Guy Low Price Electronic: 15 Apr 2009

Wednesday 15 April 2009

Guitar String Winder - guitar winder, acoustic guitar

I'm so glad Ernie Ball decided to put out this tool. I've been using the manual kind for years and have been tempted in the past to get an attachment for my cordless drill. The reason I never did was that I was worried it would be too powerful for that purpose. This is made for string changing with just enough power and speed for the job and the right head to fit all kinds of tuners. I love it! Ernie Ball PowerPeg Battery Powered String Winder

If you change your guitar strings often, as you should. You'll find this product to be invaluable. It is battery powered and the batteries will last forever. It makes string changes and loosening strings so much easier than doing it by hand. Another interesting feature of this winder is that you can reverse the batteries polarity and make the winder wind in the opposite direction. This feature definitely comes in handy when working on some instruments. I highly recommend this product for its solid construction and durability.

I got one for my wife and it looked good but the batter case will not close. I have to tape it shut. the case close without batteries put then in and it will not close up. So I can not recomend this product to anyone.

This is the best thing since sliced bread. I love this tool. It makes changing strings so much fun. I look forward to changing my strings. I like to get new strings for all my guitars at once just so I can use this tool. The 6 feet cords that came in the same package were just fine but the enamel was already coming off of one of them. Other than that these both arrived sooner than promised and packaged very well. I will do a lot more business with Amazon.com.

Ernie Ball PowerPeg Battery Powered String Winder

It works just fine, but for a motorized tool, I expected it to spin more like a drill. It doesn't. As far as speed is concerned, with the same result, I could keep using the $2 peg winder found at my local music store.

However, when compared with a standard peg winder, the powered string winder is steady and smooth. It doesn't snag or bump into anything. Minus the speed factor, it's a good tool.

Do I like the powered string winder? Yes.

Will I continue to use it? Yes.

Do I recommend it? No.

I recommend purchasing a powered screw driver (c $15) and a peg winding adapter (Duck's Deluxe makes one for $5, Dunlop makes a 'turbo tune string peg winder' for $7).

Here's what you'll need to know about this product if you're interested in getting one.....

1. The 'head' accommodates multiple tuning peg sizes due to the slot config. That's a good thing.

2. The trigger is a rocker switch..... so you can wind and unwind,....quickly. That's a good thing, for the most part.

3. It is not variable speed. One speed. FAST RPM! It takes some practice and patience. Nothing special, just the will to get used to it. Initially, and until you get used to it, you'll have the head jumping off the peg. Don't 'fret' (bad pun)... a few minutes of rehearsal with it and you'll get to like it. I've opted to pull the trigger in short bursts so as to refrain from having a string change remind you of a NASCAR tire change in the pit.... and especially because when you get close to the desired tension you need to go slowly so as not to over-run it.

I would have much preferred a device that has a two-position switch.... 'slow' and 'fast' position on the trigger for more control. I've rated it 4-stars, not 5, not because there is anything 'wrong' with it or that it doesn't work. It does all that the advertisements say it will. It's the aspect of the device I had to find out the hard way that keeps me from giving it a 'perfect' score.

All in all, be patient and all will be well. Realistically, I don't need to change a set of strings in just a couple of minutes.... I've got hours if I chose to. I suspect most folks are in the same position. If you're a 'roadie' for a big group, I could see the need,...the need for speed. But, alas, I'm not. So, like some of the other things I've purchased along the way, I now have a new toy. I works. I'm satisfied...... for now.

