Author Profile Page for: derwood

I received this drill a couple of years ago as a birthday gift.  It was actually included as part of a set, which also included a circular trim saw, a fluorescent work light, a reciprocating saw, a battery charger, and a couple of 19.2 volt batteries.  Prior to receiving this drill, I had been using a Black & Decker 12 volt cordless drill/driver which served me well for several ye...

When I started to become interested in cooking a few years ago, I found that I had outgrown the cheap set of dull knives that I owned, and decided that it was time for an upgrade.  I read some information online, then shopped around a little bit and found a very nice set of knives at a local department store, so I decided to give them a try.The knives that I selected were a six piece set o...

With everything I had heard about the threat of identity theft, I was convinced that I should invest in a personal paper shredder to destroy any of my sensitive documents before I threw them away.  I originally decided on an inexpensive shredder, but that one failed within a year when it overheated, and then shortly afterward the gears inside the shredder mechanism stripped.  When I p...

This drive turned out to be one of the better deals that I've been fortunate to come across.  A couple of years ago, one of the local computer stores was closing down, and they were liquidating their remaining inventory.  I made several visits to the store during their clearance, and picked up various items that I had been wanting.  On the last visit that I made, I saw that t...

Several years ago I owned a set of Bose home theater speakers, and I thought they were pretty decent at the time.  I was still pretty new to home audio back then, and I admit that I was taken in by Bose's excellent marketing.  I really didn't have an idea of how a "good" set of speakers should sound, though, until I paid a visit to the local high-end home audio deale...

It seems like nearly every device nowadays requires some form of battery to operate, and for years the most popular battery type seems to have been the AA.  AA batteries are available from many different makers, and for many different prices, but they are not all equal.  The top of the line AA battery that I have encountered is the E2 Lithium AA battery made by Energizer.   While...

I've owned a multi-tool for several years, but I've always kept it in my car in case of emergencies while I'm on the road.  I've always liked the convenience of an all-in-one tool, and recently decided that I wanted purchase one for my use around the house.  After comparing many different models from several different companies, I settled on the Victorinox SwissTool Sp...

All through my years in school, I hated using those old yellow pencils that needed to be sharpened all the time.  It seemed like the tip of my pencil would always be too dull for my liking, or would always break off whenever I needed it the most.  When I discovered the joy of using a mechanical pencil, though, those problems became a thing of my past.  By far, the mechanical penc...

Ever since I started using a computer on a daily basis, I've found that I no longer enjoy those times that I'm forced to put pen to paper and write something by hand.  The only thing that can help make that task more palatable for me now, is if I have a nice, comfortable pen to use.  There are a lot of nice pens out there for some outrageous prices, but for me, the pen I prefe...

I've been through about 3 sets of tires on my current car, and I have not found one brand or model that I want to stick with yet.  Basically, everytime I need a new set of tires, I end up trying a new brand or style, in a continual search for tires that I'm completely happy with.  The latest tires I've tried are "BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDWS" Ultra High Performanc...

When I was growing up, my family owned two Chrysler Town & Country minivans, and I've logged thousands upon thousands of miles as a backseat passenger, as well as several hundred miles as the driver in both of them.  This review will be based upon my experence as a passenger. Being from a family that liked to travel, we needed a vehicle that would accommodate 5 people and their lu...

Normally I'm very skeptical of any "as seen on TV" items that are sold through those 30 minute "infomercials" late at night.  However, on rare occasions I'll see one offering something that looks like a good idea, and it turns out to be something that I could actually use.  Such was the case with the FoodSaver Vac 750 vacuum sealer that I purchased a few ye...

From the ability to remove the lid from a tight jar, to delivering a firm handshake after a business meeting, having a strong grip can be very helpful in a person's everyday life.   If you are interested in developing your grip strength, I highly recommend that you consider the "Captains of Crush" series of hand grippers from Iron Mind.  Their all-metal construction feel...

For the past 5 years my daily driver has been a Subaru Impreza WRX sedan, and I could not be happier.  This car is an ideal combination of utility and performance, which works just as well as a daily driver to and from the grocery store, as it does on the open highway.  If you ever want to have just a little more fun, all you need to do is press slightly harder on the gas pedal. The ...

If you're like me, you've been up and down the pharmacy aisles and have tried countless allergy products looking for the desired amount of relief, without the drowsy side effects.  I've spent years searching for the product that would work for my seasonal allergies, and I cannot be happier that I've found Claritin-D 12 hour non-drowsy tablets.  Normally, to me, spring ...

The Linksys WRT54G Wireless Router has been part of my home network for the past few years, and throughout that time it's performed very well.  It offers both wired and wireless connectivity, allowing you to connect all of your networked devices, and the web-based configuration utility allows for easy access to all of the basic and advanced setup features.Several security features are ...

I use these markers just about everyday at work and at home to label the CDs/DVDs that I've created.  The ultra-fine tip is perfect for writing a large amount of information in a small amount of space, and the ink dries quick enough that your writing is smudge-proof in a matter of seconds.  There is a slight "marker-type" odor when remove the cap, but it is not too bad.&...

This camera is the first and only digital camera that I've owned so far, and I am still quite happy with it.  Sure some of the newer cameras may offer a more compact size, a larger display, or higher resolution, but for my purposes this camera still does the job that I want it to do, and then some.   Along with being a very good point-and-shoot camera, the Canon S45 also offers a ...

For several years, this was just about the only PC I used at home.  Even though I had a couple of others available to me, I used this one on a daily basis to perform almost every computer-related task I needed. In fairness, I have to mention that this is the only laptop that I've ever owned, so I may not have a wide frame of reference for my observations and comparisons.  I do hav...

I had one of these drives attached to my keyring for several years.  During that time it was bumped, banged, dropped, kicked, sat on, submerged in water, and rattled against my keys on multiple occasions, with no problems.  In other words, these things are durable.I used a couple different drives prior to this one, but I kept losing the caps to them.  That's what originally d...