Duluthian's stats
- Review count195
- Helpfulness votes357
- First reviewAugust 20, 2011
- Last reviewApril 28, 2024
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.8
- Review comment count1
- Helpfulness votes0
- First review commentJanuary 22, 2017
- Last review commentJanuary 22, 2017
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- Answer count3
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- First answerFebruary 1, 2018
- Last answerJuly 26, 2021
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Stay connected with this Fossil Gen 4 Explorist HR smartwatch. It has a heart rate monitor, daily activity tracker and built-in GPS to help you keep track of your fitness activities and goals. This Fossil Gen 4 Explorist HR smartwatch syncs with both Android and Apple phones for easy access to notifications and emails.
Posted by: Duluthian
from Duluth, MN
Including the new Fossil Gen 4 Explorist, I have owned five smart watches over the last few years. So far, this is my favorite one.
It is built incredibly tough. I was never much for metal bands before but this one is very comfortable. Although it does have a large screen, it is a bit thinner than some other watches and is overall very comfortable. I personally really like the screen. Easy to read, bright with good color & contrast. I love the dials on the side. Easy to customize and give you the old school watch look & feel.
If you are already familiar with the Wear OS, then you will be right at home. If not, it is still very easy to pair with your phone. In fact, this was probably the easiest watch to connect that i have had yet. And I might ad it STAYS connected! Every single smartwatch that I have had before this one couldn't make it thru the day without either rebooting or loosing its Bluetooth connection. So far, I have had neither issue with this watch.
As for functions, everything you would expect is hear. Notifications for calls, text, social media and so on. The heart rate monitor seems to be accurate and the various health tracking functions work well. I primarily like to use a smartwatch for the notifications. Being on the road all day, it's nice to be able to just look at my wrist when a notification comes in. And I can also say that I actually get my notifications. Some other watches seem to be hit & miss with that.
Now for battery life. This is always a sticking point with smartwatches. Much like your phone, how much you ask of it will have everything to do with battery life. They claim around 24 hours of battery life. With my use, I can easily go well beyond that. With taking it off the charger at 6am, I can easily have 50+ % left when I go to bed around 10pm. And that is with the always on display. Now if I were to max out the brightness, constantly have the heart rate monitor and other fitness activities going along with getting notifications for everything under the sun, then I am sure I wouldn't make it thru the day. But that would be true with any other watch as well. In fact, of the watches I have this one easily last the longest. Battery estimates for any electronic device are always going to be best case scenarios that require only the bare minimum running.
So with that said, I can highly recommend the Fossil Gen 4 Explorist. I am certain this will last me a very long time.
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Shark APEX combines DuoClean, self-cleaning brushroll and Powered Lift-Away technologies to deliver our ultimate full-sized cleaning experience.
Posted by: Duluthian
from Duluth, MN
I simply can not say enough about the Shark APEX DuoClean Powered Lift-Away AZ1002. This is easily the best vacuum we have ever owned.
To begin, it is crazy simple to put together. Open the box and snap the dust bin and handle into place (no tools needed) and you are up and running. The build quality is fantastic. It doesn't feel cheap at all. The standard accessories are all included.
I really like the controls. The power button is right at your thumb. As is the three way control for carpet level adjustment. Everything is just so logically placed. Can't say that about some other vacuums.
As for how well it works, well, it is simple outstanding! It glides along effortlessly and twist & turns easily into even the tightest spots. And best of all, it gets all the dirt (and pet hair!) on the first pass. Can't speak highly enough about this seeing as we have a dog & cat who never seem to stop shedding!
I honestly can't find any faults with this vacuum. I have a feeling this will last a very long time.
