Guy Low Price Electronic: 27 Jul 2010

Tuesday, 27 July 2010

Bdu Pants - 511, tactical

Overall, these are a great value. They fit well, and they're very durable. The fabric blend is great. They dry quickly, they insulate well, but they can breathe too. I only have 2 complaints that keep it from being 5 stars:

1) The color tends to fade over time. I've had my dark navy pants for about 6 months and they've metamorphosed into a sort of midnight blue, more toward the purple side.

2) The alleged stain-resistant teflon coating wears off after the first few washings. Propper Tactical Pants Olive 40 x 30 F52208233040X30

The claims about stain resistance are true. I'm gotten some tough stains that washed away without special treatment. They are not waterproof, but do hold water on the surface for a short period in order to brush it away. This is my fourth pair (five total) of the same pants in different colors. They have not faded in any capacity that I can see. The material is stiff (particularly before a few wash cycles). They keep a pressed look that means they maintain a certain stiffness. At this point, I use them for workout clothing. They are $10 more than the regular fatigues and in my opinion, definitely worth the difference. I have not worn them in hot weather but the comfort is better than I expected. There are built-in metal loops for attaching any number of devices.

Great pants. The small pocket on the left thigh is perfect for my Gerber. Just wish it had pockets near the ankles like my ACUs but that's a personal preference. My only gripes are 1) the belt that came with he pants as he wrong size and I'm too lazy to send them back (I bought these same pants in another color and the belt that came with the pants frayed at the tip after only a month) and the color is a bit darker than shown.

These are the second I have pants that I bought the khaki and olive green are very good quality confections besides practical pockets comfortable and looking good, Propper tactical pants is the best buy 110% recommended for all - 511 - Cargo Pants - Tactical - Uniform'

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Cheap Kindle Books - save money, groceries

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In my zeal after watching the show Extreme Couponing, I saw this little ebook for .99 thinking there would actually be some good advice in it. NOT. Basically everything that is in this book and way more you can find online. Save yourself a buck. Pass.

For example, Chapter 4 is titled How to Save on Gas - the advice given was use regular unleaded gas, use a mobile phone app like IGasUp (personally I use GasBuddy), make sure your tire pressure is set properly, minimize your warm up time and idling, keep track of your fuel economy, make sure your engine is tuned up, combine short trips and check your engine light.

This is pathetic advice. I say pathetic because it's common sense. There's nothing new in this ebook.

In Chapter 7 - How to save on electronics, this sage advice is given - Research. Find the Price Range. Ebay and Amazon.com and Coupon codes. Seriously! Any savy shopper already does research, looks at prices, shops on Amazon and ebay and uses coupons. This is some of the worst advice I've ever seen sold!

I could go on, because the whole "book" is this way. Like I said earlier...save your dollar. This should be a FREE ebook used to gather emails to build your marketing list. CouponSurfer's Xtreme Coupon Savings Book: A Guide on How to Save on Everything in your Life

This e-book has some great savings tips that I have never considered.

Although short, it is very well written and informative.. I would expand certain sections but overall a good read!

At .99 it is a five star book! - Shopping - Groceries - Coupon - Save Money'

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Cordless Lawn Mower - cordless electric mower, electric mower

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We have owned the Neuton ce5 battery mower for years. it worked so well we were going to buy another until i saw this 36 volt b&d mower for $80 less.

the black and decker is much more powerful and cuts a 18" swath compared to the neutons 14". i took my new b&d mower out and mowed all our lawns and a bunch of weeds in a field and it still had power to spare. the neuton would have run out long ago.

the only thing i do not like about the b&d is that you can not take the battery out. it is convenient to be able to take out the neutons battery and charge it in the garage or house.

besides that it is a much better deal than the neuton. Black & Decker CM1836 18-Inch 36-Volt Cordless Electric Lawn Mower

Ordered this mower based on reviews and price. Unfortunately, it did not work out of the box. Charger was defective so I got a replacement from B&D. New charger worked, but mower still won't run. Then found out that Amazon does not accept returns on this mower. Something about it has hazardous material (Yea right - a sealed battery). Called B&D to find out what they could do. They referred me to an authorized dealer for repair. I haven't taken it yet but - one hour there to drop it off; one hour back - then another 2 hour trip to pick it up assuming they fix it. CAVEAT EMPTOR.

after enough reviews counting two months of reading, i knew i wanted to go with the 36 volt mower and i knew i wanted the black and decker. i spent ten minutes furiously trying to crank my 21" weedeater mower the day of purchase and just sweated, a lot. in an arkansas summer, extra, unnecessary outside work can just kill you. like pulling a lawnmower cord for ten minutes and drenching yourself with sweat and the thing still wont start. i'm sick of oil, i'm sick of going to the store for two gallons of gasoline. i'm sick of that pull cord.

granted, the inherent problems with my gas mower may be closer attuned with the singular fact that i havent been servicing it properly. but i have a small yard and it's two years old. a new air filter this year, a new spark plug.. and it wont start. i could pay for a tune up, it's only like forty bucks, and it could work just fine. but for how long.. indeed.

it's too hot outside. i want to mow the lawn, but i'm sick of the noise and the hassle. and mowing was such a breeze yesterday. it was truly uncanny:

i cut down the sides of the box with box cutters [per the instructions], applied the four nuts and two twist screws, took it out front, pushed the button and pulled back the handle lever. then mowed part of the front lawn. i paused to go around back where my woman was pulling weeds from around her marigolds. she spent ten minutes and mowed half of the front yard. there are always pictures of people mowing on web pages offering the sale of mowers. the people in the pictures, they have their safety glasses on, their boots laced up, wearing nice, clean clothes AND theyre smiling. but i dont think ive ever smiled mowing the lawn. my wife, that first time mowing with the new mower, when all she had to do to start it was push a button and pull back a lever and navigate the quiet mower, she smiled the entire time. she took back all the complaints she had throughout the day. she said she was sorry she ever doubted me, that by now she should trust better my purchase decisions.

in her defense, though.. four hundred bucks is nuts for a lawn mower when a hundred and fifty dollars couldve gotten us another gas one, so i am hopeful this one last longer than two summers. but the breeze of doing something so simply is far from underrated..

