Showing posts with label cheapest car batteries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cheapest car batteries. Show all posts

Friday, October 17, 2014

TECMATE OPTIMATE 3+ BATTERY CHARGER / DESULFATING MAINTAINER 12VOLT - NEW

TECMATE OPTIMATE 3+ BATTERY CHARGER / DESULFATING MAINTAINER 12VOLT - NEWI originally purchased the Optimate 3+ for my motorcycle after losing a battery over the harsh Alaskan winter. I ended up using the Optimate 3+ on a truck battery that had sat for 5 years, and drained itself down to 0V. After putting a battery charger on it for about 10 minutes to get an initial charge (the Optimate 3+ will only work if the voltage is above 2-3 volts), I put the Optimate 3+ to work on the battery.

Over the course of a week, it desulfated and reconditioned my truck battery and now the battery works great!

I highly recommend this charger!

I like this product. Works well and is easy to use. It saved my motorcycle from the winter battery issue.

Buy TECMATE OPTIMATE 3+ BATTERY CHARGER / DESULFATING MAINTAINER 12VOLT - NEW Now

Purchased these(4 units) for my 2 scooters, 1 Honda Shadow 750 and 1 Burgman 400. The weather here is southeast Colorado is such that when the roads are clear you can bike it so I do not pack them away for the winter. I keep the batteries on charge when the temp gets into the sub 40's and these units work beyond my expectations.

Since they also will completely discharge the batteries and recharge them I do not worry about them going bad. Really happy with purchase.

Took about an hour to wire the batteries up and put the charging ends in easy access locations. They are kept in my carport and I run an extension cord to a multi-plug adapter and can plug all 4 bikes in at the same time.

Read Best Reviews of TECMATE OPTIMATE 3+ BATTERY CHARGER / DESULFATING MAINTAINER 12VOLT - NEW Here

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Bluetooth Handsfree In-car Visor Kit for All LG Phones

Bluetooth Handsfree In-car Visor Kit for All LG PhonesThis was a waste of my time and money. I tried this sevral times and in different parts of the car to see where it would work best and when i used it everyone complained. No one liked it at all. It kept cuttingout way too much.

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Monday, June 30, 2014

11 Items Accessory Combo Kit for Sony Walkman S Series Video MP3 Player (NWZ S540, NWZ S544 and NWZ

11 Items Accessory Combo Kit for Sony Walkman S Series Video MP3 Player: Includes One Soft Gel TPU Skin Case Cover, One Silicone Skin Case, LCD Screen Protector, Armband, Belt Clip, Wall Charger, Car Charger, 2in1 USB Cable, 3.5mm Auxillary Cable, Foldable Mini Speakers and Light Blue Fishbone Style Cable/Earphone Smart Wrap
  • Both cases are custom made to fit your Sony Walkman. Great for protecting your device from minor scratches and dirt.
  • High Quality (Non-OEM) Wall Charger, intelligent IC chip inside that recognizes a fully charged battery and automatically switches to safe mode to prevent overcharging and short circuit.
  • High Quality (Non-OEM) Car Charger, this car charger built-in charging circuitry with smart integrated chip that protects your car against back-flow current and your device from excessive electrical load.
  • Data Cable: High Quality (Non-OEM) Data Cable, 2 in 1 feature (Hotsysnc & Charging). Fishbone Style Smart Wrap - Perfect for managing earphone cables. Material is soft and washable. Keeps your cables organized when not in use.
  • Screen Protector: Lint cleaning cloth included. Clear, ultra thin and durable. Protect your screen from scratches. Speakers: These amplified portable speakers combine sleek style with quality sound. Foldable design makes it the perfect item to take with you when traveling. Supports audio devices with a 3.5mm plug(MP3/CD/DVD players Laptops PDA and more!)

he arm bandis great for a youngerchild whileat play.Extreamly satisfied with this set.Amazed at all the accessories, just the case was more than all this combined, and the speakers are awesome!!!The shoulder band is great fora child or adult,am ordering another for my grand daughter so she can swing and listen to her music at thesame time.THANK YOU!!!

Buy 11 Items Accessory Combo Kit for Sony Walkman S Series Video MP3 Player (NWZ S540, NWZ S544 and NWZ Now

This kit is the perfect compliment for the Sony Walkman Mp3 player. I'm amazed how good those little speakers sound. The kit is a must have especially at this price.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

iSimple IS77 Universal iPod and iPhone Audio Input Cable for FM Radios

iSimple IS77 Universal iPod and iPhone Audio Input Cable for FM Radios
  • The IS77 is designed to provide the connecting link between your audio source and your FM radio.
  • Compatible with any Factory or Aftermarket FM Radio.Provides connection for an iPod dock for audio and charging.
  • Using the supplied accessories, you can connect virtually any audio source into any FM equipped radio.
  • (iS76)Provides universal 3.5mm input for virtually any audio device such as Zune, MP3 etc.
  • Two connection options: Provides connection for iPod or a universal 3.5mm input for any audio device
  • Supports battery charging for the iPod or iPhone
  • Adjustable gain for optimal level matching
  • Interrupts incoming antenna signal when in use for best sound performance
  • Optional installation for video playback available

This unit lets me connect my iPod to my factory stereo that does not have an available AUX input. It comes with a cable to connect AND CHARGE your iPod as well as another cable to connect a standard 3.5mm plug. However, you can only connect one cable or the other to the single set of RCA connectors on the unit itself. Choosing one or the other will probably be fine for most people. But I wanted the option of using BOTH the iPod connector and the universal 3.5mm port. I overcame this by connecting two short RCA Y-cables (splitters) between the FM transmitter box and each of the cables that go to the iPod connector and the 3.5mm port. The Y-cables are inexpensive and easy to simply plug in. By doing this, I can take advantage of the capability of the iPod connector to charge my iPod (a huge plus for me) and also allow people with non-iPod devices (basically, anything with a heaphone jack) to connect to my factory stereo.

