Reviews by Customeright

Customeright says "Not inneffective, but not strong enough for me." about Zicam Nasal Spray

Customeright — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:33:12 GMT

I have some of the worst allergies. Mildew, pollen, dust, you name it, I'm probably allergic to it. Without medication, my nose is almost always itchy, stuffy, or runny, and my eyes usually red and itchy. I do take my fair share of OTC remedies (Zyrtec in particular) which sometimes works, but I'm always up for trying new things like homeopathic remedies. So this Zicam seemed to fit the bill.

With my first bottle, I actually began to notice a reduction in stuffyness and itchiness after about a week. When the bottle went dry, I got a large one at Costco, and switched to the lower dosage it recommends once effective. That was a mistake. It seemed to suddenly stop working with the new bottle, evern after another week. Since thn, I've stopped using it all together. I guess I either became resistant to it, or perhaps my allergies just got worse lately and it's not strong enough for me. Either way, it's worth a try to use it and see if it works for you, as it did for me initially,......

Customeright says "Will Dry You Up and Knock You Out" about Benadryl Allergy Medicine

Customeright — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:23:17 GMT

With the same active ingredient found in most OTC sleeping pills such as Sominex, the Diphenhydramine used in Benedryl will surely put you to sleep. But does it work as an antihistamime? Yes. Within about 20 minutes, Benedryl goes to work, and for me me dries up my nasal allergies for approximately 4 hours. However be cautious with using it, as I I've noticed a gradual tolerance to it, where it becomes less effective with frequent use. Staying off of it for a few weeks may be necessary for it to be effective once again....

Customeright says "Pro-Health is Oral Suicide (If You React Like I did)" about Crest Pro-Health Rinse

Customeright — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 19:01:58 GMT

The only justification I can think of for liking this stuff is that it tastes satisfactory, and meets the claim of being toothpaste because it's called toothpaste and looks like toothpaste. Plus, you can brush your teeth with it (if you must). Also, perhaps it's better than some alternatives that might do the same job, like scouring powder. Of course scouring powder wouldn't be good, but unlike Crest Pro-Health, it probably wouldn't turn your mouth into mozzarella cheese, or make you look like you're auditioning for a part in the next Batman movie as the Joker.

First, some facts:

What's In It

Crest Pro-Health toothpaste is classified as a toothpaste by the FDA, AMA, and probably Poison Control (because it is not paint thinner, although you may start to believe it is by the end of this review). It's of a normal toothpaste-like consistency, and is a sort of gel, blue, with little white specs in it.

Ingredient wise, the active ingredient is: Stannous flouride 0.454% for 'anticavity, antigingivitis,...

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Customeright says "Good overall, not so great locally." about State Farm

Customeright — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 17:54:32 GMT

A great insurance company in general in Florida. No hidden costs, decent rates. But Susan Collins insurance in Orlando has terrible customer service. They're unresponsive sometimes to questions, they lose paperwork, and they just generally don't seem to care. I like the company, I hate the East Orlando Rep....

Customeright says "I Once Was Lost, But Now Am Found. My GPS, How Sweet!" about Garmin - Nuvi 350

Customeright — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:18:37 GMT

Back in the good ole' days out of college - no mortgage, no family. When 100% of my post-bar-tab take-home pay was disposable, I would have gladly plunked down the dough for a GPS. But one day I realized how much money I'd been wasting on these unnecessary electronics purchases. I considered whether the thing I wanted actually helped me in some way, or if it was just another thing to show off to friends. At the time, had I lost my job and my landlord not taken old digital cameras or used PDA's for rent, I'd have been in big trouble. So somehow or another, I saw the error of my ways and I came to my senses. I held off on rabid consumer electronics purchases, and I turned over a new leaf....... oh yeah, I also got married. Goodbye cool gadgets, hello another shoe rack in the closet.

So basically, I had been putting off buying a portable GPS system. I mean, it's not that I needed one; I'm a guy - guys don't get lost. But just in case I ever were lost, hypothetically speaking, I thought a...

