Cotsoco M782 Deep Tissue Massage Gun

Cotsoco are well known as a leading supplier of percussive massage guns and this new model, the M782, is one of the latest in their range. Increasingly athletes and trainers are using this new type of percussive massager for specialised muscle care rather than the older vibrating massagers.

This model from Uplayteck uses a stroke percussive technique which is said to be better for the deep tissue massage often needed by athletes. For this reason, the £39.99 device is perhaps targeted at the sports market rather than the mainstream healthcare arena.

In the attractive box can be found the massage gun itself, ten fearsome-looking heads, a head storage net bag, four spare seals, a USB-C charging cable, and two well-printed and informative User Guides. Also included is a robust semi-rigid carry case with customed shaped inserts. Build quality is first-rate and the massage gun looks well capable of standing up to hours of use in the gym and at home.

The massager features a 3000mAh battery charged using the supplied USB-C cable from any suitable USB outlet, a big advance from the old non-standard cables. When charging and in use, the current battery level is displayed on the LED panel. A new feature of this model is the inclusion of a pressure sensor, to record the force with which the massage head is being applied.

The ten heads, each with descriptive names just click in place and are just as easy to remove. They are each designed to target specific areas:

Massage Heads
Round – Large Muscle Groups
Long – Deep Tissue
Spade – Hamstring, Glutes
Short Taper – Palms, Joints
Cup- Lumbar Region
Thumb – Wrists, Hands, Forearms
Flat – Whole Body
U Shaped – Spine
Bowl – General Use
Cone – Palms, Soles

Using the massager is easy enough and pretty intuitive. After fully charging click your selected massage head into place, and switch on using the turret switch on the base. The backlit multicoloured LCD display on the rear of the massager head will show the current pressure, massage speed, and battery level with in the centre the touch button to select the massage level.

This device can be used both before and after workouts to tone and soothe strained muscles or to prepare for a strenuous exercise session. Take care only to use on soft tissue areas and not directly on to hard or bony areas or on the head. Commonsense will tell you to also avoid bruised or painful areas. When in operation take care to keep your fingers away from the gap between the oscillating head and the body. This is not an error you will make more than once.

The effect of using the unit is immediate and dramatic and due to the power of the device, it should be used with care. It does a good job of imitating the pummelling massage technique often used in sports therapy and does seem to work for specific toning techniques. The noise level is low and at just 45db at the maximum 3200 rpm speed in no way either annoying or distracting. The unit will switch off automatically after 10 minutes of sustained use to prevent tissue damage.

I have tried quite a few massagers of this type and this is one of the least expensive and best specified yet. It is built to professional standards if not for Pro use and should last for years. If you need a sports massager, I doubt you will find a better specified or equipped one than this.

More Info and Purchase

CHOIGN 7 Colour Disco Party Light

This versatile, simple and easy to use disco light may be just the thing to liven up your party. I have seen this model available under various names but at just £9.99 this one is the least expensive yet.

In the attractive mid-market box you get the disco light itself, USB cable, suction mount, remote control, an adjustable wall/ceiling mount and a well written and easy to read if rather a small User Guide. I enclose a copy of the User Guide in my unboxing video.

The light and mounts are made of plastic and this is where the budget price has to be paid as more costly rivals of similar design are made of metal. The remote control is quite small but the buttons are well marked and have a positive feel to them. Although made of plastic and quite lightweight my unit has shown no signs of packing in but who knows how it will be after use at a few parties. The unit can be connected to a power bank for easy use outdoors, a 10,000 mAh power bank should give around ten hours of use. However, don’t be tempted to use this outside if there is any hint of rain, as this device is not water-resistant.

Operating is easy enough. Just plug in – there is no Off/On switch – select the mode and features you want from the remote, and there you go. The supplied USB power cable is quite generous at 4m but extension cables are easily available as are Powerbanks which can also be used to power this device. Although the device is powered by USB it is a pity a non-standard cable was used, so take care not to lose it.

The remote allows you to select seven lighting colours (R,G,B, RG.RB,GB, Scrolling), and three audio modes ( Audio Triggered, Strobe, Auto Scroll) The music control mode is determined by the internal microphone which causes the lights to pulse in time with the music.

