Flat Front

Visit Store Now !!

i ordered a pair of navy pin stripped pants and a pair of black pants. they sent me two pairs of black pin stripped pants. i kept one pair and returned the other pair to my local macy's with no hassle. pants fit and look very well. Tommy Hilfiger Mens Flat Front Trim Fit 100% Wool Suit Separate Pant, Grey Slim Stripe, 33WXL34'

Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information

Flat Front Flat Front Flat Front

Steampunk

Visit Store Now !!

One look at this Art Deco Style Russet Hues Stretch Bracelet and I was sold. Although it's called Art Deco, it has a distinctive (to me!) Medieval look to it.



I just had to have it. This is a keeper!



Like almost everything made by the 1928 Jewelry Co., it is a beautiful, quality design at a very reasonable price. Art Deco Style Russet Hues Stretch Bracelet

Both are gorgeous bracelets, was very surprised by the antique appearance of both. These are a must have in my jewelry wardrobe, so I'll definitely want more from this seller. Next time will get a larger size for a looser fit around the wrist.'

Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information

Steampunk Steampunk Steampunk

Wire Cutters - wire cutters

Visit Store Now !!

This is a great tool at a great price, cuts the insulation only and doesn't nick the conductors. The lock is it out of the way so there are no nuisance closures like the Klein 11057 strippers. I'm happy with the tool performance, the order was filled quickly and packaged nicely by KTOOL Connection. I would recommend this tool without hesitation. Klein 11053 Klein-Kurve Wire Stripper/Cutter, Blue

I bought these to use on 6 AWG stranded wire. The first wire I tried these on nicked the wire. The next 2 wires I tried them on, it worked fine. After that it would never strip the insulation off the wires. I had to keep doing it over and over, twisting the tool around and around but it still wouldn't cut through the insulation all the way around. When I finally got the insulation off, it was not a clean cut but very ragged like a mouse chewed it off. Awful product. - Wire Cutters'

Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information

Wire Cutters - wire cutters wire cutters Wire Cutters - wire cutters

Digital Photography - sandisk, canon eos 7d

Visit Store Now !!

I started in 2005 with the Ultra II series and have continually sold & upgraded as my needs dictated. I'm now using a Canon 5D Mark II which has HD video (I think we all know that by now), but the camera also creates a 30mb RAW file every time I snap the shutter. So, write speed is very important. I WAS using the Extreme IV series cards (45mb/sec), and even with the slower 4fps in the 5D2, the camera would hang after a few shots to write the data. Now with these new 16gb Extreme cards I get to hold down the shutter button and record WAY more images before the buffer starts to hold things up. What an improvement! This new series is worth every dollar. Remember, faster cards also give you longer battery life since the data writes faster, so that's another plus to these new Extreme cards. They are UDMA level 5 which is nice (the 5D2 handles up to 6). BTW, UDMA simply means that the card does a lot of the file processing, which gets you faster write speed. Non-UDMA cards make the camera do all the work when writing images to the card. If you have a UDMA-enabled camera, by all means get UDMA-enabled cards.



One last thing to help clear confusion on the card naming format: the 133X and 300X and all that simply means the speed that the card can write data. SanDisk doesn't use that prominently in their marketing, they tend to say "30mb/sec" or "60mb/sec", like that. Lexar uses the ###X format all the time. So when shopping around, keep this in mind:



SanDisk Ultra II: 15mb/sec (the original version) - Lexar calls it 100X (this older model is NON-UDMA)

SanDisk Ultra II: 20mb/sec (the updated version) - Lexar calls it 133X (this older model is NON-UDMA)

SanDisk Extreme III: 30mb/sec (the original version) - Lexar calls it 200X (this older model is NON-UDMA)

(Thanks Uri for the correction in Comments!)

SanDisk Extreme IV: 45mb/sec - Lexar calls it 300X (The SanDisk Ducati line is also 45mb/sec and UDMA enabled)

SanDisk's New Extreme: 60mb/sec - Lexar will call it 400X

SanDisk's New Extreme Pro: 90mb/sec - Lexar will call it 600X



Hope that helps understand all of this!



UPDATE (12-29-2009): I also wanted to mention that I've owned nearly 15 SanDisk CF cards since 2005 and I have never had ONE fail on me. I learned a trick from a pro: after you COPY (not MOVE) your images onto your PC, always format the card IN-CAMERA before you shoot again. Don't use Windows to delete your images off the card. The CF cards get grumpy for some reason (no matter what brand you use). I've shot 20,000 images on four different camera bodies, and never one card failure in four years.



