Christmas

From all the Dads here at Dad's Choice to all the Dads (and mums and kids and grandparents and everyone else) we wish you a safe and enjoyable Christmas and look forward to bringing you more great reviews in 2011.
Dad Rating

Mark
Ho Ho Ho!

Stevo
Have a great festive break.

Simon
and a safe New Year

Ranga
Merry christmas!

The Dad's Choice Awards 2010

Dad's Choice sees a lot of products and businesses - some are rubbish, some are good and some are outstanding. To recognise those which are outstanding, our panel of dads have decided to give out our very own Dad's Choice Awards to those who we feel have really gone above and beyond in 2010.

So, without further ado, this year (as they say) the 2010 Dad's Choice Awards go to:-

2010 Dad's Choice Best Product Award

The 2010 Dad's Choice Best Product Award goes to a product that has shown outstanding toughness during our field trials and great value for money, two traits that we dads know are essential in so many things at work and around the house. This year the award goes to:

 

Mitsubishi Triton Twin Cab Ute

All dads know that the big expense of buying a car makes for a difficult decision, and justifying buying a big new four wheel drive is even harder. However the Mitsubishi Triton Twin Cab Ute offers suburb driving experience and safety combined with comfort for the whole family. Whether its work or recreation, the Triton Ute stands out. Congratulations Mitsubishi Motors Australia.

2010 Dad's Choice Best Service Award

The 2010 Dad's Choice Best Service Award goes to a business which not just delivers on what it promises but goes that extra mile to ensure that dad's day is enjoyable and hassle free. This year the award goes to:

Portobello By The Sea Resort, Caloundra Qld

With a great location just 1 minute walk to the shops and 2 minutes walk to the beach and a beautiful pool ideal for lounging around and watching the kids, Portobello by the Sea Resort in Caloundra, Qld would be idylic as it is, but the extra mile the onsite managers go to, to ensure your stay is relaxing and enjoyable and to keep the resort spotless entitles it to this years award. Congratulations Portobello by the Sea, Dicky Beach.

2010 Dad's Choice Best Website Award

Between us, the dads in our panel visit a lot of websites for work, family affairs and pleasure and while many are "ok", too many still infuriate with errors, confusing navigation, out of date or unhelpful information or unresponsive staff. Thankfully a couple do stand out in terms of user friendliness and usefullness and this year's award goes to one of our favourites. This year, the Dad's Choice Best Website Award goes to:



VetShopAustralia.com.au Discount Pet Supplies

Often the responsibility for the family pet falls on dad, and VetShopAustralia, with its low priced pet supplies and its easy to use navigation, makes taking care of the family dog or cat just that little bit easier. Dr Mark and his team are a delight to deal with by phone or email, and they are always willing to do that little bit extra. Congratulations VetShopAustralia.com.au
Congratulations to all our winners. We look forward to bringing you more great Dad's Choice reviews in 2011.

RetailMeNot.com - Online discount coupons

RetailMeNot.com is a great site. This Australian idea has literally hundreds of thousands of discount coupons and specials for websites. Coupons not just for American and international websites but also leading Australian retailers like Virgin Blue, Ugg Australia, Dell.com.au and VetShopAustralia.
Dad Rating

Mark
I search it before I shop online!

Simon
Lots of coupons for Aussie online retailers.

FishMax - the Australian Online Fishing Magazine

As far as online fishing magazines go, we read a few but the only one we really come back to regularly is FishMax.  FishMax has the right mix of fishing tips, product reviews and funny stuff, and we particularly like all the fishing freebies.

other fishing magazines either seem to be written just to sell advertising or interview only professional fishermen on highly technical stuff that's more than we can understand. That's why we keep coming back to Fishmax.

Dad Rating

Mark
I like the celebrity fishing interview. Haydo, Barnsy and the rest.
Simon
FishMax got me out fishing with the kids!

Desensitisation CD for Dogs with Noise Fears

I don't know if it's a problem that's more widespread than you might think, but a couple of us had problems with our dogs getting terrified of thunderstorms. It appears that lots of dogs just don't like the sound of thunder and maybe atmospheric issues are also to blame.

Anyway we got hold of a great dog desensitisation CD which as really helped. This CD is not just recordings of thunderstorms and other lound noises, but also a step by step guide to progressive desenstisation of dogs scared of loud noises.

Its available at speciality retailers and online at Cafepress.com and VetShopAustralia.com.au


Dad Rating

Stevo
Many Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are scared of storms. This helped alot.
Simon
Takes work but this dog desenstization CD really worked.

Funny Stuff on the Web

We firmly believe that one of the reasons the internet was invented for was to send jokes to each other.

