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ROBERT S.

ROBERT S.

Joined on 05/06/07

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 66
Most Favorable Review

Not bad for the price

LG LV3500 series 42" 1080p 60Hz LED-LCD HDTV 42LV3500
LG LV3500 series 42" 1080p 60Hz LED-LCD HDTV 42LV3500

Pros: Extremely low price for a very nice TV. Plenty of inputs for me. No dead pixels (so far). Pre-set options for various display and sound configurations. I also got free shipping. The LED backlighting seems to be mostly even.

Cons: The glossy screen does show some glare, and it's not as bright as I might like during daylight conditions. The automatic brightness sensor doesn't really help me a lot, so I leave it on "Vibrant".

Overall Review: OK, it has 10W (per channel) tiny speakers. It's a TV for crying out loud. You want superb sound, hook it up to a home theater sound system. I read all the specs before buying and I'm very happy. With the different sound pre-sets, there is certainly a difference in how each one sounds.

Most Critical Review

Quiet, at a cost to airflow

Honeywell HT-900 TurboForce Air Circulator Fan, Black
Honeywell HT-900 TurboForce Air Circulator Fan, Black

Pros: Inexpensive (got discounts), pleasant enough design, quiet running.

Cons: Not as much airflow (CFM) as my previous Honeywell fans.

Overall Review: Maybe an unfair comparison, but comparing this fan to a Honeywell HT-804 that I bought 4 years ago (and it's still going strong, BTW) I have to run this fan at the highest speed setting to get the same airflow as my old one at its lowest setting. The HT-900 is definitely quieter than its older cousin.

50% DOA

WD Red Plus 4TB NAS Hard Disk Drive - 5400 RPM Class SATA 6Gb/s, CMR, 128MB Cache, 3.5 Inch - WD40EFZX
WD Red Plus 4TB NAS Hard Disk Drive - 5400 RPM Class SATA 6Gb/s, CMR, 128MB Cache, 3.5 Inch - WD40EFZX

Pros: CMR Price

Cons: 50% DOA 5400 RPM

Overall Review: I ordered 4 of these to go into a home storage server. 2 of the 4 were detected by BIOS and I was able to test them individually via another server with WDC Dashboard. They passed both quick and extended SMART diagnostics. Put the other 2 on the same SATA ports as the good drives and still no go. Clicks and no spinup. I don't know if they came out of the factory bad or had rough handling during shipping, but these drives left a bad taste in my mouth. I read reviews about the other brands, too, and thought I was safe with WDC, but my experience says otherwise. I only hope that I don't have to go through any warranty issues once I get my replacements.

Misleading/Conflicting Description

LG 12X Blu-Ray Disc Drive M-DISC Support Model UH12NS40 - OEM
LG 12X Blu-Ray Disc Drive M-DISC Support Model UH12NS40 - OEM

Pros: Inexpensive

Cons: Does not record BD discs in any way, shape, or form, despite the description stating: "Read Blue-ray discs at 12x with the UH12NS40 that allows you to record up to 128GB of files, photos, or documents onto a quad-layer BD-R disc.". Sure, semantics, and the author of the description probably isn't a native English speaker. The moment you put the word "record" in a description, the expectation is that the drive will do that; record.

Overall Review: To those who are complaining about no screws, rails, software, etc. THIS IS AN OEM DRIVE. OEM means that you get a bare drive and nothing else.

Works great for 10/100 Mbps

TRENDnet TPL-308E Powerline 200 AV Nano Adapter Up to 200Mbps
TRENDnet TPL-308E Powerline 200 AV Nano Adapter Up to 200Mbps

Pros: Low-cost per unit Easy configuration Plug-n-play

Cons: Really tiny print on the units - hard for old eyes to see without a magnifying glass.

Overall Review: According to the datasheet on the included CD, you can have a maximum of 4 units per network, with 4 overlapping networks. For my home, I find that they work great. I even hung a workgroup switch on the unit I placed by my TV/DVR/BD Player so that all of those could be networked, and so far, they work great. I'm using one right now to write this review.

Bright and hot

Collection LED 6 Watt A19 Light Bulb, Daylight Color (6-Pack)
Collection LED 6 Watt A19 Light Bulb, Daylight Color (6-Pack)

Pros: Good CFL replacement Longevity? Bright

Cons: 180 degree light dispersion Runs hot Turn-on delay

Overall Review: I bought this pack to replace the six 13W CFLs in my garage. I like the bright white of a traditional fluorescent, and these bulbs satisfy my liking quite nicely. They are bright. Do not look directly into them. They run hot, so I wouldn't recommend using them in any kind of enclosed light fixture unless it's rated for the heat. With a 180 degree light dispersion, they are best for an "upside down" installation, like in a simple ceiling lamp socket. If used horizontally, they become somewhat of a spotlight. The packaging states a 36 year lifespan at 3 hours per day. Oddly enough, they are only warranted for 2 years. I guess that's to cover those who might run them 24x7. My only irritation with these bulbs is that they have an approximately 1 second delay before turning on. Those of us who are used to incandescent bulbs turning on immediately when we flip the switch will need to get used to this. The manufacturers assure us that this is normal, and is done to increase the longevity of the bulbs. That's as may be, but I think I'd give up a few years worth of life for instant on bulbs. To be fair, if you turn off the power, then turn it back on before the capacitors completely discharge, the light is instant, or very close to.