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Designed over two years with direct input from many professional esports players, PRO Wireless gaming mouse is built to the exacting standards of some of the world’s top esports professionals. PRO Wireless gaming mouse is built for extreme performance and includes the latest and most advanced technologies available. Featuring LIGHTSPEED technology, PRO Wireless overcomes the limitations of latency, connectivity and power to provides rock-solid and super fast 1 ms report rate connection. PRO Wireless gaming mouse is also equipped with the latest version of the HERO sensor, our next generation optical sensor that is the highest performing and efficient gaming sensor.
Posted by: Duluthian
from Duluth, MN
This mouse is pretty close to perfection! everything they claim this mouse can do, it does very well.
To start, I love the design and feel. It is insanely lightweight. So much so that it kind of melds into your hand and becomes a part of you. You really don't notice it's there. This is helped by the design. We have all probably used some fancy mouse before that tries to be the next best thing with some weird ergonomics. This doesn't do that. It's size & design are simple. Each button is perfectly placed and can easily be customized. I think the arch (hump) of the mouse is just the right size. Not to flat.
Battery life is great. To make it even better, you can go into the settings and turn off the lights. This will gain you a few hours. I really like the overall design of the power/receiver cord. It is plenty long enough for me. The ability to use the mouse wired or wireless is awesome.
Speed. Yep, this mouse is fast! The latency is like nothing I have ever seen in a wireless mouse before. As great as that is for gaming, you will clearly notice it in just everyday use as well. This has been an absolute joy to use with Madden! I've tried it both wired and wireless for Madden and you seriously won't be able to tell the difference.
For gaming, I use this with a DELL G7 and it is just fantastic. But I also do a lot of Photoshop work with my Apple and it works just as well. The only thing to note is that if you want to get the most out of it, use the Logitech software. You can use it plug & play style. But using the software not only allows for more customization, but also more speed. I noticed it is slower (on the mac anyways) without the software.
This is a pricey mouse. But you really have to look at what you are getting. No other cheaper wireless mouse (gaming or otherwise) is going to match this performance. And when you consider that the performance is just as good wired or wireless, you will understand that it is worth it. A gaming mouse should never get in the way. It should just work flawlessly and become a part of you and this does so very well!
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Handle storage demands with this Western Digital SATA solid-state drive. Its 560MB/s read speed and 530MB/s write speed are suitable for intensive applications, and its 2.5-inch form factor fits most desktops and laptops. The solid-state drive has no moving parts, making the drive resistant to shock to protect your data. Includes the WD SSD Dashboard to keep track of the drive's status.
Posted by: Duluthian
from Duluth, MN
Very happy with this SSD. There is really only so much one can say about a internal drive. Either it works or it doesn't. Well, this works very well. I used this to replace a two year old SSD from another manufacturer. This drive is noticeably faster than the SSD from only two years ago. I have never had a WD drive fail and I feel confident this won't be the first to do so. Just be certain you know what you are doing when replacing a drive. Be sure to back up your drive first. Replacing the drive is generally a straight forward process. This will fit right in the same space as your old standard 2.5 inch hard drive. And if you have never used an SSD, well, be prepared to be blown away! The speed increase is insane. Even on an older computer. This small investment will really bring new life to an old computer.
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Take music wherever you go with this Marshall Kilburn II Bluetooth speaker. It produces clear midrange sound with deep, powerful bass, and it provides 20 hours of playtime on a single charge, so you can listen to playlists all day. This Marshall Kilburn II Bluetooth speaker has a solid metal grille for durability.
Posted by: Duluthian
from Duluth, MN
As someone who owns several Bluetooth portable speakers, I can honestly say I have never been more impressed with a speaker than I am with this one!
To begin, the Marshall Kilburn II is built like a tank. It really does feel like a full sized Marshall amp. The craftmanship is really something special. Solid materials with great attention to detail. This is really a piece of beauty! The controls are simple and easy to use. A volume/power dial, a bass dial and a treble dial. Along with a small button for pairing the Bluetooth that's it. A 3.5mm input is on the back of the unit. Again, simplicity. Also, the built in leather carry strap is a beautiful touch.
