ITJim
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ITJim's Stats
- Review Count145
- Helpfulness Votes1,552
- First ReviewNovember 23, 2013
- Last ReviewJune 29, 2025
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- Average Rating4.3
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- Answer Count18
- Helpfulness Votes30
- First AnswerNovember 23, 2013
- Last AnswerMay 22, 2021
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Gorilla Bow - Travel Resistance Training Kit - Black
Build your muscles anywhere at any time with this lightweight Gorilla Bow travel resistance trainer. The compact, lightweight design ensures easy portability, and compatibility with a huge range of exercises helps tone muscle groups across your body. This Gorilla Bow travel trainer includes free video tutorials to get you started.
Compact and useful
Customer Rating
5.0
Up until recently, my normal exercise routine included going to the gym. That is no longer an option for me. Today, my exercise routine must be carried out in my home where I have limited space. I have an exercise ball, a yoga mat, push-up handles, and not much more. I do not have the space for free weights, a treadmill, or fancy all in one exercise machines. Compact is king in my home. The Gorilla Bow fits that description.
The bow easily assembles and disassembles from three parts. The bands can be stored hanging, in the included bad, or curled up and thrown on a shelf. The bow, if stored assembled, can be placed into a corner where it takes up almost zero room. Or, I can easily disassemble it and store the parts on a shelf, under the bed, or in a bag. The Gorilla Bow comes with four bands, of varying resistance, to get me started; 10lb, 20lb, 32lb, and 50lb. The ends of each band are wrapped with a thick black protective and contain a giant bulb that prevents the bands from slipping past the bow’s restraints. The bow has two slots on either end that can accommodate a total of four bands. Loading the bow reminds me of loading a real bow. I easily load a band into one side of the bow, turn it over, place my boot on the loaded side of the bow, and then stretch the band into the corresponding groove on the opposite side. Easy.
I like that fact that I can load up to four bands at once. Not only does this reduce the number of bands I need to effectively use the bow, but it also allows me to mix different resistance exercises. For example, I can load all the bands that ship with the Bow for use with curls. Then, I can practice pulling back the bow, like you would do with an actual bow and arrow, using one of the bands or any combination of the bands. This way, I can minimize the need to swap out bands between exercises. The Gorilla Bow does come with a nylon band wrapper that will secure multiple bands for you. This is very handy for exercises where multiple bands will naturally come apart such as bench presses and rowing exercises.
I have owned the Gorilla Bow for about a week. Here are few things you may find useful for your decision. First, the tension ratings on the bands are stretched 2.5 times their at rest length. Stringing the bow puts very little tension into the strings. This directly impacts your exercise. Unlike free weights where 10lbs is 10lb through the entire movement. The Gorilla bow starts with little tension and increases that tension as you extend away from the bands. Then, the tension relaxes as your exercise moves towards the bands. I noticed this right away. A taller person may get more benefit from the smaller bands than a shorter person. My solution is to use more bands or pick up the larger bands. I picked up an additional 80lb band for those exercises where I felt I needed more consistent tension through my movements. And, I still have the option of adding three more bands, or picking up additional 80lb and 90lb bands later.
The lighter bands, though did not have a lot of tension for me, did prove useful for certain exercises. Essentially, I am not as strong in all areas as I think I am. For example, one of the videos on Gorilla Bow showed a boy man doing side bends. I never thought of doing these before. I figured the core exercises I was doing on my exercise ball covered these. I decided to give three sets of 10 a try using the 10lb band. They were easy. The muscle groups involved in the exercise were sore the next day! I have some work to do! Point: don’t believe uniform tension through the length of your movement is the only way to exercise your muscle groups.
The Gorilla bow comes with a card outlining six exercises. Go to their website, www.gorillabow.com/welcome for access to videos and workouts. I am not so much into the aerobic workouts using the Gorilla Bow. It is just not for me. But, you will get a lot of great ideas on where this can fit into your workout routine. Also, I would not expect to become as muscly as the people they have demonstrating the bow exercises. These people are professional body sculptors and instructors.
Finally, you will want to make sure you have space around you when using the gorilla bow. It is a big stick that will knock things off walls and put holes in windows if you are not mindful about your surroundings.
I am really liking this product. If fills a hole in my current workout routine. I hope to get years of solid use out of it.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Sennheiser - MOMENTUM Wireless Noise-Canceling Over-the-Ear Headphones - Black
Enjoy the powerful, crisp sound of these Sennheiser MOMENTUM wireless over-the-ear headphones. The sheep leather headband and ear pads conform to the shape of your head, adding comfort for all-day use, and Bluetooth connectivity lets you stream music from various devices easily. These Sennheiser MOMENTUM wireless over-the-ear headphones have active noise cancellation that lets you block or listen in on external sounds.
Good sound with problems
Customer Rating
3.0
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Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless Headphones
Setup: The instruction pamphlet will get you started. You will want to download the Sennheiser Smart Control application from either Google Play or Apple’s App Store. More on the app later. My headphones shipped 80% charged so were ready for use out of the box. I started by plugging them directly into my computer via USB-C and firing up my iTunes library. My thought is that I would charge them to 100% while breaking them in with my iTunes library. Later, I was able to easily connect the Momentum 3 to my computer and iPhone via the included proprietary three-way stereo cable. Bluetooth connectivity with my iPhone was equally easy to setup.
Music: Highs, mids, and lows are clear. I played a variety of content including Electro Swing, K-Pop, easy listening, 70’s power ballads, alternative, rock, classical, and some popular videos including The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Highs were high. Mids felt rich and clear. Low notes felt tight and detailed. And those low, powerful waves of base you get from movies felt satisfying when the Momentum 3’s were hard wired into my computer. The “Two Towers” over Netflix sounded pretty good for headphones.
I started off my musical journey with Boston’s “More Than a Feeling”. I tested the music over Bluetooth and stereo cable connection using my iPhone and Apple Music. There is a difference in sound quality. Bass sounds deeper, highs sound clearer, and mids sound fuller on the stereo connection. I also noticed that the volume increased once I removed the stereo cable. Almost like the headset was trying to make up for the detail loss with increased volume. Again, everything was clear. I did this same A/B switch out with Sturgil Simpson’s Sound & Fury, Momoland’s “Bboom Bboom”, A Hat in Time & Plasma3Music’s “Trainwreck of Electroswing”, the “Ghost Busters” soundtrack, Lindsey Stirling’s album “Artemis”, Bach’s “Sanata for Flute and Continuo in E Minor, BWV 1034: II, Allegro”, and so on and so forth. In all instances, wired sound better than wireless. I expect this due to how awful Bluetooth is with music.
Additionally, every selection, regardless of wired or wireless, had this behind my ear quality that sometimes worked and sometimes did not. The harder, punchier music could overcome this with more volume. But, softer tracks, like classical, could not. I was not left with the feeling that I could kick back and feel immersed in my music. I felt like the music was coming from behind me regardless of material, sound canceling status, or equalizer setting. I did a comparison with other quality headphones I own. This is unique to these Sennheiser headphones. It is not necessarily bad. It is just different. You will also need more volume to achieve the same immersive listening experience as other similarly priced headphones.
The included cable is poorly shielded. I heard a buzzing sound over the cable while the iPhone was connected to the charging cable. This is the only headset I have that picks up this interference. I also have a wireless charging station for my gaming mouse. The stereo cable will pick up and transmit the frequency for the charging station if the cable is in proximity. It sounds like ping ping ping. This is not an issue for my other wired headphones. The cable is very thin and thus susceptible to picking up interference.
Volume: The headphones require adjusting with every musical source without exception. Bard’s Tale IV is a video game available on Xbox Gaming for PC. It has an A+ professional soundtrack that I wanted to test these headphones with. I connected the headphones over USB-C. I adjusted the volume appropriately. Then I switched to a wired connected for my Apple Music on my iPhone. I had to adjust the sound again. I then moved to Wireless with my iPhone. I had to adjust the volume again. I can understand changing the volume between devices. But, having to adjust on the same device left me scratching my head. We are talking wild swings in volume between connection types. Switching back to any of my prior sources yielded the same experience. The Momentum 3 does not appear to remember volume levels between devices. This is a pain for me because I am always changing between devices for different reasons. I do experience differences in volume with other headphones in the same class as the Momentum 3s. However, the wide swings in volume are unique to the Momentum 3s.
