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How to Build a Home Theater on the Cheap
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It’s easier than ever to build your own home theater! The challenge is to do it without breaking the bank. Surprisingly, a few simple tricks can make that happen.

Among the common mistakes in building a home theater is to under- or over-budget for the project. But by knowing which items you can skip, which you can repurpose, and which budget buys to look at, you can save a few bucks without compromising on the quality of your experience.

In this short guide, you’ll learn how to build a home theater on the cheap.

Don’t Buy Everything at Once!

how to make a cheap home theater

Before you start, this is the most important advice you will need. Given the way technology updates these days, you won’t find the cutting-edge, future-proof stuff in every category at the same time. So if you try and buy all the parts together, you’ll end up compromising, and maybe need an upgrade sooner than you thought.

Instead, buy the can’t-do-without components right now, and get cheaper variants for everything else—or skip them altogether. Even for those important components, do your research on how long they will last and spend accordingly.

We’ll advise you on some of these aspects in this article, but no matter what, don’t purchase everything at once. Stagger your purchases so that you can buy the most future-proof, best-value-for-money components at every stage.

Buy a Good TV and Forget About the Smart OS

Buy a cheap 4K HDR TV for a budget home theater

Ideally, you need a TV that supports both 4K and HDR. While it will be a smart TV, it’s fine if you don’t like the operating system or interface. You’ll be getting a Blu-ray player or some sort of media center anyway, which will do everything a smart TV does, and probably do it better.

Check out our recommendations for some of the best affordable 4K HDR TVs The Best Affordable 4K HDR Smart TVs You Can Buy The Best Affordable 4K HDR Smart TVs You Can Buy Those in the market for a new Smart TV have a tough choice to make. It's not a gadget that you upgrade often, so you want something future-proof. So, what do you get? Read More you can buy. The size is up to you, but for a home theater setup, you will largely be looking at at least 55 inches. Don’t worry about the distance as, in a home theater, the rule of thumb is to go as big as you can afford.

A Projector May Not Be Worth the Cost

Good Projectors cost more than good TVs for home theaters

Instead of TVs, you can also go with a projector, but that raises costs in the long run. Because a projector doesn’t have a backlight, you’ll need to spend on additional materials like blackout curtains and a projection screen like the Homegear 120HD.

Also, at the time of writing, good projectors with 4K resolution and HDR support are far more expensive than an equivalent-sized TV. And if you’re looking to buy a big television set anyway, any reason to buy a projector has been diminished anyway.

Homegear 110” HD Motorized 16:9 Projector Screen W/ Remote Control Homegear 110” HD Motorized 16:9 Projector Screen W/ Remote Control Buy Now At Amazon $119.99

Consider Repurposing an Old PC

The chances are you have an old PC or laptop lying around somewhere, or you know someone who does. You can use that to build a great media center PC. It will be the cheapest way to get a good home theater system.

Even if you have to add a few things, repurposing your old PC will be cheaper and make a more well-rounded media unit than any gadget you buy. Yep, even the Raspberry Pi. While we’re big fans, there are certain things the “Pi Home Theater” can’t do.

The flexibility that a proper computer gives you cannot be compared to what you’ll get with even something like a Roku or Chromecast Chromecast vs. Roku: Which One Is Best for You? Chromecast vs. Roku: Which One Is Best for You? There are many streaming media devices to choose between. In this article, we compare the heaviest hitters: Chromecast vs Roku. Read More . A PC can do all the tasks a streaming device can do, but it doesn’t work the other way around.

More importantly, a PC keeps your options open for the future. You could add a 4K Blu-ray drive, or a better audio card. You could upgrade the processor, or add a graphics card to make it into a gaming console, etc.

If you don’t have an old PC lying around, then get the Sony UBP-X700. It’s a fantastic 4K Blu-ray player, with support for all your favorite streaming services.

Sony UBPX-X700 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player (2018 Model) Sony UBPX-X700 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player (2018 Model) Buy Now At Amazon Too low to display

Start With Cheap Speakers

Buy cheap speakers for a budget home theater

Don’t buy speakers with the “bigger is better” philosophy. Speakers are all about how you set them up, and the quality of the components they use.

You need to buy the right speakers for your room. If you have a small living room, a 9.1 channel setup is overkill. Depending on whether you’ll place satellite speakers at the back or the sides, you’ll need to choose speakers that offer good bipole or dipole output.

It might sound like a lot of jargon, but the bottom line is, you need to buy what’s right for you, which is not necessarily the swanky 7.1 Bose speaker setup you saw at your friend’s place.

A home theater system defaults to a 5.1 setup (i.e., five satellite speakers and one subwoofer). Before you purchase anything, figure out where you will place each speaker, how the wiring will work, and other details. Once you have done that, buy the Monoprice 108247 Surround Sound System.

If you’re building a new home theater and want to keep the cost low, this is a smart purchase. Remember, you can always upgrade the speakers later.

Monoprice 108247 5.1-Channel Home Theater Speaker System, Six Monoprice 108247 5.1-Channel Home Theater Speaker System, Six Buy Now At Amazon

Universal Remote: Old Androids and Cheap Options

Get a cheap universal remote or turn an old Android phone into one

With every HTPC, you will need a good remote control to manage all the different devices hooked up to it. This calls for a universal remote. The best is the Logitech Harmony 650, but if you’d like to save a few bucks, you have a few other options.

Logitech Harmony 650 Infrared All in One Remote Control, Universal Remote Logitech, Programmable Remote (Silver) Logitech Harmony 650 Infrared All in One Remote Control, Universal Remote Logitech, Programmable Remote (Silver) Buy Now At Amazon $34.46

If you have an old Android smartphone or tablet, you can turn it into a remote controller for your PC. There are plenty of apps on the Play Store that make make it a breeze to set up all the gadgets on your Android device. The only problem would be if your Android doesn’t have an infrared (IR) blaster.

Instead of repurposing your Android, you could also buy a cheap universal remote for just a few dollars.

It’s Not Just About the Tech

The tech stuff is only one part of your home theater experience. You’ll also need a nice cabinet to put your gadgets, a good sofa or recliner to watch in peace, and maybe a mini fridge for a cold brew. All those costs add up, so don’t forget about them.

The good news is that this is one area where you’ll find a lot of freebies or sales. Check for local estate sale listings, garage sales, and online person-to-person marketplaces. You’ll often find items in good condition for a low price.

You will also save major bucks if you regularly check the Craigslist Free Stuff section for your area.

The Only Place to Splurge: Receiver

Yamaha RX-V485 is the best budget AV receiver

The receiver is the most underappreciated and most important part of your home theater. In this one aspect, while you can save some money, we would advise against it.

Think of the receiver like the processor of a PC, the engine or a car, or the patty of a burger. If you get this wrong, the whole thing is ruined. If you get it right, other compromises are bearable.

For most people, the best budget receiver is the Yamaha RX-V485.

Yamaha RX-V485BL 5.1-Channel 4K Ultra HD AV Receiver with MusicCast - Black Yamaha RX-V485BL 5.1-Channel 4K Ultra HD AV Receiver with MusicCast - Black Buy Now At Amazon $389.54

Take Your Home Media Center to the Next Level

In our opinion, the screen, the receiver, the media player or PC, the speakers, and the universal remote controller are the must-haves in any home theater setup. But hey, that’s just what we unanimously agree on. Some of us say that a home theater is incomplete without a good recliner or sofa, others reckon it’s not a home theater if it doesn’t support 3D.

While your initial cost will be relatively cheap, keep upgrading the room in small bits and pieces over time. Before you know it, you might even get the IMAX experience in your living room How to Get the IMAX Experience in Your Living Room (On a Budget) How to Get the IMAX Experience in Your Living Room (On a Budget) Why do people still go to movie theaters? Some argue it's for innovations like IMAX, but this is a moot point when you can get the IMAX experience at home on a budget. Read More .

Image Credit: Breadmaker/Shutterstock

Explore more about: Buying Tips, DIY Project Tutorials, Hardware Tips, Home Theater, Save Money, Smart TV.

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  1. James Bruce
    December 15, 2018 at 8:42 am

    Have to disagree with you on this one: a short throw projector is the best bit of consumer tech I ever bought. Nothing like an actual home cinema experience in front of my WALL SIZED screen. I'd rather watch a grainy HD movie on that than a 4k anything (assuming you can even find 4k content) on a tiny 40 inch TV. It's all about the immersion, baby!

    But I will concede defeat on the 3D thing. Haven't used that feature in years :)

  2. Jules
    March 19, 2017 at 2:04 pm

    I wonder: why a "receiver"? When was the last time you actually listened to AM/FM radio through your media center setup? A decent integrated amplifier is a much better investment for most people.

    • likefunbutnot
      December 17, 2018 at 3:16 pm

      In common parlance, an integrated amplifier is an Audio/Video Receiver. It's not just AM/FM but the junction box for all your in and output.

      There is a case to be made for separate components for those willing to keep up with new standards as they're released, but most non-enthusiasts aren't even going to try to stay up to date. 5.1 sounds great.

      Speaking to the general theme of the article: Spend to get good left and right front speakers. Those guys will get used the most and will make music AND video content sound better.

