Wednesday, 12 May 2010
Ps3 Exclusive - 3d glasses, mitsubishi
I got the Mitsubishi WD-65C9 65-Inch DLP TV in November and have been waiting for the Mitsubishi 3d kit. I was able to order this kit from RC Willey and it was delivered today! I hooked it up in a matter of minutes (I also have 3d ready Blu-Ray player) and turned it on. The kit comes with a dvd that previews upcoming 3d Blu-Ray releases and I have to tell you, it is pretty amazing. The 3d is really fantastic and I can not believe that I am able to have this in my living room!! I LOVE IT!!!! When we turned it on...all we could say was "Wow" over and over again. I have one blu-ray 3d dvd movie - Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs - I plan on watching it tonight with my kids. I highly recommend the Mitsubishi WD-65C9 TV and the Mitsubishi 3DC-1000 3D HDTV Starter Pack Kit. Can't wait for more releases!!! Mitsubishi 3DC-1000 3D HDTV Starter Pack
Let me first say that I have 3 3D TV's. I have a 73" Mitsubishi DLP and a 55" Samsung LED. The Samsung TV wins in terms of motion and sharpness, but 3D? Forget about it...the Mitsubishi destroys it. I don't know why, but DLP just mops up the floor with the competition when it comes to 3D. I don't know if it's the ridiculous size, the checkerboard 3D method, or what, but I don't even watch 3D on my Samsung anymore.
Now, this kit comes with 2 pairs of glasses, the 3D emitter, and a Disney sampler Blu-ray. The emitter is a box that plugs into a special port on your Mitsubishi TV and controls the lens swapping of your 3D glasses. This emitter is built into the Samsung 3D TV's, but for some reason it's NOT built into the Mitsubishi's. Probably to keep the cost low for people who want these TV's but don't care about 3D. The box is easy to hook up. It hooks into the back of your TV and then it must also be plugged into a wall outlet. It comes with a remote, but i just leave mine on at all times. I don't think it will overheat. There's a red light on the unit which your glasses must be able to see. I've run into no incidents of the glasses not working, even when swapping them between people and moving around the room. Also, my rechargable Samsung 3D glasses work on it, too, so that's a bonus. The quality is the same. (the Mitsubishi glasses in this box are not rechargable. They use the kind of batteries you find in a watch).
The Disney sampler disc is filled with trailers for 3D Blu rays from Disney, such as A Christmas Carol and Alice in Wonderland. There's not a lot of content on the disc, but Disney is doing a good job with their 3D, so it's a good showcase for your 3D TV.
If you're looking for the cream of the 3D crop, check out IMAX Under the Sea, A christmas Carol, and IMAX Space Station. I've found those to be the absolute best 3D Blu Rays you can get. Alice in Wonderland is ok, but it's a bit unbalanced and some of the CG + live action stuff was not composited very well. Films like Monster House and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs don't look great. When it comes to 3D, live action is always the best, because of the textures. When you have textures which are a lot of solid colors (as you get with animated films), you end up with ghosting...Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which is very cartoonish, has a TON of ghosting. A Christmas Carol, which was made to look photorealistic - does not. It looks great. So make sure you pick up live action films, or at least ones that try to look live action, since they look the best in 3D. Oh, and stay away from Clash of the Titans in 3D! It was post-processed, and was NOT filmed in 3D and it just looks ridiculous!
I've had the Mitsubishi 3d starter pack for a month now, got it from Ultimate Electronics. It took 15 minutes to hook up to a Mitsubishi 73835 Diamond and the PS3. It is amazing and works perfectly. The 3D pops out nice and is very deep inside the TV, and it doesn't have a layered look. The depth is a smooth transition. The glasses are comfortable and light. The 73" Diamond tv is amazing with the 3D kit, it looks better than any of the 3D TV's displayed at the stores. At first I had a little trouble with flickering and the 3D would turn off and back on again, but I had the converter box sitting next to the center channel speaker. Once I moved it away from the speaker, I haven't had any problems. Can't wait until September when playstation adds the blu ray 3D software. I highly recommend the 3D Starter kit with the Mitsubishi DLP's.
I received my 3DC-1000 from HSN last Friday.
