Product Reviews

Honeywell EconoSWITCH RPLS741B — For years, I’ve used programmable switches at our Utah vacation house to turn exterior lights on at dusk and off at dawn. Having a well-lit exterior is a deterrent to potential thieves, and creates a nice visual setting when returning home at night. Previously, I used four Intermatic EJ500 switches, […]

Review: Honeywell EconoSWITCH Programmable Timer

This entry was posted in DIY Home Theater & Automation Product Reviews and tagged astronomical clock automatic timer EconoSWITCH EJ500 Honeywell Intermatic RPLS740B RPLS741B switch timer switch vacation timer on November 23, 2012 by Steve Jenkins (updated 4468 days ago)

Desert Eagle .50 in the bath — In a previous post, I reviewed the ultrasonic cleaner I now use to clean my firearms. But a good ultrasonic cleaner is only part of the process. What you put in the tank (apart from the guns, of course) is just as important — and maybe even more so. But […]

Review: UniqueTek Premium Firearms Cleaner™

This entry was posted in Guns Product Reviews and tagged firearms cleaner premium solvent ultrasonic ultrasonic cleaner ultrasonic gun cleaner ultrasonic solution UniqueTek on September 9, 2012 by Steve Jenkins (updated 4547 days ago)

Gun parts in the CP1100HT — How one cleans and cares for their firearms is a deeply personal decision. Some take it to almost religious levels of zeal. For me, it’s always been about making it as effective, fast, and easy as possible; the easier the process, the more likely I am to reliably perform it. […]

Review: Crest CP1100HT Ultrasonic Cleaner for Firearms Cleaning

This entry was posted in Guns Product Reviews and tagged 1100HT crest firearms gun cleaner ultrasonic ultrasonic cleaner ultrasonic gun cleaning on September 8, 2012 by Steve Jenkins (updated 4548 days ago)

.44 Magnum cylinder face - before — I currently own two stainless steel revolvers: a Smith & Wesson Model 629-6 Performance Center (.44 Magnum) and a Freedom Arms Model 83 Premier Grade (.454 Casull). They are both fantastic guns that I cherish, but they’re not museum pieces. I use my guns, so they get dirty. But I never […]

Review: KleenBore Lead Away Cloth

This entry was posted in Guns Product Reviews and tagged .44 Magnum .454 Casull clean revolver cylinder dirty revolver Freedom Arms KleenBore lead lead away Lead Away cloth lead deposits Model 83 Smith & Wesson stainless stainless steel on September 8, 2012 by Steve Jenkins (updated 4548 days ago)

Since I was already in an LED mood after upgrading my Maglites, I decided I’d punch up the performance of my M3 Tactical Illuminator with an LED upgrade of its own. The ubiquitous M3 Tactical Illuminator, a favorite among law enforcement and military personnel, is a rail-mounted weapon light produced by […]

Review: Insight/EOTech M3/M6 Tactical Light LED Upgrade Bezel Kit

This entry was posted in Guns Product Reviews and tagged bezel bulb EOTech Insight kit LED LED upgrade M3 M6 tactical illuminator tactical light Upgrade on August 8, 2012 by Steve Jenkins (updated 4548 days ago)

I love my Maglites. I’ve owned a number of them in different sizes since I was a Boy Scout. And while their rugged construction, reliability, ease of use, and excellent customer service never go out of style, bulb technology has changed dramatically since the years when I was collecting merit […]

Review: TerraLUX Maglite LED Replacement Bulb Upgrade

This entry was posted in Guns Product Reviews and tagged conversion kit LED MAG-LITE Maglite TerraLUX Upgrade on August 8, 2012 by Steve Jenkins (updated 4548 days ago)

After considering a couple of upgrades for a while, I decided to add a threaded barrel to my Sig Sauer P226 MK 25 pistol and replace the forward pivot in in my Sig Sauer 556 SWAT with a push-button version for easier field stripping. Here’s a quick report on the […]

A Tale of Two Sigs: Adding a Threaded Barrel to ...

This entry was posted in Guns Product Reviews and tagged 556 556 SWAT KNS pivot pin P226 P226 MK 25 Sig Sig Sauer threaded barrel Upgrade on July 26, 2012 by Steve Jenkins (updated 4593 days ago)

Otis Elite Cleaning System — Like most gun owners, I enjoy taking firearms to the range, the woods, or even taking an occasional pot shot at a coyote in the back yard. And, like most gun owners, I’m always looking for tools to make caring for my firearms easier. Call me crazy, but sometimes I […]

Review: Otis Elite Gun Cleaning System

This entry was posted in Guns Product Reviews and tagged cleaning system elite gun cleaning Otis review on July 26, 2012 by Steve Jenkins (updated 4548 days ago)

As you may be aware from one of my previous posts, I decided to ditch both of my analog phone alarm companies in favor of digital monitoring using my Envisalink 2DS adapter which connects my DSC alarm panels to my in-home networks and, along with a host of other features, […]

How to Disable Phone Options on a DSC Alarm Panel ...

