Category Archives: Deals

Dawes Lightning DLX Review – Entry Level Road Bike!

dawes lightning dlx review

My current ride is a legit Motobecane LeChampion CF, but not every cyclist is serious enough (yet) to drop a grand (or more) on a bike. The very cool Poseidon bike, which I reviewed here, is one alternative. (EDIT: I’ve also reviewed the Poseidon Triton, their updated road bike.)

I recently obtained an even more affordable bike, the Dawes Lightning DLX. While not flashy by any means, this solid road bike provides excellent bang for buck as either a casual ride or an entry into the world of road biking. Read the full Dawes Lightning DLX review below!

Continue reading Dawes Lightning DLX Review – Entry Level Road Bike!

PRAKTICALA’s Favorite Deals for Black Friday 2017!

black friday 2017
Recycled illustration from last year.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Here are just a few of PRAKTICALA’s favorite deals for Black Friday 2017 (check back regularly for updates).

Movies

War for the Planet of the Apes (Blu-ray) – $8 at Amazon

X-men: Days of Future Past 3D (Blu-ray) – $7 at Amazon

Alien: Covenant (Blu-ray) – $9 at Amazon

Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection (Blu-ray) – $30 at Amazon

Video Games

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (PS4) – $15 at Target

Style

Beckett Simonon – many shoes $149 by clicking here and using promo code VIP149 (see our recent review for their Durant brogues here)

Home

Lodge 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet – $10 from Amazon (I now cook almost exclusively with this)

Simplisafe – $200 off the Beacon home security package, or 15% off any other new system package

Stay tuned for more Black Friday 2017 deals throughout the weekend!

PRAKTICALA’s Favorite Black Friday Deals for 2016!

 

black friday deals for 2016

Happy Thanksgiving from PRAKTICALA to all our readers! We hope you enjoy the holiday with friends, family, and good times.

If you’re like us and are pinching pennies this season, here are some of our favorite Black Friday deals for 2016 that won’t cost you an arm and a turkey leg! No need to set your money on fire like in the reused illustration above! Check back throughout the weekend for updates!

Continue reading PRAKTICALA’s Favorite Black Friday Deals for 2016!

Eat: Free Burrito at Chipotle – DO THIS NOW

Maybe you’ve been turned off from Chipotle as a result of those bacterial scandals. Not me; Chipotle has never done me wrong and those burritos are just so damn good.

Chipotle closed all their restaurants temporarily today for a company-wide meeting. Wait, there’s good news though.

Today – as in RIGHT NOW – if you text the message “raincheck” to 888222 and fill out the simple form at the link they send back to you, Chipotle will send you a coupon for a free burrito.

The window to text them is open only today, February 8, until 6pm EST. You would be a fool to turn it down. Get going!

What are your Chipotle stories? Let us know in the comments!

Deal: TROY / GLADIATOR or THE GREEN MILE / FORREST GUMP Blu-ray Double Feature

“Look, brother Paris. A great deal lies ahead.”

Good deal on Amazon right now for a couple of double feature Blu-ray sets: TROY and GLADIATOR or THE GREEN MILE and FORREST GUMP for $6.99.

Wolfgang Petersen’s TROY is one of those “guilty pleasure” movies for me and I watch it pretty frequently when I want to see big-budget sword-and-sandal carnage and Eric Bana kicking ass. GLADIATOR is of course a modern day classic in the same genre.

If you like Tom Hanks (and who doesn’t???), you can’t pass up on either FORREST GUMP or THE GREEN MILE if you don’t have them already. GUMP harks back to an age of filmmaking when stories had humor, heartbreak, colorful characters, great acting, seamless visual effects, and memorable music. They don’t make many movies like that anymore.

Link: TROY / GLADIATOR Blu-ray Double Feature on Amazon

Link: THE GREEN MILE / FORREST GUMP Blu-ray Double Feature on Amazon.

Which of these movies is your favorite?? Let us know in the comments below!

Happy Thanksgiving + Black Friday Deals

Happy Thanksgiving from PRAKTICALA!

We hope you spend the holiday with friends and family. On the other hand, we acknowledge the rush one gets from Black Friday shopping. So why not compromise a little and do your shopping at from home, in your pajamas?

We’ll compile some of our favorite Black Friday deals here, so come back often for updates!

TECH:

Need a tablet? You can get the Kindle Fire from Amazon for a measly 35 bucks!! WHAT?!

If you’re into streaming TV, the Amazon Fire TV Stick is on sale for just $25!  You can steam Netflix, Amazon Video, and much more to your TV.

Low on hard drive space? Get a blazing fast solid state drive from Sandisk – 240GB for only 60 bucks! No spinning disks or other moving parts to wear out!

MOVIES:

My favorite movie from 2015, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD for $16.81 at Amazon! Read our review here!

JURASSIC WORLD Limited Edition Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD is only $10 on Amazon! Free shipping with Prime!

Or if you need the whole series (all four movies), the JURASSIC PARK Collection on Blu-ray  is only $25!

Need more sci-fi? EX MACHINA on Blu-ray + Digital HD is only $5, also shipped free with Prime!

Also, the STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy is also only $5!

MORE sci-fi! The ALIEN QUADRILOGY Blu-ray, including all four ALIEN films, is just $15 on Amazon! Awesome deal on one of the greatest film series ever!

One of our favorite comedies from the last few years, BRIDESMAIDS, is on Blu-ray + DVD for $5 from Amazon!

