James Garriss - The Gadgeteer

JMBricklayer Steampunk Marble Run review – The most ambitious set ever?

REVIEW – JMBricklayer designs, distributes, and sells building block sets that are a cheaper alternative to LEGO-brand sets. They are no stranger to The Gadgeteer, as we’ve reviewed everything from spacemen to chameleons to pirate ships to lighthouses. JMBricklayer is back with their most ambitious set ever, a massive marble run that in their own […]

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New West KnifeWorks Saddleback Glory Pocket Knife review

REVIEW – Not all pocket knives are created equal. Some cut corners to keep the price down. Other are a nice blend of features and price, and tend to make the best EDC knives. Still others look to rise above the field and be a better knife. In this review, I’ll be looking at the

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Blade Show 2024 Atlanta

By James Garriss / June 10, 2024 / Articles / Knives, Trip Report / 3 Comments

ARTICLE – We enjoy reviewing knives here at The Gadgeteer, but there is one thing that’s better than a review: putting your hands on a knife and giving it a test. The best place to see knives, both new and old, is at Blade Show 2024 in Atlanta, the largest knife show in the world.

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Vosteed Talarurus Pocket Knife review

By James Garriss / June 10, 2024 / Reviews / Knives / Leave a Comment

REVIEW – Vosteed has been on a roll lately, releasing new knives (like the Ankylo) as well as variations of existing knives (like the Raccoon with a crossbar lock). In this review, we’ll be looking at the dubiously-named Talarurus, a new pocket knife from Vosteed. What is it? The Vosteed Talarurus is a pocket knife

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JMBricklayer Mechanical Parrot Building Block Set review

By James Garriss / May 15, 2024 / Reviews / LEGO / 3 Comments

REVIEW – JMBricklayer has released several sets in their Fantastic Idea line, like the chameleon and the panda, often with creatures that are part animal and part machine. Their latest addition is a mechanical parrot. Though the manual for this one doesn’t provide any backstory, I bet his robotic half is a smart device capable

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Play Easily Now (PEN) Wargame – lots of fun with your (mini) figures

By James Garriss / May 13, 2024 / News / Crowdfunded, games, LEGO / Leave a Comment

CROWDFUNDING NEWS – Last year I reviewed Bag End, a building block set from Webrick. While I liked the set, it didn’t come with any mini figures. I already had a few from some LEGO sets, but not enough to fill out this hobbit home. I went to AliExpress to buy a few more, and

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Vosteed Ankylo Pocket Knife review

By James Garriss / April 9, 2024 / Reviews / EDC, Knives / Leave a Comment

REVIEW – Pocket knives are versatile tools, useful for many tasks around the house and yard, whether staying in or heading out and about. There are many shapes and sizes and styles of knives, which allows everyone to find a knife or three that’s right for them. In this review, I’m looking at a new

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Aqua Optima Electric Kettle review

By James Garriss / March 9, 2024 / Reviews / Home and Kitchen, Tea / Leave a Comment

REVIEW – Any tea aficionado knows that there’s more to brewing tea than boiling water and pouring it over a tea bag. One, temperature matters. If the water is too hot or too cool, it can cause over or under extraction and alter the flavor of the tea. Two, depending upon location, a filter may

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JMBricklayer Space Astronaut Panda Building Block Set review – Pandas in space!

By James Garriss / March 8, 2024 / Reviews / LEGO / Leave a Comment

REVIEW – Mankind has explored most of our planet, but there are still vast regions of space that we have never been to. What better way could there be to explore space than to mechanize pandas, provide them with armored space suits, and send them out! This is a review of Space Astronaut Panda, a

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Lenovo demos laptop with transparent display

By James Garriss / March 7, 2024 / News / monitor / Leave a Comment

NEWS – Apple recently released their Vision Pro, a fancy headset computer. One of the biggest concerns that I have about this device is that it will tend to further isolate people from each other. I put the headset on, work for a few hours, and completely ignore everyone around me. In a recent tech

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Eve Energy Outlet review – the perfect smart outlet