Now many of the speakers on the market today have things like built in phone connectivity, menus to find functions and such. Not the Kilburn II. This is simply designed to do one thing and do it well. This is all about providing the best sound possible. To be honest, most speakers sound pretty good these days. But nothing compares to this. Volume really cranks when you need it to. The independent bass and treble dials are awesome. You will really appreciate not having to dive into a menu or push this while pushing that and so forth just to complete a simple task.
Battery life seems to be every bit of the 20 hours that is advertised. I also like the red LED's on the top that indicate the level. The Speaker is a bit bigger and heavier than most portable speakers. I suspect the big battery plays into the weight. But its not so large as to keep it from being portable.
I really don't think you can find a better sounding and well built portable speaker if you tried. If you are looking for a speaker to take out in the rain or onto the sandy beach, you might want to look elsewhere. But for everyone else (and I do mean everyone!), this is the speaker for you!
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Preserve what’s priceless with the Epson FastFoto FF-680W — the World’s Fastest Personal Photo Scanner. Scan thousands of photos — as fast as 1 photo per second. Easily restore, save, organize and share photos, postcards, panoramas, documents and more. The convenient mobile app enables you to capture the voice of loved ones and create slideshows, so you can easily share stories about your photos right from your smartphone, from a firsthand perspective, for generations to come. Plus, FastFoto brings old photos to life with auto enhancement, color restoration and more. Offering the ultimate in versatility, it includes a variety of format options for quick sharing, archiving and enlargements
Posted by: Duluthian
from Duluth, MN
I've been into photography for over 30 years. Needless to say that goes way back to the days before digital. So I have tons of prints. In the past, I hated to scan the prints to get them on the computer. Using a flatbed scanner (even a good one) was just a slow process. The FastFoto FF-680W changes everything!
First, the set up couldn't be easier. Really nothing to it. Download the driver from the Epson website and connect it (wired or wireless). Trust, me you will be up and running in only a few minutes after unboxing it. The scanner is actually smaller than I expected. Smaller than the average home printer. I had plenty of room on my computer desk for it.
It has all the features you could ask for. Simple scanning in a number of dpi settings (hint: the 600 dpi is really all you need. the 1200 dpi setting is there, but 600 dpi is just that good). Sending files to the cloud or Dropbox is easy. I love than it scans in batches. I can take a handfull of prints, set them in the tray and just let it go to work. I no longer have to scan one photo on a flatbed then take it out to replace it with the next photo. Now the big thing is the speed and quality. I knew before hand what the claims were for speed. But I really didn't think a scanner could be so fast until I first used it. Blazing fast! So fast that I don't hate the idea of scanning prints anymore :-) And as for quality, the scans look great. There is a built in option for photo correction but I turned it off. Honestly, 99% of the time it just gets it right. Color, sharpness and details look awesome. Of course you can use it to scan any documents or personal pages you might have as well. I really can't overstate just how fast and good this scanner is.
If you are like me and have thousands of photos sitting around that you would love to transfer to your computer, but hate the thought of the amount of time it will take, do yourself a favor and buy the Epson FastFoto FF-680W. You will be glad you did.
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Remove body hair efficiently with this all-in-one Philips Norelco Bodygroom body shaver. It comes with an extra-long back attachment for full-body shaving, and its grooming guards come in three sizes for versatile styling. This rechargeable Philips Norelco Bodygroom body shaver is hypoallergenic and has rounded tips for safe, comfortable use.
Posted by: Duluthian
from Duluth, MN
Definitely the best body grooming device I've used. Well designed with a nice curved handle that locks in place. Battery life is good (rated as 60 minutes of run time) and it charges quickly. I like the length of it as well. Being 6'3", I've had groomers before that just were not long enough. Not the case here. All in all, a great groomer.
