That Frugal Guy: EsiCam Mini Surveillance Camera

Hey Guys, it's time for another blog post. Like most of the things posted on the blog, this post is about another product I received for free in exchange for a review.  I received the product from EsiCam through Tomoson.  Check out EsiCam by clicking here or Tomoson by clicking here.

The product itself is advertised as a "hidden" camera (as well as a sports and surveillance) camera, but I think that was just a keyword to reach specific demographics. The camera is small, but it's not small enough to really hide anywhere without having to build a structure of some sort to house it. So, it's perfect for just regular home surveillance, or for use as a body came (see pictures for various functions). Below is a picture of everything that came in the box.

The instructions show you how to set up the app and then pair with the camera so that you can view what the camera views at any given time. It was a little harder to set up than I anticipated, but not so difficult that I needed customer service to help out. I was a little leery about this step because user reviews on the app are terrible.  However, as of the writing of this post I did not encounter any issues, and I did not see any threatening notifications (some users reported their virus software flagged the app as malicious). 

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the lens is pretty wide and the picture is clear. The audio is a little low unless you're right on top of the camera, but the low audio is expected for a device that is more designed for picking up images.  Check out the video below for how it looks.

There are also a bunch of various settings that can be accessed directly from the app, and the one I think is the coolest is the alarm feature. I did try it out, and basically it's a motion activated alarm that rings on the app when the camera detects motion. So, if you're using as a home surveillance camera, that's perfect.  I haven't checked yet to see if the camera will automatically start recording when the alarm is triggered, but even if it does not do that, the app will notify the user and the user can than begin recording. 

I haven't checked to see how far the range on the motion detector goes, but if any one is curious just let me know and I'll check.  My wife wants to use this to spot porch pirates, so we may put it to the test ourselves.

The package came with a number of ways to use the camera:  1) mounted, 2) strapped to clothing, 3) on your wrist, 4) plugged into computer using goose neck.

1) The mount is magnetic and strong enough to work even if you have the clothing strap attached, and the package came with a number of adhesive circles so that you can place the mount at the location of your choosing.  I haven't used the mount yet so I don't know how well the adhesive works yet. Pretty standard looking so I didn't take a separate picture.


2) The strap piece can be snapped onto the camera and then you can slide it onto your pants or on a shirt pocket. It is heavy, so I don't advise putting it on clothing if you will be doing any sort of drastic movement (i.e., running). 

3) The wrist thing worked when you placed the magnetic (wireless) charger to the back. Then you slide that into the wrist strap. This is probably the best option for exercise, as it's secure on your wrist. HOWEVER, since it's attached via a magnet, you still would have to be relatively careful, as the magnet could detach if you're moving too much. The magnet is pretty strong so I doubt normal jogging would be dangerous, but that depends on how much you swing your arms.

4) plugged into the computer is my favorite, as the goose neck cord provides versatility in the angle while keeping the camera secure where you want it. Plus, it's plugged into a power source so it won't die (battery is reported as being 60-90 minutes of use time.

So far I like this camera, and for the price point it's a pretty good bargain.  Click here to find it on Amazon. It's got pretty good reviews on there.  As mentioned before, the problem most people seemed to have was with the app, but I haven't encountered any issues with it yet.  Here's a break down of pros and cons.  Pros:  versatile, good picture quality, small, easy to use, multi-faceted and free app, no mandatory charge for cloud service. Cons: app drains battery and tries to run in the background, isn't always recording (when on it's live streaming, but you have to hit a button to make it record), small battery life.

If you're in the market for a versatile camera but don't want to spend an arm and a leg, then give the EsiCam a try. 

That Frugal Guy: DJW Gift Baskets for Every Occassion

Hey Hey everyone,

This post is about a gift basket from DJW Custom Gift Baskets & Beyond.  You can check out their website by clicking here. I received the basket as a free gift, so keep that in mind.

Custom gift baskets are generally given to someone for a reason, and DJW Custom Gift Baskets & Beyond takes that idea to the next level. They allow a degree of customization beyond anything I've ever seen from a company, and the attention to detail really shows in the final product.  As I already said, I received this particular basket as a free gift, but I was still allowed to customize it.  I decided to go with a "Just Because" gift basket for my wife, and below are the results.

