Fire Starter - camping, hiking

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Having been something of a Gerber fan for life with their multitools (I've had the same model on my hip daily for the past 8 years), seeing that they partnered with Bear to create a line of survival tools automatically sealed the deal on this firestarter.



The beautiful thing about this device is that it's compact, sturdy, watertight and most of all keeps your hands safe and comfortable when trying to get a fire going. Everything else--from the printed SOS/Air rescue instructions printed on the outside to the tight little space for tinder in the cap and the added whistle is just icing on the cake.



There's little else to be said other than what others have already pointed out, but I would like to add just a few more.



* I managed to cram another four cotton balls into the cap, providing me with tinder for quite some time.



* The complaints in other reviews about the lack of a longer cord to wear the device around the neck should be taken with the device's weight in mind--while not heavy in the hand, I certainly wouldn't want this thing thumping on my chest all day as I walked around--it definitely isn't light when it comes to your sternum. It's ideally suited to shove into your coat or pants pocket, ready to go in moments.



* When you first use the striker against the ferrocerium rod, don't be discouraged it isn't sparking--the black coat around the rod needs to be stripped away to get at the metal to create the spark--a few good strikes against it and your intital attempt will yield results in a matter of seconds.



* The guide incidentally has a few touches all its own: the side is printed with a 10-inch measurement and even suggests using the guide as an impromptu dewcatcher for drinking water if the situation calls for it. Nothing about this device or survival guide is wasted. Gerber 31-000699 Bear Grylls Survival Series Fire Starter

The Bear Grylls firestarter comes in a hard plastic case, with a rubber o-ring at the break to make the inside of the tool watertight. Contained inside is the ferrocerium rod with a metal striker. On the cap is a small container for tinder (small cotton ball already included). For easy carry, the tool is threaded with a small lanyard, with a safety whistle at the tied end. Finally, the firestarter includes Bear's pocket survival guide.



My impression of the tool is that it could be made with a sturdier material, and like other review said, the lanyard is way to small (to be worn around the neck, for example). It'a a little difficult to open the cap to get at the tinder, but I guess that's good so it doesn't get wet or falls out. The rod and striker makes nice, hot sparks. I haven't had much time to practice with it, but I'll get better at making fire. The whistle is loud, just as you would want it. To conclude, the exterior on the tube is marked with the SOS signal in Morse code, the alpine signal for rescue, and the "Y" Need Help, "N" Do not need help.



Overall, I like the tool very much, and I look forward to using it for leisure or emergency. Hope that this review is helpful.

Damn.I have to admit that this is well thought out.Fire starter,whistle,compartment for tinder and it even comes with instructions on what to do in emergency situation.Although i admit that i havent looked in that little pamphlet.



Compared to the Swedish firesteel this is a better bargain for what your getting.I just wish the lanyard was a bit longer so it can be worn aroung your neck (but can be remedied with paracord).Other than that i liked it so much i ordered more as a spare and future gifts.Thanks for looking.

I love the look of this, it is one good looking fire starter but the design is actually bulky and much heavier than say the Sweedish fire steel. It doesn't spark as much as the Sweedish fire steel either. I do like the fact that it will hold tender. Maybe one cotton ball, but it was very difficult to open and when I tested it, it wasn't waterproof. It does have some nifty SOS signal instructions on the side but all in all I would not purchase it again, the Sweedish fire starter puts out much more sparks and maybe it isn't as cute it just functions like a pro. This one is cute and more of a toy. The whistle is nice but not loud enough for a real emergency. I think if Gerber went back to the drawing board they could have one killer of a fire starter but this isn't it yet.

This is a great fire starter. Very rugged and tough exterior case which protects the ferrocerium rod and metal striker. Plus the case is water proof and sealed up very tight. This is a nice size and it will fit in any pocket or bag. Gotta hand it to Bear and Gerber, they got this one right on the money. This is also so much easier to hold than those other tiny firesteels that just barely fit between two fingers. No, you wrap your hand around this thing and start blazing. You do need to scrape off the outer coating on the rod first. No biggie there. The lanyard is somewhat smaller but I'm not sure why you would wear this, or any survival gear for that matter, around your neck. Just stow it and go.



Emergency whistle is nice feature but not the reason I bought this anyway. Cotton ball that comes with it is tiny but will work in a pinch if you spread it out first. There is basically enough space to stuff probably only one cotton ball but then most fire starters don't have that feature period. It's water proof and sealed nice so your tinder stays dry. You access the cotton ball by pulling on the two ends of the lanyard and it pops off. Basic alpine rescue signals and sos instructions are printed on the case.



Tried it out and man this thing produces really big sparks. Much better than my magnesium fire starter.



What's also nice is the Priorities of Survival, a pocket guide written by Bear that you get. Pretty informative and concentrated down to just some basic survival skills, but it does have illustrations which is cool. It's tiny and will fit anywhere. You got to like it when you get a bunch of well thought out extras with what is basically a very nicely engineered fire starter. Nice job Gerber.



Shipping was super fast. No problems with the package or the product. For what it's worth, Walmart now carries this same survival series from Bear. - Firestarter - Survival - Hiking - Camping'

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Garmin Nuvi 1370

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I have this unit for 10 days now and overall I am very happy with it. For its mainstream feature, navigation, it is excellent. I had a Garmin 350 before this which I loved but it was stolen from my car. I had a Magellan after that which was crap. The price on this unit was great ($247 - Amazon).



