wonderwhatif
Member Since: January 26, 2015Reviews
Western Digital 1TB 3.5" 7200 RPM SATA III 64MB Cache Desktop Hard Drive
Super easy to install and works great. Doesn't come with instructions, so you do need to know what you're doing, but for me this was a replacement hard drive for an old one that had started to have problems. The size is perfect. At this crucial time... +
Super easy to install and works great. Doesn't come with instructions, so you do need to know what you're doing, but for me this was a replacement hard drive for an old one that had started to have problems. The size is perfect. At this crucial time where technology is changing and upgrading so quickly, it's probably better to have an SSD, but when you're on a budget, this is just the thing.
It comes packaged well in a box, sandwiched between two hard Styrofoam blocks that stop it from moving or getting bumped around. Full size is 931 GB because of how computers read space, this is always the case with a 1TB. The read/write speed is very fast.
I'm hoping this will last well, but I'll update over time if I have problems.
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Johnson's® Soothing Vapour Bath
I seem to be having poor luck with Johnson's Baby line and this is no exception. As always, I see no need to add fake 'fragrance/parfum' to a product for babies, especially one that brags about being safe for babies skin. The eucalyptus smell is... +
I seem to be having poor luck with Johnson's Baby line and this is no exception. As always, I see no need to add fake 'fragrance/parfum' to a product for babies, especially one that brags about being safe for babies skin. The eucalyptus smell is barely there and could have been achieved naturally, the scent isn't strong enough to bring any benefit and increasing a fake scent wouldn't have any benefits anyway, I'll stick to a vapo rub for that!
This barely bubbles and while it cleaned well, I felt the skin was left dried out, I probably wouldn't use it again.
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Fisher Price Sunny Day Doll Brush and Style - Blair
While I liked the other Sunny Day Doll (the main character and who the franchise is named after, Sunny Day), the little things that annoyed me about it where absent in this one. Simply put, Blair was better quality. The kids enjoyed both equally... +
While I liked the other Sunny Day Doll (the main character and who the franchise is named after, Sunny Day), the little things that annoyed me about it where absent in this one. Simply put, Blair was better quality. The kids enjoyed both equally, but I found the hair on this doll had less tangles and overall the doll was better quality than Sunny Day was.
She also shares all the positives that the Sunny Day doll collection has. It has a great style, without being too obsessed with looks, maintaining fashion while showing the virtues of personality. Her style is cute and girl, for those who like pastels and flowers. Like the other, the bracelet/hair charm was a massive hit that both girls liked to wear.
It could just be a coincidence that our Blair doll was better quality than the Sunny Day doll we got, but with the increase in quality, I have absolutely no complaints about it and am very happy. It's cute, stylish and has that all-important draw of being able to brush her hair, with the added bonus of a hair charm, what's not to love?
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Love Beauty & Planet Argan Oil & Lavender Relaxing Rain Body Wash
When I used the shampoo and conditioner from this matching set, I found the Lavender smell to be too strong. Even though they don't add a lot of 'nasty' stuff and are more natural (and recyclable), I didn't like that they added a lot of overpowering... +
When I used the shampoo and conditioner from this matching set, I found the Lavender smell to be too strong. Even though they don't add a lot of 'nasty' stuff and are more natural (and recyclable), I didn't like that they added a lot of overpowering fake fragrance, in that case. However, I find the body wash is a lot more muted in terms of scent! Even though it is still strong, it's not as overwhelming and doesn't linger on the skin too strong, but instead leaves a faint whiffy.
Lavender still isn't my favourite scent, but the Argan Oil melds with it nicely and brings something pleasant to the table. It also lathers easily and left my skin soft, I'd use this again!
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Presto! Ultra-Strong Toilet Paper
So right away let me tell you that my regular brand is Kirkland, so I'll mostly be comparing it to that. In some ways it's better and in some ways, it's not, but overall it's still a pretty good TP. One thing's for sure, compared to septic-safe... +
So right away let me tell you that my regular brand is Kirkland, so I'll mostly be comparing it to that. In some ways it's better and in some ways, it's not, but overall it's still a pretty good TP. One thing's for sure, compared to septic-safe, substainably sourced paper's I've tried in the past, this is miles ahead. I thought it'd be best to break it down, so you can get the correct information.
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Size
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The first thing that was surprising to me was the size of the roll. They promise a big roll and they're not lying. My usual brand is also massive, compared to regular store brands and this is the same. The positive of this is more bang for your buck, but there's a small downside. If you don't have a special extra-large toiler roll holder (the thing that goes through the middle, sometimes called a spindle) it can be hard to turn the roll at first. Since bigger rolls are so much more economical, I recommend you go ahead and buy one for large sized rolls anyway, but this could annoy some people.