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The Brother MFC-J995DW XL INKvestment Tank all-in-one inkjet printer with tank technology is the optimal choice for your home or small office needs. The MFC-J995DW XL features reengineered INKvestment Tank cartridges along with an internal ink storage tank to deliver uninterrupted printing for up to 2 years without the need to purchase ink. Business-capable features include mobile device printing, Near Field Communication (NFC) print and scan capabilities, flexible paper handling options, automatic two-sided printing and easy on-screen navigation using a 2.7" color touch screen. With the ink included in-box, the Brother INKvestment Tank all-inclusive solution delivers truly uninterrupted printing, exceptional features, super convenience, large page yields and low-cost printing. Includes a two-year limited warranty with free online, call, or live chat support for the life of your printer. Prints up to 12 ISO ppm*, up to 10 ppm* in color.
Customer Rating
5
All I could ever need in a printer
on July 30, 2018
Posted by: Duluthian
from Duluth, MN
This really is a full function printer that will fill the needs of any home or small office. The inclusion of an estimated two years of ink is a great idea. With what ink usually costs, this alone makes this printer worth it.
Performance is exceptional. I have owned all of the top brand names in printers and the Brother printers continue to impress. More than fast enough for our home needs with more features than we could ever use. Print quality is great! Although this printer is still new to me, I have found that Brother printers always seem to be easy on ink compared to other brands and so far I think this one will be the same. Although, with two years of ink I don't think there is much to worry about :-)
I like that the printer is white. Not typical for Brother. It is a bit on the large side but you need to keep in mind that it is a high capacity printer not just in terms of the ink, but also the paper. Although I think using a fax machine has largely been replaced by email, it is nice to have the feature included just in case. More of a business feature than a home one I guess. Scanning and copying work nicely as well. Honestly, I probably scan more than I print so this is a plus for me. More importantly is wireless connectivity. I imagine more people print from wireless devices and the cloud more than anything else these days. So far, I am impressed. For some reason I have always had issues with printing wireless with other printers but I had no issues with getting this one to work. Also, the 2.7 inch touch screen is easy to read and navigate.
When you factor in the features, the amount of ink and the quality, this really is a great printer. If nothing else just look at it as you are pre-buying the ink you would have needed to purchase anyways with another printer. And with as high as ink prices can be, I think you come out way ahead with the Brother MFC-J995DW XL.
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Enhance your multimedia experience with this 15.6-inch Dell G7 gaming laptop. Its VR-ready NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics board provides seamless, stunning images on the Full HD display, and its hexa-core Intel Core i7 processor and 8GB of RAM handle extended multitasking. Run applications efficiently with the 256B solid-state drive of this Dell G7 gaming laptop.
Posted by: Duluthian
from Duluth, MN
The Dell G7 is an outstanding value in a gaming laptop. When you look at the features and specs, you would be hard pressed to find another gaming machine that matches this for the price.
To begin, the G7 is very well built. It is plastic (like 90% of the laptops out there) but feels very solid. It is a hefty machine. It's design is nice and clean, but nothing very flashy. The blue back lighting for the keyboard is probably it's flashiest feature. The keys themselves feel nice.
The screen is very nice as well. I have seen a few reviews claiming the screen isn't bright enough. I really don't agree with that. I find it to be very bright with no hot spots. Color accuracy might be a slight issue for non-gaming use, but not a major issue. The Built in GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card is a powerhouse card. This is really the selling point for this laptop as far as gamers are concerned and it works great. Toss anything you want at it game wise at max settings and it can handle it. Will it be future proof a year from now? Who can tell, but my guess is you will be good to go graphics wise for two or three years. I also haven't found cooling fan noise to be anywhere near as loud as some other machines. Sure, you will hear it. But for a gaming laptop it's not that loud.
The battery life is ok for gaming, better for non gaming. Some might feel the battery is to small for gaming. However, who uses the battery when gaming? You buy a gaming laptop for moving around from place to place. But honestly, even with the most expensive gaming laptop out there you are more than likely still going to plug it in.
