Wednesday, 28 September 2011

Staplers - nailers, stapler


This stapler is well-designed and well-constructed. All hand contact areas are covered with black rubber material for comfortable use. The stapler's operation is smooth, and the handle is a "low stroke" design which reduces hand fatigue. I found it easy to pull, and was able to fire the stapler by squeezing using just two fingers. The stapler's body is made of "Aircraft Aluminum", so it is strong but lighter than the classic steel-bodied stapler.



Near the front of the stapler there is a "staple size / reload" window, which lets you see what size staples are currently loaded (1/4", 3/8", 1/2" or 6mm, 10mm, 14mm) and whether the stapler is almost empty.



At the front of the stapler there is a thumb wheel which flips the wire guide "cable tracker" down, or up and out of sight. This is a U-shaped piece of metal that protrudes about 1/8" downward from the front of the stapler. It is useful when stapling wires or cables. It shows where the staple's points will emerge (so you don't pierce the wire), and it keeps the front of the stapler from crushing the wire.



At the base of the stapler's handle there is a simple wire handle lock. Squeeze the handle closed, and then engage the handle lock. This is useful for storage, especially if you want to return the stapler to its original hard-plastic packaging.



At the rear of the stapler there is a switch to control the "High-Low Power" feature. You'll need to experiment to determine which setting is best.



I used this stapler for a challenging upholstery project. It smoothly drove 100+ staples into hard oak, without a single jam. I used Stanley-brand staples TRA04T 1/4-inch and TRA06T 3/8-inch; this stapler can also use Arrow-brand staples.



If you are stapling into hardwood, and the staple isn't going all the way in, it might be the fault of the staples rather than the stapler! Consider what size staple you are using. If you are stapling through one layer of thin material, then you should be using 1/4-inch staples, not 3/8-inch staples. In this situation, a 3/8-inch staple won't drive completely into the hard wood and its legs will buckle instead. But a 1/4-inch staple is relatively stiffer and will drive perfectly. If you are stapling through two layers of thicker material, then 3/8-inch staples are the better choice. Staples are inexpensive (but see below), so buy a variety of sizes and experiment to determine which size is best for your project.



If the staple is not quite all the way in, you can finish it off by tapping it with a hammer. But observe carefully -- if the staple is protruding a lot, its legs will buckle and the hammer will flatten the staple rather than driving it. In this case you'll need to remove and redo this staple. A staple remover comes in handy.



One note of caution -- staples are available for purchase here, but as of this writing they are available only from third-party sellers, so their shipping will exceed the price of the staples themselves. Stanley TR250 SharpShooter Plus Heavy Duty Staple/Brad Nail Gun

I've used it on two projects using a total of about 150 staples. When using half inch staples into poplar wood they didn't always go all the way in. However when I adjusted the strength of the pull I had no problem (see lever at back of stapler. This is a cool feature.) I used five sixteenth staples on my second project and had no problems using the low setting. I had no problems with jamming on either project. I gave it four stars for now as I've only used it on two projects and can't speak to durability.

While most of us don't use heavy duty staplers on a daily basis, but if you are like me when you use it you need for it to work. I can say that I have never had an issue with Stanley Sharpshooter. It is never gotten jammed and it is a cinch to replace the staples (T50). In my opinion, I think that Stanley is the bell-weather for heavy duty staplers.



One thing that is a bit of complaint is that it doesn't always penetrate pine flush. In fact, about 30% of the time it leaves about 1/8" of the staple above the surface. While this isn't that big of deal (A flat-head screw driver will pop the staple with little effort). However, if the Stanley Sharpshooter was used in harder wood like Oak the staple may only go into the wood halfway. The question is... how often do you use your stapler in hard wood?



Things that I like



- Never had a miss feed - never jammed

- Easy to replace the staples

- Heavy duty steel construction



Areas for improvement



- It takes a fair amount of hand strength to operate - many women may have problems

- Staple doesn't consistently fully penetrate pine - you may have significant problems in hard wood.





Final verdict-



While there are some minor flaws the Stanley Sharpshooter is an excellent choice for most tool boxes



4 Stars

I use this at work for stapling insulation, plastic sheeting, radiant barriers, etc., and have used thousands of staples with it. I only recall one jam ever, which was easy to clear. This stapler is also lightweight and very quick and easy to reload. Like any stapler I've used it takes a lot of force to squeeze the handle, and after stapling all day my hand does get tired, but this one seems easier to use than others. The construction feels very solid and it seems very durable. I highly recommend this if you want a reliable, lightweight, and easy to load stapler.

I've had my Sharp Shooter Plus for a short time but after more than 2000 staples it has not jammed. If you use the manufacture recommended staples and brads you may not have a jamming problem. The manufacture recommends Stanley TRA 700 series or Arrow T50 staples.



You can easily adjust the force of the brad nailer/staple gun with high/low adjustments. It also accomodates brads ½ to 5/8 inch and staples ¼ to 9/16. It's solidly made and has a good balance in your hands. Mine is actually yellow in color which make it easier to find. There's also a cable/wire guide to assist you in stapling down cables/wires.



I (highly) recommend this tool for your tool box. Uses would apply to screens, signs, upholstery, insulation strips, holiday lights, cables/audio/wiring systems, framing, canvas art, radiant barriers etc. I am an avid DIY'r. - Nailers - Stapler - Stanley - Cable'


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Rear Wiper Blade - cr-v, subaru


Rain-X Products Rock A__, last alot longer than any other wiper blade products out there plus you get the added rain-X product when it wipes your windshield clear the rain beads up like you actually spent the time to apply the rain-x windshild product to your glass. Awesome! RAIN-X LATITUDE WIPER BLADE -- 17"

I bought a 22" and a 17" for my Chevy cobalt and right off the bat they streaked and smeared worse than the worn out pair that came with the car. They would always clear up after running a few minutes but when you live in Mississippi you may not have a few minutes of light rain before a downpour. I replaced them with a much cheaper (less than half the price) and better blade. Will not buy rain-x again. - Subaru - Wiper Blade - Rear Wiper Blade - Cr-v'


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Usb Flash Drives - 16gb, 16 gb


The best thing USB flash drives have going for them is their price, which has been in a free fall for several years and about to go below $1 per GB at the time I'm writing this review. In addition, if your goal is storing data independently of any specific piece of equipment - camera, reader, music player - their size/bulk is an advantage because it's so much easier to lose or break an SD card once it's out of its host.



