8/20/2023

Lindt Lindor Dark Assorted Cornet 327g

This is the only chocolate package that it's a regular in my grocery shopping. I don't fancy the fancy-flavored or filled-in chocolates or bonbons. I don't like average milk chocolate at all. I enjoy chocolates that taste of chocolate, and dark chocolates are those that do it for me. T The three varieties in this cornet do taste of chocolate and I love them all for this very reason. They are the perfect size and very good quality, with the right amount of sugar for me, which is not the usual you find in average chocolates. The blue-foiled variety is the one with more milk, but still tastes of chocolate; it's very creamy and smooth. The silver-foiled is 60% cocoa and tastes a bit stronger, while the golden-foiled (and my favourite) is the 70% cocoa, which has a bit of bitter after-taste, something that I love. I wish this cornet had more dark varieties in it. The main downside is that the core of the balls gets very soft and even runny when the weather is warm or hot, so, I keep them always in the fridge and, if carrying them to work in Summer, I put them in my insulated lunch bag. Not the chocolates that I gift more often just because not everyone likes dark chocolate; otherwise, it is my preferred selection of chocolates. 

8/18/2023

Kiolabo Furniture Repair Kit Wood Markers & Wax Sticks

I bought this kit to deal with some heavy scratching on my floorboards due to the removalists' carelessness. Also, with time, some of the boards get slightly scratched with normal use, and I wanted to cover this up so that the floor looks nicer.
 
This is a nice starter set as has a mix of wood colours to match most timber furniture. I found my ones in here. The package has a set of coloured wax crayons and the matching-colour markers (which are the ones that use the most). It also has the crayons sharpener, which is really mindful.
 
I've used this product many times on my floorboards and once on a piece of furniture. I found it worked best on the latter as it's laminated very-dark timber, which is very forgiving, and the mix of wax stick and marker gave me great results. See my photo.
 
My experience with the floorboards is a bit different as they're honey coloured and the markers, even the lightest one, can still stain the timber. I found that the product works best when 1/ the scratch is light and there is not much decoloration, as the marker helps covering it up. 2/ When there is some sort of deep scratch that can be filled in with the wax as then the marker works great to mask the thing. 3/ When professionally-repaired wood pieces on my boards have a different colour from the original, as  the markers help unify tones. See my photos.  My experience is also that noticeable scratches are difficult to cover up with this product. At best, a bit of colour (especially if several coats are applied). The application seems to be permanent and the product quantity is long lasting. I've used it many times and I've had it for over a year. I follow the instructions on the package as I've found that they're important to prevent damages to the wood being treated.

I wish the product came with some filler compound to fix deep scratches and that the marker nib was smaller, as this would make them more precise and would prevent staining, which forces me to constantly wipe the area and being extra careful not to get out of the scratched line. However, this is a great kit for a great price, which I use all the time.  
 

8/14/2023

Sluxa Cat Pencil Pouch

I'm in love with this. I bought this pouch as a gift for an impending birthday, but I will be purchasing one for myself. It's just like in the photos. The cat illustration is very realistic and more so when the pouch is full. The holder is made of some sort of silicone material outside and fabric lined inside. The zip runs smoothly and has a chain puller. The zip chain and zip head are the only things that could be improved. The pouch is generous in size (see my photo against an A4 wallet).  I couldn't resist checking how much stuff I could fit in.  I was able to comfortably fit in 17 items (a mix of markers, new pens, pencil erasers, and even my Townbows) and there was still room for small items like erasers a small USB etc. Very roomy! I bought this very discounted, so that's an added bonus.   

Generic Self-Threading Needle Set Wood Storage Box

I was very much looking forward to receiving this kit, as I have poor sight and threading any normal needle is very difficult to me. The wooden container is just wonderful; good looking and very roomy, so I can store other needles inside with the ones in the set. It has a screw top that keeps everything locked. So, that's wonderful. The issue is the needles themselves are described as having large eye, and that's not the case at all. They're self-treading, for sure, but they are so small (both the body and the eye) that getting them to self-thread is as difficult to me like normal ones, like it defeats the purpose I bought it for. If the needles were a bit larger in size, this would be the perfect set for me, but that's not the case.

8/12/2023

Long Life Self-Shine Floor Polish 1 Litre

I always make sure I have this floorboard polish at home when a house inspection is due. I've used this product since I moved into my this house and I love it because I can clearly see the "before & after" effect. I tend to use the same brand of cleaning product to maximize the effect, but I've also used other brands and it doesn't really matter. After cleaning the floor and, when it's totally dry, I sprinkle the product directly on to the floor. Then I mop it rapidly so the droplets don't dry and don't leave a mark. Ideally, it should be mopped following the layout of the floorboards, but that's not always possible, so I mop always in one direction in the room. I let it dry on its own for at least an hour. Needless to say, it dries quicker in Summer. I don't usually buff it, but the floor still looks amazing. If I buff it with a towel the shine effect is more noticeable. Due to this being a wood polish, the quantity of product in the bottle and the price, I consider this very good value for money. 

Jigong Mini Heat Gun Electric 300W 220V 50HZ Portable Hot Air

This is my first heat gun and I purchased it to replace my bulky hair drier, which I was using to speed up the drying time of the paint in some of my artwork. However, it can be used for embossing as well. 

THE GOOD STUFF
> Very light and small. It is a pleasure to hold. Way smaller and lighter than my small hair drier. See my photos against an A4 wallet and beside my small hair drier.
> It can be stored anywhere. See my photo inside a cable organizer box.
> Easy to use. You don't really need a manual. Click the power button and voila. The container box, though, has some tricks to use this gun in "shrinking'.
> Heating level is great for small pieces of art as it isn't too high or low. It dries things fast.   
> Low noise level if compared with my hair drier. 
> As the 'mouth' is small, it directs the air where I want to so it doesn't blow pieces of paper I have around.
> Great value for money.

THE DISAPPOINTMENTS 
> The cord is ridiculously short. That being the case, unless you have a plug on top of your table, you would have to plug it to an extension cord, something that I hate because it creates unnecessary bulk and storage issues. If you don't have one, you'd have to purchase one.
> Just one speed.
> No storage pouch. 

If needed, I will update this review in the future.

8/10/2023

Generic 30-cm Power Extension Lead Cord Australian AU/ 3-Pin Plug Black

This is one of the shortest extension cords I could find in the market. It is made of sturdy plastic and the lead it's 23 cm long but it's 30 cm in total. I've had it for a week or so, so no complaints so far. It's perfect for what I wanted it, which is to adjust a bulky laptop adapter flat into a cable organisation box without having excess cord bulking up the box insides. It serves the purpose beautifully.  On the other hand, I would have loved the cord being 30 cm plus the plugs length as this would have made it ideal for the purpose mentioned above and for any other future uses. l. For the rest, it's a bit pricey for what it is, but it is a rare type of cable and I can use it for many purposes, so there you have it.