I have a Directv HD22 DVR connected to a Sony STR DV1000 receiver (1.3 HDMI), the output of the receiver is connected to the 3d Adapter and then to the my Mitsubishi 73737 TV. The instructions say it will not work with a 1.3 HDMI receiver but it works ok through mine.
If you already have a Mitsubishi 3D ready TV and a newer Directv DVR (HR22, 23 or 24) it is a no brainer to get this kit. Since there is so little Blu Ray 3D content I would wait before getting a 3D Blu Ray player.
I'm guessing that 3D will be a hot seller by Christmas.
When I ordered the 3D Starter Kit in late October, there was no mention on Mitsubishi's web site or in the manual that came with the starter kit that my model #WD-73833 TV required a firmware update. (This is a 2007 model, although my unit was built and purchased in 2008.) The kit arrived November 3rd. I spent many hours that day trying to get it to work, but all I got was a blue screen every time I switched the 3D adapter to 3D mode. Also, my PS3 wasn't recognizing that I had a 3D TV even though I had performed the 3D firmware update on my PS3 months before this. I contacted Mitsubishi the next day, and they confirmed they were aware of this problem and said my TV required a firmware update. I'm sorry, but something that important should have been on their web site as well as printed on Page 1 of the starter kit manual.
Anyway, Mitsubishi has since made it possible to download firmware updates for several of their models, but not for mine. I had to wait a month for them to ship a thumb drive to me so I could perform the update. Kudos to them for following through with their promise to make their 2007 model 3D TV's compatible with 2010 3D standards, but shame on them for promoting the starter kit as if it's all you need to start enjoying 3D on your Mitsubishi TV. Obviously, that wasn't the case for me, so you may want to check with Mitsubishi before you order this kit to see if your model requires an update.
So how is it? The first thing I noticed when I put the TV into 3D mode is the TV emits a high-pitched/high frequency noise, the screen loses some sharpness, the tint of the overall picture changes a bit, and the glasses make the whole screen look darker (just like when you wear 3D glasses in a movie theater). The tint change is especially noticeable when a deep black screen in 2D mode suddenly becomes a muddy greenish/brown in 3D mode. Edges, especially lettering, lose their crispness. To me, it's a bit like switching from BD to DVD, so this is disappointing. (I recently learned why this is: DLP TV's deliver half of the 1080p signal to each eye unlike other 3D TV's that deliver full 1080p to each eye.)
The 3D effect varies, of course, depending on the material. The animation with Timon and Pumbaa looked good in 3D. The clips from "Alice in Wonderland," "G-force" and "A Christmas Carol" each had a few good 3D moments. The 3D effect added a lot of depth to the Disney cartoon "Working for Peanuts," which stars Chip and Dale and Donald Duck. But let's face it, this cartoon wasn't created with 3D in mind back in the day, so there are no real WOW! moments. I would have preferred an exclusive theatrical movie (or several) in this kit like some other manufacturers are offering with their starter kits.
The 3D glasses fit comfortably over my own glasses, and I like the fact that they use common watch batteries so I can quickly replace the battery if it dies in the middle of a movie. For anyone interested in purchasing additional pairs of glasses, the manual confirms that Samsung glasses model #SSG-2100AB are compatible with Mitsubishi's emitter. It says to check mitsubishi-tv.com for additional compatibility, but I couldn't find any information on their site about this topic.
Overall, it adds a cool gimmick to your Mitsubishi DLP TV, but it's not mind blowing. (Perhaps I just haven't seen the right material yet, but for the purposes of this review I thought it would only be fair to discuss the software that comes with this kit.)
Update: I received a pair of Optoma DLP Link glasses yesterday. Although they're a bit heavier and not as stylin' as Mitsubishi's glasses, they're cheaper, don't require an emitter, and most importantly, they outperform them: Optoma's glasses restore the contrast level and deep blacks I was used to seeing on my Mitsubishi DLP TV in 2D mode; I can once again distinguish colors in dark scenes and make out detail that was lost with Mitsubishi's glasses. I plan to sell my Mitsubishi glasses now. I should have bought the adapter only instead of this kit. Oh well. - Mitsubishi - 3d Ready - Dlp - 3d Glasses'
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Highly Recommended - active pants, athletic pants
I like the style and cut of these pants, but the material is so SHEER. The pants aren't even tight, but when I bend over I can see my underwear. I still like them, but I definitely have to think about what I wear under them. Soffe Juniors' Yoga Roll-Top Pant, Navy, Small
These are my favorite work out pants. I have an xs in black and it is a little tight so I ordered a small in grey. Im 5'3" and 115 and the length is also perfect for me; my legs are long for a short person. These pants are form tight through the hips and thighs and flare out just below the knee. I wear them to do cardio, yoga, or run errands.
