Cpo Bostitch - bostitch, nailer

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I own 4 Bostitch nailers and they are all great. I like the light weight of the nailer as well as its more than adequate power. You just can't beat the ease of use for a pneumatic nail gun.



I did a lot of research before purchasing the Bostitch and I am very glad I did. It has yet to jam. The toe nailing claw is great. It really digs into the wood and allows you to drive nails at any angle without slipping.



Can't go wrong with this. Bostitch F28WW Clipped Head 2-inch to 3-1/2-inch Framing Nailer with Magnesium Housing

This product is great and it makes framing a breeze. The only problem is that the wire clipped 28 degree nails are not commonly found in a lot of the public building supply stores (Home Depot, Lowes etc.) They can special order them for you but if you need them right away you are out of luck, with that being said once you do get the nails this is one fine nailing machine that will work all day without any problems.

If you want a trouble free framing nailer this is a very fine heavy duty one Bostitch F28WW Clipped Head 2-Inch to 3-1/2-Inch Framing Nailer with Magnesium Housing

I picked this up at HD, and after using the paslode cordless, I really like the Bostitch. For it being as light as it is, it really has tons of power, and holds way more nails than the paslode. Because of it's magnesium construction, it's also lighter than the paslode, and with a lightweight airhose, this thing is versitile. The countersink feature rocks due to it's pushbutton guage, and the cleat it has on the safety works brilliantly for toenailing.



For an airpowered gun, this thing rocks!

Having been in the construction buisness for almost a decade now I've had the opportunity to use 3 different models of the Bostitch 28 degree framing nailer, the N80, the N88, and the F28, I have to say that although this gun has many eye catching features as the rafter hook and shiny buttons, the gun just doesn't perform like its predecessors. We have 2 F28s and they don't seem to fire as well, the safetys seem more finnicky causing erratic firing and dangerous operations. The entire crew prefers the N88 over the newer guns. We have had Bostitch SWAT reps check out the guns and say they are operationally fine. I would trade an 88 for my 28 any day of the week. Its still a Bostitch which means its a great gun, but nothing like its predecessors

being a pro framer, i have used many brands of nailers. hitachis are my favorite, but if you don't have the cash for them, this gun is a close second. lots of power. will nail into engineered wood. the teeth are nice and sharp making toe-nails a breeze. you won't have to pull out your hammer to finish off any toe-nails with this gun. little things about this gun are nice too. like the air exhaust can be moved in any direction without tools and comes with a rafter hook preventing some nasty falls off joists or trusses. good framing gun, not the best, but a good framing gun none the less. worth buying.



just to add to my original review; after using my gun for a few months of constant use on the job site, i have had a few problems. the rafter hook broke pretty easily so now i have to be extra careful nailing joists and trusses. also, every now and then a bit of dirt or sand will get in the housing and just sprays air out of the exhaust. to fix it i have to take it apart and clean it. it's really annoying considering how much a framer counts on his nail gun. it's still a good gun, but i'm just gonna invest a bit more next time.

I have used almost every brand and type of framing nailer over the span of 20 years. this nailer is as close to perfection as i have seen. i was afraid it may have poor durability because of it's extreme light weight, but over the last 2 years, a million+ nails, and a few nasty falls it has crushed all my fears. I can't remember one jamb, sinks nails in lvl and other lam mat. better than any other gun i've used, and i think at this point it's takenthe durability prize. my only complaint would be the smart trigger acts goofy at times since day one. maybe by now bostitch has smartend up the goofy thing. i think i bought the first one they sold. i noticed one reviewer said nails are hard to find for this gun, "special order" i think he said. maybe out west (WA?) where he is, but around here (PA) 28 wire is the standard. They are everywhere. i've even bought them at a back woods mom and pop hardware store.

CAUTION: THIS RATING IS FOR THE 21 DEGREE NAILER; THE F21PL. I would only recommend a 21 degree nailer, NOT a 28 degree one. The 28 degree nails are more expensive and hard to find.



This is the real deal. It slices, it dices, it shoots nails through everything (EVEN WOOD TO MASONRY!), it hangs joist hangers, and oh yeah, it does regular framing tasks too! I love this gun! It's not even that heavy. It feels pretty good in your hand all day. I don't want to put it down. We used to use only Porter Cable FR350A's, which are also wonderful, reliable, tough, and recommendable guns, but I like the versatility of this one better, and the extra power. I can lower the PSI on our compressors with this gun to 80-90 for most tasks.



