Hookah - Authentic Egyptian or Chinese Imposter?

Egyptian artisans still make hookah the old-fashioned way -- by hand and with a great deal of pride in craftsmanship. Making hookah is still a family tradition, and the best hookah makers in Egypt have earned their spots through the continuity of traditional techniques. Glass bases are still made from hand blown colored glass, and artists still decorate them by hand using paint, glitter, decals, or etching. Hoses are made entirely by hand, from the cutting of the fabric to the turning of the wood that will become the handles to the addition of decorative elements such as braid, fringe, or fur. Shafts may be made of metals like stainless steel, brass, or chrome plated brass, but those metals are formed by the hands of master craftsmen, put together by skilled welders, and sometimes etched or decorated by artisans. Potters still use a potting wheel to make the clay bowls that we call the "head." In short, every part of a genuine Egyptian hookah is crafted by hand using traditional techniques which results in a one-of-a-kind product every time. Egyptian hookah are so admired and respected throughout the Middle East that you'd be hard pressed to find a pipe in another Middle Eastern country that does not have some part that was made in Egypt!

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Electric Bike Conversion - The Chinese Connection

Riding a bike is such a simple pleasure and great exercise! The bicycle has been around for more than a hundred years and has had numerous advances.  A hugely growing trend is that of Electric Bike Conversion.Now, my wife and I both have bikes and use them probably once a week.  We usually go on bike paths which are great if all you are after is a little exercise.   Sometimes we take our Golden Retriever "Max" (Yes, I know it's the most common dog name, but hey I'm not very inventive!).  Anyway, Max is four years old and gets quite a workout when he jogs along with us on the bike paths.  That's right, he just jogs along and doesn't have to run cause we're old and pedal slow!

But I digress.  The world of bicycling is a changing. With the world becoming more concerned about global warming and the high cost of gasoline (Don't get me started on the oil companies and their insane profits!), everyone is looking for reasonable alternatives.  Ways to reduce their "carbon footprint" and reduce transportation costs.

A rapidly growing segment is that of electric bike conversion.  It is a way to turn your manually pedaled bicycle into one that essentially peddles itself!  Imagine gliding past snarled traffic on your motorized bicycle, relaxed and sweat-free!

The bicycle was a symbol of China in more doctrinaire communist times, when almost no one owned a car. Even now, nearly two decades after the country began its great leap into capitalism and use of the automobile, it still has 430 million bicycles by government count, outnumbering electric bikes and scooters 7-to-1.

But production of electric two-wheelers has soared from fewer than 200,000 eight years ago to 22 million last year alone, mostly for the domestic market. The industry estimates about 65 million are on Chinese roads today.

One Chinese woman reported "I like riding my e-bike during rush hour and sometimes enjoy a laugh at the people stuck in taxis. It's so convenient and helpful in Shanghai, since the traffic is worse than ever."

In China, use of electric two-wheelers has soared from fewer than 200,000 eight years ago to 22 million last year, mostly for the domestic market. The industry estimates about 65 million are on Chinese roads.

The trend is catching on in the United States and elsewhere.  It costs only pennies to charge the batteries for daily use.

In Japan, plug-in bicycles are favored by cost-conscious companies and older commuters.

Australians use electric bikes in rural towns without bus and train service.  The Electric Bicycle Co. Pty. Ltd., the continent's largest manufacturer and retailer of e-bikes, says he has sold about 20,000 in the past decade, priced at about $800 to $1,600.

In the Netherlands, which is an especially bicycle-friendly country, sales passed 138,800 last year.

Here in the good 'ole US of A, the desire to purchase electric bikes and electric bike conversion kits is rising rapidly.  This site is being developed to aid the person looking to utilize an electric bike conversion kit, but will also provide info on the best electric bikes that one can purchase.

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Multiprocess Welding Machine - Longevity Welders - And a Chinese Tig Welder Review

Have you seen the multi-process welding machine that Longevity advertises?

Maybe you have been thinking of buying one of these Chinese Tig Welders but you have been wondering if they  are any good at all?

The features of Longevity 160 amp multi-process welders are kind of impressive: 160 amps, ability to tig weld aluminum, can also be used as a plasma cutter and stick welder...Wow!

A good Miller, Lincoln, or Thermadyne Tig Welder Inverter will cost you well over 3000 dollars by the time you get all the extra welding supplies you need  like foot pedal, tig torch, flowmeter, ground clamp and all.

Longevity welders do not have some of the advanced features like A/C waveshaping that the Miller Dynasty 200DX and The Lincoln Invertec v205t have, but the basic features actually are similar...and you cant use the Miller or the Lincoln as a plasma cutter.

So it is very intriguing when you see a Chinese Tig Welder that will also do plasma cutting and stick welding, advertised for around 750 dollars with all the accessories included.

What?  750 dollars? That is like one fourth the cost of a Miller or Lincoln A/C DC tig welder.

So you start wondering to yourself, Is a Lincoln or  Miller tig welder 4 times better?  Am I paying for a name?  That's a lot of money for just a name.

I spent the last several hours looking on internet forums, welding websites, and eBay feedback reports and guess what? The jury is still out on Chinese Tig Welders.  You can find good reviews, bad reviews, and mixed reviews on Chinese tig welders. A lot of the reviews I read were about how the chinese tig welder arrived  somewhat non-functional and damaged in shipment and that a customer phone support call was all it took for the support team to talk the buyer through fixing a loose connection.

And somehow, that was looked upon as a good thing.

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