Category: Reviews

TORQ Snubby EQP402 Review

Posted on by yetieater in Product Reviews, Reviews

I ordered a TORQ Snubby ($39.99 Chemical Guys, Amazon) on May 9, 2021, paying $36.19 ATAX on Amazon for a used copy that was listed in good condition. I had been looking for a short pressure washer gun, and had seen the Chemical Guys brand many times in the past. I figured it would be as good a starting point as any for gaining some working familiarity with their products.

When my TORQ Snubby arrived, I was surprised to find it didn’t appear to have ever left the product packaging.

Initial Impressions

Trigger actuation force seemed higher than the gun that was included with my Ryobi RY142300

I liked the inclusion of multiple fittings (1/4″ female quick release coupler, 3/8″ male quick release connector, M22 14mm twist and plug connector) – as promised, they arrived with Teflon thread seal tape applied

In Use

My first time using the TORQ Snubby, I generally enjoyed having the shorter gun to work with, and felt more confident getting up close behind it. I figured the shorter gun would come in handy when reaching for the vehicle’s roof, and my hunch was confirmed.

The second time I used it was when washing my mother’s car. I rigged it up with a set of quick connect adapters (Amazon) and got to work. The quick connect allowed the hose to swivel when the system was not under pressure, making it quicker to get started.

The next day, I felt soreness in my arm, probably from the amount of force required to actuate the trigger and to keep it depressed.

Chemical Guys claims, “the ergonomic design of the Snubby Foam Gun means that you can shoot thick foam without tiring out your hands,” but I found the unit ill-suited for my average-size hands. I think it’s the distance between the trigger and the back of the grip.

Buyer’s Remorse

The well-reviewed MTM Hydro SG28 (MSRP $41.99, MTM Hydro) is available for just $31.49 (Amazon), if you bring your own connectors. Alternatively, it’s available with quick release connectors already fitted for $42.95 (Amazon). Similarly, the MTM Hydro SG35 (MSRP $45.99, MTM Hydro) can be had for $34.99 (Amazon), or $41.95 with quick release fittings installed (Amazon). I ordered both the SG28 and the SG35 so I could compare them side by side against the Snubby, and upon receiving them, I made the decision that the Snubby was going back, but not before I took a peak beneath the covers…

Teardown

The Snubby’s plastic body was held together by seven Philips screws

There were no noteworthy markings on the plastic to report

You may find it interesting to compare against the torn down SG28

Concluding Remarks

Ultimately, the TORQ Snubby was too fatiguing in use to earn a lasting place here, especially when a few marginal dollars buys markedly better.

It might be for you if you have large hands and routinely break things unintentionally – otherwise, look elsewhere.

K1NGD1LLY

Posted on by yetieater in Gamer Reviews, Reviews, Stories

I signed on to Destiny on Friday, April 7, unsure who I would run Trials of Osiris with at drop.

I picked up K1NGD1LLY from DestinyLFG.net. His post said that he was a 1.8 K/D player with a 2k elo on his main account. I invited K1NGD1LLY to my party, and started my stream while looking for a third player.

I took K1NGD1LLY to a private match to kick the tires a bit, expecting an even matchup. The first match was slow – K1NGD1LLY was still running a PvE loadout. I didn’t have my Trials loadout on me, so I ran the Palindrome, a weapon that I rarely use. In our second private match, he managed a single kill while I had my attention turned to picking up a third player.

What I saw during our 1v1 session was a player who had limited confidence on the offensive. He expressed surprise time after time over his own deaths (“two-tapped!” “one-hit melee!” – no on both counts).

I ran one passage with K1NGD1LLY. More surprises, or lack thereof, as the web of lies grew. The good stuff is below:

Important Timestamps

  • 8:33 “I don’t understand why this guy is running off – probably wants to use a sniper or something here”
  • 10:14 I ask K1NGD1LLY what his main account is, and K1NGD1LLY claims that Taitors is his main. I follow up by asking why Taitors is comm-banned, and K1NGD1LLY offers a plausible explanation
  • 11:02 “I don’t get why he keeps running away. It’s kind of – it’s really weird. To me this is highly, highly…”
  • 17:38 “I don’t really believe this guy, but he could surprise me.”
  • 21:11 “I’m just having a really tough time believing this man, and I have no team. This is really frustrating.”
  • 26:08 “I don’t fucking trust this guy at all. He doesn’t know the map – is he just playing stupid? He doesn’t ever push me in a 1v1… What the fuck? I don’t get it. I’m taking a risk – if he’s a bullshitter, then fuck him. He says he’s on a recov – I don’t know if it’s true or not. And didn’t really give me a good opportunity to find out. Like, I get consistently outgunned by people playing at my skill level with this thing [the Palindrome], because I don’t fucking use it.”
  • 31:50 “Alright, so we’re going in. If this guy [K1NGD1LLY] turns out to be a complete shitter, we ditch him and pick up Foogba, because Foogba is OG.”
  • 39:30 K1NGD1LLY says that he hates the Hunter melee and claims that he mains a Warlock – Taitors mains a Hunter
  • 41:10 K1NGD1LLY bails from my res and walks into a 1v2 after our team has gotten the refrag on my killer, then asks, “Who runs flashbangs?”
  • 42:09 “I don’t trust him because his decision-making… Who the fuck tethers in a 2v1 like that? What is that?”
  • 53:55 I ask K1NGD1LLY for details on his supposed account recovery
  • 56:30 I call K1NGD1LLY out
  • 57:35 K1NGD1LLY says, “I just think it’s pretty funny how you don’t believe me, but the game that we lost I played better than you, and we played bums.”
  • 1:00:55 I begin a monologue about the difficulty ahead, given what I know about K1NGD1LLY’s performance across the passage. Out of nowhere, K1NGD1LLY says that if I want him to play, he’ll play. As luck would have it, we run into a team that defeats us
  • 1:21:10 I wish K1NGD1LLY good-bye, and he dips without a word

