How to put fins on an Estes Model Rocket

Hi Blogger buddies,

Here is a simple You Tube on how to put fins on a model rocket.  Fins are always the hardest part of building a rocket.  The trick is to build a jig and use a hot glue gun.  Here is the link, happy launches!


http://youtu.be/rzfiDW_h8ic


Here is another video on how to put a rocket together from end to end. 


http://youtu.be/1FFPaRKmh_E

This is an Honest Johns Reviews Review on 3 brands of electric shavers:  Norelco, Remington, Braun


I am very picky about electric razors.  Why?  Well, I need to shave.  A lot. And I go to work. A lot. So, I need to shave and then go to work. A lot.




( Since Obama has not figured out how to give people who work the same amount of free stuff that he gives those who don't work (some basic math keeps getting in the way),  I am one of the poor slobs who needs to keep working to help those who like to stay home and eat Cheetos, and therefor I need to shave, every day.  See, there is a link between shaving and Cheetos)




Well, with all this shaving, and 20 years of working for a living, I ended up with a sort of shaving "system".  My system goes something like this.  Wake up in the morning, get ready for the day (but don't shave which saves me 10 minutes).  Hop in the car and shave on the way to work, usually while stuck in traffic.  Because the cordless electric shaver and my beard mix like nails on a chalk board, I can easily do this by listening, and feeling, and never take my eyes off the road.




So, over 20 years I can say I have had 2 good shavers...and 2 terrible shavers....wanna know which was which?  ...  One is very expensive and German...one is very cheep and American...all are made in China...(global economy eh). 




You may or may not have guessed it..the Braun was the worst.




1. Norelco Rotary longest lasting by a factor of 4.  Still have it, still works, still holds a charge forever!  (but, doesn't do parts of my face well enough due to the shape of my jaw).




2.  Remington F5 pivot and flex:  Best shave, indestructible, excellent battery life, $55 bucks.  Wow, my current shaver and a great buy. (and it will shave after being outside all night at -5F)




Braun 3 series and 5 series...STINK!!! Had my 3 series for 15 months, used up 3 heads, total cost $200...and it never really shaved well.  Battery finally died and I tossed it..  Thought I would upgrade to the 5 series, it was on sale at Costco one day so I spent the big $150 on sale I think it was...ohh OB1...what a farce.  While I like the cleaner gizmo, everything else was no good.  It barely shaved, the battery only lasts a few days...AND...I live near Maine...it gets cold here and if it was below 20 degrees F, the darn thing would not work at all (battery issue) in the morning when I went to my car.  So I could not shave all winter unless I stored it inside.  Brought it back, got another 3 months later...Same issues.  BRAUN STINKS...buy yourself a Norelco or Remington and save yourself lots of $ and shave in the cold.

Starting a company is hard, starting a car company is really hard: Quality problems at Tesla

Starting a company is hard, starting a car company is really hard: Quality problems at Tesla


This is a tough blog to write. As an engineer I respect and enjoy any type of manufacturing production, and simultaneously I demand quality.  What I have seen from Tesla motors is NOT quality, it represents major problems with their assembly, welding, jigging and set up.


However...starting a company is really hard. I admire and respect anyone who starts a new company, from a bakery to a pipe making factory.  Starting a truly new auto company with a fresh sheet design is a monumental task and Elon Musk has done it for real.  Real jobs too, US and Global .  Really, it is more than monumental, it is phenomenally monumental when you consider all the engineering, suppliers parts, assembly, distribution, finance, etc.  Tesla has made a beautiful truly new car that is a full size electric car with wonderful performance.


However, I have recently seen 4 different Tesla's drive by, three had major alignment issues with the passenger side rear quarter panel and trunk lid.  Unless all three of these cars had identical accidents prior to my measurements, I would guess there is an assembly issue at the factory.  Alignment issues can be indicators of welding jig problems with the frame, or can be indicators of hand assembly problems.  They are certainly problems with final inspection and quality, because they should never have gone out of the factory like that.  The alignment problems were so pronounced that I could see the uneven gaps while driving by at 60 MPH. 


The fourth car I saw was nearly new, or so it seemed.  I looked very carefully and it did NOT have the alignment / assembly problem I saw in the rear of the first three cars, but had alignment issues up front.  The hood was crooked, and low in front and high in the rear. 


Clearly there are some teething pains at Tesla.  If I were to spend that much on a car, I would demand perfection, especially now when a Chevrolet Sonic has the fit and finish of a Lexus from just a few years ago, and a new Chevrolet Malibu has fit and finish BETTER than the current Lexus.  Panel alignment on some of the new cars is nothing short of amazing, with panel gaps in the millimeters and consistency from panel to panel and from car to car at +-0.


Just some tough love thoughts from Honest John.  I hope Tesla keeps going with a spirit of continuous improvement. If they do, they will get there.

Bargman 66 Vintage RV Camper Lock Rebuild.

Some notes on how to fix Bargman  locks. 

Below are two You Tubes.  One on rebuilding the lock cylinder (picture above) and one on

rebuilding the poppet spring on the back side.  As with all Honest John's Reviews: No warrantee or guarantee expressed or implied, Use at your own risk.

 

http://youtu.be/p3djHGMmWZk

http://youtu.be/bBFcrwUyEJM

81%

56%

      

                

Holmes Air Purifiers:

I'm a big air purifier person.  Don't ask why...well, OK, I heard you ask:  Its because I live on a very busy street and we get TONS of dust and dirt in the house.  Even with regular vacuuming there is a layer of dust 24X7.  So I purchased 2 air purifiers, 1 Holmes and 1 TheraPure.  They work well enough and are about the same noise level.  Every couple months I clean the filters and WOW...tons of gunked on stuff.

So,  my Holmes  died within a year.  It was clearly one of the electronic components that came from China with poor quality.  No amount of resetting, oiling the motor bearings, or shaking it would revive it.  So I go onto the Holmes website, not expecting much.  I fill out a customer contact form and "WA-LA"...they write back within a day!!!  One thing led to another and they sent me a new unit.   So, I was a bit disappointed by the product quality at first, but the customer service was excellent.  Every one gets a bad batch of parts from time to time, the real measure is how the issue is handled.

Here we are: from innovation to the stone age and back.

Introduction:

Hi fellow earthlings, here at Honest John's reviews (email is honestjohnreviews@gmail.com) (( notice the no 's)) we strive to give the best, most direct, honest (no long running biases or paid positions) and most real and really useful reviews and product commentary on the net. 

We are experts in opinions....and yes, we are engineers with heavy product development backgrounds, but...no legal or financial or technical advice is either expressed or implied...eg. this is an opinion blog, backed up by ...opinions... which are backed up by dubious facts, figures, observations and hyperbole....the sum total of which you may find to be quite useful, sometimes funny, and sometimes very provocative.

For example.  have you ever read "Car and Driver" and wondered why Porsche wins every comparo...the numbers usually look something like this "other car...78 points for interior, handling, engine, fuel....Porsche 60 points for same + 39 points for subjective feeling" for a near perfect score of 99.  Somehow Porsche wins every comparison they lose. Go figure.

Yea. And so and so for "quality" and so and so for ...lots of people and companies claiming to be the best, but really they are far from the best.   Soooo, yea, stuff like that may irk you, but it is what it is.  I don't put that crap here in Honest Johns Blogs.  Just put my opinion backed up by observations I explain to you,  and you can decide.

We will cover many topics including:

• RV Camper repair
• Home appliances, the do's and whos's got a good warrantee
• Politics....ooohhh, hang onto your mouse for this one!
• Automotive including hidden safety issues of popular brands
• Restaurant guides
• Whatever else you want me to research