DP

THEY SHOULD OF INVENTED THIS SO LONG AGO!!! I WAS AFRAID WHEN I BOUGHT IT THAT IT WOULD TURN TO FAST AND I WOULD BREAK THE STRINGS... BUT IT JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF POWER!!! IT MAKES PUTTING STRINGS ON YOUR GUITARS SO MUCH EASIER!!! AND WHEN YOU HAVE TO STRING ALMOST A DOZEN GUITARS BI-MONTHLY.... IT HELPS CUT THE TIME BY MORE THAN 1/2!!! IT WAS DELIVERED QUICKLY AND ITS EASY TO USE.... 2 THUMBS UP AND IF I HAD MORE THUMBS THEY WOULD BE UP ALSO!!! :-) - String Winder - Guitar Accessories - Acoustic Guitar - Guitar Winder'

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Dust Collectors - dust collectors, dust collection

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Ok, most people that buy this dust collector will probably not use it as much as I do so I might be a little harsh giving it just four starts BUT this might be something you need to think about. I run a small one man cabinet shop and I have a double drum sander. I put this dust collector right next to my Shop Fox 26" dust collector so that it would have maximum cfm pull on it and it works but with the 30 micron bags this has on it a lot of the dust just passes right by the bags. It's bad enough I feel like I'm going to die the next morning when I'm hacking all that junk back up. Not fun.

Anyway, if you plan on ever getting a semi-large sander you may want to get a canister dust collector or a cyclone dust collector with high enough cfm to cover the tools you plan on getting, otherwise you'll be selling this on craigslist for a hundred bucks and shop fox doesn't make a canister dust collector yet. SHOP FOX W1685 1.5-Horsepower 1,280 CFM Dust Collector

This machine is fantastic. The warranty is good too. I hooked this up to my thickness planer and man let me tell you "this thing really sucks"....but this is a good thing.

I shopped all over for this and Amazon has the best price. Free shipping helps but it did take a little while but it is very heavy so no complaints.

If you are looking for a well built central vac system for your shop then you have found it. I highly recommend this as your major dust remover and a great place to start for your system. I plan on hooking this up to numerous machines now that I see its performance and abilities.

The SHOP FOX is a great dust collector...quiet and powerful machine. The price is also excellent. The only problem I had was the directions...It was terrible. Luckily, I have a lot of patience but this instruction pushed me to the limit. I was able to put it together but took a long time. Other than that it works excellent.

A dust collector was something I always knew I would need once I started woodworking, but it was one of the later purchases I made. I'm happy I ended up with this one.

I originally was shopping around for the Grizzly 1.5HP that would work with 110/220V. When I ordered it, it was out of stock for a couple months. It was at that point that I remembered the "Shop Fox" name, as Grizzly sells some of their equipment as well. I ordered one first for my neighbor who was in the market for a collector, and when I saw how nice his was, I ordered the same unit. The best part is, I found this unit on Amazon for the same price as the grizzly shipped to my door overnight.

The setup of the unit took 20-30 minutes. It was fairly straightforward, although moving the motor around was interesting because of it's weight. It might have been helpful to have someone hold it while I was putting in the nuts/bolts. The instructions were basically a list of parts, and pictures of what to do. I was able to figure it out without much trouble.

The reason I was originally staying away from the 115v units was because of the power draw. This machine powers up with roughly a 16 amp draw, so it really needs it's own circuit, although once it's running, you can run smaller tools on the same circuit. I like the flexibility of moving the machine around the shop without worrying about having a 220v outlet everywhere for it.

As for the construction of the machine, it's definitely solid. The pipe that holds up the bags is solid enough that I don't worry about it folding. When moving it around, I like to make sure I push directly on the base, because I don't want any more strain on the bags than needed.

The air movement is also very good. I use both 4" inlets with one going to my Grizzly 1023SLW table saw, and the other as kind of a "floater" to handle other tools such as my Planer, router tables, and miter saw. I use the shop fox blast gates to shut off one or the other, but the flow is enough that I rarely have to. The airflow is strong enough that if I put the 4" hose behind my Bosch Mitersaw, it will suck small pieces of wood right off the table if you're not careful.

