Boss Audio KIT-2 Complete 8 Gauge Amplifier Installation Kit Review. 8 Gauge Amplifier Installation Kit...

 "just the right parts at the right time and price" 2009-12-20
By Tom Paine (socialist occupied Maryland)

Judging from a lot of the reviews here people seemed to be expecting more. Like expecting to pay more for the same or less. I looked at several kits here and elsewhere and I went ahead and ordered this for installing a Boss Bass1200 in a Tacoma pickup (I don't need to rock the car next to me, just me and my passengers). The fuse holder alone costs as much elsewhere (I saw the exact one) as the who kit does here. I don't do this professionally. Install car audio components. I don't have a tool drawer full of 8 gauge wires and nuts and crimp-on fittings (well, some) so this kit looked like the right thing and is enough to do the job with stuff left over. I've got a few niches open in my toolbox to fill. If you're a pro, or a wannabe-pro, I'm not talking to you. If you're a new car owner or someone just trying to upgrade his/her car stereo and you need a kit like this, buy it. It's a good deal.

 "Perfect for the BOSS Audio Compact Sub" 2008-06-29
By N. Miller (Richmond, VA USA)

I used this kit with a BOSS compact sub. It installed perfectly into a 2000 Jeep Cherokee. I would definitely buy this item again, even if I wasn't installing a BOSS sub. Its pretty flexible and provided me with plenty of wiring. I would recommend it without hesitation.

 "Boss Audio Kit-2 Subwoofer installation kit" 2009-11-14
By Paul M. Toscano (New York State)

Thanks to the reviews on Amazon when I purchased a new BOSS Audio sub-woofer for my truck, there was mention of this kit and how beneficial it was in completing installation. It made the install go much more smoothly than I could have imagined. From start to finish it took me an hour and ten minutes to run all the wiring (nicely hidden I might add), mount the sub, make all connections between the battery, sub and head unit, and have the music playing.



For the money, the sub and installation kit are a great deal. You'll get your money's worth.



I honestly think BOSS Audio should include this kit with their sub and raise the price to reflect the addition. It would just make things easier.

 "Boss Audio 8-gauge amp kit" 2010-04-30
By A. Madison (California)

Everything I needed to wire my amp, quality components and ring terminals and thick wires. The speaker wire it came with was great too. Don't dump a ton of $ of Monster Cables, just because they have a name. It's good stuff and I recommend this kit. For around $12 you absolutely can't go wrong.

 "Everything needed for an 8 Gauge Kit" 2009-06-27
By L. Mattera (Rhode Island)

If you aren't looking to go into competition or anything than these are perfect. The wires are all what they claim, and they are pretty good 8 Gauge at that. This is perfect if you are looking to get pretty loud sound, but nothing to make your car fall apart. 5/5 if this is what youre looking for. I love Boss Audio, they rarely let me down.

3 in 1 iPod Charger Kit, Home/Travel Charger, Car Charger, Retractable USB kit. Review. Power to the music with a car charger adapter that allows using your iPod on the road. IC Chip Technology to prevent back-flow current and your iPod from excessive electrical loads Compact design and retractable coil cord are made for easy storage. Best replacement for the original iPod Home/Travel/Car Charger. Need to charge your iPod at work or when going out of town? Don't even bother to unplug the original one from home. Simply carry an extra handy and light travel charger and you can charge yours anytime, anywhere!...

 "iphone charger combo" 2009-07-09
By Cookie (USA)

this is a fantastic product. You get 3 chargers for less than the cost of one. Love the retractable cord.

 "Good product" 2010-09-23
By ecarbonell621

The products are good but I had one problem with my order I receive two home chargers instead of my car charger as orderedwith the home charger but I did not both sending back as it is too time consuming

 "Great Product and Customer Service" 2008-09-24
By G. Herzog (Jacksonville, FL United States)

These products work very well and are much less expensive than what apple sells. Also, the seller went out of his way to make sure I was happy with my purchase.

 "Great for everything" 2009-01-19
By V. Reese

This is perfect for everything. Eliminates the need for multiple chargers. Plug it in your wall, your PC or your car. Retractable cord makes for a neater work space and storage. Very cheap, definitely worth the $$.

 "3 in one i phone charger kit" 2009-04-16
By

This was by far the best deal ever on a charging system for my i phone. I love the ease of the retractable cord that comes with the usb cable. It worked flawlessly in my car and at home. I would highly recommend this product due to price, quality, looks, and ease of use.

Garmin nüvi 1350 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished) Review. The widescreen nüvi 1350 redefines portable, affordable navigation. This ultra-thin GPS has preloaded maps for North America, announces streets by name, guides you to the proper lane for navigation, offers pedestrian navigation options and calculates a more fuel-efficient route with ecoRoute™. What's in the box: • Nuvi 1350 (Refurbished) GPS • Preloaded City Navigator NT • Vehicle Suction Cup Mount • Power Cable • Dashboard Disc • Manual...

 "Good choice for me" 2010-09-05
By Freetogo

I tried to research the various GPS auto units and chose the Garmin nuvi 1350. Mainly because of the features I wanted and Garmin's reputation. So far I've not been disappointed. I had no problem buying a refurbished unit along with the three year warranty. The routing to my house is not the best but then we live in a rural area. In a strange location/city we will have to rely on the Garmin's directions. The 1350 has been easy to learn and use right out of the box. If you need the complete owners manual it's on line ready to download. I've emailed Garmin tech support several times and they have always answered within 2-3 days. Anyhow, I'm satisfied and would buy a 1350 again.

 "I like it" 2010-09-17
By Mayhem

This is a great little unit. We took it out of the box, plugged it into the computer, updated the software, updated the maps, and then we hit the open road and it worked like a charm.



Like so many others, I couldn't tell it wasn't brand new.



The one thing that many people may not like is that it didn't include a USB cord but we have so many laying around that it didn't matter to us.



