Blagman on BCB Radio

Proving that my local boy status reaches far wider than Birmingham here's a recent interview I did for BCB Radio in Bradford.

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'The Good Book'

Product Number: 142
How Much: £15
Where can I buy one: Suck UK


It was only a matter of time before we actually received 'The Good Book' to review, but this isn't it. Sure the front may look innocent enough, with its golden insignia and Latin inscription but open it up and it suddenly becomes apparent something isn’t quite right…


Someone’s cut a ruddy big hole in the middle of it, and smuggled inside a hip flask. Very sneaky! Of course the first clue that something isn’t quite right is the Latin inscription on the front “Cogito Sumere Potum Alterum” which when translated actually says “I think I’ll have another drink”! Aside from that the team at Suck UK have done a fantastic job of replicating something which looks just like a classic bible including a gold effect on the side of the pages.

The book does come with a plastic sheet on the front which reveals it as a ‘Flask in a Book’ but it can be easily removed to make sure you don’t give the game away too soon. This fantastic effort to deceive will please those looking to give the ‘Flask in a Book’ away as a gift as it means your recipient will appear utterly dumbfounded on first opening their present (unless of course they’re a devout Catholic in which case they’ll be dumbfounded upon opening the book instead).


As for the flask it’s made from stainless steel and can contain up to 4OZ of liquid inside its slim frame. Ergonomically it’s perfectly designed and curves inwards at the back to make it easy to hold whilst you sneak a quick drink when no one is looking. The lid itself screws on and off and isn’t attached to the flask itself which will please some of you and anger others so I’ll leave that out there for debate.

To test the flasks capacity I filled it to the brim with water, screwed on the top and then wrapped it up in kitchen paper and shook vigorously. After a few minutes of shaking I managed to dislodge a tiny droplet of water and was suitably pleased. Peace of mind then for those of you drinking the ridiculously priced Grey Goose Vodka who are worried about losing more than a drop.


The Suck UK website also recommends that you personalise the present by either writing a personal message on the first blank page of the book or by filling up the flask with your recipients favourite tipple. The flask itself also comes without any engravings so it’s ready for your local key cutters to do what they do best (well aside from actually cutting keys and for some reason shining shoes).

The 'Flask in a Book' is devious, intriguing and positively sinful. Which is probably why it makes a great gift for anyone you want to really surprise. Remove the plastic, wrap it up and wait for hilarity to ensue.

Gel Soles

Product Number: 141
Price: £39.99 RRP (£29.99 if you quote “Blagman.co.uk”)
Where can I buy: Walk Pain Free.co.uk

Prices are frustrating things. Give something a low price and you’ll turn an unusual product in to a fascinating impulse buy, but price them too high and you’ll turn away people that have the slightest worry that a product may not be what they’re looking for. Thankfully at Blagman.co.uk we’re all for haggling and that’s why we were chuffed to see the team at 'Walk Pain Free' willing to shave £10 off their product price for all of our readers. Add to that their three year guarantee and a once worrying price suddenly becomes far more attractive.


But all of this would become utterly pointless if the Gel Soles didn’t work, and knowing that we couldn’t promote something that we hadn’t tried out ourselves I embraced the soles in to my life. I received a sample in size 9 to 11 which was perfect for my size 11 feet, and there's a multitude of other sizes available to make sure you get the best fit for your size.

Fitting the sole in to your shoes is an easy process and given their flexible nature you simply bend and push. The soles will then spring back in to the desired position and you’re all set. I tried the soles out in three different pairs of shoes and found that they fitted perfectly in them all. However, the soles do add an extra centimetre or two to your feet whilst you use them so if your shoes are already snug on the tops of your feet then you may find the fit is a little tight.


Walking around with the soles in place is an unusual experience at first and you’ll be very aware that they’re there. As you walk along and put pressure on the soles the gel inside moves around to cushion the ball or sole of your foot and there’s even a little resting point for your toes. This helps to act as a cushion as you walk and is designed to relieve pressure. The back of the pack also claims it will help 18 different ailments and injuries including knee pain, gout, bunions, sciatica and arthritis.

What they don’t mention is that the gel soles also act as a fantastic little mini massager. On my first trip out I quickly discovered that by rocking back and forth on my feet the gel would move around and create a soothing feeling. Best of all as this is going on inside your trainers (so long as you don’t sway) everyone else will be totally oblivious to your massaging antics which only makes it all the more enjoyable.


