21 Mar
Blog

Intel Frost Canyon NUC (NUC 10i7FNHAA) Review: Big Win

Intel Frost Canyon NUC

Intel Frost Canyon NUC (NUC 10i7FNHAA) review: Big win for developers

"Intel's Frost Canyon NUC is powerful, yet surprisingly easy to update."

  • Small form factor

  • Solid CPU performance

  • Easy to update RAM, hard drive

  • Energy efficient

  • Many ports (for its size)

  • Very poor game performance

  • CPU cannot be replaced

  • Loud

Small PCs are usually associated with compromises that are often lacking adjustments, future upgrades, power supply and port selection.

Then there is Intel NUC (short for Next Unit of Computing), which makes these functions his selling point. For this reason, this long line of miniature PCs, which is now seven years old, is unique.

The NUC I'm looking at today, officially called NUC10i7FNHAA, is one of the most powerful so far. It has a 10th generation Intel Core i7 processor with six cores, a 256 GB solid-state drive, a 1 TB SATA hard drive, 16 GB RAM and Windows 10 Home.

In contrast to some of the NUC systems I have tested, it is sold as a fully functional PC and not as a barebone. It contains everything you need at a price of $ 1,049. Is it the ultimate mini PC?

Design and ports

There is not much to say about the external devices of the Intel NUC10i7FNHAA. If you've ever seen a NUC, it looks similar. It offers the dark gunmetal exterior of other newer NUCs instead of the silver of previous models. It has a glossy black plastic lid.

The size of NUC has not changed significantly over the years. This model is 4.4 cm wide, 4.4 cm deep and two cm tall. It is not the thinnest NUC, but also not the thickest and many times smaller than a typical desktop PC.

Intel Frost Canyon NUCMatt Smith / Digital Trends

Nevertheless, it has many ports. The front offers a USB-A 3.1 port, a USB-C 3.1 port and a headphone jack.

On the back you will find a Thunderbolt 3 port, two additional USB-C 3.1 ports, Ethernet and HDMI output. Thunderbolt 3 is particularly nice to have. While it is common on laptops, it is still rare on PC desktops. This is a solid connectivity area that covers most options, though the lack of DisplayPort could bother some.

Internals and updateability

Due to its size, the tiny body of the Frost Canyon NUC can be expected to hide complex internals. That's not the case. Intel has been around for seven years, and it shows.

You open the NUC by unscrewing the four feet on the underside of the machine. After loosening (they cannot be completely removed, so you cannot lose them), the base plate loosens with a jerk.

Intel Frost Canyon NUCMatt Smith / Digital Trends

This provides access to the RAM-SO-DIMMS, the smaller sticks that you would normally find in a laptop instead of larger desktop DIMMS. You also have access to the M.2 drive and hard drive. This is all you can replace in the NUC10i7FNHAA since the CPU is soldered to the mainboard.

Upgrade options are limited. There is no free RAM slot, no free M.2, no free SATA. What is installed is all the desktop can handle.

However, these parts can be easily removed and replaced if necessary. The NUC10i7FNHAA supports up to 64 GB of RAM, far more than the 16 GB installed.

There are restrictions on what a NUC can handle due to its small size, but what is available is impressive.

You will find a few open headers in it, but most users won't care. This includes two empty USB 2.0 headers and a FRONT_PANEL header.

There are, of course, limitations to what a NUC can do due to its small size, but what is available is impressive. The components that you can update are easy to find and are immediately accessible after removing just a handful of screws. I would argue that the Frost Canyon NUC is easier to maintain than most desktops sold by major manufacturers.

CPU performance

The Frost Canyon NUC I tested, model number 10i7FNHAA, had an Intel Core i7-10710U processor. This is a 12-thread mobile processor with six cores and a base frequency of only 1.1 GHz, but a maximum turbo frequency of 4.7 GHz.

It is a powerful chip. Geekbench 5 delivered a single-core result of 1,099 and a multi-core result of 5,702. These numbers don't break records, but exceed most laptops and small desktops. The Dell XPS 13 7390, which we tested with the same processor, achieved a higher score of 1,250 in the single-core test, but stayed behind with a score of 5,491 in the multi-core test.

Intel Frost Canyon NUCMatt Smith / Digital Trends

For comparison: An HP Specter x360 13 with a Core i7-1056G7 achieved 1,164 points in the Geekbench 5 single-core test and 3,981 points in the multi-core test. The only mobile chips that can significantly outperform the Core i7-10710U are Core i9 silicon, like the Core i9-9880H in the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2. It achieved 5 single-core and multi-core in Geekbench Test 1,196 and 6,529 points. respectively.

The NUC 10i7FNHAA's performance is solid at $ 1,049. Desktops and all-in-one devices from major brands usually offer a Core i5 processor like the Core i5 9400 at this price. This processor is somewhat competitive with the Core i7-10710U, but will fall behind in most cases.

In addition to Geekbench, I started Cinebench R15. My Frost Canyon NUC scored 980 points there. This is less impressive, but still acceptable for the price. I noticed that the NUC had to accelerate during this test. The first test run achieved a higher result with 1,180 points, but successful test runs always achieved a value in the range of 900. The number of points I reported of 980 is the average of 5 test runs.

Our handbrake benchmark, which encodes a 420MB 4K video file from H.264 to H.265, took just over two and a half minutes. The Dell XPS 13 7390, which had the same Core i7-10710U processor, was three minutes slower. The NUC 10i7FNHAA even beats some laptops with Core i9 processors, like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2.

This NUC can meet the needs of many photo and video editors, developers and engineers.

Intel introduces this Frost Canyon NUC, the 10i7FNHAA, as a small workstation that is suitable for many content creators. It works well enough for that as long as you don't work with cutting-edge content like 8K videos. There you need a more powerful computer.

However, this NUC can meet the needs of many photo and video editors, developers, engineers, etc. Call it appropriate. That may not sound like much praise, but given the price of $ 1,049 and the small footprint, it would be stupid to expect more. This is a powerful PC for its price.

Player, look somewhere else

What about games? It’s not great. The fast Core i7-10710U processor does not contain the latest graphics from Intel, but the older Intel UHD solution. It scored only 1,288 in 3D Mark Fire Strike and only 490 in Time Spy.

These values ​​are solid for Intel UHD. However, Intel's Iris Plus graphics are about twice as fast. And even a discrete entry-level graphics solution like the GTX 1650 Max-Q from Nvidia can score over 3,000 points in Time Spy. That's six times faster than Intel UHD.

In summary, you can not play most modern games.

In summary, you can not play most modern games. A title with relatively simple 3D graphics such as Fortnite or World of Warcraft may offer acceptable performance with a resolution below 1080p and low graphics settings. Everything else demands too much.

The Frost Canyon NUC has a Thunderbolt 3 port, through which an external graphics dock can be connected. However, given the price of an external graphics dock, it's not a great solution for games. You're better off with an entry-level gaming desktop.

power consumption

Size is not the only advantage of a desktop based on mobile hardware. The use of mobile hardware also significantly reduces power consumption. Intel's Frost Canyon NUC consumes power under a variety of workloads.

The system only consumes 9.8 watts when idle. This is equivalent to many 13-inch laptops and less than most 15-inch systems. Desktop consumption can be very high, but it rarely happens that a desktop consumes less than 20 watts when idle. Therefore, the power consumption of the NUC is excellent.

Intel Frost Canyon NUCMatt Smith / Digital Trends

In Cinebench, power consumption reached a maximum of 98 watts and then held at 57 watts after thermal throttling had limited the processor. This is again comparable to modern laptops. Mid-range desktops that I tested easily exceeded 100 watts in the benchmark.

Low electricity consumption means lower electricity costs and less impact on the environment. It can also mean less fan noise. Unfortunately, this is not the case here. The Frost Canyon NUC turned out to be an exuberant PC puck, the fan of which was audibly buzzing even when idling. It's good that the NUC is small, as you may need to place it out of earshot.

Our opinion

The Intel NUC 10i7FNHAA, like the NUC models before, is a unique interpretation of what a desktop should be. It is not for everyone, but it is absolutely fulfilling its mission. The NUC is simple, compact and energy-efficient. It accomplishes all three goals and is one of the best mini PCs I've tested.

Is there a better alternative?

It depends on what you want.

If you only want a desktop and are not interested in the size, there are numerous options available worldwide. Dell's XPS desktops are consistently among our best desktops and remain our first choice.

Apple's Mac Mini is the best known alternative. However, it is a bit bigger, almost 20 cm wide and deep. While you can buy a six-core Mac Core for $ 1,099, this model only has 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. A Mac Mini with similar RAM and memory will bring you back $ 1,500.

If you want a small desktop, especially one that runs Windows, the NUC 10i7FNHAA – and the NUC models in general – remain a good choice. The most common brands in the U.S., such as Dell, HP, and Lenovo, offer small PCs. However, they are mainly designed for the business-to-business market, which leads to a high price for many models.

How long it will take?

You can't replace the NUC 10i7FNHAA's processor, but the Core i7-10710U is fast enough to stay relevant for at least a few years. The RAM and the hard disk can also be replaced without any problems. I think you will benefit from it for at least five years.

Intel grants a standard 3 year warranty. This is unusually good in the PC area, where a 1-year warranty is standard.

Should you buy one?

Yes, if you want a powerful desktop PC that fits almost anywhere. The Frost Canyon NUC fits into a niche like previous models. But if this niche is perfect.

Editor's recommendations




20 Mar
Blog

Insta360 One R Review: Modular 360 action cam

insta360 one r review 7498

Insta360 ONE R Twin Edition

"That's how 360 should have been made from the start."

