A Halloween Must Have

Reviewer Comments: There are props and then there are PROPS! Three years ago, I saw The Count and knew I had to have him. He’s not cheap, so it took some convincing before my husband would agree to the expenditure. He was worth the wait! The Count is so amazingly realistic, you can even see his blueish veins and the crepey texture of his ancient skin. His soft wispy hair is real lambs’ wool and His eyes light up (LED laser beam red). They are even spookier when not lit because they are made of glass marbles that catch shadows and appear to move. I wouldn’t go so far as to say they “follow” you like advertised, but they definitely have a 3-dimensional quality. The Count is hollow from the back which is a fantastic feature that allows him to snug up flush to walls, but his hunched back and cape disguise what’s going on there. Ingenius! I wish there were more in a series just like him because no other haunt props compare in quality. The Count was purchased for me by my husband as an anniversary present! Diamonds are so yesterday.

Originally posted at Fright Catalog (legalese)

Actually works

Reviewer Comments: A bit about myself so you can relate this to yourself. I’m 28, 5′7″, 160lbs. I try to eat right and I’ve never been over weight or anything. I’ve been living in cities for the past six years so I walk a lot. While I was in grad school, I went to the gym 1-3 times a week. I moved back home from Tokyo last month and didn’t want to get a gym membership, so that led me to the Total Gym.

Chuck Norris does not lie. This thing works! Quality is good for the price and I feel it will last for a reasonable amount of time. If you use it daily, and follow the directions, you will feel it burn and you will tone up. Example: at the top setting, if you do say, the bench press exercise, it’s only about 1/4 of your body weight. At the gym I was benching my body weight on the machines. But if you follow the routine, go nice and slow, it’s a really really good work out. I sweat. I have actually seen more results than when I was going to the gym. All of my muscles are toned, there is some muscle building, my stomach has gotten leaner. The thing is, you have to commit to it, and you have to follow the workout directions. If you try to go really fast, it’s useless. 30 minutes a day is all it takes and you will see some results. Good product.

Originally posted at Dick’s Sporting Goods (legalese)

Makes a righteous cup o’ Joe

Reviewer Comments: I’ve tried steepers you drop in your cup, regular drip brewers, tea bag-like singles, instant coffee…none of them come close to the consistent quality of brew I get out of this mug. This is the best combination of all “styles” — it’s quick, puts the coffee right into the water, and you can control the brewing time. I’m not very prone to writing reviews, but the rich flavor I get time after time from this product inspired me to put the mug down for a few minutes, create an REI account, and write a review. Yes, it’s that refreshing of a product.

To start with, you get the best results if you use a good quality coffee and grind the beans as you need them (e.g. a week’s worth at a time). I have been using some organic Hawaiian coffee that was only marginally acceptable in my regular drip coffee pot. When ground slightly coarsely, even with my cheap blade grinder, the results are exponentially better. If you use a blade grinder, though, you need to grind the beans with short 1-2 second pulses, rather than just leaning on the button and letting it turn the beans into powder. Even if I do grind the beans a little too long, the fine mesh screen in the lid keeps any sludge from passing through. An excellent touch. My brother has a French press mug from that ubiquitous chain with the round green sign, yet his has no screen in the lid, so the last few sips are like bitter mud. The bold flavor got me hooked on French press mugs, though, and this one is far better. I thought the mediocre flavor I’d been getting all this time was from the coffee, but the same beans in this mug are almost intoxicatingly delicious.

The mug keeps my coffee plenty hot for a long time. I like to sip a little here and there to savor the flavor, rather than gulp it down. This mug is perfect for that, and is frequently at my side during various parts of the day. I hate having to get up and jolt my java in the microwave because it got cold on me before I finished it. I’ve never had to do that with this mug.

Cleanup is very simple, too. Even after the empty mug and the grounds have been sitting for hours, a good rinse under hot water is all it takes to ready it for another round. After 3-4 mugs, I just put a few drops of dish washing liquid in it, fill it half way with hot water, put the lid on and then run the plunger up and down a few times to squeeze the suds through the mesh. Comes out clean and like new every time.