I chose it over the 1390T because I opted to not get bluetooth. It is the only difference between the units. I felt the bluetooth quality would be poor based on other reviews of bluetooth in general on GPS units. The main reason was in the way most people use bluetooth. In a typical day I am in and out of my car often. I always need my bluetooth immediately in case I get a call. I don't always need my GPS. And since my previous unit was stolen, and theft of these units is a big problem everywhere, I keep the unit hidden or sometimes remove it from the car. So if you are like me but you get this unit for bluetooth, you will need to stop and mount your gps everytime you get in the car whether you need it or not, just to have blue tooth capability. If you forget and the cell phone rings, you have no bluetooth. So I purchased a separate bluetooth speaker phone from Jabra (very good unit# which is always attached to my visor, pretty good quality, and always there when I need it. I saved about $75 by opting for the 1350T over the 1390T.



A few minor disappointments. The Lane Assist feature works great but is not available everywhere. I used it around NYC and it was helpful. I drove through Pennsylvania and upstate NY and it was not available. Marketing material hypes this feature but they neglect to tell you this one point. But when it is available, it is a great feature. That brings me to traffic. Same story here. I was driving through PA and hit a 1 hour traffic jam. No warnings from the traffic feature because it was not available in that area. When I got to the Scranton, PA area the traffic alerts started working. It alerted me of a major traffic jam ahead and it even rerouted my trip automatically. The reroute would have been a significant addition in miles but would be worth it to avoid the traffic, right? I decided to ignore the re-route just to test the unit to see if the alert was accurate and I was willing to endure the traffic. As I drove my original route, no traffic anywhere. So had I listened to the traffic alert, I would have driven 50 miles out of my way for nothing. Bottom line is, don't let the traffic feature be a deal breaker for the unit you choose. But then again, I got the 1350T for about the same price as the 1350 #same unit without traffic). Updating the map was more difficult than it should have been. I consider myself a very technical person with computers and gadgets but the map update did not go smoothly and took me several tries. I could see where many people will have difficulty with this if they attempt to update the map. Garmin nüvi 1370/1370T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth GPS Navigator with Maps of North America & Europe and Lifetime Traffic

Overall, I am very satisfied with the Garmin nuvi 1350 but I do have a couple of minor complaints.



First of all, I do recommend that owners/potential buyers visit the Garmin web site to read through all of the product information and to review the FAQs. Some folks have made an issue of Garmin not including the USB cable with the device but this did not matter to me. The required cable is a standard type "A" to mini "B" USB cable. Many other devices use this same cable and I already own a couple of them. (I also heard that if you contact Garmin customer service, they may send you a cable at no charge.) Other reasons to visit the Garmin site: to register the product, to download the full PDF manual and to install the "my Garmin Agent Plugin" for web updates.



Next, my quibbles:

When the 1350 is plugged into a charging device (PC or vehicle), there is no way to determine when the unit is fully charged. This is very inconvenient. To view the charge level, you have to unplug the device and turn it on. Only then can you see the battery level. According to the Garmin FAQs, charge time is about 4 hours using the vehicle cable and 8 hours using the PC cable.

One of the features of the 1350 is the speed limit display. However, I find this to be of limited value. The speed display is frequently 5 to 10 mph too high compared with the actual posted speeds on the roads being traveled. As a result, this throws off the estimated destination arrival time.



Finally, why I am impressed:

When driving with the 1350, I never had any doubt where I was at any given time and I never had any doubt what my next maneuver would be (and isn't this the bottom line of any GPS?). The voice commands have plenty of volume, are easy to understand and they also give you adequate lead time for upcoming turns. The commands will also repeat but the voice is not annoying. Several times, I deliberately missed a turn to test how the 1350 would respond. It quickly calculated a revised route based on my current location.

I also found the screen to be clear and easy to see while driving (in bright sun, shade and at night).

The full manual states that a PDA type stylus can be used for the touch screen. I found this to be convenient (I'm actually using a stylus from a Nintendo DS.) While you can certainly use your finger on the screen, this will leave fingerprints and smudges on the screen.



Other notes:

I have the 1350 sitting on my dash with the Garmin "Portable Friction Mount" - highly recommended.

My 1350 came with a free case - the Caselogic MGPS-2. This case adequately protects the 1350 when it's not being used.



Overall, this has been a great purchase for my business travels and I would rate the unit as four and a half stars.

I've used this GPS for several weeks now and when it is fully charged it is absolutely great. The voice is loud and clear, the maps are accurate and detailed. It acquires satellites quickly, even in less than optimal circumstances with trees overhead or tall buildings nearby. It is easy to program and the onscreen menus are convenient. It is thin and reasonably light and portable and the screen is big. But it has one major problem: the cigarette-lighter charging system does not supply enough current to charge the GPS while it is turned on. It is unbelievable that Garmin would allow their unit to be sold under these conditions.



When I received the unit I completely charged the battery (by connecting it to my computer using a USB cable which Garmin does not supply, but I happened to have one anyway). Then I used it in my car, always plugged into the cigarette lighter. It turns on automatically whenever you start the car, and it turns off automatically when the ignition switch is turned off. However, over this two week period the battery slowly discharged (without my knowledge) until it reached a point where the unit would no longer turn on, even when plugged in to the car charger. Assuming the unit was defective, I called Garmin and (after 20 minutes on hold) learned that the car charger is not up to the task, and that the GPS will slowly lose its charge when it is turned on, even if you have it connected to the cigarette lighter adapter. I believe this means that if you have a long drive, perhaps 8 hours or more, then the unit may not even remain operational throughout the full trip. Other people have made similar complaints about some of the other Garmin GPS units.



The tech support people explained how to recover from the low battery situation: you do a "soft reset" which simply involves holding down the on/off button for 10 seconds. Then the unit will turn on, but the battery will need recharging. I was told to do this by connecting it to my computer using a USB cable, which Garmin does not supply with the GPS (fortunately I already had one), but I assume you could do the same by connecting it to the car charger and making certain that the unit is turned off while it is charging.