  • Modular design

  • Excellent stabilization

  • Long list of additional features

  • Well-built editing app

  • Competitive price

  • Small screen

  • Occasional mistakes

Although 360-degree cameras see everything around them, they can only be used to a limited extent. However, the Insta360 One R is not a typical 360-degree camera. In fact, it doesn't have to be a 360 degree camera at all. Thanks to the modular platform, you can replace the 360 ​​lens with a conventional wide-angle camera lens. There is even a 1-inch Leica branded sensor mod for capturing higher image quality, but one was not provided for this test.

The One R consists of three main components: the interchangeable camera module, the battery and the touchscreen. Each is a separate piece, but the latter two are more permanent because they are used with both camera modules. The $ 480 Twin Edition (tested) includes a 5.7K 360 Mod and a 4K wide angle mod.

The Insta360 One R not only fixes the limited number of applications for a 360-degree camera, but also has a long list of features and a well-designed mobile app to access them. Not only does it break 360 out of its niche, it also competes with GoPro as an action camera.

We loved the Insta360 One R when we saw it at CES 2020 and it won the Top Tech of CES Award for the photography category. Let's see if it meets our expectations.

Modular design

When assembled, the One R is more or less similar to a typical action camera. A plastic protector wraps around the top and sides of all three parts and contains a GoPro-compatible holder at the base.

The camera module is connected to both the core (the part with the LCD screen) and the battery. As a useful addition to vloggers, the non-360 module can even be mounted backwards so that the screen itself is visible during the recording. The camera module jumps off the base with a tiny lever and can then be pulled out of the core with a good jerk.

Although the Insta360 One R consists of modular components, it is not much larger than a typical action camera. Both the camera module and the core are approximately the size of a golf ball (if golf balls were dice). The small size makes installation easier in the sense of a conventional action camera. However, you should use a selfie stick to keep your fingers away from the lens and pick up the camera handheld.

The simple controls include a power switch on the top right with the record button next to it. In a small door on the side there is a USB-C port and a microSD card slot.

The rest is done via the touchscreen. Most 360 cameras do not and rely on a smartphone connection instead. Therefore, the screen is a huge advantage – a huge importance because the actual size of the screen is only about an inch wide. This is a limitation of the modular structure.

The on-screen controls for recording and playback are intuitive, but you need to know the correct gestures to access them. A swipe to the left opens the recording settings, to the right is the playback, additional settings are opened from above and different recording modes are called up from below. This is not very different from the number of working action cameras. Therefore, it should at least be known to customers who have used something like a GoPro.

The touchscreen could also be a little picky. It often took a few swipe attempts to land in the mode I wanted, rather than scrolling right past it.

The Insta360 One R is waterproof up to 16 feet without an additional housing. (The included frame doesn't provide additional water protection.) We tested the camera in a snowstorm – including dropping a sled into a pile of snow – and had no problems with moisture ingress.

The modular structure may be unique, but the One R was still simple and user-friendly. Trying to remember gesture control takes time, but no more than any other miniature camera. The mode wheel kept rolling over the option you wanted and it's easy to accidentally press buttons when changing mods.

Nevertheless, the One R is the first modular action camera of its kind to be impressively impressive.

User experience

Exchanging lenses with an action camera is actually a lot of fun. Unlike a DSLR, you don't swap lenses to get closer or further away, depending on whether you want an immersive view, a wide-angle front-facing camera, or a wide-angle rear-facing camera. Insta360 also includes options for digitally adjusting the viewing angle. This will of course crop the video, but before those pixels are thrown away, the One R uses the extra cropping space to improve electronic image stabilization.

The controls on the camera offer enough so that you can escape without having to rely on the mobile app and not that you want to do without it entirely. Controlling the camera through the app opens a long list of options, including manual exposure and RAW photos. The app also offers tutorials on recording and editing.

With the 360 ​​lens, the app also enables tracking – hold the subject and the 360 ​​video is adjusted so that the person or object is always in front and in the middle. This chase worked well and kept pace even when the selected face was partially covered, but stops the chase when the view is completely blocked. The 360 ​​videos can also be viewed in three main perspectives: ultra-wide, wide, or tiny planet (with the entire field of view grouped into a circle that gives the impression that you are walking on a tiny planet). .

Where the app really shines is in the editing. It felt more complete than the company's desktop software and had more options than most other mobile video apps. You can easily trim clips, add filters, and even join multiple clips together. You won't find any advanced editing controls, but it does the job for occasional use.

FlashCut is an option from the "Stories" section of the app that A.I. to quickly convert multiple clips into an edited video. Starting with a topic, select a few clips. You can see which one you want by looking at the front camera, rear camera, forward motion, or face icons. The app then puts them together into music and various special effects.

In fact, the app is too powerful for my iPhone 7, which has to be replaced and there is no more storage space forever. It ran seamlessly on the latest iPad, but owners of older devices should expect slow performance and performance with large storage requirements (these 5.7K 360 files are not small).

If the app or mini touchscreen is not enough, voice control to start or stop recording and to mark important moments is also included.

While the One R is both fun and intuitive to use, I've encountered a few bugs. When I played one of the first videos I made, the video stuttered. The camera froze due to an HDR photo. I couldn't make the errors recur, but the experience wasn't 100% seamless.

Image quality and additional functions

The 4K wide-angle mod takes pictures from a 1: 2.8 lens on a sensor with about 12 megapixels. Videos can be 4 × 3 (4000 x 3000) with full sensor at 30 fps or Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) at 60 fps. HD video is available at up to 200 fps for slow motion.

The 360 ​​Mod uses a slightly brighter 1: 2.0 lens. The still images are 18.4 megapixels, while the videos are 5,760 pixels wide. However, keep in mind that these pixels are spread across the entire 360 ​​by 360 degree field of view, rather than all of them appearing on the screen at the same time, so the actual resolution is much lower.

Videos from both mods met expectations for their respective categories with good details and colors. With auto adjustment, the exposure was generally good and on the track enough to only occasionally require a minor adjustment in the mail.

With the 360 ​​mod, the camera had some strange stitches on too close objects that blurred details, created an abrupt transition, or even caused a color to bleed up the stitch line. Sewing on objects one foot or more away, however, looked great.

The stabilization of both mods is excellent. Since the 360-Mod can stabilize without trimming, it is almost as stable as a tripod. The wide-angle mod isn't quite as stable, but it's impressive compared to other action cameras. I had my 7 year old carry the camera on a helmet mount and the results were surprisingly smooth.

Still images matched the expectations of the action camera and category 360. The wide-angle lens causes noticeable barrel distortion, but captures a beautiful wide-angle view. When you activate Color Plus in the app, beautiful, vivid colors are created and the shadows are enhanced. But even without this function, we were impressed by the bright blue sky and the colorful details. HDR The mode also enhances the shadows a little, but takes longer and does not work with moving subjects.

The One R's website shows a starry time-lapse, but we were having a grainy mess when we tried to photograph the stars in the camera's Night Shot mode. Which is not surprising since it is an action camera, but it is bad advertising.

However, the Insta360 One R combines the functions of the company from several camera generations in one, including a long list of special functions. The R will be one of those cameras that you really need to research and deepen in tutorials – built right into the app – or you'll find a new feature you didn't know you had in a year.

The 360 ​​Mod can make a selfie stick invisible or capture bullet time effects. Hyper-lapses and slow motion are integrated in HDR, night shot mode and one-touch color correction with Color Plus. The R is even compatible with an Apple Watch app for remote shooting. With the accessories, you can also add a microphone, take pictures from an "invisible" drone, dive deeper under water or extend the battery life.

A mod expected in April allows the camera to take 3D pictures. Live streaming is also listed as "coming soon".

Our opinion

Most 360 cameras have a short-lived cooling factor, but the Insta360 One R may be able to extend that cooling factor to the life of the camera. If the scene isn't interesting from every angle, just swap the mod for an action camera that doesn't affect resolution on large harvests. And when replacing the mods no longer feels new, the camera itself and the app are equipped with enough recording and editing modes to promote your creativity for months.

The Insta360 One R does everything that an action or 360 camera can do – and much more. Video is not only solid, but paired with excellent stabilization. The Insta360 One R isn't perfect, with a few minor flaws and freezes and the small sensor limitations of every action camera. Insta360 released at least two firmware updates during the test, so hopefully these issues will be short-lived. However, the modular design, video quality and additional functions – not to mention the cheap price of $ 480 for both camera mods – are worth a few quirks.

Is there a better alternative?

Only if you want to buy two cameras. The Insta360 One R Twin Edition essentially consists of two cameras in one with the two mods. The Rylo's ability to redesign it and the user-friendly app make it its closest competitor, but cropping 360 videos and swapping camera mods are not the same thing. The tiny screen gives the GoPro Hero8 an advantage, but only here if you only want an action camera without the 360 ​​functions.

How long it will take?

The Insta360 One survived being hurled into snow banks with no problems. However, as a modular camera, more connections and things may need to be broken, and with modular cameras, there is not enough history to determine whether this is the case or not. But at least with the mods, you don't necessarily have to replace the whole thing if a component breaks.

Should you buy it

If you can't choose between an action camera and a 360 camera or just looking for a 360 camera, buy the Insta360 One R. The videos are great, versatility unbeatable, the app extensive – and it's just one great time to shoot.

Editor's recommendations




20 Mar
Blog

Ultimaker 2 review | Digital Trends

"The Ultimaker 2 deserves its reputation for impressive details, the ability to quickly crank out rough objects when needed, and a robust, user-friendly design."

  • High maximum resolution

  • Outstanding workmanship

  • Easy to maintain and repair

  • Expensive

  • Fight with certain fine details

Ultimaker is probably one of the biggest names in 3D printing alongside MakerBot – and for good reason. In recent years, the company has pumped out some of the best Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) machinery in the business, and the brand has become very popular as a result.

The first generation Ultimaker (sold as a DIY kit) was released in 2011. A few years later, the company launched a new and improved version called Ultimaker 2. Then came the Ultimaker 2 Extended (a larger version) and the Ultimaker 2 Go (a smaller version).