I highly recommend this product.

 "Great deal" 2010-09-25
By Irviner

This is my second Garmin! I used to have a Garmin C330 and this 1350 is more powerful than the C330. I especially love the lane assistance function, which is very helpful in LA area.

From the appearance, I can not tell if it is completely new or refurbished. Considering the price, I have nothing to complain about.

 "Good working product and awesome price!!" 2010-10-09
By Pavlo Kovalenko

Very good GPS. Find quickly Satellites and same fast calculates route.

As refurbished item came in original box. Manual was missing. Bright dot on the left top corner of the screen was probably the reason for return. I do not care. It is not a laptop or TV. Very good price for refurbished.

Pros:

Can see all turns before trip.

Quick switch to see the whole map.

Detailed maps for local businesses.

LOUD!!!

Can easily calculate distance from US to literally any city in Europe.

Handy calculator, picture viewer.

Fast update for maps.

Cons:

Refurbished

 "Garmin" 2010-07-04
By Debra A. Sweet (Dover, DE)

So far the Garmin has been great. We got it earlier than expected, which worked out great. Very happy with the whole process.

3M Headlight Lens Restoration System Review. Plastic lenses can yellow with age, reducing headlight brightness, and new lenses can be expensive. The 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System lets you shine and restore plastic lenses, including headlights, taillights, fog and directional lights. By restoring clarity to the lens, the performance of the headlight is improved and the appearance of the vehicle is enhanced Now you can produce professional results with the 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System and a household drill (1200-1600 rpm). Kit includes all items necessary to perform the task except for the drill, tape and clean cloth....

 "Pleasantly Surprised" 2008-10-08
By Daugenet Breaux (Charleston, SC)

I own an 11 year old car and the headlights had become significantly glazed over. The only thing the drill doesnt come with is a drill. (which would really drive up the cost of the kit) The steps are pretty easy to restore your headlight



1. Clean the headlight and tape around the headlight edgeds to protect the paint job.

2. Use the "yellow" sanding disk with the drill attachment. The headlight will take on a more cloudy, but uniform, appearance

3. Use the "white" disk and smooth out the surface

4. Use the "gray" disk (with water) and begin the polishing of the surface

5. Finally use the "orange" foam disk with the polishing compound and complete the job.



Instructions are included with the kit and are pretty straightforward. I would say that anyone can do this job in approximately 2 hours or less. The drill attachment is WELL worth the money.



I was actually able to do two cars with one kit. Obviously this will depend on the condition of your headlights. I would recommend buying one kit per car though.



When using the kit I actually wiped off the "dust" that was created between steps. This wasnt mentioned in the instructions but I dont feel that it effected the results either. If you do the same thing then you will not see much of the "white slurry" described in the instructions when using the gray disk.



I hope this review helps and I will try to check back later to see if anyone has some comments that need answering.

 "SAVED ME HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS" 2008-09-07
By Michael H (Indiana, USA)

WOW! I drive a 12 year old car that is in very good shape, with the exception of the headlight lenses. I looked into replacements, they were priced at over $100 each, ouch! So while in the local AutoZone I found this kit for 17 bucks, and thought why not give it a try. It took less than an hour to have my headlights looking like new. It was also very easy to use, with all the supplies in the kit all I had to furnish was a drill. Easy, Inexpensive, and it works! I will tell everyone I know how great this product is!!

 "Shining Results" 2008-11-30
By Mike M. (Long Valley, NJ)

I was a bit sceptical about how effective this product could be for its relatively very low price. The competitive "3 and 4 stage" type products cost at least three times the price and are a lot more involved to apply. However, the 3M results were truly impressive. You do have to follow the instructions and be sure to use the foam cushion backing pad included in the kit as well as a drill with the recommended RPMs. With that said, you will get truly impressive results at a cost less than any other do-it-yourself product and certainly well below the hundred dollar plus you would have to pay a professional shop. Definitely a "best buy" and highly recommended!

 "Fantastic Product - I thought my lens was beyond repair. Not so!" 2009-07-19
By Art Diefenbach (Newport Beach, CA)

This product is just incredible. I have a 6 year old Jetta which had deep pits in the headlight lenses. They looked like they had been sand blasted. [...]. The results were fantastic. The lenses now look as good as new.



Some tips from my experience:

1. If you're going to wash your car the same day as you restore the lenses, wash after you do the lenses. Some plastic dust blows around and there is some spatter on the wet sand.

2. Be sure to really protect the surrounding paint. 3M recommends two layers of automotive masking tape, which I did. But I did cut through in two places with the edge of the sandpaper. So if there is any chance of touching the body of you car with the edge of the sandpaper, put on 3 or 4 layers of tape.

3. The kit comes with plenty of supplies: sandpaper and plastic polish. The directions warn that there may not be enough supplies, but I had plenty left over, although admittedly the Jetta headlights aren't that large. I don't see any need to buy the kit with the large bottles of plastic cleaner and polish unless you need that stuff for other projects.

4. I followed the directions exactly. I went the extra mile of doing extra passes on each level of sanding to insure I got out all the original damage and then each level of sanding scratches. I got as uniform level of appearance as I could. As the instructions say doing more at each level makes the next level easier. I also ended each level with a few passes with lower pressure.

5. I'd say the only tricky part is holding the drill steady while you sand away. It can jump around if you're not careful. I set up a stool with the appropriate height so I could rest my forearm that was holding the drill on my thigh. I held the drill with both hands and then moved it steadily across the lens. I sanded the whole lens with horizontal passes overlapping on each pass and then repeated vertical passes. I used about 10 total passes at each level.



Each lens took me about 30-45 minutes. I was skeptical that my damage could be repaired. But there is absolutely no evidence of the original damage and the lenses look as good as new. It is so satisfying to see the results, what a difference.



Oh, and the price is a terrific bargain too.

