Showing posts with label Unboxing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unboxing. Show all posts

Brinks Commercial Products... Reviewed!

Before I jump in, I just want to give a shout-out to the Brinks team for supplying these products.


We were supplied with 4 products from Brinks commercial line for the sake of testing them out. Two products were selected for security, and two were selected as a solution for issues that required a solution. Did the products help? Let's jump in!



Now that you've seen the products, here are some installation videos.


The Brinks Commercial Keyed Entry Knob... is a sturdy commercial knob that can work for a home setting, but... it feels better suited for a commercial office door or one in a warehouse (for those who prefer a more warm look for their home). As seen, the installation didn't take long.

This keyed entry knob, works well for the office door it was installed on. The knob doesn't wiggle, feels secure, and serves its purpose. The screws are covered for a clean look, and if the knob needs to be replaced, the process to remove the plate is smooth (just have something to pry the plate off). One thing I will say is to keep the pin on the same keyring as the key unless you have a place to tuck it nearby. This was placed on an interior door, but it works for the exterior as well for increased security. This knob is an ANSI Grade 2, meaning that a ram would be required to hit this knob's face at least 5 times for the person gain access. This is straight from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).


So thinking of a person without a ram trying to gain entry, gives even greater peace of mind. On a lighter note, it also keeps us out of Daisy's office while she's in a meeting that doesn't require our presence. A sign could work for that, but... as far as security goes, a solid keyed entry knob works.


Price-wise, the keyed entry knob you see here is generally sold in a set with a deadbolt for $59.96 or so. Not bad for commercial quality, so if you want to grab one of these knobs... and can't buy it ala carte, you're good to go with the deadbolt (which is also saw and pry proof). Did I forget to mention the 10-year warranty? Well, you get one of those too + based on my research... the deadbolt is Grade 1!

Now let's jump into The Brinks Commercial Kick Down Door Stop.



Although it would be better placed at the outer part of the door that swings away from the frame, I have the door stop closer to the crack of the door. The drop-down going into the studio... doesn't allow for it to be placed anywhere else, but it works and doesn't require me to have something to hold the door separately. The Brinks Commercial Kick Down Door Stop is incredibly sturdy and doesn't do that flimsy crap the way some others do where they just drop down if they aren't pushed up into a holder. You can flip it up and it stops halfway and stays up without a cradle.

When it comes to the look, I'd probably say that the bronze or the matte black might be a bit more appealing for the home setting... but the satin chrome looks great as well. This door stop comes in at $22.98 which works for the quality because I've experienced some bad/annoying ones. Ever see the door stops that require assistance just to make them kinda sort of work? This has been going strong and... without it falling down on its own to potentially wear down the grip over time, helps it last.

Now let's jump into the Brinks Commercial Privacy Door Latch.


This privacy door latch is great for commercial and home settings. Don't think that commercial quality products are reserved for commercial properties only. You might see this near the door of your suite at a nice resort, but... you can also place it in your home as well. The quality of this product is undeniable, it's thick + sturdy and... the screws that come with it run deep so that it can't simply get kicked in.

I wanted to present this particular product because you never know who may be at the door and the traditional chain isn't as efficient. This latch only requires one move, you push and it lifts out to block the door from being opened further. This is great for general safety, almost like an extra layer of defense when you're turning in for the evening, but... it can also be an emergency latch in a situation when you don't have time to run into the home and lock the door because someone is behind you. Let's hope this never happens, but on the flip side... this is also a great latch to prevent small children from leaving the home and wandering around. That can increase a parent's peace of mind.

I was actually in one of the old office spaces when I saw a little boy around 3 years old standing near the busy roadway. He was playing with a ball and no adults were in sight. I dashed out and ran over to get him away from the road and asked him where his mom was, and if could he show me. He wasn't aware of my concern, but that could've ended badly. He took me across to a home on the other side of a little field where his mom and the babysitter were. Let's just say the mom wasn't happy that the babysitter was wrapped up in her phone while her toddler found his way outside to play. It was really weird, and I wasn't happy either, but... luckily it ended on a good note. I bring that up, because... that situation wouldn't have been a thing with this privacy door latch installed on the home out of his reach.

This ADA-compliant privacy door latch comes in at $25.98. Oh... and before I forget, this doesn't prevent the door from closing. There are products that will block the door and stop it from closing when they're in use, but... the start wearing on the door. If this is out while the door is wide open and being closed, the door will merely push it down and close it. On that note, it's for doors that swing in only, that's where the resistance comes in. By the way, you also get a 10-year warranty with this one too.


Last but not least, let's jump into the Brinks Commercial Door Silencer.


