the Braun (better to slide into a toiletries bag for travel) and does come with its own hard protective case. I never travel without a thermometer, and definitely think I’d be more apt to pack this small, slim one than the bulkier Braun ThermoScan (that said, I don’t have a squirmy infant).
This thermometer also has memory recall and takes a reading in as little as 8 seconds. It uses probe covers that are sold generically at most drug and grocery stores; plastic sheathes are recommended for oral and rectal temperature-taking (even better to dedicate just one single thermometer in the house to taking rectal temperatures).
I like that the display on the Vicks product is huge and round, and the numbers are large and easy to read. Even better: normal temperatures are backlit in green, mild temperatures (up to 100.9) are backlit in yellow and high fevers (101 and avoe) are backlit in red. This gague is ideal for nervous moms taking temperatures in dimly lit rooms — easy to see at a glance if they should worry or not!
Posted by Kara in Kids and Family on October 30th, 2009
Live From Gore-tex
I got invited up to the Gore-tex headquarters for a few days in Delaware with some other gear experts and I landed not really knowing what to expect. Now that I’ve peeked under the microscope a bit, I see that this is more than just a brand label plunked on fabric that turns into a jacket from North Face or Marmot or ski gloves from Spyder. There is some serious research going into this stuff.
First of all, I realize now that I didn’t even understand the fabric itself. It’s made from woven polymers that are manipulated (under heat) to to provide different qualities depending on need. The Gore-tex outerwear division is just part of the business. This company makes medical stents, naval ropes, spacesuits, and parts for fuel cells—just for starters. There are some serious science geeks in the building. They’ve got parts on Mars from the first mission landing that are still functioning.
The photo at the top is just a random sampling of fibers in their different form—fibers whose main raw material ingredient is flouride. Who knew? They also developed Glide dental floss.
The shots at the bottom are just a few items that use material from Gore. Combat, space, mountain biking, whatever. This is not just fancy marketing. I’ll give the tried-out lowdown on some specific products later. Stay tuned by subscribing to our blog feed.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear on October 29th, 2009
Flashlight Envy: 511 Tactical Light for Life
You can call this the father of all flashlights, or a torch for a men with big tools, but either way this 5.11 Tactical Light for Life is one manly way to see in the dark. Putting aside questions of compensating for something, how well does a $150 flashlight work?
Amazingly well, actually. There’s a good reason this thing is aimed at cops, firefighters, and EMS personnel. It’s heavy duty, powerful, and feels solid in the hand. But so what, right? Lots of competitors can make that claim. What makes this 5.11 Tactical one really special is that it charges up in just 90 seconds—in your car! “No way,” I thought as I unpacked it and looked at the instructions. The very first charge took longer than 90 seconds: 100 actually. The second and third took almost exactly 90 seconds though. Eerie. And I actually watched it charge. I couldn’t help it: the blue light on the charger blinks slowly at first, then picks up speed as it goes, blinks like mad at about 75 seconds on, then goes solid blue. Climax time.
Sometimes a flashlight is just a flashlight, as I think Freud said, but get a look at the charger to the left. The Tactical Light for Life goes into that sheath when it needs to recharge. Light for Life results.
What matters is, this is a damn fine piece of machinery, with specs that are hard to believe until you test them out. There’s real innovation at work here that takes a tiny amount of electricity and turns it into hours of light. Consider these attributes:
- Lasts for four hours on one 90-second charge.
- Retains 96% of capacity after 50,000 cycles of charging and discharging.
- You could charge it once a day and still use it for more than 135 years.
- The LED bulbs are rated to last 50,000 hours (that’s 40 hours a week, for more than 24 years)
There’s a regular mode, a strobe mode, and a high-power mode for when you need a lot of brightness. It’s hexagonal so it won’t roll away while you’re changing a flat or putting in tent stakes in the dark. The charger comes with mounting screws to permanently drill the charger into your car interior. How hardcore is that? You can also order an AC adapter so you can recharge it in a wall socket as well (necessitating another insertion—of car charger male plug into female receptacle. Just a coincidence I’m sure…)
This isn’t airplane or “travel light” gear for sure, but it would be great to keep in the car, the RV, or the box of camping gear. You can literally use it for the rest of your life, then pass it on to the grandsons. Just make sure they’re old enough to know what to do with it.
(If you don’t believe this piece of equipment is coming from a serious company, however, check out the dealer locator page for 5.11 Tactical. You can pick this flashlight up at Copquest.com, 911Supply.ca, the U.S. Patriot Store, or DSTactical.com. )
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear on October 28th, 2009
Staying Organized: Pockets and More Pockets
There are some things you can’t have too many of on a trip. Like pockets.
You’ll need them for travel documents, cell phones, music players, keys, pens, glasses, money…well, you get the idea. And a couple of creative inventors offer ways to organize your small travel necessities and keep them from getting lost or stolen.
