SamG's stats
- Review count149
- Helpfulness votes863
- First reviewOctober 20, 2016
- Last reviewApril 21, 2024
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- Average rating4.4
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- First answerOctober 20, 2016
- Last answerMay 20, 2018
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The 800 cfm – 12-amp Electric Turbine Blower is, quite simply, the most powerful electric blower in the marketplace. Other 800 cfm (Cubic Feet per Minute) blowers don’t put out wind power at 135 mph. Physics shouldn’t allow it, but our engineers found a workaround. And even though you’re going to want to blow at that speed all the time, you can use the variable speed control to dial it down. When you need even more power than the 800 cfm/135 mph can provide, there’s the Hyper-Stream nozzle that focuses all the airflow right where you need it. Believe it or not, all that power can be controlled with one hand. The whole unit is only 6.6 lbs., and that amazing Turbine tech creates a wind tunnel that is easy to point. The cord retainer keeps extension cords from pulling apart, even on snags. And you don’t need any tools to put it together. Time to go clear that lawn.
Posted by: SamG
I’m very happy with this blower. It’s lightweight, powerful, and not terribly loud. If you don’t mind the cord it’s a solid choice.
I’m using it mainly for the laurel hedges that separate my house and my neighbor’s house that fall into my yard in fairly large quantities during the fall. At the medium and high settings it lifted the leaves off of my wet grass no problem. It’s not lacking in power and while it’s not quiet by any means it’s not excessively loud either with a sound and volume similar to most shop vacs.
The construction is solid and there aren’t any plastic bits hanging out to accidentally break off. The power plug has a nice little clip on it that helps prevent the power cord from being ripped out, which is pretty handy. There’s also a key hole on the bottom that makes it easy to hang up. And at about 6 and a half pounds it’s easy to tote around the yard.
Being a corded blower, you will need a decent outdoor extension cord with 2 prongs.
There’s not much more to say about the WORX WG521. It’s a solid and powerful corded blower that does its job well.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The DJI Mavic 3 Series features next-level imaging performance. Mavic 3 Pro's triple-camera system ushers in a new era of camera drones by housing three sensors and lenses with different focal lengths. Equipped with a Hasselblad camera and dual tele cameras, Mavic 3 Pro is a triple-camera drone that unlocks new shooting perspectives, allowing you to embrace creative freedom further, capture fascinating scenery, explore photographic storytelling, and make cinematic masterpieces.
Customer Rating
5
The Drone That Does It All
on October 8, 2023
Posted by: SamG
The DJI Mavic 3 Pro is an incredible drone and for the price it ought to be. I think this is one of the few consumer products on the market today that does actually earn the ‘Pro’ moniker (though it does not get the high bitrate ProRes that the Cine model has). A lot of people would probably be more than happy with the Air or the Mini; I know that up to receiving this I was still regularly using and loving my Mavic Air 2 from a few years ago. But if you want just about the best DJI has to offer this is it.
The Fly More Combo basically gives you everything you’d want for the Mavic 3 Pro and it’s a great starting point if you don’t already have drone gear. The Fly More Combo includes the drone itself, the DJI RC controller, 2 extra batteries with a charging base, 2 sets of additional props, ND filters, and a bag to hold it all. For the charger they also bundled AC cords for every country you can imagine and it actually took me a minute to find the North American cord. I’m really not sure what I’m going to do with the rest of the cords and it feels a little wasteful to include them, but if you travel internationally a lot then I can see the value. The bag is very nice and holds the accessories well, though I had a hard time getting it to the point of fitting absolutely everything and ended up leaving the extra props out.
The drone itself feels very well constructed and unfolds and collapses easily, though the included cover is a little awkward to take on and off. In addition to the triple camera module it also has 4 sets of vision cameras specifically for the obstacle avoidance system to cover all directions. Around the back is the battery slot and a flap that contains the microSD slot and USB port. The non-Cine model only comes with 8GB of built-in storage, so you will definitely need a microSD card for this and I’m using a 512GB Sandisk Extreme.
Turning the drone on and flying it around, the first thing I typically make note of is the sound and while the Mavic 3 Pro does seem louder than my Air 2, it’s not significantly so. I would describe the sound of the Mavic 3 Pro akin to a weed wacker in both pitch and volume. I’m very paranoid about being the ‘drone guy’ and ruining everyone’s peace and quiet, so this is important to me, but in general I would fly the Mavic 3 Pro in the same places I’ve flown the Air 2.
The general experience of flying is great and with MasterShots, QuickShots, and the waypoint system you really don’t need to be a great pilot to get some great shots as the software can do a lot of this without ever needing to even touch the sticks. For standard flight, the obstacle avoidance system built-in is fantastic. I reluctantly (but also carefully) tried to trip it up by seeing if I could purposely run into anything and every time it would either stop or fly itself around, depending on the mode I had it in. Flight in general has been rock solid and I did not see it waver at all, though I haven’t had any very windy days to put it up against yet.
