Before I Buy Overview

It is the intent of this Blog to gather inputs from as many people as possible on products and services they use including but not limited to grocery, clothing, electronics, computers, software products, vehicles including boats, doctors, hospitals, restaurants, plumbers, insurance companies, car repair facilities, tax preparation services, travel related companies etc. Everything and anything we buy, or use. Important information would include when you purchased the product or used the service, how much did it cost, what you like about the product or service and what you didn't like. Would you recommend it. The intent is to grow this into a Craig's list type of site that is location specific. Your inputs will be greatly appreciated.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Audio - Marine Speakers - Boss MR60W - 6 1/2 inch 200 watt marine speakers

In December of 2010, I purchased 2 pairs of Boss MR60W 6 1/2 inch 200 Watt marine speakers for my boat at BrandsMart.  These speaker replaced very high end Clarion speakers that had literally disintegrated in about 3 years. These new speakers sound very good, and at only $18.88 a pair at BrandsMart, they were a great value.
Recommended

Yacht Broker South Florida - Blue Marlin Yachts - 954 552 0464

www.bluemy.com

On Nov. 24 2010, I purchased a 2006 Pursuit 2870 Walkaround located in Ft. Lauderdale Fl.  Leslie Bently of Blue Marlin Yachts was the broker.  He did whatever it took to make the deal, including taking significantly less commission, and purchasing a 2 year extended engine warranty from Yamaha out of his own pocket.
Highly Recommended

AC installation - South Florida - Island Air conditioning - 866-718-3488

www.islandairconditioning.com

On December 28th of 2010 I had a new 4 Ton (46,000 BTU) Rheem 16 SEER AC system (air handler and compressor) installed in my home.  The job included removing the old system, repairing some damaged duct work, rebuilding the AC plenum that the air handler sits on as well as installing a new concrete pad for the compressor.  All existing lines were flushed and a permit from the city of Delray Beach was acquired.  The job was done promptly and the workers were very courteous and neat completing the job in about 7 hours.  The total cost of the system was $4175, minus an FPL rebate of $780 making the cost at completion of job $3395.  In addition, they filled out all paperwork for the Federal Tax credit of 1,018.00 which effectively brings the total cost down to $2,377
Highly Recommended

Disc - Seagate 2T FreeAgent GoFlex Desk with Replica auto backup software

On December 23 2010 I purchased a 2 terabyte Seagate disc with Replica auto backup software from Costco for $99 (-$40 promotion).  The install was easy and the backup feature appears to work well.  There is very little information relative to using the software, and there is no power switch.  You plug in the  AC power brick which supplies DC voltage to the drive and then connect the USB cable, and the drive comes to life.  You need to right click on the replica logo located in the system tray to tell it to safely disconnect.  If you try to just use the eject Seagate drive feature, it will tell you the drive is busy.  Other than weak documentation, the drive itself and the backup software appear to be solid and for $99 it is a terrific bargain.
Recommended

Inverter - Power Bright 1100 Watt 12 volt DC to 120 VAC inverter

On Jan 10th 2011, I purchased a Power Bright model PW1100-12, 1100 watt inverter from Costco.com for $69.including shipping.  The inverter has a built in DC voltmeter which can be switched to a watt meter to monitor the load.  The product works well, however it comes with about 30 inches of 8 gauge wire terminated with battery clamps on one end and eye terminal on the other end resulting in very hot wire if used at full load.  I changed to 30 inches of number 4 wire and eye terminals on both ends for a very cool connection.  The only other issue is that the watt meter tends to register about 40 watts in a no load situation after it has been used for a while under heavy loads.  I consider this to be a minor issue.  Overall I believe this product to be a very good value.
Recommended

Camera- Canon SD940 - $139 at Costco

In September of 2010 I purchased a Canon SD940 for $159 at Costco.  As of Jan 15 2011, it is currently selling for $139.  I found this to be an excellent camera, particularly if you are interested in very small size, rugged construction, excellent quality photos as well as 720P high definition video. It features a 4 x zoom,  12MP pictures, advanced automatic features such as image stabilization, face recognition and blink detection. Only disadvantage is that it does not come with a case.
Highly recommended