Product Reviews

If you are looking for a fly rod that will catch the attention of not only the fish but of the other fishermen, the Vapen Red is the pole for you. This rod has been in development for a long time but is quick to draw attention. The two unique features of this rod that blow people away are X-Wrap—which is a high density ribbon inside the rod and another wrap on the outside that allows for more power in your casts with less effort—and a polymer grip, which Redington worked on with Winn golf grip manufacturing to create a grip that doesn’t slip when wet, yet still super soft and comfortable when in your hand for numerous hours. This is the raddest fly rod I have ever had the chance to get my hands on, and if you don’t believe me, look it up—this rod just won the award for best new fly rod at the European Fishing Tackle Trade Exhibition (EFTTEX) in Vienna, Austria. At $350, I feel it’s only a small investment to get the best. Check out redington.com to see more of this product and other great fishing products by Redington. –Billy Ditzig

And I quote, “It’s like you’re in the club 24/7.” –Billy Ditzig, fellow SLUG writer. I made Billy try on my pair of Skullcandy Crushers one day to see what he thought. He practically yelled that out, and I realized that he was right. Luckily, the Crushers come equipped with an adjustable bass controller that makes it easy to turn the bass all the way up for a true ‘in the club’ experience, or all the way off in case you want to relax while still enjoying quality sound. The Crushers come with both the REX40 driver and the Accoustical Porting. These paired with the Sensation55 driver makes even the most stripped down acoustic version of a song sound as full as a bass driven beat. Not only do the Crushers have amazing sound quality, they also come with a mic, so if you happen to be daydreaming that you’re in the club and your phone rings, you can end your phone call and immediately get sucked back into whatever ‘unsta unsta’ moment you were in. Not to mention, during said phone call, the person on the end can hear you crystal clear, thanks to the in-line mic remote. Did I mention that the cable that connects your music to your headphones is actually detachable, so you don’t have to worry about it getting tangled up, and it can double as an AUX cord if ever needed? Aside from the fact that I look like Princess Leia when I wear them (the size of these babies is large) the Crushers beat all. –Karamea Puriri