BOOKS:

One of my favorite books ever – The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes – only $4 for the hardcover on Amazon with promo code HOLIDAY30! If you have that one already, you can also get the great The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes (hardcover) for $4, or The Essential Calvin and Hobbes for $5!

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Photographers – Adorama has the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 lens starting at $249. This is a great price on a fast wide angle lens! Available for Canon, Nikon, and more.

STYLE:

Looking for a pair of shoes or some AWESOME dress shirts (review coming soon)? Get 20%  off your order at Charles Tyrwhitt by clicking here and entering the code CYBER20 at checkout! Or, get 15% off plus free shipping by clicking here and entering the code CYBER15! (expires 11/30)! Read my review of their Clarence Cap-toe Semi-Brogue shoes here!

Great watches don’t all need to be expensive. Take 50% off the Timex Weekender watch with promo code TIMEXGIFT to make it a cool $11 (multiple colors available!

OUTDOORS:

Amazon has a folding knife with Speedsafe from Kershaw for $10! A great name in knives if you are into camping and the outdoors. Might need to refresh a few times to see the price!

Stay tuned for more Black Friday deals throughout the weekend! Have a tip on a hot deal? Leave a note in the comments!

Have a safe and fun Thanksgiving!

Deal: Nikon D5300 or D7100 + 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G Nikkor ED VR DX Zoom Lens

People: If you have been looking to up your DSLR game, Amazon has a killer deal right now on either the Nikon D5300 or the D7100, plus the 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G Nikkor ED VR DX Zoom Lens.

The D5300 is a from Nikon’s mid-range line of cameras, newer than the venerable D90 (probably the best Nikon DSLR ever) but missing a few pro-level features that most amateurs won’t give two hoots about, like a built-in AF motor or high-speed flash sync (if you don’t know what it is, you’ll never miss it). But it does have some exclusive features, like built-in GPS and wifi. What the heck? Back my my day we were lucky if our SLRs could push ISO to 1600.

The D7100 is the successor to the D7000, which is my primary camera. I ditched my “pro” level D300 way back when because the D7000 was lighter, faster, and easier to use. I don’t have any hands-on experience with the D7100 but I expect that it would perform just as well.

The 18-140mm Nikkor lens gives you a crazy zoom range. I have a great 18-50mm f/2.8 Sigma lens, but sometimes I wish I could get some more range in there without having to switch lenses. This Nikkor lens gives you that versatility (although unfortunately you don’t get to keep the f/2.8 – beggars can’t be choosers).

If you add either camera to your Amazon cart, and then add the lens, Amazon will knock off $400 at checkout. In other words, you can snag the D5300 + lens for under $700 or the D7100 + lens for under $900. It is an insane deal. Jump on it now or you will regret it!

  1. Add either the D5300 or D7100 to your cart.
  2. Add the 18-140mm Nikkor lens.
  3. At checkout, you should see a total discount of $400!

Beckett Simonon Premium Dress Shoes on Kickstarter

Image courtesy of Beckett Simonon.

UPDATE: These shoes are in! Check out my review here!

EDIT: Now, take 20% off your order with our exclusive promo code PRAKTICALA20!

Beckett Simonon must be doing something right because their business is really starting to take off: recently, they announced yet another line of “premium” shoes that are being funded initially through Kickstarter. So what about the shoes that I already have? What are they, chopped liver??

Though I’m not 100% sure about what makes the upcoming line more “premium” than the Beckett Simonon shoes I’ve reviewed in the past, I do know that they’ve added a ton of new styles and colors, most notably burgundy (which you need to wear more often) and pebbled brown. The assortment of styles include monk straps (cool), loafers WITH TASSELS (FAHncy), brogues (can’t beat ‘em), and chukkas.

Continue reading Beckett Simonon Premium Dress Shoes on Kickstarter

Happy Prime Day at Amazon!

Today is PRIME DAY at Amazon.com, celebrating the company’s 20th anniversary. To reward Prime members, they are offering a lot of great deals on a variety of products across different categories, including clothing, home improvement, movies, games, and more.

One great deal I found is on Ray-Ban sunglasses – if you are a Prime member, Amazon will take 30% off the price at checkout! I picked up the Wayfarer sunglasses (link) but they have many other models and colors available.

Another good deal is the Fitbit HR, a fitness tracker that measures your physical activity, heart rate, and more. For Prime Day, Amazon is including $25 in Amazon credit. I have the Fitbit Flex which is pretty nifty too.

Additionally, if you use your Amazon Visa card and spend over $100, you can take another $20 off with the promo code PRI20ARC!

Lots of great deals today, check them out!

Deal: Black & Decker 20-Volt MAX Lithium-Ion Drill Kit

Freakin’ beautiful.

OMG. Amazon has a lightning deal right now on the Black & Decker 20-Volt MAX Lithium-Ion Drill Kit.

I bought a very similar Black & Decker 20-volt cordless drill from the local hardware store just a month or two ago for the same price, except it was for the drill ONLY. This kit comes with a zillion drill bits and accessories. NOT FAIR.

It is an awesome drill, I’ve used it for a ton of projects around the house already, including the oak bed frame I built recently. There are endless uses for it and it has plenty of power. I only wish I had waited for a smoking deal like this one. ARGH!

Only a few hours left to grab it at this price. Get it on Amazon here, then laugh at me for getting ripped off.

EDIT: If you want the drill ONLY, Amazon has a $10 off promo on it right now (click here). Add it to your cart and you’ll see the discount at checkout. This is way cheaper than what I bought it for. Darn.