Monday, 16 November 2009

Laminating Machines


I purchased this laminating machine in a store, but wanted to give a definite positive review! I have had this machine running since I got it, and just love it! It's simple to use, works wonderfully and doesnt' take up a ton of space. I have a special needs toddler, who uses picture cards to communicate her needs, and this has made over 100 PECS cards for her book, and now she's even taking them to Pre-k to use them as well! Wonderful machine that is making my little one's life so much better! I am also having tons of fun using it for my small business for price lists and advertising! Great little machine! Scotch Thermal Laminator 15.5 Inches x 6.75 Inches x 3.75 Inches, 2 Roller System (TL901)

This is a great little laminator, and I've used it even more than expected. But during a momentary lapse of reason, I tried to use a partial pouch - one that was not sealed on the bottom. They tell you not to do it, but I did anyway. Everything disappeared into the machine, and didn't come back out. It didn't look like I could open it up without destroying it, so I called their 800 number. They were so nice, and they sent me a mailing label to ship it back for free. They said that if they could fix it, they would do so and send it back. If they couldn't, they would send me a new one. All free of charge - which is incredible since it was my own fault for doing what they said not to do. I just got a new one in the mail. I only paid $30 for this, yet they replaced it free of charge when I messed it up. You just can't do any better than that!

Good all-purpose laminator for the price. Needed to run through a couple of times for thicker sheets. But I am happy with the product. I laminated 75 schedule cards in a row without a breakdown. A good deal.

I've been using a small card size thermal laminator to make cards, bookmarks and jewelry with for a few years now. A friend of mine gave me this one for my birthday as an upgrade.

I love it. It takes about 10 minutes to be ready and has an indicator light to show it's hot enough. A double roller system sends your document through the laminator smoothly at the right speed.

It's built for 3mm and 5mm lamination pouches which is fine for home and home office use.

If you do get a jam, the unit has a release button to pull out the document and unjam the machine.

It's very simple to use, intuitive but it also is illustrated with how to feed your document in as well. You put whatever your laminating into a sleeve then put it into the paper feed in the back of the machine.

There are 2 heat settings. One for 3mm and one for 5. It handles US Letter sized items easily.

Possible craft uses:

I use mine for jewelry, cutting out small images and sealing them into small pouches for less waste. After lamination, cut around the image leaving a margin of the clear laminate, use a small punch to make a hole and attach to jump ring

bookmarks- pressed flowers make wonderful mementos of special days out

recipe cards

dry erase boards

use in duct tape crafts with nice images. A couple comic book pages laminated can be taped together to make a very unique purse.

It's a good home laminator for home office and craft use.

Because of the 10 minute warm up time, I recommend having a few projects ready to go at a time so you can just do them all at once after the unit is heated.

I snagged this bad boy on a Lightning Deal for 20 bucks this weekend. It arrived yesterday (thank you Amazon Prime!). As soon as I got it, I set it up and used it a few times and I must say, I'm very, very impressed. This is easily worth the full price, so even more excited I got it for 20 bucks. Setup took less than a minute ... just take it out of the box and snap the feeder tray into place. That's it! Heating up took appx 5 minutes. I fed a couple items through and it is absolutely silent. I mean NO noise whatsoever when it's laminating. It autofeeds the item through and takes less than 30 seconds to spit it out the other side. The laminating looked very professional. I could not be happier with this purchase. Highly recommend!

I purchased one of these Scotch thermal laminators at Walmart. I've been very pleased, and have used it frequently to laminate things for my classroom. I recommend this one. I've not been using the Scotch brand pouches, but rather the ones I can get from Sam's Club, about 200 for about $20. They work really well. I do not recommend cutting into the pouches before you laminate. I tried that, and almost messed up my laminator. (The directions tell you not to do that, but the temptation to squeeze the most good out of a pouch got to me. Just don't try it.) The laminator is a good one.

I did not buy this from this seller. However, I love this laminator. Most are far more costly than this one. This one is great for personal use. I laminate pictures, my daughter's art projects, etc. It does take about 3 minutes to be "ready" but for the price that is fine with me.

