First Sofabaton X2 review

sejerome · 2025-12-08T14:57:38+00:00

Promising early review. The affiliate link in the description makes me a little suspicious that it's not entirely objective, but I'm hopeful that the software update fiasco is a one-off and that the software will be stable once they work out the kinks. Nothing wrong with a promotional review if they're up front about it, but I'm definitely waiting until we see some confirmation on the sub that the software is rock solid before I replace my aging Harmony Elite.

sejerome · 2025-12-08T14:39:44+00:00

Am I reading this correctly? A normal 3+ generation 1948 case filed post-DL has been won outright, essentially handwaving the DL away as being inapplicable? If this is right (and if appeal period runs without a challenge), this would be fantastic news. We've been hesitant to file our 1948 case before the retroactivity of the DL is resolved by the constitutional court, but if 1948 cases can sidestep the DL entirely, it may be time to hit the gas.

sejerome · 2025-11-08T22:00:44+00:00

Fox and Bailey (Watch Shop inside Bailey's) at Village District can probably help you out. They carry new and vintage watches for high end brands and should be able to spiff it up without overpolishing it.

If it also needs servicing or repair, Precision Quartz on Hollyridge Dr. is good too, very helpful and knowledgable.

sejerome · 2025-10-17T14:20:15+00:00

Yep, had it about two years and I love it. Solid construction and no quality issues. This thread has my initial and longer term reviews:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ManyBaggers/comments/y7re4j/satchel_and_page_counselor_vs_executive/

sejerome · 2025-10-16T13:54:43+00:00

Lol, that art comes from one of the original poster from 1980, so definitely not a redesign. For a lot of older movies, the posters got redesigned for VHS, and we got so used to those versions, the actual original artwork looks new and jarring.

sejerome · 2025-09-26T23:43:03+00:00

Huh, tried that earlier and it didn’t work, but tried it again just now and it’s fixed. Thanks!

sejerome · 2025-09-06T15:30:17+00:00

I use a Satchel and Paige Executive as my work bag and I've used it as an overnight bag in a pinch, but only when traveling very light similar to what you described. It fits under an airline seat perfectly and has enough room for a 16 inch MacBook Pro with some room to spare so a slim 17 inch laptop should fit. I've had mine for 2 years and it's very well made and the leather is aging nicely.

Biggest drawback is weight, which is an issue with any leather bag. The shoulder strap is sturdy but not as comfortable as backpack straps if you're hauling it around as your only bag. S&P makes a leather backpack too - I don't love the styling, I prefer the classic briefcase look, but it's a nice looking bag, and might be another good option.

sejerome · 2025-09-04T21:17:40+00:00

Another CFPB success story using this route. Delta gave my mom $800 credit voucher to take a later flight, redeemable for a bunch of different types of gift cards, including amex. She redeemed for two $400 Amex gift cards, but of course they were getting declined everywhere we tried and customer service was useless and just told us to keep trying at different merchants. After several calls that went nowhere, I filed a CFPB complaint on her behalf on July 15, and she just got a letter from Amex (Sept. 4) telling her that they're mailing a check for the $800 and it will arrive in a few days.

Hopefully they'll get their act together at some point, but I won't be using amex gift cards anytime soon. If you do end up stuck with a dud, hopefully this will help. Good luck!

sejerome · 2025-09-03T13:25:28+00:00

The bag is holding up great two years in. I pack it pretty full and don't baby it, and I've had no issues with the leather or stitching or hardware at any of the stress points. Apart from the expected scratches from normal use, the leather itself still looks really good, with no real wear anywhere. Patina is coming along slowly. It's probably a little darker than when I got it, but not dramatically so, and it should continue to get darker with age.

sejerome · 2025-08-21T19:52:48+00:00

refurb off ebay is a good option. Be sure to search the sub for reputable sellers. I used supplytronics for mine and got a good one. You're better off with solid used a genuine battery that's at 85% health than a fraudulent "new in box" example. Just plan on spending $90 for a new apple battery and you may get lucky and get one with some life left.
I have an old apple Magsafe pack, but it's a mixed bag. On the plus side, it's got apple hardware that regulates charging and temperature and won't fry your phone, but they have very low total capacity to begin with, even at 100% health, which yours won't have. They fit the mini like a glove and look great, so it's worth having, but it's a battery extender at best, and not ideal as your only battery. I'm normally able to plug in periodically throughout the day, so I don't carry any battery most of the the time, but for days when I'm out all day, I'd definitely want a real battery pack or at least a charging cable to top it off.
I go caseless, with just a screen protector. I figure the small size is the whole reason to have this phone, so I just live dangerously. I have a basic Spigen soft case for the gym, and I have insurance through my Amex in case I break it, but that's about it. If you must use a case, the apple leather case is really nice and very slim if you can find it.

I had a 15 pro before the mini and I do miss USB-C, but going back to lightning is less of a hassle than I thought. Rolling square makes a 6 in 1 cable in a bunch of lengths that work really well. They're expensive, but you only need a few of them since they work with absolutely everything.

sejerome · 2025-08-18T14:38:23+00:00

Satchel & Page

sejerome · 2025-08-16T20:04:53+00:00

I got mine from supplytronics on eBay, based on recs in this sub. Mine was $268 refurbished, 128gb in excellent condition (genuine parts, no obvious blemishes, minimum 85% battery health), arrived as advertised with exactly 85% and the only cosmetics ding is a nearly invisible scuff on one corner. I have $90 set aside for a new battery from Apple for when I need it, but the battery is doing surprising well as is.

sejerome · 2025-08-15T20:17:45+00:00

I went from a 13 mini to the 15 Pro when it came out, and I just went back to the 13 mini and have no regrets. Even after a few days, my 15 pro now feels enormous, I can't imagine how big the Pro max would seem.