Smart Control App and Music Sources: Setting up the Momentum 3s with the Smart Control application was frustrating. My iPhone connected to the Momentum 3 without any issues during initial setup. The Smart Control app, on the other hand, kept dropping the connection. I had multiple experiences where the App would not connect to the headphones at all. The app did drop the connection very 10 to 15 seconds when it did make a connection.
For example, I am listening to Bach’s “Le clavier bien tempere” through Apple Music over Bluetooth and have no access to the features of the app. I have this same issue when connecting with the stereo cable or USB-C. According to the app, Sennheiser is aware of the issue and is working on a fix. I hope they come out with an update soon. Otherwise, what’s the point of equalizer functions and multiple noise canceling options if you have to turn off your music, disconnect any wires, connect to the app, make your changes, and then turn everything back on to see if the changes are to your liking?
The headphones can be used successfully without the app.
Smart Control Appp: There are three settings: Active Noise Canceling, Transparent Hearing, and Equalizer. The app will also tell you the battery level.
Active Noise Canceling will allow you to set Noise Canceling to Max, Wind, and Anti-Pressure. Max is exactly what it sounds like. This is the best noise canceling the Momentum 3 has to offer. The noise canceling is ok. It does block out the constant fan noise of my computer and some annoying background noises. It does a decent job of blocking out distant sounds like background conversations and moderate office background noise. I did use my Momentum 3 around my air fryer while crisping up some donuts. The volume of the air fryer was cut in half. Random noises, like keyboard key clicking, are somewhat muted. However, this is mostly due to the insulation provided by the ear cups and not the noise canceling qualities of the Momentum 3.
I did not test the Wind setting. I only noticed that this setting allowed a lot of outside sound into the ear cup.
Transparent hearing is a nice feature. This allows all outside sound to pass through the ear cups microphones into the ear cups without any processing. My audio source is automatically muted. I think this is the best iteration of this type of passthrough I have heard. I know it is the best of any headphones I own. The app allows me to modify this mode by allowing music to play, at a reduced volume, while transparency is turned on. I can see myself using this feature in the office when someone stops by to ask me a question.
Last is the equalizer. The equalizer is an interactive image with a small round circle on a flat line. You move the circle with your finger around the screen to influence the curvature of the line. One way increases bass and treble response. Move another way and you enhance mids by sacrificing highs and lows. You will favor one range or another depending on how you move your finger.
Hands free: The Momentum 3 is also capable of hands-free calling. I normally use either the wired ear buds that shipped with my iPhone or a wired stereo gaming headset that includes a mic boom. I get exception audio however I also hear the cable brushing up against my clothes. I tested the Momentum 3s by making a few phone calls. The feedback I received includes: Clear sound but my voice had a “speaker in the background” kind of quality. The quality was not as tight as I would expect from a dedicated directional mic. Hopefully Sennheiser can correct this when they fix their app.
Physical Controls: The Momentum 3 ear cup controls are solid. There is a switch that controls noise canceling settings, volume, a button that controls voice communications with your virtual assistant, and a multi-function button located between the volume controls. The multi-function button controls play, pause, track forward, and track back. The Momentum 3 ships with a sticker on the right ear cup with a basic description of what each button does. The included instructions go in depth regarding the use of each button. The button placement is convenient and easy to use. The buttons are rubberized, comfortable, and easy to depress. Below the buttons are the USB-C connection and a proprietary stereo jack that locks the stereo cable in place.
Folding the headphones for storage will turn the Momentum 3 off. There is no other “off” button. Removing the right ear cup from your ear will pause your content. However, this only works over wireless and USB. It also depends on the content. Taking the headphones off or removing the right ear cup from my right ear paused my desktop’s YouTube video playback. The video automatically restarted when I returned the ear cup to my right ear. This also worked with iTunes. However, it will not work with two programs simultaneously. Apple Music paused playback and replayed when connected over Bluetooth.
Comfort: I cannot wear these headphones for more than two hours. The ear cups are very soft, are comfortable, and the ear cups are adjustable for any head size. Unfortunately, they place too much pressure on my jaw. And there is no way to adjust for this with these headphones.
Overall, I am disappointed with my experience.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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-11points
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With BPM Connect, taking your blood pressure at home has never been so convenient. The device provides medically accurate blood pressure and heart rate measurements with immediate color-coded feedback on the device. BPM Connect synchronizes seamlessly via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to the free Health Mate app, where you can see all your data history and share it with your doctor.
Does a great job
Customer Rating
5.0
Setup is easy. The monitor consists of a long white tube that contains the sensors, air pump, battery, and transmission device. You can use this device with or without the Withings Health Mate app. To unlock the full potential of this product you will want to download and connect the app to the monitor. This will allow you to capture data and monitor trends.
The systolic, diastolic, and heart rate are all displayed via LEDs hidden beneath the surface of the white tube. Press a button on the tube and the device goes into ready mode. Press it a second time and the device will fill the sleeve with air and take the measurements. The measurements are then stored in memory until they are offloaded to your app. The sleeve is adjustable just like the one you see in your doctor’s office.
You can connect this device to multiple accounts. This allows you to share the device with family or friends. You can then choose who the reading is for from the device. A list of peoples names will appear on the device after the reading is complete. I tried this feature out and was met with varying levels of success. My wife has a Withings account. Her name appears on the device after any reading for anyone. Pressing the devices button once should show either the next name or “Guest”. This worked for the first few times I used the device. Now, every reading defaults to my wife regardless of how many times I press the button. I do find this frustrating. The good news is that you can log into the app and delete any readings not yours. The bad news is that I keep losing my readings.
The sleeve is adjustable. The sleeve has a fabric outer shell that covers the air bladder inside. There is a metal ring that the sleeve passes through which allows you to adjust the size of the sleeve. The sleeve then seals against itself using Velcro. The instructions that comes with the Withings monitor will guide you through your first use. You will also receive a guided tutorial on how to use the monitor when you connect it to your app. Essentially, you follow the same instructions your nurse gives you when having your blood pressure checked at the doctors.
Activating the device is simple. Press the button once and the device activates. There are blue LEDs that light up under the tubes surface to indicate activation. Press it a second time to start the measurement process. You will hear the tiny air compressor motor whirling from inside the tube. The sleeve will tighten. A measurement is taken. Then the air pressure is released. Both my wife and I found the pressure higher than what we experience at the doctor. It can be uncomfortable if you are sensitive to this sort of thing. In comparison, the free monitors at my local pharmacy are punishing! I would say the Withings monitor to be somewhere between doctor’s office and pharmacy monitors.
The data is displayed on the device. It is also offloaded to the app as soon as you open the app. The app displays all the information in a simple list format. If you have multiple Withings devices then you can scroll down and see your measurements from all your devices. The blood pressure information will be displayed as Systolic over Diastolic. There is also trending data to the right of the reading showing how your last five readings compare to your most recent. You will get a color code indicating if your readings are normal, stage one hypertension, stage two hypertension, or worse. The device will also indicate, in matching color coding, what category the reading falls into. Tapping on the app’s reading will expand the information further. It also allows you to see trending data over a week and a month. I have not owned the device long enough to see if trending data is visible in units longer than a month. Finally, the trending data will indicate my highest and lowest values for a week or a month.
Overall, we like this product. It has proven very helpful for us to see how my wife’s blood pressure is changing over time. This is especially useful when she is put on medications that influence blood pressure. It is easy to setup and easy to use. The app also has lots of information about how to use the product including an FAQ, maintenance and cleaning guide, user’s guide, and helpful videos.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Upright - GO 2™ Posture Trainer - White
Boost your confidence with this Upright Go 2 posture trainer. Integrated sensors detect when you're slouching to help train your body for better posture in under 14 days. Use the device by itself or sync with the Upright app on Android or iOS. With a portable design, 30-hour battery life and easy-touch adhesive to keep it safely in place, this Upright Go 2 posture trainer is ideal for all-day wear.
May be helpful as part of a larger posture program
Customer Rating
3.0
Purpose:
The purpose of the Upright Go2 Posture Trainer is to help you improve your posture by adding a haptic training device to your back. It is a small device, about the size of a Ritz cracker, that attaches to your back via a silicon adhesive. You calibrate the device by double clicking the devices activation button. Then the device will track whether you are slouching or not slouching for however long as you wear it. There are two modes: Training and Monitoring. Training Mode will prompt the device to vibrate if you slouch for longer than a second or two. It will keep vibrating until you return to a proper posture. In Monitoring mode, the device will simply gather metrics and upload the information to your phone’s Upright Go application. You can then review your day by day Upright vs Slouch metrics.
