Product Review Weekly Wrap-Up March 14-20

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing product reviews.  As I mentioned in a previous post, it allows me to indulge in my shopping desires as well as entertain my writing whims.  I thought that I would share my review experience, week-by-week, by providing a recap of the products that I have reviewed.  This is not a list of all of the products that have arrived this week, as many still need to be tested, just the ones that I made time to review.

I am providing links to my reviews.  Once on the review page, you will find a link to the product page in the far right corner.

Want to know about becoming a product reviewer?  I have detailed my experiences in this post.


The Retail Value of the items I wrote reviews for this week was $310.99
My out-of-pocket cost for these items was $5.77  (no, that is not a typo - under $6)


March 14th
Husband: "The car charger died, can you look into some new options?"
Me: (Pulling out box) "What form factor do you prefer?
Husband: (Jaw drops) "ummmmmm"
Me: "You are welcome!"  :)
He went with this one.

Being a decent reviewer means that I also get to be a decent gifter.  My sister-in-law was quite happy to have a new tote to store her stroller in.  And my nephew was equally happy to have a sun shade that did not fall of of the car window every few minutes.

March 17th
A product that seems too good to be true can sometimes surprise us.  This teeth whitening product, unfortunately, was not a good surprise at all.  On the plus side, I got to practice photographing my mouth, up close, for days on end.

Phone cases are one of my favorite products to test and review. They are straight-forward, easy to install, and quick to determine their effectiveness and quality.  This case was as straight-forward as they come.

In a world of fancy device cases, we often lose sight of just how fancy the devices themselves are.  Simplistic is my preference, and this case was just that.  To ensure no phone is left behind, a coordinating case was selected for another phone in the family.  Let the devices shine.

I turned to Youtube, a few years ago, to learn crochet.  I have been wanting to go back to learn how to knit.  Now that I have this set of knitting needles I have no longer have an excuse to put it off.

I have become a personal shopper for my husband (more so than before).  His latest request: sunglasses.  I delivered, and he is quite pleased with these sunglasses.

I have run into a few lemon products over the past few months, and some really make me wonder how they could be legal.  This sprializer tops that list.  It was a notch on a belt of questionable products that pushed me to contact Amazon.  I have concerns about their practice of allowing dangerous products be purchased on their site.  If eBay can take measures to ensure only safe products are available, then Amazon can follow suit.

I do not purchase off-brand products unless there is a significant cost saving.  I assume that I am not in the minority of this mindset. I have to wonder why this manufacturer thought that they could sell an off-brand toothbrush head replacement for the Sonicare toothbrush, at near the same price as Phillips.

I am learning to steer clear of products that use phrases like "#1" and "Best" in their product name.  I was previously cautious about these labels, but this probiotic had 4 1/2 stars with almost 400 reviews, so I assumed it was a good risk.  That old adage about assuming?  Yup!

March 18th
Phone cases are so varied with options, features, and design.  The honeycomb pattern seems to be the style of the moment, and I am unsure why.  It is a pain to clean, and the silicone is a magnet for cat hair.  This case was just that - a cat hair magnet.


March 19th
I have burned myself, in the kitchen, more times than I can count.  When this scar cream came up for review I thought that I had nothing to lose.

Phone accessories (cases, screen protectors, and chargers) are never in short supply around here.  In fact, each of my close family and friends will be receiving a bundled phone "make-over" kit for Easter.  Most of the products available for review are for the iPhone and Galaxy phones.  When I can find something, like this screen protector, for the Samsung Core Prime I jump on it as I have a friend who needs a phone makeover desperately!

Beach season is here, which means my hair is now subject to the salt water, the wind, and the sun.  A hair mask is essential during these months!

Most women have a cabinet full of beauty care products, and scrubs are usually at the forefront.  If you are going to slough away the dry, why not do it with coffee?  This coffee scrub was my second brand to test, and I and looking forward to more.

March 20th
We have a stash of Silicone Wedding bands now.  This is not something I would have invested in previously, but reviewing has opened my eyes to all sorts of new products.  These bands have been among my favorites so far.

I saved this Borescope for the end of the week as I wanted plenty of time to play with it.  I spent days planning various ways to test it and really enjoyed every moment.  This is another product that I would not have purchased normally but I am so glad that I did.

I have been designated the "phone case expert" by my circle of family and friends, as I have managed to amass quite a collection.  There is something to be said for having a case for every outfit.  I really enjoy the wallet-style cases, and this case was one of the better ones that I have reviewed.

I will file this next review under "things I never knew that I needed, but I needed."  My dentist is likely not going to be thrilled that I am poking around at my teeth, but with this Dental Hygiene Kit, I cannot resist.

Unlike the previous wallet phone case I reviewed, this case missed the mark for me.