Monday, 17 November 2008

Secure Digital - digital camera accessory, memory card


In the past, I bought a Transcend 8GB SDHC card for my Canon SD1000 camera. I recently bought the Transcend 16GB SDHC for my new Canon SX20IS. Both cards work very well and I've had no problems with it so far. I wanted to take this opportunity to update my review since my original review was also posted (by Amazon) for the 16GB card. This is because the only difference between these two cards is the different capacity. So, if you're in the market for an affordable high quality SDHC card, this may be the one for you. Sorry, I kind of sounded like a used car salesman right there, didn't I? I assure you that I don't work for Transcend. But, here's why I think this card is awesome:



Pros:



-Affordable!



-Large capacity



-Class 6 read/write speed (which is very fast... but is no longer the fastest class available)



-Lifetime warranty (at least that's what the package says :)



-Transcend is a reputable company that's been making memory products for a very long time. ( I swear to the tech Gods that I don't work for them!) Other reputable and reliable memory card companies include Kingston and PNY. All three of these companies have been making memory chips for many, many years.





Cons:



- I can' really think of any "Cons" about this card. But here's the 2 closest things I can come up with right now: (1) "Class 6" is no longer the fastest speed available and (2) This card does NOT make coffee for you in the morning, do your dishes for you, give you compliments when you're having a bad day, or magically improve your photography skills.









IMPORTANT SPECIAL NOTES ABOUT SDHC MEMORY CARDS:



-SDHC cards are not compatible with most older SD cameras, SD devices, or SD card readers.



-SDHC cards are rated by speed using different "classes". There are currently 4 data transfer speed classes available for SDHC cards. These classes are "class 2, class 4, and class 6, and the new class 10. For example, "Class 2" would have the slowest read/write speed while "Class 6" has the fastest read/write speed. So if you have a device in which speed may play a crucial role, make sure you buy a higher "class" SDHC card. Please note that this SDHC card no longer has the fastest read/write speed available. There is now a new class, called "Class 10". Class 6 has a minimum read/write speed of 6MB/sec... while Class 2 has minimum speed rating of 2MB/sec, and Class 4 is 4MB/sec. Starting to see the pattern?





SO WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "SD CARDS" AND "SDHC CARDS?



SDHC is basically an upgrade to the older SD cards. The reason they upgraded it was to achieve greater data transfer speeds AND capacity than previously possible with normal SD cards... and to do this, they had to redesign the card (which is why it's not compatible with normal SD devices). This was necessary because digital cameras and digital video cameras these days have higher resolutions, which equate to larger file sizes and faster data transfer needs.



Now that many digital cameras also can record HD video, you may consider getting a larger capacity card because video takes much more space than photos. The size of the video varies from camera to camera depending on what resolution and video compression the camera uses. If you plan on taking lots of video (especially HD video), I would consider getting at least a 16GB card. Check your camera specifications to see how many minutes per Gig of memory your camera can capture ...to gauge how big of a memory card you'll want to get to meet your needs.



Special Note on regular SD Cards:

If you primarily take casual photos and don't need a exceptionally fast read/write capable card, you should know that newer cameras that take "SDHC" cards will also work with older normal "SD" cards. These older cards are cheaper than the new SDHC cards, so this may be something to consider. So to sum things up, newer cameras will take SDHC and regular SD cards, but older cameras that use SD cards may not be able to use SDHC cards. This is because newer technology is usually made to be compatible with older technology (the technical term used to describe this is "backwards compatibility") ... but older technology may not have the hardware necessary to run newer tech (technical term used is "obsolete"... just kidding! ;)



I hope I haven't confused everybody by going into this much detail, but I can't help being the nerd that I am. If you are confused, don't hesitate to comment on this post and I will try my best to answer your questions. Also, any feedback is always welcome!



Conclusion: Buy the card if you have a new device that uses SDHC. It rocks! (This message has been approved by the "Duke of New Mexico") Transcend 16 GB Class 6 SDHC Flash Memory Card TS16GSDHC6

UPDATE - March 2, 2010: This review was originally written for the 4 GB class 6 SDHC card, but the reviews have been grouped for all class 6 SDHC cards in the 4, 8, 16 and 32 GB sizes. All the cards should perform similarly since they are all class 6 and all made by Transcend. However, I will have to check which cards I have used hands on. I believe I only own the 4GB and 8GB cards. I will update the review further. If you have concerns regarding the 16GB or 32GB sizes, you should seek out the reviews tagged with the product links from those cards.