My only gripe is that since the sound is being transmitted via an FM modulator, even though it's hard-wired there is still a small amount of sound degradation even if you're connecting via the iPod connector. I quickly got used to it though. I liken it to listening to satellite radio versus a CD. The difference is about the same using this FM modulator.

I bought this at Best Buy for $90. I wish I had bought it from Amazon at the $55 price I see available now. If you're using this w/an iPod or any other device, please note that you control the music through the iPod itself or whatever other device you're connecting, not the stereo you're connecting it to. Personally I prefer controlling the music through the iPod itself since the controls are so intuitive and visual.

Installation of the wiring was pretty straight forward. I connected the power lead to the cigarette lighter.

Also, if you're installing this yourself, I recommend using it for a little while before you permanently mount the power switch and AUX port just in case you change your mind about the mounting location.

I would buy this again and also recommend it to other people. However, if your factory stereo has an unused AUX port on the back of it, I would recommend getting one of iSimple's other products that connect directly to the AUX port on the back of your stereo instead. (Mine is filled by the factory 6-CD changer.) You may lose the flexibility that I have since you'll have to choose between the iPod connector OR a 3.5mm port, but your audio signal shouldn't degrade since you're connecting through an unused AUX connector on the back of your stereo instead of going through an FM channel. I haven't actually compared the sound of the two, I'm just theorizing. You'll also get to control your iPod through the factory stereo which could be a plus for some people.

Buy iSimple IS77 Universal iPod and iPhone Audio Input Cable for FM Radios Now

I bought this because I have an 04 Dodge Ram with a factory in-dash 6 disk changer. I wanted to keep the factory stereo because it works well and it has steering wheel controls. If I bought an aftermarket deck to have an aux in, I would have to spend an additional $200 to have the steering wheel controls wired in with it. After checking with a local audio store, they told me that this auxiliary input was a good model. They sold it for $100 and I found it here on Amazon for about $50. I bought it so that I could use my Droid to stream pandora music through my stereo.

This kit feels like a quality unit. The cables and connectors feel firm and tight and the modulator feels solid as well. It comes with all the wires necessary to have an in-dash aux, or an I-pod connector that will charge the Ipod (or Iphone) I bought 2 RCA "Y"s so that I could plug BOTH cables in. I have the Ipod connector in my glove box (in case a passenger is with me and has an i-pod) and I installed the in-dash aux as well. I spliced the power for the modulator in with my cigarette lighter because it is switched with the ignition. All the wiring is fairly self-explanatory and it took me about 1 hour from start to finish.

After putting it all together and trying it out, it works very well! I can be listening to the radio and then flip on the power switch for the modulator. I hit "seek" down and it scans until it gets to the frequency that the modulator is set on. It really out-powers any other radio stations around that frequency. The sound quality from my droid is very good. There is no hiss at high volume when nothing is playing, and it cranks up plenty loud when music is playing. There doesn't seem to be any loss of power from this unit. When I want to listen to the radio, I just flip the switch off, and it's back to normal!

I will post in a few months about the reliability of the unit, but so far it seems to be great! I have posted some pictures of the install up in the images. It is a tan dash and the power switch and input are in the lower right corner

Read Best Reviews of iSimple IS77 Universal iPod and iPhone Audio Input Cable for FM Radios Here

Let me start out by saying the right way for true, high quality iPod integration is with an aftermarket radio. But, for those on a budget that want to listen to and charge their iPod, iPhone and yes, even their ipad2 (that's what I personally use it for) on a factory radio that doesn't have a possibility for an aux input, this is the way to go. Installation wasn't that difficult. The hardest thing was figuring out where to tap in to a 12v power supply. The other quirky thing about the install was drilling the hole in my dash for the switch. The instructions said it was a 9/16 hole which ended up being too small. You may want to drill a couple of test holes to figure out the size before modding you dash. Sound quality was ok. Very clear without any interference but not as crisp as a strong fm station. The highs don't really pop nor does the low end thump, but it was exceptable considering the alternatives. I was shocked that it actually docked and charged my ipad2 without any problems. Overall, I'd recommend it for those who want to keep their factory radio yet use their iproduct.

Want iSimple IS77 Universal iPod and iPhone Audio Input Cable for FM Radios Discount?

This is a nice kit because of all the installation choices. I just installed it in my 1998 Civic with both the iPod dock connector in my center console and the 3.5mm female jack in a hole I drilled in my dashboard column. If you really need both options active all the time, get 2 of these: RiteAV RCA Splitter Male to Female. I'll use the iPod dock 99% of the time so I'm good connecting it that way only, and reaching under the dash to switch the connectors if I ever need the 3.5mm jack. The rest of the installation was easy as long as you can access some kind of accessory power that is switched on when the ignition or the stereo is on. I used the 12V cigarette lighter. Just gently splice the kit's power wires into those +12V and GND wires, and you're good. Then attach to your stereo's antenna connector. Then just stuff all the wires somewhere in the dash.

The iPod dock connector also charges your device, except for iPads -you'll see that "Not Charging" message.

The audio is decent. Levels are just a little lower than my factory installed CD player. And at high volume you'll hear a faint scratchy hum during silent periods. Also, the hi-frequency range is lower, so increasing the treble will help. Certainly not CD quality, but not bad for an FM modulator kit and for the price, and a good option for older cars and factory stereos. I'm very happy with it.