It does laminate - it does take one or two rotations through the laminator to ensure it stays, once through though, the lamination sheets would come back apart. Also, I get a TON of air bubbles, and I use the Scotch brand laminating pockets. So, I haven't really laminated much except when necessary as it hasn't really worked as well as I was expecting and what I've experienced with some other more expensive Fellows Laminators for work.'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Laminating Machines Laminating Machines Laminating Machines

Wrist Watches - casual watch, wrist watches


This face of this watch is HUGE yet the watch is light considering its size. It is very good looking watch and very eye catching The band is really large so, it is recommended that it be sized. I would highly recommend this watch. Invicta Men's 1123 Sea Spider Green Dial Black Polyurethane and Stainless Steel Watch

The face is huge and it looks terrific.



Pros: glows in the dark. Very flashy. Invicta offers a free upgrade to 5 yr warranty. Waterproof to 100 meters.



Cons: Spider doesn't move. Knew that when I bought it but it would have been cooler if it moved. Had a hard time finding a jeweler who was willing and could shorten the band. Very flashy.



I know, I listed flashy in both. As Monk would say, it's a blessing and a curse.

When I bought it, it was just over $100 and I was shocked to see the price today at around $500. I doubt I would have paid that much, no matter how cool. - Sport Watch - Wrist Watches - Casual Watch - Invicta'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Wrist Watches - casual watch, wrist watches casual watch Wrist Watches - casual watch, wrist watches

High Heel Pump


These shoes are amazing!!! I got the natural snake skin pair...and i was shocked how soft the snake skin was!! theyre true to size...i wear a 6.5 but sometimes 7...got these in 6.5 an theyre a smidge too big...but other than that...no complaints!!! Nine West Women's Rocha Pump,Black Leather,8.5 M US

I don't know if it is the platform or something is getting in the way, but I cannot seem to keep this pump on my heel. I already added a heel insert and I can't go down a size or my toes won't go in. It almost seems like they didn't make the back heel area tall enough to grip my heel when i walk. I am not sure if anyone else has this problem with them, but I have only wore mine twice and won't be able to wear them again unless i can figure out a way to secure them to my heel/foot.

I read all the reviews of these shoes about how comfortable they were and was soo looking forward to them. But they were AWFUL. It hurt just to try to slip my foot in for the first time and after 5 minutes of wearing them around the house, I couldn't stand it anymore and printed out the return slip. The angle of these heels puts tremendous pressure on the toes, which are jammed into a fairly narrow vee. I can't imagine what my feet would have felt like after wearing these for a day. Agony. I'm very disappointed.

I got these shoes in grey reptile and I love them. I usually have problems with platform pumps having a short toe box meaning that my feet slide forward too much in a shoe and it makes my toes hurt. This pair was a dream. I bought my normal size, an 8, and they fit well without making my feet slide forward too much. The toe box is the perfect length.



These shoes look amazing on the foot. From the side they're a little weird looking when they're not on your feet. Trust me, though, get to a mirror and your legs look a mile long in these. A-ma-zing.



They're also very comfortable to wear. I actually ended up putting them on for a few hours when I first got them just to test that theory. I was not disappointed--it's an incredibly wearable shoe. Comfortable and cute enough for work but still interesting and sexy enough for going out. Love it.



One star off because the grey reptile is man-made, not leather (minor issue).

Honestly... I NEVER wear heels as high as these. Why? Because I can't walk, stand or even breathe with shoes higher than 3 inches.

The reason why I got these was that I realized that the platform was high enough so I wouldn't feel as high as it actually is.

And it's unbelievable how COMFORTABLE these are!

I have pretty wide feet and I wear nine west 9.5 but these run a liiitle big. Nothing that a shoe pad can't solve.

I LOVED loved loved it and recommend it!

These are the high shoes for women who can't stand too high shoes!