This mug has made morning or rainy day coffee when camping a real treat, instead of an “also ran”. Though I haven’t used it too much, the extra storage compartment in the base means great coffee can be ready to go later by just adding hot water. You can even put any sugar in there ahead of time, then just add those liquid non-refrigerated creamers and the water when you are ready.

I only used to drink coffee with breakfast on the weekends because my drip coffee maker just didn’t make anything special to look forward to. Now I’m pretty much a daily drinker thanks to the incredibly rich flavor this mug brings out, flavor I’ve only tasted in a very few coffee houses and restaurants. Now that I’ve finally finished my organic Hawaiian beans, I look forward to having several different bags of beans in the freezer that I can grind a few days worth of and have a selection of tasty brews at my fingertips to suit my hankerings.

The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is that I think the cost is just a bit high. However, given that I can get rich fresh brewed coffee at my fingertips without paying $5 a cup at a chain store, the cost becomes less important with each delicious mug.

I would absolutely recommend this mug to anyone who wants to make some righteous Joe one delicious mug at a time.

Originally posted at REI (legalese)

An Innovative Solution

Reviewer Comments: These baby cubes offer Moms tremendous advantages over prepackaged food.

PROS:
1. LESS WASTE: Cubes allow you to freeze exactly what you need per serving reducing waste at each meal
2. NUTRITIONAL VARIETY: Frozen cubes don’t have the ‘three day’ spoilage/refrigeration time limit allowing you to offer baby more variety each day
3. QUALITY CONTROL: Cubes can be clearly labeled; you can be sure food was frozen quickly and hasn’t been comprimised, and with respect to the food - you know what is in it because you made it!
4. REDUCED COST: Homemade baby food allows you to offer baby organic and whole foods at about 2/3 the price of prepackaged organic baby foods, making the cost of the cubes well worth it.

CONS
The only con I can see is that the manufacturer shows a picture of baby food cubes in their tray, turned upside down, but still secure in the tray. We tried this and they all fell out. They are truly individual food cubes that do not attach to one another and sit individually in the larger tray. A minor issue, particularly when the pros far outweigh the cons.

BOTTOM LINE: A sensible economic alternative to prepackaged food. These cubes are the way to go.

Originally posted at One Step Ahead (legalese)

Grab this one while you can…

Reviewer Comments: Yes, as previous reviews have stated, this is a large handbag, possibly too large for a petite person. As far as its weight is concerned, however, it’s only inordinately heavy until you remove all the paper stuffed inside it when new. Once that’s gone, its weight is in keeping with its size and the quality of the leather. For the average or tall woman like myself, its largesse (which I prefer) is more than welcome. It is simply gorgeous and, because the straps permit wearing this handbag on one’s shoulder, not uncomfortable at all, even when crammed with every conceivable necessity times two. It has two pockets on each side which are not at all bulky because they do not protrude outward, and several small along with one larger interior zippered pocket.

The deep rich blue is a spectacular color, made all the more so by the completely authentic looking reptilian embossing. The handbag is long but not too deep or wide to find your essentials, yet it’s large enough to hold everything you’d need for a day beginning at work and ending with a night on the town because of the two larger outside pockets which are nearly as deep and long as the bag itself.

The gold hardware is the ideal shade for the purse. It is “there” - impressive enough to balance the size of the bag, but not to the extent it looks gaudy. This purse is both classic and classy, as well as beautifully engineered and stunning to behold. It’s the first purse my boyfriend ever commented on - he said the color looked very beautiful in the sunlight. I would wear it all the time if not for the fact I intend to keep it for a long time. The overnight bag that accompanies it is very sturdy and I recommend storing it in that to protect it from the environment when not using it. Particularly because of the embossing which can peel at the edges if allowed to dry out totally in combination with excessive use, I would also advise treating this handbag with a leather protectant before using it to keep it soft and supple, thereby extending its useful life which, if the quality I’ve experienced thus far is any indication, should amount to quite a few years. I highly recommend this purse. It is unequivocally the most elegant and stunning purse I own, perfect for every occasion that calls for a unique handbag that is guaranteed to attract attention as well as exhibit your excellent taste.