Although I didn’t notice any significant pain relief in my trials, I didn’t have any to start with so it’s hard to comment. What I did notice was that the bizarre feeling of walking around with gel under my feet started to subside towards the end of my one week test and the gel itself seemed softer the more I used it. I’d imagine that eventually you won’t notice the gel soles at all and with no squelchy noise it’s unlikely anyone else will either. Which is great as it means you can get on with your life without having to worry about aches and pains.

To order your own Gel Soles visit Walk Pain Free.co.uk and don’t forget to tell them Blagman sent you for a £10 discount.

The Quadrilaeral

Product Number: 140
How much: £9.00
Where can I buy one: The Mad Cow Company.co.uk

Is it immoral to review a DVD without watching it all the way to the end? Is it unfair to cast a verdict on a CD by only listening to a few tracks? Ultimately the answer is yes and I’ve always felt that the best way to review any medium is it fully invest myself until the end and to try and approach it from every possible angle. This style hasn’t exactly rung true for 'The Quadrilateral', which has successfully managed to resist everything myself and Marie have thrown at it.


The basic premise is simple. Four rings are connected by a range of colored strings and your goal is to free them from the other rings. Although this sounds pretty basic the strings themselves aren’t big enough to fit the rings under and all of the rings are exactly the same size so there’s no trickery to be had there. The strings’ short lengths also mean if you try to move the rings too much they’ll become tangled and you’ll be unable to perform any more twists and turns.

Other attempts we’ve tried have been too numerous to explain here and even when doing a quick search for “Quadrilateral Solutions” all I managed to find were a bunch of Maths equations. Even Wikipedia, the always unreliable source of public lies was unable to help me. It’s no wonder the creators at The Mad Cow Company have branded it an ‘Extreme’ difficulty rating.


This wouldn’t be the first time a puzzle has landed on my desk and then caused unbridled frustration. When the Bedlam Cube arrived I talked about how we’d keep trying and how eventually we’d solve it. The always nice Danny Bamping (founder of Bedlam Puzzles) even told us to drop him an email when we solved it. Well I hope he doesn’t think we’re being rude and not writing back as we’ve still been unable to solve it…


The surprising thing about this frustration is that it actually acts as a mark of quality. The Quadrilateral may have eluded our grasps (we tried so hard that some of the paint even came off the rings) but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad gift. Unless you’re someone that walks away at the slightest hint of a challenge then you’ll find some way to gain some enjoyment our of it, and if all else fails you can always use it for a Hoopla tournament.

AZBOs Part 1

Product Number: 135-139
Price: £9.99-£12.99 each
Where can I get one: Trade: Nemesis Now.com
Retailers: Forbidden Planet, Tribal Voice, Equinox Gift Shop (Tenby)

Argh! My desk has been over taken by ‘yobs’, ‘slobs’, ‘blingers’ and ‘mingers’ and it may be too late to escape their wrath. This is all down to the scoundrels at Nemesis Now and their latest collection of figures which focuses on modern day chav culture and goes by the name of ‘AZBO’:


Each figure delivers a fascinating insight in to the trails and tribulations of modern teenage-hood and with 10 to collect in all there’s an intense range of different trends on show. Today I’ve rounded up five of my favourites to show you in detail and if you’re really nice and don’t happy slap anyone then I’ll show you the other five real soon. And if you get all the way to the end there's even a chance to win your own figure of choice!

Phatso (£12.99)


There’s something about Phatso that makes him eminently loveable. Despite his grotesque exterior, bum crack on show and grease stained shirt there’s a mysterious element that makes him utterly adorable. Perhaps it’s those bear arms that could crush a grown man half to death, or maybe I just want to steal his giant hot dog, but for some reason he’s the best of the bunch. Despite being the largest figure he’s actually one of the lightest which only adds to his appeal, and makes his hug-factor as strong as that of any teddy bear.


Smax (£12.99)


Clearly having just come from school with his Education Maintenance Allowance in tow (which would explain the giant E), Smax is loaded! The only figure to contain a chav-esuqe hint of Burberry, Smax also piles on the bling with a giant gold watch and some extra dollar bills stuffed in to his back pocket. What I especially like about this figure is the way the design team have portrayed Smax’s clothes as baggy by making them oversized and then cutting in to them to create a fantastic crumpled effect.