True to size, generous toe box. Nice platform look without being ridiculously over the top; able to walk without the feeling of wobbling on chunks of wood. Have purchased this style in 6.5 and 7 and have found both to be comfortable and wearable, not too narrow. Cushioned foot bed. Quality construction and materials one would expect from Nine West.

I bought this style (in the chololate brown) for a wedding. The first day I wore them for 16 hours! They are the most comfortable heels I have ever owned! I usually wear a 7, but the store clerk suggested I buy a 6.5 and put a gel insert to keep my foot in place. I now want to buy this shoe in every color!

I have the Rocha pump in two different colors. I'm actually going to buy more colors. They are SUPER comfortable. I have a bit of a wide foot and these shoes fit perfectly. I am up and down on my feet all day and there is ample cushioning at the ball of my foot to keep me happy all day long. Obviously, each person and each foot are different, so I don't know how they would fit on other people, but I feel like these shoes were made just for me!

These pumps are very comfortable for the height that they are. I purchased them in light gray though that's more of a beige than a gray. When ordering these shoes I think a half size lower would be a good option since they do tend to be loose in the heel area, I've solved my issue with them by getting some dr. scholls for her tape and now they stay on perfectly fine.

They look very nice with work pants and I'm sure they would look great for the evening as well though I haven't tried them out yet at night.

SO far they have been great for work and walking around during work hours, my feet don't feel like they're in pumps and that's more than what I had hoped for.'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


High Heel Pump High Heel Pump High Heel Pump

Custom Leathercraft - equipment, custom leathercraft


I guess it's how you measure. The "box" part of this carrier measures 19 x 6 x 8 inches. It's about the same as a competitive carrier sold at Home Depot for about the same price, but lighter in weight. Of course Amazon has sales from time to time. In any event, after getting over the disappointment about size, it's a fairly nice unit and offers an advantage in that the main compartment is divided into three parts whereas the HD version has one large compartment. That makes it more useful for me. There's plenty of nooks and crannies for a great many tools, including on the space dividers. It comes with a strap that I'll use for hanging it up near the workbench for easy access to the tools. For some reason Amazon sent it in a 40" carton. Custom LeatherCraft 1530 43-Pocket Electrical and Maintenance Tool Carrier

I am a journeyman electrician for a software development company, and my toolbag is with me almost all day. My boss had this same bag and I was impressed with many of the features. I purchased one for myself and have been using it for the better part of a month. Overall, the bag is high quality with a lot of nice features. The end pouches are great for holding my frequently used tools like linemans, dykes, nut drivers, and screwdrivers. the small plano-style box is very handy for things like wire nuts and ground tails. On the negative side, the center pouch is a little too short to hold my hammer and my jab saw. They both stick out one side at an angle, and have fallen out a couple times. Also, the shoulder strap isn't padded and when you have 20-30 lbs of tools in it, it starts to hurt pretty quick. It's still one of the best toolbags I've owned, and I have had quite a few.

Bought to replace the 23 pocket version. This is an awesome bag. I'm a 5'9" 180# man, and this bag is just small/light enough to carry around full. Any bigger and it would have been pretty unwieldy, but this is perfect. I didn't find the detachable end pouch to be particularly useful, but that's my single complaint. the pictures don't show it well, but one great feature is a metal "Tape Measure" tab riveted into the largest center pocket, right underneath the handle. If you use a smaller clip-on belt pouch, you can keep your favorite few tools in the pouch, and clip it to this little tab when you want to store it, so all your tools are together without you having to transfer them back and fourth. Mine holds an assortment screwdrivers, a complete set of allen wrenches, assorted pliers, three different wire strippers, three different crimpers, two flashlights, a tone/probe kit, a butt set, a DMM, a field soldering kit, a punchdown tool, and a lot of smaller tools, with a bit of room to spare. Just the ticket for any electronic field service. Highly reccomended.