Pros:

1) POWERFUL

2) CONSISTENT

3) TOUGH (We use this to smash joists etc. into place when we don't have a free hand)

4) GREAT AT TOENAILING!!! (This should be #1, because it sets toenails better than anything I've seen)

5) Lightweight (for its size)

6) 7 Year Warranty

7) Push Button Depth Adjustment (but not as convenient as the Porter Cable's)

8) It works even at lower pressures

9) Easy rotating exhaust

10) It shoots my favorite 21 degree full head plastic collated nails (They're usually the cheapest too)





Cons:

1) Bulkier and bigger than Senco, Max, and Paslode (You can't fit into every crevice and gap)

2) No Dry-Fire Lockout feature like Porter Cable's to prevent damage from chronic dry-firing (firing on empty)

3) You have to let the gun run out of nails before reloading with the common plastic collated nails, or nails may feed incorrectly causing jams and misfires. There is a new brand of nail coming out soon which prevents this problem completely. They're called "Lightning" something or other. They work great, and are cheap - Nailer - Bostich - Bostitch - Framing Nailer'

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Wireless Router - dual band, range extender

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This new WAP from Cisco / Linksys is smaller and easier to install than previous models, and is a great price for a dual band B/G/N WAP.

The range seems pretty good too, but we've noticed that there can be a huge difference with signal reception, depending on the quality of internal wireless antennae in certain laptops and netbooks.

e.g. At one of our customers' home: Her new PC netbook and laptop had 'Good' reception (3 out of 5 bars), while my Apple MacBookPro had 'Excellent' reception from the same location. The WAP was broadcasting plenty of signal.

Her two computers just couldn't receive all the signal, because of poor internal wireless antennae. So if you buy this product, and the range seems weak, don't assume it's the WAP.

Also, make sure you select 'Wireless-N Only' mode, if ALL your computers have newer 802.11n cards.

This will speed up your connection.

If you don't have N cards, then leave the setting in 'Mixed' mode, otherwise your B and G cards won't receive any signal.



Hope this helps.

Integrity Electronics USA Cisco-Linksys WAP610N Wireless-N Access Point with Dual-Band

I purchased a couple of these WAP610N access points for clients based on Linksys/Cisco reputation. I made the mistake of not checking the Linksys support forums first. Big Mistake.



This product with current firmware (as of 01/12/2011) simply does not work as advertised. There are many documented problems with connectivity, rebooting under load, inability to pass DHCP packets properly, and static IP addressing in the 10.x.x.x range to allow me to provide a positive recommendation for this product. Cisco and Linksys should be ashamed to have released such a buggy product. Calling them on the phone is a complete waste of time, and posting in their on-line support forums (along with the other unfortunate WAP610N owners) is also futile, because Cisco/Linksys will not even acknowledge the issues (but they are quick to edit your forum postings if you say something that they do not like).



Consequently I have no other options but to return the WAP610N units for refunds and to make others aware of the potential problem with this device. The most current firmware for this device was released about 9 months ago in March of 2010.



Linksys - I've learned my lesson. No more Linksys or Cisco gear for my business or for my clients. Thank you.

I have this configured as a 2.4Ghz Wireless-G Access Point at my place. It works great, I haven't had any issues with it. The one downside to this WAP610N (and also their WET610N)is that it takes a long time for it to reboot itself once you've made changes in the settings and save them, but it's not that big of a deal though. Also, I thought that this was a Simultaneous Dual Band (2.4Ghz & 5Ghz) like the WRT610N Router, but it's not. It's either or, I guess I should have read the specs a little better, but I still would have purchased it anyway. I guess they did that for a reason since I just bought a second one today so I can run that one as a 5Ghz Wireless-N Access Point. I've only been using it for a week but I haven't had any issues with it at all, it's a great WAP.

I have a complicated network. In addition our space can only be covered with two access points. It was very easy to configure two of these units so that they work in sync so that when you switch from one access point to the other, the switch is seamless and transparent to the user.

Y'know the old saying "If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is"?



