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Product: David White 45-8926-1 Amazon Price: Too low to display Availability: In Stock |
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Good features is a nice easy to use level,good tripod,precision is ok,they deliver it fast and it came well package.Features that i didn’t like is the carrying case is not good, very uncomfortable. But overall is a good level no problems so far, I recomend it, you get more than what you pay.
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Product: La Pavoni PAB-16 Amazon Price: Too low to display Availability: In Stock |
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Have had this espresso machine for several months now. Researched a lot before buying and believe this is a great machine for the money. Performs well. Makes a great shot of coffee, assuming you are using great espresso beans. Looks good on the counter, altho not a sexy as the more expensive machines. Not too noisy. Only major negative: Not a lot of clearance between the machine and the drip tray – can’t use anything taller than a cappuccino cup. Also, machine does drip a bit after you stop brewing.
Consider getting a good burr grinder to go with it. I highly recommend the Capresso Infinity.
Takes a 53mm tamper size.
I just got this machine from amazon. The pump works well and fairly quiet. It produced perfect crema and the lavazza espresso tasted better. I had the
Gaggia 35008 Carezza Espresso Machine, it is noisy, no crema, except you have to insert a special device. Even so, no acceptable crema and the espresso tasted not as good as this machine.
Love this expresso machine! Water heats up quick, operation is quiet, and it makes a perfect cup of of espresso with creama every time. Like the small size, fits the counter perfectly and looks good too. About the only comment is the cup height is a little low. Have to use espresso cups instead of mugs.
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Product: Magellan Magellan Triton 1500 Amazon Price: Too low to display Availability: In Stock |
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OK, so I try to avoid being an early adopter, but I’ve been waiting a long time for the next step in GPS technology, so I jumped at the chance of buying a Triton 1500.
FYI, the 1500 is the same as the 2000 minus the camera. I carry a Canon on top of my pack so I did not need it.
The User Interface rocks, totally intuitive, easy to understand and the touch screen is awesome. I laugh a little at the micro stylus, that’s going to get lost on the first 5 miles on the trail. Magellan includes a bag of extras, probably because they exepect this to happen. Good news is that a finger or a twig will do just fine.
The ability to add voice notes is great and one of the reasons I bought it. You’ll need to add an SD card to take advantage of this excellent feature. Same deal if you want to add some MP3s. I can see myself listening to Dave M or a good book on tape while in camp.
The LED flashlight is ok. Enough for an emergency but it will not replace my head torch.
I’m not sure about the choice of colours, I’m sure its rugged but it looks a little cheap.
The cicular navigation button offers too much resistance. Maybe it’s designed that way to avoid unwanted data entry, but I don’t like it.
Now onto the not so good. The software/PC set up is far from plug and play. In fact I’d go as far to say I’ve never seen anything so complicated.
The biggest selling feature is the integration with National Geographic’s Topo maps. In order to take advantage of this feature you have to sign up for and download Magellan’s VantagePoint. If you don’t do that you don’t get the drivers.
Once you have done this you have to download a patch for the NG maps that adds Triton support. This also provides more of the drivers you need for your PC to recognize the Triton via a USB port.
I’ve done all the steps above, achieved connectivity with VantagePoint and my Triton, but I have tried everything execept voodoo magic and I cannot get NG Topo maps to see my Triton. This raises a good point.
Magellan make the GPS but NG make the maps, who do I contact for support?
I emailed both Magellan an NG for help. Got some very responsive support from NG but all they could do was refer my email to their development team and I have yet to hear anything from them. Magellan have yet to respond in any way.
I’m sure this problem will get resolved soon and as Colorado is sitting under piles of white stuff I will not be needing my GPS until the spring but it’s more than enough to take the shine off a great product.