The lighting effects are very effective and would be perfect to give atmosphere to a party or small disco. The budget price for a sophisticated remote controlled unit such as this is very good indeed although for long term or professional use a more expensive and more robust unit might be better.

The Good
Great price
Dramatic Lighting Effects
Several Lighting Modes
Remote control
Good User Guide
Good Audio Trigger
USB Powered

The Bad
Lightweight build
Not Water Resistant
No power switch
Non-Standard USB Plug

More Info and Purchase

CWOWDEFU 10 inch Tablet with Case

This is no iPad, don’t think that, and it does not pretend to be, this is budget priced Android tablet that gives rather more than you might expect for the low price.

The tablet arrived presented in a simple and rather down market box inside of which were the tablet itself with a prefitted screen protector, a second screen protector, charging cable, UK Power Adapter, a touch screen pen, a combined case and stand, and a small but well written user guide which unlike most of the user guides included with budget tablets was actually rather useful. The tablet itself seems well made with personalised branding and seems rather better than the usual rebadged offerings. The USB power adapter and stylus pen feel a bit lightweight but work OK and get the job done.

The tablet is pretty much standard as regards features. It runs a pleasantly completely clean version of Android 10 with no non-standard apps and a pure Android experience. All the usual buttons and ports are to be found along the side and I was sorry to see charging and data is done through an old style micro-USB port rather than the more modern USB-C, but that is no big deal. There are easy to access SIM card and Micro-SD (maximum size 128GB) slots in a protected bay along one side. Upon startup for the first time I was pleased to see the system update itself, a sign that that this is not just another fire and forget device.

The 1280 x 800 10.1″ IPS screen is not the brightest I have screen, but is fine when cranked up to maximum with colours that are well saturated and accurate. The device has both GPS and Bluetooth but sadly lacks 5Ghz wifi. It has 32 GB of onboard storage with a micro-SD card slot for more and a 1.6GHz 64bit processor with 3GB of RAM.

The cameras are rather better than I expected and in strong flat lighting, the main camera although only rated 8MP with a maximum video resolution of 720p can produce perfectly acceptable results. Faint praise, but most cheap tablets have dreadful cameras whereas the cameras here, including the 5MB selfie camera, are distinctly a cut above.

In use, the tablet performs well enough but is a bit slow although I have tried plenty of others much worse. It is fine for general use, YouTube, web browsing, Netflix etc, but will take a second or so to open some apps and load photos slowly. In part that may be due to a slow wifi interface as onboard photos, for example, opened snappily enough. Once up and running it works well enough and is fine for web browsing, streaming video and general use.

Bearing that in mind this is a very decent buy for less than £100 after discounts and if you need a well made and attractive tablet with a good screen, decent cameras and do not mind the slightly slow performance then you could do much worse than this.

The Good
Good Price
Good Build Quality
Good Cameras
Bright Vibrant Screen
Bloatware Free
Case/Stand Included
Android 10
Cellular Enabled

The Bad
No USB-C
No 5Ghz Wifi
Poor Presentation

More Info and Purchase

ChunHee Wireless Window and Door Alarm

Not too much to say here.

This is a simple but enhanced ding-dong style door alarm of the sort used by shops and small businesses. When the door or window is opened the alarm sounds. The difference here is that it works with several doors or windows at once, up to six in fact although the kit I bought came with magnetic sensors for three. It does not connect to the internet, use Bluetooth, have an app or in any way can be described as smart. All it needs is a wall socket and batteries for power.

In the plain and unbranded box were the control box, three sensor pairs, a small screwdriver, spare adhesive pads and a well written and easy to read user guide. Build quality is lightweight and entirely of plastic but seems good enough. There are buttons on the control box for five volume levels and a choice of 55 alert sounds.

The sensors are powered by widely available 23A 12v batteries which can be replaced when needed, but each battery should last for months of normal use. The supplied screwdriver is used to prise open the battery compartment in the door sensor to gain access.

