Buy It For Life: Old Town Penobscot 16 RX Canoe

Justin Thomas — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:29:23 +0000

The Old Town Penobscot 16 RX canoe (MSRP $1,499.99) is built to last. Designed for versatile performance in calm water, waves, and whitewater, the Penobscot can handle a large range of needs. It is constructed with Royalex, a layered composite of vinyl, ABS plastic, and ABS foam. The exterior vinyl layers provide abrasion resistance and UV protection. Underneath the vinyl, ABS plastic provides impact resistance and rigidity. At the core, the ABS foam insulates and provides buoyancy. The layers are bonded via vulcanization.

Compared to polyethylene—a common canoe hull material—the Royalex in the Penobscot has lighter weight, greater stiffness, superior UV protection, and higher resistance against deformation (especially under heat and pressure). Complimenting its initial build quality is this canoe’s easy reparability; Royalex can be patched with fiberglass and epoxy. You can use this low-maintenance canoe year round without concern about extremes of temperature and humidity.

Though the initial investment is higher than average, the Penobscot promises decades of paddling. Reviews on Paddling.net stretch back to 1998, and not one of the dozens of reviewers rank the Penobscot less than a 7 of 10. REI customers give it 4.7/5.0 stars. Reviewers on these and other sites praise the longevity and flexibility of this canoe. This is a product intended to last a lifetime.

The Penobscot 16 RX features a 1920s throwback design and is available in red or green. Weight is 58 pounds. Its shallow arch bottom provides responsive turning as well as stable straight-line tracking. The Penobscot has two wood webbed seats and can be used tandem or solo.

The Old Town Penobscot 16 RX canoe is available from REI.

The post Buy It For Life: Old Town Penobscot 16 RX Canoe appeared first on Reactual.

Best Omnidirectional Outdoor Speakers

Justin Thomas — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:19:55 +0000

A recent Reactual post profiled four of the top directional outdoor speakers, which are an excellent choice for a defined area like a small deck or patio. But if you have a large yard or an open outdoor space like a pool, managing volume levels and sound coverage from a pair of directional speakers is tough. Enter the “omnidirectional” speaker, which broadcasts uniform sound evenly around the source. Here are four of the best choices available to provide full sound coverage in these types of outdoor settings.

Bose Free Space 51 Outdoor Speakers

The Bose Free Space 51 outdoor speakers provide even 360-degree sound, and their rugged design makes them perfect for permanent outdoor installation. Each speaker can be mounted on a deck or directly on the ground, and they are rated to withstand sun, snow, ice, and even saltwater spray. The Free Space 51 uses a 4.5” downward-directed driver, and features a domed central port to balance high and low tones. These speakers are fairly sizeable at over a foot tall, but their green color makes them easy to camouflage in grass or plants.

Bose Free Space 51 specs at a glance:
Dimensions: 14.2″H x 12.6″W x 12.6″D
Power: 100 watts

The Bose Free Space 51 outdoor speakers are available from Amazon for $449.00 per pair.

NXG Omni Planter 75 Outdoor Speaker

Instead of hiding in the bushes, the NXG Omni Planter 75 speaker can be disguised in plain sight: the omnidirectional 6.5” coax speaker is integrated into a planter pot perfect for an outdoor space like a large deck. High tones are projected at a slight upward angle to compensate for the speaker’s low position, and users report well-balanced bass tones. The weather-resistant planter speaker is available in terra-cotta or natural gray color to match your décor.

NXG Planter 75 specs at a glance:
Dimensions: 18″H x 20″W x 20″D
Power: 75 watts

The NXG Planter 75 outdoor speaker is sold individually, not as a pair. You can find it for $258.21 at Amazon.

Soundcast OutCast Outdoor Speaker

The OutCast from Soundcast doesn’t come cheap, but it delivers serious performance to match its price tag. First of all, the SoundCast is totally wireless, using a rechargeable 10-hour NiMH battery and a transmitter that can be positioned up to 350 feet away from the speaker. Packed inside the cylindrical case are a downward-firing 8” woofer and four 3” tweeters, arranged to project 360-degree sound. The water-resistant OutCast is big and heavy (weighing in at nearly 40 pounds) but it delivers excellent bass tones and serious volume levels for an omnidirectional outdoor speaker.

Soundcast OutCast specs at a glance:
Dimensions: 26″H x 11″W x 11″D
Power: Built-in 100 watt amplifier

You can find the Soundcast OutCast outdoor speaker, including the iCast transmitter, at Amazon for $799.99 (available in gray or white).

TIC GS-3 Omni Outdoor Speaker

The TIC GS-3 Omni is an affordable outdoor speaker that delivers solid omnidirectional performance. The durable ABS plastic case can be surface mounted or installed in the ground, and the green finish blends easily with surrounding plants. 360-degree sound comes from an 8” woofer (with a butyl rubber surround) and a 2” aluminum cone tweeter. Best of all, the low price tag means you can install multiple speakers to blanket your yard or pool with music.

TIC GS-3 Omni Specs at a glance:
Dimensions: 12.5×12.5x13in
Power: 125w (continuous), 200w (peak)

The TIC GS-3 Omni Outdoor Speaker is available from Amazon for $65.45 per speaker.