Razor A Kick Scooter Review.

 "Great Scooter!" 2003-09-11
By Susan Shams (West Des Moines, IA)

This is a great scooter. My children love it. It is easily folded, and it has a built in brake to slow it down. It looks very sleek with its silver paint and clear wheels. It is not big and bulky but very svelte.

I recommend this scooter wholeheartedly, your kids and even you will love it.

 "Makes A Long Trip Fun!" 2003-10-10
By

My son started kindergarten this year, half a mile away from our home. He didn't enjoy walking the distance, but the scooter solved the problem. He just LOVES scooting around the streets, and mastered the technique within a week.Now getting home is fun. The scooter moves and works great. All of the kids in NYC have them - I've even heard of a kid who mastered the skill at age 2. I was really confused when I was shopping for a scooter...I wasn't sure from reading the ads, whether this scooter was actually appropriate for a 4 year old. It's been fine. I highly recommend this scooter for kids who want to get around quickly.

 "fun for adults too..." 2004-08-18
By momof2 (Ann Arbor, MI)

I bought this scooter for my daughter (7 yr old) and my husband was on it so much I had to buy another one. They take them everywhere. It is great for camping to get around the campgounds. It breaks down easily to store under car seats. I really recommend this scooter.

 "Great Fun At A Great Price!" 2004-06-13
By

This scooter is a ton of fun to ride on. Give it to any of your loved ones and they'll be outside before you can say "Razor"! The scooter is extremely durable. The only thing that will ever need replacement are the wheels.

The scooter folds up for easy storage if space is tight. It can be easily unfolded for people on the move. I can imagine this being a useful tool for folks who live in the city.

The best part about the scooter is the price! (...). Instead of the video game they've been begging for, buy them this.

 "cool gift" 2006-11-11
By S. Neary (Florida)

My daughter loved this scooter as a birthday gift. She is 7. The only downside I've found, and this is minor, is that the sticker on the scooter deck keeps slipping off or out of place. It is supposed to provide grip for the rider, but as she rides, the sticker always gets pushed by her foot away from its central position. Then sticker glue from the backing gets on the scooter deck and it gets dirty.

So really, not a problem with the scooter itself.

Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar - Extreme Edition Review.

 "I love this more than my own mother." 2009-04-13
By Benjamin Bretz (Reno, NV)

I was a little leery of making this purchase. Normally, products that seem too simple for too reasonable of a price just never end up satisfying in the way you hope (e.g. The Dodge Neon, anything on Jack in the Box's value menu, my two years at DeVry). But this? Oh. Oh, my faith has been restored in cheap American products.

Because, you see, kids. This is a WELL ENGINEERED cheap American product. Yes, a rarity. I was worried that it would be difficult to assemble. I was worried that it wouldn't really hang from my door frame. I was worried that it would break under my underwhelming 155lbs. I was worried the Utah Jazz wouldn't be able to gear up and start winning road games as the playoffs grew nigh.

I mostly worried for naught.

I assembled the Iron Gym Extreme in about 15 minutes. Probably could have done so a lot more quickly, but I was distracted by Boston Legal on DVD, and by gunning my power ratchet wrench at my cat to stop her from playing in the packing materials.

(Note: You do NOT need your own tools to assemble this product. It comes with a little tool. But you can speed up the process with your own tools. You should have your own tools anyway, you know? Be a man.)

Once you assemble the Iron Gym Extreme, you'll need to pick a doorway. It seemed to fit all my doorways perfectly, but I have heard word of older houses having issues. You will need to insert a small metal wedge into the top of your doorjamb. This helps to secure the device and make sure it doesn't fall on anyone's head. It's not as scary as it sounds, you just kinda shove the thing behind the wood. Then you kinda wiggle it and say "Will that hold it?" Then a few minutes later you say "Gol-darn, it WILL hold it. Ain't that somethin'." Should any friends be standing nearby, this would be an excellent time to exchange high-fives.