 "Highly Recommended." 2009-05-10
By Jared Bishop (Madison, WI USA)

This kit allowed me to restore all four lenses on my 1997 Chevy Silverado to like new condition. It contains easy to follow instructions and most of the materials for doing a few different lenses. To make the kit last longer, I suggest purchasing some 400 grit sandpaper and working the lenses by hand before switching to the 500 grit disks contained in the kit. If your lenses are heavily oxidized, the 500 grit disks will clog quickly. Using the 400 grit first not only speeds up the process, it will extend the life of the kit.

Garmin 5-Inch Carrying Case (Black) Review. The open window design of this new case allows the user to access the nuvi 1490T's Travel Companion features such as Route Planner....

 "Excellent case" 2009-11-06
By T. Nguyen (CA)

Good leather for the exterior. Nice cushion inside; it fits the 1490t snugly. The case is not bulky, but is also thick enough to protect the large screen.



There is a cut-out for the screen: perfect for pedestrian mode.



If you are planning on carrying the 1490t with you frequently (walking), this case would add a lot of security.

 "Perfect fit for the 1490t." 2009-10-21
By Darcal (Northern Jersey)

This case fits the Garmin nuvi 1490t perfectly. It has a magnetic closure which is excellent. The quality is also pretty good and is well made. There's a cutout once you open the flap so that you can view the screen of the 1490t which I have no use for since I only use my PND to navigate. But other than that, I highly recommend this case if you have a 1490t, especially since it's the only one available for this 5" screen PND.

 "Garmin Sat Nav 1490T Carrying Case" 2009-11-07
By 3cultures (Spain)

The Garmin sat nav carrying case for the 5" 1490T was or still is not available in the UK.

The 1490T is only 14mm thick and is perfect for carrying with you after leaving your car, without the necessity to hide the device in the car.

It is therefore necessary to have a carrying case, both for convenience and protection of the piano black finish of the the device.

I looked at several other cases and whilst, I am sure they would have fulfilled their purpose, they failed in matching the design and quality of the Garmin product.

If I wanted protection for the device immediately after it was received I had no choice but to buy the case through Amazon US.

The item was less expensive in the US but of course higher shipping costs were involved. For me it was worth it.

As usual with Amazon the service and despatch was both quick and efficient.

 "Quality case and beautiful looking" 2009-12-01
By Supersnake

There are no negatives, this is a quality made case. Perfect fit for my 1490T and looks beautiful.

Nice leather construction, when the lid opens your screen is enclosed in an open perimeter leather frame. When closed the leather closer remains closed by a magnetic clasp. Nothing cheap looking here. Very nice, thick padded leather with tight stitching. Perfect for transporting when using in pedestrian mode or when removed from your automobile.

 "Perfect for my 1490T" 2010-05-20
By R.R. Gentleman (Round Rock, Texas)

My 1490T got a big scratch across the screen after owning it for only 1 week. Immediately I knew I had to protect this fragile screen a bit better. I don't like trying to find aftermarket protection equipement, so when I found this on Amazon, I purchased it. Sure it's a little pricier than the others on the market, but the fit is perfect. It's not too tight or too big. It allows me to easily remove it from the case, or open the front flap and search for something quickly. There is a magnetic closure that keeps the flap closed. If I could think of one improvement it would be to design the flap to stay open a little easier when I am working with the unit in the case. The leather is a little too stiff on the hinge of the flap. Even with that small issue, I give this unit 5 stars. I highly recommend it if you're looking to protect your Garmin Navigation unit.

Magellan RoadMate 5045-LM 5-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Maps and Traffic Review. The RoadMate 5045-LM is a 5-inch GPS navigator perfect for any size vehicle. The huge 5-inch screen is 35% larger than a standard 4.3-inch screen. No need to worry about finding your way, since you get lifetime map updates included with the RoadMate 5045-LM. Get free lifetime map updates! The RoadMate 5045-LM includes free map updates for the life of the navigator. Never again worry about finding the restaurant in a new part of town or locating the new parking garage. You will always have the latest available maps. Premium features include lifetime traffic alerts, highway lane assist, OneTouch favorites, highway exit POI, Built-in AAA TourBook and maps of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Magellan has partnered with the most trusted name in travel--AAA. Only Magellan products include the exclusive, built-in AAA TourBook with Diamond ratings and descriptions on AAA-approved places to stay, play, dine, and save. Personalize your travel experience with the OneTouch menu...

 "Magellan RoadMate 5045 is a winner" 2010-07-13
By B. Cathcart (L.A. area)

I previously had a Magellan Maestro from 2006 but it recently was stolen. I loved the unit and wanted to replace it. When I found this RoadMate for under $200, I thought I would give it a try. I have several observations:

1. 2010 maps provide a lot better navigation experience than the old ones from 2006.

2. RoadMate has a comparatively huge display that is very appealing

3. RoadMate does not support voice command, while Maestro did/does. However, I was never able to train the voice command system to consistently accept my voice commands. Not only do I not miss this feature, I somewhat prefer not having voice command, obviating any temptation to use it.

4. RoadMate traffic alerts work well, especially since unlimited usage is included at no charge, ever. A small triangle display shows a red border when an incident exists en route or near. There is no audible announcement. One must tap the icon to see a summary. Often but far from always, at least one alternative route will be offered. Simply tap the appropriate "detour" icon to change to that alternative route. One must tap the "Report" button from the summary screen to see a map indicating all incidents. That is slightly tedious, but I cannot think of a more efficient way to do it. The major downside is that sometimes I have run into traffic jams that were not reported. I don't think I can legitimately blame the unit for that. Overall I find the traffic feature useful and intuitive.

5. This unit gives audio directions along with the visual. The audio is much less verbose than the Maestro, and therefore I find it greatly improved. It also is a lot smarter about calculating routes. Older maps often routed me circuitously. This unit almost always chooses sensible routes.

