Chad & I Found Some Really Great Gadgets In 2021. Here Are Our Top Ten!

10. Chad Finds A Great Gadget To Clean Up Pet Hair!

A winning theme, voted on by our loyal Patreons, was “TikTok Made Me Buy It!” Okay, TikTok is not really a place that sells stuff. It more a platform for one minute-or-less videos about pretty much anything, but some videos might demonstrate gadgets you just might want to own. Chad saw one of those videos.

Chad was inspired to buy a Chom Chom. What is it? Here’s info from the company: The ChomChom Roller is one of the World’s Best Pet Hair Remover. By simply moving the pet hair roller back and forth, you immediately track and pick up cat hairs and dog hairs embedded deeply in sofas, couches, beds, carpets, blankets, comforters and more. You have probably tried all types of pet hair and lint removal products… from sticky roller tapes, to products that cannot be used over and over again.

And Chad’s Take? This is a winner! I think you’ll agree when you see Chad’s video using this thing. It’s plastic, and it’s $24.95, but Chad thinks it’s really worth it. Light years ahead of the self-cleaning pet brush I did a few weeks ago!

Amazon link: https://amzn.to/33jazZv  As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases. You pay no more.

9. An Ideal Portable Camping Fan/LED Lantern/Phone Charger.

Here’s an easy way to keep cool and to light up a tent at night this summer. It’s the X10 Portable Camping Fan/LED Lantern with 7800mAh rechargeable battery. It has a racketing 180° head rotation that stays in place where you set it. A fold-out hook makes it easy to hang in a tent, on a branch, beam, etc. The entire device is small enough to pack. It has USB-C charging in, plus a 2A quick charging out function. That means the 7800 mAh battery can also be used as emergency power to charge your phone, GPS, iPod, etc. A really nice touch is the included remote control that lets you set the fan speed and light level without getting out of sleeping bag. But wait, there’s more! The remote control also lets you set a timer to shut off at 2, 3 or 5 hours. The company says it takes 6-8 hours to charge completely, but it can be used while charging. aced on desk at home or in office. The battery can work continuously from 8-25 hours depending on light level, fan speed, or both. (There are battery level LED’s so you can see the state of the charge.) It sounds quiet which the company says it due to it brush-less motor. I think the price was very decent at under $30.00. Was under $20.00 as of 1/8/22 but that price can change at any time!

Amazon – check the latest price: https://amzn.to/3f2z9Aj   As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases. You pay no more.

A Useful Home Office Gadgets & A Way To Improve Dialogue On Old Movies On TV.

8. Chad Discoveres The LapGear Lap Desk.

Here’s what the company says about their LapGear Home Office Lap Desk with Device Ledge, Mouse Pad, and Phone Holder in Black Carbon. Step away from the traditional desk and experience the home office Lap Desk. The 21. 1″X 12″ Work surface Fits most 15. 6″ Laptops and includes a device ledge to secure your laptop in place. With the built-in mouse pad and phone slot, The home office Lap Desk is designed to make work feel effortless. The innovative Dual-bolster cushions not only create a stable work surface, but also reduces heat in your lap.

And Chad’s take? Chad liked this lap desk a lot. (So did I.) It’s very handsome looking and Chad loved the holder that puts your smartphone at the perfect angle to read emails. Although the company says it fits most 15.6” laptops, Chad had no problem using it with his 17” laptop. It’s available in many finishes and that makes the price vary, but they average about $35 to $49. 

Amazon link:  https://amzn.to/3t8Lzik    As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases. You pay no more.

