Posts Tagged ‘review’

Frank Niro Mother of Pearl Fighter Knife: This Pearl Fighter from Frank Niro was my first knife from this fantastic maker from BC, Canada. This is probably the first really fancy knife I’ve ever bought, and because Frank has such affordable prices, I was able to get it at a time when I was not able to spend as much money on aknife. This is probably one of the nicer Niro’s I’ve seen.

Strider GB Folder Knife: The Strider GB is basically the same as the Strider AR, with the only difference being that it is a tanto blade instead of a spearpoint. This particular example of the GB has thinner liners than the older AR that I had, asStrider thinned them out in later releases. The balance is probably a bit better on the thin linered versions, but they don’t seem quite as solid – perhaps that’s just in my head.

Darren Chard Mokume Damascus Wharncliffe: Here I have another peice by Canadian Knifemaker Darren Chard. I still consider Darren one of the best least known knifemakers out there. Everything that comes out of his shop is perfect. His fit and finish is among the best, bar none. He is also always up to a challenge, and creates knives because he enjoys it, not because it is profitable.

Spyderco Cricket FRN C29 Knife: Since I reviewed the Ying Yang cricket I wasn’t going to review this FRN cricket, however this one is plain edged, and different enough I figured I would at least give a short review of it. The Cricket is definately one of the more popular ladies knives available, and due to the blade shape, works very well with textiles.

Mike Obenauf Small Model 2 Custom: This is a customized Model 2 Framelock from the now defunct Mike Obenauf. Though this knife is extremely similar to the other Model 2 framelock I reviewed last year, I felt that I should review it partly because Mike has also retired from knifemaking, and this peice is rather unique.

Cold Steel Hatamoto Folding Knife: My opinion of Cold Steel’s knives has changed a bit with the recent acquisition of a couple of Cold Steel folders. The Hatamoto is the first of these Cold Steel knives that I have acquired, and comes from their high-end line they call their “Custom Series”, and feature their mysterious and somewhat gimmicky San Mai III Steel.

Raidops LJ3MP Fixed Blade Knife: This Mini Tactical Knife from Raidops is very well made, and when I saw it, I had to have it. Raidops knives are made by a fellow named Kim from Korea, and he offers a product that is quite unique. When I posted the review of this knife on Youtube, I had a few viewers complain that a 2 1/2 inch blade could not be tactical.

CRKT E-Lock Bronze Folding Knife: Among most knife Collectors, CRKT has the image of being an entry level brand that uses entry level cutlery steels, and affordable materials in the production of their knives. That may be true to some degree, but CRKT sells a lot of knives, and has some great designers collaborating with them. One of them is Allen Elishewitz.

Ben Vinson is a lover of many things which includes writing about his interests. You can read more from Ben at the Affordable Pocket Knives store and Affordable NFL Jerseys store. See you there!

It seems that there has been a wane in consumer faith in the building and construction industry of late. This may be because of the scams shown on television or the bribery and corruption rampant in the corporate sector, but it is almost definitely the same motivation why so many are now carrying out home improvements by themselves.

And why shouldn’t they? A little knowledge of the technical aspects combined with an eye for creativity is often enough to carry out the home improvement on your own.

Why are people turning to DIY home improvements?

There are many people trying to pass themselves off as construction workers, although they do not have a lot of experience in construction or home maintenance and they are literally are out there right now practising, learning their trades on homes like yours and mine across the country.

Not surprisingly, homeowners are finding that the jobs are not being completed to their liking. Sometimes they are even pre-paying for services that do not get done or were not part of the plan.

You do not have to rely on and pay someone to improve your home. Why not try to do it yourself?

You can augment your home?s existing concrete surfaces using acid stains, acrylic paints, epoxy paints, and scoring techniques.

If you are tired of looking at dreary gray concrete, there are some easy projects if you are sincere about having a go at home improvement DIY, you can easily give your patio, driveway or garage a refreshing new look.

Attractive concrete work costs about double that of standard concrete, which is why many people cannot afford it.

However, there are inexpensive means to embellish concrete after it has cured, without having to pay expert tradesmen.

