Don’t Buy Olight: The Hidden Cost of Proprietary Batteries

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Don’t Buy Olight: The Hidden Cost of Proprietary Batteries

OLight

Right around 2019 I was as big of an Olight fanboy as you can get. Then one day I got really angry at Olight and stopped buying their gear.

Essentially, they had a Rewards or Points program and I had bought a LOT of Olights recently. They were getting ready to drop something cool but the top tier of their Rewards holders got first crack.

I figured I was in the top tier. I found out that you had to be logged in to their site to get the points. It wasn’t enough to just buy one with your name and address.

That isn’t what ticked me off.

What got me was that I mentioned it in their forum some clown dropped a crying face emoji on me.

That wasn’t what made me mad either. People started piling on once clown number one broke the ice. Nope, that wasn’t it either. Hey, I’ve been on the internet long enough to know what happens when you complain about something on a Fan Boy page.

What angered me was that an Employee of Olight piled on.

Now That’s Way Out Of Line

I complained about that. I was told she wasn’t supposed to be commenting in the Olight USA group and she did something in China for Olight. They apologized. Not good enough. I told them to delete my account, and my points and that I’d never buy another Olight again in my life. I will confess that years later I bought a couple of keychain flashlights. Conversely, I wanted a small keychain light and a search kind of revealed that those were the best thing going. I bit my lip and bought a couple. My wife and I use both of ours a lot. It was a good purchase. So maybe with time I seem to have gotten over this.

And then they gave me another reason to hate them.

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Why I Use a Dedicated Four-Wire Internal Battery Resistance Tester — And Why You Should Too

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Why I Use a Dedicated Four-Wire Internal Battery Resistance Tester — And Why You Should Too

Question: How many of you own items that use batteries? Looks like the response is “Everyone.” Now, how many of you use rechargeable batteries? Fewer, certainly, but still a decent amount. What if I told you that many of the rechargeable batteries out there don’t even come close to their advertised capacity or internal resistance claims?

The battery in the picture is testing fine, but if the battery you bought at the store or online wasn’t, you would probably never know it—other than noticing it performs poorly or dies early. If you are a casual consumer and not a tech hardware geek, you may not need a dedicated tester.

Conversely, you should definitely hop on the internet and research which battery brands actually perform as advertised. However, I do think everyone needs some type of basic battery tester. And for us geeks, you need a reliable way of verifying manufacturer claims.

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Carverall K15 Pro Laser Engraver Review – Great Budget Laser

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Carverall K15 Pro Laser Engraver Review – Great Budget Laser

Carverall K15 Pro Laser Engraver

Commercial laser engravers have really advanced in the last few years. But the reality is that not everyone wants or needs a $2,000 or greater machine. There are still hobbyists out there who just want to make gift tags and simple engravings or cuttings. For those people we have the Carverall K15 Pro.

If you have a simple side hustle that doesn’t require all manner of bells and whistles, a budget machine is right up your alley.

Over the last few years I’ve tried to identify “The Best Budget Laser”. Typically, my definition of that is around a $300 machine. The Carverall K15 Pro comes in at just over $300 with a safety shield. It can however be configured without one. No shield and you can add on a 12 watt laser module for around $200. That my friends is a bargain.

The machine Carverall provided me to review came in the following configuration:

  • Safety Shield
  • 7 watt laser module
  • US Plug

This build comes in at around $328 which is a good price for a machine of this size/power/safety configuration.

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Xiegu G90: Your Ultimate Portable Radio Solution

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Xiegu G90: Your Ultimate Portable Radio Solution

Xiegu G90

Sometimes I’m a bit late to the game with great Ham Radio Tech. This blog is no exception. The Xiegu G90 was initially released in late 2019 and I have only recently gotten my hands on one. I initially stumbled upon this after deciding that I wanted a good portable ham radio setup. The common term for this is POTA, or Parks On The Air. Another variation of that is SOTA, or Summits On The Air. Mountain climbing stuff.

The name Xiegu G90 just about always pops up when searching for POTA radios. One thing that needs to be discussed is that since the production run has been so long there have been improvements made in the G90 line. And you need to be aware of at least one of those improvements before you start buying accessories.

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xTool X1: The Best In Class Laser Engraver Today

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xTool X1: The Best In Class Laser Engraver Today

The subject line says “Best In Class” but the simple reality is that the xTool X1 stands in a class of its own.

There is currently nothing else out there like it. xTool has always led the way with innovation. They make a machine for just about every arts and crafts hobby that you can think of.

The innovation runs deep here. We’ll address some of those capabilities below. Just know, this is the one you have been waiting for.