These pants are extremely comfortable.. but I can't wear them outside of the house. I got the grey ones and like another reviewer said they are just too shear. Great for indoor wear even though I can't bring myself to wear them to yoga class, they are just too revealing.
I ordered these pants in black and heather grey.. and they are alright. They are comfortable but they do run a little small. I wear a size small and I ordered these in a small and I should have gotten a medium because they are a little tighter in the waist and a little short.. but other then that the pants are good. And shipping was fast.
I got the white for a photo shoot. It was fine for the pictures, but you can completely see through the pants. If you want to be casual at home they are great, but other than that they are not usable. - Athletic Pants - Sweat Pants - Alkii - Active Pants'
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Highly Recommended - active pants, athletic pants athletic pants Highly Recommended - active pants, athletic pants
Glossy Greeting Card Stock
While this product comes in more interesting paper types--and heavier card stock--this is clearly the preferred card style for home card makers. Vastly superior to their quarter-fold counterparts, half-fold cards are what you'll usually find commercially in card shops. Though they do fold to a somewhat larger-than Hallmark (tm) size, the after-folding allignment is dead-on, and you have more room to express yourself. If approximating the look and feel of a 'real' store-bought card is important to you, therefore, go with this format. However, I'm partial to more textured card-stocks--Hewlett Packard makes an excellent 'felt' ivory--so I have to drop the rating for this one down a star for its white blandness. Avery Half-Fold Greeting Cards for Inkjet Printers, 5.5 inches x 8.5 inches, White, Matte, Pack of 20 (03265)
I have been using the Avery Half-Fold Greeting Cards # 3265 for years. I have tried many other brands. Most "glossy" card stock I have purchased is so flimsy the cards have a cheap, "funky" feel and not worth the ink. The Avery 3265 stock has a nice feel, is thick enough to feel like a real card and the print output is quite phenomenal with my Epson Stylus Photo Printer.
I have printed photo's, clip art and every possible combination over the years on the Avery 3265 card stock and I am constantly blown away by the quality of the prints as are the people I give the cards to. Perhaps the person that can not get good photo prints on them is using the wrong printer (I use a Canon and my Epson and both get great results). I get photo-realistic prints that are just as good as on photo card stock (albeit on the 3265 matt finish). I just printed Chinese New Year cards today and one in particular, a dragon on a black background looks like the black area is pure velvet. Very cool.
I highly recommend the Avery 3265 card stock for anyone wanting to make cards from home. Just a tip. Best prints come out of an inkjet photo printer (any brand). You will use a bit of ink to make the card, but, hey, that is why you bought a photo printer. So you could make "cool" prints!
Anyway, that's my two-cents worth :0)
I got a fabulous image from NASAs Hubble Christmas card page, and made a few modifications and used this paper to print Christmas cards, and it worked beautifully.
Somebody told me that card stock does not work well with the duplexer on my printer, and so I printed one side, and then printed the other manually. I have no idea if it would have printed both sides automatically if I'd tried it.
The cards were easy to print (once I got the art the way I wanted it to be--proof on regular paper) and looked great.
How can it be better than that?
While I have used many a brand, and used to love the Hallmark Brand of card stock (they are now owned by Nova), this has become the brand to use. Any decently-made card will require a "high" quality from your printer for high quality graphics and will lay down a considerable amount of ink. If you want to do your own cards and save ink, lower the quality of graphics (to cartoonish clip art) and printer settings to "normal" and you'll have a ho-hum card. If your want Hallmark quality, either spend $5 at the store for a card or be prepared to spend some money on ink and paper. If the receiver of your cards just throws all cards out in two seconds, buy a cheap store-bought non-Hallmark card. If they cherish cards, then the extra money is worth it, whether a retail Hallmark card or the time and cost of something more personal.