This machine gives a great bang for the buck, and is recommended for any small time woodworker like myself.

this little unit has a very nice small footprint. It comes with casters so you can move it around the shop or out of your way if need be, it went together in about 45 mins....yours may be faster as mine required some tweaking of the motor bracket in order to bolt it down. The unit though load is quite compared to other things like a shap vac for instence...it hums a long and it is amazing how much this unit can suck up before you need to clean out the bag. Why didn't I buy this sooner?...The one star knocked off is for the motor braket issue and also i was missing one bolt (thank god for the bolt jar right...lol) i have this unit hooked up to a table saw and a planer...i have not had much success hooking this unit up to my compound miter yet but thats my next project...can't seem to catch as much with that system as I like ...but on the table saw and the planer it was really heaven. I planned about 500 linear feet of 1x5 rough down smooth both sides and then changed the bag...just awesome..and most importantly it got it all....a quick note once running its a light draw so you can run this and a saw lightly on the same circut...just no 5/4 oak ok....enjoy

I previewed a whole group of dust collectors before making this purchase. I was very close to purchasing the 220V model that has a little more CFM, but due to the extra cost of running another 220V curcuit I changed my mind, and i'm glad i did.The 1.5 HP is plenty and the 1280 CFM is more vacuum than i expected. So far this unit has preformed with out any issues and isn't as noisey as the shop vac's that i was using. I read some where that, when your shop looks like a show room for shop vac's you need a dust collector, LOL. I would recomend this unit to any one or two man shop and by purchacing through Amazon.com I was able to save money and it was delivered sooner than some of the other venders offered. Thanks Amazon.com and thanks Shop Fox for an excellant machine that is preforming above expectations.

Taylor - Woodworking - Dust Collectors - Shop - Dust Collection'

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Speaker Systems - ilive, sound bar

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For this review I expected a good small footprint sound bar for a bedroom.

I got this sound bar at work because I wanted something better than TV stereo but nothing too crazy. This sound bar has good audio quality and even has decent bass and treble settings

It looks nice with blue lit buttons and a blue lit front display that dims when not in use. The iPod drawer is automatic and you don't have to press to release like many others. It can wall mount using two hinges that you screw into the wall and attach to a rail on the back.

By now you probably know that this product has no IR code for universal remotes. You should also know that the remote it comes with isn't great either. It seems like it only works well when you are directly in front of the sound bar and not too far off to the side. Also, it would seem a higher than normal percentage of these are DOA and don't power on for very long before dying. Just be aware and have it exchanged if yours smells like burnt plastic when you turn it on.

Pros:

-good sound

-ipod charger/player

-ipod video out to TV

-looks good

-easy to wall mount

Cons:

-high rate of DOA

-no IR code

-sucky remote

Trevsource iLive 2.1 Channel Speaker Bar with Dock for iPhone and iPod (Black)

My flat screen was difficult to hear and I knew I needed speakers..but no money or space for a big set I tried the sound bar. It works great, love that I can play my ipod on it too. Its not a "speaker" system with multiple speakers but for me it improved the sound tremendously

We bought this because our Samsung LN46A550 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV has terrible sound (we knew this when we bought it). But it was worse than we thought it would be - we had to turn the tv way up to make out what people were saying. This is a big improvement. The glaring omission with this product is that there is no way to integrate this with our At&t uverse remote. I called their customer service (be prepared to reach India) and they verified this. Of course, this is a sound bar designed to be used with a television - why wouldn't you include this capability? Every other television accessory has this simple feature and has had it for years. If we used a separate remote for every accessory, we would be using 4 different remotes! Big miss on that feature.

I wish I paid more attention to the negative reviews on this before buying it. The sound is Ok for the price. The fact that it won't work with any universal remotes is a big draw back. But the worst thing about it is that it constantly randomly turns on to the FM mode with the volume very high. It does this whether it is turned off or on and regardless what source it was on. It will do it every couple of days and is VERY loud! Sometimes in the middle of the night even. I can't return it and dislike it so much that I am [probably going to go give it to charity. I think this might be the first or second product review I have ever written, I only write them if I am really happy or really disappointed with a product. DO NOT BUY!