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Good product, minimal quality loss. Ipod charging is a big plus. I helped my brother install a competitors product in his truck. He paid half what I did, and had similar sound quality, but no Ipod connects. Good product if no other Ipod connection options are available.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Brand New Sony MEXBT3900U In-Dash CD Receiver MP3/WMA/AAC Player with Bluetooth+ FREE Brand New *Fr

Brand New Sony MEXBT3900U In-Dash CD Receiver MP3/WMA/AAC Player with Bluetooth+ FREE Brand New *Free $20 3.5 Mm iPod/MP3 Audio Cable* + FREE Brand New iKEY Audio E180 Ear Drumz Earbuds, WHITE
  • Detach face with LCD display and front aux input
  • MP3/WMA music file playback
  • Bluetooth technology with HFP, A2DP, OPP and AVRCP support
  • FREE 6 Feet 3.5 MM to 3.5 MM Aux Input Cable
  • FREE iKEY Audio E180 Ear Drumz Earbuds, WHITE

I've finally gotten round to installing it in my Daihatsu Sirion 2007 instead of an old JVC unit that was in there.

Installation locally took about 30mins or so and it worked like a charm. The package had everything i needed, more or less,

and aside from the fact FM radio reception won't work very well here until it is calibrated to our local frequencies,

the BT audio/phone connection works very well with my Galaxy Nexus and provides all that i needed from the unit.

I'll be testing the USB and AUX interfaces as well, But i'm already well pleased from this unit.

Buy Brand New Sony MEXBT3900U In-Dash CD Receiver MP3/WMA/AAC Player with Bluetooth+ FREE Brand New *Fr Now

After not having the capability of listening to anything but local radio or a CD in the car. This opened up the possibility of AUX, USB and Bluetooth for music with the bonus of hands free calling via Bluetooth. Great product, works great, good price, would buy again. Only regret not getting this car audio upgrade sooner.

Read Best Reviews of Brand New Sony MEXBT3900U In-Dash CD Receiver MP3/WMA/AAC Player with Bluetooth+ FREE Brand New *Fr Here

I wish they would sent me the ear plug too but at the time they gave me a bag I would be more happy with the ear phone . Please sent me the ear phone thank I love my new Sony They shipped fast and when I got it I install it with in an hour very happy

Want Brand New Sony MEXBT3900U In-Dash CD Receiver MP3/WMA/AAC Player with Bluetooth+ FREE Brand New *Fr Discount?

This stereo is fantastic. Great sound, and fantastic features.

I hook up my Droid via Bluetooth, and can then talk to people over the car's speakers.

It also has a USB hookup which could charge that same Droid, or hookup an Ipod.

Excellent get one before supplies run out, as this stereo is no longer being manufactured

I was upgrading from another Sony stereo that I installed about 5 years ago, so the very first bonus was that the main wiring plug that was connected to the old stereo was wired the same as the new one. Thank you, Sony for consistency over time. No rewiring for the new plug, just unplugged the old stereo, slid it out of the dash, slid the new one in and plugged everything back in.

This stereo has all the granularity of control I could ask for, as far as configuring sound, and a new (at least to me) "position" configuration to optimize the sound for the occupants in the car. Since I normally drive alone in my car, I set it for "front/left" position and it does make a difference. I like options.

One small "con" is that the "Dimmer" function only dims the LCD display screen, not the (really bright) blue LED lights on the front of the stereo. I could change their color to red at night to alleviate this, but the rest of my interior lights are blue, so I don't want to do so. It would have been nice if they would have dimmed as well as the screen.

The remote is easy to use as well, and button placement was well thought out.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Goodyear i7000 12-Volt Direct Drive Heavy-Duty Tire Inflator

Goodyear i7000 12-Volt Direct Drive Heavy-Duty Tire InflatorI've owned two other tire inflators: both Craftsman. Both were as loud as a jackhammer and caused a massive racket when in use. And they were quite slow in inflating my car tires so the racket went on for longer than I desired. The primary features I wanted in a new unit was low noise output and an ability to inflate my 20" SUV tires. Wow! does this unit deliver! I plugged it in one of my car power outlets and turned it on in my enclosed garage. I know the noise was not noticeable to my townhouse neighbors. And the inflation is much faster: with my Craftsman, I would settle in for the wait to inflate 5psi, turn on the radio and check the gauge every few minutes. With this one, I had to watch the gauge closely to ensure I did not over-inflate within 1 minute. (According to the claim on the box, it will inflate a 14" tire from 0-28psi in under 2:30 seconds.)

What you get:

* 16-ft PVC air hose w/ quick connect cabling (much like most Craftsman air compressors);

* 10-ft power cord with a 15 amp fuse (this length, plus that of the air hose, should be plenty long enough for most folks);

* Built-in analog pressure gauge (above 30 psi, it displays 2psi increments up to 150psi);

* 4 LED lights built into the inflator (the lamp has a separate on/off switch from the inflator)

* Four inflation adaptors for toys, balls, rafts, etc.

The box also includes 2 replacement 12v fuses. I can't speak to longevity as I've not put it through any wear-and-tear but since it's a direct drive motor, fewer moving parts would imply that it should last longer than other gear driven models. The whole thing fits nicely in a carrying bag that can easily fit behind any car seat (it's about the size of an adult's soft lunchbox). Time will tell whether Goodyear was wise in allowing its name used on this model but so far, so good. Highly recommend.

I am upgrading from a cheap unit that was slow and noisy. After researching a number of air compressors online, I decided to purchase this unit. Just received it and tried it out. I am really pleased by this unit:

Incredibly quite and stable -it won't jump around like my previous unit;

Quick inflation -I tried to top off on my 31" truck tire. I did not time it, but I can see the needle moving at 33 psi. For bicycle tires, it takes only seconds;

Reasonable power draw -it did not blow the fuse on my 04 4Runner, and I don't have problem starting the truck after testing the unit without engine running to fill 3 bicycles and top off a truck tire;

Accurate gauge -I tested it against my other tire gauge and the readings are practically the same at 33 psi;

Quality construction. The chuck connector works much more reliably than the quick connector in my previous cheap unit. It loses a bit of air upon disconnect but can be easily compensated.