1936 versus 1836:

1936 pros:

-the 19" is an inch wider--the wider the inches, the quicker the lawn is mowed

-the 1936 offers a removable battery

1836 pros over the 1936

-eight pounds lighter--that's eight pounds of dead weight

-comes with mulching insert and an extra blade--those dont come with the 1936

i mulch my yard every time i mow. so a mulching mower is integral. the 1836 comes with the mulching insert. i imagine that the insert isnt expensive, maybe eight dollars or upwards of thirteen dollars, but it was nice to see it in the box. also, the extra blade i'm sure will come in handy. sharpen one a year and switch them out, i hated pulling one off just to sharpen right then and then put back-on before i get to the season's first mow. seems that i can sharpen the second one sometime during the winter when it's convenient and switch it out fairly effortlessly.

my yard is small. small front, small back, but far too big for a weed eater/whacker to handle. takes me only forty minutes to mow it all, and in a hurry it takes roughly half of that time. if i had a larger yard or thicker grass, i'd have probably gone with the 1936 model because it would offer another inch of cutting width and you can remove the battery. if i had a larger yard, i would have spent the extra fifty dollars on the 1936 and purchased another battery, so i could switch them out on queue.

as my yard needs go:

i have a small yard with thinner southern grass

i hate oil, gas

this mower is eight pounds lighter than the 1936--shaving off eight lbs of dead weight

it's easy to navigate and very quiet

this is quieter than the 1936 and the battery last longer than the 24 volt--two other reasons i purchased the 1836

so, if youre like me and need your front yard mowed the day of and your gas mower does nothing but pass gas, buy this one, take it out of the box, screw on the two bolts and the four nuts, and mow the front yard right then and there. there's no sweating, there's no yanking or pulling or fighting or cussing. you may even likely find a smile on your face for at least part of the mow. the smile more than likely will fade eventually, but youre not gonna sweat the way you used to. and your psychology wont darken with the usual cursing and fighting and spitting like the way it used to be with most of the history of those gas mowers.

but likely, you'll smile. - Electric Mower - Cordless Lawn Mower - Black And Decker - Cordless Electric Mower'

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Ipod Speakers - portable, case

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I confess that if Amazon had not offered this bag as a "bundle" with my Bose soun dock, it would have never occurred to me to buy one. As with anything you keep on a tabletop, the sound dock collects dust and keeping it protected eliminates that. Eventually the dust will collect in the grid and surely damage it. The bag is great, sturdy, elegant, and it even has a pocket for the socket attachment. You can store your sound dock anywhere and just pick up the bag and carry it with you (the shoulder strap is an added bonus). I supposed eventually I would have bought a bag to keep the dock from getting scratched or damaged; it didn't have to be a Bose bag, but it's simply ELEGANT. Bose® Travel Bag for the SoundDock® Portable Digital Music System (Black)

This is obviously made to fit the Bose Sounddock Portable like a glove. It even has a perfect sized compartment for the charger and a little extra room on top of the speaker to put remote, iPod, Belkin Mini Surge Protector (great portable surge protector) and an extra battery if you buy one.

Nice quality (think a step above the CaseLogic leatherish CD cases).

Look, it's expensive for a bag, I know. But you probably just spent $400 on your portable Bose for the purpose of TRANSPORTING it places, so you'll need it.

It's really slickly designed, everything fits just perfect. And it looks nice. I've brought with me to the park, and it makes a perfect carryon for the airplane.

Highly recommended.

This will be long but it can raise bag to a 5-star.

Two major flaws:

1. The center side pocket under the flap is not large enough to hold the spare battery (ref'd in previous comments). It begs the question: Did the bag undergo any Quality Control?

2. The flap closure which uses two small magnets to hold closed is a joke! What QC testing did they do? Keep in mind that the bag will be holding north of $1K in valuables(iPod $400, speakers $400, battery, cables, etc.). I wouldn't trust this bag to securely hold my iPod as I learn through testing (see below).

#############################

Resolution to flaw #1(battery doesn't fit in pocket):

With the flap open, view the 3 pockets on the front. Let's call them (from left to right) pockets #1, #2, and #3.

Pocket #1 is slender and is well sized for the remote.

Pocket #2 (the largest) is obviously intended for the battery but is short by 1/2 inch in width!

Pocket #3 fits the iPod (iPod-Touch in my case) and fits fine though is a bit loose.

I'm hoping a lightbulb is going off in your head... #2 is not wide enough while #3 is a bit too wide.

So that's how I fixed (kludged) the battery issue. Notice the seam between pockets #2 and #3. The sewing is right down the middle centered between pockets #2 and #3. I carefully cut the thread from that seam and then manually sewed it back. But I sewed it approx 3/4 inch closer to pocket #3 rather then right down the middle between both pockets. Voila! Battery now fits snugly into #2 and the iPod is now a bit snugger in #3. (Picture available upon request).

###########################

Resolution of flaw #2: Flap closure.

Its obvious as mentioned in previous users comment(s) that the flap needs a full double-pull zipper rather than two wimpy magnets in the corners. So in the mean time, try this: Get a Velstrap (2in X 36in).

[...]

At first, I strapped it vertically and was quite pleased that the strap would be held centered by the single small loop at top of bag. However, after loading up bag (speakers, power supply, remote, spare battery, iPod, etc.) I gave it the upside down shake test (QC?) and...