Originally posted at SmartBargains.com (legalese)

Great Pedal, but Hard to install

Reviewer Comments: Product: Speedplay Zero Chrome-Moly BlackPrice: [$]Review Score: 4.5 out of 5Being my first time purchasing clipless road biking pedals, I was a little more than nervous dishing out over a hundred dollars for some new pedals. However, after reading about how clipless pedals allow you to pull as well as push while pedaling, which in turn increases the amount of power and torque delivered which makes your riding more efficient. I was very interested. Because it is such a large investment, I wanted to make sure that I got the best bang for my buck.After doing research of the different available pedals, I chose to go with the Speedplay Zero Chrome-Moly Black pedals. I’ve read that they were easy to get into, and out of (a very important feature for me because this is my first time with clipless pedals and have heard many stories of people falling when first trying out a system), and that they were very comfortable to use because of a customizable feature that lets you readjust your feet during riding called ‘float.’ This ‘float’ feature was the kicker for me. In short, this feature allows the reader to slightly rotate their feet during riding and saves the rider from potential injuries. This added health benefit, which is lacking in the majority of other pedals was the major factor that pushed me to purchase this product. I bought it online from Performance Bicycles, [...] Once they arrived, I was very satisfied. To my delight, I am here to write that every positive review I read was right. The pedals took little to no time to learn how to use. I never fell over off the bike while trying to learn how to use them, which I’ve read is a very commonplace occurrence when people buy a new clipless pedal system. The other aspect of the pedals that was very user friendly was the adjustable ‘float’ mechanism that allows me to rotate my foot very slightly during riding. It has proved to be very comfortable and I don’t want to imagine the discomfort that I would’ve felt without this feature using other pedals. However, that is not to say that there are certain aspects of this product that I have found frustrating. The cleat installation process was more involved than I had expected and lead to a couple hours of frustration. Other clipless pedal systems are much easier to install onto your shoes. The thing about this issue is that once I figured out how to install them, it was done and does not affect riding at all, so this turns out to be a minimal downside and is not a good reason to not buy this product. Also, even though this cleat system is different from the more common SPD system, the cleats are still compatible with all the same shoes, which is nice. Overall, I love these pedals. They allow me to be connected to my bike when I ride and make climbing hills much easier on my legs and making accelerating a much easier endeavor. If you are looking to take the leap into using a clipless pedal system for the first time, or if you were thinking of switching your already existing system, I would very strongly recommend trying out the Speedplay Zero clipless pedal system. Pros: Light, Easy to Clip in and out of, similar price to competing products, knee saving customizable ‘float’ mechanismCons: Difficult and confusing to install cleats onto your shoesBottom Line: It’s a great clipless pedaling system. Do yourself a favor and get yourself a set.

Originally posted at Performance Bike (legalese)

i also want to love these, but…

Reviewer Comments: i hope that the manufacturers of these diapers will read these reviews and improve their product in the future, because it is a good concept with poor execution. i love that these diapers are gel-free, but as other reviewers have said, they are too big for a normal-size newborn baby (in her first two weeks, my daughter has been between 6lbs 14oz and 7lbs 9oz in weight). because of these reviews, i knew this might be the case before i purchased the diapers, but i wanted to try them anyway. what i did not know about these diapers is that the tabs design is terrible! the tabs themselves are not velcro, but basically a restickable adhesive, so if you don’t fold them back together when removing the diaper, they tend to stick to your baby’s skin. also, the tabs are supposed to adhere to a plastic film across the front, but it doesn’t go all the way across, and the bare space in between will make the tab stick more permanently to that area, so that it is more difficult to remove the diaper. but because the diapers are so big, you have to make the tabs pretty tight around the waist, so the tabs get stuck on the diaper a lot. also, the plastic film is thick and pokes me when i’m trying to hold her close while nursing. if these design flaws were corrected, the diaper would be pretty great. it seems to soak up wet and dirty diapers from a breastfed newborn pretty well, and if you get them tight enough, they dont leak anymore than the regular gel-type. i hate to discourage anyone from using something that is better for new babies, but these diapers need some upgrades before i would be able to recommend them or purchase them again.

Originally posted at Diapers.com (legalese)

This is a realy great training bat…..

