Stuff I Should Not Buy

During the summer of COVID I started to buy a bunch of things from Aliexpress. A big portion of these things was counterfeit/clone knives. It is illegal to buy counterfeit knives and try to resell them as the genuine article. I purchased these to get an idea of what the knives were like to get a better sense if I wanted to buy the genuine version. I also feel like these knives can be used for spare parts if they fit the  originals and give you some fun options for different color scales, screws and etc.  Reviews from Top to Bottom of the Image Above.  Aliexpress PM2 ($15): The best of the bunch. Centering is great and the G10 scales are very nice. If these scales fit the actual PM2 this knife would make an amazing donor body. The action was smooth out of the box and the blade grind very consistent. Although the PM2 is a little too big for me I can see why this is so popular. (9/10) Bugout ($20): An ok knife overall. The best parts about this knife are the very smooth action and the f

 eSun PLA+ Cool White I was also able to get eSun PRO PLA+ by physically visiting a Fry's store during the pandemic. This performs very similarly to PLA+ Orange in terms of performance and quality you can find that review here. Special note, this filament has been said to be really good for lithographics. I haven't had a chance to try that printing method yet but have had really great results with this filament. I heavily recommend using this as a great PLA+ filament.  Printing Quality Normal Fast Layer Height 0.20 mm 0.27 mm Line Width 0.40 mm 0.60 mm Temperature 195 C 200 C

eSun PLA+ Orange  I was able to get eSun PRO PLA+ by physically visiting a Fry's store during the pandemic. Although it is priced like a budget PLA it has performed much better than other filaments I have used in the same price bracket. Looking at the temperature tower and the Benchy sample below you can see that this is a versatile filament with good detail.  I use this filament for everything from detailed work to larger parts. I use this filament with two main quality settings: normal and fast. Normal quality is used for standard models and small parts. The fast quality settings are for larger parts and things that do not need a lot of detail. I used to print at 0.80mm line width but I found a lot of model ended up looking wonky.  Printing Quality Normal Fast Layer Height 0.20 mm 0.27 mm Line Width 0.40 mm 0.60 mm Temperature 195 C 200 C Printed with Ender 3 at 02mm layer height and 0.4mm

The uni-ball Vision Elite is a pen I discovered rummaging through empty desks at work. The rollerball pen is ubiquitous to offices in the United States. It has a clear grip with diamond engravings that improve grip and comfort. The body on this version is glossy and black, giving the pen a sleek look with clean lines. I picked up a blue-black ink version at a local stationery store.  I put the pen through paces when during a night at figure drawing. The figure drawing studio was extra packed so I left my easel at home and brought a spiral sketchbook and a few pens. The uni-ball Vision Elite glided really smoothly across the coarse sketchbook paper. I was able to make large sweeping lines and also cross-hatch intricately. I was impressed by the efficiency of the pen, the ink never clumped up even under heavy cross-hatching sessions. I heard someone say that outside of fountain pens the Vision Elite was their favorite pen. I can totally see why it's a very comfort