After some research I'll be buying a new pump-action shotgun from Bass Pro in Calgary. After comparisons between Weatherby, Remington, and Benelli pumps I've decided I'll be picking up the Weatherby PA-08. I decided this based on price, aesthetics, and reviews of reliability and fit/finish. Whether I decide between synthetic or the upland (walnut stock) model will be a game-time hands-on decision. So if you stumbled here looking for a PA-08 review, check back in about two weeks and I will have my thoughts on it.
Cheers.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Saturday, June 1, 2013
The classic shaving kit
Now chances are, if you've stumbled across this you're looking for an alternative to that "super-duper 10 blade aloe vera hair lifting ultimate macho shaving cartridge" that runs you $25 dollars for a pack of cartridges. It seems people are becoming fed up with product marketing of this fashion and are looking for a cheaper (and at the same time much better) alternative to this. Recently I was given a Parker Double Edge Classic Butterfly Safety Razor as a gift and have been enjoying it very much so. And with the product I've bought along with it, I can get at least two years worth of shaving for the price of two packages of replacement top-brand cartridges. The kit I've put together is roughly $60 and will result in saving money, a more enjoyable shave, and for most (including me) less undesirable results such as razor burn. Now bear in mind there is a learning curve to this method, but in the end it becomes a very enjoyable experience. Plus, it also puts a little more manliness in your step. Many can take this as a "beginners kit" and it will ensure a good step in the right direction. The text below in blue are links to the product, here you are:
Parker 99R Long Handle Super Heavyweight Butterfly Safety Razor
Price: $29.99
This handle boasts a nice weight and a very good feel in the hand. The butterfly design allows easy blade replacement with the twist open design at the bottom. The angle of the head is very easy to use and learn with, and a tip is to use much less pressure than you would with a cartridge or otherwise it can result in nicks and cuts. It's best to start off light and find your perfect pressure. A very nice handle that will last you a lifetime.
- The Handle:
Parker 99R Long Handle Super Heavyweight Butterfly Safety Razor
Price: $29.99
This handle boasts a nice weight and a very good feel in the hand. The butterfly design allows easy blade replacement with the twist open design at the bottom. The angle of the head is very easy to use and learn with, and a tip is to use much less pressure than you would with a cartridge or otherwise it can result in nicks and cuts. It's best to start off light and find your perfect pressure. A very nice handle that will last you a lifetime.
- The Blades:
Price: $11.95
Blades are something than can be of one's personal preference, but I find the Shark blades to be of good value and functionality. Packaged individually in wax paper within the boxes, they ensure to store well. These blades hold a good edge and will last 3-5 shaves depending on the coarseness of your beard. 120 blades for someone such as myself will last approximately two years, so compared to $25 for 5 replacement cartridges you can start to see where the money saving is. Recommended blades.
- The Brush
Price: $9.99
A great valued brush. The boar bristle holds a nice lather (which we will get to the cream shortly) and will work the cream very nicely onto your face. The brush holds good weight in water which gives testament to holding a lather. The bristles soften up very nicely after just a few short uses and feel good on the face. I find myself working a lather just for the massage this brush seems to give! But all in all, a good brush to use and learn to work a lather with at a great price. Bear in mind since these brushes are made with true boar bristle, they will hold a scent of such. It is a mix of the animal and a antiseptic smell, but do not worry. After a few uses the brush will take on the scent of the shave soap which adds a nice essence to the experience.
- The Shaving Soap
Price: $5.99
To those unfamiliar, shave cream soap comes in a container and must be worked into a lather. It is not recommended to use the foam-in-a-can shave cream with this type of shaving because it is not thick enough to eliminate irritation with the blades. This is where the shave cream soap comes in. The RazoRock brand seems particular with the Italian Barber website and this stuff smells amazing. The scent is that of sweet almond with a hint of cherry. A very relaxing and old-fashioned scent that makes me look forward to shaving. Now in order to use the shave cream soap, you must swirl your wet brush into the cream and put the brush to your face and work a lather. This is done by working the brush onto your face (and don't worry, it isn't a difficult process) to create a rich, thick, smooth lather. The before-mentioned brush works very well for this. A very minimal amount of soap is required, resulting in a tin lasting you quite a long time, hence the value is tremendous. Also note that the RazoRock cream comes in a variety of scents, I just highly recommend this one.
