Reddit mentions: The best personal protective equipment

A rifle: I personally suggest the Classic Army KM10, but the KM12, Delta 10/12, EC1/2, and ISSC MK22 are exactly the same internally. G&G Combat Machines, like a G&G CM18 are also very nice and popular starter guns.

Extra mags: My personal favorite are G&P High RPS. They're pretty tight in most guns but are well priced, look nice, and feed well. They fit well in Combat Machines, but I've never tested with Classic Army. Some others that fit in Combat Machines, and probably Classic Army, are Ares Ameobas and PTS EPMs. For mid-caps you'll need a speedloader. For high caps, it's not needed.

Battery: I'd suggest a 7.4v Lipo or 9.6v nimh. If you're going Lipo, buy from Hobbyking. They sell decent batteries for cheap. I'm not sure the exact dimensions of the stock each uses, but this 7.4v 2000mah 15-25c would probably fit in both and run them fine. It has a huge capacity so it'll last a while. For a charger, the Imax B6 will do everything you need it to (Charge, discharge, some other stuff) and the price isn't bad. I'd also suggest a Voltage checker for Lipos. The Classic Armys will come with a 9.6v nimh and a shitty charger. For those, just get a new smart charger. The G&Gs have a battery bundle that'll give you a 9.6v nimh and smart charger.

Head protection: For eyepro, I love Pyramex. Pyramex I-force are my personal favorite, and the V2G-XP are very good as well. They're also rebranded by Valken and are known as Valken Zulus and Sierras. The One Tigris mesh mask is by far the best lower face protection I've used. Hard cover where you need it (teeth, nose, lips) and still covers your cheeks. It's also very comfy and lets you get good cheek weld, so you can see down your sights easily. I also wear a hat and Howard Leight impact sports

Gloves: Hand shots hurt. A lot. Some nice gloves like Mechanix M-pacts are a god-send in game.

chest rig: If you want to carry extra mags, the Condor Rapid Assualt is a nice and cheap way to carry them. 6 M4 mag pouches and a lot of MOLLE to attach other pouches. It's also super adjustable and can fit almost every body type.

BBs: I almost exclusively use Elite Force .28g Bio. They're just the best BBs I've used and aren't crazy expensive. You'll have to find a weight that's best for you (Maybe buy a sample pack?) but .28s are generally best in stock guns.

Camo isn't that important, but I love my LBX Combat Uniform. The shirt uses a thin-ish material in the chest and back which is great if you're using a plate carrier or chest rig, while the arms, and pants, are made of a thick material that really takes away the sting of BBs, but still leaves enough that you can feel hits. I also like having an outfit specifically for airsoft. The pants also fit knee pad inserts. All that being said, jeans and a hoodie are perfectly fine.

First things first, see if there are any fields nearby that have rentals. Go out and play with a rental before dropping $500, last thing you'd want to is spend that much money on a loadout only to find you don't like playing airsoft.

Now that being said, $500 is actually a very reasonable starting budget. I'm already going to assume that you have a good pair of boots, if you don't then you def are going to want to add that as something to purchase. So I have a basic loadout, it's going to be 3 different stores because airsoft retailers are an awful place to buy lipo batteries. A lot of these items I've either owned or know people personally who do.

So let's start off with the basics.

• The G&G CM16 SRXL - It's a step up from their basic Combat Machine lineup, but still sub $250. It has a basic MOSFET from the factory that can be programmed to shoot either full auto or 3 round burst when set to auto. One negative about the MOSFET is I've heard reports of it burning out on 11.1v lipos, so stick to 7.4v ones for now. It is going to shoot just below 400, which makes it perfect for field play. It is a keymod rail, but the one downside is it's "airsoft spec" keymod so keep that in mind when buying keymod accessories. Overall it's a great gun for the price and very much a good starting gun.
  
  
• ALTERNATIVE ICS PAR MK3 - This gun is on sale right now, down from $340 to $214, so if you can get it while it's this cheap then it's a steal. ICS guns are tanks and they are very easy to work on down the line due to their split gearbox design. My first gun was an ICS CXP-16 and it is still running for the dude who bought it from me to this very day. You may need to drop a new spring in, but again due to the split gearbox that's super easy.
  
  
• G&P High RPS midcaps - Great mags for a great price. The will handle damn near any ammo and any rounds per second you can throw at it. They are a bit tight in some guns, you might have to give your mag a bit of a love tap to get it to lock in, but at the same time that means there is very little mag wobble. 5 mags is more than enough for your basic open play. If you're wanting to go to longer events down the road, you can just buy another set of 5 and you're golden.
  
  
• G&P CompM4 Replica - I use this red dot on my shorter M4. It's got a great build quality, comes with a kill flash to keep your scope protected, and takes AA batteries. That last bit about taking AA batteries is my favorite part, I am awful about forgetting to turn off my red dot and it's nice to know that it takes a very common battery.
  
  
• LBX Lock and Load Chest Rig in Project Honor - The LBX Lock and Load chest rig is one of the most underrated chest rigs on the market. It can hold damn near anything you'd need for a day of playing. It's very easy to take off and put on thanks to the large zipper up front. It has plenty of padding in all the right places to keep you comfortable throughout the day. It's overall just a great value. The Project Honor camo one being only $25 is an absolute steal, I personally picked one of these up when I saw that price and it's well worth it. It may not be the prettiest camo out there, but you can't even come close to that quality in the $25 price range.
  
  
• Krytac .25g BBs 4000 count - Great BBs, never had any issues with them feeding. It's one of the 4 brands of BBs I will use in my rifles.
  
  
• 6mmProShop 500 round speedloader - A nice, basic speedloader. Better than the smaller pistol mag sized ones since you don't have to fill it up after every freaking magazine. I had one of these for a while, only reason I don't still use it is because someone stole it at an open play. A step up would be the Odin Sidewinder but that puts your budget over $500.
  
  All of this with the Free3Day coupon code puts you at $410.
  
  Now we get to protection gear (and a charger)
  
  
• Pyramex I-Force Dual Pane Goggles - Great pair of budget priced goggles. I personally use these on longer games or days when I just don't feel like running my larger goggles. For anyone that doubts the quality of these Valken rebrandes them for their Zulu goggles and charges almost twice as much.
  
  
• OneTigris mesh lower facemask - Better than the full mesh ones because the cloth on the sides conforms to your face better. There is still plenty of padding on the cloth sides to protect your face and it gives you a better cheek weld on the rifle. Only complaint I have is they do tend to get a little hot if it is very hot outside, but that's the tradeoff for protection.
  
  
• Tenergy lipo charger - Nice, basic lipo charger. You'll need this for the batteries I'm linking later. I use this charger personally, haven't had any issues with it yet.
  
  If you have Amazon Prime, that put's this portion to a total of $53. Overall we're at $463.
  
  Now for the batteries. I always suggest HobbyKing for purchasing lipos, they have by far the best prices on lipos. These 1200 mAh 2s nunchuck lipos should work great for your gun. Lipos are going to give you a better trigger response than NiMH batteries. I'd order two of these, which are about $13 total. Shipping will cost you about $9.
  
  Overall total: $485

Yeah, low income can be a bear... but since you don't seem to be allergic to work, there are possibilities, even for the "too young" to work. Traditional stuff like mowing neighborhood lawns, less-so like dog-walking... or whatever.

Definitely rent first. Getting in to play the game will help you to figure out what role(s) you want to play when you do start buying gear and allowing you to focus on gear that lets you, as well as helps you, do what you enjoy.

Budget for your rental trips. Locally for me, a day's airsoft as a minimum rental is about $60US. That's $30 field fee, and $30 rental (covering mask/goggle, AEG, battery, and a single hi-cap mag. Additional mags and a chest rig can be rented for an additional $15, but usually, that's unnecessary. BBs are extra, ~$22 for 2700 rounds, (I use .32s and .20s are going to be cheaper) but you can save the ones in the bottle you don't use and use them on subsequent trips. All told, you're looking at about $70 per person, per trip. Once a month is probably a good rate.

Start saving now for gear if you can, don't burn gear money on rental fees if you can help it. Every dollar invested in your starter gear is going to (usually) improve the performance and longevity, especially in a gun, which will probably (and should) be your greatest single startup expense.

There are low-cost options for basic gear.
A set of Pyramex I-force goggles and a One Tigris foldable mask (or similar) can be had (collectively) for less than $50.
Condor makes some (at least in my limited experience) cheap but reasonably good quality gear.

My current cheap gear setup (less than $100US here, without shipping):
Pyramex I-Force
NO B Tactical Folding Mask w/ Ear protection (really a One Tigris knockoff, but it works)
Condor Modular Chest Panel
Condor Triple M4 MOLLE mag pouch

This setup, over street clothes, is functional and cheap, and I have personally had no major issuses with it. Minor issues include some condensation with the goggles (more "why am I staring through a fishbowl" water than fogging really, and that after several hours of play), and the mask straps loosening on occasion.

Changes I would have made looking back:
- Color choices on the mask, panel, and pouch. The olive drab I went with on the panel and pouch didn't match the rest of my eventual gear setup (black), which started with the black mask. Didn't plan that well enough. I would stick with a color (probably olive drab for cheap or Multicam for more expensive) if I did it over again.
- Should have gone with a set of three single pouches, rather than the triple. The ~50% (or about $10) increase in price would have been worth the increase in loadout flexibility. I seldom find myself needing six spare mags.

High dollar things you are going to want to budget for (at least eventually) when you buy gear:
- Boots. Regular street shoes are ok, especially indoors, but you really want to have a set of high-quality boots to play in, especially outdoor fields with broken terrain and obstacles. The ankle support and all-around toughness of a good set of boots are going to be worth the expense. Add to that the ability to switch out of your boots for the ride/drive home is great, especially playing outdoor fields where you might get rained on or have to wade through a building ( >1 inch deep puddles inside buildings, ISYN), and you'll feel a lot more comfortable doing so if you know you won't have to wear wet footgear home.
- Defogging system. I bought an ExFog system recently and ran it the first time last weekend (same time as the rain and indoor puddles) and I'm over the moon. Cleared up the condensation issues with the goggles I was having completely. I can't recommend this enough. But at >$75, it is definitely in the "luxury" category, so buy it when you can afford it, but consider it as soon as you can.

Something you might be able to get cheap:
BDUs/Combat Uniform. Old military combat uniforms and such can be found occasionally at thrift stores or places like the Salvation Army. Actual military uniforms are going to hold up great (even if they're not in perfect condition when you get them) and they are already camo. Much cheaper than buying them new, or buying civilian equivalents.

I'm originally from the Chico area, and the Camp Fire hit my social circle pretty hard. I went up to help out in the make-shift camps/shelters being set up, dropping off and passing out supplies. The smoke was so bad that in the middle of the day, there was very little sunlight.

Some tips I've learned:

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1. It's all about PM2.5 particles

Last year, people were sharing masks and filters that weren't sufficient for the true hazards in the air, the PM2.5 particles. These can get into your lungs and blood stream and wreck havoc long-term. So you need filters that cover these. Always look for that (and P95/N95 ratings on masks), and don't fall for some of the trendy-looking-but-otherwise-useless masks some people share around the Internet, or think that a surgical mask is going to do any good.

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2. Treat yourself to quality personal air filters and goggles

Buy a good reusable N95/P95 respirator. The little paper-like masks are good in a pinch, but you're going to find that they're not that comfortable to breathe in, and if you wear glasses, you're going to fog them up.

I recommend the 3M 07193 Dual Cartridge Respirator. This is technically disposable (you can get replacement particular filters, but the carbon filter can't be replaced). However, it will actually last you a fairly long time. They're affordable and you're going to feel like you can actually breathe comfortably, even in heavy smoke, especially compared to those little disposable masks. I have a couple of these so that I can share with those around me.

I've since picked up the 3M 65021HA1-C Respirator, which is P100 (better than a P95/N95, adding resistance to solids and liquids containing oil) and has replacement organic vapor/particulate filter cartridges.

Along with these, some good safety goggles will help keep the smoke out of your eyes. I find these Dewalt DPG82-11 goggles to be pretty comfortable, even with glasses (though they may be a difficult fit for larger glasses).

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3. Buy a new, quality home air filter

You have whole-house air filters in your home/apartment, and they probably do nothing for smoke. Most air filters people buy help with allergens only. So do yourself a favor and buy some air filters before they're out of stock everywhere. Something along the lines of the 3M Filtrete MPR 1900 filters or, even better, the MPR 2200 filters (make sure you get the right size for your place, but I think 14x24x1 is pretty standard?).

MPR 1900 ratings are a minimum requirement here. There's a chart on that Amazon link in the product pictures that shows you what filters you need based on what you're trying to filter. Look for the PM 2.5 Air Pollution.

Note that the higher the filter, the more your heating system will have to work, so just be aware of that.

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4. Buy good portable air purifiers for the home

Along with the whole-house filter, you're going to want something you can put by the door or the windows (by the way, close those windows). I have a few of the Vornado AC350 air purifiers (one for Palo Alto, a couple for my place in Chico). They're not cheap (and right now they're more expensive than they were -- I paid $99 -- so shop around).

You'll also want replacement filters. In a pinch, you can wash the old filters, but I don't that that's a good long-term solution.

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5. Car filters!

If the smoke gets really bad, and you're driving around in it a lot, your car's cabin filter is going to capture a lot of that smoke, and that's going to start working its way back into your cabin. You might want to consider getting your cabin filter replaced.

I know this can be done manually, just buy one online, take out the old, replace it. I had the dealership do this for me in Chico, but they were doing this for free for everybody, so... Lucked out there.

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6. Avoid being outside as much as you can

If you don't have to go anywhere, don't. It's just not worth exposing yourself. You don't know what's in that smoke, or how well protected you are. Just prepare, buy food for the home, get the filters, and minimize how often you leave the house. This isn't always practical, and if you do have to leave, make sure you and your family are using quality air filters.

Check the air quality on a site like PurpleAir. Don't rely exclusively on your phone's Weather app. You want to use something that's tracking many sensors in an area, not just one or two official sensors.

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Stay safe.

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Edit: Added a link to the PurpleAir air quality map.

Edit 2: Thanks for my first-ever Gold, kind stranger! That was very nice of you.

Seems pretty legit, but Yohimbine is cheaper at smartpowders. Although the chocamine dosage seems a tiny bit low because the only study I've seen dosed at 1g/day.

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You could make it a year supply if you wanted?

6/9g Yohimbe for $12/18, 16.5/25mg a day

20/40g Theanine for $7/14, 55/110mg/day

400g Inositol for $20, 1.1g/day

250g Chocamine for $25, 685mg/day (a bit closer to 1g I guess)

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Things to potentially add:

500g Choline Citrate for $12, 1.4g/day. It's good for exercise related stuff too and you know how much silvy loves Choline.

200g/400 Tyrosine for $8/17, 0.55/1.1g/day. It's a precursor for dopamine and norephinephrine, great for a pump and also helpful too supplement during times of stress and such.

500g Taurine for $8, 1.4g/day. It's great for the heart (potentially preventing any problems associated with Yohimbine or even Tyrosine), and an anxiolytic too. Definitely one of the top supps I'd recommend you consider adding.

36.5/73g of Caffeine(but you'd have to buy 400g) for $12, 100/200mg/day. Or you could alternatively just start drinking more tea (less coffee though =P)

500g of ALCAR for $17, 1.4g/day. It's a great 'kinda stimulant', great for the brain and heart, and also helps you better burn fuel (both fat and carbohydrates). It also improves exercise performance long term if you use it long enough, helps you retain muscle mass and lose fat mass. There's also a study in rats showing that caffeine+alcar+choline = weight loss, but I'm sure it was probably mostly the caffeine.

Total cost for the year with all these additions: $121-143, or $0.33-$0.40/day.

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In terms of pairing though, the things I would add together:

Yohimbine, Chocamine(although you may want to check with silvy if this is okay to take pre-workout, I don't know enough about it), Caffeine(optional), Tyrosine(optional but recommended), Choline(optional but highly recommended), and ALCAR(optional but recommended) all taken preworkout.

Theanine, Inositol, and Taurine(optional but highly recommended) at night, like an hour before bed. All have relaxing effects

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Oh also, for $8 you can get these glasses that'll help you get to sleep. Just throw them on a couple of hours before sleep and be surprised that glasses that make you look you like a total douchenozzle also help you get to sleep. But you're already used to that right, with your douchey kettlebell on your desk, and douchebag 300 pound bench (congrats again!). Also, flux (which I'm sure you've already installed because I recommend it to the same people like twice a week).

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That of course is all just for stress/fat loss/appetite suppressant type stuff (but of course a lot of them are useful for a bajillion things too). If you wanted to add other crap (for workout) so you stop buying at GNC-yourwalletbecomeempty.

