Product recommendation megathread!

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The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

OtherworldlyInvader posted:

Isn't the MX 518 just plug and play? I've been using it for like 5 years now on 3 different computers and I don't remember ever installing any separate drivers.

Did Logitech discontinue this without a replacement? I can't seem to find any mice on their website with the same formfactor and dual scroll wheels.

All that poo poo is plug and play if you want it to be. The SetPoint software Logitech provides is optional if you want some limited keymapping control. And I think this is what you want. http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0317497

As for laptops, I would say Lenovo and Asus are the best. Asus's customer support sucks so buy the extended warranty from the store. I work at MicroCenter so I'm biased though.

The Light Eternal has a new favorite as of 06:36 on Dec 6, 2010

# ¿ Dec 6, 2010 06:32

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 00:05

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

Astrofig posted:

I got Norton gone, downloaded and installed MSE, and got my windows firewall turned on--MSE isn't doing anything. At all. I can't click on anything; it just says my computer is at risk because it's using out-of-date definitions of spyware and whatnot, but clicking to update them simply turns the button from red to blue and does nothing else. I can't click on anything. Might MaAcffee work better?

Before I updated my brother to Windows 7 he had McAfee. It sucked up an amazing 182MB of RAM whilst doing NOTHING. I switched him to MSE and it uses 5MB of RAM even whilst scanning. You decide what's better though. I also like AVG which despite the crazy update recently also consumes very little system resources.

# ¿ Dec 6, 2010 09:27

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

Dogbrisket posted:

Can someone recommend a product that kills ants and is safe for use in a kitchen (and is unscented or doesn't smell god awful)? My can of Raid isn't cutting it.

This solved my ant problem in like 2 days: http://www.terro.com/products.php?product=liquid_ant_bait

# ¿ Dec 7, 2010 06:43

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

I'm a salesman at "The World's Best Computer Store" so there's all sorts of fun stuff I could recommend, I'll start with a couple things I sell a lot of.

Logitech Harmony 650. Really you can go with any Harmony remote but this is the cheapest one that still has a screen. You could go with the 300 but without a screen you can't keep all the functionality of the remotes you're replacing, which kind of defeats the purpose of having one to begin with. Anyway these remotes are very easy to set up and once you have one you won't look back. I use it with my TV, AV receiver, HTPC case, Xbox 360, and cable box.

Logitech Dinovo Mini. I have gone through so many goddamn HTPC keyboards, finding this was like a lightbulb coming on. The bluetooth functionality allows it to resist all the interference that plagues this setup typically. Yes, it's a $115 keyboard but you won't have to buy another one. The other cool thing about the dinovo mini is it has two modes, keyboard mode and media remote mode. Keyboard mode allows you to browse the web, rename files, really anything you'd do on a computer. Media remote mode allows you to use the device with media portal and other software like that without having to spend the time to program a whole different device. It just works. And you can hack the logitech setpoint software to assign the buttons how you'd like.

RaoulDuke12 posted:

gently caress the sodastream. You should go old school:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00304SLAO/ref=oss_product

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00007JXR6/ref=oss_product

Soda siphon, 3 stooges style. $100 will get you 100 liters of carbonated water, and $40 will get you 100 after that.

What's wrong with these chargers? http://www.amazon.com/iSi-10-Pack-Soda-Chargers-Gold/dp/B00007JXR8/ref=pd_bxgy_k_text_b

They're a lot cheaper.

# ¿ Jan 9, 2011 18:42

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

RaoulDuke12 posted:

No they aren't. They're 7.99 for a 10 pack. My link is 39.50 for a 100 pack.

ANd you can't really make flavors with them, no, it'll gunk up the inside of the tank. I usually just add a little slice of lemon/lime to my drink.

Ah, I can't read.

# ¿ Jan 10, 2011 04:27

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

Bloody Mayhem posted:

Can anyone recommend good earphones/headset for a Blackberry Curve? I currently own these ones, but they are too big for my ears and they're breaking on me already. They came with the phone, so I shouldn't be surprised.

I'd like to be able play/pause/change tracks and answer calls without having to dig my phone out of my purse or pocket. I've seen a couple of people with those (the kind that seem to be talking to themselves), but I'm not sure how well your interlocutor can hear you.

Do you want stereo earphones or just a single earpiece?

# ¿ Jan 12, 2011 17:21

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

Bloody Mayhem posted:

Stereo earphones, if possible.

