Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT Nick's Two-Car Detached Vdub Garage
- Thread starter nicholam77
- Start date
Workspaces sized between 265 and 485 squarefeet.
Trapps
ALLIANCE MEMBER
As a person with six 3.5" screws, a couple of rods and fusion, I feel your back pain. The best and most productive part of my recovery and therapy was the pool. Just walking at first, then floating with body weight traction in the water (reeeelaaaaaaaaxxxx).
Projects all look great! I hope 2025 is a great year for you and the fam! I wish you coilover sales, no wet heavy snow, and the end of back pain.
Projects all look great! I hope 2025 is a great year for you and the fam! I wish you coilover sales, no wet heavy snow, and the end of back pain.
sawduststeve
Well-known member
Nick, Happy holidays and health and happiness for you all in 2025.
Best wishes
Steve
Best wishes
Steve
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Thanks Logan! We were actually quite pleased there was snow on the ground for Xmas... it's been a few years since that's happened. Still a very warm week afterwards, it's almost all melted.
Thanks Zanyad! Hope you had a nice Christmas as well!
Thanks, Mark! I know you've been through the ringer with back issues.
Re: projects, once again there are many things I thought I'd get to this year, and didn't. It seems like the years are flying by, and things I've had on the to-do list for several years now keep getting pushed by a year, and another year, and another. Oh well, I did try to prioritize some other things like physical activity, being outside, and movie watching this year, which I don't regret.
Wet snow is the worst!
I really don't want to do the GTI suspension job again and waste more money on this car, but it's driving me insane that the springs are rubbing again on larger compressions, even though I have the coil pads on there. I think the shocks and springs I went with (VWR) are just not great. I'm going to keep an eye out for spring time sales on something like the ST X coilovers. I'm still a little worried about the durability (corrosion), but hopefully I could go a smidge lower, and not have any weird issues. Plus this time I wouldn't have to disassemble the front struts. It would probably be at least $1k to do the swap, maybe more, for something I don't really *need*, but I'm tired of not being 100% happy with it.
Nick, Happy holidays and health and happiness for you all in 2025.
Best wishes
Steve
Thanks, Steve! Happy holidays to you and the family as well!
We had a good holiday. I had the week off pretty much, but my wife works thur-fri-sat-sun and the kids are on winter break, so I haven't really had much "me" time or break myself.
I'll check in when I have something substantive to report, but in the meantime, enjoy this cute little tea light Malm fireplace I 3d printed:
fourmotioneer
Well-known member
Are you sure that the springs are binding? Seems pretty unlikely, especially on a stiffer spring.
Any other description of the issue?
Any other description of the issue?
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
No, I do not know that for sure, since I can't see it happen while I'm driving
The sound is a metal-on-metal crunch/screech. Fairly loud. Happens at apex of spring compression, like when hitting a large divot or going over a speed bump, when it's most compressed. It's not a clunk or pop — it sounds like metal rubbing on metal. Only happens on a deep compression when the spring presumably gets compressed most of the way, and the duration / loudness / severity correspond to how big the bump is.
Previously I had fixed it for the whole summer with these spring coil sleeves from 034 Motorsports. They just cover a bit of the spring and I placed them at the top. That fixed it over any type of bump for the whole summer. But when I swapped over to winter wheels + tires a few months ago, it started happening again. I thought maybe the rubber coil sleeves got displaced or fell off when the suspension was hanging during the wheel swap, but I jacked it up again to check and reposition them. And it keeps happening. I don't know if this wheel setup has changed anything (difference in unsprung mass? or if the drop in temps has been a factor?)
Keep it mind I did trim the hard foam bump stops. Mostly in the rears (which don't screech) but also in the fronts a bit.
The noise is super unsettling and makes it feel like I'm driving a pile of junk when it happens.
But that's not the only reason I'm considering the coilovers. I've never been 100% happy with the ride of this spring + shock combo. Not when I had the springs alone with stock shocks, and not after I swapped to the aftermarket shocks last year. I'm not expecting perfection at a lowered ride height, but it just seems like they should be better.
I've never tried coilovers, so I only have internet reviews and anecdotal evidence to rely on, but my hope would be if I didn't slam them and went with a similar ride height as I have now, it would be a more complete and well-thought-out package, and I wouldn't have to second-guess the bump stops or have the metal screeching sounds, and *hopefully* the ride would be halfway decent. I've read pretty good things about the ST X comfort even for people who are using them close to max'd out. But probably not too many run them in winter.
I haven't made up my mind for sure but if I can't figure out the noise issue that's the way I'm leaning.
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Or maybe I need to get another set of the coil sleeves and put one towards the bottom on each side, too. Without the noise, the ride is acceptable, but hearing the noise somehow makes me *feel* the bumps are being damped more poorly than they are I think.
fourmotioneer
Well-known member
Sounds like any solution to a spring binding problem will require experimentation with bump stop (length and material). Cheap, but a huge time sink.
I think I was previously siding with f around and find out on the zinc coated coilovers, but I’d recommend skipping those and just getting a set of stainless and cleaning them and hitting them with your choice of rust preventative when you swap tires each season. (Edit: friend with a lot more fastener engineering experience recommends against stainless specifically in threaded applications such as this, where galling of the stainless will be a worse outcome than dealing with some rust on a zinc coated part. In this application, rust would just be cosmetic and not a structural concern)
That said, I’d skip the coilovers.
Coilovers may be a better overall package for lowering, but no guarantee you’ll enjoy the ride. My brother has Bilstein B14s on his car and it rides like a dump truck. Those look to be a cheaper option but I think it’s just the spring rate that kills it.
I’d say respectfully that after a certain age I would feel silly worrying about wheel gap and I’d run some OEM shocks/springs/bump stops and be done with the problems. Life is a lesson in letting go
That said, I’d skip the coilovers.
Coilovers may be a better overall package for lowering, but no guarantee you’ll enjoy the ride. My brother has Bilstein B14s on his car and it rides like a dump truck. Those look to be a cheaper option but I think it’s just the spring rate that kills it.
I’d say respectfully that after a certain age I would feel silly worrying about wheel gap and I’d run some OEM shocks/springs/bump stops and be done with the problems. Life is a lesson in letting go
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SamYoung
Well-known member
I'll give you some more anecdotal evidence to think about on your suspension considerations.
I have and 18' VW GSW 4MOTION with BC racing BR-series coilovers, and if you do not like the end of stroke harshness of lowering springs, you will likely find it similar or worse with coilovers. Coilovers generally have a shorter overall travel and compression stroke than a factory strut setup, even with lowering springs. Normally 1 of 2 things happens: 1) They have a stiffer spring making them ride like a race car all the time, but they don't blow through travel. 2) They have a compliant enough spring that rides nice most of the time, but hits the end of travel more than you'd like.
Mine has the latter and I have them set near max ride height, though ride height is independent of spring preload on mine. I love them 98% of the time and they rider great on most roads. On the other hand, I've had them full compression and bottom out at 35mph on a sunk in manhole and at 80mph going over harsh bridge expansion joints. Those can be terrifying and very unsettling for the car. On my normal routes I know where they are and avoid them, but that's not always an option like the highway bridge joints. You just have to accept that they're a part of the coilover life.
Depending on your coilovers, you may be able to tune some of that out with the compression dampening speed or spring rates, but it will have a tradeoff on daily ride quality/harshness. This is what I'm currently working through, but its always going to be a compromise. I know part of my issue is that I have the literal heaviest model that my coilovers cover (~ 300 lbs heavier than a base Golf) so I am likely under sprung and therefore have to increase dampening to compensate for the decreased compression stroke. Your on the opposite end of the weight spectrum for a GTI/Golf R set so may not be as bad, but its hard to say. Dampening tuning takes some trial and error, but it is a no cost change. I could potentially order some stiffer springs, but that can get expensive, time consuming, and may take away some of that ride comfort I enjoy 98% of the time.