6. Use the auto-expand feature to better select the proper lanes through an intersection, turn, or other situation, such as a freeway split. This is a big improvement over the older models.

7. Overall, navigation is greatly improved. The timing of audio cues is much more appropriate. For example, the chimes indicating a turn come only after passing the last possible wrong turn. Still, they keep up. For example, I have made three quick freeway ramp changes, one after another, and the lane directions were still in time to be followed.

8. Magellan and AAA data bases for "points of Interest" are separate and often must be queried separately to find all "hits". This is only a slight inconvenience, noticeable mostly when using "Search by Name". The "one touch" feature is nice, but actually I have little use of it. If you have many many addresses, it could be very useful. I also like the address book having a lot of new features where a lot of information can be entered. All good stuff.



Overall, I rate this an excellent unit at the price point of under $200. I would purchase it again preferentially over the $350 Maestro. Then again, I don't use voice command.

 "Great Product! Great Price!" 2010-07-27
By Mr. Siu-chor P. Ying (New York, USA)

This is my second Magellan GPS, I had a Magellan Maestro 4000 that only contained maps of the 48 U.S. States. Could not buy/update new maps on it...ie: Canada. Bought the Magellan 5045 Roadmate....What a Difference! Fast Response time, Fast Satellite aquistion, slimmer and smaller windshield mounting footprint. I had compared the 5045, 3065, and the 1700. The 1700 had a massive screen 7", too big for ordinary dasboards, the 3065 had everything the 5045 had plus Bluetooth capability, which I didn't need, but the 5045 had the 5" screen...which as Goldilocks would say "It was just right!" Have used it several times and LOVE IT!

 "Did everything it was supposed to do" 2010-08-18
By EddieP

We bought the Magellan Roadmate 5045 prior to departing on a trip to New York, where we drove a rental car to several places up state and on Long Island. The Magellan was a life saver. It made driving in unfamiliar territory a breeze. The clear, concise directions took us where we wanted to go easily, and literally right to the door. The one time we took a wrong exit, it immediately rerouted us and had us back on course. The huge screen compared to other models is a plus, making it so easy to see the route. However, since we mainly followed the clear spoken directions, the screen size was not critical. Overall, it did what it was supposed to do, maybe more, and I highly recommend it.

 "We are happy with this." 2010-09-27
By Bob (California, USA.)

We bought this over 14 months ago (not from Amazon), and it works just fine, no complain what so ever, and the price is affordable. The traffic part was useful to us only a few times, can't say much positive about the traffic maps since not used it as often as I thought we would.

 "Review for Magellan Roadmate" 2010-08-04
By Mary W. Curry (Hawkinsville, GA United States)

Excellent service. We love this product and it has worked beautifully on trips. It is great to have help when you are driving in unfamiliar city, and congested streets as well as freeway exits.

Peltor H10A Optime 105 Over-the-Head Earmuff Review. ...

 "Outstanding in noise reduction and more" 2004-06-08
By (Arlington, VA USA)

Put these on and turn on your shop vac and you will be amazed how much noise reduction these earmuffs provides. In addition, the ear pieces are very soft and extremely comfortable. Wear them to be near any machinery or mowing your lawn and your ears will thank you.

 "Outstanding quality, comfort, and noise reduction..." 2006-01-04
By Victor H. Agresti (Gaithersburg, MD United States)

Peltor Earmuffs # H10A



I own several brands of earmuff hearing protectors, since I use so many loud tools. The Peltor's are the best in every category, which is why I own several. The soft ear pieces are the most comfortable, they are light, they are high quality, they block almost all sound, and they are adjustable for head size. Wearing glasses is not an issue with these, as they contour themselves over the temples.



I wear them when breaking a pool rack (e.g., eight ball), because with wooden floors, that's really LOUD. I use them in the yard when running lawn equipment and put them on every time I use a loud shop tool such as a table saw. The real test is using a palm nailer in a confined space, which is a so loud, that your hearing could be damaged without protection.



Unquestionably a 5-star product!

 "WHAT? I can't hear you! Oh, yeah, I can't hear ANYTHING!" 2004-01-07
By Kona (Emerald City)

The Peltor H10A Hearing Protector ear muffs really do the job! I ordered them to help eliminate the annoying whine of my computer tower. You know the kind of sound...very slight, but so high-pitched it goes straight to your ear drums and drills a hole till you can't STAND it anymore!! Why am I SHOUTING!? Well, you can see how I had to do something to preserve my sanity.



I received the Peltor set and man, oh man, does it eliminate sound!! What pc whine? What pc! This headset completely elimates those little sounds that drive you crazy. I recommend it for those who have noisy neighbors or roommates, barking dogs, drippy faucets, etc. It is amazing. Loud noises can still be heard, so the headset does not interfere with normal life and is not a safety hazard. They are comfortable on the ears, are fairly lightweight, and fit very(!) snugly.



If you can't concentrate due to small, annoying noises, you would probably benefit from using this headset. The price is very reasonable, considering the benefits.

 "Peltor H10A earmuff is quiet!" 2005-09-05
By G. McGowan (Georgia USA)

This product significantly reduces the noise reaching my ears.



I wear these earmuffs three to seven hours a day while performing technical work in an industrial area where vacuum cleaners, air hoses, high frequency whines/squeals from electronic equipment, and boom boxes (why these people want to add to the noise level defies comprehension) are common.



It is impossible to carry on a conversation while wearing this product; you cannot hear what anyone is saying unless they shout, and even then, it is difficult to understand them.



I considered noise cancellation headphones, but rejected them because most of the annoying noises in my workspace are percussive, impact-type noises of a non-repeating nature. Noise cancellation headphones work best with steady-state noises.