The triple camera system that’s built into the Mavic 3 Pro is extremely versatile. The main 4/3” Hasselblad camera is definitely the best of the bunch, but the 3x medium tele with the 1/1.3” sensor also looks great and lets you get some really nice closer shots without having to physically get the drone closer. The 7x tele is very good, though it zooms into a level that I don’t personally see myself using as much. It also doesn’t look quite as good as the other 2 cameras, maybe due to the smaller sensor 1/2” sensor. It’s still great to have for special situations though. Images and videos both look fantastic from the Mavic 3 Pro. The video is always smooth and stable no matter what the drone is doing and you have a ton of control with how you can capture photos and videos. I like what DJI does with photos and videos automatically for the most parts, though one video I took on the river on a very bright day was a bit too bright for me, but with a combination of image control adjustments and ND filters I’m sure that is easily corrected.
The DJI RC controller feels great and having the built-in screen is so much nicer than having to deal with the phone bracket and cable connection that the previous controllers required. In general the interface is pretty responsive and the screen is bright enough to see clearly in any weather.
The battery life for the Mavic 3 Pro is listed at 43 minutes. This will obviously depend on a lot of things, but I got pretty close to it most of the time and I was comfortable leaving the drone up in the air while I contemplated my next move without worrying that I wasn’t going to have enough battery to do what I wanted to do. The RC controller is rated for up to 4 hours, so it should still be running by the time you drain all 3 drone batteries.
Overall I haven’t found any major faults with the DJI Mavic 3 Pro. It’s truly a complete package and for anybody wanting the larger image sensor or maybe just a bit more than what the Air and Mini models have to offer it’s a win.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Jabra’s Elite 10 true wireless advanced earbuds for work and life. For the first time, revolutionary Jabra ComfortFit technology has been combined with Spatial Sound and Dolby Head Tracking, for a more immersive Dolby Atmos experience to create the clear-sounding earbuds that you can comfortably wear all day. Complete with 10mm speakers, you can immerse yourself in rich, life-like sound that puts you right inside your favorite tracks. We scanned over 62k ears to create our unique oval EarGels that sculpt to every ear shape, and a semi-open design that relieves any pressure. Unwanted background noise will be blocked by our Active Noise Cancellation even in challenging environments, and you can connect the earbuds to two devices at once for super simple switching between phone and PC. Time to comfortably sink into mind-blowing sound. Don’t get caught without charge again with up to 36 hours (ANC off) of battery life that lasts throughout the day. When your buds run out of juice, simply pop them into the wireless charging case for a fast charge of 1 hour worth of battery in 5 mins. Ready to support Low Energy Audio. Stream pristine audio to multiple pairs of earbuds for easy sharing or tune into public broadcasts.
Customer Rating
5
Great-Sounding and Extremely Comfortable Earbuds
on September 23, 2023
Posted by: SamG
The Jabra Elite 65t’s were my first true wireless earbuds and one of the first non-Apple products that worked really well when it came out. I’ve had a few different wireless earbuds since then and the first thing I noticed with the Elite 10’s was just how comfortable I was leaving them in my ears. The fit is spot on and while the tips don’t go as far into my ears as other earbuds do, the overall shape of the buds fits into my ears really well with a fit that doesn’t feel tight at all but at the same time feels extremely secure. I did end up sizing up to the ‘large’ size eartips, though obviously the one that fits you the best will depend on your ears. The silicone eartips that are included are very comfortable, but are uniquely shaped, as is the stem that they fit onto. If you prefer foam eartips I’m not sure there is a 3rd party option available that would fit the Elite 10’s. The earbuds have a soft touch rubbery feel to them, which adds to the in-ear comfort.
I tested the Elite 10’s mainly on my iPhone 13 Pro, but did briefly connect them to my Pixel 7 Pro as well. Jabra doesn’t include any special codecs for Android like aptX or LDAC, but will support the new LC3 codec in a future update. You do get multipoint pairing and can have up to 2 devices paired at the same time, which not every wireless earbud supports today. The earbuds are controlled via single buttons on either earbud and they can be changed to just about anything in the app, but by default you get ANC/Transparency mode toggle on the left bud and play/pause/skip controls on the right bud. On Android the Elite 10’s also have Google Assistant support built-in. Jabra also includes Dolby Atmos head-tracking support, though my experience with it so far has been subpar (more on that later).
I’ve been impressed with the sound quality of the Elite 10’s so far. Not having used the competing options currently available from Sony or Bose I can’t say how they compare to those, but in general the sound is very clear and there’s a great amount of bass for wireless earbuds, though I think for the bass it’s important to make sure you get the right fit with the eartips as that improved for me a lot when I switched from the medium eartips to the large ones for my ears. The noise canceling is good and effectively blocks out pretty much all ambient environment noise like AC’s and fans. Voices do come through, but once you’ve got something playing it’s difficult to notice that. The transparency mode (or HearThrough as Jabra refers to it) is good and I’m easily able to hear my environment and people talking to me. The transparency mode sounds pretty natural as well, though my own voice is amplified with the earbuds in and that can be a little distracting trying to carry on a normal conversation. I would say that all of these features are noticeably better than the Pixel Bud Pros I was previously using. One thing I was less than impressed with was the Dolby Atmos. From what I can tell, it doesn’t seem to natively support Dolby Atmos tracks such as those found on Apple Music and just applies a spatial effect to normal stereo content. To me, it gives most sound an echo quality and the change in sound from moving my head side to side is a bit too aggressive for my taste. I did try to force on Dolby Atmos in the Apple Music settings and that did sound a lot better, but that setting is not available in every app and has the downside of being something you have to switch off and on when you’re using the buds versus not using them. For me, it felt best to leave Dolby Atmos off, which is a shame because I was really looking forward to taking advantage of it for the tracks that support it in Apple Music. It’s possible that I’m doing something wrong here, or maybe there’s an update from Jabra that will fix this, but for now I’m underwhelmed. Fortunately, the Elite 10’s sound just fine in regular stereo mode.