I'm not trying to discourage you from getting coilovers, just pointing out the pros/cons. I find that people down south with their pothole free roads and no corrosion concerns have a lot higher opinion of coilovers. It's less of a compromise for them. Those of us up north have a lot worse roads and it accentuates the compromises in the system. Those compromises may be worth it, but they are more apparent. Ultimately, its up for you to decide.
I have and 18' VW GSW 4MOTION with BC racing BR-series coilovers, and if you do not like the end of stroke harshness of lowering springs, you will likely find it similar or worse with coilovers. Coilovers generally have a shorter overall travel and compression stroke than a factory strut setup, even with lowering springs. Normally 1 of 2 things happens: 1) They have a stiffer spring making them ride like a race car all the time, but they don't blow through travel. 2) They have a compliant enough spring that rides nice most of the time, but hits the end of travel more than you'd like.
Mine has the latter and I have them set near max ride height, though ride height is independent of spring preload on mine. I love them 98% of the time and they rider great on most roads. On the other hand, I've had them full compression and bottom out at 35mph on a sunk in manhole and at 80mph going over harsh bridge expansion joints. Those can be terrifying and very unsettling for the car. On my normal routes I know where they are and avoid them, but that's not always an option like the highway bridge joints. You just have to accept that they're a part of the coilover life.
Depending on your coilovers, you may be able to tune some of that out with the compression dampening speed or spring rates, but it will have a tradeoff on daily ride quality/harshness. This is what I'm currently working through, but its always going to be a compromise. I know part of my issue is that I have the literal heaviest model that my coilovers cover (~ 300 lbs heavier than a base Golf) so I am likely under sprung and therefore have to increase dampening to compensate for the decreased compression stroke. Your on the opposite end of the weight spectrum for a GTI/Golf R set so may not be as bad, but its hard to say. Dampening tuning takes some trial and error, but it is a no cost change. I could potentially order some stiffer springs, but that can get expensive, time consuming, and may take away some of that ride comfort I enjoy 98% of the time.
I'm not trying to discourage you from getting coilovers, just pointing out the pros/cons. I find that people down south with their pothole free roads and no corrosion concerns have a lot higher opinion of coilovers. It's less of a compromise for them. Those of us up north have a lot worse roads and it accentuates the compromises in the system. Those compromises may be worth it, but they are more apparent. Ultimately, its up for you to decide.
I'm not at all familiar with VW suspension, so proceed as needed.
1) When you replaced the oem springs/suspension did you fasten all suspension bolts that passed through a rubber bushing when the suspension had the weight or simulated weight of the car on it? Bushings binding?
2) Have you disconnected the anti-roll bars to see if there is something going on with them? Reason I ask is when you alter the ride height the geo of the links can get cray-cray and maybe cause some weird issues? Disconnecting them takes them out of the equation.
3) Don't be scared of good quality coilover suspension. With the correct damping even stiff springs can ride really well, it's all about the ability to control the movement.
4) With the car on jack stands place a jack under the lower control arm and start raising it to simulate the suspension moving through it's travel. See if you can note anything making contact or the coils of the spring making contact.
1) When you replaced the oem springs/suspension did you fasten all suspension bolts that passed through a rubber bushing when the suspension had the weight or simulated weight of the car on it? Bushings binding?
2) Have you disconnected the anti-roll bars to see if there is something going on with them? Reason I ask is when you alter the ride height the geo of the links can get cray-cray and maybe cause some weird issues? Disconnecting them takes them out of the equation.
3) Don't be scared of good quality coilover suspension. With the correct damping even stiff springs can ride really well, it's all about the ability to control the movement.
4) With the car on jack stands place a jack under the lower control arm and start raising it to simulate the suspension moving through it's travel. See if you can note anything making contact or the coils of the spring making contact.
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Yeah, not to be a negative nancy but it's the middle of winter and I'm definitely not in the mood for a huge time sink lol. But I agree that's likely the issue. After I installed I was feeling every little bump, and thought I might be almost riding on the factory bump stops, so I trimmed them, and then trimmed them some more. Now the ride is pretty great for 90% of the time but those long strokes probably over travel and bottom out or let the springs compress all the way.
Good to know. That's kind of what I read. I'm not super worried about cosmetic rust, and probably don't even care if the adjustment rings get stuck. It would be a set it and forget it thing. Just would want to get a good 5 yrs out of them at least, which I think might be totally doable with a good rust spray.
That's the fear! I wish I had first hand experience but I don't. I've heard similar about Bilstein's, even there shocks w/springs being harsh.
NEVER!!!!!!
I hear ya, but I've been conditioned to like the look on VW and Audi. On some cars I don't mind the stock wheel gap, but for whatever reason I find that VW is larger than a lot of others. I also think aftermarket wheels can look particularly bad without a drop. It's not like I'm tying to slam it, but I definitely prefer the look of being more in line with other sporty / performance cars like Audi S-models, BMW, Porsche etc.
Also I think part of the ethos of the Golf is making it your own. If I had a brand new 911 I wouldn't touch a thing. But if I had to give up all the aesthetic and feature mods on my Golf I think I would be disappointed. Even at the expense of a less-than-perfect suspension.
Idk, maybe I spent too many years getting my brain scrambled on Vortex when I was in high school.
Ha! Not sure I could get a cam inside the wheel well, but I suppose I could stick it on the outside of the fender to capture the noise. I might try and capture the noise from the interior on my phone. There's some speed bumps in a parking lot near my house that would be easy to recreate.
Thanks Sam, that is very helpful info. GSW on coilovers sounds awesome. I remember a user on hear Dubber had a pretty sweet wagen build.
2) They have a compliant enough spring that rides nice most of the time, but hits the end of travel more than you'd like.
I think that would be my preferred scenario, but also feels like what I am dealing with with my current setup.
I find that people down south with their pothole free roads and no corrosion concerns have a lot higher opinion of coilovers. It's less of a compromise for them. Those of us up north have a lot worse roads and it accentuates the compromises in the system. Those compromises may be worth it, but they are more apparent.
100%. If we had good roads, this would be a non-issue. I've fully bottomed out my fronts numerous times, and it is an awful, awful feeling.
As mentioned, I'd likely go non-adjustable damping to keep the price in check. Back when I was considering coilovers before, my frontrunner was ST X. I'd probably be setting them towards the lower end of the ride height, though. I've read people say they still ride pretty well, but no idea what kind of roads. Probably not Minnesota.
I do see lowered cars out there though, even in winter. So some people are doing it!
1) When you replaced the oem springs/suspension did you fasten all suspension bolts that passed through a rubber bushing when the suspension had the weight or simulated weight of the car on it? Bushings binding?
99% sure I tightened the end links connection to the strut by jacking up the lower control arm / hub until the car was almost lifting off the stand on it's own weight. Can't remember if there were any other bushings involved. I don't think so. I'd be surprised if the noise I'm hearing is a rubber bushing but maybe?
2) Have you disconnected the anti-roll bars to see if there is something going on with them? Reason I ask is when you alter the ride height the geo of the links can get cray-cray and maybe cause some weird issues? Disconnecting them takes them out of the equation.
Not since the suspension job. The ride height shouldn't have changed during the install since I had the springs previously and only swapped the shocks / struts.
3) Don't be scared of good quality coilover suspension. With the correct damping even stiff springs can ride really well, it's all about the ability to control the movement.
Everyone probably has a different idea of what quality and affordable means to them, but I would be doing something on the lower end price-wise from a known brand. Entry level ST, Bilstein, BC Racing, etc. Likely non-adjustable damping. Probably around the $1000-1200 mark. I know there would be sacrifices, maybe it is a fool's errand, but I know for sure I wouldn't spend $4k for top of the line.