Setup:
Setup is easy. First, download the Upright Go application from either the Apple App Store or the Google Marketplace. You will find QR codes for both in the setup instructions. Turning the device on will sync the device with your phone and the app. Next, remove the silicon backing from device and attach to your back. I recommend that you aim for the spot on your spine between your shoulder blades. Finally, stand up straight and calibrate the device. Done.
The battery lasted me all day. I wore it for a week from 8am to 8pm. I charged it using the included USB cable every night. You will want to keep the clamshell case around. It is designed to store the device with minimal impact on the silicon adhesive backing. This is important because, with proper care, the adhesive will last five to seven days. There is a total of ten adhesive pads included in the box. There are also six alcohol pads to clean your skin before attaching. I found that the silicon by itself worked well without worry about any prep. Your experience may differ from mine though. Experiment and do what’s best for you.
Experience:
The device is a monitor. You must download the app in order to use the device. The app will capture the metrics of each use. The app gives you the option of uploading your metrics to Apple Health on your iPhone or iPad. This is good for those of you who want a single place to track all your health data. Upright Go displays all of your metrics in an easy to understand pie charts with corresponding timelines to show training, Upright, and slouching events. The information is organized by day. I did not find an option to show progress over days, weeks, or months. It is entirely possible that five days of data is not enough to unlock those graphs. Either way, I did not see any indication that the information was organized into anything other than individual days.
The app allows you to tell the device if you are sitting, engaged in moderate activity, or engaged in dynamic activity. Each of these three modes has a preset movement tolerance which tells the device if you are slouching or not. The app also allows you to adjust those tolerances. In Training mode, the device will vibrate when you reach the slouching mark. Monitoring mode will simply gather the information without offering any haptic feedback.
For my purposes, I kept the device in Training mode. I discovered early that attaching the device to the base of my neck was a poor choice. I found that most head movement triggered a slouching event. Moving the device further down my back, between my shoulder blades, proved to offer a better experience. While sitting, the device vibrated when I leaned in to view something on my desk or reached to far for my mouse. There were also a few times where I relaxed my back. This resulted in my back arching thus triggering a vibrating slouching alert. Moving was a similar experience. Walking around did not generate any alerts for me. I have good posture. However, tying my shoes, washing my hands, and preparing dinner generated all kinds of haptic feedback. Updating the device’s firmware through the App solved the “tying my shoes alert”. However, any activity that required me to reach or bend still triggered an alert.
The Upright Go app allows you to adjust the slouching tolerance using a 1 to 6 point scale. The higher the number the greater the angle from straight up you can move before triggering a slouching alert. You will have to play with these settings until you find what works for you. I left the defaults in place for a day or two before adjusting. The adjustments helped reduce alerts by taking into account how I naturally move.
There are limits to this device. For example, the device will not measure events such as leaning back in an office chair. Why is this important? One of the tips for calibrating Upgrade Go 2 is not to over-exaggerate your posture. If the unit cannot detect negative angles, then how does it know if you are overcompensating to avoid slouching alerts? I also found that I can slouch the bottom half of my body while sitting without triggering an alert. For example, I can sit on my couch with the leg rest up. This forces my torso to lean back and my hips to jut forward creating a negative angle situation for the Upright Go 2. I could also over-exaggerate my position by slouching into the chair like I would to take a nap. As long as the Upright Go 2 remained at its calibrated position or in a position that did not register, then the device reported a non-slouching event.
A second concern of mine is this device has no way of detecting factors that do impact good posture. Factors such as chin jutting forward, shoulders rolling forward, closed hip position that forces your butt to stick out unnaturally. Upright claims this device will help improve your posture though it only captures one data point on your back. I feel a better claim here is the Upright Go 2 is a tool that will help improve posture when used in conjunction with a set of instructions for better posture. I do agree that slouching is a cause of backpain. I regularly feel worse after a long day at the office computer where I tend to slouch the most. The haptic alert is a good reminder to tell me to stop slouching, pull my shoulders back, pull my chin in, and sit over my hips instead of in front of them.
Final thoughts:
Will this device lead to better posture? I think the device will help you pay more attention to your posture. This will be especially true during those long sessions at the computer where you are prone to shifting yourself into uncomfortable positions to deal with ever building aches and pains. Good posture does lead to increased physical comfort. However, the Upright Go 2 is not sophisticated enough to track all the points on your back that equate to good posture. The device should come with a brief guide to good posture. Then the Upright Go 2 would naturally assume the role of a monitor to both indicate when you are slouching and a to remind you to check your body for poor posture. I think Upright can easily address this concern through the tips and tricks portion of their app. Another easy fix for the app is long term trending. Day by day metrics are useful. Long term trends are also very useful and need to be addressed by Upright.
Should you purchase this product? That depends. You may not get anything out of this device if you already have great posture. If you suffer back pain and have poor posture, then this may be a great way to get some active feedback to help you work on improving your posture. It is like having a coach that taps you on the shoulder to remind you to stop slouching.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Ninja Air Fryer Max XL, a fast and easy way to cook your favorite foods. Cook and crisp 3 lbs of French fries, using little to no oil, in a family-sized XL 5.5-qt basket.
Great first Air Fryer!
Customer Rating
5.0
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If you have never owned an air fryer then this review is for you. I have never owned an air fryer. I have wanted one for awhile but was a bit intimidated with the idea of frying in general. I live in the north eastern US where my home is sealed from the weather and cold eight months or more every year. There are certain foods that I will only cook in the summertime because I need the windows open to dissipate the smells and atomized particles carried off by the steam and splashing oils. Essentially, I do not want my home to stink like a fast food restaurant during the colder months of the year. So far, I feel that my fears were misplaced when it comes to the air fryer.
Setup:
Setup was super easy. Unpack, clean the basket, crisper plate, and the broil rack, insert basket and crisper plate into the main unit, and then plug it in. The first week of air frying left a chemical smell in the house. Most likely the unit was burning off any material left over from the manufacturing process. It would have been nice if Ninja had cleaned all heated surfaces before assembly and shipping. You will want to keep your windows open during this break in period.
Finally, you will need to read the instructions and the cookbook that comes with the unit! I cannot stress this enough! If this is the first time you have owned and operated an air fryer then do not skip this step. Delicious fries and hot wings are right around the corner. These books will help you get there as easily and efficiently as possible.
Usage:
Using the Red Ninja Quick Start Guide and cooking charts made pre-heating and cooking my food very simple. The Air Fryer resembles a compact convection stove. Convection cooking purposely circulates the heat in an oven to reduce cooking time and promote more even cooking. This also forces you to rethink how long to cook food that you normally throw in the oven or cook on the stove top. The cooking charts in the Quick Start Guide offer excellent guidance on common items such as fries, tatter tots, chicken wings, battered vegetables, and many more.
You will need to monitor your food no matter what the cooking time and temperature recommendations are. I found myself checking, flipping, or adjusting the food every four to five minutes. The flipping and adjusting are needed to ensure even cooking and crisping of my food. You will need to do this regardless of what you are cooking. Otherwise, you may find some parts of your meal burn while others remain squishy. Both will be fully cooked. The quality will not be equal or desired. Finally, the cooking time in the Quick Start Guide are guidelines. For example, large steak cut fries will take longer to cook then straw cut fries.
One final note. The air fryer will suspend cooking when you remove the basket from the fryer. It will then re-engage cooking when the basket is returned. You do not need to spend any time fiddling with the controls when you check your food.
Cooking and outcomes:
Straw cut fries – The very first thing I cooked were store brand straw cut fries. I find any fires baked in an oven challenging. They either come out cooked through but soft. Or they come through crispy but overcooked. There are few times where they come out just right. I followed the Quick Start Guide chart for 1lb fries: Max Crisp for 15 minutes. I took out the basket every four to five minutes, tossed the fries, and then returned them to the air fryer. I let them cook for 13 minutes because the color was turning that nice light brown that I expect from a good fry. They were prefect!
