ICanuwundra

Pros:

- practical blade and edge shapes
- relatively low weight
- tough blade material, supposedly keeping sharp for long time
- all black "cool" look
- easy cleaning from most materials

Cons:

- blade is ground sharp over the whole length, yielding a sharp edge on the side of the handle. Blunted and rounded last centimeter handle-side may have increased handling safety.
- a few ingredients tend to stick to the knife, such as soft or melted cheese, more than they do with steel knifes

Other Thoughts:

Knife user reports that she finds straight cuts easier with this knife, supposedly the result of lower flexibility, "bendiness", of the blade, compared to steel knifes with similar blade strength (thickness), or because the blade is relatively broad. I find the knife reasonably well balanced,, which eases lifting and lowering action from the wrist, making accurate cutting easier, compared to raising and lowering the lower arm, as one would be tempted to do with a not well balanced knife.

Bottomline:

A knife very suited as present as long as home markets aren't swamped with comparable knives. The broad blade is suited for fine-cutting and subsequent transferral gathering through loading dissected materials onto the blade while it's being held horizontally.

Pros:

.
+ compact
+ stealthy
+ light
+ quality actually better than the product photos suggest.

Cons:

.
- blade is not very sharp
- rather small blade
- threads very dry and scratchy. needs grease.

Other Thoughts:

Not terrible useful for cutting things. Better for poking holes into objects. Like, carbon dioxide escape in plastic lids of fermenting containers. Also practical as letter opener, though you wouldn't go through the effort of assembling the knife first, only to use it as letter opener. May find a use as pinboard prick

Bottomline:

If the other end was removable too, and contain a pencil or ballpoint pen, a holder for screwdriver bits, or even a replaceable wooden toothpick, it'd be more useful. as knife-only, it clearly belongs into the "gadgets and toys" category.

Pros:

- the thong bit can be removed, by releasing two screws - that makes it rather easy to replace it when it wears off or breaks, or - more likely -, when you need to modify it for a 1.75" belt
- sturdy material, looks unlikely to ever break
- fits standard 1.5" belts tightly so it won't slip easily
- single-handed attach- and release action

Cons:

price is a bit on the high side - but well, you're not going to lose it, and it will possibly outlast your belt.

Other Thoughts:

thong appears to be leather, not plastic. looks like it could hold a key of 5 kilogramms.(unless you'd prefer to use such a key as a walking cane)

Bottomline:

hook and latch should be much more secure than the spring loaded steel bead release, as featured by sku 42558, even though releasing a key ring is a tad more fiddly. But it won't take long, and you can latch on and off keys on this item quickly without even looking at it.

Pros:

Doesn't smell bad, isn't illegal and is not made from animal products. Custom office won't have any problems with it, and it doesn't melt in the sun.

Cons:

I haven't found any surface where it keep sticking on reliably. Even on clean glass surfaces, it eventually drop off - just the suction mount, without anything attached to it. Glueing it to the surface could work.

Other Thoughts:

were it a bit bigger, one could try to use it as a massage inner show sole. Maybe as anti-slip on the bottom of a bathtub it could find some use too.

Bottomline:

Item is of limited use, and is far from holding anything, as advertised. It has problems to hold itself, even on smooth non-porous surfaces. Unless you want to use it for a different purpose than it is advertised for, better waste your money on something else.

Pros:

:
+ very small, therefore easy to have it with you all the time
+ interesting mechanic, eyecatcher. People love it.
+ Pretty sharp. Looks like a toy, but isn't
+ heavier than the size may suggest
+ has a clip, and supports attaching a key ring.

Cons:

:
- opens using two hands (or one hand plus a helper surface), as I don't recommend heft-flicking it.

Other Thoughts:

Holding the back of the blade with two fingers of one hand, with the hinge pointing down, then pushing on the heft tail with one finger of the other hand is the most convenient way to open it which I found as far. Flicking works when holding the blade, but as the grip on the blade isn't that great (or my hands too big) I'd be worried to send the knife flying off (footwards), therefore I prefer a more relaxed approach on opening the knife.

Bottomline:

Has the size which makes it candidate for a key chain, with a blade which is more serious than one would expect from a key chain knife. Quite sharp point and edge, though I will have to see how long it will keep its edge. Has some cuteness factor, definitely triggers a "want this too" reaction in people playing with it.