I have a 42" Samsung plasma with very thin sound in our smallish living room, and wanted to upgrade my with an external soundbar. I looked at and tested several on the market, in the store (Vizio, etc) and browsed some on Amazon and decided after reading a few reviews to bite on this one. The 2.1 sound was what I was looking for, and Ipod drawer and built-in subwoofer were a plus for me (we have an iPod touch and an iPhone and my wife really likes listening to her iTunes music when not watching tv). We also have a Wii hooked up to the same tv, which is capable of streaming movies, and a DVD player in this room.

I tried hooking this up to our tv or DVR cable box, and in the first 10 minutes could tell it wasn't going to work easily. Just to get the thing up and running and see how good the sound was, I got to the back of the cable box and connected the AV cables to the bar, and connected power to the soundbar unit. The sound quality was not too bad, and bass was definitely more prevalent than my tv's tiny built-in speakers. However I couldn't control it using the existing the remote, only the separate included remote.

I tried connecting this directly to the TV, which would have been the ideal solution, since then I would only need one wired connection for all our devices (cable DVR, DVD, Wii) and could also use the existing remote to control the input to the sound bar. For anyone who has a Samsung, your TV probably only has one audio output . So that was a total no-go. At that point I completely gave up, it simply wasn't worth messing with or trying anymore. I could have stuck with the cable DVR input and also connected it to our DVD output, but then the sound bar would be unusable with the Wii. Not a total game breaker, but more than I wanted to deal with. I looked at the soundbar's instructions and they had a very very basic diagram of a "sample" way to hook up your devices. However this was just a general guideline and really wasn't very helpful at all. Upon my 2nd attempt the next day to get everything hooked up, it was clear this just wasn't going to happen. It would be possible to get an audio converter box to connect 4 or 5 devices to your sound bar through the second Aux hookup, but they don't even tell you this. Just have a bunch of devices connected with one "arrow" in the flow chart diagram. Yeah... OK. Without any external add-on, it's only possible to hook up a maximum of two devices - plus your iPod. I have three devices.

Also in the picture of the item, I would say the soundbar appears to be at most about 3 - 3.5" deep, which would be near the maximum ideal size for most flat screen tv's. In reality, the speaker bar was 4.5" deep, which looked really awkward with and was difficult to integrate into our existing entertainment unit. Ours is a TV on a very compact entertainment center / stand, not mounted on the wall in our apartment and I had no desire to mount either one on the wall. I had to move the tv (which is only about 2" thick) all the way back on the entertainment center and get the speaker bar arranged to the front with a minimum 4 inch gap between the base of the tv and the rear of the sound bar, unless the sound bar had to balance precariously on the TV's wide, flat base. It just looked really awkward and would benefit from having "legs" that could slide under your existing flat tv's base as I have seen on other units. After moving as close to the tv as possible, the top of the sound bar was also tall enough to block the bottom half of the bezel of my TV, not terribly bad but not what I hoped since it broke up the clean look. Finally, since I couldn't control the sound with my existing cable remote (which also controls our tv), it became even more frustrating. I have thought about setting it up in our bedroom, by using 2 separate inputs, one for the cable box and one for the DVD, but depending on return shipping, will probably end up returning the item and going another direction. - Speakers - Ilive - Sound Bar - Speaker Systems'

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Automatic - automatic, letter openers

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This battery operated letter opener works great! It meets all of my expectations, and my co-workers love the openers I gave them also. This model is a bit larger than openers I have used in the past, and the ergonomics are better on this one. I highly recommend this product. Martin Yale Premier Automatic Handheld Battery-Operated Letter Opener, Concealed Blade, 5-1/2" Long (1624)

This is the best product I've every seen for opening letters. Not only simple to use and very quick, but it also keeps letters that you want to save in the envelope very clean and neat. I've given serveral as gifts - great for the elderly.

The Martin Yale envelope opener effortlessly slices envelopes of various thicknesses. One can use it to open envelopes from either long or short side. It even opens manilla envelopes. I don't know how I've lived without it at the office! I may even get one for home. Super!

