Guy Low Price Electronic: 23 Dec 2009

Wednesday 23 December 2009

Power Monitor - power monitor

(4.5 stars) The PRO ES power analyzer met all the advertising claims and, using a laptop, provides an excellent window in to the power consumption characteristics of household appliances. It is a moderately priced power analyzer that displays the basic power characteristics of whatever you plug into it. I am using it with Windows Vista Home Premium on a Dell Inspiron 1501 laptop, so it should run even better on your Windows XP machine!

I haven't actually used the buttons on the front of the unit; the really cool stuff is found in the Watts UP USB and Watts Up Real Time software. Both applications sample power data at 1 second intervals for the appliance plugged into the PRO ES unit. Each sample is stored in a row of a spreadsheet within the Table tab of the application as it is received. The Graph tab provides a line graph of user-selected power measurements as described in Amazon's product description. Both allow access to the PRO ES's settings (sample rate, $/KWhr, etc.). Both applications stopped sampling after about 30 minutes, but I have not investigated the reason. Both provide good Help files which explain the unit's functions.

The Watts Up USB Data Logger application is available without charge from [....] . Due to Windows Vista Data Execution Prevention, I had to download it on a different computer an sneak it in the back door of my laptop (USB memory stick). What a country!

The optional $70 Watts Up Pro Datalogger application adds timers to the applications so you can take power measurements at a specified time or on a specified schedule. It also adds an alarm function, which can provide visible, audible, and email alert when any of the measured data (amps, volts, watts, etc.) rises above or dips below a specified threshold. There is no manual enclosed, but the Help is good as noted above.

The enclosed manual is brief (two 8.5"x11" pages). Accuracy is described as: "+/- 1.5% + 3 counts. Below 60 watts, amps and power factor accuracy degrades." The half-star deduction was for lack of technical documentation (circuit diagram, device fuse replacement, how calibration is maintained)

It does not measure harmonic distortion, so it will not help you diagnose power quality problems or impacts caused by harmonics introduced by the appliance being tested. It does claim to measure true RMS power without providing details. It also provides apparent power (VA) and power factor, so reactive power (VAR) can be calculated.

Here's some measurements:

"60W" Compact Fluorescent bulb: 12.5 Watts

"100W" Compact Fluorescent bulb: 22.4 Watts

Tivo: 10.5 watts in use, 5.5 watts standby

5-disc DVD carousel: 45 watts in use

32" JVC 1995 TV: 50 watts idle, 75 watts with blue screen, 75-105 watts in use. Power peaks during bright scenes, dips in dark scenes. Speaker volume doesn't make any measureable difference.

Clock radio: 5 watts idle, 7.5 watts listening to FM radio

1500W space heater: 21 watts fan only, 754 watts on Low, 1463 watts on Max.

The data can be stored to a tab-delimited .txt file and imported into Excel using the Text-to-Columns wizard. It can also be copied and pasted directly from either Watts Up application into Excel. The graph can be sent to a printer.

If you have some electrical training and you are curious about the actual power consumuption profile of devices up drawing up to 15A (1800W), this unit and your laptop will make a nice power analyzer. For me, it did everything I wanted with a simple data export function and good presentation. Watts Up? Pro ES AC Power Meter

This product works reasonably well if you want to know how much energy a specific appliance or piece of equipment is using, but pretty useless for trying to monitor any kind of short term power fluctuations. You would think that when they we designing a $175 meter, they could have included a 98¢ clock chip to provide some accurate time stamping on the data samples. Instead it relies on a kind of hinky software patch to address this problem. When you are looking to match this meter's data log with another log, say from a UPS, this software time stamp kludge is just not accurate enough.

