Cupra's stats
- Review count189
- Helpfulness votes1,010
- First reviewNovember 23, 2013
- Last reviewSeptember 26, 2024
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.3
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- Helpfulness votes0
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- Answer count6
- Helpfulness votes18
- First answerSeptember 26, 2016
- Last answerOctober 14, 2019
- Featured answers0
- Best answers2
Enjoy up to 25 hours of nonstop audio playback with these Bowers & Wilkins PX5 on-ear headphones. The custom 35.6mm drivers offer more natural sound reproduction, while adaptive noise cancelling automatically adjusts to your environment for the best possible listening experience. These compact Bowers & Wilkins PX5 on-ear headphones feature carbon fiber composite arms to withstand everyday wear and tear.
Customer Rating
4
Exceptionally well built, ANC headphones.
on November 3, 2019
Posted by: Cupra
from Keller, TX
The Bowers & Wilkins PX5 Adaptive Noise Canceling (ANC) Headphones are a refreshing take in the noise canceling headphone arena.
Bowers & Wilkins pride themselves in producing top quality products, and the PX5 headphones deliver in spades. Inspired by the world's fastest cars, the headphones have woven carbon fiber composite arms, and machined aluminum housings. Your ears are treated to leather wrapped memory foam pads with a distinctive 'L' and 'R' printed inside each cup.
Charge them up, turn them on, pair them with the Bowers & Wilkins 'Headphones' app (and NOT the PX app) and you are good to go. The headphones are incredibly comfortable, I've worn them 8 hours a day at work some days without any issues at all. Being as the cups sit 'on' your ears and not 'over' your ears, I don't have an issue with sweating like I have had with other ANC headphones.
When putting them on, I expected to have a vacuum like experience from the ANC in these headphones. I didn't get that initial feeling, but the noise canceling functionality does work well, just not as prevalent as the class leading Sony WH-1000XM3 noise canceling headphones.
Bowers & Wilkins have introduced a 'smart' element into their headphones that controls your input with 'wear sensors'. Basically the headphones monitor the atmospheric pressure around your ear, and if you lift the cup off of your ear, they will pause the music for you, if you put them back on your ear, they will resume playback of your music. This is a really nice feature, and it worked flawlessly most of the time. That was until I yawned. Then my music turned off, and turned back on as I finished yawning. I adjusted the sensitivity of the wear sensors in the app and that alleviated the problem. Then I noticed if I was eating with them on, the wear sensors would start and stop the music as my jaw moved. That became somewhat irritating, so I turned off the wear sensors whilst eating (thankfully the app offers that dynamic control, rather than leaving you frustrated).
The ANC button on the left cup has a good, solid feel to it, and switches between High, Low, Auto and Off settings for the noise canceling functionality. I didn't notice a huge difference between Low, Auto and Off, with High being the best setting. On the right cup, you have three buttons, one for volume up, one for volume down and one multifunction button for pause and play. If you press it twice, you can skip to the next track, and if you press it 3 times you can play the previous track.
The app allows you to change the levels of noise canceling as well, if you'd rather do that than press the button on the headphones. You can turn on and off the voice prompts, you can set a 'turn off' standby timer, adjust the wear sensor sensitivity (or turn it off) and rename your headphones. You can also adjust the ambient pass through, should you not want to completely noise cancel your surroundings, and it has a convenient slider to dial in the desired setting.
As for the sound quality, they sound very nice, but not perfect. They have a nice, broad sound stage, with some great mids, quality treble, but the bass is not as strong as I would like, especially from aluminum ear cups. The sound has nice clarity as it comes from the factory, but that is the only way that you can listen to them. There is no adjustability in the app at all to dial the sound in to how YOU would like it, you can only listen as Bowers & Wilkins intends you to.
In comparison, the Sony WH-1000MX3 have full user control over the complete sound field, including spatial awareness as well. Hopefully this can be added to the Bowers & Wilkins app as a future update, giving full personal control to the soundstage. Otherwise the headphones are left without a nice kick in the ear from the bass in the music you're listening to.
My 'goto' track for testing new audio products is Disturbed's version of 'The Sound of Silence'. It has a nice, soft intro leading to strong powerful vocals further into the song, piano, guitar, an all together well rounded song.
With a 25 hour battery life, and a quick charge feature that charging for just 15 minutes adds another 5 hours of listening time to your headphones. Really love that feature, knowing you can 'top them off' so quickly is fantastic. Nicely done!
The headphones come with a USB-C charging cable and a 3.5mm cable so that you can use them as wired headphones as well, when you're on an airplane for example.
Now, with how incredibly well made these headphones are, I was a little disappointed with the 'carrying' case for them. Its a very tight, cardboard or plastic wrapped in a woven grey material 'pouch'. It doesn't feel like it will offer much protection to the headphones at all, especially along the bottom where the earcups will sit. And it's very fiddly to get the cables in and out of the little pocket inside the pouch. And worst of all, there is no little carrying loop or tab to put on your finger, so you need to carry this with your whole hand and not a finger. just not very practical or convenient, after how incredibly well made the headphones are.
These headphones have impressed enough to continue to be used day in and day out at work, where nice ANC coupled with low volume listening (in a work environment) trump booming bass at a loud volume. They are also great to look at, lightweight and very comfortable for a full 8 hours of wearing and don't mess your hair up too much! If Bowers & Wilkins would just dial an equalizer into the app, so I can set the headphones up exactly how I want them, I could see them getting a solid 5 stars.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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3of 3voted this as helpful.
Experience high-quality sound while streaming your favorite songs and movies with these Skullcandy Crusher ANC headphones. Bluetooth technology delivers wireless connectivity to external devices, while the monitor mode effectively handles active noise cancellation for optimal sound quality. With up to 24 hours of battery life on a full charge, these Skullcandy Crusher ANC headphones unlock new dimensions of sound by successfully combining Skullcandy sensory bass, active noise cancelation, and personalized audio profiling..