Miss Sl*g Bag (£12.99)


Vicky Pollard would be proud of MSB for here reasons. First there’s the three babies from five different fathers (or at least that’s what I’m assuming given the mismatch of hair styles and eyes) and a fourth baby on the way. Second there’s the puffed up hairstyle which screams “If you look at me I’ll crush you” in a way no other figure can. Last of all there’s the fashion, from the exposed G-String to the belly on display Vicky would be proud…


Sue Ecide (£9.99)


Not the most tasteful figure or name, but we’ve come this far so there’s no turning back from the ASBO culture now. Sue Ecide wouldn’t look out of place in any rockers bedroom and the great use of faded dark colours really helps to get across her punk image. And let’s not forget the giant spiked ball she holds at her feet which looks like it could be swung at your head at any time, Scary stuff, but it’s a perfect contrast to the supposedly All American Girl you know is buried deep underneath the makeup, green hair and purple skirt.


Virus (£9.99)

Staring at Virus was like staring in to a mirror. He’s got my hair style and my love for gadgetry and can't wait to get his hands of the latest video game device. Not only does virus come with a video games console but he’s also holding a double screened music player, and I’d wager he’s got even more hidden underneath his coat. Much like Phatso his appeal lies in his rounded nature but it’s the geek culture references and zen like state of enjoyment that makes this little guy one of the best.

WIN! If you know anyone that looks a bit like the above figures then send a picture of them to win@blagman.co.uk to be in with a chance of winning an AZBO of your choice. Be sure to include your name, address and preferrred AZBO so we can send out the prizes. Closing date for entries is 7th May 2007. Good Luck!

Tune in next time when we tackle rockers, boozers and stoners whilst continuing in to a decline of non-PC filth. Well it’s what the Internet is for right?

Monamor Range

Product Number 132-134
Price: £19.95 (Body Cream/ Bath Soak), £22.95 (Salt Scrub)
Where can I buy: Monamor.co.uk

Before we start I'd just like to say the folks at Monamor have the best handwriting I've ever seen:

It's like something out of Lord of the Rings....

Today I will be revieweing “Hufen Corff Rhosynnau te a Mynydd gydag echdynnyn ewain mon” or for those of you who don’t speak Welsh: “Tea Rose and Peony Body Cream with extract of Anglesey Meadowsweet”. Of course for those of you who thought Body Cream was simply Body Cream that second description won’t be any clearer at all.


Sadly I fall in to the second category and despite being born in the sunny Welsh town of Newport (a tale for another day) I couldn’t make sense of either of the descriptions. So I decided the only reasonable way to get to grips with the product would be to pop off the lid and slather it all over. Hopefully the language of product testing and the notion‘ of slathering something on’ is something which we can all understand (the more reserved of you may prefer the phrase “delicately applied to the skin” but you get the idea).

So after slathering/ delicately applying the lotion the first thing I noticed was the intense smell of the product itself. With a smell clearly intended for women, I promptly delved behind the nearest desk and waited until the smell subsidised before heading outside. Unfortunately for myself, the smell stayed with me for an age. The upside of this is that if you are the correct gender for the product then you’ll have a fantastic smell that is bound to entice any male passers by (heck I even found myself sniffing my hand whilst the product was on it).


It’s at this point that I decided to hand the remainder of the products to Marie for testing purposes, and thankfully she was able to provide me with a much fairer perspective. It also helps that Marie had a bath to hand to try out the next two products which really wouldn’t have worked so well in my shower.

Tea Rose and Peony Bath Soak with extract of Anglesey Meadowsweet: A runny texture that can only accurately be decribed as ‘gloopy’, the bath soak has the texture of silly putty and yet somehow also has the smell of the heavens. After scooping your hand in to the pink mixture and applying a small amount to any bath you’ll soon bear witness to an explosion of bubbles, a delightful smell and a relaxing bath. As with all of the products in today’s update the tub is huge and you need very little product each time you use it so it should last for an entire divine eternity.


Pure White Halen Mon Exfoliating Salt Scrub with extract of Anglesey Meadowsweet: I was baffled to read on the Monamor site that the salt used in this product is actually used by award winning chefs. Their logic? “if it is good enough for the inside of the body, it must be even better for the outside.” Whilst the other products had rather fantastic smells, the salt scrub is bound to turn a head or two when you open the tub for all the wrong reasons as it has a very distinct odor. Thankfully the smell is less noticeable in a shower so it’s not too big a concern. The scrub itself is also highly effective at refreshing the skin and distressing the mind.