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Softness
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When it comes to softness, it doesn't beat out my usual brand. Firstly, if you're the kind of person who uses triple ply ultra-quilted, this toilet paper is never going to be suited for you. But for those, like me, who use a cheaper paper that isn't quilted or fancy, or who need a recycled paper, this is ok. It's not super soft, but not unbearably rough either. It's a little bit rougher than my normal paper and I definitely noticed it right away, but I quickly became used to it.
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Strength
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Part of the reason I don't mind the lack of softness is this. This paper promises to be ultra-strong and it is. Even though the sheet size is quite small, I found I had to use a lot less because it's a lot stronger and doesn't tear as easily. Because it's strong, I ended up using way too much at first and had to reduce it. Using less, is obviously a big plus as it'll save you money in the long run.
Also, you don't have to worry about the dreaded 'finger through toilet paper' thing that can happen.
So overall, it's a good toilet paper and I'm happy with it. I will continue to use my main brand, however I can honestly say that if I ever switch to a substainably-sourced one, this is top of my list. If you're looking for a tough paper that's economical, this does the job. I just wish it was a tiny bit softer, then it might beat my main brand outright!
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Lipton Mandarin Orange Green Tea
Very basic ingredients and no added sugar, citrus flavour; I was so excited to try this tea! Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. The first thing about this tea that annoyed me right away was the instructions said to use 170ml of... +
Very basic ingredients and no added sugar, citrus flavour; I was so excited to try this tea! Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.
The first thing about this tea that annoyed me right away was the instructions said to use 170ml of water. That's barely any. I know it's hard to tell from my photos, but in a small mug, that's half the mug. If you use a tiny tea cup, this won't be a problem, but lots of folks drink their tea in small mugs and if you need to use two tea bags a cup, that's veering into luxury territory.
Still, I wanted to test the flavour accurately so I filled it the exact amount before trying it.
Both green tea and mandarin orange have a lovely zesty, zingy taste. This tea tastes of nothing. It has a light, pleasant, orange scent, but the flavour of the tea lacks even that. I'd be hard pressed to tell that it was even green tea and I'm a super taster! (too many taste buds). It really has very little flavour. Perhaps 5% green tea flavour if I'm being generous, the rest is just a bland generic tea taste.
I really love citrus flavours and was expecting a burst of delicious tea that mixed green tea and mandarin, but it didn't deliver that at all.
The tea bags are individually wrapped which is a waste of packaging materials, but some might prefer for transporting them or having them in a break room.
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Dove Ritual Shampoo Fortifying Rituals Shampoo with avocado
Hair type: Naturally wavy, thick, greying/aging and prone to oily roots. I wash my hair every second day, as recommended by experts. I do feel like this product strengthened my hair, even after the first use. An un-mentioned consequence of this is... +
Hair type: Naturally wavy, thick, greying/aging and prone to oily roots. I wash my hair every second day, as recommended by experts.
I do feel like this product strengthened my hair, even after the first use. An un-mentioned consequence of this is I did feel like my hair was 'bigger'. By that, I don't mean frizzy or anything, but more volumised than I expected. Since I have short, naturally wavy hair, I found my hair looked a little crazier than usual, but with a regular style I don't think this would be an issue, just be aware it is a bit volumising.
The scent is so non-descript as to almost not be worth mentioning. It, thankfully, didn't smell like Avocado, but a slightly sweet barely there smell that's good for all genders. The smell doesn't linger strongly or cause problems at all. It has a nice lather.
Overall, it's not my most favourite shampoo, but I feel it did what it promised and would work particularly well on long hair that is damaged from styling!
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Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E6 in Ear Wireless headphones
Setting up and connecting these headphones for the first time is about as simple as it gets. The Bluetooth connectivity responds quickly to new devices, and stays connected even at a reasonable distance. The actual controls are basic but effective... +
Setting up and connecting these headphones for the first time is about as simple as it gets. The Bluetooth connectivity responds quickly to new devices, and stays connected even at a reasonable distance. The actual controls are basic but effective, covering things like play and pause, volume, and skipping songs. One odd feature that took me a while to get used to was the way that you turn off the headphones. Each headphone has a magnet on the back, and to turn them off you touch those two magnets together. This isn’t hard to do obviously, but it was so unusual that I forgot several times in my first few days of using them. Once you've got the hang of it, it's simple, but I don't think most people would think of it.
I’m no audiophile, so I’ll simply say that these headphones produced great sound based on my experiences. The bass was just right, the volume was plenty loud for me, and I found that everything I listened to sounded crisp and clear. I tested these out with music, audiobooks, and even TV shows and movies, and never had a problem with the quality of the audio itself.
The in-ear feel was more of a mixed bag. Most of the time, the E6 feel good in your ears. They have a little fin to help keep them from falling out, and both that and the actual tip of the headphones can be adjusted to various sizes to help find the perfect fit. Once I found the right size, they felt good to wear and didn’t fall out nearly as often. The only issue is that they did still sometimes fall out when walking or jogging, because the cable and the two heavy battery/controller parts are all hanging down from your ears and pulling on the headphones. I wasn’t able to find a solution to this problem, other than to adjust them occasionally to ensure they weren’t about to fall out. I do think they were clever to put a weight on each side of the headphones, so you can avoid the feeling of it tugging on one side, but I still find the tugging feeling a little uncomfortable.
