Reviews Written By: AN752U9MHN5P5provided by Amazon.com |
 | ||
 | Sony MDRED21LP In-Ear Open Dynamic Portable Headphones | |
 | "Comparing to the Sennheiser CX-300..." | 2009-10-28 |
| I compared this Sony to the Sennheiser CX-300s and the Panasonic RP-HJE300. I thought the Senns and the Sony both had better sound than the Panasonic set, and I liked the way they fit my ear better, so I'll compare just those two. This is one of those cases where both earbuds have their plusses and minuses, it just depends on which you prefer.
The CX300 has a cord that wraps around the back of your head (i.e. cord to right ear is longer, whereas the Sony has equal-length cords. Both are about the same length. The CX300 has a cleaner, more trebly sound. The Sony has much more bass, it's louder than the CX-300 at the same volume, and it's muddier (but still a surprisingly good sound; I found it especially good for more easy listening type music). I'm not a bass freak, but I like a balanced sound. While the Sony sound seems more artificial in its bass boosting, on the other hand I've always found that my Nano never provides enough bass. I've tried a lot of headphones in the under-$30 category, and I've never liked the bass (or lack thereof) on any of them... so I think I actually prefer the artificially boosted bass in this case. The CX300 fits snugly in your ear, whereas the Sony is a plastic piece that kind of clips into your ear in an interesting way (and very easily). The Sony is surprisingly comfortable and easy to put in, although I wouldn't want to be lying on a pillow and turn my head as it is all-plastic and it has a piece that intrudes a bit into the ear. Both units actually stay in your ear nicely, which is a big improvement than the cheap headphones I had before. I'm not sure if the Sony will fit all ears (it's a one size fits all design), but it fit perfectly into my average-sized ears. The CX300 has those rubbery attachments to fit into various size ears. Its medium pieces felt slightly snug in my ear, but I think that is how they are supposed to be. I think the Sonys would be more comfortable than the CX300s when worn for a long period of time-- they don't jam into your ear-- the exception being if you are lying down, as noted earlier. While the CX-300s are not as loud as the Sony on the same volume, they do cut out much more ambient sound. If you clap your hands in front of the CX300s, your claps will sound muffled, whereas little ambient sound is lost with the Sony. It's strange that the Sony is much louder than the CX300 at the same volume although it lets in more ambient sound, but that was indeed the case. If closing out the world is more important to you, you'll probably prefer the Sennheisers. If you want to be aware of your surroundings, the Sony's would be better. In sum, Sony has louder, more bassy and muddier (but still acceptable) sound, and a more comfortable earpiece for long periods of wearing, whereas the Sennheisers have a cleaner sound, they shut out ambient sound better, and they might be better when lying down on a pillow. | ||
 | Maxcold 40 Quart Wheeled Cooler | |
 | "Good unit, but the 5d claims are false" | 2009-06-23 |
| Our refrigerator went out. We had an existing cooler where a two bag of ice became cold water within one day. That was a joke, so we bought this cooler. We've found that ice turns into cold water in it within 3 days (it was mostly water after about 2 days). Both of these situations occurred with the cooler being kept inside an air conditioned home. I cannot imagine how ice would come close to keeping anywhere close to 5 days out in 85 degree weather, even in the shade. So... this thing is 2-3x as good as our cheap old cooler, but I don't believe its 5d claims given our experience. | ||
 | Panasonic KX-TG5771S 5.8 GHz FHSS GigaRange Expandable Digital Cordless Answering System - Silver | |
 | "Disappointing sound quality" | 2006-11-28 |
| Being generally a fan of panasonic phones, this one was a disappointment in several ways. (I imagine that the Panasonic KX-TG5576M would get the same review since it offers a color handset but the same 'guts', and the phones of one unit are compatible with the other.) First and foremost, the volume on the handset just isn't loud enough. At max volume the voice on the other end sounded far away (according to the caller, I sounded fine though). Second, the talking Caller ID doesn't come in until the second ring, and even then it says the name instead of the number, which means that cell calls come in as "cordless"... not much help. If you don't like the feature, however, you can disable it. Third, I didn't really like the ergonomics. The unit felt slippery and the buttons weren't easy for me to press with my thumb. This kind of thing is subjective, of course. I compared this unit side by side with the Uniden TRU9485. According to the person on the other end, the Uniden handset and especially its speakerphone sounded better than the Panasonic's handset and speakerphone. On my side, the Uniden is way better than the panasonic when it comes to handset volume. The Uniden doesn't measure up to the quality of a corded line, but the volume makes the talker much more legible than with the Panasonic. So, my recommendation (surprisingly, since I have liked Panasonic and disliked Uniden in the past) is to skip the Panasonic and go with the Uniden. You'll save some money doing that, too, so the Uniden is a win-win. | ||