I knocked down a star because I like the glossy stock, and this model isn't it. Glossy will show off your photos better IMHO, but matte does a fine job too, if your settings are on MATTE (hint to the reviewer down below: one doesn't stick in matte card stock and set the printer on "plain paper").
I just received my ump-teenth reorder of this printable card stock. Right my printer is busy printing out the second run of the evening, and if I do have to say so myself, this year's Christmas cards look fantastic! I LOVE this matte coated stock; it's always my first choice. I've tried the "other" popular brand; but, it just doesn't compare in quality. Avery's card stock is a good and sturdy weight, and the matte coating -- combined with my OEM ink cartridges -- allows me to print out true-to-color photos and graphics that look so real you want to touch them. Another year and another series of great looking printed cards that make me proud. Thanks Avery and Amazon.com -- and, of course, my terrific Canon printer.'
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Marathon Training - asics, running shoes
I love Ellie shoes. They are true to size. I recently bought a pair of Pleaser boots as well, these are so much better. They actually fit my feet, they are beautiful, and they don't scuff as easily as Pleaser. The block heel is wonderful, easy to walk in. I would highly recommend a pair of these. Shoes 5 Inch Chunky Heel Thigh High Stretch Boots (Black PU;7)
I've bought a pair of these boots and they are very nice and comfortable. I do recommend buying an insole to make them even more comfortable since they have such a big heel. And I highly recommend that if you have lean thighs to wear these with a garter to keep them as thigh-high as possible.
In fact I tend to wear these with a matching latex garter which can be polished to match the shiny black PVC. The zipper is very unobtrusive and just makes the very shiny PVC stand out.
I highly recommend these boots for those who enjoy no-frills boots which accentuate one's legs in shiny black PVC.
Recently purchased them in a size-15, and this is one of the better thigh-high boots out there. So if anyone who's into Gothic-style boots of any kind, i'd highly recommend getting a pair of these as they are quite comfortable.
I got them in red. Very much a super-hero boot. The zipper is unobtrusive. The boots run true to size. I have a really narrow heel and still had no problem. Definitely prefer the Ellie brand to others like this. The chunky heel makes this a versatile boot, easy to comfortably walk in without fear of tottering due to the height. - Asics - Running Shoes - Stiletto - Thigh High Boots'
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Compact stove
I got this stove to go camping with my mom. We are not really big campers(i.e. have no idea what we're doing) and needed something that would fit into our back packs. I chose this one because of the Coleman name and the low price. The place we went camping didn't allow fires only propane stoves and I didn't want to break the bank. It works great, it's very sturdy and can boil about 3 cups of water in about 2 or 3 minutes. We made coffee, eggs, all sorts of stuff. It's strong enough to hold a full size frying pan. Puts out a lot of heat. It's really easy to set up and light. Can't beat it for the price. I would recommend it highly. The only thing might be if it's very windy I don't know how well it would stay lit, but I didn't have that problem. It gets the suburban blonde girl seal of approval. Coleman PefectFlow 1-Burner Stove
I purchased this stove for emergency use in our home should we loose all power. It works fine. One of the issues for me was burn time. I did my own experiments and came up with the following:
Boil time for (2 cups water) = 8 min on (Simmer) = 5.5 hrs burn time per canister.
Boil time for (2 cups water) = 4 min on (Low) = 3.5 hrs burn time per canister.
Boil time for (2 cups water) = 3 min on (Med) = 2.5+ hrs burn time per canister.
Boil time for (2 cups water) = 3 min on (High) = 2.0+ hrs burn time per canister.
While this is not a scientific test, it might give one a little more idea of how long they might can use a canister utilizing the above listed settings.
When you don't want to tote along your BIG camp stove, this thing ROCKS. You'll have a hot cup of coffee in no time. It's foolproof. It's probably bulletproof. Simple, robust design, plenty of heat, a stable design -- this is an EXCELLENT tool.