The call quality is good. I made some test calls and recordings and in general the feedback was that I came through clear and was easy to understand. In quiet indoor environments that sound does come through with a bit of an echo, but overall something I would not have a problem using for general calls.
The case supports wireless and USB-C charging and is rated to provide up to 27 hours of total battery life, with the earbuds good for 6 hours by themselves. In the 3 or so days I’ve been using these I have not been able to run the battery down in any meaningful way; I typically use my earbuds in short spurts and then put them back into the case. I’d estimate that I’ve used these for about 3-4 hours in total and my case charge is at about 90% according to the app, so that more or less lines up with Jabra’s battery life estimates.
The Jabra Sound+ app controls all of the earbud settings and has some nice functionality built-in, including any adjustable EQ. The app has 3 different tabs and the first tab is really where all the functionality is. The second tab is called ‘Discover’ and is mainly just a place to discover features and register the earbuds. The 3rd tab is just some support and privacy policy links. I do feel like the 2nd and 3rd tabs could be combined into a single one, but I don’t have a problem with the app and it’s not intrusive.
Overall I’m very happy with the Elite 10’s. The features and functionality are in parity with similar options from Sony, Bose, and Apple and Jabra executes on most of them pretty well. My only real complaint is the subpar Dolby Atmos experience, but it’s a feature I can easily go without and I’ve had other 360 audio solutions from other brands that saw equally little use from me.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Get ready to download more games to your gaming platform with up to 1TB of storage on M.2 2230 with the WD_BLACK SN770M Mobile NVMe SSD. Bring your whole game library anywhere, any place you go. Turbo charge and increase the storage in your ultrathin laptop with WD_BLACK SN770M Mobile NVMe SSD with PCIe Gen 4.0.
Customer Rating
5
Great Way to Upgrade Storage on ROG Ally
on September 15, 2023
Posted by: SamG
I got this for my ROG Ally handheld. With the SD card issues the ROG Ally currently has (that I have unfortunately experienced), upgrading the SSD is the only viable way to increase storage right now. I’ve used a fair amount of Western Digital SSD’s over the years including the larger SN770 version of this hard drive, as well as the SN850x. I’ve generally been very happy with their performance and the SN770M delivers on that again with improved performance on top of the additional storage. It’s not top of the line performance for a PCIe 4.0 drive, but it is much better than what comes installed in the Ally and in this form factor I’m not even sure it’s possible to get better performance.
The SN770M is an M.2230 SSD, meaning it’s about half the length of a normal M.2280 and made to fit in smaller devices like the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and Microsoft Surface, among others. Getting it installed in the ROG Ally was the normal process and I followed along with ASUS’ guide for installation, though handling the smaller drive in that smaller space makes installation a little more challenging than standard M.2280 SSD’s.
I opted not to clone my existing drive as I didn’t have ability to do it and ended up doing a clean install of Windows via the Ally’s Cloud Recovery. That process took a little while and I ended up leaving it for a couple of hours and coming back. Once the OS and all the latest Windows/ASUS updates installed I was left with about 864GB of open space. My before and after tests on the old drive vs. the 770M showed about a 22.5% improvement in read speeds and a 3x improvement on write speeds. I wasn’t sure how this would play out in terms of what I noticed in gaming, but only using Forza as a point of reference I noticed that the initial game load is consistently A LOT faster than before. I did not time the loading on the previous SSD, but it’s maybe twice as fast if not more using the new SN770M. Now, this could be down to other factors as well; maybe there was something wrong with my previous install that was holding it back or the fact that I don’t have as much stuff loaded up on my new install yet. My main takeaway is that the extra storage is nice and the performance is excellent.
Overall I’m glad I went with the SSD upgrade over microSD. Even if the Ally didn’t have any problems with its microSD reader, upgrading to this SSD drive isn’t too much more costly than one of the better microSD cards you can buy in the same size and the performance is a lot better. 512GB for a handheld sounds like a lot, but when games are regularly well over 100GB (Forza Horizon 5 is 168GB) that gets eaten up pretty quickly if you aren’t constantly managing your installs.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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PRO X TKL is the next generation of the Logitech G PRO keyboard. It was designed in collaboration with the world’s best esports players—and engineered to win. PRO X TKL helps players eliminate every barrier between them and the win with the speed and reliability of LIGHTSPEED wireless technology and a sleek, tenkeyless design. It’s been battle-tested, pro-approved, and built to win championships at the highest levels of competition.
Customer Rating
5
My New Favorite Gaming Keyboard
on September 5, 2023
Posted by: SamG
I didn’t think I’d be as stoked on the G PRO X TKL as I ended up being, but this is absolutely my favorite gaming keyboard by a pretty wide margin compared to everything I’ve used in the past. I’ve had a few Logitech gaming keyboards that I’ve always liked, but felt they were a bit overpriced for what they were and I don’t feel that way at all about the G PRO X TKL. It feels like it really exudes the quality I would expect for the asking price, especially with touches like an included carrying case.. It looks great and the gaming experience on the tactile switches is fantastic. Battery life has also been solid for me.