Although the earmuff is a bit snug (lots of pressure against the side of my head), I am reluctant to spread the earmuffs apart for fear of decreasing the excellent sound deadening ability of the product. In addition, my ears are somewhat large for the available space inside the earmuff. I compensate for these "problems" by making frequent small adjustments in the earmuff's position on my head.



I highly recommend the Peltor H10A earmuff. I own a 17db Peltor product that I use while mowing the lawn, and fully intent to replace them with the 30db version.

 "Excellent Hearing Protection" 2004-01-02
By (Glenmoore, PA USA)

These earmuffs are extremely comfortable. They are fully adjustable and I even can wear them over a baseball cap. You won't believe how quiet it is with these on. My air compressor is the loudest in my shop. With these on it is only a whisper.

I order the best because I wanted to want to use them. I am very satisfied.

GOgroove FlexPort+ Car Mount System with NEW Signal Intensifying FM Transmitter and Charger for Apple iPhone 4 / iPhone 3G / 3GS / iPod / touch / nano / classic - Hands-Free iPhone Call Capability - DC Grip-Stabilizing Mount Design Review. The GOgroove FlexPort+Play, Charge, and Mount your Apple iPhone or iPod ON THE GO!Works with ALL PREVIOUS and LATEST Generations of iPod and iPhone.Play Music Through Your Car Speakers!Sound quality is SUPERIOR to most any FM Transmitter on the market, and now features an enhanced FM Transmitting Chipset with DC Surge Protection. A well designed display and easy to use frequency finder, makes tuning into your music simple!Make and Receive Calls on your iPhone Hands-Free while driving!Equipped with a convenient Hands-Free Audio Port, it's easy to use your phone while driving. DC Stabilizer, Flexible Neck and Fully Articulating Head Provides a Perfect Fit in Nearly ANY Car!The GOgroove FlexPort+ plugs into AND grips the inside of your DC Car Outlet (Cigarette Lighter Socket). With its flexible neck and rotating head, you can adjust in seconds to fit nearly any make or model. Holds Your iPod or iPhone SecurelyAdjustable locking arms with cushioned rubber grips, and a non-slip rest make th...

 "Good FM Transmitter, does the job" 2010-03-09
By Blu-estLight (The Beach)

I have the previous version of this product, and decided to try the new one.



It's a good FM transmitter when it comes to sound. The quality of the music is excellent compared to a lot of FM transmitters on the market. It's pretty easy to use, you just match the FM station on the Flexpod to the station on your car radio. It does what you expect it to do.



Some improvements from the old Flexpod are:

-New hands-free call microphone

-Rubberized DC barrel for better grip in the outlet

-Surge protection

-Black silicon rubber grips with wider wings to fit more iPhones and iPods with cases

-Fully rotating head so you can view it in landscape or vertical

-Better FM chipset



It performs well just like the old one, but with the added features the product has deinfitely taken a step up.



Hands-free can be tricky sometimes. Call quality is REALLY GOOD when you have a good station with little interference, and when you have 4 or 5 bars. If conditions aren't very good, the call quality can have some static. With the old version, sometimes people would have a hard time hearing my voice(due to interfence or something i'm not sure why...), but now there is a mini built-in microphone that picks up voice so that problem seems to be fixed with this new version.



I have friends that have Belkin and Griffin brands, but the FM signal doesn't seem to be as good... I like mine, and I think they paid something like $70.00 from costco for theirs.

 "So much more than advertised." 2010-04-08
By Paul Muehlenbeck

The flexpod is sold as an iPhone accessory, but it is so so so much more. I bought an iPhone and ordered the flexpod, and after a few weeks I traded in the iPhone and got an Android phone. Thinking that I would either return or gift the product on arrival right before a long road trip, I decided to unbox it and take it along considering a lot of my team has iPhones. Our rental car became the envy of the convoy on the way to our regatta. Here's why.



1. Since the Flexpod attaches to the 3.5mm headphone jack, it is not limited to just iPhones.

2. Quality was incredibly clear. We had people with official i-whatevers (can't use brand name) and they weren't nearly as good. No static, even when passing stations that overlapped the FM band.

3. The adjustable holder held everything from an iPhone to a Sansa CLIP+ (very very small) and included padding to make the fit.

4. USB on the side. Meaning anyone with a usb charging cable could play AND charge their device.

5. It is very sturdy and holds everything very well whether in landscape or upright position.



With 15 hours of driving, 4 different drivers and 6 people total we used the Flexpod with

An iPhone 3G and 3GS, A motorola Backflip, A Nexus One, Zune HD, Ipod, and a Sansa CLIP+.



We did have some strange moments where an iPhone wouldn't charge while playing music, and then it would. Minor, and only happened once.

Everything charged except my Backflip, which seemed to get not quite enough juice to keep it from death when it was below 15% charge. It did keep it at 15% for over an hour of playback, so it seemed to be getting juice from USB.



Short story is I'll be recommending this product AND the company for as long as this device keeps doing what it's doing. I'm still waiting to see what happens in a stress test, but it's certainly over done itself in my book. I'll be keeping it.

 "Excellent Clear Sound" 2010-04-05
By Ben (Miami, FL)

After shopping around for a long time for a transmitter....i settled on this one because of reviews. The sound quality is excellent, not one ounce of static. the setup was extremely easy. the transmitter also acts as a charger also which saves space and time. I have the Iphone 3GS and have no issues with this unit. I paid $30 for this unit and it has since gone up in price. the arm is easily positioned in any layout.

 "Great product - absolutely love it!" 2010-03-30
By Corey Oshaughnessy (Omaha, USA)

I researched FM transmitters and saw that this one was rated highly and had many great reviews. It was a little more expensive but with all the positive reviews I knew I was getting a quality product. When I received the transmitter I set it up immediately - which literally took about 10 seconds.



The sound quality is awesome - the flexibility and manueverability of the arm and holder are great, and the best thing to me is that my ipod is charging the entire time i'm listening to it. This is a great product - look no further...