What a shame that Garmin has produced a superior product with a fatal defect. I will keep mine for now, but I'm going to investigate other charging solutions. Perhaps after reading this review, the wizards at Garmin will redesign the charging system for this GPS.



Update (Aug 1/09): I discovered the reason for these charging issues: In the User's Manual, under "Troubleshooting", Garmin states that the Nuvi will not charge if it is in direct sunlight or if the temperature is more than 113 degrees F (45 deg C). Since I had my unit attached to the windshield, and since I only drive during midday, it is always in sunlight. This charging rule applies to many other models as well; for any given model you can download the manual from Garmin, turn to the Troubleshooting section, and see whether or not they describe a similar charging rule. (The rule is meant to avoid overheating the battery: lithium batteries can occasionally catch fire if they are severely overcharged or overheated.) I think this explains why some people have encountered charging problems and others have not: it depends on whether or not the unit is always in direct sunlight while you are driving. Some people use the friction mount and their Garmin sits on the console. Others drive later in the day or at night.'

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Wallies Self Adhesive - dry erase board, wallies self adhesive

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This product isn't completely flawless, but it's definitely worth the money. It was relatively easy to put up on my painted walls (I recommend asking someone to help you and using a squeegee), and the one or two air bubbles I got were too small for anyone to really notice. The included dry erase marker comes with a velcro stick tab, so you can store the marker on the wall, right next to the decal. It's easy to write with the marker, but the eraser is kind of crummy (this is true for pretty much all dry erase decals though).



This particular decal is bigger and higher quality than what the competitors are selling for the same price. Brewster Wall Pops WPE90261 Peel & Stick White Dry-Erase Message Board with Marker

I've been searching for something to use in the shower since I always have the best ideas but never am able to write them down and then consequently forget them! When I'm working on writing my college papers, it's the best place to think. This is fantastic- sticks right on and won't leave any residue which is very important if you rent an apartment/home. I am so stoked to take showers now :)

It's a little tricky to stick on because it's a pretty good size sheet. A good squeegy in hand and a really really flat surface-like table top/mirror flat wall is advised. Also, stick as you peel away slowly. It will take some of your time depending how well of a flat surface you have and experience with using a squeegy. I used it for my kitchen and it's on my pantry door. I love that I can write what ever the messege it be for everyone including me to read.=)Oh, and it was quite sturdy too! I had to peel and repeel a few times to take care of the air bubbles and it held up fine and is still okay. Just a few tiny little bubbles still but it's because my door isn't completely flat.

I love having a big whiteboard in the kitchen, but there wasn't a good place to hang one. This works perfectly, even on textured doors (like my pantry). Went on easily using a squeegy, took only a couple of minutes, and is already covered in notes, numbers and menu ideas. Yay!

I really like this product so far.



I have two of them, one on top of the other w/ a slight overlap. I primarily use these for doing math/physics problems, (lots of writing and erasing.) The one does have some slight discoloring from use, but more than within reason. These are great if your going to school and live in an apartment. Plus it is a lot cheaper to use a couple of these than to buy an actual white board.



Bottom line: I would recommend this product.

I had tried several boards to mount to my fridge with little success (except to permanently mount it, which I didn't care to do AGAIN after moving to a new apartment).



This is THE BOMB!



I had even taken apart one of the wood-framed boards and tried to attach the remaining metal board to the fridge, it was sharp and I sliced me hand, and it got dinged in the process and just wasn't very attractive there on the fridge.



No such worries with this one. It can also go on the wall, but I was worried without a border and four kids that accidents were bound to happen.

We bought three of these - one for home, and two for travel. When we went away recently, we were able to stick this on a refrigerator (and elsewhere a door) and our toddler had another activity while on vacation. (We did buy the washable crayons with it, just in case.)

First let me tell you what I paid for this from amazon a couple of months ago, $8.99. That said, at this moment Amazon is listing it for $11.99. DEFINITELY not worth the extra three bucks, and only okay for my nine bucks. Here is the deal:



I love the IDEA behind this product. However, compared to the magnetic dry erase calendar I have on my refrigerator, this kinda sux. If you leave something written on it for more than a few weeks, you're going to have to use alcohol to remove it.



But I still give it three stars because being able to stick it to my door so easily and know it won't fall or get knocked off--too cool. And I hope it is true that I can easily take it down. Haven't tried yet, but feel it will. I don't mind the alcohol too much. However, I won't buy it again, as I HAD planned to do if I liked this one. Instead I'm on my way to shop for another brand. - Wallies Self Adhesive - Wall Stickers - Dry Erase - Dry Erase Board'

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Cordless Drill - lithium-ion, cordless drill

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All 6 - yes 6! - of my original M12 batteries failed within several months to over a year after purchase and would not charge. I finally took them to the Milwaukee repair center as I knew they were warranted for 2 years. I took my receipts but they didn't even look at them. Popped them in a charger-and sure enough-bad. They replaced them all on the spot with no questions asked! I would recommend Milwaukee to anyone. I am hopeful that the new ones last like my other tools (including Bosch, Makita and DeWalt) and I will post an update if I have more problems-so far, so good-hopefully they have fixed whatever was causing failure. Go get yours replaced if they have failed. If you don't have a receipt, they can use the serial number for warranty. Hope this helps. Milwaukee 48-11-2401 12-Volt Lithium-ion Cordless Tool Battery

Milwaukee fails at quality control on this product, and doesn't seem to care either way.

I've had 2 in 5 batteries fail within a year, and even a third delivered defective. With a 60% probable failure rate, they may want to consider the value of China as a country with very cheap unskilled labor.

Thank you.



Update: Checked on warranty replacement. The closest Service Center is over 30 miles each way, and stated no guarantee of replacement

:( >>Disappointing for the Milwaukee name brand.

