Living the Vinyl Dream With 1ByOne

IMG_5489I was talking with my mom the other day and she was telling me that when she had her old record collection my dad wouldn’t even let her play her records without changing the needle first. I thought this was kinda mean, but also kinda funny considering my dad was a music nut ball. I can remember listening to records with him but having to be super careful not to jump around the living room causing the record to skip. He had a nice vinyl collection that we all enjoyed but unfortunately it was one of those things that didn’t make it through the flood of 93. A few survived but they eventually were faded out by CDs.

It is amazing to see the comeback vinyl has made on the music market these last few years. A lot of artists are now releasing their albums on vinyl along with digital downloads. I think this is a great trend that needs to keep moving forward. But what comes out of this trend is even cooler when it comes to devices to play these new and old vinyl records.

IMG_55101ByOne sent over an incredible belt driven vintage style turntable the other day for me to try out. Much like the rest of the 1ByOne products I have had the privileged to try out this turntable is made with the same high quality materials and has a very pleasing design that can stand the test of time. The nice wood finish compliments the rest of our furnishings perfectly. But how this device looks is just one piece of the puzzle. How it performs matters most. I took this thing through the ringer and threw all kinds of records at it. New and old. 45’s, 33’s. and 78’s and they all sounded great on the included 2 20 watt speakers. The included Bluetooth is nice. It allows you to play your bluetooth enabled devices audio through the turntables speakers. There is also the RCA output for stereo connection. But what is even cooler is the included USB port to record some of your favorite vinyl tracks to MP3. This can be very helpful for backing up your collection or even for the producer needing to get that certain sample off the record. I gave it a shot to see how difficult it would be to grab a song and it could not have been easier.

Testing out the 1byOne belt driven turntable. #1byone #vinyl #turntable #alabamashakes

A video posted by St. Louis Dad (@dadstl) on

For those already deep in a vinyl collection looking to upgrade their turntable, or someone just starting out, the 1ByOne turntable is definitely a great product worth a look. Since I started testing out this turntable, I haven’t stopped. It is very cool and has brought a new life to some of my favorite records. You can also check out some of 1ByOne’s other turntable related products like extra needles and vinyl record cases!

You can purchase a 1byone turntable at Amazon or Amazon UK. Also be sure to follow all of 1byOne’s social media accounts to stay up to date on their latest product offerings as well as other cool info!

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1byone.com provided St. Louis Dad with this product as compensation in exchange for an honest review. Please visit 1byone.com for more awesome products that can help make your life better!

Solar Charging Happiness with 1byOne

IMG_5330-edit2Just in time for our lake vacation 1byOne sent over a 24w Solar Charger for me to try out and review. The solar charger can charge up to two devices simulatneously.

When asked if I wanted to review the solar charger I was pretty excited. This environmentally friendly way to charge your phone or tablet. There is a nice little pocket you can slide your device into so it is not sitting in direct sunlight while it is charging. You won’t want to use this device if it is raining or misting out as it could potentially damage the charger as well as your phone or tablet.

When you’re out at the lake you may be using your phone or other device to take pictures or listening to music. Or if you happen to have a Go Pro but no extra charger the 1byOne Solar Charger is an excellent backup plan. You have to be extra careful out on the lake with all of the water but having this charger was a great alternative.

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Another good idea I had for the solar charger is to keep it in the car incase my wife or I ever had an accident or got stranded somewhere and needed to charge our phones. It is recommened to use the cable included with your phone instead of a third party cable. The instructions say the charge time will be faster, but I really did not notice a difference using an Apple cable or an Amazon cable.

IMG_5325-edit2There are many good uses for the solar charger and is definitely clever concept by 1byOne. I am excited about using it more and more in the future as I think solar technology is such a cool piece of technology to learn and play with. I can already picture some of the ideas that me and my kids may be able to come up with using the 1byOne Solar Charger.

Some additional information about the solar charger are that it includes a high efficiency solar cell, around 22-23.5%. There is built-in intelligent idetification IC to recognize Samsung and Apple devices to provide fast charging. I mentioned the dual USB connections. Max 3.3A in total. Over current, over voltage and short circuit protection. Best of all it’s light weight and ultra thin, so it is easy to store in a backpack or bag.

You can purchase a 1byone Solar Charger on Amazon or Amazon UK. Also be sure to follow all of 1byOne’s social media accounts to stay up to date on their latest product offerings as well as other cool info!

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1byone.com provided St. Louis Dad with this product as compensation in exchange for an honest review. Please visit 1byone.com for more awesome products that can help make your life better!