I have an older version of these and I like them:
http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-S305-Bluetooth-Stereo-Headset/dp/B002BH3I9U/ref=sr_1_38?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1294891520&sr=1-38

# ¿ Jan 13, 2011 05:06

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

Man I just got back from the gym and I have to post about the new Marware iPhone 4 case I got. First off all it's awesome because it's an actual case that can convert between a regular case and an armband case without needing to remove the phone from the case.

Secondly, when you do have it in armband mode it doesn't flop around at all like you might think a huge honking phone would. I could barely tell it was on my arm. Paired with my Sennheiser sport headphones (which I already posted about a while ago) it really is the perfect workout setup.

Thirdly, I am using it with a Verizon iPhone and it only took about a minute of filing to make the case work. I could have left it as is but the mute button was pretty hard to move. I took a sliver of plastic off and the whole button was exposed. I still find it hilarious that that's all Apple would do to make a market for Verizon vs AT&T cases. Probably because the phone is "too beautiful" to have any major modification.

And lastly, you have two choice of backs for the case. You can either have the plain back or one with a belt clip (clip back required for armband use). The clip also functions as either a vertical or horizontal stand. The clip/stand function is also really nice for when you're using an Arc Trainer or exercise bike and want to watch videos.

I opted to just have the clip back on all the time because I am an EMT and it's more convenient. For funsies I clipped the phone onto my steering wheel and it stays. You could probably also pair it with one of those sticky dashboard mounts and watch movies whilst driving if you're crazy.

...of SCIENCE! posted:

I need some good work shoes/boots. I've gotten a job unloading trucks and my old sneakers just aren't up to the task of not making walking a painful experience halfway through the workday.

I have Shoes for Crews which I really like. You can get a lot of different styles and they have non slip bottoms which are nice for certain environments.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2011 01:09

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

fishtobaskets posted:

I desperately needed to update my 90's-era entertainment center, and in doing my research for a new one online, the brand Z-Line Designs kept coming up with positive reviews, although it was difficult to find a strong consensus on any particular website.

I bought this one, which was in stock @ Target:

I'm posting this recommendation for 2 reasons:
1. The aforementioned difficulty in finding a definitive review site for furniture online.
2. The positive reviews I did read turned out to be absolutely correct.

I'm 100% pleased with the purchase. This thing is cheap ($150), but the metal pieces are a good thick gauge & pleasantly heavy. It feels sturdy as a goddamn tank when it's assembled, has a crisp attractive contemporary look, & tons of shelf space considering the relatively small profile. I paid the same price for the godawful, wobbly-rear end particle board piece of poo poo it's replacing, so I'm really just stunned by the value.

Seconding. It looks nice with my 46'' led tv. Pain in the rear end to move though.

# ¿ Jun 23, 2011 19:19

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

Mr Bike posted:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good 3-4 person camping tent? I'm seeing Coleman's that are highly rated on Amazon but I'm wondering if there's another brand I should be looking for?

The MSR Mutha Hubba is a great tent, REI dome tents are also very good. What is your budget?

# ¿ Jun 23, 2011 23:13

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

Mr Bike posted:

Honestly my budget is somewhere around $150. That's probably a little low for a high quality tent so I'm just thinking of getting a Coleman for ~$100 and seeing how it lasts me. I'd love a $300 tent but now right now.

You could get an REI camp dome for that price afaik.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2011 22:11

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

RaoulDuke12 posted:

Anyone have any advice for pest control? Specifically roaches and spiders. I can't use anything toxic, I Raid bombed the place and sprayed all the base boards, window and door sills and any openings I could find two weeks ago with Ortho home control and they're already making their way in alive. Our trash is sealed and we don't leave food out.

I can't do toxic again because my downstairs neighbor has multiple chemical sensitivity (she was out of town for a week when I did it), and because obviously it doesn't work.

Any suggestions? I'll pay any amount of money to keep these things out of my house. especially the roaches.

Multiple chemical sensitivity is bullshit so as long as you don't tell your neighbor you are spraying she'll never know. Did you try the 12-month Raidmax spray? That stuff worked like a dream at my place.

# ¿ Jul 7, 2011 14:39

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

Ragman posted:

A while back I started this thing where I only drink water (and sometimes milk, green tea, orange juice, but pretty much only that). I started it around the time I started running more.

I bought a refillable water bottle from Wal-Mart, but it leaves a metallic taste in my mouth and I want something of higher quality. Does anyone know of a good brand to buy, possibly off Amazon? I don't want to re-use a plastic water bottle over and over, because I heard that's bad for you. I also don't want to constantly buy new water bottles, because that is an unnecessary expense and tap water is better for your teeth anyway since it has more fluoride.

