I was pleased when the product arrived so quickly. Then I opened the package and found a crack in the upper plastic housing. Disappointed, I applied some "crazy glue" and now I have the product in use. I didn't think I should bother trying to return it, since the postage cost more than the product itself.
It is a nice item but very fragile!!
Buy it here now!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Timex TX7002 5-Inch Rain Gauge/1-Inch Sprinkler Gauge Combo Review
Monday, July 27, 2009
Midland ER102 Emergency Radio Review
I got the radio (new) for the weather alert, alarm clock and flashlight. I didn't expect excellent radio performance. I did, however, expect it to actually work.
First off, the quality of the parts are horrible. The switches don't work, you have to jiggle them and then, the radio periodically shuts off. It feels like a short. Great for the "emergency alert" because it may be in "wig out mode" when the weather service sends out the alert, you'll never get it. At least you won't be disturbed by those pesky weather alerts!
You can really tell they used the cheapest parts available to build this thing. The thin plastic volume knob really demonstrates this. I'm surprised Midland put their brand name on it in such a pronounced font, if I were them, I'd be kind of ashamed of this product.
As far as the radio itself, I'm a bit of a radio geek, I own a panasonic RF-2200, radio shack DX-392, several antique radios, etc.. I didn't expect this one to even come close to the RF-2200, but the truth is, it doesn't even come close to a cheap $2.00 clock radio or novelty transistor. For AM, it is simply awful.
It pulls in some strong local stations but thats about it. I can't speak for the FM, I only listen to one FM station and it's OK for that.
Tuning AM is awkward, it is an analog radio with a digital display. The tuning really needs a fine tuning knob. (even a cheap clock radio is easier to tune than this thing) it drifts quite a bit too.
Assuming you survive the tornado despite the cheap weather alert failing.. all you really need is the local powerhouse station anyway, I guess. Don't get this if you want a good radio.
The weather radio (when it works...) is good. I was able to get more weather stations on this than I did on an SW-100 multiband. Moreover, the weather radio uses PLL circuitry, so, it's bound to be better. (again, this depends on whether the thing "feels like" being on)
Battery life..
The manual said to charge it for 12 hours. I did this, in fact, I exceeded 12 hours of charging.
This gave me about 1.5 minutes of power...
The flashlight is great, produces more light than I'd expected.. well.. except that the battery dies immediately. (even with 12+ hours of charging)
I'm stuck with it. Can't really afford to buy weather radios all the time. Hoping the switches clean themselves off so that at least I get the alarm to work.
I can't say for sure, but I really doubt the thermometer is accurate.
The feature set is great, it's a good concept radio but it would appear to need a lot of refinements in quality.
Avoid it if you can.
Buy it here now!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Timex TX5800 Digital Photo Frame with Temperature, Alarm Clock and Calendar Review
i really like the frame/clock. it's small enough to not clutter up my desk, but holds a lot of pictures! i would've given it 5 stars, but i don't think the temperature has been accurate yet! fortunately the photo viewer, clock and date work just fine cause it's all i really needed anyway!
Buy it here now!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Weather forcaster, BAR122/BLRGR-J Review
OREGON SCIENTIFIC BAR122/BLRGR-J WEATHER FORCASTER
Buy it here now!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Royal mx2 2-pound (1.0 kilogram) Mechanical Postal/Kitchen Scale Review
Despite what it said on the outside of the box, the postal rates enclosed were three years out of date. The correct rate card insert is downloadable from the manufacturer website, but the image is blurry and poor quality.
I checked it's ability to weigh properly, by using an object whose weight was know. It was wrong.
Buy it here now!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Chaney Instrument Wireless Weather Forecasting Station with Remote Review
I use it daily and the interior temperature is probably fairly accurate. But the outside reading can be all over the place. I have it on the shady side of my home, so no direct sunlight hits the remote unit. Yet, it will display temperatures a good 10+ degrees hotter than actual. Also, at times, the unit will not show a reading from the remote.