In summary:
Good:
Great UI
Intuitive
Fast
Not bad:
Flashlight
MP3 player
Micro stylus
Needs work:
NG Maps interface
OMG the set up is COMPLICATED
I received my Magellan Triton 1500 from my wife for Christmas. We like hiking Mt Leconte in The Great Smokey Mountains National Park each summer and thought this would be a fun way to keep track of where we are on the trail and to find different landmarks along the way. We also live on a farm with a creek running alongside it, and wanted to be able to watch the cursor move along as we walk it. Well, here it is in mid April, and I just now got it all working for me. I did not receive much in the box, just the receiver, some batteries, and a package of replacement stylus. I phoned the Magellan folks three times and never did receive the rest of what was supposed to be in the box. I bought a cable off of e-bay, and downloaded the vantage point software over the internet from the Magellan website. I bought the National Geographic TOPO maps on CD for Tennessee and Kentucky from the National Geographic website.
One major task to complete before this will work is to load up the Magellan Driver needed for your PC to recognize the Magellan. I googled a search for help doing this, and found information on how to get it done, and finally got that done.
The second major thing to do, is to download the newest version updates of the TOPO software. Without it you will not have a box that allows you to send the TOPO map you want to the Magellan Triton GPS. The National Geographic website will give you a lot of information on how to get their TOPO maps exported to the Magellan Triton. You must update your TOPO software to version 4-4-2 . The upgrade you need is at
www.topo-triton.com .
I need to make it clear, the National Geographic Website will give you the best informaton out there to get this thing working with their TOPO maps. Spend some time reading their information under Magellan Triton Support.
After you get this done, you can open up the TOPO software (mine is for Kentucky and Tennessee) and zoom into the area you want to map. Zoom into the closest range possible (level 5) and then you will click the red box on the top line. You can move around the red box to include the area you are interested in, and then save it as a name you will remember.
The export from TOPO to Magellan Triton is easy now. You will load up the small map that you just saved, and then along the right side of your TOPO screen you will select the choice “Export to Triton” and give the map a name that will show up in the maps menu of your Triton. Then, click export now, and very quickly the map will go to the Triton.
From the Triton menu, select view then maps. You will see the name of the map you just sent to the Triton and there will probably be a box with a red slash in it on the left of the map name. Click that red slashed box with your stylus so the red slash goes away. This will then be the map that will be displayed on your Triton. (only one active map can exist in the Triton, the red slashes are the maps that are inactive).
I have a 2GB SD card plugged in, and all my imported maps go to it without me doing anything.
The screens with the maps are clear, colorful, and a lot of fun to have as you hike around an area.
I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS GREAT TECHNOLOGY THAT IS AFFORDABLE AND NOW THAT I FINALLY GOT IT FIGURED OUT, EASY TO USE.
GET YOU ONE OF THESE MAGELLAN TRITONS AND YOU WILL ONLY REGRET THAT YOU DIDN’T GET ONE SOONER. No Kidding, get you one of these today!
Great unit, needs some work via firmware to fix some problems but the integration (once you figure it out) with national geographic is awesome. To have a full color detailed topo with trails, waypoints and symbols has been long awaited. Mp3 player rocks, flashlight is a great feature. Menu system will drive you nuts. Right now you can only upload small topo regions accurately.. Anything large like say the size of Vermont, will lead to the map being out of position by up to 500 ft.
All in all a great unit – super fast satellite acquiring.
Magellan just needs to fix a handfull of bugs, large and small.
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Product: Acer AS1410-2285 Amazon Price: Too low to display Availability: In Stock |
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The Acer 1410 with Intel dual-core SU2300 and Windows 7 is a useful, general purpose mini-notebook. It is small and light enough to be carried around all the time, yet large and fast enough to do most ordinary work. Word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail and Web browsing are all responsive, although there have been reports of some performance limits showing HD video. These units are being delivered with 64-bit Windows and 2GB of memory. For about US$80 one can install 2×2GB of PC2-6400 memory, reselling the delivered 2×1GB of PC2-5300 memory if that proves possible. Speed becomes faster and battery life longer when using the Windows Classic theme and setting “Adjust for best performance” in Control Panel, System, Advanced system settings, under Advanced and Performance. Even with maximum power use the unit remains cool, with only slight warming near left-side ventilation exhausts.
