Review of Armaggeddon AlienCraft G11 and Alien G9

Both of us are using Armaggeddon mice. 

His is AlienCraft G11 (refer to 1st image below) while mine is the lower end model Alien G9 (refer to 2nd image below).

Source: http://armaggeddon.net/

Source: http://www.act.com.kh

They are not exactly cheap. I think AlienCraft G11 was around S$100+ and Alien G9 was around S$70.

A few days back, HE realised AlienCraft G11 was acting cranky. The left mouse click button which is also the most commonly used button will self activate, creating chaos on his desktop. Based on the details provided on the underside of the mouse, the warranty is supposed to be valid till June 2014. 

I sent an email to fellowship@armaggeddon.net yesterday night. To-date, there is no response, not even the auto generated system email kind of reply. Anyway, I know very well that I have too high expectations of their turnaround time. 

Decided to do a search online to see where their service centre was located (1 Kallang Sector #03-05 - operating hours: 0930 hrs to 1830 hrs for weekdays and 0930 hrs to 1300 hrs on Saturdays) since no such information was provided on their website. Ironically, there was a lot of information on where their products can be bought in Singapore. I could see where the main focus of this Singaporean brand is on. Their 'Contact' page is also not working on my Chrome. Imagine filling up all the information and yet these data cannot be resent out. Service is clearly not high on their priority list...

 Decided to visit their Facebook page and dropped them a personal message. Shall monitor how long it will take for them to respond. I got this strong feeling I will not be getting any response, looking at how their own forum is being managed by the administrator. This scenerio is highly similarly to my Clarisonic Mia episode where it spoilt just after my warranty period was over and I did not even really use it much! 

Basically, the response by Clarisonic was equivalent to a non response. Another long story and I have decided not to waste any more money on this brand! Buy Clarisonic products at your own risk especially if you are buying overseas and shipping in to Singapore.

Still hopeful that there will be a response from Armaggeddon soon...

** Updated **

I have just called their Singapore hotline at 6547 1611 and was informed that I can just bring down my faulty mouse for them to take a look. Have also updated the operating hours above. Hope it helps!

Just to add on, the guy on the phone still dare to comment how come I don't know the location of the service centre but I know the contact number of their company. *Tsk tsk

Perhaps a visit to their company website should be a compulsory part of their orientation programme. Who would know the location of the distributor is also the service centre...

DISTRIBUTOR: Leapfrog Distribution Pte Ltd

1 Kallang Sector #03-05, Singapore 349276

Tel: (65) 6547 1611 | Fax: (65) 6547 1711

Sorry for being mean here but this small event has wasted an entire afternoon of mine and I am not feeling very gracious at the moment.

Review of water air purifier purchase from Pure Essentials/Wil Essentials (Wan Shon Trading P/L)

With the Sumatra haze, I placed an order from water air purifier with ioniser from Pure Essentials/Wil Essentials (Wan Shon Trading P/L) via Qoo10 on 19 June 2012.

Source: qoo10.sg

The status of the item remained as 'Shipping Estimated 20 June 2013' from 20 June 2013 to 22 June 2013 and I decided to email them twice on 21 June 2013 with no response. Found their office number after going through pages of user reviews and decided to give them a call on 22 June 2013. Called so many times before someone finally answered and I was informed that I can do a self collection instead. His explanation of the delay is due to their deliverymen falling sick due to the haze (understandable). I was also assured that it will not be a wasted trip (note that my item was not even packed then despite my order was placed on 19 June 2013).

Made a trip down on the same day and finally collected my water air purifier with ioniser with 2 free 30 ml essences. I also received a refund of S$3 for the delivery fees.

After this experience, I guess I will not be making any more purchases from them. No doubt there are many glowing reviews from many customers but there are also numerous customers like me who did not really have a pleasant shopping experience. I noticed from "User Reviews" of other products (that they are also selling) that there are buyers who placed orders on 19 June 2013 and yet received their items on 21 June 2013. Why is there this disparity in service level?

Somehow I get this feeling that I was being 'smoked'...

On a separate note, the water air purifier seems to be working condition. However, I forgot to ask about the warranty =< 

Dehumidifier - To buy or not to buy?

Ever since we shifted in to Park Central, we have been in this dilemma of whether to get a dehumidifier or not. As the master bedroom toilet and the wardrobe share a common wall, the humidity level in the wardrobe is rather high =< I really hate the musty smell that our clothing tends to get after a while. 

The same goes for other areas in the unit, like the storeroom etc. Have heard various theories that humidity in Ang Mo Kio is rather high as we are near to various water catchment areas like Lower Pierce Reservoir etc.   

