Guy Low Price Electronic: 9 Feb 2009

Monday 9 February 2009

Kite Boarding Shows - water shoes, kitesurfing socks

This is my second pair of FINIS Skin Socks, and I'm afraid that I won't be buying another.

They work well, and do the job they advertise. However, the seams on these socks are horrible. Both pair began to unravel along the seam within ONE week! (4 workouts) I thought the first pair was a fluke but unfortunately the second pair unraveled even faster.

I'll be looking for another brand. FINIS Skin Socks (Black, Small)

I love these socks. They do exactly what they're supposed to - stop me from getting blisters when I swim with my Zoomers.

As other reviewers have said, these socks are completely shapeless & would probably be really uncomfortable to wear out of the water, but they're great in the pool. I also have no problem putting them on in the middle of a workout (when my feet are wet but the sock are dry). They also dry out really well in the suit dryer along with my bathing suit.

My 10 year old is a competition swimmer. they swim miles every night, 6 nights a week. without these socks, he was developing HUGE blisters on the tops of his feet from the fins. My entire family uses these also when we spend the day at a water park, we wear them inside of our 'aquasox'. Without the 'skins' 12 hours in wet aquasox creates some nasty blister. Didn't give them 5 stars just becuase they do seem to fit a little odd since they don't have much shape of their own. - Fin Socks - Kitesurfing Socks - Water Shoes - Kitesurfing Shoes'

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Inflatable - inflatable, intex

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As far as this class of inflatable boats, its the best I have been in. The seats are large and very comfortable. The boat is big, wide, very stable and is easy to row with only 2 oars even with 2 guys in it weighing over 200lbs. I have been on Lake Ponchartrain with it twice in a bit of wind and waves and it done pretty well. As many inflatables, takes waves really well but wind and current slows it down. So its ok as a lake or seashore boat and it does well in inland waterways too. Tried it in the lake with a Minn Kota Endura 30lb thrust electric motor today for the first time. This thing runs around at a quick brisk pace with that motor. Used a deep cycle marine battery with 120 capacity and it lasted for hours of constant running with only a half charge. Then, out of no where the weather got bad and I mean bad. Wind kicked up some pretty high gusts and waves to full white caps. At first me and my bud thought we could be in trouble, that was until I kicked the motor up to full speed and it brought us right back in. It passed the test and it could be one of the better motors for this boat and you can get it for only $100. Great boat, nice setup. It belongs to my bud, I just ordered me the boat and motor mount. I will be getting the same setup. I also recommend a minn kota trolling motor power center. It has a battery gauge that can work as a 'fuel' gauge and tell you how much capacity is left and two 12v plug ins for CD players, VHF radios, GPSs or whatever you want. Even a cool refrigerator ice chest. Intex Excursion 4 Boat Set

As an apartment dweller in Michigan who loves to fish a little boat was on the top of my list to purchase. A boat that could be stored easily and compactly was a must. We have now used this boat several times on a small lakes.

Now the details; the overall quality was even higher than expected. The material seems to be heavy duty, and you do not feel like it could rupture at anytime. The listed capacity for this boat is 880 lbs and with only about 400 lbs (2 people and gear) it floats surprisingly high out of the water which makes it feel like a boat and not a pool toy. As an added bonus it uses a double hull design and as stated in the included materials even if the main (exterior hull completely deflates the craft can stay afloat. The included pump works, if you are using this every weekend you may want to upgrade. I found the included oars functional and they seem to be holding up well. A great advantage of an inflatable is the storage it is fairly compact especially given the overall size of the boat, and it actually fits back in its included carry bag with no problems. We even had enough space left in the carry bag to store two life vests.

The only problem with the excursion 4 is maneuverability in the wind. It is much easier to handle on a calm day, so if you live in a windy area an inflatable may not be for you. Overall I would highly recommend this boat and the price is well worth it.

Ideal for boating in lakes needing towing capacity of ~800 LB.

-- GOOD boat for fishing, and nice smooth ride in lake.

-- Does what it says taking 4 people.

-- Very easy to install to pump air, very easy to use.

-- More importantly delivers what it says for the money you spend, worth every penny.

The pump that comes with the boat can deliver, I went with buying a electric pump that connects to my car.

I have never used any kind of boat, was able to figure out its use in few minute's.

Fill chamber 1 then chamber 2 then chamber 3, fit your seats, motor mount if powered by motor and you are on a roll.

Takes about 20 minutes to fully assemble at lake or water body.

Keep the 10 cm tape that comes with the Boat, which helps to test (by comparing with the marking on the boat) if the boat is fully inflated

Great experience.

I just took my boat out last weekend on the lake at the campsite. It was great! Very easy to set up and break down. My family thought I was crazy to buy a boat like this but they were the first ones in. 3 adults and gear fit comfortably. It could hold 4 adults but it might be a tight squeeze. I am very happy that I bought this boat. I will be even happier when I get the motor.

This boat is soooo much fun. There was a delay.. and Fedex lost the boat. After waiting for a couple of weeks..from the 9th till the 24th I emailed Amazon customer service and told them I was disappointed the boat seemed to get lost and Fedex couldn't find it. It is easy to track the package with the Fedex link... anyway... Amazon sent a replacement in one day and we were out in the boat on Saturday... OMG... water was a little rough so sea sickness is not allowed, but the boat itself was just right. We are not small people, so each of us got a bench seat and we took the fishing rods used the fishing rod holders and picnic lunch.. we had purchased a small anchor from the local outdoor store and a 50 foot tow line to throw out from the dock where I live to pull ourselves to the dock when we got close. So we went out to sea.. Great oars, break down in half and can be used with tubing also. Pump is sufficient, but leave some time to pump it up. I was not quick. It looks exactly like the picture. Has handles to carry it to water after you pump it up near by. You first inflate the bottom then the side and then the lower side that comes out with the fishing rod holders. The seats are pumped up separate and then hook in to the boat. You weave your steady rope around the outside-insert your oars into the oar holders after you get in the water and you are good to go.... It was a lovely day in the boat... Express air out lids and folded it up and put it on my screened porch... Looking forward to many others. Use the bottom half of the oars when out by myself tubing or noodle chairing on the river... well worth the money. - Inflatable Boat - Inflatable - Intex - Review'