UPDATE (3-30-2011): My two 16GB cards sre still my workhorse memory, use them almost daily, not one failure. This 60mb/sec line of cards is probably the best value for your buck, you get speed, reliability and storage room for not a lot of money (ha, you'd think I work for SanDisk, lol! Just a happy customer.) SanDisk 16GB 60MB/s Extreme Compact Flash Card SDCFX-016G-A61 (US Retail Package)

Okay, so when I recently purchased a new Camera (a Canon 7D, 18 mega-pixel stills + 1080p video camera) and I was convinced I needed the SanDisk Extreme Pro 90mb/s card to take full advantage of the 8 pictures per second burst rate this camera had to offer... then... I started looking at the prices for those cards. *wince*



So, after I'd picked my jaw off the floor, I came across this card. It's still UDMA (where the card does some of the processing, not just the camera, resulting in better speeds), still faster than any of the older Extreme (and Ultra) series cards including the Extreme IV's by a noticeable margin, and my money buys me much more storage space, at significantly lower cost. But... would it be fast 'enough'?



Well, I was still hesitant... but at almost 1/3 the cost (and since having no memory card makes my camera a little useless), I decided to pull the trigger. I dropped it in, fired it up, and put it to the test. I was expecting shutter lag... or the dreaded "busy" light flashing at me when I really let it fly on full speed. Much to my pleasant surprise, this never happened! I was able to rip away at full speed without any issues at all.



If you're thinking about buying a memory card for this camera (or another high-megapixel DSLR) and you want as much memory AND speed as your dollars can afford, with out sacrificing camera performance... this series of card is for you. I, personally, see no reason to require the MUCH more expensive Extreme Pro for use in this camera... well... unless you have money just burning a hole in your pocket. :)

I had been using SanDisk Extreme III (30 MB/s) in my Nikon digital SLR, and while they were reliable and so on, I was never able to get the full high speed frame rate Nikon promises. Instead of the 5-7 frames per second, I was getting more like 2-3.



Switching to the 60MB/s fixed that problem, and now I'm getting the full performance my camera is capable of...at least 5 fps under most conditions.



Interestingly, I also purchased a smaller card capable of 90MB/s, and saw no real difference, so I'm considering the 60MB/s version ideal - nice, since it's much less expensive than the faster cards.



Recommended if you need the best frame rate out of your camera.

Very fast card and Sandisk has always been reliable. This card is the fastest card that I have owned yet. I have had a regular card, an extreme II, and also an extreme III. I needed this card for the high speed burst shots from a 18 megapixel raw camera. Highly recommended. Just make sure you shop for the best deal as they range in price quite a bit and usually are the same thing.

No complaint for this high quality CF card. Very satisfied. In the past, I used Kingston 4GB 133X but I was unable to do full-HD video due to the speed (mycamera can process HD-video for only about 5 secs then stop due to the fact - it cannot write the data in buffer memory to the CF card). That's the reason for me to purchase this expensive and speedy CF Card.



Build quality of this card is high, very solid with strong & good feeling on hand. Transfer rate was exceptional if i transfer directly from camera to PCs via USB 2.0 cable (around 15-20Mb/sec). I don't have a "fast enough" CF card reader to work with this CF Card but i will try to find one(that's why currently i do direct transfer between camera & PCs. It will save you a lot of minutes). For 16Gb of data of image, it will take me approx 33 minutes for the old Kingston 133x CF Card to transfer to the PC - while this one takes about 3-4 minutes. - Canon Eos 7d - Sandisk - Udma Cf Card - 16gb'

Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information

Digital Photography - sandisk, canon eos 7d sandisk Digital Photography - sandisk, canon eos 7d

Cordless Trimmer - cordless trimmer, weed whacker

Visit Store Now !!

I wanted to replace my Homelite 14" dual-line string trimmer as I finally had enough of the noise, pollution, starting issues, mixing/storing of gas & oil, engine maintenance, and the constant need (and effort) to replace the pre-cut line strips.



Cordless is the way to go. However, given the current limitations of battery technology, I was concerned about finding a string trimmer that had the necessary balance of power, run time, weight, and charge time. I also wanted a reliable unit that would give me years of trouble-free service.



I did my usual due-diligence, and spent hours reading reviews and handling a few units at the local hardware stores. I work in the computer/electronics field, so I am very familiar with battery technology and the other parts of a string trimmer. I know I wanted Lithium Ion batteries with >30 minutes run time. I was also more interested in the highest AH (Amp Hour) rating than Volts (e.g., 18V, 20V, 36V, etc). Marketing is pushing the voltage rating (largely because the lower-cost Ni-cad batteries have a lower Amp-Hour rating in comparison to Lithium Ion batteries of the same weight). However, voltage is a poor indicator of how powerful and long the trimmer will run. For example; both a tiny hearing-aid battery and D-size flashlight battery have the same voltage rating (1.5V), however the D-size battery has a much higher Amp-Hour rating. If you replaced the D cell in a flash light with the tiny hearing-aid battery, the light would barely be visible and would drain the battery in less than a minute. Whereas the D cell would light the lamp at full brightness for over 30 minutes. Same basic principle applies to a trimmer. Choices as of now (2010) for Li-Ion batteries range from 1.3 Ah to 6.0 Ah. 6 Ah is a huge amount of capacity! 1.3 Ah is small, and given the amount of current (Amps) required each minute to spin a string-trimmer motor powerful enough to cut grass, is only suitable for a postage-stamp sized yards.