The display provides about 135 color pixels per inch, while the human eye is capable of resolving only about 70-90 per inch. Small-size text will be unreadable without a magnifier. However, all commonly used Windows displays are readable, unaided, for a person with normal to somewhat near-sighted vision. Display software provides an option to boost text dimensions 25 percent at the expense of reducing content of application windows. A 50 percent brightness setting is adequate for indoor use and extends battery life. Even 100 percent brightness cannot overcome reflections from the glossy screen for outdoor use. Visibility angles are limited to around 30 degrees in practice, slightly more from above, and color fade begins at about 15 degrees.
The keyboard design provides full US spacing of 9 inches across a row of 12 keys. Tactile feedback is adequate for fast touch-typing. The touchpad is adequate, but its many options may confuse new users. It is best to start by visiting Control Panel, Mouse, Device Settings, Settings, and disabling all options except Buttons, setting the PalmCheck and Touch Sensitivity options to the second lightest. Later the span of options can be adjusted as familiarity with the unit grows. The touchpad software is unresponsive. Even with options disabled, the pointer movement on the display is apt to surge and freeze. Acer’s case design worsens those problems by providing poor tactile feedback for touchpad boundaries.
The WiFi interface performs creditably and connects quickly. WiFi can be disabled by a switch under the front edge to save power when it is not needed. There is also a Bluetooth switch, but the 1410 does not come with Bluetooth. The audio is adequate for typical office use, where most Windows sounds are usually disabled. Battery life in normal use is likely to be around 5 hours. The power adapter delivered provides only 30 watts, maybe because of safety issues and recalls Acer has experienced. Battery recharge time with the computer off is around 2-1/2 hours and twice that with the computer on. Windows 7 performs without the reliability problems and the annoyances of Windows Vista. There are minor functional improvements over Windows XP, nothing that adds much productivity for office use. Utilities like Notepad and Calculator have not changed function since Windows 95.
The 1410’s rich cousin, the 1810, is expected to be available in quantity by mid-November, 2009. Its SU7300 processor will be about 20 percent faster, and it will be delivered with 4GB memory and a bigger disk. For most office uses there will be no added benefit to justify a 50 percent higher price. Some customers may be attracted by around a 25 percent increase in battery capacity. Overall the Acer 1410 is a good candidate for performing typical office work in a mobile setting, but no portable computer delivers the productivity of a fast desktop computer with a large display, mouse and freestanding keyboard.
Some reservations: Acer’s documentation is unsatisfactory, only available on delivered machines, not on the Web. It consists of a “quick guide” to a category of machines, in this case both 1410 and 1810 models, equivalent to five typewritten pages, and a “generic guide” to the Aspire family, mainly on proprietary software, written in a CYA style and in a British dialect of English. As an example of the low-grade advice, it recommends carrying a spare battery but nowhere specifies appropriate batteries, or for that matter, specifies any other replacement parts or product options. In the case of the 1410, this can be disastrous, because the same 1410 model number was used by Acer for an earlier portable computer, which requires different batteries. The battery is Acer part number UM09E31, but as of October, 2009, there was no source for that battery. Acer’s warranty requires a lawyer to decipher, saying to contact a “Call Center” but providing no telephone number.
I agree with the previous reviewer: I chose this model with the SU2300 because of the additional performance associated with the dual core CPU. Since I consider anything less than 13″ a netbook (such as this) I had no need for a 250GB hard drive the other model came with. The version I am reviewing is BLACK in color.
The Pros of this model:
-Windows 7 Home Premium runs, in my opinion, faster than XP would. Fantastic!
-AERO runs great
-The beefy graphics card and HDMI-out works great for watching HD movies on HULU or Youtube and putting them on a big screen TV with HDMI
-2GB RAM!
-Decent webcam
-Draft N wireless
-Nice sized and sturdy keyboard
-Lightweight and the size of an 8×11 piece of paper (thicker of course)
-The battery does not stick out the back like other netbooks
The Cons:
-Speakers didn’t sound loud enough when sitting on my lap, but headphones do the trick
-Touchpad is a little square, I wish it was a bigger rectangle
-No bluetooth yet the button to turn it on and off is still there, kind of odd
-Glossy shell leaves finger prints
-Acer Pre-installed Bloatware (games, norton backup, google toolbar, MacAfee trial, etc)
-NO Windows OEM DISK! This drives me nuts if you ever need to reinstall but I think Acer has some backup partition (Alt+F10 or something at start up)
In all, this computer is blazing fast, has Windows home premium, great for school, or work. I have not tested the battery life yet, but I assume it goes for about 4 or 5 hours of regular use since it is 6-cell.