500g/1000g of Beta-alanine for $17/34, 1.4/2.8g/day (although silvy uses I think like 5g a day). It's great for improving long term exercise performance (endurance stuff), and I remember reading a rat study showing taurine and beta-alanine having stress relieving/anxiolytic effects together.

1000/2000g of Creatine for $12/24. 2.8/5g/day. This one doesn't even need an explanation =P.

Pushing your total cost to: $150-201/year, or $0.41-$0.55/day (not including the glasses).

You can stick beta-alanine and creatine into the preworkout mix obviously, although I'm still not 100% sure if chocamine should be in there. But I know a lot of people toss cocoa powder into their preworkout shake, so there's that.

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/wall-of text

Basic workflow: Find something to read, save it to Diigo or Zotero, autosync with Google Drive, mark it up in Xodo on tablet PC or smartphone (with another autosync), write about it using Sublime or Atom. If nighttime approaches, use blue-blocker glasses + F.lux.

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Specifics:

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Tablet/PC:

I love the Surface Pro series for academic work. Use it as a laptop when producing, then lean back and use it as a tablet with a great pen when reading. The tools I use below also integrate with my phone automatically, so I have a three-part solution in two devices.

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File mgmt:

I used to use Mendeley, but recently switched to Zotero for a few reasons:

- Open-source and highly portable (both the program and your bibliography/PDF library)

- Zotfile (makes it easy to save annotations, also makes file management with your favorite cloud provider a breeze)

- SciHub integration with plugin (shhhhhhhh.... but srsly it's amazing)

- However, Zotero does not have a good phone solution. If you use Google Drive (or w/e) and open your files in Xodo on your phone, linked to G Drive, the lack of Zotero phone app doesn't get in the way.

Diigo is also nice for web-first content (e.g. NYT articles, blog posts, etc.), and is available on phone/tablet/desktop. The free account does plenty.

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PDF reading/annotating/highlighting:

Xodo is my favorite software for reading and marking up PDFs, with the Surface Pen or on my phone. It's fast, free, and full-featured, and works across devices. (SumatraPDF, my old favorite, does not support annotation but is still great when speed is the primary concern, e.g. when ctrl-F-ing through huge PDF textbooks)

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Other:

OneNote has its perks and many adherents, might be worth a try, but the Zotero/Xodo combo linked through G Drive keeps my stuff in one place.

For blue-blocking, these glasses are dorky but dirt cheap and get the job done. This plus F.lux makes late-night reading sessions much easier on the little bit of subsequent sleep you might get.

Also, consider writing in an application like SublimeText or Atom, which are designed for programmers but are very easy to use, and offer much better color schemes than Word (e.g. dark backgrounds, text in whatever colors you fancy). Sublime is crazy fast, and Atom is prettier with more plugins but slow, so I find myself using Sublime for quick notes and Atom for longer sessions or touching up. I save everything in markdown files, so transferring from one app to the other, or to the web (or a publication) is easy.

People’s experiences can obviously vary, but I was diagnosed as depressed which then switched to bipolar II after my first (and arguably only) hypomanic episode, so my experience might have some good lessons for your girlfriend.

1. Find a good doctor you trust who works with your girlfriend and isn’t afraid to (carefully) experiment with her meds cocktail to get her to the place she needs to be. Medication with bipolar is hard. It might take a good while to figure out what keeps her in a good place, but please remember that it is possible. I couldn’t even tell you the names of most of the things we tried for me post-BP diagnosis if I tried. Your girlfriend may be luckier. Also, and this is just my two cents because it was my experience, but if your girlfriend’s bipolar tends toward the depressive, as many people’s does, SSRIs should not be out of the question. Obviously I am not a doctor, but I’m bipolar and have been on both lithium and SSRIs and it didn’t make me manic. It did, however, help me manage my depression. Some doctors worry about mania with SSRIs, but not all.
   
   
2. Sleep hygiene is very important for managing bipolar. Get some blue light blocker glasses (I use these but there are less-dorky looking ones if that’s important to you) to wear for about an hour before bed. Consider a light therapy lamp for about 20 minutes in the morning to cement her circadian rhythms and potentially stave off depression. Go to bed and wake up at the same time as much as humanly possible. This is a big topic, and you can read about it plenty online. It helps a lot with preventing mania to get a solid 8 hours a night. I recommend prioritizing this.
   
   
3. On a similar note, self care is a big part of keeping yourself steady. Read a book like the power of habit or atomic habits to put in place some small, everyday things she (or you both) can do to take care of herself. This also just makes your life better in general. Meditation is hugely helpful in all aspects of life and would be my number one recommendation. Exercise is also terrific. Generally stay away from drugs or excessive drinking, if that’s a thing for her.
   
   
4. She really has to take her meds every day. For a long time I resented medication as something I HAD to take, to the point where I flat out stopped taking them at all for a while. That was a terrible idea. The better perspective is that this is something you’re lucky enough to have access to. Thank Christ I don’t live in the ‘60s when they would have just put me on Thorazine or locked me in an institution. Thank god I have access to modern MAOIs that don’t make you obese. Thank god I have pills I can take that virtually erase my manic paranoia. As far as the vast majority of bipolar people throughout human history go, you girlfriend and I are the lucky ones.
   
   
5. For me, the first year after the diagnosis was the hardest, emotionally. Being bipolar was a really, really difficult thing for me to accept. She may have an easier time, but I’m given to understand that it can entail a lot of grieving for a while. That’s normal and necessary.
   
   If you want, DM me and I’ll give you my cell number. I’m happy to talk to you or your girlfriend about it at length. She should know that my medical history looks a lot like hers and it hasn’t stopped from me from living a fulfilling, stable life.

I flew my (at the time) 3 month old last summer on an 8 hour round trip XC for vacation, as well as some other flights. In my experience, it's been easy peasy. Here's what makes it that way:

1. Make sure you have someone on 100% kid duty throughout the entire flight. In my case, it was my wife. She sat in the back next to the car seat.
   
2. Let the person on Kid Duty handle the kid. I have a now somewhat fond memory of getting a departure clearance out of a busier Class C airport with my 5 month old screaming the background because he wanted out of his car seat. That's the way it goes sometimes, but focus on performing your pilot duties and let the child handler handle the child. As part of your pre-flight, brief them on what to expect and when they should notify you of a problem. As PIC, it's up to you to ensure a comfortable flight for all of your passengers, but your first priority is safety.
   
3. During takeoff and landing, we had the little guy strapped in the car seat. Once we were a few thousand feet AGL and en route, he was in and out of the car seat depending on his comfort level. He was able to nurse, stretch out and interact with Mom and stayed pretty happy the whole time. There were a few times we had to go through some smaller convective clouds. I knew about them ahead of time and gave enough warning that my wife was able to strap him back in the car seat in case of any turbulence.
   
4. We used Baby Banz over his ears. We also stuck some cotton in his ears under the Banz because they didn't always stay on.
   
5. Little children don't quite know how to equalize ear/sinus pressure yet, so if it all possible, try to limit your climbs and descents to about 500 FPM. Again, safety first, but if you have the chance keep that in mind. Sucking (whether it be nursing, bottle, pacifier, candy, etc) is a great way to keep pressure equalized in the sinuses. Once we were at a safe altitude and climbing, my wife would pull our guy out of the car seat and nurse him until we were at cruising altitude. If he was ever uncomfortable he didn't let us know.
   
   I don't have any personal experience flying a 3 year old, but I'd imagine a lot of the same applies - make sure you have someone whose sole duty is to hang with the child, and a booster seat may not be bad idea so that they can see out of the windows while still belted in and it will help make the seat belt more effective if, God forbid, you need it.
   
   I'd be happy to answer any other questions or share more details if you'd like. Good luck!
   
   Bonus: Pic of our little guy riding along comfortably at 9000'

Here's some simplistically delivered advice, all of them are things I tried, and while each one isn't a "complete" solution, combined together they will accumulate and help overall:

1. Get ear muffs. Here's a $15 product on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/ClearArmor-141001-Shooters-Protection-Folding-Padded/dp/B00NKSMPZW/
   
   
2. Sleep on the sofa once or twice a week, with good ear plugs, so you are not woken up by the baby.
   
   
3. Understand that babies will cry for tons of reasons. Even a it of gas in their intestines will make them cry. We are programmed to be really bothered by another person crying, but you need to re-adjust your perception about crying. Imagine the baby is an alien and this is simply how the alien says "hello".
   
   
4. They sleep longer once you introduce solids, and after that, it gets much easier overall after 10~12 months.
   
   
5. We put this butterfly plush toy next to baby's head near the changing pad, so he has something to look at while we change his diaper. It isn't 100% guaranteed to work, but even 1 out of 10 is better than 0 out of 10.
   
   
6. When the baby seems to cry for no reason whatsoever, they can be over-tired, and they don't know how to put themselves back to sleep. Sometimes I will simply lift my baby up in the air and hold him way up there for 1~2 seconds, then down again to face level, and plant a kiss on his nose. Lift him up again, and down again. This seems to calm him down, and lately he actually switches from crying to laughing (I guess he loves being raised high up in the air like that). You need to fight the instinct to behave more abrupt/fast with them, reverse it instead, when they cry just be compassionate and merciful, be slower and even more gentle, hold them gently and walk. Babies love that feeling of being carried and your steps seem to have a calming effect on them.
   
   
7. Get a yoga ball, hold them gently in a sleeping position, and bounce on the ball. Try different speeds and heights. Be careful not to fall back with the baby. Works like magic for us!
   
   
8. Focus on taking care of yourself, your physical needs, your mental needs, and communicate those needs with your wife. Every person is different, and needs different amounts of sleep, fun, sex, food, social interaction, walking outside to breath fresh air, etc. Just discuss this with your wife and I guarantee she can help you out more than you think!
   
   
9. DO NOT hate on yourself. I clearly remember with my first child this dark thought of literally throwing her out of the window. I did not sleep for 3 days, I was hungry, thirsty, my head was exploding because I had the flu, I didn't have sex for 6 month+, and I just had about enough of the whole thing. But then you look at that baby and you realize they depend on you for everything, they are absolutely helpless, and you need to practice squeezing the love out of you for that little being :-) I find this is a great skill to master regardless of your baby, it comes in handy when dealing with obnoxious people in general, at work, with family or with society at large.
   
   That's all I got for you today. Good luck!
   
   

Yes, sleep hygiene is very underrated (to the point that most people probably haven't even heard of such term). I'll add a few more good tips:

• limit exposure to blue light a few hours before going to bed, it disrupts melatonin. This one helped me the most. A lot of people know about F.lux and similar software, but I highly recommend taking it a step further and getting blue light-blocking glasses. I used these ones, they work much better than some of the more expensive options. And you can even wear your regular glasses on top. There's also an option with installing lightbulbs with a warmer colour temperature.
  
  
• try to get enough daylight exposure during the day. Take a walk or exercise outside. It can get tricky during winter, in that case blue light lamps could help, they imitate natural daylight exposure, and are considered an effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder but can be helpful for those who don't have it too but suffer from insomnia or lack of energy due to not getting enough sun exposure. Vitamin D deficiency is also related to sleep issues.
  
  
• I haven't personally tried this myself, but there's a lot of anecdotal evidence from people who use daylight-stimulating alarm clocks, saying it makes them wake up easier and have more energy in the day. For someone who hates being shocked out of bed with a loud alarm but would prefer waking up gently and in accordance to their sleep cycle, this could be a good option.
  
  
• Diet as a whole matters too. Actually going to bed hungry can make it harder to fall asleep, so maybe it's best to experiment with what works for you. Certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies, like magnesium, are associated with sleep disorders, so it's a good idea to eat a healthy and nutritious diet.
  
  
• try to have a before-bed ritual. Doesn't necessarily have to be reading a book, just try to unwind and give your body and mind time to adjust between the "awake" part of the day and "night" part of the day. I light some candles, burn essential oils (something sweet, not invigorating, that would have the opposite effect), turn off the light, brew myself a herbal tea and read in bed while giving myself a foot bath. Doesn't have to take long, you could make it 2 hours or only 20 minutes, but it would sort of signal to your mind that it's time to sleep soon.
  
  I used to have utterly fucked up sleeping patterns for years and finally managed to make myself a healthy sleeper, all of those helped me immensely.
  
  I also have one theory that I've never seen explained this way anywhere, but it makes perfect sense for me: most people would agree that if you wake up too late in the morning, you wouldn't be able to fall asleep easily if you went to bed very early that day, you simply wouldn't feel tired yet. However, I noticed that if I'm used to that sort of pattern, even waking up early one morning still doesn't make it easier to fall asleep that day, even though I'm supposed to feel more tired. It's not exactly a new theory, it's all about circadian rhythm, but my view is, the internal clock in our bodies expects the day (the "awake" part of our day) last a certain amount of time, and it gets so used to that amount of time that even being more tired can't instantly change it. I just don't feel like the day is over yet, it doesn't really register as "night" for me yet. I figured out that for me, the "awake" part of the day has to last 15-16 hours (I need a bit less sleep in summer). So even if I don't go to bed at the same time, I try to make my "day" the same length. For example, if I get up at 7am, I'll go to bed around 11, and then get up at 7 again, which would give me 8 hours of sleep that I need and fit neatly into 24 hours so that I can have the same schedule every day. Or I can push it around accordingly as I see fit or as needed. I could wake up at 9am and then would go to bed at 12am, maybe it would take me longer to fall asleep and next morning I would wake up before 9, but it would still be similar enough.

I believe a 11.1V LiPo might be a bit too strong for a cheap AEG (Automatic Electric Gun) like the CM028, so for a beginner I'd recommend a 7.4V LiPo. Also important is to get a balance charger like the IMAX B6. If you don't use a balance charger, the battery may die or even burst into flames (since there is always a tiny risk of LiPos catching on fire even if you do everything right, store them in a fireproof container).

As for eye and face protection, a good and cheap combination are the Pyramex I-Force Dual Pane Anti-Fog Goggles at ~$16 and the OneTigris Foldable Mesh Mask at ~$15-17. You could play without lower face protection, but it's very easy to lose a tooth if you get shot in the face and replacing teeth is extremely expensive.

I personally use a paintball mask (the Dye i4 to be exact), because it's more comfortable and basically impossible to fog up, but a paintball mask is usually pretty expensive ($90-180) and won't be welcome at Milsim events.

If you have some money to burn (like $500+) and want to acquire really easily transferable skills (great demonstration of that here: https://youtu.be/qQDfwyUgtjg), you can go down the GBB (Gas Blowback) route. Those guns are more expensive to buy, spare mags are more expensive and they need routine maintenance, but training with and using them constantly will yield great improvement in your skill with real firearms because they function almost exactly like real firearms (if that's something you're interested in). And also GBBs are extremely fun xD

Or for a compromise between realism and budget, get an AEG rifle and a GBB pistol. Good GBB pistols can be had for as low as $100, a great budget choice here is the WE Glock 17.

Goggles + face shield: I would recommend the Pyramex I-Force goggles. They are extremely light and dependable for all types of gameplay. For some reason, I can't make them fog (which is really good btw), and the price is pretty damn good too. Also, stay clear away from mesh goggles. For face protection, I would use a metal mesh mask. Any will do (I haven't seen any company screw up mesh masks yet).

Batteries: For a battery, my input would be to start with a 9.6v NiMH battery (you seem to already have one). If you know how to take care of them, upgrade to a 7.4v LiPo battery for the best performance. The 'C' rating should be around 15C if you are just beginning your use of LiPos.

Charger: For different battery types, it depends. A lot of people say that Tenergy Smart chargers work great with NiMH batteries, so I'll throw that on (feel free to correct me if there is a better one). For LiPos, I personally use a Turnigy Accucel-6, which has had no problems for me yet (again, please correct me if there is a better one).

Internals/Tools: I wouldn't say to open your GB yet if you aren't willing to devote some time. If you are, then I would say to pick up a set of allen wrenches/hex keys in multiple sizes, a set of screwdrivers in varying sizes, tweezers, pliers, wire cutters, Dremel, soldering iron, and a couple neodymium magnets (for keeping things in place, like ARLs).

The first things you want to upgrade (in my opinion, your build will vary) would be your motor and hopup bucking. Your motor basically drives the trigger response, rate of fire, and torque (ability to pull strong springs) of your gun.

A good 16TPA motor like the SHS High Torque or the ZCI Balanced will be good for most applications. They both have a good mix of trigger response and speed, and get you about 20RPS on a 9.6v NiMH, M120 spring, and 18:1 gears (results may vary). For higher torque builds (M125 and above), use a 22TPA motor for good trigger response and loss of fire rate. Do some research to find which motor is right for you.