  3. Chris
    July 21, 2016 at 8:44 pm

    I built my HTPC for $245 ($300 including the PS4 controller and a copy of Windows 7 Pro). This also includes a Blu Ray writer. The case itself has two USB 3.0 ports up front with audio out and mic in jacks. Included 300W PSU which has proven itself over the last few months. My motherboard adds two USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 ports. The motherboard (ASRock H110m-itx/ac) included a Bluetooth and WiFi card, which works well. I can pair my PS4 controller with it without needing a Bluetooth dongle eating up a USB port. I loaded it with 8GBs of RAM which is more than it really needs currently but the upgrade from 4 to 8 was so cheap I figured why the hell not. For the CPU I have a Skylake Pentium G4400. This is a dual core 3.30GHz processor with a low TDP. It's super cheap and more than capable for video streaming and playback. It even handles DVD and Blu-ray ray ripping and compressing fairly well. I run it to my 39" Samsung "smart" TV via HDMI which have some basic Logitech speakers and a subwoofer connected to them. I run an Ethernet cable to it for a consistent and reliable Internet connection. I installed Win 7 Pro 64b on it and then took advantage of the free Windows 10 upgrade, so it's currently running Windows 10 Pro 64bit and is happy as a clam (maybe that's just me!). I went this route primarily because I wanted to mess with DDR4 RAM and the new Skylake processor. I use a 120GB cheap ADATA SSD as my boot drive, so the machine is pretty snappy and offers fast boot times. I have a 320GB 2.5" 7200 rpm drive as my media drive where I have most of my movies, shows and music stored. Eventually I'll upgrade this to a larger drive as prices start to come down (the 320GB 7200 drive was a left over part from a dead laptop, came in handy!). All I need is a decent receiver! I'm thinking of adding an IR port to it, I've seen interfaces on eBay that will allow you to power on the computer with an IR remote, you just need to route the power button's wiring through he IR device and then to the motherboard. Doesn't seem difficult, just an extra step. I would disagree with using an old system, unless cheapest possible HTPC is your end goal. I had an old HP Elite SFF that was great and did everything I wanted it to, but it was clunky to use. It needed a basic GPU for HDMI out, and video streaming was choppy. The processor was less as efficient; it costs less per 24 period to run the HTPC I built as the processor is more power efficient.

    4k displays are not worth it! Before you can even think about buying a 4K display you need to consider the lack of 4K content! Sure YouTube supports it, but there aren't many people uploading 4K content. Another thing to consider, especially if you're repurposing an old desktop or laptop, is you won't be able to output a 4K signal with a regular HDMI port. You need a computer or GPU with an HDMI 2.0 port, and an HDMI 2.0 cable in order to output 4K signal. Most modern GPUs will support this, but it's just really not practical. Not even the new game consoles output 4K content. The only people really taking advantage of or even using 4K are gamers with expensive custom rigs. Wait a few years until 4K more or less becomes the HD standard. At that point you'll be able to pick up a super cheap 4K display along with any necessary HDMI 4K complaint cables without it costing you an arm and a leg. At that point HDMI 2.0 ports will probably be standard, so you won't have to worry about compatibility, and there will most likely be a significant amount of 4K content out there to enjoy. For now, 1080p HD is more than enough and still very enjoyable. I also have a custom built desktop for gaming and I use 1080p monitors. I typically play 1080p@60fps and it looks beautiful.

    I stream my games from my desktop to my HTPC with Steam in-house streaming. With the PS4 controller this works amazingly well.

  4. FaaastCash
    July 19, 2016 at 12:41 pm

    Skipping smart TV and not buying everything at once will really help to get a home theater under budget.

  5. rk
    July 18, 2016 at 6:29 pm

    Nothing shown in those pretty pics look cheap lol!

  6. Jonathan
    July 14, 2016 at 8:48 pm

    The advice to buy cheap speakers is utter nonsense. Speakers are the components that can make the biggest difference in sound. If you're trying to build a good-sounding system on the cheap, the correct advice is to buy good or great speakers when they are cheap; not to actually buy cheap speakers. First listen to some, read some reviews, and then find some you like. Then look to see if you can find them on sale or on clearance. If you put in a little effort you'll find a great bargain, sometimes 60 - 70% off.

  7. John
    July 8, 2016 at 6:07 pm

    I went a somewhat different route. I started off with our existing Smart TV (all that was available when we purchased it) and a Roku. I added a home-built i3 based Windows PC with a couple of external multi-TB drives slung off it.

    The PC runs SABnzbd, Sickbeard and Plex Media Server. The motherboard I got has an integral HDMI port so I use the TV as the monitor. I run all my video through the Roku via channels for Plex, NetFlix, Amazon, etc. I've got my DVD/Blu Ray library ripped to the external hard drives and organized in Plex. All in all, the whole thing runs pretty smooth.

    And just so I don't have to worry about ripping all of my DVDs and Blu Rays again I've got the whole thing backed up to the cloud (thank you, CrashPlan).

    For the future...

    1. When my existing HD flat screen dies I'll replace it with a non-smart TV. Whether it's 1080p or 4K will depend on cost, standards, available content, etc at that time.

    2. Eventually I'd like to replace my external hard drives with a small RAID or NAS box for faster drive access. I've found that my system gets I/O bound on occasion even though I'm using USB 3 drives.

    3. When my Roku dies I might not replace it and just drive the TV directly from the media server. Then again, the Roku allows me to feed video over my household network so if I ever do a media closet instead of having the server in the cabinet below the main TV I'd probably keep the Roku. Also, multiple Roku's can all feed off the same media server so I can add more TVs without great additional expense. And Roku just released their first 4K capable box if I decide to go that route.

    4. I don't have external speakers since the ones in our TV work quite well enough for our purposes. If we move and end up with a bigger TV room I'll probably get a sound bar or reciever/speaker setup depending on the room.

  8. WhoCares
    July 7, 2016 at 8:52 pm

    Boy! Is guy is WAY off........

    Try this out......

    I got a Great Use Projector . it cost $2,000 when it came out..... I got it for $150. EBay.
    And someone had really taken care of it....And it works great....

    Got a great Use Laser disc player on EBay also. $50.00
    Got a VCR for $10.00 Got new Blu-Ray player $100 WalMart.
    Did very little work on the nice white wall. Put a border around it...
    And now have a 8Ft wide. X 4 Ft high screen.. get a sound system you like.
    I also have Netflix & Amazon hooked up to it......
    I stopped going to the theater. Got my own at home...Under $ 850.
    Just do some good looking around, and a little work...

  9. Anonymous
    July 5, 2016 at 1:54 pm

    1. Don't use an OLD PC. Use one new enough to support contemporary graphics tech. This can be a Pentium CPU, so long as it's within the most recent couple generations of integrated GPU. You want something that supports H.265 Codecs and something that isn't going to use crap-tons of power. T-series Skylake CPUs are truly ideal for this, if you have the cash for one. Failing that, at least get a something with a quiet fan and a fanless discrete GPU. You don't want a device that's going to struggle to play back highly compressed formats.An entry-level Intel NUC is great.

    2. 4k is absolutely affordable, even on a budget. There are $600 4k TVs from respected manufacturers. Content is out there and more is coming. Youtube has 4k content. So do Vimeo, Netflix and Amazon. More is coming. 4k TVs have other tech that make pictures better, especially if you're looking at a TV that supports HDR contrast options.

    3. Ignore Smart TV functions. Don't buy a TV to be Smart. Buy a TV to be a dumb display. Don't even give the TV an IP on your home LAN. If you're not going to use a PC for media center functionality, get a good Set Top Box. Good options should at least support Kodi and/or Plex for local content selection and have access to Netflix, Amazon and Youtube. I like the Shield X1 and the FireTV box for these purposes.

    4. If you're going to buy a receiver, get a decent center channel speaker. Please. Most of the sound you listen to will come out of the center channel. Subs are great for annoying your neighbors and they sure do sound cool when you're watching Star Wars, but something that's way, way cooler is when you can actually hear all the spoken dialog in all the comedies and romances and tense dramas you're watching.

    5. On a related note: sound bars mostly suck. Yamaha sound projectors are a bit different because they're actually something different from crappy left/right + center speaker in one package. Please don't be tempted by a sound bar. It is antithetical to a home theater experience.

    6. You don't have to buy a speaker for every place your receiver supports having one. Stereo is a fine start. So is stereo + center. 5 or 7 or 9 speakers are really hard to set up in a lot of living spaces unless you've arranged the room for it in the first place.


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Getting back on his feet

Organ failure paralyzed Geoff Dunsire but the Maple Ridge resident is fighting back

Geoff Dunsire has had his family

Geoff Dunsire will have a long, hard road to recovery to walk again, but he finally has hope after a medical ordeal that has lasted most of an agonizing year.

When he was 13, Geoff contracted an incurable liver disease from a standard hepatitis B vaccine. He has had to take immune suppressants since.

It took a year in and out of Children’s Hospital, but he became a healthy boy, and then a young man determined to wring the pleasure out every moment of his life, whether skiing black diamond runs, climbing The Chief, playing hockey, or bucking guys off the mechanical bull at Roosters, where he ran the controls. He plays guitar, piano and the sax. The 26-year-old enjoyed a bit of a beer-commercial lifestyle, but with his liver disease, always avoided drinking and drugs.