Overall, this thing is okay but you might be better off spending a little more for something more accurate.
Buy it here now!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Honeywell TE653ELW Complete Weather Forecaster with Indoor/Outdoor Temperature and Humidity Review
The Honeywell TE653ELW Complete Weather Forecaster with Indoor/Outdoor Temperature and Humidity is great to look at, works really well; however, it has one drawback--the inability to change to the correct time zone. Instructions--both in the accompaying instruction book and online--do not provide for changing the time zone. When the time is viewed here on the east coast--3 hours must be added for it to be correct. It's not a serious problem once it's understood; however, accurate time really is preferred.
Buy it here now!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Chaney Instrument Wireless Weather Forecasting Station featuring Temperature Trend with Remote Review
This wireless weather station reports all the basics on a nice large LCD screen. The time is dominant for easy viewing. Unit also displays the month, date and day, outdoor temperature, features a temperature trend display and weather forecasting icon.
Buy it here now!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Wireless Thermometer and Humidity for WMR112A(model#THGR968) Review
As with the other reviewer I will have to buy an entire new unit. Bought the WMR968 John Deere weather station Christmas 2006 and temperature sensor stopped working recently. I couldn't find a replacement for the Nimh battery pack so was forced to buy another one. I guess this is how they stay in business. I can't afford to purchase another weather station. I wouldn't purchase a Oregon Scientific brand again.
Buy it here now!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Chaney Instrument Wireless Thermometer and Projection Clock Review
Main unit is battery OR electric not battery back up. If you set the clock under battery and then you plug it in you lose all of your information. The alarm clock is nice but without the battery back-up you can't depend on it. The projection part only works when you hit a button on top of the main unit. It then only shows the time. If you hit it again you can see the inside temp, hit again the outside temp. Not sure why you would want a projection clock if you have to walk over and hit a button to see it displayed. Haven't bothered to insert (waste) batteries to even try out the thermometer part. VERY DISAPPOINTED!!
Buy it here now!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Chaney Instrument 11-Inch by 18-Inch Dragonfly Clock/Thermometer Combo Review
I bought this clock and it came broken. I sent it back and the next one came broken. Sent that one back and that came broken!!! They package a ceramic clock with one piece of brown paper in the box and that was it! i called customer service because I still wanted the clock, but she could not guarantee that they would package it correctly so I said forget it!! Extremely disappointed!! If the review came with a zero star instead of one star I would have rated it that way!!!!!!!!! DON'T BUY THIS!!!!!
Buy it here now!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
NorCross Marine Waterproof Infrared Thermometer Review
package arrived intact and undamaged. All components also intact,including battery. After carefully inserting battery, and following all directions, unit simply didn't function. It turned on, but none of the buttons worked in a manner consistent with the instructions, and the laser didn't work at all. I'm sending it back.
Buy it here now!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Oregon Scientific Wired Thermometer Review
OREGON SCIENTIFIC NAW881EXT/BLRW-E THERMOMETER
Buy it here now!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Honeywell TE109NL Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer with Alarm Clock Review
I guess I'm one of the lucky ones, mine actually read the outdoor temperature transmitter for about a year, now it's dead. Fresh batteries, sitting right next to each other, no luck.
I think the transmitter actually still works, it's the base that has issues. The base still works as a thermometer, but it just got tired of looking for the signal from the outdoor transmitter. The only way I can get it to work is to remove the batteries from the base...wait, put them back in...it will look for the transmitter for a while and get a reading...then it gets tired of that and gives me dashed lines.
I've tried everything, the thing is just broken. The sad thing is, I just used mine within the house for zone heating purposes...it never had to deal with the elements or anything, never dropped, blocked signals...nothing...it just simply stopped working.
Buy it here now!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Suunto Vector Wrist-Top Computer Watch with Altimeter, Barometer, Compass, and Thermometer (xBlack) Review
Received as a corporate gift, and basis of comparison as "outdoor watch" is a G-Shock I purchased
+Extremely comfortable to wear despite large dial
+Fixed barometric "trend" window is neat
+Altimeter very accurate. I calibrate in the morning before heading the slopes and it matches markers exactly.