Ignoring colors, Acer now has two different AS1410 Windows 7 laptops at the same $400 price point: Dual Core SU2300 with 160GB hard drive and a Single Core Celeron 743 with a 250GB hard drive. I chose this model with the SU2300 because of the additional performance associated with the dual core CPU.
Pros: 3.1 lbs, compact size, 6 hour battery, SU2300 performance, keyboard, 1366×768 LED-backed display, Intel GMA4500MHD graphics, 802.11n Wi-Fi, HDMI, webcam
Cons:
- Touchpad buttons too stiff, also, left button does not always register a click
- Glossy top cover attracts fingerprints
- No dedicated volume control (have to use arrow keys)
- Glossy screen shows reflections (I would prefer a matte screen)
- No bluetooth
- No esata
- 2 GB of memory comes as 2×1GB SODIMMs so if you want to upgrade to 4GB, you have to chuck the existing memory. Note that specs on Acer’s website incorrectly indicate that the 2GB comes in a single SODIMM leaving a slot empty for upgrading.
In summary, the AS1410 could be better but for $400, it is a pretty good ultra portable laptop value. Amazon did a good job of packing it and shipping it quickly. Recommended.
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Product: Hunter 22285 Amazon Price: Too low to display Availability: In Stock |
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I have 5 of these fans that are 35yrs old and needed 2 new ones. they arrived in two days but I have emailed value bros as the light kits are missing.
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Product: Big Frog Mountain SAF 10 Amazon Price: Too low to display Availability: In Stock |
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After quite a bit of research, I felt that the Natural Light Systems Solar Attic Fan offered the best combination of engineering, quality, and value compared to competitors. As for performance, I conducted a simple test that is reported below, but am not equipped to compare other brands under the similar conditions. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find unbiased brand comparisons.
The product sold here is a 10 watt panel unit manufactured in Phoenix, Arizona by Natural Light Systems (http://www.solaratticfan.com/). The company also makes a 20 watt panel that costs about $75 more that will probably prove more satisfactory over the long run. The only difference between the 10 and 20 watt units is the panel.
BACKGROUND
I have a house with a moderate pitch (I believe about 15 degrees or so), with a black asphalt shingle roof, located in Mountain View, California. When re-roofing the house a few years ago, the contractor recommended installing several small “eyebrow” vents opposite each other along the ridges. They take advantage of the Venturi effect to exhaust hot air. They really weren’t sufficient, though. Wind turbine ventilators were too small to retrofit and obtrusive, and over the years I’ve 1) installed (and removed) a gable fan (noisy and inefficient), and 2) finally re-engineered a large Vornado fan to direct exhause out of a leeward vent. But it was still a bit noisy and used electricity, of course.
Hence, the search for a low-profile solar attic fan, though, I did consider a new passive system from Aura (see http://www.roofvents.com/roof-vent.html). That company also has a solar panel version, though there are some features I don’t particularly care for. I installed the solar attic fan on the leeward side of the house, facing due south, in place of an eyebrow vent, in the center of the house. I sealed up the opposite windward eyebrow. There are sufficient air intake vents (or soffits). Total attic volume is somewhere between 1,500 and 2,500 cubic feet.
PROS
Simple and straightforward engineering. This unit comes with a single well-designed fan. One brand that I nearly bought, from Aura, is cluttered with several little fans tucked inside the unit.
One piece heavy gauge stamped aluminum body with no seams. The seamless body is leak-proof with no additional caulking needed.
Aluminum and stainless steel hardware, so corrosion shouldn’t be a problem.
High quality BP solar panel (the 20 watt panel, which I have, appears to be the BP-SX320). I understand that most panels degrade in performance over time, so think it’s better to start out with a more powerful panel. The solar panel is adjustable – great if you can easily get on the roof and want to pick up the rays from the low spring or fall sun. Out of the box, the solar panel rests flat against the top of the unit; the picture shows it in a raised position.