Buy Goodyear i7000 12-Volt Direct Drive Heavy-Duty Tire Inflator Now

For an upcoming 3-week camping vacation I wanted a reliable compressor so that I could maintain the correct tire pressure for the tires on the pop-up camper. Camper tires will heat and fail (blow) if the pressure is too low. Our camper tires require 50 psi. I chose this compressor because it appeared to be heavier duty than the "cheaper" (below $20) varieties found at the discount stores. After 3 weeks and 5,000 miles, no blow-outs. Plus, we also had a truck tire with a slow leak and I was able to maintain good pressure in that tire without having to rely upon service station inflation vending machines. In summary, I believe this product is a useful tool and a good value.

Read Best Reviews of Goodyear i7000 12-Volt Direct Drive Heavy-Duty Tire Inflator Here

As many others have said, this compressor uses more current than the average cigarette lighter socket can handle. However, with proper fusing, it works as advertised, is fairy quiet and inflates tires quickly. Unfortunately, after an estimated total of 45 minutes of intermittent use on my sedan, the pump's connecting rod bearing shaft broke away from the counterbalance and the unit is now useless. The failure occured at 32 P.S.I. while inflating a tire.

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This is a great little compressor, Small enough to keep in my truck, but powerful enough to top off my tires to 65psi in just a couple minutes.

The flashlight is a bit gimicky, but it could be useful in some situations. The switch for the light is separate from the compressor switch so you don't need to turn it on unless needed.

The power cord and air line are plenty long enough to comfortably reach all 4 tires on my full size, extended cab truck (as long as I came out a door on the side I was inflating), yet short enough to be easily manageable. The air chuck screws onto the tire valve so you don't have to hold it on while inflating, and the auto-coiling air line tucks into the provided carry bag easily.

I was very impressed with both how quiet and cool it ran. Even inflating to 65psi it didn't struggle, or even warm up.

It might be a bit of overkill for passenger car tires (~32psi), but it's great for truck/SUV tires.

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Sunday, March 2, 2014

Milwaukee 0880-20 18 Volt Cordless Wet/Dry Vacuum,

Milwaukee 0880-20 18-Volt Cordless Wet/Dry VacuumThis vacuum works great. I find that it works well even as the batteries are going down. It does eat batteries pretty quickly but I'm able to get everything done I need. I also vacuum more often now that I have it. One thing to keep in mind is that is does not come with batteries. It really only makes sense to buy it if you are already invested in Milwaukee tools.

This is a great portable vacuum. My problem is that it was described as having "a long continuous run time." That time is actually, according to both Milwaukee (personal communication) and personal experience, about 11 minutes on a fully charged 18V battery. That was less than I expected and will necessitate buying a second battery. This vacuum with two batteries at $51.18 each becomes a pretty expensive proposition. I can recommend this vacuum only if you are already invested in Milwaukee portable tools and 18-volt lithium ion batteries.

One saving grace is that if you don't anticipate using the vacuum very long at any given time, the batteries do have a short recharge time, so one battery might be sufficient.

Buy Milwaukee 0880-20 18 Volt Cordless Wet/Dry Vacuum, Now

This is definitely the Milwaukee Tool quality that I have come to respect. It has plenty of pick-up power and best of all it works with my 18V Compact Li-ion batteries that came with my drill (It also works on 18V Ni-Cad batteries as well). The battery bay has two different mounts that allow the use of either style Milwaukee 18V battery (however, only one battery can be used at any given time). It has a float inside the pick-up chamber that turns it off if too much water comes in. The hose and cabinet are made from heavy duty material making it great for rugged use. It comes with two small wands one of which is for cracks and crevices and the other for general pick up. These are kept nicely tucked away under the lid in their perspective storage areas. The only thing I wish they would have added is a small brush attachment but that is a minor thing. My wife has already snagged it to use on the carpeted steps because of how easy it is to use. Very pleased indeed!

Read Best Reviews of Milwaukee 0880-20 18 Volt Cordless Wet/Dry Vacuum, Here

Since I already own several Milwaukee 18V cordless tools and 2 batteries, this was a fantastic addition. For small jobs, this thing can't be beat. Lightweight, sturdy, extremely portable, great suction, good attachments. For jobs like vacuuming the car, picking up sawdust or drywall, and other small projects around the house, this is the first vacuum I go to. It's very well made, and I'm actually really impressed with the hose on it really high quality and it stretches to probably 5 feet or so, but re-coils nicely. Much better quality than any typical wet/dry vac hose. And since it's a standard 1 1/4 hose, you can add a variety of additional attachments. Plus, you can use it as a blower too.

I have no idea what the continuous run-time is, I haven't used it for more than about 5 minutes straight. But, on a single V18 battery, I can use it intermittently for several weeks (1-2 minutes at a time every 3rd or 4th day) before I need to recharge the battery. This vacuum is compatible with all 4 versions of Milwaukee 18V batteries (V18, M18, M18 compact, and NiCad).

3 limitations: 1.) It's cordless, so don't expect to run it for a half hour straight and vacuum your entire house. 2.) To make it so portable, the storage for the attachments is small. It will only hold the 2 attachments it comes with, so if you add anything else (like a brush tool), you'll need to store them separately. 3.) It's got a special lock-in hose, so you can't take any 1 1/4" shop-vac hose and plug that in.

For what it's worth, my wife rolled her eyes when she saw this show up (thought I was just buying another toy). But she had to admit that she loves this thing now too. Keeps it in the hall closet and it's the first thing she grabs to vacuum up the cat litter off the floor.

If you have the batteries already, it's a great addition. But if you're just looking for a portable vacuum, this is probably close to a $150 investment by the time you're done (just look at the "frequently bought together" section of this page).

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Can vacuum a whole car on one charge. It's very convenient when you don't feel like going for a power cord. The product was too costly when it came out, now it's priced more fair. It's a bit loud, however that is because it is powerful, so, i'm completely happy with the product.

