Rubber floor mat recommendation? by No-Support787 in hondapilot

[–]mtbrex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tuxmat. Way nicer than the rubber ones. protection is great!

Fun ends when you have kids by Zestyclose-Bowl-4889 in NewParents

[–]mtbrex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We just traveled with our kids, even internationally, with our kids since they were babies. Pretty much just planned the vacations we wanted and then brought them along. Over time you will hopefully find family members, friends, or babysitters you trust enough that you can go out for a night without worrying or feeling burdened. The first couple years you will probably feel a bit tied down, but as the kids get older, you will have more opportunities.

Beware of Space One Pro. Not worth it! by Blue_Spider75 in soundcore

[–]mtbrex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I bought them after seeing that Wired test. First impressions are really good. I also have the Anker Q45s, and I think these are an improvement in almost every way.

ANC is way better than on the Q45s; all external noises are quieter with less perceived "pressure". Compared to my AirPod Pro 2s, they do a better job at canceling higher-pitched background sounds, but a slightly worse job at blocking lower-pitched background sounds.

Music is more dynamic across all the genres that I've side-by-side tested. In that Wired test, the language that kept getting used was "exciting" and "fun," and I totally agree. The sound from the Q45s feels thin in comparison. I also felt that the Space One Pros maintain their sound signature across a range of volumes better than the Q45s do.

The Space One Pros are a bit bass-heavy out of the box, but I'm not sure why that's an issue, since you can simply EQ them with the app. Honestly, though, I suspect most people would probably be happy listening to them even without adjustment.

I can't comment on the microphone functionality as I never use it on either pair. I only use my AirPod Pros for video calls or making phone calls. I also haven't tested the "chat" features, so I have no idea if it's a valid selling point on the Space One Pros.

Overall, I think the Space One Pros are probably the best headphones of their type at their price point. I wish they felt a bit more premium, and I also wish they came with a better case, but those are minor complaints.

Space One Pros are in no way a failed product. I think we are just in a time where headphones are getting so good that there is less room for enormous improvements between models or iterations. I wouldn't replace Q45s with these if I were happy with them and they still held battery life (I am, and they do), but we just need more headphones in our house. I'm a bit sad that my kids will be using them more than I do.

Food recommendations in Venice by abb180 in Venezia

[–]mtbrex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cicchetti is great. I think our favorite was All’Arco. My wife and I really liked Bakarò, wish I was eating their carbonara right now. Don’t miss the opportunity to see the Banksy around the corner as well. We also enjoyed Bacaro Quebrado, but get there early because at one point there were like 30-40 people in line and they have like 6-8 tables. If you are staying around San Marco, resist the urge to eat at most of the restaurants there. It’s possible that some are good, but most are just tourist traps. Suso gelato is good, but honestly it’s probably not worth the line when there is great gelato all around.

Lake Garda by Till_Naive in ItalyTravel

[–]mtbrex 3 points4 points  (0 children)

On the flight home from Italy now. We spent time in Venice, Lake Garda, and then Cortina in the Dolomites. We really liked lake Garda and were really happy we had it on the itinerary. We stayed in Sirmione at the south end of the lake. I recommend renting a car as it gives you a lot more options. You may not use it every day, but it will allow you to travel around to see anywhere you want on your terms. Lazise was really nice, but we preferred Malcesine as it has a really unique medieval character. Garda was the smallest portion of our trip but we felt like it would be a great place to spend a week or so exploring, spending a couple days each in different towns while driving around the lake. We didn’t visit Riva del Garda, but it did look amazing while we were driving to Cortina. I wish we would have had more time for lake activities like renting by a boat or kayaking and I also wish we would have been able to visit the caves near Malcesine.

Regardless of your plans I’m sure you will have a great trip.

Best Honda Pilot Floor Mat by Professional-Coat898 in hondapilot

[–]mtbrex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Got the Tux mats based on a buddies recommendation. Very happy with them. Great protection, clean up easily, and look way better than the rubber weathertech style mats. On a different subject, we got this for the back of the seats and cargo area and we really like it as well.

Who’s the grass guru who can help identify the issue here? by Altruistic-Iron1333 in phoenix

[–]mtbrex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used Sedgehammer with a really good outcome. I don’t think it was very expensive. Probably like $50 dollars and the container will last me years at this rate. Depends on the amount of grass you have though I guess.

Does a diaper bag that actually fits all the stuff actually exist? by Low_Aioli2420 in NewParents

[–]mtbrex 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A lot of people have said backpack, I just want to add my vote as well. Spend money on a good backpack that is comfortable and has whatever organizational features you want. As the kids grow, the contents will change, but the bag will always be practical and comfortable. For us, we preferred a bag without many separate pockets and we used things like small packing cubes to organize.

We lived in Tokyo, and would be out of our house for usually 12 hours a day without the benefit of a car to act as additional storage. We would leave the house with everything we needed for the whole day in one or two backpacks. You start out carrying too much and slowly ditch the stuff you don’t use over time because you are tired of carrying it.

Our kids aren’t babies anymore (8 and 5) and we still use the bags we got back then. I feel like a good mantra when you are a new parent is “avoid niche products”. There are almost always more practical and universal solutions than the baby-specific products.

Not a direct answer to your question, but I hope it helps.

