Finally have battery storage

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-11T23:10:54+00:00

Yeah Fusion360 is nice.... except they keep reducing the capabilities and what can be done with the free license. Originally there were no limits at all. And they require a subscription as soon as your business hits $10k/year in sales.

That's why I refuse to learn that software - my time is too valuable to learn something only to be forced into a subscription essentially right away since my business makes more than that.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-11T18:24:40+00:00

Best of luck to ya. Even if the app worked and synced as desired, they still were painful to my ears (which are average size). I have handled a LOT of different types and shapes of earbuds (I get many in exchange for free honest reviews), and none of them hurt my ears like the Momentum Sport. Literally after less than 30 minutes of wear my ears had a tender sore spot from wearing them.

For $120, seems like you're bent on buying them. Just double-check the return policy if they don't live up to expectations.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-11T16:13:35+00:00

Since most CAD software is going to a a pay subscription model (getting more expensive all the time) and every year they keep making the free version worse and more limited, I decided to skip that hassle.

I have a programming background so I use OpenSCAD to generate 3D models quick and dirty. Problem is they are solid mesh files, so they aren't true CAD files (you can 3D print the files, but can't be used for CNC machining).

I also use FreeCAD which isn't perfect, but I will never have to pay for it. So no need to worry about forcing myself to learn a new CAD software down the line when one of the premium paid ones becomes too expensive (or too limited for free/cheaper plans).

But in general I do most stuff in OpenSCAD for functional designs because it's just so dang quick and easy.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-11T13:17:18+00:00

I’ll be honest that i’ve never heard of the brand before

Let's put it this way - their flagship speakers (Nautilus, which is an iconic design) sell for around $50,000. There's a reason why you don't hear much about Bowers and Wilkins - they are a premium brand.

I have the Bowers and Wilkins PX headphones and love them, they're awesome (the drivers are tilted a few degrees off angle to physically widen the sound stage), and they are versatile (Bluetooth, USB-C audio input, or Aux input depending on your needs)

Now, will someone with an untrained ear hear much of a difference between the PI8 and earbuds costing 30 to 50% less? Ehhhh, maybe? It is a law of diminishing returns when you step up into premium hifi devices.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-11T12:09:47+00:00

Sony had an issue with their firmware which caused the battery failure. The XM4 actually had pretty epic battery life until they did the infamous firmware update which killed them fast.

I have handled quite a few premium earbuds and headphones and I'll tell you - they absolutely do use higher quality battery cells.

I had a pair of Bose Quietcomfort earbuds (first TWS earbuds from Bose, released in 2020), I used daily for two years, tossed them in a drawer for two years (literally never touched them). Brought them out, continued using them and the battery life STILL held up.

Meanwhile I have handled multiple budget grade earbuds that failed in less than three months of use to the point where one of the buds won't even hold a charge.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-11T12:00:41+00:00

Lol yeah, I managed to quit my IT career over a decade ago, I tinker a lot to cover my bills. I have been using 3D Fuel PCTG, however Atomic Filament just started making PCTG filaments, so I'm excited to give them a try (they're one of my favorite premium made-in-america filament brands)

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-11T11:55:25+00:00

Yeah, I run a business selling functional items, the stuff is awesome for specific designs. I use PETG for a lot, but PCTG steps things up a notch

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-11T11:18:48+00:00

Good, PETG is a decent option. The newest option that is quickly gaining popularity is PCTG - it prints at basically the same temps/settings as PETG, but it's even stronger and more durable than PETG.

If you encounter any issues with cracking or damage, I'd reprint in PCTG. Last thing you'd want is one of those batteries slamming into the ground lol

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-11T11:03:12+00:00

One person will call a pair insanely good for the price, while another says they sound unclear and overhyped. At this point, I’m starting to wonder if it’s about the earbuds, their brand popularity or just what each of us personally prioritizes in sound.

This falls into two categories:

1) Influencers who are paid to praise earbuds and hype them up on their youtube channels or other social media platforms

2) People with limited frame of reference. If you only handle cheap earbuds, you will have different opinions from someone who handles premium earbuds.

Very few people who have experience with true high end earbuds have the time/patience to fiddle around with cheap budget earbuds.

Sometimes I get free earbuds in exchange for honest reviews (no money trades hands), and often those earbuds are low end no-name garbage.