For comparison; as of 2011, a hi-capacity laptop Li-Ion battery is ~ 4.5 Ah.



In addition, Li-Ion batteries do not have the memory effect that NiCad batteries do, so I do not have to totally discharge the battery before recharging. That is a major weakness for Ni-Cads because you always end up charging the battery for the full 12+ hours before each use. Furthermore, Li-Ion batteries hold their charge over a much longer period of time than a Ni-Cad. I can fully charge a Li-Ion battery and, a week or so later, top it off with a quick charge (say 90 minutes) as required over the season.



Unfortunately high Amp-Hour Li-Ion string-trimmer choices are very limited at this time. The Greenworks 21602 and Troy-Bilt TB57 are really the only choices; the TB57 being the cheaper of the two. They are basically the same unit. They both use the identical Li-Ion 6AH battery and 4 ½ hr. charger. The only real difference (other than color) is the shaft, throttle switch, and the swivel hinge for edging on the Greenworks. BTW: you could buy the TB57 and use the battery on the Greenworks leaf blower. I handled the TB57 at Lowes, and I agree with the negative reviews about the short shaft and force required to hold the safety switch in.



In the end, I ordered the Greenworks mainly because I am 6' tall and the TB57 was just a little short (even with the telescopic shaft at maximum) and I know my finger would get numb from holding the power switch down.



I really struggled with the decision to buy this particular brand of string trimmer. I was hesitant to buy an unknown brand; especially since the Greenworks web site did not list any near-by service locations to drop the unit off for warranty repair (only option is mail in), and reading two reviews on Amazon where the warranty hot line was non-existent or unresponsive. That makes Greenwork's four-year warranty worthless. I am also concerned about the longevity of the electric motor. Will it last +5 years? I noticed two people already experienced early-life motor failures (one Greenworks and one Troy Bilt). I plan on giving the Greenworks a good workout and return it to Amazon if I find anything I don't like during the first 30 days.



Well I got the Greenworks four days after ordering it (selected the free shipping option) from Amazon (exceeding my expectation and one of the main reasons why I buy from Amazon).



Assembly was very easy (needed a Philips screw driver for the one screw). Build quality seems good. I do agree with one reviewer that the plastic handle feels a little cheap as it flexes a bit. However, that flex does make the unit even more comfortable. The shaft is long enough for me. The balance and weight are very good.



Regarding cutting power; this is not a commercial grade trimmer that you use for a landscaping business. The power is sufficient to cut through dense grass; however I have to move a little slower than I did with my gas trimmer. This trimmer is suited for yards that have been maintained well in the past. I would not recommend it for a yard that is, or often becomes, overgrown (i.e., grass or weeds over 12" tall).



The automatic line feed works very well. Each time I start the unit it feeds ¼" of new line. The only drawback is that I go through a lot of line when I move from tree to tree; stopping the unit each time to save battery power. The four hour charge time is adequate as it does keep me from missing a scheduled grass cutting if I forget to charge the battery the day before (can't do that with a 12 hr. Ni-cad charger). Like any battery powered trimmer, the noise level is very low. I am now able to trim the yard in the early morning (before I start using the lawn mower) without getting my neighbors upset. So far I am satisfied with this purchase.



However, I did notice the motor slow down to about 1/3 the speed while using it. The speed returned to normal when I released the throttle and pressed it in again. This happened three times already. I am not sure if the motor has a built in thermal power reduction (which is good as it would prevent the motor from burning up). If it starts to happen more often, I will return the trimmer to Amazon.





Update week 1:

Battery life is excellent. I have used this trimmer over a five day period on the original charge. After +30 minutes of use, I still have three of four battery status lights on.



I have noticed that the motor air vents clog with grass clippings after a few minutes of use. This may contribute to the motor overheating/failure problems some are experiencing. I now make it a practice to clean the air vents (wipe off the external grass and blow out the grass inside the motor) every few minutes. I think Greenworks should design a thick foam ring that fits over the motor to trap the clippings. Then all I would need to do is periodically rinse the foam ring in soapy water.





Update week 3:

After 3 weeks of use, I am very pleased with this trimmer. It took awhile to get use to the fact that it is always ready to go with just a push of a button; no need to charge before each use, no worries bout prepping the motor and trying to start it, etc. I now find myself pulling out the trimmer when I come from work and spot a few weeds while walking along the driveway or sidewalk. The battery status bar finally dropped down to 2 of 4 lights; so I charged it up to give the battery charger one more test before the 30 day exchange period with Amazon ends.



I have not experienced any more slow downs. I suspect that was caused by clogged air vents.



I used the edger for the first time last week; just pushed the big button on the shaft near the motor and the shaft pivots 90 degrees. The wheel rolled smoothly and the angle of the shaft was perfect as it gave me a good view of the cut. It was much easier than I thought and produced consistent results; far better than the free-hand edging method I have been using for years.



