Mike A

Sorry in advance for the verbosity. I consider myself an enthusiast rather than an afficionado although I’m sure that’s my damage rather than Webster’s.   A close friend of mine told me years ago that if a cigar is well constructed and burns well, everything else is personal taste. I believe he’s right. Nothing wrong with the offerings from the big companies like General (Macanudo, Punch, etc.) and Altadis (Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, etc.), but I tend to gravitate toward the smaller / boutique manufacturers (Oliva, Padron, Tatuaje).   At the risk of getting on a soap box, I try to support the brick and mortar cigar shops over the e-tailers. I don’t want to tell anyone how to spend their money but I think I could write a longer post than most would want to read about the parallels between the brick and mortar cigar shop and the local gun store. I suspect a lot of us at times pay a premium to do business with the local gun store because we appreciate the value they add beyond the goods purchased and we want to support businesses we’d miss if they went away. I feel the same way about the brick and mortar cigar shops.   The sales folks at a good cigar shop help the cigar enthusiasts (especially the newbies) navigate the plethora of product out there. Most cigar shops have a lounge where you can smoke indoors. Tennessee isn’t at least as of yet as restrictive as other states (e.g., California, most of the northeastern states) but smoking isn’t exactly politically correct and finding a public place to smoke indoors isn’t as easy as it was a few years ago.   As for the premium paid to do business with the local cigar shop, I’d suggest it’s not as large as some might think. Granted you can save some scratch on low end (and no I don’t mean to sound like a snob with that term) premiums made primarily, if not exclusively, for e-tail but when you move up a little in price point the difference shrinks considerably. When you factor in that most shops offer some type of loyalty program (e.g., discounts for locker members) and run at least occasional specials (e.g., deals at vendor events) the difference shrinks even more.   We’re lucky in middle Tennessee that we have a number of good shops. I realize this when I travel. Not meaning any slight by the exclusion of the other fine shops in the area but I personally frequent Big Star Cigar (Mt. Juliet), Uptown’s (Green Hills) and Smokey Cigar (Hendersonville). If you’re in Chattanooga, both Burn’s locations are great (downtown and east).

Thanks for the intel.  I'm not really shopping for anything.  Really looking for more of a brief afternoon diversion and didn't want to fight record setting crowds.

Anyone made it out today?  How's the crowd?

We've purchased a couple of mattresses at Sleepwell Mattress Outlet and been pleased with the value.  First one was on the cheap (because that was what we could afford) and while it didn't last forever, considering the price, I felt like we got our moneys worth.  (For what it's worth the wife and I are not height / weight proportionate and thus hard on a mattress.)  Second time we spent more and it's holding up better.  IMHO, while not always a perfect correlation and I assume there is some point of diminishing returns, I think you typically get what you pay for with mattresses. 

Mine's not stainless but otherwise my exact sentiments.

I've had one for about a year.  My overall opinion is that it's a good pistol for the price point.    When I first got it I ran a fair variety of ammunition (all 115 gr FMJ), even non-brass, through it and it ate everything.  I decided I wanted a bigger caliber for carry and can't say how it acts with hollow points.  I've read that the stock sights were designed for 124 gr and that they tend to shoot low with 115 gr and that was consistent with my experience.  Easy to field strip and reassemble.  A notch more difficult than a Glock but definitely easier than say a typical 1911.  Important for me as I'm not at all mechanically inclined.  The recoil's not too bad for a light gun and unless your wife has wrist problems (as does mine) I suspect she'll be fine with it.     The trigger is really the only nit I might pick.  The trigger is a bit heavy (which doesn't particularly bother me).  The larger issue to me is the length of the trigger pull.  Until I got into the rhythm it sometimes seemed like I was pulling forever and then finally it went bang.  To each his own.    Hope she likes it.