High quality fan motor and blade; easily replaceable if needed. Extremely quiet – I can’t detect any noise from the unit inside of the house, and just a slight whooshing a couple of feet away outside on the roof.
Twenty-five year warranty, thought it’s only as good as the company stays in business. I called customer support and found them friendly and knowledgeable. I think the only parts that could potentially need replacing are the fan motor and panel.
Low profile and neutral color helps it blend with many roofing materials and not stick out like a sore thumb.
CONS
Installation is, like, all such roof hardware, a little involved for an average homeowner like me. Just take it easy and, as they say, “measure twice and cut once.”
The company provides a silicone sealant, which I regret having used since there are stainless screws holding the unit down. Probably needed for regions where winds get fierce, but I don’t think for my area. The silicone gummed up the wires for the thermostat, though didn’t do any harm (fortunately, I could clean them off after installation because I have access to the attic).
The solar panel is a bit tough to adjust. I would have appreciated wing nuts rather than Philips screw heads that could easily get stripped.
CONSIDERATIONS
I recommend getting the thermostat, which is a $20 optional item.
Mount on a southern exposure, where there is sun all day (or at least from 10 am or 11 am onwards). In shade, the fan, which is continuously variable speed, will not operate. I believe it will operate, though at a low speed, on a cloudy day. Essentially, the more sunlight, the faster the fan will rotate, hence exhaust more attic air.
I recommend the 20 watt panel over the 10 watt panel.
You will need to cut a 19″ or 16″ round hole in the roof (depending on your rafter spacing). 19″ is actually fairly large (and what I cut) and will vent a lot of attic air.
Solar panels get dusty which can affect their performance; and birds do perch on them, so direct a little garden hose spray up to them occasionally if it doesn’t rain a lot in your area.
DOES IT REALLY DO THE JOB?
I thought I’d conduct a simple test to find out how the unit performed in “passive” state (sans fan) and “active” state (with fan operating).
The set-up: I had one remote digital thermometer in the attic about 8-10 feet away from any vents and midway between the floor and ceiling of the attic, about 20 inches off the floor of the attic. Another thermostat was placed in a shady spot on the patio away from the house.
The test: I chose two comparable sunny, mild days (75 to 76 degrees F. on May 27 and 28, 2009) with a breeze out of the northwest at about 5 mph. On the first day, I covered up the solar panel, so the vent became passive. On the second, the panel was uncovered and the vent was active. I took measurements roughly every hour from noon to 6 pm. I found the patio temperatures peaked on both days at around 76 degrees from 3 pm to 4:30 pm.
The results: During the hottest parts of the day, the attic temperature was 39 degrees greater than the patio temperature when the vent was in passive mode. In active mode, it was 33 degrees greater. The fan, therefore, kept the attic up to 6 degrees cooler. On the first day, I removed the cardboard cover on the panel, allowing the fan to operate, at 4:45 pm (the inside of the house was getting a bit uncomfortable). Within 30 minutes, the attic temperature had fallen 5 degrees.
Subjectively, the house seems cooler with the solar attic fan than even with the Vornado – and quieter. Haven’t tried it on hotter (85 degrees +) days but expect the 30 to 35 degree differential between attic and outdoor temps to continue. If you have a lighter color roof than mine, the reflective properties should reduce the temperature differential. Note that every roof and attic is unique in some ways – with different gable profiles, intake and exhaust vent arrangements and so on. I found these websites helpful: http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infattfan/infattfan3b.html http://www.savenrg.com/venting.htm )
CONCLUSIONS
Some experts think that solar attic fans are a waste of money because they’re under-powered with unproven life-expectancy. I was hesitant to buy one, but felt this brand offered solid engineering and construction, an unobtrusive low-profile, a powerful enough solar panel, and a great warranty. After a month of living with the fan, I am completely satisfied and unhesitatingly recommend it.
Our crawl space is very difficult to move around, so the price of installing wire to power a traditional exhaust fan was prohibitive. So, solar was a practical choice.
Pros: Installation directions were very clear and easy to follow. Worked the moment the sun hit the panel (so keep it covered until fully installed!).