I have already used all the string on the one spool and inserted the free second spool (BTW - easy to change). I went to Home Depot and purchased a 300' re-fill package of the .65 blue line to re-fill the spools as needed. For ~ $7, I have enough line for years.



However, the real shining star is not the trimmer, but the 6AH Lithium-Ion battery. The capacity is perfect for all but mega-size yards.



I received the Greenworks 24602 blower for Father's Day; it uses the 20V/6AH Li-Ion battery from the trimmer. Now I can trim the yard and use the blower to clear off the grass clippings from the driveway and sidewalks. The blower with this battery makes it very convenient to use and makes it more versatile. For example, I used it to blow dry my car after I washed it (beats ringing out drying clothes). I also opened the car doors and blew out some dog hair and dust from inside the car.



I would buy the Greenworks chainsaw (also uses the same battery) to cut up the many small limbs that blow down after a storm. Unfortunately, the current $69 10-inch chainsaw is too expensive and large for what I need. A 6-8 inch model (with a lower cost) would be ideal to cut up limbs and small tree shoots into small enough pieces to toss them in a trash can.



Bottom line: "It's the battery stupid" (I think that's a Bill Clinton quote); the fully capable string trimmers (either the Greenworks or Troy-Bilt) and leaf blower only exist because of it. Greenworks 21602 20-Volt Lithium Ion 12-Inch Cordless Electric String Trimmer/Edger with 6 Amp/Hour Extended Run-Time Lithium Ion Battery & Charger - Cordless Trimmer - Trimmer - Lithium-ion - Weed Whacker'

Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information

Cordless Trimmer - cordless trimmer, weed whacker trimmer Cordless Trimmer - cordless trimmer, weed whacker

Steamworks

Visit Store Now !!

My gaming setup: AMD X6 1090xt, Windows 7 Ultimate x64, GTX 480, 256GB RAID 0

Crucial M4 for the game partition, 16 GB 1866MHz DDR3.



Here's a very brief background of how much time I spent playing the original

Deus:Ex. I beat the game 5 times including once where I just killed 3 targets

total and used stealth / darts. I loved the original and it's the only game

for the PC that I've bought twice (the CD got damaged during a move). With

that in context, I groaned when I heard about this game. DE: Invisible War

was such a failure that I didn't really expect anything from this game.



Then I read the reviews on metacritic and as I don't trust most reviews anymore,

I wasn't sure what to think. I figured I'd bite the bullet and play the game and

find out. I started playing the game wanting to prove myself right and wanting to

hate the game. That wasn't hard in the first 10-15minutes. The combat system was

not what I expected (this is during the first action sequence) - the AI shot straight

and it didn't take a lot of bullets in "normal" mode to bring you down. My ego

satisfied about how I was right about this game being "meh", I figured I'd play for

a little longer and then the spirit of the original Deus Ex showed itself.



I kept playing for 5 hours and was completely hooked. I was wrong about my

assumption but I didn't care. I didn't even care for the main story-line at one point.

Oh "steal stuff from morgue?" I'll get to it. I love exploration and side-quests and

there's plenty of that. There's innovating hacking that rewards you for taking risks.

The game environment is pretty well done although not as good as the original DE. The

interface for weapons/quests/map is a well-designed one. You make choices and they have

consequences. They really do. There are also lots of references to the earlier game

and to general humor (Nigerian email scam for e.g.,).



Combat seemed a little off as if the developers intentionally want you to use assault

as a last resort. The game rewards you for finding hidden passages in general. You get

rewarded for merciful takedowns where you don't kill your enemies. You get rewarded if

no one spots you when you are on objectives where you walk into enemy dens. You are

rewarded if you trigger no alarms during an objective (or quest). Rewards are usually

XP, money, hacking tools. Maybe I need to get better with cover but this isn't Gears of War!



I didn't pay a lot of attention to the music which means it didn't annoy me. I was not

happy with the graphics in general. There are plenty of graphical glitches- some hard

to spot, some obvious but they don't really detract anything from the gameplay. The engine

seems to be outdated (probably explains the low hardware requirements) and graphics aren't

as shiny as trailers / screenshots led you to believe. The controls have a console-ish feel

to them. The fact you have to hold / tap a key to achieve different results is disappointing.

This is the PC for crying out loud - let us assign different keys if we want to.



Yes, this game requires Steam. Yes, you can quick save and quick load using F5 and F8

respectively. Saving is really fast but loading takes too long (the game is installed

on a RAID0 128GB Crucial M4 SSD set) and load times get progressively worse the longer

you keep playing the game. This is ironic and annoying because it's hard to stop playing.

Poor memory management? Please patch :(. I got about 3 hours of sleep last night.



To summarize...