Last August, he suffered flu-type symptoms and a high temperature. When he became yellow and jaundiced-looking, his roommate took him to Royal Columbian Hospital. He was then transferred to Vancouver General Hospital, in end-stage liver failure.

Then came an avalanche of health problems.

Within days, Geoff suffered complete liver failure, then kidney failure. He was on 24-hour dialysis, and put on a waiting list for a liver transplant.

The toxins in his body were affecting his brain. Dunsire didn’t know where he was, or what was going on.

“It wasn’t him anymore,” said his mother Tracey, who has been at his side throughout. “He was confused and short tempered.”

Geoff fell into a coma, and was on life support.

On Sept. 20, 2013, Geoff received his liver transplant.

“He rocked it,” said Tracey. “If he didn’t have any of these other issues, he would have been home living his normal life.”

An infection in his blood attacked his heart and brain before it could be cleared.

He got an infection behind his eyes, and “came within a millimetre of going blind.”

His parents and sisters came to see him daily.

“I didn’t hear his voice for four months,” said Tracey.

Three times, the family was told to gather to see Geoff one last time. But they didn’t lose hope.

“We never for one minute believed he wasn’t going to pull through this,” said Tracey.

The last big blow to Geoff was ICU-induced polyneuropathy and myopathy – muscle weakness and neurological dysfunction, which can develop in patients in intensive care.

It left him paralyzed from the neck down and confused.

He shrunk from a fit 195 pounds to 125 pounds.

“My mother said he looked like a Holocaust survivor,” said Tracey.

He was getting physiotherapy at G.F. Strong at UBC, and a frustrating time followed for the family.

Geoff was suffering back pain, and given everything from methadone to oxycodone to cope with it.

Busy hospital staff would miss his anti-rejection medication. He would get transferred to VGH for dialysis, and sometimes staff would forget to send his meds.

“Things like that happened on a regular basis,” said Tracey. “If Geoff didn’t have us as advocates every day, I truly believe he wouldn’t be alive today.”

Although she emphasized much of the help her son received at G.F. Strong was incredibly beneficial, she could not deny that Dunsire was starting to live the life of a “drug addict,” and his rehab was not progressing.

Finally, the family noticed that some of the pain in his back was associated with his dialysis. The staff doing dialysis had not been informed that Jeff was urinating normally, and had been taking too much fluid from him.

His chart was changed, and that night Jeff was sitting up in bed texting on his cell phone, nearly pain free.

Finally, he stabilized. He went with family to Grouse Mountain and the Richmond Night Market. They took him to movies – anything to get him out doing normal things.

“He’s like our old Geoff. The fog has started to lift. He’s got a sense of humour. He’s smiling and laughing for the first time in 11 months. It’s Geoff back.”

G.F. Strong was ready to send him home, with minimal progress in his rehab.

The family dug in their heels, saying his condition hadn’t allowed him to do proper rehabilitation. He hadn’t been able to move without pain.

A television news team heard the story, and came and did a feature about his plight.

Geoff was recently transferred from Vancouver Coastal Health to Fraser Health, and his recovery has shifted into overdrive at the Yale Road Centre in Surrey. He sees a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, and has a room to himself. He likes the staff, which is comprised of many young men his own age, who relate to him.

He’s getting dialysis at Surrey Memorial, and there is some optimism there that his kidneys are recovering.

“We’ve been set back so many times … but this seems really great,” said Tracey.

One day he will be sent home, and it will still be in a wheelchair.

He needs ramps, a hospital bed and other home renos and changes to make his home livable. He will eventually need a wheelchair accessible vehicle.

Now his struggle is financial. Geoff had no income for the first seven months of this year, and now qualifies for $95 per month. Bills have piled up.

The Happy Liver Society has arranged a fundraiser, and the goal is $25,000.

Online donations can be made at the site, under the title Help Geoff Get Back on His Feet. So far it has garnered $2,500.

A fundraiser for Geoff will be held at the Haney Hotel on Sept. 14, with raffle prizes and a silent auction from 4-8 p.m. with live entertainment.

Geoff will be there, and it will be his first visit back to Maple Ridge since his ordeal began a year ago.

“Geoff’s going to walk again,” said Tracey.

“He’s getting stronger every day. He just needs help to get there.”

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text:
Jax, the runaway Yorkshire terrier-chihuahua, is shown here with Heaven-Lee Sloat, daughter of Jax’s owners. Photo by David Gordon Koch/Campbell River Mirror

Incredible effort by amateur pet detectives brings home lost B.C. dog

Community effort in Campbell River helps reunite Yorkshire terrier-chihuahua Jax with family

A Campbell River woman says a concerted effort by her community and a local animal shelter helped bring her lost pup home safe and sound.

Penny Moch was in despair after her Yorkshire terrier-chihuahua went missing this summer.

What followed was an elaborate search that involved social media tipsters and a live-animal trap in the woods, equipped with a video camera. Ten days passed before Moch was reunited with Jax.

“It was almost like the elusive sasquatch,” said Moch. “We’d get sightings of him but no one could catch him.”

Jax slipped away through an open door. One of Moch’s granddaughters went looking for the dog, and other family members soon joined the search. Meanwhile, Moch was posting about her lost dog on Facebook.

Someone online reported that he’d seen a little dog in the middle of Hwy. 28, across the river from Moch’s home at the Woodburn trailer park.

Jax the dog was missing for 10 days, before a community effort brought him home. Photo by David Gordon Koch/Campbell River Mirror.

Facebook users then reported seeing the dog heading east, towards Haig-Brown House. But nobody could find Jax in the area, and by the next day, there were no new sightings of the five-year-old pup.

“I had given up,” said Moch, who had bottle-fed Jax as a puppy. “I figured he was dead in the middle of a ditch somewhere.”

Meanwhile, Nikki Watts had been putting up brightly coloured posters.

“That’s just part of what I do,” said Watts, who volunteers as vice president of Campbell River Partners for Animal Welfare Society, also known as PAWS.

Watts also coordinates Lost and Found Animals of Campbell River, a Facebook group run by the PAWS group. The organization works closely with Coastal Animal Control and the BC SPCA.

People use the Facebook forum to alert fellow members about errant cats and dogs, or other animals like bunnies and chickens spotted roaming the street.

READ: Campbell River firefighters rescue imperilled pooch from third-storey roof

WATCH: Work is play for this B.C. avalanche rescue dog

Moch’s post about Jax – which noted that “he recently had a haircut so looks a lot like a chihuahua” – was shared more than 50 times on the group.

But it was the placards on the street that yielded a tip leading Moch to a wooded area on the Inland Highway, near Willis Road.

That became the focus of the search, as volunteers came out to walk the trails. They also helped check a doggy trap that was set up in the area as tipsters spotted the dog over the next several days.

Campbell River PAWS also set up a video camera on the trail, which allowed the pet detectives to review footage showing that Jax was in the area.

The group later released a video containing footage of the dog as he nibbled on food placed nearby as bait.

Story continues below video.

Trails of food – including fish, a “stinky food” liable to attract the dog – led to a live-animal trap, camouflaged by foliage.

Zap straps held the doorway open at night, since it’s dangerous for an animal to remain stuck in the cage for more than a few hours. People checked the trap frequently during the day.

Other familiar objects belonging to Moch, such as her nightgowns, were placed inside the trap, for Jax to pick up the scent.

Her daughter, Heaven-Lee Sloat, was even prepared to camp out to recover the lost pooch.

“Me and a couple of friends, we were going to set up a tent and a little lantern in the woods and go play cards all night long, and see if he came to us sitting there quietly,” she said.

They didn’t have to resort to that.

The dog had been missing for more than a week, when Moch’s husband, Dan, was heading into the forest to check the traps along with Watts and an amateur pet detective from the Comox Valley.

Suddenly, Dan spotted the elusive pet. He was about to run after it, but the Comox Valley helper urged him to sit down and speak softly to the dog.

“When Jax realized it was him, he came flying out of the woods and leaped into Dan’s arms,” said Moch. “When Dan was heading back to the vehicle, [Jax] was going nuts because he spotted me out at the highway.”

It was an emotional reunion after a 10-day absence.

“Everybody was crying,” said Moch. “The granddaughter’s looking at everybody and she’s going: ‘Why are you guys crying?’”

She credited Watts and Campbell River PAWS for getting the word out, and thanked the many people who helped with the search.

PAWS is looking for volunteers, Watts said, urging people not to give up if their animal friend goes missing.

“If you lose an animal, don’t panic,” she said. “Post, ask, and we’ll help.”

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Crane and Cargo Accident Lawyers

Accidents Involving Collisions At The Port Longshoremen working on docks routinely work with a variety of cranes, machinery, lifts and other equipment to move freight to and from commercial vehicles and cargo ships. When those devices fail due to mechanical error or operator negligence, longshoremen can suffer serious catastrophic injuries that could leave them unable to work for many weeks, or even permanently. Following a crane or cargo accident, an experienced maritime injury lawyer will investigate the facts of the incident. What caused the accident? Did an employee of another company cause the accident? Did a product or equipment fail in some important way to cause the accident? Did the crew of a vessel cause the incident? The crews of vessels owe a number of duties to longshoremen coming on board their vessels to take off cargo. In order to determine if you have a case, you will need to consult with an experienced maritime injury attorney to determine the cause of your accident. If you have questions about whether you have a crane or cargo accident case, contact our award-winning maritime injury lawyers today at 206-624-8844.