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Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Pyle PLMRKT2A 2-Channel Waterproof MP3/iPod Amplified 6.5-Inch Marine Speaker System

Pyle PLMRKT2A 2-Channel Waterproof MP3/iPod Amplified 6.5-Inch Marine Speaker System
  • 6.5'' High Quality Polypropylene Cone, Suspension Cloth Surround, White Plastic Enclosure
  • Adjustable High Low Level Inputs, RCA Line Input
  • Dimensions: 4.13''L x 3.35''W x 1.38''H
  • Remote control for Volume Gain

I purchased this item a few weeks back to build a little river ice chest system. It came pretty quickly, bout 4 days after I purchased it. Instructions are kind of weak but if you have setup any other type of stereo system it should be pretty easy to figure out. The speakers sound great for the price and the little amp does push enough to give it a good sound; we had everyone within 100ft of us rocking out! Works great with any MP3 player or smartphone hooked up to it.

Buy Pyle PLMRKT2A 2-Channel Waterproof MP3/iPod Amplified 6.5-Inch Marine Speaker System Now

In my quest to find some speakers that were waterproof/resistant i found that there isn't much out there. There are some small ones that might be fine for a pool or whatever but nothing that i thought would work for floating down the river or sitting at the beach and being able to hear over ambient noise. Finally i gave up and started devising a way to build my own.

This little system is EXACTLY what i was looking for. I started looking around for head units that i could pair with a set of speakers but with phones these days there is no reason to even have a head unit anymore, this was perfect.

You can see the little system that i built in the pictures. I just got a waterproof box, put all the components in with this battery: Panasonic LC-R127R2P1 Black Large 12V 7.2Ah VRLA Battery with F2 Terminal and hooked it all up and VOILA... the perfect little river radio. I've played it for 2 hours straight and then several times for 20-30 minutes at a time and it still hasn't run down yet so i'm not sure how long it will last all at once. I'll update this after i get to use it for a full day.

I was really impressed with the sound that this produces. It's just as loud as the bose system i have but i don't mind carrying this on the river with me or to the beach and let it get sandy. I would recommend this system to someone that is thinking about making a ice chest radio or something like i have. I can't really comment on any other application.

I got the used unit from amazon warehouse and it works perfect.

Read Best Reviews of Pyle PLMRKT2A 2-Channel Waterproof MP3/iPod Amplified 6.5-Inch Marine Speaker System Here

We purchased two of these Pyle systems. One never worked at all and the other worked for about 15 minutes and got very hot. While it was working, we noticed that the "volume" control was not very effective and definatly did not sound like 200 watts of power. I would not consider this for either a boat or a cart installation.

Want Pyle PLMRKT2A 2-Channel Waterproof MP3/iPod Amplified 6.5-Inch Marine Speaker System Discount?

Installed this system a year ago. This is not a marine product. Mounting screws are rusting, speaker housing is starting to rust and volume control no longer works. I would not buy anything made by Pyle.

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Bought this product to mount on my atv and after building a box and installing found the speakers to be very clear and loud even driving 40mph could still hear the music.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Drift Innovation HD170 Stealth Action Camera with HD Recording, 4x Digital Zoom and 1.5-Inch LCD Sc

Drift Innovation HD170 Stealth Action Camera with HD Recording, 4x Digital Zoom and 1.5-Inch LCD ScreenI've had a chance to play around with the new Drift HD170 Stealth camera for a few weeks now and made a quick video just to show a few things I've tried with it. What makes it "stealth," I guess, is the new sleek black design (the casing of the unit is made from a durable black rubberized plastic). The bright orange face of the older model did likely call some attention to itself, and for some uses (i.e. stealth uses) that's a drawback. While the older model's bright colored face made it look fun, I think I do prefer the solid black and can see why they opted for it. The feature that makes this camera really stand out from other similar POV or "extreme sports" cameras, though, is the onboard LCD screen, that allows you to see what you are going to be capturing on the spot, so you can arrange the camera just as you like; it also allows you to go through the menu on the spot and adjust options depending on your needs at the moment. (You can set things up in the menu so that the LCD turns off after a minute of being unused so as to prolong the life of the battery).

What's struck me is that the real value of this camcorder is its combination of a rugged and durable design with its versatility. It's emphasized for use with extreme sports but it's useful pretty much anywhere you wouldn't risk another more fragile camera. It's water and weather resistant not water proof so you could use it in light rain, maybe even during a hurricane if it was securely mounted, but certainly in extreme conditions where you'd be worried about a standard camcorder. (I've heard that Drift Innovation the company that makes these will be coming out with a fully waterproof case for the Stealth some time soon so that you can add cliff diving and snorkeling to the list of extreme sports you can capture subjectively with the Stealth) The camera comes with three different mounts one that you can secure to any kind of narrow belt (and it comes with an elastic belt), one that you can put on a handlebar, and one that you can secure to a helmet with the included velcro adhesives. It's easy to orient the camera, even if you've got it mounted in an odd spot the shooting orientation can be changed simply by rotating the lens manually, and the quick release mount can also be rotated so that the unit can be oriented however you like with respect to the mount.

I'm not much of an extreme sports guy but I can see where this would come in handy for various types of video projects other than extreme sports, and I tried to illustrate a few possible uses in the video. You can mount it on a bike, a motorcycle, a skateboard, or on a 12-foot-long paint pole elevated over a car (as I did in the attached video, using the handlebar mount attached to the end of the pole). Obviously, I wouldn't want to put my Canon VIXIA HFS10 on top of a long pole like that because if it dropped or bumped into something it would almost certainly be damaged. While the Stealth is not damage proof it's a lot more rugged than a standard camera, and so it works great in lots of precarious situations. I used to think that when I needed an extreme shot the best option would be a relatively inexpensive camera like my Flip, that I could more afford to have damaged than my nicer camera but with this one the risk of serious damage is significantly diminished.