I do a lot of "handyman" repairs for myself and friends but I am not a professional. I like to have everything I may need in one place to start plumbing, electrical or other repairs when I walk into a home. Unlike the lift lid tool boxes I have used in the past this carrier, with all of its 43 pockets, allows finding the tool quickly and keeps everything nicely organized. You don't have to empty out tools to find the one you need. It is made of heavy material and is rivited at the handle. It is very lightweight and when fully loaded it can be carried easily. It has a small parts box for a few screws, nails, wall anchors, etc that may get the repair done without bringing more boxes into the home. This carrier is very well designed and will last anyone a life time.

My hubby had enough of his bucket, and looked for a long time for just the right bag. He loves this thing. His whole bucket fit in with room to spare, loves the tape loop, he can find things now. Great bag.

I have now had 2 of these bags in the last 6 years. The original bag lasted just about 6 years before I managed to wear it out. I'm not easy with the bag, I pick it up however I can, and when I get to the job, I DROP it on the floor and the darn thing holds together time after time. The only reason I had to replace it was that I kept putting sheet metal shears, needle knose pliers, and dykes in the bag with the pointed ends down and over time, they made a hole in the bottom of the bag next to the side, same with the screwdrivers. This time the pointed ends are up and it seems to work better for me. The only week spot seems to be the shoulder strap rings. They pry open over time, I TIG'd the ends closed and no more problems.

This bag is better than anything you will find at one of the box stores and big enough to get to heavy to carry if you really load it up. Good value and durability for the money.

I purchased this for my dad for christmas. He is a mobile repaiman, and has to lug his tools from hiw work van, to his work area at every job. He likes it, and says its just the right size, not too heavy when its loaded full of tools, but still has plenty of space. In fact he sais theres so many pockets, that he still has empty spots.

This is a very well designed tool bag. It provides many pockets just the right size & variety for all your tools without making it unwieldy. Great economy of space. The item arrived slightly deformed due to shipping in a box. However, I think it will return to its designed shape over a few days. - Bag - Bears - Custom Leathercraft - Equipment'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Custom Leathercraft - equipment, custom leathercraft bears Custom Leathercraft - equipment, custom leathercraft

River Rafting - river rafting, water recreation


I bought two of these rafts and am very impressed after our first summer using them. When I began researching different rafts I was concerned about quality and durability. The first time I inflated this raft I was surprised at how thick the material is and how rigid it becomes when fully inflated. I was expecting something more like a pool toy or something. On the lakes we have in each raft 1 adult and 3 kids and they hold up perfectly. (see picture above)



The raft includes 2 collapsible oars (they screw together), two inflatable seats, a manual air pump (which is useless on a raft this size), a small gear bag, some rope, and two fishing pole holders that mount on opposite ends of the raft. Overall a very nice package.



Initially I was debating getting a heavier-duty raft, one called the SeaHawk II which is more expensive and is classified by Intex as a "marine boat". After looking on the Intex website I found the Seahawk 400 is made from 30 gauge material and the SeaHawk II is made from 26 gauge material. In addition the Seahawk 400 has more room and holds more weight. Given those facts and the lower price I decided on the Seahawk 400 set and I am very happy with the decision. Intex Sehawk 4 Boat Set

We just got back from a three-hour Truckee River rafting trip in this boat. All in all, we're very satisfied with this purchase, and we think you'll do as fine as we did with it on a Class I river.



We're a family of five: two adults, two youngsters ages 7 and 5, and a 14-month old toddler. We ordered an inner tube from Amazon along with the Seahawk to make sure there would be room for us all. Once it all arrived, it was clear that we'd all fit inside the boat along with a jug of water and a bag of snacks, so we left the tube at home. The 4-person rating is reasonable, though if you were thinking of taking four adults on a fishing trip with tackle boxes and a cooler, I wouldn't recommend it; it would soon get uncomfortable.



The river this morning was mostly Class A (requiring us to paddle a bit) or Class I, with a few sections of very easy whitewater that might barely qualify as Class II. At those points, we dragged ourselves over rocks once or twice, but I didn't feel that the vinyl threatened to rip open. Along the way, we encountered many rental rafts, which were closer in style to the RST Marine Navigator II 500 available on Amazon. I felt that we were well-prepared, and their rafts were overkill, for the class of river we were on. In other words, on a Class I river you won't feel embarrassed to be seen in this boat.