Pros:

:
+ Though mainly meant for PLCC type chips extraction, it works well for DIP/DIL type of chips too, especially from breadboards (those usually have a central groove lending itself well to insert the extractor legs, especially when there is little space between DILs).
+ can also lift LEDs on star, if glued to rim of pill.

Cons:

:
- legs had to be bent into shape when it arrived
- bolt which keeps the two halves together, and around which they pivot, has the tendency to come out, and needs to be pushed back once every so often. Glueing caps on both sides should prevent that.

Other Thoughts:

I tried to use it as back scratcher, but it doesn't perform that well in that function. sku.2306 makes a better back scratcher.

Bottomline:

Low cost tool which should be in your electronics toolbox if you work with socketed ICs

Pros:

:
+ Won't cool down solder iron tip as much as a soggy spnge does.
+ As you can stick in the whole solder iron tip, charcoaled stuff is removed from the whole tip, not just from the tip of the tip.
+ Lasts long
+ Sooty stuff and tin remains stick well to it. Better cleaning effect than with wet sponge
+ No preparation before use needed

Cons:

- This is a refill. For actual use, these are usually put into a bezelled flat steel jar, for single handed operation. These jars don't seem to be available here.
- Using it without container, small flakes may come off which can shortcircuit traces or pins.

Other Thoughts:

One of the most neglected tasks in electronics is probably moistening the sponge prior while the solder iron is heating up. Instead, that time is commonly used to frantically test whether the tip is already hot enough, so the solder iron can be used. This item allows you to direct your attention entirely to the latter activity.

Bottomline:

Good to have, good to use, good to keep your solder iron tip clean with.

Pros:

:
+ Combines fixing and reduction of thermal resistance into one processing step.
+ Withstands many solvents and environmental conditions.
+ won't become brittle, but remains elastic.
+ There's a lot of glue in the tube

Cons:

:
- when you run out of glue, you may need a new tube.
- You are most likely to need it when you don't have it.

Other Thoughts:

Because it takes some time to set, holding the objects in place by applying pressure is recommended, which is good, as application of pressure helps creating a good contact area.
LEDs on aluminium stars and bases, glued to sinks half a year ago still maintain their place and heat transfer today - but none of those is subjected to a lot of mechanical stress, like shocks or vibration. I think I would want to secure those for mechanically more challenging enviroments with an additional method, and not rely on glueing only.

Bottomline:

Most thermal compounds don't differ a lot in their thermal conductance - difference between "best" and "cheapest" is not more than 5%. So I presume that it doesn't really matter a lot how well this glue conducts heat, especially as it is mainly meant to increase surface area, and not to bridge gaps. Cleaning and polishing the contact areas should make a much bigger difference than thermal conductance of the glue.

Pros:

One of the lowest price 2x18650 P60 hosts around, gives more than twice run time compared to single cell lights.
All parts interchangeable with the WF-502B. The only difference between those two lights is that the 502D has a longer body tube. Be careful that you don't swap a P60 dropin rated for max 4.2 Volts.
Sufficiently robust build - shows no signs of wear resulting from the 5 months of abuse I subjected it to.
Not only one of the cheaper, also one of the more compact 2x18650 lights.

Cons:

Clip is a bit useless. But it can be removed, as it is held in place by two small screws. Occluding the holes would be good, to prevent moisture from entering. Rather than puttinf the screws back in place, I jammed the holes with silicone.
Rolls off not leveled surfaces easily with clip removed. Head could use a stronger expressed deviation from circular circumference.
Tail clicky rattles when shaken.
Could be cheaper - the few cm extra aluminium shouldn't justify the price difference to 502B, especially as it comes only with a P4 LED, in contrast to the R2 of some 502B lights.

Other Thoughts:

As I try to keep my P60 dropins 8.4 Volt tolerant, even if that means swapping drivers, no careful bookkeeping about which dropins work and which ones burn. Luckily many dropins for single cell lights are now already 8.4 Volt tolerant. Therefore will my WF-502D also become host for the XP-G when longer operational time is required. Currently it runs on an R2 with 700 mA driver and smooth reflector, and it does so pretty long, pulling between 300 mA and 350 mA from two fully charged cells. Plenty of light for several hours.

Bottomline:

My favorite way to take spare 18650 cells along, for my single cell P7 bike lights. When the second cell in those dims, I can continue to use those partly discharged cells for another 2 hours in the 502D, which makes it a veritable "backup" light for cycling.

