Equipment Crew- Part IV

[rthawker]

i was the same way UNTIL i got nicer sunglasses.

I was in Las Vegas walking through the outlet mall and saw the oakley outlet. it cost me i believe $350 to put the frames and the lenses i wanted together for me and i figured i'd rather have them than lose that money at the tables. later that trip i wont over $350 playing black jack, so free sunglasses, sort of. since then i've spent another $150ish on replacement lenses and rubber pieces.



once you get comfortable wearing sunglasses while driving, your eyes become uncomfortable driving without them...

one thing to remember with cheap sunglasses, if they're not UV protected they're arguably worse for you than not wearing sunglasses at all. because with some of the light blocked, your pupil dilate and allow more UV to come in and damage the eyes. you don't need expensive sunglasses, but i'd shell out for some decent ones that i can be sure are actually UV protected and not MIC with a sticker that says they are...



yeah i lost these for over a year until i found them in the pocket of a jacket i haven't worn in a while (yay ADD). so thrilled...i have another pair of oakley wire frames that are decent, but they don't fit my face as well.

You should really stop drinking their cool-aid and do a little research before larger purchases. All you are paying for is a name.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014...65362932852610

[Synthetickiller]

You should really stop drinking their cool-aid and do a little research before larger purchases. All you are paying for is a name.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014...65362932852610

QFT...
This is one of the major downsides of capitalism. We're being screwed in this regard. On the plus side, at least we have choices.


I will say that my Oakleys are made better than bargain brand versions. Is the price difference worth the upgrade? Arguably no, but buying clearance items helps numb the sting a little.

[dumb.bell]

You should really stop drinking their cool-aid and do a little research before larger purchases. All you are paying for is a name.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014...65362932852610

It's not just the name. Design and quality differences vary even across the Luxottica brands. Additionally, most of the older Oakley X Metals were manufactured by Oakley prior to the acquisition by Luxottica.

I will say that most brands change for the worst once Luxottica acquires them, but that isn't always the case. I believe Persols are still hand made in Italy as they were before Luxottica acquired them. On the other hand, Oakley quality does seem to have diminished.

If you like a particular design, you may or may not have a lot of options. I for one, am willing to pay more for a frame that has an interesting style or fits my face better.

[Domicron]

You should really stop drinking their cool-aid and do a little research before larger purchases. All you are paying for is a name.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014...65362932852610

but what if i was saying, and said so specifically, that you don't have to go get ***** or oakley or whatever, but paying $30-50 for a decent pair isn't the end of the world.

[dumb.bell]

By no means am I arguing that costs of manufacturing are that much more on a quality item than it is on one of inferior quality. I am just saying that there are differences in quality of some expensive items and it isn't always just the name.

As the CFO of a shoe company, I know we paid approximately $10 for a tennis shoe made in China that retailed for approximately $200. In this instance it was much more about name than quality.

[Greybird2]

What shoe company?

[Greybird2]

Maui Jim sports are my favorite. About $150. Worth every penny...

[Synthetickiller]

For anyone here with knee pain caused by immobile ankles...

Other than pivoting on the ankle in either a supported squat position or on the ground, only pivoting on one ankle at a time...
does anyone have any tricks for soft tissue work or other mobility tricks to fix the problem?

[urbanlifter]

You should really stop drinking their cool-aid and do a little research before larger purchases. All you are paying for is a name.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014...65362932852610

That article didn't really do much for me, not much substance other than pointing out that the same company owns all the major brands. I believe at one point several car manufacturers were owned by the same parent company, but there was still a noticeable difference in design and quality. Now I can't speak for the current quality of Oakley, but mine are fantastic and are FAR more comfortable than any drugstore, Walmart, or Kohl's pair of glasses I have ever tried on. I also owned a pair of the limited edition Transformer 3D glasses for a while, but I see movies about once a year so I sold them off to fund a piece of gym equipment LOL

[urbanlifter]

Now I will say that this does not always apply, and I have found some things you can go cheap on and still get a comparable product. Recently I lost my wedding band, I took it off before working out and it's somewhere in the house. I got on Amazon and bought a cheap $12.99 tungsten ring (Jstyle brand) and was surprised at the appearance and quality for gumball machine prices. Rings like this make me question why anyone would pay $250-$500 for an identical band at the local jewelry shop.