Briefly, this is what it's worth knowing about this item:



- I can't see that I've had a big problem with losing caps but the 'capless' design is quite innovative and it does not hurt.

- It's fast enough to support video transfer but, of course, it does not come close to the theoretical 60MB/sec max I/O speed that the USB 2.0 specification allows.

- Installs itself and does not require any software to be recognized as a 'drive' on a Vista or XP computer. Can't speak for other operating systems.

- It formats and partitions as any 'spinning' drive.

- Can be used to store data, to attach to players (my car plays MP3s off an USB drive) or to move it between unconnected devices.

- Tolerable when used with apps that require some moderate I/O but I would not try to make it a swap drive.



When it comes to Kingston - and, over the years and as prices were falling and the capacity grew, I've bought their 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and now the 16GBs - they never let me down. I don't believe I've lost one bit of data so far and, affordable as they are, I can make multiple copy of the data I can't afford to lose and keep it stored at different locations.



Considering price and reliability, this is a well-deserved 5-star. Kingston Digital 16 GB USB 2.0 Hi-speed Datatraveler Flash Drive DT101G2/16GBZ, Black

Great product. But a little bit thick I should say. Yet still small and portable.



I tested it at once I got it. And it turns out to be much faster than "10M/s read; 5M/s write" as listed in the product detail. Actually it's around 18M/s read and 10M/s write! I don't know if it's gonna slow down after being used for a while, but so far the speed is satisfying.



One thing you should pay attention however is the heat. It heats up significantly while working. So it's not a good idea to keep it plugged in for a long time. But I bet it won't burn if you do so.



Over all it's a great product, high speed and nice looking. Price is fair. It's Kingston, you know.

EXCELLENT product but you HAVE to format the device in order to transfer big files... just as Kingston Tech Support (and other kind buyers) explained:



"In order to copy large files more then 4GB it has to be converted into NTFS. FAT32 has a limitation of only 4GB. To format to NTFS, please follow these instructions. Warning: If you have data on the drive, you should save it elsewhere as this process will erase it all.



1. Go into My Computer and, right click on the drive and select format.

2. Under File System select NTFS and click on Start. If you do not have an option for NTFS, close the format box and go into Device Manager by right clicking on My Computer and selecting Properties.

3. Click on the Hardware tab and click on Device Manager button.

4. Expand Disk Drives and right click on the Kingston drive and select Properties.

5. Click on the Policies tab and click "Optimize for performance and OK.

6. Then go back into My Computer, right click on the drive and select format and make sure NTFS is selected for the file system. Select quick format and OK."



EXCELLENT product.

Nice design, fine looking dongle. Works as a flash drive. However, I was exploring the preloaded software, and was downloading one of the available applications,(Warzone 2100?), and got hit pretty hard with unknown Internet Explorer errors, malware or virus. Had to restore computer to factory settings, luckily able to backup most files. May decide to remove preloaded software on this dongle.

Great flash drive. I didn't do benchmarking or anything like that, but just using it it feels very fast. I regularly transfer videos, music, and PDF files. Previously I was using a Transcend flash drive, and when my kid broke that I was using an SD card with a card reader for a few weeks. This flash drive is MUCH MUCH faster. The first couple times I used it I actually had to open the folder and check to see if my files were there because the transfer was over so quickly I thought there was an error.



Not sure how I feel about the software it comes with. Others seems to love it. I don't know if I'll have a use for it, but I'm happy to have the option.



A few things just to be aware of:



1. The silver swivel cap in the picture is more a dark titanium gray. Looks very different from the picture. Just in case you care, which I don't.

2. You can't open the swivel cap all the way if you have even a small keyring attached to it. Not an issue, just letting you know. The ring blocks the lid. It does open most of the way. I'll post a picture.

3. The swivel cap does not offer complete protection of the USB plug. Dirt can still get up into it. It's really there to protect the plug from being grabbed or knocked hard, I suppose. I wouldn't go carrying it in your pocket or deep in a purse for long periods of time. Note also that the swivel cap does not lock into place. I think it's fine if you're hooking it to a key chain. My key chain goes from the hook by the door, to the car ignition, to a separate (clean) pocket in my purse. So for me this isn't an issue. However, more complete protection would have been nice.

4. The logo in the center is kinda holographic. Looks nice.

5. There's a green light below the center logo that comes on when the drive is working. I don't remember reading this in the description. I like this feature, so it was a happy surprise. However, it's pretty dim and you have to kind of look for it.

6. It's kind of a tight fit to plug in and unplug. Personally I prefer a little tight to loose! Feels secure.



The only problem I've had is that it comes with 2 GB free online storage with SOS Online Backup. Another very nice surprise!!! However, I have not been able to get it to work and SOS has not responded to my inquiries. If anyone knows how to overcome error code 91, let me know.



What I love about it:



1. It looks very nice.

2. It offers TONS of storage.

3. It transfers files very quickly!!

4. I can hook it to my key chain (check out the picture).

5. The price!!! Can't beat it for the storage capacity and product quality.



All the extras were not necessary for me, and half I didn't even expect. So even though they're not perfect, the product itself exceeds my expectations and earns 5 starts. - Usb Flash Drive - 16gb - Usb Flash Drives - 16 Gb'


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Digital Pen - pulse, notebook


overall this is as good as the moleskin notebooks. I love the feel, and size is perfect for business use. I started with the larger free notebook, but at work it just doesn't work. This one is perfect. The quality is very nice. Price point is just right. Just be cautious to make sure you get the right series. As with all their notebooks, you have to get 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, etc. You can't repeat unless you retire an old set. you can keep the old set retired in your software on your PC/Mac. Do not buy two sets of 1-2 or the pen will think its the same books. the PC software can keep track of the old books you've used, but the pen wont. I haven't gotten past the first set, so i'll comment once I get to another set. Great buy! Livescribe ANA-00004 Lined Black 1-2 Journal - 2 Pack

I was a mildly enthusiastic user of the Livescribe pen when I used just the "starter" notebook provided with the device. The starter notebook measures 10.2 x 11.1 inches with perforated 8.5 x 11 pages. In short, it is on the large side.