De-stressing is a really big part of what Monamor offer, and all of their products are perfect for relaxing mind and body. Their website even asks for you to write in if you’ve had a stressful week so they can help. A company set up to help relieve stress and give its customers a better quality of life? Now there’s a relief.

British Seaside Holidays Memorabilia Pack

Product Number: 131
How much: £4.95 RRP
Where can I buy one: The Memorabilia Pack Company

Remember the good old days? When trips to the seaside involved more than lobbing stones at the nearest nuclear waste container? When camping trips had an imposed silence at 11.45pm to keep future ASBO kids quiet? Or when ‘saucy postcards’ were more sexist than anything you could now see on MTV?


See what I mean? Well the Memorabilia Pack Company certainly remember those times well and are on standby to give you a quick dose of instant nostalgia with one of their themed packs. Alongside the above seaside frollies they offer packs with World War I, RAF, steam train and vintage household memorabilia as well. Rather humorously their website also offers ‘old line’ stock (which includes products they no longer produce) which given the vintage nature of all of their stock made me chuckle.

For this review I’ll focus my attention firmly on the “British Seaside Holidays” pack which includes a number of trinkets from the bygone era. The whole thing comes packaged in a small plastic wallet and makes a perfect small gift for anyone who wants to take a trip back in time and can’t afford a Tardis. Speaking of the Tardis there’s definitely an element of the pack seeming ‘much bigger on the inside’ and as you open it up all manner of fascinating memorabilia is yours to explore.


In my pack I received:

4 postcards: Alongside the traditional saucy postcard were further images of sandy beaches, pools filled to the brim with people, a Punch and Judy show, donkey rides and generally a lot of very pale tourists! By far the most nostalgic part of the package is that some postcards include writing on the back: one of which included a detailed run down of a train journey and the other was from a little girl in hospital (which I've got to admit it felt a little bit intrusive to be reading!).

'By Coach to the Seaside' Book: A short children’s story proclaiming the joys of bus journeys. In this case a rather long bus journey which stops for both a picnic and a trip to a café. Who says kids today eat more than they used too?

Prestatyn Holiday Camp leaflet: A fantastically colourful leaflet complete with the sights of a typical seaside. Classic hairstyles, comedy bathing suits, all white matching tennis outfits. And more donkey rides!

Butlins Entertainment Guide: Now this seems like a value for money night out. This leaflet for a typical Butlin’s week of entertainment includes a complete line up of three orchestras, 2 entertainers, a singer, a pianist, some dancers and a table top competition. There’s even a photo of the local ‘camp comedians’ strangling each other. And they say comedy today is tasteless!


Other items of interest include a crazy golf card and newspaper clippings although my personal favourite has to be a bingo card complete with the message “Few things are as expensive as those we try to get for nothing”…. If that isn’t a slogan for Blagman.co.uk then I don’t know what is.

To join me down memory lane visit The Memorabilia Pack Company and explore the complete range.

Premierlight Flexible LED Torch

Product Number: 130
How much: £9.99 RRP
Where can I buy it: Premierlight.net

As anyone that has ever walked through a city center at night will attest to, it can at times be a terrifying experience. The idea of walking through somewhere you know so well in the light which has now been reduced to darkness, and seeing a place usually full of people now surrounded by a few stragglers each more suspicious than the last, is not a pleasurable experience. The last few times I’ve had to do this I’ve hopped in a taxi instead like the big baby I am, put perhaps with the Flexi-light in my hand I’ll soon be ready to brave the darkness.


Although small, the flexi-light is incredibly bright, andto add to its strength the beam is emitted from a small point which then radiates. There’s no plastic sheen to hold the bulb back and as a result the ½ watt LED inside is capable of filling up entire areas with brisk sharp light. I suspect in a few months Premier light may have to slap a ‘Do not look directly at the LED’ warning on the box as I can see someone looking at it for a little too long and then filling a law suite…

Of course the more likely a torch is to scar someone’s cornea, the better it’s bound to perform so in that respect it’s the perfect ‘lost in the dark’ aid. In fact the front of the box claims that it’s so effective that it will light the way up to 1 mile ahead of you. This of course is one of those annoying statements that it’s really impossible to test given that it’s hard to find anywhere in Birmingham that’s a mile long without buildings.