BANG!... My iPod was laying on the counter! It had slipped by the flap since the flap was only being supported by strap in the middle of the bag and the iPod was on the right side (pocket #3). The magnets were useless.

Solution... (though it doesn't look nearly as pretty).. is to orient the strap horizontally across the bag. It now holds the flap firmly closed and passes the shake test. If you're a fanatic about your $1K cargo, the Velstrap comes with two per package so you could always run one strap in both directions. But I'm going with the single horizontal strap. That's all that I could get my wife to part with!

The Bose bag I would now consider 5-star. Hopefully Bose get's their QC department involved even though this item has nothing to do with their specialty... SOUND. But hey, that IS their logo on the bag!

Tom

P.S. I totally agree with comments regarding the power supply prongs needing a home but I simply store in same bag with cables.

First of all, the fit/quality/materials are excellent and the fit of the SoundDock itself is perfect. If you have a portable SoundDock, then you really need to buy this case. But there are a number of design problems that would have been so easy to fix: 1) charger "holster" - as others pointed out, you must detach the prongs before it will fit and there's no good place to put the prongs where they will be safe and not subject to loss. Also, the holster is a very tight fit for my charger - I can't close the velcro w/o damaging the strain relief on the plug. Either they have recently redesigned the charger, or I have a quality control problem. 2) outside flap - the magnetic closure is neat, but I would prefer something more secure, especially since the interior pockets do not have flaps - it would be easy for the flap to open and the remote to fall out (or your iPod!). I also think they missed the opportunity to put a zipper on the flap to store documentation for the SoundDock.

I would still buy it again because of the fit and I can put all the accessories, plus my Nano, video iPod, Pelican case, and earphones all inside and the overall size is still fairly small. - Portable - Bag - Bose - Case'

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Plastic - letter openers, plastic

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I ordered five of these for our office as we open a fair amount of paper mail still, but have been unable to get anybody to give us their branded promotional letter openers for free (:P) and the ones we had been buying from Office Depot were dreadful -- the bit that is meant to slide under the envelope on the Office Depot letter openers widened entirely too quickly, which meant they would do more tearing of envelopes than slicing.

The letter openers that I received from this seller, on the other hand, are good quality, though they have a very thin profile that makes it easy for them to get lost amongst papers on the desk. I believe we received two red ones, two yellow ones, and a white one. I wish the "point" on these were a little shorter; it extends past the "nose" of the handle by a slight amount, which makes it harder aim into the space at the end of an envelope than another (promotional item) letter opener we have in the office. The other letter opener also has a thicker body, which is easier to grip over a long period of opening a deluge of mail.

The blade on the World's Most Efficient Letter Opener is VERY, *VERY* sharp. This is a good thing, because it means it slices through paper like nothing at all -- very smooth motion, no drag whatsoever. I am convinced that the angle and depth of the blade contribute to this; the blade is a lot larger comparatively than in other similar products. However, one downside of this is that the very end of the blade protrudes past the guard "bump" on the handle, which means that it is possible to get a fingertip caught in it, if not very likely for a reasonably-careful adult operator.

Overall, especially for the price, our office has been extremely pleased with these letter openers; they are definitely the best option on the market right now without delving into the promotional products business with its hundred-piece minimum orders. We will almost certainly be purchasing more of these once the blades finally get too dull to be useful, though this will hopefully be much later, rather than sooner. World's Most Efficient Letter Opener - Now with Built-In Magnifier

Can't be beat when you're in a hurry. Even opens thicker Priority type envelopes.

Haven't timed it or anything but a great tool when you're not worried about resealing. I added a drill hole to the handle for accessible key chain option.

The design is simple but genius. I often let junk mail pile up around the house because I hate opening envelopes. But this little baby slides right in and slices them open quickly and safely. No more papercuts! No more piles of junk mail! It's kind of sad, but I look forward to opening mail now, just for the satisfying slicing feel of the razor blade on the envelopes. - Letter Openers - Manual - Razor - Plastic'

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Childrens Protective Gear - bicycle helmet, helmet

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The helmet is great. The problem is that the product description is misleading. The protective knee AND elbow pads do not come with the helmet. You only get one set of protective pads. Therefore, the product should be advertised as only coming with knee OR elbow pads, not knee AND elbow pads. Otherwise, if you are looking for a good helmet and do not the need full protective gear that is misleadingly advertised, I would recommend the purchase for the helmet. Cars McQueen Hardshell Bicycle Helmet and Protective Pad Value Pack (Toddler)

My two year old grandson just got his first tricycle. I got him a helmet to go with it as you can never start too early with the safety gear. He is a small two year old, so I was worried the helmet wouldn't fit properly. The pads included with the helmet made an exact fit possible and he loves to wear the helmet. He even ran around the house trying to bump his head because it didn't hurt. I would highly recommend this product for any child. The bright color and Cars McQueen on the side make the helmet cool and kids will enjoy wearing this important safety equipment.

My son hated wearing his last bike helmet, but this one is "cool". He loves Lightning McQueen, so there is no problem getting him to wear this one. I will say that this helmet is a little on the large size. He recently turned 3, and most of the normal age 3 appropriate helmets seemed small on him (and he has an average size head). This one seems to be a little big, but that's good for growing room. All in all, a great buy!

We purchased this for our 3 year old. He has a normal size head for a 3 year old (80%). This helment slides back on his head constantly. We have adjusted and tightened the straps and it just doesn't stay in place. We will be purchasing a new one that has the straps at the back of the head to keep it from moving so much. I wouldn't recommend this at all...

