Dyson Digital Slim: Worth Chasing The Latest Model?

I am not going to lie. Just ask my kids. It is hard to squeeze money out of me. I would use my devices until they die on me and try to save them if there are still ways to do so! We got our first Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner back in 2016 and it was a Dyson V8. Fast forward to today, I am still using the V8 daily and I am still very pleased with the performance, albeit I did have to get a battery change last year.

Wielding the Dyson Digital Slim using just one hand is of no problem for Steffi, but the Dyson V10 can be a little heavy for Leroy!

Along the way, we got an upgrade in the form of a Dyson V10, which was a decent space-blaster looking machine that I personally feel, had stronger suction power despite only having around the same weight. The bin size of both V8 and V10 were the same as well. Both will be used when both my wife and myself decides to clean at the same time, or whenever a cleaning session extends beyond the battery life of any one machine. 

When Dyson announced the launch of their latest Dyson Digital Slim earliest in August 2020, the first thing that I wondered, was exactly how much better can the machines get? They promised a 20% smaller and a whopping 30% lighter machine as compared to their last model V11, without compromise to the suction power. So let me now share my thoughts about the Digital Slim with you, after having tested it out myself.  

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Size / Weight / Suction Power

Shorter and slimmer rod for the Digital Slim but all the attachments can still be shared.

My first vacuum was a "normal" corded one which is pretty heavy and needed regular dust bag replacement. When we first tried the classy Dyson V8, we felt liberated and free. Now with the Digital Slim, the difference is even more! It is REALLY light and I feel, is just as powerful as the V8!

The fluffy cleaner head is also slimmer and is also lower.

Removable Battery

One can easily charge the battery by itself now!

The game changer would have to be this feature which was not available in all the previous models. One can now buy additional batteries and change batteries easily with the click of a button! The battery can be charged in/off the machine also.

Smart Digital Display

The screen will indicate the estimated run time before the battery dies on you.

The display shows the real time performance of the machine, with indication on the mode I am currently using as well as the remaining run time available. It will also show reminders on proper maintenance as well.

The screen will also show you maintenance reminders or inform you of any blockages etc,

Easy Maintenance

The bin can be removed and washed easily!

For a lighter machine, the plastic bin is also made smaller and requires one to clear more often. But that in itself, is not really a bad thing. It is always better to clear after every use right? Love that the bin can be removed and washed, and the same goes for the filter and any other parts that do not have any electrical component. 

Maneuverability

The low-reach adaptor means you need not bend down as much as before.

With a lower slim fluffy cleaner head and the low-reach adaptor, I can now reach under the cabinet or bed so much easier as compared to the V8 and V10! If you use the extension hose, you can also reach into hard to reach corners as well. 

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In conclusion, we love the latest Dyson Digital Slim after trying it out myself! But there are some cons such as if you are going to use it full blast with the boost mode, the batteries will last just over 7mins on a full charge. But using the Medium or Economy mode will extend the usage to around 30mins and 50mins respectively. Hence only use the strongest mode when necessary.

Also, the RRP of $749 may not be exactly easy on the wallet for everyone. Having said that, we had been using Dyson for many years now without any problems, and I would gladly choose it over any corded vacuum or unreliable cheap knock-offs! When it comes to vacuuming at home, nothing comes close to Dyson lor.

The full set of accessories that come with the Dyson Digital Slim Fluffy Extra,

In all honesty, Dyson's technology and products basically sells by itself, but you just have to try it out for yourself. I strongly recommend anyone who has yet to be "Dysonified", to jump straight to Dyson Digital Slim for your home vacuuming needs. You can thank me later. Go check out all the different models here if you wanna compare the specifications.

A Cake of Many Flavours!

What is a birthday celebration, without a birthday cake?  And sometimes we have more than one, either because the celebration is with different groups of friends, or because we wanna try different types of cakes! From our many years of cake-buying experience, there isn't any time where everyone in the family was happy with the choice of flavors! 

Buying a birthday cake requires a fair bit of planning for us as well. Such as who is the one who is buying it while on route to / from work and the timing needs to be worked out as well because our fridge is not exactly that big! The easy way out would be getting one from our neighborhood bakery, but the ones they sell does not taste good and is really our last resort.

For the birthday of my Wonder Woman of a wife this year, we had one of the most interesting cake ever for our cozy family celebration. It was a special Build You Own Cake from Cake Delivery Singapore. Yours truly had the honour of choosing up to 12 different flavours for the cake, such as Rainbow Cake for my wife because that is what she would always order, and Mao Shan Wang Choc for myself! The boys also loved their Choc Ganache and Choc Fudge which were comparable to the many "branded" bakeries we had tried, while Bubblegum cake was pretty unique too but a tad too "artificial" perhaps though.