None of this really matters when it’s far more likely that instead of lighting up one mile long runways you’ll probably be using the flexi-light for more traditional uses. Such as trying to find your way around when the lights go out for example, and this test was where the device shined (literally and metaphorically). Not only did the device suitably light up my studio wherever I pointed it, it also made objects far away incredibly visible as this shot somewhat indicates.


On the down side the switch you push to turn the torch on is a little flimsy. For some reason it's soft and 'squidgy' so ocassionally when you try to push it in you'll simply slide the switch rather than actually activating the torch. Not a great feature when you're already groping around in the dark trying to find your way around, but then again not really something that will stall you for more than a second.

Surely you’re probably thinking by now “So what? I’ve got a torch that works perfectly well”, but can your torch rotate around 360 degrees in any dimension? And I’m not talking about turning your hand and moving the torch around, you see the flexi-torch has a flexible head which you can twist and weave to fit in to even the tightest hidden holes. Always losing things down the side of kitchen cabinets? Then you simply twist the light around, pop it in and suddenly everything becomes clear.

This immense power comes at a price of four watch batteries every time it runs out, although the front of the box mentions its “long life” so you should at least expect your initial purchase to go far. Just make sure you pick one that doesn’t look like it’s been given a few too many ‘trial goes’.

L’Oréal Range

It’s been said that you should give the public what they want and I’m always happy to oblige. When you wanted more toys, I reviewed more toys. When you wanted more home stuff I reviewed kitchen and lifestyle products. Yet one review has remained at the top of our most viewed products since we went live in August and no matter how many crazy toys and unique household products I review I simply can’t seem to top it: L’Oréal lip gloss.

So in respect to giving you what you want, it’s over to Marie once again for a look at more from L’Oréal:

Name: L’Oréal Color Riche Star Secrets
Product Number: 127
How much: £7.99


Every girl wants at some time to look like a celebrity and the thinking behind this new range from L’Oréal is that you’ll now be able to do just that. To create that celebrity look each of the lip stick’s in this range has been modeled on a different celebrity so all you need to do is pick your model of choice, apply and wait for the red carpet.

The sample I received went by the number 713 and name ‘Kerry Rosewood’ which surprised me given that I’d never heard of a celebrity with that name. A quick online search later and it soon became apparent that the lip stick was in the style of Kerry Washington who has popped up in everything from Fantastic Four, to Ray. In my case the lip stick looked almost the same as my natural colour so I didn’t really get the celebrity treatment I was expecting but even then I got to enjoy the smooth outside of the lip stick itself and marvel in the fantastically stylish black and gold case.

Name: L’Oréal Color Resist Cream Eye Shadow
Product Number: 128
How much: £5.99 RRP


For something that is advertised as having “12 hour wear” and being “waterproof” I was disappointed to find that this eye shadow rubbed straight off and lacked any resistance. This was a real shame as the 24: Peach colour which I received looked far too good to see it disappear as soon as I blinked. Despite the loss of colour the eye shadow did leave an enticing, sparkly residue which was some comfort but it’s a shame that it didn’t quite live up to the expectations of the advertising.

Name: L’Oréal Touche Magique
Product Number: 129
How much: £6.99 RRP


Thankfully the Touche Magique did a much better job of fulfilling its PR expectations, it’s pitched as an Anti-fatigue and illuminating concealer with a smoothing effect and it did just that. It’s great for covering up under eye bags and helping to remove the daily wear and tear of modern life. Something which wasn’t mentioned but really should be is that it’s also fantastic at covering up blemishes and will work wonders in that area.

Application is easy too thanks to a soft feathery brush which delicately applies the desired amount of concealer. To decide how much you need you twist a bit at the bottom and the concealer will smoothly rush upwards and in to the brush ready to remove any imperfections. Definitely something I’d recommend.

Memory Foam Pillow

Product Number: 126
How much: £24.99 RRP
Where can I buy one: JML Direct.com, ASDA, Woolworths and Wilkinson.

NASA have helped to make some great products possible: Not only did they help to make the glue in Post-It notes but they also invented pens that can write in space and err… rocket ships…? Another product which has slowly trickled down in to the public marketplace with a small helping hand from NASA is the Memory Foam Pillow which can be yours for a mere £24.99. Space age technology for under twenty five quid? What’s the catch?