So if you just want to know how much your refrigerated is costing you to run or how much juice your TV is drawing when it's turned off this is a good choice. If you want to find out why the UPS connected to your computer switches to batter every couple minutes, forget about it. - Power Monitor'

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Adventure - thriller, mystery

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Every now and then a movie passes by me and I totally dismiss it out of lack of interest. Paycheck was one of those. When it was first released, It didn't sound all that great, so I ignored it. Then by chance I came across a DVD of this movie and decided to watch it. What a surprise! This is now one of my favorite sci-fi movies. Had I known that it was based on a short story by Phillip K. Dick, I might have paid more attention to begin with. Especially since he was the author of Minority report and Blade Runner (under the written title of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"). One of the most outstanding things about this film is that there is no bloody gore, no sex, and not a lot of strong language. It is very fast paced, filled with action and suspense, great acting, and includes some of todays finest actors. I thought it one of Uma Thurman's best performances, and Ben Afflick was at his best. I would highly recommend this DVD (which also has some great bonus materials) to anyone who is a Sci-fi fan and loves action movies, because it is both. An excellent movie! Paycheck

One always has great hope for a film script with Philip Dick parentage, but this film was a disappointment. John Woo is a talented director, but he is completely unsuited for this sort of film. The dark paranoiac style in Philip Dick's writing has not been used to greatest advantage in film except in 'Blade Runner', which ironically did not cling closely to the story, however, 'Paycheck' pushes alienation from the spirit of the story to new heights. Neither does 'Paycheck' show the humor or spirit, director Woo's films are famous for, leaving Paycheck's unnecessary and out of place chase scenes feeling like a death mask of a John Woo film.

From a performance perspective, Affleck and Thurman are ill matched romantically, with this casting choice made worse by director Woo's decision to play up the romantic aspects of the film. The supporting actors, particularly Aaron Eckhart turn in a strong performance however.

Despite the poor directing, miserable and underdeveloped script, lack of strength as either an action, or science fiction film, and an unhappy "near future" look that looks only Hollywoodish and phony, Paycheck is not a genuinely awful film, and someone satisfied with a generic commercial movie might not be too severely disappointed. I would not recommend purchasing this movie to anyone with a limited DVD purchase budget however.

I think people are being too critical of this film. It is very fun, and I thought it had a clever story line. You will be on the edge of your seat with it. If you watch this movie with the intent of entertainment, then you will really enjoy it. Just don't try and over analyze the science depicted; remember, it is just for fun. At the price Amazon has it for, it is worth owning if you are a movie collector.

The audio/video quality is very good too.

It seems this film's reputation may be suffering from incorrect genre identification. This is an ACTION drama with a futuristic twist. John Woo says the original story was SciFi, but he took "80% of that out" so he could make a more believable movie. (Perhaps it would've received kinder reviews if he'd left more in.) The characters ARE developed well enough to create interest & empathy. Perhaps not successful as SciFi, "Paycheck" is a decent action flick.

The actors all do an excellent job of staying real & interesting, but nobody goes over the top. Woo intentionally spreads the focus among the ensemble rather than making another Star-Driven vehicle. Oh, there are stars, and the villains do get edgy for sure; but there are no scene-stealing overacted performances. That's just fine - some of us just do not need to be visually assaulted by acting style in order to enjoy a performance. Ben Affleck continues in his understated 'regular guy' mode. Uma Thurman, fresh from her 'Kill Bill' gig, looks smart & tough, and that's exactly how she acts. If anybody in this cast does a very polished job with the action itself, it's her - BUT it's very believable & in character. She just may have become THE leading lady for sincere & skilled action. The supporting cast is excellent, the action is generally slugfest 'NFL' style instead of 'martial arts masters', and the principals do most of their own stunts.

The premise is handled in a believable way (much better than the typical time-travel stories which unravel) with well done tech-FX. Chases, explosions & other stunts abound, but don't overpower the story. The action is REAL live action, mercifully not blue-screen CGI overdone to death. (OK, there are 1 too many "mexican standoffs.")

The characters actually develop & portray relationships that don't require a lot of screaming, cursing & nudity to convey. Wow. Some of us LIKE that. John Woo did it that way on purpose, with homage/respect (= PROPS) to great films & directors who created memorable classics that way. It even bears repeated viewings. Hmm, wish there was a genre for THAT.