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Booklet Stapler - saddle stapler, stapler

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I bought this to center-staple 11x17 tabloid sheets into 8.5x11 booklets. It works fine. The pages need to curl up in the rounded part that supports the stapler, but that doesn't seem to create a problem. Stanley Bostitch AntiJam Standard Booklet Stapler, 20 Sheet Capacity (B440SB)

After being disappointed with declining quality of the saddle staplers made by another company I tried the Bostich and was thrilled at the ease of use. It isn't fancy but does the job, and doesn't require much pressure. Great for stapling newsletters!

Like some people who bought this "saddle stapler", I initially had great difficulty getting it to staple properly. When I made the purchase of the stapler itself, I also ordered a box of the recommended Bostitch staples. Just wanted to be ABSOLUTELY SURE that I had the correct staples to use in it.

Well, what "torture" I went through trying to get this device to staple small booklets I was attempting to assemble. The staples had to only go through a cover and eight pages of regular 20 lb. paper. It just would not work and jammed repeatedly, although the staples did actually fit into the stapler.

On a hunch, I decided to try other staples I had in the house. Found some old "Stanley-Bostitch" staples that were laying around and they worked so much better! Having said that though, I only had found enough to do 50% of the current job. At this time, I noticed that the "Model #s" of the two kinds of staples were different.

To make the blame thing of some benefit to me, I decided to search all over my city for the old type of staples. Six major retailers later, I could not locate 'em. Finally decided to do a search on the internet to see if I could find a supplier of the "OLD" staples I had on hand (that worked). I did find such a supplier and ordered a supply of 20,000 - hoping & praying that these would actually work in this saddle stapler when they arrived.

They were delivered here yesterday by courier, and lo and behold, they do indeed work quite well. The moral of this story is that you MUST have the exact, specific staple in order for this machine to work. DO NOT depend on the advice of the manufacturer as it pertains to which staple to use.

Both the staple that works (Model # SBS19 1/4CP) and the one that doesn't work (Model # SB35 1/4 - 5M) are made by Bostitch (sometimes referred to as STANLEY BOSTITCH). Just as an aside, the "1/4" refers to the length of the staple leg and I believe that the 1/4" size is the length you should always purchase for this stapler. The "CP" refers to a type of staple called a "Chisel Point". The chisel point style of staple penetrates the paper better and I always try to buy this type when purchasing staples.

In a certain sense, it was just a fluke that I discovered how to make this saddle stapler work half decently. No thanks to the ding-dongs at Bostitch!

Making booklets or brochures one often finds that a normal stapler just won't reach to the center. You might at first try a 'long reach' stapler, which helps, but for booklets in particular where you are stapling right on the crease, this booklet stapler is absolutely the way to go. It saves lots of time, it is fun to use, solidly built, and gives really professional looking results with the staple always placed in the exact center of the crease.

Excellent for making 'zines, newsletters, CD booklets, manifestos, anything up to 25 sheets, which gives you 100 pages.

In addition to using this for work, it is also great for making little mini-books for kids to draw stories in.

If you are cutting to size, staple first, then cut afterwards for perfect cutting alignment.

We bought this one over the more expensive competitor based on the reviews here. We were not disappointed: This stapler easily binds our booklets which have 10 sheets (20 pages) plus a heavy cover. 100% satisfaction, five stars.

Now, for staples. We had a box of cheap staples hanging around. These don't penetrate the paper very well. Name brand staples with nice sharp points work fine. If the staple doesn't drive cleanly and easily through 10+ sheets, try another brand. Please note, purchase only .25inch staples for this stapler, it doesn't handle longer staples.

The "Stanley Bostitch Standard Booklet Stapler" is a very solid (read heavy) saddle stapler that makes binding pamphlets and booklets a breeze!

This stapler is very well made and is mostly metal. No worries about this stapler shifting when being used since the rubber feet and weight ensure that this will not be likely to budge.

We have not had any jamming problems or failures of any type.

Highly recommended! For those looking for a very light use stapler for pamphlets and booklets, consider SPR01316 - Long Reach Stapler, 20 Sht Cap, Standard Staples,Putty/Black.

The book stapler in the beginning was excellent. I was using it to staple 2 page books together for a kindergarten project. After using about 1000 staples, the staples began to stick and I had to keep removing them. It was very frustrating. Maybe a different kind of staple would work better,but the stapler itself was very easy to operate and really great for making the booklets.

I received the item quickly and used it to staple several hundred eight-page booklets with cover. It worked well until there were about eight staples left in the stapler, and then it started to jam. Once the stapler was reloaded, everything worked well, until there were about eight staples left.

Good price, however, and otherwise a perfectly functional stapler. - Saddle - Stapler - Zine - Saddle Stapler'

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Firefighter Suit - aeromax, firefighter

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I bought this costume for my son for this year's Halloween. It has gotten a great review from our friends and family. The material is great and looks very real. I already have request from family to save it for their son next year. My son enjoyed the costume a lot. The sizing is a bit confusing. My son is 3 years old and the 2/3 size would fit up to 5 year old child. Aeromax Jr. Fire Fighter Suit with Helmet, Size 4/6 - Tan

I had looked everywhere for a fire fighter suit for my grandson. His dad is in fire school so he wanted to look just like his dad. This one is exactly the same color and everything so he was so proud when I gave it to him. He even won the costume contest at the mall. The quality of the suit was amazing and it was shipped very quickly. I will certainly use Amazon in the future and recommend them highly.