The journal measures 5.6 x 8.5 inches and is an inch thick. It slips handily into a jacket pocket.



And it makes the Livescribe system wonderfully easy to use. Now, with the journal, I take my Livescribe everywhere because I no longer need to carry the bulky notebook.



Be careful on one point: Livescribe notebooks and journals are assigned numbers (i.e., 1, 2, etc.) and should be used in sequence. Likewise, do not attempt using multiple notebooks with the same number at the same time.



The journals have stiff-leatherette covers which have a nice appearance and provide more than adequate support as a support for the pages.



I wish they were less expensive, but that's the way things are. Overall, a must-have for Livescribe users.



Jerry

One of my pet peeves with various journals these days is that they have a gummed spine. Stretch it a little too much, and you have two journals instead of one. Another complaint is with the ever-decreasing quality of paper in journals sold by the neighborhood office-supply superstore.



With these journals, both of my peeves have been very satisfactorily addressed. Both binding and paper are of good quality. And obviously, it works with the Pulse smartpen. I also like the fact that Livescribe doesn't gouge you on the dot-paper after they've sold you the pen. Both this journal and the standard notebooks are all priced within a few dollars of their generic non-dot-paper counterparts.

I recently purchased a Livescribe 1GB Smart pen along with these journals for use at work. They are comparable to a Moleskine in page thickness and feel, however, the back pocket is not included. The pages appear to be a light gray color due to the dot pattern on the page, but the dots are faint enough that you do not notice them. The Livescribe pen writes very well on the paper with no issues to report.



Overall, this complements the system and the journals themselves work well in a professional environment.

Having used the Livescribe smart pen a little under a year, I graduated from the starter books which were 8.5" X 11" spiral bound into the bound smaller lined black journal that is 5.6" x 8.5" in size. Both are 100 physical pages and have 198 surfaces to write on. However I had wanted a smaller book.



PRESENTATION:

One thing that impressed me first with all the Livescribe products is the wonderful graphic design of everything from the packaging, the instructions and the books you must write on to make the pen work. They are beautiful and well-crafted. This book is no exception. It had a finely finished black leather feel with a solid binding. Inside the covers are the necessary smart pen targets and a start/end page to protect the lighter writing pages. On each page which are numbered are the pen controls. You have a page string, to keep your place and an elastic strap to securely keep the book closed or open, as the case may be.



USAGE:

I've filled over half a book and I have had people comment on the classy book that I use. Once you get past the first few pages the book stays open nicely, even more so if you use the elastic. I also find this smaller size makes it easy to carry along with my laptop to meetings. The page string makes it easy to find where I left off. I find the page numbers handy when referencing the book relative to the electronic copy.

The only negative, that I would state, is when you open this book you can't fold over one side like a spiral would let you, so it takes up twice the space. However since it is a small book to start with this is only a minor issue.



All in all, this is a great product and the price is in line with books of this type that don't enable the smartpen.

I had been using the Livescribe spiral notebooks and was reasonably satisfied except that the notebook size itself was a barrier at some business meetings where people take notes more 'discreetly'. I decided to try the journal format even though my experience had been that half of the space in a normal journal is wasted due to the binding. The Livescribe was a pleasant surprise. It opens flat, the pages are completely usable, and it presents a much more professional appearance than the spiral notebooks. The paper is thin but opaque. The covers and binding appear durable enough to last at least through the note-taking life of the journal. My one wish is that Livescribe would include some sort of a way of capturing the pen and keeping it with the journal - say a loop or pocket. I have several times found myself with the book but not the pen, and am reluctant to sully the book with non-Livescribe jottings. But all in all, I am very happy with the Livescribe journals and they have become my 'standard'.

These notebooks are great. Very professional appearance and comfortable to use. I use #1 for my personal research notes, and #2 for my lab's research notes. It gives me a bit of a nostalgic feel to use them, which I love... I find myself having inspired thoughts like, "maybe this is what researchers of old felt like taking notes by hand"! Makes me think of Hemingway or Matisse, for example, and feel a bit more cheerful about taking notes. Of course, these have the conveniences and advantages of Livescribe, and are much more portable than the regular subject notebooks. They are very convenient to carry, as I can fit two side by side in roughly the same space occupied by a subject notebook. It also looks very professional, feels great in terms of quality, and of course, it's like having a "pocket version" of my research advisor! No longer do I have to ask, "can you say that again? One more time?". Also got many compliments from congenial types on using a Moleskine at a recent conference, only to surprise them with its true nature and the high-tech it packs. Try these out, they are professional and inspiring, you'll love them! - Smart Pen - Notebook - Pulse - Accessories'


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Childrens Vitamins - vitamins, multivitamins


I think Rainbow light is a great company and these are a wonderful part of their line-up. My kids have no problem with this star shaped vitamins, in fact my youngest gets very excited when she hears the bottle shaking. Rainbow Light Kids One MultiStars, Fruit Punch, Chewable Tablets, 90 tablets

Rainbow Light makes wonderful products and these vitamins for children are great. Both my children love the taste (and they are very picky) and the star shape. We've tried others and had to throw them out because of flavor, texture or quality. We are glad to have these available from Amazon.

Good product with one fatal flaw - the kids hate the taste. Of three one won't take them and the other two would like to switch to something else when these are used up. Too bad - it was a reasonable value but if they won't take them.......

I have researched endlessly for a good multivitamin for my toddler and this is THE best I have found. Nothing artificial, added foods and herbs for vitality, and my daughter LOVES them!! This is great for the picky eaters.