Acid-based concrete stains are becoming more and more fashionable for coloring concrete surfaces. They chemically react with the cement to create permanent color with a variegated or mottled appearance similar to that of marble. This results in a natural, stylish looking surface.

Water-based concrete stains are an alternative to acid stains but are much more user friendly because they are so much less dangerous. These stains do not chemically react with the concrete; they are absorbed into the porous surface and act like a dye. The big benefit of water based stains is the wide array of colors available.

If you want to venture beyond the basic staining of your concrete, think about using some scoring techniques to create patterns on the surface.

You can make your concrete resemble a tiled floor for instance. It is just up to your imagination. A mini angle grinder with a 4 inch grinding wheel is the ideal tool for this.

The key thing to remember when scoring is to draw the pattern on the concrete first and make sure you are happy with the way it looks because scoring is permanent.

Epoxy paints make an excellent coating for garage floors and cellar floors. Many industrial floors have epoxy coatings because of their hardiness and resilience to chemical spills as well as their appearance.

In recent years, however, it has become very popular for residential use with the availability of an growing number of different colors. This is not a complicated job, but the key to successful application is surface preparation.

Epoxy paints have also become available in a water based form making it safe for the DIY’er and perfect for indoor applications. They cost a little more than stains. For a 400 square foot area, you’ll pay out about $200 for the materials needed for this job.

You see? You do not have to spend big money to improve your home. You have the capacity to do it yourself. With some instructions and a little bit of work, anyone can turn dull concrete into a masterpiece of their own.

Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on several subjects, but is currently involved with Flowtron Bug Zapper devices. If you would like to know more, please go to our website at Indoor Bug Zapper

The indoor bug zapper is the best way of ridding your immediate vicinity of insects, especially the flying ones such as mosquitoes. The hand held bug killer vaporizes any insect from a mosquito to a gnat instantly on contact with a pleasingly loud, electrical ‘zap’!

However, this is not to say that the electric insect killer cannot be operated outdoors, as long as it is not too wet. It should be treated like any other high voltage electrical equipment. Keep the hand held insect killer dry and please do not use it while you are standing in water!

Models do vary a lot, but there are really only two kinds of electric bug killer: the battery operated bug zapper and the rechargeable electric bug zapper. Both are equally effective at zapping insects and employ the same principle.

The hand held insect killer resembles a ‘kids’ tennis racket, but with three layers of ’strings’, which are in fact wires. The central network of wires becomes live at the touch of a button, while the other two grids, one on either side, are only earths.

When an insect is caught between the wires of the electric insect zapper, it creates a short, which vaporizes it instantaneously with a loud crack. The electric insect killer will kill other insects too, but they tend to fry rather than explode.

I have been using the rechargeable kind for more than five years and am extremely satisfied with the electric insect killer. In fact, the electric bug zapper has come a long way over the last few years. A fully charged indoor insect killer is powerful enough to last for several hundred swipes and will hold it’s charge, when unused, for weeks without any significant discharge.

The battery recharge unit will take intensive use for the best part of a year, although its ability to hold a charge for several weeks gradually diminishes after six or seven months.

The latest indoor bug zapper I’ve used has a main on/off switch, a light that comes on when it is activated (the brightness of this light also gives an indication of the battery’s strength) and an LED that comes on when it is plugged in on recharge.

The instructions on the wrapper say that it should be (re)charged for about sixteen hours. I usually put it on charge over night once or twice every week or two, although the hand held insect killer shows a marked increase in performance after only a couple of hours recharging.

The latest version I’ve seen also comes with a powerful beam called a ‘headlamp’. I have found this very useful when walking in the garden, but I’m not sure whether it’s meant to attract the flies in the dark so that you can zap them if you’re bored. You know, like an anglerfish.

I’ve used the headlamp on my electric insect killer for that too, but the beam uses a lot of battery power. All in all, the electric bug killer is a big asset to any outdoor event. The electric insect zapper is useful to ‘clean out’ your bedroom before retiring; it’s unbeatable for evening mosquitoes and it will clear a lunch table of wasps as well.

Have you ever heard of an indoor bug zapper? If not, or if you are interested in getting an electronic insect killer, just click one of the links to our website or blog.