Guy Low Price Electronic: 28 Jul 2009

Tuesday 28 July 2009

M_camera - battery charger, rechargeable batteries

This set includes 4 AA cells Made in Japan for Sony by Sanyo, as well as a timed charger, NOT a smart charger as its similar looking Sony variants. The Sony Power Charger can recharge 4 AAA or AA cells at a time. Unlike the Panasonic BQ-390 which I also used and reviewed, this Sony uses a timer to stop charging. The Panasonic BQ-390 has advanced circuitry inside to monitor charging through temperature, voltage drop, and the cell's internal resistance, so that you'll get more precise charging and less damage from overcharging of simpler chargers. Sony also offers a similarly advanced product, but this model is a cheaper timed model. It charges the 2100mAH cells for 8 hours straight, or 800 mAh AAA cells for 7 hours straight. If you charge a partially used cell, it will not detect when the cell reaches full charge, and might overcharge. It's best to charge a fully depleted cell with timed chargers. Sony Cycle Energy Power Charger with 4 2500 mAh AA Batteries

This is a timed charger, but well matched to the supplied 2100mAh NiMH batteries. The manual recommends charging after a full discharge, so it may overcharge your partially depleted cell or an older cell with lower capacity. As long as you recharge a fully empty, ~2100mAh cell, it shall be fine. The included cells, actually made by Sanyo-GE, are premium cells, and only surpassed by Sanyo's latest 2300mAh cells.

This was the best deal I found on rechargable NiHM batteries and that too these are made in Japan by Sony. It has a capacity of 2300mAh.

There is one problem with this. This charger does not automatically shut off when the batteries finish charging. So the first time I charged them, I kept waiting for the indicator to go off and I realized after 18 hrs that they are not going to go off.

So, though the batteries are good the charger is not. I would suggest people to go with another sony rechargable model that sells here for just a few dollars more.

These 2100mah Sony AA batteries and charger are the best I own. I have many different brands, Energizer, Kodak, Panasonic etc. and probably a 1/2 dozen chargers.As some may or may not know batteries that are "trickle or slow" charged will last a good bit longer. This charger takes about 6-7 hours before the full indicator light goes off. On quick charger 15-60 min ones they still fair well but of course not as nearly as long as slow charges.If you have a digital camera and are using disposable batteries this is a necessary cost saving purchase. So often in Camera reviews people complain "It eats batteries" It is best to have 2 to 3 extra sets and a set runs down - who cares! Throw them in the charger and switch sets.

This kit is exactly what I needed to keep my wife from throwing her camera in the junk drawer for good. The camera's flash would burn through the alkalines at a rediculous rate, and these Ni-MH power through hundreds of shots with ease. I'm really impressed - especially at the price.

SONY has updated this package ("Sony Cycle Energy Power Charger with 4 2500 mAh AA Batteries") recently. It now looks quite different from what was once shown on the Amazon product description page. For example, the old charger is silver in color, while the new charger is white. But beside colors, they looked almost identical, and even share the same model number (BCG34HLD). So is this really a new and improved model, or just a simple cosmetic update?

According to all the older Amazon spotlight reviews, the old model is a timer-based dumb charger. I'm happy to report that this is no longer the case. The new model is actually a 'smart' charger, meaning that it monitors each battery's voltage independently during charging, and stops when each cell is fully charged. In fact, it is very nicely designed for such a value-priced charger. Here are some things I like about this charger:

+ Charges 1-4 AA/AAA cells individually - no need to charge in pairs

+ Compact, one-piece design with fold-down AC plugs - no need for power cords or wall adapters.

+ Low-profile (just 1.1" thick) so it fits in camera bags easily.

+ Accepts 100-240V universal voltage.

+ Bad cell detection - indicator light flashes in case the resistance is too high (alkaline cell).

The average charging current is 360mA for each AA cell (actually 1.44A pulsed at 25% duty cycle), 140mA for AAA cell. That means it takes about 7-8 hours to fully recharge 2500mAh AA cells.