I'm on my second one of these, having returned the first one. I should say up front that we have no problem with wi-fi in the house. Neither of the laptops (Mac and PC) encounter any difficulty anywhere in the house, even in the basement (the router is on the 2nd floor).



The first one worked on and off for streaming from the internet , always freezing, saying "loading please wait," then it would proceed to "load" but never restart. Or I couldn't even get into the program, it kept saying network connection broken, network down, cannot find the network, and I'd have to unplug the Linksys bridge and the Sony 460 BD for a few minutes then plug them in again. So, after one hour-and-a-half conversation on the phone with Linksys, and another hour-and-a-half instant messenging back and forth with them, we sent it back for a replacement.



The replacement arrived, and for a day or two worked fine. Then it started malfunctioning all over again. Now it doesn't even show any connection to the net at all. I'm still working to get my money back (didn't buy it through Amazon, got it thru Best Buy and the replacement came direct from Linksys).



Whatta hunka junk.

After reading some of the negative reviews I must say I became a little worried. Even though I'm a psychologist I do have an IT background and I got this access point up and running in about 5 minutes then connected to my switch across the house in 1 minute. End result = 2 months of perfect wireless on the dead side of the house with absolutely no drops. I would encourage the non-computer folk to request the help of a computer minded friend to set this thing up. I can only assume some of the negative reviews are due to the initial install being incorrect for one reason or another. Don't worry about this review as I'm not a fan boy of Linksys in any form or fashion and I do admit they have hardware issues (i.e. you manufacture over seas and you'll have the occasional dead device). Unfortunately all of these companies have the over seas manufacturing issue. If you get a dead device don't lose your temper. Linksys customer support works at an above average level and if you have patience + willing to put in the time to get a new device = you get a new device in 1 to 2 weeks.



I'll ding the reliability rating to a 4/5 because it's a Linksys product and will probably only last 2 or 3 years. I have no data for this but I'd be willing to say that 1/1000 devices will arrive dead. Probably doesn't seem like a lot but given how many are sold you'll get your angry folks leaving bad reviews at a good rate and for good reason. If you got two dead devices in a row then please flame away as you earned it. In conclusion I think most of you will be fine with this product.



Update on 6/21/2011

Buggers, the device needs to be reset once a week. It also runs fairly hot which may be part of the problem. I'm ok resetting it once a week but if it goes to once a day you'll see me drop the star rating. - 80211n - Dual Band - Range Extender - Wireless N'

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Introduction - video, satellite

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This is a great overview of modern video technology and achieves the authors' goal, namely "easy to understand explanations of the entire world of video."

Each chapter is pretty much self-supporting, so you don't have to read the entire book cover to cover. Having said that, the book is a fairly quick read. The copious illustrations are clear and the use of real world equipment is helpful to those that may be exposed to it.

This isn't the book to give detail about ever single aspect of a topic, but it certainly gives you enough to make use of the more specialised texts. How Video Works, Second Edition: From Analog to High Definition

This book is very straight forward and a pretty easy read (depending on the section). It is great at explaining many topics I've been wondering about. Great source of information for the beginning broadcast engineer, or to refresh for anyone.

When i started to read this book, I could no longer stop with to reading it.

It's reads so nice and everything is explained so clearly.

That is what i've to say about it.

If you want to know more about video, go buy this book. it really helps alot. - Introduction - Video - Satellite - Direction'

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Shopping

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This contains mostly the same information that is in her previous book "Cashing in at the Checkout" except that she adds some new information regarding automatic coupon dispensors and other technological advancements. Other than that, this book contains a more extensive write up on competition between major grocery chains, wholesale clubs and food companies. This is used to explain why food companies make coupons and why grocery stores have sales. Simply put, they want loyal customers who will always shop at their store or buy their products. Susan Samtur points out however that the super shopper does not fall under the spell of store or brand loyalty. The super shopper stratigically shops so that he will maximize savings without sacrificing quality. There is not too much of a difference in quality between major name brands and coupon users always buy name brand products.There are hardly any people who wouldn't benefit from reading this book except the extremely rich. Most would like to save more money. Cutting down one's grocery bill puts a lot of money in the bank. Through using rebates over the years, the author was able to put $35,000.00 into her son's college fund. One of the most extrodinary stories given in the book however is that of a man who purchased $869.79 of groceries on one trip using coupons with only $2.16! It sounds a bit too good to be true, but after looking into it, I can see how something like this is possible with some effort. People don't save nearly as much money on groceries as they could because they simply don't want to go through the trouble of sitting down and strategically planning for a shopping trip using coupons. The Super Coupon Shopping System: Ingenious New Ways to Save $$$$ on Every Shopping Bill