And there you have it. These are the basics to what you need for your very own classic shaving experience. Shop around on various sites if you choose, but these are all very good product. Italianbarber.com has very prompt service and shipping, plus orders are free to the US and Canada if you spend over $60. Other things such as aftershave can be left to one's personal preference. One other extra accessory I've purchased is a stand for my razor and brush so they may drip-dry after use. The stand I bought is this one and I think it look's great on the bathroom counter.
Once again, this is a method that will take some learning but I guarantee after a couple weeks you won't go back to the rip-off method of shaving due to the money saving and experience. The initial expense may be more but it pays for itself rather quickly. While it may be slightly more time consuming, it tends to be a more relaxing and fulfilling experience this way (and yes, I do know we're just talking about shaving here). If there are any comments or questions anyone has, feel free to leave them below.
Take care!
And there you have it. These are the basics to what you need for your very own classic shaving experience. Shop around on various sites if you choose, but these are all very good product. Italianbarber.com has very prompt service and shipping, plus orders are free to the US and Canada if you spend over $60. Other things such as aftershave can be left to one's personal preference. One other extra accessory I've purchased is a stand for my razor and brush so they may drip-dry after use. The stand I bought is this one and I think it look's great on the bathroom counter.
Once again, this is a method that will take some learning but I guarantee after a couple weeks you won't go back to the rip-off method of shaving due to the money saving and experience. The initial expense may be more but it pays for itself rather quickly. While it may be slightly more time consuming, it tends to be a more relaxing and fulfilling experience this way (and yes, I do know we're just talking about shaving here). If there are any comments or questions anyone has, feel free to leave them below.
Take care!
Friday, May 31, 2013
Update: Life Itself
Happy Friday to whoever is reading this!
I've strayed from the gung-ho first impression posts of my new laptop purchase. It must have been a surge of creativity in my brain with the acquisition of a brand spanking new laptop, that I felt the need to start up a blog.
But yet I quite enjoy the blog. I only wish that I had more to blog about. I think it comes from the fact that I always liked the idea of keeping a journal, but I don't really have to desire to write. It must be that my mind thinks faster than I can write, and I feel I cannot get my thoughts out fast enough to be able to put down what I am really thinking. This is why I am quite keen on typing. And as you can see from where this paragraph is headed, I like to write in a flow of whatever comes to my mind. Being able to think and type almost simultaneously makes writing all so very easy. Although this could be a bane judging by the lack of real content I have going on at the moment.
Now let's see, what to talk about? I figure I could go with the flow of my past posts, and give an update on my laptop. To date, I still am very pleased with the performance. Stylish looks and gaming capabilities have made this laptop the right one for me. Though it now has it's first battle scar. The piece of blue plastic inside one of my USB 3.0 ports has snapped off, coming right out with the USB plug of a headset I was using, (and on a side note, I will NEVER buy another USB headset again. Hated it, too many compatibility issues and no real advantage). I'm not sure if it's particular to my laptop, but the USB ports are very tight to plug things into and I have not used the second one since in fear of having the same result.
As a result of this happening, I purchased a new headset. It is a Steel Series 4H, link here. I am very happy with this headset, produces good sound for good value. Quite inexpensive comparatively and the microphone has a nice pickup. Only con would be the cord feels quite thin and fragile, so I would be careful when using these because you wouldn't want them tugging hard. But, such falls in line with caring for what you own.
Aside from purchases and gadgets, it's finally spring around here. It's hard to have a perfect day, because around here once the nice weather comes it seems to be always gale-force winds, but I feel guilty complaining after the harsh winter we had (which very much so over extended its welcome). Currently I'm on the first night of a four day tour here in the town I work EMS at. It tends to be far too quiet working here. I don't wish ill fate upon people but to be a bit busier would make the time go by a lot nicer.
But, such is life. I can't expect to get where I want to go all at once. I am still young (considering) and have plenty of time to get my experiences in.. You must put in the time, in all aspects of life. Though each to their own things don't come soon enough, there are others who will get there first. You just have to wait for your place in time. After all, what's the god damn rush anyway?
