Product: Toshiba 40RV525R

List Price: $799.99
Average customer review:

Amazon Price: Too low to display
Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price
Add to cart to see low price@

Availability: In Stock
Usually ships in 24 Hours
Free Shipping Available

Compare Prices on Toshiba 40RV525R

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RL6B4V365XSHF I uploaded a video of the Toshiba 40RV525R displaying some TV, Blu-Ray, and video game. (Just a small reference… obviously not going to be exactly how you see it in real life from a recorded video camera; on top of that, an internet video/low resolution/etc…)

This was my first real HDTV (supporting 1080p). Anyone can get super excited over their first HDTV and rate it a 5 star immediately (going from a standard definition to HDTV is definitely a major upgrade to anyone). However, if you’re very PICKY like me, you’ll be *somewhat* disappointed with the video quality.

If you’re like me and have been drooling over the image quality from several of the high-end HDTV models (you know, the ones that cost over $1500-$2000+), on display in retail stores — and then expecting to get the same quality out of this (okay, it was wishful thinking but you never always know just from prices…), well you’ll be disappointed.

When I see those TV, I’d be blown away like I’m seeing directly through a window instead of a TV screen. Naively, I was hoping for that same effect. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not horrible that I would want to return this TV, but “you get what you pay for”. (well, technically, it’s still a little better than what you pay for… did that make any sense?) Just keep that in mind. For the price, though, I can’t really complain so I’m keeping it.

You just won’t get that super super sharpness with this. You need to be a couple feet away; up close, for the very picky eyes, you will easily notice the grainy/fuzzy-like-paintbrush/interpolated effect (I hate this…), muddled together than every object being 100% sharp to the minute detail.

The potential of the Blu-Ray image quality is definitely not there. Animation like Wall-E / Final Fantasy Spirits Within Blu-ray looks pretty good, but I’m just not that impressed when watching Dark Knight/Iron Man/Transformers/Black Hawk Down/The Matrix — even tested it with Planet Earth and Baraka…to list a few. The graininess is just really obvious in all of them. Although, again, I am very picky in image quality.

The D-Sub connection for the PC is really worthless and waste of potential on the monitor; it only supports 1360×768 max. To get full 1920×1080 resolution from a PC, you first need a video card that has a DVI-out and supporting that resolution (or if it has an HDMI out then great).

Second, you need a HDMI male-to-DVI male cable to connect the TV to the PC’s video card. I’m quite impressed with how PC games on this TV look at 1080; it easily beats from how games look on PS3. Definitely makes a great Media PC monitor.

Some other thoughts:

* I’m using the regular “rabbit ears” antenna and 1080i shows/channels still look pretty good with it.

* DVDs won’t look as sharp like on a standard definition. However, again, if you’re far away enough it can look okay. The contrast/blacks are definitely better/more feeling of depth in the picture. *updated thoughts at very below*

* The speakers aren’t as bad as I thought. There is some surround sound. The bass is weak, but most built-in speakers are.

* When I first turned it on, 40″ seemed really big to me. But after a couple weeks, it’s not as big as I thought. It’s good enough for a small room, but for a main TV in a large living room, you’ll soon definitely want to have something larger. The screen does reflect a little bit.

* I think it’s nice that it has 3 HDMI ports, which is more than enough for me. (PS3, PC thru HDMI)

* I really can’t tell the difference having the benefit of “game mode” on when I play games.

* I usually turn the auto contrast mode off because it’s apparent when it changes its brightness than being subtle. It’s pretty annoying.

Pros:

- Good entry level HDTV at an affordable price (I can’t believe I paid close to this amount for a small 19″ PC monitor just a few years ago… ugh technology)

- Black finish/stand Toshiba logo glows (it can also be turned off through the menu)

- Games look good. (PS3/PC at 1920)

- Excellent for a Media PC monitor (using HDMI)

Cons:

- Doesn’t look that great up close. It’s not really sharp. It seems to interpolate/very grainy smudgy/”paintbrush”-like effect.

- D-Sub is essentially worthless at 1360×768 resolution (use DVI-HDMI to connect to your PC!)

Considering this isn’t Toshiba’s higher REGZA model and the price, it’s definitely a good entry level HDTV. Definitely far from a perfect 5 star, but if you’re on a budget and not overly picky like me, you should be happy with this.

I recommend getting a HDMI cable too (don’t be spending over ten dollars on it!)