Your hop-up bucking is one of the most important things to upgrade. Upgrade to a Prometheus Purple, Maple Leaf, or Lonex bucking for better consistency. In almost every application, flathopping the bucking is vital (you can search up how to flathop. there are plenty of articles out there).

BBs (Pellets): For your BBs, go with Elite Force BBs (.25s work for most applications). They are well-priced, and are some of the best BBs that I have used.

Guide: Search the forums and this subreddit. I don't want to type an essay, and it would do you much more good to search it up yourself (you learn more if you find it yourself instead of listening to me).

Maintenance: Refer to above, but do lube your gun every one in a while. (also research on how to do that).

A good 416 would be the VFC HK416 CQB, or the TM Recoil Shock 416 (can't find link sorry). Either are good choices and are relatively low-priced.

An AEG will serve you well. A well-upgraded AEG is dependable and cheaper to run than a GBBR. Most airsoft guns have Picatinny rails that can take real-steel attachments, so you're good there.

Do NOT get the 'discoveryline' one. It's not worth it. The two I mentioned above are the best, and will let you upgrade as you wish.

Best of luck!

I think it's cool you want to pick up a hobby your father had. It will be a nice reminder every time you pick up the gun.

I use this 100% for miniatures, and it works great!!

​

Alright, here is the list I bought. It's a bit more than you want to spend, but this will ensure you can get going right away, and not be frustrated. I did a fair amount of research on different forums, sites, and youtube videos. If you want to know why I chose something, feel free to ask. I was going to bold the ones that you absolutely need, but I would say everything in the first set are a must.

​

• Airbrush - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BQKFAI/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
• Compressor - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TDNKBMC/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (One of the quietest compressors - I use it in the house and my gf can't hear it kick on, and she sleeps in the room right above it.)
  
• Airbrush Hose - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BF7NJ78/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
• Moisture Trap - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BQO8WY/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
• Couplers - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TFE7WK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (Didn't need this big of a set, but if you end up with tools for the compressor they will come in handy.)
  
• Airbrush Cleaner kit - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y3MG6Z4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
• Respirator - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004Z4EB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
• Extra Filters - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NTP9MDO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  ​
  
  
• Cleaner - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TJA0S6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
• Thinner - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002X6DTHK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
• Improver - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QD780G0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  ​
  
  
• Primer I use for minis - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BMZVMK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  ​
  
  For the compressor, I keep mine at about 18-20 while doing miniatures and it's perfect.
  
  I do 1 drop Improver, 5 drops thinner, and 6 drops primer and have perfect flow.
  
  ​
  
  Feel free to ask any questions! Good luck!
  
  Hvstle

Ah, something I'm unfortunately an expert at! Skip to point 3 if you just want to read about the light, I'm pasting in something I wrote on a different thread. I have suffered from really dramatic SAD for years (Minnesota) and have finally got a handle on it.

For me, it revolves around 3 categories: Exercise, Vitamin D, and Light. Especially blue light. Also, I didn't realize until I started really digging into it how poorly researched SAD is. . .

1. Exercise: The "easiest" one. Getting your heart rate up once a day appears to be very effective in combating depression generally, and seasonal depression specifically. Being a ginormous nerd, I bought a smart trainer to strap my bike into, and cycle fast for 30 minutes every morning through virtual lava fields in Zwift. https://zwift.com/ It definitely seems to help, and I'm no longer 'foggy' in the morning, but I'm still having issues fitting it into my schedule. . . it probably takes 45 minutes more in the morning, total, to fit this in. . .
   
   
   
   
2. Vitamin D: My entire family is known to be chronically deficient in Vitamin D, so I supplemented with the suggested dose of 2,000 IU a day for the last year. While getting a blood-test for an unrelated reason, I asked if the doctor could also check my Vitamin D levels, and they were hysterically low, ~14 nmol/L. Normal levels are around 85, and anything below 30 is deficient. With this new knowledge I started dosing with 25,000 iu a day, and noticed an immediate improvement in my mood. I've considered really cranking this up as there seems to be no documented negatives from too much vitamin D (if you drink adequate water, at least) but 25K seems to be working for me.
   
   
   
3. Light: The tricky one. . .
   

• I had a standard "10,000 Lux!" light box that was a hand-me-down from someone who hadn't found it effective. . . I didn't find it effective either. Some research showed that these were only rated at 10,000 lux when you were 8 inches from the light and looking at it. That's not going to happen. This model made no difference at all.
  
  
• Looking around for a DIY solution with many more lumens, I ran across this blog: https://meaningness.com/metablog/sad-light-lumens and https://meaningness.com/metablog/sad-light-led-lux This seemed like a good way to go: find the maximum lumens per dollar possible and spend what I could justify. Out came the spreadsheet, and at 183 lumens per dollar, this LED floodlight won the prize: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KFVFQFW. I was thinking of getting 2 or 3, but I've only gotten one so far as a trial. It is SO BRIGHT. I'm intending to mount this over my bike trainer to get a blast of light while exercising. . .
  
  
• Blue light is king, apparently. . . a fairly narrow band of blue (Lower than 540nm) controls the circadian rhythm. In an effort to get enough of the blue wavelength, I tried having a very bright white light at my desk at work. This was ridiculously over-bright, led to a lot of eye-strain, and seemed to have only nominal effectiveness. To try to deal with the 'blue issue' I was going to do two things:
  Wear blue-blocking glasses every night starting 90 minutes before bed. Richard actually got me turned on to these, and they seem to work really well: https://www.amazon.com/Uvex-Blocking-Computer-SCT-Orange-S1933X/dp/B000USRG90
  Wire up some LED's in the specific blue wavelength to use at my desk at work. However, I happened to find an (overly expensive) ready to go solution to this from Phillips: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M3SGCUE This sits on my desk just below my monitor and beams JUST blue light into my face, within my field of vision. I can comfortably have this on for several hours in the morning, and it seems to make a huge difference. I think.
  The light and the glasses seem to agree, as wearing the glasses makes the light very nearly disappear. . .
  
  TL;DR: Use a LOT of blue light in the morning, block blue light late at night.

Most rifles today will come with a Breech Lock (also called a Cable Lock) which is really padlock to secure the gun.

As an example -

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/5-pk-of-15-cable-gun-locks?a=1003612

There are also Trigger Locks, but as I said, you will get a free Breech Lock with the gun -

https://www.cabelas.com/product/MASTERLOCK-KEYED-TRIGGER-LOCK-PK/2482346.uts?slotId=0

A box of ammunition -

A good place to start is with CCI Standard (50 rounds per box, 1070fps). If that has trouble pushing the bolt back in a reliable way (though it works fine for me) then switch to CCI Mini-Mag (50 or 100 rounds per box, 1235fps). Later you can work out what ammo you like best.

CCI Standard are a lot easier on the ears.

Ear Plugs -

There are several types, some are just foam plugs you put in your ears. I don't personally like those, but they are super cheap. One step up would be the same plugs on a String that you can hang around your neck.

https://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-Honeywell-Reusable-R-01521/dp/B001DZROH8/

As an example -

https://www.zoro.com/honeywell-howard-leight-earplugs-dispsbl-32db-magentayellow-pk5-ll-5/i/G4360964/

Here are a type that are on a rigged band that goes around you neck, every handy -

https://www.zoro.com/moldex-hearing-band-reusable-25db-green-6506/i/G1061952/feature-product

I prefer the same style but with GEL ear plugs - (Running Website in redesign) -

https://www.amazon.com/Radians-Band-Banded-Hearing-Protection/dp/B01N15E7L6

There are also over the ear protectors -

https://www.amazon.com/Mpow-Reduction-Protection-Adjustable-Professional/dp/B01L1U9L5W/

Allen is a maker of Gun Cases, and I know Walmart has them. Get a case that will accommodate a Scope should you decide to add one later -

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Allen-451A-Scoped-Rifle-Case-46-Nylon-Oakbrush-Camo/41577252

Also a Cleaning Kit -

I cheaped out and got the most minimal kit. Far better to buy one of the better ones that come with a case, and various attachments. It may seem like a lot, but the price is low, and likely you will end up spending more money if you don't get the full kit -

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hiltex-103pc-Pro-Universal-Gun-Cleaning-Kit-Pistol-Rifle-Shotgun-Firearm-Cleaner/134964290

HOPPE's Number 9 Gun Cleaning Solvent -

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hoppe-s-No-9-Synthetic-Blend-Bore-Cleaner-5-oz/34883290

Hoppe's Number 9 Gun Lubricant -

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hoppe-s-No-9-Lubricating-Oil-2-1-4-oz/23237286

There are all kinds of Oils and Cleaners but start with Hoppe's.

Gun Bore Cleaning Patches -

https://www.walmart.com/ip/SEAL-1-1009-100-Percent-Cotton-Gun-Cleaning-Patches-1000-Count/45530248

You will need some type of Eye Protection. If you wear glasses that's fine, good enough. Otherwise common Safety Glasses -

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dsporting&field-keywords=safety+glasses+for+shooting

https://www.cabelas.com/catalog/browse/shooting-glasses/_/N-1100231/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_103923180

I'm using various website simply for the Photos and Prices, everything listed here is very common, and Ear Plugs and Safety Glasses can be bought at places like Home Depot (and similar).

Walmart likely has all this stuff in their Store.

Again, buy the full cleaning kit with a case. I bought the most minimum .22 Caliber Kit, and then had to find a case. With all the running around trying to find a case for the kit, then when I started adding accessories, I ended up spending more than just buying the full cleaning kit outright. Walmart will have several brands of Full kits like the example above. Just make sure it includes .22 Cal, and you are set. Very reasonably priced.

I am not actively treating lyme currently. I have done longterm antibiotics and haven't seen good results. Due to concerns about longterm abx and gut flora issues, I have decided to treat mold issues and detox first and then come back around to eliminating lyme. I am currently not on any pharmaceuticals.


Mold/ Mycotoxin Binders: I am on activated charcoal (Bulletproof activated charcoal) to help bind and excrete mycotoxins. I couldn't tolerate Cholestyramine (Compounded without aspartame), it made me very ill. I also cycle chlorella. I go slowly because personally, when I take binders, I feel very sick and get very weird mentally, especially in regards to anxiety.
I also couldn't tolerate welchol, which made me suicidal but after going off it I felt fine.


Other considerations:

-Moved out of a water damaged building

• Threw out belongings that I believed to be contaminated. (Many items that were thrown out had did not have visible mold.)
  
  
  Supplements:
  
• Liposomal Glutathione (I take the brand "readisorb")
  
• Vitamin D3 + K2 (10,000iu daily)
  
• Creatine (5g daily)
  
• N-Acetyl-Cysteine
  
• Magnesium Glycinate
  
• Phosphatidylserine (200mg a day)
  
• Fishoil (Nordic Naturals up to 4grams a day of EPA/DHA)
  
• Probiotics
  
• Prebiotics
  
• Folate and b12 +other b vitamins
  
• Curcumin
  
• Minerals
  
  
  Other:
  
  -Bluelight blocking glasses at night Heres some cheap ones: (https://www.amazon.com/Uvex-Blocking-Computer-SCT-Orange-S1933X/dp/B000USRG90)
  
  
• Infared Sauna
  
  -Clean diet, organic as much as possible, No gluten, low sugar, and I play around with dairy. Lots of grass fed beef and good veggies. (I was dairy free for a few years however when I eat it I feel fine.)
  
  -Avoidance of conventional household products. Instead: Natural detergents, soaps, toothpaste, shampoo, etc... I do use conventional aluminum containing deodorant because I have some less than ideal odor if I don't.
  
  
• I keep journals on symptoms to help alleviate anxiety and monitor progress or lack thereof.
  
  -Air oasis filter to improve indoor air quality (bedroom)
  
  -Water filter in shower, Reverse Osmosis filter to drink from. (Ideally, you'd have a whole house filter but I do not.)
  
  -Exercise as tolerated. (I can only lift sometimes, I cannot tolerate cardio.) DO NOT overdo it.
  
  
  
  Things I will try soon:
  
  -More regular sun exposure
  -epsom salt baths
  -Alka seltzer gold (Helps alleviate detox and herxheimer symptoms in some people.)
  -Actual sauna (Not infrared)
  
• Attempt to meditate successfully again (I did a few years ago)
  
• Practice mindfulness and gratitude
  
  
  For more info on mold check out:
  
  
• http://www.survivingmold.com
  (Ritchie shoemakers site, not a huge fan of his personally, I disagree with a few things he says but still worth reading and learning what he has to say.)
  
  The best article I have found: (Non-Shoemaker)
  
  https://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/767482/
  
  
  I have summarized here but feel free to ask questions and I will go into further detail. Good luck to everyone in regaining health. Cheers.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Finally a topic I'm passionate about!

I don't have a specific answer for you, but that's because I have a lot of experience with ear plugs, and I know taste and fit will vary immensely from person to person.

Unfortunately, that means the best advice I can give you is try a whole bunch of different ear plugs, and see which ones fit best and work best for your purposes.

Judging from my experience, I'm certain you're going to need more than one type of earplug.

A bunch of tips:

1. This place: http://www.earplugstore.com/
   
   
2. Check out their assortment packs.
   
   
3. They make smaller women's and slim fit earplugs. I'm a fairly large man, and they don't fit me perfectly, but if I just want to take the edge off of the ambient sound, I use them. They muffle everything, but not to the same degree as my regular sized earplugs. That may not be an option for you depending on the size of your ears, but it's an option for some.
   
   
4. For music and movies, I've tried Downbeats, but they don't fit me very well. You may have more luck, and there are other brands worth considering. Search for earplugs for musicians. They preserve the full range of audio frequencies, but just lower the volume. (Regular earplugs will tend to block out some frequencies more than others.)
   
   
5. My favorite.
   
   
6. Buy disposable earplugs in bulk on the internet.
   
   
7. Those single use disposable earplugs -- you can use them more than once, but they do lose some of their blocking power. (Depending on the situation, this might be an advantage.) But once they get a little too soft and squishy, they're done.
   
   
8. I often wear earplugs almost all day like you're planning. And I sleep with them every night too. That's doable, but do take them out for a decent amount of time each day. If they are in too long, even your favorite earplugs can become irritating. (And I know some people do have allergies to certain earplug materials.)
   
   
9. Noise dampening earmuffs are also great.
   
   
10. Keep a pair of earplugs with you in a little case at all times. You never know when you're going to want them.
    
    If you have any questions or just want to talk earplugs, let me know. Like I said, I'm an earplug aficionado!
    
    As for the rest of you, I can't recommend the earplug lifestyle to people on this subreddit strongly enough.
    
    Earplugs are like a warm, cozy blanket for your mind.
    
    Once you start using them regularly, you'll wonder how you ever managed to live without them.

For airbrushes, I'm personally a fan of the Neo by Iwata, especially their gravity feed (cup) model. The brush is well built, fairly easy to take apart and clean, and has very few issues with most paints and other products you may put through it.

I picked mine up on sale for around $50, and if you have a Michael's or Hobby Lobby nearby, you may be able to pick it for less with one of their one-item coupons they release occasionally. It's also nice if you have a hobby store near by as you can drop in a pick up replacement needles or nibs if you accidentally drop it >.>; . Needles and nibs typically cost in the 10-15 dollar range for replacements, so not too terrible.

For compressors, a simple compressor with a tank will work wonderfully, so long as it has a proper pressure regulator and water trap. I have this compressor and it works well, after I got the correct airbrush hose to attach to the NEO.

There are a couple extra tools that can help with airbrushing as well, but most can be picked up at a later point. Something I would recommend that you get with the initial purchase is a spray booth. This allows you a place to spray into and capture many of the errant particles of paint from your airbrush. Combined with a proper respirator mask, it will ensure that you don't breath in any of the particulate from airbrushing, and hopefully don't have airbrush paints drying on items they weren't directly sprayed on. I would say of the two, the mask is the most important to have.

A quick-disconnect is useful for cleaning and swapping airbrushes, but isn't really necessary at first. A cleaning pot is also useful as it gives you a dedicated space to spray out leftover paint and cleaing fluid, and should stay fairly contained.

I would also look at purchasing a ultrasonic cleaner further on, as it is amazingly helpful for cleaning the airbrush when paint has leaked into the body, or spilled into places it shouldn't be.

Other's can probably offer advice as well, but that's what I currently use. Hope this helps!

I really like this sub, but sometimes it has some strange articles on it that I don't personally believe in (everyone's entitled to an opinion), which can also turn other people off to the idea behind it. Not all good alternative health options have studies to back them up, but its good to at least try and find some science to back up the claims.