I bought a 12v drill with 2 batteries less than a year ago. I used the drill maybe a total of 30 times in the last year and the batteries will not charge any more. I get the red and green flashes on the charger. I have a Ryobi kit that I use multiple times a week that is 2 years old and it still works fine. I also have a Bosch drill that I have had for 6 yrs and the batteries are still fine. I liked the drill but I am really dissapointed in the batteries.

I bought several of these tools last year and all but 1 battery would not charge after modest use. What worked for me was to discharge the batteries completely (I used the flashlight) until it is just a dim glow, and then recharge. Several of the batteries that gave me the flashing red/green indication returned to proper operation, charging to green and giving me 4 LED's on the tool. Maybe this is a cell balancing issue. If the battery is right, with a good charge, I can use the screwdriver all day on a battery.

I too regret buying this drill because of the atrociously short battery life. I've owned the drill for about a year and only use it sporadically. Already the two original batteries have died. I've, however had a different experience with the life of the CHARGE. My batteries kept their charge even over extended periods of use and non-use. The power and ergonomics of this tool are exemplary but at around $30 a pop for new batteries every few months this purchase has been a disaster.

Have been an electrician for 20+ years. The old 80's makita 9.6 lasted, My DeWalt 18xrp has never let me down. The Milwaukee is junk after no use and 3 battery's are defective. Too bad i bought all the M-12 tools. Big mistake

This tool is a dissapointment milwaukee should be ashamed to put thier name on it. I have the drill/saw combo. The drill has no power and the battery dies quick. The saw can not cut through anything and the battery dies even faster. Now that I have given it to my wife the batteries are dead. six thumbs down

SCREW MILWAUKEE CORDLESS TOOLS!



12v batteries dead almost immediatly, should be a recall on these

(48-11-2401, li-ion, 3IMR18/65)went from USA made to German to Austrian now CHINA, screw CHINA too!

if you want great cordless tools buy Panasonic!

Great little tool and very convenient to use with good power. BUT, these are Lithiun-ion batteries and should last more than 1 year. Both batteries died within 1 month of each other 1 yr after gifted to me. They weren't very heavily used and were charged before completely discharged. At a cost of $35 to $40 each, or ~$70 per year to maintane it in operation, I don't recommend it's purchase. - M12 - Lithium-ion - Battery Packs - Cordless Drill'

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Garmin Nuvi Vent Mount - electronic device holder, gps holder

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Great price and excellent quality. Holds a phone, GPS, satellite radio, etc securely without covering controls or charging ports. Spring clamp hooks to the car's air vent- screw and adhesive options also included. I opted for this style as I didn't have to have a bulky case or clip attached to my phone. The whole unit just sits in the car and you pop your device in and go- it is super easy to remove your device too. I love it! Bracketron PHV-200-BL Grip-iT Mobile Device Holder (Black)

I read a review by someone who purchased this item since they didn't want to use the suction cup. They wanted something easy to remove so no one would know a GPS was being used in the car. I wanted it so I could mount it closer to me so I could take advantage of the bluetooth (hands free phone). This device, once put in the air vent is difficult to remove. As a matter of fact, there is still one prong stuck in my air vent after I removed the unit. I wanted to use it with a Garmin nuvi 275T. The location of the plug for the Garmin is in the rear. When you plug in the wire it sticks out the back. You cannot fully mount the Garmin unit in the holder. It is biased to the right which adds a little difficulty when viewing your GPS. Also, this is not a problem with the unit per se, but if your vent is angled in a direction which makes viewing difficult, you will be disappointed. The only adjustment on the unit is the 360 degree rotation. If you need to adjust it in any other position, you're out of luck.

My friend had this bracket device and I wanted to get it because I liked the fact that you would place it on a vent and not have it distracting you from the road if you had a mount that was a suction cup on the windshield. As for the fit on the phone, I have an HTC Incredible and had no problems with fit.



Now for the cons - I'm using this in a Honda Civic and the front vents are too small to use this product. I have also verified that these would not fit on the front vent of Lexus and Mercedes. One solution is to have this on the driver's side vent, which is useful because I don't remember ever really getting any benefit out it. Of course, then it is difficult to stretch any a/c power.



So in summary, good product, but there are some pros and cons associated with it. I'm still happy with my purchase though!

This complex device holder worked fine for a few months. One day I secured my iPod in the holder and the iPod fell out as I started driving. I put it back in a couple more times; when it quickly fell out each time, I realized that the holder was listing to one side. I tried adjusting it upward but it was already pointing all the way up. Then I noticed that one of the two air vent grippers was no longer gripping the vent. Upon inspection I found that the outer vent clip, along with its spring, had vanished. They're nowhere to be found in the car; I think it's likely that they're now inside the air duct. The clip piece must have broken since it would otherwise have stayed on the arm's track. The device holder is completely useless now.



UPDATE: I called the company. They said to go to their website and look toward the bottom of the main page for the link to order replacement bracket springs set for free. It's [...]. The link is in red and is fairly easy to find. Once I sent the email, they actually sent a replacement set via USPS - free! My guess is, I was far from the only one who had this problem. Clearly, the company stands behind their product and is committed to customer satisfaction and easily resolving problems, so I've upgraded my review from three to five stars.

Just got this. Amazing product. Build quality is decent. The fitting onto the air con vent is absolutely brilliant. There is no sort of movement after fitting it so it does not rattle however you can turn it 360 degrees as it is designed to use it in any position. The opening clasp is amazing and to even lock it once you put in a device is very easy. The air con does not get blocked as there is quite a lot of distance between the mounting and the actual holder. You can charge your device whilst it is on the holder and even if the pin is anywhere around the device it can accommodate it due to its flexible design.

Overall great product and incredible design!

