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Group Review: Head Torches Tested

cdavies — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:21:57 +0000

Group Test: Head Torches Reviewed

The Line Up

Words: Chris Davies | Photography: Chris Davies, Nathan Fielder, Matthew Davies

For a long time, head torches were labelled as something ‘uncool’. Something only miners, hikers and the like used. Oh how they were scoffed and laughed at! Fair one though (to an extent), for when we used them for mountain climbing a few years ago, they were bulky, cumbersome, heavy and it looked like you were wearing a lampshade. We always liked them for practical reasons however – you simply can’t hold a hand torch for five hours straight while traversing razor-thin mountain-top pathways.

Now though, we’re having the last laugh. Latest head torches are lightweight, neatly-styled and far more popular than before. Runners, climbers, mechanics, the military and many more benefit from the latest LED technology, resulting in lengthly battery life, tougher components and smaller units – plus, keeping one in your car’s glove box means it’s far easier to change a tyre, or check out your engine in a breakdown. Cool.

For our for Head Torch Group Test, we’ve been sent torches from some of the world’s foremost companies in outdoor equipment and lighting. There are a lot of manufacturers making head torches, and we had to limit the group test to a sensible number. We’ll do another test in the future at some point with more manufacturers included.

Anyhow, here are our findings…

———

Petzl e+LITE

CarProductsTested Rating: 85% *BEST BUY*

Petzl’s tiny e+LITE is, visually, one of the coolest lights in the group. The main unit is just 40mm across and 13mm deep – ‘tiny’ would be the word to describe the size then.

It is designed to be an emergency torch, one which slips easily into your rucksack or glovebox with the minimal space taken up and to top it off, a 10 year shelf life! Between the tester guys though, there was dispute. The e+LITE is designed as emergency light, so was it a real contender as a ‘proper’ and ‘focussed’ head torch? Some said Yes, others, No. We were about to find out though – let the testing begin!

The Petzl was relatively easy to control with thick gloves on – although you do have to use both hands to operate it once it’s on your head, as one-handed usability can be annoying – the torch starts to twist itself out of place this way. The functions themselves are simply excellent. The first setting gives you Economy mode, the next Maximum, then flashing white light, then flashing red LED, then Maximum steady red LED.

The four LED’s (three white, one red) themselves are set deeply into thick, quality plastic, minimising risk of damage. At only 16 Lumens, you may write this head light off, but don’t! It’s 19 metre beam (11m on eco) is easily enough to work or navigate with, and although there’s no spread-adjustment, it gives a decent enough beam we decided. Time-wise, you’re talking 45 hours on eco and 35 on max. Okay, after 30 hours the torch will only give a 3 metre beam, but that’s still enough to light your way on a path in the pitch black. In a real emergency, the ‘flash’ modes will give an excellent 70 hours of use.

After initial scepticism from a certain tester who shall remain nameless, Nathan, we decided that we totally loved this little torch. It’s comfy and light (just 28 grams) to wear, can be rotated 360˚ thanks to the back piece it’s attached to (which also includes an attachment clip), comes with its own waterproof oblong storage box (which reminded us of a ship’s emergency lifeboats), and comes with a 100db whistle which has the S.O.S code stamped onto it and can be heard for up to 500 metres (it hurt our ear drums when we blew hard on it), oh and it doubles as the adjuster for the head band. A final aspect we liked is that the e+LITE is fully waterproof up to 1 metre!

Overall an absolutely great and well-thought-out head lamp, the Petzl e+LITE impressed us with its durable build quality and sleek design, coupled with a really fair price and numerable useful features.

Need-To-Know Info:

- RRP: £27.99

+ Excellent features, extremely lightweight and compact yet robust

- Not as bright as some of the larger head lights

———

Petzl Zipka2

CarProductsTested Rating: 80%

Another wee beauty from Petzl, the Zipka2 takes the visual award of the group by looking like Apple’s totally fab iMac G3 from the late Nineties. Even the ‘Tropical Blue’ colour we have looks similar to the showcase’s G3 ‘Bondi Blue’. Cool.

We really like the design of this torch, the compact size and light weight (but chunky feel) of 69 grams makes it an easy one to slip into a pocket or small vehicle compartment. It did well in our ‘toughness test’ too, and seemed to be made robustly enough to endure the everyday drops and knocks.

The patented recoiling headband gives the Zipka2 its neat dimensions, and is held within a small plastic housing. Since we’ve owned a first generation Zipka for a few years now – which has the same recoil system – we know that this won’t break or wear out easily at all, so no worries there. The recoil system means the Petzl can be attached or hung to virtually anything too – a big bonus.

The power button is rubberised and large enough to be used even with big chunky gloves on. We never had a problem switching it on or off.

Although there is no adjustable spread and you can’t angle the light, the position that it sits in is well thought out, and even with a hat on there was no real problem. The beam pattern is positioned not too close and not too far away either. The spread of light was excellent, and the 40 Lumens it gives out from the four LED’s was easily enough for any task. It sits well on your head, and is comfortable thanks to the soft pad at the rear of the unit.

A huge bonus for the Zipka2 is the battery life. A massive 90 hours on maximum and 120 on eco mode is simply outstanding! Features-wise, you have three light settings; max, eco and flash. Incidentally, flash mode will last three hundred hours. Amazing.

Minimal fuss is what we liked about the Zipka2. It’s a torch which you pull out of the packaging, insert the included batteries, place on head and click the power button, and you’ve got a great spread and angle already there – believe us, buying this torch is money very well spent.

Need-To-Know Info:

- RRP: £34.99

+ Minimal fuss, excellent burn time, great styling, solid

- Some may dislike the lack of angle adjustment

———

Princeton Tec Byte

CarProductsTested Rating: 80%

Playmobil. You know, those tough plastic toys you had as a kid? We’re likening the build quality of the Princeton Tec Byte to Playmobil. This, officially, is a Good Thing, and anyone who owned the toys will know exactly what we’re on about.

The 64 gram weight of the Byte, alongside its small proportions (width and depth around the length of a AAA battery) makes for an easily stowable unit, whether that means your coat, car or wherever you choose. There’s a good spread of light from the 35 Lumen LED, and it’s a good clear and sharp beam right to the outer edges. There’s no particular centre to the light, but as mentioned, the overall effect is decent anyhow.

The ‘Maxbright’ LED give a slightly dissapointing two hours on maximum (a 30 metre beam), but a good 96 hours on low which allows a fifteen metre light. We’d class Low as more of a medium light however. Features on the button include a red LED, useful for both map reading and signalling for help in an emergency situation. On red, you do get a huge 146 hour burn-time too, which is helpful.