Although it’s hard to imagine what use the Memory Foam Pillow would have in space (it’d float away surely?) it certainly does have a very practical use in your every day home. In essence the Memory Foam Pillow has been designed as a pillow for anyone who has ever dreamt of a perfect nights sleep, (and those that have been kept awake all night just wishing to fall asleep and dream about a perfect nights sleep!). For this purpose it’s made of ‘visco-elastic foam’ which helps to distribute your body (head) weight across a large surface area.

When you first lie on the pillow there’s no denying that it does a fantastic job of distributing any weight you put on it and no matter how hard you push down it seems to bear the weight incredibly well. It’s a little like when you lie down on a brand new pillow for the first time and it feels incredibly firm, only in this case the pillow manages to keep its shape long after the first week you use it.


Of course this hardness could easily get in the way of a good nights sleep if the pillow felt uncomfortable but the designers have thought of that too and there’s a big dip in the middle of the pillow which is designed to cushion your head and neck. For those that don’t like to lie on their back the pillow is also usable on your side or front without having to worry about turning it around. In essence there’s no real disruption to your normal sleep routine, you simply switch it for your normal pillow, lie down and relax.

Once relaxed you should hopefully be taken to the land of slumber and later awake feeling refreshed and energetic. In my trial this was definitely the case and I found the pillow very similar to those on ready-beds that are often used for camping or sleepovers, only with far better support. Upon arising the pillow quickly reverted back to its normal shape and the dip caused by my head was quickly absorbed making the pillow nice and firm again for my next night of slumber.


(Unflattering Photo No.1)

So what have the space age scientists (with a little help from JML) given us? Well in essence they’ve managed to create an effective pillow which moulds to your shape and helps aid sleeping no end. The only downside is that you can’t try before you buy, but if you always find you have a better nights sleep whenever you buy a new pillow then you’ll find the Memory Foam Pillow makes a perfect bedfellow.

You got Questions? We've got Answers...

To help find out what Blagman can offer you we've set up a new Q+A section including common questions such as:

"What is Blagman.co.uk?"
"Is this really a free site?"
"Is Mike available for interviews/ editorials/ articles?"
"Can I buy advertising on your site?"
"Where have you been featured in the media? "

Whether you're a reader, retailer, trade only site, journalist or PR company we've got a section ready to help here

Sidekick: Logic 3 Traveller

Thought we'd leave you hanging on a Bank Holiday without a product review? Well Blagman's gone for a brief holiday but when a superhero takes a break he can always rely on a humble sidekick. In this case it's Tom Gray who was one of our lucky winners of the Logic 3 iStation Traveller. Take it away Tom:

Where iPod speakers are concerned, the first name which materializes is Logic3 and the iStation Traveller is one of the smaller speakers in their range. As the name suggests it is designed to be taken around and this is reflected in the size and weight. Upon first setting eyes on it, it looks neither modern nor attractive but as you become accustomed to it you begin to realise its subtle chic design. Primarily you plug it into your iPod, MP3 player or phone through a cable at the back which is connected to the output slot in your music device.

This brings me nicely to the first point, if you are trying to play music from a desk, how to get your iPod to stand up. The speakers slide apart as seen in the picture below:


But as you can see there is only a small area for your iPod to stand, there are problems when you try and change song since the spin wheel is down the bottom, which can unbalance the iPod and this happens:


Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a patient guy but having to take it out to change the song is alright for the first five minutes but afterwards it becomes a pain. The rubber grip pad they have put in to try and counter this is useless and this is my major whine against the speaker.

The fact it is portable also means that it is battery run, which is fine when you have no noise around you but as soon as you play heavy bass loudly the batteries are as good as gone. This then means you carry a supply of batteries in your pocket and the odds of this being a speaker which is easy to carry become more and more unlikely.

Although, having said this, it can go very loud for such small speakers and could easily be used in a car (I used it in a Landrover, loudest car in existence) which is a big positive for all those who can’t use the iTrip or want to listen to music on your mobile. This makes the device very useful for driven as you cannot use headphones legally in a car and the quality of radio seems to be declining. It also means when you get out of the car in the middle of a great song you can listen to the second half.

It also looks really cool, would fit nicely in a corner of a desk and gives you loads of cool points for having one. The little blue LED makes it look futuristic and the whole feel is suave as it fits nicely into your palm. It is also fairly slim (as seen in the photo):


The sound quality isn’t bad until the volume is cranked up, when you hear rattling and creaking noises which certainly disturbs. At other times the sound is clear, although sometimes the bass is lost on heavy tracks.