I then chin-upped. Well, I tried. God as my witness I had no idea I was such a puss. I had like no upper-body strength. I'm pretty sure I heard my cat laughing at me somewhere down the hall behind me, but the blood was thumping in my ears so I can't be sure. But the bar sure worked!

I didn't give up and kept at the bar. Now, no, several weeks later I'm nowhere close to entering any Ultimate Fighting Competitions or anything, but I can do buttloads of reps now, and my cat has stopped mocking me.

This product has been excellent. Buy with confidence.

The Utah Jazz, however, appear to be headed towards a first-round sweep at the hands of the L.A. Lakers.

Crap.

 "Great product!" 2009-02-06
By James Berninghausen (US)

I've used this with the P90X program for three weeks now and have had zero problems. I'm about 200 pounds and have never felt unsafe on it. No hardware needed to attach it, easy to assemble, sturdy materials, and comfortable grips. Definitely the best choice for me in Jan 09.

The only downside is a slight mark from the black foam on my white door frame. It's very slight but if you have a spouse that cares about that and is tall enough to notice it, you may need to wrap it with some fabric.

 "Perfect!" 2009-04-09
By Jeff Kraus (Orlando, FL USA)

I love this workout bar!

I unpacked the contents (which were very well packed, no chance of any damage in transit) and laid it all out on my living room couch. Sat down on the couch next to the pile of parts, and had it put together completely in 10 minutes. I'd recommend installing all of the bolts loosely at first, and once the entire thing is put together, tighten everything at once. This will minimize the likelihood of installing anything wrong and keep all the components straight.

The instructions show nothing more than an exploded diagram of the bar, but that's really all you need. All you're doing is bolting one bar to another bar, and most of the bolts are the same size, so there's absolutely no need for any more complicated instructions. It even comes with a wrench, so you won't need to search for one that's the right size.

So when you're done, you have the workout bar, and a little metal sliver that you slide onto the door frame as a safety piece - it would hold the workout bar on the frame if it were about to slide off. Which it won't do, by the way. At least not on my frame.

It's extremely solid once placed on the frame. No flex, no creaking wood or shifty metal parts. The workout bar and the door frame feel like they are now all part of the same single piece. But all you have to do is lift a couple of inches and the bar comes clean off the door frame. Nice.

I like having all of the hand position options. I don't feel like they left anything out. And I like using it for push-ups too. Sometimes my left wrist gets a little wonky and I can't keep it in that hand-perpendicular-to-the-arm position without some pretty serious pain, so this is great because I can just grip one of the bars with each hand instead of using the ground.

So far I haven't tried using it for anything else, so I'm not sure how it performs in those scenarios. I'll update the review if and when I try them out.

At any rate, if you're in the market for one of these workout bars, just splurge a little and get this one instead of the basic model. You'll get enough use out of the extra hand positions that it'll be worth it in the long run.

One last thing that may seem obvious but warrants a quick mention anyway -- of course, you won't be able to install this any old way. The bars can't be on the side of the frame that the door is hinged to, because the door will get in the way. It also won't fit if the door frame is really close to the corner of a wall. So keep that in mind when deciding where you'll want to put it. Turns out the designer of my home had a real knack for putting door frames in corners, so I ended up with only one feasible option out of nearly a dozen.

 "Much more position options than original iron gym" 2009-01-27
By T White (Memphis, TN United States)

I wanted to get the p90x dvd workout set that requires you also get a pull-up bar. the p90x bar is pretty expensive, so I was looking for a good substitute. the origional iron gym had lots of great reviews here on amazon, but did not offer the extra grips that stick out like the p90x version. then i saw the iron gym xtreme, which seemed to be a new product because i couldn't find any reviews on it. so i ordered it, and wrote my own review along with some photos at http://ourfamilylikes.com/2009/02/review-of-iron-gym. bottom line - great product. it says it can hold 300 pounds, and though i'm not that heavy, i was still concerned about how this would treat my doorway. so far, so good.

 "This bar is excellent." 2009-04-29
By M. Elkin (Chicago, IL)

Just got for use with P90X. Assembled in a few minutes without issues. There is a small manual in the box, but I did not even notice it. It would be easier if you had a real wrench instead of the little one included. There is a single security hook that goes above the door to hold it, but no need for screws as with the p90X bar, I don't use the hook myself.