The box includes the keyboard, a USB receiver, a USB-C charging cable, an extension adapter for the receiver, and a carry case. I was really surprised to see the carrying case and while I personally won’t be toting this keyboard around very much, it’s of extremely high quality and packages all of the accessories within it, so if you have a portable setup it’s easy to take this thing along. Coming from the G915 TKL, I was happy to see Logitech make the switch from micro-USB to USB-C for the charging/data connection on the keyboard as the G915 was one of the last PC accessories I was still actively using with micro-USB. The keyboard is made of mostly plastic, though I believe the slightly raised plates the switches and keycaps rest on is metal. It feels very well built and solid. The keys have minimal wobble and the extra media/function keys feel nice to press as well. As with most of Logitech’s other gaming keyboards there is also a volume wheel on the top right corner and this also feels great and rotates smoothly. The keyboard can lay flat on your desk, but also has adjustable feet that can be set to 4 or 8 degree angles. I have mine set at 4 degrees.
I’m a big fan of the overall look of this keyboard in the matte black color with the small chrome accent; it’s extremely attractive and looks great on my desk. One thing I did notice with the metal top plate though, at least around the arrow keys where I could actually touch it, is that it can be just a bit of a fingerprint magnet. It’s not egregiously so and through normal use you probably won’t be making a ton of contact there anyway, but I did end up wiping that area down with a damp microfiber cloth to get it looking extra clean again.
Getting the keyboard setup and configured requires the Logitech G Hub software, which I’m well aware of through the previous keyboards and current mouse that I use. The G Hub software isn’t anything that special, but it’s unobtrusive and doesn’t bombard you with ads and notifications for other software features and products like some other gaming peripheral software does. The software allows you to set various customizations on the keys and lighting. For me I don’t use a lot of custom key mapping, so I can’t comment on that experience very much. I generally set my lighting to just plain old white, but I do let the game profiles that exist auto load as it always adds an extra level of immersion in those games. I did also learn through the software that the Lightspeed receiver used by the G PRO X TKL can also be used to pair certain mice to the same receiver, which is nice if you have one of those as it will save you from having to use an additional USB port, but it seems mostly just compatible with more recent G PRO mice and not my G703 unfortunately.
Gaming on the G PRO X TKL has been a great experience for me. I’ve used GL Clicky and GL Linear switches on Logitech’s low profile gaming keyboards, but this is my first experience with Tactile switches from Logitech and for the first person games I’ve been playing most recently I’ve really been enjoying the experience of using these. I’m completely immersed in my games and the keyboard just melts into the background for me while I’m using it. I do really enjoy the sound the tactile switches make as well and though I do enjoy typing on it, the sound could be annoying for anyone in the vicinity. I’ve been on the Lightspeed wireless connection the whole time I’ve been using the keyboard and with the receiver plugged in behind my PC I haven’t had any indications of a shaky connection at all, which reflects my experience with other Logitech mice and keyboards that use the Lightspeed wireless receiver.
Battery life so far seems to be mostly in line with the 50 hours Logitech quotes on their website. With the lighting at full brightness I’m at 88% battery after around 10 hours of use.
Overall I’m absolutely enamored with this keyboard. Aesthetics are important to me as well as function and the G PRO X TKL has both in addition to a great design and build. Spendy to be certain, but I think as a product it earns its price tag.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Meet the Shark SpeedStyle, designed for speed and power in a compact, dynamic styling system. Take hair from wet to dry, ultra-fast, with no heat damage. The RapidGloss Finisher delivers a silky, naturally shiny finish without the frizz*. This set also includes a QuickSmooth Brush and Turbo Concentrator, making it ideal for straight and wavy hair. *vs. air-drying, based on 600-person survey.
Customer Rating
5
Good Compact Hair Dryer
on August 26, 2023
Posted by: SamG
The Shark SpeedStyle is a good high-end hair dryer. It’s lightweight, compact, and it dries a lot more effectively than our old hair dryer. It comes with a good set of initial accessories, though I wish this version included the diffuser.
In the box you get the hair dryer and finisher, brush, and concentrator attachments. The hair dryer itself is very lightweight and compact; it packs away nicely. The cord attached is a bit bulky, but at least it’s got plenty of length (at least 10ft). All of the buttons are easy to press and the mechanism for attaching and detaching accessories is solid. Adding the accessories is super easy and they snap right in with a small twist. There is an ‘IQ’ light that turns on to show that the dryer recognizes the attachment. It feels well built overall and though we haven’t dropped ours yet, it feels like it could take a fall.
The hair dryer we were using previously was a much cheaper Conair and the first thing I noticed after turning on the SpeedStyle was how much quieter it was. The sound is similar to what you might hear from a cordless vacuum cleaner. It dried my wife's hair completely in a third of the time the Conair and it dried it much evenly and completely. For her hair (wavy), the diffuser attachment would have been helpful to have and I’m a little bummed this one doesn’t include one, but it is available separately from Shark. The hot setting gets really HOT and “Cool Shot” button is easy to reach, though I wish they’d have positioned the air flow buttons on the same spot as they’re a little inconvenient to get to on the lower back portion of the dryer. It does take a little while to cool down after each use, on the accessories especially.
