Reviews by toddnugent

toddnugent says "Prevents bad breath and bad gums" about Listerine Cool Mint

toddnugent — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 02:55:39 GMT

I have been using mouthwash ever since my dentist recommend it along with floss and brushing. People around me have been complaining of bad breath which may be due to a variety of factors. Some of which is dehydration which I do not drink enough during the day. Drinking softdrinks and coffee certainly doesn't help. Also my gingivitis or gum disease also is a big factor.

I am not sure if it is using the Listerine Cool Mint mouthwash by itself works or as a combination of mouthwash, floss, and brushing. Certainly the Listerine mouthwash makes a difference because I had used Scope and other brands before with less than stellar results. The Listerine is stronger, sting you momentarily at first but once you get used to it, it actually feels better. The complaints about bad breath have been less, not quite gone but much better probably due to this mouthwash. I'm still trying but will stick with this mouthwash for a long time.

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toddnugent says "Works but not for some older electronics" about Logitech - Harmony 550

toddnugent — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 02:46:53 GMT

I bought this off fleabay to use with some of my older electronics thinking that I need to consolidate all my devices to one remote. I have a Dish receiver, dvd player, tv, AV receiver, and DVR.

The Harmony 550 is easy to program using the computer and the included disc although you have to download updates from Logitech for newer devices. Unfortunately, I don't have any new devices except for the Dish 722 DVR receiver and a Samsung plasma TV. The only device the Logitech Harmony 550 remote works with is the TV. Although it says Dish receivers are supported, I couldn't get my remote to work with the Dish receiver. It did not work with the JVC DVD player, the Philips DVR, or the Toshiba receiver. Basically useless for my needs. In fact, the radiofrequency UHF remote that came with the Dish receiver worked better and with more devices.

Needless to say, I have to o use for this. Should have gone for a 920 model with UHF but I can't justify forking out a few hundred bucks...

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toddnugent says "Good for congestion for short periods of time" about Sudafed Non-Drowsy Sudafed 24 Hour

toddnugent — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 02:38:21 GMT

If you have to use a nasal decongestant, be sure to get one that has the maximum dose of phenylephrine at 10 mg. Some of the other brands or the combination types have only 5 mg so you only get half the strength. Phenylephrine is the only ingredient that is available when pseudoephrine was taken off the market for abuse potential.

I used to take the Sudafed formula that has chlortrimeton or CTM which is an antihistamine like dephenhydramine or Benadryl which can make you sleepy. Since I need something that doesn't make me drowsy during the day, the Sudafed Non-Drowsy 24 hr formula does the trick. You have to remember to use this product sparingly otherwise the effects wear off or you gain tolerance and so eventually any decongestant will not work if you use them repeatedly day after day.

Use only when needed, give your body time to not develop a tolerance effect and the medicine will work well.

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toddnugent says "Effective in preventing cavities" about Crest ProHealth Toothpaste

toddnugent — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 02:30:48 GMT

I have been using Colgate Total for quite a while before switching to Crest ProHealth after using a sample from the dentist. I still switch between the two depending on which one is on sale. The Crest ProHealth toothpaste has a better taste plus I like the blue color. Ever since using the Crest ProHealth toothpaste, the ProHealth mouthwash, floss, and an electric toothbrush (Sonicare), I have not have the gum disease I had been harboring for the last 50 years since I did not take care of my mouth from early childhood.

After my dentist scared me that I may lose my teeth and get dentures or implants, I have been a fanatic at oral health and it has showed with better results at each dentist follow up. It could be a combination of oral care but I do think the toothpaste make a difference too. Either use the Crest ProHealth or Colgate Total. Every other brands are rubbish so don't waste your money on Aim or the like.

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toddnugent says "great for cleaning wisdom teeth (for those who still have them)" about Sonicare Elite E9500 Electronic Toothbrush

toddnugent — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 02:23:15 GMT

Our family have been using the sonicare elite E9500 and the E7300 for the past year or so. I still have my wisdom teeth so it is very hard to clean all the way in the back and every time I visit the dentist and hygienist, the back molars have always given me problems. Everywhere else my teeth is rated 1+ or 2+ but alway 3+ or 4+ in severity of gum disease in the molar areas.

We did not grow up with good habits as kids so I have to do catch up cleaning to keep better care of my teeth. The hygienist recommended the Sonicare so I got one. After the first visit 6 months ago, she noted much improvement and at the last visit, no more severe gum disease. I have noted that my gums feel better and less swollen. Using the Sonicare with regular flossing have helped tremendously. During the day, I still use a regular brush since I can't tote the Sonicare with me at work so I only use it at night but it makes a huge difference.