The power button on top of the unit, although rubber for better grip, was a little on the small side when wearing gloves, and proved to be a little fiddly for our liking. It was much the same story when trying to turn the angle of the torch up or down. Maybe it’s because the Byte is still new, but angling it was an effort as it was so stiff, and with wet and cold hands it was a pain. on a positive side though, being so stiff means it isn’t going to change angles on its own accord, as some head torches are susceptible to.

To wear, it was comfortable even after hours of use and after a while you even forget you’re wearing it. Another plus was the way the batteries are changed – you simply flick a chunky little catch open on the side and slide them out. Lovely.

The Byte is priced surprisingly well at just £19.95, and we think it’s brilliant value and it physically looks like it should cost more. We also loved just how meaty and rugged it was, and it passed our ‘Tough Test’ with flying colours. Overall, a little tough-nut which won’t disappoint.

Need-To-Know Info:

- RRP: £19.95

+ Tough casing, comfy, decent features, exceptionally-priced

- Doesn’t stay on max brightness for long, angle adjustment too tight

———

Peli / Pelican 2690 HeadsUP Lite

CarProductsTested Rating: 70%

Compared to the other torches in our group test, the Peli (U.S.: Pelican) 2690 is a bit of a big beast. At the start of the testing, we were a little non-plussed by it, but ended up giving the 2690 a fond nickname; the Russian Tank. Why? Several reasons really. The World War II Soviet T-34 (one of the most mass-produced tanks ever made) was built basically and heavily – but it was also ultra-reliable and highly effective.

Likewise, the HeadsUP Lite looks pretty spartan and wouldn’t exactly win Mr Head Torch 2012 in that department, and is only available in solid Black. At 116 grams (4.1 oz) it’s also heavy compared to the others in this group ,and there no real features to it, just ‘On’ and ‘Off’. However, we grew to like this torch for its ruggedness, durable build, and dependability – hence the moniker we gave it.

Price-wise, although the retail cost is nearly £40.00, as with any Peli this is very flexible and we’ve seen them for as little as £25.00.

A feature we disliked was the weight. On more than one occasion when out walking and having to negotiate fallen trees in a woods, or jumping over a brook etc, the 2690 slipped down and cracked a couple of us on the bridge of our noses. Yes, it was painful. We tried to combat this by tightening the head band, but the sheer weight of the HeadsUp Lite overcame this, and the same problem occurred. As the torch comes with a heavy-duty rubber strap too (for use with helmets), that might partly cure the problem, but then this would give you the dreaded forehead sweat rash – something that makes any normal person insane with an hour.

Another thing we weren’t keen on was the resistance of rotary bezel switch. To turn it on is definitely a two-handed job as the bezel is so stiff it feels like you’re trying to turn a tank’s turret manually! Having said that, some torches are prone to turning themselves on when stored in a rucksack, or somewhere they are knocked about constantly, but you can turn the bezel so far past the ‘Off’ position on this torch that there’s no chance of that happening. Good.

The 60 Lumens of light the Peli gives off is excellent, and mega-bright, but we found it a little too harsh if pointed at the ground directly in front of you when walking. It’s so bright you get bounce-back and this makes it a little glaring and distracting. However, point it slightly further away using the angle adjustable and it works great. On the angle point, thumbs up from us on that front. It’s nice and positive and stays where it should.

The beam is not adjustable, but gave a large-enough spread to work or hike off. As mentioned, if using it in close proximity to whatever is in front of you, the centre of the beam is a bit savage, and we think Peli would make the HeadsUP even better (and more usable) by having the light distributed better.

Changing the batteries is a going to be an issue if you’re using the torch in the middle of no-where and they go dead, as they are held in by the rear of the unit with two smallish screws. Fine if you happen to have a small positive screwdriver on a multi-tool or pen knife – bad if you haven’t. That’s one point we really feel needs changing. Okay, it keep the battery compartment sealed well, but no good if you were in the above situation.

The Peli 2690 does give a really powerful 81 metre beam, but this is counteracted by a low 10.5 hour burn time. That sort of battery life sounds okay, but in reality is only a few hours more than old standard bulb Petzl’s we were using in the 1990′s. The head band and foam pad which sits next to your head are very comfortable, even with the weight of the torch, and even after a few hours of wearing it in the rain, the band barely loosened at all.

All this may seem like a lot of negatives against the Peli, but still, we really do like the HeadsUP. Yes, it does have a few points that need working on, but its tough build and the honest simplicity of the whole unit won us over to a large extent. If you’re not so bothered about battery life or packing light, but do want something that could possibly be fired out the barrel of a T-34 Soviet tank without much in the way of damage, then the Peli 2690 HeadsUP Lite is definitely worth a look at.

Need-To-Know Info:

- RRP: £39.00

+ Tank-like build, high luminosity, honest simplicity

- Heavy, low battery life, access to batteries not good

—-

We’ll continue to test these torches, and update the review if and when necessary.

Many thanks to Pelican PR/Whitby & Co, Lyon Outdoor and PeliProducts for sending the torches to review

Group Review: Hand-Held Torches Tested

cdavies — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:21:44 +0000

Group Test: Hand Torches Reviewed

Don't like the dark? Buy one of these light-sabres!

Words: Chris Davies | Photography: Chris Davies, Nathan Fielder, Matthew Davies

There’s something very cool about holding a torch. There’s no particular thing you can point to as to why it is cool – it just… is! For a kid, it’s a way to discover, and for adults (big kids) it’s quite satisfying seeing some cop in a film kick down a door, torch lighting up some dingy, dusty room.

However, we’re here to test them in the real world, at this moment in time.

We here at CarProductsTested feel that it’s a Must to keep a torch in your vehicle at all times – it’s an essential piece of kit!

There’s a huge amount of uses for them once the dark comes; breakdowns, changing a tyre, replacing a fuse, walking to that lone country road fuel station when your car runs out of petrol or diesel, for finding that £1 coin you need for the parking meter that’s just gone between your car seats (we know it’s happened to you as well), or even if you want to go for a spontaneous night-time walk.

Whatever your case, and whatever you want to use them for, we’ve got hold of some of the best hand-held torches in the business and tested them thoroughly for you. So, here’s what we think…

———

Mini Maglite LED

CarProductsTested Rating: 80% *BEST BUY*

With Maglite moving some of their torches over to LED’s from the traditional bulbs, it means longer battery life and a tougher source of light – all good then. In form, the Mini Maglite LED carries on their well-established and often-copied look. It’s functional, hard-wearing and well-designed. With the main grip section only being around 15mm across we found it a little hard to grip, especially if your hands are cold or you’re wearing wet gloves.