Pros:

rubbery texture (neoprene like, may actually be neoprene, not sure) is nicely shock absorbent (wall thickness about 3 mm) and keeps humidity out.
Fits my netbook (a humble 8.9" Acer Aspire One 110L) perfectly. Seams and thread seem good - no sign yet of them coming loose or weakening.

Cons:

Seams are not sealed, neither does the closed flap seal. Otherwise it might be waterproof. Filling the sleeve with water, then compressing it, causes water to squirt out at the seams. I might not be able to go diving with it, but against a rain, with the sleeve inside a bag, protection is sufficient. I might have preferred a zipper, but recognise that a flap has lower failure potential.

Other Thoughts:

The tar like odor some readers objected to disappears completely after a while. There is not the tiniest bit of that odor left, only a tinge of a rubbery note remains - but I had the sleeve in use for more than half a year now. The center fold, result of packaging and shipping, has also disappeared completely.
With netbook unpacked, the sleeve makes a good mousepad for optical mice.

Bottomline:

My netbooks look now probably better than it would without the sleeve, while I can still simply drop it into my backpack among other stuff, without crumbs or pieces entering the gaps between keys, or entering through connectors.

Pros:

Appears to be reliable, after about 1500 hours of flawless operation.
Small form factor fits sku 13741 nicely.
Perfect current for a 3.5 Watt LED without running it on its maximum.
Doesn't seem to run hot. LED and driver in sku 13741 don't heat it up to more than being warm to the touch. Below 40 C, I measured once, but forgot the exact temperature, as being not too relevant, because cool enough.
Silent operation - no humming, cheeping, chirping or whistling.

Cons:

They don't come for bargain prices in lots of 5 or 10

Other Thoughts:

I still haven't measured the ratio between input power and output power, and as such, I can't really say a lot about how much sense it makes to use this device for energy saving purposes.

Bottomline:

Good component for building your own LED bulbs. just add sku.13741 and a 21 mm star LED, preferably in warm tint.

Pros:

Good grip, also for bigger hands (like mine).
Blade material seems good.
Good balance.
Folding knife.
Can be readily disassembled (hex screws).
Rather nice looks.
Not spring assisted, makes it legal in many countries.

Cons:

No thumb stud, no groove, to open blade. Just plain blade.
Could be sharper. I keep the steel blade of my Opinel much sharper than this one is - possibly a material tradeoff because of higher brittleness of ceramic materials. where steel is more bendy, Zirconium is more breaky.

Other Thoughts:

Most of my kitchen knifes are folders - that way I can also take them along with me, instead of merely keeping them in the kitchen drawer. As far, no ceramic knife was among them, because the choice of ceramic folders wasn't huge. Well, this on does cut, even stuff for which a pretty keen blade is needed, such as ripe tomatoes. But for the sliciest kitchen jobs, I'm still resorting to my trusted Opinels. Good for giving large call-a-pizza-pizzas, for sharing among several people, the second cut, as those pizzas often come half-cut only. No more tearing the pizzas apart now. But cheese tends to stick on the blade when cooling.

Bottomline:

With careful treatment, you should have a knife which is relatively care-free, with predictable sharpness, so you'll learn easily and quickly what the knife is good for. And what for not.

Pros:

Battery handling very simple (single AA)
Compact size, fits nicely into one hand
Flood-to-throw makes this a versatile light.
Even though only operated by one AA cell, throw is quite good.
Tail cap diameter is not larger than body diameter - that way can the light be slipped easily into misc. types of mounts and head straps.
Potentially modding friendly head. Haven't managed to open tail switch yet. Could be pressed in.
Driver appears to be 4.2 Volt tolerant, switching to direct drive, and allowing alternating use with 1.2 V NiMH without breaking.

Cons:

Head movement is a bit scratchy - this can be improved by replacing the steel wire ring against a thin silicone o-ring. Alternatively, tape a layer of kapton tape inside the head, so that the steel ring moves on the tape, rather than on aluminium.
My plastic lense protrudes ever so slightly - it is prone to scratch eventually.
Tail switch feels cheap, and does not seem to be waterproof, but appears that it can be machined to take a rubber tailcap.
In original state, only a plastic pin sticks out. I haven't managed to open tail switch yet - it could be pressed in.
"Reflector" needed some work: central hole was smaller than LED, and was therefore bent outwards with the lense mounted.
Lanyard breaks easily - a small wire key ring (8-10 mm) between lamp and lanyard solves that.