Having only used lower-end hair dryers I can’t really say how the SpeedStyle compares to other options in the price range, but we’re happy with it overall.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Enhance your audio with the CORSAIR HS80 MAX multiplatform gaming headset. Enjoy true audio immersion via high-fidelity 2.4GHz wireless, and activate Dolby Atmos on PC to place yourself in the middle of the game with detailed, three-dimensional sound cues. The HS80 MAX includes Bluetooth support to connect to a myriad of devices. A high-performing omni-directional microphone boasts exceptional dynamic range, so you can have a clear, commanding presence on the battlefield. Listen up to 65 hours on a single charge in cushioned comfort thanks to plush memory foam ear pads and a stress-free floating headband. Sonarworks SoundID Technology personalizes your headset’s sound to match your unique hearing profile, so you can forge your own legacy with the HS80 MAX.
Posted by: SamG
I’ve been using the original HS80 as my main PC headset for the last couple of years. I’ve had other headsets that were better in some respects but I kept coming back to the HS80 despite its flaws. My main issue with the HS80 was always the battery life and thankfully the new Max model improves on it a lot, in addition to being lighter and adding Bluetooth. I don’t think it’s the be-all headset, but then again it’s not priced like one and as a PC gaming headset it fixes most of the issues I had with the original HS80.
In the box you’ll get the headset, a 2.4GHz USB-A adapter, and a charging cable. The headset charges over USB-C as one would expect these days. The 2.4GHz adapter is a little bulkier than I’d like and sticks out a bit on a laptop, but fits just fine in the back of my PC. I love the style of the HS80 Max; it’s unique, but not too garish. I wasn’t sure I was imagining, but the HS80 Max is actually a fair amount lighter than the original HS80 (717 grams versus 933 on the original). The build quality is still very strong though; it’s mostly plastic throughout, but has metal reinforcement where the ear cups swivel. The ear cups swivel all the way flat, though the headset is a bit too small to sit comfortable around my neck with them folded flat. The ear cups are fabric and are replaceable by twisting them off, which is nice for potential alternative materials or Corsair’s customization kits they sell for the HS80. The headband itself isn’t adjustable, but a fabric strap lets you tighten it up to sit on smaller heads more easily. I have a fairly large head and it fits me comfortably. The buttons and scroll wheel are solid and easy to feel out. Comfort has been great the past 4 or 5 days I’ve worn them that included a 6-hour gaming session.
The microphone is flip to mute and flexible enough that I can get it right up next to my mouth. There’s also a small LED light that will be white or red to let you know at a glance if you’re muted or not. The microphone was one of the high points of the HS80 and it’s just as great here. This is hands down the best headset microphone I’ve ever used and the quality rivals dedicated USB microphones. Without any background noise suppression enabled though it does pipe in pretty much every sound in your environment. My dog was barking upstairs and my friend was convinced it was in the game we were playing. Thankfully, you can enable Nvidia Broadcast in the Corsair iCUE software to help cancel out background noise like that.
The headset wirelessly supports 24-bit 96 kHz audio and the sound quality out of the box is very good. There are some different preset EQ’s you can switch between, as well as a custom EQ and Corsair’s SoundID setup that will play a series of sound to adjust the headset sound to your ear. It also comes with a Dolby Atmos for Headphones license, which does disable the custom EQ’s when enabled. I wouldn’t say they’re the very best sounding gaming headsets I’ve listened to, but I was immersed in everything I played and I had no problems identifying the positions of sounds in games like Halo Infinite. I really haven’t messed with the EQ much up to this point and for me I imagine I could get them sounding even better withs some adjustment, but I’m happy with how they are now.
Bluetooth audio is supported, but you cannot listen to Bluetooth simultaneously with the 2.4 GHz audio and must switch between them using the power button. That’s a bit of a letdown, but at least it swaps between the devices relatively quickly. I’m able to watch videos on my phone while my games are loading and can be back on the 2.4 GHz audio in less than a second. Corsair doesn’t advertise any special codes or low latency on the Bluetooth either, so it’s purely a convenience feature.
The battery life was my main gripe with the original HS80 and it’s vastly improved on the HS80 Max. The HS80 Max is supposed to have 24 hours of battery life, compared to 20 hours on the original HS80, but it can go a lot longer if you turn off the RGB lighting. I have been using them with the RGB lighting on and they seem to be living up to the 24-hour estimate, where I wasn’t even sure I was get 15 hours on the old HS80.
The sound and lighting are controlled through the iCUE software, which is… fine. It’s inoffensive enough and lets me do what I need to with the headset quickly and I appreciate that about it. And if you have other Corsair accessories they use the same software, so that’s good I suppose. You do get some nice extras in addition to adjusting the sound and lighting, like the ability to assign the scroll wheel button press to whatever you want. You can also enable NVIDIA Broadcast here as well.
The wireless range is supposed to be improved on the HS80 Max. I didn’t have the issues others did with the range on the previous HS80 and these have not been an issue for me either. The stability in front of my PC is rock solid and I’m able to walk a fair distance away around multiple corners before the audio starts to cut out.