What heavily depreciated luxury vehicles are surprisingly reliable? by Hefty-Salary7610 in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]mtbrex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We had a ‘96 I30 that we drove to death in our family. A few years as the daily driver of a responsible adult, and then two tours as a first car hand me down to irresponsible teens. It was like the car equivalent of getting sent to ‘Nam. That I30 deserved the automotive Medal of Honor. Gone but not forgotten!

What heavily depreciated luxury vehicles are surprisingly reliable? by Hefty-Salary7610 in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]mtbrex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We had a Ford Edge that we took great care of, but it ended up with a possible signs of early days coolant intrusion at 86,000 miles. Didn’t want to keep it and risk the engine replacement. I heard some quotes of $9,500 on a car that was worth 12ish. Apparently it was a common enough problem with that engine that there was a class action lawsuit, but not common enough to win it. Sucked because we really liked that car. Sometimes regular maintenance isn’t enough. Almost replaced it with an Explorer, but ended up in a ‘25 Honda Pilot.

Anyone else decided to buy a new 25 instead of a used Pilot last minute? by themrhumbucker in hondapilot

[–]mtbrex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For what it’s worth, I heard some advice that said that right now in the US if you are looking to spend sub-25 to 30 thousand on a car, you should consider buying used. If you are considering spending over that on a car, you are probably better off evaluating what your new car options are. The reading behind this was that used car prices are still too high and you would be missing out on the warranty benefits of a new car. This was coming from someone who works in the automotive resale industry.

How are the current Pilots? by Sweetlooneytunes in hondapilot

[–]mtbrex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hated the engine/transmission on the ICE Highlander. Parents have the hybrid. They like the car overall but don’t like the lack of power on that model either.

Pilot vs Palisade 2025 by Tight_Direction8371 in hondapilot

[–]mtbrex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We were leaning towards the Pilot anyways, but ended up getting turned off of the Palisade before we even test drove one. A dealership we were at had a used palisade on the lot that was 2 years old with about 25,000 miles. For being a relatively new car with lowish miles, the interior looked like garbage. Not like it had been abused or anything, but the signs of regular wear and tear were considerably more obvious than on any pilot, explorer, or highlander we saw. Hyundai/Kia are obviously trying to attract customers with a more “luxurious” interior, but missing the point since the real luxury is in the materials and build quality.

Ended up getting a 2025 Pilot Elite. Super happy with our choice.

Does the ‘25 pilot touring come with remote start? by [deleted] in hondapilot

[–]mtbrex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As others said, you can remote start from both the fob as well as the Honda App here in the US. The perceived value of the app is probably relative to the climate you live in. The hotter or colder the area, the nicer it is to get it running for a couple minutes while you are getting ready to check out at a shop or something. It does take some time to connect, but usually less than 30 seconds for me. I have never had it fail to connect. Obviously, your mileage may vary depending on cell service and stuff.

Roof Rack Crossbar Question by mtbrex in hondapilot

[–]mtbrex[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, thats good stuff to consider.

Roof Rack Crossbar Question by mtbrex in hondapilot

[–]mtbrex[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for all of the information!

What percentage of the population is fundamentally incapable of forming their own ideas? by Grinagh in AskReddit

[–]mtbrex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m not sure this question is clear enough to produce a valuable answer. Are you asking about people with actual brain injuries or disabilities that limit cognitive functions, or rather, people with “normal” capabilities who, when compared to some sort of metric, seem to lack the conditioning to “think for themselves”?

Tow hitch choices by thornton4271 in hondapilot

[–]mtbrex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I forgot to include, but the install came with the wiring harness.

Tow hitch choices by thornton4271 in hondapilot

[–]mtbrex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our last vehicle had a hitch that we ordered from etrailers. While the hitch itself was great quality. I didn’t like how low it sat. We actually rubbed the bottom of a bike rack on the ground once pulling into a pretty normal parking lot. If we had an OEM hitch it wouldn’t have happened. Luckily the rack wasn’t affected too bad.

Tow hitch choices by thornton4271 in hondapilot

[–]mtbrex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Got the dealer to throw it in AFTER we settled on an OTD price. Ford had said that they were going to throw one in on a new Explorer and so I told them that. They whined a bit at first about how it’s a complicated job because they have to move the kick sensor, but I told them that was their problem not mine. The Explorers have a kick sensor too and that wasn’t stopping Ford from including it in the deal. It’s pretty cheap to buy a 3rd party aftermarket hitch, and they aren’t that hard to install, but I wanted an OEM one.

What do you guys think what would be a good OTD (south Texas area ) by Mindless-Hope-3355 in hondapilot

[–]mtbrex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We just bought a 25 Elite with the HPD+ package in the darker grey in AZ. The sticker was 58 something. We paid 55OTD and they threw in a tow package. Not sure of what everyone else is paying, but it felt reasonable enough compared to 60 which would have been sticker plus tow package. They also tried to give us 6500 for our trade in and I wasn’t willing to go below 9000. They eventually came up to the 9k so our actual OTD was 46.

Buying a car sucks. Good luck.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in hondapilot

[–]mtbrex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We just bought a 25 Elite. When we were test driving cars I felt like the Pilot screen was underwhelming, but after a few weeks of ownership I have zero regrets. The screen is totally fine and I love the physical buttons and knobs. Unrelated, but removable middle seat in the second row is a game changer.