There is an adjustable beam on this torch, however we found that all that does is dilute-down the luminosity already present. The best setting is at standard – a superb and sharp spread of light with an intense centre. Battery time is good, thanks to the tiny amount of power that LED’s use – and the two AA’s give around 18 hours on full beam and 31 hours on economy mode. We love the fact that the torch has a 4-way pattern which is easy to use. Simply turn once for high beam, back off and on again (in quick succession) for economy, again for flashing mode, and again for the well thought-out S.O.S flash pattern. Excellent for an emergency situation. Oh, also, one that many don’t realise is actually part of the torch as a feature – Candle mode. Unscrew the lens section completely, and you have a massively wide spread which lights up a huge area – great for in a tent or for around a camp fire.

Our pack included a holster for the Mini Maglite, which attaches onto your belt or rucksack, and the torch itself also has a useful lanyard hole crafted into it.

At 17cm in length, surprisingly this is actually one of the longest torches in our group review, but the Mini Maglite LED will still neatly fit into your glove box, or a door-pocket. Price-wise, we felt that the rrp was slightly too much, and a £25 cost would have been better.

Need-To-Know Info:

- RRP: £27.99

+ Well thought-out, excellent burn time, superb features and a good price

- Little hard to hold because of the narrow circumference

———

Maglite XL50 LED

CarProductsTested Rating: 90%

A new and very cool design direction for Maglite, the XL50 LED certainly looks good. Simple and sleek, it definitely catches your attention when placed alongside the other torches. Only 13cm in length, it looks like it could be harder to hold than the Mini Maglite, but in actual fact is easier. At 25mm across, the XL50 stayed firmly in our grip, even with thick gloves on – the deep-ish grooves machined into the torch helping hugely with this.

We loved the power button, located on the end of the torch, for the fact it was simple to locate with gloved hands, and had a positive ‘click’ to it. It’s a straightforward one click for full power, another (directly after the first) for 25% light, and a third for the Strobe function. The Strobe is actually a nice added feature, and would go a long way to getting you noticed in an emergency situation. As with the Mini Maglite, there is an adjustable beam, but we found the standard setting to be the best. The Candle feature also worked nicely on the XL50, giving a spread of light about the size of the Moon, even from higher up.

At 104 Lumens, the XL50 is ultra-bright and lit up a good wide area, and even on the 25% power mode there’s still easily enough light present to see your way with when walking around, say, a forest in the dead of night. This was the most powerful hand-held torch in our test, and we loved the way it lit up large areas from a distance. Aiming the light at a huge tree from around 20 – 30 metres away, the XL50 gave a wide, strong beam with an exceptionally-intense centre. Surprisingly for such a 104 Lumen light, the battery life is decent with about 8hrs 45mins on full and a massive 36hrs on the low setting.

Our gripes with this torch were that it had no lanyard hole on it, rendering it ‘no good’ for placing wherever you please, and holding it with bare hands in cold conditions makes for an uncomfortable chill.

So, why did the XL50 score 90%, yet the Mini Maglite still grab our ‘Best Buy’ approval with only 80%? Well, we just don’t think the XL50 is worth the extra £17.00 over the Mini. Yes, the ’50 is way brighter, yes it looks cooler BUT, the Mini has more features, is built just as well, and does about as good a job but with a far better battery life – for our money, we’d definitely go for the Mini Maglite.

Need-To-Know Info:

- RRP: £44.99

+ Highly bright and intense light, good battery life

- Too pricy (at least within the U.K.)

———

Gerber Iris

CarProductsTested Rating: 75%

Gerber are a company specialising in many outdoor, tactical and military products, including knives, multi-tools and torches. Since some of the other manufacturers here specialise mainly in torches, how did Gerber’s Iris fare against them? From a design perspective, this is a purposeful-looking piece of kit and everything, from the colour, material it’s made of (glass-filled nylon) to the heavy ridges on the grip, give off a definite military slant.

Holding it was fine, even with bulky gloves on – the textured and ridged finish, alongside the grab-section being a thick 25mm across, giving copious amounts of grip. No problem there then. Our grumble with the Iris would be that the power button is uncomfortable to use as you have to push your finger or thumb around the edge of the casing and down onto the button, as it is recessed. Okay, as Gerber point out on their site, this does prevent accidentally turning on the torch, but it’s still very annoying. It starts to get even more difficult when wearing gloves, and we found more than a few times it was taking two or three attempts to turn it onto ‘Steady’ mode. If you were having to switch it on and off regularly over a few hours, it would start to get pretty uncomfortable.

At 60 Lumens, this isn’t the brightest torch here, and the 65 ft beam length is half of what some of the others go to in the group. The light it emits is also Yellowy when compared with the two Maglites and the Peli, which give off more of a pure-white beam. However, the centre spot is still good, bright and very usable. Features included are ‘momentary on’, steady beam, and you can also widen the light pattern too. We really liked this feature actually, as the spread is still strong even at its widest, and doesn’t lose much of the intensity either.

As mentioned, the Iris has tough look-and-feel, and backs this up with features such as when screwing the head to widen the beam, there’s no broadening gap as the Maglites have. This means that sand, mud or gritty dust can’t get in and damage the torch. Another thing we like is the chunky, solid lanyard hole (the Iris comes with a free cord too), which is molded onto the end cap.

Our overall thoughts are that this is a great torch for more close-up usage. With an 8 hour burn time, you could go on a short hike with it fine though, or work on your vehicle using the lanyard to hang it up under the bonnet, and the toughness of it means it’d be great for a weekend of off-roading – it’d certainly look the business on a 4×4′s dashboard. We feel that it’s priced correctly, and is very good value considering the build quality.

Need-To-Know Info:

- RRP: £29.99

+ Well priced, excellent build quality, tough and reliable

- Uncomfortable power button, yellowy beam looks dated

———

Peli / Pelican 2360 LED

CarProductsTested Rating: 70%

Peli, or Pelican as the U.S. branch of the company is named, most definitely have what can only be described as a vast selection of torches available. In fact, we counted well over 50 on their website!

Out of that huge amount, we were sent the 2360 LED to have a play with. Within our group test, and as a generality, we all agreed that the 2360 was one of the best looking hand torches we’ve come across. If we were playing the ‘opposite word’ game, then we’d describe the Peli as ‘Flimsy’. So reverse that, remember, and a word could clearly be used is ‘Rugged’.

With the colour coming only in black, the entire casing being made from heavy-duty aluminium and the torch itself looking like something the Terminator would use, if you want one to impress your mates with, it’s this beast.

Keeping a grip of it, with or without gloves on, was no problem thanks to the machined diamond pattern in the centre section of the body. For its 15.5cm length, the 2360 is a fairly hefty piece of kit, and felt weighted. No overly so, but you wouldn’t exactly want your head bashing with it either.

When it comes to functions, there aren’t really any. Just a simple click on and off button on the tail end, which can also be half-pushed for momentary use. There’s no adjustable spread, and the light is much more of an harsh spot rather than than a large circle. However, that spot is 2.5 watts and 94 lumens bright, meaning a nigh-on 140 metre beam! Aiming it into the sky on a misty night was like holding the world’s biggest light-sabre.