Update: I was using the PS3 to playback DVD (it’s supposed to upscale). However, I’ve recently tried playing a DVD back on a Philips DVP5982 (it has 1080p upscaling function also via HDMI) and it did A LOT better job upscaling than the PS3. The difference was quite noticeable. Of course Blu-ray video still has more detail, but the DVD looked almost as good! (depending on the DVD, the compression is still apparent, but properly upscaling that resolution really makes the difference) So I take my comment back about DVD looking not as sharp. Your mileage will definitely vary depending on what player you use, so if you have a better Blu-Ray player than the PS3 (what I used to playback Blu-Ray movies), you may get slightly better results than what I see.

If you are, like I was, looking for a 40″-42″ flat screen television for a secondary room (bedroom/den) then this Toshiba is worthy of consideration. The picture quality is very good, its digital tuner is sensitive (ie, brings in lots of stations), and its priced very competitively. My only complaints are:

- you will need to fiddle plenty with the color controls to get something that looks decent. Out of the box I found flesh tones looked very orange-y.

- the audio is fairly weak. Hooking the system up to a stereo/av receiver is almost a necessity.

So when price is considered this Toshiba unit is very good. Take price out of the equation and it is only fair/good. Buying this for a secondary room makes perfect sense.

I bought this television at best buy a few weeks ago, and I am incredibly happy with it. As stated by other reviewers, this is a SOLID entry level hdtv with only minor drawbacks.

Picture Quality: is GREAT. Those with INCREDIBLY picky eyes will be the ones that sit there and analyze each pixel, but the bottom line is this is a 1080p television and the blu-rays and video games I play through my PS3 (playstation 3) look fantastic. Absolutely can’t beat the quality for the price!!

Sound Quality: this is where the tv gets shaky. the sound isn’t great, just average. A different reviewer said that flat televisions don’t become flat by getting large speakers, very true. you’ll want to buy some sort of speaker system to go with the television to get that true theater experience. PERSONALLY, I just use the tv in my 10×12 room so the sound is adequate for me, but i’m still thinking of getting speakers.

Features: the tv has great black levels and colors. you will want to do alot of tweeking right out of the box because all of the factory levels are set so high. Once you get the tv to a good spot, just sit back and enjoy looking at all the cracks and crevices on people’s faces. there are some features that I don’t think do much, like “game mode” specifically, but they are nice to have.

OVERALL: If this is your first foray into the HDTV world, like it was for me, I would HIGHLY recommend this television. This is especially recommended for those of us on a budget, but wanting to make the move to HD.

Product: Bushnell 20-5103

List Price: $499.99
Average customer review:

Amazon Price: Too low to display
Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price
Add to cart to see low price@

Availability: In Stock
Usually ships in 24 Hours
Free Shipping Available

Compare Prices on Bushnell 20-5103

Surprised my husband with the Pinseeker 1500 for Christmas, we “BOTH” love it!! It is soooo “user friendly” and best of all “visually” user friendly! GREAT for the visually impaired over age “40″ group who depend on the “Walgreen’s” reading glasses! No need for glasses or lenghty instruction books-just aim at the flag and click the button-shows two distances. The actual distance and the distance it should play because of the slope!! Having the SLOPE FINDER is the most important aspect-this is what gives you the ACCURATE yardage. The “slope” differance” is what normally what makes the difference of which club to use.Many of the cheaper models do not allow for the slope-so what good is that, there’s plenty yard markers on a course? It was fun to see what the course yardage markers read and then what the scope finder tells you. Makes your club selection so much more accurate! It’s price is on the higher side, but for the quality, it’s WELL worth it. My husband had tried a friends cheaper version, he actually could not use it because it was so hard visually to read. Before you buy one, be sure to check that out! Word of warning, your golfing partners will love to be in your golf group, asking you the yardage on “their” shots too!!

As another viewer mentioned-it’s the best club in the bag, we HIGHLY reccomend it!!! Now….if it could only make the ball actually go to that exact spot, we’d all be happy golfers!!!

I love my rangefinder! I’ve had it since Oct.2006 and forgot it at home only once.

