Reviews - The Gadgeteer

Beatbot AquaSense X Review: The AstroRinse Station Is a Breakthrough in Pool Cleaning

By Vincent Nguyen / April 13, 2026 / Buyer's Guide, Deals, Featured, Reviews / Beatbot, robot pool cleaner / Leave a Comment

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The AstroRinse station is the reason the Beatbot AquaSense X exists. It’s the first automatic filter-cleaning station built for a pool robot, and The Gadgeteer is among the first publications to put it through real-world testing. The robot docks, the station rinses its filter, empties its debris bin, and three minutes later everything is clean […]

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Bebird EarSight Ultra X Review: 4K Smart Ear Camera for Safer Cleaning

By Vincent Nguyen / April 3, 2026 / Reviews / health / Leave a Comment

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You know the feeling. Something shifts in your ear canal when you chew, or presses against the wall when you lie on your side. You grab a cotton swab, tilt your head, and start digging blind. You can’t see what you’re pushing. You can’t tell if you’re clearing the blockage or compacting it deeper. The

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Ultimea Skywave X100 Dual Review: A 9.2.6 Wireless Surround System with THX Tuning

By Vincent Nguyen / March 30, 2026 / Featured, Reviews / Deals, Speakers, Wireless speakers / 1 Comment

Ultimea SkyWave X100 Dual 9.2.6 wireless surround sound system fully set up in a living room, showing the 43.3-inch soundbar below a large-screen TV, four compact wireless surround speakers positioned around the seating area, and two 10-inch wireless subwoofers with black woodgrain finish and gold accents flanking the couch

The Skywave X100 Dual is Ultimea’s flagship wireless surround system: a 9.2.6 channel package with a 43.3-inch soundbar, four wireless surround speakers, two 10-inch wireless subwoofers, and six up-firing drivers for overhead audio. The system carries a Tuned by THX designation, decodes Dolby Atmos and DTS:X natively, and connects every component wirelessly through CineMesh dual

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Xiaomi 17 Review: The $630 Phone That Outlasted My iPhone

By Rei Padla / February 28, 2026 / Featured, Reviews / Xiaomi / 1 Comment

REVIEW – Most phones at $630 ask you to pick your battles. Keep the battery, lose the camera. Get the processor, shrink the screen. skipped that conversation entirely, and then skipped a whole generation number while they were at it. The 17 jumped straight from 15 to 17, a move that puts it nose to

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BOOX Palma 2 Pro Review: Color and handwriting and LTE, oh my!

By M Thorne / February 23, 2026 / Reviews / ereader / 1 Comment

I’m a fan of e-paper devices. My first e-reader was a Sony PRS-505 (from Julie!), and much later, I joined the Kindle ecosystem when the devices were finally affordable. I have gotten a ton of use out of my Kindles over the years, until I upgraded to a Kobo Libra Colour shortly after its launch in early 2024.

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Firewalla Orange Review: A Pocket-Sized Firewall That Followed Me to Tokyo

By Vincent Nguyen / February 20, 2026 / Featured, Reviews / Routers, Security / 2 Comments

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REVIEW – Every hotel Wi-Fi network is a trust exercise you’re losing. Connect a laptop to the hotel’s guest network, and within seconds your device has announced itself to every other machine on that shared subnet, broadcasting its name, services, and open ports to strangers you’ll never meet. I packed the Firewalla Orange on a

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Soundpeats Air5 Pro+ TWS Earbuds review – What’s not to like?

By Bill Henderson / February 18, 2026 / Reviews / Bluetooth earbuds / Leave a Comment

Last September, I reviewed the Soundpeats H3 hybrid earbuds. What I said at the beginning of the review bears repeating: Reviewing earbuds (earphones, in-ear monitors, etc.) today is both good and bad news. The good news is that it’s almost impossible to buy a terrible pair of earbuds. Unless you bought a $15 pair at

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Rexing Radar R4-RD review: dash cam and radar detector in one

By Celeste Miller / February 16, 2026 / Reviews / 1 Comment

REVIEW – You know those moments. The moments that someone cuts you off, or speeds past you, or is tailing you, or just driving like a maniac. Having the REXING R4-RD 4-channel dash cam has all my bases covered. It might be recording the drive, evidence for insurance, or some other scenario, the four camera

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Sequence Pillar Plus XL 7-Day Pill Organizer review: A sturdy transport for your medicines and supplements

By Bob Patterson / February 13, 2026 / Reviews / health / Leave a Comment

REVIEW – Sometimes you need a bigger pill box to get the job done! The Pillar Plus XL 7-Day Pill Organizer is designed to be the travel buddy for those of us to regularly take multiple supplements and/or medications, especially larger capsules and tablets. Not only is it durable and roomy, but it’s also designed

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AUMI 10.1 Android Tablet Review: An iPad User Tries a $69 Budget Tablet