Injuries Handling Cargo on Boat Docks in Washington

At Kraft Davies, PLLC, we provide aggressive advocacy for longshoremen in the ports of Seattle, Everett, Tacoma, Bellingham and elsewhere along Washington's coast and in Alaska. Our skilled Seattle personal injury lawyers have extensive experience handling longshore accidents, maritime injuries, dock and pier accidents, cargo injuries, injuries during longshore operations, injuries on ships to longshore workers and other aspects of the shipping and cargo handling industries.

Protect your right to full and fair compensation following a shipping crane or cargo accident. For experienced, aggressive advocacy, please contact us at 206-624-8844 to schedule a free initial consultation.

Representing Longshore Workers Following Serious Dock and Pier Accidents

Although longshoremen generally can only receive workers' compensation through employers, additional compensation may be available when a third-party caused an injury, including claims against other employers and product liability claims for defective equipment or machinery. We may be able to pursue third party claims against negligent manufacturers or even the owner of the vessel on which the accident occurred. Whether due to a manufacturing defect or operator negligence, our attorneys will take time to review your case in detail to determine all liable parties.

Over the years, our award-winning crane accident lawyers have learned that the best way to obtain maximum compensation for our clients is to be ready for trial. Although most cases settle before trial, insurance companies and other defendants pay the highest settlement to law firms that are prepared to take a case to trial and have the ability to present compelling evidence. Our firm has the resources necessary to consult with leading industry experts to properly prosecute claims and obtain the best outcome for our clients. By being prepared for trial, we seek to negotiate from a position of strength, taking the case to trial only when it is in your best interests to do so.

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Company law and corporate governance refer to the appropriate company management and control structures as well as the rules which regulate the power relation between owner, administration board, etc. Its function is to protect the interests of the company and its shareholders and to eliminate, mitigate or resolve any conflict.

Legal requirements and benefits of the Spanish patent box

The Spanish patent box is not a Spanish company form, but a privileged form of investment for Spanish companies. Its purpose is tax savings for intellectual property income. Thus, the attractiveness of the business location in Spain and its internationalization is promoted. The legal basis is Article 23 of the Corporate Income Tax Law. The usual corporate forms include the Limited Liability Company and the Public Limited Company.

Shelf Companies in Spain

In Spain, shelf companies are, in practice, often used to circumvent the lengthy formalities of incorporation. Saving time and less risk are their biggest advantages. On activation of a shelf company, all the shares must be purchased and its bylaws must be amended and adjusted to align with the company’s business purpose. The final step is the publication of the economic re-establishment at the Spanish Registry Court.


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Give your brand a local buzz

As consumers increasingly look for tailored products and services, brands are moving away from a cookie-cutter’ approach and adapting according to location.

Above: Rosewood New York, The Carlyle

“The age of the cookie-cutter supermarket is over,” says Tesco’s UK managing director Chris Bush, in a blog post talking about its new Watford store which opened this month.

“Every store is different,” he goes on, “and serves a different local community with different tastes and needs.”

This is perhaps one of the biggest examples of a brand tailoring itself to the local area and it a strategy that brands including Starbucks, Puma and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts are also following.

“Bespoke store design helps us create excitement and diversity in each of the markets in which we operate,” says Ad de Hond, vice-president of store design and concepts at Starbucks EMEA.

The coffee chain, which has 746 stores and employs 9,000 people in the UK, wants its stores to be designed according to each location, to differentiate itself in a saturated market.

De Hond adds: “Location is a key indicator of how we design the store experience so it makes sense to the local community and customer. It’s exciting that, when shopping in one city, our customers can experience different sides of Starbucks and define where they feel most at home.”

Starbucks in London’s Mayfair, for example, uses materials with high specifications to ensure the store fits in with the surrounding area of exclusive shops, luxury hotels and restaurants. The St John’s Wood store displays the street address on the corner of the shop front and uses one colour to unify the store and integrate it into the high street.

Consumers are bored with regular advertising and switch to other brands if they can’t identify with one

This contrasts with the strategy for Starbucks’ Westfield Stratford City location which has been designed to fit into the modern and futuristic design of the architecture of the Olympic Village nearby, and includes the brand’s largest ’siren’ logo to date.

De Hond says: “Our design strategy means we apply our brand’s values and ensure relevance for each market. Our customers appreciate that newly designed Starbucks stores are intended to fit in with the local community and there are different formats that make the store experience more exciting.”

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts aims for the same effect with all its hotel locations. Although the brand has only 18 hotels in eight countries to date, with 14 more under construction, its slogan ‘a sense of place’ means each is designed from the outset to reflect its location, including the local environment and culture.

This tailored feeling is what sets properties apart from other hotel brands, claims Sonia Cheng, the group’s chief executive officer.

Cheng says: “We’re focusing on delivering experiences for our guests rather than taking the cookie-cutter approach. We target sophisticated travellers and well-travelled people, and I think they are tired of the chains, where each of the hotels are more predictable and you go into each hotel under the same brand and it looks the same.

“Today’s traveller is more savvy and sophisticated, and really values an individual experience.”

The brand is opening its first London hotel in October. This will see it take its bespoke boutique stance right through from the design of the hotel to theme of the restaurants and bars.

Rosewood London is based in an Edwardian Grade II-listed building which the brand says ‘combines English heritage with contemporary sophistication’.

For the restaurant, called The Holborn Dining Room, Rosewood is working with former Ivy head chef Des McDonald. It will be a British all-day grill restaurant and a place for local London-goers, rather than solely for the use of hotel guests.

“The way we are approaching the London hotel really sets us apart from all the other London hotels,” claims Cheng. “The way they approach it is generic and corporate, whereas our designs are inspired by stylish London residences.

”Travellers who come here will want that local experience and a taste of the local London culture rather than going to Knightsbridge or Park Lane where hotels are more commercial.”

Pret a Diner is partly funded by brand sponsors whose visual identity is implemented into the event design

Certain locations also prompt a brand to create a tailored approach according to the surroundings. Ahead of the curve is Puma, which opened its ‘twentyone’ concept store at unit 21 at Shoreditch’s pop-up mall Boxpark in December 2011. The store sees stock refreshed, as well as events and promotions take place, at 21-day intervals.

The store includes a countdown clock to let customers know when stock will be refreshed and a menu board at the entrance lists the 21 special and limited edition footwear styles available. According to Puma, it was one of the first big brands to experiment with the container retail concept.

Experience is key to the shift towards bespoke stores and brands have also seen that getting involved in tailored events is a way to get attention in places where they might not otherwise appear.

Pret a Diner describes itself as ‘not a pop-up restaurant experience’ on its website, but claims it is a dining experience established in 2004 by international food company Kofler & Kompanie.

It tours European countries and is partly funded by brand sponsors who get involved with each bespoke event. Brands get woven into the overall experience by taking elements from their visual identity and implementing them into the event design.

Lise Uduak, head of marketing at Kofler & Kompanie, says: “In Berlin this year, for example, we used a vintage-look gaming machine from Veuve Clicquot, the large ones you’d have in bars in the 1970s, but mixed that with regular champagne coolers [from the brand]. People see that and notice there’s a brand presence, but they’re not annoyed and don’t feel they are being lured into liking a certain brand.”

The concept behind the experience, which also includes local art, entertainment and culture and is open to the public, aims to offer Michelin-quality food at reasonable prices. Veuve Clicquot, Land Rover, Jaguar and Lufthansa are a few of the brands that have taken part in the dining experience which runs three to five times a year and can last from one to nine weeks.

Pret a Diner also works with social brand communication agency Native LDN to create collaborative campaigns that ensure the partnership with the sponsors is well-positioned and promoted effectively to the target audiences.

Uduak says: “As a dining experience that combines elements such as food, art, design and entertainment, and communicates both off and online, it’s interesting for brands because it covers so many interests, so you can approach and reach a big target group.”

According to Uduak, consumers cannot be approached in the same way as in the past, when engagement was solely through TV commercials, billboards or ads in magazines: they must also connect with consumers through bespoke experiences.

Uduak claims: “This is a way consumers can get a different engagement with the brand and also where the brand itself can invite business partners to see what projects they are involved in. It’s not only about a certain product or other visual identities that you normally see in commercials, but also discovering what a brand stands for.”

However, it is something that hotel brands in particular have sought out from the beginning, according to Rosewood Hotel’s president Radha Arora.

“What’s happened is that our competition has grown, going from 20 to 30 to 100 hotels. They start off in the same mindset, wanting to keep the service bespoke, with a tailored approach but they lose this along the way because as you get bigger you come up with a service standard so that everybody is consistent.”

Pret a Diner believes brands want to be relevant to the areas they are in because the element of surprise is something people are looking for.

“Consumers are bored with regular advertising and there’s a lot of competition out there,” says Uduak. “They switch to other brands if they feel they can’t identify with one anymore because it just keeps repeating itself.”

Differentiation is key in saturated markets and brand identity does not just mean a consistent approach to how your products and services are represented. People can weary of the same attempts at gaining their attention so adapting to locations brands can stand out.