Other Thoughts:

The described mods can be done easily, and take not more than 5 minutes of work. A hand held drill with an abrasive cylindrical bit takes care of increasing central refelector hole. A pair of pliers and a lever of some kind (screwdriver) will remove the stell wire ring. I'll probably replace the cool white LED against a WG R2.

Bottomline:

Good light, benefitting from its compact size in conjunction with its good flexibility from choosing light pattern through its zoom feature. Light (as in: low mass) enough to keep in your pocket - you might want to put some protective cover over the head when carrying it in the same pocket as, say, your keys, or your nuts-and-bolts collection.

Pros:

Segments lock tightly, no spillage of valuable moisture: what goes in cup reaches throat (bad motoric coordination exempted), if you pull open, then twist, while still pulling, to locks the segments in place securely. Merely flicking or pulling open won't do, and I'd not entrust other than rotgut to it when not twist-locked.
It seems easy to get the cup filled - people appear to like filling it, only to see it in operation - but that could also be a minus.
Key chain attached to the right (cover) side, therefore one can use the cup without dragging the whole keychain with it.

Cons:

Wipe dry after cleaning, or limespots will develop, or better, keep in perpetual use - rinse with next drink.
Unspecting souls may raise an eyebrow, unless you explain that this is an radiation protection device, to wear on your head. Then they'll raise both.
Burrs at bottom plate - had to grind those down to avoid cutting my fingers when twist-locking it.
Cup is not strongly held by cover. Don't dangle it from your belt, better keep it in your pocket, to avoid losing the cup.

Other Thoughts:

Could possibly be used as radio frequency radiation shielding device.

Bottomline:

bottomline:
A seasonal gadget, compact enough in its collapsed state to be easily tucked away until next winter.

Pros:

Better quality than sku.21946, which corrodes more easily, and albeit dimensions of both are very similar, this one feels more sturdy and heavier, and the blades are broader.
Very sharp blade, pointed tip. Goes through all reasonably cuttable materials, like paper, string, plastic foil, leaves, fabric, herb stems, candle wicks easily.
Very good for applications, requiring frequently picking up and putting down the scissors, as picking up, positioning and cutting, putting down can be done in one sweeping motion, no need to thread fingers through handles, as with conventional scissors, first.

Cons:

50% more expensive than sku.21946.
Blades are open in resting position. Store scissors where you can see them for grabbing, as blades are quite sharp and pointy. The plastic sleeve they come in isn't of much use besides protecting other items from the grease on the scissors - they are well oiled. Wipe them before use, then you'll probably want to trash the sleeve.
No leverage. Thicker or more sturdy materials - those requiring more force to cut - may be cut more easily with conventional scissors.

Other Thoughts:

Of the 13 of these scissors which I have received as far, 1 was black, 4 pink, and 8 yellow.
The blade angle is such that the scissors appear to be "self sharpening", as such they might keep their keen edge.
Savings with bulkrate are considerable. Consider to take 3, 5 or 10. You'll be likely to find a use for them. People want them.

Bottomline:

The more I get, the more people want them. Now also the lady at my baker's got one, as does my ex-associates ex-girlfriend's mother, and my childhood flame who I haven't seen for about 30 years wanted three. DX delivered those rapidly, so I could pass them on, at which occasion we discovered that we share our liking of bicycle touring and campfire dough-on-a-stick :) I definitely need to order more scissors.

Pros:

:
+ solder free connection to mains side
+ unpopulated 21 mm star included
+ cooling ribs for keeping LED temperature low
+ drivers such as sku.13552 fit perfectly
+ compact, much smaller than a CFL bulb
+ black/silver fins look pretty hi-tech when screwed into socket

Cons:

:
- sharp burrs at cooling ribs
- I had wished for a duroplast isolation between E27 thread and the hot contact tip.

Other Thoughts:

Optics are from plastic (acryl?), which is both an advantage and a disadvantage: It will scratch more easily, but won't chip or shatter when dropping. Heat deformation is not an issue - LED temperature should be kept lower anyway. This item can be used for other purposes than using as E27 mains bulb: It is a good host for a small bicycle head lamp. I'll get me some more, as I ordered only one for evaluation, because I didn't like its look on the photos very much. But in reality, they are much better than they look like.