Having fried my previous iPod in my cup holder (filled with leaked coffee), I needed a mount that would keep its replacement out of harm's way. Since I live in California, I can't use a windshield mount and the dash mounts don't work for me. This style vent mount works perfectly. I am using it on a '96 Honda Accord with iPod Classic 7th Generation. It will work with the iPhone also.



I was looking for holder with spring clips so it could be easily removed. (The "grip" clips are almost impossible in my estimation.) I have a Garmin vent mount and was pleased to see the mounting part of this set up to be identical. I installed the mount on the left center vent and attached the holding unit. You have to press the "lever" to gradually expand the arms until your device will fit, then squeeze the arms to firmly grip your device. There are swing out arms at the bottom of the holder to use in the vertical position. All the arms are padded. To swing the unit horizontally, you just loosen the plastic nut on the back of the holder, rotate the unit and tighten the nut. The little arms you use in the vertical position swing out of the way to use it horizontally. The holder unit sits forward of the mount so it has room to be tilted toward the driver.



It holds my iPod beautifully and does exactly what I wanted it to do. Couldn't be happier, and the price was right. Not the most beautiful, streamlined thing in the world, but being black, it blends in fine with the vent and the iPod.

I have had this for 2 months now. I use this with my DROID X in a Otterbox case when navigating around. Because of the Otterbox I can't use the OEM mount. It's a great after market substitute. Mounts easily to the vents on my civic and montero. It rotates to any position. The grips hold the phone well through all the vibration and car movement. Hasn't fallen or slipped out ounce. - Gps Holder - Bracketron - Electronic Device Holder - Gps Mount'

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Overhead Garage Storage - canoe hoist, garage storage

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The pulley hoist is to be used to store a 14' kayak in my garage. It assembled well enough but when I tried to raise the kayak with a simple pull of the two ropes, the ropes sliped off the pully jamming the mechanism. It does work but I have to carefully raise or lower the kayak one rope at a time. Ok, but not as advertised. Product should have included a larger pulley to prevent this slipping problem. BAC Industries PH-01 Storage Pulley Hoist, 100-Pound Capacity

Not designed for a canoe of any weight or size. (our canoe was within the limits advertised) It was almost impossible to raise the canoe after finally attaching it. The pullies are lightweight and the ropes will not stay in the slots on the pully.



Terrible experience

I have 28 foot extension ladder that I use about twice a year and has been taking up precious space leaning against the garage wall. The ladder is too heavy and awkward to hang on wall hooks above head height so I bought the PH-01 to hoist it to the ceiling. The hoist was easy to assemble and install, and works as expected. I took off one star because the pulley flanges seem to be a little shallow and the rope can come off of the pulley if the assembly isn't mounted level and you pull the rope rapidly. This is a minor issue in my opinion since it is easily prevented by being careful to mount the pulley assemblies level. A key feature of this hoist is having independent control of the front and rear lift points through two separate ropes. I have some bike lifts with a single rope system and the bikes never want to raise evenly. Other reviewers have complained that it's too hard to raise the item they are hanging. This is not a problem with the hoist. It feels heavy because all of the weight of the item being lifted is concentrated through the rope and gives the perception that it is "heavier" than expected. Highly recommended.

As with the other reviewers I agree with the comments. What is nice is that the assembly is easy. Mine was missing some screws but I used my own to put it into the ceiling as opposed to the joists. I too have 14' kayak to put up and I found it pretty hard to haul it up on my own. I wish this came with the straps as again I sourced my own and mine slipped a little. The image makes it look like you can pull it tight to the ceiling but with the weight it swung a few inches lower. This was a challenge with my garage door set up. By moving the strapping I can squeeze it in. I can see how with continual use the ropes will go quickly. The ropes often get off track and I agree that the pulleys should be larger to avoid this. My hands were raw hauling up and down on the two rope system, it takes a while to figure it out. This is a good inexpensive hoist if you have a small boat and a safe place to store. I remain nervous...

I purchased this system to lift a 5 person paddle out of the water and store it hanging. The pulleys mounted very easily to the rafters of my boat slip. The paddle boat weighs about 120 lbs and is fairly easy to lift with these pulleys. With the 2 rope system, you can lift one end seperate from the other to adjust for level or lift one end higher to clean and drain the boat. This works great.

There is only one point where the quality could have been better and that is the rope. The rope used is on the low end of the quality spectrum. It works, but I am sure I will be replacing it with a better rope very soon.



BAC Industries PH-150 Storage Pulley Hoist, 150-Pound Capacity

I bought this to lift our canoe in the garage. The canoe is 65 pounds and is well under the 100 pound capacity. There is no way the product picture is correct. The moment I put any pressure on the hooks the material that attaches the hooks to the pulleys just twisted out of shape. There is no way I would trust this to hold a canoe above our cars. I relegated it to holding up a single aluminum ladder weighing in at 25 pounds just because taking it down and returning it would be a larger hassle.

I have a 10 foot, 40 lbs Old Town Dirigo and was looking to get it off my garage floor. I installed the BAC Industries Pulley Hoist under my second story deck and it is perfect. The pulley system installed easily (choice of on a ceiling or on a joist) and hoisting the kayak by myself was no problem. I would recommend this product and now I can get my car back in my garage!

The key feature is that this pully has two ropes to work with. That means you can you can control the descent/ascent of each end. Works perfectly for a long rowing shell. Unfortunately the picture does not show the two ropes very clearly. I find that alternating between the ropes works best for the descent. Also, I tie a knot at the point where I don't want the boat to go any lower, in case I let go of the rope altogether. Works well. - Lift - Kayak - Garage Storage - Canoe Hoist'

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Cantilever - aztec, pads

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I put these on my old Ross Mt. Hood which have had the same old unidentifiable small pads from the 90's on them which were all yucky and half worn out. What a difference they made! I'm happy. I can just about lift the rear wheel off the ground with my old DiaCompe Cantilevers on that old long-frame Ross with these pads up front. They are powerful and controlable with easy modulation right up to lock-up. I took them to Critical Mass and it was a lot of brake-dragging to keep pedaling and doing track-stands and I was worried that I'd put a bunch of wear on my brand-new pads but after a few miles of that kind of abuse they still looked like new. Not too shabby IMHO.