Get a Nalgene. They are like :10bux:

and bombproof.

# ¿ Jul 15, 2011 06:27

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

They all kinda suck as the FCC limits the antenna strength. I like the Griffin iTrip which you can get with just an auxiliary jack. If you want really good sound my advice is to get a new car stereo with an auxiliary jack which really isn't too expensive. You can get one for $50 plus wiring harness and it isn't hard to install.

# ¿ Oct 11, 2011 07:11

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

Does Costco still sell those Contigo mugs?

# ¿ Nov 16, 2011 20:24

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

rds posted:

Yep, got mine there about a month ago. Unfortunately, I cannot for the life of me get the smell of rotten milk out of the lids so.. (tips someone!)

Cool, thanks! I will be using them for tea for hopefully that won't be an issue. If you check out the amazon page there are pictures of how people cleaned their lids I think.

# ¿ Nov 17, 2011 07:05

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

I have this one, it's pretty nice.

http://www.amazon.com/Paper-Pro-1110-PaperPro-Prodigy/dp/B000GGY9LY/ref=pd_sbs_op_3

# ¿ Nov 18, 2011 05:51

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

Welp I got a contigo mug. This thing is amazing. I brewed tea in it 4 hours ago at 170 degrees and it is only cool enough to drink now. Meaning it will probably still be warm 4 hours from now. Everyone go buy one!

# ¿ Nov 20, 2011 00:24

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

Julet Esqu posted:

I'm considering going with an artificial Christmas tree this year. It may or may not actually happen, but on the off chance I decide to go ahead with it, what sorts of things should I look out for?

Get a real tree this year and wait until the artificial trees get clearanced. I decided to spend the 60 bucks or whatever on a full price tree and it was a piece of garbage. I could have bought a real tree and then spent 60 bucks after Christmas on a super nice one that was 75% off.

# ¿ Nov 30, 2011 10:10

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

How about a good electric tea kettle where I can choose the temperature? Boiling water makes lovely green tea.

# ¿ Dec 1, 2011 08:36

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

swampface posted:

I got the PINO Digital Kettle Pro a while back. Works great for tea. Note if you set it to 180 degrees it'll float up to 186 or so after the heater shuts off, I just set it to 172 or so and it works perfect.

This one looks great, mostly because I have. 46 oz teapot and it claims to hold 50 oz. Do you find that to be accurate?

Also, how long does it take to heat the water up to 172? Right now I am just sticking a pot of water with a food thermometer in it and waiting for it to get to 180.

# ¿ Dec 2, 2011 02:09

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

melon cat posted:

Just bought an mp3 (Sansa Clip+). I need an FM transmitter and a mp3 player dock that doesn't suck. Any suggestions?

Any FM transmitter basically will work. The FCC (?) regulates how strong the antennas inside can be so they all work equally as poorly. Honestly I would just recommended getting a new car stereo. I know that sounds drastic, but I have spent more buying FM transmitters than I did on my stereo. You can get a decent one that has an AUX input for $50 and they are easy to install.

What kind of dock are you looking for? One that just charges the device? One that has speakers? One that has a clock?

# ¿ Dec 13, 2011 03:40

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

Also remember that even minor head wounds bleed A LOT.

# ¿ Jan 3, 2012 22:01

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

Jibo posted:

Ha ha, I just put neosporin on a somewhat deep wound on my hand just an hour or so ago. Is it going to kill me or what?

I sliced a chunk off of the tip of my thumb while trying to show my girlfriend how the hand guard (that I never even use) for my mandoline works.

Did you wait til it stopped bleeding?

# ¿ Jan 3, 2012 23:13

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

I've spent wayyy more money on FM transmitters then on my ipod stereo (which I installed myself). It's ridicously easy. I just googled Toyota Echo stereo install and got step by step directions with photos to taking the dashboard apart. It took an hour, including beautifully splicing the wiring harness with the stereo wires and cost $160. It is worth it, believe me.

# ¿ Feb 13, 2012 19:17

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

iPhones are awesome, even for high level tech users. Not everyone has to break everything. I have no problem sticking within the limitations. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely annoying things (20mb download limit) but the hardware/software integration is worlds above Android (because Apple makes both).

# ¿ Feb 28, 2012 19:44

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

Etrips posted:

Any recommendations on luggage cases? Going on vacation for about 2 weeks and don't have anything!