4) With the car on jack stands place a jack under the lower control arm and start raising it to simulate the suspension moving through it's travel. See if you can note anything making contact or the coils of the spring making contact.
Great idea
Thanks for all the comments. I think I'm going to start by jacking up the control arm like @jonshonda suggested and see what I can see, try to record the noise as it happens, and order another pair of those coil sleeves to put on the bottom section of the spring.
I'm in no hurry buy anything (if at all) until summer.
@nicholam77 I've been down the suspension noise rabbit hole a few times with various vehicles and I always just go back to basics. Eliminate every variable and component until you can find the source.
Also regarding coilovers....I've had setups that range from lowering springs on stock shocks, to lowering springs on mid level aftermarket shocks, to a full custom coilover setup. While I do completely understand that budgets are important, imho the best spent money is on a good suspension setup...especially on a daily driver.
A perfect example is the Xida Race setup on my Miata. Road imperfections that used to have me puckering up and prepping for the suspension to crash over and upset the car now are easily handled and almost erased. Yet I am still able to hit the auto-x course and be competitive.
It seems like regardless of the manufacturer, the sub $2000 coilovers are cheap Chinese Lego shocks that can be slapped on any car, and you don't start seeing tuned suspension until you get north of $2500 or so. While that is a fair amount of cash, the pain of that expense will quickly fade!!
Also regarding coilovers....I've had setups that range from lowering springs on stock shocks, to lowering springs on mid level aftermarket shocks, to a full custom coilover setup. While I do completely understand that budgets are important, imho the best spent money is on a good suspension setup...especially on a daily driver.
A perfect example is the Xida Race setup on my Miata. Road imperfections that used to have me puckering up and prepping for the suspension to crash over and upset the car now are easily handled and almost erased. Yet I am still able to hit the auto-x course and be competitive.
It seems like regardless of the manufacturer, the sub $2000 coilovers are cheap Chinese Lego shocks that can be slapped on any car, and you don't start seeing tuned suspension until you get north of $2500 or so. While that is a fair amount of cash, the pain of that expense will quickly fade!!
SamYoung
Well-known member
Dubber was one of my main motivations on getting mine. I wish I had his garage and the other cars in it too.
I've been meaning to get some pictures. White. It's got Golf R seat swap (front and rear), 2.0T w/ IS20, full intake, charge pipes, intercooler, and downpipe w/ IE stage 3 tune and DSG tune. Should be a little over 300HP and just shy of 400ft-lbs. It's the perfect daily, minus the 93 octane and gas mileage.
It may be worth checking on whether you can get some dampening control within your price range. I do think the importance of this somewhat depends on your particular vehicle model and how the suspension company consolidates part numbers.
For ST, they have different part numbers and therefore hopefully better factory tuning for the GTI and Golf R allowing for non-adjustable models.
BC groups them together. That means there is more likely to be a compromise that needs addressing with some addition user tuning, but all their models have dampening adjustability.
This is never a concern for something like a Miata which has a stand alone PN and there is minimal weight variations between trims. It is for a VW where some companies have the same PN for a Jetta/Golf/GSW in FWD and AWD with wildly different weights and weight distribution. Urotuning and ECS have pretty frequent sales so keep an eye out once you're ready to buy.
@nicholam77 dropping in to wish you a happy new year and to encourage you to lift your GTI.
flatoutsuspension.net
Volkswagen Golf/ GTI [GR Lite]
flatoutsuspension.net
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
Sorry you are still having suspension issues. I hate tracking those down cause as everyone else mentioned most often it is extremely time consuming.
I am in camp coilovers but then again I like a firmer ride and have them on every car. That said I recently put a set of BCs with Swift springs on one of my cars and I have to say it might ride the best out of all my setups. There is something to a setup with quality springs as part of the package.
I am in camp coilovers but then again I like a firmer ride and have them on every car. That said I recently put a set of BCs with Swift springs on one of my cars and I have to say it might ride the best out of all my setups. There is something to a setup with quality springs as part of the package.
SamYoung
Well-known member
I've heard this from multiple people on swift springs. Even people who swapped standard springs for swift spring of the same rate noted an improved ride/handling. That said, they can be an expensive swap if you already have the coilovers. Definitely make more sense if you buy them as an upgrade when you initially buy the coilovers unless you're changing spring rates for tuning.
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
That sounds like an awesome build!
Thanks for the input guys. For now I ordered and received some extra spring coil pads. I haven't put them on yet since it's single digit temps, but will see if that helps (and take a visual look on jack stands) when it gets a bit warmer.
I'm not ruling out coilovers yet, but I have time until summer, so going to keep thinking about it and researching.
Btw here is a video of the clunk going over a speed bump. Sounds louder in person.
(and, yes, I fully had my eyes on the road while recording)
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
New Years Resolutions / 2024 In Review
It's that time...
I'm already getting pummeled in the new year and we're only 13 days in, but I do like to take a minute to reflect as well as set some goals, and what better place to do that than on Garage Journal
Looking back at last year's resolutions, it seemed to be to 'do more projects', 'do woodworking', 'build cabinets', and 'renovate the basement'.
I didn't get to any cabinets specifically, but definitely hit the other stuff and a lot more. Having Garage Journal is great to go back and look through everything I've accomplished. It turned out to be more than I realized or remembered.
I didn't do much woodworking outside of remodeling-type stuff. I'm ok with that.
On a personal (non-garage) level, I had a goal to get back into walking and get over my back and leg issues. I absolutely kept up the exercise in the summer, but the back and leg stuff was up and down. I also let my diet slide a little. Another goal I had was to watch more movies, since I used to do that all the time before kids. I made good on that, watching 127 movies this year, and probably 20+ of those were in theaters. Typically I go to the theater by myself, and I've found I really enjoy that.
Looking forward.
So I've been doing yoga stretching and strengthening to try and help myself. It was actually improving things. To the point where I felt I could lift weights (free weights at home) again occasionally without it screwing me up. And then about a month ago I gave myself an inguinal hernia. Probably from said yoga or weight lifting.
I didn't realize it at first, the pain kind of went away for a couple weeks, and then came back over the holiday. Even got nauseous and puked one night. Got a physical a two weeks ago and doctor confirmed it during the exam, although said he thought it was mild. After that the symptoms got worse again and while the pain isn't that bad really, it's obvious something ain't right in that area, and I feel like I can't use my core. So I've stopped all stretching and strengthening exercises. Even getting in and out of my car is a chore. There's been a few nights where it's kept me up.
Tomorrow I'm getting an ultrasound to see what they recommend, but I have a feeling I'm going to need to do the surgery to repair it. Hopefully it's not bad.
All this to say I'm a bit frustrated, because it's another setback in the timeline of trying to fix my leg and back issues once and for all. I feel like I can do it... but I need to be able to exercise and do strength training things for that to happen, and now I've lost forward motion for a bit. And have to tip toe around everything else (including doing work on the basement) to make sure I don't make things worse or re-injure myself.
Top that off with higher-than-I'd-like cholesterol and borderline blood pressure numbers, and I'm feeling like I have to go on the straight and narrow this year.
So yeah, #1 resolution or goal for 2025 is to keep moving towards taking better care of my health whether that's diet, exercise, or trying to get through the specific weird muscle imbalances.
Project-wise, I need to finish the damn basement! I'm close, so that should be easily achievable.
After that, I'd like to accomplish another big house project. It could be anything, but I need to move the house forward. I still have so many ideas, but the years are flying by so fast it feels like it will be ages before I'm done with this place. My wife is talking a big game about the basement bathroom, so it might be that, but I've got other things I'd like to entertain as well.
Lastly, I would like to do a 'real' woodworking project. At least one. Either furniture, or picture frames, or a box, or something. I feel like I've lost touch with that hobby and the enjoyment I got out of it. Cutting baseboard doesn't really fulfill that.