Included on the Peli 2360 is a clip to attach it to a cap or on the outside of your pocket and like the rest of the torch, this is just as well-made and sturdy. You can also loop a thin piece of string through a small loop in the clip – great for suspending it from wherever you want.

We really liked this torch for a variety of reasons, from its look and build quality to the mega-intense beam – so how come it only got a 70% rating? Well, the big negative for this torch is the really low 2 hour 15 minutes burn time. Here was our dilemma, however. If we were reviewing this torch for the Police, or Fire service we’d give it the big thumbs-up for the above-mentioned qualities.

As a cop, you could happily use this for ages when it’s only going to be used momentarily for flashing in a perps face with the usual ‘license and registration please’, (insert your own example here), and getting more batteries for free from base is no problem. However, we aren’t reviewing it from this angle, so the 2.15 hours of light is simply not enough when compared with the rest of the gang here, and you’d eat through batteries if using it for walking or working on your car.

Price-wise, the £50 recommended retail price is a heck of a cost, even at this quality. However, looking around, no-one seems to sell it at that price new anyway, and most places were charging £30 – £35, which is much more like it.

Need-To-Know Info:

- RRP: £50.00 (see above for more info.)

+ Powerful beam, superb build quality, looks mean

- Very low battery time

———

Kingavon 9 LED Aluminium Flashlight

CarProductsTested Rating: 50%

Okay, we’ve thrown in a bit of a wildcard here with the Kingavon. Since part of our test was about being able to throw the torch into your glove box or door pocket to use in an emergency, a (really) cheap alternative back-up is not to be scoffed at should you find yourself with a flat tyre on the darkest country road in the world at 2 in the morning.

We paid the around the same price for this little LED torch as we would for a large cup of coffee – just £2.75. So, it must be awful for that amount, right? Well no actually, it’s not bad (come on, just how little do you want to pay?) .

For looks, it’s okay, Coming in a selection of cool anodised colours (blue, black, red and silver), it’s clearly pinched the hues from Maglite, who do very similar shades – however, it’s no crime and the Kingavon 9 LED looks fairly smart for it. It’s the most lightweight and shortest torch in our group, and holding it is with or without gloves it no problem.

A small attached lanyard helps if it need to be strung up anywhere, although the retaining clip is rather flimsy and will snap off easily.

The light from the 9 LED’s is physically dazzling to stare at, but doesn’t go too far. After 15 – 20 metres, it becomes too spread-out and weak to do anything. The beam is also very blue, rather than the crisp white of the other torches here. For walking or working with though, it’s fine as is enough to see decent detail with.

Things we liked about the torch was easily-accesable on/off button, located on the end of the unit, the fact it’s so mega-cheap and also, one final good trial we did – the Impact Test. It states on the packaging that it’s shock-proof, and we darn well tried this out. We threw the Kingavon about like crazy, even hurling it hard directly at a fallen tree on several occasions, and it just kept working! Another test we did was to run the the torch over with a 2 ton truck. It survived that too (albeit slightly dented)!

Our thoughts – just go and buy one. It’s cheap enough to chuck in your car, and not worry about ever damaging it – the perfect little reserve light!

Need-To-Know Info:

- Lumens – No info. available | 15 -20 metre beam | Burn time: 12 hours + | Water resistant | Batteries: Included (3 x AAA)

- RRP: Around £2.50

+ Tough little torch, ridiculously cheap

- Bluey light which is not very focussed

We’ll continue to test these torches, and update the review if and when necessary.

Many thanks to Burton-McCall, Fiskars and PeliProducts for sending the torches to review.

Welcome to our new Gear & Gadget Guide!

cdavies — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:21:14 +0000

Welcome to CarProductsTested.com Gear & Gadget Guide – Your guide to all things cool in the world of motoring!

Here at CarProductsTested.com, we have a huge passion for all things cars and motoring (that may be obvious by now). Every day, people use their vehicles for a massive amount of purposes, and they can almost end up like a secondary home! We’re going to use our Gear & Gadget Guide to bring you reviews of the very, very best and most useful stuff around.

What kind of stuff will be reviewed?

We’ll take in all aspects of vehicle-realted gear including in-car tech, travel and trip tackle, emergency equipment and much, much more – we’ll do it all! One main theme will run throughout the reviews though – all Gear & Gadgets will be the pinnacle of Über Cool. We most definitely ain’t going to review drab things like string gloves, picnic sets or tartan blankets. Oh no!

We’ll test gear…

… that you actually want to read about – things you’ll drool over and desire so badly you’d contemplate selling granny, or the family pet! All CarProductsTested’s reviewed gear will look stunning, possibly involve bits of carbon fibre and shiny things and will, most of all, excite you.

What qualifies us to test and review products?

You don’t exactly get a certificate, a tip of the cap and a handshake in our line of work BUT, as well as many year’s worth of an absolute love of cars, motoring and travelling, we’ve been running CarProductsTested for over two years now, and have tested a massive amount of products from a variety of manufacturers.

We’ll take that testing experience and knowledge and put it into reviewing what we’ve always been passionate about – Car Gear and Gadgets!

We hope you enjoy our Gear & Gadget Guide – Watch out for new products being reviewed on a regular basis, and if you want to see something particular reviewed, use our Contact Page and drop us a message.

All The Best,

CarProductsTested.com Review Team

Dodo Juice Home Brew Kit Review

cdavies — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 21:18:45 +0000

Car Wax Test: Dodo Juice Home Brew Kit 250ml – (from) £35.95

Firstly…

We ain’t some Dodo Juice fanboy club here on CarProductsTested. From the general high scores they get from us, it may seem like we are – but they just happen to make a great deal of, well, great products. We report it like it is, for your benefit people! Look at our photo’s for evidence of how well (or badly) a product works. We just receive a product, test it, and review it. If it’s good, we say, if it’s pants, we say. End of.

So, let’s get on with it.

Initial thoughts

Viewing the kit for the first time there’s patently a ‘Wow-Factor’ there, and this is certainly a unique product. Anyone else doing these? Not that we know of. The product in question is the Dodo Juice Home Brew Kit. For those of you that love their car wax (and if you’re into cleaning your car – you unquestionably should be), this kit is gonna make you salivate big time.

It is, no doubt about it, a completely and utterly brilliant idea. The best way to describe it is to use Dodo Juice’s own blurb, ‘… your very own chance to create a premium car wax, on your stove at home’. Yes people, you can now make your own wax! How very cool. You even get to personalise it by naming it whatever you want.

From the off, the kit exudes quality. The box is made of tin, but has an old wooden crate motif. On opening it, you have a foam mat and on top of that the instructions in print (even these are on high quality thick paper), your sticker kit and a wooden stirrer (like you get at coffee shops).