The Transcend 4GB SDHC CARD (Class 6) is a great card for the price. I was at first a little skeptical about the brand, but I buy way too many memory cards to ignore a good price when I see one. And I'm happy to report that I've experienced decent performance and reliability issues with this card. That's as compared to other cards I own including SanDisk, PNY and Kingston.



As long as your devices are compatible with the SDHC format, this card is a good buy. 4 GB is a nice size though I do prefer 8 GB capacity for high capacity storage.



The class 6 speed is the fastest speed available in mass market SDHC cards. Class 6 guarantees minimum transfer speeds of 6 MBs, but I've gotten speeds up to 20Mbs! That makes this card perfect for storing pictures in RAW image formats.



The Class 6 speed is on par with the Sandisk Extreme III cards that on average are about $15 to $20 more per card. If you don't have an SDHC reader, you may opt to get the package with a reader included to download your pics. If not you can just transfer your pics directly from your camera with your card still inserted. An SDHC card reader can be bought separately if your PC doesn't have a compatible slot.



General SDHC and SD Card Tips



There are a few tips that I've learned the hard way through buying TOO MANY different memory cards.

1. Make sure your device is compatible with the card! Even in regular SD cards, some older electronics aren't compatible with that large of a size (2 GB). In terms of SDHC cards, make sure your camera or other device is SDHC compatible. SDHC is different from regular SD and only newer devices tend to have built-in compatibility

2. Once you install this in your camera or device, you will generally want to format the card with your compatible device's interface. That is because the standard formats for certain devices, particularly Canon, are different from the factory installed format

3. Just like your devices, most computer SD card readers are not compatible with the SDHC format. So use a card reader or download the pictures via USB connection to the camera with the card still installed.

4. For some reason, placing the card in the locked position allows some older laptops to still read it. This is just to be used in a pinch however, and it won't apply to all systems

5. If you did not properly format your card, you may be able to save things to it and then have them "disappear." If this happens to you, make sure you use the software recovery tools BEFORE you try to save anything else to your card. That way, you can retrieve your images without over-writing them.

6. Make sure you know what you are going to use this card for. Once you have set up everything and ensured it's all compatible, you still have to decide on speed. If you are using this for storing RAW images instead of JPEGs or HD video, step up to the faster class 6 speed format if you can afford it.

7. If you are going to pay more for a faster speed, make sure your device can benefit from it. I've read, for example, that Kodak cameras are set to a fixed voltage and cannot go faster than standard speed. So the extra cash spent on Class 4, 5, or 6 is basically wasted.



Conclusion



It's great to have several extra cards on hand just in case. This 4 GB card is a nice performer. If you have a high capacity camera (10 Megapixels or more) and are storing videos or RAW images, the extra cash for the 8GB card is worth it. Or you may want to step up to the larger 16 GB size that is now available.



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


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Garmin Nuvi 265wt - garmin nuvi, gps


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



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



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



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

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



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

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



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



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



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

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

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



The advantages are:

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

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

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



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


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Computer Accessories


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

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

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



Pros:

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

* no more shocks

* attractive raincoat yellow against black strap

* easy to attach strap due to just enough stiffness

* easy to snap in and out



Cons:

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

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

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

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

This isn't sign of a broken product.

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

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

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

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


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Sunday, 16 November 2008

Carrying Case For Garmin Nuvi - gps case, nuvi case


This case is awesome. I have been searching for a case for my GPS and most of them only hold the GPS none of the acessories! I am a truck driver and I switch vehicles. So I needed a case that holds the charger, GPS, and bracket. This fits it all nicely. The GPS is protected for the acessories, and that's a plus. It has a shoulder strap for easy carrying. It is very lightweight as well. I would reccomend this to anyone looking for a great GPS case to carry all. ARKON GPS-9043K GPS Protective Carry all Case

I primarily bought this case because I needed something to easily contain and move my Garmin nüvi 1690 4.3-Inch Portable Bluetooth Navigator with nüLink! Services, the Garmin Portable Friction Mount and the USB cable/spare Transcend 16 GB microSDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card TS16GUSDHC6E cards easily between vehicles. I also do a fair amount of air travel for my job and I hate to cram all of this in my laptop backpack.