The oars are adequate. It is fortunate that they float. They're short, and the leverage isn't right for river rafting when they're in the oar locks. We ended up combining the two into a kayak-style paddle, which worked well enough. The gear pouch will stop splashes from the oars, but it's nowhere near watertight. Put your cell phone in a Ziploc bag, preferably with a chunk of styrofoam so it'll float. The boat comes with two inflatable cushions that look ridiculously inadequate, but they were actually nice to sit on.



On disembarking, the Boston valves made it easy to deflate the main two chambers, but as many other reviewers have noted, the floor has a pool-floatie-style valve that's cumbersome to deflate. We strongly recommend taking along a Coleman rechargeable QuickPump (again, with a suitable Ziploc bag enclosing it) to flatten the floor at your destination. Once all three chambers are emptied, you'll find that you can easily roll the boat into a 16-inch diameter, 25-inch length sleeping bag shape. Consider buying a duffel bag, too; unlike some Intex models, the Seahawk 400 doesn't include a bag. The deflated boat is light enough for an adult to carry a short distance.



One worry was that the Amazon pictures show the green 2008 model (880-pound capacity with motor mount support), but the description is of the blue 2007 814-pound model. We ordered directly from Amazon, not from a third-party seller, and did receive the newer model as expected.



All in all, a great value. Next mission: attaching a trolling motor and cruising along Lake Tahoe's west shore. :)

This boat is great! It says it's a four person boat which normally means it will fit two adults comfortably. We had two adults, two children, lots of stuff, and still had room to spread out. Very sturdy and good quality as well.

I just purchased this inflatable boat and took it for a ride last week. I bought it from amazon and it arrived 3 days earlier than expected, over the weekend when i wasn't home, but even know they left it in front of my apartment nobody stole it.

The boat is large enough for 3 people to fish from it, although if you have fishing gear and a cooler, two people would be the best scenario.

The material looks good and tick and I hope that I will not have any problems with it in the future.

Now the not so good stuff.

1. The first problem encountered is the inflatable floor which doesn't have the big valve but the small one. When you have to deflate it you have to squeeze the valve with you hand the whole time. It is a big pain and I do not understand why they were so chip and didn't put the same valve as the other two. You can't even fold the boat because there is always some air left in the floor compartment.

2. The biggest problem is that the boat is hard to steer with the oars. It does not have swivel oarlocks (the kind that keep your oar fixed and they rotate). You have to keep the oar fixed with your hand and it is a pain. The oars themselves are solid. Please don't venture too far from the shore if you are on a lake, because you will not get back if there is any kind of wind. Also make sure you have an anchor so that if there is wind you can at least stay in the same place and don't go away from the shore. I started on one shore, and because of the wind (2 people in the boat) I was not able to bring the boat back to the same shore, I had to go with the wind on the other side and than walk back. I guess if you plan to put a motor (which i don't) on the boat, then you will be fine.



The boat is kind of heavy and hard to pack, but that is not necessarily a bad thing because it means is made of thick material.

Overall I am pleased with the boat, keeping in mind that I paid little over $100 and it came with all the things necessary. It is kind of hard to fish from the boat with more than one fishing road, because you can't stand up in the boat and the boat moves all the time because of the waves (even with a big anchor). Sevylor for 6 person (in reality for 3) is another option that has the swivel oarlocks, the problem is you have to purchase your own oars which can be another $30-$40 at the minimum. - Water Recreation - Inflatable Boats - River Rafting'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


River Rafting - river rafting, water recreation inflatable boats River Rafting - river rafting, water recreation

Programmable Digital Timer - timer, digital timer


Works Well. Easy to use. I think I would prefer that it had an additional ac outlet thats always on though. But I knew it didn't have one before I bought it. I use it all the time. Directions are a little fuzzy, you have to make sure you go from off setting to auto not on to auto etc. Digital 3-Amp AC Outlet All-Purpose U7 Timer