The included four SONY AA batteries, however, appear to be just the same old 2500mAh cells with a new shiny wrapper. This is very disappointing, because that means they will also suffer from rapid self-discharge problem after just a few cycles. So you always have to recharge those batteries the night before you need to use them (remember this is a slow charger). Keeping a set of batteries in the charger does not help, because this charger does not maintain a trickle charge after charging is done.

If you like this charger but don't want to take chances with those 2500mAh batteries, my recommendation is to get the "Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HLD4KN Power Charger with 4 Pre-Charged 2000 mAh AA Batteries" package instead. It contains the same BCG34HLD charger, but comes with four low-self-discharge cells similar to SANYO eneloop. It is even priced a few dollars lower as of this writing.

I have had the same batteries in my digital camera for over a week now. I have taken about 70 pictures, played around with my new digital camera, transferred images to my PC and the batteries are still going. I went through two regular AA batteries in a few hours before I got this. I would highly recommend this product.

I bought this without knowing what the charging time was. I took a risk since it was at an affordable price and found out to my dismay that the charging time is as follows:1-4 batteries:2100mAh Approx 7 hours 1700mAh Approx 6 hours 800mAh Approx 7 hours 700mAh Approx 6 hours I haven't used the product yet...I just got it today. I don't know. I might return it for the Kodak 1 hour charger one for the same price (18.99) but the deal is gone for this product, it's back to 19.99. Anyways...pretty fast shipping though =) - Battery Charger - Sony - Rechargeable Batteries - Nimh'

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Interval Timer Personal Round Everlast - everlast, boxing timer

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I bought this one because I figured if it broke I'm not out much money, I figured I might get lucky but I didn't. Sure enough the other reviews are correct, it is very cheap and very porely built. The batteries don't fit in well and the cover to them is tough to keep on. It worked for about 8 work outs and then it just went nuts and even by adjusting the batteries it won't work right. Save the 10 bucks and buy something different. This is a terrible product. I can only imagine how many of these end up in the local land fill within a month of purchase. Everlast Personal Round Timer

It worked great, for a few weeks. Now it just does whatever it wants to do. A piece of junk. I also got a pair of bag gloves from Everlast (they should throw an 'N' at the beginning of that) that fell apart after two workouts (even my inflated sense of self refuses to believe I hit that hard).

The idea was good, but Everlast failed in the execution. The bell is so low you cannot hear it, and the vibration feature is so weak, you cannot feel it unless you're holding it in your palm. I'll probably try a timer from another manufacturer. I assume that Everlast has different lines of products for people that are in the business of boxing, because what they sell to average consumers is of poor quality, including their corny DVDs.

I don't know what all the negative reviews are about. I really like this timer. It is so simple to use that I didn't bother reading the instructions on the back of the package. Very straight forward and the sound is loud enough for where I train (outside). And I really like the sound it makes. I have never cared for the shrill sounds that most of them make. Mine works just great, and other than changing the batteries now and then I have never had to do anything to it. I like it so much that I bought another one just to keep in my truck and one for my friend Coach Tara.

The timer is very poorly constructed, and is not durable. If there is any type of condensation it will malfunction. When working out, I like to go about 10 rounds and the timer will stop whenever it wants to in between those rounds. This becomes a pain, because now you have to take your gloves off and mess around with the thing. Do not buy.

I figured for $[...] how could i go wrong? well...by wasting $[...]. the round counter is always rounds behind actual rounds, it freezes, stops in mid round, all the other stuff you read in prior reviews.

i don't mind the limited features of only 30 or 60 second rest periods, and only 2 or 3 minute rounds. for the price i just wanted it to do what it was supposed to. i'm bringing it back to where i bought it, and will try to get a store credit. in the meantime, i'm back to watching the second hand on my wall clock

i boxed as a kid, and everlast was always the gold standard of gear. maybe they should refocus on quality, and forget about all the designer clothes and made in china junk gear.