Anyways, I worked in Ophthalmology for a few years and found that reducing blue light at night is a great way to aid in better sleep (and has other positive effects). This is especially important for ages 0-20.

There is a relatively easy way to lessen the effects. Get glasses lenses that block blue light (they look kind of orange) which is the most effective (amazon has cheap options http://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S1933X-Eyewear-SCT-Orange-Anti-Fog/dp/B000USRG90). Another option which is less effective is to download an app that lowers the amount of blue light given off from screens (I think its called twilight for android, f.lux for windows, not sure about ios). This should be used about 2 or more hours before bed.

Another tip:
For eye fatigue (which is good for people on the computer all day as well as using handheld devices): the 20/20/20 method: every 20 minutes look 20 feet away for 20 seconds or blinks to let your eyes relax.

I run a cnc in my garage all day so dust and noise suppression are a must. I use the RZ Mask and either a pair of LG Tones or more so lately these 3M bluetooth hearing protectors. Having good dust collection is a must as well so I use a shop vac for small tools like the spindle sander and hand sander but I also have the Harbor Freight 2hp dust collector as well for the cnc and larger tools. I intend to do some modding to it soon to change the crappy bag filter to a 1 micron cartridge filter. I've breathed my fair share of wood dust and it worries me but also knowing which woods are more toxic helps as well. Purple Heart dust for instance is very toxic to breath in as well as pretty much and plywood dust and of course MDF. Just be cautious but I wouldn't lose sleep over not having that $150 respirator or noise cancelling headphones. To add to that, you want to hear just a bit of sound because listening to your machines is important too. Good luck in this adventure, it can be a wild and rewarding ride!

Noise isolation is pretty much identical to the Earpods. It's too bad... I wish they made in-ear Airpods... I've even considered making a silicone cover that makes them go into the ear canal more, but then they wouldn't fit in the charging case. For the most part, it isn't horrible, but it's still a part of using them.

That said, a couple things you might not know...

• Airpods are slightly larger than Earpods. For me, that means they fit my ears better.
  
• Since they don't have the weight of the cable, they stay in my ears much better than Earpods. They're so light, I can even tilt my head to the side without them falling out. Pretty much the only thing that makes them fall out unexpectedly is taking off a tight-neck t-shirt while they're in my ears.
  
• Most bluetooth (even with Apt-X) headphones will split the BT signal when you activate the microphone, giving you low quality audio in both directions. With Airpods, you get high quality in both. I've done tests, and the people I've talked to have always been able to hear me loud and clear. I really wish the mic quality was talked about more with them... it's a huge selling point.
  
• As has been said, their audio quality is excellent. If you're in a quiet room, they sound absolutely gorgeous.
  
• Because there's no noise isolation, though, my worst experience was trying to listen to podcasts on a plane. That said, I do woodworking and use ear muffs for protection from the loud saws, etc... if you have an over-the-ear pair, they fit over the Airpods (at least, they do for me) without any issue. You end up with amazing sound + noise protection.
  
  YMMV, of course.

I totally understand, in that case here are some things.

If you don't already have a set of 1/4" impact bits I highly recommend the Makita impact gold series, three options from $15-$30. Good strong bits good for everything not just impact drivers.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-Impact-Gold-Drive-Bit-Set-40-Piece-B-65383/305513416

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-Impact-Gold-Steel-Driver-Bit-Set-26-Piece-B-46919/206284602

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-Impact-GOLD-Driver-Bit-Set-38-Piece-B-52370/207104796

Their 1/2" and 3/8" wobble adapters are nice, you can get them by themselves, or in a pack with standard or metric impact sockets. $4-$5 by themselves or $15 with the sockets.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-Impact-GOLD-1-2-in-15-Degree-Tilt-Socket-Adapter-B-35081/203696909

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-Impact-GOLD-3-8-in-15-Degree-Tilt-Socket-Adapter-B-35075/203696899

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-Impact-GOLD-3-8-in-6-Point-Fractional-Standard-Impact-Socket-Set-with-15-Degree-Tilt-Socket-Adapter-9-Pieces-B-34833/203612037

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-Impact-GOLD-3-8-in-6-Point-Metric-Impact-Socket-Set-with-15-Tilt-Socket-Adapter-9-Piece-B-49862/206284603

This Makita Impact GOLD Ultra-Magnetic Torsion Insert Bit Holder is also excellent. $5

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-Impact-GOLD-Ultra-Magnetic-Torsion-Insert-Bit-Holder-B-35097/203696915

How are you set for razor knives? The Milwaukee FASTBACK Compact is my daily and I love it. It does have one flaw, if you hold the blade section in a certain way for detail cutting you can depress the blade release. But once you get used to it it has not been a problem for me. $9

They have a special buy going in my area for the Fastback Flip, Fastback Compact Flip, and 50 blades for $15.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-FASTBACK-Compact-Flip-Utility-Knife-48-22-1906/206994464

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-Fastback-Flip-Utility-Knife-Set-with-Utility-Blades-50-Pack-48-22-1901J/302283894

How about pliers. I love these tiny Cobras, they were part of my EDC at my last job. $26

https://www.homedepot.com/p/KNIPEX-Heavy-Duty-Forged-Steel-5-in-Mini-Cobra-Pliers-with-61-HRC-Teeth-87-01-125-SBA/203202210

6" models only $1 more. $27

https://www.homedepot.com/p/KNIPEX-Heavy-Duty-Forged-Steel-6-in-Mini-Cobra-Pliers-with-61-HRC-Teeth-87-01-150/100668977

7" only another $1. $28

https://www.homedepot.com/p/KNIPEX-Heavy-Duty-Forged-Steel-7-in-Cobra-Pliers-with-61-HRC-Teeth-87-01-180/100668967

Very very tough diagonal cutters. $35

https://www.homedepot.com/p/KNIPEX-Heavy-Duty-Forged-Steel-10-in-High-Leverage-Diagonal-Cutters-with-64-HRC-Cutting-Edge-74-01-250/100668970

For when you need a bit more oomph than your standard cutters, Mini bolt cutters. $44

https://www.homedepot.com/p/KNIPEX-8-in-Cobolt-Lever-Action-Compact-Bolt-Cutter-64-HRC-Forged-Steel-71-01-200/100668975

The classic Swedish style pipe wrench, always make for an interesting conversation piece. $46

https://www.homedepot.com/p/KNIPEX-12-in-Heavy-Duty-Pipe-Wrench-83-10-010/205944412

How are you set for PPE? I wear this respirator for 8 hours a day 5 days a week and I love it, after a few minutes you forget your even wearing it. And its super easy to just un-latch to speak to people then pop it back on.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Medium-Paint-Project-Respirator-with-Quick-Latch-Mask-6502QLPA1-A-NA/207061064

Without filters at amazon. $19

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IF7RCU6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Home depot does not sell the filters I use, but amazon does. $11

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009POHH94/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These are only particulate filters so if you do a lot of painting the set from home depot with the VOC filters would be better.

For hearing protection I had been using a set of 3M Peltor Optime 105's until I upgraded recently to a combo of 3M Peltor WS Alert XP's and 3M Peltor CH-5 High Attenuation Headset. The 105's offer extremely good protection for the money.

3M Peltor Optime 105 $20

https://www.amazon.com/3M-Earmuff-Protectors-Hearing-Protection/dp/B00009LI4K

If there are any specific categories of tools you would like a recommendation on let me know.

Wow, I'm amazed you guys haven't heard about the massive importance of lights on your energy level. I'd actually rate is as way more important than any kind of supplement/nootropic.

Light in the blue spectrum boosts the production of seretonin, giving you great, pure and clean energy. I often go from being grumpy, borderline depressed in the early morning to downright joyful after using my lamp for around 30 minutes.

The lamp I have is a Philips goLITE BLU. It's downright awesome. It's small, effective, easy to use (touchscreen) and portable. Some may think it's expensive, but it's actually not considering how big an impact it'll have on your life and for how many years it'll last you.

While blue light is great during the day it's harmful in the evening, since it prevents you from producing melatonin (the sleep hormone), both reducing your tiredness/ease of falling asleep and your sleep quality when you eventually do. To combat that I use glasses that filters out the whole blue spectrum, Uvex S1993X - just $8. It's much more effective than solutions like F.lux (it covers everything, not just your computer screen - and Flux can't stop all the blue light from the screen), and much easier to use too.

http://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S1933X-Eyewear-SCT-Orange-Anti-Fog/dp/B000USRG90.

Yo! Honestly I have the same problem and have always had issues sleeping. Lots of things you can do to help sleep.

1. in order to reduce the blue light messing with melatonin production wear blue light blocking glasses. These are incredible for the price.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Uvex-Blocking-Computer-SCT-Orange-S1933X/dp/B000USRG90/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1537638419&sr=8-4&keywords=blue+light+blocking+glasses
   
   
2. take magnesium citrate, it's a great form of magnesium that will help with serotonin and melatonin production along with hundreds of other processes in your body
   
   
3. last is L-theanine. another supplement I know. but it'll help you feel relaxed without sleepy but it can help you counteract all the bright lights you constantly are exposed to while streaming
   
   Hopefully this helps somewhat. Definitely worth the $8 investment for the glasses, the others are if great if you don't mind supplements.

IGNORE ALL OF THOSE GOGGLES AND BUY Pyramex I-force dual lense

jk (:

Well you don't have to ignore them, but these goggles are so cheap you can buy like 4 for all your friends and still spend less than on revisions.

I can tell you that they are very low profile, I can get my eye past the relief on my trijicon, and they do NOT fog at all!

I sweat a lot on hot days and that would usually fog up my lens but these.. super comfortable, do not fog. Just make sure your eyelashes are nice and soft because they will brush up agaisnt the lens a little bit but it doesn't bother me. You don't even feel it.

HERE

I was messing around with it to the point where I thought I would break it but it is very flexible. Only problem is if you sweat too much it will drip down the lens, you can just wipe it off. It's not as bad as fog, which you don't get with these (:

Here are tips:

1. Buy a good mask, not the disposable ones. Something like this 3M Rugged Comfort Quick Latch Half Facepiece Reusable Respirator 6502QL, Gases, Vapors, Dust, Medium https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IF7RBS4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_9NxWDbDR259KX with p100 filters.
   
   
2. For entering and exiting, considering making a air gap room out of plastic and make sure it’s sealed with a zip wall or something on both ends. Plaster dust is very fine and it will get everywhere. They make knock off zip wall zippers on amazon.
   
   
3. What are you doing for the floors? If you need to protect them I would use at least one layer of ram board or better.
   
   
4. I assume you are getting a dumpster. Plaster is super heavy and depending on how strict your dumpster company is, they may charge you more if you attempt to fill the dumpster up more than half way with with plaster. If you can swing it, consider getting a bigger size than you think you need. Usually there isn’t a huge price difference between the sizes.
   
   
5. For actually taking down the plaster, here is my method. I use two black plastic cement mixing tubs next to each other pressed up against the bottom of the wall. I use a crow bar to make an entry point in the plaster and then I use the crow bar to put behind the plaster down the wall, riding the lathe. When one of the bins is full, I empty it directly into a contractor trash bag. They fit perfectly in the bags. Plaster is heavy and messy, and putting in these bags makes it easy to move and/or go through a house with them or throw them out a window.
   
   
6. I usually use a fan in the window blowing out. Make sure it sealed around so it’s actually creating suction and not pulling in any outside air.
   
   
7. For cleanup, broom, more bags, and a shovel. When removing the plaster a lot of pieces will fall into the wall behind the lathe. I usually pick that all out with my hands and clean it up with the shovel. Then I use my shop vac with the filter bags in it for secondary cleaning.
   
   
8. Make sure you cut power to the room first, maybe even rooms around and above or below if you can swing it.

I've been looking for something similar for three weeks, asking about it on reddit and other places.

It seems the most popular brands mentioned on this subreddit aren't easily available in the UK, and it's easy to think that £100 will get you a good set of speakers (in PC terms, £100 would let you pick among the best keyboards or mice), but for speakers it seems that 95% of the options under £100 are bad.

Speakers are either active (power supply built into them) or passive (needs a separate amp). Cheap / normal PC speakers are active, so I'm assuming you don't already have an amp.

In the UK the most highly recommended speakers under £100 are Whafedale Diamonds.

Best for under £100:

• Amp: LEPY 2024A Plus (£24)
  
  
• Speakers: Wharfedale Diamond 9.0 (£60)
  
  The best for under £200:
  
  
• Amp: SMSL SA-50 (£53)
  
• Speakers: Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 (£100), these speakers are quite big for a desk.
  
  Also needed:
  
  
• 3.5mm to RCA (£4) or something similar of whatever length to reach from your computer to the amp
  
• 2.5mm multi-strand 432 (2x216 strand), 14 AWG (£6), or any 14 or 16 gauge speaker wire, to go from the amp to each speaker.
  
  The £24 amp isn't great, but should do fine for sitting in front of a computer.
  
  You don't normally need banana plugs or anything fancy, unless you plan on swapping speakers regularly. If you use the £53 amp, check the plug that comes with it, some aren't fused / safe for UK.
  
  Hope this helps, and if anyone has any improvements, please reply, I'll probably be reposting this reply to any other similar UK questions.

I learned about PPE from the perspective of a woodworker, which has some overlap with detailing in terms of PPE when it comes to chemicals. Woodworkers commonly wear half mask respirators (I use this model from 3M) and then swap in filters for whatever they're doing at the moment. I wear that respirator for many hours at a time and it's very comfortable to wear and use. Just make sure to get one that fits your face shape and size, and to keep facial hair to a minimum.

As for filters, I use P100 filters for getting rid of particulate matter, in our case fine wood dust, which might be less relevant for detailing since particulates from abrasion typically get trapped in water or polish. They have some degree of organic vapor relief but it's not good enough if you're spraying paint or working with strong chemicals. For those, I use a dedicated organic vapor cartridge like this one.

There may be some better dedicated filter cartridges to use since 3M has a pretty wide product range, but that respirator's definitely a good one from my experience.

Dust Containment, Dust Collection, Dust Filtration.

First, go to any big box store (I think even walmart may have it) and get a roll of sheet plastic. Try to get at least 6mil thickness. Attach this to the bottoms of the joists and subfloor. Be sure to go up in between the joists to seal that off too. Staples work really well, especially if you reinforce the edge of the plastic with a piece of duct tape on both sides. Wherever your door is going to be, overlap to pieces by about 12-18" to create a usable door flap.

Second, (if you don't already have one) get some sort of dust collection. A simple shop vac will do, though I highly recommend that you get a large one with a 2 1/2" hose as well as some sort of dust separator or you will be buying vacuum bags and filters like crazy.

Finally, get the Wen 3410 for $125. It has plenty of air movement and at full speed will cycle the air in a 20x20 room something like 7 times per hour I think. It's also quiet. The unit is identical to the Rikon and a couple other units at a much cheaper price.

The first two are the most important, but the last will greatly reduce the amount of dust that stays in the air, and more importantly, your lungs. A good respirator would also be a good investment as well. For less than $20, it's a good investment. I like the 3M 650x Quick Latch Respirator. I use one of these along with the P100 filters. If you have to go cheap on the last one, get a $20 box fan and a 20x20 furnace filter. That works decently too.

edit: I too work in my basement. I did the above and do not have problems with dust anywhere in the house, even right outside of my shop.

What a wonderful idea for a contest.

I've had a rough time recently, some real ups and downs... but in order to keep this from sounding like a sob story I'll spare the details. If you're curious, I don't mind answering questions in PM's.

What I really need is my car fixed, but that's just something I'll have to take care of in order of priority. I don't have any friends here (in my town), but I am going over to meet a guy tonight that's going to help me build my forge. By all indications this could be my first local friend, and I'm excited for a couple reasons, one being having a friend, and two being FIRE!! FIREE!!! FI... uh... Blacksmithing!

Speaking of fire though, Blacksmithing carries a certain risk. Not only are you dealing with a coal (or gas) fire that can get upwards of (or higher than) 2000 degrees Fahrenheit (1093 C for those of you using that system.) but you are heating and handling that metal. I built a small soup-can gas forge and hammered a little bit on a railroad spike, but wasn't using proper tongs or PPE. I hit it, my pliers lost their grip and the hot spike flew up and hit me in the face just below my right eye. I got lucky it didn't hit my eye. Even though it only made momentary contact, it still burned and hurt for a week.

So, right now the items on my wishlist that would actively benefit my continued well-being would be the safety equipment on it. There's a heavy apron, a pair of welding gloves and a pair of decent safety goggles that would help protect me from flying super-heated metal.

