Having a good alarm clock is important if one needs to wake up early to take a morning flight. No one likes the idea of missing on a vacation or overseas conference just because he or she did not wake up in time to go to the airport. It is a bit risky to rely on just a mobile phone alarm clock as the mobile might crash or end up without battery charge in the middle of the night. Setting the alarm clock incorrectly is also a common issue that happens to many people.

While there are many people who suffer from light sleep and awake easily with the slightest of sound, there are also others that go easily into deep sleep. It usually takes a sufficient amount of sound to wake up someone who is deep asleep.

A mobile phone might not produce enough sound to awaken someone who is in deep sleep, especially if the phone is placed a few metres away from the bed. This problem gets bigger as one gets older as ear sensitivity normally decreases with age. For this reason, it is best to turn up the volume to the highest possible value and to place the mobile phone near the bed.

The best way of ensuring that one wakes up at the desired time is to use a proper alarm clock and have a mobile phone alarm as a backup. The best-selling alarm clock on Amazon at the time of writing is the Sonic Bomb SBB500ss. The average customer rating on Amazon.co.uk at present is 4.4 out of 5 stars while on Amazon.com the average rating is 4.3 out of 5 stars.

The Super Shaker and Positive Customer Reviews 

An interesting feature of the Sonic Bomb is the Super Shaker, which is a vibrating element with a long lead. The vibrating element can be placed under the mattress and when the alarm goes the Super Shaker vibrates and so do the mattress and the bed with it. The SBB500ss can be set to sound only, to sound and vibrate or to vibrate only. By using the vibration only feature, it is possible to wake up without waking up other people living in the same house.

Sonic Bomb with Super Shaker

As a matter of fact, a reviewer stated he wears ear plugs at night due to the fact that he lives in a very noisy house. The problem is that his alarm used to wake the other people in the house without actually waking him up. The man wrote that thanks to the Super Shaker feature, he now wakes up every day without annoying the other people living under the same roof.

A reviewer reported that he has insomnia issues and he used to oversleep and go late to work. He wrote that the vibrating element is great as he puts it under his pillow and it wakes him up every time without actually having to sound the alarm.

A reviewer is of the opinion that the SBB500ss is an amazing alarm clock. In his opinion one has to be dead if he or she does not wake up with the Sonic Bomb. Another customer wrote that he has a history of not waking up by any alarm clock. The man said that in the past not even a fire alarm and an oil refinery explosion 5 miles from his house did wake him up. According to the guy, the SBB500ss is the only alarm clock that is capable of waking him up.

A woman reported that she used to sleep through an alarm clock, her mobile phone alarm and her husband calling her while on his way to work. The woman wrote that waking up in the morning is no longer an issue thanks to Sonic Bomb’s Super Shaker which she places under the mattress.

Another woman wrote that when her son was at high school, he used to sleep through all the alarm clocks she bought from him. In view of this, he used to go late to school, if at all. The woman said that after buying the Sonic Bomb for him, he never overslept again.

Negative Customer Reviews

No alarm clock is perfect and the same holds for the SBB500ss. According to one particular reviewer from London, he bought two Sonic Bomb alarm clocks and both of them stopped working after a few weeks. Another user said that his SBB500ss caught fire after three months of use.

In the opinion of another Amazon customer, the Sonic Bomb is a terrible product. She said that her Sonic Bomb had a faulty display. She reported the fault to Amazon who sent her a replacement; however the replacement turned out to be faulty as well since it was without any sound. Another reviewer reported that the clock was not working when powered with batteries. When powered with electricity it was still misbehaving as it was not keeping the time properly.

A SBB500ss owner from Maryland USA wrote that his Sonic Boom worked fine for four months but then it went haywire. According to the guy, the alarm now goes off at random. In the opinion of another customer, the bed shaker works great, however his SBB500ss is still pretty useless as it does not keep the time.

Another Sonic Boom owner said that he is disappointed with the alarm clock since it is not as loud as other people report. The man wrote that his other cheap alarm clocks are louder than the Sonic Boom and it is actually his mobile phone alarm that eventually wakes him up.

After going through many reviews, it seems to me that some Sonic Boom owners did not read the manual clearly if at all. The manual clearly states that the alarm clock needs to be configured in the correct country specific setting. When the setting is on UK it will not work fine in the US and when it is on the US setting it will not work fine in the UK.

Apart from these two settings there is another setting for European countries. The manual states clearly that if the setting is not correct it will result in incorrect time. Different countries use different voltages so using an incorrect setting can also result in the SBB500ss alarm clock overheating and burning down.

Check out the Sonic Bomb with Super Shaker SBB500ss on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Some people report that they are unable to sleep in a very dry ambient. This issue can be easily overcome by means of a humidifier. While humidity might not be an issue in some hotel rooms and apartments, this is not always the case. In such circumstances, a portable humidifier is a worthy investment.

One of the best rated humidifiers on Amazon.com is the Smile Rabbit Personal Ultra-compact Air Humidifier – Cool Mist bit. At the time of writing 37 out of 55 reviewers gave a maximum rating of 5 out of 5 stars for the Smile Rabbit while the average rating is 4.2 out of 5 stars.

According to one reviewer the Smile Rabbit humidifier pumps out a lot of moisture. This reviewer reported that it is possible to feel the humidity on the skin without making anything damp. According to this reviewer, this humidifier is very quiet in operation.