I'm giving this 4 stars because it is a *very* nice helmet and my near 2yr old (21mo) is in love with it saying "ca-ca- beeep beep" and wanted the knee pads on right away! Which those too are made well. BUT, the helmet is far from toddler size. His sister's old pink helmet is smaller and fits better. So we're hanging onto this and putting stickers all over the pink helmet. Oh well! But not a complete loss because he uses the knee pads and that one afternoon when I realize the pink helmet is too small, I'll already have the bigger one on hand. Which honestly will be sooner than later I'm sure!

When you receive the package from Amazon, and read it, you'll see that it should be Bonus knee OR elbow pads! I purposely purchased this set for the knee and elbow pads to go along with a Mini Kick Scooter - BLUE, for kids age 3-5, winner of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold and Platinum Award Seals 2009 - ALSO available in Aqua, Orange and Pink. When I found the package to only have one set of pads, I figured the knees were the most likely to suffer when using the scooter so we tried to strap them up. No chance in wrapping these around the knees, guess they were actually the elbow pads. Regardless, the pads are nothing to write home about.

The helmet is very nice. Fashionable and the Cars theme goes over well for the little guy. He just turned three years old, and the helmet fits him perfectly.

This is a great helmet..A little big for my 2 yr old but adjustable

My son does not love them as yet..

Keeps tipping forwards a little.

Large age span of 3 to 5 years

Yup the smaller ones are too small on my little ones head..so went a size up

Mine is just two years old now...so i am hoping by the time winter is over these will stop tipping on his head. - Helmets - Toddler - Bicycle Helmet - Helmet'

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Wooden Hangers - hangers, wood hangers

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Solid hangar. Does the job. Looks nice. Be aware that it is wooden and takes up more space than a plastic hangar would. Not that it's a problem but if space is tight you might want to stick with plastic. Honey-Can-Do HNGZ01535 Skirt/Pant Hangers With Clips, Cedar, 8-Pack

These hangers are excellent. They have a lot of clamping power, and they're very sturdy. No more pants falling on the ground when I move hangers around. However, I was disappointed in that they are not fragrant at all. I question whether they are even made of real cedar.

I will update this if any issues arise, but so far so good ;-)

The wood being cedar is a wonderful idea as this type of wood will repel moths naturally. The clips seem sturdy and are holding my hubby's work pants just fine - nice and tight, no slippage or falling off. His pants are much heavier than mine, and if they were going to fall off, they would have by now. If you fold the pants and clip at the top of them you avoid any marks (these have "rubber" on the inside of the clips, so not sure they'd leave a mark anyway) and with them hanging straight, you avoid the nasty telltale fold marks from hanging them over a plastic/wood hanger.

From ehow regarding cedar - "Use a piece of cedar wood or cedar chips to keep moths at bay."

This is a terrible product. The clips were so weak that the hangers would not hold a pair of pants or a skirt without them immediately falling off the hanger. I'm not sure if it is manufacturing or design issue.

First thing first.. Do not go with the product picture, Picture gives the impression that wood is polished, but it is not.. This is not smooth as you will see on the stores, the wood is rough and looks ugly without POLISH..Product is not worth the price, Clips are also of poor qualityDo one favor for yourself,PLEASE PAY EXTRA BUX SOMEWHERE ELSE IF YOU WANT NICE LOOKING HANGER.. - Skirt Hangers - Pant Hangers - Hangers - Wood Hangers'

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Cutting Tool - fein multimaster, multimaster

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Thank you Rockwell....I have been doing carpentry for about 12 years and can not believe I didn't get this tool sooner. I have had this tool for about a month and it has paid for itself ten times over. The Wood/Metal blade I have used for cutting out large areas of Sheetrock to get to leaking pipes without cutting them or wires. I put in two solid oak floor and used it for molding cuts and door jam cuts. I just did a new kitchen install in an old house and it was used for many tight spots where no other tool could get to. I also used it to put in the oven vent inside and then cut the old siding and nails to make the vent cap fit nice without having to replace any old siding boards which usually break when prying with a flat bar and cutting the nails with a big sawzaw. I highly recommend this tool. The price is great and the blades last longer than I thought, once you figure out how to use them for the right job. Just let the tool do the work. If you rush though it will take longer to cut, or if the pipe or nail is not in a fixed position and is loose try to steady it first for best results. O it also cuts though Pvc pipe great. Also thanks to Amazon business Prime account with free two day delivery. for a mere 3.99 I had it the next day.I have saved hundreds on delivery charges over the last year. Just showing some props to Amazon...Get their Prime account for a low price and get FREE two day shipping year round....And buy the Sonicrafter Kit, its well worth it..... Rockwell RK5107K SoniCrafter 73-Piece Complete Professional Kit

I bought this 73 piece Rockwell Sonicrafter to do some ceramic tile work and to sand paint off a stained wood door that had been painted by accident on one side some years back. It made the tile work a breeze, but the door had many grooves and carved surfaces. Having earlier read to let the tool work at its speed, using the proper motor speeds, I made a point of not man-handling or using much pressure while running the Sonicrafter.

Several contractors had told me the effort to remove that paint, to restore the original stained appearance, would cost more than replacing this old and very expensive door. It took me several hours over a two day period using the Sonicrafter, but the tool cleaned the paint from the door perfectly. What little was left in deep grooves was easily removed with a bare minimum of chemical stripper and a few pointed tools. Overall, the Sonicrafter did a great job and left a smooth clean surface for the new stain and sealer. I know of no other tool that could have done this job so easily, and a chemical stripper would have required removing the door from the frame and working with a huge gooey mess that would still have been very difficult to remove.