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toddnugent says "Gentex Mirror with Homelink" about Gentex Homelink

toddnugent — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:33:28 GMT

We bought this for the convenience. We lost one of our gate remote and instead of paying an arm and a leg to the HOA for another one, we decided to get one of these for their homelink function much like in our other cars. Luckily, the wiring was in place in the car we planned for installation so wiring was easy. Otherwise, you may have to get a pro to install it for you for about fifty bucks. The remote works even better than the old clicker at much farther distance. Also you can program up to three remotes, one for the gate, the garage, and your office. An added bonus is the auto dimming feature of the mirror which dims from auto headlight glare behind your vehicle so you don't have to flip the switch on the rearview mirror. Not that I'm lazy or anything but it is an added feature for free so I'm not complaining. I wouldn't pay for that feature however, I mean how hard is it to bring your hand up to flip a switch.

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toddnugent says "Average slow cooker, works well" about Rival 6-Quart Slow Cooker

toddnugent — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:28:01 GMT

We got the Rival crockpot or slow cooker from the local department store. I think this brand is sold in almost every major department stores with varying models but about all the same price. If you have lots of leftovers from the meals before, just throw them in the crock pot and cook meals for the next several days. I haven't tried out more expensive brands but I can't justify spending more other than the brand name for a slow cooker. We only use ours occasionally but it works and hasn't broken down for the past 2 years. Maybe that's why it's still in stores and not gone belly up if it was a poorly made design. The foods that we cook come out even in texture so it does cook evenly. There are basic controls, no advanced programming or anything but then we avoid those since it usually takes a steep learning curve and for such a device as this I can skip and save that for stuff like computers and cameras.

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toddnugent says "Fun for kids and adults, not so much for teens" about Nintendo Wii Console

toddnugent — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:21:56 GMT

We finally got one over Christmas for the kids and got games to go along with the console. The kids like the wii sports game. They didn't like the wii play games as much and neither did we. Wii play games do not have long staying power, either they get repetitious or boring after a while. Wii sports games however, tend to grab their attention a little longer and as adults, we think they are more fun also. Other games that are outstanding are super mario bros galaxy, metroid prime corruption, and lego star wars. The 2 avatar games are also repetitive without much to add after you advance in the game. Guitar hero was ok but kids didn't like as much. Maybe when they are older. The use of the wiimote and nunchuks make them more fun than the old console games such as playstation or xbox. However, those two are more suited for the older kids or teen crowd since they offer better game titles.

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toddnugent says "Good basic laptop for daily use" about Compaq COMPAQ PRESARIO

toddnugent — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:14:43 GMT

I bought this laptop for my dad, specifically it is a NR-740 for about four hundred bucks during a black friday special. It is a dual core unit with a dvd-rw drive, 15" monitor. It replaces the clunky desktop he was using and very convenient since he is able to bring it to the dinner table or anywhere now so he doesn't have to be tied to his office room.

The laptop has not given him any trouble for 2 years so I can say it is reliable. For the price paid, it serves its function well. Unless you need faster processing power for graphic editing or playing games, laptops in this price range will serve you well. The included 80gb hard drive gives plenty of storage option. I did get an extra external hard drive just in case he needs more storage or as backup.

Multimedia function is rudimentary but it is a laptop, not a desktop so you have to sacrifice some for convenience. Overall, a great buy.

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toddnugent says "Reliable Dell small laptop" about Dell m1210

toddnugent — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:08:22 GMT

This model came out 2 years ago and has since been replaced by the m1330 and later models. If you can get this as a refurb unit or used one, then this review is for you. The laptop is not as lightweight as listed in the specs because I have the extended life battery which sticks out the back end and adds weight overall. However, it is more compact and fits easily in any backpack or suitcase. I recommend getting a neoprene sleeve for protection.

As far as performance, it boots up quick if you don't install too many software and get rid the bloatware when you first receive it. I use it only for office documents, surfing the net, some professional software such as solidworks and autocad. I also install returnil virtual pc so that if anything happens, all I have to do is restart the laptop. I avoid anti virus programs because they slow your system down.

The laptop has served its function without any problems.

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toddnugent says "Good wireless router with good range" about NetGear WRT500N

toddnugent — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:01:19 GMT

I got this as a refurb unit but it has been working great for the past year and a half. It replaced an old linksys b one that keeps on needing to be reset all the time which is kind of annoying. Once I got the netgear N one, I don't need to reset. My laptop is able to pick up the signal from my back yard with 3-4 bars so the range is much better than my old one. All I can say is it has been working since installed and the range has been much improved.