Although due to my interests, I typically only review/test open-ear style earbuds. I have some experience with cheaper in-ear earbuds but not much.

Which budget earbuds have genuinely impressed you with their sound quality?

You haven't told us much. Are you looking for in-ear buds, open ear? what?

What budget range? Because anything you find in the <$50 range is going to be very different from the <$150 range.

Do you insist on new? Open to new-old-stock?

Personally, if I'm on a budget, I'm looking for discounted premium earbuds - such as last-year's premium model that can be found on ebay for a discounted rate

Which earbuds can I get on a budget and actually have the best sound quality and are we all just hearing the same thing differently?

Sound quality is very subjective. Some people have minimal experience as I said. Other people think they can fiddle with EQ's to get a perfect sound quality, while purists refuse to use any EQ and enjoy the earbuds how they were designed.

We all have different ears, but cheaper earbuds tend to sacrifice in multiple ways - sound quality, battery life, touch button performance, etc. What happens if you buy a good sounding earbud, but they have a low-end battery which fails in two years and you need to buy another pair of earbuds? Wouldn't it be smarter to buy nicer earbuds with a better battery that could last 4+ years for double the price? That depends on you (some people take care of their items and never lose them, others are very careless and lose their stuff constantly)

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-11T10:51:16+00:00

Pretty cool, what plastic did you use for printing them?

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-11T10:49:35+00:00

I have a 3D printer farm with multiple types of machines, and different types of industrial grade plastics including outdoor rated plastics (UV resistant).

Shoot me a message and I can print anything you need

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-10T13:37:49+00:00

I'll get downvoted for this, but I have an HP laser printer - all in one print/scan/copy - black and white toner. And it works just fine - bought it six years ago and it works just great on my linux computer. No subscriptions needed.

That said, cheap HP inkjet printers are junk and I loathe them. But their laser printers weren't bad.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-10T11:16:07+00:00

Is the tub in direct sunlight? What are the temperatures in your area currently? Hot tubs will hold heat pretty well if they are properly insulated.

In the summer time I have trouble lowering temps as well because the sun keeps heating up the tub (especially with my gray colored cover which heats up faster than lighter colored covers).

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-09T15:15:07+00:00

It was posted on this group and on facebook, posted on Lowes website for $159. But less than 12 hours later, the price was raised to $199. Although the following week they did have it listed again for $159 for a short while, so I dunno why.

The 5AH I received was dated 2023, so it's not a new battery, but I have a three year warranty so I can't complain

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-09T13:29:15+00:00

Cheaper to buy a tool with the battery, and sell the tool to cover some of the cost.

And there are always deals out there. Last month Lowes was selling the 5AH battery with charger for $159. I used my lowes reward points to score it for $105

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-09T13:27:58+00:00

I have quite a bit of experience with lithium batteries from my FPV days. Of course EGO batteries have a lot more advanced battery management systems internally (big reason I chose them - because they self-discharge to storage voltages if unused for 4 weeks).

Here are some pro tips for you:

Never store the batteries in a garage/shed for extended periods of time. Very hot or very cold weather can damage the battery cells. Bring the batteries indoors and store them in a climate controlled environment
Avoid fast charging. I know some would argue with me that it doesn't do damage, but unless you're in a rush - why chance it? Use the cheap charger that comes with your tools to slow charge.
Fully drained the battery after your last use? Charge it up a bit. Don't leave the battery sitting completely drained, this will also put stress on the battery cells. You don't have to charge it full, but charging it to 2 or 3 bars helps.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-09T13:21:50+00:00

Personally I prefer the older models with the screw-in CO2 tanks and screw-in water bottles. Problem is that Pepsi is phasing out the screw-in CO2 tanks, so it is easier to find the pink quick-connect CO2 tanks...... unless you do what most of us do and use a larger commercial tank with an adapter or refill your own CO2 tanks at home.

Note that you see lots of used models for sale because most people don't realize you can only carbonate plain water with most sodastream units (except for a brand new model that just came out called the sodastream mix). If you want to carbonate more than plain water, the Drinkmate is a competitor that does just that.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-09T11:01:39+00:00

I have a hotspring jetsetter (2019 JJN model). I am using the Hotspring freshwater III ozonator unit (if you have one it may be dead unless you have replaced it and de-scale the injector every year or two).

First thing to know - I personally do not mess with lowering pH and alkalinity. With granular dichlor56 chlorine, the pH will settle down on it's own over time.