I’ve trusted my Pinseeker over tee box yardage markers, a myriad of GPS in-cart units, sprinker heads and the usual variety of yardage to the center of the green course markers 200, 150, 100. I believe what it tells me and it has been highly accurate. I’m reluctant to share the yardage info with my fellow players unless asked, to avoid chatty debates and responsibility for their errant shots.(you’d be surprised…)

A few things to be aware are, the flags must be clearly visable of distant out of focus shrub branches that can interfere with the laser sensor, low light overcast conditions can be difficult to accurately measure distance and lastly, if you’ve heavily consumed too much COFFEE or too many martinis the night before, shakiness will prevail. You may want to add a tripod to your bag. % )

I have only used it a few times and like it, especially the slope feature (I’m not a tournament player), but I must point out that it took me a while to learn to steady it enough to get good readings. It still takes me too long to get readings when the flag is more than 200 yds away, especially when there is no wind and when the background is cluttered. Perhaps I will get better results with more use and practice. I play with friends who are low handicappers (I’m not) and who don’t waste time on the course. While they ask me for readings when the slope of a hole is great, I usually don’t have much time to get readings and keep playing at a steady pace. The instruction manual is too sketchy for my liking.

Product: Harman Kardon GPS-510NA

List Price: $399.99
Average customer review:

Amazon Price: Too low to display
Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price
Add to cart to see low price@

Availability: In Stock
Usually ships in 24 Hours
Free Shipping Available

Compare Prices on Harman Kardon GPS-510NA

Nice looking device, fits perfectly in hand. Touch screen is slick and very responsive… menus are easy to navigate and a home key is always present to take you back to beginning.

Charged it up and took it outside… was surprised when it locked on the instant i powered up… it had our spot on the map where it should be, so we started walking to end of street and the 510 tracked almost instantly when we were walking, as well as when we turned direction and headed back other way. Spent the next few days having it on in car and GPS function worked extremely well… never had any mistakes or weird routes (keep in mind only tested over a few days)… said names of streets clearly. Seemed to perform very well as GPS device.

Now for media player review:

OK, first of all — the screen on it is very sharp and crisp… demo movies, and movies i loaded on to it, display very nicely. converted some dvd’s to .avi or .xvid (cant remember which right now) and it played with no problems.

Anyway the biggest disappointment in the media department is that there are virtually no basic options/controls for mp3 or video playback. On videos there is absolutely no options to select from (zoom, full, etc.)… but they played well, so not a big deal.

MP3, however, is a different story. There is no “now playing” feature, nor the ability to create playlists from the player. (and of course no equalizer options or anything else.) So say you have a bunch of pop songs on the player and a bunch of classical and/or comedy tracks — if you are in your car and you want it to shuffle through all of your pop songs there is no way to do that unless you have made a playlist on your pc comprised of only pop songs and have downloaded that playlist to the player. VERY restrictive. You can sort by artist/track/album in the player…. but you can’t choose it to select more than one specific artist/track/album at a time. So if you want to listen on shuffle — it’s either shuffle through EVERY song on the player, or shuffle through one artists tracks. you can’t specify more than one of any category to play through the player. Big bummer.

Add into all of that the fact that you are restricted to a max of 4GB of storage on an SD card — so a couple of movies and you are going to have to buy another card if you want to carry around a lot of songs at the same time. Oh and no ability to view pictures either in case you wondered.

Summary: If you are looking at this as the perfect device to include mp3,video, gps — i would pass. Personally the restrictions of the audio playback, along with no pics and 4 gb max just wouldn’t cut it for me. I use my mp3 player (creative vision w) all the time in car, in house, etc. and need those basic mp3 controls. The extra price of the 510 for the media capabilities isn’t justified IMO. For the same price of the unit ($400ish) i can get a nice gps only device and a solid media player (creative w for instance) with 30 - 60 gb of onboard storage.

Now if you aren’t a big mp3/video user, then perhaps you would be satisfied with the limited media options as a trade off for the convenience of having it all in one package instead of having to carry around 2 units.

Hope this helps someone.

Some of the bad reviews almost scared me away. I bought this unit anyway. I like it. Easy to use, and it is easy to program in destinations. I’m impressed with the software. Solid unit!

The Harman/Kardon gps 510NA is a GPS that gets the job done and more. The navigation is really intuitive and easy to use. I live in the Midwest and seems to me that I get a GPS lock really quickly even from a cold start. The text-to-speech is a great feature, I love it for when I have no idea where I am. When I do know where I am I like to change the voice to the British person, it just sounds cool.