Apart from the dimensions, the core pressure specifications are almost the same for all of the company's machines. To get an idea of ​​how they are doing in a market crowded with all kinds of upstarts, we took the flagship Ultimaker 2 for a vortex.

Features and specifications

The Ultimaker 2 is immediately ready for use and offers impressive numbers. In addition to the enormous construction area, it also offers a maximum resolution of 20 micrometers – the smallest layer thickness that is currently offered by almost every consumer-oriented FDM printer on the market. This is also not a problem in the speed department. A well-set Ultimaker is said to be able to spit out ABS or PLA (regardless of the brand for both) at a maximum speed of 300 millimeters per second.

Setup and configuration

While the original Ultimaker required a lot of assembly, the Ultimaker 2 is almost completely pre-assembled and ready to print. As soon as you have removed it from the packaging, all you have to do is insert the building board, connect the machine and set the switch to "On".

It only takes a few minutes for the device to be set up and turned on. After that, however, some configuration is required before you can print out the Hello Kitty toothbrush holder you've always dreamed of. The next step is to calibrate the machine and ensure that the build plate is in the right place.

You will need to manually level the printer's glass build plate by adjusting the extruder tip so that it is exactly 1 millimeter from the glass at all four corners. The quick start guide recommends placing a piece of paper under the tip and lowering it until you feel some resistance as you pull the paper out – which is easy enough. Without these instructions, it is almost impossible to look at a millimeter.

The next step is to feed filaments into the extruder. We got into trouble here. Our unit was a bit moody and we had to deal with it a bit (more on that later) to get the filament through the feeder – but after this initial hiccup, everything went floating.

Construction quality and design

You don't want to keep it on your coat, but for 3D printers this is one of the more attractive options. No attempt is made to hide the fact that it is a 3D printer, but it also doesn't look as scratchy and cobbled together as many printers. The motors are enclosed in the main structural supports of the machine, and all other moving parts are neatly hidden behind the opaque Plexiglas walls from Ultimaker.

This thing could probably withstand a minor earthquake.

The Ultimaker's appearance is only surpassed by its build quality. The frame of the machine is made of this material called Dibond – basically there are two pre-painted aluminum sheets that are connected to a solid polyethylene core. It is widely used in the manufacture of signs and is an extremely durable material.

These supports and everything else on the printer are held together by a variety of steel screws, resulting in a very sturdy little box. It's almost unnecessarily strong. Your printer may not have to endure much abuse over the course of its life, but this thing could probably withstand a minor magnitude earthquake – let alone an occasional bump, crash, or stubborn soccer ball.

User interface and software

A single button, which also acts as a button, controls every control of the Ultimaker 2, which should be simple and intuitive for practically everyone. If you've ever used an iPod or car stereo, you can easily use this unit. Simply turn the knob to scroll through the available options and press it to make a selection. Ultimaker's menu trees are extremely logical and well designed, making it difficult for you to get lost or confused when you use them.

Ultimaker 2 info screen 2

Bill Roberson / Digital Trends

To start printing, first download a print file (.stl or .obj) and then run it through Ultimaker's accompanying (and free) slicer program called Cura. This is the software that divides your digital model into individual layers that the printer can understand. We won't go into software criticism too much here, but compared to the other slicer programs, Cura is definitely one of the best. The learning curve is not particularly steep and the user interface makes it easy to use without restricting access to advanced features.

Once you've run your file through Cura, all you have to do is load it onto an SD card, insert it into the Ultimaker slot and get started. If necessary, you can also connect the device directly to your computer via USB 2.0. However, we prefer the SD method because you don't have to be tied to the device.

Printing performance

There are no two options – the Ultimaker 2 prints like a boss. It is extremely dynamic and has stood out in many ways in our tests.

At the beginning we took care of the print quality. The biggest selling point of this machine is its incredible print resolution of 20 microns – this is currently the lowest layer thickness that a 3D printer offers at the consumer level. To test this, we printed something with extremely subtle details and curves – a Buddha statue with a stormtrooper helmet – with the highest resolution settings. The printing took almost half a day, but when it was done we were quite impressed. With such thin layers, you can hardly see that there are layers at all, even in the most drastic curves.

The Ultimaker 2 can pump out some of the highest resolution objects we've ever seen.

If you don't mind waiting around, Ultimaker offers incredible print quality – but you don't always have 12 hours to wait for a print to complete. Next we tried to find out how fast it goes.

In order to test the speed, we first printed a 1x1x1 centimeter cube with an average layer thickness of 100 micrometers. Ultimaker can be much higher and much lower, but we always start with 100 microns because it keeps things mathematically simple and it's also the minimum layer height for most 3D printers.

Ultimaker 2 pumped out the cube in about 7 minutes 50 seconds, which is pretty good. The more expensive Form 1+ SLA printer from FormLabs took about 9 minutes with similar settings.

After this first test, we increased the print speed settings to 300 millimeters per second – the highest possible print speed – and printed the same 1x1x1 cube with the same resolution. It came out pretty sloppy, but the whole process only took about 3 minutes and 30 seconds, which is damn fast. As far as we can tell, the print speed specifications provided by Ultimaker are absolutely correct – everything depends only on your resolution / speed settings.

Ultimaker 2 Stormtrooper Buddha

Bill Roberson / Digital Trends

But speed is of course only part of the equation. To get an idea of ​​how the printer handles other things – overhangs, unsupported areas, etc. – we also printed a special object designed by Thingiverse user Cntrl V, which you can see here. The idea is to adjust your quality / speed settings so that the printer completes the object in less than an hour and then see how the piece comes out.

After running this test a few times, it's pretty clear where the Ultimaker excels and comes up short. Overhangs and unsupported spans don't seem to be a big problem, and the machine can handle them easily even at higher speeds.

The entire machine can be dismantled with three Allen keys.

However, some of the finer details (such as small numbers and letters) can break down if the printer moves very quickly. We also have a ton of plastic burrs and imperfections caused by over-extrusion – but that's to be expected from almost any 3D printer that works at high speeds, so we can hardly knock Ultimaker for it.

Overall, the big disadvantage is that Ultimaker 2 is a very dynamic machine that offers impressive quality and speed. With every 3D printer you use, there will always be a compromise between time and quality. But the great thing about Ultimaker 2 is that you can choose which side you prefer. It can make really high-quality, high-resolution prints if you don't mind waiting, but it can also spit out prints at a frantic pace if you're just looking for a low or medium quality resolution.

Maintenance, repairability and upgradeability

One of the things that we really liked about the Ultimaker was the fact that the entire machine can be assembled and disassembled with just three different Allen keys. Most screws and bolts are also the same size. So if you ever have problems with anything, it's pretty easy to disassemble the machine to assess the problem.

For example, when we unpacked our demo machine for the first time, we had some problems getting the filament feed to pick up the strand of ABS we wanted to give it, and after half a dozen unsuccessful attempts, we decided to take the entire module apart to get it see what the problem was. A few minutes and a couple of hex keys turn later and we had successfully broken it open and identified the culprit – an over-tightened thumbwheel (the thing that grips / pushes the filament). A quick adjustment solved the problem and a few screws later we were back in business.

Ultimaker 2 drive belt

Bill Roberson / Digital Trends

As mentioned earlier, the Ultimaker 2 is a pretty solid little machine. In the event that something breaks or stops working (which is really inevitable), Ultimaker offers a full suite of spare parts for the printer. Hot end cooling fan crap? Do you need a new stepper motor? Accidentally broken a belt? Don't worry – the company's website has everything you need to get to your door with just a few clicks.

The updateability is also pretty decent. There is a replacement kit on the back of the machine with mounting holes for an additional filament feed that you can use to upgrade your machine to a double extruder if you tend to. Granted, Ultimaker doesn't sell all of the parts you need to accomplish this, but there is at least one third-party that sells kits for it.

Conclusion

The Ultimaker 2 has earned a good reputation in the three years it was available. After using it for almost a month, we can confidently say that it definitely lives up to this reputation.

Printouts are fast, detailed, and precise – and if you don't mind waiting a few extra hours for them to finish, the Ultimaker 2 can pump out some of the highest resolution objects we've ever seen from a 3D consumer level have printers. In addition, it is extremely well built, easy to maintain and suitable for upgrades.

At $ 2,500, it's definitely one of the more expensive printers you can buy, but that extra money isn't wasted. In this case, the high price correlates directly with a high quality level – in almost every respect.

Heights

  • High maximum resolution
  • Outstanding workmanship
  • Easy to maintain and repair

Lows

  • Expensive
  • Fight with certain fine details

Editor's recommendations




20 Mar
Blog

16 At-Home Workout Plans For All Levels and Ages

It is almost the first day of spring, but unfortunately it is not a time for celebration or renewal. Isolation and quarantine exist for many people who gain weight daily, while the COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus, spreads throughout the world and in our communities. It is not in our hands. We have to try to do the best we can with what we have. Movement, exercise, and concentration on some kind of routine can be vital to both physical and mental wellbeing. God knows there are many coaches and coaches who tell you the same thing online.

We have worked with many of them over the past decade and selected one of the best programs below so you have a design that you can hopefully work on and find a way to stay healthy and healthy for how long it takes.

This is an excellent set of workouts by Coach Shane Trotter. Each day's exercises are grouped by a single device you need. Regardless of whether you only have a wall, a bench, or an exercise band, there is an effective and fun training plan for you. Examining the benefits of each of these tools will help you master the basics of training and open yourself up to new exercises.

One wall, one bench, one band – hundreds of possibilities. Endless days of challenging workouts. Be stoic. Throw away the essentials and free yourself from thriving.

What would you do if you only had this?

  • 2 chairs
  • 2 full 1-gallon paint cans or other full containers
  • An overhead bar or other device to hang on

A lack of exercise equipment should not prevent you from getting productive training.