You can shoot decent photos (5 megapixels and they look fine, but as you'd expect on a device that's tailored for video capture they don't really compare to the images you'd capture on a compact camera in this price range expect a few notches up from the quality you'd capture on a phone and you won't be disappointed), and very cool time lapse sequences (with shooting intervals from 3 to 30 seconds apart), plus it takes surprisingly good HD video for such a small camera. It's not as nice or as versatile as my Canon, but the video is at least as good or better than what I can capture on my Flip Mino HD plus it's got a much wider lens, which is ideal for "point of view" shooting. At 720p it captures a 170 degree view, and it's got a bit of a fisheye effect which is kind of nice, it looks very cool with POV sports footage but could be effective in other applications as well. At 1080p it captures a slightly narrower range of 120 degrees, and there's less distortion, but not as many options for frame rates. At 720p you can shoot at frame rates from 25fps to 60, and shooting at 60fps allows you to slow the footage down in an editing program without things looking jerky as they would if you'd shot at a standard 30fps and then played back at an effective 15 frames per second. At 1080p you can shoot either 25 or 30fps. (You can also shoot standard definition video if you like). The video is encoded with H.264 in a Quicktime (.mov) wrapper so it's easy to import and play or edit in a variety of applications.

One other nice feature is that the set comes with a remote control "watch" you can wear it on your wrist (it's got a velcro band) and it has two buttons: for record and stop. There's a bit of a time lag on the stop function it takes a couple seconds and sometimes I've found I've had to press the button twice to get it to respond, but otherwise it works quite well. The weak element on the camera is the onboard mike it doesn't capture clear sound at all. It's noisy and would really only work as reference and not playback. In other words if you spoke into the mike or near the mike you would be able to hear what you'd said assuming you weren't on a motorcycle, or free falling from high altitudes and it might help you to remember something but you wouldn't want to even consider including the audio in a completed video. The main reason for the weakness of the mike seems to be that its input is protected by a rubber seal in order to ensure the water resistance of the unit. The real value of this camera is in capturing video you wouldn't be able (or willing) to capture in other ways. There is another option with this camera that not all cameras of this type allow, which is to plug in an external microphone but I'm pretty sure the input is proprietary, which means you either have to buy the mike from Drift or you have to buy one of the input cables for your mike from them. When you do use an external mike you have to keep the rear hatch of the camera open and Drift sells a kind of silicon boot to help keep things sealed and protected when the mike is connected and the door is open.

The Stealth is not a one-size-fits-all camcorder that will meet every need and wouldn't by any stretch replace a standard camcorder for ordinary shooting, especially given its fixed, extremely wide lens and its substandard onboard mike but it can capture images you'd never dream of trying to capture with your standard camcorder. If all you want to do is capture extreme sports from the point of view of the athlete, or other extreme images that would put an ordinary camera at risk, this would be a very good option. For someone like me, who only rarely has a need for "extreme sports footage," I know I won't use this all the time, but I'm very happy to have it in my "bag of tricks" because, as I think my little video shows, it's a very versatile camera that can capture some very cool and fairly good quality images and video that could fit nicely into a wide range of different kinds of video projects.

I've owned just about every helmet cam on the market and I even sell the GoPro HD Hero on my site and this is by far the best camera I've owned to date.

The thing I like about it most is the ease of use. The menu is like any other PAS camera instead of hieroglyphics like the GoPro and yes I have the LCD on my GoPro and it's still a pain to use. It does take great video but no better than the drift.

I love that I can adjust the mic on the drift and pretty much turn it off if I want to and I can add a remote mic. I have one but have yet to use it. No more clanking from the mount like the GoPro either.

The battery outlast the GoPro and it seems to have great video compression. Long videos have pretty small file size. I took a 48:00 video and it was just under 3 gig.

About the only thing I don't care for is the helmet mount. I haven't used it yet but it's not that clean of a mount, I do like the GoPro better for that. I wound up putting a RAM ball on mine and that's pretty much all I use. All and all I love this thing.

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Camera arrived and straight out of the box had a faulty microphone. Had a play with it for a few days waiting to hear back from Drift Support and found the picture quality to be excellent. Really liked the good clear images and colour was spot on. Although, I soon found that a fully charged battery would drain overnight if left in the camera (even though the camera was switched off).

Thinking I just had a dud unit, and given the quality of picture, I decided to go through the Amazon returns process and had a replacement shipped out.

Amazon were excellent in how they dealt with the return and replacement. No complaints on that front (Drift on the other hand, took more than a week for their Support people to reply to my emails to tell me that it was faulty and then they passed the buck back to Amazon).

Replacement unit arrived today and upon switching it on I notice the picture is absolutely stuffed, making everything look like a psychedelic music video from the 70's. Back to emailing Drift Support. This time I won't wait for a week for their response. If I haven't heard back by tomorrow it's on it's way back for a refund this time.

You really have to ask yourself where is the quality control? Does Drift not test each unit before it's packaged?

Two cameras and two different problems straight out of the box.

It's disappointing because the Drift is the only one of the top 3 (GoPro/Contour/Drift) that offers external mic and reviewing screen facility.

I won't risk another replacement.

Looks like I'll be switching my allegiance to one of the other two brands.

UPDATE: Received a GoPro HD this week and most impressed with the quality of build and the video taken to date. The mounting system is a little fiddly but not entirely unusable. Changing camera settings was awkward at first but after clipping on the LCD BacPac it was much more simple.

I've just bought a Contour HD as well ($138) and will test that out when it arrives.

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I did my research on Go-Pro, Contour and Drift Hd170. What sold me to get the Drift HD170 was a couple of things.

1-PRICE

2-LCD Display

3-Remote Control

4-Water Resistant

5-The use of a standard size SDHC flash memory card

6-FULL HD 1080P option

7-Has a universal screw mount on the bottom for tripods.