I have read a few reviews that say these are disgusting, but I have not found that to be the case. I take one and I give them to my 3 year old and 18 month old as well (I only give the 18th month old 1/2). They both love their vitamins. They do not taste like candy, but that is because they are all natural and healthy for you so you have to give up a little of that unnaturally fruity candy taste in order to have a healthier product. I definitely recommend them!!

This combination of vitamins and minerals that my daughter love it is very good for health. The taste is like orange. My 3 years old loves it. I will continue to buy it in special that she eats poor in general.

We received our order very quickly, in perfect condition and exactly what we wanted. My wife and I have taken the Rainbow Light for Men & Women for a few years and love this product and it is very important to us that it is all natural. This helped us to choose the "Kids One" for our 4 yr old twins. - Health - Multivitamins - Supplements - Vitamins'


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Cardiac Health - hrm, running


I have used this with my Garmin Forerunner 305, Forerunner 50, and Forerunner 405cx. Just wet it with saliva or water before you start, and it accurately and easily tracks your heart rate. The strap that attaches it to your chest is easily adjustable and easily removable. Unlike other products, my heart rate does not "jump around" 10 or 20 beats. The battery lasts a good amount of time and is easily replaceable. This is the best heart rate monitor that I have used, and I prefer it to Polar. Garmin Heart Rate Monitor

Works as advertised, no problems. This is a replacement of my first one that the seal (o-ring type) in the battery compartment failed, causing the battery to corrode due to moisture leaking. Then it never worked again. Be careful changing batteries not to damage the seal.

I got the Forerunner 405 as a gift, but without the HRM. I got this as an add on, but it worked seemlessly. I put it on and it synched immediately without having to really do anything on the device. Still figuring out all of the features, but the combo is highly recommended (I run and cycle).

I was very excited when I saw the ad for the Garmin Forerunner 405 and couldn't wait to get one. Unfortunately, when I went to make my purchase, the store only had the Forerunner 405 without the heart monitor in stock. To get the full benefits of my new Forerunner 405, I knew this was something I wanted to try.



When my Garmin Heart Rate Monitor came in, I immediately paired it with the Forerunner 405. Pairing was a breeze. I then put it on and wore it for a few minutes to check its accuracy (I wanted to be certain of its accuracy before I adjusted my run workouts based on the results). Suffice it to say, I was more than pleased with the results! It has become a constant companion to me along my runs.

The HRM is simple and easy to use. It picks up my heart rate everytime - quickly. I use it to send info to the Garmin Forerunner 405. When I put on the HRM, the 405 announces the connection in no time.

I bought this to pair with a new Garmin Edge 500 for cycling use. This was much cheaper than buying the Edge Bundle as I did not also want cadence. The strap works great with the Edge but installation was a little tricky. The Edge has to be "paired" with the HR strap but I was able to figure it out.

This is a great HR monitor and it paired easily (didn't have to do anything) with my Edge 500. It seems accurate and doesn't have any of the wild spikes I saw with my much older Polar HR monitor.



Most importantly, it is comfortable and doesnt leave any marks once adjusted correctly.



I reduced by one star because the strap is fairly short. I am not overweight (size 40 jacket) and I had to make the strap within 2" of its max for this to fit comfortably. Larger folks might have an issue.



Although the strap is very elastic, if it is stretched too tight it will leave marks and hurt.

I just turned on my 405 (held the "training" button) and it was recognized before it located satellites... It takes a bit getting used to wearing the strap around your chest, but it provides very good info... It is encouraging to see I can do the same run at a faster pace, with a lower average heart rate!

My bicycle Garmin 305 came with a cadence monitor... I really like this GPS device for my road bike and only recently did I become interested in adding the HRM strap. It comes ready to use, just be sure to set up your Garmin to work with the Heart Rate Monitor... it's a few menus into the device, but once I set the function and changed my displays to show - speed, elapsed time, altitude, heart rate on my main screen, it was all good to go.



Reasonable price, replaceable battery included, works with my Bicycle Garmin 305. - Exercise - Garmin - Hrm - Running'


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Media Player - wireless music, network audio


A great feature of many new blu-ray DVD players is the incorporation of internet streaming video sources like Netflix.That feature also includes audio only dedicated sites like Pandora and live 365 among others.

These music sources sound good on my downstairs home theatre system set up,which is primarly dedicated towards watching DVDs.





For critical listening my main audio system upstairs is a two channel "audiophile" system. I have separate components and use digital sources.



I wanted to add the versatility of streaming internet audio to my 2 channel system.



Researched the Logitech sqeezebox and the Grace internet radio tuner.



I chose the Grace unit primarily for it's ergonomics.It is 17 inches wide and has the same dimensions of a standard full sized CD player.So it matches my other components nicely.The so called "rack" look...



The unit is fairly straightforward to set up even if one is not too tech "savvy".After configuring the tuner for my wireless network,I was able to install my Pandora account and other stations.You have to go throught the Grace's Reciva web site to access the other sites.



The unit has an LCD window for the menus,song and station details etc.



One thing I really dislike is the appearance of the clock which takes up the whole area of the lcd screen.The clock remains illuminated when the unit is in the "inactive " state.The characters are an ugly "in your face" type.So it looks like an alarm clock dominating the center of your stereo components.At least I was able to adjust the backlight so those clock's digits are unnoticeable.



Yeah- the font of those characters remind me of those on PCs from the 1980s.I guess they forgot to add "Pac-man":)



The manual is very basic.Set up instructions are OK but missing any details on the function and how to use the USB port and SD card slot.Nor are the DAC specs described.



The Grace tuner is sourced out to my system via an optical input on my "Dac Magic".I think this does improve the sound quality particularly those stations broadcasting with lower "bits".

Build quality is acceptable.The huge wall wart power adapter runs quite warm even in standby mode.A standard detachable power cable would be preferable.



Marantz has just introduced a similar product with better compnents than the grace.To me it appears to be much superior but it is three times the cost.



