Reviews by rustaddsflavor

rustaddsflavor says "Much better than much of the flavored water competition around." about SoBe lifewater blackberry grape flavor

rustaddsflavor — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 05:21:38 GMT

I've been searching for good "water plus" products for years. I've enjoyed some more than others. The SoBe products are so far the best I've found amongst the vitamin-enriched brands. Not too heavy on the sugar but as with nearly all flavored waters, I could use even less. So far my favorite "concoction" is their blackberry grape brew. Best served with a glass of crushed ice. One note - to me these waters taste a lot better and get a more "chilled" quality in an actual glass, not in plastic.

I think people who say they'd rather just drink plain water and don't understand vitamin and other flavor-infused waters are missing the point. I drink plain water all day long. Like a fish. I also drink mineral waters. And now I drink enriched waters, too. Why do we have to be self-limiting? I prefer to use and enjoy them all. In the end, it's all better (healthier) than the usual choices out there so if it helps keep me away from sodas, why get philosophic about things?

If you want to quench...

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rustaddsflavor says "When the leaves start falling, this is my best friend." about Truper Aluminum #12 Scoop Shovel

rustaddsflavor — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:02:22 GMT

Problem: Leaves everywhere. Sometimes 15 bags at a time. Bending over to load each bag is a back breaking chore. I did this for many years and finally decided there had to be an easier way.

Solution: One trip to the hardware store later, my troubles were over. The Truper #12 scoop shovel has revolutionized the way I bag leaves. What used to take an hour or more now takes 10 minutes. No more bending, grabbing or stuffing. Just stretch a trash bag inside a round garbage can and the shovel will fill it in a few easy scoops. Rinse and repeat and the job is soon done.

In rural areas leaves are frequently transported to a burn pile away from the house for disposal. Filling a truck bed or cart with a traditional flat nose shovel can easily take half an hour. The #12 scoop shovel will have it done in a fraction of the time with far less effort and fuss.

Scoop shovels are intended for quickly transferring large loads - grain, snow, construction debris, etc. - but having one around the house...

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rustaddsflavor says "Dewalt 9.6 Volt Drill - plenty of power in a smaller package." about Dewalt 9.6 volt cordless drill

rustaddsflavor — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:32:15 GMT

Everyone seems to favor 18 volt cordless drills but for all but the heaviest of construction projects I prefer Dewalt's 9.6 volt model DC750 for its lighter weight and better ergonomics. It comes with a spare battery so when one runs low there is another waiting. Battery life is good but using at full power for extended periods of time will drag it down eventually - a fair tradeoff for not having a heavy cord in the way.

The strongest asset of this drill to me is the overall feel and handling. It isn't clunky in the least and it fits my hand and handles very intuitively, which is something I appreciate on longer projects. Let's face it, building fences and the like isn't fun to begin with, every little bit helps. This drill has been the only one I've used since I got it a few years ago. I own a 14.4 volt Ryobi which now gathers dust.

Dewalt's drill bit packages are better than others I've tried. I haven't broken one yet.

They both make great Christmas presents!

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rustaddsflavor says "Ryobi miter saw -this tool has made life a lot easier. " about Ryobi 10 in. Compound Miter Saw

rustaddsflavor — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:04:33 GMT

I bought a 10" Ryobi miter saw some years ago now and I don't know how I ever made it without one. If you work with wood, even just DIY projects, it really should be an essential part of your tool assortment. Reliability is fine - it is built well enough to take on long, cut-intensive projects in the heat of the day and never has any issues. I will say that any saw like this works only as well as its on-site set-up. Getting the lumber balanced and placed securely is the hard part when working alone if you want a great cut. And I would replace the blade it comes with with a slightly larger toothed one for a more aggressive cut.

If you are trying to gather a good assortment of tools but don't want to sacrifice quality or durability, it is what you're looking for. FYI my brother bought a Ryobi table saw right after I got this one and it has served very well for years now with no complaints. I don't know much, honestly, about the brand, but I haven't been let down by any of their power...

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rustaddsflavor says "BFG All Terrain tires are all most people will ever really need." about BF Goodrich All Terrain TA/KO tires

rustaddsflavor — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:10:55 GMT

I own both a '99 Jeep Wrangler and an '04 Ford Heritage F150 4X4. The Wrangler has run on the same set of 31X10.5 BFG All Terrains since it was only 600 miles old. I've gone offroading all over Big Bend (a desert in Texas), New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah on the same set of tires and have never suffered a flat or had a bad experience with them. That's a lot of harsh terrain and a lot of cactus and brush we're talking.

In contrast I put a set of BFG Mud Terrains on my truck and they were noisier, ran out-of-round within 10,000 miles and really weren't that much more capable offroad than the All Terrains. (I don't go "mudding" as a habit, but then how many people really do?) After 60,000 miles on the Mud Terrains I relented and put a set of All Terrains on the truck, about a 33X11.0 size. The difference was night and day. It went back to delivering a smooth, quiet ride again and just felt better in all driving situations except maybe that rare offroad trail where the mud gets deep....

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rustaddsflavor says "Great camera for both people and outdoor shots. " about Sony - Cybershot H5 Digital Camera

rustaddsflavor — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:11:36 GMT

I was reluctant to switch to a digital camera, mostly because I find them too complex to take advantage of their features but this Sony CyberShot H5 has proven very intuitive to use. Our family vacations photos have never come out so well. Very good zoom (though at full power it's hard to keep the shot steady.) Great battery life and memory capacity. I really like the large viewing screen and the ability to scroll through and delete unwanted shots. It has practically paid for itself on lower film developing costs since I don't have to keep shots I don't really want. I also like the ability to shoot in low light without a flash. Being able to look at my trip pics on my laptop is another huge upgrade for me.

I've had this camera in extreme cold and extreme heat and humidity and it has been completely reliable. I've never lost pics from memory failure, unlike some other digital users I know. Nothing has gone wrong in around two years of heavy usage. If you're still using 35mm and have...

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rustaddsflavor says "My Homelite 16'" chainsaw has been to Hell and back - no issues." about Homelite Ranger 16"

rustaddsflavor — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:50:22 GMT

I've owned a Ranger Homelite 16" chainsaw for the last 8-9 years. It gets used quite a lot both in Houston and on our East Texas property. Compared to a Craftsman I owned prior to buying the Homelite, the Homelite has never leaked bar oil through the bottom of the case in spite of extended running at full throttle. The Craftsman began leaking after only a few outtings. It also never fails to start, runs fine on old fuel, and can take an incredible amount of abuse. Its bar has been pinched, crushed, bent, etc. and heals well.

It does like to warm up a little, will bog sometimes if you give it too much throttle when cold, then it clears itself and gets up to speed. I've had no excessive oil usage issues, no mechanical issues. As long as the chain is sharp, it will cut through pine, cedar, oak, crepe myrtle, etc. all day long. When hurricane Ike snapped my front pine tree, which was easily three feet in diameter, I bought a pair of new chains and the saw had no problem doing the work of...

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