Coleman makes the best camping gear and this stove attachment is perfect for backpacking. Its lightweight and is wide enough (8 inches) to steadily hold any pot or pan. The regulator can be turned down very low and still not be blown out by wind. Easily attaches to Coleman propane containers and has a nice canister base that is also steady. You really don't need more than one of these for two campers. Cleans easily as well.
This product is awesome!! I've been camping for years and have always built a fire to cook my food on. Now that I've been eating oatmeal for breakfast everyday, I wanted a quick way to continue to do this while camping without having to build a fire every morning for my bowl of oats. I used this and it was so easy and worked great! A canister of propane lasted me all week cooking breakfast every day along with most dinners. I can't wait to have this product quick at hand for the next time it rains during my camping adventures! Highly recommend this, worth every penny!
This is a great stove for camping. At first I was concerned about weight the stove would be able to stand, since tall items are usually unstable. This was not a problem. I was able to boil water on a percolator without a problem. I later boiled water in a regular sized pot and once again no worries about it tipping over. Other than the fact that you need a match to light it, the stove is great. Lighting it is simple and easy but of course I would prefer a matchless option. If it had a matchless option it would have go 5 stars from me.
We love this stove. OUr requirements for camping were that the stove had to be compact, large enough to cook two items at once. Easy to use, and cheap. This fit the bill. We looked at other Coleman stoves, but they seemed to have the burners to close together, were to large, or to expensive. This solved our problem by separating the burners so that we could have them far apart enough to cook, we simply purchased two of them. They are small and compact enough to fit into our camping tote. (We read a review that complained that it did not have a carrying bag. For $18 I do not need a carrying bag, it is durable enough to go in my tote with the other camping items. If you want a more portable stove Coleman makes hiking ones.) As for cooking power I was able to get 1L of water to a rapid boil in 4min. That is range top in my home.
Bottom Line: This is a great stove, and for the price it is amazing.
In the wake of Hurricane Irene, we lost power for several days. On top of that, our water company notified us that we must boil our drinking water for several days. This was a perfect way to boil pots of water and not heat up the house as well. In my opinion, it is a great little camp stove.'
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Office Supply - hole punch, 3-hole punch
I got this several days ago, and I can't say that I've been pleased. When I think of the Swingline brand, I think of quality. Well, first I think of Office Space, and then I think of quality. I feel this isn't the case.
Pros:
[+] It fits in my 3-ring binder.
[+] The plastic that it is made of is actually of pretty good quality and feels like it wouldn't break easily.
Cons:
[-] The hinged metal portion does not line up perfectly (likely a problem with tolerancing) making it very difficult to punch a hole in paper.
[-] The paper guide works for the bottom of the paper but not for the edge of it, because the hinge pushes it more to the right. So it doesn't line up the paper well at all...
I've basically stopped using it after only a short time, as I've decided it's better to just hold on to what I needed hole-punched and use the larger hole punch at home. Swingline Portable 3 Hole Punch, 3 Sheet Capacity, 9/32 Inch Hole Size, Translucent Blue, Purple or Green, Color May Vary (A7074042R)
i have a dark purple one i got 4-5 years ago and its still working! it really only max punches out about 6 pages of 20# paper, biggest kicker is the little paper buttholes end up flying everywhere but im not about to spend a small fortune buying a better one, I rarely need it and it fits nicely in a 3 ring binder for when I need to hole punch something at home or out and about.. well worth the cheap price.
I'm happy with it. I've been able to hole punch a packet of 6 pages, but that needed a bit of strength on my side. I love how it has a plastic thing on the end for lining up the papers, so if you hole punch papers separately they will line up perfectly with each other. I gave it a 4 and not a 5 because the little hole punch circles don't have a place to go and can get messy. Sometimes I punch a hole and the little papers pop up and go everywhere, but that doesn't happen a whole lot. Over all I would recommend you get this product.
The rigid plastic holes that attach it to the metal rings of the binder broke off within a month for my 5th grade son. I recommend a regular one that doesn't attach to the binder. Much higher quality for the same price. - 3-hole Punch - X-acto - Hole Punch - Hole Puncher'
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Birthday Gift - creativity, crafts
We gave this to our 3-year-old for Christmas. She LOVES it. She spends a lot of time stamping paper and then coloring in the pictures she makes. It's made of wood and very sturdy. It also comes with colored pencils and two stamp pads of different colors, which is nice. We are very pleased with this stamp set. Melissa & Doug Friendship Stamp Set
I got this for my 11 year old daughter and was thrilled. I was worried it might be too "young" for her but, I found the stamps perfect for any age! I think she is going to really enjoy decorating notes and such as the stamps are varied and good for children to adults.
