I’ve been fascinated by saltwater aquariums since I was a child. Although the few I’ve seen that weren’t in city-run aquariums were usually elaborate installations inside restaurants (like Rainforest Cafe or Todai), I have seen a small number of saltwater aquariums installed in private homes. Saltwater aquariums are a very different experience from what you’d [...]
New Balance Minimus MT10 Running Shoe Review
A few months ago, Carly reviewed the Merrell Road Glove 2, which is one of the most highly regarded minimal running shoes available. For the last year or so I have been running on Nike Free Run 3s, which are a ‘minimal-ish’ shoe with a small drop, very light construction, but still a decent amount [...]
Detail Bags Creates Custom Solutions for Company Bag Branding
I don’t know how many times I have wished that I could create a laptop bag from my own specifications — one that would have the layout and organizational panels I needed (or wanted), and that would be made from the materials of my choosing; having a discreet Gear Diary logo on there somewhere would [...]
The Arriba! Adapter Is a Brilliant 2-in-1 iPhone 5 Charging Solution
You’re in your buddy’s car, and your iPhone’s battery is low. Typical, right? And of course, you forgot the Lightning cable for your iPhone 5. Your friend has a car charger, but it’s for his 30-pin iPhone, and he’s using it anyway. Buried under an open bag of chips and some diaper wipes, he has [...]
Ooma Telo VoIP System Review – Functions Like a Landline While Saving You Money
We pay a fair chunk of change for our family cell phone plan each month. As a result, we opted not to add a landline when we moved into our new home. However, we had the opportunity to test out the Ooma Telo VoIP system, and it might just swing us into believing in having [...]
The Lifesaver Filtered Water Bottle Review
There are a few basic necessities that all humans need to survive: Food, Water, and Shelter. Shelter can be built by people with materials one finds throughout the world; wood, stone, sand, clay are all examples of items that can be found in nature in order to build and provide shelter for humans. Food can [...]
Keep Your Teeth Clean with the Cenoire Ultra Travel Toothbrush
They say that cleanliness is next to godliness. I’m not sure about that, but I do know that fresh breath is a great way to help make a good first impression. When you are traveling or have a 16 hour work day that can be a bit of a challenge unless you have something like [...]
Dayton Hamvention 2013 – The Hams Were There
One experience I have yet to share about ham radio is the experience of the Ham Fest. A Ham Fest is not where you go and eat ham with your fellow radio operators. It is a conference where you can go to learn about the rigs, get training, and buy things! Think CES combined with [...]
Koala Mount for Tablets Keeps Your Tablet Hanging Around
If you use a tablet and love having it handy and accessible the idea of being able to quickly and easily mount it on the wall may be attractive. The Koala Mount for tablets is designed to let you do just that in an easy, inexpensive way that won’t damage any surface. The Koala Mount [...]
The Gtech AirRAM Cordless Vacuum Cleaner Review
In our home we have a Welsh Pembroke Corgi, three girls with shoulder-length or longer hair, and three mohair rugs; there are days when I am not sure who or what sheds worse. We have a conventional upright vacuum cleaner, and although it works well enough, it is a pain to have to get it [...]
BROpener Lets You Turn Any Surface Into a Bottle Opener
Summer is here, and that means sun, fun and beer. It also means that GearFest 2013 is coming soon. THAT means we’ll be enjoying lots and lots of IPAs. After all they are Kevin’s favorite, and he has made an IPA-lover out of me too. Last GearFest our bottle opener saw a good bit of [...]
Baofeng UV-5RA Review – Can a $50 Ham Radio Be Any Good?
I hope you have been enjoying my series on Amateur Radio. It’s been one of my favorite hobbies for about 20 years now, and I love sharing my knowledge with our readers. Today I am bringing you another radio review, only the second one ever for Gear Diary. Just like when I reviewed the Icom [...]
Stor-More Key Safe Brings New Twist On Leaving Keys
It is common practice for people to leave a key or garage door opener hidden somewhere near their house. Maybe this just happens while on a trip so someone can feed the pets and water the plants, or maybe there is always one hidden. Either situation brings plenty of security issues. Whether the keys are [...]
Head Over Heels for the Just Mobile HeadStand
Don’t let this happen to you… “Elana do you know where the Harman Karden NC headphones I’m reviewing are?” “Where did you last use them?” “If I knew that I wouldn’t be searching for them… Oh, got ‘em!” “Where were they? Buried under the pile on your desk?” Yes, there is an advantage to keeping [...]
New John Deere EZtrak Z235 Zero Turn Mower Takes the ‘Work’ out of Yardwork
In 1837 in a rural Illinois farming community, a humble displaced Vermont blacksmith fashions a new type of plow from discarded materials, and John Deere Plow Works is born. The rest, as they say, is history – bathed in colorful “John Deere Green.” This year marks the 50th anniversary of the company’s residential product line [...]

