After reviewing my session on Sunday, April 9, I sent a message over XBL to Taitors. I didn’t know if he would respond, but he did, and the rest is history.

20170409 Taitors K1NGD1LLY
Taitors gave me the green light to out K1NGD1LLY

PlanetDestiny blacklisted K1NGD1LLY from using DestinyLFG.net:

If you use DestinyLFG.net, do yourself a favor and claim your gamertag. That, alone, is enough to stop most people from misrepresenting themselves as you. I’ve been informed that, as of Saturday, April 8, DestinyLFG.net requires you to claim your gamertag to use their service.

K1NGD1LLY’s Bungie.net Profile www.bungie.net/en/Profile/Membership/254/13489403

I had the opportunity to run a passage with the real Taitors on Monday, April 10:

I am pleased to report that the real Taitors is a solid player.

GameScope Elite Kit Review

Posted on by yetieater in Product Reviews, Reviews

One of my supporters purchased a GameScope Elite kit (MSRP $49.99, Amazon.com) for me to try

The GameScope is a lens made of optical-grade acrylic featuring two unique zones and a reticle which provides the user with a constant reference for aim.

In theory, the GameScope should provide the user with a competitive edge. The combination of magnification and a persistent reticle should make it easier to line up headshots.

My GameScope arrived on March 31, 2017 in a bubble mailer. The kit was contained in retail-ready packaging:

Front view of the GameScope Elite kit, in packaging (@FearGameScope)

A post shared by yetieater (@the_yetieater) on

Rear view of the GameScope Elite kit, in packaging (@FearGameScope)

A post shared by yetieater (@the_yetieater) on

Side view of the GameScope Elite kit, in packaging (@FearGameScope)

A post shared by yetieater (@the_yetieater) on

Side view of the GameScope Elite kit, in packaging (@FearGameScope)

A post shared by yetieater (@the_yetieater) on

Let’s take a closer look at the GameScope Elite kit:

The GameScope Elite kit, freed of its packaging (@FearGameScope)

A post shared by yetieater (@the_yetieater) on

The contents of the GameScope Elite kit (@FearGameScope)

A post shared by yetieater (@the_yetieater) on

Contents were as described on the Amazon product page:

  • GameScope
  • Nine (9) restickable dots
  • Hard case

The GameScope ships with a protective film covering the flat portion of the lens

The GameScope mount sticks to the screen using (what I believe are) Scotch Restickable Dots. These are very tacky, and hold well on a clean surface. Lift off is residue-free.

Design

The GameScope is divided into two separate regions. The Precision Zone (located in the center of the GameScope) provides a claimed 10% magnification, and the Reflex Zone surrounding it gives 5%.

The GameScope measures 7.8 cm across. The Precision Zone has a 3.1 cm diameter. The round portion of the GameScope’s mount measures 2.5 cm in diameter.

Reticle

The GameScope’s reticle is too busy for its own good. The center of the reticle features a prominent red dot, bordered by red half-moons. The bottom half of the lens features an inverted tree, mimicking range markers that appear on some rifle scopes. I know of very few games that feature bullet drop, and no games that account for windage.

Parallax

“In optical sights parallax refers to the apparent movement of the reticle in relationship to the target when the user moves his/her head laterally behind the sight (up/down or left/right)” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallax#Parallax_in_optical_sights)

This is a minor annoyance: the distance between the lens and the display introduces parallax. The ground truth is given by the in-game crosshair. Check out the video below to see what I mean:

The further you are from your display, the smaller the effect.

Usage Notes

  1. Because of parallax, it can take repeated trial and error to position the GameScope just-right for the user’s gaming position
  2. The GameScope takes some getting used to – the magnification results in some clipping, resulting in loss of context
  3. The mount, while small, will obscure a portion of the screen

I use a computer monitor in my battlestation, which means that I’ve got a front-row seat to the action, and effect 1 is quite noticeable.

Effects 2 & 3 are more severe on smaller displays.

A ruler viewed through the GameScope (@feargamescope)

A post shared by yetieater (@the_yetieater) on

These effects aside, the GameScope delivers on its promises, making it easier to look at each pixel on your display. Will the GameScope actually increase your K/D? It very well might because you’ll be able to pocket kills that you otherwise might not have been able to stick. I can see the GameScope being useful for landing hits on small targets, or for pixel-peeks.