Overall a nice entry product for it's purpose.Most music lovers who want to listen to a variety of music sources on thier home audio systems should like it.



If you are one of those "audiophiles" whose other digital sources are in the tru high end you may want to go another route.



As an aside it would be nice to have the option of purchasing such innovative products that could be made in North America or western Europe. Grace Digital Wireless Hi-fi Internet Radio Tuner featuring Pandora and NPR (GDI-IRDT200)

The Grace Digital internet stream tuner is a great product, which I thoroughly recommend. Some highlights:



1-Feels solid. Like a quality home audio component, in a metal case. Other stream tuners are made of cheap plastic or have odd shapes more appropriate for a bedside table than a stereo cabinet.



2-Good firmware. Tunes and buffers quickly, and doesn't crash if a stream is corrupt or absent. Convenience features include searching and history.



3-Linked with the Reciva website. You can make all adjustments to your "My Stations" list via a web browser, instead of the small buttons on the remote control. Also updates its address listings from Reciva, so the unit does not go out of date.



4-Has both wired and wireless ethernet. May not be important for all, but was a must-have for me.



5-Has both digital and analog outputs. Allows easy connection to home theater preamps and a/v processors.



6-Convenient onboard headphone output (with volume control). You can listen to the Grace with headphones, without needing to power up the rest of your stereo equipment.



7-Large LCD clock display when unit is in standby. Big and clear, easily visible from across a room. A bonus, but may be too bright if you are thinking of bedroom use.



This unit costs more than other products that can tune the same web streams. Even an old laptop can be pressed into service as a stream tuner. But you get what you pay for in this case - a solid and supported box that is right at home in your listening room.

I had never heard of Grace Digital Audio before I purchased this tuner. There are not a lot of options if you are looking for a traditional component size internet digital tuner. I was a little apprehensive but was swayed by the reviews here. While the build quality is not up to the major manufacturers like Yamaha or Denon neither is the price. I was looking for an internet radio tuner that fit into my home theater rack. (I have shipped the tuner to Middle Atlantic for measurement and they now have it in their rack shelf database.) This unit does everything I was looking for and much more. The iPhone/iPod app is very well thought out and adds incredible value to owning this tuner. So far the performance is phenomenal and I am listening to music and talk radio from all around the world. Also having access to my digital library, Pandora and Live365 makes this my go to choice for our whole house audio system. I can't praise the functionality of the GDI-IRDT200 highly enough.

I have been listening to local AM and FM stations for years but had enough of the inane chatter of DJs and poor quality sound resulting from weak signals. I am not an audiophile but the quality of the sound from the Grace Internet tuner sounds very good to me. No static, just clear audio. My wife who speaks Russian is able to enjoy stations that originate in Moscow. I hooked up to Pandora w/o a problem and it is free. Rhapsody is available by paid subscription. There is plenty to listen to and enjoy. I don't think I will be playing CDs very often anymore.



UPDATE 1

I am sorry to report that after one month of use the radio is malfunctioning in ways similar to those reported in the review by Network10. Specifically, it turns on by itself, usually in the middle of the night. Second, it stops playing for about a minute or two and the screen on the radio says "buffering". I would like to attribute the latter problem to my wireless network but I have high speed internet and a premium router so this is unlikely. Also, I have no problem streaming Netflix to my Vizio tv. In my opinion the radio is at fault. For the time that it worked properly, I really enjoyed this device. I am downgrading my rating from 5 stars to 2 as a result of the problems that developed.



UPDATE 2

I returned my Grace Internet Wireless HI-fi Radio Tuner and ordered another several weeks later hoping for better results. The new one did turn on by itself but Grace customer service suggested shutting off wireless standby (Settings>Network Config>Wireless Standyby>No) and that solved the problem. The other issue of loss of signal (buffering) has not occurred with my second tuner. So, I have upgraded my rating back to 5 stars as this tuner preforms faultlessly. - Wireless Music - Network Audio - Grace - Wifi Radio'


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Lifting Straps - strength training, weight training


1.5 inch wide straps made of nice, stiff heavy duty cotton with the ends caped and sewed so no fraying which was a nice touch.



Once they are secured on your wrist there is lot of strap to work with, about 8 inches, which I like so you can get a real nice cinch on the bar.



Replacing my favorite straps which were starting to tear after 10yrs or so.



These are my new favorite straps and as they are a lot like my old ones, well made with good material, they should last for years of continuous use.



The inner padding is a bonus.



Beware, there are lifting straps sold by Amazon that are thin, too short and made of cheap flimsy material... these are not those straps.



You will not be disappointed with these Altus lifting straps. Altus Athletic Padded Lifting Straps

There are many similar products as these lifting straps, but these are the best price. They are well made, and the padding is an extra bonus. Other straps sell for the same price without padding, so this was a no-brainer.

I am very pleased with this product because i've had the opportunity to compare it with lifting hooks and these straps were much better. I am now able to deadlift over 400lbs, one arm row with 150lb dumbells and more.

Definitely cheaper here... I went to Dick's Sporting Goods and it cost $15 at Dick's. I went to Sports Authority and it cost $20. When I bought this, good thing I had Amazon Prime Trial membership, so the shipping cost was free :D

some people complained about them bitting into your wrists, well with the padding these had that wasn't really a problem (yes they left a bit of a red mark but that disappeared after the workout session, and I didn't notice any pain])



I was worried, with all the hype over the rubber coated versions, that these would not have a good grip; well, to make it short, they do. I do not see/feel any problem with them slipping off. they are perfectly tight to the bar the cloth grips fine and will not slip. (actually there is a tiny bit of rubber on the end of these where the logo is)



Because of them the dead lift is now one of my favorite exercises, because they help me to reach my max reps and max weight, because before my hands would just give way when I could have done more reps with the rest of my body.



Note: I've used them twice so I really can't rate them on endurance

This straps are very sturdy and I find I am able to hold weights better. Grip is no longer an issue for certain exercises such as dead lift and 1 armed dumbbell row for back. They are long enough to wrap around the weight a few times and feel good. Great material, cheap price.