Reviewer Comments: I bought this bat for my 9 year old son. This bat, in my eyes, is really one of the best secrets in baseball. The bat is designed to align the outer knuckles (knuckles closest to the nail) on BOTH hands so that they are in a straight line while gripping the bat.
Most kids (as and example for a right hand batter) while grasping the bat will have the left (lower) hand knuckles that are closest to the left wrist aligned with the right hand outer knuckles (closest to the nail). This set-up does not allow the hands to work together causing your little Johnny to lose bat speed which causes him to lose a lot of power.
The V-Grip bat has a tapered V in the grip - somewhat like a wedge that gives your batter the proper hand placement. This hand placement allows the batter to align the outer knuckles for BOTH hands in a straight line on the bat and out of the palms. This may seem very strange for your little leaguer but when he pops one for the first time using this new hand technique, he will clearly see that he can crush a baseball with his hands aligned - He will be a believer.
This bat is not very good for game use as compared to some of the high powered composite bats that are out there. But using this bat to groove the swing first and then upgrading to a higher priced bat is a sure way to go.

Originally posted at Dick’s Sporting Goods (legalese)

Good product and Intense Aerobic Workout

Reviewer Comments: Assembly and filling of sand was a workout in and of itself. Fortunately I did a dry run on assembly and took the directions in a different order. Had I filled it with sand prior to other instructions I would have needed an extra set of hands to help. I also feel the amount of sand recomendation is still a little light. I do find that beteen sets I am constantly moving/straightening out the Slam Man as it travels a bit while working out. Also the slowest speed seems a little fast for the beginner. Lastly I find while I’m taking a breather between sets the unit shuts off (to save on batteries I assume) rather quickly. Resetting the mode and time limit is a challenge with the rather large gloves on.

I’m also concerned that the metal frame and screws are connected to the plastic body of the Slam Man. Seems like a formula for wear and tear on the plastic holes which eventually will cause a lot of loose wiggling if not ultimate separation from the frame…we’ll see.

On the good side, when you’re working out…your working out! The interactive nature of the Slam Man keeps your attention and focus like no other heavybag, stationary bike, elliptical. There’s little need to have the tv on in front of you during the exercises…watching the targets takes priority.

My recommendation: (1) If assembling solo…take the directions out of order and fill with sand last. (2) Add an extra 50 lbs more than recommended so the unit dosen’t travel. (3) Check out alternative gloves for your workout. A narrow glove (still with pleanty of padding across the knuckles) and a detached thumb will go along way to making it easier to access the buttons on the control panel without needing to take the gloves off.

Originally posted at The Boxing Equipment Superstore (legalese)

Don’t make them like they used to.

Reviewer Comments: About 4 or 5 years ago I bought this product’s predecessor which I believe was called the Switchback. Absolutely one of the finest garments I have ever owned. It was love at first feel. A relaxed fit, warmth, wind resistance and breathability. I lived in it and after a while the elbows wore out, and then the abdomen, and then, etc. It has been radically patched and should be in the Ibex museum.
I nervously bought a Scout a couple of years ago and while I do wear it much of the time, the problems have not gone away. The Scout is a trimmer fit and is too clingy. Seeing reviewer one’s comments, perhaps this has been changed? I’m not a fat American, but not a pole vaulter either. The relaxed fit is for me at least critical in any garment for the upper body. My other huge problem is with the boucle or smooth inner side. What this translates to is an instant and constant feeling of cold when I put this on. Mybe slime is a better word. As anyone who knows anything about insulation knows,it is having the dead airspace next to the body that provides the most efficient insulator. The warm and fuzzy. While stylish may dictate fuzzy side out, it doesn’t work as well. The original Switchback was fuzzy on both sides and provided an instantly wonderful feeling of coddling and warmth when slipped into. The Scout feels yech! Perhaps the two-sided fabric of the Switchback was not rugged enough [it could have used some elbow patches]but I wore it hard and constantly. I hate it when a company that supposedly cuts it’s teeth on active wear goes “style.” I would easily have bought the patterns for Switchback if they were available. Fit and material were an immpressive combination. As for wool, there’s simply no substitute. Given reviewer one’s comment on apparent loosening of Scout fit, perhaps I’ll have to try a new one on. But the slinky, slimy fabric is still an issue. Ask any Icelandic, Norwegian, or Irish fisherman if he doesn’t want warm and fuzzy on the inside of his garment.

Originally posted at Ibexwear (legalese)