I recently uploaded another Amazon haul, covering about two and a half months’ worth of gear—most of it affordable, a mix of items sent via the Amazon Vine Program, a few from manufacturers, and some that I bought myself. You can see the full list of items at this compensated Amazon affiliate link.
Nothing here was sponsored or pre-approved, just a rundown of what caught my attention and ended up being useful or interesting enough to feature.
One of the highlights was a 10-port USB-C charger from Plugable. It doesn’t come with a power supply, but if you’ve got one that puts out 100 watts or so, it’ll charge multiple devices efficiently by prioritizing the ports from left to right. Great for overnight charging, especially in places like classrooms where you need to juice up a bunch of iPads or devices at once.
Along the same lines, I tried out a universal travel adapter from Minix with a built-in GaN power supply. It delivers up to 170 watts through its USB ports and has built-in plugs for various regions. It’s not a voltage converter, but as a compact travel solution, it packs a lot of utility.
Another interesting find was a clip-on Bluetooth speaker from SuperOne. It’s lightweight, wearable, and doubles as a personal voice amplifier if paired with the right app. It’s not going to fill a large room, but in smaller settings, it could come in handy.
For streaming stick users, I checked out a couple of inexpensive but useful accessories. One was an HDMI elbow adapter that lets your device sit flush with the back of a wall-mounted TV. The other was a 100 Mbps Ethernet adapter that works with Fire TV and other compatible devices. It’s not the fastest option out there—Wi-Fi 6 built into recent low cost streaming sticks is quicker—but it can offer a more stable connection.
I picked up a Bell & Howell power hub from the Flip app as it tickled some nostalgic memories of their heavy duty AV equipment my school used in the 80’s. The design hints at the old-school gear they used to make, but the build quality doesn’t quite live up to that legacy. Perhaps due to the fact that Bell & Howell brand is no owned by a private equity firm. Still, it offers USB ports on three sides and a retractable power cord, though the latter was a bit clunky in use.
I also tried out some Apple-focused chargers from Belkin. These included a MagSafe-compatible 5,000 mAh battery with a kickstand, a foldable 3-in-1 travel charging pad, and a smaller 2-in-1 version. Each charger handled phones, AirPods, and Apple Watches to varying degrees, depending on the model. They’re simple, well-built, and compact enough to throw in a travel bag.
There was also an electric candle lighter—one of those arc-style models you charge over USB. It worked, but the narrow arc gap makes it easy to gunk up with wax. Practical outdoors, maybe, but definitely not something I’d leave around kids.
Finally, I spent some time with a surprisingly decent digital magnifying glass from a company called HIDEA. It has adjustable zoom, takes photos, and even comes with sample slides. It’s not a professional microscope, but it does a good job for its price, and I found it fun to play around with.
That wraps up this batch. I tend to go through a lot of gear, but only a fraction makes it to the table. The rest doesn’t pass the sniff test. Once I’ve got enough new stuff worth showing, I’ll put together another round. These videos are always fun to make, and it’s good to see that people still enjoy watching them.