As far as the bar, the main bar ends up 36.5 inches long and about an inch on each side for the pads to hold the door gives you the maximum door size of 34 inches. In my case, it is just a hair too big as my doors are close together or near a wall, so it sits just a little off center into a closet. It is very stable either way. The vertical bar is 18 inches long and it plastic with padding, which I though would be too weak, but it seems to work fine and does not strain my door molding too much, especially at the top. Then again I am a rather light 5'8" 150 lb. The only thing is when I use the widest grip points, the pads and/or the door squeaks from the extra leverage. My doors are 5.75 inches wide which is about perfect for the bar. Also my door moldings could be 5 inches taller and it would still fit. (7-8 inch maximum molding thickness.)

After I ordered it, I did notice that it is available at Sports Authority for the same $40. You do pay taxes, but you don't need to wait for shipping.

CamelBak BPA-Free Better Bottle with Bite Valve Review.

 "Holy Grail Bottle!" 2007-01-23
By doctorsirena (Minnesota, USA)

If you have been looking for a great water bottle, this is it!!! I am not a hard core workout person - I just want to drink more water for my health. I use this bottle at work, going from meeting to meeting and bring it with me when I am on the go in the car. I never thought I would be so excited about a bottle, but I am - Camelbak really thought about useful features and it shows.

The bottle holds quite a bit of water (25 oz, 750mL). The bottle is leakproof. I like drinking from the straw - no tipping the bottle required. No unscrewing a cap, just flip up the valve and drink. I removed the flexible bite valve cover and just drink normally from the hard plastic straw piece since the bite valve seemed a little weird to me. I have had no problems with leaking with the valve cover removed - just flip down the valve when I am on the go and there is no leaking. The valve system seems very well designed. I generally sit the bottle on its side on the car seat or throw it in a bag with no leaking, just like a regular screw-cap bottle. The carry loop is nice - fits in your finger. It is easy to fill, with the wide mouth. It comes in lots of colors.

As for minuses, there is only one minor annoyance and that was mentioned by a previous reviewer - the straw does not reach the bottom of the bottle. Note that this size bottle does not fit into the car cupholder - would need the 16oz=0.5L for that. Also, the plastic has scratched slightly from rolling around on a sandy car mat.

I have decided to purchase another bottle so that I can have one at home and one at work. I highly recommend!

Updated 12/24/07:

I still love this bottle, although I am now accustomed to it and it is not quite as exciting as when I first got it :-) I fill it every morning and bring it to work with me and also fill it when I get home from work. It has really helped me to increase my water consumption. The plastic has scuffed up a bit, but there is no change in function. I wanted to mention that water will come out when the bottle is opened after a pressure change - like going from air conditioned space and leaving it in a hot car. Physics at work.

Updated 6/28/08:

Yes, I STILL love this bottle and purchased another (the BPA-free version). I was pleased to find that the straw in the new bottle does reach nearly the bottom of the bottle, so that annoyance has been corrected. If you already own the previous (BPA) version of this bottle, note that Camelbak makes the BPA-free bottle with a "classic cap" that can be swapped with your previous straw assembly (classic cap version is slightly cheaper but does not come in as many fun colors).

 "Perfect Water Bottle" 2006-11-30
By L. J. Klein (Florida)

This is just about the perfect water bottle. The polycarbonate is shatter proof, it holds three cups of liquid, and it has a built-in carry loop. The nozzle is easy to flip down with a built-in thumb tab, and the nozzle works by opening when you bite it. This makes the bottle pretty much leak-proof even when the nozzle is down, and since it is meant to be bitten, you don't end up with ugly teeth marks on it. The included straw makes it convenient to use, but it can be used without the straw if you prefer to tip it. I also like the vivid translucent color (I got a blue one). The only thing that would make it better is if the straw went all the way to the bottom; it stops about 1/4 or 1/2 inch above the bottom.