8-All the necessary attachments I needed to PLAY is included on the package! With the exception of the waterproof casing. OVERALL I AM PRETTY STOKED!!

So as I compared each product, this was the winner. I can rig it when I climb. Once I have the funds, I am going to purchase a waterproof case so that I can use it for surfing.

The setup menu options are pretty easy. Very user friendly, well at least to me :)

I just wished that the zoom capability worked for the HD 1080p settings.

Here's a link to my videos that I did using the Drift HD170 strapped on my climbing helmet. So far I am super stoked on it!!

UPDATE:

Well for some odd reason Amazon is not letting me post a link on my vimeo videos for you to view.

You can check it out by typing on the address line vimeo then typing the (.) then the com w/ the backslash (/) then luvlifeclimbsurf. vimeo(dot)com(/)luvlifesurfclimb

Thanks

ROCKY :)

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My husband and I live at the Oregon coast and we love to ride our quads in the sand! I wanted to try this camera for following my hubby around on trails, going up and down hills, wheelie-en, jumpin' at the tops of dunes, brodies, etc. The hero camera looked a little bulky, because it sticks out so much when its mounted, and this little guy looked like it might be a little more streamlined for going through hairy stuff. Its FANTASTIC!!! It works awesome, the sound is good, the picture is clear, and I can't even tell I have it on my helmet. This camera is totally worth it if you want something that isn't going to draw a lot of attention, and you can mount it almost anywhere. Get out and do something, whoo hoo!!

Monday, September 23, 2013

Husky Liners Custom Fit WeatherBeater Molded Front and Second Seat Floor Liner Set for Select Ford

Husky Liners Custom Fit WeatherBeater Molded Front and Second Seat Floor Liner Set for Select Ford Fiesta ModelsI bought these for my Fiesta to keep the slush and mud out of the carpet. For the most part they work pretty well, however the fit isn't exactly perfect. There are 1/2" gaps near the door sills that will allow dirt and muck to get in when you're getting in and out of the car. They are considerably cheaper than the "market leader" but the other brand may fit better.

These liners are so much better than any floor mat. They fit the car perfectly, and they're more like protective trays. So if someone spilled something on them, not only would it not stain the carpet directly underneath the spill, but the spill also couldn't run under the liner and get the edges of the carpet underneath. They took about 30 seconds to install, and they've already saved my new Fiesta from one clutzy friend's Sonic drink spill!

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The description is ambiguous, these are the front and rear floor mats for a Fiesta. The box includes a total of three mats. The rear is one big piece which works well to cover the entire floor area. They fit perfect and cover much more than the factory mats, especially under the drivers pedals. I'm critical in my expectations and cannot find any problems with this product. According to Husky, these fit both the automatic and manual transmission vehicles. My car is an automatic so I can't say about the fit on a manual. However, I don't believe the Fiesta floorpans are different in the manual transmission version.

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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Battery Post and Terminal Cleaner Metal

Battery Post and Terminal Cleaner MetalBought this to clean my top post battery the cap that hides the brush is not made correctly and you have to fight with it to get it to go back on. I expect this to last maybe one more battery cleaning before falling apart. The brushes that clean the post are already coming out from one cleaning of the top posts.

NOT MADE IN THE USA you get one guess where.....will look for a good quality made in the USA one next time.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS AT ALL...SAVE YOUR MONEY.

One star because it was delivered quickly.....

Male brush under cap does not turn in the battery cable terminal when I twist the housing. Female brush scrubs the battery terminal post OK.

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I am satisfied with my purchase of this battery cleaner. It's great for the price and it's sturdy too. It's a great addition to your tool box if you are a beginner mechanic like me

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Haven't had a chance to use it yet, but a friend of mine has the same one and I saw how it works. Very handy to keep in the car.

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It did a good job at scrubbing my battery terminals. It's palm-sized and also includes a brush to clean various metal objects, aside from the enclosed battery terminal cleaner.

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Friday, July 5, 2013

First-Rate Multiple Angle Le Pan I TC 970 Non-Skid Robust Table / Desk Tablet PC Portable Stand

First-Rate Multiple Angle Le Pan I TC 970 Non-Skid Robust Table / Desk Tablet PC Portable StandI purchased this stand to use with my ipad that is protected with a Griffin Survivor cases. This case is bulky and none of my stands were able to hold it. This one is just perfect,holds my ipad, its ajustable, small, easy to carry. Highly recommend this stand whether you are using a bulky case or not!

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Sunday, June 30, 2013

Schumacher SE-5212A Automatic Handheld Battery Charger

Schumacher SE-5212A Automatic Handheld Battery ChargerThis jewel is very light to pack a 50Amp punch. I connected it to a battery insufficient to turn over the starter. The guy working on the house left his light on in the truck bed. I connected the charger to the battery while in the 2Amp mode, then plugged the battery charger into the 120VAC receptacle. I then switched it to the 50Amp selection and allowed to charge the battery for 4-5 minutes. While the charger was still connected to the battery, the guy was able to start his truck. Man was I blown away. Following the instructions, I changed the charging selection switch to the 2Amp mode, disconnected the charger from the 120VAC receptacle, and then disconnected it from the battery. How sweet no arcing, no sparking. This is a must have!!! Excellent value and quality.

I purchased this to replace the Schumacher battery charger that I had for 30+ years when I discovered that the leads had gotten hard and cracked exposing both the 110 v. and the 12 v. wires. I did a lot of research and found this to be the best value, free shipping and no sales tax in addition to a low purchase price. It is now on the shelf for use in next emergency situation.

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I would have given it 5 stars, but did not have the opportunity to evaluate the 50A charge/start mode. Overall this unit functions perfectly, and its light weight and ample AC cord and battery cable length make it easy to hook up and use. I have used other chargers previously, but none had the automatic shut off and trickle charge modes.