Did the Rockwell Sonicrafter get put away then? Not for long! One evening a few days later I went to work on a six foot high by four foot wide wooden cabinet - that had been in use in my garage for some twenty-five years. The cabinet had a few mistakes that needed correcting to give it a more professional look - and it had the usual grime accumulated in a garage at home. The Sonicrafter was used to even cuts on board edges, and to sand the entire cabinet with its shelves intact. After a few hours this unpainted cabinet looked as if it had just been built, and better than when my father had built it twenty-five years ago. A light stain and sealer made it look great after the sanding - using the same sanding paper that was still not worn out from use on the door. Only now, the cabinet looks like furniture grade.

I didn't use the dust collection attachment but should have. The material removed comes off in a very fine powder that will get into your nose and eyes if not careful. After I had used the general purpose blade to even the few "mistakes" in the cabinet, I had re-installed the sanding pad. After about two hours use the sanding action slowed more or less abruptly. The sand paper was still good, but I noticed the pad was loose. I tightened it better that time and it didn't loosen again. So, you need to tighten the tool attachments fairly strongly. Using the highest speed, to prevent excessive motor heat while sanding, the gear head became warm but not excessively to the touch. Three hours was all it took to recut the wood where needed on that cabinet, and to fully sand it smooth and clean.

The next day, I found myself in need of some small plastic shims for another small job I was doing on my Kubota RTV 900. I thought to use the Sonicrafter with its general purpose blade, and within only minutes I had precisely cut the four small plastic shims I needed. That job couldn't have been made any simpler, and it let me know the Sonicrafter will find a lot of use around my home - even in use on my vehicles. I highly recommend this tool for precise and detailed work. It has already well paid for itself and it's ready for much more action.

when i purchased this tool i was worried that i'd wind up with a low quality piece of junk cause it's only a 3rd. the price of a fein brand. but when it showed up i was blown-away with how well it worked,and how stable and secure it is when your holding it, even in one hand!! i,m sure this tool will out last me so if your smart you'l save some money and get yourself a rockwell and forget about the over priced fein brand. good talken to ya!!!!!

This is on of the handiest tools there is. I use it for everything, I even gave them as Christmas gifts. When I got mine it came in a plastic box which I hate. The newer ones come in a nice bag, that seems to be much roomier, and much easier to put the tool into when you are finished with it.

I have used the Rockwell SoniCrafter for the last 3 months on a remodel project. It became the goto tool for any problems that came up (need a 3 gang box instead of a 1). This week the variable speed dial became a single speed, only works on high speed.

Were it not for this problem I would have given it 5 stars. Now I will find out how good Rockwell customer service is. - Oscillating Saw - Multimaster - Fein Multimaster - Time Saver'

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Panasonic - 3d, high definition

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Like everyone else interested in making the big screen purchase, I spent hours every night reading reviews, shopping around, comparing specs and prices, and trying to decide whether I should go lcd or plasma. Ultimately, I ended up just going to the local BB and seeing which one looked and felt right to me. I purchased this beautiful 55in plasma and I couldn't be happier about it. I've had it for over two weeks now and I don't have a single complaint. The picture is great and the sound is just fine for my living space(apartment). The 2D-3D conversion is alright but you should not expect much from any television's conversion. The 3D Blu-Ray is a different story - The Ultimate Wave Tahiti is AMAZING (I had to watch it twice because I didn't follow a word because I was so blown away by the picture) and Resident Evil Afterlife was fun to watch (the 3D at least).

I realized that all the hours I spent reading super detailed reviews was somewhat a waste of time because when it comes down to it, I don't really care about or even notice the subtle differences that so many people compare. I just wanted a solid tv with great picture at an affordable price and this was it.

The setup was beyond easy. The remote and on-screen menus are very user-friendly.

The widgets all work just fine. Watching youtube videos on a 55in can be entertaining.

My roommate and I are traveling surfers and licensed skydivers so we have plenty of GoPro HD videos that we watch on this tv using the SD card slot(we also watch them through the youtube widget)and they look phenomenal.

BOTTOM LINE: If you want a solid big screen with great picture at the right price then this is it. Highly recommend. If you have any questions then just leave a comment. Panasonic VIERA TC-P55ST30 55-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV

Let me start off by saying I am a pretty critical viewer. In the last month I have demoed, previewed and tested the following models almost to the point where my wife was thinking I was a little crazy.

1. pn50c7000 - Black levels were not anywhere close to what I would expect for a current Plasma but very clean image with accurate colors. This TV buzzed quite a bit as well

2. p50gt25 - This TV buzzed, had great black levels which apparently rise over the life of the panel. Good colors but had a ton of noise in any HD format that was compressed such as cable or satellite. The noise filter on this set to me, appeared to be inferior to the Samsung.

I had ordered the pn51d7000 (2011 model) thinking it would have great black levels and the clear picture only to find that it's black levels are being measured higher than last years pn50c7000.

So, needless to say, I was getting very frustrated. I could not find a set that met my needs. I recently acquired the p55st30 and the minute I turned it on I was amazed. The image noise was completely gone, the black levels were deep and revealing, it did not buzz and had great color saturation and had the POP you would normally associate with an HD signal.

My wife who is just a normal TV watcher commented about the clarity of this panel. "It is almost like looking through a window," "It is like the actor is here in the room with us"

I also game a lot and I have not noticed ANY image retention whatsoever, smooth motion, 0 lag. The other two models I tested above had obvious bouts with image retention which is to be expected on a new plasma. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the st30 handled that.

The internet features work great (not something I would be using a lot) So far I have not found one thing to not like about this TV. The image quality is vastly superior to the other two TVs I returned. I don't see how anyone could go wrong with the st30. I am extremely picky about image quality and this TV has surpassed my expectations. GO GET THIS TV. The fact I have taken the time to write this review goes a long way to show how impressed I am with the st30.