Pros:

+ Excellent gameplay, improves on many (not all) game elements from the original

+ Innovative rewards for taking additional risks during gameplay

+ Open sandbox style gameplay with a good number of side quests and exploration opportunities

+ Plenty of replayability / replay value in this game

+ Decent AUG tree / advancement system (see Cons)



Cons:

- Graphics are disappointing. I wasn't expecting a Crysis but the engine looks old and the

glitches don't help

- AI suspicious / warning system feels half-baked

- The character advancement system feels inferior compared to the original Deus Ex (it's an RPG!)

- Gun combat is disappointingly weak and badly done (despite the "take cover" idea)



Other thoughts:

* Not sure why every female model in the game is busty - the way of the future? AUG implants? (harr harr)

* The futuristic cars/bicycles look silly at best but I guess cyberpunk is forgiving to a large extent



In conclusion, I was going to give this game 4 stars but with the amount of time and

enjoyment I'll get from this game, I might as well be honest with myself. This game is

nothing like the original but comes close enough. I know several years from now I'll pick

up a copy of Deus Ex to play again because that game was/is a cult classic. Human

Revolution probably won't make it to that category but is a strong contender for Game

of the Year 2011.



Update: The long loading times is now patched. The other thing I wanted to add is that the boss

fights can be really annoying to begin with. The first boss isn't walk in the park and can be very

annoying since you don't have a lot of augments and if you are like me, all your advancement is

in hacking and you carry around a tranquilizer rifle. That won't help against bosses where you

need a minimum amount of firepower. So be ready for a good amount of headache against boss-fights

at least in the first few hours... Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Standard Edition [Download]

Like a lot of people, I was skeptical when I heard about a new Deus Ex game. The last game, Invisible War, wasn't very good, to say the least. Plus, this new game was made by an all new development team, just formed. Did they have what it took to make a great Deus Ex game? It turns out they did.



Deus Ex is about choice, and Human Revolution hits that out of the park. Do you want to sneak past your enemies with a cloaking augmentation after watching your enemies move routes through walls with the eye aug, or do you want to sneak around and pick off each enemy with tranquilizer darts, hiding each body from view like a silent predator? Do you want to augment yourself to be Cyberpunk Rambo? You can. Grab a machine gun and utilize your defense aug, making your skin hardened against bullets. Do you want to be a weird Hulkified dude who's obsessed with throwing fridges and dumpsters at your enemies? Put some points into strength augs. Want to be a hacker and use hostile security terminals, turrets, and robots against your enemy? Done. Like to talk your way out of situations? Invest in the cerebral aug that lets you better read people's expressions, helping you find each conversation's weak points.



There is so much choice in this game, and there are so many paths in each level to take, that I think Human Revolution rivals or even surpasses Deus Ex. It's that good. The levels are huge - especially the city hubs where you can talk to various NPCs and get a bunch of sidequests.



The gunplay feels nice, the stealth is good (with nice little touches like patrols that turn around and walk backwards for a few moments). The hacking minigame is actually fun and involved, unlike most minigames. It also evolves as the game progresses, becoming more difficult and varied, with more ways to hack as well.



It does have a few downsides, though. First, while it has an amazing art direction, the graphics aren't too great. Plus there's some graphical glitches and bugs. But those are pretty small complaints. The good things about this game absolutely dwarf the bad.



Everyone should buy and support this game. We need more like it. I don't want to wait another 10 years for a new great Deus Ex game.'

Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information

Steamworks Steamworks Steamworks

Golf Cart Accessory For Gps - skycaddie removable holder, gps mounting-tempor

Visit Store Now !!

This holder adjusts perfectly to fit in the golf cart cup holder. It is very secure and makes my SkyCaddie very easy to read. A terrific substitute for the $60. name brand holder. It is a bit heavy because it needs the weight to keep it balanced and secure. I carry mine in a tote bag to the course or in my golf shoebag. If you have a take-home cart it would be a snap to leave in the cart. You won't be disappointed. Bracketron RWA-202-BL Golf Cart Cup Holder Mount with Grip-iT for GPS

I wonder why companies sometimes do this. This works JUST FINE in a car cup holder - for a phone as it does for a Golf cart/GPS. Its a nice solid unit, and fits my iPhone 4 just great, I use an Otterbox case so this grips it really well. No flopping about! No pulling my phone out of the case. The foam grips open up nice and wide. The cool part is it can hold the phone in vertical or horizontal mode (very tight), real useful in the car. Fits my dumb oddball Audi dash cup holder perfectly. Right within reach. Lots of room for cables and so on. It also does fit my GPS, and my iPod. Great value for the money!

This little invention is great. We use it in the golf cart for our golf gps and in our car for our SmartPhone gps. It has been produced with a lot of extra thought into being truly universal. It has adapted itself to every need. And it is so reasonably priced. Fantastic product. Buy it.

