Categories
Aquatics

Hydropacer swim trainer guides swimmers, lights up laps

editors-choiceSwimming is a great way to stay in shape. Not only is it challenging and beneficial, but it’s a low-impact way to get some much-needed cardio.

Swimming workouts can be hard to keep track of, which is why the Hydropacer was developed. Hydropacer is a smart swim trainer that works with an accompanying smartphone app. Simply hook the smartphone up to the device and then set Hydropacer up along the side of the pool. It has a string of LED lights that go into the pool and rest along the bottom of the lane. The lights indicate how many laps must be done. With a rechargeable battery, this product can be used for a long time. It’s also portable at about the size of a tissue box so it can be brought to public pools.

In order to use, the swimmer selects which workout they want from a variety of choices and hits play. They have the option to pause, slow down or speed up any workout they choose. The app’s workout library is vast, spanning from Iron Man training sessions to speed conditioning. Hydropacer’s creators have compiled many routines from lots of different swimming professionals.

This product is certainly a cool concept, great for swimmers who need some help with their training. However, it isn’t executed that well. There isn’t any indication of how deep the pool can or cannot be in order for the lights to reach to the bottom and the design is lacking in style. Currently, it can only be used in 25 yard long pools. Still, swimmers can enjoy a wide variety of workouts which is a huge plus. For their own, backers can donate $360 for estimate delivery in May 2015. Hydropacer is hoping to raise $35,000 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Home Tools

Quack Vac cleans your pool; campaign offers eye candy

Having a pool at home is a luxury, but one that requires a lot of maintenance. In order to keep the pool clean, chemicals must be balanced and dirt and leaves vacuumed out.

The Quack Vac is a pool cleaning system that can be stored outside of the pool. When it’s ready to be used, wheel the system to the edge of the pool and submerge. Quack Vac hooks up with any existing vacuum and filters out dirt and silt at 3,200 gallons per hour. This system is cordless for ease of use and runs on a 12V rechargeable battery. It’s claim to fame is that it can clean any pool faster than existing vacuums can.

While this product does seem perfectly fine with its fast capabilities, its campaign is lacking. First of all, there are few clear pictures of the product itself, but backers will get an eyeful of some bikini-clad babe. Clearly the creators buy into the whole “sex sells” theory. In addition, there are no reward tiers offering the actual product, a definite mistake. Still, for those who want to help, QuackVac needs to raise $48,000 on Kickstarter by mid-January.

Categories
Sports

Krōm balls let you reflect on your next trick shot

Krom BilliardsFor billiards players who wish to distinguish themselves by the novelty of their balls as well as by the shooting of their stick, it’s time to take a look in the mirror — the mirror created by a set of shiny balls created to pro competition standard. The Krōm balls, presumably stolen directly from Bigfoot’s pinball machine, look metallic, but they’re actually made of a resin as using actual metal would have likely had prohibitive implications for weight and price. The shiny 16 can be on their way to straight-shooting backers in May 2014 for just a shade under $150 assuming the creators can rack up enough funds.