Setup is easy. Plug the control box into any UK three-pin socket, then remove the plastic pull-out tab from each of the sensor pairs and the alarm will sound and the appropriate number will light up on the control box to identify the sensor. Take a sensor pair and fit one sensor to one edge of the door (or window) and the other to the frame ensuring the tiny and hard to see arrows line up. The sensors come with sticky mounts so no screws are needed.

When the door is opened the alarm sounds and the control box shows which sensor has been triggered.

Build quality is lightweight but OK, it works well enough and is simple to set up and so for the £28 price I think it is not a bad buy.

More Info and Purchase

VASTFIRE Wireless Rear Signalling Bike Light Set

Being seen at night is just one of the problems that cyclists face on the road. Another is making sure motorists behind you know that you are about to make a turn. This new set from VASTFIRE addresses both these problems and is visible from between 50-100 meters.

This rear bike light set consists of three LED lights, all USB rechargeable and connected wirelessly, so no cables are needed. The set comes with orange right and left indicator lights together with a red central tail light and a handlebar fit remote control unit. The three IPX4 waterproof lights can be clipped together to form one unit or mounted separately.

Mounting is simple enough. Clip the plastic brackets to the rear of the lights or remote and then loop the rubber band around the rear of the bracket and bike tubing and into the sides of the mounts. The set can be quickly removed and refitted as needed to avoid theft.

The set is fully remote controlled with each light having a physical On/Off button in the centre. A red status LED confirms it is oin standby mode and awaiting a signal from the remote. Each light has a grommet protected micro-USB charging port with the remote control powered by a replaceable and widely available CR2032 button battery.

The central light can be set to always on, slow flashing or rapid flashing and the indicators to turn left, turn right or both flashing. The remote control buttons are backlit to confirm operation.

Build quality seems fine, lightweight but robust, and one charge should get around 6 hours of use from the main light and up to 18 hours from the indicators.

All in all a pretty good buy for the current price of £22.99.

More Info and Purchase

ELIVED EV008 Tilt TV Wall Bracket

I have just got a 55-inch TV for the bedroom and it needed to be wall mounted. I have had bad experiences in the past when wall mounting TVs and so I wanted to make sure this time would all go smoothly. I selected this kit due to the good reviews it received, the flexible mounting options and the attractive price. I think I made the right choice.

The kit includes all you need with every option covered including different mounts and screws for solid and plasterboard walls. A spirit level and spanner are also included. The large and well printed instructions are clear and easy to follow and there is also an excellent video available on the Amazon page showing the installation process. All the materials are of good quality and the frame and mount are both heavy-duty and robust. The components are supplied in separate bags labelled and letter coded to tie in with the user guide. The sheer number of screws, nuts and spacers included can seem a bit off putting, but remember you will only need those suitable for the surface you are securing the mount to. For my TV which was to be fitted to a stone wall, I needed just four screws for the TV rear mounts and four heavy-duty screws for the wall mount.

The key to getting it right is to plan the job fully in advance.
I also made sure I had the correct drill bits to hand along with a good quality drill and ratchet socket set needed for the installation process. I set it all up in advance, measuring and marking up the wall as needed. One good thing about this kit is that the mount does not need to be exactly central as the TV can be slid from left to right once on the wall but of course, it is crucial to ensure the wall mount is installed square and level.

To fit first, fit the two upright metal bars to the rear of the TV with the release catch end at the bottom. A full range of screws and spacers are included to fit the mounting holes on any TV.

Then assemble the two halves of the wall mount and secure it to the wall. It is crucial to do this correctly according to the wall type you have. The wall mount has a rail on the top and another near the bottom.

The TV can then be lowered onto the top rail of the wall mount with the weight of the TV clicking it in place onto the lower rail. The catches on the TV rear mount bars will lock it in place. Once mounted the TV can be slid on the rails from side to side. It can be removed from the wall mount by pulling the two hanging cords releasing the lower rail catches allowing the TV to be lifted off the wall mount.

The TV can be tilted forwards if needed using the supplied Allen key to adjust the two TV rear mount bars. I did not need to do this myself but I would think this is best done in advance as access to the adjustment slots could be tricky with the TV in place.

It took me a while to get the job done mainly due to checking and double checking my measurements and taking care that each stage was done correctly. If I had to fir another I could do it in half the time. The only downside is that after the installation you will be left with a bag of unused screws, washers, and spacers.