Fitting in with the community

This month Tesco revamped its Tesco Extra in Watford this month to appeal and add to the community. It now includes coffee house Harris + Hoole, Giraffe, The Bakery Project and bakers Euphorium, as well as a new F+F concession. There will also be a pharmacy, opticians and a community space which local groups can book and use free of charge. On its blog the retailers UK managing director, Chris Bush, explains that as online shopping is easier the stores need to be more exciting and ‘not just places to shop, but places to spend time with family and friends and enjoy a coffee or meal’. Earlier this year Tesco also announced it would use space at its Stockton Extra branch into a leisure facility which may include a gym, a children’s play area and a day nursery.

Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters opened its Camden store at the end of last month and with the location being known for its unique, vintage stores and markets the retailer would need to fit into the surrounding. The store is located in an old cinema which was also used as a market after its closure. The Camden look and feel is achieved through rough brick walls and remnants of how the old building was used, complete with graffiti on the shutters.

A retail chain in South Korea decided to create a bespoke offering for its stores but it was not tied to a location. Working with agency Cheil-Seoul, EMart Korea created a ‘flying’ store which was a branded truck-shaped balloon equipped with a Wi-Fi router which customers could connect to for free via their mobile phones. Once connected to the Wi-Fi, shoppers could download coupons and use these immediately to buy products via the EMart mobile app, in-store sales rose by 9.5 per cent, while mobile sales more than doubled, rising by 157 per cent.

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Japanese yen up as trade war fears bite

Japanese yen daily update

Japanese yen daily update

The Japanese yen is up today thanks to fears of a trade war. The currency is strengthening against all major currencies. The yen is the strongest against the Canadian dollar, the Australian dollar and the British pound. The yen began strengthening shortly after economic adviser Gary Cohn announced his resignation. As we wrote in our US dollar daily update, Cohn was one of the few pro-free trade members of the White House. Following his resignation. Trump's proposed tariffs are looking more likely to pass. As trade wars are negative for future growth, traders are buying safe haven assets such as the Japanese yen in response. So far, the move up in the yen has been relatively limited. If Trump formally implements tariffs, expect the yen to rally even further. Turning to economic data, the leading indicator was worse than expected, suggest a weak outlook for Japanese GDP growth. Our short-term and medium-term outlook on the yen remains bullish.

USD/JPY is currently trading above 105.60. EUR/JPY is currently down and trading above 131.20.

Looking at Japanese economic data this week, we'll see Q4 GDP figures and hear from the Bank of Japan. Markit services PMIs missed expectations (51.7 vs. 52 expected). The leading economic index (104.8 vs. 106.2 expected) was below consensus estimates. On Thursday, the most important day, we'll see cross-border stock and bond investments. More importantly, we'll see Q4 GDP growth figures. We'll also see the trade balance and the Eco-Watchers survey. On Friday, we'll see inflation for January. Governor Kuroda will deliver his monetary policy statement at the upcoming BoJ meeting. No changes to interest rates are expected. Last week, manufacturing PMIs remained healthy while industrial production contracted.

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Adobe to buy stock-photo web company for $800 mln

Published: Dec 11, 2014 5:57 p.m. ET

Adobe Systems Inc. agreed to acquire privately-held stock-photography website Fotolia for roughly $800 million and reported better-than-expected earnings as well as strong growth in Creative Cloud subscriptions for the quarter ended in November.

Shares rose 7.5% to $75 in recent after-hours trading.

Fotolia company is owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. LP, TA Associates and management. When the deal closes, expected by early next year, Fotolia Chief Executive Oleg Tscheltzoff will continue to lead that group as part of Adobe's digital media business.

Adobe, which makes of Photoshop and Illustrator design software, plans to continue to operate Fotolia as a stand-alone stock service, accessible to anyone.

KKR said it made an equity investment during June 2012 to acquire a 50% stake in Fotolia, which offers royalty-free images, vector illustrations and high-definition videos, starting at less than $1 per image. Fotolia has more than 5 million members.

Adobe has been transitioning to cloud services, which generate monthly subscription revenue, and away from packaged software, which has been based on large upfront payments.

Adobe in September said it acquired privately held Aviary, a deal that gives it a developer of software development kits used to create mobile apps. Adobe expects that deal will step up its strategy to make its Creative Cloud a platform for third-party apps.

The company added 644,000 new Creative Cloud subscriptions in the latest quarter. Adobe had expected subscriber additions to surpass the 502,000 subscribers added in the previous quarter.

Adobe ended the quarter with 3.45 million paid Creative Cloud subscribers, an increase of more than 2 million subscribers from a year earlier.

The company said 66% of its revenue was from recurring sources such as Creative Cloud and Adobe Marketing Cloud in the latest period, compared with 63% in the prior quarter and 44% a year earlier.

For the period ended Nov. 28, Adobe reported a profit of $73.3 million, or 14 cents a share, up from $65.3 million, or 13 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding stock-based compensation, restructuring charges and other items, per-share earnings rose to 36 cents from 32 cents.

Revenue increased 3% to $1.073 billion.

Adobe expected per-share profit of 26 cents to 32 cents and revenue of $1.025 billion to $1.075 billion.

The company reported Adobe Marketing Cloud revenue rose to $330 million, up 4.4% from a year earlier.

Write to Tess Stynes at

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Top stories before the open Monday

Published: Mar 24, 2003 8:37 a.m. ET

U.S. at war

  • The May Brent crude contact was up $1.20 at $25.60 a barrel in London. Crude has been gaining and the dollar weakening vs. the euro, amid reports of setbacks for U.S.-led forces in Iraq over the weekend.
  • Saddam Hussein, in a televised speech Monday, said he was prepared to sacrifice everything to "humiliate" the allies. See more from CBS News
  • A U.S. defense official in Washington confirmed to Reuters that one Apache Longbow helicopter was down in Iraq. See CBS Marketwatch's full coverage
  • Fresh US-led bombing raids were launched across Iraq in an effort to flush out stubborn pockets of Iraqi resistance. See more from the Financial Times
  • A U.S. missile has hit a Syrian bus near the Iraqi-Syrian border and killed five civilians, the Syrian news agency said, the BBC reported. See more at
  • What seemed an easy ride into Nasiriya turned into a messy fight. See more from the New York Times
Pre-Open Stocks action

Dealers were positioning for a weak start in New York on Monday as Europeans stocks pulled back and the dollar weakened after U.S.-led forces in Iraq met setbacks. "This morning we see some renewed safe haven flows as illustrated by the stronger Treasuries, the negative stock market futures and the weaker U.S. dollar," Fortis Bank fixed-income strategists said Monday. Top market stocks Cisco Systems CSCO, +0.57% General Electric GE, +1.78% and Microsoft MSFT, +0.70% were each marked lower in euro trading in Frankfurt, with GE off as much as 2 percent at $27.24. Trading was thin in the pre-open, indicating some caution setting in. The "Qs" QQQ, +0.79% a tracking stock for the tech-friendly Nasdaq 100 Index, is sliding 65 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $26.52 in Instinet.

See Indications for full pre-open coverage

Global Markets

European markets were sold off heavily with Germany leading the decliners. A pullback had been anticipated after European shares stormed 20 percent since March 12, technically hitting the definition of a bull market. The euro rose above $1.06. Tokyo stocks rose, in a catch-up after the market closed Friday for a holiday.

See European Markets and London Markets and Asian Markets

Broker action

Deutsche Bank recommended overweighting broadcast stocks, due to their "solid" long-term fundamentals and "attractive" valuations.

See Internet's most complete source for analyst comments

Breaking News - See Market Pulse for breaking news

  • Shares of Altria Group MO, -0.30% were heading below late Friday's levels to $33.09, down $1.95. Late Friday, a circuit court judge in Madison County, Ill., ordered Philip Morris USA, which owned by Altria, to cough up than $10 billion in damages for deceiving smokers into thinking that the low-tar cigarettes are safer than regular brands.
  • Shares of Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML ADRs ASML, +0.17% were down 9 percent on Instinet to $7.57, reflecting the stock's 8 percent stumble on its home stock market in Amsterdam to 7.09 euro with some 2 million shares traded.
  • A AOL Time Warner AOL were down 28 cents at $11.17 in Frankfurt. The Financial Times is reporting that the media group is "exploring multiple options" to cut its debt in the case it cannot float its cable arm. AOL is hoping to raise $2-4 billion from asset sales in the coming months, with the cable IPO expected to raise most of those funds. AOL is exploring the sale of its sports teams and DVD-CD manufacturing operations and may sell its 50 percent stakes in Comedy Central and Court TV to maintain AOL' credit rating, the report said.
  • The Wall Street Journal is reporting that German delivery company Deutsche Post (555200) is in talks to buy the ground network of Seattle-based Airborne ABF, -0.13% for more than $1 billion. Terms call for DHL Worldwide Express Inc., a Deutsche Post subsidiary, to pay in the low $20s per share for Airborne.
  • France Telecom FTE, +0.60% said it will launch on Monday a 15 billion euros share capital increase at 14.50 euros per share, AFX reported. The French government will subscribe to 9 billion euros of the issue.
  • Toyota Motor TM, -0.59% on late Monday said it will spend 39.69 billion yen ($333 million) to buy back 12.4 million of its shares. The buyback will be conducted between March 6 and March 24 in Tokyo.
  • Walgreen WAG reported fiscal second-quarter net earnings of $370.9 million, or 36 cents a share, up from 32 cents a share in the year-earlier period, and in line with the average analyst estimate compiled by Multex. Net sales for the quarter ending February increased 13 percent to $8.45 billion, and comparable-store sales rose 7.7 percent.
  • Eon Labs ELAB, -0.27% announced the receipt of a letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advising the company that the bioequivalence study for Metaxalone, the generic alternative to Elan's ELN, -11.11% muscle relaxant Skelaxin, was "not acceptable." Eon said it would evaluate its options and continue efforts to bring Metaxalone to market.
  • Conexant Systems CNXT, -0.32% said it'll separate its Mindspeed Technologies Internet infrastructure business in a tax-free spin-off to shareholders. The spin-off, which is expected to be completed during the summer, will create two independent, publicly traded communications semiconductor companies. While not an initial public offering in the formal sense, the deal will result in a new public company on the American Stock Exchange.
  • Catalina Lighting CALA, +4.10% lowered its fiscal 2003 sales forecast to $200 million from $230 million, due to the softening of economic conditions, the competitive environment and the uncertain geopolitical situation. The maker and distributor of office lighting products kept its earnings outlook unchanged at 93 to 97 cents a share, however, as an improved product mix led to increased gross margins.
  • British Airways BAB, +0.07% will soon renew merger talks with Dutch rival KLM KLM, +33.33% the Independent on Sunday reported, without citing sources. Talks between the airlines broke apart in 2000. Meanwhile, BA is in.