Basket all sealed up and ready to give to Kay.

The contents:  The owl figures, some cosmetics, cookies/candy from around the globe, little notes with nice sayings on them for Kay. 

Another angle of the contents... 

...and another angle...

...and one final angle...

One of the notes included customized with one of her favorite sayings. There were a ton of notes (and yes I did customize those too)

So if you know my wife, you know she loves owls, candy, and sentimental sayings.  I told this to the owner of the company, and she took this idea and ran with it.  I mentioned Kay likes owls, and four or five owl figures were in the basket. But they weren't just cheap owl toys or decorative items, these were high quality figurines that Kay cherishes. The owls even followed a theme that included Paul and myself.  One owl is beneath a book (I'm a writer), and there's an adult owl holding up her baby owl.  Kay enjoys candy, but instead of just throwing some random candies into the basket, DJW placed unique sweet treats that were sourced from around the globe (customizing the specific candy is also an option of course)! To say I'm impressed is an understatement.

If you ever need to send a gift for any occasion, DJW Custom Gift Baskets & Beyond should be your first choice.  Click here to check out their website!

Thanks for reading everyone.  Let me know if you have any questions!

That Frugal Guy - Seventh Generation Wipes (#Freesample)

Hey Guys,

It's been a while since I posted anything, and now I'm posting a double feature. Dun dun dun!  This is a review of the Seventh Generation multi-purpose wipes and the baby wipes (for cleaning baby's body, including face). I received them for free (I'm a part of the Seventh Generation online community [Generation Good], and occasionally they send out freebies). Yay samples.

Just as a little background behind Seventh Generation:  they're a company that's dedicated to providing all natural products at a reasonable price (so the Earth is still here in seven generations).  They're available at most major retailers, and of course they're available online from Amazon and the like.  I already use as many of their products as possible.

Here is a picture of the multi-purpose wipes.

The wipe is sturdy and holds up during all of my cleaning. I haven't tried to do anything crazy like wash the dishes with them, but I have cleaned stuck on messes throughout the house and they've worked just fine. They have a strong but not overpowering mint smell.  Since they're all natural, the smell is from the mint plant, and it makes me happy to know that it's not an artificial scent that could cause harm to myself or the little one.  The baby wipes are unscented, and a picture of those is below. They're called free and clear because they don't have anything extra added (i.e., scents).

Since Paul's skin is still developing, and chemicals can enter into his little body through contact, I'm more than happy to use a wipe that's all natural on him. They aren't quite as sturdy as the multi purpose wipe, but then again his bottom side isn't exactly rough so they don't need to be as sturdy either. I use them on his face as well and I don't have to worry if he grabs and tries to eat them (but I take them out his mouth if he gets them in there. They may not be toxic but they aren't food).

Five stars for both of these products.  Thanks so much to Generation Good for sending these!  Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any questions.  Since these are available everywhere, I didn't bother linking to anywhere in particular.

The Frugal Guy: USB Car Charger

Hey party people.  This week I'll be reviewing a USB car charger.  I received the charger for free from Achoro through Tomoson (click here if you want to check Tomoson out and try tons of free products).  Click here if you want to see Achoro's other products.

So, I think this is the first time I'm giving a review on a product that didn't work for me.  This is advertised as being for the Nintendo Switch, which is why I wanted to try it out.  But, I plugged it in and nothing happened.  If you go on Amazon you can see there are two different ports you can plug into.  The first port didn't do a thing (like nothing happened on my Switch) and the second port said it was charging the Switch but no actual battery charge happened (the second part was allegedly the quick charge port).  I had a long trip over the weekend, and the charger was going for three hours of the trip, but when I got home the battery on the switch was still zero.  If you find that hard to believe, check out my Youtube videos by clicking here and here (two parts to show the start time and the stop time, and how nothing changed).  See the below image of my no charge when I got home.