Yeah I'm pretty sure $300 for a new amp and speakers would get you better sound than using a $300 amp and the old speakers. These little amps are very good for the price if you are only going to be using it with your PC https://www.amazon.co.uk/SA-50-TDA7492-Stereo-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B008Y7S198/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1501368949&sr=8-18&keywords=stereo+amplifier I suggested that amp because the Yamaha has many inputs and functionality that you may never use if you are only playing music from your computer. Regardless I'd suggest getting an amplifier and trying the old speakers first, they'd probably sound pretty good and you might be pleasantly surprised. Then when you upgrade you will be able to appreciate the difference! Otherwise you could also spend the €300 on some nice studio monitors which have built in amplifiers such as these: http://www.audiorumble.com/best-studio-monitors/under-300/

Writing is the part about writing I like the most, so I get much less satisfaction out of it if I'm not doing it manually. Anything "serious" I will always write first in a notebook and type up afterwards. Like jacmoe said, pen and paper bind you emotionally to your writing, and it's also great for editing - especially if you let the handwritten version rest for a day, then improvements just jump out at you while you're typing.

That said, obviously people are still churning out great literature working on computers. I haven't consulted any statistics, but I doubt even 1% of writers still work primarily (or first) with ink and paper. So I suppose it's not so much how your writing tools affect your finished works, but more how they affect you. I used to do a lot of writing on the computer, but now I find it jazzes me up too much. Writing on paper can be as slow as I need, to allow thought processes ample gestation time so I can express things I didn't know I wanted or needed to say.

For typing my stuff out, I use my moribund Packard Bell... EasyNote I think it's called, with an external monitor (working directly on the laptop encourages back hunching and neck crunching) and a clacky USB keyboard (gotta love that "glorious noise" Redtail_Defense was talking about.)

Oh, one last thing - for anyone working on a computer a lot for any reason, and especially near bedtime, please get yourself a pair of Uvex!

​

Randomanalysis:

Executive summary:

1. Headphones + Earmuffs + Music
   
2. Find a way to get people to accept your earmuffs
   
3. Consider leaving note at co-worker's desk
   
4. Consider talking to the person or to the boss
   
   I have a couple of tips for you - first of all, I always have music going, but I also wear a pair of shooting range earmuffs over them (for lack of a better word). I've never been to a shooting range, but I had the golden idea of buying these once and have never gone back - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NKSMPZW/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473254856&sr=sr-1&keywords=earmuffs <- these are my personal fave (after trying a couple of pairs). Carry these at all times. You can stack them with headphones to get this amazing and pretty cheap noise-cancelling effect. In-ear buds work best, and you can listen to music, a white noise generator, or maybe audiobooks.
   
   The above tip has worked so well for me that I almost forget I'm misophonic most of the time. Sometimes, though, my new boss likes to pop over to my desk, and there's a new Tier 4 Sniffler near me. To get over this, I've tried to have meetings in closed offices or whatnot to avoid that. I've debated leaving a note at the Sniffle King's desk secretly... We'll see about that, though. It's hard to time.
   
   You may also wonder - how can I get away with the earmuffs? Push for it. I've had people make fun of me for them, but I say "Oh, yeah, I swear by them - they really push up my productivity" and mention I'm an audiophile if people ask. I've established a reputation as a bit of a quirky guy. I don't care - these things help me so much that I'd take that any day. Phrase it in terms of things your office would select for. I work in a place that's all about productivity, so I use the productivity line to communicate this to others.
   
   Here's the last thing - I've noticed that people who sniffle/chew a lot tend to be either from certain regional cultures (generally East Asian or South Asian) or American subcultures (ie. college athletes - always sniffling for some reason!). I know some peers of mine of East Asian descent have gotten heavy feedback from bosses about sniffling too much in client meetings. You can maybe make a case to a boss that the noises your coworker makes could be bad in client-facing settings - or say that the loud chewing has annoyed a whole group of people.
   
   I hope that helps. I know how rough this can be, but with a bit of prevention this can be really ameliorated.

Yeah this is factually not correct.

If you're talking about basic work gloves that a lot of welders use to handle material, yeah those aren't designed for handling hot work or protecting you from an arc or spatter.

But legit thick leather or synthetic gloves will absolutely protect you from extreme heat. I had an oxy torch go across my hand when I was wearing them and I was fine. I've grabbed red hot work pieces, had my hand a few inches away from an arc, and been sprayed with molten metal while wearing them.

As long as you get the big ol' mitts you will be more than protected for anything you could possibly run into in the kitchen.

I have a pair that I use for oven mitts and they're great. They have the best dexterity of any oven mitt I've ever owned and I have yet to even feel mild warmth through them despite handling things like dutch ovens or ripping hot cast iron.

Source: Was a welder.

I was molested too. I have PTSD, OCD, and autism. Loud noises are the bane of my existence. When I'm startled, it takes me hours to weeks to recover.

Sometimes you need to go to a safe space where you know you won't be startled. Here's some things I've found work well:

www.simplynoise.com

I find brown noise works best. It's broad-spectrum constant noise to help you block everything out. Works great with headphones or desktop speakers.

https://www.amazon.com/ClearArmor-141001-Shooters-Protection-Folding-Padded/dp/B00NKSMPZW

These block out everything, including very sharp or low-frequency sound. Best thing is, you can wear them over foam earplugs. I've experimented and found that when I wear my earmuffs and earplugs together, they block up to 65dB of sound.

I think one of the worst things you can do is let yourself get angry at the source of the noise. As soon as you do that you're giving the brain circuits that are hurting you strength. Another thing that helps me is reminding myself: "The noise that hurts is okay to think about. I cannot hear it right now. My future self is capable of handling it if I hear it later. I will not lend it existence in this moment by worrying about it now. I am safe and I am strong."

Your anxiety comes with a physical feeling. For me it's a cold, gripping feeling in my chest. For you it may be somewhere different. When you feel that feeling, get somewhere safe from triggers, and then close your eyes, take a deep breath, force yourself to smile, and pay close attention to the feeling. Let your consciousness inhabit it. You will feel it shrink away. If it moves to another part of your body, follow it. Soon, it will dissipate.

I wish you luck and success in your journey. Please feel free to talk to me whenever you need.

Gun:
G&G CM16 is solid. It has rails, is pretty light, and is suitable for CQB. Get him a couple of hi-cap magazines, 9.6v butterfly battery and smart charger to go with it and he's set gun wise.

Eye and Face pro:
I really like my Pyramex I-Force, never fog, low-profile, and meet the ANZI impact requirements so his eyes will be safe. The OneTigris mesh mask is really comfortable and will protect his face and more importantly his teeth. There are some that clip onto FAST and BMP helmets as well. Small version and one with ear-pro attached.

Honestly if he holds the barrel, there's no need to spend money on a grip, you can always go back and buy it later if he wants it. Same goes for the other equipment and attachments, stick with the basics and make sure he likes it before heavily investing.
A lot of people stand by Just Airsoft Ammo for BBs. Only use .2g BBs at the minimum. .12s and cheap BBs will mess up the gun's internals and may shatter on impact, potentially seriously injuring the person who was shot.

These are the pair of 3M's I have, with 31dB NRR. They are huge and ugly, but they fit well and they definitely protect more than the Howard Leights. You may not be able to get a good cheek weld with these if you're shooting rifle, but I primarily shoot pistol indoors and rifle outdoors, so it works for me.

I use these 3M disposable ear plugs as well, believe they are 29dB NRR. I promise I'm not a 3M shill.


Make sure you put in the plugs properly - roll them up, pull back your earlobe with opposite hand and then insert. I shoot indoors often 2x a month, so protecting my hearing is really important to me.

edit: I should note that I have the basic pair of the Howard Leights, not the impact Pro model.

3m 7500 get the pink discs they are p100 filters. It's a great mask that is comfortable to wear, even for longer periods.

Dust collection is important but even with that a mask will be your best friend.

The 6000 series is what the engineering team uses and they all said it's comfy as well. Uses the same filters as the 7500. They have the 6000 at home depot in the paint section. The best part is you can buy different filters for finishing.

Agreeing with others that it does have blue light. Here's a great guide

https://fluxometer.com/rainbow/#!id=Kindle%20Paperwhite/Kindle%20Paperwhite

The key things to look at is the Melanopic lux, getting that below 5 in the few hours before bed is the goal. Also the spectrum between about 420 and 540, shown on that page as a transparent curve in the background.

The kindle paperwhite is at 12, vs iphone/android phones at about 50. At half power (light level 13) the kindle is down at 2, which is pretty good.

You can also use blue light filter glasses. They should look orange, any that are clear will not work at all. Yes, the advertising is lying.

I like these
https://www.amazon.com/Uvex-Blocking-Computer-SCT-Orange-S1933X/dp/B000USRG90/

Which are also great for looking at your phone, or going to the bathroom.

It's a great site, it'll answer most of your blue light questions with every variation of device you can think of.

Ive never in my life heard anyone refer to Yamaha HS5's as not clear. Theyre a very forward sounding speaker on the bright side of neutral.

Presonus are decent to good for the price. Mackie MR series and Adam T5V's are my picks for powered monitors. CR series Mackies are junk and not even worth considering.


Now, on to your actual question. $200 Euros is tight for anything much better. The main benefit of going passives + amp is ease of upgrade. There is no upgrade path for powered speakers.

I would look at something from Q Acoustics QA3010's, 3010's, etc or the Klipsch R14M's if you like clear, bright sound with a good soundstage. Plus these will play loud with ease.

For an amp you could go with a cheap SMSL SA-50 for now.

1. It's an automatic with lots of plastic moving parts that can wear out, break, less is spent on the part that matter for better sound quality.
   
2. Yes, amplification, speakers and speaker wire. Turntable will include and RCA cable.
   
3. Many options at RicherSounds
   
4. No, put the money towards a better turntable that will already have a better stylus.
   
   Better turntable: The new Audio Technica LPW30TK £269. Manual with less parts than an automatic. Includes a better elliptical stylus instead of conical. Solid wood/MDF plinth instead of hollow plastic. Speed monitored motor for lower wow and flutter and speed variation.
   
   Speakers: Wharfedale DIAMOND 220 on sale £99 £149, Q Acoustics 3020 £129, Mordaunt Short M10 £59.
   
   Amp: Cambridge Audio TOPAZ AM5 £129 or Cambridge Audio TOPAZ AM10 £149. Or lower budget IMG Stageline SA-50 £59 or SMSL SA-50 £63 mini amp.
   
   Speaker wire: AmazonBasics 14-Gauge (50 feet) or similar, then 4 Ways to Strip Wire - wikiHow.
   
   Speaker Positioning (with speaker stands for bookshelf speakers): How to position your speakers for great sound and Speaker Placement for Stereo Music Listening.
   
   Home Audio Guides: Intro to home stereo systems • What is a Phono Preamp? | Audio Advice • Introduction to Audio Components • Zeos Tutorials, Diagrams and Videos • r/audiophile Guide to Home Audio • AverageJoeAudiophile's Guides

Hi! Thank both you and /u/redpiano for the replies, I really appreciate it. If you both don't mind I have a couple more questions. Thank you again for taking the time to help me out, it's put me at ease more here and I'm thinking this might not be so bad. (Also pricing HEPA filters because of these posts which is probably a good idea anyway.)

When you say "put an air filter over it", do you mean literally just buying something like this and taping it over the end of the flat slot portion of the tube? I'm a little confused on that.

Regarding thinner, is Vallejo considered safe? I picked basically Vallejo everything just in case there was any cross-brand problems. Also, I take it that alcohol paints and lacquers are considered harmful because of the noxious fumes as well? I use Tamiya spray primer, it's actually what I have the organic vapor mask for, and I know from experience that it's pretty wicked and it sticks around for a long time (I went outside during the summer months and fall but I've had to commandeer the bathroom with an open window in the next room in the past month and a half and just warn people to stay out for a half an hour or so afterwards). I usually end up having to shut the drying pieces in my laundry closet because they are just that potent. (Somewhat related, does anybody know if Stynylrez is any less noxious? I've been trying in vain to find a primer that is as smooth as Tamiya to no avail, but I was hoping that thinning this and spraying it through an airbrush might take care of that.)

There are a couple things I can't avoid using alcohol based paints for (unless anybody knows water based alternatives to things like Tamiya's transparent colours, particularly their red), but I was hoping to just set up a second booth in my other room to do those in short doses.

(Also, this is alright for painting, right, as long as I'm not using stuff with fumes? Like I mentioned before I'd really rather not use up my expensive cartridges for my organic vapor mask too quickly if at all possible.)

So I hadn't seen that video before and LOL, great visual.

Here's an idea.. in-ears!! You can get custom-fit IEMs for all day comfort and superior isolation for $300-$800 nowadays. Or some very nice and very comfortable universals for even less.

You could wear those underneath some basic comfortable ear-muffs like these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L1U9L5W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_IhSDDbB960SVB

I'm guessing you'd get about 25-30db reduction EACH.

Materials aren't impact rated, eyepro is because part of impact testing is that it has to remain in place on your head, but that's besides the point. To put it very simply:

$15 for 16-Joules of impact protection backed by MIL-PRF-32432 impact standards, ANSI Z87.1 high impact standards, and Pyramex, an industry leader in PPE.

Vs. hoping that you selected a strong enough material, hoping that you built your homebrew mask correctly, and hoping that the field allows your homebrew mask (which any field worth their salt will not), backed by your personal, non-expert confidence in your own work.

You can't replace your eyes. Buy the freakin' eyepro.

It's better if you can find a different solution, but yeah, intelligible voices are a pretty black-belt thing to be able to keep in awareness without them becoming distractions. Depending on where you are in your practice, you might try playing with this, but if you aren't at least nearly at stage five, it's probably not a good plan.

You might try getting some reasonably comfortable ear protectors. However, bear in mind that meditating in silence isn't recommended. If there's any way you can find a place to sit that's not so challenging, that's better than wearing hearing protection.

With the battery and charger you have on there they don't match. you can't use a nimh charger on a lipo you'll blow it up.

If you're going to use a lipo battery I use this charger

https://www.amazon.com/Tenergy-Cells-Li-PO-Balance-Charger/dp/B004FGWY54/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1510907253&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=airsoft+lipo+charger&psc=1

also with that battery it will only work if your gun is front wired (the plug for the battery is in your handguard) if its rear wired it wont work because you need the battery in the buffer tube.

as far as the gun sack you can pick up a hard rifle case at walmart for under 25$ and it will keep your rifle safe and you can lock it with padlocks if you'd like

I also really wouldn't recommend a paintball mask either cause they usually fog unless you get a really nice one like a dye i4/i5. they are also almost impossible to aim down sights with. I use arena flak jaks as I just pop out the vents and they never fog and you can get cheap replacement lens on ebay

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Arena-Flakjak-Tactical-Eye-Protective-Goggles-Tan-Airsoft-Paintball-Tactical-New/253221912379?epid=1001535811&hash=item3af533bf3b:g:sNEAAOSwCmNZxI2I

others recommend the pyramix goggles as they are lower profile but I just find it easy for them to move off my eyes by just moving facial muscles

https://www.amazon.com/Pyramex-I-Force-Sporty-Anti-Fog-Goggle/dp/B006WPSDXS/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1510907577&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=pyramix+i+force

with those if you want lower face protection most people recommend the one tigris as it makes it easy to aim down your sights

https://www.amazon.com/OneTigris-Comfortable-Adjustable-Protective-Available/dp/B01MTS1611/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1510907635&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=one+tigris+mesh+mask&psc=1

bamf mags I've heard many different things on them so i guess it just depends on your gun if they fit they will be good if not kwa k120s, g&p skullfrog, and pts epm are all good mid caps and those go in order from least to most expensive

Buy an air filter! I have terrible asthma and my buns' hay sets me off so badly I use a filtered respirator to clean their cage.

I have two air filters and it makes a HUGE difference. I have this one by the buns: Honeywell HFD-130 Germicidal Tower Air Purifier with Permanent IFD Filter, and this one by my bed Sanyo Air Washer Air Purifier.

The bun-filter is a monster. It's nearly 2 feet tall and can be a bit loud on the higher settings, but it's got a washable filter inside. You would not believe the GUNK that comes out of this thing when I clean it. It keeps the dust from the hay down pretty well and provides white noise to keep the buns from flipping out over every passing car too.

The other filter I haven't had long enough to say if it's good or not, but it's fancy and quiet. It shoots out water from the top and has "odor detection". I say get the monster. :)

One thing I find helpful is to wear a pair of Uvex SCT-Orange safety glasses. Those are what dentists use to protect themselves from the blue and ultraviolet light in their filling cure tools. There are lots of far more expensive products that are intended to do the same thing, but these safety glasses do a better job and are cheap as dirt.