I have these up front but I put a pair of Kool-Stops (Dual compound) on the back of my MTB to give them a try too. They were not any better than the standard all-black "sticky fingers" pads by Avenir. If anything, I think the Avenir's are better as they stop just as well in wet or dry (if not better) and seem to be wearing better than the Kool-stops.



An interesting thing about these Avenir Sticky Fingers pads is that they mount exactly backwards from the Kool-Stops. That is to say that the bigger side of the pad goes on the trailing edge of the mounting post rather than the other way around like on the Kool-Stops according to the L/R markings on the side.



Since my old Ross Cantilever-braked Mt. Hood was made before the days of these non-symmetrical pads the Kool-Stops won't fit up front in the correct orientation and the Sticky-Fingers won't fit in back without interfering with the wheelstays when I try and pull the wheels out the brakes hang up and they won't open up all the way -making it hard to fit the tire in or out with air in it. The mounting braze-ons must be shorter on these older MTB's and the brakes don't stand off as much.



The only way around this is to run the pads backwards from the way they are labeled. The Sticky-fingers don't seem to make any difference performance-wise frontwards or backawards, but I feel the Kool-stops have a marked loss in performance when run backwards. I could get away with running the Avenir's front and back but since I have them I will keep on running the Kool-Stops in back and the Sticky-Fingers up front right now. Maybe when the Kool-stops wear out I'll put Sticky Fingers pads in back too as they are so much cheaper. They do run fine backwards. This is something to think about if you have an older MTB and don't have as much clearance between the Cantis and the wheelstays/forks.



Kool-Stops are great brakes but not worth the price when the Avenir Sticky-Fingers are just as good, reversible, and much cheaper. Maybe when people discover this the price of them will go up to match the performance and the price of the Kool-Stops. Right now they get 5 stars while the Kool-Stops (reviewed elsewhere by me on Amazon) only get a 4. Performance-wise I'd call it a draw -with the Avenir slightly ahead due to reversibility, long wear, and being lower-priced. Avenir Sticky Fingers MTB Post Cantilever Brake Pads

These were installed today and I don't notice any difference between my 15 year old Shimano cantilever pads and the Sticky fingers. There is a lot more surface area on these pads and I hope they just need a few rides to "wear in."

Avenir Sticky Fingers MTB Cantilever Brake Pads

The rubber compound seems VERY hard. I could see these things eating a rim more quickly than Kool Stop brakes.

They are marked (L & R ) backwards from the industry standard. The long end points forward according to the markings. Hmmmmm. I think this was a mistake in the initial design that slipped past QC. That or they realized that this wont work on most front cantilever brake systems as the pad will hit the forks when you release the brakes to remove the Front wheel. OK wait, that can't be true, they wont fit on a lot of rear cantilever brakes with the long pad facing forward, I know, I just went & eyeballed it & it wont fit on any bike I checked, it'll hit the frame when you relaese the brakes to remove the rear tire. Hmmmmmm.

They are slightly curved to follow the rim.

The metal post is .268" or 6.8mm in diameter. 1.17" or 29.86mm long. The serations on the shaft are very smooth.

The pad is 2.78" long or 70.6mm.

From Mounting shaft EDGE to the short end of the pad is about .935" or 23.7mm. The long way is about 1.62" or 41.16mm

Maximum Total Height of the pad is .63" or 16mm, but the braking surface is about .395" or 10mm high.The braking surface is not centered in the face of the pad, it is towards the bottom of the pad, .053" or 1.35mm up from the bottom edge of the brake.

The left & right pads were slightly different sizes, one pad was about .01" or .26mm bigger than the other, in every dimension taken on the rubber. The metal shafts were identical.

Well, as another reviewer wrote, perhaps use these on the front with Kool Stops on the back?

I would rather have a softer compound that wears more quickly, than a harder compound that wears my RIM more quickly.

If you have a cheap bike that needs new brakes, these are great. If you have a quality ride, you may want to give the Kool Stops a try, I know I am. - Cantilever - Pads - Aztec'

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Recipricating Saw - reciprocating saws, sawzall

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This is a great saw for the homeowner. That having been said, I might as well get rid of the negatives first. The only real negatives I've seen are:



(a) It's made in Mexico. I don't have much of a problem with this, but it might be a little jolting to some to buy the DeWalt name, just to find out the tool was not made in the US.



(b) It doesn't seem as heavy-duty as the Sawzall models. If I were a working carpenter depending on this saw day in and day out, I'd probably buy the Milwaukee. But for the typical homeowner like me, this saw seems perfectly adequate.



The positives:



(a) It seems to be a solid, well-built machine.



(b) The four-way blade chuck is a very nice feature. It's very handy for cutting in different directions. I believe that seasoned carpenters wouldn't need this feature as often, as they are used to using their saws every which direction. But, again, for us homeowners it's great.



(c) The price-performance is excellent. You'd have to pay twice as much to get a Sawzall with the capability in the previous item. I love tools, but I can't justify the extra expense given that I'll only use it now and then.



(d) It weighs about the same as the equivalent Sawzall model, and less than the Sawzall that lets you cut in different directions.



