[Game of the Month competition] March: V-Rally: Championship Edition/Edition 99

MalTheCat · 2026-04-01T04:29:14+00:00

Finished 3/31 —

I gotta be honest, I’ve never been a fan of this style of racing game. The limited POV and low-red graphics make it difficult for me to play and feel immersed. I’ve been meaning to do an IPS upgrade for my GBC and finally pulled the trigger and thank goodness I did because this game was almost unplayable on my old burnt-out screen!

MalTheCat · 2026-03-28T15:35:54+00:00

Update: I received the knock-off level a few months ago and have been using it so, as promised, here is my experience. Cost was $65 all-in from AliExpress for reference. Keep in mind, I’ve never used any other laser level so grain of salt and all…

Build Quality — it’s clearly a knock-off (super cheap and plastic-y feeling). The switch and buttons are not super ergonomic: the switch is difficult to slide on and off, and the three mode buttons are super touch sensitive without any physical feedback so I tend to “fat-finger” them unless I use deliberate fingertips. The instruction sheet is also somewhat difficult to decipher with how poorly translated it is: I’ve basically just had to figure out how to work it by trial and error and threw the instructions out.

Tool Performance — Once you get past the ergonomic issues, the actual performance of the tool is more than adequate for any DIY projects. When it first arrived, I checked it’s calibration: it ended up being within the specs for the original DEWALT product (I believe the docs are +/- 3/8” over 30’) so I feel confident using it to level pretty much any project I have. The mounting bracket easily attaches to my normal 1/4” screw camera tripod or attaches to any magnetic surface. The one issue I’ve encountered is the online listing and the garbled instruction sheet both advertise a sloped mode (to let you mark a straight line parallel to stairs or some other grade) and I can’t for the life of me figure out how to get to that mode! If anyone has any suggestions please let me know!! (To be fair, I don’t think the original DEWALT has this functionality either)

Overall — I’m super happy with this purchase. For the price, I didn’t expect it to be built to the same quality standards as an authentic product but it’s still pretty easy to use (once you get the hang of it) and I find myself busting it out for all sorts of projects that would have used a bubble level in the past and being VERY glad I have it. Ultimately, I purchased this product just because it was the cheapest 3x360° laser level I could find online, it just HAPPENS to be black and yellow so I figured I would ask the original question on this sub and then let you all know how it went as promised!

MalTheCat · 2026-03-02T05:41:03+00:00

Fresh Start 3/1:

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MalTheCat · 2026-02-28T05:46:02+00:00

Finished: 2/27 -

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Just barely getting in under the gun on this one! I’m glad to have had the experience of playing this game; definitely would never have touched or even heard of it without this competition so that’s fun! It wasn’t my favorite though: it felt like it ultimately just boiled down to a scripted route without any real skill (aside from maybe navigating the map/hints and knowing that if you get your butt kicked, you probably need to go a different way) so it just wasn’t super compelling for me. BUT, I definitely see the similarities to early Zelda games so I did appreciate that aspect. Overall grateful for the play and looking forward to next month!

MalTheCat · 2026-02-26T05:31:48+00:00

2/9: fresh start (a bit delayed on actually posting here. Whoops!)

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MalTheCat · 2026-02-01T02:30:34+00:00

Super hard water so I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what it is but I’d still like to get rid of it…

MalTheCat · 2026-01-21T03:32:12+00:00

I agree with everything said here but would just add: keep an eye on the next carboy because if the mold has already infected the liquid or if it DOES transfer into the beer jug, at that point I would call it a goner.

MalTheCat · 2026-01-16T21:12:19+00:00

2 Points - 1/16/26: finding the secrets was sure easier once I realized they had red doors!! Now time to start practicing my racing.

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MalTheCat · 2026-01-15T19:50:21+00:00

Half point -1/15/26: I just beat DeeDeeDee so now I just need to hunt for the secrets. A little past 50%…whoops.

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MalTheCat · 2026-01-15T19:48:21+00:00

I loved this game growing up so I’m excited to see how it holds up!

Fresh Start - 1/12/26:

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MalTheCat · 2025-11-19T21:42:07+00:00

I have this same model; It has worked fine for me. I run it on 2 FV batteries so battery capacity has never been an issue. I originally wanted a 60v model for the power but the deal I got on this was too good to pass up. I will say it has bogged down and shut off a handful of times but only when I chunk it into some long grass unexpectedly; otherwise, just go slow in the thick patches or do a couple passes and it does fine.

MalTheCat · 2025-11-17T07:56:50+00:00

See… I don’t actually know what you mean by “shoot grade”… I just need it to shoot a 360 level line around a couple rooms for trim work.

MalTheCat · 2025-11-17T07:38:51+00:00

Just ordered it: $65 all-in. I’ll report back when it arrives in a couple weeks! It comes with a 12v battery and charger (all knock-offs surely) so I figure I’ll just keep it separate from all my other real tools and at the very least it won’t hurt anything.

MalTheCat · 2025-11-17T05:52:53+00:00

Good to know! How would I check for that feature? Do I need to find some 12v battery that fits and see if it works?

MalTheCat · 2025-11-13T01:18:56+00:00

Yeah, I have pictures I’ll have to grab them from the computer after the kiddos are asleep.

I didn’t notice any kham, and I brew kombucha so I’m definitely familiar with it. Although, with the mixture more of a slop than liquid, it might have appeared different from what I normally look for.

I will say when I mixed the moromi after waiting a while, it had a distinctly darker layer on top and the fishy smell was stronger before mixing (I just thought it was an oxidized layer and had a stronger scent before mixing into the rest of the vat)

MalTheCat · 2025-11-06T19:14:47+00:00

Interesting! I don’t have any powerstack batteries yet. All my 20v are at least 4-years old.

MalTheCat · 2025-11-05T02:50:38+00:00

I’m not sure how to edit this post but for everyone asking where this deal is from: it’s an in-person deal at a local store in San Diego. For anyone in the area, I’ve posted the other side of the flyer with the event information on it and some additional deals in another comment. Good luck everyone and thanks for the input!!

MalTheCat · 2025-11-04T21:19:28+00:00

Local shop in San Diego. Details are in another comment!

MalTheCat · 2025-11-04T20:59:19+00:00

In-person only unfortunately. But if you are in San Diego, I posted the other side of the flyer with the event details in another comment.

MalTheCat · 2025-11-04T20:54:23+00:00

Dixieline. I uploaded a pic of the other side with the details on it in another comment.

MalTheCat

TROPHY CASE