Wow! I'm a struggling college student, and a co-worker showed me this book. After I read it, I just had to get the other two written by Susan as well! This book outlines her amazing plan for saving up to 90% on your grocery bill! She has bought $130 worth of groceries for only $7.00 - isn't that amazing? My first shopping trip after reading, I saved $19.00 on a $60.00 purchase.That's almost 30%. But as you get more familiar and comfortable with her system, you'll be consistently saving 60 and 70% on your grocery bills. Exciting to read, and well-formatted, this book is a definite stay in my personal library!'

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Dining Tables - strathwood, cast aluminum

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Bought this table after a major wind/rain storm blew my glass one upside down and it broke in a million pieces. Figured all metal would be better, and also it has holes in it so the wind would pass right through and it would not be blown away. It was delivered within three days, but was missing the hardware. I called Amazon and was told they could not send me out "just the hardware," so they would have to send out a whole new table. They also said they would send a truck to pick up the first table. Sure enough, within three more days, the truck had come to pick up the first table, and I had the new one, with the hardware intact. My son put it together in less than 10 minutes. It is absolutely beautiful. Very strong and sturdy. I have received so many compliments on it. Glasses stand upright and do not tip over if place on the spaces, as the spaces are very small. The color is great, too. The chairs I have are still in very good condition, so I wanted to keep them, but was concerned because they are black wrought iron. Well, they blend in just fine with the brown table and do not clash. The brown is very dark. I would buy this table again, have no regrets about this purchase, or dealing with Amazon. They resolved my problem quickly and thoroughly. Absolutely satisfied with everything!!! Strathwood St. Thomas Cast Aluminum Round Dining Table

The reviews were half correct. Yes the table is very easy to assemble; yes the scroll work on the table is beautiful. However, where the reviews fall very short is the size of the table. There is no way that a 48" round table will seat 6 comfortably, let alone 8 cozy as the other review stated. A 48" round table is meant for 4 people. Also, it would be EXTREMELY helpful if Amazon posted the deminsions.

This is a great table. Amazon shipped it quickly and it was easy to put together. The scroll design is gorgeous. The color is a dark, bronze, brown with very small flecks of silver. The brown is dark enough that it coordinates with our black chairs. The size is generous and can comfortably seat up to six people. We are really enjoying our new patio table.

Although the Strathwood St. Thomas Cast Aluminum Round Dining Table is good looking and of good value for the price, I want to caution future buyers about purchasing anything beyond books and small items on Amazon. I was SHOCKED to see the feeble packing of a 52 pound heavy table. The box was crushed, there was no padding around the table top and it was wrapped in the cheapest paper--equivalent to tissue. When I asked Amazon to reimburse me for the damage, they only offered $20 and the business manager was RUDE. Beware of Amazon's shipping technique--that is the lack of it!

This product is a dark speckled brown, which is hard to see from the picture on the web, but which goes well with our adobe-colored house. The table is fairly light, making it easy to move. The feet are of adjustable height, which is welcome on our slightly uneven patio. I did have to push on a couple of parts to get them to line up during assembly - a couple of screw holes could have been a little better aligned - but I was able to assemble the table by myself with only basic tools. I recommend starting by screwing all the screws in halfway, and then adjusting from there. After half a year outside, there are no problems. The hole in the middle fit a standard-size outdoor umbrella we already had. The biggest plus was the price, only a fraction of the cost of other comparable patio tables I've seen. If you find cast-iron tables to be too heavy and expensive, this is certainly worth a look.

This set suddenly became unavailable just after we got ours which was a shame because a number of family and friends told me they went to look for it and it was no longer available. This set is awesome! The table and chairs are just a tad higher than usual and with tall people in my family, they are very impressed. The tables had to be assembled but were VERY easy to assemble. I put them together before my husband got home from work. They were all packaged beautifully! Delivery was quick and we are so glad we ordered when we did because, apparently, the set was very popular!

