Sean Paradis

Coleman’s 3AAA LED Headlamp is a great tool to have when investigating outdoors, and your hands are taken up by cameras and other instruments. The overall size of the lamp is about the size of my palm, and easily stores away in my equipment bag when I’m not using it. Both the lamp and the head strap are adjustable to easily be customized for men, women, as well as children.

First off, I want to list the pros of this head lamp. The knob to adjust the light is on the right side, and has 3 light settings. The first are 2 red LEDs for night vision so you don’t blind anyone with the bright white LEDs. The second and third control the white led light in the center, dim, and bright. The white led is highly effective for brightening what is in front of you, especially outdoors at night.

Now, for the cons. The light is more of a spotlight at its brightest point. The light does trail off into a flood light, but it’s not as effective as other wide beam lights. The other con that isn’t too major, but it does make we wince every time it happens, is when you adjust the light. There are grooves on the light that hold the light in place when you adjust it. However, when you do adjust the light, it makes a grinding noise from the grooves. I’m worried that after adjusting it after a length of time, the plastic will wear down, and break.
Overall, I give this headlamp 3 out of 5 stars. It is a great quality light. I’m just worried about the product lasting after adjusting it over a longer period of time.

The Philips G2G202 Universal Car Charger comes with a cigarette outlet adapter, a USB cord, and 2 USB plugs to charge devices with a standard USB plug, mini 5 and min 4 plugs. The adapter has a blue light on it that illuminates when connected, so you will always know when the unit is operating. The average price for this charger is about $15 without the shipping if purchased online.

The reason why I bought this charger, is for when I’m going to an investigation, and need to charge small pieces of equipment that have rechargeable batteries and a USB plug. I keep this is my cars glove compartment in case I forget a charging cord. You can easily use this adapter to charge electronics. The great thing about this charger is you can either use it in a car, or with a computer that has a USB port.

The USB can be attached to a port, as well as both the Mini A and B USB plugs. However, I generally use the cord and the plug attached together. If you choose to only use the plug, it’s too short to charge a piece of equipment. It can be done, but I normally don’t. The only thing I wish had been improved on the overall product is for Philips to have included more types of plugs to attach. Taking this minor drawback into consideration, I give The Philips G2G202 Universal Car Charger 4.5 out of 5 stars.

The Enchanted Spellboard by Amy Zerner and Monte Farber is a spirit board that is similar to The Psychic Circle. The box contains the Enchanted Spellboard, which is an 18 inch square, a 33 page book that describes each of the symbols on the board and how to use it, a planchette and a bracelet that can be worn while using the board. 

The board has a strong feeling of a connection with nature and natural elements demonstrated by butterflies in each corner and 12 trees, each symbolizing a different meaning. The board contains the numbers zero through nine, the letters A through Z, and the words FAR, RIGHT, WRONG, REAP, SOW, FIX, BREAK, GIVE, TAKE, PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE, DAY, NIGHT, UNKNOWN and NEAR. The board also contains the colors red, fuchsia, orange, yellow, green, blue, aqua, purple, indigo, tan, lavender, pink, black, brown, gray and white. Other symbols include the 12 zodiacs and 12 women, symbolizing the following: courage, wellness, creativity, abundance, enlightenment, banishing, location, timing, joy, success, communication and love.

The included 33 page is a great asset when using the Enchanted Spellboard. The book explains every symbol on the board and how to apply them to answers that are given. By having the booklet next to the board during a session, the meanings can be looked up immediately, rather than having to wait after a session. The included bracelet is also a nice touch for protection when using the board.

I like this board for a few reasons. The book clearly describes each of the symbols, so it does not become confusing while interpreting the symbols. Another reason that I like this board is the positive energy that flows out of the board. The colors and symbols create a calm feeling when viewing it.

One flaw that I found is that the words HELLO, and GOODBYE do not appear anywhere on the board. These are two words that are important, especially GOODBYE. It is common practice when ending a session to move the planchette to GOODBYE, and close the session. You can still close a session without having the word GOODBYE, but I would rather have the word available.

I will give this board 4 out of 5 stars. As always, practice caution when using ANY board. I personally do not like to use any form of spirit boards, since it is opening a door to the unknown, in which everyone can access. If readers still wish to purchase a spirit board, I ask that readers research how to use a board as safely as possible.

Sometimes, the best tools can be found in the most unexpected places. My smoky quartz pendulum is no exception to this. I bought mine at Beadaholique, and as you may guess, it’s a site specializing in beads. I happened to be searching for smoky quartz pendulums on Google, stumbled upon Beadaholique.com, and found the pendulum selling for $4.25 which is a great deal. Often times when you go to a site that sells paranormal equipment, whether they’re scientific or more natural tools such as pendulums and dowsing rods, the site raises the prices since they specialize in paranormal tools. If you can find sites like Beadaholique that sell the same tools for less, you will be saving plenty of money.