I also wanted to thank Amazon for being so understanding though my ordering and return process. They are THE BEST ONLINE retailer I have ever worked with. After selling and ordering thousands of dollars of items via Amazon, and not having a single complaint, it goes without saying how great Amazon is a a company.

As with most guys buying a new expensive electronic toy I did weeks worth of research on TV's. My previous TV was a 2007 Samsung plasma (720p) and I really loved it for the time that I had it but I was intrigued by the new LED line of TV's. Before doing research I thought that this was the future and that plasmas were going to be phased out but I soon found out this is not the case. In fact LED TV's are no more than LCD TV's with LED backlighting while true LED's (OLED) being thousands of dollars for 42" models and scarce availability.

Regardless I went out and bought what I felt was a bargain, a 60" Sharp Aquos Quattron 60LE832U from BJ's for $1,799. It was thin, had wireless connectivity built in, 60", and cheap for what you got. The picture was good but I soon noticed a lot of artifacts in the picture. The color from the factory was overly bright and oversaturated. I am usually one who likes a slightly less realistic picture in favor of slightly more saturated and vivid images too but this was over the top. No matter what I could not get the picture quality right and there were definitely motion issues even with the claimed 240Hz aquamotion. Turns out it isn't truly 240Hz and it suffers from the same motion issues that all LCD's are plagued with. Frustrated I looked over to the plasma side but was apprehensive because in the store plasmas always look horrible. Their pictures are dull and over-brightened to where the blacks look gray and they are always next to shiny LED/LCD's that look so good. I had enough in my account to grab a second TV thankfully to see what it looked like next to the Sharp and figured I would take back the one that looked worse. In this case I was losing 5" in picture and was worried that the ambient light in my living room would drown out the plasma picture because this had always been a problem with plasma.

The second I hooked up this TV I was blown away! The color even out of the box was breathtaking and the blacks were spot on. There was a golf tournament on and I felt like I was there looking through a window. The Sharp had good resolution but it felt fake since the picture was so bright (even when turned down) and the motion unrealistic. I immediately packed up the Sharp and took it back. I am telling you if you are thinking of LED/LCD don't do it, plasma is where it's at and you cannot beat the picture on this TV for the price, it is unbelievable!!! LED/LCD just hasn't been perfected enough which is why there are so many different types such as edge-lit, full array, etc.

I do want to mention for those of you looking to get this TV that I highly recommend you break the TV in for the first 100 hours by not displaying any static images such as logos or game HUD's. I also recommend running the slides that can be found here:[...] for the first 100 hours of the TV to age the phosphors in the TV evenly. The best way to do this is to put these slides on an SD card and run them through media player making sure to run the slideshow on loop mode and continuously. This allows each pixel to age at the exact same rate so that after the 100 hours each pixel has the same color saturation. Early on phosphors are soft and get hotter than normal, making them more susceptible to burn in and image retention but as they age they harden and their colors become more normalized. After this time burn in is less of an issue and your TV will calibrate much better as each pixel has a normalized color to the one next to it. The best settings for the TV can be found here: [...]Issues-Thread but must not be used until AFTER the 100 hour break in time! Remember not to use vivid mode for the first 100 hours either as this can increase chance of image retention although on newer TV's it isn't as much of an issue anymore.

Now on to the actual review:

Pros:

1) Picture quality - Absolutely stunning, the picture is as realistic as it comes with good saturation and the brightness is perfect. I have put this TV next to everything out there include the GT30 and VT30 and there is absolutely no different from what my eyes can see. All you get is THX mode and 1 HDMI and USB port on the other models and anyone who tells you the PQ is better on those is just being overly critical and properly a complete calibration nut because I just can't see it nor can most people.

2) Black levels - Any deeper of a black and it would look fake, even when the brightness is turned up they stay completely black, it isn't not a stupid balancing act like it is with LED/LCD where you have to tradeoff black levels for other things like brightness.

3) Internet apps/connectivity/networking - Comes with a wireless dongle to allow connection to your network and it is much more useful than I thought. DLNA works 1000x better than the Sharp which was clunky, slow, and didn't play all media types. The ST30 even previews your video files on your network as you are scrolling through them, it is a very cool feature and is very responsive. The apps are great too with pretty much everything you would be looking for such as Pandora and Youtube.

4) Price - As I mentioned before you cannot beat this PQ for the price. $1499 at most places and it can even be found a tad cheaper. The Vizio 4SV 55" model is almost $2000 and is large, ugly, and has a myriad of problems such as randomly turning off. This is a documented problem that you can search for and Vizio is apprehensive to fix it for anyone.

5) 3D - I'll admit I wasn't really big on this and the Sharp I bought didn't even have it because I could care less about it but this one did (and was cheaper, go figure). I am really glad now that it does have it as the 3D is simply breathtaking and there is little to no crosstalk at all! All the other makers (except maybe Sony) had a lot of crosstalk, especially Samsung. The Sony I viewed had great 3D but it was also running on a demo in the store hooked to a bluray which is a bit deceiving compared to watching it on DirecTV or something. Also be aware that Vizio TV's are not listed (right now) as a supported 3DTV with DirecTV!

Cons:

1) Only con I can think of is that the 60" model is almost $600 more, which is a bit ridiculous. I was hoping it was more like $300 more as I probably would have jumped on it if so.

2) Nothing else, this TV absolutely rocks!

Bottom line:

If you are on the fence with which TV to get or you are debating plasma vs. LED/LCD please take this review seriously and try the plasma, I am almost going to guarantee that for this price that you are going to like it more. The new Samsung 55" LED/LCD is $2650, while this amazing 2011 plasma is $1499, no need to spend $1200 more! - Deal - 240hz - 3d - High Definition'

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Memory Cards - sdhc, sd card

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In the past, I bought a Transcend 8GB SDHC card for my Canon SD1000 camera. I recently bought the Transcend 16GB SDHC for my new Canon SX20IS. Both cards work very well and I've had no problems with it so far. I wanted to take this opportunity to update my review since my original review was also posted (by Amazon) for the 16GB card. This is because the only difference between these two cards is the different capacity. So, if you're in the market for an affordable high quality SDHC card, this may be the one for you. Sorry, I kind of sounded like a used car salesman right there, didn't I? I assure you that I don't work for Transcend. But, here's why I think this card is awesome:

Pros:

-Affordable!