I am delighted with my Strathwood cast aluminum table !

I am also very satisfied with the excellant service that Amazon.com has provided with this order.

I had a minor problem and it was handeled with swift and fair resolve.

I had seen this table last year and loved it, but felt that I could not afford it.

I am glad that I didn't "settle" for something else

I live on a golf course, so the metal top is definitely what I need.

Besides being practical, it is beautiful, rich in styling, very elegant !

It arrived swiftly, in great condition and was simple for me to put together.

I am an elder, senior woman and I put it together, with no help, in less than two hours.

I would reccomend this product and Amazon's great service to anyone.

I just finished putting this table together. Took me just a few minutes. It's the perfect size for our deck and looks very lovely. It's sturdy and well made. I've paired it off with the matching Strathwood St. Thomas Swivel Dining Arm Chairs. Gorgeous and Classy.

really like the table, and for a great price. however, shipment did not come with hardware package (turns out it is only 16 bolts). tried for two weeks to contact Strathwood and the support vendor website that came with the matching chairs I purchased, but absolute radio silence. didn't want to return and luckily found assembly instructions .pdf on amazon. those instructions has spec's for the bolts, so went to hardware store and bought for $5 and got it together. Summary - great product for the price as long as you don't need any support.

I love the table including its looks, the craftsmanship, and functionality. The table came in a box with a hole that was taped up. The contents didn't include any hardware--just a small empty zip-lock bag. I tried to contact the manufacturer to get my hardware with no success. I could not let myself use resources to send back a 50 lb. package in order to get a few ounces of missing hardware, I got the necessary bits from my local Ace Hardware. I am not happy about the extra expense. In the future, I will be more cautious about ordering items that need assembling from Amazon. - Dining Table - Strathwood - Cast Aluminum - Patio Furniture'

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Grooming Tools - dog grooming, grooming tools

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Purchased this in the LARGE size (MEANT FOR MEDIUM TO LARGE-SIZED DOGS) to clip my German Shepherd's nails and sorry I did. It's not sharp enough and doesn't cut well, no matter how I hold it and instead of cutting his nails, it crushes, cracks and splinters them. In addition, this is made very flimsy with the handles flexing and bending during use and the blade assembly flexing and not cutting straight. Judging by the way he squirmed and whined, it must hurt him too. (The professional scissor-type version wasn't any better either.) It might work better for a smaller dog, but not for a larger one. Will not use this again. Instead, bought a Dremel brand nail grinder with a rechargeable battery pack which works wonderfully and he doesn't mind getting his nails done at all. Hope this helps some pet avoid discomfort. Safari Guillotine Large Nail Trimmer

I don't usually leave reviews but was so thrilled with these clippers I had to. We've had nothing but problems trying to get our dogs nails clipped. We have resorted to using knock out pills given to us by our vet. I hated doing it and knew there had to be something out there to help us. I found these. The reason they work for us is they are virtually noiseless. I think what bothered her the most was hearing the click of our other clippers. These make no noise and she actually lets us clip her nails! Wonderful clippers. Think I may buy another pair just in case they ever stop making them!

We had misplaced the trimmer we've had for several years, so I ordered this one. The first time I used this on my cat's first claw, she actually yelped in agony.



The explanation is simple: Look at the two photos I've loaded above, and examine the cutting head of each tool. I rubberbanded the handles on both tools closed so the cutting action can be observed.



In the first photo of the older Lambert Kay trimmer (we finally found it), you'll see the two pieces of the cutting head are parallel and tight against each other. This allows for a clean cut of the claw.



Now examine the second photo of the Safari trimmer: Note how the gap between the two pieces. The claw gets caught in that space, and instead of a clean cut, gets crushed.



The original French guillotine was considered to be a device of terror, so this Safari trimmer is aptly named. I immediately returned this to Amazon for a refund, and I would highly suggest avoiding its purchase.

I purchased this nail trimmer to use on our family's rat terrier. It works well enough. However, sometimes it doesn't cut quite all away through the nail and I have to re-trim the nail. This isn't the best dog nail trimmer around, but it will do the job for small to mid-size dogs. I have a friend who has a pet bird and though this nail trimmer is marketed more towards dogs, she uses it for her bird without any problems.