The 8th gen i7 chip is amazing. Really, this thing is fast! Even though the laptop only has 8gb RAM out of the box, it is more than enough with the i7 chip. But what is probably my favorite thing about the G7 is how easy it will be to up grade memory. Far to may laptops these days have removed the ability to access the internals. Not the G7. Turn one screw and you have access to the memory and hard drive. In fact, it has an open 2.5 inch bay to add a hard drive right away. I installed a 250gb SSD in a matter of minutes. This alone is worth the price of admission for me!
The various ports can be seen in the specs list but it is safe to say you will be covered. I have already tried connecting it to my 29" wide screen monitor and it looks fantastic! In fact, this will most likely be replacing my desktop machine.
Rarely does a product come along that I can't find a real flaw with, but this is one of them. Seriously, regardless of if you need this for gaming or not, the G7 should be on your short list for a new laptop!
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Philips Avance Collection Airfryer XXL, Twin TurboStar with Fat Removal Technology- Fry healthy with up to 90% less fat
Posted by: Duluthian
from Duluth, MN
This is my second air fryer and as much as I like the first one, this one takes care of my one and only complaint about the first one. The first one (also a Philips) works flawlessly every time. And so far so has this new model. You can really think outside of the box with an air fryer. I think everyone just thinks about doing fries, onion rings and so forth in one. In reality, there really isn't anything you can't cook in one. However, what hindered the original was size. This new XXL version takes care of that. With the original, you were really limited to making one or two person portion sizes. This new XXL allows for entire family cooking at one time. Also, as I mentioned there really isn't anything you can't cook. Although true of both this and the original, the larger capacity really helps in using it for more items. Combine all of this with ease of use, easy to clean, and just the fact that it is a healthier way of cooking makes this a no brainer to get.
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Duluthian's Review Comments
Make your home an internet haven with this versatile Linksys Velop wireless Wi-Fi system. Three identical tri-band dual-stream AC2200 routers, each equipped with a quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor, deliver lightning-fast internet. Equipped with Bluetooth 4.0/LE, this Linksys Velop wireless Wi-Fi system is simple to set up and pairs easily with computers, tablets and smart devices.
Overall5 out of 5
5 out of 5Simple & Powerful!
By Duluthian
from Duluth, MN
I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical of the claims made in regards to the Linksys Velop Wi-Fi system. Lets face it, we have all heard the claims of more powerful Wi-Fi regarding the latest and greatest routers before, right? Well let me tell you that this time around it is no joke! Not only is this system amazingly simple to hook up, but it works as advertised!
To begin, the three tower kit is elegantly packaged it a very nice box. Aside from the three devices you won't find much else in the box but that is kind of the point of this system. Simplicity. You get the towers (smaller than I expected them to be), one Ethernet cord and three power units. As for instructions, there are very few and that is just fine. You get a simple guide telling you to download the Linksys App from there website, Google Play Store or iTunes. Trust me, that's all you need.
Set up once you have the app downloaded couldn't be more simple. Easy to understand instructions will guide you thru setting up the main unit (any one of the three will work. They are all identical). It only takes a few minutes but that may take a bit longer depending on your internet connection. As soon as you have the first unit set up it will then ask you if you want to hook up another unit and so on and so on until you are done. If you need more than the initial three, individual units or a two pack can be purchased and added to the system. It really is the easiest router system I have ever set up.
As for the app, it allows for a good amount of control over the Velop. Tech junkies who demand only the greatest of control over their internet settings might find it a bit too simple for them. However, for the vast majority of users you will find all the control you need. Parental settings, guest network settings and so on are all here. And with the app on your phone or tablet, you can control the system even when you are away.
Each unit has two Ethernet ports. The main unit will need one of them to connect to your internet modem. After that, they are all free to be used as you like (if you choose to be wired up at all). I have the main unit right by my Mac Mini so I have that hard wired in. Everything else in the house (a couple of laptops & tablets, phones and a couple of Echo Dots) are all using the Wi-Fi.