In addition to this is the price. For £20 you get a lot of bang for your buck, in comparison to a lot of other speakers I have purchased this is definitely the best value. Although this does say a lot about the quality, speakers which cost more do definitely show an improvement and if you do have the spare money it is most certainly worth splashing out.

Overall, not bad if you're tight on cash, but not really a contender with the bigger speakers.

Back to Blagman: We'll have Sidekick Number 3 and a totally different product coming soon as well as your chance to be the next Sidekick! Keep em peeled. In other news, more random products will be coming your way on Wednesday....

Onion Defence Force

What is it with onions’ trying to ruin peoples lives? Although the most publicised home wrecking activity is making grown men cry let’s not forget the way they make you need to rub your eyes. If you oblige in their fiendish plot then you’ll rub onion in your eye and spend the next 10 minutes screaming around in agonising pain. Realising that we should take control once again I’ve exposed two onion beating products below:

Name: Alligator: The Onion Cutter
Product Number: 124
How much: £19.99 RRP
Where can I buy one: Kitchen Monger.co.uk


Sounding quite frankly like the best B-movie there never was comes “Alligator: The Onion Chopper”. Sadly the tag line’s not quite as cool as your typical movie but it does claim to be “fast and easy” at cutting onions, fruit and vegetables. Personally I think they should have gone with “Watch out for the bite! It stinks!” but that may have put people off.

Another onion nightmare I missed out above is the hassle of cutting onions down in to little pieces. Sure you can buy pre chopped onions but quite often they’re too small to taste and lack a lot of flavour so the only way to do things professionally is to chop your own. Thankfully the Alligator aims to make this task a breeze by clamping its razor sharp teeth on whatever you put in its way.


To use it all you do is peel your onion, chop it in half and place it on a board. Then you push down the Alligator’s teeth and seconds later you’ve cut your onion in to long strips. If you fancy cubes then all you need to do is slide the teeth back in and you're all sorted. All of this means less time faffing about and less time having to handle the onion itself, greatly reducing your odds of touching your eyes with onion juice!

It works really well too and proved to be a definite time saver in my trials at home. The only real reservation before using the alligator was how it would be to clean. I figured excess bits of onion would get stuck in the gaps where the blades come down and that the whole thing would be an absolute nightmare. Thankfully I was absolutely wrong and the designers have included a thin plastic film beneath the gaps. All you need to do to remove those excess bits is lift up the film and wipe off the bits. It’s not perfect and you’ll still have to wash out a few excess bits with water but the whole thing takes just as long to clean as a chopping board so it’s definitely no less convenient.

Sadly you’ll still have to touch the onion (unless you wear gloves) but this brings me on to my next product:

Name: Rub-Away
Product Number: 125
How much: £6.99 RRP
Where can I buy one: Kitchen Monger.co.uk


Sometimes it’s easy to be a cynic and with the Rub-Away I’ve got to admit I had my doubts. A bar that can take away bad odors from your hands including onion, garlic and diesel oil smells? Frankly that sounded like a load of old nonsense but I decided to give it a go anyway. After chopping the onions I wiped my hands with the bar and lo and behold the smell remained!

The inner cynic in me jumped in the air, proud that it had identified a duff product and I returned to my mac to write this review. Doing a quick price check I soon stumbled upon the words ‘Just add soap’. Although the packaging had made no allusion to this I decided to go along, just to make sure my verdict was correct. Frustratingly it wasn’t, the bar worked and my inner cynic died a little that day. On the plus side I did find an effective way to remove the smell of onions from my hands before a romantic meal so I can't complain too much.

R.I.P Inner Cynic….

Pipemania (Mobile)

Product Number: 123
Where can I buy it: Text ‘PIPE’ to 88188

Playing Pipemania is like stepping back to 1989 and enjoying a far simpler time. Gone are the various complex mechanics of most modern games, and in their place comes a simple premise which provides more entertainment than most button mashing console releases. Taking the role of a plumber even Mario would be jealous of your job is simple… to control the flow of water long enough to get through to the next level.


Of course this simplicity comes from original Pipemania (or Pipe Dreams for our US readers) which was released in 1989, and in many ways this is its spiritual successor. Play is remarkably simple and each level requires you to lay down a number of pipes which must connect to a central flow of water. The pipes you use are all manner of different shapes and new types are introduced as the game goes by to increase the variety.