That being said, I also tried this out for a phone, and it does charge a little faster for that.  On the same trip I plugged my phone into my car USB charger (the port that comes standard in most cars) and that charged at about 1% per hour while being used (google maps).  The Achoro car charger charged the phone at about 1% per minute, so it was faster than just plugging it into the car, but I didn't try all the ports since my main concern was charging my Switch (charging my phone was more or less to determine if the product was defective).

Other downsides to this are the fact that it doesn't come with any instructions (it has two USB ports and another third port, and I have no clue what that third port is for), and also it doesn't come with a carry case. Not having instructions is important, since the three ports are labeled differently, which leads me to believe they have separate uses, so knowing what they're for is vital.  The Amazon page briefly touches on the different types, but doesn't say much about the third port so I'm still lost to that and instructions would have been nice.  Plus, when I was trying to start using this I couldn't get on Amazon (being on the road and all, didn't want to be too distracted) so I had to figure it out on the fly.  The carry case would have just been nice.

Here is the package/box it came in.  This was all I received.  No box with signage or anything, just plain cardboard.  It did come with protective wrap though.

So, I can't recommend this product as a Nintendo Switch charger, as it did absolutely nothing for that.  If you need a faster car charger, then this should be okay.  Also understand that it's possible I used the wrong port for my phone, since it didn't come with instructions I'm not sure if it was used properly.  Still, if you are interested in buying click here.

The Frugal Guy: Ring Sling Carrier

Hey hey hey.  I hope all the fathers out there had a wonderful father's day (I did! Woot).  This week I'll be reviewing a ring sling carrier (for carrying small children).  I received the carrier for free from Baby Womb World through Tomoson (click here if you want to check Tomoson out and try tons of free products).  The company that sells this on Amazon is called Mida solutions. Click here if you want to see their other products.

On to the review.

If you've never used a ring sling carrier, then take this as a word of caution.  They can be tricky to figure out if you don't watch a video, and since it's going to be carrying your child you want to make sure you have everything correct. I recommend watching a number of videos and trying it out without the baby first, just to make sure you're as safe as you can be.  Thankfully, Baby Womb World delivered this carrier with links to their Youtube videos. They also have a number of pictures so the learning process is simplified for you.  Check out my Youtube video of Kay putting little Paul in the carrier.

As far as the quality of the carrier, the fabric on this is pretty thick. The rails (top and bottom of the carrier) do have a little padding so it's comfortable for the baby. The threading portion is even thicker, so there's no worry about this ripping, but I don't think that's a real concern since it's for children and not adults (though I'm no expert on sling carriers).

Learning how to get the little one into the carrier was a bit difficult at first (he just didn't want to go in), but the videos were helpful and were of high quality (showed how things should be done, and also had little text blurbs to indicate what was happening in the video).  At the end of the day, practice makes perfect, but note that every baby will be different.  Our child didn't enjoy the social position much, but he liked the newborn position (he's not a newborn though).  With a little patience, we worked it out.

This is a high quality ring sling carrier that has a number of positions and helpful videos.  So far, I would highly recommend.  If you have your hands full and need a little help carrying the little one around, this is the sling for you. Check it out by clicking here.  Feel free to post any questions or concerns in the comments below.  As always, thanks for reading. Until next time.

That Frugal Guy: Mini Bluetooth Headset (cellphone)

Hey everybody.  This week I'll be reviewing a mini bluetooth headset compatible with most cell phones.  I received the headset for free from SoulSoundMagic through Tomoson (click here if you want to check Tomoson out and try tons of free products).  I couldn't find a seller page for SoulSoundMagic on Amazon, but it looks like they currently have two products and both are bluetooth headsets for cell phones.

If the word mini didn't give it away, these headsets are super small. They're designed to be low profile, and you can only see it if you're looking directly at my ear. I'll get into details about the audio quality a bit later, but let's start with the care put into packaging this thing.

First of all, careful packaging usually indicates a quality item, so opening the box put a good taste in my mouth from the jump. The cardboard box was sturdy, but I was surprised to find a carry case for this little device as well.

The carry case even comes with a little pouch for the USB charger, but note that the cord is also mini. The top is hard enough that you can store the case in a glove box without having to worry about it being crushed or damaged (though it's not a padded case, and there's a lot of extra room, so using it as a maraca would be ill-advised).