Bottomline:

If you are unsatisfied with the choice of LED bulbs available, because of brightness or light temperatur (colour) concerns, this is an exellent host to assemble your own: Just add driver and a 21 mm star mounted power LED (for ease), or solder a LED of your choice to the included star. The result will be a bright, energy efficient light for a very competitive price.

Pros:

:
+ design results in a simple, round o-ring
+ positively waterproof

Cons:

:
- springs for both plus and minus contacts
- has LED patterns which are of limited use
- lacks potentially useful LED patterns (1, 2, 3 or 4 LEDS, in addition to the existing 5 LEDs permanently on)

Other Thoughts:

Problem with springs on both battery contact sides is that you can't insert both battery ends first, so one of those springs isn't pushed down by the battery contact, but pushed sideways. Unluckily there are unisolated wires very close to the contacts. I need to use a tool like it was a shoehorn, pushing the battery inside while pushing down the one spring with the tool, the other with the battery contact.
Alternatively, loosening three small screws which hold the disk with one side of the contacts, lifting it, inserting the batteries, and tightening the screws again works too, but needs a very small philips screwdriver to be at hand.
Not following this procedure can lead to shortening the current path, and damage of the device.
When I get annoyed enough by that, I'll probably remove the plus side spring, and glue a metal strip in.
An AA version could be preferable.

Bottomline:

Once in operation, the device works well. The design is such that it is simple to keep water out, contrary to the more common kidney shaped lights, which often reach end of lifetime by the sticking (and damaged, in the process of opening the device) or rotting complex-shaped seal. This device has a simple cylindrical shape, with a lid and a perfectly circular seal between. Should the seal rot, it should be easy to find a replacement.

Pros:

:
+ fits a wide spectrum of gear
+ has many uses

Cons:

:
- no obvious way to tuck away strap ends when attaching to thin pipes/tubes/objects.
- plastic block is not solid material. makes it lighter but not well suited for transferring force. Mine will probably break soon, from material stress.

Other Thoughts:

The longer I use it, the more uses I find for it. Originally purchased to fit yet another flashlight (sku 14450)to the crowded steering bar of my bicycle, I also found it useful to strap a C3 to the handle of a solder iron, to illuminate the soldering area, a green laser pointer to my index finger, to point out objects by actually pointing, rather than by aiming, strap a flashlight to a flashlight (again for bicycle, throw vs flood), a garden hose to a pole, a set of tent poles to my bike frame, a finger to another finger (but haven't found a lot of uses for this), a mobile phone to a steering wheel, a candle to a chair arm rest, dragging a broom behind a bicyle. A carrot would fit, but I still need an idea what to attach it to.

Bottomline:

If you think that you find a use for this item, get several, because you'll find more.

Pros:

:
+ hasn't exploded yet
+ single charger for my whole range of 10440..18650 batteries
+ power cable with connector, to easily replace the US plug it comes with against European plug
+ can be operated on 12 Volts

Cons:

:
- produces a humming or whining sound sometimes. Repositioning a battery helps usually.
- a few of my 14500 batteries didn't make contact easily. Fixed by straightening the crooked part of the cathode.
- just a simple current limiter with voltage cutoff, which is to be expected for the price. One can't reasonably expect a microcontroller-regulated multi-mode charging "station" with a handful of operation modes (even though I'd like one for Lithium cells too - especially the capability of measuring capacity is something I am missing a bit)

Other Thoughts:

:
by reading the forum, the impression is won that this charger suffers from some manufacturing spread. I seem to have been lucky, as it charges to an accurate 4.20 Volts, and hasn't violently disintegrated yet. Even though, I operate it separated from easily inflammable or valuable objects.
For a while I used it with 12 Volts only, but haven't been sticking to this precaution recently. I do take care though to insert batteries only after I turned on power, especially when charging two batteries at the same time. Modifying the charger by adding a power switch to it might be a good idea.

Bottomline:

:
They can't all explode, can they? As long as this one doesn't, this is a nice one-size-fits-all charger for a broad spectrum of Lithium cells. It may be a tad slow, especially when charging the higher capacity 18650 cells, but having two extra cells fully compensates for that. Were I in need of another charger, I'd pick this one again. Should it explode, I'd pick another one.

Pros:

:
+ single mode, "no frills" driver
+ versatile powering options
+ bright
+ driver is indeed 4.2V-tolerant (which is not the case for the Q5 equipped sku 10727 with the same body
+ extension tube can be swapped and combined with sku 4452 and sku 10727, which allows operation with 3 NiMH AA cells

Cons:

:
- pulls higher current for comparable brightness than the Q5 version (sku 10727), consequently doesn't run that long on the same batteries.