Whatever the reason, it's good to know that you don't have to go anywhere, don't have any special equipment, or need to conjure up a training experience with magic. You can easily do these exercise variations with a chair, a pillow, and a kitchen towel. It's that easy.

If you work hard, you can achieve your goals with minimal equipment. All you need is a piece of rope, two slag blocks and a sturdy bench.

Your true mobility is only as good as when you get up in the morning.

We are most used to paying attention to our movement patterns in the gym. Similarly, we measure our physical abilities against PRs and other measures taken after we have dutifully prepared and warmed up.

As you watch these quick mobility sequences in the video provided, pay attention to what you feel in your body. This can tell you a lot more than you might find in training and can provide valuable guidelines for controlling your movement practice.

Here are five basic exercises you can do at home. Believe us, even though you only get five exercises, the possibilities are unlimited to convert them into interesting strength and / or fitness parts. There is no place like home.

The definitive guide to bodyweight training at home. You will receive an honest and practical framework for structuring and planning an effective training program with as little equipment as possible and in as short a time as possible. It doesn't give you a tricky "2-minute, magical, mysterious training to detoxify prey" that promises unrealistically great results for an unrealistically small amount of work. It will still be hard work.

Space in your bedroom, living room, hotel room, small garage, or crowded gym is usually tight and limited. Her biology may prefer to run freely in wide spaces, but she needs exercise however that can be accomplished. In fact, if you fit into any of these circuits, you will feel more alert, energetic, and ready for the day. Regardless of the size of your cell, you can still train hard. Here is your no-equipment fitness guide in a box.

These dynamic variations strengthen and target your core from all angles and also improve your core stability so you can look better and maximize your overall results. The exercises require minimal or no equipment, so you can often include them in your program.

Everyone can train. And if you start over, you don't have to do pushups and pull-ups from day one.

What you should expect from yourself is your best. With the training offered here you have the opportunity to demonstrate a different kind of strength. It's a hands-on workout at home that anyone can do. This training not only helps you burn fat, but also builds strength.

To shape your arms and prepare them for photos, here are 10 exercises to inflate your arms with items you can find almost anywhere (no gym or exercise equipment required). Repeat each exercise for 5 sets of 30 seconds each (in other words, repeat as many repetitions as possible for 30 seconds) and take 20 seconds between sets to rest.

Another 10 training sessions without equipment by trainer Enrico Fioranelli. You will emphasize each leg individually to balance the strength and strength from which your legs can emerge. Repeat each exercise 5 times for 30 seconds each (in other words, repeat as many repetitions as possible for 30 seconds) and take 20 seconds between sets to rest.

Does the lack of a bench press in your programming mean a certain fate in terms of your "winnings"? Body weight training has so many benefits and training your chest in this way is no exception. Whole body awareness and manipulation, a sense of true strength, and the transfer of strength and stability to other muscle groups are just a few. The trick is knowing how to program an effective and efficient routine to meet your personal needs.

Sometimes gravity is the best form of resistance in your workout. The majority of our modern health problems result from the abandonment of normal human activities and a normal human environment. When we run hills, crawl bears, do pushups, climb and use our body weight for exercises, we repeat the normal human activities that have made us such brilliant physical specimens for most of human existence.

A short but effective full body follow-along workout that you can do in just a few minutes. No warm up is required for this program. All you have to do is schedule 14 minutes, press the play button and follow kettlebell master Justin Lind.

You're no longer in your twenties and haven't been in a while. In fact, just take a look at the "hard core" and "do you lift at all?" on your Facebook feed makes your body hurt.

You want to feel better, look better and move well. You just don't know where to start, what to focus on, or how to get there as painlessly as possible. If that sounds like it, don't be afraid. Creating a workout that fits your lifestyle doesn't have to be complicated. Here are some basic steps to start training at home.

19 Mar
Blog

16 At-Home Workout Plans For All Levels and Ages

It is almost the first day of spring, but unfortunately it is not a time for celebration or renewal. Isolation and quarantine exist for many people who gain weight daily, while the COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus, spreads throughout the world and in our communities. It is not in our hands. We have to try to do the best we can with what we have. Movement, exercise, and concentration on some kind of routine can be vital to both physical and mental wellbeing. God knows there are many coaches and coaches who tell you the same thing online.

We have worked with many of them over the past decade and selected one of the best programs below so you have a design that you can hopefully work on and find a way to stay healthy and healthy for how long it takes.

This is an excellent set of workouts by Coach Shane Trotter. Each day's exercises are grouped by a single device you need. Regardless of whether you only have a wall, a bench, or an exercise band, there is an effective and fun training plan for you. Examining the benefits of each of these tools will help you master the basics of training and open yourself up to new exercises.

One wall, one bench, one band – hundreds of possibilities. Endless days of challenging workouts. Be stoic. Throw away the essentials and free yourself from thriving.

What would you do if you only had this?

  • 2 chairs
  • 2 full 1-gallon paint cans or other full containers
  • An overhead bar or other device to hang on

A lack of exercise equipment should not prevent you from getting productive training.

Whatever the reason, it's good to know that you don't have to go anywhere, don't have any special equipment, or need to conjure up a training experience with magic. You can easily do these exercise variations with a chair, a pillow, and a kitchen towel. It's that easy.

If you work hard, you can achieve your goals with minimal equipment. All you need is a piece of rope, two slag blocks and a sturdy bench.

Your true mobility is only as good as when you get up in the morning.

We are most used to paying attention to our movement patterns in the gym. Similarly, we measure our physical abilities against PRs and other measures taken after we have dutifully prepared and warmed up.

As you watch these quick mobility sequences in the video provided, pay attention to what you feel in your body. This can tell you a lot more than you might find in training and can provide valuable guidelines for controlling your movement practice.

Here are five basic exercises you can do at home. Believe us, even though you only get five exercises, the possibilities are unlimited to convert them into interesting strength and / or fitness parts. There is no place like home.

The definitive guide to bodyweight training at home. You will receive an honest and practical framework for structuring and planning an effective training program with as little equipment as possible and in as short a time as possible. It doesn't give you a tricky "2-minute, magical, mysterious training to detoxify prey" that promises unrealistically great results for an unrealistically small amount of work. It will still be hard work.

Space in your bedroom, living room, hotel room, small garage, or crowded gym is usually tight and limited. Her biology may prefer to run freely in wide spaces, but she needs exercise however that can be accomplished. In fact, if you fit into any of these circuits, you will feel more alert, energetic, and ready for the day. Regardless of the size of your cell, you can still train hard. Here is your no-equipment fitness guide in a box.

These dynamic variations strengthen and target your core from all angles and also improve your core stability so you can look better and maximize your overall results. The exercises require minimal or no equipment, so you can often include them in your program.

Everyone can train. And if you start over, you don't have to do pushups and pull-ups from day one.

What you should expect from yourself is your best. With the training offered here you have the opportunity to demonstrate a different kind of strength. It's a hands-on workout at home that anyone can do. This training not only helps you burn fat, but also builds strength.

To shape your arms and prepare them for photos, here are 10 exercises to inflate your arms with items you can find almost anywhere (no gym or exercise equipment required). Repeat each exercise for 5 sets of 30 seconds each (in other words, repeat as many repetitions as possible for 30 seconds) and take 20 seconds between sets to rest.

Another 10 training sessions without equipment by trainer Enrico Fioranelli. You will emphasize each leg individually to balance the strength and strength from which your legs can emerge. Repeat each exercise 5 times for 30 seconds each (in other words, repeat as many repetitions as possible for 30 seconds) and take 20 seconds between sets to rest.

Does the lack of a bench press in your programming mean a certain fate in terms of your "winnings"? Body weight training has so many benefits and training your chest in this way is no exception. Whole body awareness and manipulation, a sense of true strength, and the transfer of strength and stability to other muscle groups are just a few. The trick is knowing how to program an effective and efficient routine to meet your personal needs.

Sometimes gravity is the best form of resistance in your workout. The majority of our modern health problems result from the abandonment of normal human activities and a normal human environment. When we run hills, crawl bears, do pushups, climb and use our body weight for exercises, we repeat the normal human activities that have made us such brilliant physical specimens for most of human existence.

A short but effective full body follow-along workout that you can do in just a few minutes. No warm up is required for this program. All you have to do is schedule 14 minutes, press the play button and follow kettlebell master Justin Lind.

You're no longer in your twenties and haven't been in a while. In fact, just take a look at the "hard core" and "do you lift at all?" on your Facebook feed makes your body hurt.

You want to feel better, look better and move well. You just don't know where to start, what to focus on, or how to get there as painlessly as possible. If that sounds like it, don't be afraid. Creating a workout that fits your lifestyle doesn't have to be complicated. Here are some basic steps to start training at home.

18 Mar
Blog

Training Load: Find Your Right Volume

What kind of athlete are you??

The one who never stops exercising? The athlete trying to beat the competition?

Or are you the one who is constantly looking for a way to hack the system?

Which one is better?

From a health perspective, what increases the risk of injury: over or under training?

The answer? Both.

Working too hard is as harmful as not working hard enough.

Please note that these are non-contact injuries due to overuse. These are avoidable. Contact injuries are a different story. We don't have as much control over what happens when two players collide on the soccer field or basketball court.

Find your training balance

The best performance programs target a “sweet spot” where the training is intense enough to make athletes better, faster and stronger, but not so much to cause injuries.

Regardless of sport, we should consider two factors when setting up training programs::

  1. The intensity of workouts or movements. This is also known as "loading".
  2. How quickly the intensity "increases".

Let's define "training" a little further:

  • Acute training is the amount of training volume in the past week.
  • Chronic training is the average amount of training volume over the past 4 weeks.

Think of acute training as well as tiredness. How tired are you from your workouts or workouts in the past week? Chronic training includes looking back over the past few weeks and thinking about how fit you are from these workouts.