7. I Can Hear The Dialogue In Old Movies Again!

–I love old movies, and by old movies I’m talking about black & white murder mysteries from the 40’s & 50’s. There are a ton of them on YouTube and although I can put up with some of the faded images, it’s the horrible sound on many that make them almost impossible to understand. Then, at a virtual press event, I found ZVOX. The CEO of ZVOX, Tom Hannaher, told me their system called AccuVoice makes dialogue in old movie understandable again. It’s different from other voice boosting systems which focus on equalization. AccuVoice combines compression, consonant-range boost, formant enhancement, minimization of bass output — plus other proprietary techniques they prefer not to divulge. The AV157 which I have, uses 12 levels of dialogue boost – 6 stages of AccuVoice boost plus 6 stages of their new SuperVoice technology. SuperVoice takes dialogue clarity to a new level by dramatically reducing non-vocal background sounds. Also helpful is a bright, easy to read alphanumeric display that shines through the speaker grill for a few seconds as you make adjustments. Inside the unit are three 2″x3” high-output full-range speakers powered by a 24 watt Class D digital amplifier with Dolby™ Digital decoding. The unit is small, just 17″w x 3 3/8″d x 2 7/8″h. There are three connection options: a minijack for analog hookups to older TVs (cable included), an optical digital port (cable included), and a minijack output for use with your headphones or subwoofer. MSRP is $299.99, but Tom said it’s always available at some retailer for $199.99. As of 5/1/21 it was $199.99 on Amazon. The ZVOX Mini is under $100. (6 levels of adjustment vs. 12 levels for the AV157.)

Company video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8EV3dpahfQ    

ZVOX AV 157 – Amazon: https://amzn.to/3GeP1M3  

ZVOX Mini https://amzn.to/3taIAGb  Under $100 – As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases. You pay no more.

Make Coffee Really Fast! ---- And A Charge Cable That's Really Small!

6. In September I reviewed and loved the Chefman InstaCoffee. In December a new model came out & made it even better. And at the same price as the original!

This is new from Chefman, The InstaCoffee Max+. I bought their original Insta Coffee, but just bought this one too to see the difference. A small difference is that this single serve Kcup maker brewed a cup of coffee in 96 seconds, just a tad faster than my original model. It started brewing in under 30 seconds. But, a big difference is the size of the basket included to make coffee fast using your own fresh ground coffee. With the original one I made about 8 ounces of coffee with the small included basket. Chefman says this new one brews up to 14 ounces of coffee from your own ground coffee. Also different is a water gauge and a cup lift is included on the new model. It was priced the same as the original one, ranging from about $40 to $50. 

Check the latest price on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3n82Y76

As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases. You pay no more.

5. Most Versatile Charge Cable I've Seen So Far!

The inCharge 6 – or as Amazon calls it: The Six-in-One Swiss Army Knife of Cables, Portable Keyring Compatible with Apple iPhone/USB/USB-C/Micro USB Cable for All of Your Devices. This cable is short, about 2”. The whole device ready to charge is about 5”. But it’s versatile. You get USB to USB-C, USB to combo Lightning/Micro USB, USB-C to USB-C & USB-C to dual Lightning/Micro USB. The device is very lightweight and easy to use once you master the ‘hidden’ connectors. With built-in magnets the heads snap together to hang on your keyring, backpack, etc. The company says you can sync and charge simultaneously. And this I haven’t seen before. This cable supports power transfer from one USB-C smartphone to another which doesn’t have to be USB-C, as you’ll see in my video. It can also charge from one USB-C smartphone to another type of portable device. So you can give a charge to a phone running out of juice, or charge earbuds, etc. It was under $20 on Amazon on 1/8/22, but that price can change at any time.

Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3q7PU3v 

As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases. You pay no more.

Something for kids & something for adults!

4. Chad & I (and a lot of you) love the great, invention vehicles from Kid Trax, and one their latest is the Post Office Truck and Post Office Tent!

Here’s info via the company: The KidTrax Toys ride-on USPS Mail Delivery Truck makes snail mail cooler than ever with a kid-sized ride-on featuring a mail slot, an opening rear door, working headlights, a horn, real foot pedal acceleration and rubber traction strip tires for a smooth ride. It can go 2.5 mph in forward and reverse. There’s even an FM radio and an MP3 player input so the mail driver can add some music to their trip. The mail carrier truck is recommended for kids ages 3-5 and has a 60 pound weight limit. The system includes a rechargeable 6 volt battery and AC charger. It also comes with a stand-up letter box and 3 pieces of stamped mail to make ‘playing post office’ even more fun. MSRP: $269, but it’s on Amazon for $229.