I thought about generic camera cases, etc. but was looking for something more designed for this purpopse. The case has a pocket (softly lined, expandable) for the GPS, but I ordered the Garmin 4.3-Inch Carrying Case to protect the screen. Both fit great in that pocket. There is a small zippered compartment in the cover that easily fits the USB cable and a spare memory card. I should note an annoyance with the design though. I've noticed that the overlapping 'cover/lid' has to have the material folded up to easily access the dual zippers.



Now onto my setup. The friction mount, mounting horn/bracket, power cord and the GPS take a bit of thought to fit in. This case is on the small side, but just right. I attached a velcro strip to the power cord of the adapter to make things tidy (you can get a roll from your local home improvement store... nice to have around if you hate cable clutter like I do). You can fold the "petals" of the friction mount up and fit the cord and bracket towards the front. Nice and easy. I suppose if you were using one of those window mounts that there would be plenty of extra room.



The fit and finish of this case looks nice. I am not a fan of the "ARKON" logo emblazened across the front, but that is a small issue.



I have yet to travel with this case, but I think it will hold up nicely. It appears to be made of ballistic nylon with 4 small rubber feet on the bottom. I gave it 4 stars because I haven't traveled with it. It is great to move things between my cars. Might update the rating later when I have had a chance to check out it's durability through the TSA gauntlet at the airport.

So I actually got my case off eBay as it was cheaper, but non the less the same case. After looking at the pictures I thought it looked pretty good so I bought it. Once I actually got the bag, I fell in love with it! I have a TomTom 535T 5" display and the GPS fits snug in the little divider so it doesn't move around at all. There is plenty of space in the main compartment for all your cords and mounts to make this case a must have. I showed this case to my parents and after they saw it, they went out and bought one too! Well worth the little amount of money spent to keep your more expensive GPS investment safe! Oh and in case you're wondering, this case does have a loop on the back that would allow you to put in on a belt too if you were walking as well as having a nice long shoulder strap.

This is the perfect carrying case to carry and store my Garmin Nuvi, the stand and all of the connection cords. It is not big, yet it is light and protects the items well. It is not a case to carry on your coat or pants pockets. I realized that to temporarily disconect the GPS from the car and to keep it from getting stolen that I needed a smaller, more compact case in which to carry it separately, which I also bought. It is also wise not to leave the stand and connections hanging in the car because someone could see it and break into the car looking for the GPS.

Ok, July 2007 I purchased a 3.5 screen Magellan gps. Along with it I purchased from Amazon a small blue gps hard case for $11.00(That was a mistake). Three and half years later my gps retires (some gps batteries only last 3yrs) and now I have to buy another gps. I purchase an apx magellan 5.0 screen and now need a bigger, better, deal. Enters the Arkon gps-903k protective carry all case-that carry's it all. There is a pocket for a 4.5 screen gps, charger and gps stand. My mother even sqeezed my small digital camera and pouch in the case with all the gps items. The Arkon carry all price was $12.00 (includes shipping). It was a better price than the hard case that could not fit anything but the screen-the zipper even broke the first week. The Arkon is different, it is cushioned inside. Overall the Arkon carry all case is a competitive productand competitively priced. When I buy the next gps as a gift for my aunt, I have to compliment it with the purchase of the Arkon Gps-9034k protective carry all case!



Smartbuyer-NJ

This case was the perfect fit for my GPS and all the accessories. I especially like that it has a soft liner to not scratch anything and that it has a separate slot for the GPS itself to protect it further from being scratched.

**My only complaint it that the straps are not removable. I managed to stuff them inside and still snap it shut but it would have been nice if they came off completely.

Other than that, it's the perfect fit for my Garmin 4.3" GPS, window stand and power cord.

Just received the case yesterday and it does not fit my needs.

The picture is deceiving since the bag is quite small.

I intended to use it with my Garmin Nuvi with a 4.3" screen, the GPS fits in the compartment snugly while in it's leather case.



I use a beanbag mount to avoid vandalism, it was my intention to store the beanbag with the FM receiver/power chord in this bag.

No way does the beanbag fit in the bag, it is far too small.

I also don't need the shoulder carry strap since it has a handle on the bag and the strap is quite bulky. Bad news is you can't remove the shoulder strap, it must be cut off since it is sewn on.



For the price I paid, it's not worth returning it. It will sit in the closet and gather dust since it's no use to me for the purpose intended.