If you objectively compare how you feel now, how you have felt in the past three to six weeks, you will get interesting data on how ready you are to compete. For example, I train a group of adult distance runners to prepare them for half and full marathons over a 15-week cycle.

These athletes run their maximum mileage three weeks before the race day. The time remaining until the competition is called "rejuvenation" in order to reduce the acute training load. The goal is to feel fresh on the starting line and still have the capacity to run 13.1 or 26.2 miles.

Rejuvenation weeks can be a source of stress for athletes who fear that they will not run, work out or train at their usual high volume, but there are scientific reasons for this strategy. If an athlete has made himself comfortable in the week before a race, but has good mileage throughout the training cycle, he is still well prepared for the day of the race.

The acute training of this athlete would be classified as low because he would be well rested. However, your average chronic workout is high because the athlete has built up a base for endurance in the weeks before.

The role of training load

The load is a measure of the intensity of a training session or the stress on the body from this session. Three things define this for an athlete:

  1. External training load: “work” or “volume” (total distance, lifted weight, number of sprints, jumps to rebound a basketball, collisions in soccer, etc.) 1
  2. Internal exercise load: the body's reaction to exercise (perceived exercise rate, heart rate, blood lactate, oxygen consumption) 1
  3. Individual characteristics of the athlete: age, experience, history of injuries, physical performance

In summary: training result = external stress + internal stress + individual characteristics of the athlete.

All of these factors are important to determine the effect of a particular workout. The same external load can have different internal effects depending on the person. For example, how a 21-year-old college college soccer player would react to 4-mile training compared to a 40-year-old athlete who started running a few weeks earlier.

The training is too intensive for the 40-year-old and can increase the risk of injury. Conversely, the run would be “too easy” for university athletes with little to no cardiovascular gains.

External stress can also have different effects on the same athlete. A hard week of training often makes an athlete feel tired, stressed, and tired. If proper recovery measures are not taken, exercise performance may be affected.

It is also important to understand the impact of “life factors” on training: emotional disorders, illness, stress, or recent training history. Respect these factors and change the training accordingly.

Tracking the external load

This is easy to monitor for endurance athletes such as runners, swimmers and cyclists. GPS watches can log distances and speeds.

Most elite / professional athletes are now using GPS-based sensors to track movements and training specific to their sport. For example, the number of jumps in volleyball, collisions in rugby or soccer, strokes while swimming or sprints per game in soccer. Trainers can increase or decrease the training load depending on what a particular athlete had in competition.

Since GPS watches are not useful for strength training, calculate the load as follows:

External load = number of repetitions x kg weight lifted 3

Tracking the internal load

The perceived load rate is one of the easiest ways to track the internal training load. Rate the intensity of the session on a 1-10 scale. Multiply this rate by the length of the training session in minutes:

Internal load = RPE (scale 1-10) x minutes of training

This score could also be referred to as an "exercise minute". Researchers are still collecting data on different scales for "high" or "low" effort for different sports. At the moment we consider a score of 300-500 among football players as a low intensity training session and 700-1000 is higher

Heart rate or VO2 max multiplied by minutes of exercise would also be another way to track internal stress. Blood lactate concentration measurement is a technical and invasive method, but a unit of measurement.

There are other scales for top athletes like the recovery stress questionnaire that measures mood, stress levels, energy, pain, sleep and nutrition. The total number of points indicates the well-being of the athlete, so that trainers or strength and fitness experts can adjust the training accordingly.

The role of individual athlete characteristics

Studies on rugby and Australian soccer players show that age affects athletes' response to conditioning programs. Research also shows that older athletes are at higher risk of injury from overuse.

With regard to these studies, one has to ask whether the risk of injury results from over-intensive training sessions or whether the risk is increased because older athletes may have earlier injuries more frequently. Research also shows that the history of previous injuries is a major risk factor for a new injury.

Irrespective of this, a training program should be adapted to the age, experience, injury history and general physical fitness of the athlete.

Calculate your training load

Tracking external and internal stress, or acute and chronic training, can help determine if you are an optimal zone for your goals. More importantly, it can indicate an increased risk of injury. Consider the training example used previously:

"Top weeks" for a half marathon runner (weeks 8 to 11 of a 15-week program):

  • Week 8: 21 miles
  • Week 9: 23 miles
  • Week 10: 25 miles
  • Week 11: 30 miles
  1. Acute stress (kilometer week 11) = 30 miles
  2. Chronic strain (average mileage 4 weeks earlier) = 24.75 miles

Now take the acute stress (30) and divide it by the chronic stress (24.75) to get a ratio::

Acute stress ÷ chronic stress = ratio of acute to chronic stress (30 / 24.75 = 1.21)

"Taper weeks" for the same race (the last weeks before the competition):

  • Week 12: 24 miles
  • Week 13: 23 miles
  • Week 14: 18 miles
  • Week 15: race week
  1. Acute stress (mileage in week 14) = 18 miles
  2. Chronic stress (average mileage of the 3 weeks before) = 21.67

Calculate the ratio again::

Acute stress ÷ chronic stress = ratio of acute to chronic stress (18 / 21.67 = 0.83)

Research shows that the sweet spot or optimal zone for training is a relationship between. 0.8 and 1.3.3.2

The runner is in the above-mentioned "peak weeks" in the optimal training zone. He has built up enough mileage base to stay in this zone through the rejuvenation and start the racing week.

Research has also shown that a ratio above 1.5 is a “danger zone” for training. The increased risk of injury is higher in the weeks after training with this type of stress.

How many of us were in this situation? We feel great in a certain training week and continue to increase the intensity. When training becomes more difficult, we initially feel invincible. Then the wheels fall off. An injury happens "out of nowhere" and we wonder what went wrong. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "but I felt so GOOD, Carol! I don't know what happened ?!"

Unfortunately, this is a simple trap, but monitoring the acute to chronic stress ratio can be helpful.

But maybe you are not running. You – lift weights, CrossFit, play soccer, insert sports of your choice. How do you keep track of your training?

The same concepts apply::

  • Calculate the acute training load of the last week (number of repetitions x kilogram of weight lifted). Or add up the number of sprints, minutes of soccer training, etc.
  • Find the chronic training load (average of the last 4 weeks).
  • Divide the acute stress into the chronic stress and compare it with the figure above.
  • Remember to take internal training factors and individual characteristics into account.

The conclusion of the volume training

  1. Intensity is important. Both overtraining and undertraining endanger athletes. A training program must prepare the athlete for the requirements of their sport, but the coach and the athlete must understand that it can take a few weeks to reach this point.
  2. Sudden increases in training intensity endanger athletes. Monitor acute training (how tired you are over the course of a week) and compare it to chronic training (how "fit" you have been in the past few weeks).
  3. Monitor the body's response to exercise. The internal training load. Use the perceived exercise rate x number of minutes you have spent training. Think of other factors – age, stress, sleep, etc. These are all important to determine what your training load should look like.

References::

1. Gab bed TJ. The paradox of training injury prevention: Should athletes train smarter and harder? Br J Sports Med. 2016 Mar; 50 (5): 273-4. 80. doi: 10.1136 / bjsports-2015-095788. Epub 2016 Jan 12

2. Blanch P, Gabbett TJ. Has the athlete trained enough to play safely again? The ratio of acute to chronic workload enables clinicians to quantify a player's risk of later injuries. Br J Sports Med. 2016 Apr; 50 (8): 471-5. doi: 10.1136 / bjsports-2015-095445. Epub 2015 December 23.

3. Bourdon PC, Cardinale M., Murray A., Gastin P., Kellmann M., Varley MC, Gabbett TJ, Coutts AJ, Burgess DJ, Gregson W., Cable NT. Monitoring athletes' training load: declaration of consensus. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2017 Apr; 12 (Suppl 2): ​​S2161-S2170. doi: 10.1123 / IJSPP.2017-0208.

4. Rogalski B., Dawson B., Heasman J. et al. Training and game strain as well as injury risk among Australian elite footballers. J Sci Med Sport 2013; 16: 499-503.

5. Gab bed TJ. Development and application of a model for predicting injuries in non-contact soft tissue injuries in elite collision athletes. J Strength Con Res 2010; 24: 2593-603.

18 Mar
Blog

1More Stylish Review: Affordable Apple AirPods Killers

1More stylish real wireless earbuds

1 MORE stylish real wireless in-ear headphones

"The perfect real wireless headphones for the masses."

  • Basic water resistance

  • Great battery life

  • Clear, aptX-capable sound

  • Compact charging case

  • Very convenient

  • No ability to introduce ambient noise

At just $ 100, 1More's stylish real wireless earbuds outperform Apple's industry-leading AirPods with longer battery life, more ergonomic design, and better overall sound. When we reviewed them in 2019, they were awarded the Editor & # 39; s Choice Award for their combination of price and performance. One of our only criticisms at that time was a lack of volume control.

As of March 2020, an app-based software update has resolved this problem: You can now also control the volume. Although we have not changed our rating, we can safely say that we are now more excited about the 1More Stylish.

Out of the box

With round rubber ear fins on the outside of the slim, oval earbuds, the second-generation Stylish model looks identical to the company's original real wireless offering, the Stylish TWS – a pair that ended last year mainly due to its low fanfare debuted deep battery life of 2.5 hours per charge.

1More stylish review

1More stylish review

1More stylish review

1More stylish review
Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The simple, ergonomic design was one of the few things the original Stylish TWS model had to offer. So it's really nice to see that it stays that way. The new buds are shockingly light and comfortable, and the ear fins (which are referred to as "o-hooks") mean they never feel like they're falling out of your ears. With four sets of earplugs and three different ear fin sizes, you are sure to get an excellent fit.

Another thing the headphones have for them is the variety of colors. The new model is available in four different colors – pink, gold, mint green and black (the color of our test device). So you can customize your earphones to your personal style.