Ordering online from them is really simple, just head over to their website and check out their many different offerings! I believe that the company is working with a group of home bakers and after tasting the different cakes delivered, I can confidently recommend their cakes to you as well. The cakes all taste fresh and delicious. The Ondeh Ondeh cake is also noteworthy, tastes much like the real thing! Worth considering their Build You Own Cake if you want to try a little bit of everything!

Full HD Pan & Tilt Pro Wi-Fi Camera: D-Link DCS8526LH

D-Link had launched 2 new WiFi cameras not too long ago, one outdoor model (DCS-8630LH) and the other is the indoor model (DCS8526LH), which is the one I am reviewing right now, having used it for a couple of weeks now.

Ok, I have to be very very honest with all of you, and that is that I do not have in-depth technical knowledge. So while I can tell you that this camera boasts full HD at 1080p at 30 frames per second, I can only tell you that the footage looks really clear and allows me to zoom in without losing details. Let me tell you what I love about the camera! First thing first, I love that it comes with 2 different adapter heads (3-pin or 2-pin) that you can fix depending on your power socket. Hee hee... no need to stick in a pen or screwdriver already.

As an existing user of mydlink App, adding a new camera for this noob is as easy as it can be. All I needed was to select "Add Device" from the side menu, scan the QR code on my new DCS8526LH and follow the instructions to link the device to my home WiFi. One point to note is that one has to ensure that one is logged into the same WiFi for the successful linking. 

Once linked, I am able to control the various settings for the device. I can pan and tilt the angle, set detections and even set it to Privacy mode, which is good especially if the camera is set in the bedroom and that there may be times you want the camera off. 

Sometimes when I cannot get the kiddos on the phone, I can even turn on the Mic and speak to them directly. Actually more to scold them for not answering lah. Sometimes I do receive notifications in the middle of the night on movement detected but when I check my mobile and see no one around even when I pinch to zoom into night vision footage, it can be kinda scary. 

So here's one tip, please set your motion and sound detection to a suitable sensitivity level depending on where you place the camera lest you keep getting false alarms! You can also set designated contact so that you can do a quick deal when the notification is triggered.

This is not the first pan-tilt Wi-Fi camera we have tried, with the first being it's predecessor, the DCS-8525LH which is still working great by the way. But this latest model sure looks sleeker without the antenna, and also requires a smaller footprint. I am loving all my D-Link Wi-Fi camera and had been using my first camera DCS-960L for over 4 years now! 

Thank you D-Link Singapore for sending over this awesome new camera for review. I know we will be using it for a very long time.

A Visit To The Last Kampong in Singapore

I was only a few months old when my family was relocated to a rental 1-room HDB in Telok Blangah where they still stay today. I had never experienced any Kampong living but the spirit was definitely strong back then when everyone knew everybody within the same neighbourhood and as kids, we would play and grow up together. Surely different from these days, where electronic devices rule. 

The entire plot of land is owed by Ms Sng!

Because of frequent flash floods, the kampong was also known as Selak Kain in Malay, which meant 'hitching up one's sarong (skirt)' because that was what one had to do! Look at the water level indicator near the entrance of the kampong.

To have a look and feel of how rustic living is like, one need not travel far. Just a trip over to our neighbours in the north and there will be lots to explore. But given the restrictions now due to Covid, one cannot even travel across the causeway. You may have already heard of the last remaining Kampong on mainland Singapore, but have you been there? 

You know what 1954 stands for?

Banana trees aplenty!

Some very old household items here. Bet the kiddos these days do not even know what these are!

I still remember seeing this old electric meter in my old house!

We visited the Kampong Lorong Buangkok on the invite of Let's Go Tour, and had a wonderful and educational Kampong Tour experience led by Mr Kyanta Yap who was really humorous. But as tour groups are still restricted to 5 pax, my two youngest ones were not able to join in the fun. 

This type of cabinet is in every house last time, we still have one!

Stacci taking a rest in the house. It is quite cool inside despite the relentless heat outside!

Feels like home to me! I can totally stay here!

The kiddos learning some of the games of the olden days. Five stones!

Pick up sticks!

And even zero-point! Games we play during recess!

Nice photo with the friendly Miss Sng for keepsake!

Taking a rest in the house of one Malay family where we also had homemade “sng pow”, or ice-pops!

To be absolutely honest, you can just walk into the Kampong and no one will stop you, but take note that the entire village is private property hor, dun play play. You should not just walk in and peep into other people's house right? So go sign up for the tour and experience it fully. Find out more about what kampong living is like, learn about our history and get to know the very friendly landlord of this last Kampong. You might be tempted to stay on. Well, at least I did!

Lots of nooks and crannies for you to take great photos!

Thank you for having our family for the tour!