If you just need a carry bag for the GPS and a few small accessories the bag is fine, if you need more storage, this bag is not for you. - Gps Case - Gps System Accessories - Gps Carrying Case - Nuvi Case'


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18v Battery - 18v battery, battery


Part to answer the earlier reviews , when I researched this battery when DeWalt announced it, the FAQ at that time stated " these batteries have the same amp hour rating as our Ni-Cad XRP packs, they will NOT give you longer run time in the tool vs. a new XRP ni-cad battery. The advantages they offer are increased lifespan (2000 charge cycles for lithium ion vs. ~800 for ni-cad or less if you abuse them, lighter weight, and longer "hold" time - if you charge this battery and not use it for a month it will still be charged, ni-cad will be near dead from internal losses which is common to all ni-cad batteries.



When I first got these batteries I was a little dismayed at the mismatch at the old tools bases, as I used them more over the last year I started to appreciate the different shape as a quick way to identify the "good batteries", one year and hundreds of charges later I love these batteries, in the drill you won't notice a huge difference, but in the higher draw tools like the circular saw and angle grinder the Lithium batteries give you full performance from the full charge of the battery, with ni-cad you get a few good cuts with the saw and then you have to slow down because the saw is slowing down, with the lithium you get full rpms throughout the charge of the battery until at the very end the battery protection kicks in and shuts the tool down. This is to prevent the user from discharging the battery to the point that it damages the battery (idiot proofing), which would seriously reduce the life span. DEWALT DC9180 18 -Volt Lithium-Ion Battery Pack

I'm a sheet metal worker, (tin knocker)if you will and I've got no regrets about this batteries. Yeah it doesn't match the shape at the bottom of the old batteries but it is lighter an actually last me longer than my old ones . Now if how it looks is what worries you and not how it works,then maybe this isn't for you. Lets face it , is a tool not fashion... I personally bought the impact driver cause my job requires a lot of screwing of sheet metal screws on 24 to 18 gauge steel and these batteries last me about four days without the need for another charge...compare that to maybe two full days with the regular ones, that's a long time if you count that we hold almost everything with screws... so we screw all day basically and, yeah, the don't warn you when they are about to "die" but that is a good thing cause you always work with the full power of the tool or no power at all. I know I killed an old battery just trying to get the last little juice off of it and when I tried to charge it again, it wouldn't. So this feature actually doesn't let me burn it to death. It works with all my 18v tools; my recip. saw, my spot light, my fluorescent light, my hammer drill driver, my jigsaw, and my double cut shears... hope this helps in your decision...

I love this battery and the fact that DeWalt made it compatible with nearly all of their other 18v tools. That alone should earn it a place in the power-tool hall of fame, if there is such a place.



The price gave me sticker shock, but I also know a bit about what goes in a lithium battery - it's not cheap, not to mention that it needs active electronics for care & feeding of the cells if I'm not mistaken.



Speaking of which:



BATTERY-SAVING TIP: Keep your Forward/Reverse switch in the middle OFF position to prevent accidentally draining the battery if the trigger presses something in your toolbox.



If you already have DeWalt 18v tools (and you got out of the stock market before it tanked), this addition is a no-brainer. Yes, the aesthetics of the old/new socket-battery-mating aren't perfect, but then, the lithium batteries are totally different batteries. What's important to me is that it works - and in that, it excels (so far... I haven't had 'em long enough for any of 'em to fail)

I've posted a few reveiws about batteries from Dewalt and other manufacturers, so after having a couple of these new 'nano' batteries for a while now, I think I can post an honest review.



They are very good batteries, but you have to know what you expect out of them.



Runtime between charges is about the same as the XRP dewalt nicad battery. When we use this battery on the same job as an xrp nicad, they hold a charge for 'about' the same time.



The strength of this battery is the longevity of it. An average xrp nicad dewalt battery will last us almost a year before we have to buy a new one (used almost every day). Our crew bought a set of Makita Lithium batteries and tools, and they only lasted us 4-6 months before needing to get replaced. However, these new dewalt batteries are almost 1 and a half years old and still running strong.



So from our experience, you won't get any more 'run time' before needing to charge this battery than you do out of the old fashioned XRP batteries, but you will more than make up the extra money on these batteris in overall 'long term' battery life over the XRP nicads, and they last a LOT longer before needing to be replaced compare the the Makita lxt batteries.