Overall I’m really happy with the HS80 Max. They made my favorite headset better and while it’s not without its flaws, it’s made it easier than ever for me to keep coming back to it.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Upgraded with a powerful built-in fill light and embodying the spirit of Make-It-Real, SMOOTH 5S offers an integrated yet simplified way of filmmaking for everyone. With the classic 3-axis design, you can create inspiring content with no angle limitations. SMOOTH 5S makes your one-man crew.
Posted by: SamG
I was a little wary to try out the Zhiyun Smooth 5S. I had actually heard of them before and used one of their previous models at my work a few years back, but while the product itself was good, at the time I could not get the app to work. The situation has improved and I was able to use the app, but the way they split the functionality between the Zy Cami and StaCam apps to the point where certain buttons don’t even do anything in Zy Cami is weird and a lot of the pro functionality is locked behind a subscription in StaCam that, confusingly, you have to go back to the Zy Cami app to activate. The gimbal itself is very good and I got good video footage on my Pixel 7 Pro while using it. It’s certainly possible to use the gimbal completely separate from the apps, but you lose out on most of the extra functions doing that. Overall I think it’s still good, but I think they need to do some work on the apps by combining everything into one and also improving on the localization as a lot of the content in the app seems mostly focused on the Chinese market.
In the box you get the gimbal itself, a mini-tripod that screws into the base, and a USB-C charging cable. No power adapter is included in the box, which is fine with me but something to be aware of. I’m impressed with the overall build quality of the Smooth 5S and it feels well made. The joystick and focus/zoom wheel both feel really great. The buttons feel good, but not fantastic and I think the smaller wheel on the main control panel could be better. The gimbal axes all have solid locking points that are easy to release and rotate as needed and the balancing mechanism with the thumb screw makes it easy to mount your phone and get it into a good position prior to powering it on so it doesn’t have to work as hard to stabilize your phone. Compared to other gimbals I’ve seen the Smooth 5S is a bit larger, though it does add features like optional magnetically-attached fill lights (not included). The rubber grip at the base makes it comfortable to hold, which is important for something like this. The clamp that holds your phone is solid, though I feel like I need 2 hands to hold it open and one hand to push my phone in. I could be doing something wrong here.
Powering on the Smooth 5S and using it with my Pixel 7 Pro, I could instantly see how well it stabilized my phone even with relatively quick movements, though I was able to get the axes to lock up with certain movements and that will cause it to go haywire. There are 5 different modes you can swap between using the mode button on the device itself, but without the apps most of the other buttons are not functional. I did notice in my Pixel’s camera app that my phone tends to have a 1-2 degree tilt when using it with the Smooth 5S, but this can be corrected in the ZY Cami app via the Gimbal Calibration in the settings. The Zy Cami capp will cover most basic needs, but it feels a little too basic. You really can only adjust the video resolution and frame rate and nothing else there. The small wheel on the gimbal seems to be used to help navigate the menus, but it only seems to work on certain ones and I found myself resorting to touching my phone screen since I could not depend on the wheel for navigation. The zoom/focus does seem to make use of all 3 cameras on both my Pixel and my iPhone and I could see the lenses switching at the appropriate zoom points, which is cool. The app has some quirks, but is mostly usable. One issue I had with the Android version is that it always defaults back to 1080p/30fps. This does not appear to be an issue on the iPhone app. It could also use some better localization for the US as there are many places you can still see (what I assume are) Chinese characters. In the initial setup on my iPhone for example the last step was shown in only Chinese. It appeared to be a question about where photos are stored, but I wasn’t sure. For the more powerful functions, the StaCam app lets you do things like adjust the ISO and shutter speed. There are a lot more advanced features, but most of them require a subscription to use, which is very annoying for something I feel should just be included.
Overall I’d have a hard time recommending the Smooth 5S right now. I do think a lot of the issues are with its apps though and those are solvable, so I’m hopeful this can improve over time.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Play your way with the ROG Ally gaming handheld. Access any game that runs on Windows across all game platforms, including Steam, GOG, Xbox Game Pass, cloud gaming services, Android apps and more. Play anywhere, anytime, using handheld mode or by connecting the Ally to a TV and linking multiple controllers to play with friends. The Ally even transforms into a gaming PC by connecting to ROG XG mobile eGPU and dock - supporting mouse, keyboard, monitor, and more of your favorite peripherals. Equipped with an AMD Ryzen Z1 extreme processor, a smooth 7-inch 1080p 120Hz touchscreen with AMD FreeSync technology, and ROG intelligent cooling, the ROG Ally takes handheld gaming on to a whole different level.
Customer Rating
4
Not Perfect, But I Love It
on June 13, 2023
Posted by: SamG
The ROG Ally isn’t perfect. Dealing with Windows on a handheld device can be annoying, the battery life is wanting, and there are some bugs here are there even with all the updates Asus has put out, but despite that I am absolutely in love with this thing. It really does play all my games and most of them it plays really well. I hesitated with buying a Steam Deck and I’m glad this came along. If you’re looking for a real portable PC gaming experience I think this is just about as good as it gets right now.