We bought this suit for my 2.5 year old son for a Halloween costume. (My son wears sizes 3/4T, so the suit is a little big.)

The high quality of the fabric, fasteners, and seams make it perfect for imaginative play all year 'round.

The suit is so well made that I can't imagine it falling apart. He loves it, and the value -- 2 full years of play -- is remarkable.

My son loved this. It looks fairly realistic compared to all the other fire fighter costumes that I looked at. And it has no plastic or vinyl running thru it....all fabric. It runs a little big and is a little darker than tan. More like a deep beige. But all in all still worth the money. My son put it on as soon as it was dropped off and hasn't taken it off yet. :) Fast shipping, reasonable and packed nicely.

We got this for our 2 1/2 year old son. His daddy is a volunteer fireman and he decided he wanted to be a fireman for Halloween so instead of spending money on a costume that would not last we found this and bought it. Let me tell you, the hardest thing is trying to tell a 2 1/2 year old that it's 90+ degrees out and he can't wear it 24/7. He really does want to wear it all the time, even to bed! He has older sisters and we have to go to school games and events and needless to say our little fireman is there.....uniform and all!!! Wonderful product and will last a VERY long time. We did order the next size up and it is adjustable so still fits him well with a lot of room to grow.

I purchased this costume for my son, and he loves to wear it all the time. We have received so many compliments, especially from several fire fighters who have told me the costume is the most authentic looking fireman's costume they've ever seen. This costume is sturdy and will stand up to years of imaginative play!

Before buying this suit, I read all of the reviews that praised its quality. Those reviews were right on! This suit is very realistic and made extremely well. My 4 year old wants to wear it every day.

Very sturdy and authentic looking costume and my 3 year old loved it. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a fire fighter costume. Only complaint was that the seller never replied to my email regarding the shipping status but I was happy to receive it in just over a week.

This thing puts the other kids stuff to shame.

It is expensive, but if you have a child that loves to play firefighter, this one will hold up to years (or until outgrown) of play. Beautiful detail, and great construction with heavy woven fabric that can be repaired if any stitching comes loose.

The helmet also has an inner suspension like a real hard hat, so it can be adjusted perfectly and stay on when running in circles screaming siren sounds at the top of your lungs.

I bought the size 4/6 for my boy when he was 4 1/2, and it was a little big. At 5 it fits him almost perfect, and he should be able to year it for maybe another year thanks to the loose fit.

My son has worn this costume for the past two years. Originally purchased in 2008 for Halloween, it has since become more than just a fireman costume. Sometimes it's an astronaut suit, sometimes it's an action figure suit. All in all, this is one of the best playthings we have bought for him. It's held up remarkably well - just one small issue with one of the hooks on the strap. Otherwise, it has taken a lot of hard playtime without and rips, tears or fading. - Firefighter - Costume - Aeromax - Kids'

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Drafting - pencil, mechanical pencils

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I have been using this mech Pencil through its many incarnations. Each time it changed owners I was tasked with finding it yet again. When I purchase this pencil it is in groups of 5 to 10 units. I am a professional Engineer and have relied on the mech Pencil possibly for over 15 years. I have yet to find its equal in all aspects.

The only drawback to this pencil is that if you drop it (by accident) point down on a hard floor, most likely it will be damaged beyond repair/use. Thats one reason why I purchase more than a few at a time. ALVIN Draft Matic Mechanical Pencil Size 0.7mm

I purchased this pencil because of the great reviews. I like mechanical pencils because they don't have to be constantly sharpened to look nice on the page. However, I have gone through a lot of them. I decided it would be worth the money to invest in one that would last!

This is a WONderful pencil! It writes beautifully, is comfortable to use and I don't spend 1/2 my writing time advancing lead (due to breakage). I have to order 3 more in order to be able to keep my own. My husband wants one, my college freshman needs a good pencil for his math course and my 8th grader is constantly borrowing mine for pre-algebra. We all agree that we've never used a mechanical pencil as good as this one! It's worth the investment - you'll not be sorry!

These pencils are a joy to work with. Each size: .35, .50., .70, .90 is color-coded on the barrel. Each barrel is a single color: yellow, black, blue, and red. The barrels are rubberized over (probably) brass for a great solid feel. There is absolutely no slack movement to the pencil at all. It feels like one piece when you are writing with it. The pleasingly different barrel colors make it easy to identify each lead size whilst working. A normal 2mm white vinyl eraser is hidden behind the end cap. The eraser is Staedler-Mars-quality, i.e., the best in class, albeit small. The grip is a finely finished knurl that is easy to hold and won't torch soft fingers. It's more finely crafted than Chinese or Taiwanese-made pencils by a longshot. Mine were made in Germany, as indicated on the chrome-colored clip.

The advance mechanism works smoothly for all sizes and the lead tube seems very solid. Cleaning the broken leads from the pencil is pretty easy using the cleaning rod included (inserted) on the eraser under the end cap. I use 2B leads in all my pencils and the mechanism in the D-O-M held them in place with no sagging and no breakage due to the tube. The lead advance was uniform throughout the range -- which is rare for pencils in this price range.

I should emphasize that Miller Blueprint in Austin, Texas used to sell these for $6.95 each until they were discontinued in 2009 (I can't comment on when or if Miller will carry them again): This is the best pencil you can buy for that price anymore. The Koh-I-Noor rapidograph mechanical pencils have transferred from made in Germany to Made In China within the last 10 years and the quality has dropped to "do not buy -- use a Papermate instead." The Koh-I-Noors were the only pencil that even comes close for the price.

I highly recommend the Alvin Draft-O-Matics if you can find the German variety. The price is unbelievably good for such awesome quality (as witnessed by the $22+ pricetag on Amazon and E-Bay recently.)