Newco Enterprises offers the PUP Personal Utility Pouch and the slightly-larger Gizmo bag. The PUP, designed for men and women, can be worn any of three ways—around the waist, across the chest or over the shoulder. The attached strap will fit just about any waistline, from a malnourished supermodel to a hearty eater.
The PUP is 8.5″ wide, 6.5″ tall and 1.5″ deep. It’s made of soft luggage material, is machine washable and comes in a choice of eight colors.
The giZmo bag is about 20 percent larger than the PUP and has a similar layout. With a detachable strap, it could also be used as a purse organizer.
Jean Newell invented the PUP while working as a real-estate agent and needing a way to keep an array of electronic devices at hand. As they say, the rest is history, with Jean starting her own company to make PUP and giZmo bags.
The retail prices are $19.95 for the PUP and $24.95 for the giZmo at Newco’s website.
Another entrepreneur, Kendra Kroll, takes a slightly different approach with the PortaPocket line. Kendra’s Undercover Solutions offers different sizes of pockets that can be looped on a belt or attached to a band around your waist, arm or leg. They can be worn outside or concealed underneath clothing.
The pockets are just the right size for credit cards, keys, cell phones, music players and other road gear. I’ve been to several places where walking through downtown streets and looking like a tourist isn’t considered safe. These would come in handy for keeping valuables safe.
I asked Kendra if she’s ever gotten any grief from the TSA for carrying one of these concealed through a checkpoint. Even if it wasn’t carrying anything illegal, I could just envision a TSA rookie finding it during a “random” patdown and thinking it was a big catch.
“I was in Las Vegas last week and wore my PortaPocket Essentials on my leg right through security at both airports at either end of my trip without mentioning anything or taking it off,” Kendra says. “Of course, there was no metal in there.”
Prices for PortaPockets range from $9.95 to $24.95 and they are available from the company’s website.
My hands-on review of the PUP line and PortaPockets shows they are well-made and should stand up to many miles of travel. Because there’s no such thing as too many pockets.
Posted by JohnG in Adventure Gear, Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on October 27th, 2009
Powermat: A New Way to Charge Your Gear
Powermat portable
If you’re a road warrior who packs a lot of gear—cell phone, GPS, music player, bluetooth headset and more—you’re probably used to carrying many different chargers and searching hotel rooms to find enough power outlets.
But there’s a new way to eliminate the tangled spaghetti of wires and the need to carry different chargers. Powermat offers a well-designed solution for charging your gear, on the road or in the office, with just one AC plug. It can charge several gadgets at the same time—as easily as laying them on a mat for some devices.
Plus, there’s a “wow” factor with the Powermat, which charges using magnetic induction and the company’s own patent-pending technology.
There are two versions. The portable charging mat folds into a compact size for travelers. The company also makes a non-folding mat for home and office use.
Here’s how it works. First, the mat is plugged into AC power. It can handle 110 or 240 volts for international travel. The cord winds up neatly for storage.
Powermat iPhone case
Then, each device connects and charges by setting a receiver on top of the mat. Powermat makes a cradle dock receiver for iPods and iPhones, receiver cases that fit the iPhone 3G and iPod Touch, back receiver panels for Nintendo and a special battery door for the Blackberry Curve.
For other gear, a small Powercube receiver sits on top of the mat with a short cord to plug into the device. There are interchangeable tips including micro and mini USB, Apple, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DS Lite, LG, Sony PSP and Samsung, enough to power hundreds of devices. A beep confirms that the device or receiver is properly placed and charging.
There’s also a handy tip-storage case that attaches to the universal Powercube receiver. Another interesting feature is a full-size USB plug on the mat which can be used to charge even more gear.
I’ve seen some concern that the Powermat takes longer to charge than plugging in a device directly, but that’s not been my experience. My iPod Touch, HTC smartphone and Bluetooth headset all seemed to take about the same time to top off with the Powermat as using conventional chargers. The company claims, in some cases, devices might charge even faster.
I’m impressed with thoughtful design and build quality of the Powermat. It works on a similar principle as the much-discussed Touchstone charging dock for the new Palm Pre smartphone. The Touchstone requires a special back cover to work. The Powermat’s advantage is the number of different devices it will charge.
In the future, I hope Powermat will make a bigger variety of cradles and cases to fit other popular devices.
List prices are $99.99 for either the home and office or portable Powermat, which includes one universal receiver with eight tips. Additional charging backs, cradles, cases and Powercube universal receivers range from $29.99 to $39.99 each.
For the electronics power user on the road—or in the home or office—Powermat offers a convenient, high-tech way to keep your gear going.
Get the home Powermat or portable Powermat at Amazon.
Posted by JohnG in Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on October 26th, 2009
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