By James Garriss / March 4, 2024 / Reviews / Home Automation, Matter, smart home / 5 Comments

REVIEW – In a perfect world, all of the powered gadgets that I own (fans, humidifiers, heaters, etc.) would be smart gadgets, capable of being controlled with nothing more than a voice command to Siri or a preset automation via the Home app. I don’t live in that world just yet, so one way to

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Mavix M9 gaming chair review – configurable for all-day use

By James Garriss / March 3, 2024 / Reviews / Chair, gaming chair, massager / Leave a Comment

REVIEW – Gaming chairs are their own class of gadget, but in these post-COVID days many people work from home and use the same chair for gaming as they do for work. I am one of these, and so I need a chair that is comfortable, encourages an ergonomic posture, and provides a full-suite of

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Tekto F3 Charlie Knife review – a trusty companion when hiking

By James Garriss / January 25, 2024 / Reviews / Knives / 4 Comments

REVIEW – My wife and I love to go trail hiking, especially up in the Appalachian Mountains. Some of the places we go are popular, and there are lots of other hikers; other trails, however, are remote, and we may not see anyone else for a couple of hours. Whenever we go hiking, I like

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iStorage Datashur PRO+C Encrypted Flash Drive review – protecting your personal data

By James Garriss / January 3, 2024 / Reviews / Flash Memory, Hard Drive / Leave a Comment

REVIEW – We all have data that we need to protect, data like passwords, tax information, financial investments, social security and passport numbers, security clearance information, medical and dental records, and so on. It’s data that we don’t want anyone else to see, and we really don’t want it stolen and used for identity theft.

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Funwhole A-Frame Cabin Building Block Set review – an old-fashioned house with lights

By James Garriss / December 31, 2023 / Reviews / LEGO, Toys / Leave a Comment

REVIEW – Last year I reviewed Funwhole’s Lakeside Lodge, and it is probably my favorite building block set. It’s amazing how a good set of lights can really enhance the quality of a set, and no one knows how to light a set like Funwhole. I decided to review another set in this same genre

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Loobani Dog Puzzles review – fun for the thinking dog

By James Garriss / December 30, 2023 / Reviews / Pet Gadgets / Leave a Comment

REVIEW – Many web sites consider poodles to be the second-smartest dog breed (after the border collie), and we have two them! Elijah and Maggie are toy poodles, and they definitely love a good challenge. Poodles are known for the problem-solving skills and for being quick learners. If you have a smart breed, it’s important

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AiDot Enhulk 930 Leaf Blower review – all that power!

By James Garriss / November 30, 2023 / Reviews / Outdoor Gear / 2 Comments

REVIEW – I already have a leaf blower. It’s a 700 CFM blower from Kobalt, and I like it. It does, however, have a fatal flaw: It requires an extension cord for power. It’s forever getting caught on things in my garage or stuck under one of the tires on my car. It’s not even

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District Noir card game review – a light yet fun game for two players

By James Garriss / November 23, 2023 / Reviews / games / Leave a Comment

REVIEW – My wife and I often have an hour together in the evenings to hang out, and at the end of the day we are often a bit tired. These are the times when we enjoy playing lighter games that allow us to have fun and yet still talk. District Noir is a perfect

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AV Access iDock C10 KVM switch review – the power of one button

By James Garriss / November 22, 2023 / Reviews / Computer Gear / 5 Comments

REVIEW – On the main desk in my home office, I have two computers. One is a Mac mini, my personal computer, and the other is a MacBook Pro, my work computer. Since I have limited space on my desk, I would like for these computers to share a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. This is

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Matter upgraded to version 1.2

By James Garriss / November 21, 2023 / Reviews / Home Automation, Matter, smart home / Leave a Comment

NEWS – Matter is a connectivity standard. The idea is that I should be able to buy any IoT device and instantly use it, regardless of the smart home platform that I use (e.g., Apple’s HomeKit, Google’s Nest). It’s a common language that is supported by over 200 companies. It’s been just over a year

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