These are nice little timers. User interface is well done, although it does get tedious entering lots of start and stop times after a while. (But at least you CAN!) One surprise: the little brochure that comes with the timer only mentions the recessed RESET button by way of admonishing the owner "Do not use this function unless absolutely necessary", without telling you how to recognize when it's absolutely necessary. If the four timers I bought are representative, and they almost certainly are, then you HAVE to push that recessed button to get the timer to wake up out of the box. Here's the missing instructions: take your new timer out of the packaging, plug it in, push that reset button, and leave it that way for an hour. This charges up some internal battery or other rechargeable energy source, and the timer is then ready to be programmed. You might find it helpful to get several of those 1-foot-long extension cords so that the timer doesn't use up your whole wall outlet just be plugging in. This also makes it easier to program. - Digital Timer - Programmable Digital Timer - Lamp Timer - Timer'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Programmable Digital Timer - timer, digital timer timer Programmable Digital Timer - timer, digital timer

Blackberry Curve - curve, 8330


Made a decision early this year to pick up a new BlackBerry Curve 8330 as a better method of communicating with clients and family. Had seen reviews that averaged 4.4 out of 5, so it seemed to be a decent choice. This turned out to be one of the best decisions made this year, as the BlackBerry turned out to be far better than expected... it was faster than my previous phone, reliable, versatile and rugged, and there were few dropped calls. But the phone had one simple problem: it's a battery eater!



Went to my cell phone provider to see about getting an extra battery, and was surprised to find that the standard 1000 mAh OEM Lithium Ion battery cost was almost $45.00. That seemed a bit steep, so I began searching here on Amazon.com and found this Blackberry Li-Ion [OEM] C-S2 Battery. Was cautious because of the extreme price difference, but figured that if it was truly an OEM C-S2 battery, it was worth the gamble.



Examined it when it arrived, and found that it not only had the original BlackBerry logo, but was marked C-S2 on the face, the correct version for my phone (and many other BlackBerry models). The back listed it as a Lithium Ion Battery, 3.7V, with a capacity of 1150mAh 4.3Wh... identical to my original battery. So it was charged overnight, as had done when the phone was first received with the original battery.



It was good choice, as the battery has been a perfect backup to my original. It has function just the same as the original C-S2 battery, and there seems to be no difference. Went on to buy a second backup, just because it seemed to be a good idea for those "better safe than sorry" situations. Must admit that I do use the built-in GPS quite a bit, and that along with frequent 'Net access, probably accounts for my need of extra battery power. Might note that I picked up an External Battery Charger For Blackberry 8300 8320 8330, which has been the perfect compliment to these batteries.



One might note that the prices on the BlackBerry C-S2 OEM batteries seem to vary quite a bit here, but most seem to come in well under $7.00... far less that what the cell phone retailers are charging. Do your searching here on Amazon.com and you'll find some excellent prices on these.



If your battery seems to not last as long as the original specs for the BlackBerry stated, you can argue with the retailer... or waste far less time and get one of these C-S2 OEM batteries here. Giving it a 5-star rating without any hesitation at all. NEW BLACKBERRY OEM C-S2 BATTERY Curve 8530, 8700, 8700c, 8700f, 8700g, 8703

I ordered three of these batteries as backups for our Blackberry Curves. The two I ordered in November, 2010 were just as advertised and have worked find. Today I received the three advertised as "new" but none of them worked. Two were clearly remanufactured while the third may have been original.

I didn't get my items in the promised delivery window. There was a tracking number attached to the email but it really couldn't track my shipment. After the promised delivery date, still I didn't get my items. After that, I emailed to ship them right away at their expense or track the order and I got the items 3 days after at their expense. Customer service was good though even though they couldn't track down my order... - Blackberry Battery - 8330 - Curve - 8300'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Blackberry Curve - curve, 8330 8300 Blackberry Curve - curve, 8330