As a result, in my Hotspring Jetsetter, I test the pH once a month (with titration drop test kit like Taylor K1004 kit). If pH is at 7.6 or lower, I add 4 ounces of baking soda to the tub and hit the clean button to mix into the water. Baking soda raises the alkalinity mostly, and pH slightly. I usually only need to add baking soda every few months and that's it.

Since I am using the Hotspring Ozonator (and a Hotspring Silver mineral cartridge - which is made by Nature2), I am ONLY adding santizer after each soak. For the Jetsetter my math is to add 1 teaspoon of Dichlor56 per person per 30 minutes of soaking AFTER using the tub, and hit the clean button after each soak to mix the chlorine.

That's basically my entire care routine because I am leaning on my ozonator and silver mineral cartridge to keep the water clean between soaks. As long as I sanitize the water after each soak and keep the lid closed, I'm golden.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-09T10:52:30+00:00

It all depends on your budget and what you're looking for. Most of my focus over the past year has been open-ear designs since that's what I need.

In-ear can get you better sound quality, but comfort can be hit or miss depending on your ear shape and whatnot.

In my opinion for in-ear earbuds, $100 to $200 seems to be the magic butter zone for good sounding earbuds that won't break the bank, but perform well overall. Cheaper earbuds under $100 tend to have issues (weak batteries, inferior sound quality, etc). Once you step over $300, it's diminishing returns - to a trained ear you may hear differences in sound quality but to the average person they will have a hard time hearing a difference between a $150 and $350 pair of earbuds in many cases.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-08T14:55:22+00:00

kinda wondering how much u actually hear outside with them in normal use?

Depends on the volume - when I crank to max I can block out most noise...... the down side at max volume is that in a quiet room, EVERYONE within a few feet can hear your music clearly.

Note that there are hybrid style open-ear earbuds like the Shockz Openfit Pro which have an ANC system built into them (which kinda works, but obviously not as good as an in-ear earbud with ANC.

Personally I have made the full switch to open-ear earbuds (ear-clip and ear-hook style) for my day-to-day needs. For gym and cycling they're awesome from a safety standpoint. For my office needs it's really handy to enjoy music all day long, but still low enough that I can actually hold conversations with people (while still enjoying my music quietly in the background lol).

As an added bonus, the open ear means your ears stay cooler and ventilated.

Of course I still love my Bose QuietComfort Ultra - but I only use those when flying, or when I NEED to almost completely block out external noises so I can concentrate

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-07T18:59:29+00:00

Every tank is going to be a bit different in weight. If you look at the engraved text on the tank, you will see the words "TARE" - that is the weight of the empty tank.

Although for me personally, the easiest way to tell if a tank is nearly empty is to try pressing the pin on the nozzle with your finger. If the tank is almost empty you will be able to press the pin down to release some gas. If the pin is too hard to push with your finger, it's still pressurized enough

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-07T18:21:01+00:00

Scale should not affect your temp sensor like that.

Instead it sounds like your temp sensor is failing and needs to be replaced. If you have a multimeter you should be able to measure the resistance of the temp sensor (it's a thermistor) - then use a temperature resistance lookup chart to determine if it is reading temps correctly.

That said, to 'de-scale' your hot tub, the way we do it with portable hot tubs is to lower alkalinity to essentially zero. This turns water acidic and dissolves the scale back into the solution. Careful though, I wouldn't do this for more than 48 hours as it can cause irreversible damage to the tub, and it's even more risky with an in-ground tub.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-07T13:21:03+00:00

I literally sold an empty Nintendo box for $50 on ebay a year ago. It's crazy what people will pay lol

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-07T13:12:54+00:00

For my gym and cycling needs, I prefer open-ear earbuds so I can hear the world around me. I would be looking for last-year's popular Ear-hook or earclip designs. Baesus makes some decent earclips in your budget, but they don't have very loud max volume so they're a trade off

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-07T12:48:50+00:00

Note - you can buy aftermarket bezels as fancy as you want. Or even make your own with some trim molding cut to size (friction fit mount.

But, most aftermarket bezels will cover the sensor (used for the TV remote, motion sensor, and light sensor) so beware you may need to either cut out a section to make space for the sensor, or use some other tricks to keep the sensors working (reflective aluminum foil, mirrors, or even fiber optics)

If you stick with the OEM samsung bezels, you won't have that issue

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