Pros: I saw this woolly looking ball of what looked like steel wool (it's not steel wool! Steel wool can burst into flames if you heat it so don't try to substitute it!) and ordered it purely out of curiosity. However now I'm hooked, it keeps my iron tips cleaner than before, and I don't get any heat loss from dipping the iron into a moist sponge. Tthe metallic coating actually sucks up the solder similar to de-soldering braid.
Cons: It seems that this is a disposable commodity. A sponge can last for years because any dried solder can be scraped off and the underlying sponge will be fine. But this tip-cleaner actually soaks up the solder, similar to de-soldering braid which needs to be replaced often. I don't know yet how long this will last, but for the price and practicality it's worth buying a few as spares.
Other Thoughts:
Bottomline: For thirty years I've been using a sponge to clean my soldering iron tip and never thought twice about it. Now I'm a convert.
Pros: Very powerful motors. Intensity can be adjusted with the rotary switch that doubles as the power switch.
Cons: Cables are very short, and seem very thin. They tangle easily.Power switch/speed control seem a bit stiff at first, but might become easier to use with more frequent use.
Bottomline: Works well! Happy using it as normal massager on shoulders and arms after exercise. I don't even need to use it for an y other unmentionable activities, even though it would obviously work well for various other purposes!
Pros: Very bright dual LEDs!Very light construction so can carry it without noticing the extra weight.
Cons: I bought two and one button is soft but the other a bit harder to press. Construction quality of each key chain will vary slightly. However both function well.The small metal ring attaching key chain to the plastic body is only a single ring, not a double ring that folds around itself, so it may pull away from the keychain if pulled too hard.
Bottomline: Will order some more as presents! Always handy to have a torch on your keyring.
Pros: The two parallel power prongs are in fact designed to be rotated 45 degrees if necessary, so they fit the 45 degree Australian power sockets. They can be rotated both ways, so the plug can point up from the socket or hang down.The device can also turn things on or off without the remote control, just press the small black button once.Quite small considering what it does.
Cons: The two side sockets are useless in Australia and many countries with wide plugs. No ground connector either, so won't work safely for all appliances.The power socket on top is poorly weighted, so plugging something heavy into it makes the entire device fall out of the wall. It should only be used for light things (heavy power packs may not work)The black button is extremely small, could be a bit bigger for easy use.
Bottomline: Handy as both a travel adapter and IR remote control device.
Pros: Works beautifully with Mac OS X, at full USB 2 speed. It is an extension cable, so if you add a standard USB A-B 2 metre cable you have a total of 7 metres of USB cable. It even worked well using a 2 metre extension cord and a 1 metre A-B cord for a total of 8 metres.
Cons: The USB socket seemed to be very loose, and the plug kept falling out. After inspection I found two small problems:1 There was some glue stuck inside the USB socket so when plugging something in, the plug was very loose. I was able to use a small screwdriver to scrape away the excess glue from inside the socket, allowing the USB plug to sit deeper in the socket (MAKE SURE TO UNPLUG THE CABLE FROM THE COMPUTER BEFORE TRYING THIS!!!).2 On the USB socket of this cable, the six small metal tongues around the sides were very loose, so anything plugged into it had a tendancy to fall out. After using VERY LIGHT pressure from my finger nail to press the tongues in about half a millimetre on all sides, the plug now grips very tight. Make sure not to press the tongues in too far, or they will break or interfere with the USB plug when you attach it.
Other Thoughts: It seems that the total length limit is 8 metres. When I tried adding an extra 2 metre extension cable (bringing the total length to 10 metres) the hard disk would not work. However, it is possible that adding 2 extension cords in a row reduces the signal. I don't have a single 5M USB A-B cord to test it with, but keep in mind that maybe trying to make a 9 or 10 metre total length USB cable is too long.
Bottomline: VERY HAPPY! I have a hard disk based media box on the other side of the room, now I can copy files to it via USB without unplugging and bringing it to the computer.
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