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February 28, 2014

Nathan's Video of the Fischer 100 Radio

I haven't posted any videos for a while but I have been acquiring some of the better table radios of days gone past. There are so many videos and good reviews of the Proton 300 and KLH 21 I didn't feel I had anything to add. But I picked up this Fisher 100 and felt the need to share.

The sound quality is comparable to my KLH and Proton 300. It certainly has a "bigger" sound than the KLH or my newer Sangean WR-2, no doubt because of the larger speaker. The five push-button tuners are a great feature too.

According to Wikipedia Emerson sold Fisher to Sanyo in 1975, the year after the Fisher 100 was introduced, so that may explain why it was discontinued in 1976. It's a shame because this is a great radio. Hopefully it's designers found gainful employment elsewhere.

http://youtu.be/NDtv6F-FW28

Next up I'm hoping to score an Advent 400 or a Panasonic RE-7500.

Thanks!

Posted at 07:19 PM in Radio Lovers Can't Be Cured | Permalink | Comments (2)

I Saw a $8,600 Panerai at Costco That Didn't Look as Good as My Citizen Grand Touring

I took my girls to Costco today and took a peek at the Breitlings and Panerai. The former looked good but not worth the 4.5K asking price. And the Panerai with the same 44mm case as my Citizen Grand Touring took a back seat in overall look to my my beloved CGT.

This confirms that for price to wow factor ratio, I'll stick to Seiko, Citizen, Orient, Deep Blue, and a few microbrands.

Posted at 01:45 PM in Manly Watches | Permalink | Comments (5)

February 27, 2014

Would Love to Take a 6-Month Watch-Buying Hiatus

I have an obsessive personality. My watch collection, now 14 (has been as high as 60 or so), makes me both happy and tired (re-bought a Seiko SKA427). I need a break.

Or a hiatus, as I like to call it. My goal is to stay happy with my collection till at least September.

Part of my desire to go on watch hiatus is that I started salivating for Breitlings and Panerais and I realized I had gotten over my head. It's time to step back and take some deep breaths.

If I get back in the watch fray, I might find a tasty Deep Blue in the waters down the road, but I'm in no rush.

My next consumer quest is a Pendleton tapered board shirt.

Posted at 06:15 PM in Manly Watches | Permalink | Comments (3)

February 26, 2014

Is It True That TiCN Doesn't Scratch Like PVD Black Coated Watches?

I've read here and on the Amazon reviews of the Seiko SKA427 that TiCN, Titanium Carbon Nitride, is more scratch resistant than PVD. Over and over I heard that PVD scratches, making me reluctant to get a black PVD watch.

Is this true? The Seiko SKA427 shown above is apparently treated with TiCN, not PVD.

Posted at 12:49 PM in Manly Watches | Permalink | Comments (6)

Social Media Gives Us a New, Unrealistic Way to Measure Our Worth

Based on the amount of hits and comments we reeive on our blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc., we now have a new way to falsely measure our relevance. We can look at the amount of activity of our posts and say, "I'm trending, yahoo!" or "I'm not trending, might as well give up on life."

Some people can re-calibrate and deal with the ups and downs of social media popularity. Others get so absorbed by the hall of mirrors, they have to bail or else they'll go crazy.

I see a parallel with social media obsession and Americans' pathological obsession with becoming famous and getting lots of attention, a chimera for happiness.

Posted at 09:41 AM in Personal Chronicles | Permalink | Comments (1)

3 Manly Watch Traps for the Neurotic Hobbyist

One. Spending too much money because you don't know what you want, so that you have to sell the stuff you didn't really want in order to buy the stuff you think you really want.

Two. Never being able to enjoy the watch on your wrist because you regret not wearing another watch.

Three. Selling a watch, re-buying it (have done this with radios), selling it, and rebuying it.

Posted at 07:20 AM in Manly Watches | Permalink | Comments (6)

Manly Kitchen Accessory: The Cleaver

A few weeks ago on Herculodge, I promised to send a photo of my new pursuit----one that should bolster any guy's sense of masculinity. I've been on a buying binge of kitchen accessories lately. I've been doing a lot more cooking at home, and getting excited about it, meaning it's been a good excuse to pick up a few George Foreman grill products, a bread maker, vintage Vitamix power blender, mandolin slicer----and more. You might be asking, what does this have to do with being manly? If anything, it sounds quite the opposite---putting on an apron in the kitchen. Well, look no further than the photo. Cleavers. Meat cleavers. BIG meat cleavers. Take a hard whack at a roasted whole chicken to separate it. Chop the head and tail off a fish. Go tribal. These cleavers are no dainty Euro cutlery set in a designer wood block. These things are brutes. I love the old Made in U.S.A. "Foster Brothers" cleavers. They are excellent quality----some of them dating back to the 1800s. You can also find cleavers that were hand-made-----fashioned as one-offs by butchers or farm hands. Those are on E-Bay....no "manufacturer" except a guy in his barn or garage work bench. Then there are the great German, French and Italian cleavers. Some come from the East Block too. China and Japan have their own models. I heartily recommend this if you need a jolt of manhood!

Angelo

Posted at 06:48 AM in Man Points Advice | Permalink | Comments (2)

February 25, 2014

Amazon Reviewer Loses His Omega at the Airport and Moves Down in Watch Tastes

An Amazon reviewer, who calls himself the King of Mongolia, says he lost his 3K Omega at TSA checkpoint at airport and had previously owned a Breitling. Not wanting to lose so much money next time, he said he is "moving down" in his watch tastes and is very pleased with his Seiko Kinetic SKA371 for about $200.

This is good news. You don't have to keep climbing up in watch tastes. You can climb down.

That SKA371 would make a good alternative for someonw who doesn't want to spend over a grand on an Orient Saturation Diver.