 | Ames True Temper FFTCC Flat Free Solid Wheelbarrow Tire | |
 | "I like it" | 2006-05-06 |
| Got one of these - it's a True Temper, pretty sure it was the exact same one - for much less at Home Depot. It's nice. It doesn't have the jaunty feel of a fully pumped rubber tire, instead feeling like a slightly flat version of it. But... if you have a tire that you get sick and tired of filling all the time, then this is your solution. As someone else said, you can buy a pretty nice wheelbarrow with a poly container, metal handles, and a flat-free tire on it for $60-$70. Think it was at Lowes that I saw it. | ||
 | Karcher G 2500 PH 2500 PSI Gas Pressure Washer | |
| "Returned mine" | 2006-04-25 |
| Got mine at Sams too. I used mine once and it worked ok. According to Karcher the pump problems that plagued earlier models is now addressed. The problem is that they didn't address the awful quality of the hose that goes to the gun. It kinks way too easily; very aggravating. It's too bad, this unit has nice features and isn't too heavy, but they simply have to improve the hose quality. It is no better than the hose on their electric pressure washers that are half as much (they kink too). I also will not buy another pressure washer that does not have at least a 35' (better yet a 50') hose on it. When you are drawing detergent and trying to wash out a garage, it's a pain to have to go and keep moving the unit around. | ||
 | La Crosse Technology WS-7078UF Wireless Forecast Station | |
| "Great value" | 2005-04-27 |
| I've owned two Lacrosse weather stations with the "round" sensor for a year and really like them. We have the sensor installed outside under a deck seat, and two units that feed off this (that's a handy feature, you can have multiple devices in the house that tie to one unit). This unit is not junk, but on the other hand it's not a Davis professional weather station either. It's just is a good, reliable product for its price. The other reviewer may be right that it may be a degree off, but it's designed for the more general user who wants to know the accurate time, what the temp is outside (and doesn't really care if 81F is actually 82F). It's not for someone who is into tracking and reporting weather figures. I'm not sure what the person was talking about re: the company's responsiveness. They have a web site that has email and phone support, and I've emailed them twice in the past year (the last time just recently). Both times I've received a quality response within a day. Note that there is a more expensive unit that uses the same sensor and reports sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset times. Astronomers will find that handy. | ||
 | IR/RF Universal/Learning Remote with Quick Setup DVD Unifier - URC-100 | |
| "Quality remote" | 2005-01-12 |
| After using this for a few weeks, I believe that I've finally found the perfect remote. It has nice keys and a quality feel about it, with a good layout. The keys aren't too close together. Learning capability is available for all the keys. It supports macros for the on and off buttons, which allows you to shut off everything by pushing a button. All of the controls at the top can be macro'd also, so it makes switching between controls very easy. I owned the MX-500 before this and found it too much of a pain to use the menus... I like hard buttons that I can 'teach' at will and support for just enough macros to switch between devices. You can also punch through all of the different devices so that, for example, your tuner up/down volume buttons work everywhere. Occasionally when you hit a macro button it doesn't do all the commands that you tell it to, but it's a very minor annoyance to just press the button again. Also, while the initial setup took about 10 minutes, it took several hours of messing around to get everything set up just the way I wanted it. But that has been the case w/just about every remote I've ever owned. I love this unit. | ||
 | Sennheiser PXC 250 Noise Canceling Headphones | |
| "Overall, very good" | 2004-07-04 |
| I like this unit, it was a real help on a trip with some very inconsiderate people in the vicinity. With noise-cancelling on, it really helped pick out movie dialogue- it completely enhances your enjoyment of films on a plane. It also really improves the sound of music too, although on the flight I was on even the lowest volume setting was way too loud is some cases. This unit could use an on-board volume control to combat this. The cigar shape noise cancelling thing is kind of a pain, particularly when someone wants out in the aisle and you have an extra cord to fiddle with. But it's not that bad. The unit isn't perfect, and it doesn't seal out all noise by a long shot, but when you turn on the music or movies it goes a long way toward helping you forget that you are surrounded by a hundred strangers. You also aren't battling engine noise to hear dialogue. It makes a big difference and it will be going with me on all future flights. I had no problems with pressure or ill feeling, even after wearing it for 4hrs at a time on an int'l flight. | ||