Paycheck is a pretty good scifi/action movie if you can turn off the logical part of your brain and ignore plot contrivances and bad guys that couldn't hit the broad side of a barn when they shoot. I'm like anybody else in that I wish Hollywood would do better, but until they do, I enjoyed this movie. Ben Affleck plays an engineer who takes jobs that result in him having his memory of what he did erased at the end. He takes on a 3 year project for an old friend thinking of the massive payday when its over. When the project is over he discovers he has signed away his rights to the money and left himself an envelope of seemingly useless objects instead. He uses the objects to piece togeher the mystery of just what he did for the last 3 years. The movie is at its best in the first half as you try along with Affleck to figure out what's going on. The second half humps up the action and the number of bullets that never find their target. Uma Thurman plays the love interest but isn't given all that much to do, nor is Paul Giamatti as a trusted friend. As for Affleck, I'm bored with this "let's all hate Ben Affleck" cult that has grown in the last few years. Will he win an Oscar? No, but his performance here was fine. No other actor would have done any more with the script as written. - Action - Drama - Mystery - Thriller'

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Wood Working Tools - woodworking tool

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I installed these blades as replacements on my Delta 22-540 planer and was very pleased with how sharp they were and how easy it was to install them. Once installed these knives have done a great job for me on red oak, q/s white oak, pine, and poplar.

I have owned this planer for years now and I find that these double edged knives are a great value. By flipping them over when they get dull they last me a long time. DELTA 22-547 12-Inch Steel Knife Set for 22-540 Planer

I live near a city of over 100,000 people and could not find this type blades anywhere in the city. I found them at Amazon.Com, ordered them and they arrived at my home in a very timely manner. Thank you, Amazon.Com

Someody forgot to harden the steel used in these knives. The previous Delta knives lasted for 1000s of feet of use...I was lucky if I got 1000' w/ these, even with flipping them. Knots never have been a problem. With these knives pine knots dinged them repeatedly. Don't waste your $.

I used one side of the blades to plane pine wood. The boards were 4 in. wide, about 1/2 inch thick and approx. 6 ft long. I planes them down to about 3/8 in. I did about 8 pieces. All went well but one board had many knots in it and it chipped the blade. Seems great for wood with few knots in it.

After lengthy shopping for the lowest price on a set of replacement planer blades, I found that Amazon had the best price. These were genuine replacement parts so there was no sacrificing quality for price. The shipment arrived when I was told it would. - Woodworking Tool'

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Impact Drivers - cordless, impact drivers

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Not long ago a friend gave me an extra DeWalt 18 volt drill he'd come into. I'd been using a 12 volt Makita for over a decade, and I was impressed with how much more torque and battery life the DeWalt had. The same friend also had a DeWalt impact driver from the same series, and again, I was impressed how well this handled mechanical tasks usually relegated to a pneumatic impact driver. But even more impressive was how well the DeWalt worked for driving screws.

A few years ago, the major cordless tool makers started to come out with impact drivers which they marketed not to mechanics, but to carpenters. While today's 18volt cordless drills do a pretty good job of driving screws, they still start to bog down when driving really long screws into hard or resinous wood. The slow, stall, and eventually overheat. But impact drivers don't do this. They work on a different principle, using a motor-driven hammer to repeatedly strike an anvil that drives the output shaft. As the load increases, they switch from spinning to a rapid-fire staccato impact mode, in which every impact turns the screw a bit farther, while the motor continues to spin and bring in cooling air.

I was very pleased to discover that Amazon had a DeWalt impact driver available in a batteryless and caseless package (for those of us who already have a charger and several batteries) for about $125. I purchased mine for a mix of yard projects- this is a great tool for driving the big screws used to tie landscape timbers together- home projects, and motorcycle/scooter maintenance. And amazingly, it's even lighter and more compact than the DEWALT DC759KA Heavy-Duty 18-Volt Ni-Cad 1/2-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit. I'm giving away my Makita 12v drill/driver to a nephew who likes tools and gadgets, and switching 100% to the DeWalt system. Bare-Tool DEWALT DC825B 1/4-Inch 18-Volt Cordless Impact Driver (Tool Only, No Battery)

I bought this last year after my Black and Decker 18v drill died it's 3rd death. I got it in a 4 tool combo kit on sale at Lowes. I build haunted houses for the Halloween season so most of what I do construction wise is with rough and sometimes very old and hard woods. The woods are also made super tough (like rock) from a chemical that must be sprayed on them to make them fire retardant. I found that before, even with an 18v drill that screws would shear off before going into the boards which made it difficult to make secure connections in the wood. It is hard to make something look old and spooky and still have it be safe so having good, solid tools is a must. Right after I charged the battery I tried this tool out. Wow!! It drove a 3 inch deck screw into an old hardened 2x4 in the blink of an eye!! I had never used a tool like that. It quickly became a favorite of mine on the jobsite. I used it hard and it never once let me down. I bought it toward the end of the build so I only got to use it on a few hundred screws but never a disappointment. I'm looking forward to using on this season's build as well as in my volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity. I would highly recommend this tool to anyone who builds.