[Domicron]

switching gears: my costco has white peaches on sale today. my guess is they need to clear stock before they spoil, and i'm more than happy to do my part. $8.50 for 10 isn't exactly cheap, but these things are freaking amazing. i've bought at least 5 or 6 dozen this season for our house, my parents and my grandparents

[KBKB]

I've been away for two weeks.

One of the hikes I did during my travels through Utah was to hike up Professor Creek / Mary Jane Canyon. It starts out as a creek with low canyon walls, then turns into a slot canyon, and finishes (for most mortals, myself included) at a waterfall. I tried to avoid getting my feet wet on the way out, but when I got to the waterfall, I found that I needed to wade into a couple feet of water to set up my tripod to get the photo; so on the way back, with my feet already thoroughly wet, I didn't care about the amount of water I had to walk through.

[yankeemarko1]

Nice pics KBKB. I hope all is well with you.

I was just talking to someone at work about going to Arches to do some hiking. I hiked at the Grand Canyon the first week of May. We did Bright Angel to Indian Garden and back. It was 35º and snowing at the rim when we started and 60º and sunny at Indian Garden. We got rained on the first 3 miles down but no rain the rest of the day. Good time.

Here's a pic that I had no idea my buddy took until we got back. I think I was helping myself to an Altoid!!

[Domicron]

A few years ago I got the spring loaded retractable reel from Frontgate. Ridiculously expensive, but I was sick of hose laying on the patio constantly.

My 2 concerns with the hose was that it is 1/2" as opposed to a standard 5/8" garden hose. I thought it would really affect the flow rate. Second concern was that the spring coil would inevitable break over time. Well, it's been 3 seasons running and still recoils like the day it was bought and no issues with the flow rate. When recoiling, I always make just I hang onto the hose and gently let it spin back in. I think when you just let it fly is when those springs break.

Wife now can water the flower pots all around the patio without leaving the hose laying around.

bringing back an old topic: water hoses

is it this one: http://www.frontgate.com/vector-retr...hopping%20Cart

our hose is falling apart and i'm thinking about picking this up as the hose usually just lies in a pile when we're done using it. does it come with the post to mount? need to pick up some sprinklers too while i'm at it; the wife and i are sick of this lawn looking disgusting.

[KBKB]

i just picked up the first 3 books in The Expanse series. i saw the show and it was pretty good...

I've now read the first five books (which are all that are published so far) of the Expanse series by James S. A. Corey (which is actually a pen name for a pair of authors who work together). I've also read the short story "The Butcher of Anderson Station" and the novella "The Vital Abyss", both of which are set in the same universe. There are a few more short stories and novellas that I have yet to read.

I've also watched season one of the show on SyFy. It's based on part of first book, Leviathan Wakes.

I like the book(s) better than the show, but that may just be due to having read it/them before watching the TV series. I do like the special effects though.

I especially like book five, which I just finished reading today. It explores the back stories of some of the characters (the captain and crew of the Rocinante) in a lot more detail. I'm looking forward to the next book which is due to be published in November.

Anyway... I definitely recommend the Expanse series of books.

[KBKB]

Nice pics KBKB. I hope all is well with you.

I was just talking to someone at work about going to Arches to do some hiking. I hiked at the Grand Canyon the first week of May. We did Bright Angel to Indian Garden and back. It was 35º and snowing at the rim when we started and 60º and sunny at Indian Garden. We got rained on the first 3 miles down but no rain the rest of the day. Good time.

Here's a pic that I had no idea my buddy took until we got back. I think I was helping myself to an Altoid!!