This product is fairly simple, you place them in little holes in the door frame and they reduce the noise and absorb the shock of a door being slammed. There are people who literally don't realize their own strength when it comes to closing a door, but it can urk you to hear a door slammed hard. Luckily this softens the blow, especially if you have something like a frosted, etched, or stained glass section on your door. A hard enough slam would surely shatter such a glass whether it be tempered or not. According to Home Guide, you're looking at $150 to $500 on average to get a glass replaced. When it's the glass in a front door, we're talking $150 to $600... so $5.98 for a pack of 12-door silencers is a great investment.




Easy Installation 5

Durability 5

Warranty 5

Price 5


5 out of 5 Cool Points




Nooie Cam Pro... Reviewed!

Before we jump into this review... let's unbox!


The Nooie Cam Pro: 2K Security Camera with Spotlight was provided to us for review by the Nooie team, my opinions of this product are my own. No need to worry though, this product checks all the boxes for me. How so? Well, let's review!



Ease of setup: First things first, when it comes to setting up the Nooie Cam Pro... it's as easy as you being able to nail or screw something into the wall. That will be your biggest challenge, which isn't a challenge at all for most of us. The second challenge would be placement, but that's entirely up to you, but aim for a place that will get you maximum coverage (just keep it out of direct sunlight).


I'd recommend charging your cameras as soon as possible to get that step out of the way, and then jump into the mount plate installation.



I'm using the drill you see above, along with masonry drill bits. You can simply use the screws to drill if you desire, but if you don't have these items, no worries... grab a hammer + a nail:

Partially hammer the nail in > remove the nail from the hole > grab a mounting plate + a screw > partially insert the screw > grab the nail and place it into the other hole of the mounting plate to position it before you partially nail it in > remove the nail > add the screw in and twist it in all the way > after twisting the other screw in > just grab a full charged camera + a magnetic mount > place the mount in the back of the camera > slide the mount onto the mounting plate > mission complete.

Mounting took 3 minutes tops. By the way, you can even place the mounting plates while the cameras are charging so that you don't have to worry about doing that when its go time. Ahead of mounting the cameras, go to the Google Play Store or the App Store and get the Nooie app.

After downloading the app, follow the instructions in the app to connect the station to your home internet and connect the cameras to the base station. It's a very simple setup also because once the setup is done for the base station, press the button (the logo) on the base station which will begin to blink, and then push the little button on the back of the camera until the light begins to blink.

You will get a sound from the camera and the base station to confirm the connection. After that, just go put your cameras on the mounts and look at the camera feed through your phone app to get the desired angle and you're all set with that portion.


Quality: In terms of quality, these are some sturdy cameras. They're listed as fire resilient & weatherproof, but some of you might look at that like... "Sounds nice, but... what does that mean?", so let's jump into some definitions:

Fire Resiliency | According to Fire Protection Research Foundation

The term "resilience" means the ability to prepare for and adapt to changing conditions and withstand and recover rapidly from disruptions. Resilience includes the ability to withstand and recover from deliberate attacks, accidents, or naturally occurring threats or incidents. - National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) | Guidance Document for Incorporating Resiliency Concepts into NFPA Codes and Standards: Final Report | Page 4

The specific fireproof rating for the Nooie Cam Pro is... UL94 V-0. Very interesting, this is UL94 V-0 and the list shows that if this catches fire it's the one that doesn't burn long if it burns at all. There are plenty of people I know who work in IT and there are some who live in Cali where fires tend to pop up because of natural circumstances or those situations where someone did a bad bad thing, and this type of cam works for those who don't want to add to the flammable products in their location.

Weatherproof | According to Access Fixtures

A fixture with an IP rating of 65 is protected against multi-directional, low-pressure water jets. In order to pass testing and achieve an IP65 rating, fixtures must be able to withstand water projected by a 0.25-inch nozzle. To achieve satisfactory results, this test must be run for a minimum of fifteen minutes, with the water source placed three yards from the fixture. Additionally, the water pressure must be 30 kPa with a water volume of 3.3 gallons per minute. - IP Ratings

If you need an idea of what else is IP65 rated, think of the sports lights at some parks and stadiums or even those pole lights you might see (i.e. the commercial LED bollard lights).


So in terms of durability, you have a solid product (on paper) that I've had the pleasure of utilizing. I haven't set any cameras on fire, but there were some heavy rains, then it got cold, then it got hot again. One camera was fully covered, and the other camera was under light cover out of direct view of the sun and they're still ticking.

In terms of the video quality, the Nooie Cam Pro is 2K QHD resolution, but I'd rather show you the quality instead of telling you (I'm literally going out to show you right now):


Here's the night view, and take a look at the date... I haven't had to recharge the camera yet and it's still above 50%. I will get to the specifics regarding the battery in the next section.