Chicken Wings: I fried two pounds of chicken wings. I added some canola oil to the frozen wings and splashed them around in a mixing bowl to distribute the oil. Do not use Olive Oil. The air fryer exceeds the smoking temperature of olive oil. Oil turns into some pretty bad stuff when pushed beyond its smoking temperature. I followed the same process as above for cooking. They came out prefect! I added my favorite sauce, cracked open a beer, and enjoyed a movie. They came out so good that the air fryer is my go-to for game day wings! Just be careful not to overcook. The air fryer will turn the meat tough if you overcook. So, keep an active eye on them.
Battered Zucchini – I beat two eggs with some almond milk and mixed some crushed Ritz crackers with seasoned breadcrumbs. I then cut up some zucchini in bit sized pieces. I covered them with batter and fried them using the air fry setting on the Air Fryer. I spit balled the cooking time and temp since I did not have a recipe for this. Again, I actively monitored the cooking process. The zucchini came out crispy. The breading was crunchy and the zucchini was a nice mix of toughness on the outside with a bit of a squish on the inside. I felt they came out great. Taste? Well, I screwed up. I used Almond milk with the mixture. Next time I will use a cooking wine or maybe regular milk. Almond milk really threw the taste off. Air fried vegetables came out perfect when I cooked them without batter. This included zucchini.
Alfredo shells – My wife and I got a bit creative. She likes making baked pasta in alfredo sauce. I was looking for something to test the bake function of the Ninja Air Fryer so I asked if we could try this. Again, there is no recipe. We just winged it and monitored it. I took out the crisper plate and used the basket as a regular pot. It took about 15 to 20 minutes but came out great for a first try. The pasta was still a bit tough so next time we will add some additional water or wine to the mixture to deal with the issue. I was expecting to burn the surface of the alfredo and pasta. It probably would have burned if I had not stirred the contents every four to five minutes.
Comments:
First, it is recommended that you pre-heat the air fryer 3 minutes before cooking. Not a big deal except there is no pre-heat button. Instead, you have to press the function button (Max Crisp, Air Fry, Air Roast, Air Broil, Bake, Reheat, or Dehydrate) first, then set the temp if you are not using the default temp, then manually set the time using the time up/down keys, then press start. Why? What a lot of button presses to perform a repetitive task that must take pace at the beginning of any dish preparation. I think Ninja should have gone the extra mile on this one. If I had to pick one thing for Ninja to incorporate into this next model, then this is it!
Second, this unit is big. Be sure to go to Best Buy and see it in person before purchasing it. If this is a product you plan on using on a regular basis then you will want to make sure you have room on our counter or other cooking/prep space to keep it handy for use.
Second, this unit is big. Be sure to go to Best Buy and see it in person before purchasing it. If this is a product you plan on using on a regular basis then you will want to make sure you have room on our counter or other cooking/prep space to keep it handy for use.
Next, the smell. I found that the smell of cooking food next to the unit was not a strong odor. However, the other side of my home filled with the odor of cooking food. What I cooked influenced the smell. Chicken and fries seem fine. The same with the pasta. Vegetables are pungent. The smell reminded me of pressure-cooking brussels sprouts. I hated that odor when I was a kid and I hate it now. Also, as mentioned before, the first few times of use will also have the factory smell mixed in with the odor of whatever you are cooking.
Cleaning the unit is easy. Pop out the basket and hand wash the basket and crisping plate with mild dish soap and a soft sponge. I would not recommend putting this in a dishwasher. My fear is that the non-stick coating will be slowly worn away.
Finally, invest in good silicon coated tongs. You will need these for flipping/rotating food in the pot during cooking as well as for extracting your food when done cooking. I cannot stress this enough. If you use a fork, then you increase the likelihood that that 450-degree basket will burn you.
Final thoughts:
I love this unit! I thought air frying was both a gimmick and a pain the butt. It is neither. Football season is upon us. As such, I have found my new football food maker. I am really jazzed about this. I am also excited that this thing works as advertised. The smell is tolerable. Thankfully, the smells do not linger for long. It also is not filled with atomized oil that gets all over everything as the hot air settles. I have a short wish list on how to make this unit better. My biggest regret is that I only have one. It will make those days of hot wings and fries a longer cooking session than I would otherwise like. But I do not have the room for more than one.
Ninja put a lot of thought into how this unit would be used. This is apparent in the recommended cooking charts in the Quick Start Guide. This same care and thought also made this unit accessible for someone like me; a first-time air fryer cook. I am enjoying the quality of my finished dishes. My best advice is; read the manuals, use silicon coated tongs, frequently check your dishes, and do not be afraid to experiment.
Happy cooking!
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
+21points
26out of 31found this review helpful.
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Shark - Navigator Pet Upright Vacuum with Self-Cleaning Brushroll & Anti-Allergen Complete Seal - Pewter Grey Metallic
The Shark Navigator Pet Pro Upright Vacuum is your answer to stubborn pet hair and heavy-duty cleaning tasks. With an extendable hose for up to 12 feet of total reach for cleaning above floors, 3XL capacity, and a self-cleaning brushroll for nonstop hair removal, this vacuum cleaner is made for a floor-to-ceiling deep clean.
Great at collecting hair and dander
Customer Rating
5.0
Setup:
First, thank you Shark for using cardboard inserts as packing material. It makes 90% of the packaging recyclable in my area.
Unpacking and setup are super easy. Just be sure to read the quick start instructions. There are also several spots secured by tape. Be sure to pull these before using the vacuum. There is also useful information on the tape. All but two of the attachments can be stored on the unit.
Operation:
This is my fourth Shark Vacuum. Every one of them have enjoyed long life with my family. But every vacuum cleaner eventually runs it course and needs replacing. This time around we chose the Shark Navigator Pet Pro ZU62. I have two bunnies and a cat. Bunnies are the worst when it comes to shedding. It never stops! We also have multiple rugs that require regular vacuuming to keep the hair and dander under control.
This vacuum does an excellent job at collecting all that pesky hair! My last shark had the fabric roller on the front as well as the hair collector. This one does not have the fabric roller. I was wary when getting this thinking that the fabric roller is the magic to Shark vacuums. I was right and wrong. The fabric roller is magical. The ZU62 doesn’t need it. It still gives that same high-quality cleaning that I have come to expect from Shark.
I enjoy the fact that the collection basket if three times the size of my old Shark. I appreciate the larger basket. It means that I must empty the basket less often. This is especially important during the winter months. I empty the basket on my sharks outside. The less frequently I must brave the harsh New England winter in my cleaning clothes the better.
The vacuum is also lighter than previous Shark models. This is the first thing my wife commented on when she used it for the first time. The weight with the old Shark was the weight. She always had to use the unit in standup mode because the motor and collection basket was too heavy for her to walk around the house with. This made cleaning things like stairs and furniture difficult for her. Those tasks became my tasks. Another great feature of this vacuum is the longer accordion hose. The old vacuum had a very short hose. We normally found ourselves dragging the vacuum around with us when we used the detachable wand or an attachment with the handle. I realize that we can solve this problem by detaching the motor and collection basket. Then again, it was too heavy for that. I can now leave the vacuum in the upright position while vacuuming my couch, the bottom and top third of my stairs, and it is much easier to vacuum the ceiling cobwebs and behind the entertainment center.
I have multiple surface types: hardwood floors, rugs, and tile. The hardwood floor setting does a great job on my hardwood flooring, tile, and Berber style rugs. Dirt, hay (yes, I said hay), and animal hair were removed easily from the flooring and rug using this setting. I used the rug setting on my deeper pile rugs in my living room and bedroom. Again, all the dirt simply vanished from the rug. I also have a home full of girls and women. They lose as much hair to brushing as the pets do to molting. Quite a bit of long hair was collected by this vacuum. I only see a few strands of long hair wrapped around the bristles after two weeks of usage. That is pretty good. I had to clean off the bristles of my old Shark every month or two due to hair, pieces of yarn, and even loose threads from our rugs getting wrapped around the bristles. I am not going to declare victory regarding Shark’s stated anti-tangle bristles. I have not owned the machine long enough to state that their no tangle technology works. I will say so far so good.