Nice!

When I was in my 20s, I used to hike down the Kaibab trail (to Phantom Ranch) and then back up the Bright Angel. I think I did that about three times.

I hadn't been to the Grand Canyon in over 20 years until about two weeks ago when I visited the North Rim! I had been to the South Rim a number of times, but never to the North. We basically drove around and took pictures; we didn't do much hiking except along the paths along the rim to get pictures.

Here are three photos from our visit to the North Rim:



Point Imperial:



This one was shot from Cape Royal:



We did a hike in Arches National Park too. Here's my photo of Navajo Arch:

[jdforsy]

Looks like an awesome trip KB!

Got my first trip above treeline last week and hiked Mt. Columbia in the sawatch mountain range, 14,039' at the summit. Was a doozy of a hike at 13 miles and about 5500' of elevation gain mostly off trail. It was a rare Colorado weather day without a cloud in the sky.

[urbanlifter]

Awesome photo's guys!

bringing back an old topic: water hoses

is it this one: http://www.frontgate.com/vector-retr...hopping%20Cart

our hose is falling apart and i'm thinking about picking this up as the hose usually just lies in a pile when we're done using it. does it come with the post to mount? need to pick up some sprinklers too while i'm at it; the wife and i are sick of this lawn looking disgusting.

I'm glad you found this post, I need to buy two of these for my house. In the description it says mounting post, so I'm assuming it has everything you need. But then again maybe DM can answer, I see where you can buy the post separate.

[dieselmike]

bringing back an old topic: water hoses

is it this one: http://www.frontgate.com/vector-retr...hopping%20Cart

The design has changed a little, but yes. That is the one I have. Gets used everyday during the watering season and is still working great. It does not comes with the post. I have mine mounted on the side of the house. The post is an extra. Also note, I never leave it outside during the winter.

[2MoreRepz]

I have shared the pictures here a few months back. Check out Eley hose reels, they are pricey but worth it.

[AttyGuy]

I have shared the pictures here a few months back. Check out Eley hose reels, they are pricey but worth it.

You've gripped a lot of hose, haven't you?

[2MoreRepz]

More than you know. I like the black rubber ones.

[Domicron]

i should have known better than to ask for advice on buying anything...suggestions keep getting more expensive!

[AttyGuy]

More than you know. I like the black rubber ones.

Of course you do, what with your "iron grip."

[Synthetickiller]

Don't damage your pinky toe. It results in no lifting for a while. No walking like a normal functioning human being either, lol.

[thejosef]

Don't damage your pinky toe. It results in no lifting for a while. No walking like a normal functioning human being either, lol.

Oh man. Hope it's not broken! I broke mine last September and it was no joke. Starting lifting after 6 weeks, but it took about 3 months to Really feel normal again..

[Synthetickiller]

Oh man. Hope it's not broken! I broke mine last September and it was no joke. Starting lifting after 6 weeks, but it took about 3 months to Really feel normal again..

It's getting better already. I can move it without much pain if i try to spread my toes. I think it stretch a tendon in the toe too much. it hurts where it connects to the body of the foot & on the inside, side of the toe. If I could stay injury free for more than 6 weeks, I could make more progress! lol

[urbanlifter]

I have broken numerous toes and fingers throughout the years (soccer player), you get used to it. Actually fractured my foot during a game a couple years back, after about 5 minutes it numbed up and I never came off the field. Suck it up buttercup!!

[Synthetickiller]

I've never broken a bone, actually. I should have in many instances. I guess my bones are dense. It explains why my bouncy in water is terrible (I "float" w/ my head covered by 3 or 4 inches of water).

[KBKB]

I've never broken a toe, but I have broken both my tibia and fibula (left leg) and shattered my right heel (calcaneus) at the same time. I was in a wheelchair for a month and on crutches for a long time after that.

I remember being immensely happy when I was able to take just a few steps again without crutches - though I still needed them to get around efficiently for a good while to come.