I love Melissa and Doug products, but lately they have not included their usual plastic sliding lid over their products. This makes storing this stamp set much more difficult. We have the dinosaur stamp set which has the cover and nothing falls out of it. I wish they would return to including the cover!
Bought this for my seven year old niece for Christmas.
She loved it! The kit is small, about 7-8 small stamps, one stamp pad with both pink & purple ink, and some colored pencils. But she had a lot of fun making sweet cards for everyone. She loves her arts & crafts, but I would guess for someone who already has a large array of stamps, this set might be a little to basic. But for a young girl who loves to make cards and crafts of sorts, this is a great beginner set.
My daughter really likes this stamp set. The only complaint I have is that the box doesn't have a lid or anything to keep the items inside. My daughter likes to take things with her when we visit family, and this is difficult to travel with. The stamps ARE very cute, though, and we've had a really great time creating beautiful artwork for the refrigerator!
Kids will love making their own greeting cards and art work with this cute assortment of "friendship" stamps from Melissa and Doug.
Younger kids will spend hours happily stamping away and coloring in their creations. It might be a good idea to purchase an additional stamp pad from Melissa and Doug (available from Amazon) to include with the gift.
This is great rainy day fun! - Kids Art - Creativity - Melissa Doug - Crafts'
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Emergency Kit - outdoor gear, survival
This is literally a chainsaw blade fixed to two handles. If you can get enough teeth into the log this thing will chew through it. The carrying case is also very rugged, the lid flap secure with a clip fastener and holds the entire saw with some extra room.
Advantages:
Compact, the whole thing is smaller than a DVD and maybe as thick as two DVD cases.
Fast - as quick as your arms move this thing spits out sawdust.
Light weight
Things to know:
You need to have a pretty consistent rhythm when you cut or you'll bind the blade in the wood.
You do "waste" some energy because the blade is so thick. It's a chainsaw blade, not a flimsy band saw.
The case has a belt loop that only attached in the up/down position. If you wanted to mount it for side access you'll need to work out some sort of adapter. Ultimate Survival Technologies SaberCut Saw (Black)
If one was to make a list off the top of their head of essential items for a camping trip, chances are a manual chain saw would not make the "cut". Although the idea of having a good saw along on a hike or camping trip would make a lot of sense to many, it may not be immediately realized that toting one along could be done so effortlessly. And be very effective at its task as well.
I own this very same Ultimate saw. I bought it more than 4 years ago and have used it many times on hiking trips. The chain on this saw is a full 24", but folds down easily into a carrying pouch that is very handy to tote along on your belt or in a backpack, and it is far superior in cutting ability to any small serrated knife or saw designed for camping. Though what the other reviewers here have mentioned as to its needing a little more evenness and concentration from you when sawing with it is very true, what is not mentioned at the time of this writing is how easily this saw becomes truly superior in its performance by enlisting the help of another to "man" the other end. Put two stout hearted folks on each end of this saw and the pair could take down an 8 inch or larger branch in a couple of minutes. Need to cut a limb far up on a tree? Tie a rope to each end and throw one end over the limb and you can take it down from down below. Trust me when I tell you that its a whole lot easier than taking down something even much smaller with a so called camp saw, or serrated hunting knife. This is a very quality made saw that has lasted and done an admirable job for me over the course of more than a dozen excursions into the wilderness here. It's a little bit more of a pain to keep sharp than a knife, but more than makes up for it with its superior use and performance. Amazons price is very reasonable and I highly recommend this saw if you are an avid, or even amateur outdoor enthusiast. It will end up being close to the top of your list from now on....
I had previously tried one of those very inexpensive pocketable wire saws and found it to be useless. This item was shown to be and demonstrated while camping. Those one actually does work. It's compact and given enough time you could cut pretty much any wood you ran across. Cutting dead branches 2-3" in diameter was no problem at all. Not cheap, but a good working saw.