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Quote References

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  • GE
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Our professional duct cleaners hold current Australian police check and certification in heater duct cleaning services.

Benefits of Duct Cleaning Jindivick

Over the time your duct system accumulated millions of dust particles & other pollutants may get clogged inside your ducted heating system. These dangerous foreign pollutants can causes major allergies. Our professional cleaners team’s main focus on removing all kinds of adverse dust particles from your home ducts!

  1. Cost Reduction: Uncleaned ducts use more energy, which ultimately results in higher electricity bills. Cleaning the yearly can help you save a lot and make your pocket happy.
  2. Improve Air Quality: Clean duct help in improving the air quality of the rooms and your breath fresh and germ-free air.
  3. Fewer Health Issues: Duct cleaning reduces the population of pests like rodents and other harmful particles that cause serious health issues like asthma and other breathing problems.
Residential Duct Cleaning Jindivick
Experts For Residential Duct Cleaning Jindivick

Is HVAC Duct Cleaning worth it?

Yes, absolutely HVAC Duct Cleaning worth. There are many reasons why duct cleaning becomes absolutely necessary.

  1. Ducts are infested with vermin
  2. Presence of mold growth
  3. Dust Indoor air quality
  4. Cigarette smoke smell inside your home
  5. Water Damage Or Contamination inside your duct
  6. Recent home renovation
  7. Pet hairs in your ductworks

Certified Air Duct Cleaning Technicians in Jindivick

Our central duct cleaning technicians are certified & specialists in duct sanitisation & deodorising, duct return vent cleaning, floor/ceiling ductworks cleaning services. Jindivick’s best duct cleaning company!

  1. Affordable Prices in Jindivick
  2. Award Winning Company
  3. Qualified and Experienced Duct Cleaning Technicians
  4. Mobile Onsite Home & Business Heater Duct Cleaning
  5. Specialists in Vents Duct Cleaning
  6. Dryer Duct Cleaning Specialists
  7. Our Duct Cleaners holds police check
  8. Full public liability insurance
  9. Fresh Air Duct Guaranteed
Home Duct Cleaning Jindivick
Duct Cleaning Jindivick

Commercial v/s Residential Duct Cleaning Services

There is a substantial difference between commercial ducts and residential ducts. Owing to this difference, the cost of maintenance also varies as commercial air ducts are usually more expensive and bigger in size. On an average, the cost of cleaning residential ducts can range from $27 per vent. Commercial spaces usually require an estimation of the space before actual quotation of price. A commercial cleaning project can usually cost around $27 per vent.

Before After Duct Cleaning Jindivick
Before After Duct Cleaning Services Jindivick

All types of ducted heating cleaning services

Our ducted heater cleaners are expert in cleaning all kinds of ducted heating cleaning services in Jindivick. Some of them are listed below.

  • Forced Air Heating and Cooling System Cleaning
  • Radiant Heating System Cleaning
  • Hydronic Heating Cleaning
  • Hot Water Baseboard Heating System Cleaning
  • Steam Radiant Heating System Cleaning
  • Geothermal Ducted Heating Cleaning
  • Split Systems Cleaning
  • Gas heaters Cleaning
  • Reverse-cycle air conditioners Cleaning
  • Ducted Reverse Cycled System Cleaning
  • Underfloor Heating Ductworks Cleaning
  • Ducted Gas Central Heating Cleaning

We help you live better and healthy by making your ducts cleaner and hygienic!

Our Duct Cleaning Services Jindivick

Our duct cleaning technicians are available in eastern, western, northern & southern suburbs of Jindivick.

Marks Duct Cleaning Rodent Inside home Duct
Marks Duct Cleaning Rodent Inside home Duct
  • Air duct cleaning
  • Animal intrusion removal
  • Heating duct system cleaning
  • Central ducted heating cleaning
  • Ducted reverse cycle air conditioning cleaning
  • Evaporative cooling duct Cleaning
  • Duct repairs
  • Gas heated duct cleaning
  • Kitchen exhaust cleaning
  • Dryer duct cleaning
  • Carbon Monoxide testing
  • Underfloor ducts cleaning
  • Vent register cleaning
  • Duct heating unit cleaning
  • Residential gas duct cleaning
  • Return air duct cleaning
  • Replace ducted air conditioning unit
  • Duct deodorising & sanitising using Tee Tree Oil
  • Commercial Duct Cleaning

How Often Should You Clean Air Duct Vent?

We recommend having your duct cleaned by professional once a year. Air ducts if not cleaned for a long time can be the source of Carbon Monoxide, which definitely is very dangerous for your health. Dirty air duct system can cause lots of other health-related issues. So if you have not considered cleaning the ducts, do it now. Who can help you get it done? Marks Duct Cleaning Jindivick!

We are specialists in cleaning all kinds of ducts across Jindivick including cooling and heating devices, exhaust cleaning, underfloor heating ducts, residential gas duct cleaning, heating duct vents cleaning, ducted cooler cleaning. Using most effective & reliable duct cleaning methods we improve duct air flow & save on electricity bills. Call on 0410 453 896 for same day home duct cleaning services!

Air Duct Vent Cleaned Jindivick
Air Duct Vent Cleaned Jindivick

Marks Duct Cleaners Handle All Types of Duct Cleaning

The professional team of Marks Duct Cleaning is highly experienced and has worked in all types of premises including commercial, residential and industrial. With advanced skills and tools, our technicians also offer tailor-made duct cleaning services in Jindivick. Some of the major services and their benefits are:

  • Heating duct cleaning: Heating duct cleaning eats up less energy will ultimately help reducing energy bills.
  • Dryer vent cleaning: Dryer duct cleaning reduces the risk of a house fire. Also, a clean dryer will last longer and need fewer repairs.
  • HVAC Cleaning: Timely cleaning of HVAC systems include improved indoor air quality and fewer energy bills.
  • Extractor cleaning: Having extractor cleaned reduces the risk of fire in the home that leads to a safe environment.
  • Bathroom exhaust cleaning: Bathroom and toilet exhaust cleaning benefits by eliminating reduced humidity along with reduced risk of mould growth.
  • Air conditioning duct cleaning: Air conditioning duct cleaning ensures proper ventilation and regulation of fresh air inside the home.

How We Perform Duct Cleaning?

We stick to a consistent duct cleaning process to deliver excellence every time the process is as follows:

  • Duct Inspection – We inspect the duct to be cleaned in great detail.
  • Air Ducted Heating Cleaning Preparation – We bring truck mount machines from where vacuum lines with protective cloth pieces are laid down leading to the duct.
  • Duct Vacuuming – We vacuum the ducts to remove solid particles and get rid of major debris.
  • Ductwork Cleaning – We use rotobrush with nylon brush for air duct cleaning. The ductwork and the air handling unit are cleaned using advanced rotary brushes & other tools.
  • Fault Checking – We check for any kinds of damages in the duct that need repairing. We are capable of undertaking all kinds of duct repair work.
  • Duct Sanitising – Duct sanitisation is an essential part of our duct cleaning process.
  • Duct Report – We understand how important it is for the customer to see what has been done. Along with that, we will give you a detailed report for the job.

Ducted Heating Cleaning Jindivick

Watch our Youtube video of duct cleaning technicians performing duct cleaning. Inside CCTV Camera footage of our ducted heating cleaning process.