Customer Rating
2
Noisy Noise Canceling Headphones
on October 30, 2019
Posted by: Cupra
from Keller, TX
I really wanted to like these headphones. They are a Best Buy exclusive color combo, a nice 'Steampunk-esque' black and tan.
The packaging is very sleek, and a nice experience to open to get to your new headphones. The headphones themselves are nicely built, predominantly plastic, but their weight makes you think otherwise. They are pretty heavy, especially noticeable when walking around. But they do look really nice, and different, being that black and tan color.
They came pretty much fully charged which was a nice surprise, meaning I could use them right out of the box. The first thing I noticed when turning them on after pairing with my iPhone 8 was a really annoying hiss from the Active Noise Canceling (ANC) feature. It warbles in your ear, when you are expecting to be cocooned in a near vacuum. And in my experience, you had to turn the volume up to at least 1/3 volume just to mitigate the hiss from the noise canceling functionality. At this price point you are up against market leaders from Sony and Bose, and this just doesn't cut it. Once you mitigate the noise canceling hiss, the sound is nice and crisp. They really do have a nice full sound, with plenty of bass, good mids and clear treble. They do offer a decent listening experience at a higher volume, but at a lower volume or with quieter music, the ANC hiss is just too distracting.
After wearing the headphones for about 45 mins, you feel your ears getting quite warm and sweaty, or at least I did. But during that time, they were perfectly comfortable.
On the left cup is a 'sensory bass' slider, which is a little gimmicky in my opinion. I would rather have control over the bass feedback through the app, rather than a slider, which is a little cheap feeling. This feature actually introduces a little haptic vibration in your ear to make you 'feel' the bass more. The slider increases and decreases the intensity of the feedback.
And talking of buttons, the power on button is not particularly easy to use, or work out if it's been pressed or not. It's hard to get a good solid press on it. And the pre-recorded voice is a little choppy and cut off, making you wonder what mode you have them in.
Within the Skullcandy app, you have the opportunity to set up a Personal Sound Profile. This was a nice concept, but with the background hiss from the noise canceling, it was difficult to gauge if I was getting a true profile for my ears, or just trying to dial out the hiss. That however is about the only thing you have control over, as the 'settings' button just allows you to register your new headphones and that is it. A little disappointing when compared to the segment leaders apps. Again, at this price point, the app should be really dialed in.
They do offer a strong battery life at 24 hours, and a 'Rapid Charge' feature that allows you to charge them for just 10 minutes for an additional 3 hours of playback time. That's a nice feature right there.
Another feature is that you can pair the headphones with the Tile app, the app that allows you to find and track items if you've lost them. It's one of those things you set up at the beginning and really hope you never have to use!
As per other Skullcandy headphones, they rely a lot on timed presses of buttons to get different functions to work, and that becomes fiddly if you don't hit that power button just right. Another feature is if you put your hand over the left cup, after about 3 seconds, the headphones switch to ambient mode, so that you can hear what's going on around you. There are some clicks and buzzes as the headphones switch between modes which can be a little uncomfortable to listen to.
Overall, it's a tough call. They actually do sound decent as headphones when the volume is up. But listening at low volume, there is too much distracting hiss to make these a viable go-to option. It's a real shame, because I really wanted to like these headphones.
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Philips 3200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine w/ LatteGo, Black
Customer Rating
5
Perfect Cup of Coffee Every Time!
on October 14, 2019
Posted by: Cupra
from Keller, TX
At $800, the Philips 3200 Espresso has a lot to prove.
To start with, I have to give kudos to Philips for thinking about how you might actually get this machine out of the box and including a plastic 'sling' under it, so once the box is open, you can pull on the sling and lift the coffee machine out of the packaging. Nice touch Philips!
Unpacking the machine, it's a nice, sleek design, with a relatively small footprint, making it great for a designated coffee area. The fit and finish of the materials is top notch, the water tank slides in and out easily and the water drip tray/grounds catcher also slide in and out without any issue.
The motion of the adjustable dispensing spout is both pleasing, but incredibly useful as well. Makes switching out cup/mug sizes for different quantities of coffee really, really easy.
The 3200 touts '5 different drinks at the touch of a button' and they aren't wrong. Setting up the machine was fairly simple, although the diagram instructions to start the initial clean cycle appeared to miss a step. Once clean, the machine was ready to use. The instructions do say that the machine you receive HAS been tested through an actual brewing cycle and you may find residue in the machine. So don't be alarmed! Good to know that each machine is tested prior to leaving the factory. The machine also comes with 'aqua clean' technology, a filter that is placed in the water jug, you need to run this cycle as well before brewing your first cup.
My wife is the coffee lover in the family, she loves her espresso's and lattes. She was really excited to use the LatteGo Milk Frother due to its ease of use. First off, we tested with pre-ground coffee. Open up the clear hatch on top and put in one (and one only) scoop of pre-ground coffee. Fill up the milk frother with the desired amount of milk (260ml max). We chose to use only whole milk through the frother. The frother made fantastic frothed milk each and every time. It never scorched or burned it, and made the exact quantity required at the press of a button. However, you CANNOT make just a mug of frothed milk, it HAS to be made in conjunction with a selection of coffee. We tried to make a frothed hot chocolate and that was not easy at all. We had to froth the milk on a coffee selection and turn off the machine when the milk was done, before the coffee cycle activated. Would be nice if you could froth milk separately.
With the coffee modes, you can choose strength, temperature, the coarseness of the grind and the amount of coffee in the cup. You can choose between pre-ground coffee (putting a scoop in the clear lid receptacle on the top), or placing beans in the hopper on top and grinding your own. The hopper holds a whole 12oz bag of beans, and has 12 grind options, via a black knob inside the grinder hopper.
