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Hooyman 10ft Saw – Hooyman Saws Review

June 21, 2011

Hooyman Saw Review – Hooyman 10ft Saw

I’ve had the Hooyman 10ft Saw for about 10 months, and thought I’d share with you Freaks what I think about it. I like the Hooyman saw, and it works well for its purpose – but it is not perfect.

Advantages

  1. The first, and biggest advantage in my opinion is that it is extendable out to almost 10 feet. It’s very quite, and packs well. The 10ft model retracts down to 28”.
  2. The Hooyman Megabite blade is sharp, and works well – but does not keep an edge forever, like most blades. After a day or two of heavy use, it would behove you to take 10 minutes resharpen the blade. The blade is made out of premium high carbon steel and is a good blade for the price of the saw. It features a four edge tooth design
  3. The Hooyman 10ft Saw comes with a very nice carrying sling, that makes carrying easy and simple over your shoulder.
  4. The saw portion of the Hooyman Saw detaches to use as a handsaw, and works ok, while not overly comfortable to use, it does work.
  5. The saw is not exposed all the time, and does fold in to protect the blade during transport.
  6. The telescoping saw is very strong, and does not bend or “give” when sawing big sized limbs or branches. The aircraft grade aluminum features an I-beam design this is tough and works well.
  7. The positive locking mechanisms on the Hooyman Saw work very well, and does not slip or slide when sawing.
  8. The Hooyman Saw is lightweight and weighs in at 2.95 pounds.

Disadvantages

  1. The Hooyman 10ft Saw, is not 10ft. I’m not sure how in the world you can call a saw 10ft, when it’s not 10 feet long?
  2. The Hooyman Saw is OK when it comes to using it strictly as a handsaw – but it could me more comfortable and ergonomic to use. Although it does suffice.
  3. The Hooyman Saw does not feature a pruning or lopping device that would be beneficial in cutting the smaller diameter branches that “give” when force is applied from above. This would be a great feature to have, and would allow for quicker, and quieter cutting of limbs and branches.

 

Overall, while NOT perfect – it does suffice and I do believe is Outdoor Freak worthy. It will be interesting what features Hooyman adds in the future, or what other folks in the industry will come up with to address the shortcomings. This saw is an acceptable saw that would work for a bowhunting saw or deer hunter that needs a light saw for mobility.

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Reconyx Hyperfire HC500 Review – Reconyx Trail Cameras

June 14, 2011


The Reconyx Hyperfire HC500 Trail Camera is a “low-glow” scouting tool that has stupidly awesome battery life, is as dependable as Chuck Norris, and is so easy to setup that even a caveman could do it.

Some of you know that I used to be a big proponent of homebrew (no, not this homebew) trail cameras. And to a certain point, I still am. But, after getting and thoroughly testing ( after literally 10s of thousands of pictures) I am now proud to fly the Reconyx flag.

I want to put a disclosure on this post – I’m not a Reconyx groupie, and will always try to stay away from that. I don’t think that they are perfect for everything and I understand that a camera that cost this much, are certainly not for everyone. I also want to add that I’ve never paid HALF  the asking price of the Reconyx Hyperfire HC500 cameras, because I am on a budget – by budget I mean poor. I scratched and clawed craigslist, eBay and many message boards to find a Reconyx camera that I could afford. It did not happen overnight.

Before I forked over the dough for my Reconyx Hyperfire HC500, I experienced some good things and bad things with homebrews. Overall the experience was, at best – frustrating. I’d have brutal battery life, and few pictures. I’d also have deer spooking from the white flash.

Since my Reconyx installment on our farm, I’ve never once changed the batteries. They’ve been out for 6 months, taken around 30,000 pictures – AND HAVE 85% battery left. Really? Yes really. That’s impressive. My Reconyx HC500 is smaller than my previous homebrews, and hooked the the tree quicker and easier.

When you gotta go, you gotta go!

All in all, I think my Reconyx HC500 is one of, if not the best thing going in the trail camera industry. Incredible dependability, battery life that will outlast 1,000 goldfish, and the simplicity of paper clip.

Reconyx Hyperfire HC500 Top 5 Features – In My Opinion

  1. Dependability- Above all else, this is by far the best thing about this camera. When I set it up and walk away, I KNOW when I return I’m going to have pictures – and lots of them. My homebrew cameras I purchased still gave me that “We’ll see what happens” feeling when walked away from the trail camera setup. I haven’t had that feeling, ever since my Reconyx HC500 camera has been in our woods. The Time Lapse feature allows the camera to take pictures in intervals, throughout the day, so I can place the camera over an area, not just a trail or scrape and get pictures that clue me in on if deer or turkeys are using a certain field. Brilliant!
  2. Simplicity- I am not bright. I graduated college by the thinest of margins. Never once did I get an A in college, (“C’s get degrees!”). But, I could use these Reconyx cameras within minutes of turning them on (no, not like that). Just simple little buttons. No dials or things to twist and break. Just simple, effective design. Beautiful.
  3. Battery Life- Like I mentioned above, it will outlast any other camera I know of, and it’ll probably outlast your old neighbor across the street. Just 12 AA’s and you’re set. How SWEET is that? Just need a couple of 4G SD cards and you’re good for months and months and months……..and months.
  4. Size- This thing is little. The older Reconyx cameras were larger and bulkier, with the same dependability and quality. These obviously still have that – just in a smaller, more concealable package. What’s not to love? It also comes with a nice bungee strap that will setup on any size tree within reason. Simple, silent, and easy. Sounds like the perfect girl. JOKING!
  5. Support And Service- I have not experienced their service and support yet with this camera and it’s doubtful that I’ll ever need to.  But I bought a broken Reconyx RM45 for CHEAP and had it fixed and updated for <$40. And they threw in an new Reconyx hat, to boot!

Overall, Props Reconyx.

Looks more more trail cameras reviews in the future as I love to review cameras.

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