Underneath all this, place in thick foam cut-outs is your ‘Solid Phase’ 250ml heavy duty glass jar with what looks like Carnauba shavings and something else, and the plastic bottle of ‘Liquid Phase’, which smells beautifully of Bees Wax.

Using the kit

We aren’t going to go through all the instructions on here – buy the flipping kit if you want that – but the upshot is that making the wax is extremely easy, as long as you’re not a clumsy beggar. It involves using a pan, water, placing jar with Carnauba pieces in said water, then bringing water up to boiling, adding the Liquid Phase to jar, stirring and finally cooling.

A couple of tips here for when you do buy the kit. 1. Use a big pan to leave more room to work with. 2. When you’ve placed your jar in the empty pan, leave the lid on the jar while pouring the cold water into the pan. Even a small amount of water getting into the mixture can ruin it! Leaving the lid on stops this from happening. 3. Remove the jar lid before bringing water up to temperature.

This is clearly a big boys toy, and is all the better for it! Making the wax at home really does make it feel like your own brew, even though Dodo Juice has done most of the work for you. When we were mixing the solid and liquid phases, the whole kitchen smelled amazing, and the end result is a very cool-looking bright green wax.

Stickering the jar up, Dodo Juice left a space for you to name the wax whatever you like. We went with ‘Green With Envy’, as it’s green and the finish it gives will clearly make people jealous. Oy, before you even think of stealing our Home Brew name – go find your own!

How good is the Home Brew wax?

Onto testing the wax itself. We tested in on a pretty chilly day (a 4˚C/39˚F), and although the instructions state to leave it 15 – 25 minutes to cure, we found that actually leaving it longer in this weather made it easier to remove. We applied it by sponge applicator, and after putting it on a little too thickly on a couple of panels and realising that when Dodo Juice instructing a ‘thin layer’ to be applied, they mean a Thin Layer. Thick Layer = Hard Removal.

You hardly need any of the Home Brew wax to cover a panel well, although applying it onto warmer bodywork will make it a much easier job, and it’ll go even further.

The finish to the paintwork was magnificent, with a superb depth and warmth added to what was wax-less and fairly lifeless paint. Beading and sheeting is superlative, even after just one thin layer of the Home Brew wax. Dodo Juice say the wax will last 2 – 3 months, but as always that’s dependant on how you maintain the car’s bodywork afterwards. We recommend using a pH-neutral wash/wax shampoo, and use a detailing spray afterwards too.

Is it worth the money?

We’d say Yes. You are getting the privilege of creating your own wax, which even on its own is an awesome idea. Add in the other elements, such as the all-round quality of the kit and the huge 250ml jar of long-lasting wax, and be assured, your cash will be well-spent.

As a gift or present for someone, there’s not a chance it’ll be anywhere near the dismayed sound of ‘oh great, a pair of socks’. It’s going to be more a case of ‘jump-around-the room-like-you’re-12-again‘.

Anything the kit could improve on?

The only thing we’d maybe like is to have other colour and scent options. Apart from this, it’s all good.

Score: 90%. Dodo Juice’s Home Brew Kit is ingenious. A ‘Big Boy’s Toy’ which is great for any true car-cleaning enthusiast!

Visit Dodo Juice.com

To Buy the Dodo Juice Home Brew Kit, visit either of our sponsor’s: Shinearama.com or i4Detailing.co.uk

Want to see more photo’s? View the slideshow below or click go to out Flickr Page

Black Diamond The Works Exterior Car Care Kit review

cdavies — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:51:44 +0000

Car Care Kits Review: Black Diamond The Works Exterior Car Care Kit – £25.99 (Cheapest Price)

At last, the perfect weather to review the kit Black Diamond Car Care sent us. After what seemed like weeks of dull, overcast or rainy days, we finally get a break in the weather. Time to break out The Works Exterior Car Care Kit and get one filthy car gleaming again.

First off, the price. Normally around £38, it’s still very well priced for the amount of products you are getting. Take a look at the photo above (click to enlarge), and have a read on the side of the box to see what the contents are. As you’ll see, you’re getting a decent amount of products for your cash.

Overall, our thoughts are that the kit is definitely aimed at valeters, rather than detailers. The difference being, we think, that detailers are generally looked upon as using finer products on vehicles. For instance, a valeter may use a strong acidic wheel cleaner on a set of alloys, whereas a detailer would perhaps use a non-acicic, low-to-zero Alkali, pH-neutral wheel cleaner instead. You get the overall idea.

The products in general didn’t really have any smell to them, apart from the Alloy Shine wheel cleaner which had a powerful acidic odour. Talking of the wheel cleaner, it certainly did a good job and cleaned well, but we doubt that it would be suitable as a regular-use wheel cleaner, with it being so acidic, it would probably have a negative effect after a while. Also, although it didn’t say it on the bottle, as it is so acidic we’d definitely avoid using it on some types of wheels such as split-rims, or chrome or polished finishes.

The Black Diamond Wax Wash shampoo cleaned well enough, and there was plenty of foam there too (not that foam is overly important, remember folks), although there were no instruction on how to dilute it - ‘Add a generous squeeze’ was all that was mentioned. There was also no mention of whether the shampoo was wax-safe either – and some car wash products are known to actually strip off wax you’ve previously applied to paintwork, due to certain ingredients being used.

Moving onto the High Wax Car Polish, we think the ‘wax’ bit of the name refers to the shine it gives, rather than wax being included in it. It’s described as ‘An easy to apply polish which gives a long lasting, deep shine’. The polish was not overly easy to apply, and it took a fair amount of effort – however, removal was simple and the product left a good shine to the paintwork. Although water sheeting was slightly improved, beading was really non-existant. We’d follow this product up with a wax, as it actually gave a decent base for a layer or two of the good stuff!

Sliding over to the next product, Black Diamond Tyre & Trims, we’re split on this one. Okay, so the negative points first (we have to – we’re a review site). Whilst applying it, this product smells seriously strong, and is almost overpowering at times – headache territory in fact. We wouldn’t use this on a car’s interior, as the odour is just too powerful, even if it does fade after a while. If you did decide to use it on inside trim though, make sure all you car doors and windows are wide open. Another drawback was that if there is even a slight breeze, because the Tyre & Trims sprays out so finely, there tended to be quite a few places on the paint and glass where it had settled, meaning we had to re-go over the car checking for it afterwards.

Positive stuff now! The sprayer nozzle gave a good and even spread, and the finish we got on both tyres and exterior trim was actually pretty decent. It doesn’t look too slick or shiny, and didn’t leave behind any sticky or dirty residue. We checked a few days later after it had been raining and the Honda had been driven a few times, and the appearance was still the same as when we’d first applied it. There were no runs, and it was an even covering too. Thumbs up on those details!