Unlike some bluetooth headsets, this one comes with three types of earbuds (something usually only seen in earbud headphones for playing music). I assume they have this feature since the bluetooth has to stay in your ear without over-ear support.  A snug fit is essential, and it's nice to be able to choose what works best for my ear.

The buds are comfy and have a rubber/silicone padding so it's not just a piece of hard plastic jabbing you in the ear.

The instructions didn't mention how long it should be charged for the first use, but I hooked it up to my laptop and the light indicated it was finished after a few minutes (the Amazon page says 30 minute charging time).  This leads to my only qualm with the design: the indicator light for a full charge/charging is inside the device. You can faintly see it through the top, but if you're in a well-light room it will be hard to tell if your device is fully charged or not (which may lead to overcharging and a reduction of battery life down the road).  If you look closely at the picture below, you can barely see a blue blip on the right just before the top of the headset.

For sound, the earpiece is great. You can adjust the volume using your phone's in-call volume button, and the headset gives voice prompts based off of what you press (i.e., press and hold for 6 seconds, it will say "pairing with your device" or hold for 3 seconds when it's on, and it will say "power off").

As far as the microphone quality, it's also good, but conditionally so. Since there's nothing that reaches to your face, it has to pick up sound that bounces back to your ear, so it's a little muffled when you're in a large room or don't have the phone nearby.  I recorded a video of the audio, but that of course detracts from the quality of the original sound.  Still, the video is below.  The first few seconds is me, calling in my house with the phone across the room (very hard to hear), while the last part is my wife calling from her phone while inside the car (very clear and easy to hear).

As you can tell from the recordings, this device works better if you have your phone nearby. I recommend using this in your car or when holding your phone in your hand.

So if you're looking for a headset that you'll barely notice is on your head, this is the headset for you.  This is also a great buy if you're just looking to boost your call volume, but don't want a clunky headset weighing your head down. The mini S-1 is relatively cheap for bluetooth headsets, but the price doesn't detract any quality as far as I could tell.  It's easy to operate and comes complete with the carry case so you don't lose it since it's so tiny. If you're interested in getting one, check out the product by clicking here. The page has a bunch of info about standby time, etc as well.

The Frugal Guy: Diaper Bag Backpack

Hello again guys.  This week I'm reviewing a diaper bag backpack (another product from Asani, and it's the best one yet...I feel like I keep saying that, but things keep improving).  Asani gave me the product for free to try out, and they are the same company that gifted me the changing pads, swaddle blankets, boppy pillow, and the segmented glass containers.  Click here, here, here, or here to visit my previous post about those items.

We already had a diaper bag, but it was rather large. Generally speaking, large is good since you can fit more, but it felt like we were carrying around a suitcase every time we went in public. When you have a young child, having free hands is a plus, but the old diaper bag put a damper on that.  With this new bag, it fits snugly onto our shoulders so we can keep all of our supplies handy and still have both hands free to take care of little Paul.

Though this fits on your back, it has a crazy number of pockets and storage slots (see pictures below).  For lack of a better description, this bag is the Swiss army knife of diaper storage.  It has insulated pockets to keep bottles hot or cold. It even has a slot for wipes that comes with a fold so you can easily access them. If you're out on a stroll and decide your bag is too heavy, it has straps to attach to your stroller. This also comes with a changing pad and an extra insulated pouch (nifty for milk storage bags).

I can't think of any downsides to this, and my wife and I love it so far!  Haven't washed it or anything and we don't plan on doing any rough hikes, but we'll see how durable it is over the next few months.  We'll post an update if it starts to tear or rip from the weight we put in it. See the pictures to see all the pockets and features this thing comes with.

Changing Pad

Storage pouch (insulated)

Front pocket with various bottle storage slots.

Main pocket for general storage.

Smaller pocket with insulated slot.

Bottom pocket (also insulated.

Fold-up slot for wipes.

If you have a child in diapers you need this bag.  Check out the product on Amazon and get yours today!  As always, thanks for reading guys, and leave a comment below with any questions you might have.