This entry was posted in Product Reviews Reference Technology and tagged 2DS alarm disable telephone DSC Envisalink Eyez-On panel on March 6, 2012 by Steve Jenkins (updated 4735 days ago)

Here’s a copy of an email I just sent (on Feb 11, 2012) to the customer service email address and my salesperson at Bedroom Furniture Discounts, from whom my wife and I recently purchased new bedroom furniture. They were fantastic to work with on the sales side, but I think […]

Bedroom Furniture Discounts & Exel Direct’s “White Glove” Delivery Service

This entry was posted in Product Reviews Rants and Raves and tagged AICO Bedroom Furniture Discounts Exel Exel Direct Michael Amini Furniture Villa Valencia on February 11, 2012 by Steve Jenkins (updated 4735 days ago)

Locked House — This is somewhat of a different blog post for me, as I’m starting it before I even know what’s going to be in it. Maybe everything will go smoothly and this will be a boring story of how I made a couple phone calls and quickly and easily cancelled two […]

A Tale of Two Alarm Monitoring Cancellation Requests: Fire Protection ...

This entry was posted in Product Reviews Rants and Raves and tagged alarm alarm monitoring cancel Fire Protection Inc Fire Protection Inc Seattle FPI FPI Seattle monitoring Mountain West Security Mountain West Security Utah MWS on December 20, 2011 by Steve Jenkins (updated 3895 days ago)

As part of our preparations for winter, my wife gently reminded me last week that she’s been asking me to fix the gas fireplaces in the house for months. But as a geek’s geek, I can’t just fix a fireplace, I have to upgrade a fireplace! We have three gas […]

Review: Skytech SKY-5310 Fireplace Remote Control

This entry was posted in Home Theater & Automation Product Reviews Technology and tagged 5310 fireplace fireplace remote gas remote remote control Skytech thermostat on November 8, 2011 by Steve Jenkins (updated 4548 days ago)

Why I’m Canceling my Home Depot Credit Card

This entry was posted in Product Reviews Rants and Raves and tagged cancel discount EcoSmart Home Depot Home Depot Credit Card on September 7, 2011 by Steve Jenkins (updated 4916 days ago)

CTEK OEM Chargers — As some one with a small car collecting problem, I don’t always get a chance to drive all my cars all the time. Some are stored in remote locations. Some are less amenable to rainy weather (the Atom). Some stay parked when gas prices are higher (the Hummer). Some might […]

Review: CTEK Multi US 3300 & Multi US 7002 12-Volt ...

This entry was posted in Cars Product Reviews and tagged 12-volt 12V battery battery charger battery tender car charger charger CTEK CTEK Multi US 3300 CTEK Multi US 7002 CTEK US 800 Ferrari Ferrari battery charger Ferrari CTEK maserati Schumacher trickle charger on August 23, 2011 by Steve Jenkins (updated 4548 days ago)

ecobee Firmware Update Screen — I’ve already discussed most of the pros and cons of the product in my ecobee Smart Thermostat review, and detailed my experiences with installing a second ecobee unit and using the group features. I’ve also documented some of my frustrations with ecobee’s tethered device approach, especially in the rare cases when […]

Installing Ecobee Smart Thermostat #5

This entry was posted in Home Theater & Automation Product Reviews Technology and tagged ecobee remote thermostat smart thermostat thermostat WiFi thermostat on August 12, 2011 by Steve Jenkins (updated 3805 days ago)

iTAC-TDL1 Tactical Light — I picked up a Sig Sauer STL-300J STOPLITE tactical light this week to mount onto my Sig Sauer 556 SWAT. Here’s my review of this accessory. The retail price on this piece (which you’ll pay if you purchase it direct from Sig Sauer) is $215. The street price, however, is […]

Review: Sig Sauer STL-300J STOPLITE Tactical Light

This entry was posted in Guns Product Reviews and tagged front grip iTac ITAC-TDL1 laser LED product review review Sig Sauer STL-300J STOPLITE tactical light on July 25, 2011 by Steve Jenkins (updated 4548 days ago)

As I do a fair amount of air travel, I sometimes convince family members to drop me at the airport, sometimes I use a car service, and sometimes I drive my own car and park it at the airport. For me, the latter is the most convenient, but depending upon […]