Finally, and onto the last product we used – Black Diamond Glass Shine. Let us say from the off, we officially think this product is outstanding! Simply pout it onto a microfibre cloth, give the glass a quick wipe over, then wipe it off with a clean microfibre cloth and that’s it. A truly perfect finish on both interior and exterior glass. The Honda’s glass a real mess from months of not being cleaned – and it was filthy with smears and fine dust. the Glass Shine removed it all without fuss, and with real ease too. Definitely the best product out of The Works kit. In fact, it’s one of the top two glass cleaners we’ve ever used and deserves a good 9/10 score on that front!

Final Thoughts

Black Diamond’s The Works Exterior Car Care Kit’s pricing ensures you are getting a good deal of products for your cash. However, it is definitely aimed more at valeters rather than those into their vehicle detailing, and products such as the highly acidic Alloy Shine show this.

A bit of a surprise was how good the Tyre & Trims product’s finish and longevity was, and we did come across a really Diamond item (‘scuse the bad pun), namely the Glass Shine Cream Glass Polish, which genuinely worked and performed brilliantly – in fact, we think it’s one of the best glass cleaners we’ve ever tested!

To buy the Black Diamond The Works Exterior Car Care Kit, visit www.blackdiamondproducts.co.uk

Get Your Car Protected for Winter!

cdavies — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:05:06 +0000

Winter’s a comin’ folks – and it look like it’s gonna be a harsh one!

First off, and as we are such nice people here at CarProductsTested, we’ve already done you a winter prep ‘How-To’, for the easiest way to get your car ready for the snow. How-To… Prepare Your Vehicle For Winter.

Okay, we aren’t the media, and we aren’t scaremongers either, but if the coming few months are anything like the last couple of years, your car will have the worst of the weather thrown at it – from freezing conditions to snow, ice, filthy slush and worst of all – road salt! Luckily for you (see, we’re always thinking of you guys), we’ve got the perfect detailing kit at a darn cheap price too.

Our Britemax Winter Preparation and Maintenance Pack will have your vehicle looking beautiful, both inside and out, whilst still protecting it from all the nasty elements that are about to (try) pound it out of existence.

We’ve got a degreaser and a shampoo in there, to rid your car of any really heavy grime, a polishing glaze to bring the life back to the paintwork, a product to keep your interior lookin’ sharp as can be, a sealant (fitting named Extreme Elements) to make washing your car a whole lot easier in winter, and finally, a Spray and Shine to make your paintwork gleam and bead like crazy!

All this, at a simply stupid price which works out at only 96 pence per sample before postage!

Simply click on the box below, and you’ll have your pack before you know it!

Enjoy!

CarProductsTested.com Admin Team.

Britemax Winter Prep and Maintain Samples Pack

Get ready for Winter with our Britemax samples pack - it is simply too good to miss at this price!! This brilliant kit features almost all of what you need to get prepare your vehicle for winter, and for maintaining it through the bad weather too. There are products for both the interior and exterior of your vehicle with nearly everything you need to make it shine brilliantly! Included in the pack are:

- 50ml Britemax Extreme Elements

A cream sealant which is easy to apply and remove, gives long lasting protection and adds a beautiful depth of shine and warmth to paintwork.

- 50ml Britemax Clean Max car shampoo

pH neutral and non-alkaline, this is a safe and highly effective shampoo, which leaves behind a slick finish and feel. Smells great too!

- 50ml Britemax Grime Out degreaser

This removes brake dust, engine grease bugs, road tar, water spots and much more, without containing acid.

- 50ml Britemax Spray and Shine (with free pump-sprayer)

When we tested this detail spray, we absolutely loved it! This is a non-silicone product, and is instead wax-based, giving an ultra deep shine and great protection too. Can also be used as a clay lube and drying aid.

-50ml Britemax Black Max

Another brilliant product that we really, really like - this ultra fine polishing glaze will remove up to 3000 grit sanding marks, and leaves an amazingly deep and rich depth to any colour of paintwork. It contains zero silicones or waxes and is dust-free. Use with a DA or by hand.

-50ml Britemax Interior Dressing

As the name states this is for car interiors, but can also be used on exterior trim and tyres too. Leaves a natural gloss-look behind, which is deep but still classy. Again, there are no silicones and it is body shop safe.

If you are from the E.U, please select the E.U Postage option below

Price: £5.80

Dodo Juice Basics of Bling Detailing Spray review

cdavies — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 14:30:06 +0000

Quick Detailer Test: Dodo Juice Basics of Bling Detailing Spray 500ml – £7.99

As with any new Dodo Juice product, the first thing we do when we’ve received anything from them is to unscrew the top and smell it. Ahhh. As per usual, Dodo Juice have well and truly delivered on the S-Factor (Scent Factor) front. Their new Basics of Bling Detailing Spray has the beautiful whiff of freshly-chopped Apple about it.

But we can’t get (too) sidetracked by the smell – on with the test!

This detailing spray, being part of Dodo Juice’s ‘Basics of Bling’ range, is labelled as a ‘Multi-purpose ‘Quick Detailer’ that cleans, shines and protects paintwork (and other surfaces)‘. It’s certainly priced well, at only around eight pounds sterling for 500ml of product. A bargain for starters then.

For our first section of the test we took a vehicle which was dirty, but normally well-maintained, and gave it a wash, rinse and dry-off before moving onto using the Detailing Spray. As we washed it when the weather was sunny and hot (25˚C), we did get the usual few watermarks, as seen in the photo’s below.

Using the Detailing Spray is easy, as it should be. Simply spray on and wipe off immediately with a soft microfibre cloth. The product removed 90% of the light watermarks from the paintwork and left behind a nice shine too- almost like a glow, where the metallics ‘popped’ straight out and were highly noticeable.

We also used the Detailing Spray on the side and rear glass of the vehicle, and also on any chrome and metal. It also worked well on these, but one thing we noticed was that on glass, it left a few greasy-looking smears behind. However, we worked out that if you put a tiny bit more spray onto the area and buff it hard again, the streaks are no longer visible in all but the brightest sunlight.

For our next test, we used the Detailing Spray on the same vehicle a few days later as it now had a fine layer of dust on the bodywork. Using it as a ‘waterless wash’, we applied a generous amount and lightly ‘brushed’ off the dirt with a fine microfibre cloth, before using another one to buff off the remainder of the product.

We did notice that a few streaks were left behind from the product but some ways to combat this are; 1. Concentrate on smaller areas when using the spray. 2. Go over area again with a small amount of product and buff off vigourously. 3. Literally as soon as you’ve applied the spray, wipe it off immediately.