I have used this item once so far and have been completely satisfied. I purchased it primarily for holding my Golf GPS in the golf cart, it works great, it adapts to the carts cupholders, can be adjusted for easy viewing, and seems very stable. I have also used it for holding my auto GPS and MP3 player in my car. Considering the low price (under $10 = shipping) I think it was an excellant purchase and am completely satisfied. It even comes with a lifetime warranty if you register your purchase online. Have no idea of how manufacturer will stand behind warranty at this time, but I really don't care. The price was right and the quality seems to be satisfactory to make me feel that I got a bargain. Hve already reccommended unit to my golfing friends. - Skycaddie Removable Holder - Gps Mounting-tempor'

Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information

Golf Cart Accessory For Gps - skycaddie removable holder, gps mounting-tempor skycaddie removable holder Golf Cart Accessory For Gps - skycaddie removable holder, gps mounting-tempor

Best Finish Nailer

Visit Store Now !!

I posted this review over in the Hitachi MA2 version, a long standing favorite amongst the pros. I wanted to post it here as well considering it really is about the MA4. Here it is.



I've done/doing some professional woodworking and have a lifetime of experience. In air driven nailers I have Porter Cables upholstery stapler, their 23 gauge pin nailer, an 18 gauge, two of their 16 gauge nailers. I impulsively bought the Bostitch after reading the first page reviews, and then spent a couple of hours researching the Hitachi vs. the Bostitch. After comparing, this is what I found.



A lot of people are jumping on the Bostitch band wagon because it is the lightest at 3.8 pounds, it is dry as in no oil, and it has class leading 400 inch pounds of power. I was dazzled and bought right away. After digging deeper, I am refusing the Bostitch and getting the Hitachi. They both have the "durable composite magazine" (plastic) that holds the nails. The Hitachi with its aluminum housing only weighs .4 pounds more as in 4.2 instead of 3.8. That extra .4 is not going to make a difference. The oil issue is seemingly an advantage in that the Bostitch runs dry, but my other nailers are all oiled, and all I do is drive 2 or 3 nails into a piece of scrap to blow out the excess oil when first putting a couple of drops in the gun, and the rest of the time it is dry. Also the 400 pounds of torque is not an issue because the 15 gauge nailers have tons of power as compared to the 16 gauge, so much so that a small difference in power is irrelevant. When I borrowed a PC 15 gauge and first fired it, it went off with a POW instead of a pop like the 16. Substantially more power resulted in me being able to drive the nails into the tongue side of a 7/8" board deep enough that I didn't have to get out my center punch and tap it in the rest of the way; it drove deep and flush on the first try every time after setting it properly.



I am concerned about the many reviews that appear mostly all on the secondary pages on the Bostitch about having driver failure problems. Professionals who hit nails when driving a nail complain of having to go back and spend $35 to have the driver replaced every time they do. On the other hand the Hitachi has a ton of reviews many from deeply seasoned pro's that use it daily, for years, and never had a hiccup, other than an occasional, easily correctable nail jam. I'm using this right away on driving nails into crown moldings in a circa 1955 house with plaster walls, and the corners are all strengthened with lath wire so it is probable that I will be hitting metal more than just a few times. I don't want to worry about having to send it back to the shop to replace a driver every time I do.



This Hitachi NT65MA2 15 gauge has been updated twice. The 3 was out before in a lime green, and now the new item is the same model with a 4, as in NT65MA4. It has the same layout, but a slightly different look with the same industrial feel to it, and it is not lime green or gray, but silver. It appears that the main body is also a little bit larger.

The Bostitch is a fine tool but you will notice that the home hobbyist is praising it more and the pro's are booing it more. All you have to do is look down the review results and you will see the Bostitch has a wide spread review base with a liberal amount of 3's, 2's, and 1's as well as the 4's and 5's. The Hitachi is mostly 5's, and some 4's with no 3's, 2's, or 1's at all. That's quite a drastic difference. With reviews going all the way back to 2004 that is quite a lot of time for someone to hate the tool, and nobody does.



I wanted to say that the MA4 is only available at the time of writing this review through an Amazon merchant and not an Amazon in stock item, but I am sure Amazon will be picking it up directly soon. That was another decision I had to make. Do I buy the older tried and true, super reviewed MA2 model, or go for the newest version from Hitachi and get the MA4. After speaking to the rep he mentioned that it was the same industrial grade piece of equipment as the MA2 so I went for it. The body of the MA4 is even a little beefier.



Now onto the Hitachi and some of the things I love about it. First off it has an air blowing feature. You may think that is trivial, but it is a great feature that everyone is raving about. When I bought my Bosch jig saw it had an air blowing line that would remove the dust from where the blade meets the wood so you can see the line. After using lesser jig saws and not being able to see the line due to instant dust buildup, that was quite an improvement, so I am partial to air blowing capabilities. Even though with a nailer you don't wind up with the same problem, this thing has an air blower that is so strong that you can clean off a large workbench in only a few seconds; it comes in handy. It also has an interesting air input connection that is configured so you can keep the air line out of the way, and suspended in air so it is not so likely to bump into things. The Hitachi also has the continuous firing option whereas the Bostitch has the single firing option only. With continuous firing you can squeeze the trigger, and as fast as you plunge the head into the workpiece it fires repeatedly. You may have seen this feature on guns that are used to place tar paper on the side of buildings. Once up on the ladder they spread out a sheet, and pow, pow, pow. None of this stuff of positioning the gun, depress the nose, and then fire. That is great when you are doing precision work, but when you have larger areas that require multiple shots the multiple fire feature is great.