Movement around my floor is just as easy and wonderful as my previous Sharks. Controlling the Navigator ZU62 is a bit easier due to the lighter weight material. My only criticism is that there are no LED lights on this model. Light casts shadows unevenly on a floor. It is sometimes difficult to see dirt under tables, chairs, and cabinets. My wife and I did debate if the LED lights were important enough to outweigh the advantages of the larger collection basket, lighter weight, and the longer accordion hose. We chose to go without the lights. We still miss the lights and hope that future models will include the feature. They do come in handy when cleaning under furniture and when cleaning poorly lit rooms.
The only other con I found with this vacuum is the placement of the power button. Why did Shark move the power button, which also doubles as the floor type button, move it to the body of the vacuum from the handle. I preferred it on the handle. This may not be important to everyone. And a minor issue at best.
Emptying the collection basket is still easy to do. Separating the body from the frame is still easy to do. All the parts disconnected at the snap of strategically located buttons. And they all reconnect with a snap that locks the parts in place. Super easy!
Final thoughts:
I like this vacuum cleaner. I think Shark did another amazing job with this model. The longer accordion hose, the lighter weight, and the larger collection basket out weight the positioning of the power button/floor type selection button and the lack of LED lights. This vacuum does an amazing job of cleaning animal hair, reducing tangles on the bristles, and with general cleaning of multiple floor types. If you have a lot of pets, or a furry friend who sheds a lot, then I encourage you to give this Shark a try.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
+15points
15out of 15found this review helpful.
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Withings - Sleep Tracking Mat - Gray - (2022)
Featuring a simple one-time setup under the mattress, Sleep is a sensor that helps improve sleep quality by offering advanced sleep cycle analysis, heart rate tracking, and snore and breathing disturbances detection. Learn how to improve your nights with a daily Sleep Score. You can also create a better sleep environment by taking advantage of a range of smart home capabilities that Sleep can support.
Novel product but Metrics not very useful
Customer Rating
3.0
Images for this Review
(click to see full-size image)
Purpose:
I typically sleep fine. My wife, on the other hand, does not. She tosses and turns, snores, and usually wakes up fatigued. She also refuses to believe me when I tell her she is snoring. She has a Fitbit to track heart rate. But it does not offer anything other beneficial metrics when it comes to sleep. Then, I caught wind of the Withings Sleep Tracking Mat. It monitors heart rate, sleep cycles, and snoring.
Setup:
The device is a small mat with an air bladder. The device unfolders and lays flat between the bottom of the mattress and the box spring. We have a temperpedic memory phone mattress. It is heavy and dense. We were afraid the device would not be able to measure anything through the material. I was afraid it would not be able to detect a heartbeat. It turns out that my worries were unjustified. More on that later.
The device must be installed with the cable facing out. There is a microphone near the cable stem that allows the device to detect snoring. The cable is long enough to reach my closets wall outlet.
I promptly downloaded the Health Mate app from the Apple store, created an account, and connected to the Sleep Mat. The Health Mate app immediately walked me through setup and calibration of the Sleep Mat. Calibration takes approximately ten minutes. At this point I left the cell phone, with the app active, on my bed and left the room. Ten minutes later the Sleep Mat was ready to go.
Experience:
Does it work? The Health Mate app does allow for the connection of other sources of metrics from other health tracking apps/devices such as a smart watch. Unfortunately, I did not see an option to integrate anything other than other Withings products. I would have liked to have integrated the data from a Fitbit or Apple Watch with the Sleep Mat’s data.
My wife has a Fitbit that she uses to track steps and heart rate. We tested the Sleep Mat over the last week while she wore her Fitbit. We compared heart rate metrics from both apps. We found that the heart rate information matched closely between devices. However, the Health Mate graph does not to be a minute by minute chart like the Fitbit tracker is. I found gaps ranging from five to twelve minutes between readings. Is this correct? It may be the interface for the app is incapable of presenting granular information. I cannot believe the device is capture beats per minute using five to twelve minute intervals. I hope Withings fixes this in their app. We were able to match up a few times during her sleeping sessions. We found that the Sleep Mat and Fitbit data did match during their time periods within a beat or two.
Data that my wife and I found interesting are the measurements for light sleep, deep sleep, and REM. This information is represented by a chart showing how intense each sleep cycle is and its duration. You How does it know? I wish there was a clearer explanation than the mat monitors heart rate, respiration rate, sleep cycle, and snoring. It also says it monitors sleep cycles but that seems to be a bucket statement for unspecified metrics that most likely include heart rate and respiration.
Finally, my wife mentioned that the app did not capture the periods breaks in her sleep such as poddy breaks or letting the cat out at 4am. The app does report an unbroken night of sleep for 6, 7, 8 hours. It also gave her a sleep score of 90 or above for each night of sleep. The app does have some rudimentary information regarding what you need to know about sleep. There is zero information about how to interpret the metrics. I also found this disappointing. It makes the device and the metrics more novel than useful. There is a generic coaching portion to the app. The information is not personalized based on metrics.
Final Thoughts:
The device is simple to setup, calibrate, and collect metrics with. It will integrate with other Withings metric collection devices such as their watches. However, there is no education or guidance on how to interpret and then use the information. For example, if the pad detects that I am tossing and turning all night, then identify the pattern for and then give me some suggestions to reduce the activity? Is there an article about anxiety and anxiety relief that may reduce my restless sleeping sessions? Am I getting too much deep sleep? What should I know about sleeping too deeply for too long? Is it a problem? How about snoring four hours a night? There just seems to be a lot missing here that a data driven product should do but does not.
I have the data. What is next? I do not feel like this product has an answer yet. Maybe the capabilities I would find most useful are not part of the mobile app yet. It would great if I could share more detailed data with my doctor while I am with my doctor. I can do that with a smartphone and a more robust mobile app. I like this product, I like the metrics, but I cannot see past the novelty.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Mobile Submission: False
+5points
11out of 17found this review helpful.
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HP OMEN - OMEN X 24.5" LED FHD G-sync Compatible Gaming Monitor (HDMI x2) - Black
Experience immersive graphics with this HP OMEN X gaming monitor. The 24.5-inch 1080p display has a 240Hz refresh rate and a 1ms response time for smooth visuals. Adaptive Sync technology eliminates blurring and tearing, while the adjustable height and angle support simple customization. This HP OMEN X gaming monitor has a DisplayPort, two HDMI and two USB ports for versatile connectivity.
Awsome gaming expereince!
Customer Rating
5.0
Overall, excellent monitor with a great customer experience.
Really cool gaming monitor. Ultra-thin bezel. The accent lighting is not overdone. Onscreen monitor controls are easy to understand and navigate. Text and graphics are clear and crisp. I did not see any screen tearing with both Nvidia and AMD GPUs. There is one Display Port, two HDMI ports, two USB ports, a USB to Computer connection, and a Headphone jack. Finally, HP included a spot on the top of the monitor stand to hang my headset. Nice touch! So, let’s talk about this monitor!
Setup:
The monitor shipped in three pieces: the stand, a VISA bracket, and the monitor itself. The monitor slips easily into the stand. There is a piece of plastic that holds the adjustable arm in place during shipping. Remove this and you will be able to slide the monitor along the length of the stand. The monitor tilts side to side and forward and back. It will not swing from landscape to portrait mode. If you try, you will break the pins connecting the monitor to the stand.
There is a VISA compatible wall plate. There are zero instructions on how this is supposed to work. The four screws that ship with the monitor are machine screws. So, I’m guessing there is a compatible wall mount system this will work with?
I love the placement of the power button and on-screen controls. They are placed on the lower right back of the monitor. At first, I thought this was as dumb idea. The more I use the controls the more I like the placement. The power button requires a lite touch. The menu system is activated and navigated by a single joystick. The joystick, like the power button, requires a light touch. I like this better than the traditional push button design. The joystick makes it easy to navigate around the menu without putting any upward pressure on the monitor from pushing buttons. The joystick is also more accurate than the traditional push button design. No pressing the wrong button.
Setting the monitor up with Windows was a piece of cake. Windows recognized it instantly. I did test the monitor with an AMD graphics powered system and a Nvidia powered system. AMD instantly recognized the monitor as FreeSync. Nvidia instantly recognized the monitor as G-Sync. Of special note, the Omen X 25f is one of the few FreeSync monitors that Nvidia has qualified as G-Sync compliant. HP also includes a little sticker on the lower left corner of the monitor with NVidia’s G-Sync logo.