You can choose Espresso, Coffee, Americana, Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato and Hot Water. The first three allow you to change the quantity of coffee made by pressing the button a second time.
The machine heats up the water quickly, and also heats up the milk quickly as well. Whichever setting you choose, we've found that the coffee comes out almost perfect every time! My wife has tried several different versions of the same coffee, be it with frothed milk, without, different strengths etc and she's enjoyed them all. She has an 'everyday' ground coffee she uses and also more expensive bean that she uses at the weekend. Both have performed exceptionally in this machine.
We did note that we had a warning light at one stage, the container for the grounds overfilled and spilled into the mechanism inside. The whole 'engine' of the unit comes out to be cleaned. When putting it back in after cleaning, none of the settings would work. We took it apart again, and found out (after digging through the instructions) that it needed to have the lubricant (supplied with the instructions) re-applied to it. Once we did that, the unit ran flawlessly again. They recommend with frequent use, that the main 'engine' should be lubricated monthly.
The frother container can be stored in the refrigerator full of milk ready for the next use. The frother also works well if you leave it attached to the machine and make a second cup of coffee say 30 mins later, without any clogging or issues at all. One of the best features of the frother is actually cleaning it! It's an absolute breeze to clean. So simple! It doesn't have any tubes or pipes, just a groove that is pressed against a silicone diaphragm. This is genius! So easy to clean! Works like a charm every time.
You do have to remember to clean the drip tray frequently, and also empty the grounds out regularly. There is a little red nub that pops up out of the tray to alert you when it's full. The tray removes very easily and is easy to clean and replace.
A noteworthy observation, this machine is pretty loud when brewing coffee and grinding beans. It is NOT one that you would want to use at 5:30 am making your first cup of the day, if you don't want to wake up the family. It also doesn't have a timer to turn it on or automatically make coffee for you in the morning.
As I mentioned at the beginning, this is not a cheap machine, but feel that the price is justified with the ease of use, and the 'coffee house' quality of the drinks that it produces. And in 6 months of 'coffee house' drinks purchases, you too could have one of these Philips 3200 Espresso machines on your counter!
This machine is so simple to use, and produces more satisfying cups of coffee, that it's replaced the Keurig that used to be on the counter. Ease of use and the ability to clean it so simply is a win win for the machine. When the machine automatically turns off, it does a cleaning cycle as well, meaning that the next time you turn it on, it's ready to go, ready for your next great cup of coffee.
We love this machine, our only request would be that we'd love to be able to froth milk on it's own for hot chocolates and the like. Aside from that, it makes fantastic coffee, every time!
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Get rich, room-filling sound with this Sonos One SL speaker, and control it with the Sonos app, Apple AirPlay 2, and more. Pair it with Sonos One or another One SL in the same room for stereo separation and more detailed sound.
Customer Rating
5
Fantastic Quality Speaker with Deep, Rich Sound.
on October 13, 2019
Posted by: Cupra
from Keller, TX
The Sonos One SL is a nice quality product with a great deal of design consideration. Its a sleek and unobtrusive package, with a nice silicone base for non-slip grip on almost any surface.
I chose to place this speaker in the kitchen, as we love to listen to music while cooking and preparing meals.
Out of the box, you get the speaker, a power cord and a minimalistic instruction guide. The power cord is molded to match the bottom of the unit, which is another nice attention to detail. Once plugged into the unit, it's not going anywhere and won't be accidentally pulled out either, as it enters the unit at 90 degrees from underneath the speaker.
Plug the speaker in, and download the Sonos App. I have another Sonos product, so already had the app installed. Once loaded, go to settings, system, add product. The app walks you through the process of setting up the speaker. When the speaker is ready, you will be asked to 'tune' your speaker. The app provides a video for you to follow and start the tuning. This was new to me, I didn't have to do this with the Sonos Amp that I have with my Sonance speakers. And I'll admit, I failed on the first try! The video shows a young lady waving her cell phone around the room in an up and down motion. I did the same. It must have been somewhat half heartedly, as I was told by the app to retry using a much more 'animated' motion. Long, sweeping up and down motions are required to make the tuning work properly! Not just sweeping your arm up and down in a 2ft range! Lesson learned, second time was a charm.
I'm sure the kitchen was a little challenging, with the refrigerator noise in one corner and chatting in the other corner, but as soon as the speaker tune was set up, it sounded good, but really, really bassy, especially at low levels. I was originally going to review the speaker with 4 stars due to the bass, especially at lower volumes. I couldn't see any way to change the EQ instantly in the app and was a little disappointed. However, after asking a friend who has what appears to be about 73 Sonos speakers around his house, and a little research online, I found that if you go to Settings/System/Choose your Speaker and scroll down, there is an EQ option under 'Sound' - there you can adjust the bass and treble to your liking. This really helped the speaker come alive, and not just sound like a wall of bass until it was turned up louder, where the mids and treble take over the bass more.
The first song played is my 'goto' when testing new speakers: Disturbed's version of 'The Sound of Silence'. I choose this song because it has a great musical and vocal range, with soft, sweeping vocals accompanied by soothing piano, elevating to strong rock vocals punching through a backdrop of louder, more dramatic music.
The Sonos One SL performed flawlessly, punching the bass notes and accentuating the mids and highs. It really fills the room sound, like a warm blanket enveloping you! I can see me adding more of these speakers to my original.
Presumably, 'SL' is a designation for 'Sonos Lite' as it doesn't have a microphone for Google or Alexa integration, but it still delivers the same sound qualities of the Sonos One, and the previous Sonos One accessories work with the Sonos One SL. You can also pair Sonos One and Sonos One SL to create a stereo sound field. The Sonos One SL can also be used as home theater surround sound speakers.