In the box you get the ROG Ally, a 65W charging brick with an attached cable, and a little cardboard stand. The stand is easy to mistake for part of the packaging and I almost threw mine away, so be careful about that. It’s a good-looking device. I know a lot of people wish that Asus came out with a black color, but I like the white a lot. The overall size is a bit smaller and thinner than a Steam Deck, but still much much larger than a Nintendo Switch. As big as it is it’s very easy to hold and much lighter than you’d expect it to be. The full size thumbsticks feel very good and so do the buttons. The D-pad is not my favorite, but it’s still pretty good. The built-in controller is using the Xbox-style layout and in terms of comparing the quality of the sticks and the buttons I’d say they are of similar quality to a standard Xbox controller.
For expansion/ports you get a single USB-C 3.2/XG Mobile port, a headphone jack, and microSD expansion slot for up to UHS-II cards. The XG Mobile is for Asus’ proprietary external GPU’s and while it’s annoying you don’t have the option for an eGPU via Thunderbolt, you do get 8 PCIe lanes with the XG Mobile port versus 4 lanes over Thunderbolt. Asus’ XG Mobile GPU’s are cool, but very expensive, with a laptop-grade RTX 4090 running at $2K.
The ROG Ally is a Windows handheld, so getting it turned on and setup is the standard Windows 11 experience at first. Once you’re past that it boots into the Armory Crate SE software, which is the primary way you’re meant to interface with the Ally and boot and configure your games. Asus has been pushing out a ton of updates for the Ally lately, so it’s important to make sure you’re on the latest firmware and all the latest software to have the best experience. I read about some early issues with Armory Crate SE, but so far it’s been solid for me and lets you adjust all of your device settings and set per-game controls and power profiles. The Command Center provides quick access to settings like resolution, refresh rate, power profile, and more and can be brought at any time with the button above the D-pad. You will need to get outside of Armory Crate to Windows proper to download your game launchers and install your game. Interacting with Windows via the touchscreen works most of the time, though finer selections require the use of the joystick and shoulder buttons, which double as a mouse. Once all of the games are installed Armory Crate should recognize and display them automatically.
I tried a few different games and tried to vary my selection between very demanding and lower-end games. Mostly what I have ended up playing so far is Celeste and Forza Horizon 5. With the 25W Turbo power profile I can run Forza Horizon 5 and very close to 60fps on High and if I don’t have the FPS counter on I wouldn’t be able to tell when it dips below thanks to the Freesync display. Turbo really goes in on the battery life and dialing it back to Medium or Low does allow you to use the 15W Performance mode and still get good performance. Most games even on their lowest settings still look very good on the 7” screen. For Celeste, I was able to put the profile down to the 10W Silent mode with no problems and I imagine this will be the case with just about any other light indie game. Control was another game I tried and I was able to get good performance at Medium settings with the Turbo profile, though a Low-Medium mix at a lower power setting is probably a better move for that game. With the Freesync display I really didn’t mind being somewhere between 30-60fps and locking to a lower frame rate will save on some power as well. Most games ran with no issues or bugs that I could spot, though I did run into an issue where the screen would go all black in Alan Wake Remastered. You can make manual adjustments to the power profile as well and really dial in the efficiency/performance.
The 1080p 7” display looks fantastic. Colors are accurate and the 120Hz refresh rate is great to have for less demanding games. It gets up to 500 nits and is bright enough to play outside. It can be changed to 720p in the settings as well, but for the most part I’ve been keeping the resolution native and using FSR or RSR for upscaling. The built-in speakers sound really good and the device itself is extremely quiet even in Turbo mode, so you don’t have to use headphones with the Ally if you don’t want to.
Battery life is - not great. You could squeeze maybe 2-2.5 hours out of it if you’re playing less demanding games, but triple-A titles are going to drain the battery in an hour or less. For how I use it though I’m not too bummed about that as I’m usually getting a quick race or match in on my lunch break or something. Still, it’s something I have to remember to keep an eye off I get too sucked into my game. Fortunately it does charge up pretty quick.
Other things:
There’s a built-in fingerprint reader on the power button. It works well and is super convenient for signing in.
The vibration motors built-in are just okay. They’re not particularly powerful and sometimes make quiet but audible whine on my unit.
I have not made much use of the programmable M1 and M2 buttons on the back of mine yet, but by default holding them down and pressing some other face button or D-pad direction will do things like show the desktop or take a screenshot. I’ve accidentally activated these functions more than a couple of times, but YMMV.
There’s a built-in fingerprint reader on the power button. It works well and is super convenient for signing in.
The vibration motors built-in are just okay. They’re not particularly powerful and sometimes make quiet but audible whine on my unit.
I have not made much use of the programmable M1 and M2 buttons on the back of mine yet, but by default holding them down and pressing some other face button or D-pad direction will do things like show the desktop or take a screenshot. I’ve accidentally activated these functions more than a couple of times, but YMMV.
There are still some bugs here and there. I haven’t been able to get the built-in framerate limiter to work for me all the time. But Asus seems to be pushing updates for the Ally almost every week and it’s improved a lot in just the week that I’ve had it. If they keep up with this commitment I think they’re going to have something really special. Even though it’s technically ‘better’ than the Steam deck in terms of the raw power/performance, it’s hard to ignore the community that’s come up around the Steam Deck and all of the cool things people have created for it. I’m hoping something similar will happen with the Ally.