Blue light is how your body determines whether it is day or night. Electronic screens like a laptop or phone emit a LOT of blue light due to the way they are color balanced. Wearing those an hour before bed helps me relax, because my brain has time to realize that no blue light = time to sleep. There is a program you can install on your computer called f.lux which tints you screen to accomplish the same thing.

Of course, being ADHD I am very very inconsistent in using these tools myself hah.... But at least I have them available!!

I can't find the ones I own (I actually stepped on my pair, but my mom is lending me a set) but these look about right, for some reason I didn't see many orange ones when I looked for cataract sunglasses. Anything advertised to block blue light will help. I don't use them every night but when I feel wired they really get me back into bed time mode. I also use them when I have a migraine or when I need driving sunglasses. It's seriously the best $10 I've ever spent!

I can't believe I didn't mention this, but programs like twilight or f.lux will help reduce blue light from your laptop and phone! I know you don't use them at night but I think they start with the amber shift pretty early in the day so it might still help.

Honestly, this is a shitty thing to have to do. You should make it as easy for yourself as possible. Get something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/3M-Paint-Project-Respirator-Medium/dp/B00004Z4EB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449263583&sr=8-1&keywords=respirator

The active charcoal filters actually take away a lot of the smell while the particle filters make sure there's no danger from aerosol particles (can be an issue if noro or rota are involved and also if you're dealing with rodent droppings). I have one like that (different brand) and it's well worth the money. Much more effective and more comfortable than the standard dust masks. Plus, it looks badass.

Ok. Keeping in mind that I'm US-based, I'm linking to US-based sites. Everything should be available through UK/European sites as well, I just don't know them as well(I'm assuming you're UK/European-based due to the currency). I'm also not including BBs into the initial cost, as I consider those to be a consumable item and tend to factor those into cost-of-play per day of playing.

Gun: I like this G&G Raider Shorty. $150. Alternatively, This CYMA AK is a good option as well, and comes in at $128.

Battery Charger: This is what I use $33

Battery: This one should fit both the Raider and the AK. Important note: If you're using lipos, and the gun is stock, you'll need to use a 7.4v lipo. The 11.1vs are going to shred your wiring. $13

Lipo Sack: You'll need one for charging your batteries $7

As an alternative, Amazon has a package deal for $40

Eye Protection: I like these Pyramex i-Force goggles $16

Face Protection: One Tigris makes this mask $16

Magazines: AK style Mag for $10/each or AR-style for $12/each. I'd recommend getting one extra for starters, and then get more as time and budget allow.

Belt: My normal choice would put you out of your budget, so there's this one that I've never used before that's normally $9, or there's this one from Condor that's $15.

Pouches: It's gonna depend on which rifle you choose, but there's this AK-style that's normally $9 or this AR-style also normally $9.

Almost forgot, barrel cover: It's generally considered good etiquette to have one of these on your gun when not in-play, and mot fields here in the US require them when not on an active field $2

Total Cost for AR-style: $254USD bundling where possible(you could save a little by not getting the belt for now. If you normally wear a belt, just attach the mag pouch to that belt. That'll bring the cost not on-sale to $245USD). Total Cost for AK-style: $230USD, also bundling where possible.

Personally, I'm more of a fan of ARs, but I'd go the AK route and spend the extra $$ on either a third magazine, or an extra battery.

As I'm thinking about it, a second important note on lipo batteries: charge them with the small white connector on the battery, NOT the one that connects to your gun. It might explode if you try to do that.

Hope this helps you out.

It's more enjoyable and easier to meditate in a quiet environment, and that's why most retreat centers are in secluded areas. I live in an urban area with a high population density. When they were building a giant condo a few feet from my apartment, I started utilizing these industrial ear muffs to continue to be able to meditate, and it made practice a lot easier. I personally use [this pair.] (http://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-H10A-Optime-Earmuff/dp/B00009LI4K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421730635&sr=8-2&keywords=ear+protection) But other pairs I'm sure work just as well. Good luck!

You could get him a FitBit One (that's what I got my father, also 60 this year) or any such wearable health tracker. It'll encourage him to stay active. If he already has an iPhone or some product that can be synced with the device, it'll be even better! My father is obsessed with his FitBit, and is daily walking 10,000+ steps. It's amazing.

You could also get him a nice bluetooth portable loudspeaker that he could use to listen to music while fishing. Never gone fishing myself, so I'm not sure if that's a thing, but I feel it might get boring sitting there for hours waiting for fish to bite.

Last idea- I read in bed too, and recently discovered this amazing pair of goggles that keeps the blue light out of my eyes so that my circadian rhythm is not disturbed. Check it out, it could be a good gift.

I recently bought these ear muffs and they're great, very effective, comfortable: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NKSMPZW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you combine them with these, you should have as close to silence as you're going to get: https://www.amazon.com/Decibullz-Earplugs-Comfortable-Protection-Shooting/dp/B00WIXL3T4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1499800618&sr=8-2&keywords=custom+molded+ear+plugs

I really don't have a problem wearing them all the time around the house, except when I'm listening to something or going to sleep.

There are also these in development, which are going to be released around November, IIRC. I want to read enough reviews to make sure they're quality and worth it, though: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/knops-the-volume-button-for-your-ears-music-design#/
They seem perfect for people with asperger's and hypersensitivity for hearing, likely a deficit in sensory gating as well.

Since you're trying to work a tight budget, I would skip the Sorby tools and opt for some less expensive HSS options. Sorby makes some of the best HSS tools on the market, but the price premium is rather high for the name. Personally, I'd suggest you opt for Hurricane as starting tools and then make the decision to go for more expensive tools down the road.

Hurricane are solid inexpensive tools and you can pick up way more tooling for $14 more than the tools you have listed. That set gets you a bowl gouge and parting tool, which are both fairly important. Take one of the scrapers and regrind it into a negative rake scraper - I'd use the 1" since a scraper that large is very likely to stall that HF lathe.

I'd also recommend spending the extra dollar now on a respirator and some P100 cartridges. This is the sort of thing you really want to have up front and is far more important than a sharpening jig - you can always learn to hand sharpen tools, you can't un-COPD your lungs later on. Many people who learn freehand sharpening swear by it and prefer it anyway. Luckily, you can pick up a solid 3M mask with filters for under $20 on Amazon.

So, for about $35 more than you're currently looking at, you can add some safety and get way more tooling for your money, at the expense of having to sharpen a little more frequently.

Everyone here has said meditation so far, which is great, but I'm going to offer up some different approaches.

I used to have a similar problem, information addiction is a real thing. I believe that the brain gets used to having such a high load of information going in, that it uses this information as a distraction, usually from either boredom or something bad that's going in on your own life. Also there's something to be said for the tiny little endorphin hits you get for every e-mail you receive or every page you open. That's the most likely cause of information addiction - addiction to this tiny chemical.

Sleep

The way I got around it was several things. I didn't try meditation because normally my mind is pretty quiet, however I did notice that my sleep was messed up from being on my laptop so much, so the first thing I did was I got a pair of these glasses that block out the blue light from your computer screen which disrupts melatonin secretion which in turn disrupts your sleep pattern. Since wearing them for an hour or two before bed, I'm able to get to sleep a lot easier. Even when I'm not on my computer, I still wear them and I feel the onset of sleepiness hit me really hard around 10pm, whereas before I could only feel sleepy around 2am, which is awful. since I've been doing this, I've gone to bed around 11ish and been up at 7 bright and early the next day, even without an alarm. If you couple this with doing some book reading and shutting off that computer, you'll sleep like a baby. Although this isn't related to information addiction per se, it's still the best $8 you can spend if you have to use a computer late into the night and still want to be able to sleep well afterwards.

Will power - mindfulness

Secondly, I just used my will power to not go on my laptop as much. Any time I thought "yeah I'll just go on Google news and see what's happening with that cruise ship that sank in Korea" I'll go for a walk outside, or read a book, or listen to music, or go do that one chore I've been putting off for forever. Although in the beginning these things may seem boring, the more you force yourself out of the information overload, the more you'll begin to pay attention to the subtleties around you, which I suppose is a form of meditation - mindfullness - except I'm not advocating sitting somewhere and controlling your breathing, I think active meditation while doing things is incredibly useful. Sometimes, there just isn't time to sit somewhere and meditate. I know the maxim "if you don't have an hour to meditate, you need two," but tell that to the parent of 2 kids who has a full time job too. In non-meditation terms though, this is what i mean: I'll do things like really pay attention to how I prepare each stage of my breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I'll put in an extra minute of effort to present my food nicely so it looks nicer to eat, but during those extra few minutes, my mind is totally concentrated on this one thing. If I find my mind wandering, I'll bring it back to what I'm doing. I'll give the same sort of attention to music - picking out individual parts of the song and discerning between instruments. By the end of the song you'll have kind of zoned out (which let's be honest, while not an aim of meditation, is nice to do sometimes) and be totally quiet.

No more internet news

Thirdly, I no longer go to the internet for my news. 99% of the things that happen on earth have no effect on my life whatsoever, and realizing this is not "being ignorant to the world around you" - you're avoiding falling victim to the media that says you have to be afraid of everything all the time, and if you're not you're falling behind the times and sticking your head in the stand.

Hear me now: that is bullshit. Having a healthy mind allows you to function and live your life as you want it, and gives you a sense of knowing when something is actually dangerous, as opposed to everything being dangerous.

If I need to know something, I'll know about it.

So, what I do is I turn on the radio, usually to NPR, in the mornings for about 15 minutes, get a rough overview of what's going on today just so I know what other people are talking about, then I'll sit there listening to music and I'll think about what I heard and critically analyze what's going on, form some opinions, and then go about my day. If I need some in depth comentary, I'll pick up a newspaper, because that still forces me to sit there and read words on a page, and not flip between things, which I used to do on the internet - it's incredible that I can click between 15 news sources and read them interchangeably second by second, but it's by no means healthy training the brain to do that I don't think. Being able to sit there and read one thing with your full attention, I believe is the best way forward.

I think this a lot healthier than being spoonfed the fear and anxiety news stations give you so that you'll keep listening to their station, or going on their website.

Knowledge as power

The idea that "Knowledge is power," is a half-truth, the real truth here is relevant knowledge is power. You won't find the Donald Trumps, or the Tim Cooks, or the Jeff Bezos of the world sitting there soaking up all the information they can in the world. They don't give a shit about what's going on in the Sudan unless it effects their company or their lives. If they do know about it, they don't agonize about it. They don't have time to have a scattered brain - they pin point exactly what they need to know, acquire it, use it, then move on. The power is being able to let go of the need to know about everything, because you'll find after a while that you actually know very little that can directly benefit your life, and the lives of those around you.

That's great! Glad to hear it works for you. I'm a fellow light (and noise, but luckily found earplugs that help me) sensitive person and been thinking about buying something like those. Does anyone have experience with Uvex Skyper, or can recommend any other type of blue-blocking + sunglass combo that wraps around?

I think boiled linseed oil would be a good choice. Any finish will wear out over time but with BLO you can simply wipe a fresh coat onto the handle when it wears out. You could also shellac which can also be re-applied when it wares. Shellac won't offer as much protection from sweat though.

I have the 3M 6502 which I like. It's fairly inexpensive and seems to work well. Get some of the pink particulate filters for general woodworking and some vapour filters for finishing.

Look for hardwood dealers in your local area and see what they have. Some places will stock a huge array of exotics and others will stock next to none. If you only need a small amount you could try online hardwood retailers. I've also found eBay to be okay for smallish pieces of exotic or highly figured wood. Go to the Crafts>woodcrafts>wood/materials category and look there. Sometimes you can find good deals.

absolute best earplugs I've tried

hearos xtreme protection

http://www.amazon.com/Hearos-Ear-Plugs-Xtreme-Protection/dp/B000NP79YM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421139714&sr=8-2&keywords=hearos

put the hearos xtreme protection in and then put these earmuffs on

absolute best earmuffs I've tried

http://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-H10A-Optime-Earmuff/dp/B00009LI4K/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1421139881&sr=8-4&keywords=peltor

it will be total silence

I sleep with just the earplugs in.

if I'm up and reading and want total silence I put the earplugs in and then put the earmuffs over, these earmuffs are extremely comfortable, also you put headphones (earbuds) (for music and movies) on and put the earmuffs over. I can't say enough great things about these earmuffs.

Like someone else said on here your neighbors, landlord, and the cops just don't care. Moving is the only option.
Best advice is to move and never move back into apartments again.

From the pictures it looks like you are wearing a simple mask like this Home Dust Mask. If you have another project involving tile or dust like it, or a friend has such a project you should wear a better mask. One like this one would work, and this one would work even better and be more versatile.

On a side note, I bet the dust got to the refrigerator's compressor.

The filter mask is probably good for a start. Some people recommend masks like this:

http://www.amazon.com/3M-Low-Maintenance-Half-Mask-Respirator-Assembly/dp/B00004Z4EB

I built a kind of mostly-effective spray booth thing from 2x2s and plastic sheeting with an exhaust fan, but I think my fan is too small to be very useful so mostly it just protects my table. A respirator mask should be good enough, though, and I'll probably pick one up soon myself.

I love this kind with these filters.

3M makes a whole line of these respirators. I'm pretty sure the one linked here is the kind I got. It has a very soft, flexible silicone grommet that seals very effectively against my face and is incredibly comfortable. It vents your breath downward, so you don't fog up your glasses (a big concern with me). And the P100 filters with "nuisance level" organic protection reduce fumes from varnishes, solvents, etc., to the point where I literally cannot smell them.

Oh, and the whole get-up is really affordable, too.

A respirator is awesome. I highly recommend the 3M 7500 series (e.g. 7502). The vent on the 7500 faces downwards, so if you're wearing a face shield (as I do when running a bench or angle grinder), it won't fog the shield. Amazon Link

The P100 "Pancake" filter are a good match. Low profile and organic vapor relief (i.e. good working with small amounts of solvents). Another Link

Finally, for ear protection, I like earplugs with a string attached. Easy to take in and out and low profile if you're also wearing a faceshield or welding helmet, or whatever. example

Best bang for your buck starter guns will be the G&G CM16 ($180 CAD with free shipping) and the G&G CM16 Raider ($200 CAD) if you think he'll want to put attachments on it in the future.

For eye protection you can get him the Pyramex I-force goggles ($25 CAD off of Amazon) or the Pyramex V2G-XP (also $25 CAD on Amazon), that'll come down to personal preference on which style he prefers. For face protection the OneTigris foldable face mesh ($23 off of Amazon) allows the user to look down the sights well while still offering proper protection.

What I've listed above is probably the simplest and most economical beginner setup for Airsoft up here in Canada. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask!

And don't forget to check out my list of Canadian Airsoft Retailers to compare prices and see what's close to you!

^^^^^^This ^^^^^^was ^^^^^^good ^^^^^^practice ^^^^^^for ^^^^^^the ^^^^^^airsoftbot ^^^^^^response...

Uvex S1933X Skyper Safety Eyewear, Black Frame, SCT-Orange UV Extreme Anti-Fog Lens

They are super awesome, truly improving my sleep.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000USRG90/

Here's what I would do...

Buy a respirator

Turn off the water to the house. Drain the pipes as best you can.

Rip out the tub and the tub walls, including the faucet and handles on the tub. Throw them away.

Clean up any mold you find now that the tun and walls are out. Soap & water and a brush will do.

If there is any wood work that's falling apart from water damage/mold, you may need to get help... It'll unfortunately cost more than you have, but the alternative is for the house to fall down. Hopefully it's not too bad.

Buy one of these and one of these and a few tubes of silicone bathtub sealant.

Now, you'll need some help putting the tub in if you've never done it before. Possible someone here is local and can lend a hand.

It'll end up costing about $800-$1000 - I tried to get you as close to $600 as I can...

Pyramex I-Force or V2G-XPs are great. I own a pair of both and love them.

If you're a fan of your teeth a mesh mask is definitely a good thing to get, especially if you're fighting in CQB at all. I recommend the Striker V1 from Evike or the OneTigris ones.

They use IEMs and Ear-Muffs over them.

> also is surround sound and 5.1 speakers ingame better for cs or not?

You have 2 speakers over 2 ears. Stereo is fully capable at rendering accurate direction. Surround sound adds delay, echo and dither which degrades the sound. It also requires 100% perfect V speaker placement to be even remotely accurate. You will be hard pressed to find a "Pro" that doesn't use "windows_speaker_config 1" which is the "Headphones" setting In-game. I often hear things others don't, and everyone I know that uses the 5.1 setup gets reversed direction bugs all the time. Virtual Surround is better for cinematic experiences, like Skyrim, not for CSGO where accurate direction is key. Also for gaming, most Realtek onboard chips are perfectly capable.

http://forums.absurdminds.net/viewtopic.php?p=14926#p14926

I use a 3M quick latch respirator with the pink cartridges (you need to buy the filters separately with the mask I linked). It is reasonably comfortable and does a great job filtering.