What can I say, these straps are great. The padding protects your wrists while pulling heavy weight, they are long enough to get some good solid wraps on the bar and the ends are seized with a fabric so they wont fray. If they dont get stolen, I should have them for years. - Strength Training - Weight Lifting - Straps - Weight Training'


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Cell Phone Accessories - br50, razr


"Original OEM" battery? Oh please...Motorola doesn't make anything this shoddy. Light grey label, fake hologram that is crooked and hangs over the edge of the battery. This is the worst counterfeit I've ever seen. It has EVERY indication that the Motorola Genuine Product Identification Guide says to look for.



Now I'm not naive...I know a $1.87 battery isn't OEM. I do expect it to at least be functional though. One phone refused to turn on with this battery (phone lights up and immediately shuts down) and my other one says "Unauthorized Battery." My desk charger refuses it too, with a flashing error light. MOTOROLA OEM BR50 RAZR V3 V3a V3c V3g V3i V3m BATTERY

This is the 3rd "OEM" battery I bought via Amazon Marketplace -- as with the others, it was terrible. I ordered form the OEM shop a BR50. They sent a BR56 which is supposed to be even better with 3 hours talk time. It did not last 30 minutes after a complete overnight charge. Nowhere as long as the battery I am trying to replace which lasts over an hour instead of the original 2 1/2 hours.



OEM sent a counterfeit fake battery --- not OEM. How can you tell? Because Motorola OEM batteries are made in Japan. These say clearly that they are made in china. I had the same problem and returned the same battery from Wireless Phone Accessories and Batteries4Less.



AMAZON_- you should be screening these sellers and addressing these issues. There are a ton of posts under every single one of the Motorola Razr battery listing that say they got bad or counterfeit batteries.



Theses companies make their money by selling junk, counting on the Amazon customer not to feel it is worth the hassle to return it. For every one I have to return I lose an hour of my time. My time is worth more than th $10 I get ripped off for. But I do it anyway b/c hopefully at some point AMAZON is going to take responsibility for the conduct of their market sellers. AMAZON's new logo is to become the most customer centric company on earth. Well AMAZON, you can start here: Bargain Cell -- which is one of the worst offenders,

Wireless Phone Accessories and now

The OEM Shop -- what a joke for a name for the last one since clearly they KNOW they are selling counterfeit batteries.



I paid $30 for one from batteries4less hoping to get the real deal -- I got the exact same batter I got from the OEM shop -- the exact same counterfeit. So it has nothing to do with the price paid. Just dishonest online sellers.

I bought this battery along with a auto charger. The auto charger worked as far as I could tell, but the battery was trash. It appears to be a cheap Chinese knock-off masquerading as a Motorola battery. After a full charge, it would go dead after 3 minutes talking and likewise in 2 days without use. Everything on the battery is Chinese, so can't tell what date it was manufactured, but if new- a bad product- if old.... I tried draining totally and recharging with the phone off- with exact same results. I got another battery through Amazon via Accessory One and it is a genuine Motorola manufactured battery in 2008, this year- all white.

Update: WebTreo sent a refund immediately after I sent an inquiry through Amazon- no questions asked. They also phoned to appologize for the quality of the battery.



So lesson is- don't buy the "black" battery from WebTreo. The other purchased item (car charger) though arrived fast and worked fine. If you need a battery, get the white one from Accessory One. Phone is Motorola RAZR V3m.

I bought two of these batteries for my RAZR V3. They work. The seem to hold a charge about as long as my old stock battery, which I estimate to be a couple years old, so I doubt they are truly OEM. I use a separate charger to charge my batteries and just swap batteries once one is almost dead, and I fully cycle the batteries between most uses (using repeating video before battery swapping until the phone powers down). I haven't done any true data analysis with them to provide you with better info. I would buy them again. You get what you pay for, and I doubt these last as long as a new, truly OEM battery. I'm happy with using two of these batteries that combine for about 150% the life of the OEM for a total cost which is much less than that of one new OEM battery.

I bought this battery because the old one I had that came with the phone wouldn't hold a charge for very long. I got this battery and the first day it lasted about 12 hours now it lasts about 8 and I hardly use my phone. I know it only cost me 3 bucks but still if you are going to advertise that this is an OEM replacement it should preform like one reguardless of the price. I have contacted the seller to get this issue resolved lets wait and see if they respond.

I replaced a battery that was not holding a charge like it did new. This battery I bought as "OEM" is no better than my old one that is worn out. My original OEM battery held a charge for two days of my usage, This "new" will not last a full day. - Razr - Motorola - Br50 - Razr Battery'


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Active Content - puzzles, kindle active content


When I got my Kindle, I thought I would use it to read...the last thing I, and possibly you, need is yet another addictive game to while away your time. When I first opened up the game, I said to myself I would just play it for 5-10 minutes then move on to the book I was reading. I was wrong on my time estimate as I looked up and realized almost an hour had passed.



This game is a mixture between a crossword and something like word find or word scramble. You get 5 to 7 letters to figure out as many words can be made with the combination of letters available - you score 20 points each for the first three letters, then the scoring goes up. You can play in a "relaxed" or non-timed mode or on a timer. The levels of difficulty gradually increase through the ten separate puzzles.



This game appears to be addictive, and I was just off of my Kindle-version Scrabble addiction.



There is a warning on the game description that says the content may be inappropriate for children. I assume that is due to the potential of dirty words, or something a parent may not want to explain the definition of to their child, that they may run across. I haven't found anything (yet) I would consider inappropriate.



One word of warning: you will be using a lot of the letters (obviously) playing this game. I am on my second K3 due to the letters coming off due to too much Scrabble playing, and my current one is starting to suffer the same. I would imagine if you play this game a lot, your letters on a K3 might rub off, too. Of course, your experience may vary.



All in all, this is a neat little game and I give it an extra star for being free! Every Word: Crossings

Yes!!! My favorite Kindle word game now has a sibling, and it's free too! The object is the same as Every Word: make as many words as you can from a group of scrambled letters. You have to find the longest word to advance to the next level, or the game is over.