The Alvin Draft-O-Matics are easy to use due to their color-coded barrels, knurl pattern, rubberized texture, consistent advance, and top-notch erasers.

There are other, better pencils out there but you'd have to pay $100 more for the same quality in a more exclusive, stylish package.

The only reason these pencils get 4 instead of 5 stars is because the silver screen printing ink on the rubber barrels is about ½ way worn off after less than 4 years of use. It would be awesome if it was laser-etched or relief-stamped.

I use this pencil all the time. It's ultra durable, and it's good for all manner of usage. Specifically, I have found that it's especially useful for drawing and doodling. The metal tip even prevents the lead from breaking off while writing--a plus if you've ever used regular mechanical pencils. At under ten dollars, it's a great bargain as well.

In short, I really love this pencil. =)

After losing my last office junk drawer pencil, I ordered this one.

Best. Pencil. Ever.

Remember how you always click to advance the lead of your pencil before you use it, because the lead is always broken off from the last use, dangling in the cylinder and waiting to fall out when pencil hits paper? I keep habitually doing that with this pencil, and then having to retract the lead since it wasn't already broken like all my other mechanical pencils! Tried the fancy Cross gold-plate pen/pencil sets, and countless plastic disposables touted as refillable. This is the best.

Pencil-twirlers: get a few wood pencils to twirl. It may not look as special as some golden pencil-prop, but as you come to respect the awesomeness of this tool, fear of dropped-twirl-induced breakage will produce twirl-withdrawl symptoms in some users. Does it break when dropped? The world may never know.

I have only used it for a week, but I'm very pleased with the mechanical pencil! Nice grip. It feels quite sturdy, I have a feeling this will be a mechanical pencil that will serve me for many years to come. I'm glad I spent a bit more for a high-quality product. - Mechanical Pencil - Mechanical Pencils - Pencil'

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Barbie Nail Printer - nail art, gifts for girls

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My girls live on the computer, so when they told me they couldn't get the Barbie Doll'd up nails to work correctly I was ready to pack it up and return it, but I took a couple hours out of my schedule to play around with it. The main problem is the alignment, and you just have to get "The Hang of it", after we figured that out, we had loads of fun with it. Get it centered and move the side guides in to match your fingernail, when you are ready to print, make sure that none of the skin at the base of your nail is visible on the "camera" screen, this eliminates getting the ink on most of your finger. I left the designs on my nails for work and alot of my clients noticed and were very impressed! I don't know about my kids, but I couldn't wait to get home and play with it some more. Already looking for ink refills to stock up, but haven't been able to find a source online. This is the coolest toy if invest the time in figuring it out. Barbie Dolled up Nails Digital Nail Printer

Do not bother purchasing this overpriced piece of junk. I bought for my 7 year old daughter who could hardly contain her excitement on Christmas day upon receiving it. After 3 days of trying to get it to work, installing and uninstalling the software, installing multiple updates, multiple 'could not connect to printer messages' I finally gave up and returned it today. The few times it did actually work, the picture was a blurry mess and never printed where it indicated it would.

I also noticed this morning the Toys R Us no longer displays this item on their website..hmmm. When I returned it, the salesperson told me they have received many returns on this item..clear indication of the quality of this product.

Great idea..poor execution.

DO NOT BUY THIS!

I'm sorry that this product is getting so many bad reviews. I bought it for my daughter for Christmas. She was so excited. On Christmas night after she went to bed, I loaded the software and completed all the set up. I noticed some people had alignment issues. You have to align the printer by inserting the alignment card into the nail slot and getting the red test line to move to the center. I had so much fun practicing on my own nails that night. The next morning, we did my daughter's nails and she couldn't be happier. There are so many cute designs to choose from. We've been doing her nails every week since and we still haven't repeated a design. It's blurry only when she wiggles during printing or we didn't set the printer totally flat. But, we love it. You just have to get the hang of it. It's worth if for such unique designs.

First warning: S/W only designed to work with Windows XP. Says it will work on Vista, but I never got it to work. Took forever to set up on our old XP machine, but once up and running, my daughters thought it was fun.

Then the XP machine died and it took six months to find a solution to make it run under new Windows 7 machine. You need to pay $80 more to upgrade from Window 7 Premium to Windows 7 Profressional, then install virtual PC and XP mode. Runs fine but I have to be around to start it for my daughters because of the complexity of the steps to get is running.

All told, it's cost me $330 for this 'toy'. Worth it, heck no. Your better off taking you daughter to have her nails done. For this money, that's quite a few visits and the results will be better and last longer.

We purchased Barbie Doll'd Up Nails with much hesitancy for our daughters (ages 8 & 7). We thought, No way could this actually deliver what the commercial shows. I am very happy to admit that I was wrong. BIG TIME!

We opened the box and set up time was about the same as with any other HP InkJet printer. It comes with all necessary cables and installation software. Set up time was less than 30 minutes- including reading the instructions.

Once up and running, it took about ten minutes to thoroughly understand and execute the how to properly align the camera and the ink cartridge. (This is the most important part, and should be checked before each use)-NOT each finger, but each day you turn it on and start a session) We have only had to make adjustments one time after the initial setup.

Now, were ready to do the nails. You have to use a nail polish (included) before the printer and a clear coat sealer (also included) after to insure the designs do not rub off. This thing works like any other printer, you pick a design, either one of the 1200+ included or any JPEG image or clipart. You insert a finger, take a picture of the the finger nail with the Doll'd Up Nails, size, rotate, customize color of the image you want to print, then re-insert the finger, set it in the image of the fingernail you see on your computer screen, then hit the print button on the printer. BAM! You have "Doll'd Up Nails"!!!!

It's so easy to use, within 10-15 nails printed, my kids had it down better than me. I have not yet turned them loose to use unsupervised, but I believe they could handle it from start to finish.