My GameScope fell off in the middle of a session once, though it’d been attached to the screen for a few days.

Purchasing Options

GameScope is offered in Basic (MSRP $29.99, Amazon.com) and Elite (MSRP $49.99, Amazon.com) kits.

The GameScope Elite kit adds:

  • Six more restickable dots (nine in total, versus three in the Basic kit)
  • Hard carrying case (compare with soft carrying pouch in the Basic kit)
  • Lens-cleaning cloth (to make up for the soft carrying pouch)

Value

At $20 less, the Basic kit is a better value for most gamers. While the hard carrying case can be used to safely store the GameScope and keep it free of dust, you won’t gain much utility from the hard carrying case unless you’re constantly on the go, or you have little monsters who will destroy your GameScope if it’s left out in the open.

The restickable dots included with the GameScope measure 2.25 cm in diameter: they are probably the 7/8″ Scotch Restickable Dots. MSRP on an 18-pack of 7/8″ Scotch Restickable Dots is $3.19.

You can learn more about the GameScope through their official website fearthegamescope.com, or support me when you buy the GameScope using these links:

On Being the “Pretty Girl”

Posted on by yetieater in Gamer Reviews, Reviews, Stories

A story about gratitude and entitlement

Amazon’s Twitch Prime offered me and other Amazon Prime members a free subscription to any Twitch streamer, and I used mine to subscribe to DrLupo’s stream. After learning that there was a Discord server for subscribers, I got into it by linking my Twitch account with Discord, and made my introduction. I posted in the LFG channel for Xbox One, and stepped away.

By morning, I received a couple of responses from people who were also interested in playing Trials of Osiris. I looked them up, and added them to my friends list.

On Sunday, I fired up Destiny, intending to run Trials until I grew bored of it. I hit up IcarusUndead, one of the guys from DrLupo’s Discord server. IcarusUndead had never gone to the Lighthouse, and I made it my personal mission to see to it that we’d get there.

Shortly after we got into a party, a guy that I’ve played with in the past, Leonaeu Reeves, invited me to chat. Leonaeu Reeves established a reputation for trash-talking other players and talking himself up, even though he’s an overwhelmingly average player.

The last time that I played Destiny with Leonaeu Reeves, he wanted to get carried through the King’s Fall raid on Heroic, and he hadn’t boned up on any of the raid mechanics. I should have bailed when even his clanmates ghosted on him, but I really wanted to knock out the Oryx challenge, and I stuck with it through an overwhelming number of wipes. Details of these many failed attempts can be found in the following two pages:

20160730 9:23PM bungie.net/en/Legend/PGCR?instanceId=5296673006&characterId=2305843009259344551
20160731 12:53AM bungie.net/en/Legend/PGCR?instanceId=5296769458&characterId=2305843009259344551

This, combined with his attitude in our post-raid discussion, left a sour taste in my mouth.

I took us to the Classic Free-for-All playlist for warmup, and to gauge the competence and attitude of IcarusUndead against Leonaeu Reeves. The first game that we instanced into (bungie.net/en/Legend/PGCR?instanceId=5704046696&characterId=2305843009259344551) was already in progress – we joined in just as the heavy ammo spawn was announced.

I lucked out, spawning in near C heavy. I killed a player near C spawn, and secured heavy, clawing my way up the scoreboard. My two fireteam members were not as fortunate, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

When the scoreboard came up, Leonaeu Reeves lamented how I’d gotten control of heavy ammo. I acknowledged that it provided me with a leg up, but also told him that I had to defeat two players in order to secure it in the first place.

We queued up again, looking for a fresh game.

“I don’t like Rumble,” he griped.

Fool, how else do you expect to increase your personal competence? There’s nothing better than subjecting yourself to the chaos of free-for-all and learning from your every encounter.

The second match (bungie.net/en/Legend/PGCR?instanceId=5704136409&characterId=2305843009259344551) was played out on Vertigo. IcarusUndead ended the match with 23 kills, outperforming me.

I told Leonaeu Reeves that I’d get back in touch with him after the run, and he left the party.

I searched DestinyLFG.net for a suitable Trials partner. IcarusUndead and I went through two failed runs before picking up a third player who stuck with us until we hit a flawless passage. I asked my fireteam whether they’d be down to keep playing for a chance to get the Vigilant Disciple, Destiny’s year three “Scarab” emblem, and they were game.

While we forged on in hopes of obtaining the emblem, I received messages from Leonaeu Reeves, which I responded to bluntly:

Leonaeu Reeves XBL
Messages received from “Leonaeu Reeves” on Xbox Live

I blocked him and moved on, but the incident warranted reflection. I could have done more to avoid hurting Leonaeu Reeves’s feelings.

The run: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArHZdL_X1tg

IcarusUndead later went on to write me a favorable review.

I want to close with this: no one owes you anything. You want something? Go earn it, or play the lottery and hope that it’s your lucky day, but don’t cry when you don’t end up with the golden ticket.