I have an inordinate amount of mail, and it was beginning to bother me to have to open all of it every day. I thought I would only be able to find the little openers that become dull in a short time and get lost in my mounds of paperwork. The only reason I considered this opener was the reviews. I ordered one hoping for the best, but when it came, it did not work. (Bummer.) I decided to give it a second chance still thinking of the reviews. It changed my life! All those letters I previously dreaded are actually welcome (even the junk mail) just because I get to use this little critter! Possibly once the new has over I won't get excited opening mail I don't want, but as it stands, I love to use this little thing! I even bought one for my neighbor and my sister. Try it - you'll like it!

I thought I'd give this letter opener a try since it's so highly rated and recommended by other shoppers.

Pros

----

- Fast

It takes about a second to open a letter.

- Small

The device is small and won't take up a whole lot of deskspace. It's probably a bit longer and taller than a full-sized stapler. It fits quite snugly in your hand if you want to hand-hold it.

- One-Handed Operation

You can either hand-hold the letter opener or set the letter opener on the desk and feed the envelop with one hand.

Cons

----

- May Cut Contents

The letter opener opens an envelope by shaving off the edge of the envelope. However, it cuts far enough from the edge that it may sometimes cut the contents of the envelope as well.

- Cheap Plastic

The plastic looks a bit on the cheap side. It has a shiny not matte texture.

---

The Martin Yale Automatic Letter Opener will make opening your letters fast and easy. Despite a couple of shortcomings, I like it!

Agree with the other reviews - great opener, makes going through the mail fun, works very well. Only caveat is that after a few years the blades get dull and it really doesn't work any more (you can kind of drag the envelope through, but at that point why bother?). Just ordered a replacement for my old one - at $10 a year (plus batteries) that's not too bad. - Letter - Automatic - Letter Openers - Opener'

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Playstation - controller, playstation 3 controller

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Well folks, now that the dust has settled from the Sony vs. Immersion lawsuit, Playstation 3 owners are finally able to feel the vibe again!

I purchased this controller today and I knew the only way to properly road-test it was on the game that made the Dualshock famous, Metal Gear Solid. After booting up the game, I walked down the hallway and got spotted by a guard. As he shouted, "WHO'S THAT?" the controller jumped in my hand - and I knew this was a smart purchase. As the guards shot at me, I felt the feedback of the bullets, just as I had 10 years ago on my Sony Playstation.

I picked out another old school Playstation game, Tenchu: Stealth Assassins. From Ayame's blades to Rikimaru's sword, each sword swipe and jump had excellent feedback.

Okay, so my Playstation games worked out. But what about my Playstation 2 library?

I popped in God of War, knowing I had to feel the swing of the Blades of Chaos. The controller vibrations felt a little lighter here, but the vibrations still occurred at the appropriate times.

Then I chose Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction. Who better to test a vibration controller than the Sultan of Smash? All the power jumps and smashes had the vibrations intact, but they still felt a little on the light side.

All right, so far I was two for two with my Playstation and Playstation 2 test subjects. But what about my Playstation 3 games? Could I possibly hit a trifecta?

I put in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and I decided to jump right into a heated firefight. The controller gave me feedback while shooting weapons and getting hit by enemy fire, but I knew my purchase was justified when Drake was near death: I FELT THE DUALSHOCK 3 PULSING IN SYNCH WITH DRAKE'S HEARTBEAT. It's one thing to hear that noise and know he's near death, it's quite another to feel the pulse in my own hands.

Okay, so the feedback on the older games was there, but a little lighter than I remember. The reason? Well, when I decided to go wireless on my Playstation 2 system, I bought a Logitec Dualshock controller. It turns out, that controller takes two "AA" batteries, and the vibration motors inside the controller handles are slightly larger than the ones in the Dualshock 3. That's where I felt the difference.

The Dualshock 3 vibrations may be slightly less than the Logitec controller, but it doesn't require the purchase of batteries.

The Dualshock 3 may be slightly heavier than the SixAxis, but it doesn't take up any extra space at all.

Sure, the price is about $15 more than the SixAxis, but it's a worthy upgrade for the Playstation 3 gamer who kicks it old school as well as new school. The only other drawback is the lack of an additional USB cable - but we can use the one that came with the system itself.