There are, of course, different types of nail trimmers for cats and dogs on the market, but I find the guillotine type to be the easiest to use by far. It works best for me if I hold it upside down. You simply insert the claw into the circle and snip, just like you were using wire cutters. My cats were a little hesitant at first, but, once I got better at it (which is to say, able to do it more quickly), they got much better at enduring it. I probably don't trim as closely as the vet would - I basically just take the barb off the claw, but by using it on a regular basis, it keeps them from getting stuck in the carpet. It's scary the first couple of times you use it, of course. It helps to have an accomplice to hold the animal and a styptic pencil nearby just in case you cut to the quick and draw blood. I've never even come close to cutting them that short, but I feel better just knowing I have the styptic pencil handy, just in case.

My little one didn't mind these clippers to much until they started getting dull.

These are just ok. Fairly well made. Get dull quickly. And I can't seem to find replacement blades anywhere. So it's a case of..when dull you have to continually buy a new one.

The clippers do what they are supposed to do. They are not the highest quality but for the price, it is to be expected. If you just take a little care when you use them and file the edges, you will be fine.

Clipper does it's job. The cutter doesn't stay close to the nail holder though when it is used, there is a gap. Makes nail cutting a bit harder. I turn it around the "wrong" way to use it so that it clips better. As long as it holds up for a few years it will be worth the purchase.

I'm not 100% thrilled with this product. My dog never used to care when I touched her paws but now that I tried to clip them, I think it splintered the nails which is making her very afraid. I think I leave the nail clipping to the groomer or vet. - Dog Grooming - Dog Nail Clippers - Pet Grooming Tool - Grooming Tools'

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Universal Remote - harmony, harmony one

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My wife bought me this remote for Christmas after not being able to find a Harmony 700 in the stores.



This is my first UR that does more than your basic cheap UR.



I had asked for a Harmony One but my wife didn't want to spend that much on "just a remote" for me. So she proceeded to look for a Harmony 700. Mind you she waited until the last week before Christmas to start shopping.



Well, Christmas morning rolled around and I opened the box fully expecting to find a 700 and instead found the ARRX15G. She said the stores were all out of the Harmony 700 and that this one was recommended by a sales person as a viable alternative.



I waited a few days before I opened it because I was trying to find reviews online but they all seemed extreme either for or against the remote. Having never used a higher end universal remote I figured what the heck I'd give it a shot. Worse case I'd just return it.



After installing the software and going through the initial device install. I was pleasantly surprised at the flexibility of this remote. I use it to control 4 different devices - a Sony KDFE42A10 television, an Onkyo TXSR606 reciever, a Sony BDP350 bluray player, and an older Sony DVD Player.



I like the button layout and find that I was able to memorize the layout rather quickly.



A day later I decided that I wanted to add a couple of Activities and change some of the color buttons for functions that I use most often. Although, this took some time, about 30 minutes, it was very easy to follow the software and to make the changes I wanted to.



My wife paid $80 for this remote and I am rather satisfied with it. with the money she saved over getting the Harmony 700 she bought me a few blu-rays.



Again, I have never used a Harmony remote so I can't compare the two but for my uses, as simple as they may be, this remote works very well. It's nice not having to juggle 4 remotes on my side table just to watch a movie. Acoustic Research ARRX15G Xsight Color Universal 15 Device Remote Control

I received this items as a gift for Christmas. My second Harmony remote is coming apart (older one had a failed LCD). My initial impression was that the remote has a better display, fit, and finish than the mid-level Harmony line. Unfortunately, during the software update process, two of these locked up and then became nothing more than $80 door stops (remotes will not even power up). After 2 calls to support, I'm still not pleased(one hold for 15 minutes, then disconnected). Call 2 took ~14 minutes with the resolution being "exchange it".



If you choose to buy this remote, do so with caution (and buy it locally). The manufacturer's software implementation is worse than Logitech's, and support is sub-standard. Here's hoping Best Buy is restocked early next week.

PROS: Attractive well built, nice screen, great back-light, huge online device codes database, code learning

feature for unknown codes, each family member has their own Favs, a good choice for the novice do-it-

yourself Home Theater user, good value for price.



CONS: Big, on heavy side, batteries don't last long enough, some buttons too small and too close together,

website not designed for the more experienced user creating custom command strings(macros), slower to

use than standard remote due to screen lookups, Favs must be added online.