Believe the claims, it really does what the commercial shows, and it does it well. We couldn't be more pleasantly surprised!

I would like to add my voice to those who have already expressed their frustration at this piece of junk. The software is horrible. It is outdated right from the start (it is explicitly stated that it works only with outdated versions of Windows). If you purchase this toy and would like to use it, your options are to downgrade your computer to an inferior system, or to buy some additional professional software and to go through some very complex manipulations (no recommended by Mattel) to start the printer every time. And Mattel laughs at you and tells you that you are on your own. Don't repeat my mistake. Don't buy this piece of junk!

This is a great toy. I emphasize "toy". It is not a high dollar nail printer for adults (eventhough I have a lot of fun playing with it). It will not give the professional results of a $1000 printer. I bought it for $135 at ToysRUs. My girls love it. Great for team spirit - nails can be printed for sports/school events. Holiday designs are really fun. It has a multitude of designs and we have created our own designs by importing photographs of people and flowers. A high quality photo will result in a better printed design. It is very easy to use.

1. Paint nails with a base coat.

2. Apply a thin layer of special base that is designed to accept the printer ink, let dry.

3. Insert your finger into printer per directions and take a picture of your nail.

4. Click on the design you want.

5. Adjust the design if you want by changing colors, enlarging, reducing, rotate, etc...

6. Re-insert finger per directions, align it with the design and print.

7. Apply a clear topcoat.

If you make a mistake or change your mind, you can remove the design by washing it off before you apply topcoat.

Practice will help increase your skills. I have 5 daughters and 4 grandaughters (along with their friends) who love this little printer. They have used it over and over. The children feel so proud of their designed nails. My youngest is 11 yrs old and she can print her nails without adult assistance. If you know a child who loves painted fingernails, this printer would be a great gift. I would recommend the Barbie Nail Printer.

As for educational value - They learn to use designs by changing colors, resizing, rotating, flipping the design, aligning, creativity, helps with aligning finger to designs using eye coordination, fine motor skills, importing, saving designs, and general use of computer and printer.

Durability - Great! It keeps performing well. Younger kids have dropped it and it has been used a lot. If it can go through all my family and friends and keep going - I give it a 5 star!

The only negative I can think of is sometimes a nail will not print out correctly and you will have to start over. This could be printer error or a mistake made by the person. But it's not a big deal and only has happened a few times, no different than when they make a mistake using nail polish. - Gifts For Girls - Mattel - Nail Art - Barbie Nail Printer'

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Item Photography

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As a regular e-bayer, I'm always looking for a competitive marketing edge. This book clearly points a way to gain that edge by differentiating my offerings from a large majority of my competitors. I've often thought that most photographs used in e-bay marketing are mediocre, at best, my own included. When I see a good e-bay photographic presentation, I recognize the selling power that it represents, but I have rarely accomplished it myself. Sinclair and Livingston have produced a terrific book. If you read it and apply the material, almost anyone (including me) can produce "above average" photographs for their e-bay marketing. The book is a quick-read, but provides an excellent reference souce for later application of the material it contains. I've read a couple other e-bay books by Joe Sinclair and one thing I like about all these books is that they have a nice clean easy-to-read layout. Each chapter in this book has substantial stand-alone value. A chapter that may be a trinket to you might be a treasure to me, and vice versa. In total, however, the book will have great value to any serious e-bay marketer. If "a picture is worth a thousand words", then several very good pictures make a powerful e-bay sales presentaion, indeed. My conclusion ... a great book, complete, perfect for practical application. eBay Photography the Smart Way: Creating Great Product Pictures that Will Attract Higher Bids and Sell Your Items Faster

I have a good grounding in photography and was hoping for more detailed instruction on product photography. I learned practically nothing. There is a lot of very elementary filler material on general photography, digital cameras and editing software and Internet. The photos are not that great either. May be somewhat useful for someone who has no knowledge at all of these topics

I checked this book out at the library along with many other books. Since I'm taking photos for my e-commerce site I needed to have more advanced methods. This book is one that I keep coming back to as a reference as I worked and learned. As always when I find an especially useful book I buy it used from Amazon. Maybe someone who knows photography really well would not find this book useful, but I only needed tips on shooting items for the web. Not portraits or scenery or any other type of photography that I find taking up most of the "real" photography books.

With no formal training in photography I have quickly learned to make decent pictures that inspire people to buy my items. I needed to photograph hundreds of items quickly and with high quality. This book is the best I've found so far among the large numbers of books on photography. I have learned to take good photos from the very start with proper lighting. But along with that I've discovered that doing basic photo touch-ups are essential, even if done in a batch process. I have to process up to 500 or more photos after doing a shoot on a new batch of items, about 5 shots per item. Almost any other type of photography would pay much more attention on a per image basis than this, but I don't have time for that. It's hard enough getting all of these shots onto the web and cataloged. If I only make a few dollars I am not going to spend more than a few minutes on that item.

This book has some specific techniques that I found invaluable. I have made my own light tent and lighting system and I used the tip on having all the main lights overhead, using reflected light from the sides to give a more natural look.'

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Wireless Keypad - touchpad, bluetooth

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The following are my conclusions and observations following several hours of testing. It is possible that I missed a feature or two but I am quite confident that I was able to test all the major ones.

The setup and first impressions:

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I don't know why, I imagined a bigger device. I am pleased to note that the keypad is a lot thinner than I imagined - about half an inch thick and pretty light.

It fits nicely on top of any standard PS3 controller thanks to a clamp that, once it clicks in, it makes the keypad appear as if it was part of the controller's body. The three controller buttons that it covers: PS3, Select and Start are present on the pad at their expected locations but they only work when the keypad is attached to the controller. All other buttons work regardless of the keypad being attached or detached.