After reading some of the other reviews I was a little worried about purchasing this device expecting the navigation to be lacking. I’ve used a TOMTOM before and this works just as well as a TOMTOM it goes to the same places it even gets lost in the same places. Yes it does it lost, but all GPS’s get lost, roads change. If you have ever driven before you should be able to figure it out by just reading the road signs, so don’t worry about it getting you lost it rarely happens if at all. The maps on the device are still really good, just as good as TOMTOM. I am surprised by how many POI it has. I was really impressed by that, I would buy for that ability alone. I only wish you could save the spot you were currently at, otherwise the navigation is great.

I use the music feature every time I go on a long trip, I plug the device into my car system and listen that way, it sounds really good. One downside is the playlists don’t work. You can create playlists but they are never in the order that you created they sort alphabetically in the device. Whenever I get some where before I have to, or if I have to wait for someone, or even just sitting around at home I use the movie feature. I like to always have at least two movies saved on my memory card to watch whenever I need to. It did take me awhile to find the right AVI format that looked the best and worked.

PROS: Watch movies, navigate while listening to music, text-to-speech, store media on large SDHC card, tons of POI, and it is easy to use.

CONS: No power saver, no new updates until 2009(says company), the manual isn’t very useful, onboard speaker isn’t great.

Overall: The navigation will get you from point A to point B while looking good. It sounds great using headphones or other speakers. The movies look great, and I can watch entire movie on one battery charge.

Product: Henckels 33423-009

List Price: $636.00
Average customer review:

Amazon Price: Too low to display
Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price
Add to cart to see low price@

Availability: In Stock
Usually ships in 24 Hours
Free Shipping Available

Compare Prices on Henckels 33423-009

The quality of Henckel knives is at the top of the heap.You spend more money than this,but the knife is not going to perform any better.This will be my third set of these.Every time I got divorced these knives mysteriously dissapeared.They are all still in happy use today just not at my house.I like them so much I’ve bought three sets.This is the lowest price I’ve paid,even fifteen years ago !!I give em five stars.

The Zwilling JA Henckels Four Star 9-Piece Block Set (or any Four Star set for that matter) is absolutely the best kitchen knife ever made. There are, of course, more expensive knives but as far as feel, balance, and most importantly, cutting, this is the best knife I have ever used. I actually purchased a different set of Henckels at a local department store because they were out of the Four Star’s and tomorrow they are getting donated to a charity because they just don’t feel as good. There is just no comparison when you get a Four Star in your hands from the small paring knife to the large, great for everything, chef knife, for cutting things around the kitchen. If you want the absolute best knife set you can get, this is the one!

Fantastic knives! Great grip and incredible cutting edge! And, WOW, what a price! You can’t beat Amazon!

Product: Rowenta DG8030

List Price: $400.00
Average customer review:

Amazon Price: Too low to display
Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price
Add to cart to see low price@

Availability: In Stock
Usually ships in 24 Hours
Free Shipping Available

Compare Prices on Rowenta DG8030

I had read all about the problems of the Rowenta 5030 series Steam Generator. it seems that the Rowenta Engineers read the complaints, too. The 8030 Unit is their answer. A superb Generator where the water level is visible, easy to fill and re-fill, much lighter in weight than my old Rowenta Professional Iron and, boy, does it pour out the steam! It sits easily on my older ironing board, has a 12 foot electrical cord and a 6 foot elect./steam line attaching the iron to the generator. It has a very short wait time to began ironing/steaming and the clothing comes out pressed as if done at a local dry cleaning place. I love the unit and highly recommend it to anyone who hates to iron. This unit will put a smile on your face.

I ordered the expert version, since there were so many issues with the 5030. It works well - heats up really quickly, you can see water level and it has a warning light on water level anyway. You can also refill without having to wait for the iron to cool. The long cords are handy. This was my first experience with a steam generator iron and honestly, while it works fine, it is/was a lot of money and doesn’t seem all that much of an improvement over a conventional steam iron. The vertical steaming doesn’t work too well. After holding the trigger for a few seconds, the amount of steam drops off significantly - not really enough for efficient vertical steaming.

First off, I wouldn’t even consider using this iron with one of the flimsy supermarket ironing boards….something like the Rowenta IB6300 is much more in order, (it also has a shelf to place the reservoir, very handy).

Now on to the actual review. We’ve only had this iron for a couple of weeks, if I experience any nasty longevity issues, I’ll be sure to address them with updates to this review.