Turntable Toddler Time

IMG_3921Growing up my dad had a turntable and some records. So naturally when I got older I had some of my own. When it came time to buy a house I parted ways with my small collection to gain some additional funds for our big move. It was a dumb thing to do now that I think about it but there’s not much I can do to change the past, but let’s talk about the future.

Vinyl is now as big as ever. Many artists are releasing their albums on vinyl as well as digital download. I think this is awesome and my good friends over at 1byOne recognize this trend and have made their very own Portable Stereo Turntable available. They even sent one over for me to try out with my kids’ dance parties. I really like what they have come up with. Like the name suggests this turntable is portable in nature, meaning it comes self contained in its own case and has built in speakers so you do not have to hook it up to a stereo system if you don’t have one. However, if you do have a stereo you can use the aux out to easily connect up.

IMG_3912There is also an 3.5mm input jack as well. With this you could potentially hook up an mp3 player and play through the turntables built in speakers. The sound quality of the speakers are not going to win any awards but it does sound nice. I really like the design of the case and how easy it is to store. Plus you can play 33’s, 45’s, 78’s!

I don’t plan on storing mine anytime soon. I also have mine hooked up to my stereo for maximum sound quality. Alex loves jamming out to my old Joe Walsh records and I can’t blame him, it’s a good one. I myself like to listen to some of the newer releases on vinyl. Alabama Shakes is a perfect example of a relatively new band that translates perfectly to vinyl. Dance parties do not skip a beat when using vinyl over streaming media or CDs. The party keeps moving and the added novelty of the turntable keeps the kids interested in what’s going on with the music.

IMG_3922Abby likes watching the vinyl spin in it’s hypnotizing fashion, where as Alex thinks he is the next Funkmaster Flex and has to touch the record while it’s spinning. The turntable is relatively inexpensive compared to higher end dj equipment, so if it falls and breaks you’re not going to be out too much money. We’re practicing on handling vinyl records gently and being nice to the turntable. Abby understands but it will take a little bit for Alex to fully understand that he can’t touch the record player right now.

The 1byOne portable stereo turntable is an excellent turntable to keep around the house to play those old and new vinyl records. I can see many years of use with this product and if you’re in the market for one I would definitely recommend 1byOne’s.

Life is definitely good. #turntable #vinyl #1byone

A video posted by St. Louis Dad (@dadstl) on

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1byOne provided St. Louis Dad with this product in exchange for an honest review. Visit 1byOne.com to check out more of their amazing products.

Get a Jump Start This Winter

JUMP START YOUR VEHICLEHave you ever woken up in a good mood, gotten ready for work only to find out your car won’t start. Something might be up with the battery… Maybe it’s too cold or maybe you need a jump. But your car is in the garage? Or in the driveway and there is just no way for you to have another car help jump your car (which may not be safe in the first place).

This is where 1byOne comes through with an amazing little piece of tech that can really get you out of a jam if you are ever in one. Their Multi-Function Jump Starter comes with a cool case with the power bank, jumper cables, and the adapter to charge the power bank indoors and in your car. The power bank itself has an additional USB port so you can charge your phone or other USB device. It also has a flash light that is very bright and can also be set to blink in case of distress.

IMG_3068 You can jump start a car around 200 times off a full charge or you can charge your phone about 4 times off a full charge. The power bank will keep a charge for 6-12 months, but it is suggested to recharge every 6 months. That is a long time to be able to just keep this in your trunk in case you ever need a jump and are alone, or which is more common these days, nobody has cables, or wants to loan you theirs.

IMG_3070The power bank has so many uses outside of just jump starting a vehicle. The ability to charge your phone or other device several times is awesome. A lot of the other portable battery chargers that I have used in the past only get me one good charge but four in this 1byOne power bank is awesome.

For the relatively low price this device is, it is worth the investment for your car. Or even your teenagers car. I don’t think I would want my kids asking strangers for help. I would rather have them try something like this out after giving me a call. I admit I am not the best mechanic but I do know good tech products and this definitely gets my approval. With winter here I can ease my mind a little more knowing that I have this ready to go in case I need it.

You can purchase a 1byOne Multi-Function Portable Powerbank on Amazon US or Amazon UK. Also be sure to follow all of 1byOne’s social media accounts to stay up to date on their latest product offerings as well as other cool info!

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1byone.com provided St. Louis Dad with this product as compensation in exchange for an honest review. Please visit 1byone.com for more awesome products that can help make your life better!