No matter where I went – from long runs to long bike trails and beyond – the headphones stayed true to my Oneplus 6 middle-aged.

Speaking of appearance: The new Stylish is located in a slim, egg-shaped charging case that matches the color of the headphones and is charged with the included micro USB charging cable. One thing I particularly like about this model is that the company also includes a small drawstring bag made of thick plastic to keep the charging case and the cable between the inserts inside. This ensures that the headphones and their case always stay dry in wet sports bags or on rainy days, and means that you never need a micro USB cable in the USB-C era.

characteristics

These little earphones contain a lot of juice. The 1More Stylish offers six and a half hours of listening time on a single charge (at 50 percent volume). That's less than the expensive new Powerbeats Pro (which is one of our leading vendors), but it's about an hour and a half longer than Apple's AirPods and half an hour more than the original Samsung Galaxy Buds. although the new Galaxy Buds + are undoubtedly in a class of their own with an amazing 11 hours.

The charging case is very light, but it also offers three charging processes for a total of 26 hours of listening time on the move, which corresponds to or exceeds almost every large player. There's also a quick charge feature that gives you three hours of listening time with just 15 minutes of plug time.

1More stylish reviewDan Baker / Digital Trends

Getting started with the new 1More Stylish is easy. Simply open the case to put it into pairing mode, then pair it with your device's headphones. As with AirPods or the new Powerbeats Pro, you can pair each headphone individually if you want to use one at a time. Contrary to what we found with the Powerbeats Pro, I had no problems with the Bluetooth 5.0 of the 1More Stylish connection when testing. No matter where I went – from long runs to long bike trails and beyond – the headphones stayed true to my Oneplus 6 middle-aged.

In terms of connectivity, 1More is still committed to providing the best possible wireless listening experience for the money, so it has added aptX and AAC capabilities to the new Stylish so you can hear all your music in high quality.

1More Grammy winner Luca Bignardi hired to make sure these headphones reproduce the studio sound accurately.

Now that you can update the Stylish with volume controls via the 1More app – something you still can't do with AirPods – we are fully satisfied with the Stylish controls that let you play and pause music, and change tracks can (two forwards, one for back), answer calls or access Siri or Google Assistant.

The only thing missing is the ability to bring in the sounds of the outside world. With more expensive options like the Samsung Galaxy Buds and the Jabra Elite series, you can hear what's going on around you via external microphones on the headphones. This makes the Stylish less ideal for training environments where you may need to hear pedestrians or car horns, although I will say that I used them personally while commuting by bike because my music is so quiet that I have the world around me can hear around anyway through the thin rubber earplugs. As with the Powerbeats Pro, another solution is to connect only one earphone for heavy traffic.

Speaking of training: the headphones don't have an official IP rating for water or dust resistance, but 1More assured us that they are sweat and waterproof, and I didn't have any problems with the headphones even during my long – and very sweaty – runs.

1More stylish reviewDan Baker / Digital Trends

Audio performance

The sound is relatively clean and dynamic, with the added benefit that aptX gives a certain clarity that many real wireless headphones lack regardless of price – although iPhone users don't get this benefit.

Compared to the Jabra Elite Active 65t and Apple AirPods, the Stylish had a greater sense of musical energy and space in my ears, making it more fun to hear overall.

I've been a huge fan of 1Mores Tuning since I got to know the company's outstanding triple driver model, and although the individual 7mm titanium composite drivers in style don't offer the same clarity or vibrancy across the frequency spectrum still say 1More cares a lot about how they sound.

1More stylish review

In fact, the company commissioned Grammy-winning engineer Luca Bignardi to ensure that these headphones accurately reproduce the studio sound – a feat that I can personally say because I've checked some of my own home mixes for headphone accuracy.

With powerful bass and balanced mid and high frequency frequencies, the headphones sounded all the genres I listened to, from dynamic live jazz and country music to pop hits made in the studio, exactly as I expected. Sure, they don't have the same musicality as Sennheiser's $ 300 momentum radio model, but they sound more than decent at a third of the price (and they also offer better battery life and overall performance).

Warranty information

1More Stylish is guaranteed for one year from the date of the original retail purchase against defects in materials and workmanship.

Our opinion

With a sleek design, great battery life, and incredibly low price, the 1More Stylish are the best wireless earbuds you can buy right now.

Is there a better alternative?

The closest competitor in price is the Samsung Galaxy Buds with a battery life of six hours, an IPX2 rating, and a wireless charging case for $ 129. For $ 29 cheaper, we would still take the 1More model, whose charging case contains significantly more juice than the 7-hour case you get with the Galaxy buds, up to 30 minutes more battery life per charge, and with the same convenience Offer. For more options, check out our list of the best real wireless headphones.

How long it will take?

1More makes extremely solid products and we expect them to be no different. With regular use, they should last several years until the battery life deteriorates – as is the case with all real radio models.

Should you buy it

Yes. If you need a pair of wireless earbuds, be sure to add them to your shortlist. There are currently no products that come close to the 1More Stylish for $ 100, and very few that compete at higher prices themselves.

Editor's recommendations




18 Mar
Blog

Doom Eternal Review: Killing Demons Has Never Been Better

Google Stadia DOOM Eternal

Doom Eternal Review: Gold Medal Gore

"Doom Eternal is a ridiculous, bloody, pulsating masterpiece."

  • Insanely smooth fight

  • Creative skills

  • Varied and beautiful surroundings

  • New traditions do not disturb

  • Brutal but fair difficulty

  • Platform sections are a hit or miss

  • A little too long

Playing Doom Eternal is like skating on the world's most violent ice rink, racing from enemy to enemy and gutting them with the grace of a gold medalist, while chunky guitars roar in the background.

Doom Eternal is a sequel that knows exactly what worked with Do Software & # 39; s Doom from 2016. After proving that he was still the master of first person shooters, the developer drove a victory lap with his latest entry and ridiculously expanded to find out what it was. The first game didn't quite nail.

The Doom Slayer is here to tear, and once players master its vast arsenal of weapons and skills, they can slaughter demons in one of the most entertaining ways I've ever seen. Doom Eternal is like good fast food – it's simple, unpretentious, and better than the competition that tried to reinvent the wheel.

Tear and tear until it's done

Doom Eternal, set a few years after the events of Doom, is in an even worse situation than when a portal linked Hell and Mars. The earth is completely overrun by demons, and a connection to hell releases a constant stream of monsters that kill almost everything on their way. Only the Doom Slayer – whom the game occasionally calls "Doom Guy" – has a chance to save the world. As a god among men, he is more than capable of inflicting pain on hundreds of demons in just a few minutes, and this time he needs every bit of his skill.

It is tasty, greasy, unpretentious and better than the competition.

The 2016 release of Doom contained its own science fiction meets mythology story, but often, sometimes literally, turned the bird around in further explanations to return to the plot. It was certainly in the spirit of the original game, but Id Software offers more background in Eternal.

You'll learn about the Sentinel creatures responsible for much of the game's events, as well as the powerful hell priests that the Doom Slayer must destroy before he can save Earth. You will also learn more about the Slayer itself and the connection between the game areas, both through direct storytelling and through collectable data logs.

This would have greatly improved the pace of the game in 2016, but after almost every mission in Doom Eternal, the hunter returns to his Fort of Destiny to upgrade or explore them. It is the perfect opportunity to learn about traditions.

Of course, this is still a doom game, and when it's time to take a super shotgun and blow off demons' heads. Doom Eternal is more than happy to engage in some of the smoothest and most complex fights a first person shooter has ever offered.

After starting with some basic weapons like a shotgun and a heavy cannon, players quickly get a large number of tools. A rocket launcher, a plasma rifle, and a chain gun work best against different demons (of which there are more than twice as many types as Doom), and the chainsaw allows the hunter to get additional ammunition from weaker enemies on the fly.

Even the Glory Kills finishing move system has been redesigned for the Doom Blade packaged in the Slayer's armor, which allows players to replenish their health while gutting the brood of hell.

The perfect combination

However, the biggest game changers in Doom Eternal are not weapons or melee weapons. The Flame Belch and Ice Bomb abilities drastically change the combat loop by giving players a way to get more health and armor without having to find items already on the ground. These items are still available, but knowing when and who to attack to get them through kills is much more satisfying.

The flame burp is essentially a short-range flame thrower, and almost every enemy is set ablaze when struck. They also drop a small amount of armor, which increases if they are killed while still on fire, and multiple enemies can be hit with a single "burp".

Doom Eternal does everything in its power to kill you.

The ice bomb serves a similar purpose: an upgrade gives players more health if they kill an enemy frozen by their explosion. By using the two moves simultaneously, the hunter can quickly destroy massive groups of enemies. If he does not do this consistently, he has little health and armor. If players want to survive in Doom Eternal, they must master all of its tools.

This is especially true not only because Doom Eternal's resources are otherwise limited, but also because its enemies can be brutally difficult. The cannon fodder is preserved particularly early, but Doom Eternal does everything in its power to kill you.

Recurring enemies fire missile barriers from the air while the pinky blanks attack at lightning speed. The arachnotron spider-like enemies can take a surprising amount of damage while their towers illuminate the hunter. And the armored Cyber ​​Mancubus is even more resilient than Doom's giant Mancubus enemies.

By far the most challenging standard enemy is the Marauder, who is equal to the hunter and carries a shield that only falls off for a few seconds when he wields his ax. Whenever he appears, he deserves your undivided attention, which can be very difficult when there are several other enemies nearby. After killing him a few times, it's easier to learn his patterns, but he's no less threatening.

The Archvile joins him, a demon who can produce an infinite number of other demons until he is eliminated. When he spawns, every other target becomes secondary and his quick death is essential. Fortunately, just like the Marauder, it is not overused, and the crashing heavy metal boom during every battle keeps even repeated attempts intoxicating.