 "Works as advertised... and then some!" 2010-06-30
By Scott

I bought this piece of equipment for my girl who couldn't use her iPhone or iPod's in her car. She had no jack and I didn't want to mess with taking the stereo out to install an RF adapter that would intercept the signal. I've used FM transmitters in the past and they've been a mixed bag. This product, however, outshines all I've used in the past. It's extremely simple to get going, the quality of the sound is excellent for this type of device, and while we used it in her car, experienced no issues with outside radio interference. A must buy if you want to use your iDevices in the car without having to modify your stereo!

Bosch 4816 Evolution All-Season Bracketless Wiper Blade - 16" Review. Bracketless wiper blades, also known as beam blades, are designed without the metal or plastic brackets, joints or hinges of conventional wiper blades. So snow and ice have nowhere to build up. In addition, the patented design of Bosch Evolution features dual precision-tensioned steel springs that distribute more uniform pressure along the entire length of the blade for exceptional all-weather visibility....

 "No complaints, streaks, or squeaks!" 2008-05-22
By Jeremy Haggard (Central Arkansas)

I ordered the Bosch 19" and 21" wipers for my 2002 Honda Civic as a part of a Buy One Bosch Blade Get One Free [...]. I probably would've never considered trying Bosch windshield blades otherwise, but I'm so happy I did.



With my previous blades that I got during an oil change at a quick-lube shop, I got a lot of streaking and squeaking whenever I used them. Every time I encountered a rain storm, I had to abide the same consistent, annoying noise if I didn't want to compromise my own safety. It was very difficult to bear.



Even after I pulled the trigger on buying the blades, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to install them on my car because of my lack of automotive know-how. When they came, however, my worries went away. The Bosch blade package showed me how to remove my old blades and how to install the new ones. It was a piece of cake. The only problem? They came individually in two separate boxes that were HUGE. What a waste of packing material, Amazon! :(



Back to the blades: How do they function? Beautifully! I streamed washer fluid onto my windshield and it cleaned it away with no streaking and no noise whatsoever.



What better testimonial can I give than I decided to buy another pair for my partner? They work wonderfully - get them now!

 "Expensive but Worth It" 2008-06-18
By D. Strait (Central PA)

My 03 Jetta had been eating wiper blades at the rate of about a set every 3-4 weeks and at $10 a piece for the other brands like Anco, etc., they become quite the burden. The noise from the cheaper brands is irritating as well. So, back to these Bosch wipers, which I invested in at first for the rebate offered awhile back. These wipers install in 15 seconds or less (takes longer to get them out of the package), versus the others that require a lot more effort. They're quiet and clean the glass very well as others have noted. I haven't had them long enough to speak to durability, but the heavy rubber, minus the standard metal bracketing should make these Boschs last much, much longer in comparison. Note to Amazon - find a smaller package to ship these things in. I had one wiper per box, each box measuring about 28"x16"x8", with yards of brown paper stuffing included. [...]

 "No complaints, streaks, or squeaks!" 2008-05-22
By Jeremy Haggard (Central Arkansas)

I ordered the Bosch 19" and 21" wipers for my 2002 Honda Civic [...]. I probably would've never considered trying Bosch windshield blades otherwise, but I'm so happy I did.



With my previous blades that I got during an oil change at a quick-lube shop, I got a lot of streaking and squeaking whenever I used them. Every time I encountered a rain storm, I had to abide the same consistent, annoying noise if I didn't want to compromise my own safety. It was very difficult to bear.



Even after I pulled the trigger on buying the blades, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to install them on my car because of my lack of automotive know-how. When they came, however, my worries went away. The Bosch blade package showed me how to remove my old blades and how to install the new ones. It was a piece of cake. The only problem? They came individually in two separate boxes that were HUGE. What a waste of packing material, Amazon! :(



Back to the blades: How do they function? Beautifully! I streamed washer fluid onto my windshield and it cleaned it away with no streaking and no noise whatsoever.



What better testimonial can I give than I decided to buy another pair for my partner? They work wonderfully - get them now!

 "Great looking wiper!" 2008-05-28
By J. Strozsak Jr. (Cleveland, OH)

Very slick fit on our 2002 Odyssey. 24" and 21" are the correct combination. Looks great. Once again, shame on Amazon for not figuring out how to put more than one wiper blade in a very big box!

 "Terrific wipers in combination with RainX" 2009-01-30
By R. Fang (Seattle, WA USA)

Most new cars come with spring-less wipers from the manufacturer. If that's the case I don't think this makes much sense to get these.



If you have an older model car that uses spring-loaded wipers that doesn't do much more than smudging water back-and-forth on your windshield, these wipers are a substantial upgrade. I first bought them for my 2001 RAV4 and replaced only one wiper just to compare side-by-side and it's like seeing half the windshield is squeaky-clean and the other half feels like looking through someone else's eyeglass. The difference is so dramatic you don't need to have the results side-by-side to know there's a huge difference. After that I bought a pair for my 2005 S2000 as well. Same great results compared against the factory spring-loaded wipers.



In combination with applying RainX to the windshield, the result is very similar a brand new car off the dealer's lot. RainX helps the wiping during low speed, and it also has the added benefit of not needing the wipers much at high speeds. I would say these wipers contribute 80% and RainX 20%.



One word of warning is that though the bracket of these wipers come fairly curved in its natural position, it may not fit the the curviest of windshields like a glove. My S2000 windshield outcurves these brackets at the extreme end on the passenger side. That means in wiper off position the last inch or two of the wiper is not touching the winshield. Only after the wiper moves up a few inches does it fully come in contact. In reality this does not affect my visibility from the driver's seat at all. Hence it's a full five-star rating from me despite this.



I live in Seattle with frequent rain, but no snow. So this review does not extend to how well they work in below-freezing weather. See other reviewers' comments regarding snow.

