One of the most recent samples we got was a Deluxe Selfie Stick from Xshot . It retails for around $29.9 and can be bought from XShot’s website . It is obviously useful for taking selfies, no prizes for guessing that. Basically for those of you who have never used or seen a selfie stick before (those people do exist, seriously), it is essentially a pole on which you can lodge your camera or smartphone, and this pole raises it to the desired level, without dropping it, irrespective of the weight dimensions and size of the device mounted on it.

When someone takes a ‘selfie’ picture alone or along with friends, they need some distance between themselves and the camera, otherwise some friends will have their faces cut in half, or others may end up not being included in the picture at all. Another common problem that the selfie stick can help you overcome is that your faces are not far too large as you are too near to your camera, often blocking the view behind you. With a selfie stick, one could easily take a picture from a distance or from a height with the person looking upwards.

The reason we decided to include this selfie stick in our review is that we thought it stood out from the crowd. It is incredibly light and is very compact (only 8 inches when closed) making it easy to be carried anywhere. The length of this pole can be adjusted up to 31 inches (some models extend up to 40 inches); and unlike the cheap Chinese selfie sticks we experimented with, this one stays in position. The extended part of the shaft stays firmly in place with a twist locking arrangement. It also extends easily, just like folding umbrellas.

We played with the golden coloured Deluxe Selfie stick, but it is available in 5 other colours as well, including black, yellow and red. The stick includes the phone holder, as well as a tripod adapter, apart from the paracord lanyard. Cameras can be fastened on the top of the pole with different types of mounts.

For operating the photographic device at a distance, we would naturally need a remote, and so X-shot has included a small bluetooth remote as well, which can also be attached to the stick or kept separately, and it pairs with your smartphone so that pictures and videos can be made from a distance of up to 10m. Apart from the silicone handle, which is perfect for holding the pole, the stick is made from aluminum which has been anodized and colored. The fact that it is made from aluminum and is painted makes it safe even inside water. It is also supposed to be safe from salt and corrosion, though we yet to check it in those conditions. On the whole, an interesting and desirable product.

The winner of the Selfie Stick Giveaway was Linda Carlos, USA. Congrats!