Addendum to original post:

I have found that by using good, new Duracell batteries, I can increase the reliability by about half. It still occasionally drops rounds, 'forgets' to ring, freezes, etc, but is reliable enough to use in my garage. i still find myself going....."whew', this round seems long, and look over and it's stuck or frozen, but with a real timer going for near $100 bucks, it's tolerable. just keep a clock with a second hand nearby....

With that in mind, I'd up it to two stars.

I just picked this up the other day and was excited to start my workout. This seemed perfect; although the band was too small for my arm, I could clip it to my shorts. So, I started it up and started punching the bag. After getting tired and not hearing the bell, I wondered what was going on. It had stopped at 1:51. Figuring I must have bumped the button, I tried it again and again it stopped at 1:51. Weirded out, I set it on the ground and started it, and it went past it once and stopped randomly at another point. So, this piece of equipment was basically useless to me.

I'm not sure how such a simple piece of technology could fail so miserably, but I'd rather pay a little extra for a product that actually works.

This timer works great and is easy to use, but it's impossible to read the numbers head on... you have to tilt the timer to a funny angle in order to see how much time is left. Annoying. But other than that it works great. - Boxing Timer - Digital Timer - Everlast - Timer'

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Poncho - light weght poncho, rainwear

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The poncho is big enough to wear over you backpack and cover every inch of you for protection against the rain and harsh weather environments. It is made of durable nylon fabric and the olive drab color just looks cool.

Everytime I wear this I feel like Rambo in First Blood and the hood is useful too.

Overall, perfect product. Exactly what I expected. Love it. Olive Drab - GI Style Poncho (Nylon Rip-Stop)

Received poncho in great shape and good time. Product is as described, "military style". Being an old timer I was expecting a heavier fabric but this poncho should do its duty for a while. Seems to be well made otherwise.

This "GI Style" poncho is good quality, fits my rather large frame nicely (5'10" 220lbs), and is good looking as well. We have been getting a lot of rain here in PA over the past few weeks and the outside chores were piling up, so we got two of these ponchos (also for my son) so we could work outside without getting drenched.

The poncho is roomy, allows for free movement of our arms, and is indeed waterproof.

Recommended!

CFH - Rainwear - Light Weght Poncho'

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Dlp Projector - home theater, 3d ready

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I have used this item like 3 days and I bought it as a replacement for my old epson and as a complement to my benq... I have probed it in different conditions and I can describe it as follows...

At night lights on or off it simply works great in power point presentations and computer general use... the same for movies...When connected to the ps3 or my 360 images are not as good as in a lcd tv, but it was possible to play and that is normal if you consider that this projector is 800x600 and it is really cheap... When connected to my old xbox, my ps2 or the wii it works exactly as a tv, same quality... Anyway I would not recommend this unit to play new video games...

In day light conditions it continues working perfectly well... you can see the images clear even in an image 60" wide... terrific performance for such a cheap projector... I highly recommend it...

If I compare this projector to my other two ones (an expensive epson and cheap benq) I only have one thing to say... Why did'n this acer exist when I bought my first projector? This one is superior in all terms...

Acer x1161p is actually 2700 lumens, not 2500... in the economic mode image quality decreases let's say like 15% or 20 % in day light conditions but it is still ok...On the other hand, at night you cannot hardly see any difference...

If you want to buy a projector take this seriously into consideration... it's great.... And remember, a replacement lamp is only 128 bucks... Acer X1161P 3D-DLP Projector

Pros: Used mostly for presentations and occasionally to display videos, amazingly visible in a well illuminated room, minimal difference between ECO and normal mode so you can go ECO mode in any condition, cool feature to adjust light output to compensate wall paint color (so you can convert any wall into a real screen), 6000 hours lamp in ECO, low noise, very good scaling of non native resolutions tried 1280 X 800, 1366 X 768 and 1650 X 1080, I fed a 720p HD OTA TV signal of a soccer game and the picture was excellent, actually amazing for a projector in this price range, brilliant colors, lamp replacement around 120 USD, small footprint for a 2700 lumen device, very good option for a data projector at this price. Actually this is the second Acer projector I bought for my group, very satisfied with the performance.

