Tag Archives: good

Review – Huion 17.7” Light Pad (L4S)

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There have been some huge leaps in lightbox technology in recent years. I’ve owned 3 lightboxes in my time, one being a repurposed dental x-ray box, the second being a traditional style box and the third being this which I bought as a possibly temporary replacement for my more traditional-style box. But I might not be swapping back so soon.

Their photos look a lot better than mine

Their photos look a lot better than mine

The Light Pad itself is a rectangular prism that measures 17 7/8” diagonal and 14 1/8” x 10 5/8” x 3/16”, meaning it covers quite a large area, but is very slim. The workable white/translucent area has markings on the side indicated in centimeters 12 ¼” (31cm) x 8 ¼” (21cm) with a ½cm margin. The non-workable black margin is about ¾“ all the way around the pad and it’s only features are the power button and a logo. On the side of the device next to the power button is a micro USB port that is only used for power (this version has no internal batteries), and a red LED will come on when the device is correctly connected. On the back of the device there is some modest information and nicely padded feet that prevent the pad from sliding around when being used.

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Using the Light Pad is a breeze. Simply touching the power “button” lights up the entire workable area to the highest brightness setting (which isn’t very bright, and being shone through a white plastic makes it much less glaring on the eyes). Touching and holding the button will start the pad lighting up, and releasing the button during this will keep the pad at the current brightness setting. This setting is remembered and the next time one starts the device it will light up at the chosen setting unless you hold the button down again. The working area accommodates A4 and Letter sizes well, and the light on the brightest setting easily works with 2 sheets of 110lb cardstock. The plastic the surface is made from is very smooth, but resists sliding and scratches. The feet are also very nice and the device is stiff enough that it doesn’t bend around them under normal use (I still wouldn’t go stacking things on it).

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I don’t think I’m going to be going back to the more traditional lightboxes anytime soon. In my opinion the only advantage they offer is an angled working surface, which is a feature I never really used. The Huion Light Pad is a great lightbox; it’s sufficiently lighted and durable enough to be easy to work with, thin enough that is stores easily, and draws very little power. Its overall workspace footprint is very small, and its job is done almost flawlessly. I do find the red LED indicator light to be annoying but I can’t think of a better way to do things and it is much less troublesome than other indicator lights I’ve had to deal with. I also have no use for the multiple brightness settings but I suppose it’s better to have it than not. Still, the device has become a permanent feature of my workplace and I would recommend anyone looking for a lightbox to look at these cheaper and thinner LED alternatives to the traditional boxes.

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Blog 11-30-15 – Thanksgiving and Artwalk

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Hellooo… It’s Blog time again. I’m still sort of in a Thanksgiving vacation type thing where everyone I’m around acts like I shouldn’t be working, but I still work but a lot fewer things get done. Anyway, I’ve got a few things I feel I should keep posted about.

First of all, my Artwalk showing in Alpine went wonderfully and it was much less cold than previous years (though at one point it did get quite cold). I met a lot of great people and talked to many more I’d met in previous years. And since I’ve officially unveiled my new books at the event, I will just leave the link to my Amazon author page where they can be purchased here again.

My Thanksgiving also went well, and I hope yours did too. It’s the first time I’ve really celebrated (had dinner that wasn’t just my normal dinner with immediate family) in a few years, and the occasion was much more pleasant than when I was last celebrating it because I was able to eat foods prepared closer to how I’m used too. Anyway, enough about me that doesn’t relate to this site: I hope your Thanksgiving went as good as mine or better and that any traveling done went smoothly.

And finally, due to several factors, including the two events mentioned above, it being the cold season and several other things, I am still behind schedule in my written items. And any lead-time my previous advanced planning for this site gave me has eroded. So things will still be late and at wonky times into December. Which, while past the date when I had hoped the problem would be solved, is not past when I actually thought it would be solved. And if things go well everything will be mostly back on track for the New Year.

Thank you,

Austin Smith

Review – Slant Collections Mini Journals Preppy Stripe

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I’m not exactly the type of person to be found in Tuesday Morning (the store) but I did find myself in there one day, and there was quite a bit of interesting stuff. And being someone who has been drawn to the stationery aisle since I was little I found myself in the stationery section, where I found a set of Slant Collections mini journals, this particular set in the discontinued “preppy stripe” (it was Tuesday Morning, after all). Let’s take a look.

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The books themselves are 3¼ x 5¼ inches, just smaller than a Moleskine pocket book. The cover feels like plastic-coated cardboard and in this version has a very simple design that comes in 3 colors. It is a single piece bent around and stitch-bound onto the 70 inside pages. These pages are lined with a thin 7mm ruling that is the same color as the main cover color, printed on a very white background.