Wow, this iron/steam generator is making ironing less of a chore. We’d previously owned the Rowenta Perfect and Advancer irons, both of which my wife sent on one way trips to a hardwood floor, (while the floor survived with large gouges, the irons, unfortunately, did not). After being spoiled with the Rowenta brand, and needing a replacement, we opted for the DG8030.

This thing is pricey! If I didn’t require a large amount of clothes ironed, I’d be more tempted to just take everything to the cleaners. We bit the bullet and haven’t looked back since. Ironing creases used to take time and a determined effort. Now it’s just a quick pull on the steam button, and you’re in business. Need to iron out or adjust a crease? Too easy! I can’t vouch for using this vertical with drapes/blinds, but for uniforms and dress clothes, I haven’t seen better. Combined with a quality ironing board, (as mentioned above), I’ve cut down my ironing time by more than half.

I especially liked the large reservoir and the fact that you can refill it without waiting for the iron to cool down. If you iron often and can manage the price tag, this is it.

Product: Onkyo DV-BD606B

List Price: $599.00
Average customer review:

Amazon Price: Too low to display
Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price
Add to cart to see low price@

Availability: In Stock
Usually ships in 24 Hours
Free Shipping Available

Compare Prices on Onkyo DV-BD606B

I have owned this Blu-ray player for over a month, from the very first second of use I was astounded as to the picture and sound quality, both are superb for Blu-ray and upconverted DVD`s, also not a single glitch has occured after over a hundred movies have been played, I recomend this player to all with complete confidence that you will be completely delighted as I!

It’s a fantastic equipment. Works very well with Onkyo hdmi home theater that a have at home. It’s a litle bit expensive but it’s not the same as the others rated $250,00. I’m from Brazil and I recomend this model to the Amazon Comunity.

I bought this unit at the Circuit City closing sale on the next to last day at a great price. This is truly a Top of the line Blu-ray player. The up convert of regular DVD’s is remarkable. I understand that the processer for this player is more powerful then the Sony play station III. If its quality you want, this is it.

Product: Apple MC239LL/A

List Price: $799.00
Average customer review:

Amazon Price: Too low to display
Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price
Add to cart to see low price@

Availability: In Stock
Usually ships in 24 Hours
Free Shipping Available

Compare Prices on Apple MC239LL/A

First of all my credentials, I have been writing Mac software since 1992. I’ve had on my various desks a Mac Plus, Performa 605, PowerBook 100, several iBooks, PowerBook G4s, MacBook, PowerMacs 7600, 8100, G3, G4 and G5, a couple recent generation iMacs and a previous generation Mac Mini. I have seen Macs come and go, and I just love this little desktop. It is exactly what I need for compiling a large desktop application using Apple’s development tools. What I need is a reasonably fast processor, Firewire, 4GB of RAM and multiple monitor support. I do not need a huge box filled with disks. I do not need some super fast GPU. I do not need PCI cards. If I did, then yeah, a Mac Pro would be sitting under my desk sucking up the Watts.

My company has also provided me with a monstrous, fully loaded, Dell whose case could hold upwards of 30 Mac Mini’s. In the one processor intensive task I do–doing a full rebuild of a large C++ application–the Xenon processor and desktop hard drives in the Dell can complete the task in 6 minutes while the Core 2 Duo processor and laptop drives in the Mini can do the task in 13 minutes. If I were doing that task many times a day (as opposed to several times a week) then I would need to move up to a high end iMac or Mac Pro; but I don’t and I can live with the more typical single change, compile, link time of 14 seconds on the Mini versus a very erratic 6 seconds on the Dell (for whatever reason Visual Studio on the PC will sometimes take over a minute to do this).

Why is this Mac Mini a better value then the MC238LL/A at the lower price? Because it adds more RAM, a larger hard drive, and a slightly faster CPU, and I don’t have to pop it open to max it out. All three things together make it worth the extra dough. If you are just going to use it for a home theatre PC, as many people do, then added expense is probably not worth it and you should go with the lesser model.

Why would you choose this over a current generation iMac? The iMacs are great machines, and can be ordered as quite the powerhouses with i5 or i7 processors, and with desktop level graphics engines, but they might be overkill and in the long run it may not make sense to be ordering machines where you can’t reuse the previous machine’s monitor. If you have a monitor already, the Mini will be several hundred dollars cheaper. Also, if the monitor has multiple inputs, the Mini bought today can be retired as a home server in a couple years with the Mini of the future stacked upon it sharing the same monitor. While the newest iMacs do allow there use as an external Display Port monitor, its still a bit inflexible tying the computer to the display. Having said this, I like the iMac too, and if you need a monitor and have the room, it may be the way to go.