Nail availability. The Bostitch is the odd man out when it comes to nails in the industry; they only accept Bostitch nails. So Bostitch is proprietary forcing you to buy their nails. The Hitachi accepts the popular standard size from other manufacturers so when you are in the middle of a job you can access them locally, and not have to worry about overstocking everything all of the time. I normally would still prefer to use Hitachi nails in the Hitachi gun just in case but when viewing the ads for B&C Eagle nails they state, "Fits Senco, Hitachi, PC, Rigid, Milwaukee, Makita, Craftsman, Dewalt, and most other 15 gauge angled finish nailers." So you can see that you will never be stuck finding a compatible nail for the Hitachi 15 gauge nailer.



Overall the Bostitch is not a bad gun, but it appears that jams are more frequent after some use, and of course when they occur they bend over and mar the wood. Maybe this feature of having more power may be the reason why the driver gets broken. Combining that with a no oil environment may be the culprit.



I've also seen some pretty high priced Hitachi equipment, and with the discount I was able to purchase it for a price super close to the Bostitch. Bostitch is a good name, but in this case, I like the Hitachi better. Hitachi includes a nice case, and even a pair of safety glasses; nice touch. I just wish they included a small bottle of the oil. Maybe they didn't want to deal with the oil spill creating a mess problems. Oh well, no biggie. The bottom line to me is ease of use with multiple nail driving options and reliability. Hitachi NT65MA4 15 Gauge Angle Finish Nailer'

Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information

Best Finish Nailer Best Finish Nailer Best Finish Nailer

Staples

Visit Store Now !!

I have never been a DeWalt fan in the past but this stapler has made me start looking at them as a tool source again. It is very light and easy to manuever around a project. Easy to load. Easy to adjust depth. Tool free jam clearing although they are rare. This stapler has made several jobs so much easier and a pleasure to do again. Comes with both a bump trigger and a sequencial trigger so it can be set up how ever you want it. I like the bump. But changing over is easy to do. For the cost this DeWalt has exceded everything I expected. Very good buy. Please note I do woodworking as a hobby. I am not a contractor or someone who uses this 24 x 7. Just different projects as my wife comes up with them... But everytime I reach for it I know it will do the job. I can count on it. To me that means a lot. DEWALT D51430 1-Inch to 2-Inch 16-Gauge 7/16-Inch Medium Crown Stapler

This stapler is just what I need for all of my 16ga.stapler jobs. The depth adjustment and the trigger mode are both easy to change. It is lighter than most 16ga. staplers making it less tiring to operate for a full day.

I'm real happy with this stapler, it's been a great value and a real money maker at the jobsite. I think I picked it up for $110 bucks.



I run a 150PSI air compressor, and generally frame with 100lbs in the line. Turn your line pressure up to 110-120 when you're shooting 2" staples and it'll drive them with no trouble. Drives everything else just fine at 100PSI. The housing is durable and the unjamming mechanism is flawless, though it's only jammed twice in the last 3 houses we framed.

Owned it for a week, used it for building a shed (mainly for stapling plywood floors and walls). Kept up to production needs and worked like a charm.



Didn't come with a bottom air attachment coupler. Fortunately I had extra, but thought that was weird.



All in all, me likey!!

I recently purchased this staple gun for installing cedar shingles on my garage. It has performed flawlessly, I've shot around 7500 staples with no jams. The depth adjustment is very easy to use and the setting works with varying air pressure. Very good for what I needed it for. I also used Fastener USA for Stainless steel staples, very good service.

I have both 18ga brad nailer and this 16ga stapler. They all have same problem. The safety nose piece gets stuck and not releasing on it's own. You have to pull the trigger to release. By doing so, you lose momentum on your speedy process. They say you can shoot this thing 3 shots per second. I don't think I can do it that fast. Frustration goes all the way. Dewalt makes good cordless nailers, but not pneumatic nailers. If you are a pro, use Hitachi.

I had to return product because I purchased it for Father's day and it turned out to be the wrong one my husband wanted. Anyway, they did charge me a restocking fee which was frustrating cause I literally didn't even open the box or anything. It was returned to them within 1 week of purchase too...trying to make money I guess. Had to put a star because they need it but the product was never used so I don't know how the it worked.