Other Thoughts:

Originally purchased to split into extension for me to keep, and the flashlight to pass on, I decided to keep it after the driver of my sku 10727 broke (from using it with 4.2 V) and had to be sent back. It is even brighter than the Q5 model, with the penalty of drawing higher current. This is partially compensated by running it with 3 NiMH 2700 mAh AA cells when I need longer time of operation, or on a single 900 mAh Lithium cell for light and compact form factor, when operational time is not important. The driver runs more efficiently with higher input voltage, resulting in longer operational time, running on a 3.7 V 900 mAh cell, compared to a 1.2 V 2700 mAh cell.

Bottomline:

throw cone about 9° (15 cm/m)
flood cone about 84° (135 cm/m)
Output doesn't match a P60 head light, but is quite respectable for its size.

Pros:

.
+ accepts drop in modules, available here
+ powered by 18650 batteries, which have good capacity for {price,size,weight}
+ sufficient protection against permeation of water - can be dropped into a filled bucket.
+ clip is fixed with screws, and appears to be rather sturdy

Cons:

.
- XP-E R2 LED is driven beyond its specification on full brightness mode
- no extension tube, to run on 2x18650 for increased operational time (provided an 8.4 volt tolerant driver module has been inserted). Oh well, swapping batteries isn't such a big deal.
- tail switch rattles

Other Thoughts:

driving the LED beyond specs reduces its life time, but then, if it only makes 1000 hours instead of 100000 hours, at that time I probably want to run the light with another drop-in anyway. A 0..100% brightness control plugin is what I'm after now. I'm also looking forward for an XP-G drop-in (supposed to produce about 25% more lumen/watt compared to R2).

Bottomline:

14° throw cone (12 cm/meter)
pulls 1.3A/800mA/80mA in high/medium/low intensity mode (measured at battery when fully charged)
through modular drop-ins, this light can be kept up-to-date with recent emitters or efficient drivers.

Pros:

.
+ adjust between throw (9°, 8 cm/meter) and flood (60°, 100 cm/meter)
+ 18650 gives much better operational time, compared to 3xAAA or CR123 models of the same lamp
+ very impressive throw, lights distant objects. The cone of the beam is clearly visible in air.
+ stands on tail, unhampered by lanyard.

Cons:

.
- lens is plastic (acryl?), not glass, as it says in description
- head movement was very rough before customisation
- no driver, actual current drain depends on LED fabrication tolerances (mine draws 1200 mA, instead of the specified 800 mA, which will presumably reduce LED lifetime)
- no driver, lamp dims when battery voltage drops
- body with inside fins to hold 18650 battery in center: body could be narrower to reduce overall lamp size.
- lanyard eye needs deburring, or it will cut lanyard loop quickly

Other Thoughts:

body is probably thicker than necessary to allow using the same lamp head with body versions for differerent battery types.
The 14 mm tail caps, available here, are a tight fit, but work well, once pulled through the tail bore.

Bottomline:

overall a great lamp, provided one is willing to take care of the - literally - rough edges (O-Ring which restricts head, and lanyard eye). sticking a bit of thin adhesive tape on the inside of the head results in much smoother head movements. If you're also lucky with the LED, you'll have a compact lamp with remarkable performance and flexibility.

Pros:

+ capacity actually higher than advertized with
+ capacity spread, as result of material- or fabrication tolerances, are low, which means these can be paired more easily.
+ storage case included

Cons:

- quick charge current specified with 450 mA, many chargers do 500 mA

Other Thoughts:

after the initial discharge-charge cycles until no further increase of capacity was measurable, the 4 I bought clocked in at 901, 920, 931 and 934 mAh. Two of them are now going through the self-discharge test, and once they made it through the first 100 recharge cycles, I'll measure their remaining capacity again - I hope that DX will let me post my findings then.

Bottomline:

For less than half the price of "brand" 1100 mAh batteries which were all measured below 900 mAh, these seem to be a steal.

Pros:

+ orange on black looks great
+ glow-in-the-dark green is practical
+ fits many flashlights
+ a thus modded flashlight is easily discernable from others.

Cons:

- well, you'll have to disassemble the tail switch part of the lamp before these become useful.
- not sure what to do with the black caps: for every modded flashlight, I get another one.