I also should mention that xTool chose me as a Beta Tester and that the X1 and other accessories were provided to me free of cost. Having said that they have exercised no editorial control on my content other than release dates for various stages of the X1 roll out.

All the readers in the xTool X1 group wondering why information was trickling out………well, now you know. This was all part of their pre-release roll out. Not only are their engineers brilliant so are the marketing folks. While people might have been wanting answers, this also built excitement.

Let’s get to it now, shall we?

Release Date

October 28th, 2026 is the official release date. Here is the official press release link. And here is the official launch link video from xTool. Great information there. Be sure to check it out.

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xTool X1 – The Ultimate Consumer Laser

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xTool X1 – The Ultimate Consumer Laser

xTool X1

I don’t think most people realize that the consumer level laser engraver has only been around a handful of years. xTool was one of the first to market with their desktop laser which was released in 2020. In six short years we have gone from a basic plotter moving along an X and Y axis to the current offering of the xTool X1 and Hybrid Motion.

I’ve been reviewing lasers since 2019 or so and about the time I think the engineering limits of consumer laser engravers has been reached I get proven wrong. And boy, did the xTool X1 prove me wrong yet again. This is the most advanced laser to date that I have come across.

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ANCEL BD310 Diagnostic Computer OBD2

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ANCEL BD310 Diagnostic Computer OBD2

I’ve tested quite a few OBD2 readers on this blog and know my way around them pretty well. Today we’ll be looking at the ANCEL BD310 Bluetooth OBD2 diagnostic computer.

So many of these devices plug into your cars OBD2 port and then you have to use them with a smart phone app.

The ANCEL BD310 is refreshing in that it can be used either with an app or by itself. Although you will probably enjoy the app the most.

It also has a cable long enough to reach from your port, under the dash and mountable on your Air Conditioner vents with the included magnetic mount. That means you can monitor some of your cars details in real time.

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Inexpensive Stratum 1 Time Server

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Inexpensive Stratum 1 Time Server

Stratum 1 Time Server

What is a Stratum 1 Time Server, you might ask? Simply put it is a network appliance that receives PRECISE time from a source such an an atomic clock or GPS Pulse Per Second (PPS).

This accurate time source is then used to provide a time resource to client computers.

Time is VERY important to computers.

Probably the most famous Stratum 1 time server is from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). They famously broadcast the time over radio, telephone, and internet. Here is an example of their shortwave radio broadcasts.

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XHDATA D-226 Radio Review – A Modern Necessity

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XHDATA D-226 Radio Review – A Modern Necessity

I love radios. And I especially love radios from XHDATA. Over the years I have bought quite a few of them and occasionally they send me a radio to test and review. Today I have the XHDATA D-226 ($24.99 at Amazon) on the bench.

Despite the fact they sent me this radio to review for free never have they ever tried to influence my content. What you read here is what I think about it.

Also we should factor in that although I was provided this sample I immediately purchased their brand new D-228 which is essentially the same radio with NOAA Band Weather.

I think that should indicate that I’m a radio nerd and that I’m willing to spend my own money if I see something I like.

I don’t like to call myself a Prepper but I do maintain a certain level of being prepared for challenging times. In this day and age of streaming we live and die by our smart devices. The trouble is that sometimes those smart devices don’t always work.

Case in point. I woke up the other night in the middle of the night and the internet was down. I immediately reached for my XHDATA D-226 which I had gotten just that day.

AM radio signals travel for hundreds of miles at night with much of that being talk radio and news. When everything out there quits working AM / FM and Short Wave radio are still going to work. But not for you if you don’t have a radio.

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Best Laser Level – CIGMAN CM-G16

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Best Laser Level – CIGMAN CM-G16

Cigman Laser Level

I’ve been lucky enough to review several laser levels from Cigman. I’ve found the Cigman Levels to be among the best I have ever encountered. Today we’re going to take a good look at the Cigman CM-G16 (currently $139). The actual kit they sent me was the Cigman CM-G16T ($179) which comes with a 1.42 meter high Tripod.

And towards the end of this post you’ll see where Cigman surprised me with…….well, a surprise.

You’re going to want to see this.

Right now I need to you think back about the last time you hung a picture or even a shelf. Did you ever try to hang two pictures side by side that were the same size?

And when you back up to take a look they clearly weren’t level at all.

Even better, have you ever tried to hang photos down a stairwell in an ascending or descending manner where you want some semblance that they are all on the same line or angle? How about mounting a TV on the wall with a sound bar?

Cigman CM-G16 (click pics to enlarge)

The photo on the left shows the television alignment and the picture on the right depicts getting the sound bar straight. You know you need this tool around your house.

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