My old stapler broke after many years of faithful service so I needed a replacement. I looked at many different brands and decided on this one. Received it in short order and had pre-purchased 2" and 11/2 inch staples. I loaded it with the 2" staples first and shot some test drives only to think that it was not driving staples. There was very little recoil, very little noise, and it just appeared to not be loading the staples however, the more I shot the shorter the supply of staples was getting and in fact the gun was performing flawlessly. I have now shot about two thousand staples and it hasn't misfired once. Great deal.'

Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information

Staples Staples Staples

Cold Weather Accessories

Visit Store Now !!

I have a problem.



Knit caps slide right off my head*. This isn't any sort of life-changing problem here in Florida, as there are usually only a few days out of the year that any sort of head-gear is necessary, but still --when it does get cold, it's frustrating to have the one thing that keeps my ears toasty work its way up past my lobes after just a few minutes.



So when I was planning a trip to somewhere REALLY cold, I knew that I should probably find a better head-warming solution. And I saw this ridiculous looking hat. And just like the old jelly commercial ("With a name like Smuckers, it's gotta be good!), I figured that a hat THAT goofy-looking had to be warm.



And boy was I right. Though I haven't taken my trip yet, we recently had a decent cold snap in Florida. (29 is REALLY cold when you're accustomed to 9 months of the thermometer reading anywhere from 80 to 98 degrees!) So I had a chance to test the hat for a few days, and by gosh it is WARM. Not only that, it STAYS ON MY HEAD! (Bonus points for that!)



And to add to my enjoyment, I actually had a TOTAL stranger approach me and state, "now THAT'S an awesome hat!" (Yeah, he's probably still laughing, but I'm okay with that.)



In fact, I had only one tiny issue that I'm bringing up ONLY because of the response received from the seller. When I received the hat, an elastic loop that attaches one of the ear-flaps to a button was half-undone. In fact, it came completely off in my wife's hand when she took a look at it to see if it could be re-attached. In any event, she was able to sew it back on, and it's just fine now, but I made a "SELLER COMMENT" earlier today and mentioned what I thought was a tiny 'quality control' issue.



And the seller (in this case Ratesh from 7Headz), wrote me an e-mail less than 2 hours later saying they would be happy to replace the hat, or do whatever else it took to make me happy. I was already happy. And now I'm THOROUGHLY impressed with the company as well.



****UPDATE**** I have returned from my trip, and it worked like a champ. My FEET were cold, but I can't blame the hat for that. ;-)





- Jonathan Sabin





* I recognize the fact that this could be my fault for being bald. Black Weatherproof Warm Nylon Faux Fur Pilot Aviator Trooper Trapper Aviator Hat for Men and Women with Complete Inner Faux Fur Lining

Perfect for snow clearing chores in Northern states. Very comfortable and warm, contributes to overall body heat retention. This is a must have in the North , especially because of the protection against wet precipitation. I am so confident that I need this that I now own an extra one.

For some reason, my husband specifically wanted this style hat. I suspect he is trying to extend his black-socks with sandals fashion statement into another season. Now we're only 1 season short of his complete dorkification.



I ordered this thinking he would try it on and then probably never wear it, but instead he LOVES it. He's completely satisfied with this hat because it's so warm and comfortable. I am surprised about the fit. My husband has had trouble getting hats to fit so I was glad this is cut on the big side. I got him a large and it fits perfectly. He says it is very comfortable.



Works for the whole family: Another great feature is that it's not real fur. We try to use animal-friendly products anyway, but I also can't imagine a product with real fur lasting very long around our 2 dogs. An unexpected benefit is that you can blackmail your teen-agers by threatening to have dad wear his new hat around their friends.



Overall, this is a fantastic product. It's EXACTLY what my husband wanted, and the entertainment value of watching my husband wear it around the neighborhood is priceless. We've purchased quite a few winter hats for him but this is the first one he really wears.

I recently purchased this hat to wear on those occasions when I have to be outside in the cold. I hate being cold so it's important to me to have clothing that will keep me warm. This hat seemed like it would do the job. I have examined it's construction and it appears that the construction is acceptable and it is not overly heavy and bulky. The problem is that if you have a large head, it will not fit. It runs small for something that is 'one size fits all'. I'm a female and have an averaged sized head and this hat is tight. It is not so tight that I can't wear it but it fits my head very snuggly. Anyone with a head any larger than mine or who had a very thick head of hair would not be able to wear it. Just beware of this if you're thinking about buying this product.

I got this hat for my husband after a good deal of research. It is wonderfully warm he says but needed to have been slightly bigger. As there was only one size there is nothing I can do about that. So, a good hat but on the small side for a man.

I purchased this for my husband. We are having a very cold winter in Vermont and that is why I purchased this hat. Upon using for the first time, we closed the clasp and sent him outside to shovel snow. The next time I looked out at my husband while he was shoveling, the hat was completely off his head; he pushed the hat back because he coulldn't see due to the fact that the hat came down over his eyes. The clasp closes at the bottom of the flaps,and was too loose. Clasp should close under chin area; thus avoiding the problem.'

Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information

Cold Weather Accessories Cold Weather Accessories Cold Weather Accessories