The keyboard is okay but it's better suited for larger hands (or long thumbs). As a Blackberry user, I find this keyboard less comfortable than that of a classic Blackberry - but I've been using Blackberies for almost 10 years already so I may be a little bit spoiled or maybe biased toward their ergonomics.

As far as workmanship is concerned, my impression is one of a well-built, durable device. It integrates well, visually and functionally with the PS3 controllers.

The setup:

----------

After a couple of hours of charging through the USB port (cable not included), the keypad is ready to use. Once the On/Off switch is set to On, all that's needed is for the keypad to be connected to the PS3 through a USB cable and the pairing is done automatically.

The workings:

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The keypad operates in two modes: as a keyboard or, interestingly, as a touch pad.

In keyboard mode, you get a QWERTY keyboard with well separated, round little keys. The letters, numeric and punctuation keys are where you would expect them to be but the special keys are not exactly at their familiar places and some of the less essential ones (PgUp, PgDn, End, Home and the function keys) are missing. Special characters can be entered with the help of 2 modifier keys (the Blue and the Orange).

Three special keys allow you to enable the touch pad mode or quickly jump to your PS3 message box or friends list icons - I did not find the last 2 very useful.

Until you make yourself familiar with some of the less obvious key combinations it's a good idea to save the instructions pamphlet (a 17"x11" folded sheet) found in the package.

The touch pad mode is very interesting in that, after pressing the 'touch pad key', the keyboard is disabled and a section of the keyboard emulates a laptop's touch pad and the 2 cursor keys emulate mouse buttons and you can interact with your environment as if you were using a mouse.

I am a 'knob' person as far as mouse emulation is concerned but, based on my testing, the touch pad mode, while interesting and innovative, is not very well implemented. For example, while in Browser mode, it does not allow you to scroll down your browser window, something that is easily and intuitively accomplished with the R3/L3 analog sticks. The cursor, when controlled with the touch pad was jumpy, either moving from one corner of the window to another or, sometimes, not moving at all. The good news is that all the controller buttons, including the sticks, are fully functional all the time so, people like me, won't have to use the touch pad.

Brief evaluation:

-----------------

+ Bluetooth device, does not require dongles or wires

+ Replaces a full-size keyboard, well suited for entering passwords or brief messages

+ Perfectly integrated, physically and functionally with the PS3 controller - generally, it does not interfere with game play

+ Rechargeable battery

+ According to Sony (not tested by me) it can be paired with other Bluetooth devices (don't lose that manual)

- Adds weight to the controller

- Some of the special keys are placed at unfamiliar locations

- Keys 'real estate' wasted by assigning 2 keys to jump to the message box and the friends list

- Touch pad does not work very well

- Small hands may find it a bit uncomfortable

Before I started writing this review, I thought I was going to award this keypad 3 stars but, once I listed the pros and the cons I see that the negatives are relatively minor. The major disappointment is the touch pad but it's not something that I am going to miss because I am already happy with the R3/L3. 3.5 stars should be the fair score but I am rounding it up to 4 because my overall impression is positive.

With HOME now a reality, this is likely to become an increasingly useful add-on. PS3 Wireless Keypad

Before I received this keypad, I had a keyboard wired to the PS3 while playing games on the couch. Whenever I wanted to type a message I would get off the couch, sit on the floor, and type. When I saw this keypad I had a few reservations, but I knew I this would be a better solution.

From pulling the keypad out of the package and putting it to use is pretty simple but takes a little time. Pairing and charging work just like the controllers do. This product comes with no charge, so plug it into the PS3 and let it charge up. When ready the keypad clamps firmly into place resting on the controller with the keys away from the body. Turn the power on and it is ready to use. After calibration the keypad can be used as a touchpad with the touch of a button. Plus a couple shortcut keys are included for checking messages and viewing friends.

I usually play the PS3 at night in a dimly lit room. The keypad is laid out mostly like a normal keyboard; however there are a few minor differences. Because of my playing environment, I would find backlit keys to be a big help. Additionally the touchpad feature works, but is a bit difficult to properly navigate the finger motion to what should happen on the screen. Perhaps the touchpad feature takes more getting used to than the rest of the features.

One of my reservations was related to where the keypad rests on the controller. Being away from the body and above the R3 and L3 buttons, I was concerned they would get in the way making the keypad difficult to use. I have to admit this is not the case for me at all. The buttons are laid out so that they can be used comfortably; I had no problems pressing the keys. The keypad doesn't get in the way for game play either.

Overall this quality constructed product is designed well. While there are a few weaknesses, Sony delivers the functionality they claim. This keypad is priced in line with other Sony PS3 products and worth the expense for me. For those that type short messages and such, the PlayStation 3 Wireless keypad is worthy of consideration.

PROS:

Fits firmly on the controller

Easy to setup and use

Well designed quality constructed product

CONS:

Keys are not backlit

Touchpad feature not so easy to use - Bluetooth - Touchpad - Video Games - Wireless Keypad'

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Caps - hat, accessories

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This is a stylish hat that is very flattering. It's not bulky on the crown nor does it flatten out on your head. The picture looks steely-blue on my computer but the hat is truly black. The buckle adds a nice touch. I want one in every color! Black Knitted Newsboy Cab Driver Hat with side buckle

agree 100% with the review before me. love this hat! very stylish and warm. the color of the buckle is gold in case it isn't obvious in the picture. it isn't tight or snugly-fitting at all but it is not bulky, and the brim is solid and sturdy. it's very black, not grey-ish black as it appears in the pic.

Really happy with this purchase. For the excellent price, it looks great (love the charcoal color), fits very well too, and is overall a great deal. The buckle is gold and on the small side...just enough to add a bit of style, but not be too much hardware.