But instead of listing the words you've found in alphabetical order with gaps for missing words (which helps you find them), Crossings arranges all words into a crossword puzzle. This gives you a different kind of help finding missing words. You can turbocharge that help by hitting the "." key for "Clue" mode. This puts a missing word with at least one known letter in the word entry area with the known letter(s) fixed in place. The letters you type fill in the blanks.



Anyone who has played Every Word will feel at home playing Crossings. The controls are the same (Return key or 5-way controller to submit a word, Del key to backspace, Next Page to shuffle the letters for a fresh look, Prev Page or Spacebar to repeat the last submitted word so you can modify it (such as adding an "s" for the plural) without retyping it. Now they've added the "." key for "Clue" mode.



About the "may contain content inappropriate for children" warning: Crossings uses the same 2+2gfreq word list used by Every Word. Every Word won't accept proper nouns, abbreviations, acronyms, most slang terms, or profanities -- well, it'll take "darn," but that has a double meaning. It will take some words like "sex" that might be considered mature, and it will display them as missed words if they were not found. But I consider both Every Word and Crossings to be good games for kids that improve spelling and vocabulary.



By the way, for all you original Every Word lovers, version 1.3 was released on July 18, 2011, with over 3,600 new puzzles. Go to Manage Your Kindle and View: Active Content to get that update and any others you might be missing.

The beauty of Kindle is that you can use it for a lot more than reading. New Kindle games appear almost daily and provide any Kindle-owner with an opportunity to relax between reading sessions, pass the time while waiting in line, or enjoy a game or two in the bathtub or on the beach.



I have many games downloaded to my Kindle but EVERY WORD has been my favorite. As much as I have played it since it first came out, it never gets boring. EVERY WORD CROSSINGS is a new version of the game that preserves all of the great qualities of the original but allows you to play the game a little differently. The main innovation of CROSSINGS is that it's more visual. Unlike the original EVERY WORD, your words are not ranged alphabetically here. This might sound like it complicates the search for words. However, the crossword structure of the puzzle often offers you more than one letter, which, of course, facilitates the search.



I wouldn't say that this new version will substitute the original for me. I'm planning to alternate between the games because both versions are a lot of fun. The game is just challenging enough not to become boring even after you play it many times, but it isn't difficult enough to become too much of an effort.



The graphics on both versions of the games is among the best I have seen in Kindle games. Both versions of EVERY WORD do eat up battery charge faster than when you simply read a book. However, the depletion of the battery charge never becomes so fast that you have to charge the Kindle all the time.



Overall, this is a great game that, once again, reminded me how much I love my Kindle.

EveryWord Crossings was fun - until I got stuck at level 9 and it wouldn't let me continue. I would give it 5 stars if it provided the answers like my Kindle Crossword Puzzles do. The instructions say you can press the *.* key to get a clue, but you don't really get a clue. It just pops up a word that you haven't solved yet and the solved letters are the ones that you have already filled in yourself. I got stuck on Everyword Crossings level nine, I had one word left and that one was the "long" word. When you don't get the "long word" you can't go on to the next level. I would suggest for the developers to add some clues to help out people who are stuck. If anyone knows how to get answers, let me know so I can look up that one word.

UPDATE 8/16/11: I found a website that will give you answers to wordcrossing, just search for "everyword answers" and a few websites will come up. You enter the letters with the word length and it gives you the possible words. I was able to move on - yay! This is a fun game, but I do wish the developers would provide real "clues." - Puzzles - Active Content - Kindle Active Content - Kindle Game'


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Luxury Watch - stuhrling, prospero


I own this watch with a light grey dial with rose gold accents. Not only is it a beautiful watch,it's a very comfortable watch to wear. The dial is 43mm's & the strap is a 24mm. The specs are different on the description area. The first thing I did when this watch arrived was to remove the nice leather strap and put a shiny black crocodile strap and a dual deployant clasp on. Now it looks like a $40k watch! I get very many compliments on this watch! I'ts a watch that's worth much more than it's being sold for even if you wear it as it comes in the box. Get one, you won't have any buyers remorse with this one!!! Stuhrling Original Men's 308.331513 Prospero Classic Automatic Skeletonized Black Dial Watch

The watch looks awesome, but the winding screw (is that what it's called?) is huge; the face itself is also on the big side but it still is a beautiful piece. This is the first automatic watch I have own but I'm a bit concerned as it seems to lose a couple of minutes during the day and at night it goes off for several hours... Not sure what I'm doing wrong; will update as soon as I find out what is wrong with it.

Let me start with the pictures here dont do the watch justice. When I opened the case to see what I had bought it was absolutly stunning. I had been looking at the skelton watches on amazon for about a month before i pulled the trigger. I didnt like this one at first and was leaning towards buying one of the Akribos or Rougois skelton watches but with the mechanical wind. I read some of the reviews saying there were problems with the mechanics, having to wind the watch everyday and not being able to see the numbers made telling time difficult. So it seemed to me more like an art or jewelry for your wrist more then a functional watch. Then i kept looking at this one and it slowly grew on me. Now everyday I look at this watch it becomes more precious to me. I love it and have had no problems.

I already buy this and it's look so beautiful

but the selfwinding system not that good

because the power reserve only last 6 hour not 34 hour as it said



I want to send its to fix but due to my work I nearly get back to my country so I cant

but It's still be a nice designed watch with low price

This seller is AWESOME. The watch was in beautiful shape. I love it!!! I had been looking for quite a while, but

they were always sold out. Excellent fast shipment, a great price. Thank you for helping me add to my watch collection and I

hope we can do business again................. - Stuhrling - Stuhrling Original - Luxury Watch - Prospero'


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Storage Case - cd, dvd case


I intended to use these jeweled cases to hold the cd of love songs my soon-to-be husband and I were giving away as wedding favors. I am very disappointed to open this box a week and a half before my wedding to find 38 of the 100 cases in this shipment broken and unusable. This would have been a great deal if I didn't have to go out and buy more cases. I thought a few of them may be imperfect, but this was ridiculous Americopy 100 STANDARD Black CD Jewel Case (Assembled)

The CD cases are a great way to store data or music discs. They are very close to the original except a little bit on the "flimsy" side. The plastic is heavier in the manufactured original cd. I would have given a 5 star rating except I wasn't happy with how the package was protected in shipping. There were two cases broken in transport. Ware-housemen, UPS and Fed Ex drivers show no mercy in handling fragile boxes. I would have liked to see a "Fragile" sticker on the box along with heavy bubble wrapping material inside. But as previous customers have said, the price is right and it is hard to find CD cases in this quantity. You won't be disappointed with this product.