Ultimately I think my goals for this year are pretty similar to last year. It's not that I didn't fulfill them, just that there's more to keep going and improve upon.
Ok, I've rambled on long enough. I actually do have some small progresses to share but I'll do that in separate posts.
It's that time...
I'm already getting pummeled in the new year and we're only 13 days in, but I do like to take a minute to reflect as well as set some goals, and what better place to do that than on Garage Journal
Looking back at last year's resolutions, it seemed to be to 'do more projects', 'do woodworking', 'build cabinets', and 'renovate the basement'.
I didn't get to any cabinets specifically, but definitely hit the other stuff and a lot more. Having Garage Journal is great to go back and look through everything I've accomplished. It turned out to be more than I realized or remembered.
I didn't do much woodworking outside of remodeling-type stuff. I'm ok with that.
On a personal (non-garage) level, I had a goal to get back into walking and get over my back and leg issues. I absolutely kept up the exercise in the summer, but the back and leg stuff was up and down. I also let my diet slide a little. Another goal I had was to watch more movies, since I used to do that all the time before kids. I made good on that, watching 127 movies this year, and probably 20+ of those were in theaters. Typically I go to the theater by myself, and I've found I really enjoy that.
Looking forward.
So I've been doing yoga stretching and strengthening to try and help myself. It was actually improving things. To the point where I felt I could lift weights (free weights at home) again occasionally without it screwing me up. And then about a month ago I gave myself an inguinal hernia. Probably from said yoga or weight lifting.
I didn't realize it at first, the pain kind of went away for a couple weeks, and then came back over the holiday. Even got nauseous and puked one night. Got a physical a two weeks ago and doctor confirmed it during the exam, although said he thought it was mild. After that the symptoms got worse again and while the pain isn't that bad really, it's obvious something ain't right in that area, and I feel like I can't use my core. So I've stopped all stretching and strengthening exercises. Even getting in and out of my car is a chore. There's been a few nights where it's kept me up.
Tomorrow I'm getting an ultrasound to see what they recommend, but I have a feeling I'm going to need to do the surgery to repair it. Hopefully it's not bad.
All this to say I'm a bit frustrated, because it's another setback in the timeline of trying to fix my leg and back issues once and for all. I feel like I can do it... but I need to be able to exercise and do strength training things for that to happen, and now I've lost forward motion for a bit. And have to tip toe around everything else (including doing work on the basement) to make sure I don't make things worse or re-injure myself.
Top that off with higher-than-I'd-like cholesterol and borderline blood pressure numbers, and I'm feeling like I have to go on the straight and narrow this year.
So yeah, #1 resolution or goal for 2025 is to keep moving towards taking better care of my health whether that's diet, exercise, or trying to get through the specific weird muscle imbalances.
Project-wise, I need to finish the damn basement! I'm close, so that should be easily achievable.
After that, I'd like to accomplish another big house project. It could be anything, but I need to move the house forward. I still have so many ideas, but the years are flying by so fast it feels like it will be ages before I'm done with this place. My wife is talking a big game about the basement bathroom, so it might be that, but I've got other things I'd like to entertain as well.
Lastly, I would like to do a 'real' woodworking project. At least one. Either furniture, or picture frames, or a box, or something. I feel like I've lost touch with that hobby and the enjoyment I got out of it. Cutting baseboard doesn't really fulfill that.
Ultimately I think my goals for this year are pretty similar to last year. It's not that I didn't fulfill them, just that there's more to keep going and improve upon.
Ok, I've rambled on long enough. I actually do have some small progresses to share but I'll do that in separate posts.
Getting old isn't for the weak.
Despite being a bigger guy, my numbers have always been pretty good during my annual physicals. During last summer's physical, I learned that over the course of the previous year, I was now a Type 2 diabetic. At first I thought it was a fluke, but the follow-up A1C test confirmed it. Initially I was upset with myself for letting this happen, but I am at peace with it now. I f-d around and found it, as the kids would say. Now I simply didn't have a choice but to eat healthy and exercise.
With those life changes, and with the help from some meds, my numbers are now trending in the right direction. I'm hoping that I'll be able to back off on my dosage after I go in for my next appointment in a few weeks. The long term goal is to try and get off the meds all together, which my doc says is a real possibility as long as I keep up what I've been doing. I do know that I might not ever get to that point (something like only 1-5% of people achieve long-term remission, depending on what study you look at). But even if I don't achieve that goal, at least I'll have made the right changes in my life and will be better off for it.
I guess the point of posting that is to say that it is possible to turn things around, just don't be like me and wait until you are forced to make the change, do it when you can choose to make the change. The good thing is that it gets easier over time. Not easy, just easier. I will admit that waking up early to exercise and avoiding what used to be my favorite foods sucked for the first few months, and I've certainly skipped a few workouts and cheated on my diet a few times. However, now that it has become habit, the frequency at which either occurs has been significantly reduced.
It's commendable that you post your resolutions on here. I haven't even started thinking what I want to accomplish this year.New Years Resolutions / 2024 In Review
It's that time...
I'm already getting pummeled in the new year and we're only 13 days in, but I do like to take a minute to reflect as well as set some goals, and what better place to do that than on Garage Journal
Looking back at last year's resolutions, it seemed to be to 'do more projects', 'do woodworking', 'build cabinets', and 'renovate the basement'.
I didn't get to any cabinets specifically, but definitely hit the other stuff and a lot more. Having Garage Journal is great to go back and look through everything I've accomplished. It turned out to be more than I realized or remembered.
I didn't do much woodworking outside of remodeling-type stuff. I'm ok with that.
On a personal (non-garage) level, I had a goal to get back into walking and get over my back and leg issues. I absolutely kept up the exercise in the summer, but the back and leg stuff was up and down. I also let my diet slide a little. Another goal I had was to watch more movies, since I used to do that all the time before kids. I made good on that, watching 127 movies this year, and probably 20+ of those were in theaters. Typically I go to the theater by myself, and I've found I really enjoy that.
Looking forward.
So I've been doing yoga stretching and strengthening to try and help myself. It was actually improving things. To the point where I felt I could lift weights (free weights at home) again occasionally without it screwing me up. And then about a month ago I gave myself an inguinal hernia. Probably from said yoga or weight lifting.
I didn't realize it at first, the pain kind of went away for a couple weeks, and then came back over the holiday. Even got nauseous and puked one night. Got a physical a two weeks ago and doctor confirmed it during the exam, although said he thought it was mild. After that the symptoms got worse again and while the pain isn't that bad really, it's obvious something ain't right in that area, and I feel like I can't use my core. So I've stopped all stretching and strengthening exercises. Even getting in and out of my car is a chore. There's been a few nights where it's kept me up.
Tomorrow I'm getting an ultrasound to see what they recommend, but I have a feeling I'm going to need to do the surgery to repair it. Hopefully it's not bad.
All this to say I'm a bit frustrated, because it's another setback in the timeline of trying to fix my leg and back issues once and for all. I feel like I can do it... but I need to be able to exercise and do strength training things for that to happen, and now I've lost forward motion for a bit. And have to tip toe around everything else (including doing work on the basement) to make sure I don't make things worse or re-injure myself.
Top that off with higher-than-I'd-like cholesterol and borderline blood pressure numbers, and I'm feeling like I have to go on the straight and narrow this year.
So yeah, #1 resolution or goal for 2025 is to keep moving towards taking better care of my health whether that's diet, exercise, or trying to get through the specific weird muscle imbalances.
Project-wise, I need to finish the damn basement! I'm close, so that should be easily achievable.