I got these hats (one in brown/one in blue) for my mom for X-mas -- now my mom has a much smaller head than I do, and when I saw this hat on her it was a perfect fit. She even stated that it could have been a bit bigger. So you don't have a small head, BEWARE, you have no room to work with-

This is a great casual hat, but I think I either must have a really small head ... or it's designed for women with large heads. I find that it slips down on my face because it's so big - so I bunch my hair up in a bun behind it to "fill it out" and keep it on my head. It's really cute, so I rated it 4 stars.

The product came as described and was shipped quickly, even though the weather had shut down some places' ability to ship. This made it to us before Christmas just as though all transportation and shipping providers were running normally. Thank you for the good service and the good product line. - Accessories - Caps - Hat - Newsboy Cap'

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Power Tool Accessories - crafts, hobby

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This is an excellent accessory for the already-versatile rotary tool. The trick to its use is to recognize the inherent limitation of all rotary tools.

They are high-speed, low-torque tools. The work is done in the same way that a dentist's drill works: Very light pressure lets the bit in effect shave away the material. As the manual says, you need to adjust the tool so the bit is very close to the workpiece, then slowly lower the bit into it.

This means you can't use the Dremel drill press the same way you would use a full-size drill press, where you can bear down on the lever and force the bit to dig into the work. If you try to use it that way, you'll get the "slop" that some other reviewers mention.

When it's used correctly-- and the manual makes it very clear how to do so-- this is a very good accessory to have. Dremel 220-01 Rotary Tool Work Station

This press is great for all those little odd jobs. As a hobbyist, I use this item often. The slop others mentioned in other reviews can easily be removed by adjusting the 4 set screws to snug things up and tightening the other nuts and bolts in the assembly. Any press will flex if its forced beyond its intended limits. When used as intended. This press does everything it claims and more. The fact it can be adjusted to work as a bench grinder only adds to it value. When combined with a cross-slide mini vise. It will also work as a mini bridgeport for light machining. I would have given it a 5 star rating. But because I had to take the whole thing apart and reassemble it the way it should have been done at the factory. I gave it a 4. All in all, its still a great addition for anyone that owns a Dremel.

Dremels' work station for their rotary tool is a great little station. You are able to bolt it onto your workbench if you prefer. Some folks don't think you need to but I like to work with different jigs and such and need a very stable base, so I bolt mine. And along that line of thinking is the fact that you can tilt the tool anywhere from 15° to 90° which will help you when you want to turn it into a sanding and polishing tool for more intricate work.

It has a great little tool "caddy" which they like to call the "Crows nest" that you can store some of your more favorite bits. Or the way I use it is to place the bits and collets I'm going to use for whatever project that I'm working on at the time because I put all my bits and things up when done and cover the station to prevent dust build up.

The telescoping tool stand holds the tool when you are using the FlexShaft(tm). The base of the station has both metric and standard symbols as does the depth gauge.

All in all it's a great station for the rotary tool. But, the one little drawback that I've found in my working with it is that with other stations like this one, the others usually have a strap to clamp the upper portion of the tool securely to the tool stand. I find this helpful when drilling fine holes into decorative stones that I tumble and polish. Without that strap, using the the fine diamond drill bits will sometimes try to "travel" across the stone which will cause scratch marks. But, the great feel that the handle gives you allows me to prevent that by very delicately bringing the bit down to the stone in minute strokes until the bit has the hole started and then it's drilling as usual when using a fine diamond drill bit. That's why I give this station a 4 out of 5. Really I'd like to give it a 4½ stars but that's not one of the choices! Also the great deal I got buying this tool through Amazon.com beats all other sites and stores. So guys, show the wife the tool, what can be done with it and the low price, and you'll be getting yours in the mail soon!

This tool works quite well for me as a light duty drill press in my activities as a silversmith. While I rarely drill through any thing much heavier than 24 gage [B&S] sterling silver with a bit any larger than 1/16", it works fine if you don't "hog it" and allow the bit to do the work. I have also used a #61 bit with equal success while drilling starter holes for pierced work, usually within close quarters where accuracy is important. In either case, ONE DOES HAVE TO FEED SLOWLY in order to avoid deflection in the bit itself. I have occassionaly used it for light duty grinding [of stones] although that is the usual domain of my Foredom flexible shaft tool.

I have a Delta drill press for woodworking. Each machine fills its own niche and does a good job in their respective roles. Just don't confuse their roles. I would recommend the Dremel for its intended design purpose. It would work great in most any reasonable hobby use such as model aircraft and/or model railroad construction, both of which I have enjoyed.

And, I am a retired mechanical and structural engineer that is pretty picky about his tools.

I purchased the 220-01 Workstation planning to use it as a drill press. After taking it out of the box, and assembling it per the instructions, I realized that it is horribly flexible, making it impossible to drill holes with ANY accuracy. I'm not that picky either -- I know that a $50 drill press/attachment will have its limitations, but even with the 1/8th inch drill bit, attempting to make a hole is impossible.

Trying to make a hole yields a disfigured slot. The tool holder will flex in one direction when you push down, and flex in the other direction when you pull back up. You end up with a disfigued slot that is of no use. It ruined a piece I was trying to work on.

The dremel tool itself is held tight ... It's the flimsy plastic tool holder that seems to have a lot of slop internally.

To make matters worse, the clamp that will let you rotate the tool holder 90 degrees (to use the dremel as a stationary sander, etc.) never locks tight, so if you aren't careful, the tool holder itself can rotate counter-clockwise.

This "workstation" is a waste of money if you plan to use it as a drill press, or want any sort of accuracy at all. - Hobby - Tools - Power Tool Accessories - Crafts'

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Hand Held Vacuum - hand vac, hand held vacuum

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I purchased this over the Shark SV736N 15.6-Volt sibling thinking that for the relatively modest price increase that the performance would be better. I was wrong.

First the pros:

*) Taking it apart and putting it back together is a breeze - very simple to figure out and no easy-to-break parts.