 | Schrodt Designs MBB-12P 12" Misty Bird Bath, Plum | |
| "Good birdbath" | 2002-08-25 |
| This is a cool item. You assemble it (fairly simple), push it into the ground (very easy in a raised bed, get ready to dig otherwise), turn on the water, and adjust the regulator. Mine did have some initial problems with the regulator but Schrodt sent replacement parts that fixed it. Note that the water level shot out by the mister will vary based on how much water pressure you have from day to day, but it's not that big of a problem. Many of the parts are plastic, but it's probably not that big of a deal. The big deal is that Shrodt is easy to contact and they really support their product. Buy with confidence. I hooked my bbath up to a [price] Gilmour water timer (goes on/off twice a day) and I never touch it except to hose out the bowl once a week. You may not even need to do it that often given that the mister always is refreshing the water (the excess water drips over the side). The cardinals seem to like it. The dish isn't as big as some, and I've yet to see any larger birds in it. Perhaps those would be better suited to the 24" bowl. This is a attractive, unobtrusive little unit that you can keep nearer to the house, and I recommend it. | ||
 | The New England Wild Flower Society Guide to Growing and Propagating Wildflowers of the United States and Canada | |
| "Cool book" | 2002-08-07 |
| This is the best reference I've found for native plants, and it's a worthy book for a coffee table. Accessible and extensive, it's pleasantly written, with care information about the species and then add'l info on specific plants in the species. The photographs are often quite nice, although I wish they more consistently showed the plant's habit in addition to flowers. There's also an appendix in the back on seed propagation. If you get this, purchase the companion shrub&tree reference, too. It's just as good. | ||
 | Hewlett Packard 2200dse LaserJet Printer | |
| "Works as expected, recommended, but some goofiness" | 2002-01-12 |
| I've owned this one for several months, and overall I like it. It's the cheapest HP laserjet that provides duplex (double-sided) printing. No surprises, it's what you expect from an HP. Much faster than my old 5L. Can't tell how well built it is. It sounds "plasticky" when printing, but that's probably no big deal. Several negatives: 1) kind of bulky, 2) somewhat noisier than my old 5L 3) if duplex is on, sends printouts of less than one page through twice, which slows down a quick printout. Not a huge deal, but still seems like a dumb design flaw. | ||
 | Canon FaxPhone B740 Color Fax Machine | |
| "I like it" | 2002-01-12 |
| I've had this for a few months and use it for occasional FAXing. I decided to pay the extra money to get an inkjet instead of the cheaper thermal printers, mainly because I read that thermal cartridges don't last long and replacements are expensive (i.e. you get the machine cheaper up front, but over the long term it costs more). Since the B740 uses the same ink wells as some of Canon's bubble printers, I also figured it'd be easier to get replacement ink wells a few years down the road. The machine does what it's supposed to do and I've been happy with it so far. Setup was a slight pain, although a call to Canon support took care of that. Overall the manual is good. Note that the machine has a copy mode which is useful for the occasional copy. | ||
 | Polycom SoundPoint Pro 2-Line for Conferencing with Handset & Headset Support | |
| "Not worth the money" | 2001-04-30 |
| I've used Polycom pod phones at work for years and think they're great. This phone, though, is a disappointment. I'll echo what the others say about speakerphone quality. OK, but I've heard cheaper phones give quality nearly as good. It has no backlit display which is a crime in a phone this expensive. The biggest annoyance is that the incoming volume is just not loud enough. People will call in and I'll have the volume on 5... and not be able to hear them. Note: My phone is over a year old, maybe they've improved it since then (I hope so). | ||
 | PC Study Bible Reference Library Plus 3.0 | |
| "Flawed" | 2001-04-15 |
| Frankly, I've been somewhat disappointed with this software. Lots of translations for the money, and Barnes' Notes are excellent, but there are lots of flaws and annoyances. Most notable is what appears to be a memory leak: system resources are constantly low even after opening only 3-4 screens (this on a 1Ghz PIII w/256M RAM and 30G free disk). Another example is that you cannot do a FIND within a window. The Henry commentary is somewhat difficult to search as you look for commentary on a specific verse. You get the idea. The contents are there, but the execution, the "glue," isn't all that great. | ||
 | Magnificent Universe | |
| "Ditto" | 2001-03-18 |