Other Thoughts:

As I had to cut a thin disc off the central rod of a green cap, to make it fit a C3, I glued that disc with cyanoacrylate to a light switch in a dark corridor, which became much more visible now.

Bottomline:

together with sku.5678 and sku.3449, flashlights like the ultrafire C3 can be nicely "themed", giving those an individual touch, and adding - in case of the glow-in-the-dark caps and rings - practical value.

Pros:

+ both UK and US plugs fit tightly
+ well build, sturdy material
+ not wider than the widest point of the European plug, allows fitting several next to each other, in power rails with 0 or 90 degree socket rotation

Cons:

- price may be a tad on the high side
- square top form factor, may require skipping every other socket when using in a power rail with 45 degree socket rotation.

Other Thoughts:

as I relocated from Ireland to the continent not long ago, a good part of my electrical equipment comes with UK plugs. My remedy as far was to use a European power rail, to which I attacked a UK plug. Disadvantage was that leads had to go to the power rail in a star like topology. I purchased several of the sku.13525 item, and can now plug the devices into whatever socket is closest.

Bottomline:

Possibly a better stationary adapter than travel adapter, due to its size. For stationary use it is hard to beat.

Pros:

+ light and portable
+ long run time on a pair of AA batteries
+ decent optics and magnification
+ increases interest of kids in nature and things around them

Cons:

- doesn't stand stable without holding it
- fixed magnification doesn't allow you to zoom or switch to the most appropriate magnification level

Other Thoughts:

I have been carrying this item with me in a belt pouch since I got it, and have been using it almost daily. It is a source for a lot of educative fun.

Bottomline:

The contact which turns on the LED wasn't working very well when I received it. Without legible documenation, it took some experimenting until I knew how to turn it on.
Luckily the switch works allright now.

Pros:

- no need to swap change batteries
- subjacent button reduces chance of accidentally triggering lamp while in pocket
- quite bright
- 30 degree opening angle of beam for a reasonable compromise between flood and throw (that is, projection dot opens to a diameter which is about half the distance. For example illuminating a wall from a distance of 2 meters creates a bright spot with a diameter of 1 meter)

Cons:

- button position makes it a bit awkward to press
- you'll have to wipe clean the photovoltaic cell often because you will touch it with your fingers when using the lamp. This is also due to the arrangement of button
- no button lock, to keep the lamp turned on without continued pushing down of the button.
- bezel (the plastic frame around the photovoltaic cell) could probably be thinner, reducing the size of the whole lamp

Other Thoughts:

Were the button on the small side, instead of on the flat side, handling would be improved.
I removed the chain, and attached the lamp with a very small kind of snap hook to the key ring. that way i could turn the photovoltaic cell away from the keys, preventing scratching the transparent cover plate.

Bottomline:

Makes a nice, inexpensive gift. But I still keep one for my own key ring. The case is glued, which makes opening the lamp harder, which is a pity, as i love to open devices to have a look what's inside. Therefore I can't tell what capacitor- or accumulator technology is used.

Pros:

- Prolific Technology PL2303
- Works with Linux, no additional drivers needed (pl2303 module usually comes with Linux)
- Extension cable included

Cons:

- less suited for "bit-banging" type of communication, over RS232 status and control lines. Communication with these kind of peripherals becomes *very* slow. This is an issue with USB-RS232 converters in general, and not specific to this device. Examples of such devices are some serial in-system programming adapters for microcontrollers. But communication with devices, using the "real" RS232 data lines does not suffer from this limitation.
- The thread of one screw on the RS232 side was a tad damaged, and didn't go in easily first. After having tightened the screw a few times, the thread got reshaped and works nicely now.

Other Thoughts:

I haven't tested operation with higher speeds (>19200 bps) yet. Programs can set higher rates though.

Bottomline:

This device was purchased in the hope that it would work with Linux. As the description didn't say what controller chip it contains, I simply hoped that it would be supported, or I'd pass on to a windows user, in case it wouldn't.
I was pleased to find that the chip is identified as Prolific Technology PL2303, which is a Linux-friendly controller, and sure enough, simply inserting the device into a USB port caused the machine to create the device file /dev/ttyUSB0 which is used by programs to talk to the serial port. As my machine (running Linux) has no other serial ports, this converter allows me to painlessly talk to the odd RS232 peripherals. For the price of this device one can't possibly go wrong.