Our Residential Duct Cleaning Prices in Jindivick

Number of Vents Sanitisaton Deodrisatoin Return Vent Clean
6 Floor or Ceiling Vent Cleaned $75 $179 $199
7 Floor or Ceiling Vent Cleaned $205 $233 $199
8 Floor or Ceiling Vent Cleaned $199 $229 $235
10 Floor or Ceiling Vent Cleaned $210 $248 $255
12 Floor or Ceiling Vent Cleaned $250 $270 $275

*The minimum for the ducted heating cleaning service is $195

Complete Solution for Air Duct Cleaning

We offer most professional Air Ducted Heating Cleaning Services in Jindivick. Our central Duct Cleaning Jindivick technicians are specialists in duct sanitisation & deodorising, return vent cleaning, floor/ceiling ductworks cleaning services. We clean all ducts components

  1. Duct Air Filter Cleaning
  2. Heater Exchanger Cleaning
  3. Duct Grills Cleaning
  4. Duct Drain Pan Cleaning
  5. Air Duct Plenum Cleaning
  6. Breaking & loosen the duct Contaminants
  7. Vacuum out duct contaminates
  8. ANTIMICROBIAL Chemical Treatments
  9. Duct Sanitizers, disinfectants and deodorizers
Professional Duct Cleaning Jindivick
Professional Duct Cleaning Jindivick

What to Expect From an Air Duct Cleaning Service Provider

Please make sure after your hire a professional duct cleaning company, except the following outcome.

  1. Duct Sealing to make sure rodents and pests stay away
  2. Make sure all system is thoroughly cleaned
  3. Take Before & after photos to confirm promised is delivered
  4. Turn on entire duct system see if air quality as has improved
  5. Protect carpet and furniture while cleaning your home ducts
  6. No damage to ductwork
  7. Use the Australian Standards & Equipment
Air Duct Cleaning Jindivick
Air Duct Cleaning Jindivick

Heating Duct Cleaning Jindivick

Your heating ducts are responsible for keeping your homes warm in winters and your loved ones safe with quality indoor air. We deliver quality heating duct cleaning service that includes cleaning of air vents and return air outlet. Our services deliver cleaner heating ducts with fresher air and lesser energy consumption.

  • High-end heating duct cleaning results
  • Affordable duct cleaning services
  • Energy efficient home
  • Reduced power bills
  • Same day duct cleaning services

Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Jindivick

Our range of duct cleaning services includes kitchen exhaust cleaning which involves the removal of accumulated dirt, grease, oil and other pollutants from kitchen ducts and exhaust vents. Uncleaned kitchen exhaust has proved to be fire hazard and can lead to a major loss of belongings and lives. Hence, it is important you hire professionals for kitchen exhaust cleaning at least once a year. And we at Marks Duct Cleaning offer the best services both residential and commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning at amazingly affordable prices.

Dryer Duct Cleaning Jindivick

Clogged dryers are dangerous, even fatal. Marks Duct Cleaning Jindivick offers you affordable dryer duct cleaning service that enhances dryer’s efficiency, saves energy consumption costs, avoids fire hazards, and saves you from dryer replacement cost. Hence, it is very important to get your dryer duct cleaned on time.

  • Multiplied efficiency of your dryer
  • Reduction in cost of electricity bills
  • Minimized risk of fire hazards
  • Extended life of your dryer ducts
  • Complete removal of dirt and debris from dryer ducts

Duct heating Unit Service Jindivick

Marks Duct Cleaning does not only offers duct cleaning services but also can repair and service your ducts. WIth the years of experience in the field and best technology, our technicians deliver you the desired results for duct cleaning and duct servicing Jindivick. Our quality services help your homes stay safe from the attack of brewing summers and chilling winters in Jindivick. When you notice your ducted heating unit is not warming the home as it used to, your units probably need services. So, contact us today and get the best services for duct unit services.

Evaporative Cooling Service Jindivick

Our other major service includes evaporative cooling unit service. There could be a number of factors affecting the cooling in the home. And to rectify the causes, you need to hire professionals for evaporative cooling service. If you have noticed that the system is not able to keep your home cool and comfortable like before, it is important you hire duct inspection services. Call us now on our toll-free number and book us for the same day service.

Coil Cleaning Jindivick

Regular coil cleaning is an essential step in deducting the cost of your cooling bills. With the regular use dirt, grime, and contaminants build up onto your condenser coils. And debris buildup onto your coils lowers the functioning of your cooling system that ends up in reduced efficiency and increased energy bills. Uncleaned coils can also lead to increased pressure and temperature of the operating unit and wear and tear of the unit due to increased load. If you want to take special care of your cooling systems, coil cleaning is a necessary thing to do.

Removal of Animal Droppings and Intrusion

Animal intrusion and their droppings are a major reason behind damaged and defective ducts in the home. Mostly during the chilling winters, animals and rodents like rats, mice and possums intrude into your duct system to seek warmth. And many times, due to the inability to come out of the ducts they die inside. Dead bodies and droppings of these animals cause bad odours and a number of health issues around the home. Thus, the removal of animals and their droppings become necessary, to maintain a healthy environment in the home.

Commercial Duct Cleaning Jindivick

Our cleaners at Marks Duct Cleaning Jindivick have the required expertise to provide exceptional duct cleaning for commercial buildings too. Blockages in duct systems or animal intrusion can lead to fatal incidents at your workplace. For complete peace of mind and the safety of your employees, hire our professional duct cleaners today.

  • Cost-effective commercial duct cleaning
  • Reduced health risks at the workplace
  • Removal of intruded animals in the duct
  • Fresh and healthy environment
  • Duct sanitisation after duct cleaning

Evaporative Cooling Duct Cleaning Jindivick

If you ignore cleaning evaporative cooling duct for a long time, this can become the reason of illness and disease in the home. Definitely, you won’t want this to happen. Therefore, it is important to have your ducts cleaning by professionals. The benefits of evaporative cooling ducts cleaning are improved efficiency of evaporative duct systems, elimination of mould, dirt and other contaminants present in your duct, and prevention of health issued caused by uncleaned duct systems.

  • Removal of unpleasant odours
  • Reduced allergens and pollutants around the premise
  • Reduced allergies and breathing problems
  • Removal of mould growth inside the duct

Duct Repair Jindivick

Besides cleaned all kinds of ducts, we also offer duct repairing services. We are capable of handling all kinds of the duct. The flexible and insulating material inside the duct tunnel can have cracks, or animal intrusion can also be the reason behind the defect in the ducts. No matter what the reason is, our technicians can repair it. Whether it is a ducted heating system, evaporative cooling system, HVAC system, or air conditioning, we can do it call.

  • Duct inspection Jindivick
  • All types of duct repairing services
  • Best results for duct repairing
  • An efficient team of duct repairing technicians
  • Guaranteed customer satisfaction

Heater Duct Cleaning Cost in Jindivick

Many ducted heating cleaning companies offer you low cost of ductworks cleaning including return vent motor cleaning. Their duct cleaning specialists increase prices. Marks Duct Cleaning’s prices are fair and you do not have to pay any hidden charges if you don’t opt for any additional service. On an average, the professional duct system cleaning cost in Jindivick is around $27 per duct vent cleaning.

Duct Cleaning Jindivick
Duct Cleaning Jindivick

Why Choose Marks Duct Cleaning Jindivick?

There are many reasons why our customers live to choose Marks Duct Cleaning Jindivick. Few of the are listed below

  • Same day service
  • Ceiling ducted heating & cooling system
  • Reliable & qualified technicians.
  • Our duct cleaners have certification from NADCA (National Air Duct Cleaners Association).
  • Over 2 million dollars public liability insurance.
  • 100% customer satisfaction guarantee.
  • Open 7 days 24 hours bookings lines open.
  • FREE quotations over the phone.
  • Highly trained booking staff.
  • Latest duct cleaning technology.
  • 5 Star reviews for duct cleaning.
  • Easy payment options.
  • Lowest prices with no hidden charges
  • Best duct cleaning service in Jindivick.
  • Fast & effective duct cleaning solutions.
  • Professional duct cleaners network on Linkedin

A healthy life is a necessity, not a luxury. Switch to healthy indoor air by opting for our duct cleaning solutions. Call Marks Duct Cleaning Jindivick for a free quote!

Location: Jindivick, VIC, Australia

Customer’s Reviews

Best Duct Cleaning Now Breathe Cleaner Indoor Air

5 5 1
I am Tyson Tau very happy with Mark's Duct Cleaning quality. We had lots of dusty air was coming through our vents. These guys professionally cleaned our ducts and no more smell or dust in air

”Result-oriented Duct Cleaning Services”

Duct Cleaning
5 5 1
Marks Duct Cleaning commits to provide extreme quality workmanship in duct cleaning to their clients. You will find a various duct cleaning service provider in Melbourne but not every one of them is effective enough to clean the ducts. However, Marks Duct Cleaning is totally different. They know exactly how to clean the ducts and uses an effective cleaning solution to remove any kind of bacteria, germs, allergens, and all sorts of pollutants completely from your duct. They deliver an excellent result to their customers. I found the Marks Duct Cleaning as the best in the market and would highly recommend them.

”Reputed Company”

Duct Cleaning
5 5 1
Marks Duct Cleaning is the reputed duct cleaning company of Melbourne. Get hands-on Marks Duct Cleaning for all your duct cleaning and duct repairing needs. I tried out their service and got full satisfaction. They are perfect in every sense. They have highly professional staff who are even friendly and helpful to their clients. The team of professionals did a great duct cleaning job at my place. I am really happy to receive great duct cleaning service from the team of Marks Duct Cleaning. They are even affordable. And the best thing is they guarantee on their services. Marks Duct Cleaning is highly recommendable to everyone.