-Less durable than GShock/More cosmetic wear/scratches easily (face and case)
-Very UNINTUITIVE control. Try to change the units without reading the manual, I challenge you. (for reference i work in the field of technology)
-Weak backlighting
-USELESS temperature gauge is mounted on BACK of the case... thus always registers a ~82*F skin temp. Manual recommends removing watch for 10-15 minutes for ambient temperature reading. Whats the point??
-Buttons have dull feel
I only grab this watch when going hiking and interested in azimuthal direction and elevation. Most of the time I default to Casio as outdoor watch. Actually, since I bought an REI keychain compass&temp gauge, there's even less need for the Suunto. Based on my personal experience, and Casio's general reputation for wristwatches, were I to purchase an altimeter watch, I would look at their PATHFINDER series
Just for comparison, some benefits of "upgrading" to Pathfinder:
-instant access to baro/alt/comp feature (instead of cycling through)
-AUTOMATIC backlight option (AutoEL)
-Solar-charged!!! (vs 1 year battery)
-Atomic-clock synchronization (always accurate time)
-Dual time zones w/ multiple preset world cities (now thats a travel watch)
Buy it here now!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Oregon Scientific RMR382A-BK Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer with Self-Setting Atomic Clock, Black Review
The device works just fine, a little temp variance but its within acceptability for its price. The major design flaw has been discussed in the other comments, that it beeps every time the temperature changes if between 29 and 35-ish. That means if it goes from 29.4 to 29.6, it starts beeping. This means that for the four hours a day that it is between these temps (two in the morning and two at night), the stupid thing intermittently beeps. Sometimes for a full minute, sometimes for four seconds, but you never know whether its going to turn off by itself so maybe you walk all the way across the room only to have the alarm end before you touch the stop button.
I kept complaining at my boyfriend to turn the alarm setting off, and he kept insisting that there was nothing in the instructions to help, but finally we see on here that some users have discovered the secret of Channel 2. Meanwhile, the stupid thing has been driving me crazy for a week. So, lesson learned. Check with Amazon before blaming Jeremy the perfect boyfriend.
Buy it here now!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Weather Station with Wireless Outdoor Thermometer (31215) Review
Received the unit and although it was a bit larger than I expected, it met our needs, at least until it started intermittent, random beeping. After contacting the company and receiving a very quick response, I was told a certain number of units were defective in this regard and that I should return the unit for full replacement.
Thus far, the second unit seems to be working as advertised. If you order one and it has the "random beeping" problem, be sure to return it immediately for replacement!
Buy it here now!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Honeywell TM005X Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Thermohygrometer Review
Very nice. can show temp-humidity level for 4 different areas including outdoors. It comes with one wireless transmitter that can be used outdoors or somewhere else in the house, like to check levels in a basement. It can sit on a counter/shelf or hang on a wall. It can read up to 3 wireless transmitters, but only comes with one. I have not been able to find where to get another transmitter, so that feature is a little frustrating. the read out is nice and big, but only shows one area at a time. It would be nice if the readout showed at least two of the areas.
Buy it here now!
Timex TX5170 Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer with Indoor Hygrometer and Clock Review
The first place we used this thermometer, it worked great. We had it on a table near a north-facing window. We passed the wire out the window and attached it to the side of our building with the probe at the end sticking out a few inches from the wall. Temperatures were always accurate, checked with other thermometers inside and out. Humidity always seemed reasonably accurate.
We recently moved to a new south-facing apartment. It turns out that if either the base or the probe is in the sun, it will read higher than the ambient temperature. Maybe the reading is correct--the ambient temperature in the sun a few inches from the side of the building is higher than elsewhere--but that's not really useful for us. We're having trouble finding a way to wire the outside probe to have it in the shade.
The lesson is this: if you have a window where you can pass the wire through and have the end in the shade, this should work great. If not, get a wireless version.
Buy it here now!
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