 "GREAT BOTTLE! but remove the bite valve for washing or it will mold!!!" 2007-08-11
By Scones and Tea

I love these bottles. My kids love these bottles. They are AMAZING. We drink more water with them than we ever did before.

However, you need to know that the blue bite valve needs to be removed often for washing. I didn't realize this for the first few months I used the bottle! When I finally took it off, there was black mold all inside the bite valve and on the white straw! I was mortified! We had to bleach everything to get it clean again.

Now, I keep a slim toothbrush handy for the purpose of cleaning out the inside of our bite valves. It fits snugly inside of the bite valve and scrubs off the inside ridges.

 "Love it!!!!!" 2007-06-07
By LLK (Cleveland, OH)

I love love love this bottle! I drink a lot of water throughout the course of the day. In fact, I hardly go anywhere without a wattle bottle. What was most troublesome for me was trying to drive and drink water at the same time. Bottles with the screw-on lids were just too cumbersome: either I couldn't get the lid off with one hand while trying to watch the road, or if I was a passenger, it never failed that the driver would accelerate while I was taking a drink and because of the large mouth of the bottle, I'd end up spilling water all over myself. This bottle was the perfect solution. It is truly spill proof, and I can easily drink out of it while driving, walking, or wherever. And its dishwasher safe!

I have the largest size, the full liter, but I'm planning to buy a smaller one too, just because. :)

 "Best Water Bottle I Found!" 2006-12-28
By A. Wirtanen (Cape Cod, MA USA)

After a long, hard search for the perfect water bottle I ended up with the Camelbak 0.5L. All of the other water bottles I tried were either too small, could not fit in the cup holder of my Jeep, or did not have a straw. The Camelbak passed the test.

The straw is a little weird, because you have to bite the "big bite valve" to take a sip. It was designed that way to minimize spilling. The "big bite valve" also folds down to avoid spilling when not in use. I also like the handle, which is perfect for carrying it with one finger or tying it to something.

The only flaw is that the straw does not reach the bottom so it is impossible to drink every last drop. But, I can live with that so I am still giving it five stars.

Omron HJ-112 Digital Pocket Pedometer Review.

 "Keep Track to Succeed!" 2008-01-23
By Shelly

This is pedometer is Consumer Reports #1 rated digital pedometer- and I can see why. It's extremely light weight and really easy to use with just four big buttons on the front. Here's a few of its best features:

-it can accurately senses steps in your belt, pocket, OR purse!

-it has a large display for the visually impaired

-it has a 7 day history so you can see progress (or lack of)

-it calculates calories and distance in addition to steps

I'd recommend this little device to anyone who wants to lose weight- just begin one day, and the next day, see if you can maintain or beat your previous step record. Now how easy is that?

So what DIDN'T I like about it? Not much. Perhaps the ONLY sort of negative thing I can say is that you will need a tiny screwdriver to open the back of it to put in the battery. Other than that, if you're looking to increase your activity a little to improve your health, look no further. Also recommend The Sixty-Second Motivator for anyone who needs more motivation to stick with an exercise program.

 "Best of Breed: The Gold Standard Among Pedometers" 2004-09-04
By Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States)

Since getting attached to pedometers a couple of years ago, I've gone through at least a dozen--Digiwalkers, Oregon Scientifics, Omrons. Sometimes the clips would break (Digiwalkers have no spring clip), or the cover would snap off, or they would prove highly inaccurate, or they would be bulky, or they would be too "versatile" and intricate to be practical for someone who was simply looking to get in 10,000 steps for the day. For this reason, I recommended the Sportline 330 as a comparatively rugged, accurate, and inexpensive step counter that, if need be, could be replaced with minimal financial damage.

But recently I saw this "high end" Omron at Walgreen's and thought I'd give it a spin. Its primary allure: it claims to be so sensitive that you don't need to wear it on a belt or some other outer wear. Just drop it in your shirt pocket or purse and forget about it.