As somebody else noted, it only comes with one blade (a metal cutting one). So make sure you buy at least one more blade. If you're new at using a recip saw as I was, I'd recommend just buying the standard short DeWalt wood-cutting blade until you get used to using the saw. After that, go buy a 12" blade. You'll need that long blade, for example, for building a deck: for cutting through the centers of 6x6 timbers, because your circular saw won't reach all the way to the center. DEWALT DW304PK 10 Amp Reciprocating Saw

My first reciprocating saw...and a dandy for the average handyman who has often scratched his head and knuckles trying to figure out how in the world to make a particular cut. The Dewalt is sturdy, if a bit heavy. The power is adequate for everything I've encountered so far...wood, steel, etc. Nothing cleaver to learn how to use, no wrenches or screws to misplace when changing blades, just straightforward cutting. the drop-in blade clamp is simple and effective. It makes changing blades fast and certain. Dewalt only send one blade with the saw and it's a metal cutting blade, so to keep up with chores involving wood, you need to pick-up a variety pack of blades at the local hardware store. This saw is everything I would expect.

I've owned this saw a couple years now. It's done everything I asked it to do, it's had enough power to handle anything I've thrown at it, blade changing is a snap, it's a great tool, and very durable.



People keep comparing this to a Milwaukee, IMO generally speaking Dewalt tools are not as well made as Milwaukee, but you didn't pay a Milwaukee price for this saw either, y'all get what you pay for. Yes, I have a Milwaukee sawzall which I believe is better, but this Dewalt does something the Milwaukee doesn't, the 4 blade positioning comes in extremely handy especially when needing to make flush floor cuts.



I like this saw, glad I bought it, and recommend it to anyone.

I bought this saw at Lowes and it initially sounded like a quality tool with nice features (four way clamp is a nice idea... on paper).



It worked fine for about 1h of demo work, eventually the clamp developed a problem where it would not lock the blade in horizontal position (and I needed that the most to cut close to wall without bending the blade) anymore and releasing vertical lock was sometimes a challenge as well.



The clamp also became VERY wobbly to the extent that the blade was oscillating around like crazy.



The tool was returned and Lowes rep said this is not the first time this tool was returned to them for this or similar issue with clamp.

This is a good saw for a home owner or occasional use around the yard, etc but I would not recommend it for regular use. The motor is powerful enough for most jobs, and while the 4 way blade change system is convenient, it often doesn't work. The release mechanism will only work at the beginning of the stroke so you sometimes have to slowly run the motor to just the right position to change the blade. The locking pin often locks up and has to be persuaded with a screwdriver to lock in place. this takes all of the convenience out of the quick change system. My quick change system was ruined after cutting through some slightly damp boards, which was enough to cause some surface rust to creep up on the blade change mechanism, preventing it from locking at all, I can now only change blades by taking the entire head apart, and even then it will only lock in the sideways position and not the vertical. If you are a contractor or pro, spend the extra money to invest in a heavy duty Milwaukee sawzall.

This is my first reciprocating saw and I was not disappointed. I really like the fact that the blade can be used in any position (up, down, left, right) and is very easy to change. The blade quick change system is great and easy to use, just lift the lever and insert the blade. It has a variable speed trigger. The tool is also very comfortable to hold and is not too heavy. It comes with a carrying case that allows you to store the tool with the blade inserted (you don't have to remove it). The case has plenty of room for extra storage.

I have owned this saw for two years. It has never failed. It worked PERFECTLY about 18-months ago during a horrible winter wind/rain storm. my awning was ripped from the ground and into the neighbor's yard. I had little time to secure the awning as we had wind at about 50mph gusts with 70mph+ gusts at anytime. But this bad-boy worked like a champ allowing me to cut up the awning into enough pieces to secure them until a more through job could be done.



I have cut 6x6's PT lumber, metal, wood and even cut down several medium sized fruit trees. It never has failed or made work harder.



Remember to keep a fair number of blades as they do tend to get dull or bend. This is not a fault of the saw or the blades but rather just the nature of reciprocating saws in general. I keep at least 5-blades of each type and a couple lengths. After every job I buy a few new blades. I do this because a sharp blade will help the saw work with less effort and therefore make the work easier and cleaner.



I can highly recommend this saw for a must have for any homeowner or DIY sort. You will truly wonder how ya lived w/o one. - Dewalt - Sawzall - Demolition - Reciprocating Saws'

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Portable Vehicle Gps - portable vehicle gps, maps

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I have used this product for years now, it is so easy to read the maps on the computer, using the GPS it is a snap

to see where you are. I use it to plan my routes and give me the expected time of arrival. I find it very accurate at predicting my time of arrival, down to within minutes, as I adjusted it to my type of driving so it knows me. The ability to adjust the route times by your type of driving is so helpful for me and fuel cost estimations spot on too. Microsoft Streets & Trips with GPS Locator 2010 - Maps - Portable Vehicle Gps - Gps - Bluetooth Gps'

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3 14 Inch Planer

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These are the same as the ones that come with the Bosch planer and they work great. I love the fact that they are double sided, to maximize life of the set of blades. When one side is dull, flip it over and use the other. Excellent engineering! Bosch PA1202 Pair of Woodrazor Tungsten Carbide Planer Blades

All I can say is that the blades that are in my planer are great, smooth cutting, no effort at all, planing!! In my oppionion, this is the only way to go, it beats sharpening the blades, and getting the adjustment right! There are two sides to these, and they just slide in and out. That couldn't be any easier!

This reconditioned product is great -- I'm sure it depends on why it was returned but my unit doesn't even have a scratch on it. The only problem is it is missing the upper plastic portion on the height adjuster knob. A little hard to turn that way, but I suppose a small price to pay for the reconditioned discount. It is quite and powerful -- effortlessly handles my project needs. This unit, by the way, is heavier than my old smaller one, but I find it is still very manageable -- even for occasional one handed projects.'