A woman wrote that the Smile Rabbit humidifier was one of the best purchases she made from Amazon. The woman said that the lowest setting provides enough humidity for her and she only needs to fill the water bottle every two days.

In the opinion of another woman, the humidifier is amazing. She wrote that she gladly gives up space in her bag to carry the humidifier with her while travelling.

A man wrote that the fact that one can use the humidifier with any water bottle is a great advantage as it is possible to prepare a set of bottles and replace them as required. However the man wrote that he does not really like the light blue glow colour and he would have preferred if there was the option of switching it off.

Another Amazon customer wrote that her nasal passages used to hurt her before she started using the Smile Rabbit humidifier. According to the woman, the humidifier helped her to overcome her dry throat and allergies problem. However she suggested not placing the humidifier too close to the pillow as it might wet it over the course of the night. According to this reviewer, a one litre bottle would last for 8 to 9 hours on the maximum possible setting.

A Smile Rabbit owner stated that while the humidifier works great, one must empty the unit before refilling the water. Otherwise the unit will not work as expected. In the view of another Amazon customer, the Smile Rabbit works as well as the larger units and in her opinion it is the best humidifier she has ever owned.

A customer wrote that she uses the humidifier while working night shifts in a hospital. According to the woman, her coworkers are envious of her and they wanted to know from where she bought the unit. Another Amazon custom customer stated that she has been using a Smile Rabbit humidifier for a year and it is still running greatly as ever.

While there are many positive reviews for the Smile Rabbit, some Amazon customers reported they were not happy with the humidifier. One customer wrote that he received a faulty unit as it was leaking after one or two hours of switching on the unit for the first time.

Another reviewer stated that the humidifier did not work for him. He wrote that when the nozzle is attached, no mist comes out but when he removes the nozzle, the unit just spits water all over the place. Another customer said that she both two units but both stopped working after two days. Two other customers wrote that their Smile Rabbit humidifier stopped working after three weeks of usage while a woman wrote that hers only worked once.

Check out the Smile Rabbit Personal Ultra-compact Air Humidifier – Cool Mist on Amazon.com.

Many people do not mind going hiking with a wrinkled t-shirt, especially while being on vacation. However the situation changes if one is travelling for a conference, business travel or a wedding. In such cases, having a wrinkle free dress shirt is essential. It is fairly easy for shirts to get wrinkled in luggage and the thing is that many hotels do not provide ironing facilities. In such cases, a travel iron becomes very handy.

Most travel irons are fairly inexpensive and one can easily find a few models for sale on Amazon:

Swan SI3070N Travel Iron – Having an average customer rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars, the Swan SI3070N is the highest rated travel iron on Amazon.com.uk. More than one reviewer wrote that this is a “great little iron” and one user even wrote that she prefers to use this small iron than with her standard size one.

The Swan travel iron includes features available in the larger models as it has a variable temperature control, stainless steel soleplate, warm up indicator light and a steam button. This iron has a capacity of 100ml and comes complete with pouch. The SI3070N supports dual voltages of 110/120V and 220/240V, which means that is can be used practically anywhere in the world. This iron has a power rating of 900W or 1100W, depending on the voltage.

The water tank on the SI37070N can hold up to 100ml (3.4oz) of water, which is pretty good when considering the small size. Currently sold at £14.33, which includes free delivery to the UK, the Swan SI3070N is a really cheap travel iron when considering the features it includes and the high user rating.

Russell Hobbs 14033 Travel Iron – This small iron is another good seller on Amazon.co.uk. Costing £11.40 as of today, it is slightly cheaper than the Swan SI3070N. However the water container is a bit smaller at 80ml. Having said this, one reviewer wrote that it is possible to iron 6 pieces of garment before having to refill the iron.

The 14033 comes with a 1.8m (70.9in) cable, a measuring jug and supports dual voltages. On the negative side is the fact that it does not include a cover for the water sprout and according to one customer, this causes water to splash on the clothes while ironing.

SteamFast SF-717 Home-and-Away Mini Steam Iron – The SF-717 has a high number of positive reviews on Amazon.com. The water tank can hold up to 1.4oz (41ml of water), which is not that great but still enough to iron 2 or 3 items before refilling. On the positive side is the fact that it only heats up in 15 seconds and the fact that it includes a pretty long cable.

The temperature on the SF-717 is variable. This steam iron comes with a measuring cup and a heat-resistance travel bag. The SF-717 supports dual voltages but on the negative side is the fact that it is only sold in the USA. Also on the minus side is the fact that it only has a power rating of 420W and thus the steam is not very powerful. The SteamFast SF-717 Mini Steam Iron has a selling price of $26.29, which includes free shipping to anywhere in the US.

Sunbeam GCSBTR-100 Travel Iron – Weighing less than 1lb (0.45kg) and measuring only 6.5 inches (16.5cm) from front to rear, the Sunbeam GCSBTR-100 is a great compact iron for people who travel. Reviewers on Amazon.com were particularly impressed with the speed at which this little iron heats up. One particular reviewer wrote that he tried this iron on a heavily wrinkled piece of canvas and he was very satisfied with the result.

Another Amazon customer wrote that he owned four traveller irons in the past but the GCSBTR-100 is the first traveller iron that does not leak water. This small iron has a dual voltage capability and a power rating of 800W. The Sunbeam GCSBTR-100 is incredibly cheap at $10.04, which includes free shipping in the US. However it not shipped outside of the States.