By Smythe Richbourg / February 11, 2026 / Reviews / Android tablet / 5 Comments

REVIEW – Tablet computers have been a dream since before the crew emerged from stasis in 2001: A Space Odessey and caught up with what they had missed while hurtling away from the Earth. Since then, Star Trek had their PADDs, and Apple got roundly roasted for calling their tablet “iPad”. We have nearly sixteen

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DJI Made Its Power Station 3kg Lighter by Removing What Most People Actually Use

By Rei Padla / February 8, 2026 / Articles, Reviews / Portable power supply, power station / Leave a Comment

ARTICLE – Portable power stations weren’t supposed to get better by getting smaller. The whole category started because people needed more capacity, not less bulk. But that’s the tension DJI is now betting on with the Power 1000 Mini, a 1,000 Wh lithium iron phosphate battery that weighs 11.5 kg and measures 314 x 212

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HTVRONT A300 Auto Hat Heat Press Review

By M Thorne / January 30, 2026 / Reviews / Leave a Comment

REVIEW – If you follow my contributions to The Gadgeteer, I recently reviewed an auto hat heat press…and I wasn’t very enthused by it. HTVRONT offered their A300 Auto Hat Heat press, so let’s how it stacks up, and if it changed my view of designing hats! Spoiler: The A300 is another quality piece of hardware

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Potensic ATOM 2 Screen Remote Controller review – a nice control option for the ATOM 2 drone

By Matt Gregersen / January 27, 2026 / Reviews / Drone / Leave a Comment

REVIEW – The Potensic ATOM 2 drew strong interest when it was showcased at CES 2026, reinforcing its position as one of the more compelling sub-250g drones currently on the market. I reviewed the Potensic ATOM 2 drone last year, and it remains my go-to drone for both review videos and just to fly for

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Weddell Duo Shower Filter Review – It made my water softener treated water even softer!

By Lynn Lopez / January 26, 2026 / Reviews / Home and Kitchen / Leave a Comment

REVIEW – The Hill Country Region in Texas, including the city of San Antonio, has very hard water. A large majority of our water comes from limestone aquifers. We have had a water softener in our homes since 1998, and it makes a huge difference in reducing calcium buildup in our appliances and bathroom fixtures.

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Clear Drop Soft Plastic Compactor Makes Me Feel Less Guilty About Online Shopping

By Theresa Villeneuve / January 24, 2026 / Reviews / Home and Kitchen / 2 Comments

REVIEW Recently I received a package from . It came in a plastic bubble mailer. Inside the mailer, the product was inside another smaller bubble mailer. Inside that, the product was in a plastic bag. Inside that, the product was in another plastic bag. Knowing what we know about microplastics, I didn’t feel great about

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COFIBREWS Burr Coffee Bean Grinder Review – My coffee just leveled up!

By Michael Strange / January 22, 2026 / Reviews / Coffee / 2 Comments

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REVIEW – A few years ago, I began grinding my own coffee beans with a basic single-blade grinder. Wanting to elevate my morning coffee experience, I decided to review the COFIBREWS Burr Coffee Bean Grinder. Is it better than my old grinder? Let’s find out. ⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons) Price: $99 Where to buy:

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Cincha Canvas Go-Tote review

By Shawna / January 21, 2026 / Reviews / Bags / 1 Comment

REVIEW – I have a confession, I am an unofficial bag lady. Why own just one bag and try to mold it to every situation, when you can own a bag specifically designed to meet that need? As a REALTOR, I am constantly on the hunt for the perfect business bag to carry my laptop

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HyperJuice 100W GaN Charger Review

By James Cook / January 20, 2026 / Reviews / USB charger / Leave a Comment

REVIEW – A solid fast charger is becoming more and more valuable every day, it seems. With USB-C ports becoming almost ubiquitous across devices, having a charger that you can rely on with multiple devices from phones to laptops can really simplify the amount of stuff that you have to carry around in your bag.

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Kismile 8 Cup Drip Coffee Maker Machine Review – Brew like a pro at home

By Michael Strange / January 19, 2026 / Featured, Reviews / Leave a Comment

REVIEW – I’m not a coffee snob by any means. In fact, I didn’t start drinking coffee until I was in my thirties. However, that doesn’t stop me from appreciating a good cup of coffee, especially in the morning. Over the years, I transitioned from using instant coffee to grinding my own beans. Despite this

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ACMER ASCAVA 4S CNC Router Review: A Capable Large Format CNC for Serious Projects

By Matt Gregersen / January 18, 2026 / Reviews / CNC / Leave a Comment

REVIEW – I have always liked woodworking since my first experience in a free public workshop in Finland when I was around 10 years old. I took woodworking classes in middle and high school but then mostly forgot about it until a few decades later. I love being able to handmake gifts and other items,

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