Experience:
I was able to set this monitor up with the default 60hz all the way up to 240hz. The monitor does not default to 240hz. You will have to change this in Windows and possibly in your AMD or Nvidia software. Once set, I loaded up my favorite games. I tested with Mechwarrior Online, The Division 2, Fortnite, and Apex Legends. I also tested video with Netflix and YouTube. Each game was configured to the highest settings my CPU and GPU could handle. I did not see any screen tearing. Images were clean and crisp regardless if the refresh was set to a static 144hz/240hz or to adaptive sync. Framerates were also high.
Colors looked good as well. HP includes multiple preset modes. Standard, Gaming, Movie, Warm, Cool, Native, Low Blue Light, and HP Enhance+. I will only focus on Low Blue Light and Gaming. These are the two I used the most. You can experiment as you see fit. The Low Blue Light option sets the monitor to a warm image setting. It also dims the display a bit. I often use this setting for everyday computing tasks. As such, I manually lowered the brightness. This monitor is bright. You can adjust the preset without impacting the other monitor modes. This is a great feature because it allows you to adjust each preset to match your personal visual preference.
The Gaming Profile instantly increases the monitor brightness and contrast to 80%. It also increases the monitor’s response time. I did see a visual change with my gaming experience while in Game Mode. Images were sharper and actions seemed more responsive. There was zero ghosting of my images as I panned quickly panned from left to right in two first person shooters I tested.
The HP Omen Command Center does give you some control over the monitor. I wish HP had allowed full control over the monitor settings from the Command Center. You have control over Lighting, Performance, and Picture Mode. Lighting Control allows control over the ambient lighting effect of the monitor. There is a down facing RGB LED that casts light on the HP Omen logo on the monitor stand and your desktop. There are several modes including static, animation, task lighting, and off. You also have control over the color displayed. Performance mode allows two options; placement of the monitor’s refresh rate and the response time of the monitor. The FPS is not a game counter. So, don’t expect to get exact frame rates for The Division. Response time is less straight forward. It is on a sliding scale from Normal to Fastest. I tried fastest and found a few of my games looked worse. Leaving the monitor at the default response time seems to work for all my applications.
Picture Mode is useful though a bit overly simplified. There should be an advanced mode here so that I can access all the monitor options. Instead, granular control is left to the joystick and the onscreen display. The good part is that you can flip through all eight monitor presets and get a description and a sample image representing what each mode will do.
Do not worry if you do not have Omen Command Center loaded. Windows will download it from the Microsoft Store automatically when it detects an HP Omen product.
Final thoughts:
I like this monitor! My games look awesome. My images are sharp and colorful. Menu navigation is easy. I can connect more than one computer to this monitor which is a must for my needs. The bezel is thin allowing me to stand multiple HP Omen monitors together with minimal distraction between them. The 240hz refresh does make a big difference with gaming performance.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
+6points
6out of 6found this review helpful.
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HP OMEN - Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-9700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB Hard Drive + 256GB SSD
HP OMEN Obelisk by HP Desktop: Play graphically intense games with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer. You can easily store large amounts of media and other data on the 1TB hard drive and install games and programs on the 256GB SSD for fast access. This HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer has 16GB of memory for multitasking effectively, and the Intel Core i7-9700 processor handles resource-intense programs efficiently.
Awsome 1080P Gaming Performance
Customer Rating
5.0
The HP Omen Obelisk Gaming Desktop with Intel i7 9700 CPU, 16GB Kingston HyperX 2666MHz memory, and Nvidia 1660 TI 6GB graphics card are a powerful combination. First, I want to satisfy the benchmark crowd.
Benchmark Numbers:
PCMark10 – 5,829
3D Mark – Time Spy score of 6,191
NovaBench - 2521
SuperPosition – 1080P High – 8577
PCMark10 – 5,829
3D Mark – Time Spy score of 6,191
NovaBench - 2521
SuperPosition – 1080P High – 8577
Game performance:
Apex Legends – 1080P, high settings – 100+ FPS
The Division 2 – 1080P – High settings
FortNite – 100 TO 130 FPS Ultra Detail Settings
Mechwarrior Online – 60 to 100 FPS at Very High Settings and TXAA.
Apex Legends – 1080P, high settings – 100+ FPS
The Division 2 – 1080P – High settings
FortNite – 100 TO 130 FPS Ultra Detail Settings
Mechwarrior Online – 60 to 100 FPS at Very High Settings and TXAA.
These are the best benchmarks and performance numbers I have been able to achieve while on a budget. So, how does this translate into a super awesome computer experience?
Setup:
Setup was super easy. The 1660 TI graphics card has a Display Port, HDMI, and a single DVI connector. The graphics card can easily accommodate two HP Omen, or other, Displays. My primary display is an Omen X 25F 24.5” display connected via Display Port. My secondary is an HP Pavilion 25X 24.5” screen connected via HDMI. I have not seen any issue regardless of content or configuration. Both displays will support 144hz refresh so combining them into a single display should not prove an issue. The system also has five rear facing USB 3 ports, a single USB C port, and two USB 3 ports in a recessed top panel. More than enough ports for a gaming mouse, gaming keyboard, and gaming headset. The system does have an integrated Realtek Audio processor. There are rear facing and front facing Mic and headphone ports.
The included Mouse and Keyboard were the typical low end, get you by on a budget, devices. You will want to check out the Omen Keyboard and Mouse if you want to complete your Omen gaming experience.
Windows 10 setup is its usual simple, follow the bouncing ball, kind of setup. HP Jumpstart is the first program that pops-up after Windows 10 setup is complete. It will ask if you want to install some popular Windows 10 applications. Then, you will be asked if you want HP to use your information to register McAfee LiveSafe. You will want to download all Microsoft updates and install the latest Nvidia driver before you get to gaming.
Experience:
This computer is fast! I can go from cold boot to logon screen in about five seconds. Part of this speed is due to the NVMe 256GB SSD. You should expect similar performance with your games and applications if you load them to the C drive. I personally chose to load all my games to the 1TB Toshiba HDD. It is slower but it has all the space I need for all the games I load. The good news is that case has an extra drive bay for a third storage device. The good news is that the bay is toolless. The SATA cable and power cable for the extra drive is already installed. The bad news is that there is no adapter for a solid-state drive. What else would someone put in the additional bay? HP?
The case is small, handsome, and very well thought out. The case vents are located on the bottom, top and there are vents located at the front of the glass side window. The top connection pane is recessed into the top of the case so as not to stand out. The lighted Omen logo looks fantastic against the satin black finish. Cable management is good; not great. The power cables from the PSU to the motherboard and Video card are neatly arranged but still make a bit of a mess. I wish HP had decided to go with a power supply shroud like other gaming PC manufacturers. The good news is the backlighting does not extend to the bottom of the case. And, the background and wires are all black.
The GEFORCE GTX logo is front and center on the 1660 TI video card. You can also see the OMEN and HyperX logos on the different components. It would have been a nice touch if the NVMe Western Digital also stood out on a black PCB. The case lighting is a bit harsh. There is a single LED RGB light strip running along the top edge of the case. There is no light diffuser to soften the lighting effect. I think HP missed an opportunity by not including a diffuser to soften the lighting effect.
I love the window on this case. It is a screwless design. Press one button on the back of the case and the window leans out from the top of the case. Then lift the window free. So easy! I also love the Omen logo silkscreen on the window. Putting the window back is just as easy. I wish other manufacturers would come up with as simple and clean a system.
Finally, the system ships with a single stick of 16GB of Kinston HyperX Fury memory. There is an additional open socket for another stick. The most RAM I utilized during testing was 70% of memory. 16GB is enough for all modern games.
Gaming:
Gaming was fun. I collected FPS as I played through multiple games. Settings for all games were ultra-high. I started with the Division 2. I had to back off on the settings to medium-high. The gaming experience was still top notch with the settings slightly reduced. Apex Legends looked fantastic. Frame rates were high, color and special effects were spectacular, and I did not experience any screen tearing. I had the same experience with Fortnight. All game settings were set to Ultra. Butter smooth performance.
Both Apex Legends and The Division 2 are heavily multi-threaded. The Intel i7 9700 has eight cores. I had Task Manager running on my second monitor during game play. All eight CPU cores were pegged at 100% during gameplay. I was not expecting that. I could hear the fans blowing to keep the case cool. The sound was not overwhelming and in line with what I would expect from a system this heavily utilized.