This is an excellent mounting kit, everything needed is in the box and clearly identified. The instructions are simple and easy to follow and once mounted the TV feels stable and secure.
For the £22.09 price, this is an excellent buy.

More Info and Purchase

XAEIOW Rechargeable Bike Light Set

This otherwise fairly standard front and rear bike light set does bring a few interesting features to the table. This is the first I have seen with a stand alone fog light, a separate 1000 Lumen warm white front facing LED light which can be used separately or together with the 4000 Lumen headlight.

In the box is the front light, mounting bracket, charging cable, no user guide is included or needed. Separately packaged is the rear light together with a charging cable and mounting band.

The front light feels tough and robust with an aluminium alloy casing and heavy duty plastic facia protecting the five front facing LEDs, two for the fog light and three for the headlight. On the top are backlit buttons to turn the fog and headlights on and off with the two lights working together or separately. Above them is a brightly lit LCD screen showing the current battery status and both this and the lighting buttons remain illuminated when active. On the underside is the bracket for the quick-release plastic handlebar mount and on the rear, a grommet protected bay housing the USB-C power in socket and the USB-A power bank output port. The rear light is a pretty standard circular red LED light with grommet protected USB charging port on the back and a single button on the top for operation. The rear light is secured with a rubber tension strip of the sort widely used.

Both lights are rechargeable, the front using USB-C, the rear with a micro-USB port. Both have a run time of up to 10 hours depending on the lighting mode in use.

Operating the front light is easy enough. Press the top button for the headlight at full power, again for half power, and a third time for flashing mode. Press the Fog light button once to turn on and again to turn off. Press the rear light button to scroll through the three brightness modes and three flashing modes.

The front light can be easily removed and used as a handheld torch or flashlight with the powerful combined 5000 lumen lamp being easily bright enough for this purpose. It can also be used as an emergency power bank using the USB-A output port in the rear bay. We are not told the capacity of the battery, but it should be fine to top up your phone in an emergency when on the road.

This is a well made and robust bike light set with some unusual and interesting features and for the £27.99 price before discounts, a very worthwhile buy.

More Info and Purchase

Draper 16359 Metric Socket Set

Although priced at just £22.95 there are many cheaper sets than this available but I thought it best to pay a bit more for this mid range metric socket set.

In the box are 14 six point sockets in sizes: 8, 9,10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, and 22mm. The heart of the set is the sizeable and well made ratchet handle which has a quick access reversing switch, a socket eject button and features a 72-tooth ratchet mechanism which gives for a smoother operation than the 48-tooth type found on low-end rivals. Also included are short and long extenders and a right angled adapter. The storage case is made from medium weight plastic with marked shaped inserts for the various components and a locking clip lid.

Build quality for the ratchet, sockets and accessories is first rate with everything made from heavy duty Chrome Vanadium Steel with the socket sizes clearly marked. The case although robust enough for general use could be stronger and a more secure locking mechanism for the lid would be better.

As you might expect it all works well and I had no problems or issues when using it with the buttery smooth ratchet mechanism being a joy to use.

This is an excellent quality metric socket set and well worth the modest asking price.

More Info and Purchase

GOCOM G9 Twin Walkie Talkie Set

This set of two walkie-talkie style handheld radio communicators will answer the needs of a great many users as they are simple and easy to use but fully waterproof and built to withstand rigorous use. They are designed to conform to the American Family Radio Service (FRS) standard and use channelized frequencies around 462 and 467 MHz in the ultra high frequency (UHF) band. No licence is required either in the USA or UK to use them.

In the box are the two handsets with a set of rechargeable batteries, a plastic belt clip and a hands-free kit for each. Also included is a twin mount charging stand, micro-USB charging cable and a rather poorly printed and hard to read but informative user guide. Although made from plastic, build quality is extremely robust and the handsets are rated as being IP67 waterproof which means they can be immersed in water up to 1m deep for short periods. Indeed if a handset does fall into the water then it will float and automatically illuminate its’ emergency light.