The SL also introduces Apple Airplay 2 and capacitive touch controls on top. There is a pleasing, single LED on top, a play/pause button and then 4 dots to the left and right of it. Those are your volume up and down touch points, but if you slide from left to right, through the play touch point, you skip to the next track and alternatively from right to left, skip to previous tracks. And being in the kitchen, humidity resistance is a nice feature to have, to be able to use it without concern near a steaming stove.
Listening to some classical music while writing this review, the sound is compelling, warm, vibrant and clear, with great definition no matter what volume you have it at. I've really enjoyed using the Sonos One SL so far!
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Boost your confidence with this Upright Go 2 posture trainer. Integrated sensors detect when you're slouching to help train your body for better posture in under 14 days. Use the device by itself or sync with the Upright app on Android or iOS. With a portable design, 30-hour battery life and easy-touch adhesive to keep it safely in place, this Upright Go 2 posture trainer is ideal for all-day wear.
Customer Rating
4
Certainly makes you think about your posture!
on October 1, 2019
Posted by: Cupra
from Keller, TX
The Upright - GO 2™ Posture Trainer is a neat little device that you attach to the middle of your back, just below your neck, to help monitor your posture.
How it works: Inside the Upright Go 2 is a small tilt sensor that monitors the angle of the device, and a Bluetooth module to communicate with your phone.
Open the neat Apple-esque box and you'll find a small white case, the Upright Go 2 and a USB C charging cable. There are also 10 gel packs (adhesive mounts) that last between 3-10 uses each. Additional ones can be purchased on the Upright Go website for $6.95. Bear in mind you will need these ongoing, if you intend to use this device regularly. If you only want to use the device periodically then these gel pads will last you a good while. In my experience, one gel pad lasted about 4 days.
Charging the Upright Go 2 only takes a couple of hours, a status indicator light (red when charging and green when charged) shows up, even when in the case.
Press the button on the device, it will flash blue and start looking to pair with your phone. Peel off the protection for the adhesive pad and attach it to the middle of your back, just below the neck, more than likely you'll want to hide it under your shirt/blouse so make sure you drop it down as far as you can reach.
Download the app, set up your profile and then calibrate your desired posture. You do have to calibrate your posture every time you use the Upright Go 2. During the calibration process, you can manually adjust the motion range and the delay time using the settings icon on the left of the app. Increasing the motion range moves the red circle up or down the graphic, and allows you to bend more or less depending on your desired preferences. The bending motion is only measured forwards, and not backwards. So if you do slump into a chair, it will not let you know that your posture is poor.
The delay time is the time that it takes between your posture hitting the motion range alert you have set and the vibration alert on the Upright Go 2. Depending on the tasks you are doing throughout the day, it will be useful to adapt these settings to your daily motion trends. If you are on your feet a lot, you can have a short delay and a low range of motion, to maintain good posture. If you are sat a lot of the time, then you may want to lower the delay time and increase the range of motion. As a Graphic Designer, I am constantly up and down and moving around, and then spending periods of time at a workstation... so I would get many vibration notifications throughout the day.
Alternatively, there are preset 'Stationary', 'Standard', and 'Active' settings programmed into the device for you to use right out of the box.
The device is very comfortable to wear, not heavy at all, unobtrusive, doesn't pinch the skin while wearing it, or rip the skin when removing it. An altogether pleasant experience while using it.
There are two main modes for the device, 'Training' and 'Tracking'. As their names suggests, Training is in place to help you get started using the device, gives you a timed training session in which to maintain good posture. Typically, you will achieve 100% in training mode, as you'll want to correct your posture as soon as you feel a vibration.
The fun starts In Tracking mode. Here you don't get the vibration reminder throughout the day, it simply tracks your posture. At any time, you can look at the app and see how long you've been using the Upright Go 2, and how many times you have slouched within that period. It has a nice pie chart that shames you with red for slouching and green for good posture. Here, typically you'll land in the 60-80% range, with striving for 75%+ being a good goal for the day. They recommend not striving for 100% during the day as that may also result in bad posture, depending on your daily tasks.
If you remain slouched for 15 minutes, you actually get a notification on your phone that you have been slouched and you should adjust your posture. You can also connect your app to your Apple watch as well and see the graphic of your posture in real time, without having to pull your phone out of your pocket.
At the end of the day, the Upright Go 2 reminds you to take off your device and set it up for charging. It will run for 30-45 hours on a single charge, so charging every other night is required.
As an incentive, when going through the training process, if you complete 3 sessions, you'll be offered discounted gel pads for future use.
It is a very robust and well thought out product, nicely designed, simple to use, with a clear and well laid out app. My reason for 4 stars is that over time, I can see this being used less and less, by a casual user. It does take a moment or two to set up every time you use it, and it can become a little hindering when completing some tasks during the day, unless you completely keep it in Tracking mode. And also for the fact that it only measures posture in a forward motion (stooping) and not backwards (overextended) position seems a little odd to me. I am sure there's a reason behind it tho.
Other than that, to train yourself, very inexpensively, to better your posture and think about how you carry yourself, this is a worthwhile investment in your health and well-being.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Shark - ION Robot RV761, Wi-Fi Connected, Robot Vacuum with Multi-Surface Cleaning - Black/Navy Blue
The Shark ION Robot is designed with a Tri-Brush System, combining side brushes, channel brushes, and a multi-surface brushroll to handle debris on all surfaces, corners, and edges. Use the SharkClean app or voice control with Alexa or Google Assistant to start cleaning from anywhere.
Customer Rating
4
Purposeful 'bump-n-go' style vacuum
on September 15, 2019
Posted by: Cupra
from Keller, TX
Unboxing the SHARK ION Robot Vacuum R76 with Wi-Fi - RV761, its a good looking, sleek robot vacuum, that looks like a lot of other robot vacuums.
This is the third robot vacuum I've owned and the third different brand.