I bought this tool to add to my dewalt collection. I have had the 18volt dill for years and did'nt think that I need an impact driver. I was wrong. I am using the impact more that the drill for driving large screws. It make the jobs much easier. The driver was shipped by a third party and I received it in just a few days. I was very impressed. This is an excellent tool if you do lots of repair work with 2 by lumber.

I have long been a loyal DeWalt costumer, especially when in comes to cordless tools like the 18v drill I purchased 6 years ago. That drill quickly became my favorite tool and has seen constant use since. In fact I was so happy with the drill that I did not see any reason to buy an impact driver, until a couple of projects I was working on required me to drive a large number of constuction screws and lag bolts. My drill was able to drive them but not as easily or quickly as I would have liked, so I decided it was time to give the impact driver a try and my only regret it that I did not buy one sooner. This driver is by far the best power tool I have ever owned. It is absolutely necessary for driving lag screws or anything comparable but also preforms so much better in less demanding tasks like running deck screws. I have discovered that it is also quite handy for boring large holes even though that is not the intent behind the tool. If you put an Irwin Speedbore bit in this thing it will chew through 4 by lumber in no time. Using the driver for boring has saved my wrist on a number of occasions as those Speedbore bits require quite abit of torque to run and if the bit binds up while using a regular drill all that torque gets transferred to your wrist. Now that I have a set of Irwin Speedbore and Spade bits plus a decent hex drill bit set my drill is relegated to drilling metal and the occasional pilot hole.

This driver is also much better at removing rusty and stripped screws than my drill, just another unexpected bonus.

Without exception this is the one tool that goes with me to every job. - Impact Drivers - Dewalt - 18 Volt - Cordless'

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Highly Recommended - aqua sphere, goggle

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I have been swimming regularly for than 20 years in the US and overseas, so I have tried many goggles. The reviews on Amazon made great claims and it is difficult to find my favorite Japanese goggle in the US, so I gave Aqua Sphere a try. The reviews are correct. It is comfortable, does not leak, and the FOV is wider than other goggles I have used. The strap is robust (the strap is the first thing to fail on my best goggles). The hardest part was threading the strap through the retainer: no instructions, and I had to use a pliers to pull it through. Once that was done (no, the strap did not tear or break), adjustment is a cinch. There is no need for the strap to be very tight, and the goggle will not be comfortable if you tighten it too much. I have a high nose and many goggles not only do not fit me but are positively uncomfortable. The nose bridge of Aqua Sphere is soft and does not hurt my nose. As for fog, I continue to do what I have done for many years: use a drop of liquid soap on each lens and on my finger, spread it very gently over the lens, and rinse only until no bubbles appear. You must be careful not to scratch the lens with your fingernail. This method works for at least 40 minutes of swimming in all conditions I have encountered. This is a world class product. Aqua Sphere Kaiman Swim Goggle (Regular, Clear Lens/Transparent Frame)

I bought two pairs of these goggles (size small) for my 5 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old daughters as a result of reading so many good reviews. The single-molded eye piece design is a huge improvement over the cheap Speedo goggles I tried first with the separate nose bridge piece holding the two lenses together. Those never stayed on!

By far, the best feature of these goggles is the easy strap adjusment. Gone are the days of feeding flimsy straps through buckles, trying the goggles on to see if the fit is right and repeating the process if it isn't. Put these on a little loose, then simply pull on the straps as you're wearing them to tighten to the desired fit. This is essential if you are putting them on a child. (Perhaps adults can set them to size the first time, then take them off and put them on again without resizing. But with my kids, I'm always loosening them to get them off without them complaining. But I don't mind since they are so easy to tighen the next time.)

Also, the strap on these goggles doesn't tug at my kids' hair when taking them on and off like the rubber straps on the cheaper goggles. The split strap design helps them stay in place much better too.