Ok, so how well does it work? Simply put, very very well. I had a very good router set up before this (also a Linksys). The big downfall to most routers is that even if it is very powerful you tend to lose some speed with distance. Power with most routers will give you distance but not always speed. Having run a series of speed tests, I am getting every ounce of internet speed that I am paying for in every corner of the house with the Velop. Literally, no drop off in speed even from the most distant of the three towers and that one is two floors down! Before, I had full speeds in the room with the router and although I had full house coverage, the speeds were down to less than half on the extreme fringes of the range. Now you can always hook up range extenders with most routers but that only extends your range, not your speed. With the way the Velop system works not only does it increase your reach, it maintains your speeds as well. Please don't confuse this with it making your Wi-Fi faster. No router can make the speeds coming into your home faster than what you are paying for. But this system keeps the Wi-Fi speeds consistent all thru the home and that is a major advantage over a traditional router with range extenders. Ever tried watching a tv show or movie on your tablet only to walk into another room and suddenly start having buffering issues because the speeds don't hold up? Well the Velop system goes a long ways towards fixing that. The Velop is really in my eyes the perfect router system. It gives you what most of us have been chasing after in a router for a long time. Consistent speed and signal strength. If you were to buy a good traditional router and several range extenders for your home it would cost around the same as the Velop. But the Velop works far better and is insanely easy to set up. It really is the perfect Wi-Fi system!
Duluthian
Duluth, MN
Follow up to my original review.
January 22, 2017
Still loving the Velop system after a couple of weeks of use. Solid performance. I did run into one issue that really isn't the Velop's problem but felt it might be helpful to share.
I use a Wemo switch to control a table lamp by way of the Echo Dot ( "Alexa, lights on/off"). It worked great before I hooked up the Velop but it took me some time to figure out why it wouldn't work with the Velop. The Wemo requires a 2.4ghz channel. The Velop uses 2.4ghz and 5ghz but they are not controllable. Therefore, the Wemo would not recognize the Velop's signal. My work around was actually simple and gave me a use for my old router. I simple plugged the old router into one of the Velop's ethernet ports and had the old router send out the dedicated 2.4ghz channel. Now I simple have the Wemo & Echo Dot hooked to that signal. Works like a charm. I would imaging this could be an issue for any other (mostly older) devices that only work on the 2.4ghz channel as well.
As I said before, this really isn't an issue of the Velop. It is really more an issue of the Wemo not being up to date with the current 5ghz channel. However, it is still something to keep in mind.
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The future of gaming has arrived with the WD_BLACK™ SN850 NVMe™ SSD. Long load times are obsolete with PCIe® Gen4 technology, reaching up to 7,000MB/s read speed and up to 4,100MB/s write speed. Spend more time playing and less time deleting, storing your latest and favorite games with 500GB capacity (not intended for NAS or server environments). This WD_Black internal SSD has a compact form factor and a PCIe Gen4 interface for compatibility with select PCs or laptops.
what form factor is this m.2? My motherboard (x570 Unify) supports 2242/2260/2280 storage devices.
The Motorola MG8702 Gigabit Cable Modem with built-in AC3200 4X4 Router supports Gigabit Ethernet speed with advanced WiFi performance. Approved for Comcast Xfinity, Cox, and Charter Spectrum services, this cable modem is also backwards compatible with 32x8 DOCSIS 3.0.
Is this a wifi router as well as a cable modem?
Acer 15 Chromebook: Enjoy up to 12 hours of battery life with this 15.6-inch Acer Chromebook. Its Intel Celeron processor and 4GB of RAM load webpages quickly and provide lag-free streaming, and the 16GB of internal storage holds documents and photos. This Acer Chromebook has an HDMI port for connecting to a larger display.