Garmin nüvi 255 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Review. Garmin 3.5 Inch City Navigator...

 "Don't pay more, this has everything you need" 2008-10-02
By George Rausch (Los Angeles, CA USA)

Let me set the scene for you: I arrive in Los Angeles at the airport, turn on my GPS system and instantly am ready to navigate. I then spend two days driving around Los Angeles not knowing where anything is located and haven't gotten lost once...



The nuvi 255, as in my review title, is everything you need. Don't spend more because you think you'll need to talk for navigation or that you want to connect to some navigation service or whatever else they're selling. This is a small, FAST, device that you can easily carry with you when it isn't in your car. And folks, that's part of a portable GPS system: you can take it with you so it doesn't get stolen.



I will give the following heads-up. The first time you calibrate the GPS system, it may take up to 10 MINUTES. Be patient, stand in a large open field, and don't move the device. Just let it sit. After that initial setup, you'll be walking on sunshine. Second, charging the device is easy. All you need is a standard USB cable that is used for most electronics. The downside, it doesn't show a progress bar on the screen as to when a charge is complete. Third, when you turn it on, make sure you have clear views of the sky from all directions. Otherwise, the system may not initialize properly. Plus, if you're in a city with tall buildings, you may be out of luck for getting signal (i.e. NYC, Philadelphia, Chicago). Normally, the difficultly comes from initially turning it on. After that, it's great.



This device is FAST in recalculating routes. Mere seconds and boom, you're back on track. No downtime whatsoever. This is really amazing.



You are given the option of navigation as a pedestrian or in a car. That is really great if you're on foot. You can easily switch between the two.



NOW... my word of advice. SPEND THE MONEY to get the 255 with the "text-to-speech." When you're driving in traffic in an unfamiliar place, you don't want to have to constantly look over to read the street names on the device then find them on the street. It is worth the extra cash.



All-in-all, I would recommend this to anyone and everyone. As I said to a friend today, it isn't often that I buy a piece of electronics equipment and have my expectations met and surpassed. As I continue to use it, new things continue to amaze me.

 "Job Well Done" 2008-09-15
By AC (Illinois 60142)

I purchased the Nuvi 255 as a replacement for my Nuvi 350. There is nothing wrong with the 350Garmin nüvi 350 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Text-to-Speech. The 255Garmin Nuvi 255 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator has safety features I want which include "Where Am I" that gives your location by street address, city, state, zip code, nearest intersection and coordinates. This is important in an emergency in a strange and/or unfamiliar location. Another safety feature is the display of the posted speed limit directly above your actual speed. This helps to avoid tickets and reminds one about safe driving.



Other improvements include a brighter clearer display, revised touch screen graphics, an arrow indicating direction of next turn and a TTS voice that sounds like a real person instead of an elocution professor.



The 255 also has a world clock, unit converter, calculator and photo

display.



In closing, I saved the best feature for last--the GPS function is fast, flawless and exact.

 "Worthy successor to the 260" 2008-09-27
By d-18v (USA)

My son, who does not drive, wanted a GPS because most of his friends, who DO drive, don't have one. He thinks of it, along with some gas money, as his contribution to the trip. Since it was dad's money paying for it, I decided to give him my nuvi 260 so that I could get a 255 with its ability to make use of traffic information. (I've just ordered the receiver and will report on that aspect later.)



I'm not quite sure how to review a GPS. The 255 makes the fourth GPS in out family. The others are the Garmin nuvi 200, 260, 260w. Since there are so many makes and models on the market and few people will own multiple GPSs, the most helpful information would be areas in which a particular unit was found to be lacking. I've never found any of these units to be lacking. Other than the well reported difficulties they sometimes have locating satellites (the 255 seems a bit better in this regard), there's nothing about the Garmins that would make me want to try a different brand.



People debate about the 255's voices. Many prefer the 260's voices. My wife is one of them. I find the 255's voices similar to the 260's, except that I miss Emily. She and I have grown close over the months we've been together, but, alas, she was unable to make the jump to the 255. The format of the voice files must have changed. The .vpm files on the 260 are 10+kb, where those on the 255 are about 2kb and Emily was not offered as a download. So, Emily is no more. She was not included on the 255 and I could not get the voice file from the 260 to work on the 255.



I find pluses and minuses to the new interface. I'm not fond of the speed function because it takes up a lot of real estate and isn't reliable. I traveled Route 119 from Route 2 in Acton, MA, to Route 495 in Littleton, a main drag. The speed limit varies from a high of 50 to a low of 25, but the 255 showed a constant 45, so I would not rely on the 255 to warn me of speed traps.



I DO like the new distance and direction of turn indicator. It's convenient seeing the arrow indicating the direction of the turn right next to the distance indicator.



I do NOT like the new way the keypad changes from upper to lower case after the first character of a name is entered.



I WISH there were an option for a QWERTY keyboard layout.



I WISH Garmin would allow zip code entry in addition to City and State.



About 30 seconds after the 260's on/off switch is placed in the lock position, the screen dims and the voice goes silent. This is a very convenient way to silence the unit when traveling a well known road and bringing it back with a minimum of fuss when needed. On the 255, the screen goes dim, but the voice is no longer silent. It's necessary to go through menus to make the unit quiet. This means that there is no longer an easy way to silence the 255 since pressing menus is too dangerous to attempt when the car is moving.



But the quibbles are minor. They're not enough to make me remove a star.



Garmin makes a fine, accurate unit. I've stopped all but the most cursory glances at maps prior to making trips. I'm happy to let the unit send me on its merry way. (There's a movie here where someone figures out how to reprogram GPSs, luring victims into out of the way places. "Dear, are you sure the way to the mall is through the cemetary?") Just last night it showed me a new way to a place I'd been visiting for years and never used the GPS to guide me because I knew the way there. (Ah, so *that's* where that road goes!)



Now, if only I could figure a way to get Emily back...