Diversity is the spice of death

Doom has been mainly divided into two different environments: a research facility and hell itself. Doom Eternal has much more range, with hellishly infected earth, a space defense station, hell itself, and even alien worlds that are all filled with demons to the point of rupture. The prospects that Id Software offers are great, which makes it difficult for the hunter not to spend a few moments gazing at the view before returning to his regularly scheduled slaughter.

These areas are often filled with platform issues that require air diversion and careful timing to overcome large gaps. You can use clever skills that are usually reserved for combat, but Doom Eternal relies a little too much on jumping puzzles in the final hours of the game. Dialing back, even slightly, would have helped the game not feel too long about a mission.

Whenever the hunter does not jump on platforms or improve his skills in the Fortress of Destiny, he almost always kills demons. There is very little opportunity to breathe, and that would be a problem for almost every other shooter. But this is Doom Eternal, and the thrilled feeling that players get when they jump between enemies for a few minutes and cut them from link to link makes the extended battles a joy.

An almost permanent smile appeared on my face during the fight, even in certain areas that gave us problems because Id Software never threw enemies at the hunter just to make things difficult. It's all in the service of fun and a massive force journey that embodies the spirit of the Doom series.

An almost permanent smile appeared on my face during the fight.

Our opinion

Doom Eternal is a larger and even better version of its predecessor that recognizes exactly why fans loved this game so much and gives them even more reasons to love the sequel. Only the single player content is currently live, but when Battlemode is nearly as addictive and powerful as its campaign, Id Software has made one of the best first-person shooters of the generation.

If technology were up to the task in 1993, it would be the game that John Romero and John Carmack would have made from the start.

Is there a better alternative?

Doom Eternal is better than the already excellent game of 2016, and its turn to old-school shooter gameplay is unique among modern shooters.

How long it will take?

It will take between 15 and 20 hours for the campaign to complete on the standard "Hurt Me Plenty" difficulty level.

Should you buy it

Yes, unless you're not a fan of Gore. There is a lot of it.

Editor's recommendations




17 Mar
Blog

Training Load: Find Your Right Volume

What kind of athlete are you??

The one who never stops exercising? The athlete trying to beat the competition?

Or are you the one who is constantly looking for a way to hack the system?

Which one is better?

From a health perspective, what increases the risk of injury: over or under training?

The answer? Both.

Working too hard is as harmful as not working hard enough.

Please note that these are non-contact injuries due to overuse. These are avoidable. Contact injuries are a different story. We don't have as much control over what happens when two players collide on the soccer field or basketball court.

Find your training balance

The best performance programs target a “sweet spot” where the training is intense enough to make athletes better, faster and stronger, but not so much to cause injuries.

Regardless of sport, we should consider two factors when setting up training programs::

  1. The intensity of workouts or movements. This is also known as "loading".
  2. How quickly the intensity "increases".

Let's define "training" a little further:

  • Acute training is the amount of training volume in the past week.
  • Chronic training is the average amount of training volume over the past 4 weeks.

Think of acute training as well as tiredness. How tired are you from your workouts or workouts in the past week? Chronic training includes looking back over the past few weeks and thinking about how fit you are from these workouts.

If you objectively compare how you feel now, how you have felt in the past three to six weeks, you will get interesting data on how ready you are to compete. For example, I train a group of adult distance runners to prepare them for half and full marathons over a 15-week cycle.

These athletes run their maximum mileage three weeks before the race day. The time remaining until the competition is called "rejuvenation" in order to reduce the acute training load. The goal is to feel fresh on the starting line and still have the capacity to run 13.1 or 26.2 miles.

Rejuvenation weeks can be a source of stress for athletes who fear that they will not run, work out or train at their usual high volume, but there are scientific reasons for this strategy. If an athlete has made himself comfortable in the week before a race, but has good mileage throughout the training cycle, he is still well prepared for the day of the race.

The acute training of this athlete would be classified as low because he would be well rested. However, your average chronic workout is high because the athlete has built up a base for endurance in the weeks before.

The role of training load

The load is a measure of the intensity of a training session or the stress on the body from this session. Three things define this for an athlete:

  1. External training load: “work” or “volume” (total distance, lifted weight, number of sprints, jumps to rebound a basketball, collisions in soccer, etc.) 1
  2. Internal exercise load: the body's reaction to exercise (perceived exercise rate, heart rate, blood lactate, oxygen consumption) 1
  3. Individual characteristics of the athlete: age, experience, history of injuries, physical performance

In summary: training result = external stress + internal stress + individual characteristics of the athlete.

All of these factors are important to determine the effect of a particular workout. The same external load can have different internal effects depending on the person. For example, how a 21-year-old college college soccer player would react to 4-mile training compared to a 40-year-old athlete who started running a few weeks earlier.

The training is too intensive for the 40-year-old and can increase the risk of injury. Conversely, the run would be “too easy” for university athletes with little to no cardiovascular gains.

External stress can also have different effects on the same athlete. A hard week of training often makes an athlete feel tired, stressed, and tired. If proper recovery measures are not taken, exercise performance may be affected.

It is also important to understand the impact of “life factors” on training: emotional disorders, illness, stress, or recent training history. Respect these factors and change the training accordingly.

Tracking the external load

This is easy to monitor for endurance athletes such as runners, swimmers and cyclists. GPS watches can log distances and speeds.

Most elite / professional athletes are now using GPS-based sensors to track movements and training specific to their sport. For example, the number of jumps in volleyball, collisions in rugby or soccer, strokes while swimming or sprints per game in soccer. Trainers can increase or decrease the training load depending on what a particular athlete had in competition.

Since GPS watches are not useful for strength training, calculate the load as follows:

External load = number of repetitions x kg weight lifted 3

Tracking the internal load

The perceived load rate is one of the easiest ways to track the internal training load. Rate the intensity of the session on a 1-10 scale. Multiply this rate by the length of the training session in minutes:

Internal load = RPE (scale 1-10) x minutes of training

This score could also be referred to as an "exercise minute". Researchers are still collecting data on different scales for "high" or "low" effort for different sports. At the moment we consider a score of 300-500 among football players as a low intensity training session and 700-1000 is higher

Heart rate or VO2 max multiplied by minutes of exercise would also be another way to track internal stress. Blood lactate concentration measurement is a technical and invasive method, but a unit of measurement.

There are other scales for top athletes like the recovery stress questionnaire that measures mood, stress levels, energy, pain, sleep and nutrition. The total number of points indicates the well-being of the athlete, so that trainers or strength and fitness experts can adjust the training accordingly.

The role of individual athlete characteristics

Studies on rugby and Australian soccer players show that age affects athletes' response to conditioning programs. Research also shows that older athletes are at higher risk of injury from overuse.

With regard to these studies, one has to ask whether the risk of injury results from over-intensive training sessions or whether the risk is increased because older athletes may have earlier injuries more frequently. Research also shows that the history of previous injuries is a major risk factor for a new injury.

Irrespective of this, a training program should be adapted to the age, experience, injury history and general physical fitness of the athlete.

Calculate your training load

Tracking external and internal stress, or acute and chronic training, can help determine if you are an optimal zone for your goals. More importantly, it can indicate an increased risk of injury. Consider the training example used previously:

"Top weeks" for a half marathon runner (weeks 8 to 11 of a 15-week program):

  • Week 8: 21 miles
  • Week 9: 23 miles
  • Week 10: 25 miles
  • Week 11: 30 miles
  1. Acute stress (kilometer week 11) = 30 miles
  2. Chronic strain (average mileage 4 weeks earlier) = 24.75 miles

Now take the acute stress (30) and divide it by the chronic stress (24.75) to get a ratio::

Acute stress ÷ chronic stress = ratio of acute to chronic stress (30 / 24.75 = 1.21)

"Taper weeks" for the same race (the last weeks before the competition):

  • Week 12: 24 miles
  • Week 13: 23 miles
  • Week 14: 18 miles
  • Week 15: race week
  1. Acute stress (mileage in week 14) = 18 miles
  2. Chronic stress (average mileage of the 3 weeks before) = 21.67

Calculate the ratio again::

Acute stress ÷ chronic stress = ratio of acute to chronic stress (18 / 21.67 = 0.83)

Research shows that the sweet spot or optimal zone for training is a relationship between. 0.8 and 1.3.3.2

The runner is in the above-mentioned "peak weeks" in the optimal training zone. He has built up enough mileage base to stay in this zone through the rejuvenation and start the racing week.

Research has also shown that a ratio above 1.5 is a “danger zone” for training. The increased risk of injury is higher in the weeks after training with this type of stress.

How many of us were in this situation? We feel great in a certain training week and continue to increase the intensity. When training becomes more difficult, we initially feel invincible. Then the wheels fall off. An injury happens "out of nowhere" and we wonder what went wrong. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "but I felt so GOOD, Carol! I don't know what happened ?!"

Unfortunately, this is a simple trap, but monitoring the acute to chronic stress ratio can be helpful.

But maybe you are not running. You – lift weights, CrossFit, play soccer, insert sports of your choice. How do you keep track of your training?

The same concepts apply::

  • Calculate the acute training load of the last week (number of repetitions x kilogram of weight lifted). Or add up the number of sprints, minutes of soccer training, etc.
  • Find the chronic training load (average of the last 4 weeks).
  • Divide the acute stress into the chronic stress and compare it with the figure above.
  • Remember to take internal training factors and individual characteristics into account.

The conclusion of the volume training

  1. Intensity is important. Both overtraining and undertraining endanger athletes. A training program must prepare the athlete for the requirements of their sport, but the coach and the athlete must understand that it can take a few weeks to reach this point.
  2. Sudden increases in training intensity endanger athletes. Monitor acute training (how tired you are over the course of a week) and compare it to chronic training (how "fit" you have been in the past few weeks).
  3. Monitor the body's response to exercise. The internal training load. Use the perceived exercise rate x number of minutes you have spent training. Think of other factors – age, stress, sleep, etc. These are all important to determine what your training load should look like.