After that, I'd like to accomplish another big house project. It could be anything, but I need to move the house forward. I still have so many ideas, but the years are flying by so fast it feels like it will be ages before I'm done with this place. My wife is talking a big game about the basement bathroom, so it might be that, but I've got other things I'd like to entertain as well.
Lastly, I would like to do a 'real' woodworking project. At least one. Either furniture, or picture frames, or a box, or something. I feel like I've lost touch with that hobby and the enjoyment I got out of it. Cutting baseboard doesn't really fulfill that.
Ultimately I think my goals for this year are pretty similar to last year. It's not that I didn't fulfill them, just that there's more to keep going and improve upon.
Ok, I've rambled on long enough. I actually do have some small progresses to share but I'll do that in separate posts.
I find it hard to set resolutions/goals around accomplishing things at home when you have children. Once you think they're into a routine, something changes. Whether it's sports, scouts, band, getting older and staying up later, etc. Taking better care of yourself is certainly an important goal and one you have to focus on regardless of kids or not. Ideally you can find something to do with your kids, even if it's just walking around the playground while they're out playing.
I do love a quick woodworking project. Picture frames are always good, as are cutting boards.
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Nick, I celebrated my 50th birthday with long postponed inguinal hernia surgery. My hernia wasn't painful and it wasn't incarcerated but it wasn't going to go away. As you said, it just makes you worry about making it worse. In 1994 minimally invasive (laparoscopic) surgery wasn't common so mine involved an incision and insertion of a piece of mesh with several sutures to close it all up. The first day I crawled to the bathroom and the next two days walked around like the Hunchback of Notre Dame and it felt like I would spill my guts on the floor if I stood up straight. My first post-op visit I asked the doctor why he didn't mention how painful it would be. He said he thought he had told me "there will be some discomfort for the first few days" but I never heard those words. I was not carrying a weapon so I didn't give the doctor "some discomfort."
If your surgeon doesn't do minimally invasive hernia repair you might want to find one who does. I had a minimally invasive robotic cardiac ablation to treat the tissue inside my heart causing A-fib in February 2020 and a second robotic procedure to remove my cancerous prostate in July 2021. In both cases I felt well enough to get up and go for a walk the day of the surgery. I had a friend join me on the post prostate surgery walks -- a fancy bag of urine. That bag followed me around for a week.
My New Year's resolutions have dwindled to one: Stay Alive. Raymond Burr (Perry Mason) spoke somewhat haltingly and a likely urban legend was his response to a snarky Hollywood reporter's question: "Why do you take so many breaths when you talk?" and Burr supposedly haltingly said: "To...stay...alive."
If your surgeon doesn't do minimally invasive hernia repair you might want to find one who does. I had a minimally invasive robotic cardiac ablation to treat the tissue inside my heart causing A-fib in February 2020 and a second robotic procedure to remove my cancerous prostate in July 2021. In both cases I felt well enough to get up and go for a walk the day of the surgery. I had a friend join me on the post prostate surgery walks -- a fancy bag of urine. That bag followed me around for a week.
My New Year's resolutions have dwindled to one: Stay Alive. Raymond Burr (Perry Mason) spoke somewhat haltingly and a likely urban legend was his response to a snarky Hollywood reporter's question: "Why do you take so many breaths when you talk?" and Burr supposedly haltingly said: "To...stay...alive."
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Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Nick, with a statin, my total cholesterol is around 140. My blood pressure was 123/60 and 60 bpm (thank you pacemaker) on 11/18/24 and 139/71 and 65 bpm on 12/12/24. The November number was a day I ate a home cooked meal containing almost no salt. The December number was a frozen pizza meal. I didn't even think of sodium in my youth but at 80 I'm hypersensitive. A couple of years ago I discovereed Walmart sells a lot of "No salt added" canned goods, including tomatoes, beans and broth (beef and chicken). The sodium numbers on most frozen dinners look like luxury car payments but the number is usually 'per serving' and the serving size is a joke. Here are the nutrition labels from three versions of Swanson's quart boxes of Chicken Broth with per 1-cup serving and entire quart in parentheses:
Plain: 860mg (3,440mg)
35% Reduced: 570mg (2,280mg)
Unsalted: 35mg (140mg)
Daily sodium chloride allowance is less than 2,300mg. That's a teaspoon of salt.
I apologize if this makes anyone ill but a 1/5 slice of frozen pizza (who cuts pizza into fifths?) has almost as much sodium as a cup of that Plain Swanson chicken broth:
DiGiorno Rising Crust Pepperoni Pizza: 830 (4,150)
If you're a pig like me, I'd cut that 10-inch pizza into six slices and after eating half the thing be eyeballing Liane's third slice she'll be saving for another day. Four slices and I've taken in 3,458mg and wonder why my blood pressure is high the next day.
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Welp, got my imaging back and I do have a confirmed hernia.
Sorry to hear that, Brad. I can commiserate with being frustrated at one's self, but sometimes it takes that kick in the pants to make change. It sounds like you're on a better track whether you like it or not and I 100% agree with you — the human body is so adaptable it's NEVER too late to make positive changes, physical, mental or otherwise. You might not completely eliminate the diabetes, but no doubt everything you're doing is helping and beneficial.
I actually had the epiphany to get my diet together a few years ago, and I've made a lot of positive changes since then. Trying to undo years of a carb heavy diet, too big portion sizes, and bad decisions in my 20's and early 30's. These days I actually don't find it difficult to eat healthy for my main meals, and have even done intermittent fasting and things like that successfully and without much trouble. But I've also let things slide at times, too. I have terrible willpower when it comes to sweets, so if there's cookies etc in the house, it's bad. I've learned I can't be trusted and need to just keep that stuff inaccessible. And we have a bad habit of eating out Fri-Sat-Sun dinners with the kids.
That's true with the kids, although it's gotten quite a bit easier with them being 3y + 6y now. As far as exercising. I can find time to do that. Before the hernia (and sub zero temps!) I'd typically walk in the morning outside, after daycare drop off and before work. As well as was doing my yoga before and after work. They don't fall asleep at 7pm, but we make them stay in their rooms at that time and play on their own until they are ready to go to sleep. I know it will change as they get older but for now it's fine. Projects... that's a different beast but I've totally accepted that projects are secondary to pretty much everything else and I do them when I have a window and am feeling up to it. And I'm ok with that.
Well now I definitely want the robots to do it!
Thanks for sharing your experience! I've never had surgery, but I would hope in 2025 it's the minimally invasive approach. I think I found a great surgeon (on paper) who specializes in hernias as well as a bunch of other stuff, and is well-versed in robotic surgery and all the latest.
How was the mesh for you? In cursory research I've read some things like you might be able to feel it after the fact (irritation). I'll have to see what they say for me, I think without the mesh it's maybe more prone to opening up again, but with it might have some downsides, too? I guess I'll see what they recommend.
Well that's an important one, Bob!
That does make me ill!
In all seriousness, sodium is on the radar and so are saturated fats. Previously when trying to do better I've focused on caloric intake, trying to get more lean protein and less carbs, and more fruits and vegetables. But I've realized I can eat like a saint 4 days a week, and then screw it all up on the weekend, or in a few moments of weakness. Multiply that over a year and progress isn't what I thought it was. Shake Shack has been a regular weekend dinner outing with the kids. And pizza. I need better consistency and I'm pretty determined to make that happen and correct course. Starting now.
Sorry to hear that, Brad. I can commiserate with being frustrated at one's self, but sometimes it takes that kick in the pants to make change. It sounds like you're on a better track whether you like it or not and I 100% agree with you — the human body is so adaptable it's NEVER too late to make positive changes, physical, mental or otherwise. You might not completely eliminate the diabetes, but no doubt everything you're doing is helping and beneficial.