Guess what? The Omron people aren't pulling your leg. This is indeed a very sensitive little machine that does what it says it will do, in addition to being fast, easy, convenient, and extremely durable. I decided to test it by walking 30-40 minutes with the Omron in my shirt pocket and the Sportline clipped to my belt. At the end of my walk the Omron and Sportline were within 80 steps of each other. Moreover, it was the Omron that gave me the extra steps (a bonus if you consider the amount of time it takes--practically 2 hours--to log the full 10,000 steps).

The only advanced feature I occasionally use is the memory bank. The device automatically resets to 0 steps while saving the previous day's count in memory (for up to a week). Although I set the clock, I rarely use the other extra features--calorie counter, aerobic read-out, or even distance covered. I don't even bother with things like entering stride length and attaching clips or necklaces. This particular Omron model rises above the field because of one thing: quality. It's accurate, it's easy and fast, and it's dependable if not indestructible (I've sat on it, inadvertently sent it through the wash, dropped it into a bath-tub). It keeps going, as long as you do. If you have a shirt pocket and know how to read from one to 10,000, you're on your way.

You can never have too many good pedometers, but this Omron makes it unlikely you'll need another one any time soon. There's no question in my mind that this is best of breed, the one that Tiger Woods would use even if he had to pay for it and realized no rewards other than the practical and motivational benefits of the device itself. At its current price, it's probably the best buy on Amazon.

 "Eye opener" 2004-11-13
By TJ

My husband purchased two of these pedometers in an effort to fight our increasingly sedentary lifestyle. I figured I would probably use it once & then throw it in a desk drawer & forget about it...but that didn't happen! Not only are these little devices easy to set up & use, but they do the trick of really making you realize how little excercise you get at a desk job!! Just clip it to your belt at the beginning of the day & forget about it. I almost died when I realized that on average I was walking less than 800 steps a day. Talk about a much needed wake up call. We are now taking daily walks and steadily increasing our daily excercise. Well worth the money.

 "Very good design -- deserves a MOMA award" 2006-04-18
By Cynthia Raxter (BYNUM, NC USA)

I wanted to start walking more as I have a very sedentary job. I bought a Sportline pedometer first (Sportline 353 Talking Pedometer) about a year ago. It worked fine counting steps but had other issues.

It was constantly slipping off my waistband and bouncing off the floor. It also easily reset. If I bumped the reset button with the seat belt all my fine walking data was lost. You could theoretically keep a walking tally for a week - but I accidentally hit the reset button 2-3 times a day at times. It was very frustrating. The clip broke after about 3 months, so I retired it.

I bought a Omron HJ112 Premium Pedometer and have worn it almost every day since. It has a teather. Even if the clip slips off my waistband, the pedometer dangles from the teather - it doesn't bounce off the floor. Also the clip is part of a separate holder - if the spring breaks it could easily and inexpensively be replaced.

It also works attached to my bookbag or purse strap, in my pocket or in my purse. It doesn't count as well attached to a down jacket pocket -- but a denim jacket or blazer lapel works fine.

It has a clock, and a 7 day memory. At midnight it automatically stores the day's data and resets to zero. It tallies daily: steps, mileage, calories burned, aerobic steps, and time spent in aerobic activity. It saves that information (except for time spent in aerobic activity) for 7 days. This is good if I am traveling and not near my fitness log for 2-3 days.

One trick: Sometimes I go out walking at 11:30 PM -- especially if I have been on the computer all evening. But the pedometer resets at midnight -- late night walks would get split over 2 days. So I leave the clock off by one hour. The pedometer starts its new day at 1AM. And I am always in bed by then. Promise. :-)

I like very much that it counts the number of aerobic steps and the time spent. My goal (in addition to just walking more) is to walk a minimum of 30 minutes a day at an aerobic pace (and increasing this amount). According to the manual: "Aerobic steps are counted separately when walking or jogging more than 60 steps per minute or more than 10 minutes continuously."

The pedometer has been very helpful. If I come in from the bus stop and just go to my desk I walk about 1000 steps. If I come in from the bus stop and keep moving for just a few minutes longer - climb the stairs to my office on an upper floor and then go get water for coffee - I get in 10 minutes of aerobic activity.

