Just wanted to share some products that have worked out really well.
So I broke my supposedly waterproof Galaxy S8 Active when I dunked it in fresh water after it went under in my PFD (personal floatation device). I needed a temporary phone right away, and got the Walmart-only AT&T Maestro.
AT&T Maestro Android smart phone – Surprisingly capable for only $70. Just needed to insert my AT&T sim card and optional SD card, and run through the normal new phone setup. Did the job as the temporary backup. Was comparable to a higher-end smart phone with the following exceptions:
- Display not as vibrant; didn’t auto-adjust as well to ambient brightness.
- Phone’s speaker a tiny bit muffled.
- Photos not bad but not as crisp as my old Galaxy S8.
- Visual Voicemail didn’t work so I didn’t know when a voicemail was left.
- Wasn’t a Samsung so couldn’t download my previous Samsung data backup.
I really needed a phone that had good call quality and took great photos. I didn’t want to pay $900+ for a “flagship” phone so I decided to try an Amazon Renewed (nicer way to say refurbished) phone with a 90 day warranty.
Samsung Galaxy S10 (refurbished on Amazon) – Debuted in 2019 as Samsung’s flagship phone, for $900. Was available in July 2021 as an Amazon Renewed (refurbished) for $240. Figured, if this refurbished phone lasts more than a year I’ll still be better off than with a $900 phone that only lasts 3 years or so. I was surprised how much better the S10 was than my S8. Don’t believe all the negative reviews about the refurbished phones on Amazon. Amazon sells “renewed” iPhones also. If you purchase a phone “locked” for your phone network, it should work with your sim card just as easily as if you purchased from your network’s store, AT&T in my case, and you have 90 days to see if you got a lemon.
Mr. Heater Handheld Shower – Cabelas.com – $44.99. Just put water in a bucket, drop in the base that sucks up the water, and go. Even has a suction cup so you can mount on a stationary object and rinse hands free. 6 foot hose, rechargeable lithium ion battery. So many uses at the beach including washing off the little one’s feet. Much more water efficient that dumping a 5 gallon gas can on your gear like I have been doing. There are other brands of battery powered hand held showers on Amazon, I just haven’t tried them.
Gator Guard Gator Patch keel protector – I have an Ocean Kayak Trident Ultra 4.3 kayak that has a decently thick wall of plastic. I drag it onto rocky beaches, boat ramps and parking lots more than I should, because it’s just so much faster than putting the wheels on in the water and placing padding under the kayak in parking lots. So the keel gets scratched up and if I kept dragging it around I’d possibly wear through the hull. I’ve stuck on strips of Gator Guard’s Gator Patch, which are kind of pricey, easy-to-apply UV resin fiberglass strips. Those patches are now getting gouged up instead of the kayak’s plastic, and hopefully won’t wear through. I don’t feel nearly as bad dragging the kayak around now.
ExpertPower LiFePO4 compact battery – I’ve been using the 5 Ah lithium iron phosphate battery on my kayak for 5 months now and it easily holds its charge for the 6hrs it’s powering my fish finder, and weighs less than 2lbs. Much lighter than a sealed lead acid battery and holds its charge longer. Currently selling for $34.99 with free shipping to Hawaii on the ExpertPower website. Hard to believe a LiFePO4 battery can be so cheap and shipped free. Here’s the initial review of the battery.
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