Guy Low Price Electronic

Monday, 17 November 2008

Backpacking Saw - cheap

I purchased one of these saws elsewhere online, sight unseen, although I could not find reviews for it. My mistake. In an effort to keep others from making a similar one, I decided to post this review.

This is a cheap copy of an ARS Professional series pruning saw. While the body of the saw is ok, the blade is junk. It is only a piece of stainless with the teeth punched out and folded over to create an alternating bevel. In the process they managed to bend most of the tips of the teeth over. Result - this saw doesn't cut jack. It shreds more than anything else. I have two dollar saws from Harbor Freight that cut ten times better than this.

I emailed SOG with my concerns; after several weeks I have yet to get any kind of response (not surprised). I was very disappointed to get such a low quality piece of junk with their name etched in the blade. It's the last piece of gear I buy with their name on it.

As I have to pay return shipping cross country to get a refund, it's not worth the time or trouble. I bought this as a piece of camping/survival gear; if I had to depend on this saw to save my life, I'd be dead. It's going in the trash, although I might be able to use the nylon sheath it came with.

I did ultimately buy an ARS professional series folding pruning saw, at about 3 times the price - and it's worth every penny. Made in Japan, triple ground, induction hardened teeth. The body is cast metal. Cuts on the pull stroke, which I have grown to prefer - more controllable. Took all of four pulls to cut through a 1 inch piece of hardwood - and the ends looked like they had been sanded.

If you want to hang something on the wall, buy this SOG F-10 folding saw. If you want a saw that will actually cut wood exceptionally well, buy an ARS folding pruning saw. You won't be disappointed. The optional leather sheath offered with the ARS saw is a beautiful piece of work, and also recommended. SOG Specialty Knives and Tools F10-N Folding Saw

This was my first folding style saw and i was very disappointed in sog with there work on this. There blade is flimsy and seems cheap even for a folding saw. Rather than saw through wood it seems to grind through it which makes you spend more energy than you should. Unlike most other sog products i own i would not recommend this.

This just simply isn't a super product. I have other SOG products that I really like and function well, but this tool just doesn't cut it for me. The blade is flimsy and tends to come loose, so I have to re-tighten it every now and then even if I don't use it! It's also pretty difficult to use, requiring a lot of work to cut through small branches.

Overall, I would not recommend. - Cheap'

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Ice Cube Tray - amazon oddities, fun

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Interesting product. Good idea. But for some strange reason these ice cubes melt quicker than ice cubes made in the "regular" ice cube trays. The "jewel" shape doesn't last very long either even with a beverage that's already chilled. Got a cheaper "shaped" ice cube tray at Ikea. Fred Cool Jewels Ice Cube Tray

I was in the market for some silicone ice cube trays and when I saw these Cool Jewels, I had to try them out. Their "neatness" factor is awesome, but unfortunately their "usefulness" factor is below average.

Do not buy these if you want a ice tray - the cubes are too small (melt quick) and since it's a wobbly silicone tray with many jewels that require a fill to the top, it's sort of messy. You're better off just buying the straight square silicone trays.

Do buy these if you want a novelty item to plink into guests' drink glasses. However, since these are pretty small and melt quick, you'll probably be buying quite a few trays.

It should also be noted that in order to get the perfectly clear ice cubes as shown in the pictures, you've got to move the water around every once and a while so that the air bubbles don't get trapped in the forming cube and cause the white spots. In other words, expect your diamond cubes to have some pretty visible flaws.

I didn't buy this product for making ice cubes; I bought it for molding plastic resin for making jewelery/magnets/etc.

As far as that goes, they worked, OK, not great, but OK. I think even for ice cubes their shape would cause issues. The fact that the molds get smaller at the top makes it really difficult to get the pieces out. Not horrible, but for craft use they're not my #1 choice of mold to pick when choosing what to make.

I've been collecting ice cube trays and things for my new Jelly Shot obsession Jelly Shot Test Kitchen: Jell-ing Classic Cocktails-One Drink at a Time...these make perfect jelly shots....imagine them jewel-toned and plated like a pile of treasure. Awesome!

