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I’ve been looking at these too, mostly for the same reason. From what I gather the translation side is really built around conversation, like two people talking back and forth. Movies are a different beast because the audio is mixed, there’s background music, and dialogue overlaps constantly. One thing I read is that the mic picks up whatever is playing around you, so if you’re watching on a laptop speaker it’s basically translating the whole soundtrack, not just the voices. Some people run the audio through the phone app instead, which might work better, but I haven’t seen that confirmed anywhere. For just following the plot I think it could be okay in slower scenes. The chaotic action stuff is where I’d expect it to fall apart. Still on the fence myself since the price isn’t nothing and I’d rather not gamble on it.
I tried mine from a bucket and it pulled water but it was weak, so I mostly just use it hooked to a hose now. If the bucket is the only option it technically works, just dont expect much.
I don’t think you need to worry much about mode switching for plain one-on-one talking, but I’ll push back on the idea that it’s basically pointless in a quiet room. That was my take at first too. I figured if the room is already quiet, what’s the point. Then I actually spent a couple months with a pair and my view shifted.
What changed for me was noticing it wasn’t about noise, it was about the other person’s voice just landing more clearly without me doing that little lean-in thing. I still catch myself doing it out of habit even when I don’t need to. So for me it does something in a quiet room, just not in a dramatic way.
Where I’d disagree with the “just leave it on one setting” approach is that I don’t think quiet mode is automatically the right default for everyone. I ended up preferring a different setting for most of my day because quiet mode felt a bit flat for me. Everyone’s ears are different though, so I get why some people park it and forget it.
The fiddling concern is real but it faded for me after the first week or two. Once I figured out which setting I liked, I pretty much stopped touching it. So the mode thing seems like a bigger deal before you own them than after.
I’ve used it a few times and haven’t noticed any change in how our tank behaves. The thing I’d actually pay attention to is how often you’re reaching for it. If you’re dumping powder down the same slow drain every couple weeks, that’s usually a sign something else is going on, not that the product is wrecking your septic.
I’ve been running mine on the low setting while I work and it hasn’t touched a single sticky note, so I was kind of surprised to see this come up. I usually keep it on the far corner of the desk and let it sort of drift across the keyboard area instead of pointing straight at my workspace. The medium and high settings are a different story though, those push way more air than I expected for something this small. I mostly leave it on low for that reason. Not a dealbreaker or anything, it still does what I wanted it to do, which is keep me from overheating while I’m sitting there for hours. I’d say just try the lowest speed and see if that’s enough for you before messing with the positioning too much.
Interesting, I keep seeing people talk about the battery like it’s all over the place. My own experience has been pretty different from what you’re describing. I’ve had mine for about three weeks now and I think I’ve charged it twice total. I’m not using it constantly, only really when my dog starts up at the mailman or if she gets going at something in the yard.
Honestly, I was kind of expecting to be charging it way more based on the size of it. The thing is so small that I figured the battery would die every other day. That hasn’t been the case for me at all.
Maybe it depends on how sensitive your settings are or how much barking it’s actually detecting. I keep mine on a lower frequency setting most of the time. If you’re running it on the highest level all day, I could see that draining it faster. But two or three charges in a few weeks seems more like what I’m getting.
I’m leaning toward getting one but the size question is exactly what I keep circling back to. My fridge is pretty tight and I already have stuff crammed on every shelf. I’d probably end up shoving it somewhere awkward and forgetting about it until the next time I open the door. So I get why you’re asking before pulling the trigger.
Kinda surprised by this thread honestly. I was looking at these for the translation feature mainly, but I tested them for regular calls too before deciding. My experience was the opposite of what you’re describing, but I think it might have something to do with the noise reduction setting in the app. There’s a toggle in there for call environment or something like that. I flipped it to “outdoor” mode and noticed a pretty clear difference on my end during a test call.
I don’t know if that actually changes what the other person hears though, since I couldn’t exactly hear myself from their side. I just know the person I called said it sounded cleaner after I switched it. Might be worth digging around in the app settings more, since it’s easy to miss that menu. If it’s not there then yeah, probably just the mic design.
I’d say just factor the SD card into the price before you order. The viewing will work fine without it, but once you’re actually out there and see something cool in the dark, you’ll kick yourself for not being able to save it. The internal storage isn’t really meant for keeping much.
Mine lasts about a day and a half before I need to charge it, but my place is pretty quiet. I think if you have a lot of foot traffic setting it off constantly, you’ll be charging it more often than you’d like.
I guess I’m the odd one out here, but I actually kind of like having the screen lit up. It’s sort of a reassurance that the thing is still recording, you know? I do wish there was a quick way to drop the brightness without digging through menus, but I’ve just gotten used to it at this point.
I’ve had mine about two weeks now and I’m still not sure if it’s supposed to have a timer or not. I’ve never actually timed it. I just know that a couple of times I’ve forgotten to unplug it before heading out and come back hours later to find it still running. That’s probably not great for my electric bill, honestly.
I don’t think it clicks off on its own unless it tips over or gets too hot. At least that’s the way it seems with mine. It doesn’t bother me much because I only use it when I’m sitting at my desk, but if you’re planning on leaving it unattended through the night, I’d probably just get into the habit of pulling the plug. I keep telling myself I’ll remember and then I don’t.
Honestly, the carrying another device thing is why I haven’t pulled the trigger yet either. I keep going back and forth because my phone does the job fine when it works, but the battery drain is real. I’m curious if the battery life on this thing actually holds up for a full day of walking around, because that would pretty much decide it for me.
Used mine on the balcony glass a few times now and it’s pretty manageable. The spray holds its shape at closer range, so you can keep it on the glass without drenching the frame. The misting gets a bit wild if you hold it too far back, but that’s kind of on you.
I think people overrate how much surge protection matters on these things. I got one mostly for the energy savings and figured the surge part was just marketing fluff. But we had a nasty storm last month, lights flickered a few times, and nothing in the house reset or glitched. Normally my router and TV would at least blink off. That hasn’t happened since I plugged it in.
That said, I wouldn’t trust it like a real surge protector for expensive gear. I still have my PC on an actual power strip with surge rating. The StopWatt feels more like it smooths out the small dips and spikes that mess with appliances over time, not the big lightning strike that fries everything. For that, it’s been fine. For a direct hit, I’d want something with a proper warranty and a beefier design.
I think people get too hung up on the “one pull” part. The real goal is just getting the thing out before the person passes out, and if the first pull doesn’t do it, you just do it again. It’s not like the device stops working after one try. It’s a manual tool, so you keep pulling until it clears or help arrives.
If you’re a strict stomach sleeper, this might not be the pillow for you. I tried it and the fixed height just doesn’t give you much wiggle room to find a comfortable flat position. It’s a good pillow, but it seems more forgiving for back or side sleepers in my opinion.
I’d probably just try it where you want it first and see what the channel scan gives you. If you get the stations you care about, that’s really all that matters. Moving it a few feet can be the difference, but you won’t know until you actually run the scan on your TV. No point in stressing about the window unless the scan comes up short.
I got one early this spring and my grates were pretty rough from sitting all winter. I wouldn’t call it effortless, but it did break through the thick stuff eventually. The trick for me was hitting it on high speed and letting the brush do the work instead of pressing down hard. It’s not magic, but it beat the hell out of scrubbing by hand.
I think people get too caught up in the zoom number. For spotting movement at moderate distances, it’s not going to turn into a blurry mess like some folks assume. The IR does most of the work anyway, so the zoom is more of a bonus than the main feature. If you’re trying to identify exact species from far away, sure, it’ll struggle. But for just seeing if something is there, it works fine.