Cons: * No audio.

* No buttons, the remote control slides in the projector housing to be used as the button station, so if you lose the remote you will suffer, so better keep the remote attached to the projector.

* Only 1 year of warranty, all other Acer projectors have 2, not sure why, however for less than 40 you can add 1 year of warranty.

* (Not a con, more like a suggestion) Seems like the auto keystone correction is too sensitive and may try to readjust the image every 5 minutes or so, that causes image flickering, so manual keystone adjustment is the way to go.

Other Thoughts: Acer is doing very good electronics at affordable prices, I have an Acer AMD laptop (4 years old now) almost indestructible and very reliable, 2 23" LCD monitors bought for less than 139 each, very satisfied with Acer, Keep the good work.

I'm really happy with this projector so far. I set up a diy screen in my backyard, and have had a couple pretty successful movie party's. Once the suns down, I can get a really good picture at over 100 inches diagonal playing a DVD off my laptop. Later in the year, when the suns dropping a little earlier, I'm looking forward to Monday night football in the backyard on my nine by five screen. The only slight negatives are the connectivity (vga or s video only),and the amount of heat the projector produces. But that's only a issue in a small room. Overall, great product for the money. Comparable to projectors twice the price.

Great picture great price. Picture doesnt fade when lights are turned on.

The bad things about this projector is no buttons on the projector (just a remote) and no audio source! I returned it because of this reason.

I initially debated between an LED projector like the Favi RIO and a lamp projector - so glad I settled on this one. Shows a great picture in a room with lights on, mainly using this for Disney movies and TV shows, as well as streaming netflix.

This isn't a 1080p image, so look elsewhere if you just have to have the sharpest image possible - but if you're just interested in watching good looking movies on a big screen this is your projector. For the prices it's unbeatable.

I bought a mount -PCMD Projector Ceiling Mount for Acer X1161P that works very well - highly recommend it for this projector - much better (and cheaper) than generic mounts.

Also bought 50' of composite cable for a tv signal from our tuner to the projector (we have an older tv that needed a digital tuner).

True, there is no audio in. No big deal. I bought a 2.1 sound system for $27 Insignia 2.1 Computer Speaker System NS-PCS21, used the aux in with a volume control for the TV tuner and DVD audio and plugged it into my laptop for neflix etc.

All of that for under $400 - a complete home theater system that I can also take outside during the summer for block parties or whatever. Definitely worth the money for my application (movies for my kids, netflix).

I was looking for a bright and versatile work-house projector and this is definitely it. Even with all the lights on in our room, and projected ~5 feet tall the projection is still easy to look at. Also awesome are the blacks, which are essentially indistinguishable from the surrounding ambient. (when showing a movie in letterbox, I don't see the top & bottom bars unless I really look for them) Once you turn the lights down a bit, then it really pops. As an experiment, I projected it out our window, and you could still see the movie (somewhat dimly) projected on the houses across the street.

I was worried about missing the extra resolution of more expensive models, but I haven't at all; movies look incredibly crisp and we run computer resolutions from 1024x768 all the way to 1600x1200 and everything is still readable when resized to 800x600 by the projector. (I almost never run computers at the native 800x600 anymore because the scaling is so good and it's like getting free anti-aliasing)

I wish the projector was instant off, but the 2-minute cool-down time goes really quick and is a lot faster than other projectors I've seen.

I see some rainbow effect, but it's only when I move my head side to side quickly; I wish it was a bit less but it's not a big distraction, and I haven't had any headaches from it.

In summary, know what you want. If you want a high resolution or refresh rate, you'll need something else; however, if you're looking for brightness and versatility, this is definitely a great choice. - 3d Ready - Home Theater'

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Fetish Apparel

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Awesome, but heads up, they're too small for most men to wear. Your bits will tend escape out the top or side.

Very sexy though :P.