When I ordered this, I was expecting the reusable plastic ice cubes. Initially I was disappointed that it was a tray but turns out the other plastic reusable ones I got were not all that great, so I am happier with these. The tray is soft and molds the jewels well. Works great, but better for special occasions rather than everyday use. Recommend. - Fun - Fred - Jewels - Amazon Oddities'

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Automatic Watch Winder - single automatic watch winder, watches

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Came quickly and is a nice little helper. So, I put my expensive Breitling in the cheapest one I can find, so what, I just want it wound! =0 )

It's plastic, not too exquisite, but gets the job done and still looks nice. Belocia Black Automatic Watch Winder

I bought this for my husband, he has a self-winding watch that he wore infrequently, and he was always complaining that it wouldn't start, or would not keep accurate time. Since he got the winder, the Belocia Watch winder keeps it running smoothly, and he has been wearing the watch more often. I searched a long time to find the best watch winder for a good price, and this one definitely fits the criteria for the money spent. It runs very quietly, you can hardly hear it running.

Worked great for winding the automatic watch I recently purchased. Like I said, the Belocia Black Automatic Watch Winder worked great, the watch failed to work though. Oh well, I sent the watch back and ordered a different brand automatic watch, (Seiko). I don't think I will have any problems with the watch I ordered and the Belocia Watch Winder works as promised. No complaints with the winder. Thanks Amazon.com.

Works very well for my Tag watch. Instructions forget to tell you that it rotates for 1 hour and then rests for 3 hours so I kept unplugging it & plugging it back in thinking it was broken but it wasn't. I only get to wear my watch a few times per week & it is so nice to have it reading accurately when I put it on.

The Diplomat Watch Winder is an excellent product, which functions just as it's supposed to. It winds in either clockwise or counter clockwise motion and has a feature which rests the winding mechanism, so if you leave it running, it will not overheat or wear out the winder too quickly. All of the features seem good and work just as they should. My only issue is, that for what the product is, the price seems a bit high. If you're winding a Breitling or a Rolex, the cost of this winding machine is probably chump change - HELL! You own a Rolex! But ... if you're winding a $70 automatic Seiko, your winder cost over half as much as your watch - for just a little plastic housing and a reversible motor. The bottom line is this, now that I have the product in my hand, I could not see it being worth any more than about $24.95. But I would like to see it more in the $19.95 price range. I paid like $35 or $38, and I feel like that's too much for what it is. If it was made out of stainless steel or cherry wood, then maybe it's worth closer to $40 or $50. - Rolex - Watches - Single Automatic Watch Winder - Watch Winder'

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Kindle Active Content

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I played up to level 46 for the review. The Quick games unlocked at that point are

Fifty Fifty -- choose between options Q and A

Add it Up -- Addition problems

Take-Away -- Subtraction problems

Multiply Trouble -- Multiplication problems

Divide and Conquer -- Division problems

Fill the Gap -- A problem like 2? + 12 = 41 is given, find ?

Decimal Danger -- Problems with Decimals

Fractions -- Problems with fractions

There is a countdown timer, and the game quickly rises to match your skill level. I got something of a Brain Age vibe from it. When I bought it, I was predisposed to nitpick it, but it turned out to be fairly well made. Recommended for anyone wanting to brush up basic math. Math Star

This game is GREAT for kids and adults! It bases your starting level on your age and allows you to move up from there. My 6 year old has fun with addition and subtraction games with one caveat: the game developer(s) have included a timer for each game at each level. For the younger players this is VERY stressful while they're still learning. I would recommend that a "relaxed game" mode be incorporated as an upgrade for this game. After all, it's supposed to be a learning game...give the kiddies time to think instead of the pressure of a timer (at least at the lower levels). Otherwise this is a GREAT game!'