To help keep the play tight and frantic a strict time limit is applied to each level and points are deducted for any pipes which are laid down that do not connect to the main flow of water. Rather ingeniously once the time limit runs out water starts flowing through your pipes but play continues and you can still lay pipes until the water falls out of the end of a pipe. Once you know these extra seconds are coming the possibility of last minute combos often proves all too alluring and the fantastic risk vs reward conundrum comes about (do you risk destroying a good pipe layout to get some extra points?). Later the game adds some twisted pipes that slow down the water to the mix and it’s at this point the creativity of the level designers really should be applauded.


Whilst your high scores are listed for every level there’s also a rafter of hidden modes which can be unlocked to further increase the games replay-factor. The first of these is ‘Puzzle” which is an even more focused and stripped down version of the main game. In this mode the focus is on laying down a predetermined number of pipes to connect from one end of the map to another. To give you some focus walls are used to guide where you can lay pipes and extra score points are dotted around to lure you in different directions.

Then there’s random mode which chucks a series of jumbled up levels at you with random pipes and asks you to get from the start pipe to the end pipe. In essence this is a real test of skill as you have to make the most of every possible piece and try to plan multiple routes to the goal although as with any game of this type there will always be times when the right piece just doesn’t seem to come. Or rather humorously it comes and you use it in the wrong place instead…


Last of all there’s the ultimate simplicity of classic mode which pits you and a timer against a random series of levels with no bombs or hazards to contend with. It’s the most relaxing version of the game and the water is at its slowest to give you time to think and plan large combos. Despite this the challenge is never lost and an end high score table helps to keep the competitive nature of the game going strong.

Although story mode can be criticised of being a little on the easy side (if you keep placing pipes the one you want is bound to come) it soon starts to become challenging with the addition on hidden bombs and ever increasing pipe quotas. And with the added challenge of puzzle and random mode you’ll be playing this for a long time to come.

Cable Tidy

Product Number: 122
How much: £4.99 RRP
Where can I buy one: JML Direct.com, ASDA, Woolworths and Wilkinson.

Everybody hates wires. From the first ever infra-red remote control to the wireless controllers of the PS2, Xbox 360 and Wii it seems every new product we make is marching towards the removal of our messy little friends. Although the march of change has freed up the wires that connect to our hands there’s been little in the way of solutions to remove the clutter of wires that remain hidden behind our TV sets, music systems and video games consoles. In my flat this has led to all sorts of overly elaborate routines such as hiding wires under sofas, and down holes in a desk but after a few weeks the wires somehow find a way of sneaking out in to the open again and scaring off my house guests.


So when the Cable Tidy arrived on my front door mat from JML I can be forgiven for going a little crazy with it. Wanting to hide as many wires as possible with it I unplugged my Mac and attempted to fit as many wires inside its shell as I could. Unfortunately for me this didn’t quite work out how I had planned.

Essentially a 1.5 metre long strip the cable tidy is designed for holding a few small wires in place and keeping them out of view. To use it you simply attach a clip to a few wires, slot the cable tidy on top of the wire and pull. All it takes then is about a minute of pulling and you should have all the wires in place in one handy long wire. All you need to do then is connect the wires at both ends back in to their devices and you’re done. No mess, no clutter.


This all works great unless you insist on trying to fit as many wires as possible inside the strip. In my case I wanted to get rid of the above clutter and so tried to squeeze four rather big wires (including a fat monitor cable and a fat plug cable) in to the clip. Although they fitted in the clip, when trying to pull the cable tidy over the top I found it was too much and the whole thing popped open revealing the wires inside. Realising my mistake I replaced one of the fat wires with a thin speaker wire and successfully found the cable tidy fitted everything in nicely with no unsightly bulges or exposed wires.

In terms of other things to watch out for there’s not much else to say. Naturally if your power adapters have rather big power blocks attached to them then you’ll find the tidy can’t cover all the mess, but there’s no reason you can’t weave the power wire out of the tidy when it hits the power block and then weave it back in once the wire starts again. Although the cable tidy takes only a few minutes to use you’ll probably find it takes 30 minutes of your life when you factor in the time you'll spend experimenting with finding the best possible set up for your jumble of wires.


Success! With 30 minutes experimenting behind me I finally settled on the above outcome. I think you’ll agree everything appears a lot nicer although there are still a few fiddly little wires that I didn’t manage to fit in the cable tidy but a few tie handles and they’ll be cleared away for good. Clean, tidy, manageable wires for a fiver? Bargain!

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