The E6 has several features that allow it stand out, but not all of them work very well in execution. Take the charger, for example. The snap-on charger connects to part of the headphone cord and allows you to charge them while still using them. But there are a few problems with this feature. First of all it’s the ONLY way to charge them, so good luck if you lose or break this charger, because it exclusively works with this special charger and nothing else. Also, I’ve used previous headphones from this line which allowed the battery charger to be portable, allowing you to charge it via micro-USB and then take the backup charger with you. No luck here, where the charger is built into a USB cable, so you need to find a USB port to plug it into on top of everything else. Aside from the charger issues, the battery life itself is respectable at 5 hours of use, but not long enough for something like a long plane ride or a full day of listening at work.
In summary, I think that the E6 is a great pair of headphones with good functionality, but held back by some odd design choices. The charger is frustrating, as is the fact that they fall out of my ears often when I’m jogging, but those aren’t dealbreakers in my mind. Most of the problems with the headphones are things that all wireless Bluetooth headphones seem to suffer from (and I've used many) and when it comes to the audio quality, I'm thrilled with these.
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Sunny Day Brush and Style Doll
Really cute doll, from a grown-up's perspective, I loved the focus on personality and colour, as opposed to some dolls which are a little bit too much about looking 'pretty' from my point of view. This doll is colourful and has her own personality... +
Really cute doll, from a grown-up's perspective, I loved the focus on personality and colour, as opposed to some dolls which are a little bit too much about looking 'pretty' from my point of view. This doll is colourful and has her own personality, even kids that don't watch the show can enjoy her. The freckles are very cute too.
The thing I expected to be most popular about this doll, was indeed a hit with ours. They absolutely loved the bracelet that can also be used as a hair accessory. It even works in short hair, since it just clips onto existing hair with a soft, plastic clip and a gentle comb to keep it in place. They also really loved brushing her hair again and again. One of my favourite toys when I was a kid was a bird that had long brushable hair, so I'm not surprised to see that kind of thing is still popular.
Her shoes are removable and her legs bend at the knee joint, so Sunny Day can sit. One thing we really liked is that she can stand under her own power thanks to the flat base of her shoes. Her shoes can be removed (they are stiff at first, but become looser over time). Her outfit also attaches via velcro down the back, so you can put other outfits on her and trade outfits via dolls (if you have more from the set). Her arms are not bendable and one is always stuck in the 'crook' position as is common in such dolls.
Setup is pretty easy, though as usual she must have the ties 'cut' to separate her from the box (again I recommend a pair of nail clippers). It's super common in every toy we test, but I hate that the ties go through her head, so it's difficult to cut without getting the hair and then you are left with sharp ends of plastic that must be 'pushed' into the head. I hope the toy industry stops doing it, it's very annoying.
The only reason to remove a star for me, is I wish the hair was better quality. there's a lot of parts of hair at the back that are randomly different lengths or very tangled and messy. Since the character of Sunny Day is a hair-dresser and the kids always want to brush her hair, I'd love it if it was just a bit higher quality in the hair department.
However, overall she's a sound and cute doll that kids love and that really shows off a bright and sunny personality.
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Polly Pocket Say Freeze World Playset
I usually avoid such harsh words, but this Polly Pocket set is absolute garbage. The only good thing I can say about is it might be a good way for a child to get some more Polly figurines as most of this set is made up of (admittedly) stylish Polly... +
I usually avoid such harsh words, but this Polly Pocket set is absolute garbage. The only good thing I can say about is it might be a good way for a child to get some more Polly figurines as most of this set is made up of (admittedly) stylish Polly friends.
Other than that, it's a lost cause. Mostly due to the quality. I hate to say this, but it looks like dollar store quality and give the price, that's simply unacceptable. The colouring of the frame is off-centre, splotchy and generally poorly done. Lots of the plastic had manufacturing errors, sharp parts and scratches randomly all over it. Frankly put, it looked like a total disaster.
Polly herself couldn't even escape this tragedy, arriving with one bent leg that couldn't be unbent. Furthermore, the product picture shows Polly and friend standing inside the frame, which they cannot do without the 'stickers' that Polly and her friends can cling to. To be fair, the stickers are included, but there's no sign of them on the product photo, and the girls complained that it looked ugly to stick them there. I had to agree with them.
Apart from Polly's leg, the figures are cute and a good way to bolster your Polly Pocket figures, but for the price, with the terrible quality, I feel really disappointed. I'm not the only one, this toy was quickly put aside. Polly Pocket's from the 90's might have been tiny, but they were never as poorly painted as this. They need to step up their game or severely lower the price if they want children or adults to warm up to this new version of Polly.
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