Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 I'm on this other forum that's all about the online deals, and for some reason that part of my brain that goes hmmm I could use that seems to get set off every now and then so I end up buying some totally random items I probably don't really need. My latest acquisition is this 2 in 1 Hot Air Rework Soldering Station: https://www.amazon.ca/Soldering-Rework-Station-Mark-Ethan/dp/B01GTYC61G Cheaper on eBay: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/2-in-1-Soldering-Iron-Rework-Stations-SMD-Hot-Air-Gun-Desoldering-Welder-862D-/112048211315 It works pretty good and heats up extremely fast. I'm not sure I'll be using it for replacing SMD chips, but the hot air gun might be handy for other purposes like heating heat shrink tubing. I just use the side of my soldering iron for that usually though. I have had to remove SMD eproms on laser printers to get rid of the printer count so the hot air could come in handy. There's lots of instructional videos on Youtube about how to remove and resolder SMD chips. It doesn't look too hard actually. For about $51 to 105 CDN, it's a pretty well priced set. I was looking at a Weller WES51, but it was more expensive and didn't have the air feature. Apparently it's quite good as well. I also bought a couple of these robotic Roomba knock-offs for some reason: http://www.gearbest.com/vacuum-cleaner/pp_360002.html http://www.gearbest.com/cleaning-appliances/pp_353568.html I'm not a huge fan of Gearbest as they didn't send a VR headset that I ordered, but that was a while ago. I wonder if these vacuums will last the test of time. I must be on a spending spree as I bought a refurbished cell phone similar to this one too: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/LG-G3-D850-32GB-Metallic-Black-4G-LTE-Unlocked-Smartphone-FRB-/381438997203 Apparently these LG G3's were the top of the line in 2014, and this particular one can be flashed with Fulmic's Rom to turn it into a LG G5 after you root it. The seller in the link had some refurbished ones for $89.99, but they sold out. Apparently this phone shoots 4K video. Anyone else have any interesting buys they want to share? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fat Unicyclist Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 I just bought this, but then found it was the wrong size for what I need. So now I'm looking to sell it on, if anyone is interested... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmethvin Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 This is my most manly purchase this year: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LQKV5G6/ It goes into an angle grinder and can grind down concrete. I have used it to smooth out sidewalk irregularities in front of my house. Now I want to get a battery operated angle grinder and take this on EUC rides so I can grind down any sidewalk bumps. Next I suppose I find a backpack to carry asphalt so I can fill in potholes. I demand a smooth ride! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fat Unicyclist Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 I went on an overseas (work) trip and was away for my anniversary... And when I came back I neglected to bring an appropriate gift. The result was that I then had to buy this for my wife... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cloud Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Hey @The Fat Unicyclist , your wife is lucky. She probably wishes you forget the anniversary more often... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted August 6, 2016 Author Share Posted August 6, 2016 After receiving my LG G3 phone with 6.01 Marshmallow on it, I decided to try to downgrade it to Kitkat 4.4.2 in order to root it and install Fulmics custom rom on it. For some reason nothing comes easy to me so I promptly bricked the phone. Things seemed to be going fine as I LGUP'd the image, but things halted at 6% and ended up being stuck in a firmware update soft brick mode. I was up to 3 am trying to fix it, but I gave up for the night. I took it to work to experiment a bit further with it, and at the end of the day when I almost thought all hope was lost I managed to get the firmware flashed completely. Whew! That was the best feeling to see the progress bar complete and to have life spring back into the phone. I don't know how I managed to get it working, but the phone gods gave me some mercy plus using a different cable seemed to help. I was then able to root with Stump root, install TWRP recovery, and flash Fulmics rom on. After all that work I seem to kinda preferred the stock rom. Oh well the grass is always greener on the rooted / jailbroken side so I won't overthink it. I'm no Android expert so it definitely was a bit of a learning experience! The LG G3 screen is quite nice with quad HD. There are a couple of stunning demo videos in the Kitkat image. Battery life though takes a hit as compared to my iPhone, but at least it's easy to pop out and put a new one in. Batteries are like $12 or less delivered. The 4k video is nice, but the stabilization is a little unnatural looking for some reason. The iPhone 6 is much better at it but at a lower resolution of course. Kodi ran fine on the nonrooted stock firmware so I don't know why I bothered with the Fulmics, but it is said to make the G3 more G5 like so how could I resist? I'm just using it as a play phone for now without a sim card as I usually only use wifi except for browsing on cell data. I rarely make phone calls. For about $170 CDN I got something new to play with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rehab1 Posted August 6, 2016 Share Posted August 6, 2016 OMG @HunkaHunkaBurningLove...was this question directed towards me? NEVER! @The Fat Unicyclist Awesome looking car! @dmethvin That is a great buy! Not to expensive and fun for the whole family!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted August 7, 2016 Author Share Posted August 7, 2016 It looks like the pricing on Ninebot One E+'s has gone up at Forward California. I bet if you were to sell your Limited Flame edition it would go for a pretty penny. Since you already have a NBOne E+, what were your plans for the flame edition? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litewave Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 On 26 July 2016 at 1:37 AM, The Fat Unicyclist said: I went on an overseas (work) trip and was away for my anniversary... And when I came back I neglected to bring an appropriate gift. The result was that I then had to buy this for my wife... Sweet-as. NZ-new or dealer new? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fat Unicyclist Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 1 hour ago, litewave said: Sweet-as. NZ-new or dealer new? One previous owner (who worked at the dealership) - I couldn't tell it from a new one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rehab1 Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 @HunkaHunkaBurningLove Not sure about the Flame yet. I should think about selling it. Interesting that the Nb1's are going up in price. Supply and demand I suppose. They are great machines! I went over a small bumpy cobblestone bridge this evening and had to hold on tight to the V5F+. The NB1 is definately smoother encountering bumps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted August 7, 2016 Author Share Posted August 7, 2016 That Lexus is nice, but where can you drive it? Around here there's so many mini-vans and trucks with people who don't care when they slam open their doors you just get dinged up. Also the idiots who are jealous don't mind keying the sides for kicks. For me I just buy older beaters to drive around in since I have to go to grocery stores, McDonalds, etc.. If I see a new ding or scratch whatever who cares, my car only cost only a little more than my Ninebot so ding away don't matter to me. Regarding the Ninebots I think maybe Forward Cali was clearing out older stock? They had the lowest prices I've seen online. All the Canadian prices were like $1200 or so for a new one so it was cheaper to buy from the US including shipping and import fees for one. It's too bad the pricing has gone up as I wonder whether more people would buy them at the $500-600 pricing. How's the speed compare to the Ninebot? What's the top cruising speed? 25-27 kph for about 185 lbs? Do you find yourself gravitating more to the V5F+ than the NB? I haven't touched my generic wheel in many moons - there's just no need to anymore. It's so hard to go back to a slower wheel... So any plans to get a V8? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litewave Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 12 hours ago, The Fat Unicyclist said: One previous owner (who worked at the dealership) - I couldn't tell it from a new one! #newzealandvalues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fat Unicyclist Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 3 hours ago, litewave said: #newzealandvalues Swap out that "chilly bin" for an EUC, and that could be me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frode Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 On 23.7.2016 at 8:19 AM, HunkaHunkaBurningLove said: Anyone else have any interesting buys they want to share? I bought this item that I'm sure I never ever will need. In fact, I bought it because it is the ugliest and most unusable tool I've ever seen. Maybe I could use it to kill a cockroach, but there is no cockroaches here... (the USB memory stick is for scale only, and has nothing to do with the tool) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted August 8, 2016 Author Share Posted August 8, 2016 Wow I've never seen a hammer and a hachet on a multi-tool before. Plus the pair of pliers is interesting. Is that a bottle cap opener or a fishing line tool, the one next to the knife? I remember seeing on The Amazing Race some contestants went to the Swiss Army knife factory, and they had to put together their own. I've got a Husky multi-tool that I picked up which I haven't used once yet, but my Swiss Army knife has come in handy on several occasions. I bought this luggage scale recently which might come in handy as sometimes you buy a few souvenirs, and you end up going over 50 kg lbs. Will it be that useful? Maybe maybe not. I haven't needed to use one ever before so it's one of those I could live without items. https://www.amazon.com/Backlight-Display-Dr-meter-Electronic-Temperature/dp/B00XVB48E4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frode Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 41 minutes ago, HunkaHunkaBurningLove said: Is that a bottle cap opener or a fishing line tool, the one next to the knife? Perhaps it's a secret tool that only the Delta Force gets to know how to use... I really don't know. 50 kg luggage? In Norway, a luggage scale may actually come in very handy. I use mine quite often. Traveling in/from Norway you are seldom allowed more than 20 kg, even 15 kg sometimes (without extra payment). I am always very near the allowance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted August 8, 2016 Author Share Posted August 8, 2016 LOL you can tell how much I travel, but I think that's supposed to be 50 pounds maximum actually. I'm tempted to pull a "George Costanza" if I ever go over my weight limit. I'd open up my luggage, and put on a few pairs of pants and shirts on over top of each other to help lighten my luggage load. Oooh there's a bottle opener, but the other part is like a multi-sized socket wrench I think... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fat Unicyclist Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 2 hours ago, HunkaHunkaBurningLove said: I bought this luggage scale recently which might come in handy as sometimes you buy a few souvenirs, and you end up going over 50 kg lbs. Will it be that useful? Maybe maybe not. I haven't needed to use one ever before so it's one of those I could live without items. https://www.amazon.com/Backlight-Display-Dr-meter-Electronic-Temperature/dp/B00XVB48E4 I travel a fair bit, and always have a luggage scale with me... I use it on every trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esaj Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Stuff I don't probably need? No, of course never. Nervous look at the overflowing parts bins & drawers. I mean, technically, it's all usable, even the rainwater sensors and lasers... I just haven't found use for everything yet, and it might take a while... like... a few... decades... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fat Unicyclist Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 I just bought this... It's not the flashest, but it works. I need it (short-term only) to copy some old vinyl for my mother (her record player has died). The problem is that now I am stuck listening to all this vintage music - which isn't quite to my taste... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted August 15, 2016 Author Share Posted August 15, 2016 I still have my vinyl LP collection collecting dust in my basement. I was tempted to get a tube amplifier like a Fatman itube at one point in time, but cooler heads prevailed. I have a friend who doesn't mind spending big bucks on audiophile equipment, but I never got into that thankfully. I did buy some cheap tripath class T amplifiers to play around with. Apparently they rival some upper end amps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fat Unicyclist Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 1 hour ago, HunkaHunkaBurningLove said: I still have my vinyl LP collection collecting dust in my basement. I was tempted to get a tube amplifier like a Fatman itube at one point in time, but cooler heads prevailed. I have a friend who doesn't mind spending big bucks on audiophile equipment, but I never got into that thankfully. I did buy some cheap tripath class T amplifiers to play around with. Apparently they rival some upper end amps. Yeah, I looked at the more serious options, but the quality of the source vinyl and the perception of the user doesn't really warrant it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhpr262 Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 Spending money ... sigh ...maybe not on things that I never use, because I do use them, but just this year alone I have spent 2500€ on RC stuff. I discovered the German version of Craigslist and bought nine used planes and one new one and all the batteries, servos, propellers, spinners and motors to go with them, a new transmitter, new receivers, a new charger ... it is scary how it keeps adding up. Space in my basement is beginning to run out, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted August 17, 2016 Author Share Posted August 17, 2016 Maybe I should change the thread title to "Ever buy stuff you probably don't need, but you seem to use anyways?" I received both of my iLife robotic vacuums, the V7S and the A4. I was pretty surprised at how well they work actually. The V7S only has one spinny brush, but it has the option to wet mop your floors. The A4 has a more powerful vacuum mode and has two or three spinny brushes - I didn't check that carefully. Both units come with remote controls where you can program the clock and cleaning program to start at a specific time. The vacuums are surprisingly quiet, but you can hear them at night when sleeping as they move around and bump into things. I had my A4 programmed to start at 3 am, and although I was upstairs on the second floor you can hear the vacuum sound and the wheels moving around so maybe it's not best to have it running at night time. I thought there was a prowler bumping into things downstairs as I heard some sounds... In the morning the unit was self-parked in it's charging station, and when I checked the dust bin I found that it had collected quite a bit of stuff. I haven't tried the mopping feature of the V7S yet, but basically you clip on the flat plate that is covered with a terry cloth which covers the vacuum action. You also swap out the dust bin for the water reservoir and it drips water onto the cloth as it moves around wiping the floor with a little water basically so there's not a huge amount of cleaning action. It's best to keep it isolated to floors and get any carpets out of the way. I think in hindsight, the A4 is the better choice as wiping with water likely doesn't do a whole lot. Both have a collision bumper up front and sensors that prevent most collisions with objects as long as they aren't black. The sensors don't seem to see black objects like the bottom of my Bosch dishwasher that well so it hits it and the bumper detects it from there. The cliff sensors are neat as they prevent the unit from rolling down stairs. If you have a complicated living space though I do notice that the A4 didn't find it's way around my coffee table for some reason. Maybe it ran out of batteries before it was able to get to that area? I'll have to run it during the day to see what it does. The cleaning pattern appears pretty random as the unit criss crosses around the floor. It does seem pretty smart as it is able to sniff its way around obstacles fairly well. For a sub $180 CDN robotic vacuum I think they are well worth the price as long as they continue to run for some time. Compared to the pricier Roomba and Neato Botvac, you basically get two vacuums for the price of one of their cheapest models. So far my LG G3 is running quite well, but I had to get a spare battery as the running time on these Android phones is really bad. It has a 3000 maH cell, but I swear you can see the battery percentage counting down quickly. With sparse usage I think I can probably squeek out about 5-6 hours or use, but my iPhone seems to last the entire day with similar usage. Maybe I need to reflash the firmware or something, but I do have some battery saving apps installed which do help a little. I love the ultra HD screen on the LG. I downloaded some 4K samples, but they are pretty amazing. Unfortunately the same screen eats up battery power I'm betting. No wonder I see staff bring in their charging cables and adapters to work to charge up during lunch hour. I don't even bother plugging in my iPhone as it lasts and lasts. I do find the LG G3 seems speedier than my iPhone 6 as apps download and install a lot faster. I was running Dolphin browser on the LG, but after reading some issues about it sending data to China I uninstalled it. It's difficult to find a trustworthy browser for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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