Brooke Hall

Brooke and Mason Hall are a mother-son team. She’s a freelance writer with a journalism background. He’s a teenager who loves all things electronic, which he often buys secondhand to fiddle with and dissect.

TURBRO Inflame electric fireplace (INF60W-3D) review

Turbo ElectricFireplace 11

REVIEW – The main level of my house gets chilly. It has a sunroom that’s beautiful but not terribly insulating, and hard floors that get cold. My husband’s office is in the adjoining living room, and he keeps a space heater under his desk just to make it bearable. When the TURBRO Inflame electric fireplace came

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YARGO YP100 100W solar panel review – lightweight and works great

Yargo SolarPanel 6

REVIEW – Every time we get a power bill, our carrier makes a point of showing us that we are using way, way more energy than our neighbors. While we try to be conscious of our power usage by using energy-efficient appliances and turning off lights we’re not using, it still makes us feel bad.

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BlendJet 2 portable blender review – with an XL jar

Blendjet Blender 7

REVIEW – My son and co-reviewer, Mason, is on a smoothie kick. I hate to discourage this healthy habit, but our old blender is loud enough to wake the dead (or at least his little brother). When I saw this opportunity to review The BlendJet 2 “next-gen blender” that’s lightweight, cordless, and came with both

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Creative Sound Blaster Katana V2X soundbar review – Compact system, big sound

Creative Soundbar 4

REVIEW – As it turns out, this is the sound system we didn’t know we needed. My son and co-reviewer Mason picked this out after having a good experience with Creative speakers for a previous review. Our main TV already has a nice soundbar, and I have a portable speaker to use around the house,

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Nexar Beam GPS dash cam review – little device can eliminate big headaches

Nexar Dashcam 2

REVIEW – Even though my teenager has been asking for a dash cam for months, I never really saw the value in one… until I was recently T-boned by a driver who blew through a stop sign. Now I’m much more open to the idea, seeing firsthand how helpful that footage could have been for

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Growatt Infinity 1500 power station review

Growatt PowerStation 18

REVIEW – After a power outage that lasted more than three days, we’ve been researching options to keep our fridge cold and devices charged in case it ever happens again. At the time, we borrowed a friend’s gas-powered generator, but those are loud, expensive and cumbersome. We’ve tested power stations before, but they tend to

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INSE W5 wet dry vacuum review – A self-cleaning mop that clears dirt in its path

Inse WetDryVac 11

REVIEW – I’m always looking for gadgets that make my household chores faster and easier. The idea of a vacuum and mop combo, which would theoretically cut in half the time it takes to clean my floors, is an exciting prospect. I’ve tested other wet/dry vacs, but the INSE W5 stood out because it’s cordless,

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Marbrasse retractable drying rack review – Works for drying water bottles

Mabrasse DryingRack 4

REVIEW – I’ve had an ongoing dishwashing problem: I can’t seem to get reusable water bottles completely dry, and we use a lot of water bottles in my household. After unloading the dishwasher or even after I wash them by hand, I set them on my drying mat… and no matter how long I leave

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WaterGuru SENSE pool monitor review – Keeps your pool sparkling clean all season

WaterGuru H2Osensor 16

REVIEW – We’ve had a pool for five years since we moved into our current house. It’s been a real learning experience! And no matter what testing kits or chemicals we use, we always hit a rough patch over the hottest spell of the summer when the water gets cloudy or even worse, yellow or

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