Advantages: Comfortable strong and rigid
Disadvantages: Price

...When it comes to weight training and handling free weights, it is always best to do it supervised if you are a novice. It is also best to get some tuition. However, one thing you will soon learn is that there are only so many exercises you can do standing up or sitting down. Soon you will need to perhorm chest presses or shoulder raises in a lying or sitting position. You may even want to start exercising your legs. So what you need is a bench. What better bench that one that has been around for years, is proven,adjustable, sturdy and downright popular. So this is the main reasoning behind my York Weights bench purchase. York make a variety of weights benches from the basic rigid one piece bench, right up to the full adjustable, multi functional benches with weights supplied. My bench is somewhere in the middle and costs £120... Read review

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Advantages: Great for co-ordination
Disadvantages: The base of the hammer can be pushed into the mouth

...This review is on the Early Learning Centre (ELC) Bench and Hammer Set. I have just had a batch of ELC toys that I put forward as product proposals agreed, so this is the first of many! ****Description**** The bench, pegs and hammer in this set are all plastic. The bench has total length of 30cm and height of 12 cm, which I find really good – my house has no room left for larger toys! One side is completely blue and the other side is green. There are four pegs in the bench, each one a different shape and colour. There is an orange square, a red hexagon, a purple triangle and a pink circle. The hammer has a total length of 14cm and has rubber stoppers at each end so that when it is bangs it does not do too much damage (or make too much noise!). The base of the hammer gets wider as it goes down, this is a safety measure to try... Read review

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Advantages: easy to assemble
Disadvantages: the design could be improved

...During my gap year from sixth form to university I got a job as a lifeguard at the local sports centre and as a consequence spent a lot of time in the gym. I puchased a york 6605 weights bench so I could workout at home instead of travelling to and from the gym on my days off. It was reasonably straightforward to assemble and at first I was delighted with it. However, after using it a few times I began to notice the design faults. Firstly, when doing leg curls, especially quadricep raises it was hurting my shins, I don't think it was designed with tall people in mind (im 6ft 1'). Because of this I had to place something on the seat to elevate my vertical position. The second problem was the bench press. This was fine when performing flat or decline bench presses, but when performing incline ones it is very hard to lift the weights off... Read review

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Advantages: Works with most Windows versions and is easy to use
Disadvantages: Can get a bit over the top

...INTRODUCTION Right, another write up for the software section. I really am a ‘mad computer genius’ in my spare time. Anyway on with show. For those of you who will remember my recent dive into the world of Norton Anti Virus, here comes the second chapter – all about Norton Utilities 2002. Fair enough, I was lucky enough to drop on both packages being sold together for a snip (or so I think) and yes, I will be writing about a ‘freebie’ firewall that runs with both these programs. WHAT, WHERE AND WHEN? I bought Norton Utilities at the very same time I bought Norton Anti Virus, for just under £50, from John Lewis (formerly George Henry Lee) in Liverpool - how’s that for lucky! It was about 9 months ago and I haven’t seen the same package since! THE REALLY BORING TECHNICAL STUFF. Norton Utilities has system... Read review

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Advantages: A plethora of tools to help you maintain and manage your PC for optimum experience.
Disadvantages: Antivirus package outdated, not 100% perfect but about as close as you can get.

...I love computers. I hate fixing them. However, I do get paid to do just that, and most of the time the reason a computer needs "fixed" is because its owner has neglected routine software maintainance -- downloading critical OS updates, allowing it to be infected adware/spyware, etc. Worst among these offenses would be failure to regularly defragment the hard drive, empty trash, temp directories and old caches, and clearing out of old registry items. Thankfully, I have one software suite that helps me take care of all of this -- Fix-It Utilities 4.0. I have used this suite since I discovered version 2.0 in 1999, and I'm not ashamed to admit that it was a "pirated" version ... but considering that they print the serial number right on the disc and make no restrictions on making copies or installation (and still do not!) I... Read review

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Advantages: not applicable
Disadvantages: not applicable

...I also work for united utilities and as much asi can understand the last point of view that has been posted by a staff member, i also appriciate the points of view that YOU a customer have. I hope u find my advice useful? Yes United Utilities Staff do read your comments. I work for UU and will provide you with some usefull information, but please bare in mind, most errors on accounts, are infact the result of information provided by customers........ United Utilities Charge Unmeasured Customers on the rateable Value of The Property................ What is a rateable value? Rateable values have always been used by water and sewerage companies to calculate unmetered charges. They were used until 1990 as the basis of the general rate bill payable to the local council. The values were assessed and changed by the Valuation... Read review

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Advantages: Lots Of Free Programs. Hardly Any Advertising
Disadvantages: Shareware mixed up with freeware.

...This little gem of a magazine is not as well known as I first thought. This was evident from the fact there was no category for my opinion to go. It has now been included by Ciao, so now I can get on with writing an opinion for it! The magazine is published monthly at £4.99. There is always 1 disc jam-packed full of many useful programs for you to install. Every 2 or 3 issues, an additional disc is supplied as a treat. For example, the May 2003 issue came with an extra disc containing a version of Linux that requires no installation. These extra discs always offer something different and this is one of the reasons I buy PC Utilities. The main disc that comes with the magazine each month contains the following: ESSENTIALS: some of the most essential programs and files that you'll ever need e.g. n... Read review

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Advantages: One bill
Disadvantages: Shoddy customer service

...I was with Utility Warehouse for a total of two years (phone, mobile (SIM only) and broadband services) until I bought an Apple Imac. Try as I might, I couldn't get UW's broadband service to work with the Apple. After several phone calls to their tech support at 75p a minute, where I received rather unhelpful service and no sign of the promised return support calls, I decided to change suppliers in September 2007. Having had the broadband service with UW for well over a year, I am extremely annoyed that they are trying to charge me an 'early cancellation' fee of £50, plus they're still charging me for the SIM card for my mobile phone, presumably because I've never returned it (what other mobile provider insists that you return your SIM card if you cancel your contract??) because I haven't the foggiest where it is. My first letter... Read review

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Advantages: Simplistic, easy to store
Disadvantages: -

...If theres one person out there who doesn't think that somebody with a good body figure doesn't look good, I would like to know why. If you want to tone those tummy muscles after too many christmas beer, if you dont have time, the money or basically dont want to make the effort with the gym, the York 250 Sit-up Bench is the solution i will give. My bedroom is not of a great size, although i have space for the bench to be unfolded constantly. The bench is under 150cm long, which shows the space needed is minimal. IF you wouldnt like to see the bench constantly, you can easily fold, and store in your wardrobe, under your bed, or even against a wall. The bench is padded throughout, the main body of the bench is very comfortable with the York fitness printed on top, the foot / ankle support is also well padded and does not hurt... Read review

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Advantages: Good bench for beginners, Sturdy, Stood the test of time, Potential for many exercises
Disadvantages: Problems occur with heavy weights (n/a for beginners), Fairly expensive

...Having started weight lifting 4 years ago I am pretty experienced in benches, exercises and what is needed to build muscle successfully. The York DB5 bench is a pretty good bench for beginners as the multi-usage means you can start your weight lifting career in your leisure at home or wherever you decide to keep the bench! Personally when I bought it I stuck it straight in the garage and used it in all weathers including cold temperatures, rain, heat, snow and it has still only rusted marginally despite these conditions. It caters for the following: Flat Bench for Pec, chest & arm exercises. – good for these as a solid technique can be used for each while using the bench. Concentration curls (for arm) are fairly hard to do because of the shape of the bench, but still do-able. Helps if you are taller than 6ft! Incline Bench... Read review

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