I can't complain about mini-booty shorts being too small though, so it's 5-stars here. Exactly the product I expected. BLACK FAUX LIQUID "LEATHER" HOT PANTS CLUBBING MINI BOOTY SHORTS, LARGE'

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Dewalt Battery - 18 volt, dewalt

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These have been fantastic. There seems to be no memory problems and so far have lasted for many charges. As stated earlier they have a better clip-in system, which is definitely an improve. But to be fair I only had the old XR batteries fall out once. The run time has also improved.

I highly suggest upgrading to the XRPs if you only have the old ones. But when purchasing them just buy the 2 pack. For about $20 to $25 more you get the second battery. DEWALT DC9096 XRP 18-Volt 2.4 Amp Hour NiCd Pod Style Battery

As the cordless tool leader, Dewalt recognized that their first line of 18volt battery pack had faulty clips. With this issue, they improved the design of the clips and boosted the performance of these batteries. Though the sliding battery packs maybe easier to use, it is good to know that Dewalt has not abandoned their design.

This drill is still my favorite in performance in what I do.

My DeWalt drill was dead for a long time and I was limping the batteries along with no results. It is too bad that DeWalt charges so much for new ones. Nonetheless, these XRP batteries have tons more power than the stock ones and seem to last much longer. I was able to get them at a much better price on amazon.com as well.

I'm perplexed by the troubles expressed by a few reviewers who are critical of the service life of Dewalt's 18-volt batteries. I've used many of these batteries, maybe 20 or so, in probably 10-12 different tools, flashlights, etc., over the past dozen years or so, and I've found they store a lot of power for a long period of time, recharge many, many times easily and consistently in any Dewalt charger, and work just as they're supposed to. Some of the older XR's have worn out after several years of use, but what batteries don't eventually wear out?

I don't baby my tools, but I do try to remember not to leave them in the garage over the winter and I try to remember to hit the conditioning button on the recharger every now and then. "Try" is an operative word in that sentence. I also don't do the fast-charging thing. I tend to slap them in and out of tools and chargers like I'm Rambo loading cartridges in a gun and in the course of doing so I occasionally drop them on concrete. (They bounce.) I use them nearly every day. I've never had a DOA, defect or short. They die only of old age, and I have yet to burn out an XRP.

They are more expensive than some, but I believe they provide good value. I rarely buy replacement batteries a la carte. I usually wait for a great price (from Amazon or an eBay seller) on a cordless tool I think I can use and buy it to get the two batteries and charger that come with it. I must have bought 4-5 drill-drivers this way over the years. You can sometimes get the tool for about $20-30 over the cost of the batteries alone. I've been less than thrilled with a few of the Dewalt 18v XRP tools I've bought this way (e.g., circular saw, jig saw, small vacuum) but most have been winners.

To M. Stevens: You say you're giving up on Dewalt's products and buying only Makita's from now on. In my limited experience, saying maker X is better than maker Y is a bogus dichotomy. I'm not talking about Festool versus Black & Decker; I mean tool lines in a comparable price range. You don't buy manufacturers. Unless you're Carl Icahn, you buy tools. In my opinion, for instance, excluding Festool and industrial tool-makers, Bosch makes the best barrel-grip jig saw and the best 6" RO sander, Milwaukee the best circular saw, Porter Cable the best table router, Dewalt the best 2-horse router, Fein the best detail sander, General the best drill press, Jet the best 18" bandsaw and oscillating sander, Powermatic the best 6" jointer and benchtop mortiser, and I could go on and on. These are my opinions, certainly not shared by all, but I think reasonable people do agree that each of these manufacturers makes some good tools and each makes some weaker performers too. Dewalt makes some of the best drill-drivers available, and also some decidedly mediocre ones. Makita makes some excellent small sanders but I don't like their job-site saws at all. Makita's drill-drivers have some exceptional design features that Dewalt and others should emulate, but some models have quality-control problems with the concentricity of their chucks. My point is that the world of tools is not as simple as choosing Dewalt or Makita, and indiscriminating allegiance to any manufacturer will not get you the best mix of quality tools.