The source manufacturer for this generic product(100 standard CD jewel boxes) will vary depending on which dealer you buy it from. I purchased from "The Recording Store", and found the quality of the product to be fair to middling. I got 95 intact boxes out of the 100 box shipment.(the remaining componenents were shattered). That may be par for the course in shipping product such as this. As for the quality of the 95 boxes, it can be best described as "fair". Because of less than precise molding of the disc trays, some did not fit snugly into the transparent rear component. Yes, the price is great, but you get what you pay for.

These jewel cases are exactly the same ones that I have paid three times as much for elsewhere. They were shipped quickly and safely and none...I repeat...none were broken. What a great buy! Thanks! I will continue to be a customer and I will recommend this company highly.

Reasonably priced.... timely delivery .... surperb packing and packaging.



I have a constant need of jewel cases and in the past I have

gone to a retailer to buy. Out of frustration - out of stock, not having the quantity I needed, having to special order a particular style I wanted, I turn to the tried, true and reputable Amazon. As usual, they came through.



Thank you Amazon staff!!! - Dvd Case - Cd - Storage Case - Cd Cases'


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3d Blu-ray - netflix, blu-ray 3d


First of all, I really hate the saying 'WiFi Ready' Which says to me... it is ready for WiFi.. all you need is WiFi. Of course that isn't the case. It just means that it has a USB port and some on board drivers to help you part with $80 for the WiFi adapter. Save yourself some aggravation and check out the NETGEAR Home Theater Internet Connection Kit (Black). It is faster than WiFi and will work with your next Blu-Ray player too. Not to mention your xbox, networked TV, etc.



Anyway.... When I first hooked up the player the first thing that naturally occurs is the setup. Wow... it was grainy and horrible looking. I was worried. Of course this was hooked up to a brand new Panasonic VIERA TC-P42G25 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, and I had not refined all of the Brightness, Contrast, Color, Tint, etc... settings yet. So I put in a BD and things looked good. Not great. But good. After a couple more days of tweaking the TV I came back to do some more hands on testing of the BD and Viera Cast functions. My kids watched the Cars BD, and it looked FABULOUS! Of course that disc always looks good, even on an old broken TV. Wasn't sold. Then that evening my wife and I had rented The American on DVD. This is when I got really impressed. The DVD up-conversion was truly amazing. If I had not known better, I would have thought this was a BD. Then I resumed looking at the Viera Cast apps. I haven't looked at Netflix since that is on the Panasonic TV, but I was truly impressed with VuDu. The full 1080p and Dolby Plus 5.1 signal was great. The picture was stunning, and it starts streaming QUICK. With no artifacts that I have seen. Rental prices were a little steep, but regardless I was impressed.



Other things important to potential buyers. It loads fast. There are options to reduce startup times too. This is great, because when I use my other BD player to play a movie for my children, they have lost interest by the time the player loads the film. Another nice feature is the VieraLink. This makes it work well with at least Panasonic sets. When I turn on the player, my TV switches to the correct input automatically. Very nice. When I turn off my TV, it will automatically power down the BD player. Also very nice.



I haven't tested any 3D content on the disc player yet. So I cannot comment on that. But I imagine it will be stunning since it handles other BD content well.



Cons: This is really a con I guess, but more of a CONcern. The front fascia, is a big plastic door. I just have a feeling that one day a child will rip it off. Won't be the end of the world, but it just seems a little unneeded. But I guess if it protects the buttons from peanut butter etc.. for a while it's really a plus. We'll see. Panasonic DMP-BDT110 Wi-Fi Ready 3D/2D Blu-ray Disc Player

------- Update 4/10/2011 ----------------

I am returning this unit to the seller (even if they make me pay return shipment) for the following reasons:

Panasonic just released V1.56 of the firmware for this player and nothing got fixed (DLNA and Netflix still don't work) so it is unclear why they released this update at all.



After I re-flashed the firmware and found that it did nothing for the problems I was having, I called Panasonic tech support and after about 40 min on the phone going through various humiliating questions that doubted my technical skills, I was told that level 3 support would call me within "72" business hours.



It's been a week and instead of waiting for their call for much longer, I am returning this unit and will be more careful about Panasonic blu rays in the future.





----Original review: --------------------

I have had this for about a week and this is a great unit by its intent. However two major flaws make me give it 2 stars.



First, with the latest firmware (Feb 24, 2011 V1.47) Netflix streaming does not work. My account gets connected, I get

get the user menu with search and all the title information but all the titles I tried for several days now end up with a message "We are having trouble playing this title right now. Select a different title or try again later".

The Netflix interface is pretty clunky compared to other streaming units that I have (Nintendo Wii and an LG BluRay player)



The second no less important, is that DLNA client that connects to my home network does not recognize the DLNA servers about 90% of the time. I have to reconnect to the network from the Network setup menu for the DLNA servers to get recognized by this unit. I think the firmware is seriously flawed on this.



My Amazon VOD account works flawlessly but the interface is clunky as well.



The other "Net" features are working OK (I tried Picasa and You Tube but not Pandora or Vudu).



So I am still deciding if I want to wait for Panasonic to get their firmware right or return this unit and forget about Amazon VOD streaming (the main reason for my buying this unit was that it combined Netflix and Amazon VOD. Great idea if it worked...) - Blu-ray Player - Blu-ray - Blu-ray 3d - Netflix'


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