Out of the box, you get the vacuum, a dock, a power cable, rotating brushes (with spares), a spare filter, and a roll of barrier material. A simple set of instructions make setting up the Shark Ion Robot Vacuum a breeze. Plug the cord into the dock, plug the dock into the wall, clip on the included rotating brushes, place the Robot Vacuum on the dock, power it on with the rocker switch on the side and charge. There's no display on this vacuum aside from the large blue charging lights that glow three blue bars when fully charged and a blue 'WiFi' logo that lights up when connected to your router.
Download the Shark app to your phone. Do this first. I initially set the vacuum into pairing mode and by the time the app downloaded, the Robot Vacuum had exited pairing mode, and needed to be initiated again.
Press and hold the DOCK and MAX buttons and that sets the vacuum into pairing mode, Go through the instructions on the app and get the vacuum set up. One star is deducted for it's pairing/WiFi capabilities at this time. The vacuum timed out the first time I tried to connect, waiting for the app to download. The vacuum timed out a second time, when trying to pair to my phone. I was about 3ft away from the vacuum and the vacuum was directly above (apx 12ft away from) my router, so connectivity shouldn't have been an issue. Third time, worked for me and I was finally able to get it all set up. I've still had issues trying to register the vacuum through my app tho. It times out and asks me to try again later.
Press clean on the top of the vacuum and it will kick into life. First thing I noticed, after owning a few of these style vacuums, is how incredibly quiet it was for such a machine. It's default cleaning mode is 'Normal' which is the 'Mid' level cleaning mode. You have 'Eco' and 'Max' modes as well. The vacuum leaves the dock, turns 180 degrees and then is off. It travels in a straight line in about 20ft increments. If there is a wall or an object in the way, it bounces off of it, turns around and heads off again. If it travels around 20ft and is uninterrupted, it automatically turns and takes another direction. That is about as 'smart' as this vacuum gets. It really is a 'bump-n-go' style vacuum, no onboard camera to track it's route, no smart vacuuming style to make it vacuum in neat rows. And that's ok, this isn't an $800 vacuum, its at a much more attainable price point.
I use this vacuum upstairs in my house, and a concern I had was obviously the vacuum diving off the stairs, rolling down them and ending up as trashcan fodder at the bottom. I also wasn't keen on having the boundary roll at the top of the stairs to stop it from careening off the top step, as that would be unsightly and possibly a hazard as you go up and down the stairs. Thankfully the vacuum has very good cliff sensors and I've tested the vacuum successfully several times to make sure it wouldn't plummet to an untimely end. Very happy about that.
Using the app, I've set up a schedule for the vacuum to clean the upstairs of the house on both Saturday and Sunday at 10am. Been using it successfully for 3 weekends now and it works very well indeed. Just make sure doors are closed to any rooms you wish to not be entered, or lay down the barrier that is supplied with the vacuum. Either way works very well, deterring the vacuum from entering a room. After approximately 60 mins (as determined by the vacuum) it returns to the dock to recharge. This vacuum DOES NOT have a continuation feature, so if it didn't get the whole area clean before the batteries deplete, it will go back to the dock to charge, but it WILL NOT continue on with it's schedule. Just be aware of that.
The suction from the already mentioned, quiet vacuum, is good. Does a great job. It looks sporadic and incomplete as it's going around due to the nature of it's cleaning path, but it does cover all the ground it needs to and gets the job done. You can't sit there and watch it as it'll drive you mad! Let it get on with it's job and go do other things!
This vacuum also has voice control via Alexa built in, but I was unable to get it to work at this time. I've used Alexa skills for years, so am no stranger to setting them up. Downloaded the Shark skill to Alexa, linked my Shark account and set forth to voice control my 'Sharkie' as he is now named. The skill opened up in Alexa, but I was told my vacuum couldn't connect. I checked the WiFi signal, checked my connectivity, I disabled and reconnected the Shark skill, still with no luck. I have another robot vacuum that works flawlessly using Alexa voice integration so there had to be a problem with some software. I reached out to Shark Technical Support as directed to by the Shark app, and they confirmed my suspicion that the Robot Vacuum is 'too new' and the Alexa compatibility will be available within the next two weeks or so. I don't see there being an issue in the future with it, as this type of voice integration is very common these days. I'll check that feature out again in a couple of weeks time.
Overall, I'm very happy with the vacuum, it does what it says it will, it's not 'fancy', it doesn't have the bells and whistles of other machines, but it doesn't need to. It's not pretending to be something that it's not. And it does what it says it can do, very well! Perfect for setting and leaving to get on with it!
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Ninja Air Fryer Max XL, a fast and easy way to cook your favorite foods. Cook and crisp 3 lbs of French fries, using little to no oil, in a family-sized XL 5.5-qt basket.
Customer Rating
5
Fantastic fryer, so easy to clean up!
on September 8, 2019
Posted by: Cupra
from Keller, TX
My first impression of the Ninja Air Fryer Max XL was how can something so small have such a large capacity!
This isn't my first air fryer, but an upgrade to a cheaper one I purchased at the beginning of the year to see if we'd even use an air fryer at all. We found out we do, so hence the upgrade to a more all round, better fryer.
My last one was a 5.2qt fryer, this Ninja is a 5.5qt, yet is has a much, much smaller footprint on the countertop than the previous one. That is a huge plus right there!
Opening the box, a non-traditional battleship grey air fryer, as opposed to the most common black bodied appliances greets you. This is a 1750W machine.
A simple power cord and instruction/recipe guide and that is about it to complete the unboxing.
Plug it in, it beeps, the display lights up in a nice white on black and gets you ready to choose your settings. You have the choice of 'Max Crisp' - temp of 450F, 'Air Fry' - temp range of 300-400F, 'Air Roast' - temp range of 250-400F, 'Air Broil' - temp range of 400-450F, 'Bake' - temp range 250-400F, 'Reheat' - temp range of 270-400F and 'Dehydrate' - temp range of 105-195F.
