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Education The buying advice thread..

Discussion in 'General' started by mars-bar-man, 27 Dec 2013.

  1. julianmartin

    julianmartin resident cyborg.

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    Sonicwall is overkill IMO. Also a bitch to work with as mentioned. I would go Draytek in a heartbeat - nothing else beats them for the SOHO market in terms of price and functionality. British too :D
     
  2. Unicorn

    Unicorn Uniform November India

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    I'm going to see how the eBay auction for the FortiGate goes. If I can get it at decent money it'll do nicely, if not I might be looking for something BNIB. I have to say though Julian, recent Draytek routers have been horrible in my experience and Margon mentioned in my hardware thread that their modern FWs weren't up to much either.
     
  3. adrock

    adrock Caninus Nervous Rex

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    I use a leatherman skeletool cx at both home and work. I got it when i moved hosue as i had a lot of things parcelled, a lot of stuff ariving by post, and an almost constant need for pliers or a screwdrivers while getting things sorted. It's been great.

    I could sue some advice on getting a new TV. Existing 42" random brand one i got 2nd hand is dying (slowly taking longer and longer to turn on). I don't really want to go smaller, but my budget is probably limited to around £400-500 quid. I've been looking at the LG 42LN578V and 613V in the sales, both appear nearly identical and are the same price, and i suspect would be a better panel than my current one. Is there anything obviously better i'm missing? finding comparable reviews for TVs seemed nigh on impossible.

    Also, why do there appear to be no decent options for just a TV? I have a reasonable enough av receiver, decent speakers, and a well configured logitech harmony remote, and my content comes from the ps3 and my htpc. All the tuners, smart functions, fancy remote control options are pointless to me, i just want 1 hdmi input and a decent display </rant>.
     
  4. SuicideNeil

    SuicideNeil What's a Dremel?

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    I work in a kitchen, so no shortage of huge sharp chef knives to borrow if I ever needed one... :worried:
     
  5. mars-bar-man

    mars-bar-man Side bewb.

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    Ended up getting a Leatherman Skeletool, mostly because I didn't need to jump through all the hoops due to all the knife legislation.
     
  6. adrock

    adrock Caninus Nervous Rex

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    good man. i really like mine. I never even considered legislation when i was looking, but i was only considering multi-tools to be fair.
     
  7. mars-bar-man

    mars-bar-man Side bewb.

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    All the knives I was looking at couldn't be bought without being on the electoral roll or sending photocopies of ID, went to Amazon and that wasn't a problem, probably give me more uses than just a knife in the long run as well.
     
  8. Unicorn

    Unicorn Uniform November India

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    Multi tools are ok, but you'll never see me carrying one. There is no substitute for proper tools and proper knife steel, and when it gets to the point where you're never without your toolbox(es) in the boot of the car, there's no need for a pocket tool like a Leatherman.

    I don't understand why you were required to jump through so many hoops to buy a knife Seb. In future, just hit the UK legal section of heinnie.com :thumb:
     
  9. adrock

    adrock Caninus Nervous Rex

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    i work in an office and don't have that much use for tools. I have some at home, but half the time it's easier to use the leatherman from my pocket/bag than to go to the other room, open the toolbox and pick out whichever tool is required, and i certainly don't take them with me anywhere as i don't drive.

    i got the CX model which supposedly has better steel for the blade though i don't imagine it's as good as what you'd get in a 'proper' knife for the same price. I've managed to put a small nick in the blade though i've never noticed it affecting it in use. the pliers and drivers get far more use than the blade does too, at least since i finished most of my DIY and unpacked everything after moving.
     
  10. mrlongbeard

    mrlongbeard Multimodder

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    So you're not in the UK then.
     
  11. Lovah

    Lovah Apple and Canon fanboy

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    I own a Spyderco Military and love it. I would advice anything from Spyderco as they make amazing products. The military is quite big and looks menacing so I rarely carry it in public or to work. I wouldn't use this (expensive) knife to open cardboardboxes though...

    I also have a few Leatherman Wave multitools and love them to bits. They have two blades, one serated and one straight. They are great tools and I think everyone should own one.

    Cardboard destroys knife edges like rocks, so for your purposes I would suggest something that you can sharpen easily or, even better, one of those folding knives that use a replaceable blade. Like an ordinary box-cutter but a bit more fancy looking.
     
    Last edited: 2 Jan 2014
  12. adrock

    adrock Caninus Nervous Rex

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    you've just reminded me why i got the skeletool CX :) the regular has a combi blade, half straight half serrated, and i figured that's be a pain to sharpen, so i got the CX with a straight blade. I think you can get either model with either blade, it was just difficult to tell which listings were offering which.
     
  13. Almightyrastus

    Almightyrastus On the jazz.

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    OK, as far as knives in the UK go, there are very few which are flat out illegal (automatic opening ones, balisongs, gravity opening and so on), assisted opening ones are fine ( I have 2 Kershaws myself) and if you are after something that won't be carried then get what you want.

    However, if you want something you can keep in your pocket without worry then keep in mind that it needs to have a blade length of less than 3", be a folding design which does not lock.

    My 2 recommendations for something which fits those requirements are either:

    [​IMG]

    Spyderco UK Penknife (first generation one in my pocket now)

    or

    [​IMG]

    CRKT Liong Mah #5 (or the #6 if you want part serrations).
     
  14. Shirty

    Shirty W*nker! Super Moderator

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    Time to rename this "The Knife Buying Advice Thread" ;)
     
    G0UDG likes this.
  15. jinq-sea

    jinq-sea 'write that down in your copy book' Super Moderator

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    That's because guns are for show, but knives are for pros.
     
  16. Almightyrastus

    Almightyrastus On the jazz.

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    Works for me :)
     
  17. Shirty

    Shirty W*nker! Super Moderator

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    Here's my daily driver:

    [​IMG]
     
  18. mars-bar-man

    mars-bar-man Side bewb.

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    Bring this thread back.

    This time I need a new office chair. And something that will help my bad back, something that will support me really. I can afford up to £400 for it. Reason being? I've recently started having back pain again and I can't see my old specialist, and to be honest, the NHS weren't overly helpful last time. What would you guys recommend?
     
  19. julianmartin

    julianmartin resident cyborg.

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    Oh right? Maybe the quality has dropped. What were the routers like/wrong with them?
     
  20. G0UDG

    G0UDG helping others costs nothing

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    My CPU Cooler has failed big time got to buy a new one going with Corsair can't decide whether to go with the H100i or H110 I'm mostly just interested in better performance so thinking the H110 what do you guys and gals think
     

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