I actually had the epiphany to get my diet together a few years ago, and I've made a lot of positive changes since then. Trying to undo years of a carb heavy diet, too big portion sizes, and bad decisions in my 20's and early 30's. These days I actually don't find it difficult to eat healthy for my main meals, and have even done intermittent fasting and things like that successfully and without much trouble. But I've also let things slide at times, too. I have terrible willpower when it comes to sweets, so if there's cookies etc in the house, it's bad. I've learned I can't be trusted and need to just keep that stuff inaccessible. And we have a bad habit of eating out Fri-Sat-Sun dinners with the kids.
That's true with the kids, although it's gotten quite a bit easier with them being 3y + 6y now. As far as exercising. I can find time to do that. Before the hernia (and sub zero temps!) I'd typically walk in the morning outside, after daycare drop off and before work. As well as was doing my yoga before and after work. They don't fall asleep at 7pm, but we make them stay in their rooms at that time and play on their own until they are ready to go to sleep. I know it will change as they get older but for now it's fine. Projects... that's a different beast but I've totally accepted that projects are secondary to pretty much everything else and I do them when I have a window and am feeling up to it. And I'm ok with that.
Well now I definitely want the robots to do it!
Thanks for sharing your experience! I've never had surgery, but I would hope in 2025 it's the minimally invasive approach. I think I found a great surgeon (on paper) who specializes in hernias as well as a bunch of other stuff, and is well-versed in robotic surgery and all the latest.
How was the mesh for you? In cursory research I've read some things like you might be able to feel it after the fact (irritation). I'll have to see what they say for me, I think without the mesh it's maybe more prone to opening up again, but with it might have some downsides, too? I guess I'll see what they recommend.
Well that's an important one, Bob!
That does make me ill!
In all seriousness, sodium is on the radar and so are saturated fats. Previously when trying to do better I've focused on caloric intake, trying to get more lean protein and less carbs, and more fruits and vegetables. But I've realized I can eat like a saint 4 days a week, and then screw it all up on the weekend, or in a few moments of weakness. Multiply that over a year and progress isn't what I thought it was. Shake Shack has been a regular weekend dinner outing with the kids. And pizza. I need better consistency and I'm pretty determined to make that happen and correct course. Starting now.
Wow, 7 PM! One of our neighbors does that with their kids. Two nights a week my 9 year old has dance and we don't even get home until 7:15. Bedtime used to mean we'd be out of their room by 8/8:15 but now it's back to 8:30/8:45. Starting on a project that late is tough but now I get some time on the weekends if they're playing with friends.
Sounds like you had a good amount of exercise going on pre-hernia. Good for you! I need to up the amount I'm doing.
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
7pm... ish. Often ends up 7:15 or 7:30 after reading to them. It's not a hard rule or anything. Similar to you my daughter currently has gymnastics and doesn't get back until closer to 8pm on Wednesdays for example.
BUT, we try to be hands off around 7:30. They don't have to go to sleep right away, and they are allowed to play in their rooms until they want to go to bed. Surprisingly they are both pretty good at self-regulating and calling it quits when they are tired, usually somewhere between 8-9pm. My oldest will actually get in bed and turn her lights off when she's ready. Sometimes the younger one needs some coaxing. And tends to sneak out of bed more often.
So it's not a perfect system and it doesn't need to be, but I spend a ton of time with my kids and I find I need those few hours in the evening to myself as much as possible, even if it's finishing up chores.
I am almost never get into a project at the end of the day. Brain is too fried.
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
When it's been -5° F all week and it finally breaks to 30° F, it feels like T-shirt weather. It was enough to get me out on my morning walk so I don't whither away.
A few little basement updates.
I finished mudding the TV room closet. Have I mentioned how much I hate drywall?
First I sanded the 2nd coat.
Still quite a few imperfections to fill at this point.
After that dried I sanded again.
At this point it was looking *pretty* good. Not finished, but I decided to throw on a coat of primer. I've found that primer helps me see all the small defects better. Of which there were still plenty.
So I spot-filled those and sanded again.
Called it good enough and put a couple coats of paint.
And here is the result:
Probably some imperfections if you examine closely, but this will never be scrutinized under a hospital lamp and I am willing to accept my limitations as a DIY-er.
With that out of the way, I cleaned up the tools and placed an order for the closet doors. They will be a standard white bi-fold. Special order to be in at the end of January.
Then I replaced both basement smoke detectors. A number of months ago they were beeping and I couldn't get them to stop so I took them down. They were hardwired, probably EOL or low batt or something.
So we've had wires hanging out the ceiling receptacles for months.
Instead of get new hardwired ones and mess with that, I had bought (a long time ago) a few First Alert Z-Wave Combo Smoke/CO detectors that interface with my smart home.
Easy to install, but I had to stuff said electrical wires back in, they were hot, and I didn't know what circuits they were on. After a bunch of guesses, I ended up having to systematically flip every breaker in the house. Which I've done to a degree, before, but some things weren't catalogued, so in addition to finding the smoke detector circuits, I made it a mission to figure out what *everything* was on so I don't have to do this again. And there were a few odd surprises.
Updated my handy-dandy spreadsheet:
Installed the new mounting brackets and Z-Wave detectors.
Of course I got them into Home Assistant, and set up some quick mobile notifications. It will send me a push notification with the location of the detector and type of event when triggered.
Now I just need to make an access / cover up panel for these random holes I cut in the office ceiling when I had a frozen water pipe a long time ago
One day...
A few little basement updates.
I finished mudding the TV room closet. Have I mentioned how much I hate drywall?
First I sanded the 2nd coat.
Still quite a few imperfections to fill at this point.
After that dried I sanded again.
At this point it was looking *pretty* good. Not finished, but I decided to throw on a coat of primer. I've found that primer helps me see all the small defects better. Of which there were still plenty.
So I spot-filled those and sanded again.
Called it good enough and put a couple coats of paint.
And here is the result:
Probably some imperfections if you examine closely, but this will never be scrutinized under a hospital lamp and I am willing to accept my limitations as a DIY-er.
With that out of the way, I cleaned up the tools and placed an order for the closet doors. They will be a standard white bi-fold. Special order to be in at the end of January.
Then I replaced both basement smoke detectors. A number of months ago they were beeping and I couldn't get them to stop so I took them down. They were hardwired, probably EOL or low batt or something.
So we've had wires hanging out the ceiling receptacles for months.
Instead of get new hardwired ones and mess with that, I had bought (a long time ago) a few First Alert Z-Wave Combo Smoke/CO detectors that interface with my smart home.
Easy to install, but I had to stuff said electrical wires back in, they were hot, and I didn't know what circuits they were on. After a bunch of guesses, I ended up having to systematically flip every breaker in the house. Which I've done to a degree, before, but some things weren't catalogued, so in addition to finding the smoke detector circuits, I made it a mission to figure out what *everything* was on so I don't have to do this again. And there were a few odd surprises.
Updated my handy-dandy spreadsheet:
Installed the new mounting brackets and Z-Wave detectors.
Of course I got them into Home Assistant, and set up some quick mobile notifications. It will send me a push notification with the location of the detector and type of event when triggered.
Now I just need to make an access / cover up panel for these random holes I cut in the office ceiling when I had a frozen water pipe a long time ago
One day...
kaymccampbell
Well-known member
They sell these for potential repeat offender holes.
SVOPES Metal Access Panel 16 in. W x 16 in. H Plumbing Access Doors with Cam Latch Lock Heavy-Duty Steel Wall Hole Cover JXMBD1616INCHFEELV0-1018 - The Home Depot
Enjoy your outdoors with the selection of this SVOPES Metal Access Panel W x H Plumbing Access Doors with Cam Latch Lock HeavyDuty Steel Wall Hole Cover lasting durability.
www.homedepot.com
We got to the same point during our bathroom remodel where we just had to call it 'good enough'. While I can still see a couple of spots where I wished I would have spent more time getting things blended in, it's likely only because I know they are there and most visitors will never notice.