The quick latch is critical for me because, thanks to allergies, my nose seems to be always running to a greater or lesser degree. Needing to unstrap to blow my nose or to sneeze would be horrible.

The pink filters are perfect for what I do. They are P100 (meaning they filter 100% of particulates; that's the level you want) and will do enough chemical filtering to be useful in the environment I work in (my shop). For more noxious chemicals or stronger exposure, you can get different filters.

You may want to get two, one permanently for the shop and one for his work vehicle. I know mine would always be in the other place, and I'd probably be too lazy or forgetful to move it.

highly recommend for these $15 goggles. amazon link

I have run them two days so far, and am in love with them. They are ANSI Z87+, comfy, and fit under my hat. ymmv with the anti-fog but i treat the lenses before i play and so far haven't been fogged out of a game.

first day with the new goggles I took a bb to the right lens from a player with a notoriously hot HPA set up from only about 25 feet and the lens was totally unmarked. it splashed sweat and dial soap off the lens into my eye which made it look like i had pinkeye, but that's a personal problem.

to be fair, I am one of the sweatiest people on the internet so my issues with fogging and sweat may not be relatable.

I was previously running some smith optics boogie goggles that looked very cool but would fog so bad I had to leave the field mid game more than once and those damn things were about $50. now i feel like i found my goggles.

lastly, just buy smaller gloves? is that an insensitive suggestion? i wear gloves in size small if that makes you feel better.

inb4 trump and or dick jokes.

EDIT: fixed link

Hello fellow Oregonian! Here in Eugene it got up to 430 air quality index ... that's "Hazardous"! Crazy bad smoke.

I've run up to 150 air quality index (I ran 18 miles in the orange zone.) Made me cough a few times during the run, and I felt like I could feel it impinging slightly on my performance. It wasn't pleasant, but wasn't super bad.

Today I went for a run in this half-face respirator! I looked like a Fallout character, and it was pretty tough breathing through, but it worked for a 1 hour easy run and the air quality was perfect! I wouldn't try running harder or much longer with that thing though.

We took our LO to his first concert at 2 months old. It was at a huge music venue that holds 30,000 (and it was sold out). I wore him in a wrap and he had infant headphones on to cancel the noise.


As for tips, Be prepared to leave early. You may or may not have to, but it's nice to be mentally prepared to miss some of the show. Also, choose your seats accordingly so you aren't disturbing others when you do need to move around.


People are probably going to stare and/or make rude comments. I had one guy look right at me and tell me I was a horrible mother and that I was making a huge mistake. But, a few minutes later some lady pointed right at me and screamed "a baby at a concert! Yes!!! Break the mundane!!!"


Please, please, please protect your LOs ears! Get a good pair of headphones:

http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Banz-Baby-Boys-Newborn-Protection/dp/B007BEHSDU

Hm, the first thing that comes to mind is my best friend and I recently moved to an entirely new state. We both have social anxiety but I think she's better at controlling hers so she had to talk me into going to this weekly board game night at a bar downtown. I hate bars, I hate loud noises, I hate too many people being around, I hate talking to strangers...so this was kind of a nightmare for me, but I wanted to make friends so bad. So, she was able to convince me to go and now we've got 3 weeks in a row, I'm actually enjoying it! :-)

Time to end boredom! Happy birthday!!

Oh, and it's juuuust over $19 but I'd love this from my Business wishlist to keep the glitter out of my lungs D: A gift card to go toward that would be awesome and I could totally cover the last couple dollars myself <3

Close call.

I like the bionic because it has some chin coverage and seems pretty solid but I am sure there ate some great cheaper options. Make sure you get something with anti-fog, it makes a big difference. With the ionic s8510 is the coated, 8500 uncoated.

http://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S8510-Polycarbonate-Anti-Fog-Hardcoat/dp/B001VY3ACE

I bought 2 of these for £23 each at the time (on offer) :

https://www.conrad-electronic.co.uk/ce/en/product/378284/Car-subwoofer-passive-130-mm-80-W-Sinuslive-Bass-Pump-III-8-

As an alternative, these seem to get good reviews on Amazon for much less £££'s :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unknown-Bodyshaker/dp/B002LQAHPE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1538384751&sr=8-2&keywords=bass+shaker

​

Along with this SMSL 2x50W amp :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SA-50-TDA7492-Stereo-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B008Y7S198/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1538383831&sr=8-3&keywords=smsl+sa-50

These connectors :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00169BIF0/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And 2m of audio cable (only available inn 1m atm) :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fisual-S-Flex-Studio-Grade-Speaker-Black/dp/B01L2EK7EG?th=1

​

I have the 2 shakers mounted underneath my Ikea chair on the left & right sides.

They are just screwed into the wood base with some rubber washers on there too for dampening.

I've read that it's better with the shakers mounted on some metal brackets / bars to allow them to vibrate more, but I haven't tried this yet.

​

Currently use a SoundBlaster Z for the main pc sound, and my motherboards' onboard audio to drive the amp/shakers.

​

Works well as far as I can tell - don't have anything to compare it against - and I never need to have the amp above 50% volume, with the onboard audio at 90% volume in windows.

​

For software I use SimVibe, but both Simhub & SimShaker Wheels also work well too. I'd say SimhHub is easier to tweak to taste due to not needing to mess around with .wav files in Audacity.

​

Plus if you want rumble from other games / movies output through the shakers for some added immersion, then use Voicemeter Banana and enable the eq on the secondary output channel assigned to the onboard audio.

Then set the low pass filter @75-90Hz.

​

There's a big thread on RaceDepartment with plenty of more info on setups much more advanced than mine :

https://www.racedepartment.com/threads/tactile-immersion-general-discussion-hardware-software.137631/

​

something like this https://www.amazon.com/Mpow-Reduction-Professional-Protection-Adjustable/dp/B01L1U9L5W/

Not real headphones, but just something to block out noise.

Hope it helps :) And even if it doesn't, it shows you're listening to him and trying to help find a solution

I agree that sleep is incredibly important, and using electronics before bed isn’t exactly conducive to good sleep. I’ve been using 100% blue light blocking glasses at night for a few years, and these really help (though be careful when buying because some don’t block all, but imply they do - these look gnarly but have been tested to block 100% of blue light).

This, however, isn’t a perfect solution because the content most of us read on our electronics is stimulating. Personally I’ve had better results by donning my glasses, putting my phone in airplane mode, and reading an ebook that doing the same but keeping signal on and browsing reddit/reading articles.

Thanks. Shooting indoors just has so much umph without the pressure to go anywhere. I used these last time. Are they equivalent or is it best just to buy a tried and true brand like 3M?

ClearArmor 141001 Shooters Hearing Protection Safety Ear Muffs Folding-Padded Head Band Ear Cups, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NKSMPZW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_P-fiDb0M1CFTY

Yes, I really like that slaw too. I've used it for several other dishes. You don't need a mandolin, but that really helps. And I love these gloves to protect your fingers (mandolins scare me):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MXUHHGK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I double up with foam and these over the ears:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01L1U9L5W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I wasn't sure how much i'd be into this hobby, so I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on noise-cancelling electronic muffs. I sorted by highest customer rating on Amazon and they are awesome for the price. Come in a protective sleeve.

I love these as well - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RMFGGY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Got them for everything - motorcycle riding, shooting, needing peace and quiet. If you don't like hard foam plugs or they are uncomfortable, I highly recommend these.

Have you tried over-the-ear hearing protection? It's made for power tools and the like, but in an office setting, it bestows pure, blissful silence. I had these, which were pretty conspicuous-looking, but there are smaller ones available. The Noise Reduction Rating is the most important thing to look for (higher is better).

Amazon Link - SMSL SA-50

Has a few colour options

I've had mine for a year now - replaced an old amp sitting under my desk. Sound quality is good, and it's tiny - the size of your hand.

It has RCA for stereo input, and 4 binding posts for stereo output.
This pic from another reddit thread shows just how small it is compared to a monitor (its the little box on the right).

It's loud enough for a small house party (lent it to my sister for a birthday party, worked fine) and stays ice cool when in use (thanks to a class D amplifier circuit) 10/10 would recommend.

Those particle masks will only help so much, in order to be better protected you need a good seal around the face.

Amazon prime one of these and stay safe!

https://www.amazon.com/3M-Facepiece-Respirator-6291-Particulate/dp/B000FTEDMM/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1542411458&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=3m+respirator&dpPl=1&dpID=41J7eFCI06L&ref=plSrch

• Classic Army Skirmish ECS CA4A1 $184.99
  
  
• Lancer Tactical High Capacity 300 rd. Magazine $8.50
  
  
• Emerson Full Finger Gloves $8.49
  
  
• WoSporT Steel Mesh Nylon Lower Face Mask $10.16
  
  
• Gryffon Golem Chest Rig $14.95
  
  
• Pyramex I-Force Sporty Dual Pane Anti-Fog Goggles $16.12
  
  Total: $243.21 USD
  
  Personally I find helmets to be cumbersome, hot and unnecessary, but if you really want one they will run another $20-$60 depending on what style you like. I would also recommend picking up a Li-Po and smart charger which will be another $30. While the gun does come with a battery, a Li-Po will perform much better. You might also consider picking up a pair of boots, you don't need anything fancy and you can find work boots for pretty cheap at Wal-Mart that will get the job done.
  
  You don't necessarily need to buy everything at once either. All you really need to get out and play are a gun and face pro. The 300 round highcap that comes with the gun is more than enough to get you through one game, as long as you aren't hosing people down constantly.

1. Essentially doing porn and "other things" uses a lot of dopamine similarly to doing drugs. You use a lot of dopamine while "doing it", and then your brain is filled with so much dopamine that it makes it hard to think and act normally. Do this on a weekly basis and you're programming your mind to depend on these dopamine bursts to function, and it will be hard to function when you're not "doing it." It's essentially an addiction even if doesn't feel like it and can be the cause of mental instability.
   
   This website can explain it better: yourbrainonporn.com. Also search some TED talks about this if you're feeling lazy.
   
   
2. I bought these orange glasses off of Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Uvex-Blocking-Computer-Glasses-SCT-Orange/dp/B000USRG90
   
   The reviews do a good explaining about the effects of blue light and mental state.
   
   
3. Plain yogurt, eggs, bananas, and meats are good sources of L-tyrosine.
   
   Hope you feel better :)
   
   

I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend you consider buying blue-blocking glasses. I got mine about two weeks ago, and they seem to be quite the help so far. People on Amazon also talk very positively about them.

This is the pair I bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000USRG90/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Edit: And put them on at night. I put mine on about two hours before my bedtime.

Not exact, but I have these and think they're the shit.
DEWALT DPG82-11 Concealer Clear Anti-Fog Dual Mold Safety Goggle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A12J3GI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_N.NWzbK11BJQV

I can't really do that because all the guys would know it was me right away since they all are fine with the working conditions except me.


Also we're inspected like 6+ times a year by various organizations. The air quality is never brought into question. It's all just our tools/doors/vehicles/etc. So I feel like it's "just something you accept" with a job like this. Aside from getting a mask, I'm not 100% sure there even is anything you could do about this kind of shrapnel-based air in circulation.


I'll mark that mask recommendation though and I appreciate the link. In my other research I came across the M2 RZ MASK and the M2.5 RZ MASK which seems to be the same thing as the first just minus a strap. I feel like that mask is a good balance between the full-on double tank masks like this or this but is one step above (visually) the one you linked. Yours could be way better performance-wise than the M2 I linked, though. And it's cheaper so I have to take all of this into consideration since I work 7 days a week all day, so I'd probably burn through these things(filters) fast.

Years ago I bought this mask
Https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007JZ1MK6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_G1OVBbMF2VS4Q
About a year ago I upgraded to this one though. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IF7RCU6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_W5OVBbCAGQRCD
it is worth the extra money and then some. (I think they are available at the local box stores too.) The advantage is a quick release latch. Whenever my wife would come down to ask me a question or my phone would ring I’d have to take my headphones, glasses and mask off to answer. The latch lets you drop it down so you’re able to talk or breathe without the mask without fully taking it off. It’s also really helpful on longer sessions when you end up getting hot and sweaty and just want a quick breather.
Added bonus, all the filters I bought for the first mask still work and I just use it as a spare for when family or friends come to my shop they get a nice one now too.
I should also mention I do not have a beard either so I can’t speak to the performance for those fortunate enough to grow a less than pitiful beard

Welding gloves work really well, too.

http://www.amazon.com/US-Forge-400-Welding-Leather/dp/B000MRQAJG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452776161&sr=8-1&keywords=welding+gloves

I have had this set for 2 years and use them for shuffling logs, moving embers for cooking, moving pots and dutch ovens, and moving charcoal in a grill. Not really recommended, but they work great. Think of them as super oven mitts.

looks like a great place to get work done! My only suggestion is that you upgrade to a respirator rated for organic vapors. That'll protect you from inhaling toxic fumes, which a dust mask can't do. I even use it when I have to glue or use certain putties.

this is the one I use, and refill cartridges are only like $8 a pop! They last a loooong time.

tl;dr: If sound overwhelms you try these

I totally understand this as it happens to myself as well, but usually mine is less touching unless I am really already far too overwhelmed.

I get extremely overstimulated from sound, it starts to "hurt" as in I don't feel pain, but my body reacts as if I did. (like chalkboard + fork)

I personally use these to deal with it, blocks out all sound and after a while I feel a bit better. It might be worth giving it a try to see if reducing overall stimulation helps.

the problem is, most people uses that kind of facial mask, which is as you said not enough protection but better than nothing.

which is best replaced daily or just after each use.

and yes, the ones I linked originally, the https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/All-3M-Products/Safety/Worker-Health-Safety/Personal-Protective-Equipment/Reusable-Respirators/Cartridges-Filters/?N=5002385+8709322+8711017+8711405+8720539+8720550+8720746+3294857497&rt=r3 stuff should last a lot longer and be reuseable, and is meant for way more adverse environment than the air outside.

and as mentioned P100 would help better, since this is not just common dust but also burned particulates which 99.9 filtering is better.

but, like my coworkers said, they do look ridiculous in an office setting https://www.amazon.com/3M-Personal-Protective-Equipment-51131494904/dp/B00IF7RBS4/ref=pd_cp_200_2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=APCTV9YYHGWA8H78Z0DT&pd_rd_wg=FjJaw&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=PQKC6&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=bf2690e6-e919-11e8-93f7-555294ed87de&pd_rd_i=B00IF7RBS4&psc=1&refRID=APCTV9YYHGWA8H78Z0DT

>I would like to know if a normal dust mask would be fine during the sanding, what respirator to get (any brand, but would prefer 3M), and if any filters would be suitable for use during the whole process.

1. Yes.
   
   
2. Based on other's suggestions I purchased this one: 3M R6211.
   
   
3. Yes, the one I linked above is approved for: Particulate matter (dust from sanding, sawing, grinding, sweeping etc.); Odors from chemical strippers, stains, varnishes, paints, pesticides, etc.

This is the respirator that I have and I love it (maybe more than I should). It's so comfortable that I can go a solid 6 hrs before I need to take it off. I do most of my work in a medium sized garage with poor ventilation (unless the door is open) and the difference in air quality it makes is rediculos. I could be hitting stuff with a grinder for a couple hours straight and the air smells just fine with the thing on, but as soon as I take it off, I would get a big face full of nasty air and put it back on, then open the garage door for a bit to air things out. I also use these filters for pretty much all of my dusty work. They're low profile and fit great under a face shield, but you'd probably need something different if you wanted protection from fumes.

Edit: these are the same filters at a better price

I have this one and I like it.

Uvex S8510 Bionic Shield, Black Matte Face Shield, Clear Polycarbonate Anti-Fog/Hardcoat Lens https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B001VY3ACE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_5ES-BbNXFWQAT

There are many more expensive ones, but this one works well for me. Comfy and as it turns out safe :)

Won't help with Netflix, but I own these earplugs (yes, the 200 pack, lmao) and I swear by them. They won't completely muffle noise, but they do help a lot.

You can also put yourself in your own private sound bubble by popping in earbuds and then putting a pair of these over them. Not the comfiest thing in the world in the long run, but for an hour or two it works very very well in my experience.

Source: 20 years of delightful autistic hypersensitivity ;P

If this is an indoor range, I strongly encourage you to try out a few different types of earplugs to wear under the earmuffs.