Once you've selected a mode, and the temperature within that mode, you can adjust the time to your suiting. Default appears to be 20 mins, but you can choose up and down from there to dial in exactly what you want. It's recommended to pre-heat the air fryer for about 3 mins before using, and in my experience, that really helps out a lot.
First test was reheating some left over pizza. Not incredibly taxing for a machine like this! But, 2 slices fit nicely in there, hit 'Reheat' and then 2 mins. Yes, that's it, actually in less than 2 mins you have pizza reheated to perfection, with a nice crisp crust again, and soft toppings! Absolute perfection!
Next test was fried chicken! Who doesn't love fried chicken!?! We chose to do unbreaded, fried chicken, a healthier option. Take the defrosted chicken breast, spray the smooth side with olive oil, then put your seasoning on. Place the ceramic coated air fryer plate in the bottom before pre-heating, then lay your chicken breasts seasoned side down on the plate. Spray the second side, and add seasoning. Set to 'Air Fryer' and we chose 360F as the cooking temp and set the time to 20 mins. Closed up and hit start. Fryer kicked into life and beeped to let us know all was well. After 10 mins, I pressed stop to check on the chicken and turn it over.
I have found that this is a mistake. If you press 'Stop', the fryer resets itself. You then have to put all the settings back in (temp/time/mode) and start again. I then realized that the basket doesn't actually lock in place, so if you just open the basket without stopping the machine, it retains all it's settings, and when you close the basket again, it continues where it left off WITHOUT having to reset everything. Hopefully that nugget helps people out when using it. Once learned, that's how I'll always use it from now on.
After another 10 mins on the other side, the chicken was nice and brown, a lovely golden brown color, but I needed to check that it was cooked through. Opened the basket, took out a chicken breast and cut into it. It was succulent and juicy and a lovely white color. I gave the chicken another 2 mins and it was absolutely perfect! Lovely and crispy on the outside and a soft juicy and incredibly tasty on the inside!
Next test was store bought, frozen Garlic Bread. The air fryer has the capacity to put a whole box, that's 8x 1" thick slices of Garlic Bread into the basket. Now that's high capacity right there. Stand the Garlic Bread on it's end, so they are all upright in the basket. This allows the air to circulate around them and heat them evenly. After about 4 mins at 360F, check on them. The outer ones will brown slightly, move them to the center and then the center ones to the edges and continue for another 2-3 mins, they will have a perfect crunchy crust with a soft buttery center to them. Perfect!
Next up - fresh cut fries. These are a little trickier. Once cut up as you wish, they need to be dry. Like super dry. If they have too much moisture in them, the air fryer will have a challenge to make them crispy, as all its trying to do to start with it dry them out, so the cooking time takes a lot longer than you imagine. I wasn't incredibly successful with home made fries on my first attempt, but have learned that they really do need to be as dry as possible before putting them into the fryer.
Frozen veggie tots. Theses are a new 'simple favorite' of mine. Simply dump out a bag into the air fryer, set the temp to 390, and the timer for 12 mins. Every 3 mins or so, shake the basket to move them around a little (don't be too violent or they will break up), but they are self sufficient. Easy and ready to eat in about 12 mins. Perfect with that fried chicken from earlier! You can use the included broil rack to stack different foods to cook them at the same time. Very handy!
And as equally good as the air fryer is at cooking, it is an absolute dream to clean up. Something my previous air fryer was not good at.
When I cooked the fried chicken, looking in the bottom of the basket when done, there was black, burned chicken juice and oil spattered all over the basket. I even said to my wife 'oh no, what have we done, this is going to be miserable'. To my surprise, I just touched the burned area with a wooden spoon and it completely slipped off the surface of the basket. Once cooled down, I could literally wipe the inside of the basket out with a paper towel, the ceramic coating was that slick! It was ridiculously easy to clean, which makes using the Ninja Air Fryer Max XL so much more enjoyable, knowing that you don't have to worry about clean up afterwards. Add to that, that all internal components (basket, crisper plate and metal rack) are all dishwasher safe is incredible! You never have to worry about messy clean up with this machine!
The included quick start/recipe guide is a nice addition to help you get started, but at the end of the day, experiment! This machine is very forgiving and gives you incredible results every time! Very impressed with this machine, it's build quality is top notch and its functionality surpasses my expectations of the machine.
Cons: My only negatives in this review would be the two tone beeping, the first tone is fine, the second is a lot higher pitched and annoying, which is a personal thing, but something to be aware of.
Secondly, when first out of the box, the basket was a little stubborn at coming out of the opening smoothly. After repeated use, it's becoming easier to get in and out, so maybe there was some extra molding plastic on the catch for the basket that is now wearing down, making it easier to get in and out.
Also, be aware that in my experience, all air fryers get warm on the outside of the machine. This is normal, but make sure you have a good amount of space around the unit for air circulation. And keep the cord away from the unit when in use.
Aside from those two things, I couldn't be happier with this Ninja Air Fryer Max XL!
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+58points
64of 70voted this as helpful.
Boost your home theater's audio capabilities with this Definitive Technology Studio Advance sound bar system. The 5.1 channel system offers virtual surround sound and supports 4K and HDR content for your enjoyment. This Definitive Technology Studio Advance sound bar system has Chromecast built in to let you stream music wirelessly and control the speakers with Google Assistant voice commands.
Customer Rating
4
Fantastic Soundbar with a couple of flaws.
on August 11, 2019
Posted by: Cupra
from Keller, TX
This is most definitely a 'Premium' Soundbar, from the packaging, to the price point, but that is also reflected in the build quality and the sound quality. Definitive Technology have left nothing on the table with this soundbar.