Cons: Not as powerful an exhaust as traditional fans, but does the job.
Hints: Strongly advise getting the thermostat.
I looked at a few similar units in local big box stores and I was pretty disappointed. Other fans are made of plastic, or cheap thin metal. This fan is very substantial, very strong and durable. The extra weight does have a drawback in that it’s a bit more challenging to get the unit on the roof.
Minor tip: I covered the panel with carboard to stop the fan while installing, but afterwards, (duh), I realized that I could have just unhooked the wiring.
I also detached the panel and fan from the base before the install. It makes it a lot easier to sink the screws in the base into the roof. Next time I will disassemble the unit on the ground and then bring it up and install in pieces.
I wasn’t able to simply lift the upper shingles. You really have to remove a few to properly install the unit because the holes for the upper screws are too far back, and using enough sealant would be a challenge with the shingles in place. No big deal, but I think the instructions encourage you to think that the installation is easier than it is.
The included sealant would not be my first choice. I ended up using a SikaFlex-like product from Henry.
I can’t quantify the improvement once the fan was in place, but I can tell you that it whirs away all the time the sun is shining, definitely moving more air than the passive setup I had before.
The temperature switch might be a good idea for winter conditions. Hard to say because on the West Coast where I live, humidity is only a problem when the sun is not shining.
I’m planning on getting two more for another house.
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Product: Polk Audio AA1222-A Amazon Price: Too low to display Availability: In Stock |
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if you like the base your heart will stop fron this excellent sub I put it in my car town and country and car starts to jump thanks to polk audio
These are great subs I have them in my 2005 Neon and theysound great. I love all the weird looks I get from people at stop lights and parking lots. The only complaint against them is that they just might be too good at hittig the deep lows and mids.
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Product: Smittybilt 97281 Amazon Price: Too low to display Availability: In Stock |
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This winch is a powerhouse. I just moved a huge tree out of a road with it amazing.
Very Satisfied with product. It would appear to be a good choice. I hope never to need it but it is in place and I am happy about the fit and quality.
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Product: Sunpentown IM-150US Amazon Price: Too low to display Availability: In Stock |
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I had this ice machine installed by a licensed plumber. The water line to this machine connects with a cheap plastic nut that came loose after a couple hours of connection. This resulted in a substantial water leak that caused damage to wood floors, along with the ceiling and insulation below. In all, several thousand dollars damage caused by the poor design. The plumber reconnected the water line with a tighter metal nut and the machine still left puddles of water all over the floor.
Within an hour after hook up we had our first ice. Within a few short hours the basket was full with enough ice for a large party. We have used this item for a week; nevertheless, it is superior and attractive.
Very happy with my choice in ice maker and it works great
no problems at all, It was installed correctly thank you
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Product: Velodyne DLS-3750R Amazon Price: Too low to display Availability: In Stock |
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…for this price range.
I have never had a high opinion of Velodyne subs, but recently got to play with this one at a local Tweeter and came away pleasantly surprised. The bass was very tight, quick and accurate — I should note that it was positioned in a corner (optimal for maximum output) and the listening room was only about 10×12, so don’t know how it would sound in a bigger room.
For its price of half a grand you could get the Internet-direct Hsu VTF-2 or SVS PB10 shipped which would probably outpower and outclass it, but if you are unreasonably leery of buying online sight unseen despite the reams of glowing professional and consumer reviews out there on those 2 makes, you could do far far worse than this Velodyne.
It does have a remote which I must admit is a very attractive feature that the two Internet-direct models I mentioned above do not have, plus is more compact and attractive in appearance, and has a remote control that the others don’t. However I would be very surprised if it could go as low or as loud, so if you are looking for powerful kick-in-the-chest deep bass during your movies, those other 2 would be a better deal. For music listening the Velodyne would probably have an edge though, it’s very tight and quick.
I have had this for about 4 years now and have never turned it up past about 30% of it capabilities and it really delivers a very tight and strong bass. I have it in the corner of a 12 x 20 room and it is more than enough. I am also in a townhouse and have had several complaints from both the neigbhors and my wife upstairts. It looks very classy with the gloss finish too. Buy it.