What is your budget? TravelPro Crew luggage is awesome but can be pretty spendy. The one I have is the max carryon size and can fit stuff for 2 weeks vacation.

# ¿ Apr 2, 2012 00:06

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

Etrips posted:

Awesome, I'll check it out.

Which model do you have?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003H4Q078?qid=1333341043&sr=8-1

I have the green one. You can take the suit thing out for extra room.

# ¿ Apr 2, 2012 05:32

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

oddspelling posted:

Can anyone recommend a good free software for up/down scaling jpegs and other picture files? It's tough to find many good 1920x1080 wallpapers.

interfacelift.com has great wallpapers, many in 1080p.

# ¿ Apr 2, 2012 05:32

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

MythObstacleIV posted:

Does anyone have any recommendations for a rolling suitcase? Something that could be carry on size, fit a laptop, ps3, and a few clothes and toiletries? Preferably rugged and can roll with a handle?

Trying to travel without having to check bags. Working on a ship. I'd like something to go along with my backpack that I can roll around, so I don't have to lug my laptop and ps3 on my back. Checked out some stuff at Staples today, but I wanted to see what the goons thought.

I have this one. It rocks. Kinda pricey but very rugged. There's a reason flight crews use this luggage.

# ¿ Apr 30, 2012 19:30

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

MythObstacleIV posted:

I've seen Swiss Gear and other brands, but have never heard of this one. Looks great, will definitely look into it. Thank you to you both!

You're welcome. One important thing to note though is that you can not use the expander if you want it to fit onto many overhead luggage racks. It will be "too fat". I have had my bag gate checked because of this. They also threatened to charge me $25 but I bitched.

# ¿ Apr 30, 2012 21:03

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

I have those as well, they are amazing. I have the sateen ones I think, they are hella soft and I always get comments on them.

# ¿ Jun 1, 2012 19:10

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

I'm looking for a recommendation for hand lotion. I keep my nails super short because I work in medicine and it's gross otherwise. When I cut my nails, the cuticles and skin around the nail gets super cracked and rough. Looking for something that will heal them.

# ¿ Jun 12, 2012 17:37

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

My friends have a memory foam mattress in that price range and it's hella comfortable... If you're really worried, invest another couple hundred bucks in a high end 3" topper and use both.

# ¿ Jun 20, 2012 17:50

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

I am in need of an inexpensive
memory foam mattress. Looking to spend under $400. Thanks!

# ¿ Jul 17, 2012 17:56

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

Senf posted:

I bought this one about a month ago and I love it! Kick rear end price and a mattress on Prime? Hell yeah.

Oh man that's perfect, thanks.

# ¿ Jul 18, 2012 00:51

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

C-Euro posted:

I'm looking to drop my cable but I want to get an antenna so I can still get the local ABC/NBC/CBS/FOX affiliates. I'm on the ground floor of my apartment, and while I have a back patio it's surrounded on three sides (not including the side that is my apartment) by trees or other apartments. The affiliates for the area are all ~50 miles away too, so combining those I need something with some power and probably something designed to be indoors. Is there a go-to antenna or brand for this sort of setup? A friend of mine is also shopping around and said that this antenna from Mohu is pretty popular (though he doesn't own one), and $38 seems pretty fair considering I'll be saving about twice that every month if I drop my cable. How much of an HD signal can you even get over-the-air? Enough for a 16:9 aspect ratio at least?

Honestly you can just leave the coax screwed in and get this that way. Theoretically, the cable companies are supposed to pipe those through unscrambled.

# ¿ Jul 18, 2012 19:11

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

C-Euro posted:

Thanks for the feedback y'all.

Not sure what you mean by this since everything in my setup is run through HDMI cables (AT&T U-Verse). You mean that if I leave everything plugged in, I'll still get local channels even if I've cancelled service?

Ok take the coaxial cable plugged into the cable box and screw it into your TV. I forgot about cable boxes.

# ¿ Jul 19, 2012 06:22

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

lazydog posted:

U-verse is IPTV over DSL. It will not function without the set top box, and they will not continue to provide you with local stations once you cancel the service.

Ok, I'm not being clear. I'm talking about him hooking in to the coax line that presumably exists in his house. It could belong to another company, it shouldn't matter because they are supposed to provide the OTA channels.

# ¿ Jul 20, 2012 01:21

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 00:05

The Light Eternal: Jun 12, 2006; A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

Centzon Totochtin posted:

What are those gel insoles that people are always recommending over Dr. Scholl's?

Super feet.

# ¿ Aug 25, 2012 17:29

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