-Large capacity

-Class 6 read/write speed (which is very fast... but is no longer the fastest class available)

-Lifetime warranty (at least that's what the package says :)

-Transcend is a reputable company that's been making memory products for a very long time. ( I swear to the tech Gods that I don't work for them!) Other reputable and reliable memory card companies include Kingston and PNY. All three of these companies have been making memory chips for many, many years.

Cons:

- I can' really think of any "Cons" about this card. But here's the 2 closest things I can come up with right now: (1) "Class 6" is no longer the fastest speed available and (2) This card does NOT make coffee for you in the morning, do your dishes for you, give you compliments when you're having a bad day, or magically improve your photography skills.

IMPORTANT SPECIAL NOTES ABOUT SDHC MEMORY CARDS:

-SDHC cards are not compatible with most older SD cameras, SD devices, or SD card readers.

-SDHC cards are rated by speed using different "classes". There are currently 4 data transfer speed classes available for SDHC cards. These classes are "class 2, class 4, and class 6, and the new class 10. For example, "Class 2" would have the slowest read/write speed while "Class 6" has the fastest read/write speed. So if you have a device in which speed may play a crucial role, make sure you buy a higher "class" SDHC card. Please note that this SDHC card no longer has the fastest read/write speed available. There is now a new class, called "Class 10". Class 6 has a minimum read/write speed of 6MB/sec... while Class 2 has minimum speed rating of 2MB/sec, and Class 4 is 4MB/sec. Starting to see the pattern?

SO WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "SD CARDS" AND "SDHC CARDS?

SDHC is basically an upgrade to the older SD cards. The reason they upgraded it was to achieve greater data transfer speeds AND capacity than previously possible with normal SD cards... and to do this, they had to redesign the card (which is why it's not compatible with normal SD devices). This was necessary because digital cameras and digital video cameras these days have higher resolutions, which equate to larger file sizes and faster data transfer needs.

Now that many digital cameras also can record HD video, you may consider getting a larger capacity card because video takes much more space than photos. The size of the video varies from camera to camera depending on what resolution and video compression the camera uses. If you plan on taking lots of video (especially HD video), I would consider getting at least a 16GB card. Check your camera specifications to see how many minutes per Gig of memory your camera can capture ...to gauge how big of a memory card you'll want to get to meet your needs.

Special Note on regular SD Cards:

If you primarily take casual photos and don't need a exceptionally fast read/write capable card, you should know that newer cameras that take "SDHC" cards will also work with older normal "SD" cards. These older cards are cheaper than the new SDHC cards, so this may be something to consider. So to sum things up, newer cameras will take SDHC and regular SD cards, but older cameras that use SD cards may not be able to use SDHC cards. This is because newer technology is usually made to be compatible with older technology (the technical term used to describe this is "backwards compatibility") ... but older technology may not have the hardware necessary to run newer tech (technical term used is "obsolete"... just kidding! ;)

I hope I haven't confused everybody by going into this much detail, but I can't help being the nerd that I am. If you are confused, don't hesitate to comment on this post and I will try my best to answer your questions. Also, any feedback is always welcome!

Conclusion: Buy the card if you have a new device that uses SDHC. It rocks! (This message has been approved by the "Duke of New Mexico") Transcend 4 GB Class 6 SDHC Flash Memory Card TS4GSDHC6

UPDATE - March 2, 2010: This review was originally written for the 4 GB class 6 SDHC card, but the reviews have been grouped for all class 6 SDHC cards in the 4, 8, 16 and 32 GB sizes. All the cards should perform similarly since they are all class 6 and all made by Transcend. However, I will have to check which cards I have used hands on. I believe I only own the 4GB and 8GB cards. I will update the review further. If you have concerns regarding the 16GB or 32GB sizes, you should seek out the reviews tagged with the product links from those cards.

The Transcend 4GB SDHC CARD (Class 6) is a great card for the price. I was at first a little skeptical about the brand, but I buy way too many memory cards to ignore a good price when I see one. And I'm happy to report that I've experienced decent performance and reliability issues with this card. That's as compared to other cards I own including SanDisk, PNY and Kingston.

As long as your devices are compatible with the SDHC format, this card is a good buy. 4 GB is a nice size though I do prefer 8 GB capacity for high capacity storage.

The class 6 speed is the fastest speed available in mass market SDHC cards. Class 6 guarantees minimum transfer speeds of 6 MBs, but I've gotten speeds up to 20Mbs! That makes this card perfect for storing pictures in RAW image formats.

The Class 6 speed is on par with the Sandisk Extreme III cards that on average are about $15 to $20 more per card. If you don't have an SDHC reader, you may opt to get the package with a reader included to download your pics. If not you can just transfer your pics directly from your camera with your card still inserted. An SDHC card reader can be bought separately if your PC doesn't have a compatible slot.

General SDHC and SD Card Tips

There are a few tips that I've learned the hard way through buying TOO MANY different memory cards.

1. Make sure your device is compatible with the card! Even in regular SD cards, some older electronics aren't compatible with that large of a size (2 GB). In terms of SDHC cards, make sure your camera or other device is SDHC compatible. SDHC is different from regular SD and only newer devices tend to have built-in compatibility

2. Once you install this in your camera or device, you will generally want to format the card with your compatible device's interface. That is because the standard formats for certain devices, particularly Canon, are different from the factory installed format

3. Just like your devices, most computer SD card readers are not compatible with the SDHC format. So use a card reader or download the pictures via USB connection to the camera with the card still installed.