Handheld PC gaming is still a world of compromises, but it feels like the Ally strikes a good balance at a great price. I used to try to bust out my gaming laptop on my lunch breaks at work, but pulling it out of its sleeve, clearing a spot on my desk, plugging it in, and hooking up my controller was such a process that it didn’t feel worthwhile for the small amount of time I had to play. With the Ally though I can just pull it out and start playing and it feels great.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The cordless Dyson Gen5outsize has the suction power of a corded vacuum.¹ It has HEPA filtration for our deepest, most hygienic clean. It's engineered with the larger size, power, intelligence, and additional run time to deep clean larger spaces. It has a 25% wider cleaner head and 150% larger bin compared to the Dyson Gen5detect, as well as twice the run time. The Dyson Gen5outsize covers more floor with each pass and allows for more cleaning between bin emptying and charges. It intelligently optimizes suction power based on floor type and debris picked up.⁵ The LCD screen indicates when to keep cleaning an area and when to move on. The Fluffy Optic cleaner head reveals invisible dust on hard floors. The extra wide de-tangling Digital Motorbar XL cleaner head deep cleans carpets and hard floors without tangles. Its versatile cordless format transforms into a handheld vacuum with one click, and the wand detaches to reveal a ready-to-go tool for continuous cleaning. Comes with a 2-year warranty and lifetime Dyson support.
Customer Rating
5
It’s So Good and I’m Ashamed of My Dirty Home
on June 12, 2023
Posted by: SamG
I was not prepared for how impressed I’d be with this vacuum. It’s so good at cleaning (and highlighting) the messes in my house that I’m constantly thinking about it now. I don’t know if this is a good or a bad thing for me, but Dyson knocked it out of the park with this one.
I was a little surprised at just how big this thing is. Heavy as well. It’s still much smaller and lighter than a bulky upright vacuum, but especially coming from my previous Samsung cordless vacuum this thing is a beast. True to the Outsize name, you get an extra-wide cleaning head and an extra large canister. You also get a good amount of attachments and an extra battery included in the box and the included wall mount has a spot where you can run the power adapter so the vacuum charges while it’s docked. I do wish they had included a little stand or something to hold all of these accessories and while the wall mount does have 2 slots for holding attachments it only fits the combo tool; the other ones are too bulky.
My house is me, my wife and 2 dogs. 1 dog sheds and the other doesn’t. I started on the main floor of my house, which is mostly hardwood, using the ‘Fluffy Optic’ attachment, which is main for hardwood floors and has a built-in green light that will highlight every little spec on your floor. It was at this point that I had to come to grips with just how much my one dog sheds. That green light sees EVERYTHING. Every hair, every spec of dust, every drop of paint we thought we had cleaned up. I really didn’t even intend to do a full house cleaning at that point. I was mainly just testing it out, but I had to get everything clean after I saw that. This is the kind of vacuum Mr. Monk would buy.
The suction power is as good as anything I’ve experienced on both corded and cordless vacuums and it cleans hardwood and carpet with no problems at all. The default setting the vacuum starts on seems to adjust intelligently to the type of floor it’s on and I didn’t really find myself reaching for the controls to increase or decrease power as it more or less just handled that on its own. As big as the vacuum is, I still feel like it’s pretty easy to handle and carry around. As a test we ran our old cordless vacuum across our area rug once and then made a second pass at it with the Dyson and filled up a quarter of the canister.
The display has a nice little readout of everything it picked up during your vacuum and the size of all the different particles it picked up, which is nice even if I’m not sure what I’m going to do with that information. The canister empties via a nice little release lever at the top that reduces the potential interaction with all the dust you picked up, but in order to empty it you do have to remove all of the attachments first, which is kind of annoying.
The stated running time is “up to” 140 minutes using both of the included batteries, but this number seems very optimistic and is probably based on the lowest power setting and the lightest floors. I think a more realistic number is 25-40 minutes per battery, which is still more than enough time for me to clean my 1800 sq ft house, usually on a single battery. You do get 2 power adapters so you can charge up both batteries at the same time, though again I wish there was some kind of dock/holder for the extra battery and accessories.
As crazy expensive as this thing is, I think it might be worth it for the kind of job it does. For all the minor quibbles I have, they fade away as soon as I start using it. I might finally get rid of my big bulky corded Shark vacuum now.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Complete your HT-Z9F surround system with this Sony rear speaker. Place it on a stand or shelf, or mount it to your wall for unobtrusive performance, and connect to other components wirelessly to keep unsightly cables out of your space. This Sony rear speaker's S-Master amp outputs 50W for powerful rear audio.
Will these work well with the ht-nt5?
They're only listed to be compatible with the HT-Z9F.
5 years, 11 months ago
by
SamG
Leave no dirt behind with this Shark APEX vacuum. Its DuoClean operation uses a soft brush roll and powerful suction to pick up large debris and stuck-in dust, and its Powered Lift-Away technology provides extended reach underneath furniture. This Shark APEX vacuum prevents captured irritant particles from escaping thanks to its Anti-Allergen Complete Seal technology.BR>
How much does it weigh?
Work and play online with less interruption. This Linksys router comes equipped with technology that zeroes in on each laptop, tablet, smartphone and computer in your home, for a clearer, faster Wi-Fi signal every time you log on.