Why is this Mac Mini much better than previous Mac Minis? The Mini has had several value adding changes over the last couple years: going from PowerPC to Intel, adding multiple monitor support, adding FireWire 800 support, and getting a decent GPU in the NVidia 9400M. This is a real computer. Not some dinky Ion laptop. It can do computationally intensive things, like in my case compiling hundreds of thousands of lines of C++ code. And yet it is tiny, and quiet.

So, yeah, I like this box.

Anyway, installation could hardly be simpler. Pop it out of the box, plug in a keyboard and mouse. It comes with a mini-DVI to DVI adaptor which will connect to any modern monitor, and you can get a mini-Display Port adaptor separately to add multiple monitor support. Power it up and you will soon be computing. It’s nice, fast and quiet. Plenty of USB ports (5). Add up whatever peripherals you need: speakers, external hard drives (look at getting drives with Firewire 800, they are much faster and reliable than USB 2.0).

My wife has an older Mac Mini which she runs Windows Vista in Boot Camp mode and has done so without problem for over a year. I would think this Mini would be even better as a Windows 7 box with the much improved graphics chips allowing for better use of the Aero interface.

The previous dual-display-support Mac mini was introduced on 3/3/09. It’s been just half year and it is updated already. Considering that the previous model are essentially identical (2.0GHz) and the 2.25GHz ‘custom made’ model was a $200 option, this is a nice upgrade. With the previous version, the value was in the entry-level model ($599), because the $799 model packs in useless 1GB x 2 and 320GB hard drive, which is practically worthless nowadays, it made sense to buy the entry model and put in the RAM and hard drive.

Now the differences are:

160GB vs 320GB

2GB (1GB x 2) vs 4GB (2GB x 2)

processor is 2.53 vs. 2.25GHz

160GB is all over my floor anyway, so it’s valued at $0.

320GB should be valued at $60

2GB (1GB x 2) = $0, because 1GB modules are all over the floor and worthless.

4GB (2GB x 2) = $80 and on the rise.

When the actual price difference of $200 and the value difference of $140 tossed into the washer, $60 come out of the wash.

This means the 2.53GHz vs 2.25GHz difference is valued at $60. As the added speed is translated into productivity, this $60 difference is well worth it.

Product: BOSCH (S-B Powertools) 18636-02

List Price: $770.00
Average customer review:

Amazon Price: Too low to display
Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price
Add to cart to see low price@

Availability: In Stock
Usually ships in 24 Hours
Free Shipping Available

Compare Prices on BOSCH (S-B Powertools) 18636-02

Great drill. Super engineering. i got the one with the larger capacity batteries and they have a really long run time. ANd the drill is designed so that the weight is not a problem. Very well designed and engineered. Pwerful and the easy to use chuck is absolutely super. I like the way you can check on the battery capacity by pushing a button on the battery. THe charger is nice, has a built in handle and it charges really fast. This is a powerful tool, and better than the others I have used in the past.

Bosch 18636-02 36-Volt Litheon Hammer DrillThe Bosch 18636-02 36V Litheon Hammer Drill is an impressive workhorse. It is ideally suited for heavy duty drilling, especially in concrete and heavy steel, with more than ample torque. It is somewhat heavy for the average lightweight work (I use my 18V drill for average work). Good grip and balance. Full battery charge takes approximately 45 minutes and seems to run “forever” on a charge. The charge level indicator on each battery pack is a real plus. The carry case makes it a pleasure to carry on the job.

This is a wonderful drill. The first drill that always ran true (no wobble in the bit during use)! As light as my old 18v Ridgid hammer drill. Incredible power! The best drill I’ve ever owned! Bosch has also created a wonderful case for the drill. This is about the same price as many 18-volt hammer drills, is better quality than nearly any other cordless hammer drill, light weight, more power and Bosch quality! What’s not to like? I resoundingly recommend this drill!

Product: Panasonic EY6432GQKW

List Price: $360.00
Average customer review:

Amazon Price: Too low to display
Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price
Add to cart to see low price@

Availability: In Stock
Usually ships in 24 Hours
Free Shipping Available

Compare Prices on Panasonic EY6432GQKW

Panasonic EY6432GQKW 15.6-Volt NiMH 1/2-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit

Since this drill has been extensively reviewed, this write-up will compare it to another highly rated (by Amazon reviewers) tool, the Bosch 33618 18-Volt Brute Tough Drill/Driver. I own and use both.