First off, the design: This is a very sleek and sumptuous soundbar. Its build quality is top notch, from the fit and finish of the case and the grill, to the aluminum endplates that look to be hewn from a solid block of aluminum. Aesthetically, it is very stylish and very pleasing to the eye. The only display are 12 dots that light up, 10 for the volume that represent 1-100 in increments. There's a blue one to denote Bluetooth paring, and also purple to denote night mode.
You get everything in the box you need for set up, including a wall mounting template, magnetic mounts to raise the soundbar on your entertainment unit, everything comes in sleek drawstring bags, enhancing the quality feel. The remote is simple, not extremely ergonomic, but it has a nice soft touch to it. It has all the controls you need, apart from Bluetooth pairing, which I wish was available on the remote.
Setting up the soundbar was a little more complicated than usual. You have to set it up using the Google Home App. That is one reason for the 4 star review. I am not crazy about the Google home automation ecosystem, so having to dig out my old app, and then set up the soundbar was tedious. That coupled with the Google App taking three times to connect to the app before it was recognized, was also frustrating. Finally, once the app had sync'd with the soundbar, things got better. Testing sound samples that were suggested by Google were strong, crisp and very clear with a fantastic amount of bass. The included, powered 8" wireless subwoofer is simply fantastic! It really is the show stealer with this soundbar. It's subtle, but in your face turquoise sub port is a refreshing design cue, mirrored with the marketing pieces that are surrounding the soundbar when you open it. The soundbar paired up instantly with the subwoofer and provided strong, crisp, effective bass, no matter where the subwoofer is placed in the room. It really is a superb subwoofer.
My other reason for the 4 stars and not 4 stars is the Bluetooth pairing. When I want to stream music from my phone to the soundbar,, I have to press the Bluetooth pairing button on the top of the soundbar. It doesn't show up automatically in my Bluetooth selection list in my phone. So there doesn't appear to be a quick way to connect to my phone, unless a setting isn't quite right. And then going through the Google App, I also had an issue with Spotify recognizing the soundbar. I had to force it to recognize it. Not a deal breaker, but an inconvenience.
The sound: This soundbar packs a punch, it has good, strong, crisp vocals from the adjustable center channel, and a good ambient sound from the other speakers. However, I don't get a true 5.1 surround feel from the soundbar. I really want to, and if I stand closer to the soundbar with my head above it, I get a better 5.1 surround sound effect, but sitting on my sofa in our mini media room, it is barely noticeable at all. I had high hopes for the sound, but it just isn't coming from behind me.
I have true 5.1 surround sound set up in my living room, and a dedicated 7.2 surround sound with Dolby Atmos in my main media room, so I know what to expect from surround sound. This soundbar is set up in my son's play/media room and it just isn't as defined as dedicated surround sound set ups.
That being said, it does enhance the sound of shows fantastically, over and above the TV speakers, and also has a far superior sound to other soundbars on the market, and other soundbars I have owned in the past. It really does deliver good sound, but it doesn't blow me away in the surround sound department.
I used DTS-HD Master Audio as my test base and then also a Dolby Atmos sound file, that did sound a lot better, even tho this soundbar is not Dolby Atmos enabled.
Overall, it really does have great sound, but just not the 'blow me away'5.1 surround I was expecting from it.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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-1point
1of 3voted this as helpful.
Record your experiences on the road with this Nextbase dash cam. A wide-angle lens captures every detail, ensuring you are covered at all times, and the 2.5-inch LCD screen allows for comfortable viewing when reviewing videos. This Nextbase dash cam connects with smart devices via Wi-Fi and and Bluetooth 4.2, letting you review video footage on your device.
Customer Rating
5
Very impressed with detail and features!
on July 4, 2019
Posted by: Cupra
from Keller, TX
Didn't know what to expect from the Nextbase 322GW dash cam.
One week in and I am incredibly impressed with this little dashcam.
This one is on the lower end of the newly released Nextbase dash cams, but it packs a host of powerful features that you want in a dash cam.
This one is on the lower end of the newly released Nextbase dash cams, but it packs a host of powerful features that you want in a dash cam.
Setting it up is a breeze, there's a quick start guide when you open up the box. The dash cam has a 2.5" lcd touchscreen on the back, which is perfect for setting up all the features of this unit.
Their proprietary 'Click & Go Pro' magnetic mounting clip with integrated power is a great design. This allows you to quickly mount and dismount the camera WITHOUT having to adjust the angle of the camera every single time you do.
That makes it easy to take it down and hook it up to your PC to view the videos. The MyNextbase Player is a simple download app for your PC that shows you so much information about your trip.
The route you took is shown on Google Maps in real time with the video. The video is shown at a crisp 1080p at 60fps, with a lower res (smaller file option available as well). Along side that is your speed, your location, your elevation, and a G-meter as well. Makes compelling watching when reviewing footage from your trip.
The camera records at one minute intervals, this makes it easy to find clips, and within the app you can select many clips and play them continually. The quality is great. You also have the ability to adjust the color balance of the videos as well, if they are too bright or too dark. As I mentioned, many, many features in this camera.
You can also sync the camera up to your phone using the MyNextbase App. From here you can have a live view of the camera and save and edit videos from right within the app.
One thing to note is that you are only able to connect one phone period to the camera. So with multiple drivers of one vehicle, you can't just pull up the pics and videos if you aren't the primary user of the camera. That was a little annoying. HOWEVER, you do NOT need to have the phone app open or available to use this camera in the car. It just offers additional features, and does not hinder the performance of the camera.
I have a 64GB MicroSD card in the camera (128GB compatible - needs to be class 10 or above) and it captures several days worth of video before is automatically records over. And on the back face of the camera is a 'NextBase' button that lights up Red so that you can record and save/protect moments that happen, so that they aren't overwritten at all.
