–2 month update —

We still use the Makita LXT Blower on a (almost) daily basis. My wife loves to use it to blow off the steps in our garage. It is the useful rechargeable tool we have ever purchased.

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I was somewhat skeptical when I ordered the Makita LXT Blower. I was worried that my 1.5aH battery would not fit or even if it did it wouldn’t power the blower. I was also worried that even at full power that something this small wouldn’t be up to the job – mainly blowing out my garage and cleaning the grass of my sidewalk.

The Answers –

– While the 1.5aH battery is not optimal (although I do have two from my Makita LCT300W 18-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Cordless 3-Piece Combo Kit set), but it does work well enough. The main issue is that the battery life is about 3-5 minutes on the blower’s highest setting. However, 4 minutes will blow a lot of grass off of your sidewalks).

– Plenty of power – IF you are blowing on smooth surfaces. If you are planning to use this to blow your leaves into a giant pile you will be disappointed.

– Ultra light – less than 5lbs

– Pull-the-trigger easy – this is what really attracted me to the Makita LXT Blower since about 75% of my clean-up jobs are simple and do not require my gas powered blower. It is great to have the option to grab a light-weight blower and have the job done within a couple of minutes.

– The Makita blower can be converted into a vacuum – but the attachment is NOT included. I was puzzled for a few minutes as I looked for the dust collecting attachment. This is my only complaint, why didn’t Makita just include the dust collector?

Final Verdict – I really couldn’t be happier. I may eventually buy a Makita BL1830 18v (3.0ah) Lithium-Ion Battery but until then I will be perfectly happy with my current set-up.

5 Stars

Check out the Adventures of The Assistant and Wiggles! It is our animated series featuring the Assistant, her Dog Wiggles, and science experiements! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoLQ9unpi4OHbJtfVcfgDIoyZw75FHF-E #Familyfun #Familyfunforeveryone #Theengineeringfamily

You have a problem. You want to mount your HD television above your fireplace or other remote location, but you can’t (either because of room, cable box placement, or an angry wife) find a way to plug in your other equipment into the HDMI slots. Luckily, for you, there is the Nyrius NAVS500, and while it does have one issue (more on that later) it offers you flexibility with your home entertainment center.

Notes on the device

– The Nyrius NAVS500 allows you to “Untether” your television from the rest of your home entertainment center. Simply plug the device (DVR, Blu-Ray, PS3, Xbox 360, or other HDMI device) into the *Transmitter* and then plug your television into *Receiver* and you are ready to go. The set-up is that easy, in fact, it is easier than hooking up a VCR.

– Quality – The video quality is excellent (true 1080p) with a very minimal delay – less than a second. There is one issue, the audio portion takes about 5-10 seconds to begin (the broadcast is just silent… but it is not out-of-phase). This an be an issue if you are watching broadcast tv- although a DVR can solve part of that problem (it mainly would be an issue if you switching between shows). This delay should not be a noticeable problem with a Blu-ray, PS3, or other device where immediate audio is not needed. For some users this could be a deal killer, but for others it may not even be noticeable.

– Audio and video are in sync. There are no issues where you see lips moving with a delay in the audio.

– What I really like is the flexibility and other possibilities with the Nyrius NAVS500 – with the use of a Ultra High Performance HDMI Switcher, 3to1 Switch you have the ability to run multiple devices into your television. Admittedly, it would be better if the HDMI splitter was integrated into the Nyrius HDMI directly, but external splitters are relatively inexpensive.

– Another possibility is with use of Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter Cable, 6 feet you have the ability to connect your Mac directly into your television. This gives you the ability to watch Hulu, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and/or a Monsoon Multimedia 010410VL TV Tuner/Receiver on your television using only your computer (Read – you can possibly eliminate your cable bill).

Final Verdict – The Nyrius NAVS500 offers you significant flexibility with you home entertainment center. There is an issue with the delay in the audio, but for many issues this will not be a concern. If you are looking for a way to isolate your HD TV from the rest of your home entertainment equipment the Nyrius NAVS500 may be the device for you.

4 1/2 Stars

– Please note I received a Nyrius NAVS500 for reviewing purposes—–

Please Note (part 2) – All video, audio and music is used strictly for demonstration purposes only and are intended to educate the viewer on the product’s capability.

Check out the Adventures of The Assistant and Wiggles! It is our animated series featuring the Assistant, her Dog Wiggles, and science experiements! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoLQ9unpi4OHbJtfVcfgDIoyZw75FHF-E #Familyfun #Familyfunforeveryone #Theengineeringfamily

There are many options in the world of Subwoofers and as a result there are dozens of price points. The question is – what do you need?

Are you using this speaker to –

– As a boomer for dancing

– As a source for bass during movies – as part of your home entertainment center

– General music listening

– All of the above

The problem is that very few subs excel at all of the above or at least at a moderate price – that same is somewhat true for the JBL Balboa Sub10. While it does supply most of your needs it is unlikely to be a jaw dropper if you are using it for a dance party. Having said that…. how often do you host dance parties? However, as a general use speaker and as sub for your entertainment center and general music listening you should be very happy with the Sub10.

What it has

– Nice sound with a frequency response down to 30Hz (published), but with *real* performance to probably the high 30’s. To me this is a nice bass response for a 10″ sub
– 100 watts of power – more than enough to power the 10″ woofer
– The speaker is front-ported but down fired –
– Built in crossover
– You will need a splitter in order to get a true stereo effect (unless your receiver has dual subwoofer outputs)
– phase control 0 and 180
– Volume – just in case you find the bass a little too overpowering (like my wife)
– Some complain that it is too large… but in order to get accurate sound reproduction subwoofers require a certain size so they can push the volume of air needed to reproduce the frequency.