*) The motorized brush can stand up to a real use

*) The mounting unit is compact, easy to mount/unmounts with, and charges the unit.

Now the cons:

*) Battery life is only OK - you'll find it lasts a pretty long time per charge without the motorized brush and if you're only doing spot cleanup. But with the motorized brush or really big jobs, it can die pretty quickly. Be sure to read the manual, they really emphasize not recharging until you have fully discharged the battery or you'll shorten it's life.

*) The suction is somewhat sad. Kitty litter is about the extent of what you can pick up relying only on the suction.

*) If your job includes any powders (spilled flour for example), you'll clog the paper filter and your suction will go from somewhat sad to nonexistent. Here's a fun fact: to clean the filter, you need another low suction vacuum as powders cling to the paper filter and it's not rinseable. Replacements are about $10 a pop and include both the paper filter and the plastic insert.

*) The brush attachment is useless. It basically acts like a little broom, pushing stuff around, never getting sucked into the vacuum.

*) The motorized brush is excessively difficult to clean, so if you have pets and it fills with hair, you'll be spending a lot of time cleaning it as none of the hair seems to make it into the chamber.

As handhelds go, I find 6 weeks into it that I barely use the motorized brush for anything other than light touch-ups on some rugs, never use the brush, and only make use of the nozzle for general dirt and small chunks. Anything else and I'm back to pulling out the real vacuum. Just not sure it was worth the $60. Shark SV780 VX33 18.0 Volt Cordless Hand Vac

I bought this handheld for myself without reading any reviews... Needless to say I was very happy with my purchase! The vacuum really holds its battery charge and the attachments work great for everything. The attachment with the spinning brush is great for stairs, (I have two flights in my house) and I can vacuum two flights and pretty much everything else without it ever losing power. The dirt compartment is a decent size.. and it is bagless. I was debating buying a dyson, but I am very happy with the price and the performance of this machine. A must buy for someone in the market for a handheld vacuum!

I've purchased 7 dust busters over the past 6 years, each one giving out before the years end and never started out working great to begin with. This one is different-because it's not a dust buster - it's a cordless hand held vacuum that has a magnetic vacuum brush easily detachable. It also comes with 2 other attachments- one with a brush head, that I use for vacuuming PET HAIR on my pants/coats and works awesome, and another for deep crevice, which I use when vacuuming the hard to reach places IN THE CAR. I keep the charging station next to the kitchen table where I use it the most. The upright station is great because there's no mounting required (you can mount it) -it can just stand there and not look out of place, unlike other mounting charging stations. I use it to clean up food around the table, I use it to vacuum pet hair and human hair on COUCH, for incidental messes on the CARPET- spilled plant, popcorn mess after movie afternoon, great on the STAIRS, the area RUGS, the car. It does a great job everywhere, because it has the same suction power as a vacuum instead of crumby dust buster. I clean the filter once a week and man, does it pick up a lot of dirt, and grime and incidentally a lot of my own hair (I shed a lot myself!). I've had it only a couple of months, but I've never been happier w/ a hand held cordless vacuum before. Highly recommend!

I have 1 dog and 2 cats and I am amazed at how much pet hair this vacuum picks up in the car and on our carpeted stairs. I love the smaller attachment for the edges of the wood floors and under and around the couches. The larger attachment with the brush works wonders on fabric and carpet to remove pet hair and dirt. The only thing I would improve is the battery life. It's not horrible but I usually have to charge it once in order to finish all areas in my home. It does recharge quickly though. Overall, for the price it performs above what I expected!

We have a dog and stairs in our house and this thing is great. Works awesome on the stairs and the spinning brush attachment gets dog hair out of our couches. We are getting one more my dad for Christmas we like it so much. Well recommended but it is NOT a vacuum to use as a primary. Get a normal vacuum and use this for small spills and stairs.

>>>>>>>>> First - WHY did we buy this?

>> The brush attatchment. We have a cat.

>> When you buy a dustbuster, pay attention to the amps/volts for suction. Higher the better. 18 volts is the best we could find at the time - 17 months ago.

>>>>>>>>> Second - WHY did we keep this?

>> The brushes on this thing pick up ALL the cat hair - a dustbuster with brushes is a must for a cat owner and this dustbuster delivers.

>> The brush is probably the BEST thing about this unit and why we made the purchased. I have owned mine for over a year now. I use the Brush on this thing all the time (90%) and it works very well. It picks up everything, so far, on carpets and the kitchen floor. We have a kitchen rug that is dark blue and our cat is gray. The rug is her favorite place to sit so the rug eventually looks grayish blue -ha. The brush tool cleans ALL of this off the rug. No visible cat hair, crumbs or lint. The brushes spin very fast pulling in cat hair, cat food, a few small screws, my long hair and everything else up to this point.

>> Our unit still holds a very decent charge after about 17 months. We keep our unit on the charger - fully charged - when not in use. With the brush attachment, we can still use it for 2 minutes straight without losing any suction-without the brushes longer.

>> It is very easy to empty. IF you forget to empty it for awhile and it does clog the filter, I use an old toothbrush or a sweeper to clean off the filter real well. We empty ours about every 2 weeks, which varies depending on how much you use it. We use ours about 5 times a week.

>> The brush holds up very well and we clean the brush out about once a month - 5 min job. The brush assembly comes apart real easy with a small phillips head. Brushes are the same as any normal vacuum.

>> The filters are 3 filters for 12 USD. You only have to change the filter once 3-4 months.

>> Powder - We clean the kitchen all of the time and bake quite a bit, but we have not seen ours clog. We have had minor spills that cleaned up just fine.

There are no cons that I can think of at the moment. If there is one, I will update.

Feel free to leave comments or ask questions. I will try to answer as soon as I can. - Hand Held Vacuum - Handheld Vacuum - Dustbuster - Hand Vac'

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