So what's the final verdict?

Order it, plug it in, charge it up, and get ready for the inevitable downloads from the Playstation Store to make the older PS3 games Dualshock 3 compatible.

I wouldn't recommend a feedback peripheral without providing my own feedback...

Enjoy! PS3 DualShock 3 Wireless Controller - Candy Pink

I was already extremely happy with the Sixaxis controller, but I could not resist getting the DualShock 3. Not only do you get the rumble, but also, it feels much better in your hands, even for those games that do not use this feature. The rumble function is fun, but on top of that, it helps with gameplay, because "feeling" what is happening provides a lot more feedback than just watching how your character or car reacts to the environment.

The biggest surprise of all was that the rumble works with PS 2 games in the PS 3 system. I am currently playing through "God of War", a game which had the rumble capability in PS 2. I thought that it was unlikely that I was going to get this feature with this new controller in the PS 3, but it worked perfectly.

I know that having to buy a new controller and basically discard the one that came with the system is not the ideal situation, but I have to say this product is really worth shedding the extra bucks.

The Playstation 2's highly regarded DualShock 2 controller was considered by many to be the best videogame controller of all time. So when you've got a winning design there's no need to change anything. However, because of a legal battle with Immersion over rumble technology, Sony was forced to offer their Sixaxis controller without rumble. The Sixaxis had the same Dualshock design but it felt too lightweight and cheap. Thankfully the lawsuit has been settled and rumble has come back to the Playstation.

For the most part, the DualShock 3 is almost identical to its PS2 precessor. But it has all the features of the original Sixaxis controller in addition to rumble. The controller is still wireless, can be charged by plugging it into your PS3 (or PC), rumble is compatible with all PS1 and PS2 games, and the PS3 supports up to 7 controllers at the same time via bluetooth. Rumble in the DualShock 3 seems more responsive in regards to the location of its vibration depending on which side you get hit on during the games. I don't know if this is something in the design or if it's the developers doing it for the games but I welcome it.

All in all this is currently the best designed controller on the market right now. The PS2's DS2 was incredible so "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies here. I'll be enjoying rumble in my PS3 games from now on.

Do not buy the pink controller from Digistore, It is a fake, the joysticks are very stiff the buttons are taller and with dull ink, it also has a hard time syncing with console. Battery last 5 minutes tops. The sticker on the back is simply paper, not the plasticized decal on authentic sonys. Apearence-wise its a good fake, but use it and you'll know All the classic signs of a counterfeit. this isn't worth $5, much less $45 and two weeks of waiting. AVOID DIGISTORE, they are thieves who knowingly sell cheap knock offs. - Playstation 3 Controller - Controller - Dualshock 3 - Pink'

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One Person Inflatable Kayak

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I purchased 2 of these for my husband and me for our anniversary. It was money well spent!! I've never kayaked in my life, and just wanted something simple to try. The RAVE Sports Sea Rebel Kayak is everything proclaimed to be. I love it!.

Product comes nicely bundled in the carry bag, so you know how to repack it when traveling. The hand pump inflated it in about 5 minutes, and the paddles were simple to connect but very sturdy. Getting on and off the kayak is easy, and the "ride" is smooth and steady; no fear of tipping over! We inflated them at home, put them in the back of the truck, drove a few miles to the lake, and off we paddled! The bag and beverage holder attached to the removable seat is a nice feature too.

I don't think they are well-suited for ocean kayaking, but for a lake or lazy river, it's perfect! I don't remember if it was in the description, but there is a 200 lb. weight limit, so keep that in mind.

I highly recommend this kayak for beginners, or for someone who just wants to paddle around and explore. Great workout too! RAVE Sports Sea Rebel Kayak

got this last month and been going out every week to the lake. very easy to inflate and worth the money. fits back into the bag no problem. i wish the the sides were a bit taller to make the kayak sturdier. ive taken it to the ocean and holds up fine on light waves but any bigger i wouldnt do on this. get this for a fun leisure kayak ride.'

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