Product Reviews From Ben for Ben

This is Ben:

Ben is in the military and stationed in Iraq. While there, Ben agreed to take a few items from our catalog out for a spin and report back to us with the results. Here is what Ben had to say about testing these products, a little about his methodology and a review of our Kestrel 2500 Wind Speed/Temperature Meter:

I have really enjoyed running these Ben Meadow's products through field trials here in Iraq. I tried to incorporate the gear into my normal routine and to carry items with me during each work day so as to subject it to common wear-and-tear, operating stresses and usage patterns. I attempted to expose the equipment to the widely varying, extreme environmental conditions found in the desert during the summer season.

I tried to evaluate and assign an over-all product rating based on several sub-ratings. The over-all product ratings are: extremely impressed, highly impressed, moderately impressed, and not impressed. . . The sub-ratings that I use are: performance, appearance, physical set-up, and quality of construction. Sub-ratings carried different values and weightings depending on the particular equipment being tested.

Performance is always critical, but high marks in other sub-ratings carried a shifting weight towards my final opinion depending on the nature of the product. . .

I was extremely impressed with the over-all utility (performance, appearance, physical set-up and quality of construction) of the Kestrel 2500 wind speed/temperature meter.

I would highly recommend this instrument for all intended uses. The Kestrel is a very sturdy, durable instrument. The clear plastic over the digital read-out has remained scratch free though being operated in a very sandy/dusty environment. I used the instrument during the worst sandstorms that I encountered in Iraq and it performed flawlessly.

I carried this item with me constantly and used it several times per day for several months. The appearance and color of the Kestrel are very appealing. Whenever I would start using it, those around me would come over and ask what it was and if they could try it. The protective case is very durable and easy to remove and replace. The Kestrel is well-designed for ease and comfort of use. The physical set-up makes for a comfortable fit to the hand while using control buttons and reading screen (buttons positioned in the correct position relative to rest of unit for easy operation).

The light works very well. The molded depression within the plastic on the back of the unit fits the index finger of the operator perfectly and provides for a firm grip. I like the lanyard. The name and the logo for this unit are appealing. The small size and light weight of the unit are very desirable. The battery life for this unit under frequent use is extended. The highest wind speed I measured was 30 mph. The highest temperature I recorded was 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

Improvements to the unit that I would recommend would be to make the lanyard detachable and to make replacement of the protective cover an option if broke or lost. The unit required from three to five minutes from turn-on to reach a stable temperature reading. This may be comparable to other similarly priced units. There were times when waiting for the temperature reading to stabilize wasn't feasible. . . The wind speed propeller did become coated with dust, but was easy to clean with Q-tips. The propeller bearings may have been slightly affected by constant dust as I hear some friction that wasn't present when new, but this doesn't seem to be a problem.

We'll be posting more product reviews from Ben in the near future so be sure to check back here for the latest from Iraq.