This thing is indestructible, (unlike those worthless wire saws that break when you look at them) and really does cut wood. I've cut through a bunch of 8-10" logs with this, and if you've got the lungs, it'll do the cutting better than anything in its weight and bulk class that I've found.
It's maybe not the most efficient tool ever, because it's got a fat kerf compared to most other hand saws.
The bigger and more aggro you are, the more you'll enjoy this saw, I think.
My wife does not enjoy it much at all, actually. She just doesn't have the upper-body strength to run it. But then, sawing up wood (with any saw) is not really her strong suit.
I, on the other hand, really like getting my blood pumping by cutting through a big log with this thing. It's work, but I'm sure I can make cuts faster with this than with anything near its size, weight, and cost. There's no comparison between this thing and those little folding saws that are still much larger and heavier- they have little bitty teeth, and you get a little bitty stroke, so cutting takes forever. This saw spits out big chunks as long as you can keep it moving, and it cuts fast.
On the other hand, I wouldn't pick this as my saw if I was going to be cutting more than a campfire's worth of wood per day, because it's too energy-intensive. But nothing beats this saw for quickly ripping a fallen tree into useful lengths, and warming you up in the process!
Yes, my Sven Saw cuts better, but it's also an order of magnitude larger... There is no free lunch!
I carry the Sabercut, a firesteel, and a bit of good tinder in the pouch this saw came in. It's a tiny firekit that can reliably build many, many fires if need be. This saw is worth every penny and then some. Don't think about it- buy at least one, right now. If you're looking for the best value in a saw, by weight, volume, or dollars, you just found it, IMO.
Oh, do keep it oiled and don't submerse it during a rafting expedition, forget about it, and leave it damp for days, because it will rust and you will cuss. Don't ask me how I know. However, after some oiling and wire brushing, all is well. So apart from not being H1 steel, (and costing $100 that I'd gladly pay) this saw is a great tool you'll be happy to own.
Great saw but it does require cleaning and oiling so it doesn't get rusty from the tree/bush juices. Very heavy duty construction and much more reliable than the the last el cheapo "saw" which was more like a wire with abrasives embedded in it. Broke that in about 30 minutes. This is the real deal. - Survival - Camping - Chain Saw - Outdoor Gear'
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Hd Camcorder - hd camcorder
I've had this camera for a couple of weeks and have a mixed opinion. Here is a summary of both the good and bad.
Pros:
1) So far the video quality is mostly very good (but see aqua green color issue).
2) Image stabilization feature seams to work very well.
3) Very responsive controls (such as when switching modes, etc.)
4) Small and usable form factor.
5) Low-light is better than expected (if not zooming too much). This is much better than my old CANON HF100.
6) Battery life seams good.
Cons:
1) About 10 to 20 percent of photos and video have an aqua green tint to the entire scene or just white/grey portions of a scene. For example, in the white portion of a game jersey. It's not all the time, but for me, it's just a little too frequent. This is the biggest issue for me with this camcorder. (- 1.5)
2) PRE-RECORD active icon is in middle of screen. This makes it difficult to see someones face (for example). Either there needs to be a clear display button or the icon needs to be moved to the edge. (- .5)
3) noticeable but minor fan noise both while recording and in the clip (much more than my canon though)
4) Left Touch menu pops up when initially opening the LCD. Feels like it's in the way when you want to start recording. It should default to the minimized state. (minor)
5) Touch controls arrows operate backwards for me (i.e. press right and it goes the left menu page) (minor)
6) Battery sticks out just a little making it slightly uncomfortable to get to record button. (minor)
I'm ended up returning due to the aqua green color issue. I tried an exchange first but that unit exhibited the same problem. It was not an easy decision with so many good things going for this camera, especially with the image stabilization and low light performance. I will continue with my older canon for now. I would definitely repurchase if the aqua green is ever resolved. If your okay with an occasional misfire of aqua green then definitely consider this camera. Panasonic HDC-TM90K 3D Compatible Camcorder with 16GB Internal Flash Memory (Black)
My Panasonic HDC-SD5 died after 3+ years, and I decided to get this unit as a replacement. I've only had it a few days and will post a follow up, but initial impressions are very good. It is small - really small, smaller than the SD-5. This is generally good, though operation has taken a little getting used to. If you have hands like Andre the Giant, this could be a problem. The images from the 1080p are breathtaking, though I am a little worried about what I am going to do with all these huge data streams (I don't as of yet have the software to edit these files). I haven't really had a chance to compare the various AVCHD bit rate formats to check quality. That will take a little time and I would welcome any suggestions or feedback from others.