References::

1. Gab bed TJ. The paradox of training injury prevention: Should athletes train smarter and harder? Br J Sports Med. 2016 Mar; 50 (5): 273-4. 80. doi: 10.1136 / bjsports-2015-095788. Epub 2016 Jan 12

2. Blanch P, Gabbett TJ. Has the athlete trained enough to play safely again? The ratio of acute to chronic workload enables clinicians to quantify a player's risk of later injuries. Br J Sports Med. 2016 Apr; 50 (8): 471-5. doi: 10.1136 / bjsports-2015-095445. Epub 2015 December 23.

3. Bourdon PC, Cardinale M., Murray A., Gastin P., Kellmann M., Varley MC, Gabbett TJ, Coutts AJ, Burgess DJ, Gregson W., Cable NT. Monitoring athletes' training load: declaration of consensus. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2017 Apr; 12 (Suppl 2): ​​S2161-S2170. doi: 10.1123 / IJSPP.2017-0208.

4. Rogalski B., Dawson B., Heasman J. et al. Training and game strain as well as injury risk among Australian elite footballers. J Sci Med Sport 2013; 16: 499-503.

5. Gab bed TJ. Development and application of a model for predicting injuries in non-contact soft tissue injuries in elite collision athletes. J Strength Con Res 2010; 24: 2593-603.

17 Mar
Blog

2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid First Drive Review

2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid

2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid first ride review: fashionably late

"A solid hybrid powertrain makes Honda’s popular CR-V crossover even better."

  • Nice to drive

  • Punchy acceleration

  • Spacious interior

  • Regenerative brake paddle shifters

  • Competitors get better mileage

  • Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are not standard

The Honda CR-V, introduced in 1997, was one of the first crossover commercial vehicles. This made Honda a trendsetter in the 1990s. However, the automaker has fallen back on another important trend: hybrid drives. The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is now in its second generation, and Ford has brought the Escape Hybrid back for the 2020 model year, while the Honda option has only just arrived.

The Honda CR-V Hybrid 2020 tries to make up for lost time. It adapts the two-engine hybrid system previously used in the Accord Hybrid and Insight and marks the first use of this system with all-wheel drive, which is standard in all equipment variants.

The base LX model starts at $ 28,870 – a $ 2,320 premium over a gasoline CR-V. Our test car was a touring model with a range of $ 37,070 or $ 1,225 over a CR-V touring gasoline engine.

Design and interior

You need a keen eye to see the difference between a CR-V hybrid and a gasoline model. Changes in the exterior design are limited to the blue emblem, a model-specific rear bumper that hides the exhaust, and LED fog lights in higher trim levels.

Automakers generally take one of two approaches to the exterior design of their crossovers, and the CR-V falls somewhere in the middle. While crossovers are essentially jacked-up cars, the temptation is to make them look sturdy and truck-like, as Toyota did with the RAV4. In contrast, the latest Ford Escape looks more like a car, almost like a Ford Focus when viewed through a Funhouse mirror. The CR-V is based on both playbooks. The upright profile and the imposing front section are truck-like, the slim headlights and the curved surfaces are more like a car. The result won't turn your head, but it looks good and should age well.

2020 Hona CR-V HybridStephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

The interior of the CR-V Hybrid is inexpensive compared to its competitors. The Honda has more rear legroom than the Ford Escape Hybrid and the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. The Ford offers more front legroom, and the it and Honda are virtually tied to headroom.

The Honda also offers more cargo space than the Toyota with built-in rear seats and the Ford with the rear seats folded down (Toyota doesn't give an amount when the rear seats are folded down). The Escape Hybrid has a sliding seat in the second row, which gives it a space advantage over the CR-V if the rear seats are available (but at the expense of leg room in the second row). The CR-V Hybrid also has less cargo space than a petrol CR-V because the battery sits under the cargo floor. The Honda has a low loading floor height, which makes getting in and out easier.

Technology, infotainment and driver assistance

A 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is available, but not in the LX basic configuration. The touring phone charges the phone, but the charging pad is too small for some phones.

A digital instrument cluster contains hybrid-specific displays, e.g. B. A power meter that indicates whether the car uses a gasoline engine or an electric motor. The graphics for the instrument cluster are of high quality and easy to read, which cannot be said of the cheap looking graphics on the main touchscreen of the CR-V.

2020 Honda CR-V HybridStephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

The CR-V Hybrid comes standard with the Honda Sensing line of driver aids, which include autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, downhill departure, lane departure warning, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control. The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has a comparable selection of standard driver aids. The Ford Escape Hybrid has a standard lane departure warning system and autonomous emergency braking. However, adaptive cruise control is optionally available.

Ford and Toyota have no equivalent of the downhill Honda, which automatically steers the car back onto the road when a wheel crosses an outer lane marking. However, the RAV4 Hybrid has standard traffic sign recognition, and the Escape Hybrid has post-collision braking to prevent a car from rolling against other objects after a collision.

Experience behind the wheel

The drive train of the CR-V Hybrid consists of a 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engine that works with Honda's two-engine hybrid system. One electric motor drives the wheels, while the other acts as a generator and gains energy from regenerative braking and from the petrol engine. The gas engine only drives the wheels directly if the system considers this to be the most efficient.

The total system performance is 212 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque. This is more than a conventional CR-V or a Ford Escape Hybrid. The RAV4 Hybrid has 219 hp; Toyota does not specify a torque number.

Since the petrol engine is not coupled to the wheels most of the time, the Honda system has a special feature. The engine speed does not always correspond to your acceleration or driving speed. Honda improved this with the CR-V Hybrid, and we found that the engine didn't seem to cry as much at low speeds as the Honda Insight. The transition between petrol and electrical energy feels even more linear with the Escape Hybrid and RAV4 Hybrid.

The CR-V Hybrid is simply beautiful to drive.

Apart from that, the CR-V Hybrid felt great. It's not fast, but the electric motor offers a helpful torque boost when starting stops. The ride is quieter than the competing CUVs from Ford and Toyota, and the interior is quiet. The shift paddles that control regenerative braking were helpful. We could slow the car down without touching the brake pedal, much like shifting down in a manual transmission car.

Like the standard CR-V, the hybrid uses a mechanical all-wheel drive system with a drive shaft that connects the front engine to the rear axle. Ford did the same with the Escape Hybrid, but the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid uses a second electric motor for the rear wheels, with no physical connection to the front wheels. Mechanical all-wheel drive is cheaper, Honda told Digital Trends, and it is unlikely that most drivers will notice the difference under normal conditions. But what about abnormal conditions?

2020 Honda CR-V HybridStephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

Honda and Toyota boast that their hybrid crossovers can be used off-road and claim that their respective all-wheel drive systems are key. At the start of the CR-V Hybrid, Honda let us drive around a sand pit in both the CR-V and the RAV4 Hybrid. Sure enough, the CR-V did better. The RAV4 Hybrid tumbled awkwardly on the track when its electronics clicked and buzzed in protest. The CR-V Hybrid also has more ground clearance and better approach and departure angles than the RAV4 Hybrid, making it less likely to hit obstacles.

However, we had no opportunity to test the CR-V Hybrid on a more traditional off-road trail, as we did when the RAV4 started. Of course, neither of them can keep up with the skills of real off-roaders like the Jeep Wrangler and the Toyota 4Runner. Crossovers like CR-V and RAV4 are not designed for serious off-roading. But if you are ever on the run from Tusken Raiders, the CR-V Hybrid has your back.

Fuel consumption and security

The real reason to buy a hybrid is mileage, and in this area the CR-V lags behind its rivals. The Honda is rated 38 mpg combined (35 mpg city, 40 mpg highway), while the RAV4 Hybrid is rated 40 mpg combined (41 mpg city, 38 mpg highway). While the CR-V surpasses the 37 mpg freeway drive rating of the four-wheel drive Escape Hybrid, the Ford is also available with front-wheel drive, which together it can achieve 41 mpg.

We managed to improve Honda Environmental Protection Agency ratings and hit 51 mpg in a short loop. However, the numbers fell quickly with less stingy driving.

The CR-V Hybrid lags behind its competitors in terms of mileage.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the CR-V Hybrid a five-star overall rating. The hybrid model is delivered as standard with the headlights required to achieve a Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Honda offers a three-year basic warranty of 36,000 miles and a five-year warranty of 60,000 miles for the drivetrain. This is the same coverage as for Ford and Toyota. Honda has a solid reliability record. While the hybrid powertrain is new, the CR-V itself has proven to be absolutely solid.

How DT would configure this car

Honda made this easy by making many key features standard. All equipment variants are equipped as standard with all-wheel drive and the Honda Sensing range of driver aids. The only thing missing is Apple CarPlay / Android auto compatibility, which requires an upgrade from the basic LX trim level to the EX. Another upgrade doesn't offer much of an advantage. The EX-L adds leather seats, and the Touring is equipped with a mobile phone charger, a hands-free tailgate and a heated steering wheel. However, this is a luxury and not a necessity.

Our opinion

Not surprisingly, the Honda CR-V Hybrid 2020 is a well-executed example of this breed. The standard CR-V was already one of the best small crossovers, and Honda's hybrid system has proven itself in the Accord Hybrid and Insight. However, the CR-V Hybrid is not only good in isolation, it can also hold its own against its two competitors.

Honda couldn't beat the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Ford Escape Hybrid in terms of fuel consumption, but the CR-V Hybrid makes up for it in other areas, and the efficiency gap is small. The Honda is nicer to drive than its competitors, has more usable cargo space and offers many standard driver aids.

Should you get one?

Yes. Sometimes it's good to be fashionably late.

Editor's recommendations




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