The only game that gave me any issues was Mechwarrior Online. I did play the game with all fidelity settings maxed out. The FPS remained ranged bound between 60 to 80 for most maps. The CryEngine3 is bound to the single threaded performance of CPU. The game favors the i7-9700 in this case. For fun, I turned the graphical settings to this game all the way down. I got the same FPS experience. So, it is CPU bound and not GPU bound.
Overall, the HP Obelisk made every game I own look effortless and beautiful.
Omen Command Center:
The Omen Command Center is pre-installed. It detected the computer, my Omen Mindframe headset, and my Omen X 25f monitor. My biggest gripe with the Omen Command Center is that there is so little to command. This is most apparent with the Omen monitor. But, more on that in my monitor review.
The Omen Desktop section does show some basic system vitals: GPU Utilization and Temp, CPU Utilization and Temp, Memory Utilization, Download and Upload speeds. There is a lighting sections that allows you to customize the system lighting. Lighting is broken up into two zones: the Omen Logo and the case lighting. You can choose a static color (either basic or custom color), Animation, or turn the lights off. There are currently five animation. Each animation does have its own set of tweaks allowing you to flavor to your personal taste.
There is also an option here for Network booster. There is little information on this feature other than what is on the Omen Command Center screen. The Unit does have a Wireless adapter. I could connect it wirelessly to my router. This tool appears to work with the integrated network adapter (hard wired connection) and the wireless adapter. Priority traffic will flow along hardwired adapter and lesser priority traffic will flow along the WIFI. I was not able to enable this feature to test. There needs to be more help screens or a better description of this feature before I feel comfortable poking around. There is the ability to set network priority per application. Not sure I want to mess with that.
Final impressions:
The case is sharp looking. I love the side glass panel and how easy it is to remove and reattach. There are plenty of cooling vents to allow adequate airflow. Expandability is limited to an additional memory module, a third hard drive, and a larger video card. The system is a monster with 1080P gaming. Handsome addition to my gaming space. I encourage you to check this system out.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
+10points
10out of 10found this review helpful.
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Samsung - Harman Kardon 5.1.2-Channel Soundbar System with 8" Wireless Subwoofer and 4K & HDR Support - Slate Black/Carbon Silver
Enjoy a theater-like experience in the comfort of your home with this 370W Samsung soundbar system. Wi-Fi functionality offers hands-free voice control with select devices for an easy intuitive user experience, while dual HDMI ports connect multimedia equipment. This Samsung soundbar system includes a wireless subwoofer that adds rich bass for immersive audio.
In your face cinema!
Customer Rating
4.0
I have owned several soundbars and sound plates over the years. The experience has been hit or miss. This time around, I chose to give the higher end Samsung HW-Q80R a go. I am glad I did. What a difference a little splurging makes.
Setup:
Physical setup depends on what you want to do with the soundbar. If your intention is to setup the soundbar on a TV stand, bureau/dresser, or table then physical setup will be relatively easy. Setup will become more complicated if you choose to wall mount the soundbar.
The soundbar does come with two brackets, two screws for attaching the brackets to the soundbar, and two holders that you screw into your wall. The responsibility of supplying drywall anchors, or other hardware to secure the holders to the wall, are on you. Samsung does supply a paper Wall Mount Guide to help with wall mount installation. It is a long rectangular piece of paper with printed measurements and holes marking the mounting hole locations. You tape the Wall Mount Guide to the wall, use your level to make sure the guide is level, mark your positions with a pencil, drill pilot holes for your screws where the guide indicates, and then you are ready to hang the holders to the wall.
Keep in mind that this soundbar has ceiling firing speakers for Atmos. If you place the soundbar on a bureau or table then make sure the soundbar is forward enough to clear the bottom of the TV. The same is true for wall mounting. You will want your TV mounted flush to the wall so not to interfere with the Atmos speakers. You may also want to drop the soundbar a few inches below the TV depending on how thick the TV is.
Equipment setup was slightly more complicated than a low end soundbar. The HW-Q80R has an ARC HDMI out port. This connects to your TVs ARC HDMI port. This allows the two devices to communicate with each other. Powering on the TV will power on the Soundbar and vice versa. Turn on the Blu-ray player then the TV and HW-Q80R turns on. And, sometimes powering on the TV powers on the Blu-ray player whether you want it to power or not. ARC does have a few issues.
The HW-Q80R has two additional HDMI ports. These are for connectivity to an Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, Steam Box, or other HDMI connected devices. I found that the Xbox must be connected directly to the soundbar over HDMI in order to leverage Dolby Atmos. You also need to download the free Dolby app from the Microsoft Store to use it. It is free for use with a home theater.
Performance:
Cinematic! Sound is coming at me from all directions. The 12 speakers in this soundbar are authoritative. Thankfully, the volume for each set of speakers can be adjusted. You can adjust the settings using the remote and the small LED display built into the right side of the sound bar.
The Smart Things app from Samsung can also be used with the HW-Q80R control certain functions. I could control volume, input selection, Base, and perform EQ for music. I was disappointed that I could not adjust the volume of each speaker set in the system. It would have made calibration faster and simpler. Hopefully, Samsung will release an update that allows granular control.
The Smart Things app from Samsung can also be used with the HW-Q80R control certain functions. I could control volume, input selection, Base, and perform EQ for music. I was disappointed that I could not adjust the volume of each speaker set in the system. It would have made calibration faster and simpler. Hopefully, Samsung will release an update that allows granular control.
Once calibrated, the sound stage simply took over the whole room. There is a lot of sound coming from a very small space. Audio sounded big and not compressed. I played Star Wars Battlefront II, one of the few Xbox Atmos enabled games, and was completely impressed with the audio performance. The HW-Q80R relies on the bounding sound off the walls and ceiling for affective surround sound delivery. I could tell a blaster bolt shot came from my off camera to my left. The height speakers were more difficult to distinguish. I felt like the front firing speakers were drowning out these speakers.
I then watched Ready Player One in 4K. Again, big sound. The bass from the sub-woofer is not as tight as to what I am used too. It is boomy. I had to move the sub away from the wall, out of the corner, and then turn down the base volume to get it calibrated for the room’s acoustics. I found the movie enjoyable once the base was brought in line. The bass soaked Mecha Godzilla scene did get its full due. It is no 12” dedicated subwoofer. But, for a soundbar subwoofer offering, it is pretty darn enjoyable.
I also played Pacific Rim and Lego Batman. Both movies have Atmos soundtracks. Dialogue was clear, the music and sound effects were in your face enjoyable, and the sub-woofer did not miss a beat.
Within minutes I was connected to iTunes on my phone and listening Bach’s Flute Concertos. I did have to go into the Smart Things app to set the EQ to Classical before getting an acceptable music experience. There is no way to manual adjust EQ using the HW-Q80R remote. I also had to adjust each speaker group’s volume to get the best performance.
Issues:
First, I cannot have unique speaker settings for each input. For example, if I calibrate the soundbar for the perfect movie experience then that calibration persists when I connect to iTunes to play my favorite classical number. If I switch the soundbar to Game Mode for my Xbox, then my Netflix video will use Game Mode until I explicitly make an adjustment. My TV is smart enough to use different video settings for Netflix, TV, 4K Blu-ray, and Xbox. Why not this soundbar? I hope Samsung releases an update to address this. It is so annoying that I am dropping a single star from this otherwise awesome product.
Second, there needs to be a night audio mode. Everyone knows I am watching a movie or playing a video game. This may not be a big deal if your neighbors are not in the same building as you. Otherwise, be ready for upset neighbors. You can set the sub to 0 and reduce the sound for the surround speakers. Or, Samsung could make a night mode that does it for you. I prefer the later because I do not need to continually mess with the speaker settings.
Final Thoughts:
Awesome!
I decided to aim for a top shelf soundbar and feel I got a top shelf soundbar experience with the HW-Q80R. Samsung literally blew me away. I did have to calibrate the system to my room’s acoustics and my own subjective preferences. Is the acoustic experience as ear bleeding wonderful as a traditional component system with large, dedicated speakers? No. Then again, it is not meant to be. The HW-Q80R wants to simulate that front row movie theater experience in a small to medium sized room. I feel it does a darn good job of it at this price point. You can also add the optional wireless Atmos enabled surround speakers if you want to add true surround or rear channels. The HW-Q90R is the same sound bar as the HW-Q80R but ships with the optional surround speakers. I chose the HW-Q80R because my space cannot accommodate the extra speakers.