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Customeright says "The Elphishly Good Little Digital Elph - Canon Shoots High" about Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital Camera

Customeright — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 05:48:10 GMT

Granted, my wife and I are not expert photographers. We're not tracking lions in the Serengeti, or trying to re-create the works of Ansel Adams in color. But we do love good pictures, and if a picture is worth 1000 words, it might as well be a decent picture. But for us it doesn't necessarily need to be a great picture. 'Great' can be sacrificed somewhat when form-factor and price are concerns. Plus, no matter how incredible your camera is, if it needs a support staff to operate and carry it, then chances are it won't be with you when you want it. So when it came time to buy The Mrs. another camera for a birthday present, we were pleased enough with our previous camera, the Canon PowerShot SD200 (an earlier version the camera being reviewed) that repeating the model wasn't a concern. In fact, from the SD200 we found portability to be the key. It's very small and light, and we carry it practically everywhere. Plus it has nearly everything we would want in a camera for its purpose. However,......

Customeright says "Great for the price, but you get what you pay for." about Mozilla Thunderbird

Customeright — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 04:55:46 GMT

A competent and useful local email client. Positives are that it has nice email sort features, and having the ability to install user created ad-ons is a big plus. However, the program lacks perfect integration with a calendar system although Sunbird is a solution. Thunderbird also has a terrible contacts management system (not enough fields, no good managment tools, and and grouping contacts duplicates the contact). While I wouldn't recommend for a full PIM, if you don't want to pay for something better,it works pretty well....

Customeright says "Works really, really well. Until it doesn't." about Zyrtec Allergy Medicine

Customeright — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 03:01:19 GMT

As a major year-round allergy sufferer for as long as I can remember, I've tried practically everything to stop the itchy watery eyes, the itchy nose, and the sneezing and sinus problems that sometimes plague me. I've also been on almost every OTC and prescription allergy med out there. Then about 4 years ago I was given a prescription for Zyrtec 10mg (prior to it going OTC), and at the time it was the answer to my prayers - I even nicknamed it the 'Little Miracle'. Initially Zyrtec worked better than anything else I'd taken including Claritin, Flonase, Nasonex, Allegra, Benadryl, Sudafed, and even Nyquil (on a few desperate nights - it has a different anti-hystamine than the others), and at least one or two more I can't remember. I also tried some natural remedies, but Zyrtec was the only thing that completely took away the itchiness, redness, and almost all the stuffy-mucous-ness. It allowed me to breath, and it was a minor miracle. The miracle of Zyrtec lasted for along time -......

Customeright says "Oh Gold Card, how do I love thee? Let me count the points..." about American Express - Rewards Plus Gold

Customeright — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:45:29 GMT

Well, it's not really a credit card, it's a charge card which means you have to pay the balance at the end of the month (which you should be doing anyway). But I've had quite a few normal credit cards over the years, and regardless of what you call it, no card have I liked more than American Express. Now maybe it's not accepted at absolutely every merchant there is, but I actually try to avoid those merchants. Why would I go to that trouble? Because with the extra small little itty-bitty (I think) percent increase that Amex charges its merchants over the other guys, Amex uses that premium very well.

First: points. The gold card point system is great; at least a point (or more for some purchases) per dollar spent. Amex also has a great relationship with what might be every company in existence (ok, I'm exaggerating a bit), and because of these relationships they can offer better deals to spend your points on than you could if you got just cash back.

Case in 'points': If you spend $5000......

Customeright says "I didn't expect it to last, but the RAZR stays sharp" about Motorola - Razor V3 Cell Phone

Customeright — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:17:10 GMT

With such a flimsy looking little clamshell type case, the Motorola RAZR v3 cell phone has really surprised me. Sure, the RAZR style a few years ago was all the rage, but that's not why I got it. I got it because it was free to me with my plan from AT&T (of which I'm *not* a fan, but that's for another review) AND because it was all the rage. With this phone I thought 'no way could a cool looking phone be functional'. I was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong. Yes, I had heard many bad things about this phone from friends before I got it, but maybe I was just lucky because I've never had a major problem with it. And that's not because it's been babied; it's been beaten up, dropped, kicked, and sweated on, and it still works like a champ.