Well, now that I've gone from tech, to reviews, to a rather philosophical offering, I feel I should cut this off before I come up with something else to go on about. It was nice to put some stuff down on (hypothetical) paper. I feel everyone needs a journal in some sort of way. It's kind of like having a conversation with yourself. Relaxing.
Time to go. So to whomever you may be, have a damn good Friday night!
Take care.
I've strayed from the gung-ho first impression posts of my new laptop purchase. It must have been a surge of creativity in my brain with the acquisition of a brand spanking new laptop, that I felt the need to start up a blog.
But yet I quite enjoy the blog. I only wish that I had more to blog about. I think it comes from the fact that I always liked the idea of keeping a journal, but I don't really have to desire to write. It must be that my mind thinks faster than I can write, and I feel I cannot get my thoughts out fast enough to be able to put down what I am really thinking. This is why I am quite keen on typing. And as you can see from where this paragraph is headed, I like to write in a flow of whatever comes to my mind. Being able to think and type almost simultaneously makes writing all so very easy. Although this could be a bane judging by the lack of real content I have going on at the moment.
Now let's see, what to talk about? I figure I could go with the flow of my past posts, and give an update on my laptop. To date, I still am very pleased with the performance. Stylish looks and gaming capabilities have made this laptop the right one for me. Though it now has it's first battle scar. The piece of blue plastic inside one of my USB 3.0 ports has snapped off, coming right out with the USB plug of a headset I was using, (and on a side note, I will NEVER buy another USB headset again. Hated it, too many compatibility issues and no real advantage). I'm not sure if it's particular to my laptop, but the USB ports are very tight to plug things into and I have not used the second one since in fear of having the same result.
As a result of this happening, I purchased a new headset. It is a Steel Series 4H, link here. I am very happy with this headset, produces good sound for good value. Quite inexpensive comparatively and the microphone has a nice pickup. Only con would be the cord feels quite thin and fragile, so I would be careful when using these because you wouldn't want them tugging hard. But, such falls in line with caring for what you own.
Aside from purchases and gadgets, it's finally spring around here. It's hard to have a perfect day, because around here once the nice weather comes it seems to be always gale-force winds, but I feel guilty complaining after the harsh winter we had (which very much so over extended its welcome). Currently I'm on the first night of a four day tour here in the town I work EMS at. It tends to be far too quiet working here. I don't wish ill fate upon people but to be a bit busier would make the time go by a lot nicer.
But, such is life. I can't expect to get where I want to go all at once. I am still young (considering) and have plenty of time to get my experiences in.. You must put in the time, in all aspects of life. Though each to their own things don't come soon enough, there are others who will get there first. You just have to wait for your place in time. After all, what's the god damn rush anyway?
Well, now that I've gone from tech, to reviews, to a rather philosophical offering, I feel I should cut this off before I come up with something else to go on about. It was nice to put some stuff down on (hypothetical) paper. I feel everyone needs a journal in some sort of way. It's kind of like having a conversation with yourself. Relaxing.
Time to go. So to whomever you may be, have a damn good Friday night!
Take care.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Dead Space 3 Performance and Impressions
I've been playing Dead Space 3 on my P580 and I must say I am quite impressed with performance. I was skeptical and looking forward to testing this game on the laptop because it is a new release and tends to be quite visually appealing. I have the game set to High settings with Vsync on, and the game runs 100% consistently at 30fps. Now bear in mind, the game is capped at 30 fps! It is impossible to go above that running this game (some sort of port-related issue. But I'm very happy. Very smooth. Can even video capture without taking a hit. Furthermore impressed with the computer. I will soon stop testing and just accept it's performance because I have not been let down yet.
As far as impressions of the game, it is a fun action game with some very entertaining sequences. Although it lacks the atmosphere and horror element of the first two, it is still fun from an action game standpoint. But nevertheless I am disappointed that they have strayed from the tension-building horror approach.
Here are some screen captures:
Until next time, cheers.
As far as impressions of the game, it is a fun action game with some very entertaining sequences. Although it lacks the atmosphere and horror element of the first two, it is still fun from an action game standpoint. But nevertheless I am disappointed that they have strayed from the tension-building horror approach.