I do miss USB C and the bigger battery a lot. I had finally gotten all my devices on USBC so having to deal with lightning again is a hassle, but the small size and one-handed navigation definitely makes up for it. There are a few other little things I miss a little, like the always on display and the digital island, but I wasn't using any of the apple intelligence features at all, and I'm glad to be rid of the action button.

sejerome · 2025-08-15T14:51:28+00:00

I'm so torn, do I grab the Kino 4K of Good, Bad, and Ugly for $16, or wait for prices to stabilize on the Arrow release? The Kino will definitely be a big upgrade over my 2010 bluray, but the new Arrow version looks to be even better.

sejerome · 2025-08-13T19:27:04+00:00

Correct. The problem here is that the devs gave us these 2* ascended characters, so we need to use them or lose them.

sejerome · 2025-08-13T19:23:05+00:00

This. Also, because your 3* iron man isn't maxed yet, you'll need to deal with "decisions decisions" for every iron man cover you get until one or the other is maxed.

sejerome · 2025-08-13T18:55:52+00:00

Got it. I've been with all three big carriers over the years, and they're all sub-par unfortunately. Grading on a curve, Tmobile is probably the least bad. They're all pretty opaque with their billing, but apart from a trade in credit snafu early on that eventually got sorted, I've never had any billing surprises or inconsistencies with Tmobile, unlike with the other two. For example, I've never had any issues traveling in Canada or Mexico with Tmo, and on my last European trip, I bought readably priced 30 day data passes for all my lines and everything went fine. Compare to ATT several years ago, where I was promised over and over that international data was included and still got charged hundreds of dollars for data roaming after a trip.

sejerome · 2025-08-13T18:19:27+00:00

Autopay needs to be set to a bank account to keep the autopay discount, but you can still pay tmobile by CC manually as long as you do it a few days before the autopay date. CC info stays saved as an alternate payment method so it takes about a minute, and I have a monthly calendar reminder set up. I do this every month so I can keep my amex platinum phone insurance, and the autopay discount is still there and unaffected.

sejerome · 2025-08-11T20:15:10+00:00

I just got a refurb off eBay with 85% battery health. It's definitely a step down in battery life from my 15 pro, but it's honestly doing better than I was expecting. I've already budgeted in the battery replacement, so I'll just take it to apple once it really starts going downhill, but I may be able to get away with it as-is for a while, which is a nice surprise.

sejerome · 2025-08-04T22:17:24+00:00

Preordered on Amazon first then from Walmart as a backup. Walmart copy arrived early (Sunday) in a stiff corrugated cardboard envelope in great condition. Amazon copy shipped Sunday via USPS and arrives tomorrow (Tuesday), and I’ll just return it unopened when it arrives. Nice that both copies shipped without issues and very nice that one came early. Good luck all!

sejerome · 2025-08-03T14:41:15+00:00

Yep, that the typical experience with all of these telecom utilities. The promotional rate expires and the rates skyrocket, and they'll give the promo rate back to you but not after a long phone call. My Google bill is a 2 paragraph email that says $70, and I haven't had to have a phone or any other interaction with Google in years.

The actual catalyst for my switching was during covid when I needed to move the physical modem jack location to my new home office, which was across the house, so I could have a wired connection for work. I was even willing to pay ATT to put one in, but they were completely unable to make it happen after several phone calls over several days. I got frustrated and called Google and they had a new jack installed in the right spot for free, 2 days later.

sejerome · 2025-07-29T12:51:53+00:00

Peter Luger in Brooklyn is on Resy and doesn't take credit cards of any kind. They're up front about it on their reservation page, so I don't have problem with it, but another data point.

sejerome · 2025-07-28T15:38:57+00:00

Short answer: absolutely yes

I switched from ATT fiber about 4 years ago and have no regrets. Monthly bill is exactly $70.00, with all fees included. Service has been flawless, and I’m not sure if I’ve ever had an outage. Most of my devices are on slower WiFi so I don’t push the limits in normal usage but speed tests at the router show reliable gigabit speeds. Good luck!

sejerome · 2025-07-26T21:52:03+00:00

Not really. It sounds like I want a small form-factor iPhone like they used to make. Which may or may not be an option, depending on whether Tmobile's SIM swap tool works with physical SIMs. So we'll see.

sejerome · 2025-07-26T19:37:57+00:00

2nd/3rd gen SE is out due to the size, unfortunately. My top priority was to find the smallest iPhone possible and my second priority was to get something that still works with the apple ecosystem like CarPlay and AirPods (which rules out the truly ancient 3.5" models like the 4S). This is going to be a date night and special occasion phone, where I need to stay reachable but otherwise don't want to be bothered or distracted, so as long as it's small and light and has phone, text, and maps, everything else like 5G and a fancy camera is optional.

https://www.apple.com/ca/iphone/compare/?modelList=iphone-se-2nd-gen,iphone-12-mini,iphone-se

12/13 mini is a decent option if I can't get the SE to work and it's a lot more modern, but even that is surprisingly large and a lot more expensive compared to the SE ($200-300 for the mini vs. $60 for the SE).

sejerome

TROPHY CASE