What I like: The sound quality is really good. The keys are big and easy to press. The inside screen is big enough and easy to read. The battery lasts quite a long time when talking, and there are many other great features built in like a camara......

Customeright says "The best combination of everything, as long as there's no snow." about BMW 330 - 2001

Customeright — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:04:59 GMT

I absolutely fell in love with my 2001 BMW 330i the day I first test drove it. It has the perfect combination of handling, power, agility, and luxury I could want in this class of automobile. My particular car has the sport package with stiffer suspension and low profile tires, as well as a front lower grill/spoiler, and not only is it a head-turner, it suits me really well.

Buying: I bought my car used certified at the end of 2003, and after more than 5 years, I still love it as much as I did the first day. The 330 inline 6 cylinder engine has the perfect blend of power, responsiveness, sound, and even gas mileage (at least on the highway). The low end pick-up is amazing, and the power curve is perfect for city driving. If you have the triptronic and want a little more zip, the 'sport' mode gives you almost an entirely different experience. In normal drive mode the car get's around 30 mpg highway (better than my fiance's 4 cyl car), but only about 20 in-city if you're lucky (depending...

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Customeright says "A great general education school for a well-rounded education." about University of Central Florida

Customeright — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:48:52 GMT

Although it is relatively new as Universities go (founded in 1963 as a technical college to support Kennedy Space Center), the school is now the 6th largest University in the US, and has successfully made the transition from technical college to major institution. During my time there, I found that the school offered a wealth of diverse classes, majors, and professors, all of which created an excellent learning environment, for nearly any academic area of interest one can think of. On the social side as a major university, UCF was a great place to gain the full university experience. While there was limited student housing during my time there, they've now added many many more on-campus housing facilities. UCF also has a full range of intramural and social clubs and groups, and a nationally known (although not quite nationally ranked unfortunately!) football team. They also have an on-campus stadium, which they did not have when I was there, but which really adds a sense of completeness......

Customeright says "HP Makes The Best Laptop For the Price I've Seen Yet" about Hewlett Packard HP Pavilion dv5t Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 (2.0GHz), 15.4" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView ... PC Noteb

Customeright — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 01:19:44 GMT

Through both personal and work uses, I've had experience with a lot of different laptops over the years. While primarily my laptops have been by Dell, I've also used Lenovo/IBM's, Sony (Vaio), Apple's, and Toshiba Satellite's. In my experience, from the late 90's until about 5 years ago Dell made the best product. Since then however, recent experience has convinced me that Dell has lost its competitive edge. So when the time came for a new laptop a couple of months ago, I researched everything in the price range I was looking for, and I arrived at what I think is the best bang-for-buck laptop money can buy right now: the HP Pavilion dv5 1000us with Intel Core 2 Duo P7350.

Form

Neither the largest nor the smallest laptop on the market today, I think the Pavilion dv5 is the perfect size for a portable desktop replacement laptop. It's big enough to have everything integrated, and it's small enough to be portable. (Unlike some of the huge 19 incher's I've seen people lug through the airport....

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Customeright says "Sharebuilder In Theory and Practice: Level the Playing Field" about Sharebuilder

Customeright — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 01:06:57 GMT

The main concept with ShareBuilder that makes it unique is that it is a discount broker that allows you to purchase partial shares. While their commissions are low (from $9.95 to $1 per trade); being able to buy partial shares is the true innovation they've given to the amateur trader. A partial shareholder is entitled to the same risks/rewards as a full shareholder, including dividends. Of course low commissions are important, and this is ShareBuilder's main advertising point; but keep in mind that no matter what the commission is, you typically have to be able to afford a whole share in order to buy something.

Buy With the Big Boys

Buying whole shares is probably not a deterrent if you want to buy a cheap stock, but what about a stock that's more expensive? With ShareBuilder you can actually buy $2 worth of Berkshire Hathaway B shares (typically trading over $3,000 per share ). That's 0.06% ownership of one share that you can own. No traditional broker would allow that. (Note: Even ShareBuilder...

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