Features: In terms of features of features, the Nooie Cam Pro has:

2K QHD Resolution (with 8X zoom)
Motion Detection (PIR Motion Sensor Range: Up to 20ft)
Integrated Spotlight (IR Night Vision + Spotlight Color Night Vision)
2.4 & 5G Wi-Fi Connection
Rechargeable Battery (5000 mAH)
Two-Way Audio & Live View
IP 65 Weatherproof
Power Plug or Solar Panel Options
Compatibility with Alexa & Google Home
2 Cameras
1 Base Station
Storage Cloud & Support SD card up to 128GB:

What's cool about the SD card support is the fact that you don't have to pay for cloud storage if you don't want to. The screenshots you see below are from the actual Nooie App, and the video above was also taken via the App. I didn't have to use the SD card to take that video and the pic I took above didn't require an SD card either, but having that option allows for an offline solution.




If you're interested in cloud storage, there are different options, but all come at a very affordable price.

Monthly fees:
7-Day EVENT PLAYBACK | $1.00/30day
  • Videos saved up to 30 days 
  • Event recording

14-Day EVENT PLAYBACK | $1.90/30day
  • Videos saved up to 14 days
  • Event recording

30-Day EVENT PLAYBACK | $3.00/30day
  • Videos saved up to 30 days
  • Event recording

Yearly fees:
7-Day EVENT PLAYBACK Yearly Plan | $10.00/12month
  • Videos saved up to 7 days
  • Event recording

14-Day EVENT PLAYBACK Yearly Plan | $20.00/12month
  • Videos saved up to 14 days
  • Event recording

30-Day EVENT PLAYBACK Yearly Plan | $30.00/12month
  • Videos saved up to 30 days
  • Event recording


Price: The price for the Nooie Cam Pro is $299.99, and it comes with 2 cams + base station. Cameras are normally $150, so it's about right + you get the base station, and... you aren't stuck to a cord. 

Overall, these are solid security cameras that work well. The batteries are still over 50% charge, there are multiple features like the two-way that allow you to speak to others even when you're away from home, you can record, there are different color options that allow for camo action (to a degree as well).

Speaking of the color options, let me clarify. The default color is clay, but there are pending color "Sleeve" options that include Mocha and Snow. 

So this will allow them to be hidden in a variety of environments unless you want the camera to be visible to send someone running for the hills.
Before Orlando because the permanent home for SDGT Entertainment, I was the victim of burglary. I'm pretty sure it was the maintenance guy because he knew that we were moving, and he got the security guard fired because he was upset that he wouldn't allow him access to the security camera room. 

Once he got access to the camera room, he would stay in there and I thought he just used it to sleep until I connected the dots and realized he used it to keep tabs on who was coming and going. A security camera system would've sent the criminal running for the hills because you're not only able to use an alarm on the camera, you can use voice to scare the crap out of them, you know someone's there in order to notify the police and with the evidence, they can get an accurate description, etc. You can even scare them by turning on the spotlight and maybe say something creative (gun sentry... activated).
 If it's in the cloud, they wouldn't have access to the video at all, but if you hide the base station, that would be out of sight out of mind.

One of the biggest features that you will not see on the package is... peace of mind. Security cameras are definitely a plus, and when you really really need them, they're a Godsend.

By the way, you get a 12-month limited warranty also. 


Ease of setup 5

Quality 5

Features 5

Price 5

5 out of 5 Cool Points



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SDGT Blips: Tippies - Donald Duck Toy... let's open it up!



It's toy time... and I thought it would be fun to unbox a full set of Disney X Bandai toys known as... Tippies.
Recently I grabbed a couple of boxes of these... one box for my daughter, and another for my office because... (come on) why wouldn't I? These toys are 1.5 inches tall, so they aren't too big, but you don't have to position them a certain way... you can stand them up just about anywhere which will allow me to position them in various places in my office (where they won't be gobbled up by clutter).
There are 10 Tippies total, including Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and all their closest pals in kawaii fashion! They are super collectible, affordable, and cool. If you had these on your desk, you'll probably find yourself giving them a spin no matter how new or advanced you are in the game of... real life.
This time around I'm unboxing (which is more like unbagging) Donald Duck, which is a solid little peanut-shaped toy. It's not fragile... and if you step on it (barefoot)... you'd be the one hurting. Donald is for the Disney fans, but also for the boat and sealife-loving swimmers out there!
Add a boat and place ole... Donald aboard for a cool decor piece or pure fun! 

Enjoy playtime with a spin + tip + twist with Tippies. For Ages 3 to 103+!