When I received the pendulum in the mail, I was thoroughly pleased with the quality of the stone. The stone is about 1.5 inches in length, and at the top of the stone an inch wide. The stone was cut and polished well, with 8 faceted sides. On the top of the stone there is a small hook attached that the supplied chain is hooked to. The only thing I don’t like about the product is the chain.

It’s not a horrible chain, I just feel like over time it will weaken and break easily. This can easily be changed to a new chain though, so it’s not a big issue. Overall, I give this pendulum 4 out of 5 stars. I just wish the chain had been a better quality metal. But for the price, I can’t really complain.

One of the best pair of dowsing rods I have bought are Fishercreek’s pair of pocket L-rods. The copper rods have a brass tip, and fold down into the 5.5 inch handles, which are made of copper and coated in black polyolefin. The reason why I love this pair of dowsing rods is because they are adjustable to be as short as 5 inches all the way to as long as 18 inches. This helps if you don’t want to have longer rods spinning around within inches of your face.

The other reason this pair appealed to me, was that when you aren’t using the rods, they collapse into the handles to protect them. When using regular dowsing rods, I was always worried that the wire would bend in my equipment bag while I wasn’t using them. With this pair, that isn’t an issue to ever have to worry about.

One more key feature about this pair of dowsing rods is that they are free-spinning. You don’t have to worry that you are spinning the rods subconsciously. When holding the handles, there is no way you can subconsciously do so. The rods rotate freely in a hollow tube in the middle of the handles. You would have to put a good amount of effort into moving your arm side to side to make the rods move in a constant motion. Even when walking, the rods will move slightly, but once you stand still, they stop after about 10 seconds at the most.

The last feature that I love about this pair is the angles of the rods are adjustable. When you first extend the rods into the air, they stand vertically into the air. Then they adjust to a 45 degree angle, which is the standard for l-rods, and at the lowest about 30 degrees. Without the shipping, these rods cost $39. However, they do have less expensive models that don’t collapse into the handles. But if you have the extra money to spend, I highly recommend it!! I will give these rods 5 out of 5 stars without hesitation.

The Sony HVLIRM Battery IR Light is a great tool to use for a camcorder with poor night vision. The tool attaches to a camcorders accessory shoe, or by using the supplied accessory shoe if your camcorder does not have one, and extends night vision up to a claimed 100 feet. Indoors, the light can reach 100 feet, but the farther away the object is it will become less defined. Outdoors at night it is a different story.

The way that night vision works, is that the lights are made of infrared bulbs. The light extends in front of the camera, bounces off of objects, returns to the sensor, and the camcorder creates the picture on the screen in grayscale. When you are indoors, there are plenty of objects for the sensors to bounce the light off of, so it can reach 100 feet easily. When you are outside, often times the light extends into the area in front of you, only able to hit trees, or anything else within the 100 feet. If there is not anything within 100 feet, the screen will appear black.

This IR light has two ways of being powered. The first is to use two AA batteries. The second is to buy a rechargeable Sony info lithium M series battery. This type of battery can easily be found online, and in electronics stores. The two available models are the NP-QM71D or NP-QM91D battery pack. However, many stores specializing in batteries have cheaper versions of the same batteries that last just as long, if not longer. On the side of the light, there is a switch with 3 commands. An off switch, and a switch to power the tool using the AA batteries power, and a switch to use power from a battery pack.

A good practice to use if you have a battery pack is to put both AA batteries, and the battery pack in. This way, if the pack runs out of power, you can simply change the switch to the battery setting, and continue filming. Another great feature is you can adjust how far the IR light reaches. Not only does this prevent extremely close objects become washed out by the brightness, but it also saves the battery life. Overall I give the Sony HVLIRM Battery IR Light 5 out of 5 stars. One tip I will give if you decide to buy this, is buy it on either Amazon or EBay. If you buy it direct from the manufacturer, you may be paying more than twice what you may pay elsewhere in the same exact condition.

The Energizer Head Beam with 6 LEDs is a FANTASTIC buy. The price for this headlamp at Wal-Mart is about 19 dollars, and it’s worth it.  The lamp includes three energizer AAA batteries in the package. The features that I like most about this headlamp, is that the lamp’s angle is adjustable, and there are four settings for the lights.

The fact that the light is adjustable is a great asset. If you have a headlamp that only directs one way, that’s okay for walking and looking straight ahead. But when you are walking and needing to look down, perhaps if you are using dowsing rods, your neck will get cramped quickly from having to tilt your head forward to aim the light down. However, if you can adjust the beam to a lower angle, you won’t have to tilt your neck as much. You can simply adjust the light, and walk as you normally would. Not only can you adjust the angle, but you may also adjust the lights themselves.