Being a non-pro, I used to get the Craftsman 18V tools, but the battery always died after a year or so. And they are expensive to replace. the tools lasted ok. but what use are they if the battery cant hold a charge? The Dewalts outperform in power and battery life. Even though I do small jobs now and then, I want stuff that lasts. These do the job.

This DeWALT battery like all the ones I've had in the past works great. The longer life of the XRP packs are worth the extra cost. I'm very happy with my purchase. Amazon had the best price I could find on the net! - Dewalt - Rechargeable Batteries - 18 Volt - Battery'

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Laminating Pouches - home laminator, fellowes

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I've used it to laminate my insurance car cards and several other small documents, and this machine works perfectly.

With just one pass is enough to have a nice strong laminated document. I usually pass it twice just to reassure the laminating is stronger.

It warms up in a few minutes.

Very nice product. Fellowes Mars ML 125, 12.5 Inch Home Laminator

I am very pleased with this laminator. It is a lightweight laminator for home use. It should only be used with 3 mil pouches, but it accommodates a large variety of sizes, from luggage tags to "menus." If you order it, be sure to order pouches at the same time; I recommend the assortment package initially, which contains enough sizes (except menu) to get a good start.

It works perfectly for my needs. I have a number of recipes that I've printed out to keep in the kitchen and the inkjet ink had gotten wet and smeared during use. I'm so happy that I could re-print and laminate them; they look great!

As per the company, the Fellowes laminator material can be used with dry erase markers, which means you can make re-usable calenders, games, or checklists. Print the calendar or game board on a piece of paper then laminate it. I only have a blue dry-erase marker right now and it does leave a bit of color after wiping, but that happens with whiteboards too.

Finally, despite being glossy, the laminated items work with an optical mouse and I'm going to make myself some custom mousepads.

I bought this for home and small business use. I tried it out for the first time last week. It is very easy to use and the results were good. I did have to run it through twice, but no big deal. Amazon had the best price around. Don't even bother to go to any of the "office product" chain stores. I went to one to buy some laminator pouches and ended up ordering them from Amazon. I got twice as many for half the price!

I purchased this laminator to perserve 11X13 newspaper pages. It's a perfect laminator for home projects. It was easy to use and I was very pleased with the quality of the product for the price I paid.

I love shopping on Amazon...so far, I have NEVER been disappointed. GREAT DEALS and speedy delivery ! !

Thanks

Denise

So far I've had one instance where the laminating sheet would not feed through the laminator. I turned off the laminator for a little while, and turned it back on and there was no issue. Other than that, I haven't had any other problems with it. - Home Laminator - Office Laminator - Laminating Machines - Fellowes'

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Table Saw

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I have had this table saw for 1 year and have done a few woodworking projects with it. Its small size makes it desirable for a small shop. It seems to have plenty of power to cut everything that I have used this saw to cut. The dust collection bag works good. The saw has two problems, 1. the grooves for the miter guide is 5/8 not the typical 3/4. Almost all other saws are 3/4 and all after market miter guides are 3/4. So none of the attachments that are out there to help you be more accurate with your cuts will fit this table saw. Problem 2. the arbor for the saw blade is too short to allow for using a dado blade assembly. Skil 3400-15 15 Amp 10-Inch Table Saw with Stand and Dust Collection

Unbelievable great deal purchasing this item from Amazon. Price could NOT be beat, had free shipping at the time and it is very good quality for the price.

Seem to have some saw dust around the table that is not all captured in the bag, but I think it will just take more playing with it to figure it all out.

It arrived quickly and the ONLY real problem we had at all was the delivery person with FedEX. Otherwise, Excellent as usual when dealing with Amazon.

A saw is a saw. This one has a cute little safety key - removable- to get it to work. You would think that would be easy to come by? Wrong. Before you buy this, search for the safety key- YOU CAN"T GET ONE ANYWHEWRE!! I'll either have to bypass it altogether or get a new saw. Garbage.'

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