I encourage you to audition the HW-Q80R if you are looking for a compact home theater solution.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Bowers & Wilkins - B&W PI5 True Wireless Headphones with Adaptive Noise Cancellation, Bluetooth 5.0 with Qualcomm aptX - Charcoal
B&W PI5 true wire-free headphones are attractive, well-built, and they deliver a refined sound quality. Featuring Bluetooth 5.0 with Qualcomm aptX technology these earphones ensure reliable connectivity whether you are streaming from your smartphone, tablet or PC. Allows connection of up to two devices at the same time, however, only one device can be used to play or make a call at a time. Download the Bowers & Wilkins free headphone app, available for Apple and Android for further control of the sound and noise cancellation, right on your phone. The PI5 headphones feature the latest innovations in adaptive noise cancellation along with 4 built-in microphones that pick up ambient noise and cancel it with an equal, but opposite, audio signal and enhance the call quality. There are three levels of Adaptive Noise Cancellation – High, Low and Auto, that can be controlled either by the multi-functional button on the left earbud or via the app. Similarly, the touch-sensitive button on the right earbud allows you to enable voice assistance. The buttons also allows you to control playback and phone call functions with single (play/pause, answer call), double (skip forward, end call), or triple presses (skip backward). Another stand-out feature of these headphones is the intuitive detection sensors that put the earphones on standby or reconnect them depending upon whether they are removed or put back on. The PI5s come with a sturdy and attractive charging case for charging the earbuds when not in use. The case is equipped with two 350mAh rechargeable batteries. Each earbud has a rechargeable battery which provides up to 4 hours of wireless playback. Including the charging case, the PI5 can provide up to 12 hours of continuous playback.
Is there an App to set the equalizer?
App version 3.1.3 does not have EQ functions.
4 years, 1 month ago
by
Posted by:
ITJim
Alienware - m15 R4 15.6" FHD Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 - 512GB Solid State Drive - Dark Side of the Moon
With the 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processors enabling up to 8-cores and 16-threads of multi-threaded performance, the latest generation of Alienware m17 goes beyond its predecessor. Featuring the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 with Ultimate performance for gamers and creators. Realistic ray-traced graphics and AI-accelerated DLSS. Our latest thermal technology, Advanced Alienware Cryo-Tech, is an engineering approach where an Alienware system’s gaming performance is never compromised by means of electrical and mechanical methods while maintaining system stability during the highest performance states.
Is this a per-key RGB keyboard or a 4 zone?
Alienware - m15 R4 15.6" FHD Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 - 512GB Solid State Drive - Dark Side of the Moon
With the 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processors enabling up to 8-cores and 16-threads of multi-threaded performance, the latest generation of Alienware m17 goes beyond its predecessor. Featuring the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 with Ultimate performance for gamers and creators. Realistic ray-traced graphics and AI-accelerated DLSS. Our latest thermal technology, Advanced Alienware Cryo-Tech, is an engineering approach where an Alienware system’s gaming performance is never compromised by means of electrical and mechanical methods while maintaining system stability during the highest performance states.
Is the display having G-Sync?
For the 300Hz screen:
From Alienware's site:
"15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) 300Hz 3ms 300-nits 100% sRGB color gamut"
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/cty/pdp/spd/alienware-m15-r4-laptop?~ck=mn
I do not see any indication of G-Sync on/off in the nVidia driver settings.
From Alienware's site:
"15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) 300Hz 3ms 300-nits 100% sRGB color gamut"
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/cty/pdp/spd/alienware-m15-r4-laptop?~ck=mn
I do not see any indication of G-Sync on/off in the nVidia driver settings.
4 years, 2 months ago
by
Posted by:
ITJim
Alienware - m15 R4 15.6" FHD Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 - 512GB Solid State Drive - Dark Side of the Moon
With the 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processors enabling up to 8-cores and 16-threads of multi-threaded performance, the latest generation of Alienware m17 goes beyond its predecessor. Featuring the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 with Ultimate performance for gamers and creators. Realistic ray-traced graphics and AI-accelerated DLSS. Our latest thermal technology, Advanced Alienware Cryo-Tech, is an engineering approach where an Alienware system’s gaming performance is never compromised by means of electrical and mechanical methods while maintaining system stability during the highest performance states.
Is the ram upgradable?
From Alienware's user's guide:
Onboard system memory
NOTE: The memory is integrated to the system board and
cannot be upgraded after purchase.
You can find the user's guide on Alienware's support site.
Onboard system memory
NOTE: The memory is integrated to the system board and
cannot be upgraded after purchase.
You can find the user's guide on Alienware's support site.
4 years, 2 months ago
by
Posted by:
ITJim
HP OMEN - 15.6" Gaming Laptop - AMD Ryzen 7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB SSD - Mica Silver
HP OMEN Gaming Laptop: A thin and light premium gaming experience in an elevated design so you can play everyday. With an AMD Ryzen 7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics and cooled by OmenTempest Cooling, it makes you think how it all fits into such a tiny little package."
Can this output 144Hz over hdmi?
Yes it can. I am using the HP Omen X 25f over HDMI as an external monitor.
Just be sure to use a HDMI 2.0 or newer cable.
Just be sure to use a HDMI 2.0 or newer cable.
Images for this Answer
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4 years, 11 months ago
by
Posted by:
ITJim
HP OMEN - 15.6" Gaming Laptop - AMD Ryzen 7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB SSD - Mica Silver
HP OMEN Gaming Laptop: A thin and light premium gaming experience in an elevated design so you can play everyday. With an AMD Ryzen 7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics and cooled by OmenTempest Cooling, it makes you think how it all fits into such a tiny little package."
Does it have Gsync?
This is not a Gsync monitor. At least I cannot find any information online or in the system drivers that tell me otherwise.
You can connect the laptop to a Gsync monitor and take advantage of all the features of Gsync with that monitor.
You can connect the laptop to a Gsync monitor and take advantage of all the features of Gsync with that monitor.
4 years, 11 months ago
by
Posted by:
ITJim
HP OMEN - Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-9700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB Hard Drive + 256GB SSD
HP OMEN Obelisk by HP Desktop: Play graphically intense games with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer. You can easily store large amounts of media and other data on the 1TB hard drive and install games and programs on the 256GB SSD for fast access. This HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer has 16GB of memory for multitasking effectively, and the Intel Core i7-9700 processor handles resource-intense programs efficiently.
How many cores are there in this pc
8 physical cores. This processor does not support 16-way multitasking.
6 years ago
by
Posted by:
ITJim
HP OMEN - Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-9700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB Hard Drive + 256GB SSD
HP OMEN Obelisk by HP Desktop: Play graphically intense games with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer. You can easily store large amounts of media and other data on the 1TB hard drive and install games and programs on the 256GB SSD for fast access. This HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer has 16GB of memory for multitasking effectively, and the Intel Core i7-9700 processor handles resource-intense programs efficiently.
Is there a gtx 1660ti installed or not? What size pwr supply?
It says in the name that it is a GTX 1660ti. I can confirm that the video card is exactly as described. It is the 6gb version of the card. The Power Supply is 500Watts.
6 years ago
by
Posted by:
ITJim
HP OMEN - Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-9700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB Hard Drive + 256GB SSD
HP OMEN Obelisk by HP Desktop: Play graphically intense games with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer. You can easily store large amounts of media and other data on the 1TB hard drive and install games and programs on the 256GB SSD for fast access. This HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer has 16GB of memory for multitasking effectively, and the Intel Core i7-9700 processor handles resource-intense programs efficiently.
Does this computer have a memory card reader built in?
HP OMEN - Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-9700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB Hard Drive + 256GB SSD
HP OMEN Obelisk by HP Desktop: Play graphically intense games with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer. You can easily store large amounts of media and other data on the 1TB hard drive and install games and programs on the 256GB SSD for fast access. This HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer has 16GB of memory for multitasking effectively, and the Intel Core i7-9700 processor handles resource-intense programs efficiently.
What is the operating system for the pc, and does it come with a virus protection app
Windows 10 standard. It ships with 30 days of McAfee.
6 years ago
by
Posted by:
ITJim