When I started wearing a pedometer I was getting in about 3000 steps a day (none aerobic). I average about 8000 now and working up to 10,000 (about 4000 aerobic).

I haven't changed much noticeabe. I park on the other side of the parking lot at the grocery store. I walk the cart back to the store -- not just the buggy coral. I get off the bus a stop early - about a block and a half away (1000 steps). I take the stairs at work (20 steps per floor). I walk the dog each night for about 30 minutes (5000 steps). I sit outside for lunch instead of sitting in my office with a sandwich (1000 steps). Little extra steps like this all day long add up.

Walking is great exercise and unlike swimming or going to the gym, all I have to do is walk out the door. "Aerobics on a stick" I call it. The pedometer helps me stay motivated and it reminds me to walk walk walk!

 "The winner and still champ!" 2005-12-01
By bensmomma (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

If you are wondering whether you want a pedometer, let me add my vigorous "yes". Wearing a pedometer has a way of making you parse every step you take as exercise....even walking down the hall to ask an officemate a question raises your step count just a bit, and soon enough you will be raising your ambitions to 10,000 steps a day or even more without needing to make a production over going to the gym.

If you are wondering "which pedometer," I'll add my pitch for this nifty little Omron. My last pedometer: inaccurate, physically uncomfortable, impossible to wear with a dress, broke after 2 months.

My Omron: accurate, comfortable clip, even works if I just stick it in a pocket or purse, have dropped it frequently to no ill effects. Best of all, it has quite sophisticated features: it tracks not only steps, miles, and calories, but "aerobic steps" - if you keep walking for 10 minutes or more it counts as aerobic - it is even smart enough to let you pause for up to a minute and still count subsequent steps as aerobic. Finally, it has a 7-day memory that allows you to track all these features back a whole week so you can see your improvements.

I can't say enough about this product. I know they call it "premium" but for less than the cost of a couple of weeks at a gym, you'll have a permanent and genuinely practical exercise system. It is the best fitness value of any kind on the market.

Vuvuzela - South African Horn in your choice of colors Review.

 "Great noise maker!" 2010-06-24
By K. Smith

Got exactly what I expected!

Those who are saying it makes no noise are just clueless on how to use it. You put your lips together and and blow make a sound with your lips, the horn simply amplifies that sound by a great amount - [...]

It says right in the description that it is collapsible, which is good because you can fit it in a backpack or bag if needed and the performance isn't affected.

 "Vuvuzela" 2010-06-15
By Jav-22-

People complain about them all the time, but they are a symbol of South African culture and South African Football. Personally I don't care for them at stadiums, but I feel that we should respect the tradition of the host country.

I bought one of this, It's pretty good, and it is great from starting discussions.

 "hear ye hear ye" 2010-06-21
By funkybass4ever (analheim)

i am now ready to watch the U.S in the world cup! If you have ever played a horn instrument such as trombone or trumpet you will be able to blast like a pro! If not you can still make it sound great! Those mockingbirds that sing all night in summer ain't gonna keep me up at night any more! Those who hate these things don't own one! They are fun!

 "A lot of FUN !!!" 2010-06-21
By R. Connors (NY)

Took one to my daughter's local church league youth basketball game. As the opposing team of 12 year-olds took foul shots, I blew this bad-boy long and loud!! I think they only hit one foul shot the entire game. The horn worked like a charm, especially in this tiny gym. One caution though -- it's tough to make a good sound when you are laughing at the same time. These kids would jump a mile as I blew the horn just as they were about to release the shot. Shots were going over the backboard! I plan on bringing it to an upcoming local charity golf tournament and become a regular fixture at my son's Saturday morning bumper bowling league.

 "Love Those Horns" 2010-06-11
By M. Howard (Boston, MA.)

These horns will be the thing that sets this World Cup apart from all others. I think that these things should be allowed into golf tourniments and tennis matches. I'd love to see the face of our elitist golfers when they tee off and a chorus of vuvuzalas rings out!!!! I just wish these had the world cup logo or were offered in SA national colors. If nothing else, I can drive the neighbors nuts.