Yes I smoke, why? Why not? I don’t do anything else that is considered a habit so why not have at least one right? Anyway, today for review I have something that might be of interest to other fellow smokers out there, a USB Powered Ashtray from our friends at USBGeek. The USB Ashtray looks like a small car, it even has little headlights that come on to indicate the power is on. The USB Ashtray is the smokeless kind, it features a fan that draws the smoke from your cigarette up through the filter to actually get rid of the smoke and odor from your cigarettes. Although in times like we have now, I don’t know many place where smoking is actually allowed anymore, especially in the workplace, but your significant other might appreciate this little gadget, that is if you are allowed to smoke in your own home… Anyway, read on to check out the USB Ashtray from USBGeek…
USB Ashtray from USBGeek
Reviewed by: Kristofer Brozio AkA Dracos
Sponsor: USBGeek
Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:
Absorbing smoke in your working area.
Use it to cut down on smoke and odors around your desk.
Features :
USB powered or operate by 2 x "AA" batteries
Minimize smoke and odors
Smoke will pass through the filter and absorb by the carbon.
Tray and filter can be removed for easy cleaning
Open/close the cover to turn on/off
Red LED indicator
Price: US$ 22.00
Find more smokeless ashtrays at ShopZilla!
A Better Look at Things
:
The packaging is your basic cardboard box with pictures of the product on it, the sides have the specs and features listed as well.
Opening the box we find the USB Ashtray from USBGeek is wrapped up in bubble warp for protection.
You may have noticed the red colored car on the box, but I received a blue colored one for review.
Included with the USB Ashtray is the USB power cord, it is a bit short actually, only about two feet long.
On the front of the car we can see the exhaust vents and the two LED headlights that come on when the unit is powered on.
Find more smokeless ashtrays at ShopZilla!
A Better Look at Things
Continued:
To turn the car on, or to activate the fan you just need to open the top, doing that we can also get a look at the filter and the ashtray itself.
The filter is your basic metal screen with a sponge type filter behind it, removing it we can get a look at the fan.
The filter removes by twisting it and pulling it out, it can then be dismantled and cleaned if need be.
On the back of the car we find the power connection for the USB cable to connect to.
On the bottom of the car there is a compartment where you can put two ‘AA’ batteries if you wish to power it that way.
The USB Ashtray is basically made entirely of plastic, with the filter cover being made of metal. It is very lightweight making it portable enough to take with you if need be.
Find more smokeless ashtrays at ShopZilla!
Installation, Testing and Comparison
Installation is very easy, just plug it in and you’re done, unless of course you use batteries then you’ll have to install them as well.
As I mentioned earlier, the USB Ashtrays ‘headlights’ light up when it is powered on, the headlights are actually red LEDs, why red, I’m not quite sure…
They aren’t that bright actually, but bright enough to let you know everything is working and powered on, as if the noise from the fan wouldn’t clue you in that the USB Ashtray was working or not…
Speaking of working, the fan of the USB Ashtray is actually quiet, and not annoying as i thought it might be. It sucks the smoke from my cigarette right up into the filter and it appears only clean air comes out the top.
There is one thing that I did find loud about the USB Ashtray, the tray part actually vibrates from the fan and knocks against the edges of the USB Ashtray, this gets very annoying, but can easily be fix with a bit of imagination. Since it is supposed to come out for cleaning, gluing it in wasn’t an option, but velcro would be an option that I would choose, this will keep the ashtray from vibrating and still make it removable to clean.
There is one other thing that I found to be very bad about the USB Ashtray, the ashtray part is actually plastic, I was sitting there with my cigarette burning and then I smelled plastic burning, the heat from the cigarette actually melted the bottom of the tray. Basically you can’t just throw your cigarettes into the tray, you have to use the little ‘butt’ rest to hold them over the tray to prevent it from burning the bottom. I found that to be kind of a stupid design, you have heat, and plastic, hmmm, maybe coat the plastic with something or use another material altogether to fix this problem.
When you are done smoking you just need to pull everything apart and empty the tray and clean the filter if need be, very easy to do, no hassles here.
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Overall it’s an interesting little gadget, but in the times we have now, there really isn’t much use for it, at least here in the US, with people being banned from smoking in their own homes and cars. I laughed when I read the line in the description about how it can absorb smoke in your work area and cut down smoke and odors around your desk, I don’t really know of any place anymore where you are allowed to smoke at work, unless you work for yourself that is, there are a few places around you can smoke but I don’t see many people smoking at their desks anymore.
On a side note I’ve never seen anyone get pulled over for smoking and driving (but from what I’ve heard that is coming too) or killing someone while under the influence of nicotine. I think we need to get some priorities straight, things are just getting a bid screwed up, more than they already are…
For now I say leave me alone and let me enjoy my cigarette…..
Find more smokeless ashtrays at ShopZilla!
Summary:
In the states where smoking is being banned everywhere and being taxed to try and make it an expensive habit that no one can afford, but other vices are almost ignored while people die from them, if I want to smoke, let me smoke. The USB Ashtray is one of those gadgets that goes against the norm, I like it for that fact alone, it’s a rebellious little gadget that will quite possibly be outlawed soon enough, but its’ flaws can’t be ignored, with some minor adjustments the USB Ashtray can be perfect, but until then we’ll have to make do…
DragonSteelMods gives the USB Ashtray a 4 out of 5 score.
Pros:
-Fairly quiet
-Smoke goes in, clean air comes out
-Small and portable
-Dual powered
-Can take apart from easy cleaning
Cons:
-Plastic tray, melts from heat of cigarette
-Tray vibrates and rattles annoyingly
DIGG IT!I would like to thank USBGeek for the chance to review the USB Ashtray and for their support of DSM.
Find more smokeless ashtrays at ShopZilla!