On the front of each handset is a large backlit LCD showing the current operating status of the radio. Below the screen is a set of proper clicky buttons for Power On/Off/Cal, Menu/Lock, Lamp/Weather Alert, Frequency Monitor/Scanning, Up, Down. Below this is the large speaker grill and microphone panel. On one side of the radio is the large Play To Talk (PTT) button and an emergency alert button. On the other side is a grommet protected bay giving access to the micro-USB and hands free ports. On the top is the large fixed antenna which is is only slightly felxible, on the base two large bright white LEDs, one for the built in flashlight and the other for the emergency light.

The handsets come with rechargeable batteries, a set of three AA 1200mAH NiMH for each handset and these can be replaced when needed. Charging can be done from any USB A port either directly to the micro-USB port on each handset or to the twin handset charging base. for added flexibility the handsets will also work with standard AA batteries.

The handsets have been designed for simple operation and ease of use and here is does differ from more expensive units designed for professional or more experienced users. To operate, tun on by long pressing the power button, the handset will beep and the initial screen will show the current channel and privacy code. To change channel press the menu button once and then the Up/Down keys to select a new one. Hit the PTT key to exit. Take note that channels 1-3 are use 0.5w power and are designed for nearby use and the others a more battery hungry 2w but designed for long range. The privacy code, which can also be changed, is simply designed to give a clearer signal it does not encrypt or make secret your transmissions, which can be monitored by anyone with a suitablke receiver. Each handset can scan for signals on both the active and one other channel alternately. The handsets can also be set to VOX mode for voice activated use.

Audio quality is clear and easy to hear and is loud even at the lowest setting. There are confimation and Roger beeps, again rather loud, but these can be disabled from the on screen menu. What cannot be changed is the screen time out period which is very short.

The phone comes with some other useful safety features including a bbuilt in flashlight, emergency light that shows SOS in morse, and a 11 band weather alert system for the USA only NOAA network.

Is it perfect? No, the belt buckle is not so robust as I would like, the screen time-out is too short and cannot be changed, the speaker even at the llowest setting is too loud for discreet use, and a rotary dial would allow for finer tuning for frequency and volume. These are all incidental issues and do not detract from the key features of this set.

If you need a walkie talkie set robust enough for extended rough terrain use, simple enough for quick and easy access and at a bargain price of around $75 then this might be for you.

UK More Info and Purchase

USA More Info and Purchase

VASTFIRE 1600 lumen 5 Mode Bike Light Set

This newly updated WG705 bike light set from VASTFIRE is two separate but complementary products bundled together. The set consists of a multimode forward-facing high power light that can also be used as a torch and Powerbank together, with a dimmable rear-facing red light. The current Amazon price of £26.99 makes this a rather attractive deal.

In the simple but branded box were the two lights, Micro-USB charging cable, USB-C charging cable, handlebar mount, rear mount, carry bag, and a well printed and easy to read user guide.

The allumium alloy 282g front light has an easy to use quick release feature and at 1600 lumens is one of the brightest and best I have encountered. Using it could not be simpler. There is a single large and easy to access button on the top which when pressed scrolls through four power modes and SOS flashing mode. Long press the button to turn the lamp off and on and double press to enter flashing mode. There is a nine-stage battery status LED which also shows when the lamp is in locked mode. On the underside is a grommet protected USB-C port to charge the battery which is claimed to give a run time of up to 13 hours according to the mode selected. An LED illuminates when the device is charging. It also works perfectly well as a torch when removed from the quick-release mount and has an additional USB port which allows it to serve as an emergency power bank – at 5200 mAh it should be hefty enough to charge most phones once from flat.

We are not told much about the rear lamp, which has perhaps been added as an afterthought to make up the set. However, it is good and powerful with multiple brightness levels, and SOS mode all set through the single large top facing button and again has a rechargeable battery.

The lights are robust, powerful, and bright and should help to keep you safe on the roads at night. Both lights are IPX 6 waterproof which means it should be fine in the rain for extended periods. Build quality seems fine and the lights are small and neat enough to tuck away in a pocket when not needed. The main lamp doubles both as a torch and emergency power bank, both jobs it does well. I doubt if you will find a better bike light set for this price.

More Info and Purchase