Again, results were great and it left a deep shine behind. Incidentally, after the first application of Detailing Spray, a bird (no, not a Dodo – they were flightless and are now also dead, extinct, shuffled off their mortal coil, kicked the bucket etc.) happened to drop a rather gross amount of bird dirt onto the bonnet, which then set like concrete. However, after the first downpour of rain it nearly all came off with no help from ourselves. We put this down to the slippery-ness and protection on the paintwork after using the Detailing Spray.

On that note yes, the feel of the bodywork was left feeling slick and waxed, and water beading and sheeting qualities were definitely improved.

Overall, we still prefer the depth of shine and protection you get from Dodo Juice’s Red Mist Detailer, however, this Basics of Bling spray is very well priced and still gives a sufficient finish.

Visit the Dodo Juice website or one of our Sponsors (side of page) to buy Dodo Juice products.

8.5/10 A nice, decent-quality quick detailer which is easy to use on a variety of surfaces, and at a great price too!

+ Low price, smells excellent, leaves paintwork looking bright and fresh

- Having to go over some areas twice due to streaky marks

50/50 shot before (right) and after (left) results using Dodo Juice Basics of Bling Detailing Spray

Results after using the Dodo Juice Basics of Bling Detailing Spray. Decent water beading and sheeting abilities.

Results after using the Dodo Juice Basics of Bling Detailing Spray on glass.

Britemax Interior Cleaner Review

cdavies — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:09:20 +0000

Interior Cleaner Test: Britemax Interior Cleaner 709ml (24 fl. oz.) – £10.99 / 3.78 litres (1 U.S gal.) – £22.99

We were impressed with the Britemax Interior Cleaner. It’s easy to use, cleans well and leaves behind a really pleasant-but-unusual fragrance, which is hard to recognise but maybe there’s a hint of Ginger in there? It’s not an overpowering smell though, which some interior cleaners can be guilty of. The only problem we found was that the scent doesn’t hang around as much as we’d have liked.

The Interior Cleaner was very simple to use, and was a literal spray on, wipe away job with no fuss or arm-ache involved. Even only going over the plastics once and using a soft microfibre cloth to remove any excess, it still left a great finish.

When we used it on ingrained dirt patches on lighter-coloured plastics and where any muck was more obvious, we found that at least 80% of the grime was removed with just one ‘pass’ of the product. If you want to get right into the grain of the plastics and rubber trim parts though, we’d recommend spraying on the product and working it in with an old toothbrush or similar, and then removing the excess with a microfibre cloth.

That method should work well in removing most ingrained soiling.

After use, the plastic and rubber had a soft-sheen-look to it, and you could almost get away with it on its own without using a dressing. Almost.

As a bonus, you can also use the Britemax Interior Cleaner on other materials such as carpets and upholstery too where it seems to work pretty well, removing stains without adding more. Remember though, as with most products, over-saturate the area and spray on too much and you will make stains worse, even enlarging the area.

Overall score – 8/10 Simple to use and effective, Britemax Interior Cleaner leaves behind a classy soft-sheen finish.

+ We like the ease-of-use, fragrance and finish

- You can get through a bottle pretty quickly, making it a little pricy. The smell doesn’t linger as long as we’d like.

Visit the Britemax website

Like the look of Britemax products? Why not try a samples pack then!

Britemax Winter Prep and Maintain Samples Pack

- 50ml Britemax Extreme Elements

A cream sealant which is easy to apply and remove, gives long lasting protection and adds a beautiful depth of shine and warmth to paintwork.

- 50ml Britemax Clean Max car shampoo

pH neutral and non-alkaline, this is a safe and highly effective shampoo, which leaves behind a slick finish and feel. Smells great too!

- 50ml Britemax Grime Out degreaser

This removes brake dust, engine grease bugs, road tar, water spots and much more, without containing acid.

- 50ml Britemax Spray and Shine (with free pump-sprayer)

-50ml Britemax Black Max

-50ml Britemax Interior Dressing

If you are from the E.U, please select the E.U Postage option below

Price: £5.80

Grimey car door before being cleaned with Britemax interior cleaner

And the results - looking fresh and spotless again

Several weeks worth of dirt left behind...

... Which cleaned up quickly and easily. Only a few ingrained bits were left behind.

Britemax Black Max Review

cdavies — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:36:20 +0000

Final Finish Polish Test: Britemax Black Max 473ml (16oz) £13.95 / 3.78 litres (1 U.S Gal) £59.99

Britemax, although well established in America, is fairly new as a whole to the U.K. However, we’ve found that the products of theirs that we’ve tested up to now have been great. No mega-hyping goes on on their labels – just a clear and concise ‘this product will do this job‘- type of description. And we like that.

Black Max is described as an ‘Ultra fine polishing glaze‘,which is designed to remove fine lines and swirls in paintwork. The label also states that ‘the depth and brilliance of shine is simply dazzling…leaves a non-oily mirror like surface ready to be sealed‘.

So, how did it stack up to the description? Actually, this product is pretty amazing. This is one where almost everyone that uses it or sees it being used – and the results that are achieved – absolutely love it. We tried it on numerous surfaces, including a car with a month-old fresh paint job, to a 16 year-old vehicle which had some nasty faded and bubbling patches on the bodywork. Whatever we used it on though, it never failed to leave us impressed. By the way, it’s good for any colour of paintwork, not just black.

A good example of this would be the front side window plastic wind deflectors of a Mazda Bongo (hilarious name, cool Japanese camper van). The defectors should be totally see-through with a slight tint, however, through years of washing the vehicle a million tiny scratches had appeared, and the deflectors had become misty and opaque. We applied the Black Max by hand with a soft sponge applicator, and the difference was astounding! They went from looking foggy to completely clear again with just a couple of minutes work.

We found that Black Max is perfect for things like light scratches around door handles, and those random light scuff marksyou find around bodywork from things like people pushing past your car in a supermarket car park. A positive point about Black Max is that it doesn’t leave behind any ugly white marks or residue either, so you can worry less when using it around plastic or rubber trim.

Using Black Max with a Machine Polisher

Another big plus with this product is that if you are into your machine polishing, as a final finish polish, this is up there with the best of them. After having to remove some seriously heavy and deep swirl marks (thanks to the bodyshop) from a month-old paint job on a Nissan Skyline GTST, we’d done the usual heavy and medium compound stages, and it was time for the final finish stage. At this point, and before you do the final finish stage, the paintwork usually looks pretty darn good, but once we started using the Black Max with a Dual Action machine polisher, it turned the paint from ‘gleaming’ to ‘so deep you could dive in and swim around’.

When using it on a DA, we found it really very easy to work with. It spreads well and works into the paintwork with no problems, and wiping the excess off afterwards is undemanding.

The scent of this product is super, especially when using it with a machine polisher, as the heat naturally brings out the smell more. By the time we’d finish polishing the Skyline, the entire garage smelled of chocolate and vanilla, but then you may think otherwise (why not leave a comment at the bottom of the page).