The lights have four settings. The first is the two main LED lights for spot lighting. The second are the outer LEDs for flood lighting. The third is all four LEDs for the brightest lighting. The fourth are two red LEDs for night vision. Generally I use the third setting, all four LEDs. This way I have the most viewing power possible at night. However, if it’s not as dark out, I can use only two LEDs for less power drainage.

Overall, this is a great buy for the price. The headband fits comfortable to any forehead, and the foam backing to the lamp leaves no irritation. The lamp is easily adjustable, both the angle of the light and the light output. I give this lamp 4.5 out of 5 stars. The only drawback I can find with this lamp is the battery cover is difficult to remove by hand. You need a flat head screwdriver or something similar to pry the cover off.

When it comes to flashlights, generally I buy Coleman products. The flashlight I use on 99% of the investigations I go to is the Coleman Cree XLamp XR-E LED Flashlight, which uses three AAA batteries. The serial number for this product is 2000001567. For some reason, this model is hard to find online, however, it is sold on Walmart.com, and I was able to find it in the Wal-Mart store near me. This flashlight is more than worth the price you will pay, which is about $25.

The flashlight is small enough to fit in your pocket, but delivers a wide beam of light that allows visibility up to 85 meters, and 115 lumens according to the packaging. From using this light, I highly agree with this. Using it at night, you can see well ahead of you, and the beam spreads out about 5 to 10 feet depending on how far the surface is away from you. For investigating, that’s more than enough visibility.

What I use flashlights for the most, are trekking through woods at night, cemeteries at night, or other places where there may be holes in the ground, small rocks, or anything else you can trip on. But once I’m stationary in a place where I won’t be moving much, I turn the light off. I find when I’m working as a psychic at a location, the beam can be distracting. Also,  a lot of times, not being able to see more than what your naked eyes can allows your other senses, both natural and psychic to heighten.

I have seen some investigators use spotlights, others carry large lanterns. Those are good for having in your car to do an equipment check in the dark, but when walking, I find they get in the way. The Coleman Cree XLamp XR-E LED Flashlight fits nicely in your pocket or bag without taking up excessive space, and delivers a powerful beam when you need it to. I give this flashlight 5 out of 5 stars.

Philip’s HE591 Surround Sound ear buds are on the list of the worst pairs of headphones I have used. The sound and quality of the headphones are decent, and the case is a nice touch for when bring them on investigations to plug into a recorder and listen to EVPs. However, the trouble begins when wearing the ear buds. After wearing them for a few minutes, even sitting down, the buds began to slip in my ear and fall out, leaving me constantly adjusting them. Twenty minutes later, my ears began to get sore from constantly having to move the ear buds around.

I looked on Amazon.com to read comments left by customers, and many reported the same problem. Other hadn’t reported this. The reason why I believe so is that the ear buds are only one size. If it happens to be your ears are the right size for the buds, you won’t have an issue. However, if you don’t fall into this category, as do my ears, they will fall out.

What I recommend to do is buy another type of ear buds that have different size earpieces. The headphones I have now come with three different pairs of ear buds, so they stay in my ear comfortably. I don’t have an issue with Philips. This particular model however, I do. I give this pair of ear buds 2.5 out 5 stars. The sound quality is sufficient for the price, but the comfort of them is a different story.

The Eddie Bauer EB9960CP07 Digital Weather Monitor is a multi-function meter that shows the date, time, degrees in Celsius, the humidity, moon phase, weather forecast, and also has an alarm, all displayed on an LCD screen with a backlight for viewing at night. This is more of a meter to use for outdoor investigations, when you need to keep track of the time, and have an idea of when rain may be coming in to be sure to have time to pack up equipment and start to leave. If you are looking to buy this because of the thermometer and humidity meter, this isn’t the tool to buy.

The humidity meter and thermometer don’t take instant readings. They are like most stationary outdoor meters that slowly change as the temperature and humidity rise or fall. This would be a meter to leave in a room or other haunted location that you check occasionally to track changes in the atmosphere over time. If you are looking for a meter that will track a ten degree change in temperature in a few seconds, this is not the tool to buy.

The weather forecaster uses a mix of the temperature and humidity readings to predict the weather for the next 12 hours. Personally, I just use the weather channel for that. The reason why I say this, is when you’re investigating, there are going to be temperature fluctuations. And if you are near a lake, or other body of water, the humidity will be higher depending on the rest of the weather. If the humidity stars to rise because of being near water, the meter may sense it will rain, and you may leave early because of that.

Taking all of these points into consideration, I would give the Eddie Bauer EB9960CP07 Digital Weather Monitor 3 out of 5 stars for a ghost hunters needs. If you need a thermometer that will take instant readings, don’t buy this. This is a great meter for leaving on a table and checking the readings every now and then for keeping track of temperature changes. Other than that, the other benefits from this tool are the date and time, the alarm, the moon phase, and the backlight.