These ones are pretty good earmuffs just based on sound reduction. Many of the slim fit muffs do not provide enough protection:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NKSMPZW

Uh... this kind - link is pretty big, I have it, and it fits decently over my glasses. Mine are a bit thicker (not lenses, just general construction) and the orange does well.

I would recommend the "Darkroom mode" in f.lux if that works for you, but it may take away too much color or contrast to work well.

I've actually wanted an "LED" monitor, but replace the small LED bulbs with really bright (but yellow / white, warm white) string lights or something! One day...

I have these: http://amzn.com/B00CPCHBCQ

They're pretty cheap, but really awesome. Totally huge, but to me that doesn't matter.

I'm in the market for a new pair of goggles. I have a decent pair of Dewalt goggles (my only Dewalt "tool") but they are open on the bottom, like sunglasses. When I work with my jigsaw for a few hours I end up with sawdust eye-boogers. I keep finding alternative goggles like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A12J3GI/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_nGz0DbVG39M3K

But the reviews overwhelmingly talk about rapid fogging. Does anyone have a better goggle to recommend?

Haha, fair enough. Worst case scenario you get it down to bare wood hate it and you can paint it something else. Hopefully you like it. You never know what to expect on those.

with the heatgun, dont do it till the paint comes off on its own as that will for sure burn the wood. Just pick an area maybe 1/4 to 1/8 of the face of the guitar, and heat it, keeping the heat gun in motion. As the paint gets soft, scrape it off with a putty knife. Once its mostly off, it will be easier to sand the oddball remnants off, probably with 180 grit or so using a hand sanding block. Then hit it with 220, 300, and maybe up to 600 if youre just going to oil it.

Also, for the love of all that is toany, get a respirator. You can get a decent one for $25 on amazon, I use this and it works quite well.
http://www.amazon.com/3M-Low-Maintenance-Half-Mask-Respirator-Assembly/dp/B00004Z4EB/. Also do this outside.

All in all, If the paint isnt scraping off easily it needs more heat, but always err on the side of farther/more motion than less, and dial in the distance slowly so you dont burn the wood.

Good luck man!

There are actually plenty of pairs that fit over glasses. :)

(I own the last safety glasses style pair linked there and they fit perfectly fine over my reading glasses.)

That respirator is this model exactly: https://www.amazon.com/3M-Respirator-6300-Respiratory-Protection/dp/B007QY8X2K/ (3M 6000 series half-facepiece respirator)

It comes in 3 sizes (model numbers in parenthesis). Small (6100) /Medium (6200) /Large (6300). Small fits my tiny girlfriend very well. I wear a medium and have an average to largeish head. Small is a pale grey, medum is medium gray, and large is almost black.

This model in particular is made of a TPU plastic which is... not that comfortable, to be honest. Wearing it for a couple hours will leave you with marks on your face (ridge of nose primarily) that take a day or two to go away.

For a few dollars more you can get the 7500 series, which is miles more comfortable because of the silicone face seal: https://www.amazon.com/3M-Facepiece-Respirator-Respiratory-Protection/dp/B008MCUT86/

Then all you need is a pair of replaceable filters, which you should purchase based upon your work or the potential hazards wherever you are exploring.

For most UrbEx type situations i'd imagine a P100 filter will suffice (P means oil and non oil particulate and 100 is the percent it filters out - realistically its 99.97%, but close enough... don't risk your health with anything lower than 100).

These are my favorite particulate filters (high flow and nuisance organic vapor releif): https://www.amazon.com/3M-Advanced-Particulate-Respiratory-Protection/dp/B009POHH94/

For really sketchy stuff you'll want a combo unit which has multi-gas and particulate filters (which you shouldn't do anyway): https://www.amazon.com/3M-Cartridge-60926-Respiratory-Protection/dp/B009POHLRC/

To summarize: So yeah, get yourself a mask that fits well and filters for the specific job/location you're doing/visiting.

Ok, here's my list for you.

Lathe: I like this one at Ford Machinery - $500

Chuck: Go with the Nova. I've got two and they work great. - $135

Carbide: Can't go wrong with Easy Wood Tools. Start with the Mini tools. When you need cutters, contact me and I'll hook you up. - $120 each, $360 for the set of 3.

Face shield: I just ordered this one the other day. - $35

You're looking at just over $1000 for that setup.

http://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-H10A-Optime-Earmuff/dp/B00009LI4K

these are just 30 DB and not noise canceling.. do you have a small airport nearby.. find the aircraft accessory store. charts.. lamps, electronics.. . they will have several options like this.. they will also have noise canceling versions.. i have some of the earlier versions of these in green that were only 27DB reduction. and i wore them when i would go to the funny car races.. be sure to wonder down the landing light isle there.. if your car still has small round headlights.. part 46.. there are 250W and 450W versions. so you would need a second battery and a starter relay to turn them on.. blinded by the light would be the remarks coming toward you.

grainger and safety equipment stores and really good hardware or industrial .. white cap, fastenal. perhaps.

Budget for everything or just the gun?

If you want modern I would get this
https://www.evike.com/products/74192/
If you want classic I would get this
https://www.evike.com/products/63262/

The battery I would get a good 9.6v or 7.4v I'm not an AEG guy so I can't tell, but that is what LCT recomends

Those goggles https://www.amazon.com/Revision-Military-Desert-Locust-Goggle/dp/B007HKPCMW
Or those if you don't want to spend money on a better pair
https://www.amazon.com/Pyramex-I-Force-Sporty-Anti-Fog-Goggle/dp/B006WPSDXS/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Pyramex&qid=1564177900&s=gateway&sr=8-3

For a face mask this is great, I have one and I love it
https://www.amazon.com/OneTigris-Foldable-Comfortable-Adjustable-Protective/dp/B01KT0HEVI/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=TOE1ESNK4EIE&keywords=onetigris&qid=1564177939&s=gateway&smid=A61NV174423ZK&sprefix=onetig%2Caps%2C426&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

Here's what I think can help you. There isn't really a good solution for you that isn't hard to do. I got my own room over time by convincing my parents. There are some things you can do.

• Get noise cancelling headphones and/or earmuffs and/or earplugs. These will MASSIVELY help with overwhelming sound. I recommend these. Active noise cancelling headphones are a bit expensive, but they are definitely worth it.
  
  $350 Bose QC 35
  
  $350, $298, Sony WH1000XM2
  
  $250 Sony XB950N1
  
  $30 earmuffs - these are cheap and block out noise.
  
  
• When your dad is not in his room, go to his room. When I had the loft as my room, I often took the laptop computer to my parents' room to use it. Although you can't bring your entire room there, you should bring things in your dad's room while he's not using it. If you can't do this, reply to me.
  
  
• Convince your dad to switch rooms. This is harder to do. Figure out all the reasons why it's more important for you to have the bedroom. Tell him how Asperger's makes it incredibly difficult to even think without a room and if you do get a room, you'll be able to find a job and move out quicker. He doesn't need to have walls around his room just because he's the owner of the house.
  
  
• If you have a therapist or psychologist, tell them about your situation and how bad it is on you and your mental health. It's not healthy to have auditory problems and be the one person who has to deal with a situation that would be bad if they have auditory problems. If you don't have a therapist, please get one as soon as you can.
  
  
• This is the best solution but the hardest one to do. Move out. Find a job that's feasable to get (you have the requirements to get it and it's a job that wouldn't be torture for someone with Asperger's). I know this is hard, especially when you have no time to relax and feel fine. But once you do it, you'll be on a path to eventually be able to rent a space on your own. Maybe even find a relative or a friend that is willing to share an apartment or space with you as long as you get your own room. This will usually require you to pay a fraction of the rent of the space.
  
  The advice is very hard to follow, so take it a step at a time. Get headphones or ear mufflers first which will be a huge improvement to your mind if you don't already have active noise cancelling headphones. Remember to get active noise cancelling headhones because they really block out the noise. Then try to start using your dad's room to do things, which will probably work. You're limited in what you can do in someone elses room, but your mind is more free. Then try to convince your dad to switch rooms, which may or may not work. If it doesn't work, tell a therapist or psychologist about your problem. I don't know the best advice for you, which is why you should see one of those professionals. The ultimate goal is to move out because that will really free up your life.
  
  I still think it would be good to answer these questions. Are the auditory problems caused more by ambient noise or voices, or the feeling of having no barrier around you or something else or multiple things? Do you only live with yourself and your dad? Does your dad know and accept that you have Asperger's? Realistically, a lot of this advice won't work. Please reply to me with what happens when you try these solutions.

Welcome to the sport! It's a blast.


For fields, check here: https://airsoftc3.com/fields


You can always rent a gun and mask at the field you play at, although the quality won't be too great.

The first thing you should spend money on is good eye and face protection. I recommend either these or these goggles, and this face mask.


Don't worry about buying all the kit at the start. You'll find out what type of gear, camo, gun etc. you prefer after playing a few times.


For your first gun, look into AEG's. Don't spend less than $100, but you don't need to spend more than $200. CYMA, CA, JG, there are some high-quality affordable AEG's out there that will last a long time.


Have fun, and prepare your wallet lol

Well on that note, look into a better face shield/goggles. The ones you're wearing won't actually stop more than some grinding dust.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001VY3ACE/ref=ppx_yo_mob_b_inactive_ship_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I highly recommend that one, trust... Blades break and they seek skin and bones.

Let me know if there is anything else you're curious about :)

I struggled a lot with this too. I tried putting my cell phone far away from me when I went to sleep so I would have to get up to turn it off; I tried the alarm apps with the crazy captchas that made me do math before it would turn off (I would just sleepily wind up removing the battery, and eventually got good at drowsy math)... I even tried the crazy-loud alarm clocks made for deaf people..... Nothing worked.

I would up taking a shotgun approach to this as well.

I started off with some very cool looking blue-blocking glasses that I would religiously start wearing once it was sundown, and wouldn't take off until I went to bed. I would take some melatonin at the same time as well.

Now, the real pièce de résistance was a sunlamp--of which there are many kinds that I used alongside the Sleep as Android phone app. There's a specific captcha on there called "Let there be light" that forces you to turn on a lamp before the alarm will turn off. By adjusting the sensitivity I made it so that only the INCREDIBLY BRIGHT sun lamp would turn it off, which combined with the sun lamp finally did the trick. By the time the alarm had turned off, I really did start feeling invigorated by the bright light.

Don't feel like you need to jump in to the deep end and wake up at 6:30 right away. Set realistic goals, and once you establish a rhythm you can adjust times based on your schedule.

Best of luck, friendo!

Reddit's favorite astronaut, u/colchrishadfield, went blind on a spacewalk because of Rain-X on his visor.

DeWalt makes antifog safety goggles. 12 bucks. They work great for me.

SafetyGlassesUSA also has a great selection.

yeah that's why glasses are the best option. I've tried both and while the programs that reduce blue light make a noticeable difference, the glasses are still superior (when I first started using the glasses I couldn't believe how I just couldn't keep my eyes open after a period of time). Especially because the lenses block out other blue light like from the TV and ambient lights. The glasses I bought cost around $15 dollars USD online (meant to be safety glasses)

http://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S1933X-Eyewear-SCT-Orange-Anti-Fog/dp/B000USRG90

Not fashionable, functional and inexpensive

Best bass response I've heard from a closed back is the Ultrasone Pro 900 paired with a decent amp, they are great without as well. There are some issues with them though such as slightly recessed mids from massive bass response. Compared to the Beyer DT770 though, I'd say the beyers have a much more balanced and milder sounding bass. They definitely are a step down from the HD650s though, noticeable step down. If you want bass, isolation, and closed back, I'd go with Ultrasone Pro 900. If you want not so bassy and balanced, closed, isolation I'd recommend Mad Dogs over the DT770. If you want anything good but just isolation is the most important, I'd recommend high end ear muffs (like this http://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-H10A-Optime-Earmuff/dp/B00009LI4K/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1367548069&sr=1-1&keywords=earmuff) with a good IEM in your ears at the same time, nothing beats that in isolation except active noise cancellation. Depends what you want.

If you need to block out noise, I recommend using good ear muffs such as the 3M Peltor X-Series. If that is insufficient, use earplugs underneath. I've also combined those with a good white noise generator like the Marpac Dohm. Noise-defense, in-depth.

Alternatively, if you have a lot of money to spend, you could get the Bose QC 35 II noise-cancelling headphones; however, they probably won't prove more effective than ear muffs over earplugs, just more comfortable.

If you can acclimatize yourself to ambient sound through meditation, even better. However, if noise countermeasures make the difference between meditating and not meditating, better to use them. This is just a more modern version of traditional Buddhist advice to find a quiet, secluded place to meditate - at least at the start.

The "don't go to sleep for a night and go to bed early the next day" advice won't work for you if you have Delayed Phase Sleep Syndrome.

The only solution that worked for me (and my situation was almost desperate) was changing my eating patterns (particularly the timing) and avoiding blue light spectrum after sunset. Your body should associate light + socializing + food with the time of the day you should be awake. If you stay in front of your computer at night watching videos and eating the brain and body think it's daytime and your schedule will get really messed up.

1. The blue light spectrum blocks the realease of melatonin and interferes with your sleep patterns. Buy blueblock glasses (http://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S1933X-Eyewear-SCT-Orange-Anti-Fog/dp/B000USRG90/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458086898&sr=8-1&keywords=blue+blocker+glasses)
   and wear them after sunset if you are at home (it is very important to avoid watching computer and mobile screens in the evenings before bedtime...I do it anyways but ALWAYS wear the glasses). Upon waking up, go for ten minutes under the sun, or get the room very bright (you can buy a blue light spectrum device such as http://www.amazon.com/Philips-GoLITE-BLU-Energy-Light/dp/B00M3SGCUE/ref=sr_1_10_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1458086966&sr=8-10&keywords=blue+light).
   
   
2. If you need a miracle: Do a 16 hour fast before your intended awaking time to reset your circadian rythm. Then eat immediately upon waking up. (This guy explains it better than me: https://www.reddit.com/r/sleep/comments/1pzoic/intense_fatigue_during_daytime_unrestful_sleep/)
   
   In theory one day should be enough. One day didn't work for me, but I have severe Delayed Phase Sleep Syndrome, my situation was desperate, and nothing worked...this literally changed my life. I did it for several days. Usually nowadays I don't eat after 18:30pm. if I'm at home. and I eat as soon as I'm awake
   
   
   Apologies for my English. If this helped you, please help me improve my English by correcting my mistakes.
   
   

Two easy solutions I've done over the years:

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1. Walk up and ask them to tone it down a little. 99% chance they'll feel slightly embarrassed and actually will. 1% chance they'll get snarky about it. I once had this guy and girl get snarky about it lol.
   
2. I recently got myself a pair of these bad boys, pretty great if I do say so https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00CPCHBCQ/ref=twister_B06Y3YSCSF?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
   
   ​

So there IS the sidebar, but I'm not going to be a dick about it.

I've been building Gunpla for a while now, but I myself don't delve much into painting. I will give you my setup.

Hand Painting:
-Testors Enamel or some other brand paint
-Respective thinner
-Small brushes
-Something to mix paints in, or to pour your paint on. I use little metal tins and a small glass plate.
-Sticks for your parts to dry on. I use packs of kebab sticks from the grocery store.
-Something to put said sticks in. I use random boxes and poke holes in the tops. Currently using a SD kit's box and a pizza box. Most people buy foam/styrofoam cubes/slabs, I'm just cheap.

Spray Painting:

-Spray cans of your choice. I recommend you learn the differences between lacquers, acrylics, enamels, and different top coats. I prefer Krylon, Krylon Short Cuts, and Tamiya spray cans. I also prefer Kryon for primer.
-Somewhere to paint. IE your garage/patio.
-Newspaper to cover said area.
-Sticks to put your parts on. Again, I use cheap ass kebab sticks.
-Something to put the sticks in. Again, I use random boxes with holes on the top.
-I HIGHLY recommend a respirator of some sort. Not just one of those paper masks, but a respirator. I use this - http://www.amazon.com/3M-Paint-Project-Respirator-Medium/dp/B00004Z4EB/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1457993861&sr=8-2&keywords=paint+respirator

As far as airbrushing, I can't help you there. I haven't done airbrushing at all, and don't plan to until I buy a house. That way I can setup permanent painting area.

Get a CYMA AK, a hicap mag and some thrift store camo pants or just earth colored pants. Buy THESE GOGGLES!! https://www.amazon.com/Pyramex-I-Force-Sporty-Anti-Fog-Goggle/dp/B006WPSDXS?ref=ast_p_pc_bs they are the best I've used.

All that for less than 150 bucks. Just note the higher the model CYMA models like the CM031 are generally more robust and higher quality than the lower model number such as the CM028S.

You'll probably still have that CYMA for years down the road too. They make good loaner/friend/backup guns.