Here are some screen captures:
Until next time, cheers.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
New Laptop: Lenovo IdeaPad P580 Overview and Review
So here I type on my new laptop. I recently purchased the Lenovo P580. Now I have heard a lot of online talk about the Y series of Lenovo laptops, so I was quite surprised to see the P series in a flyer at Future Shop. Nevertheless, it is a part of the IdeaPad line which is intended for multimedia and gaming. And from viewing the specs, I decided to pull the trigger on it. (They can be viewed here) Though the specs on that page do not mention the dedicated graphics card. The dedicated card is the nVidia GT 630M with 2GB memory. I believe the laptop was on sale for around 700 with 150 off, which I perceived as a pretty good deal so I went ahead and purchased the laptop.
Here I am two weeks later and I am very happy with it. It has exceeded my expectations performance wise and it is quite snappy. I enjoy the looks as well with the brushed metal outer face. I wanted to purchase a laptop with a heavy emphasis on gaming performance, as I take it to work where I tend to have a fair amount of time to spend. (I work EMS in a quiet rural service, and the shifts are four consecutive 24 hour on-call days. Crossing my fingers to get in with the bigger city's urban service soon. Not enough action out here). I have been able to run games such as Skyrim on high settings with AA off at an average of 45 FPS. Another game I have played is Battlefield 3, ran on medium settings at what is an average of 30 fps. These numbers exceeded my expectations greatly and I was pleasantly surprised. How the dedicated graphics card functions is if you execute a high memory demanding program, the laptops display will switch from integrated graphics to nVidia's dedicated card designed to handle a higher memory demanding program. And the setup seems to work quite well.
Aside from game performance I am also very happy with the day to day functionality of the laptop. Initial startup is a breeze, and after some tweaking and tinkering Windowsm8 can actually become quite functional and enjoyable. Granted, in the grand scheme the new start menu is quite unnecessary but if you can learn to work with it then it is no issue at all. I did however have to google several "personal fixes" to certain things such as annoying User Account Control issues and personalization options. I also had to find a workaround to get the QuickLaunch bar back up and running (I enjoy having the "Show Desktop" button). But all in all the computer handles the OS very well. Startup takes roughly 10 seconds until login screen which is nice, and all programs load in a flash. I personally have uninstalled many of the "apps" included because for me personally they seem unnecessary, but for some they may enjoy having a standalone eBay app. Myself, I prefer using an internet browser.
Internet browsing and video streaming is a breeze. Granted that also depends on what sort of ISP package you have, but I've found that even with the small-town internet connection I have at work I can browse quite fast and load videos very quickly. The wireless networking card seems to handle connections very fast. My only gripe with the laptop would be the high-gloss screen. But I suppose that is a bit of a standard these days. I'm not sure why manufacturers are ditching the matte screen, but I think I would prefer that. It makes games and videos difficult to watch at times when the on-screen image is dark but the screen itself is reflective. It makes it hard to view dark colors with the backlight. But overall I am quite pleased with the Lenovo P580. I have no hiccups to report.
I have received some accessories I ordered off of NewEgg in the mail, which I can post a general overview about. I ordered a bag, a cooling pad (which I think is a necessity, heat kills electronics and gaming produces a lot of heat!), and I also purchased the Logitech M310 wireless mouse. I will post overviews of all of these and share my recommendations of them.
Until next time..... if anyone actually is reading this.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Quick Skyrim comparison on Lenovo Ideapad P580
Here is a quick screenshot comparison of Skyrim in different settings running on the Lenovo Ideapad P580. Both screenshots are taken while running at 60 fps, which I was surprised to see after changing the settings.
Image 1, with Medium texture settings and the rest either off or low:
Image 2, with High texture settings and all follow graphic options set to medium:
As stated, neither change in settings negatively impacted the FPS. I will tinker with the draw distances to see if there are further changes, but this seems to be the most pertinent change. So far I'm pleased with the capability of this laptop. Still awaiting my cooling pad before I put it through much strain for an extended period. Lenovo seems to make a product that can perform. Fraps also recorded screen capture on the high settings at a steady 30 fps.
Side note: boring day at work. Call-free for 8 days now. I am hoping tomorrow will bring some activity.
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