Any remote controlling a Home Theater type of multiple electronic devices requires some level expertise of programming remotes, else you are going to be frustrated. But I will say this remote will require the least expertise if you follow the Manual step-by-step religiously, because XSight has gone out of their way to make setting up a complex A/V system about as easy as it is going to get. The trade-off is if you have more expertise and want to jump right in creating or customizing your own command strings, it is not as friendly to you. NOTE: The XSight website provided to help you through the setup requires a Windows ONLY XP w/Service Pac 2 or later O/S, and Internet Explorer ONLY browser, and when you are connected to the PC, even when the Remotes display is not light, its processor is still running and it will quickly discharge alkaline batteries.



Now for the possible disappointments to some. This remote is big, 9" X 2 1/4", and heavy 3/4Lb. But any remote with this size screen will likely be as large. There is a trade-off. Secondly, it uses 3 AA batteries so this will add to the weight if you use standard alkaline, which you will not want to because it will use them fairly quickly, especially if you hooked up to the PC USB. You will want to get lighter and rechargeable NiMH batteries at some point, and I would suggest the Hybrids or PreCharged NiMH's because they will not self-discharge as fast as standard NiMH's, important for a remote just lying around most of the time. In this Remotes favor, it does an excellent job of automatically turning itself off, letting you choose the on time, and letting you choose to use the Auto-On Tilt motion detector or not, when you pick it up. I would turn Tilt-Off, especially if you use non-rechargeable alkaline batteries since one press of any button turns on the display, but the Tilt feature works very well.



What I liked the most about this Remote is the ability to organize channel Favs into categories, called Profiles, with a title and even a logo or picture of your choice, for example Mom, Dad, Kids, Educational, News etc. What I didn't like is how small and close together some of the keys were, especially the screen control key, the ones you will find your using the most because each most screens only show three choices, and the scrolling to get to what you want can be a pain, even with back-lighting. Why they choose to make all the other keys almost too big (if that's possible :) ), and the screen control ones so small and close together, is know only to them I guess.



I will point out the screen control bar has been moved away from other keys and made bigger on the XSight Touch screen model of this remote, though the other small key have not. The difference between the Touch and this Color XSight model, aside from the much higher cost, is just three things; the screen is a Touch instead of this models side keys, it uses a proprietary LiION rechargeable battery with stand like a cell phone or ipod, and it is RF ready meaning it can control an optional RF Extender to replace the limited distance Infrared(IR) standard used in all remotes. Otherwise the models are exactly the same using the same

layout(with the one scroll bar mentioned above), same firmware/features, and same website software for setup.



Bottom line for me, if you are not able to setup a more complicated A/V arrangement and do not want to hire an A/V installer, then this Remote may very well do the job for you at the cost or less than an Installer visit. At the same time, you will have the trade-offs of size, weight, battery life, and need to scroll screens to get to certain buttons available on screen only. One big advantage to screened soft-buttons however is you will now have access to almost all of all your original remotes buttons in one place and you can even assign ones of your choice to any hard button on the remote, exchanging the buttons original function for one you prefer, for each of your A/V Devices.



However, if you are more experienced Home Theater sort of A/V equipment, then the online website is not as flexible and friendly as you would find at say, Logitech's Harmony line site, but you can get what you want out of this remote, just with more time and head-scratching getting past the novice 'hand-holder' step-by-step software approach.



If you choose this Color Model for the price advantage over the Touch, then be sure to get rechargeable AA Hybrid batteries. Hybrids are chargeable using the same NiMH charger you may already have. They will not self-discharge when not in use like standard rechargeables. Be advised the Touch Screen will not solve the small control buttons too close together, though the Touch's bigger and space away scroll bar will to some degree. The nice advantage to the Color's AA use is, unlike cell phone and ipod batteries, AA are available anywhere and are not expensive like proprietary LiIONs found in the Touch.



Hope this has helped those trying to make a choice here, and it is worth reading the other reviews found here and at Amazon's XSight Touch Model page to get other pros/cons. I would say this remote is a good buy for the money, but certainly not for $100 to $299 price sold else where. Fyi, the Xsight is exactly the same product as the Nevo line sold to Installers at $299. It is also sold under the Audiovox label.



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