”Great Pricing”

Duct Cleaning
5 5 1
We called Marks Duct Cleaning to repair our duct which was not working properly. They came up with the best solution to repair our duct. The team have proper knowledge about the ducts and can solve any kind of problems related to the duct. They are very professional in approach. Apart from being professional, friendly, and thorough, they also made sure that they don’t create a lot of disturbance while they are working. I am really impressed by their service. Thank you so much Marks Duct Cleaning for your great service. I would definitely like to recommend their services to all my friends and family.

The best Duct Repair Service Providers in Melbourne

Duct Repair
5 5 1
I am pleased with the services that I received by the professionals of Marks Duct Cleaning. There was some problem in my duct that I was not sure about. So, I called their technicians to inspection and solve the issues occurring inside my duct work. Their professionals arrived at the given time and carried out my duct repairing task to perfection at amazing prices. I’ll hire them in future.

Excellent service for duct repairs

Duct Repair
5 5 1
I booked Marks Duct Cleaning and they appeared on the exact timing when the appointment was scheduled for. The experience was really fantastic, they completed the cleaning on the same day. I am really satisfied with their services and will book again in future.

”Emergency Service”

Duct Cleaning
5 5 1
I was looking for a company who can give an emergency duct cleaning service to me. After a lot of struggle, I finally found Marks Duct Cleaning. So I called up the team immediately. The team was on time. They offered a quick duct repair service and didn’t charge much for it. It was a reasonable price and I was satisfied with the service as my duct is working fine now. From the time I requested a quote till the end of the service provided, the team was very professional. Thank you so much Marks Duct Cleaning for helping me out in emergency case.

Amazing Services for Duct Cleaning

5 5 1
I was noticing dust particles in the air across the home for last few days, and the kids were having the problems in breathing. There were stale odours as well. I took the signs and decided to hire the professionals for my duct cleaning. I have heard a lot of Marks Duct Cleaning from my friends and close ones, thus I thought to give them a try. On calling them for the booking in the morning, they said can clean my house ducts on the same days as well. I was glad to hear that as it was the weekend. They actually appeared on time, and after a thorough inspection, they cleaned the ducts. And they also deodorise the ducts using tea tree oil. Great work in reasonable prices.

”Great Job”

Duct Cleaning
5 5 1
We've had other duct cleaning over the years and, they don't compare to this service. Marks Duct Cleaning gives amazing service which is really commendable. I called them to clean my ducts after a large renovation. The team arrived on time as scheduled. They were friendly, knowledgeable and answered all the questions I had. They did a fantastic job. Thank you so much for providing me with your great service. I suggest everyone, try this company for all your duct cleaning. You will definitely like them.

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Microsoft infrastructure architecture considerations: part 2 (remote offices)

Continuing from my earlier post which sets the scene for a series of posts on the architectural considerations for designing a predominantly-Microsoft IT infrastructure, in this post, I’ll look at some of the considerations for remote offices.

Geographically dispersed organisations face a number of challenges in order to support remote offices including: WAN performance/reliability; provisioning new services/applications/servers; management; remote user support; user experience; data security; space; and cost.

One approach that can help with some (not all) of these concerns is placing a domain controller (DC) in each remote location; but this has been problematic until recently because it increases the overall number of servers (it’s not advisable to co-locate other services on a domain controller because administration can’t be delegated to a local administrator on a domain controller and the number of Domain Admins should be kept to a minimum) and it’s a security risk (physical access to the domain controller computer makes a potential hacker’s job so much simpler). For that reason, Microsoft introduced read only domain controllers (RODCs) in Windows Server 2008.

There are still some considerations as to whether this is the appropriate solution though. Benefits include:

  • Administrative role separation.
  • Faster logon times (improved access to data).
  • Isolated corruption area.
  • Improved security.

whilst other considerations and potential impacts include:

  • The need for a schema update.
  • Careful RODC placement.
  • Impact on directory-enabled applications.
  • Possibility of site topology design changes.

Regardless of whether a remote office DC (either using the RODC capabilities or as a full DC) is deployed, then server sprawl (through the introduction of branch office servers for a variety of purposes) can be combatted with the concept of a branch “appliance” – not in the true sense of a piece of dedicated hardware runnings an operating system and application that is heavily customised to meet the needs of a specific service – but by applying appliance principles to server design and running multiple workloads in a manner that allows for self-management and healing.

The first step is to virtualise the workloads. Hyper-V is built into Windows Server 2008 and the licensing model supports virtualisation at no additional cost. Using the server core installation option, the appliance (physical host) management burden is reduced with a smaller attack surface and reduced patching. Multiple workloads may be consolidated onto a single physical host (increasing utilisation and removing end-of-life hardware) but there are some downsides too:

  • There’s an additional server to manage (the parent/host partition) and child/guest partitions will still require management but tools like System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) can assist (particularly when combined with other System Center products).
  • A good business continuity plan is required – the branch office “appliance” becomes a single point of failure and it’s important to minimise the impact of this.
  • IT staff skills need to be updated to manage server core and virtualisation technologies.

So, what about the workloads on the branch office “appliance”? First up is the domain controller role (RODC or full DC) and this can be run as a virtual machine or as an additional role on the host. Which is “best” is entirely down to preference – running the DC alongside Hyper-V on the physical hardware means there is one less virtual machine to manage and operate (multiplied by the number of remote sites) but running it in a VM allows the DC to be “sandboxed”. One important consideration is licensing – if Windows Server 2008 standard edition is in use (which includes one virtual operating system environment, rather than enterprise edition’s four, or datacenter edition’s unlimited virtualisation rights) then running the DC on the host saves a license – and there is still some administrative role separation as the DC and virtualisation host will probably be managed centrally, with a local administrator taking some responsibility for the other workloads (such as file services).

That leads on to a common workload – file services. A local file server offers a good user experience but is often difficult to back up and manage. One solution is to implement DFS-R in a hub and spoke arrangement and to keep the backup responsibility data centre. If the remote file server fails, then replication can be used to restore from a central server. Of course, DFS-R is not always idea for replicating large volumes of data; however the DFS arrangement allows users to view local and remote data as though it were physically stored a single location and there have been a number of improvements in Windows Server 2008 DFS-R (cf. Windows Server 2003 R2). In addition, SMB 2.0 is less “chatty” than previous implementations, allowing for performance benefits when using a Windows Vista client with a Windows Server 2008 server.

Using these methods, it should be possible to avoid remote file server backups and remote DCs should not need to be backed up either (Active Directory is a multi-master replicated database so it has an inherent disaster recovery capability). All that’s required is some method of rebuilding a failed physical server – and the options there will depend on the available bandwidth. My personal preference is to use BITS to ensure that the remote server always holds a copy of the latest build image on a separate disk drive and then to use this to rebuild a failed server with the minimum of administrator intervention or WAN traffic.

In the next post in these series, I’ll take a look at some of the considerations for using network access protection to manage devices that are not compliant with the organisation’s security policies.

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• Pyranha

Pyranha Jed

Demo available in our Reading store

The Jed isn't like the others; it's longer than its competitors, which allows for a more fluid distribution of volume and comparatively slicy ends for easier trick initiation. Extra length also makes the Jed faster on a wave and smoother on end in a hole.

A unique 'V-Chine' in the hull at the stern frees up the back end for spins and edge transitions while surfing, and also adds to the dynamic speed on a wave. Smooth transition of volume to the core of the boat produces some incredible pop in a hole and the deceptively smooth lines over all give an obscenely fast and aggressive ride on any wave.

Over the past few years Pyranha has seen some amazing displays of freestyle talent from paddlers using the Jed, ranging from competition wins to new and exciting combo moves, but what we're most proud of is the doors that the Jed has opened to everyone in Freestyle; from the Pro looking to push the boundaries of the sport to the beginner looking to hit their first vertical ends.

The Jed is our best and most proven freestyle design, and it's not done yet!

Full Progressive Rocker
Gives a really fast, loose hull

V Hull In The Stern
Loosens up the stern for easy edge to edge transitions.

Super Slicy Bow and Stern
Makes for smooth initiation of vertical moves.

Core Volume Distribution
Gives maximum pop.

Helps prevent deck implosion and volume loss giving maximum pop for aerial moves.

Anodised Bow & Stern Rescue
Pyranha Connect rescue points, made by UK climbing specialist DMM who manufacture our security bars with the same process that has held them at the forefront of the climbing market for years.

Connect Grab Handles
All our grab handles are made using climbing grade webbing, as we only want webbing that you could trust in a climbing harness in our kayaks.

Stout Seat
Longer, more ergonomically shaped seat pan provides a 3 way adjustable system that gives a bomb proof seating position.

Length175cm / 5' 9"180cm / 5' 11"186cm / 6' 1"
Width63cm / 24.7"65cm / 25.5"67cm / 26.5"
External Cockpit Length86cm / 34"86cm / 34"86cm / 34"
External Cockpit Width48cm / 18.7"48cm / 18.7"48cm / 18.7"
Volume178l / 47gal (US)208l / 55gal (US)235l / 62gal (US)
Hatch VolumeN/AN/AN/A
Weight13kg / 28.5lb13.5kg / 30lb14kg / 31lb
Optimum Paddler Weight40 - 70kg / 88 - 154lb55 - 90kg / 121 - 198lb80 - 110kg / 176 - 243lb
Orange SodaBlue CrushPink Fizz [Limited Edition]

Please note delivery NOT included on this item. Please contact us for a quote for delivery, or collect from our Reading store

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