Tag: TEMU

My Latest Temu Haul Looks at $85 Worth of Cheap Gadgets

For some reason online schlock house Temu.com continues to ask me to check out their gadget offerings despite the less than stellar experiences we’ve had in previous videos. My latest haul, consisting of about $85 worth of stuff, found some useful devices but many fall into the “penny wise and pound foolish” category.

You can see it all here. All the links below are affiliate links.

First on my list was a foldable Bluetooth keyboard, priced at $18.70, that caught my eye with its promise of combining convenience and technology. Despite its potential, the reality fell short. The keyboard’s uneven keys and awkward layout disrupted what could have been a smooth typing experience.

My attention then shifted to a mini gaming keyboard for $9.52, hoping for redemption. Though it wasn’t the mechanical marvel I had hoped for, its backlit keys and adequate typing feel offered a silver lining. The backlight was a bit dim but some of the colors were bright enough to illuminate the key caps. Overall this one wasn’t bad for its super low price.

The M1 wired gaming mouse, at $10.79, was next. Surprisingly, it felt right at home under my palm, navigating with precision unexpected at this price point. However, its touted macro capabilities were a no-show, but that’s likely for the best given it probably requires some sketchy software.

Next up was a $14 multifunction vacuum cleaner. Its lackluster performance and unappealing aesthetics served as a reminder that not all that glitters is gold, especially in the realm of budget electronics. But it could suck and blow at the same time, so that’s something.

In my quest to make the most of my budget, I encountered a series of quirky and seemingly arbitrary additions. A $2 USB hub shaped like a banana, and a set of $4 light-up ice cubes were amusing yet underscored the hit-or-miss nature of shopping at Temu.

Also in the mix was a 512 megabyte SD card for $2 and change that was initially mislabeled as having 512GB of capacity. Another was what appeared to be a useful $4 USB hub with integrated card reader that turned out to only run at USB 2.0 speeds – despite its blue colored ports.

The haul concluded on a higher note with a $16.49 DVD/CD burner that doubled as a USB hub and card reader. Despite its outdated USB 2.0 interface, it redeemed some of my earlier disappointments by functioning as promised for CDs and DVDs.

Shopping at Temu requires tempered expectations that sometimes leads to the occasional pleasant surprise. If you shop smart you might end up with something useful.

See my other haul videos here!

Disclaimer: Temu provided me with an $85 budget to pick out an assortment of gadgets from their shop. They provided no additional compensation nor did they review or approve this video before it was uploaded.

My Second TEMU Haul Didn’t Go So Well..

Recently, I received another package from TEMU (affiliate link), an online store known for super cheap stuff including tech gadgets. Although I was excited to explore the contents given our relative success on our first experience, this haul didn’t quite meet my admittedly low expectations. You can see it all in my latest video but here’s a rundown of my experience with the items I received:

1. Key Finder Device ($1.89) The first item I unpacked was a key finder device. Unlike popular key finders that work with Apple’s Find My network or the Samsung and Google equivalents, this one operates with its own app. After downloading the app and pairing the device, I found its functionality to be quite basic. It relies on signal strength to determine proximity, and if the device gets disconnected, it emits a loud alarm. However, I had reservations about the app constantly running in the background and its less-than-stellar reviews on the Google Play Store.

2. Portable Mini Thermal Printer ($16.49) Next up was a portable mini thermal printer. After setting it up and connecting it to its designated app, I took a picture and printed it. The result? A grainy, one-bit image reminiscent of old faxed photos or the Game Boy Color printer. While the print quality wasn’t impressive, the speed at which it printed was pretty good and I could see how this might be a fun gadget for kids. I do wish it printed on stickers vs. the thermal paper it came with, however. That said the consumable cost is quite low, a pack of five replacement paper rolls costs less than $4.

3. X6 Drone ($37.39) The most expensive item in the haul was the X6 drone. While the drone looked promising, it proved to be a challenge both in its configuration and operation. After charging its battery and attempting to fly it, I quickly realized it was nearly uncontrollable. It didn’t stay in place, constantly veered in different directions, and the Wi-Fi connectivity for the camera didn’t work. Ultimately, the drone ended up in the woods, and I decided it wasn’t worth retrieving until the winter when the poison ivy goes away.

This TEMU haul was a mixed bag. While the thermal printer had some potential, the key finder raised privacy concerns, and the drone was a complete miss. Stay tuned for the next one and in the meantime you can visit Temu using my affiliate link here.

Disclosure: TEMU sent the items to review free of charge but did not review or approve the video before it was uploaded.

Unboxing Some Cheap Gadgets from TEMU.com

As a tech enthusiast always on the hunt for cheap and useful stuff, I couldn’t resist diving into the world of TEMU.com (affiliate link), an online schlock house that offers a variety of inexpensive gadgets and other cheap stuff in just about every product category imaginable.

In my latest YouTube video, I shared my unboxing experience, revealing a mix of surprisingly useful items along with some of the crap I expected.

First the good stuff:

I got a $20 face tracking smartphone camera mount that performed surprisingly well. The best part was that all of its face tracking was done on the hardware itself and did not require an app. Another win was a relatively low cost wireless lavalier microphone kit. While it was not as good as my expensive Sennheiser gear it was pretty good for a couple of bucks. And the super cheap knock-off Apple pencil was recognized as an Apple Pencil by my iPad at 10% of the price. The only feature it was missing was pressure detection.

There were of course a few letdowns in the mix. The tiny action camera I received didn’t work, the $12 “smartwatch” had non-existent health sensors that delivered false results and the $10 1080p webcam delivered a washed out image with a microphone that sounded like I was underwater.

Without a proper customer review system it’s hard to know what you’re getting from TEMU. Many products pop up and disappear when stock runs out only to be replaced by the same item with a different brand name. In short you get what you pay for at TEMU so be prepared for disappointment. But you may encounter some delight when a cheap gadget turns out not to be a piece of junk.

Caveat emptor!