| I'll echo the thoughts of the other reviewers. Great picture book for the coffee table. I slightly preferred the pictures in Malin's Invisible Universe, but I bought this one for one basic reason: it's smaller in size and actually fits on our coffee table! Unlike Malin, it also has pictures of the planets. You won't go wrong with this or Malin, but I'd buy Malin's first if I had a bigger table, mainly because his pictures of several star fields are just glorious. "What a mighty God we serve!" | ||
 | Sherlock Holmes 3 Video Collectors Set: DRESSED TO KILL, TERROR, SECRET | |
| "Great!" | 2000-08-15 |
| The Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes movies are among the best works to ever come out of Hollywood. All of the Americanized Holmes moves are excellent, with the exception of Terror by Night. Simple and low budget, yet supremely entertaining even after repeated viewings. There never has been another like the great Basil Rathbone, one of the cinema's very best character actors. | ||
 | Meet Me in St. Louis | |
| "One of the best" | 2000-08-13 |
| This is probably the best thing Judy Garland ever did, and she never looked better. The color leaps out at you and the pace moves right along, but it's the music that is striking (so joyous, bittersweet, and lyrical). Great film for the Christmas season. | ||
 | Economics in One Lesson | |
| "Fine Summary" | 2000-07-29 |
| This is a great primer that should be read in all schools. Hazlitt does not deal in economic details here. Intead, Economics in One Lesson covers more useful ground for the average person: it cumulatively teaches us how to think logically about economic issues. And, of course, how you think is the basis for what you think. Even the casual reader will take away an ability to spot economic silliness, many of which spring from the same bad premises, the same elementary blindness to cause-and-effect. Economics in One Lesson provides the type of knowledge that stays with you for a lifetime. | ||
 | Nofziger | |
| "Highly entertaining" | 2000-07-02 |
| Nofziger is not the hilarious donnybrook that Ed Rollins' book covering the same eras is, but it's more circumspect, more low-key, and less emotional. But it's emotional enough, and it's occasionally very funny too. Especially valuable is the inside information on Reagan's unsuccessful 1976 run. Like Rollins, Nofziger believes that Reagan's executive style of management (i.e. knowing his place) was a great strength, but his remoteness and inattention to detail also led to the appointment of the people (Baker in particular) who undermined his conservative philosophy and shunted his key advisers (e.g. Meese). This directly led to the ineffective second term and the Bush years. Thus the "revolution" was largely DOA. Nofziger is one of the good guys in politics. Honest and not self-aggrandizing. If only there were more of him in Washington. He maintains a site out at lynnofziger.com. | ||
 | Tale of Two Cities | |
| "Grand old MGM" | 2000-02-27 |
| Probably the best of all the MGM costume dramas. Lavish, deeply felt, with a sublime ending. Ronald Colman gives one of the cinema's great movie star turns. The supporting cast is almost uniformly excellent. | ||
 | The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression | |
| "Necessary but could be better" | 2000-02-18 |
| A huge tome highlighting what is clear to anyone with open eyes: communist societies, by nature, are supremely nasty and criminal ventures. Despite a great and necessary concept, the book is uneven. It unfolds methodically but the writing is often more perfunctory than compelling. Some of the lesser sections seem hastily assembled and not very informative. The Russian section is ok, but this material has been better covered in any number of books: Conquest's "Great Terror," Kravchenko's "I Chose Freedom," and Solzhenitsyn's searing "Gulag Archipelago" (the first volume in particular is better than any other book at highlighting that the criminal nature of the Soviet state was there from the beginning. The writing is brilliant.) | ||
 | Jars of Clay - Jars of Clay | |
| "Best of the 90s" | 2000-02-07 |
| This is one of the great Christian albums. Musically clever and tasteful, with appealing voices, very fine songwriting, and substantial lyrics (substance and clarity - good things). Maybe I'm getting old, but I tire of the airy confusion that passes for profound thought with so many artists. | ||
 | Nightwatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe | |
| "Very good - with one big caveat" | 2000-01-25 |
| This is truly a good, useful book for beginners. The spiral binding is great for the field and the maps are cleverly designed for red flashlights. The map details are minimal but useful. They aren't always precise but they will help get you started, and they are the high point of an attractive book. One big annoyance: the maps don't cover all regions of the sky. They should. Expand the book by 20-30 pages or remove some of the stuff you see everywhere else, and you have it. Why leave out all sorts of interesting areas of the sky? | ||
| © 2009 GoSale.com (S2) |