As far as setting up, you need to download the latest firmware from the website or you can use dd-wrt which I have set it up and it has been flawless. As always, I recommend enabling security unless you want to share your network with your neighbors.

I have heard people use this as relay stations if they have a large house or need wifi over long distances. I have not tried this myself but there are many forums to show you how to do this.

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toddnugent says "Compact and easy to use" about Sony - Cybershot S650 Digital Camera

toddnugent — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:54:54 GMT

I bought this to replace my 3MP Minolta digital camera since it was a bit large to carry around. I needed a compact model to carry everywhere without the bulk. I opted for this one since it was on sale. I've read reviews and this is comparable to the canon, nikon and olympus models. Ones to avoid are like kodak hp and some other brands. So this functions well with appropriate use. I find that pictures come out more blurry than my older 3MP Minolta model mainly because it is smaller and I cannot keep it still enough. It is mostly your technique and not the camera. In bright daylight with firm and steady shooting, I find that almost all the good quality cameras mentioned above give great results. Megapixel size doesn't matter. You have to know some basic skills to have good pictures. I still find that the 3MP model gave better pictures but maybe my technique was better a few years ago.

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toddnugent says "Reliable, powerful, and cooks evenly" about Weber Genesis Silver B (LP) Grill

toddnugent — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:47:23 GMT

I have owned this grill for about 7 years now and it has been going great. I have the porcelain enamel one, not stainless steel but only difference really is the looks, the outcome is still the same, great grilled foods. We grill occasionally when the weather is good or family and friends come over so about a dozen times a year. Since it is a gas grill, warming up doesn't take that long for the 40000 btu burners. We cook all kinds of meat from chicken to steak and everything turns out great. As far as steak goes, only marinating is lots of pepper, not much else since we tried all kinds of marinating but the ones with just pepper somehow taste better. Chicken, lamb, salmon, shrimp, kabobs, zucchini, corn, whatever we put on, they all come out great. Some experience helps too since you don't want to overcook or undercook. I recommend the Weber brand of grills over char-broil and others.

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toddnugent says "Good basic phone, not much bells or whistles" about Motorola - Razr V3 Cell Phone

toddnugent — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:38:35 GMT

I have been using this phone for almost 3-4 years now since it came out. Everyone's use is different so my need is just for a basic phone. Most phones nowadays are trying to copy the iphone and you have to pay for what you get. I don't need constant texting or internet access to check my email all the time like blackberry users. All I need is a phone and this device has been great at what it does. Being a cell phone. The camera can be useful if you need to take quick pictures or in a car accident or something but I haven't had much use for it. I just use it as a cell phone and sometimes with a bluetooth headset if driving. Battery life has been good, about 2 hours talk time and 3-4 days before the next charge. It could be better but maybe my battery is getting old. If I am upgrading to a new phone, I'll just buy the same one off fleabay or sign another contract for a couple more years.

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toddnugent says "A smart device and GPS in one" about Mio - C310

toddnugent — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:31:35 GMT

If you are not aware of this device, it is a portable GPS but with the ability to personalize or hacked or mod. There are many forums such as on GPSunderground that can tell you how to do all this. I have used simple unlock and jerry skin to mod this. So far I have 5 GPS softwares running on it including the original miomap, igo8, tomtom, garmin, and navigator. What has been the fastest and most reliable has been igo8. I don't use the others as often because they are slow, unreliable, or occasionally crashes. It's easy to reset but takes some time which I get impatient sometimes. Other features include ereader, music and video player and games which keeps you busy like when waiting at the airport. You can also view pdf and msoffice files such as word and excel viewer. There are other software included with the package but I don't use them as much. Overall this is a great device with added GPS in case you get lost.

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toddnugent says "reliable basic laser printer" about Samsung m2010

toddnugent — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:22:25 GMT

I have used the samsung printers for the last 3-4 years starting with the m1740 series, now the m2010 and even the m2510 series. The 1740 have been reliable but since I ran out of toner, I have not used them since. I have upgraded to the m2510 but after just a few months, the red error light stayed on and I have not been able to fix it. I took the toner cartridge out and the m2510 uses the same cartridge as the m2010. Luckily I still kept the m2010 from the prior year and took it out of storage. I used the cartridge from the m2510 and the m2010 printer has been working well for the past year. I ran out of toner this year once and ordered replacement toner from fleabay. It was very easy to refill once you remove the 2 screws on the side and there is a half inch plastic cap that can be removed. Hardly any mess at all. As far as the print quality, it is basic. Not as good as the HP printers but for regular household use, it will do.

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