My only small complaint is I noticed scratches on the lenses after only a few uses, despite that I think I read the lenses are scratch-resistant. They are handled by my kids which probably explains it, but I'm good about putting them away in the original packaging when we are finished with them. The good thing is I looked through the goggles myself and it doesn't appear that the scratches obstruct your view when wearing them. You can just see the scratches when looking at the surface of the lenses.

I would definitely buy these again.

This is the best swim goggle I ever tried. It is comfortable, seals completely, and easy to adjust. The only drawback is that the curved lens distorts more than goggles with flat lenses but I can certainly live with that. My wife and daughter also love their Kaiman goggles.

When I received these, I loved them. They fit very comfortably and when I used them they did not leak at all. When I went underwater in my pool, I saw everything double. I tried every adjustment I could think of to correct this as nobody else seems to have this problem from the reviews I have read. Looking underwater and seeing double gave me nausea and I had to close one eye to use them. I hated to return them as they were great except for the double vision. I am ordering a different brand and see if I will have the same problems.

UPDATE... I discussed this problem with my eye doctor and he believes the problem is that my eyes are inset more than most people and this makes the goggles wrap around more and this will cause the double vision. The fit and comfort of those goggles were 5 stars so don't shy away from them just because you "may" have problems like I did. Give them a try, you can always return them.

UPDATE.... Just received Speedo goggles and no more double vision. They don't feel as comfortable as the Aqua Sphere goggles but they are also great goggles.

I use these for doing recreational swimming as well as for racing in triathlons. They are comfortable, don't leak, and I get a nice wide view. When racing in large groups of people, they also aren't knocked off my face as easily as some of the other pairs that I used. Generally, when I'm bumped by another swimmer that is close by, they tend to suck closer to my face. But then it feels like my eyes are about to be sucked out of the sockets. I can get a little more than 2 years of use out of a pair before the rubber starts to break down. I swim for about 2-3 times a week and can do a mile swim in about 25 mintues. This is my third pair of the Kaiman's. I've used Tyr and Speedo in the past.

I've paid high dollar for Speedo and the Finals, professional goggles, and they always fogged up and leaked. Never felt good on the eyes and weren't worth the money. I finally gave up and lived with the foggy vision and red eyes after a day of swimming. But I tried again and yup, Speedo failed me once more. Then I read the reviews here and figured $14 wasn't going to kill me if they weren't any good either. Guess what? They rock!

Finally, someone that actually swims designed a goggle. These barely (and I mean near nothing) leak, never fog, and feel very comfortable. I wore them last night for over an hour and didn't have that feeling of relief when I removed them.

One thing that immediately impressed me with these was the engineering of them. With claps that insure the band does not loosen and "tabs" to keep the extra from dangling in front of you under water, you can see that someone who actually uses these goggles made them. With no adjustable nose bridge, which is usually the number one source for leaks, I just could tell these would actually work. Kudos Aqua Sphere!

I am VERY happy with these goggles and will probably buy them for the rest of the family now. - Aqua Sphere - Goggle - Highly Recommended'

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Portable Media Player - battery operated tv, portable media player

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When I started shopping around the portable TV, DVD, I found this product, it's cheaper than Brand name like Sony but comes with more features like Digital turner and usb port and SD card reader, and it's a 9" widescreen LCD which looks 50% larger than old 7".

It's a real good product. Plays long (2.5 hours). Color adjustings great. Love the little remote it came with. Has the car adapter, RF Antenna and Antenna adapter and carrying case mounts to the back of your car seat. It's cool in the car too. No hdmi though. Volume is good.

Also you can plug and play music or watch movies stored on your USB drive or SD card, which is pretty cool, while I'm waiting for my kid.

Overall, this is a good portable entertainment system, you can watch dvd, movies from USB or TV by using digtal antenna and you can connect to your big screen at home. Noah Company Envizen Digital Quartet 9 ED8890A 9-Inch LCD Portable Digital Television and DVD Player with 3-In-One Card Reader, Case and Car Seat Attachment (Black)

I got this for my wife to use in the kitchen, in place of our old 4" analog TV (with converter box). It hooks up to "amplified" rabbit ears (coax cable connection), and gets about 15 signals in our neighborhood (Akron, Ohio)- same as the old TV. The small external antenna that comes with the TV doesn't do very well, however.