Power. With 500 inch pounds of torque, the Brute out-powers the Panasonic’s 390 inch pounds, and most other cordless drills, on sheer torque. (However, putting things in perspective, my DeWalt DW235G 1/2″ Heavy Duty 7.8 Amp corded drill overwhelms the Brute in this category; so do not buy a cordless drill thinking you will have the “most powerful” tool.)

Chuck. Slight edge to the Brute. Both drills have terrific one-handed keyless chucks that will tightly hold any bit, from tiny 1/16 inch round bits to 1/2 inch bits. Both are very quick to change out bits, even with one hand. However, my Panasonic chuck wobbles a tad and sometimes the shaft turns 1/2 revolution or so when trying to tighten the chuck, before it locks in place. The Brute chuck does not wobble and the shaft always locks immediately. (One Panasonic reviewer said “It is difficult to center small bits in the chuck”; probably a result of the chuck being open too far — simply close-up the chuck more before inserting the bit.) Both have a terrific electric brake. Release the trigger and the chuck stops instantly.

Weight. The Panasonic is the clear winner in this department as I can use it all day without arm fatigue. The same cannot be said for the much heavier Brute; it is especially uncomfortable to use overhead for any length of time, and I’m 6/4 260 lbs.

Size. The Panasonic is 1/3 smaller, and can be used in tight spots where the Brute will not even fit.

Run-time. The Panasonic seems to run longer. (Its NiMH batteries have a higher amp-hour rating.) Also, the Panasonic, when not in use, seems to maintain its charge longer than the Bosch. I keep the spare Panasonic battery in the charger so it will be ready when needed. On a construction job when the Panasonic is used frequently, a battery discharges about once a day. On rare days, I change out batteries twice. Neither the Panasonic or Bosch battery gets hot sitting in the charger for hours (or even days).

Clutch. Tie — both offer a wide range of choices, from a few pounds of torque to run-up a small screw, to maximum to drill a large hole. Both have a “lock” position which bypasses the clutch to provide maximum tool torque. I’ve snapped many a screw and phillips bit with each of them.

Charge time. Tie — both are fast. About 30-45 minutes. However, if the spare battery (for either brand) is kept fully charged, this isn’t usually important, because run time is far longer than charge time.

Ergonomics. Tie. Both fit my [large] hand, have no sharp spots, nothing pinches my fingers and the grip is comfortable. The reverse switch is perfectly logical on both, in my opinion.

Speed control. Tie — both are excellent, going smoothly from a dead stop to full speed. (One reviewer that had a problem with his Panasonic speed control must have had a defective switch.) Release the trigger and both tools stop instantly.

Gearbox. Do not know what the Panasonic gears are made out of, but the Brute gears are steel, and should last the life of the tool. (One Brute reviewer said his gears “stripped out, I. e. the motor was turning but not the chuck; my guess is he had the speed selector set between high and low.) Steel gears are important to me ever since my Porter Cable 14.4 v drill stripped its nylon gears.

Noise. The Panasonic whines a little, as though its gears are really tight. So what; it is not annoying.

Auxiliary handle. The Brute comes with an excellent side handle that can be tightened into place at any point in the 360 degrees. The Panasonic does not come with such a handle, probably because it is not sufficiently powerful to need one. Have not used the Bosch side handle often, but it is useful when working with large bits that can bind, and stop instantly. I.e., that handle could save your wrist from a nasty sprain if the drill continued turning before you could release the trigger.

Tool case. Tie. Both cases are molded plastic, have metal latches, and fit the tool just fine.

Question: Which is best?

Answer: The Panasonic does everything the Brute does, except for those few times when I need greater power. Without the Brute on a job site, I use a corded drill more often. But using the heavier Brute for hours on end tires my arms, and sometimes that Brute is just too big to fit where I’m drilling. Invariably, when I take one cordless to a job, it is the Panasonic.

February 2007 update:

After 26 months of frequent use (e.g., construction jobs), the Panasonic batteries have not noticeably deteriorated in power or run-time; and the drill works just as well as when new. After 39 months of less use, the Bosch batteries are fading and need frequent recharging. To my dismay, two new Bosch batteries cost about the same as a new Panasonic drill. So, I bought another [new] Panasonic drill, which of course includes two of those terrific NiMH batteries.

