What I Thought of It

Maybe you’ve seen Shoes Under on one of those TV infomercials. I haven’t, but this “As Seen On TV” product did look interesting when I saw it in a store. I bought two Shoes Under units, expecting to organize my shoes neatly under the bed.

For those who’ve never heard of it, Shoes Under is a nylon box. Granted, it’s floppy - not rigid - but it’s best described as a box. The box has a see-thru top that zips open, and the interior has 12 compartments supposedly for 12 pairs of shoes. Shoes Under does not come up very high, making it perfect to slide under the bed. It seems like the ideal way to store your off-season shoes.

That was the product description; now here’s the reality. When unfolded from the packaging box, Shoes Under is much smaller than the picture would suggest. The nylon fabric seems strong and durable, but you’ll really doubt how many shoes will fit in one unit. The compartments are too small! For instance, a pair of running shoes (for average-sized feet) will take up two compartments, one for each shoe. A pair of flip-flops or flatter shoes could actually fit in one compartment, but my dress shoes won’t. I concluded that except for my one pair of flip-flops, none of my other shoes would fit “one pair per pocket”, meaning that I would need four units (twice as much space) to hold all my footwear. Though I only paid $4 for each Shoes Under unit, it’s not the ideal way to store my shoes.

Last thoughts: Shoes Under seems perfect at first, then proves to be impractical when you try to use it. With the pockets/compartments being so small, it’s not what I was looking for. Mine will be going back to the store. I think a couple of under-bed plastic storage boxes would be much more useful and versatile.

So what have we learned today? Don’t believe everything you see on TV or even on the outside of a box.

Quality +++
Design & Features ++
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With all the known (and hidden) health hazards of plastic water bottles, Thermos appears to have made the perfect water bottle to replace the old BPA-containing containers.

This Stainless Steel Bottle from Thermos will keep your beverage cool or warm for up to 12 hours, and it has a great drinking top that’s easy to open even with gloved hands.

I tested this bottle myself for a couple of days, taking juice with me in my car and on a hike. The juice stayed the same temperature even while the outside temperature was way below freezing. While the drink inside is insulated, the bottle will get cold (or hot) on the outside, so keep your gloves on when you grab it.

The Thermos Hydration Bottle opens two ways. First, there is a small cap that’s easy to twist open thanks to the rubber grip. The cap opens to reveal a nice drinking spout that lets you drain the bottle to the last drop. Thermos was smart enough to design a bottle interior that allows all excess liquid to flow out. Below (and tethered to) the small cap is a bigger ring that twists off completely from the bottle mouth for easy filling and cleaning. I personally dislike drinking from the bottle mouth because the metal feels cold on the lips.

My bottle holds 500 ml of fluid. After months of searching, it’s the only stainless steel bottle I’ve found that states compatibility with iced tea, juices, and sports drinks. It was this rare feature that sold me on the bottle.

The outer stainless steel surface comes in a nice metallic blue or red, making this Thermos Hydration Bottle a sleek, eye-catching product.

Last thoughts: For me, the Thermos FBX-500C is the ideal BPA-free bottle. I tried a couple of stainless steel bottles before this one, and this one is the first satisfactory alternative to my trusty old plastic bottle. It’s a great buy for a reasonable price!

Quality +++++
Design +++++
Style ++++
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Price ++++

If 500 ml of capacity isn’t enough, then check out this Thermos 26 oz. (770 ml)version.

I got this water bottle because I was looking for a metal (i.e., not plastic) water bottle with a wide mouth. The Innate (formerly Bilt) Fresco Stainless Steel Drinking Container was marked down to $4 at Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC). Can’t go wrong with that price, I thought. That’s where I was wrong.

But first, the bottle is made of stainless steel and BPA-free, so unlike plastic or lacquer-coated aluminum water bottles, there’s no nasty plastic directly touching your water. The lid is made of food-grade plastic no. 5, which is currently considered “safe”.

The design of this water bottle is reasonably good. It looks sleek and feels nice to the touch. The lid has a handle, so you can hook on a carabiner to hang the bottle from, say, a backpack.

So far it’s not a bad water bottle, but there are three things about it that I really dislike:

1. It dents easily. The stainless steel is prone to damage from even the smallest impact.

2. The lid closes poorly. Unless you twist it rapidly - almost too rapidly - it will leak.

3. After being washed, the bottle does not dry well on the inside. Water gets stuck in the shoulder, just under the drinking collar, and stays there unless you wipe it off.

The wide mouth is a good feature and will supposedly fit to a portable back-country water filter, but I think the opening could be bigger. Drinking from a water bottle is easier when my nose can also fit in the hole.

Last thoughts: The Fresco H20 Water Bottle is nice-looking but has some shortcomings that I can’t live with. Apparently, there exists a newer version with modifications to the top part, which could solve two of the three problems I mentioned.

Quality +++
Design ++++
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Price +++++

SLABANG is one of the alarm clocks sold by IKEA, and it’s one that I really love. I’ve had mine for years now. Mine is yellow, whereas they sell just the gray ones nowadays.

As you can tell from the picture, the SLABANG is not too big and doesn’t look like much at first glance. That’s where you’d be wrong. The SLABANG is chock-full of great features in a modest little package.

First, the SLABANG does not light up at night, so you can’t see the time in the dark. You might think, “What use is an alarm clock if I can’t see the time?” Think again. The lightless display keeps the bedroom dark to help you sleep better. Then, whenever you want to know the time, just hit the top (the large black button) and the display will light up for a couple of seconds. Smart, isn’t it?

You set the clock time and alarm times by using the small round buttons on the back. Besides the standard alarm ring, you can record different wake-up sounds. Just press the RECORD button, and tomorrow you can wake up to your own voice yelling, “Rise and shine!”.

When the alarm goes off, hit the top and it will snooze for 5 minutes, then the alarm will go off again. If you keep hitting the top, it will keep snoozing, until you turn it off. To turn off the alarm for good, you’ll need to flip the switch on the back of the clock.

The SLABANG is made of a rubbery exterior, which helps it stay nicely in place on any surface. It runs on three AAA batteries, but they should last a long time (1.5 to 2 years, in my experience).

Last thoughts: With the SLABANG, IKEA has made the best alarm clock I’ve ever owned. I really love the dark display feature. It makes my bedroom a lot darker and keeps me from clock-watching while trying to fall asleep. The alarm is loud enough to wake me up every time. For me, SLABANG is the only alarm clock I’d ever want.

Quality ++++
Design ++++
Style +++
Features +++++
Price +++