I almost never review products, but this battery from DeWALT inspired me. I have used their products for years and loved the longevity and reliability... however their batteries have never impressed me.

The battery runs at full power and lasts until the last drop.

You can swap it between almost any of their 18v tools.

With the old NiCad batteries if you left it sitting for a few days between uses you would have to recharge the batter before use. This is not true with their lithium battery you can leave it sitting for weeks and it will still be as fully charged as it was when you left it.

I have been using these with my other DeWALT tools for months now only had to recharge the battery 3 times

I am able to use my impact hammer 6hrs without stopping.



I would defiantly recommend this battery to anyone who uses a DeWALT product. - 18v Battery - Lithium-ion - 18v - Battery'


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Refill - fountain pen, bottled ink


I like fountain pens and ever since high school green ink has been my trademark. My pen is a medium nib Pelikan 200 (green of course). One of the drawbacks of fountain pens is that the ink is not waterproof so it is not good to use for checks or any place where there is any danger of the paper getting wet. I've tried a few "semi-waterproof" inks in the past but they never worked worth a darn.



Noodler's came out with an ink that is water soluble in the pen but chemically reacts with the cellulose in paper to be permanent and waterproof. This sounded perfect so I ordered a bottle in the hunter green.



I was previously using Pelikan brilliant green ink. In general you expect the best writing when you have the same brand of ink and pen. I found Noodler's ink to write better than Pelikan. It has better and more consistent flow. It writes better on cheap paper which caused skipping problems with Pelikan ink. My pen feels a little more scratchy with Noodler's ink so I think it must be a little less viscious than Pelikan ink. Noodler's ink also feathers more on rough paper than Pelikan ink did.



To me the color of this ink isn't quite right. It is more yellowish and lighter than I expected. To my eye it looks more like a Kelly green than a hunter green. The online examples looked like a hunter green so I wonder if there is a little variation batch to bath. Noodler's Hunter Green Eternal Fountain Pen Ink

I've used this in a Hero 266 fountain pen as well as a few different basic Lamy fountain pens. It got the most use with an italic nib for addressing Christmas cards this year and performed beautifully. I've not had any clogging or ink flow issues and the color is beautiful as well as permanent.

This was a smaller bottle of ink than the other Noodler's I've purchased in the past. That said, I'm very satisfied with the purchase.



The color is a dark green and like other Noodler's Inks I've used, flows smoothly. It does run slightly when the paper gets wet, but nothing excessive.



Overall, a color I will be using on a regular basis in my Parker. - Fountain Pen Ink - Bottled Ink - Fountain Pens - Fountain Pen'


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Digital Camera Accessory - lens accessories, 70-300mm


It works and covers the lens, but it simply screws into the end of the lens or filter on the end of the lens. Maybe I should have read more, but I am really not worried about it for the price. I will keep it on hand in case of emergency, but I will not leave it on my lens like I do with my other lens covers. Professional 58mm Digital Tulip Flower Lens Hood For canon 18-55mm , 28-80mm , 28-90mm , 28-105mm , 55-250mm , 70-300mm , 75-300mm , 100-300mm , 50mm 1.4 , 85mm 1.8 with Lens cap Holder and Lens cleaning Kit

I am very disappointed in this Professional 58mm Digital Tulip Flower Lens Hood For canon. When installed on a telephoto lens it gets in the way of the operation of the lens. The lens hood is made of plastic and is easily cross threaded. I wish I could have handled this hood before I had ordered it. This is not worth the money to send it back. Look at another lens hood. You get what you pay for.

Eynpire Camera did process this order in a very timely manner.

I tried out this hood because it was cheap to see if I would like this design. The "tulip" design is not useful. It adds an element to think about when focusing the camera, because now the hood gets in the way of the shot as you turn the lens. Yes, you can turn the hood to not appear in the photograph, but it is an unnecessary adjustment. I will stick with a straight hood.

It screws where normally a filter will go so you can't use them together, also you can't use your lens cap while having this hood on. On my T2i 18-55mm lens if you shoot 18mm that hood gets well into the picture. Keep in mind that with this Hood comes a lens cap holder string and lens cleaning kit. So it really makes no sense to send it back. So if I were me I'd pass on this one. - Digital Camera Accessory - Canon - 70-300mm - Lens Accessories'


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Digital Camera Accessory - lens accessories, 70-300mm digital camera accessory Digital Camera Accessory - lens accessories, 70-300mm