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Secure Digital - digital camera accessory, memory 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 16 GB Class 6 SDHC Flash Memory Card TS16GSDHC6

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! - Digital Camera Accessory - Sdhc - Sd Card - Memory Card'

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Garmin Nuvi 265wt - garmin nuvi, gps

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The advantages are:

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

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

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

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

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Computer Accessories

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What's to say... it's an anti-static wrist strap! Basically it is put around your wrist while working inside your computer and cliped to an unpainted metal surface. What that does is ground you so that you wont accidentally zap your computer's motherboard or delicate electronics with a static discharge. If you work inside your PC a lot this is very nice to have, though not 100% necessarry (just touching a metal surface every now and then will work too). Don't ignore the danger static charge poses to your computer's inards. A spark of static contains several thousand volts of electricity and will easily burn out the circuitry of your expensive envestment of a computer. This is especially true if you live in a dy climate or have carpet, or otherwise are more prone to static build up. Take my word for it, it only has to happen once and your $1000 Computeing behemoth becomes one very expensive and unfashionable paper wieght.A strap like this is advisable to any who work on thier computers often or who live in static prone areas. This particular one is pretty good (they're all mostly the same). Only real complaint is that I wish the wrist band had been elastic instead of velcro. Belkin Anti-Static Wrist Band with Adjustable Grounding

The Anti-static strap is a necessity for any guru computer user who opens up the comp. case often. Static can damage components, so you either have to touch the case every minute or so, or take the clip portion of the static band and hook it to the case. It fits quite comfortably around the wrist and it's cord expands to about double it's original size, and the wrist strap and the cord disconnect with a snap. Overall, it's a good investment, considering the price is significantly less then the components you might damage.

I work on a laptop while walking on a treadmill, and since in the winter the air gets drier, I was getting and giving shocks to my laptop (usually via the fingerprint sensor but also through the plastic body or keys I think) every few minutes. So I surfed over to Amazon while on the treadmill, ordered this perfect solution, and a couple days later when it arrived (I was on the treadmill then too), I got some picture wire, wrapped it around the metal arm and secured it by sticking it under the shelves that make up my "treadmill desk", attached the alligator clip to the wire, put on the strap - which is easy to do even while walking with hands in front of me - and snapped the grommet into the strap's receptacle. Result: no more shocks, ever - as long as I remember to put on the strap. No shock the first time I snap in, either.

Pros:

* snap it in and forget about it - the small-diameter coils give plenty (3 feet) of stretch, and give enough warning if I forget to take it off before running for the phone

* no more shocks

* attractive raincoat yellow against black strap

* easy to attach strap due to just enough stiffness

* easy to snap in and out

Cons:

* the strap is pretty comfortable, but it is a simple length of velcro; the part against my wrist is smooth but it could be a tad more comfortable - but this is not an issue, just a nice-to-have. I took off one star (4 total) for comfort but kept the 5 stars overall.

I used this band in my recent PC build. I used very expensive components so I wanted to be protected against static electricity. I can report that while using this Band, I didn't have any incidents of static electricity discharge, which means it worked! It is very comfortable on the wrist, I can say that because I have a very wide wrist and still it was very easy to wear. The design is very good as you just connect the clip to a bare metal area on the computer chassis and the cord can extend long enough as to allow you freedom of movement to get parts and work in the computer without problems. Highly Recommended!

Hence the reason you can't read continuity with your multi-meter.

But you should be able to read and measure this resistance.

This isn't sign of a broken product.

This resistor has to be there for proper and safe function.

Google anti static wrist strap and read the Wikipedia link and you will find out how it's designed to operate.

The band is reasonably well made for the price, and is suitable for moderate use. It could be just a few inches longer, but is not bad. 17.5 inches not stretched, 44 inches at a reasonable stretch. The stretching has a little tougher pull than I would prefer, but is not bad. The wrist band is not elastic, which some may prefer. It fastens by a metal loop and Velcro strap, which can be a little of a nuisance to put on. If they made the metal loop 1/8 inch wider to allow the strap to pass through it easier, it would be better. The alligator clip can be removed, leaving an elongated pin that can be inserted into the ground hole of an outlet. Where the wire snaps to the wrist strap, the snap attaches and detaches easily. The snap rotates freely without any hangups. The usual 1 megohm resistance.

I bought it because i wanted to be sure that none of the components get damaged by my body static. I have built 3 computers so far, and none damaged component. Just think about it, you have hundreds and hundres of dollars on PC components, why not protect them with a $ 6 wrist band???...Great product...'

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