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The paper itself is quite thick and a medium roughness. It is very bleed-and feathering-resistant despite this. Fountain and other liquid ink pens are handled well, and with most other writing utensils both sides of the paper can be used, though at this size I wouldn’t recommend that. The cover and binding are very well done and hold up (the stitching looks very slightly unsightly at times) and the corners are nicely rounded to prevent the corner bending that some books get. On the table the book lies adequately flat and while the cover does bend out of shape it bends back just as easily.

In the end I have been surprised by these little notebooks. They are hardy, easy to carry, great writing things. It has taken me some time to review them as they weren’t good enough to replace any of the books in my normal rotation (but that’s more because I prize consistency, a book would have to be head and shoulders above to get met to move something out of my rotation). I enjoyed using them very much (even the pink one) and if all of the Slant collection journals are as good as these were I’d consider more in the future.

Review – Monster DNA Headphones

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I’m not a real headphone kind of guy. All of my on-ear phones are gifts, like the one I’m reviewing. And all of my earbuds break super fast so I just get the cheapest I can find. But I already have the Monster DNA headphones, so I thought I’d give them a review.

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The have a compact and sleek design. I’m not really a fan of the overall looks, but they function well enough. The head strap (? What do you call that?) is flexible and quite comfortable, with a bit of rubber on the interior to prevent the uncomfortableness of straight plastic-to-hair contact. Each side is capable of receiving input from a standard audio cord. They also fold up, which I find unnecessary and silly. Each side is adjustable, to allow the headphones to better fit the head, and I find that the various positions they click into are at short enough intervals that the majority of people will be able to find a comfortable position for themselves. They come with two audio cables: one standard aux cord, and another with a 90-degree bend for devices. The device cord also has controls for volume, and the pause/skip forward or back button.

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The performance is great. The bass is clear and the cushions around the edges conform to one’s ear allowing one to listen with fewer outside distractions. Many even slight sounds can be picked up but the main parts of the music (or whatever audio is being listened to) isn’t interrupted or detracted from. The cables are sturdy and hold in the devices well, and the buttons are well constructed.

Overall I’m happy with them. They were a great gift, and are my primary, non-travel headphones. Not to say I haven’t traveled with them: they can become very compact and are quite sturdy for traveling purposes. And they’re just nice headphones. They’re all I, a standard music and entertainment enjoyer, will ever need out of headphones. I know there are likely better ones, but I’d still give these a shot.

Review – Flex By Filofax Pocket

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This review has been a long time coming. I first picked up the Flex by FiloFax pocket book a year ago from a surplus store as they were being discontinued in America (though I can find them on Amazon again now). I’ve never really been the organizer type and I didn’t know what I would use the item for, but it was cheap, and black goes with anything so I picked it up. How could I resist another notebook?

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So I have settled on a use for it, and it goes with me (almost) every day as my wallet (second wallet: my first one isn’t large enough to carry much cash and business cards as it’s attached to my phone). So this will be a review of the product as a wallet, and not the myriad of other things it could be used for.

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The book comes with two notebooks that I’ll cover first. One is a small, journal-type book, and the other is a tear-able (not a pun) pad. Both are good quality paper that’s fairly smooth, and can stand up to some fountain pens even, but they’re a bit stiff. They fit snugly into the slots on the cover and never seem too intrusive or fattening. Replacement books and other styles can be bought individually, and they are still good even if not protected in the cover.

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The cover has a leatherette feel to it (I don’t know the material) but it’s pretty strong and the spine is designed to be flexible so it doesn’t look bad or get destroyed by being opened and closed a lot. On the outside there’s nothing but stitching and a subdued logo, which I like. On the inside there are two panels, each has an inside-facing, and outside-facing pocket that are about business card size and can hold the notebook covers. One panel then has three card slots for business/credit cards or the pad, and the other side has only one slot for either the pad or any other item that FiloFax made to be put in there (I suppose cards would work there too, but there is only one slot). Finally, it comes with a thin piece of cardboard with a pen loop attached that can be inserted into the back pockets, allowing for one to easily take their pen with them.

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I personally have: business cards, cash, a small pen (Monteverde Poquito stylus), and all of the included items stored inside. The cover has held up well, with no signs of wear yet, and while I rarely use the books because I have so many other ones (and I’m not a fan of jot-pads) they do come in handy and can take inks that many cheaper papers can’t. I’ve had no problems with the spine or the pockets, and the stitching is still all there. I wish it was a little more customizable, but I wish that about everything.

The Flex is a quality product, as a wallet, organizer, or notebook. It is very customizable and very hardy. If one’s needs change, the Flex can change with them, and it seems to be built well enough to last through those changes. I really like it, and wish it was more widely available here (it might be now: I need to check up on it). It is on the bulky side, so it’s not for the minimalist, and more customizable options would be nice. But unless I see something great I’m not on the hunt for another wallet.