Nice progress!
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Thanks for the link, Kay. That looks about perfect, I think 16x16" is right, too. Definitely want to keep access in case I have another freeze up (water line takes a bend there up to the kitchen sink on an outside wall). I think just having those holes exposed to the basement air has prevented a further incident, but we are looking at another cold front this weekend with single digit negative highs and double digit negative lows.
I thought about trying to make an access panel from MDF or even 3d print, but at $22 it probably makes sense to just buy one.
Thanks, Brad! It's one more thing off the list. I'm glad to have 95% of the baseboard and mudding out of the way. I do need to fix the bottom of the support columns somehow (trying to avoid trim there, too... I know... I like to make it hard on myself). The columns are wrapped in drywall so it will be an exercise in mudding again.
If you wanted to still allow warm air on the pipes during the winter and have it accessible in case of future issues, maybe something like this would make sense...
Granted, it is a little hacky and I'm not certain if it would violate some sort of building code, but just tossing the idea out there.
kaymccampbell
Well-known member
That's exactly where I was going once I read about the pipes and the outside wall. You beat me to it.
Make sure you face the little openings towards the wall, so they're not as visible.
Nice work on the drywall. I’ve been slowly going through the house skim coating over poorly applied texture from a previous owner. It’s not as bad as a motel 6 popcorn ceiling, but the wall pustules don’t scream “quality.” Trouble is, I’ve found I thoroughly enjoy the mudding and scraping to smooth, and avoid the sanding with a passion. It makes for slow progress.
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Thanks, Jake! I’m the opposite, I hate the mudding and enjoy the sanding. I don’t like the mess of sanding but I like watching the imperfections disappear. Maybe ‘enjoy’ isn’t the right word, but out of the two…
Perhaps unsurprisingly I am anti-texture when it comes to drywall. Whether it’s orange peel, knockdown, or popcorn. I understand the purpose is to hide imperfections and create uniformity, but I’ve found smooth walls and ceilings to be perfectly fine with a decent effort. I don’t mind texture in a space from raw elements like wood or concrete, but for some reason the simulated man made drywall spray screams 70’s to me. Especially popcorn ceilings, those are the worst.
When we first moved in, our main floor ceilings were a mix of smooth, knockdown, and popcorn. I had the popcorn scraped and skimmed at a high cost, but I really wish I had taken care of the knockdown in the living room at that time. I also have knockdown throughout the basement ceilings. All walls are smooth.
Since you like skim coating so much maybe you could come do my ceilings. Don’t worry, I’ll do the sanding.
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Getting Sidetracked
So this is somewhat basement-related, as the main purpose for me in renovating the basement was the entertainment / TV room.
I've mentioned a few times that I've gotten back into watching movies fairly regularly.
I have access to quite a few streaming services, but even so, finding movies can very frustrating. I've found certain movies only stay on a service for a month, then go behind a paywall, or jump to something I don't have. It's frustrating to maintain a watchlist as well as where things are available, as it's constantly changing.
Then I started visiting the 4K Blu-ray subreddit. Uh oh.
I am definitely see the benefits of physical media, but when I am realistically not rewatching most films, it seems a bit of a waste. That being said, I'm on a mission to build a collection of films of my childhood, and my favorites, that I want to have on tap at anytime to be able to enjoy or share with my kids when they get older. And have ownership of them.
I actually already have an old Blu-ray player and dozens of DVDs and Blu-rays, which I haven't touched for years.
But working in the video industry, I have a hard time passing up better quality video or sound if it's available. And these days, 4K UHD is the hot new thing, if not the standard.
One thing led to another and I bought a Panasonic UB-450, which is an entry level 4K player. There are cheaper players out there, but this one is well-reviewed and has important features that others do not (even sometimes more expensive players).
The main points for me were that it has dual-HDMI out (separate HDMI output for audio only), and it supports Dolby Vision with automatic recognition if a disc has it or not. And it has NO streaming apps or junk... a very simplistic OS that is really just meant to play local discs and USB media.
With no 4K discs to test, I did what any logical person would do and bought a $100 8-movie Fast and the Furious box set
Ok, ok, it was 77% off on Amazon.
I think sales are going to be my achilles heal, as I love a good deal.
Amazon was also running a 3 for $33 on select titles, so I also picked up Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, The Edge of Tomorrow, and The Matrix.
Getting things set up was pretty easy, but my home theater receiver is not 4K-capable, so I had to do some work arounds. My TV is 4K, so normally I run sound from the TV to the receiver via HDMI ARC and let the receiver handle the audio only. I would keep this setup for the new 4K player, but regular ARC does not support the uncompressed audio formats. My TV has eARC which does (I think??), but without a newer receiver with eARC, I can't take advantage of that simple setup.
So that's why I wanted the dual-HDMI out on the player itself... video goes to the TV, and audio (via HDMI) goes to an input on the receiver.
That way I can still take advantage of DTS or Dolby TrueHD audio.
I quickly set up a Logitech Harmony Hub routine for this new configuration, and updated my mobile dashboard in Home Assistant for easy control.
I used The Matrix last night to test, and watched the whole film.
I'll never be able to capture it on my phone... but holy ****. Reddit was not lying. It looked SOOOO good, and sounded so good. I could see the pores on everyones faces. Even though most streaming services look *pretty good*, and even offer Dolby Vision on select titles, you don't really realize how much detail is lost to compression. I read Netflix caps their 4K streams around 16 Mbps... which is not very high in terms of video quality for a 4K image. I'm sure they use a very efficient codec, but still. The difference on disc was noticeable. Same with the audio.
As I was messing around with it I discovered an interesting feature... after popping the disc out and in, it somehow remembered where I left off?
Kinda neat.
TL;DR
If you have a TV that supports it with good contrast and brightness... watching from disc in 4K w/Dolby Vision and uncompressed audio is amazing.
It's not all peaches, though. I am having two issues with the current config.
1/ sometimes after pausing and then resuming, the audio switches back to the TV ARC like it's auto-detecting a signal or lack-thereof
2/ when using the dual-HDMI out method, there might be a *minor* sync issue where picture is delayed 1 or 2 frames
With how often I'll likely be playing from disc, I doubt it's worth investing in a 4K A/V Receiver at this point... but we'll see where this road takes me.
So this is somewhat basement-related, as the main purpose for me in renovating the basement was the entertainment / TV room.
I've mentioned a few times that I've gotten back into watching movies fairly regularly.
I have access to quite a few streaming services, but even so, finding movies can very frustrating. I've found certain movies only stay on a service for a month, then go behind a paywall, or jump to something I don't have. It's frustrating to maintain a watchlist as well as where things are available, as it's constantly changing.
Then I started visiting the 4K Blu-ray subreddit. Uh oh.
I am definitely see the benefits of physical media, but when I am realistically not rewatching most films, it seems a bit of a waste. That being said, I'm on a mission to build a collection of films of my childhood, and my favorites, that I want to have on tap at anytime to be able to enjoy or share with my kids when they get older. And have ownership of them.
I actually already have an old Blu-ray player and dozens of DVDs and Blu-rays, which I haven't touched for years.
But working in the video industry, I have a hard time passing up better quality video or sound if it's available. And these days, 4K UHD is the hot new thing, if not the standard.
One thing led to another and I bought a Panasonic UB-450, which is an entry level 4K player. There are cheaper players out there, but this one is well-reviewed and has important features that others do not (even sometimes more expensive players).
The main points for me were that it has dual-HDMI out (separate HDMI output for audio only), and it supports Dolby Vision with automatic recognition if a disc has it or not. And it has NO streaming apps or junk... a very simplistic OS that is really just meant to play local discs and USB media.
With no 4K discs to test, I did what any logical person would do and bought a $100 8-movie Fast and the Furious box set
Ok, ok, it was 77% off on Amazon.