Also new is the USPS Tent Toy. Kids can load up their trucks with important letters and packages at the USPS Post Office Tent. The this play tent features a roll-up front door, window, and rear dock loading door. Busy workers can either use the mail drop off feature on the outside of the tent to slide letters into the interior compartment or they can pass by the drive-up or walk-up delivery window to gather supplies for their daily drives. The tent is easy to assemble and includes a carrying case to simplify storage.

Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/0GLS656dhFE

Kid Trax Cute Company Video :55 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba4GY1nK2WY

Mail Truck on Amazon: ($229 as of 1/7/22) https://amzn.to/3zEpFoe

Mail Truck + Tent on Amazon ($269.99 as of 1/7/22) – https://amzn.to/3f6fHmk 

As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases. You pay no more.

3. Don't you have it when you can't get all the contents out of lotion or condiment container?

Then you should know about the Flip-It Bottle Emptying Kit. The company says: It Gets Every Drop Out of Lotions, Shampoos, Conditioners & Condiments. According to Consumer Reports, up to 25 percent of household products are wasted because people can’t get them out of the bottles. So if you’re tired of struggling to get thick liquids out of the bottle … or throwing away product you’ve paid for but can’t get to use, there’s a solution. The Flip-It it bottle emptying kit bottle cap offers zero waste. And it can help reduce the number of bottles going into landfills and reducing pollution caused by oozing discarded waste. Save money by getting every drop of product you paid for. Fits Most Standard Bottles. Each kit comes with four bottle thread adapters that fit the most common sized bottles! Reusable — Simply hand wash or top-rack dishwasher and use again and again. Food grade safe and BPA Free. This is working well for me. I use it on a bottle of body lotion and a bottle of honey. Usually about $16/2 set box

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3F3cZsp   As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases. You pay no more.

2. It’s Museum Putty! Still not clear? The manufacturer explains:

Quake Hold! Museum Putty secures antiques, collectibles, figurines and more from falling and breaking. It can be used on most surfaces, including ceramics, porcelains and laminates, as well as on walls to help stabilize pictures. It comes ready to use in a two-and-a-half ounce flat sleeve, just pull off what you need. Roll the putty into small balls (about the size of a pea), or strips, and apply to the base of an item. Press down lightly and twist into position. It sets within 30-minutes and comes off cleanly with no mess. To remove, simply lift and twist from the bottom of the object. One packet will secure up to forty items of average size.

From The Giz Wiz. Be sure to watch my demo video. This worked great for me, and we never let it set for 30 minutes as it said in the instructions. (Your results may vary.) The company says it can hold up to 40 pounds depending on many factors, so be sure to read the full instructions. And of course there is no warantee that an object will remain adhered to a surface. Caution is required, etc. It is also very low priced, about $4. Also from one of the reviews I read it seems this product is sold under several different names, but I bought the Quake Hold! brand.

Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/lLazQ-5rh7M  

Amazon link Quake Hold: https://amzn.to/3G8DhLa

As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases. You pay no more.

And the #1 favorite for 2021!

It Cuts Cardboard & Soft Plastic Packaging, But It Didn’t Cut My Skin. (Your results might vary., so don't try what I tried.) 

I’m leary of metal boxcutters because they can be very dangerous. That’s why I wanted to buy and try the Slice Carton Cutter. This is pretty neat. It looks good, and it’s so much safer than using one of those fearful box cutters. You’ll see me try it on several packages in my video, but first here’s what the company says about it: Slice safety blade’s unique cutting edge might seem dull, but it cuts right through your material while keeping you safe! Other blades are dangerously sharp. Slice blades start at a safe and effective sharpness and stay there 11 times longer. With a metal sheath and a reinforced nylon handle, this durable tool stands up to industrial use. Ideal for cutting boxboard, cardboard, tape, clamshell and flexible plastics. Ships with a 10526 rounded-tip reversible utility blade. Each side lasts up to 11 times longer than a comparable steel edge. I was impressed at how well it works. Under $10.00. And cheaper by the dozen. I know, I bought a dozen!

Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3tafcQv 

As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases. You pay no more.