The layout is generally an improvement over my earlier camcorder. You don't have to remove the battery to charge; the camera comes on automatically when you open the LCD and the touch screen, once you get used to it, is pretty intuitive. I'm working my way through the various menus and settings, but honestly, the iA (intelligent automatic) delivers such solid results, I haven't experimented too much. The zoom and stabilization system really blew me away - the range, sharpness and stability when you are zoomed in vastly exceeds my earlier camera. It masks almost all hand shake - unbelievable really.
Haven't taken many still shots - I don't really think that is what these are cameras are for personaly. Images are better than the SD-5 (which isn't saying much), but not better than a good point and shoot.
Negatives thus far I suppose would be that I worry about having only a touch screen interface in bright light conditions - it may be hard to see what I am doing. There may be a non-touch screen control option, but I haven't located it yet. The manual is not extraordinarily helpful - big surprise there, right?
Overall, I'm very pleased. I'm off on a vacation and will try to really give battery, etc. a work out and then follow up.
Happy shopping!
This is a small camcorder that has a big clear picture. Coming from DV and moving to HD has made all my DV movies look outdated! The TM90K Has a lot of options but is easy to use.
The TM90K's touch screen layout is easy to use and the menus do not get in the way of the recording. The Panasonic menus are selected from a column on the left side of the screen so you can still see the image you are shooting and it has large enough buttons that are easy to select. On a different brand named HD camcorder I tried out, the menu selections were so small that my finger would consistently choose the option either above or below the one I was trying to choose, also there was another brand named touch screen HD camcorder that i looked at, when bringing up the on screen menus, it would darken the picture on the screen and overlay the options across the darkened screen.
This camcorder works great as a point and shoot as the full auto mode is quick to focus, adjusting the white balance, and removes hand shakes very well. If your looking for more control, there are some preset scene selections to choose from in certain conditions(Sports, Portrait, Spotlight, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Night Scenery...), as well as separate adjustment controls for white balance, shutter speed, IRIS and focus. One fun setting to play with is smile shot. When enabled, the TM90K will take a still shot of a detected smiling face automatically while its recording in the movie mode.
A little bit about HD recording settings. Basically the higher the resolution, the more space it takes on your memory card and this results in less time that you have to record on a card. I know it sounds simple, but it is important to remember when selecting full 1080/60p recording mode.
For viewing the movies and photos from the camcorder there is a HDMI port and a composite jack to hook up to your TV or projector or whatever.... For moving files to other media, the TM90K offers a direct burn to DVD/BD if you have a stand alone recorder that accepts a USB input. It also connects to a computer via USB.
imovie (mac only) will recognize this camera and will import the media files. The TM90K also has a special iframe movie recording mode that is made just for imovie. The HD movie files are .mts files and can be played back with the free VLC media player that can be downloaded from the web.
There is software that comes with the camcorder for editing movies in Windows and it supports all versions of xp, vista and 7 only. No support for 2000, NT or below. I have found software on the web that you can purchase and download to edit and convert .mts files. Remember to backup your files before you play around with them!!!
My settings and what I do with the TM90K's HD movie files:
I record in the "HG1920" quality AVCHD mode.
I like to use a program called "MTS converter for Mac" to convert the .mts movie files using the divx HD codec for quicktime. I use the following settings: Resolution 1280x720, Frame rate 30p or 60p bitrate 8000 or 12000, Audio - encoder mp3 at 44800MHZ at 168 kps. you may need to play with the settings a little to see what will play back on your computer smoothly. divx is also a free download. I paid $35 for MTS converter and i am using quicktime pro 7 to edit my movies and set in chapter markers before sending them to idvd to burn a standard DVD. I backup on an external Drive the .mts files and the divx movie files. - Hd Camcorder'
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