I think sales are going to be my achilles heal, as I love a good deal.
Amazon was also running a 3 for $33 on select titles, so I also picked up Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, The Edge of Tomorrow, and The Matrix.
Getting things set up was pretty easy, but my home theater receiver is not 4K-capable, so I had to do some work arounds. My TV is 4K, so normally I run sound from the TV to the receiver via HDMI ARC and let the receiver handle the audio only. I would keep this setup for the new 4K player, but regular ARC does not support the uncompressed audio formats. My TV has eARC which does (I think??), but without a newer receiver with eARC, I can't take advantage of that simple setup.
So that's why I wanted the dual-HDMI out on the player itself... video goes to the TV, and audio (via HDMI) goes to an input on the receiver.
That way I can still take advantage of DTS or Dolby TrueHD audio.
I quickly set up a Logitech Harmony Hub routine for this new configuration, and updated my mobile dashboard in Home Assistant for easy control.
I used The Matrix last night to test, and watched the whole film.
I'll never be able to capture it on my phone... but holy ****. Reddit was not lying. It looked SOOOO good, and sounded so good. I could see the pores on everyones faces. Even though most streaming services look *pretty good*, and even offer Dolby Vision on select titles, you don't really realize how much detail is lost to compression. I read Netflix caps their 4K streams around 16 Mbps... which is not very high in terms of video quality for a 4K image. I'm sure they use a very efficient codec, but still. The difference on disc was noticeable. Same with the audio.
As I was messing around with it I discovered an interesting feature... after popping the disc out and in, it somehow remembered where I left off?
Kinda neat.
TL;DR
If you have a TV that supports it with good contrast and brightness... watching from disc in 4K w/Dolby Vision and uncompressed audio is amazing.
It's not all peaches, though. I am having two issues with the current config.
1/ sometimes after pausing and then resuming, the audio switches back to the TV ARC like it's auto-detecting a signal or lack-thereof
2/ when using the dual-HDMI out method, there might be a *minor* sync issue where picture is delayed 1 or 2 frames
With how often I'll likely be playing from disc, I doubt it's worth investing in a 4K A/V Receiver at this point... but we'll see where this road takes me.
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
I am sure that picture quality is amazing.
I don't have in my home theater yet but I still love getting Blu-ray just for the audio track compared to streaming. I don't care how good the streaming is getting I still feel there is noticeable difference in the audio quality.
I don't have in my home theater yet but I still love getting Blu-ray just for the audio track compared to streaming. I don't care how good the streaming is getting I still feel there is noticeable difference in the audio quality.
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
So I've been down that road before and while I won't rule it out 100%, I'm not sure I'll go there with the 4K's. Back in the day it was XMBC / Kodi for me, playing to my Xbox 360
I LOVE the idea of it, but I think it would just be too expensive and time intensive for how I see this playing out.
Years after XMBC, I spent some good effort ripping 30+ standard HD Blu-rays w/MakeMKV, as well as entire TV show DVD box sets (like Seinfeld) and then compressing with Handbrake. Plus some odd bittorrents, TV shows, etc of varying quality. And they all went into PLEX.
I had them stored on an redundant RAID array USB 3 external enclosure (2x 2TB drives — at the time that was a big drive lol). Even then my storage was close to maxed out, and sadly one of the raid slices went bad. Then the redundant slice died before I could get everything off it and I lost all my rips.
I still have my PLEX server set up, but as per the above most the media was lost.
Scarred from that experience, there is no way I am not backing up to redundant drives. Which doubles storage costs. At a minimum, I would have to buy a 4K optical drive for ripping, some sort of RAID enclosure or NAS to host the media, and a bunch of big expensive quality hard drives. It would be very expensive.
On top of that, uncompressed 4K rips are 50 - 90 GB a piece, maybe more if it's a really long movie. A big reason for me to pick up the 4K discs is to take advantage of that quality, so I wouldn't want to then crunch them down a bunch and lose the high fidelity of the disc.
Also, I think it *can* be done with some extra steps, but ripping the Dolby Vision enhancement layer to MKV is not as straightforward as a non-HDR disc... and a lot of 4K releases are Dolby Vision.
That said, I am a fan of PLEX, and in conjunction with this new 4K Blu-ray endeavor I do plan on reviving my PLEX server for titles I can't find on Blu-ray or 4K Blu-ray. There are some obscure titles I watched as a kid that I'd like to have available, as well as home videos, travel videos, YouTube videos I'd like to archive in case they get scrubbed from the internet, etc.
I'll also add that as much as I appreciate the pretty PLEX interface and the convenience of a server, I am a *little* bit excited to actually handle the physical box and pop the disc in the tray. Call it nostalgia factor or whatever.
Picture quality is amazing but it's one of those things where if you don't know what you're missing it's not the end of the world. Does a disc look better than a 4K Dolby Vision Netflix stream? Yes. Does the Netflix stream also look pretty good? In most cases, yes.
The audio, though... you are spot on. I forgot how amazing uncompressed audio sounds. I was reading up on it, and I guess the mastering for Dolby Digital (compressed) and Dolby TrueHD (uncompressed) is a separate process. So it's not like there's one mastering session and they hit different deliverables. Which means in some sense it's a separate mix. I'm only going off my recent watch of the Matrix... but when I had my little input snafu and it routed the audio through the TV for a moment (which converts to Dolby Digital), it was a very clear difference compared to the pass-through straight from the Blu-ray player.
Of course all your standard Blu-rays would have uncompressed audio, too, although older ones no ATMOS. I only have a 5.1 speaker setup so need for ATMOS here.
And I couldn't help myself and hit up Amazon's 3-for-$33 sale a 2nd time
. Grabbed Jurassic Park, The Thing, and Wizard of Oz, as that's one of my daughter's favs.In other news, nothing like an iced coffee when it's -17° F out!
I'm not shoveling in this weather, better send the kid out there!
I really only use the TV remote or the Harmony remote, but with the addition of the Blu-ray remote I figured it was time to 3d print an organizer.
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
Gotta start them young 
Only 5.1 here but yeah the difference is still noticeable and so much better.
Only 5.1 here but yeah the difference is still noticeable and so much better.
Nick I just watched several YT videos on how physical media is making a big come back. Everything is cylindrical in our world. I honestly was shocked to see CD's and players making a comeback with the current young generation that grew up in a total digital world. All of this is normal to me as I was a teenager during most of it. But I also always thought physical media was the best as you had total control of it.
I too get frustrated with all the streaming services dangling movies in your face for short periods of time as well as music. But being the hoarder that I am I kept all my DVD's and CD's. Didn't get much into Blu-ray. That's when AT&T launched U-verse. That was an awesome service.
My wife and I did get rid of all my burned copies of movies, although most of them were not great quality especially on today's screens. I use to do Netflix by mail and would rip about 10 movies a week for several years. I had two 400 slot Cd's cases full of movies and tv shows.
I also didn't realize Spotify is not hi quality. That makes me want to put my CD head unit back in the Camaro and rock some old MP3 disc I made back in the day. I always ripped my music at 256kb.
Things to ponder.
Bret
I too get frustrated with all the streaming services dangling movies in your face for short periods of time as well as music. But being the hoarder that I am I kept all my DVD's and CD's. Didn't get much into Blu-ray. That's when AT&T launched U-verse. That was an awesome service.
My wife and I did get rid of all my burned copies of movies, although most of them were not great quality especially on today's screens. I use to do Netflix by mail and would rip about 10 movies a week for several years. I had two 400 slot Cd's cases full of movies and tv shows.
I also didn't realize Spotify is not hi quality. That makes me want to put my CD head unit back in the Camaro and rock some old MP3 disc I made back in the day. I always ripped my music at 256kb.
Things to ponder.
Bret