Source: gothere.sg

However, I suspect it has more to do with the layout of the unit. There are so many openings to the unit. The amount of dust that accumulate in the unit per day is amazing especially with my 'open door' policy. I love having fresh air and lots of sunlight in my living environment.

Unit layout

Have previously tried dehumidifiers from Daiso which filled up in less than a month (capacity was around 300 ml at S$1 each - 2 pcs in a pack). 

Dehumidifier from Daiso

Currently using Fairprice Water Jumbo Dehumidifier (600 ml capacity at around S$1.50 each). Similarly, the container is around 25% filled in around 2 weeks.

Fairprice Water Jumbo Dehumidifier

The operating costs of dehumidifying the master bedroom and other areas in the unit is getting rather high. We went to various electronic stores to take a look at the dehumidifier models available in the market and were quite shocked at the prices (cheapest model was Novita ND290I at S$469). Decided to take my search online and happened to come across these 4 dehumidifiers listed on Qoo10:

Source: Qoo10.sg

Option 1. ETD-250
- Smallest sized model out of the 4
- Suitable for 10 sq m space
- 1 button to operate
- Most likely made in China
- Size: 21.8 cm (height) x 14.6 cm (width) x 13 cm (depth)
- Capacity: 500 ml
- Price: $79.90 + $9 (shipping)

2. Dehumidifier + Fan
- Like the dual function option 
- Made in Korea
- Size: 41.3 cm (height) x 28.8 cm (width) x 21.6 cm (depth)
- Capacity: Not listed (but should not be more than 500 ml) 
- Price: $120.00 + $23 (shipping - too expensive)

3. Morning Up MU-898 Mini Dehumidifier
- Made in China
- Size: 22.3 cm (height) x 14.6 cm (width) x 13.5 cm (depth)
- Capacity: 600 ml
- Price: $79.00 (free shipping)

4. Olee Petite EF 881
- Most pocket friendly and functional option
- Suitable for 20 sq m space.
- Made in China
- Size: 30.9 cm (height) x 19.4 cm (width) x 13.5 cm (depth)
- Price: $109.00 + $5 (shipping)

Did not manage to find much user reviews though. Do let me know if you have any recommendations =>

Tokebi Hand Blender - Cooking Experiments

Have been using the Tokebi Hand Blender quite frequently these days to blend fruit shakes, soups etc. One major plus point is that I can blend HIS multi-vitamins together with the selected ingredients for fruit shakes. HE is not very pleased though as I have been preparing various 'concoctions' to ensure that HE has a balanced diet (basically involving lots of vegetables). 

Tokebi Hand Blender - Cooking experiments

The Tokebi Hand Blender tends to splatter if the bottom rotating component is not submerged in sufficient amount of ingredients. It is quite powerful in the sense that it can blend ice cubes with ease. Cleaning the Tokebi Hand Blender is also a breeze. I will usually clean it right after usage by letting it operate in a jug of diluted rice water enzyme for around 10 seconds and repeat the same cycle using clean water. Not much scrubbing is involved.

Overall, I am quite satisfied with this buy.   

Tokebi Hand Blender - Review

There are actually quite a number of blenders available in the market, ranging from S$40+ to S$200+. 

Source: courts.com.sg

Being a noob cook, I was looking for a mid-range hand held blender cum mixer for my cooking experiments. Did research for months before deciding on Tokebi  Hand Blender listed on Qoo 10. Item was sent out from Korea and shipping took around one week. Total cost including shipping is less than S$100.

Tokebi Hand Blender V-5500

What I like about Tokebi Hand Blender V-5500:
1. The pretty detailing on the product (very important as I will be slaving away in the kitchen!)
2. Blender felt sturdy
3. Item came with a variety of accessories including a stand which is very useful
4. Only 1 button to select for operation (dummy proof especially for 1st time user like me)
5. Small selection of recipes (in English) available for download (recipe provided in package is all in Korean)
6. High number of revolutions per minute (22,000 - 24,000) compared to other brands
7. Low power consumption (170 W) compared to other brands
8. Blender can also act as a mixer (looking forward to my 1st baking experiment)!


What is not so great about Tokebi Hand Blender V-5500:
1. Blender feels quite heavy after awhile (How ironic, I know...)
2. 2 pin plug converter is required
3. Recipe book provided in package is in Korean =<

To be continued (with my various cooking experiments).... 

Updated: It seems like the above Korean hand blender is no longer being sold on Qoo10. Another item with similar functions can be found on Qoo10 as well. So far, reviews seem to be quite positive and much cheaper than my Tokebi which is still functioning well 1.5 years from the purchase.