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I bought this charger 3 months ago and it failed this morning when I plugged it in. There was no load on the charger as the alligator clips were well separated and definitely not short circuited. Being an engineer I took the cover off, traced the circuit diagram and ohmed-out the transformer to find that the transformer had failed. It is not repairable.

UL approval requires that the hot wire of the power line first go to a circuit protection device (fuse or circuit breaker). There is no visible fuse or circuit breaker in the 120V circuit. The hot power wire goes directly to the transformer, which is a gross UL violation, unless there is a fuse inside the transformer, which I cannot determine since it is a sealed unit. The neutral wire goes to a switch which chooses different transformer taps for different output current settings. Thus, it appears that the 120V circuit must be protected by the house circuit breaker.

A small point, the 50 amp. output is unlikely since there is a 35 amp. 12 volt breaker in series with the negative DC output lead. This, of course, does not protect the AC side of the circuit.

Be very careful with this product as it may be a fire waiting to happen. If you own one I suggest that you place it on a concrete floor far away from any combustible materials. Do not place this unit on a wooded work bench while plugged in to AC power.

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This unit works completely as advertised, and I couldnt ask for any other features at this price. This will keep a battery in your classic car ready at a moments notice with no worry of over charging. Connect it and forget about it until the car is needed. A great charger at any price. I highly recommend it.

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Sunday, June 23, 2013

Philips USA PH-62050 CD/MP3/MD-To-Cassette Adapter

Philips USA PH-62050 CD/MP3/MD-To-Cassette Adapter
  • Allows you to play CD, MP3 or MD players through your car's cassette deck
  • Inexpensive way to listen to your digital music through your car speakers
  • Plugs directly into your portable player
  • Powered by your car's electrical system
  • If you have auto-reverse on your cassette player and there is no way to disable it, this product will not work. There is a warning on the back of the package that says you have to disable auto-reverse.

There are basically 4 ways to play your iPod in your car:

1) Newer cars (typically 2006+) have an aux input which you connect your iPod to with the right cable. A direction connection like this is the simplest, lowest cost, and best sounding option but you need a newer car.

2) On most cars without a dedicated aux input, you can hard wire a connection in the back of the head units with kits from several manufacturers (USA Spec for example). This provides sound quality as good as item #1 but can get a little messy as the hardware needs to be mounted (usually under the dash) and can be fairly expensive (approx $200 hardware, $50 to $100 install)

3) You can use a FM modulator with any car that has an FM receiver. This is low cost simple option, but the drawbacks are well known: OK sound quality at best, issues with static and noise from nearby radio channels.

4) For cars that have a cassette tape deck (remember those?!) you can use a cassette adapter like the Phillips here. My older Lexus has a cassette deck and I chose this option before I invest in adding a hard wire connection (#2) as described above. I figured I would least try it for $11 and I am very impressed with the sound quality! I would call it near CD sound quality. There is no hissing or mechanical clicking of the gears in the adapter. I also purchased the Maxell cassette adapter since they used to make the best cassettes back in the day and to my surprise it sounded much worse and had a loud humming noise. So I am keeping the Phillips and returning the Maxell and just ordered another Philips unit as a backup for long trips!

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I have two of these devices. The sony that I have cost $20 and clicks when I play it in my one car. In my other car, it always sounds like the dolby sound filtering is on. This one works and sounds better and was half the cost.

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I got the Philips Cassette Converter to run my iPod Shuffle in my '96 Saab 900 with factory equiped stereo and it works beautifully. Yes, it is true that the signal is not very strong, so you have to turn the volume up a bit, but even the little Shuffle can compensate for it and by no means do you need to fear forgetting to turn the volume down when you switch to Radio or CD. The sound quality is as good as the iPod delivers and you have no disturbing background noise. I also had no problems that the deck would eject the tape. I can recommend this product and it's good value for money (I didn't try similar one)

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...for solving a new tech problem. Cassette tapes are almost as extinct as the 8-track ...but the cassette deck lives on in many factory installed car stereos ...pretty much lying dormant as the CD player gets all the use. Wanna play that new fangled iPod or MP3 player in your car but don't have a modern, high zoot car stereo you can just plug it into? Problem solved if you're lucky enough to have a cassette player as part of your setup. Turn on your radio (volume down) and simply slip this cassette adapter into the slot. Connect the mini-plug into the headset jack on your pocket-sized player and...voi-la! ...put that puppy on "Shuffle" and enjoy a just about endless supply of tunes. It's that simple.

I have two of these Phillips units; they work great and sound great. The Phillips is also one of the least expensive of the lot. All the adapters work the same and they will all probably sound the same ...so why pay more? The audio cable can be routed in one of three ways making it adaptable to just about any cassette deck made. You can route the cable out the left or right side and out the center of the back edge of the cassette shell. There are two large screws allowing you to use a dime to open the slot and realign the audio lead.

One thing you need to be aware of as you use this cassette. Many cassette players came with some type of noise reduction system (Dolby and others). When using this adapter you want to make sure the noise reduction circuitry is turned *off* ...otherwise the music will sound dull and have a slightly weird effect to it. Some factory cassette decks, like the one in my 2000 Jeep Cherokee, default the noise reduction circuit to the "on" position so you have to turn it off each time you insert the adapter. Or you can just leave the adapter in the player with no harm.

Another point for getting good sound is to make sure the volume level of the MP3/iPod player is not greater than about 75% of max ...there's a good chance you'll get distortion if the player is at full volume.

The only downside I've experienced so far has been the top label peeling up in the hot weather. The ends will curl up and the sticky side will attach to the cassette door as you try to eject it. Simply peel off the label, problem fixed. So fire up that old tech cassette deck and enjoy your new tech using some low tech.

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This adapter works fine with my mp3 player, at top volume there's slight background noise that can be taken care of with noise reduction if your car stereo has it. Sound quality is excellent and very consistent. It's much better and less expensive than a radio transmitter. I'm extremely satisfied with this purchase.