The only downside is the very poor (low volume) speakers. However, this was easily fixed by buying a $20 pair of small laptop speakers from Best Buy - now it is loud enough for any room, even outdoors. Speaker cable plugs into the TV earphone jack.

Picture quality is good, and DVDs play well. I like the fact that it will also play photos from a USB thumb drive or SD card, too.

My wife loves it, now that we added the speakers. With standard speakers, it would not be as nice.

This product was just what I was looking for, convenient for anywhere and the price matches its quality. I used to try to read a book as I tanned before going out for a surf but I would just fall asleep, now I bring the 9 inch to watch movies and it's great. When I go on a long drive with heavy traffic, the kids can watch their shows/movies on the 9 inch and not get fussy. I travel a lot so when I get stuck in the airport because of delays, I pull the 9 inch LCD out. I love it (=

I found this great value in Amazon. It has all the features I wanted for half the price of other name-brand players. The quality and size of the picture is great, and I was able to download YouTube videos using a plug-in, convert them to MPEG-4, a view them with a memory stick.

I love the ability to turn the screen around, even 180 degrees, and then folding back. Funnily, some people thought that my daughter had her own iPad.

I found the quality a bit lacking, though. A couple rubber screw-covers came off shortly after buying, and the car electric converter doesn't seem to work anymore. However, we have found that we rarely need it, thanks to the 2.5 hours battery. In general, it doesn't give the feeling of a solid product.

The player stops playing DVD's if you push on the DVD door (you can avoid that by using the "iPad" folding I mentioned before), but it is resilient to movement. Be careful if you use SD memory of USB's, because they come off very easily, and kids can take them off by accident just by manipulating the viewer.

However, it has survived my toddler, and besides the minor issues, she has enjoyed it a lot. I love the TV feature, which allows its own antenna, or connecting to an external antenna. I didn't know digital air TV looked so good.

All in all, it's worth it, with the caveats I mentioned before.

Received my 9" Portable TV+DVD player, very fast and prompt service. The product is good, very convenient, the resolution is OK. I love the TV Output function, now I can hook up with my old television and watch digital channels

Very useful when it comes to long road trip!! A best addition to you car's entertainment!!

This unit does not receive channels in the 7-13 range without the purchase of another type of antenna. I called Customer Service about the lack of reception for channels 11 and 13 in Baltimore, MD. I live within 6.5 miles of the stations. They informed me that I need to purchase a better antenna as the unit does not pickup channels 7-13 (Hi-V) without purchasing a better antenna. The unit does receive UHF stations just fine. The sound from the unit reminds me of an old transitor radio - very poor. From my perspective it is not worth the purchase price. Luckily Amazon.com has a 30 day return policy for this item.

I was looking for entertaiment device and find this 9" swivel portable tv.

I like it because this is a great gift for people who like to be in a field trip, at the beach or like me

just having fun in the park watching TV, DVD or listen to music.

This tv has everything SD CARD, USB DRIVE.

It also has car accesories, antena, remote control, power adapter, carrie case.

I am going to order extra battery for 2.5 hours of more fun. If you connect in your old TV. VOALA you have digital TV.

I recomend this product to my friends to start having fun. - Lcd Tv - Portable Media Player - Battery Operated Tv - Portable Digital Tv'

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Black And Decker - shop tools, jig saws

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I got one of these saws for Christmas. It appeared well engineered and might even be handy. I charged it and took it to my workshop to experiment on a small 1" thick board. I drew a line on the board to make my cut and behold, I could not see the line! The plastic guard blocks any view to see where you are cutting! This makes the saw useless except for blind cuts. I liked the saw so I modified it by cutting away the first bar on the guard on the left side. (I am right handed) I can now see my line through the new opening. I used a Dremel tool with an abrasive wheel and it came out OK, but I still cannot believe this tool made it through engineering and whatever test B&D perform without them catching this obvious defect. I do not feel this modification makes the tool more dangerous. If you can get your finger into that little slot, the blade would pose more danger than the reciprocating mechanism.