Even if you can’t be bothered to do a three or four-stage polishing process, the Black Max is superb for a fast and deep shine. After just a quick claying and onto using the product with a DA polisher, results saw paintwork given a fresh and vibrant look, and it instantly deepens it and ‘pops’ out any metallic in the paint.

With this product, we did find that anything much heaver than very fine polish marks, swirls or scratches and the product can’t get rid of them, although it will make them less obvious to a degree.

Regarding price, this stuff is worth every penny of your hard-earned cash, and it’ll take you a long time to get through even the half-litre bottle. Anyhow, the results are so cool that you’ll forget the price just as soon as you use it.

9/10 Black Max does as the label says and removed fine swirls and scratches with ease. As a final finish polish, it brings an unbelievable depth of shine to paintwork.

+ Nice product to work with, does exactly as it promises, and smells beautiful.

- We haven’t found any negatives yet

Visit the Britemax website

Britemax Winter Prep and Maintain Samples Pack

- 50ml Britemax Extreme Elements

A cream sealant which is easy to apply and remove, gives long lasting protection and adds a beautiful depth of shine and warmth to paintwork.

- 50ml Britemax Clean Max car shampoo

pH neutral and non-alkaline, this is a safe and highly effective shampoo, which leaves behind a slick finish and feel. Smells great too!

- 50ml Britemax Grime Out degreaser

This removes brake dust, engine grease bugs, road tar, water spots and much more, without containing acid.

- 50ml Britemax Spray and Shine (with free pump-sprayer)

-50ml Britemax Black Max

-50ml Britemax Interior Dressing

If you are from the E.U, please select the E.U Postage option below

Price: £5.80

Damaged paintwork on a Nissan Skyline GTST. We applied two stages of polishing compounds before moving onto the Black Max as a final finish polish

Results after a 3-stage machine polishing process, and using the Black Max as a Final Finish. Beautiful!

More superb results. After the 3-stage process, we used the Black Max as a final finish polish

The items used for the final polishing stage. Britemax Black Max and a Dual Action machine polisher

After applying the Black Max. Here, we remove the product.

California Scents Review

cdavies — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:30:47 +0000

Car Air Freshener Review: California Scents

Prior to being contacted by Opal Products (main U.K. importer and distributor of California Scents) – who asked if we’d like to review some of their products – we’d already come across the California Scents range a few months beforehand. There was a fair bit of talk on the forum DetailingWorld about these car scents, and so our interest was caught.

A lot of people we talk to hate the traditional car scents, such as those trees you hang from your rear-view mirror and other sorts that you buy from large car part stores. They tend to be overpowering with a sickly scent nothing like Pine or Orange or whatever else they say. A lot of the time they smell more like toilet fresheners than anything else, and the strong smell makes for headache territory.

Organic and biodegradable vented/non-vented tins review: £2.49 each

So, after reading a fair amount on the above-mentioned forum, we bought a few of the little round tins. First impressions are that these look unusual, like nothing else out there, and also very cool too. Names such as Desert Jasmine, Laguna Breeze, Hollywood Tropicana and Malibu Melon are as appealing as they come, and almost enough to make the mouth water.

Opening the lid, there are 3 organic, biodegradable pads inside, which provide the scent. When it comes to fragrance, they are simply amazing and we’ve not come across one we don’t like yet. They kind of remind us of the sweet shops we’d go to when we were young where upon walking into the store, the smell of a thousand varieties of confectionary would hit you like a candy floss wall. Lovely, but here are also definite elements of realism to the aromas as well.

There’s none of the usual headachy, sickly-sweet smell, and although these are strong, they are not over-bearing like other scents.

As mentioned, we’d tested these for a good 3 months before Opal Products contacted us, so we’ve had more than enough time to see how they lasted. The tins say the fragrance will 60 days, but we had a good 12 weeks out of ours and they were still noticeable to people getting into our cars! A tip for these to make them last longer; after a couple of months, take out the pads, turn them over and return them to the tin and also add a a few ml of water – this will give them a new lease of life.

Some of the tins come with handy vented lids, which can be passed onto the next tin you buy, if there’s not one included. Handily, these tins also fit into cup holders, which is a good place to stop them flying about as you corner.

So, a huge Thumbs Up from us for the tins-with-pads, but what about the other products they sell?

Xtreme air freshener review: £2.79 each

We were also sent an Xtreme air freshener, which is a small tin containing ‘solid fragrance oil’. the scent was Twister Berry. opening the lids of slightly cool-looking black tin, there’s a kind of jelly-like substance inside, which doesn’t come out even if you tip the tin upside down. Again, the smell is excellent and I’m having good reports back from the owner of the vehicle it’s in.

The car we’ve been testing it in has had it in for 50 days now and there’s no sign of the smell getting weaker. Considering they have a 45 day-life, according to Opal’s site, that’s great going. Part of that could be the fact that you can put the lid back on the tin if you’re not using the car for a few days or whatever. A slight drawback is that if you want to adjust the strength of the smell you either have the lid on or off, no in-between. 8/10

Vented Clip Palms review: £2.79 each

Onto the ‘Vent Clip Palms’ now. The one we were sent to test was the Melon Mango scent. Again, it’s a ‘spillproof solid fragrance‘ with the gel-like stuff inside. To use it, you take out the little glass holder with the gel in and remove the plastic cap before replacing the holder into the vented plastic. Maybe it was just this particular odour but we found it a little too sickly and strong for our liking. Perhaps it was also because being clipping to the air vent, it’s blown more directly at you. Whatever the case though, we still prefer the organic tins. 6.5/10

Palm Hang Out review: £0.99 each

Finally, onto the Palm Hang Out. These are much like the trees you can buy to hang in your car, but maybe slightly less toxic-smelling. We were sent out the Monterey Vanilla fragrance, and it’s not too bad. The smell from the normal trees tend to hit you in the face like a 25kg sack of spuds when you open them, but this was fine. A little too strong perhaps, but hopefully it’ll soon ‘wear in’. We’ll update you as the test goes on.

A couple of points to be aware of that we noticed on the packaging on these Palms is no to leave them on plastic or painted surfaces or on upholstery. If that’s the case then they’re definitely more chemically than the others. 6/10

Summary: Out of all the air fresheners we tested from California Scents, we definitely found both the organic and vented tins the best, with the Xtreme coming in second. If we get chance, we’ll test more of the California Scents range.

Note: Please do all involved a bit of good, and support the main distributors of California Scents by buying through their approved resellers only – you know you’re buying the genuine article then, and not a cheap copy!

We officially love the Organic tins from California Scents. They’re unusual and cool visually and the aroma’s are not overpowering or chemically and they last for months too!

Click here to visit Opal Products website