4. For some reason, placing the card in the locked position allows some older laptops to still read it. This is just to be used in a pinch however, and it won't apply to all systems

5. If you did not properly format your card, you may be able to save things to it and then have them "disappear." If this happens to you, make sure you use the software recovery tools BEFORE you try to save anything else to your card. That way, you can retrieve your images without over-writing them.

6. Make sure you know what you are going to use this card for. Once you have set up everything and ensured it's all compatible, you still have to decide on speed. If you are using this for storing RAW images instead of JPEGs or HD video, step up to the faster class 6 speed format if you can afford it.

7. If you are going to pay more for a faster speed, make sure your device can benefit from it. I've read, for example, that Kodak cameras are set to a fixed voltage and cannot go faster than standard speed. So the extra cash spent on Class 4, 5, or 6 is basically wasted.

Conclusion

It's great to have several extra cards on hand just in case. This 4 GB card is a nice performer. If you have a high capacity camera (10 Megapixels or more) and are storing videos or RAW images, the extra cash for the 8GB card is worth it. Or you may want to step up to the larger 16 GB size that is now available.

Enjoy! - Sd Card - 4gb - Transcend - Sdhc'

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Wireless Door Chime Doorbell

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I was looking for a quality wireless doorbell system that has the range for my long ranch house that has two front doors. The Honeywell RCWL300A1006 claimed to have a 250' operating range. It does. I just finished installing the sytem and it works well. The installation is simple. The only reason I did not give the unit 5 stars is because it has only 3 ring tones. However, one is the "Let 'em In" Beatles sound which is cool enough. I've purchased cheaper models that did not work. My suggestion is spend the money and buy this system. Even better, buy it when Amazon gives you free shipping! Honeywell RCWL300A1006 Premium Portable Wireless Door Chime and Push Button

Hi guys. I'm the doorbell man. I've bought a whole lot of wireless doorbells over the years to use with our small business' drive-thru window. Wired doorbells have a tendency to get snatched, or demolished by cars traveling too close by, and wireless doorbells have all failed at various times for one reason or another.

Our last wireless doorbell died to a thing you wouldn't think would happen. The button broke. Literally, the button will not "push" anymore, or activate the transmitter.

I picked up this Honeywell to replace it, even though it is a bit more than the usual budget for such things. Sure, $40 is not much, but it is about twice what I normally pay. I was in a good mood and a $20 splurge was in order.

This little unit rocks. The transmitter (the push button part), once you could get it open (which is a bit of work with a screwdriver), is operated with a large disk battery. Range is good despite this battery, and I was impressed. Just to clarify, our business is a cinder block and steel girder building, and the unit is 25 feet away from the transmitter in line of sight, but through a small drive through window. Therefore, for my use, range is not a huge issue.

The button on the transmitter is made of rubber, like the buttons on a remote control, and this has advantages and disadvantages. Rubber buttons create less mechanical friction than those made of hard plastic, and therefore, are less likely to break than my previous button which broke for this reason. The disadvantage is that rubber gives way when you press on it, making it more difficult to tell if you have depressed the switch underneath the rubber.

This basically means you can have a "visitor" who pushes the doorbell and nothing happens. That is, if they press the doorbell too lightly to depress the switch, but they have pressed on the rubber hard enough for them to think it should work. There is a little line in the center which acts as a guide to where people should press, but if you don't see it and press far above or below the line, this also might not depress the switch. The designers noticed this flaw (I assume), and included an orange LED which lights up when the switch is pressed, and it is located at the top of the transmitter. This is helpful (but not foolproof), and practically useless if you have it oriented at eye level sideways, as I do. Still, it is good that they included this, and this should assist all but the most unassuming of visitors.

Sound wise, this is an excellent product. I personally feel that "ding-dong" is the all time reigning champion of doorbell noises, and this one really takes the cake. It sounds like a real bell, and with very good tonal quality. If you are a more complex person than I am, you might prefer the other two tones, which are more complex melodies. It does have westminster, or the grandfather clock ring, and the other one is interesting. I suppose it is possible that visitors might stop by just to hear your bell ring, but I doubt it.

This bell is marketed to look modern, technological and fancy, and therefore, it has the required lights. There is a little "smoke black" cover in the front of the receiver which is removeable with little icons which show you which tone you are playing. They can be replaced if you wish to have multiple transmitters, to show which transmitter is transmitting. The burnt orange is somewhat modern look, but unless you have multiple transmitters, this is a bit of overkill. I seldom take a look at a doorbell to "see" if it is ringing. Yet, this feature might make it an option for hearing impared folks.

Overall, this product carries with it the caveat of missed rings because of button pressing issues. While most people wont experience this problem regularly, it is worth noting, and a possibility you will have to accept with this unit.

Yet, still a good product and recommended.

I needed a secondary doorbell for my apartment. The original bell on the door was not loud enough to hear in the back bedrooms. The Honeywell wireless doorbell fits the bill. The volume control on it's highest setting is loud enough to hear throughout the apartment. I am also very pleased with the choice of chimes available... especially the Westminster. Unfortunately, one downside of the bell is that the working range of the bell is cut in half due to the fact that my apartment door is made of metal; typical of New York apartments. This is something for apartment dwellers to take into consideration. However, if the free standing base is strategically placed, you will be able to hear the bell at a great distance. Another downside is that the sound eminates from the back of the base. Therefore, if hung on the wall the sound of the chime is greatly reduced and muffled. In any case, I am very pleased with the styling and quality of this wireless door chime.'

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