The saw does perform well and is light weight. It is a little slow cutting due to it's slow speed and short stroke, but the fact that it is portable makes up for that. Black & Decker CHS6000 6-Volt Handisaw Cordless Powered Hand Saw

I was tempted to use "Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy" as the title for this review, but I haven't tried any other battery-powered jigsaws for comparison. My old Black & Decker AC jigsaw (which I paid $15 for) is far superior in every way---except that it requires an AC outlet, and changing blades is a hassle. Changing blades on the Handisaw is quick and easy, requiring no tools---A+.

I wanted the Handisaw largely as a tree prunner---however, even with a pruning blade, it really cannot handle branches greater than 3/4"---and is painfully slow cutting even a 3/8" branch---wimpy, wimpy, wimpy. A switch-blade type manual pruning saw is faster and easier. I tried cutting a 1/2" length of galvanized electrical conduit (using the metal blade), and the saw repeatedly stalled---wimpy, wimpy, wimpy. My old AC jigsaw has never stalled.

Then too I find the basic design to be very annoying: There is an extra switch you have to depress with your thumb before the trigger will work (which fortunately is easily defeated with a chip of wood and 2" of masking tape). There is no "lock on" switch---so you can't take your hand off of the switch for a more secure grip (fortunately this can be defeated with a 1/2"x 1 1/2 rubber band from a bunch of broccoli). The trigger is 8 1/2" from whatever you are cutting, making it difficult to hold the blade where you want to cut (I normally hold jig-saws "by the business end" (near the blade) for precise control---but that is impossible with this saw (unless you defeat the trigger as described).

My cheapy AC jigsaw is variable speed---the Handisaw is not. So the Handisaw is hard to start at a precise point, almost always splinters wood, and almost always stalls in thin metal. Finally, as related by another reviewer---you can't see where you are cutting (although that too is fixible by cutting away a portion of the unnecessary plastic sheild around the blade. In summary, I use this tool only when I'm too lazy to string an extention cord for my AC jigsaw or saber-saw. But then, that's most of the time.

Still, I wish it was more powerful.

I wish that it did not have the stupid lock-out switch.

I wish that it had a lock-on switch.

I wish that it was variable speed.

I wish that I could see the material I am cutting.

This tool is great around the house - it's easy to use, functional, and has more applications that you'd expect. I received it as a gift and figured I'd never use it. But the Handisaw proved to be a quick, easy solution to frequent chores and small projects around the house. I wouldn't use it for a major remodel but for small projects, it beats taking out the reciprocating saw or jig saw. Battery life is excellent and I've used it in mud/wet conditions w/o any problems.

Good concept, but not enough power for any but the softest woods. I actually found it handier, with the right blade, for moderate pruning in the yard rather than for the dimensional lumber used in home repairs.

I bought the saw to cut trim and small boards, but it was difficult to use. In order to keep enough pressure on the saw so it didnt want to bounce around the smaller 1/2 inch boards would break. It didn't want to cut 1 inch boards at all. On the good side it allows you to cut hard to cut shapes and changing the blade is simple.

Over all I would not buy this Item again unless it was under $20.

i bought this saw with great anticipation..i would use it to cut out electrical device boxes in sheetrock and plaster..i went to use it for the first time this week and was badly disappointed..the charge didn't last through cutting 1 outlet box in plaster and wood lathe..i recharged for about 2 hours and tried it cuting a few boxes in sheetrock..again barely enough to finish..these were not heavy duty cuts(the rock was old 1/2")..i charged it for about 4 hours today..i will put it on charge first thing tomorrow for and hour or two and see what it can do.

4/6/2007 update..charged saw overnight battery performance improved marginally..still not very powerful maybe 10 minutes run time..

4/10/2007 update..charged the saw overnight and saw an improvement in performance..still by no means a powerhouse, but ok for light homeowner use i think..some other points after working with the saw..

visibility isn't that great..if you want to cut on a line, it's tough to line it up because of the saws design..also i found the safety button to be a real nuisance..

Don't expect this to be a heavy duty saw...but it is handy for the small stuff. If you have an AC powered jig saw...hang on to it because this is not substitute. Battery stays charged a long, long time which is an advantage. - Home Improvement - Black And Decker - Shop Tools - Jig Saws'

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