Shear power. At 390in./lbs. of torque I have been having trouble trying not to shear the heads off of galvanized screws (pre-drilled w/countersink). I’ve tried both speeds, and all of the clutch settings. This has forced me to drive screws 7/8 of the way home and finish off the deal by hand.

I just finished using this Panasonic to drill 3/4″ x 2 3/8″ deep holes into a hardwood workbench for bench dogs. The Panasonic maintains constant speed under strain, and while getting hot, it did not overheat. The only reason I would need to stop was to let the fostner bit cool down.

The 3.5 amp NiMH batteries are A+++++. The kit comes with two, so you always have one in the ready. One charge lasts a full day under heavy use. The drill is well balanced and has good ergonomics. The electronic brake stops on a dime. This can’t be good for the brushes, but no problems so far. I like the weight of this drill, it is substantial but not too heavy.

The best feature of all - SMALL DRILL BITS WILL NOT SPIN IN THE CHUCK. WOW

I will probably dedicate the 15.6 volt to drilling and buy the Panasonic 12 volt cordless for driving screws. The 15.6 easily overpowers cheaply made screws. Highly recommended!!

I’d been waiting for years for the perfect overall drill to come into my workshop. I have a brother that sells power tools for a living and he told me about this Panasonic drill that he liked better than all the rest of the pack. The couple of selling points he had was the high torque at ANY SPEED… pull the trigger a bit to turn a screw in slowly even when the going gets tough… and the almost never-ending power supply of 3.5 Amp hours… that’s enough power to run a halogen light for 75 minutes! I recently put in an entire subfloor on one charge, the battery just doesn’t quit. Note of caution: the chuck has an anti-loosen mechanism that while loosening or tightening makes a pretty loud whine… or ratchteting click when hand turning.. but it pays off.. my bits never loosen while on my milwaukee it happens any time i bump the chuck while loosening screws.

I lucked out in the timing of my purchase.. they just came out with the 3.5AH battery.. it uses squared off battery cells to get more juice in almost the same space as the 3.0AH batteries that have cylindrical battery cells.

I’ve used the bosch 24V which has 25% more torque.. a monster.. but this drill will put 4″ screws into hardwood w/o thinking about it so it has gobbs of torque yet is still a very nice small size.. it fits no problem between two studs to drill holes for wiring and i’ve used it to bore 2 1/2″ holes in cabinets.

I bought the lantern and a spare battery and it’s extremely convenient to have a constant portable light source that will last 5-6 hours straight with no dimming whatsoever (light just shuts off when battery is low).

Summary: impossible to beat this drill for overall use… get the new 12V impact if you want light and high power mostly for screw driving… get the 15.6 if you want the best general purpose drill made.

-awr

Product: In Focus IN2104EP

List Price: No List Price Available
Average customer review:

Amazon Price: Too low to display
Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price
Add to cart to see low price@

Availability: In Stock
Usually ships in 24 Hours
Free Shipping Available

Compare Prices on In Focus IN2104EP

We purchased two of these projectors for a church-setting. They surprisngly come with many different features and the image quality and brightness are good for our lighting conditions. We ceiling mounted our projectors easily with a universal bracket we purchased. (There are three screw holes in the bottom of the projector for mounting.)

The projectors run quietly (which was important for us) and are fully functional from the remote.

The only con we have discovered to this point is that the zoom is very limited and controllable only by hand by turning the lens (focus is the same way). As long as you have some flexibility of where to mount your projector, this isn’t really a problem.

We were looking for a bright, clear PowerPoint projector for classroom and home use, using a PC or Mac, and this is working nicely. We bought ours 2nd-hand to save some money, and it seems fine (it even came with its own shoulder carrying case). I definitely recommend this higher-resolution projector, and not the lower-resolution InFocus 2102 model. You want to be able to see text clearly! The picture is so good, we’re thinking of using this as a projection TV for videos, as well (that’s not why we bought it).

Only comment is a burning smell from the bulb after 20 minutes of use, but not sure what’s causing that yet….

I bought this projector to watch movies and play games on with my kids. It is excellent. The visual quality is great, it is not as noisy as some others have commented. The picture is crisp and clear with almost no washout. It was super easy to use and connect. I am very happy with this and will never buy a big screen TV.