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Electric Pencil Sharpener

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I bought this pencil sharpener for use at home. We are a large homeschooling family, so as you might imagine we go through pencils pretty quickly.



Unfortunately, the sharpener only worked on about half of the pencils I tried. The others were all sharpened so unevenly that they were unusable. The wood went all the way down to the point. I tried 20-30 pencils of all different types, including quite a few brand new ones.



I contacted Bostitch customer service, and I was informed that the PENCILS were defective, not the sharpener! But the pencils are not sharpened symmetrically. One side is slanted much more than the other. I tried every one of the different sized holes, pushing up on the pencil, pushing down on the pencil, using more pressure, etc., and nothing worked. Customer service informed me that I could send the unit back to them at my expense, and they would send me a replacement. But as I have no confidence that another unit would work any better, I don't want to spend any more money on this, and am returning it to Amazon. Stanley Bostitch QuietSharp Executive Electric Pencil Sharpener, Black (EPS9V-BLK)'

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Dashboard Mount

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My Prius has a rough dashboard and a windshield that slopes very sharply. Thus, the suction cup mounts are not good solutions. Fortunately, the friction mount is a great solution. It works much better than I expected. Very stable, does not slide, and lets me adjust my Nuvi to a variety of different angles. I can place the GPS anywhere on the dash or even on the center console. Also works great when transferred to my wife's Ford.



Only downside to the device is that it has a rather large footprint, but not prohibitively large. I like the fact that I can easily use this in both of our family vehicles depending on where we need the GPS.



UPDATE: Now that I have used this mount regularly since May, I have to say this is the best mounting solution I've found for a GPS or any other device for my car. It hasn't slid out of place once!! Given the rise in GPS units being stolen from cars, this mount allows you to easily stash your GPS Unit and mount out of sight and then put it back into position with ease.



2009 Update: Still using this in my Prius and my wife has one too. It's held up quite well. It IS a bit bulky to store out of the way when not in use, but still a good solution. I usually remove my GPS from the mount (a simple process) and then place the mount as far under the seat as it will go. Not perfect, but the best solution I've found to date. Garmin Portable Friction Mount

This mount works great. The selection of Garmin mounts is confusing as some are two parts and some are one. If you have a Nuvi with the included windshield mount, then this is the only part you need to buy. The included mount disassembles at the ball and socket joint and attaches to this one. I can't say it will never come off the dash if I do some really high speed maneuver, but so far it's held steady for all regular driving.



I like that it's easy to move the mount and gps unit down to the floor when I park. Yeah a thief could still see it if they came right up to my car but at least it's not obvious from halfway across the parking lot like a windshield mount is. A thief that sees an empty windshield mount is probably going to assume (correctly) that I've just put the unit in the glove compartment.

I have become addicted to my Garmin Nuvi 660 and used it for six months with a successful windshield mount. But now I have bought a new car. I discovered that the windshield suction mount left an ugly black ring on the window of my old car. (I assume I can get this cleaned up when I detail the car for selling.)



So no way was I going to put one of those on my beautiful new car. I tried the Garmin dashboard mount but shied away from the "permanent" disc. I found the "temporary" disc was just not up to the job of holding this device in place -- at least on my vehicle. I found this very frustrating. I read about the Portable Friction Mount, found a Best Buy store that had it in stock and ran out to buy it.



Though it is not terribly good looking, it does the job very well. I tried whipping around a few tight turns in parking lots and the whole thing stayed put. As another reviewer said, this lets you easily remove the thing and put it on the floor so it's not obvious. That may be more valuable than you would think. I know somebody who removed his Garmin Nuvi (and took it with him) but left the window mount in place. The car was broken into and the window mount alone was stolen. (Probably that was a pretty frustrated thief.)



Also, this will be easy to transfer to a rental car. And it will make it easy for my wife to borrow my Nuvi. Hmmm!

While the friction mount on the bottom of the beanbag is pretty darn stable even with stops, starts, and turns I sometimes would find it sliding across the dash. The solution has been to use one of those little 6x4 inch mats sold at Radio Shack or Walmart for keeping cellphones on the dash. The mat is sticky on one side but leaves no marks or glue. I have not had one slide since using the mat. I even bring the mat with me in rental cars. This gives a very secure mount that is very easy to take from car to car.

The first time I tried this mount was in a rental car for a Garmin C530, and I never thought it would stay on the slightly sloping dash of the Pontiac Grand Prix but it held firm going up and down San Francisco's hilly roads. That prompted me to buy one for my car. Essentially this mount is a bean bag with a mouse pad like rubber base but its engineered to stay where you put it and not slide around unless you move it. The good thing is that it stays put even if you brake suddenly, and if you drive in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic like me every day you'll appreciate this even more!



The advantages are:

- No sticking on windshield. This is a BIG advantage as the windshield mount starts to come off easily after a year of usage, less if you leave it in your car while it's parked in the sun. There is nothing worse than your GPS sliding off while you're driving round a tricky bend, especially if you are new to the area. Sometimes it can be downright dangerous.

- The windshield mount also alerts thieves that a GPS is in the car. A friction mount can be placed down under the car seat when you leave the car without needing to disconnect anything so that you're ready to go quickly when you come back to the car.

- The other big advantage is the ability to move it around to the position you want it. If a passenger is sitting in your car you can just slide it to their side and they can input the information while you are driving. It also makes it easy to slide it closer to yourself. Since I have the Nuvi 660 I often make calls with the bluetooth feature while driving, it is easy to slide it towards me when I am speaking to someone in order to get better voice reception.



This mount works for all Nuvis as they have the "snap the ball in the joint". If you buy any model of Nuvi then this is all you need, no other adapter parts are needed. It's also easy to switch this mount between cars or move it to a rental car when you travel. It has been the best and most useful accessory I could buy for my Nuvi 660.'

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