Added in edit: Another thing I REALLY LIKE about the 255 over the 260...

When you're driving down the road, the title bar of the 260 will often say something like "Continuing on Route nnn". On that same stretch of road, the title bar of the 255 will have the name of the next turn/exit/route. That is, once you're where you're supposed to be, the 255 immediately displays the name of the next road.

 "Everything you need in a GPS" 2008-10-03
By George Varghese (Chicago, IL United States)

This is the fourth GPS that I have tried. Initially I had the VZ Navigator system from verizon. It's a phone GPS and works very well. However, I had to discard that after I moved from Verizon.



Then I got the top rated Nuvi Garmin 350. Garmin nüvi 350 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Text-to-Speech When I started using it, I realized that its navigation features where inferior to VZ navigator. I was surprised that a dedicated GPS had less features than a phone GPS. Few things that annoyed me with nuvi 350.

1) It wouldn't show the distance or direction of next turn. I had to press the turn list, everytime I needed to check the distance to next turn. Also, since the direction of turn is not shown in advance, you could endup on the wrong lane before the turn.

2) The arrival time shown on the display would not take into account the time zone. If you travel a lot between time zones, you are always forced to calculate the actual arrival time using the time shown on the display.

3) It wouldn't remember the last entered city. You have to re-enter the city, everytime you enter an address.



The only thing 350 had better than the phone gps was the bigger display. Anyway, my 350 got stolen recently. I was half happy that I could get a new GPS. I researched a little bit and figured that the Tomtom One 130S TomTom ONE 130S 3.5-Inch Touchscreen Portable GPS Navigator did not have any of the annoyances of nuvi 350. It would always display the direction and distance to the next turn. I liked the compact mounting setup of Tomtom very much. Also, the voice instructions were very clear although many reviewers had complained about voice quality. However, I was forced to return the GPS due to one major flaw. The voice instructions and the directions were not correct!!! When I had to go westbound, the GPS would instruct me to take the ramp to Eastbound direction. This happened on two instances and I decided enough is enough.



Doing some further research, I figured that garmin has introduced a new model that fixes all of the shortcomings of nuvi 350. I have used it for about 2 weeks and I am very happy with the purchase. Although some reviewers have complained about the voice quality, I havn't had any difficulty in understanding the voice instructions. Apart from fixing the annoyances mentioned above, it also has some nice additional features.

1) Faster GPS lock

2) Speed limit display

3) Internal antenna and slimmer profile; so easy to store in pocket.



Overall nuvi 255 is the ideal GPS, atleast for now :-)

 "Great entry level GPS" 2009-11-21
By Eve G. (Upstate New York)

My love affair with GPSes.

I owned a nuvi 200 3.5" GPS, which worked perfectly well. My GPS mainly functions as a paper map substitute. I don't use any of the other features, like Points of Interest, traffic reports, photos, currency converter.



A new series!

I considered upgrading when I found out Garmin redesigned some of the screens on the 2x5 units. I was tossed between the nüvi 205 or nüvi 255. The 255 has spoken street names. I didn't want the Wide versions, because I heard those don't show more map area; they're just the same amount of map stretched on a larger screen. The 3.5 screen is plenty big for me, and small enough to be conveniently portable in a bag or a pocket.



Reconditioned snobbery.

I bought a factory reconditioned nuvi 255 for the price of a new 205. If it weren't for the white box (the new units come in a black box), I could not tell the reconditioned unit apart from a new one. It was pristine and worked perfectly, and came with the normal accessories. Based on this experience, I would not hesitate to buy another Garmin reconditioned item.



The new screen interfaces are a nice improvement over the old one. Go to Youtube and check out some side by side comparisons, if you're interested.



Things that seemed to improve from the 2x0 to the 2x5 models:

- 255 fixed on satellites much easier indoors. The 200 used to not find satellites when I turned it on inside the house.

- 255 satellite acquisition time is much faster, within 10 seconds. The 200 used to take upwards of a few minutes.



Features I like:

- I thought I wouldn't need it, but having spoken street names is nice.

- "where am I" feature shows me my long/lat and nearest emergency services.

- Garmin Garage. Free download from Garmin. It's a stupid cutesy thing, but I can modify the little vehicle to one that suits my mood.



Features I don't care for:

- There is no quick mute button. It takes at least three taps to mute sound.

- I can modify a path, by adding a waypoint, but I can't easily force it to take the road I want.

- On the 200 it was "Where To" - "Favorites". On the 255, Favorites got demoted to the next screen, and needs an extra tap. It would be nice if I could change the order of my frequently used functions.



Features I don't use/don't need:

- music

- bluetooth

- traffic reports

- maps outside of North America. I'm not a jetsetter.

- currency calculator

- Ecoroute



Feature I would like, if I won the lottery:

- Lane assist, it's in the spendy nuvi models.



One free map update.

I bought this reconditioned unit in 10/2009. It came with map version North America NT 2010.10. I downloaded their program then loaded the unit with the new map. My update to the latest version NT 2010.20 took about 1.5 hours total, and not several overnight hours I've read about. Maybe mileage varies with internet connection speed.



Neoprene case.

This isn't a review of the unit, but I thought I'd throw this in to help anyone looking for a suitable case. Ever since my first nuvi, I've searched for a proper fitting neoprene case. Garmin's official case is leather, open on one side, and spendy. This camera case fits just right.



Dolica SM-98305BK sold at the big O for $4.99 plus shipping. Internal dimensions are 4.1"x3"x0.8". External dimensions are 4.6" x 3.3" x 1.45". This will fit all of the 3.5" 2xx and 3xx series nuvis.



Mount.

I don't know anyone who owns a Garmin, use the sticky disk supplied in the package. Sticking the disk permanently to my dash is out of the question. I recommend the HandStands Sticky Pad GPS Dash Mount. Sleek, low profile and moveable.