Final Verdict – if you are looking to open a dance club this may not be the speaker for you… and in truth you would be looking for something larger than a 10″ sub anyway. However, for general use, and use in a home entertainment center the JBL Balboa Sub10 is a great and relatively inexpensive option.

5 Stars

Please Note I received this product for reviewing purposes

Please Note (part 2) – All audio and music is used strictly for demonstration purposes only and are intended to educate the viewer on the speaker’s capability.

There are tons of options for Speakers – see some of my other speaker below!

BlueTooth and wireless Speaker

Turtle Shell Wireless Boom Box by Outdoor Technology http://youtu.be/sZAhUZAE3xI

Braven 625S Bluetooth Speaker and Power Source – model BZ625BGB

Accessorise Portable Bluetooth Wireless Mini Speaker System http://youtu.be/o–fEiOttE8

Panasonic SC-MC07 Compact Wireless Music Streaming http://youtu.be/NAghBDpj2N0

Ecogear EcoXBT by Grace Digital (My favorite Bluetooth speaker – to date) http://youtu.be/59xaOBob_P8

A Comparison of Bluetooth Speakers http://youtu.be/7X2esC1ibzg

Philips Shoqbox Bluetooth Portable Speaker System SB7200 – rugged travel speaker http://youtu.be/qJJ1bC73Yog

Philips Shoqbox Bluetooth Portable Speaker System SB7300 http://youtu.be/5nI6KTv0Z-o

Kinivo BTX095 Small Bluetooth Speaker for iPod, iPad, and iPhone http://youtu.be/BGKfPXSx4wY

Best Small Travel Speakers fo iPod, iPhone, iPads and MP3 devices http://youtu.be/ckMlsqKLwwc

Kinivo BTX110 Wireless Bluetooth Mini Portable Speaker review http://youtu.be/AfDw6bIXhBg

Monster iClarityHD Precision Micro Bluetooth Speaker 100 Portable Bluetooth Speaker (A Great, Great Option!) http://youtu.be/q7unI101I_Q

Bose Wireless Computer Speaker with Bluetooth http://youtu.be/kWM5DZ8zb7E

Or Look at some of the Wired Speaker Reviews

Accessorise Your Life Wired Mini-Speaker http://youtu.be/-Cm0BSy5Nlk

Kinivo ZX220 Portable Twin Speakers with Rechargeable Battery http://youtu.be/j8CRiDU42fQ

MonsterBass Mini Speaker for iPhone – iPad – iPod http://youtu.be/CNuo52B1scM

Kinivo ZX100 Speaker for iPods, iPhones, iPads and other devices http://youtu.be/tu7xrdBsTQc

WOWee One Power Bass Portable Speaker for iPad, iPhone, MP3 Players, and Laptops ://youtu.be/kWM5DZ8zb7E

Below iPod and iPhone Docks that I have reviewed

Fluance High Performance 2.1 Wood Tower Speaker Dock FiTSD600 (truly a great sounding dock) http://youtu.be/I-ChBn2Zo38

Philips Fidelio Docking Speaker DS8530 iPod, iPhone, iPad dock http://youtu.be/UZnbqKI2rlk

Altec Lansing iMT810 Digital Boombox http://youtu.be/YDcDKiuiHr0

JBL On Stage IIIP Portable Speaker Dock for iPod and iPhone http://youtu.be/4IKlbYaG-gY

Logitech S715i Rechargeable Speaker for iPod and iPhone http://youtu.be/i5kSYvU_2oA

Fluance FiSDK500 Two-way High Performance Wood Speaker Dock http://youtu.be/pN6SKHzgQ7Y

Subwoofers

VELODYNE ACOUSTICS CHT-12BV Classic Home Theater Series Powered Subwooferhttp://youtu.be/u40bvL5ymFk

JBL Balboa SUB 10 – 10-Inch Powered Subwoofer http://youtu.be/Zxmy8jYkUEA

Make Your Own Speaker!

Making a Transducer Speaker, adding sound and vibration to your home entertainment center http://youtu.be/QQpw9sKZzMc #Familyfun #Familyfunforeveryone #Theengineeringfamily

Yes, the earbuds are terrible, and I mean truly terrible.

However, there is a solution.

Use the Jabra bluetooth unit, but plug in your own earbuds!

There now that is out of the way we can talk about a few of the features of the Jabra Clipper. I really like the idea of the product, since it gives you a means to use a bluetooth unit to switch between music and phone calls. This is perfect for people traveling (trains, subway, and in the airport) and for those who are very active (running, biking, the gym…).

Pros-

– The bluetooth unit works flawlessly (or as far as I can tell). It synced with both my iPod Touch and my iPhone 4.
– The earbuds plug into the bluetooth unit – this means you can use any earbuds or headphones of our choosing. It also means that you can plug other things (like portable speakers) into the headphone jack.
– Completely rechargeable, and it seems to have good battery life.
– The music quality (when using other earbuds) is quite good.
– Pretty decent value – The bluetooth unit alone is worth the selling price

Cons –
– Everything about the earbuds – They are shockingly bad. Why is one earbud cord about 12″ shorter than the other?
– The cord for charging the unit is only about 6″ – Again why?
– It is really difficult to *Clip* the CLIPPER to anything. The jaws are difficult to separate and clip.

Final verdict – Despite the horrible sound from the earbuds, I really like the Jabra clipper. I admit that if I was forced to use the earbuds that were included I would be very disappointed…. but I am not, so I am quite happy!

Please Note – I received this product for reviewing purposes

Check out the Adventures of The Assistant and Wiggles! It is our animated series featuring the Assistant, her Dog Wiggles, and science experiements! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoLQ9unpi4OHbJtfVcfgDIoyZw75FHF-E #Familyfun #Familyfunforeveryone #Theengineeringfamily