The camera also has an Intelligent Parking Mode that automatically starts recording if there is motion detected.
It also has a subscription based 'SOS' feature that can alert the emergency services to your location, and sends crucial medical information such as blood type to aid treatment, if you so choose to set it up.
Overall I'm very happy with the NextBase 322GW dash cam and love the piece of mind it gives me with my wife and son driving around together.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.
Clean messes and dust at the office with this Hoover ONEPWR wet and dry cordless vacuum. The capable motor delivers up to 45 cfm for faster cleaning, and the rechargeable 2 Ah battery facilitates cordless use. This Hoover ONEPWR wet and dry cordless vacuum includes a 3-gal. dirt tank to trap captured debris.
Customer Rating
3
Range Anxiety Kills Usefulness
on June 26, 2019
Posted by: Cupra
from Keller, TX
On the surface, this looks like the perfect product for someone who spends a lot of time in the garage. A go-anywhere, wet/dry vac with powerful suction and no need to drag it around tethered to a wall.
DESIGN:
First off, it actually looks pretty neat. Wouldn't be out of place next to a tool box or tackle box, it fits right in. And coincidentally, the black, grey and white tones go with my garage décor and even my vehicles! It's not too cumbersome in the hand, has fairly tight proportions for what it is, so it fits inside the car while vacuuming, and is very unobtrusive when on the floor of the garage.
First off, it actually looks pretty neat. Wouldn't be out of place next to a tool box or tackle box, it fits right in. And coincidentally, the black, grey and white tones go with my garage décor and even my vehicles! It's not too cumbersome in the hand, has fairly tight proportions for what it is, so it fits inside the car while vacuuming, and is very unobtrusive when on the floor of the garage.
It comes with a 6ft extension hose with a crevice tool, and a flatter vacuum tool, that doubles as a blower attachment, a ONEPWR 2.0 Battery, and a bespoke battery charger. Picking it up is easy with a robust, stowaway handle on top with a rubberized grip.
It has a 3 gallon 'tank' (plastic base) for those wet messes, a removable filter and even a ball float kill switch so you don't overfill the vacuum when soaking up the wet stuff.
The air outlet vent can be used as a blower, by taking the wide crevice tool and placing it over the air vent. Then put the hose in there and you have an adjustable stream of air to blow debris into a pile. Very clever design!
Overall, a nicely designed product.
FUNCTION:
This vacuum sucks, (in a good way!). It has a really powerful suction that really, really surprised me. I was incredibly impressed with just how easily it got M&M's, popcorn, dog hair and dirt off of the floor in the back of our vehicle (fallout from an 8 year old!). Really did a good job, the crevice tool was very useful, well designed and really did get into those tight spaces and did a good job of picking up almost everything in the carpet.
This vacuum sucks, (in a good way!). It has a really powerful suction that really, really surprised me. I was incredibly impressed with just how easily it got M&M's, popcorn, dog hair and dirt off of the floor in the back of our vehicle (fallout from an 8 year old!). Really did a good job, the crevice tool was very useful, well designed and really did get into those tight spaces and did a good job of picking up almost everything in the carpet.
I tested out the 'wet' part of the unit, removing the filter inside the unit (for dry use only) and sucking up some water I had purposefully placed on the garage floor. Sucked it up without issue, straight into the watertight tank.
So why only 3 stars?
THE BATTERY:
The wet/dry vac ships with the smallest capacity ONEPWR 2.0 rechargeable battery. It takes 3 hours to charge from empty. Clip it in nice and easily on top of the unit, with plug and play compatibility with other ONEPWR products in the Hoover range.
The wet/dry vac ships with the smallest capacity ONEPWR 2.0 rechargeable battery. It takes 3 hours to charge from empty. Clip it in nice and easily on top of the unit, with plug and play compatibility with other ONEPWR products in the Hoover range.
So here it is... when using the wet/dry vac, you get a whopping 7 minutes of runtime from it. SEVEN MINUTES! That's it. Nothing more. Completely shuts off without warning, dead, with need to charge for another 3 hours.
To put that in perspective, the vehicles in my garage are an offroading SUV and a sports coupe. With a fully charged vacuum, I was able to clean up the 4 footwells in the SUV and the drivers footwell in the coupe, and that was it.
That makes this vacuum almost next to useless. 7 minutes of vacuum time in this scenario is nothing. And there it is... range anxiety. Another concern I have is that the wet/dry vac would typically be stored in the garage, where I would use it. With temps reaching into the 90s in my garage, I fear for the longevity of the battery and the potential for it to drain quickly and the vacuum never being ready for me when I want to use it, unless the battery is constantly kept on the charger.
SOUND/NOISE:
One other concern was that while using the vac in the vehicle, it eminates an unpleasant high pitched whine that was really ear peircing. I checked the filter and all of the catches, they were all good and tight, so that appears to me to be the actual operating volume of the unit. My wife even commented on it hurting her ears' when I turned it on straight out of the box.
One other concern was that while using the vac in the vehicle, it eminates an unpleasant high pitched whine that was really ear peircing. I checked the filter and all of the catches, they were all good and tight, so that appears to me to be the actual operating volume of the unit. My wife even commented on it hurting her ears' when I turned it on straight out of the box.
I really wanted to love this wet/dry vac. Something I figured would be incredibly useful and portable, but it proved to be hampered by it's incredibly short battery life, which just doesn't cut it, no matter how well designed it is or how good it looks.
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
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Cupra's Answers
Philips 3200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine w/ LatteGo, Black
How cups of coffee can it brew at once?
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Are these in stereo?
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Can I access lights when NOT at home
Yes you can. Using the app, you are able to control them from anywhere in the world. And I have done! While on vacation to the UK, from the US, I would monitor my house through my video cameras and then adjust the schedules of my lights, randomizing them and checking them from almost 5000 miles away. Worked really well.
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