Whether its funny pictures, blooper videos, jokes or those damn singing horses, we love funny stuff on the web.

Dad Rating

Stevo
I enjoy the regular friday giggle

Simon
The guys who invented youtube should get a nobel prize

Mark
A laugh a day keeps the Dr away.

Portobello by the Sea Dicky Beach, Caloundra, Queensland

With a beautiful swimming pool and bbq area that's protected from the wind, its easy to kick back and relax knowing the kids are having fun and you don't have to move from the deck chair at Portobello Appartments at the Sunshine Coast Qld's Dicky Beach.

With just 60 appartments the pool is never crowded and you can always get the barbie when you want it. The fact that our 4 families could wonder between appartments without getting lost or having to cross any roads, and the beach was just a short stroll away was a real selling point for us. Make sure you ask onsite managers Pia, Rosa, Lance and Frank to try and put you in one of the beach side 2 bedroom appartments, or, if you have a large family, one of the 3 bedroom appartments.

Check out the Dicky Beach Surf Club just 2 minutes stroll away for a fantastic feed.

Portobello By The Sea 6 Beerburrum St Dicky Beach, Caloundra Queensland, 4551 Australia

Resident Managers Frank & Rosa Collins Lance & Pia Rule Ph: (07) 5491 9038

Portobello By The Sea
6 Beerburrum St
Dicky Beach, Caloundra
Queensland, 4551
Australia

Resident ManagersFrank & Rosa Collins
Lance & Pia Rule
Ph: (07) 5491 9038

http://www.portobellobythesea.com.au/


Dad Rating

Mark
There's a bottleshop down stairs and a fish and chip shop next door!
Stevo
Great place to sit down and relax.

MattPerfect Caloundra Sunshine Coast holiday

Power Balance Wrist Bands

It seems that everywhere you go, you see someone wearing a rubber band on thier wrist - that's fine if it's to support a cause or for fundraising, but lately we are seeing a lot of something called a Power Balance Wrist Band which makes all sorts of claims about improving balance, strength and flexibility.

Thing is, when we went looking, we couldn't find a shred of scientific evidence supporting the claims and heaps of information on the website which expose them as a scam. At almost $60 for a cheap rubber ring.

Dad Rating

Stevo
A rip off for sure

Mark
keep away from these things!

Qantas out of Sydney Airport

How can an airline be so consistantly late out of an airport? Has anyone ever got a flight on Qantas out of Sydney airport that left on time?

We don't seem to suffer the same consistant delays when flying other airlines out of Sydney or out of other airports.

Dad Rating

Stevo
Can I bill Qantas for the extra parking charges I incur?

Mark
It's really just getting silly now

Kong Dog Toys

If you've got a dog you know that they can pretty much chew through anything especially if its something with a strong bite like a staffy.

Well our dogs love their Kong Toys and they're the toughest dog toy we've found.

Made in the USA, but available here in Australia  prices start from just $19 online.

Available at leading retailers and online pet stores (our favourite is VetShopAustralia).

Dad Rating

Mark
If a staffy can't destroy them, nothing can!

Stevo
Fill  it with peanut butter to keep the doggies occupied.

Simon
The black is the best :)

VetShopAustralia.com.au - Discount Pet Supplies

VetShopAustralia.com.au is an Australian owned, family owned, vet owned business selling cheap pet supplies online. It was the first Australian business to start selling discount pet products online and has won numerous prizes, including Australian Online Retailer of the Year in 2009.

If you're looking for discount Frontline Plus, Revolution, Advantage, Drontal and heartgard or other cheap flea control or worming brands for your dog and cat, then check out VetShopAustralia.com.au

Dad Rating

Ranga
Great website. Low priced pet stuff!

Simon
Cheap stuff for my dog so I'm happy.

Sushi Train

Our kids love Sushi Train and there is no doubt that this is a (more or less) healthy fast food lunch that parents and kids can enjoy.

Start them off with something simple like Tuna Salad or Teriyaki Chicken, and soon enough they'll become more adventurous.

20 Locations in Australia - find them here.

Dad Rating

Stevo
Give mum a break and take the kids to Sushi Train

Mark
Good fast option and seen as a treat by the kids

Sizzlers Restaurants

How disappointing can a meal be? Sizzler is apparently popular right now with the younger primary school kids so we sucumbed to taking a few of the kids to try it out, not having been there ourselves since starving uni student days.

The minute we walked in the door we remembered why. Lousy staff, high prices and mediocre food.  And the bill at the end was rediculously high given that we only drank softdrink and a couple of the kids just had the salad bar.

Dad Rating

Simon
Dreadful. Visit the local chinese instead.

Stevo
Hard to believe that Sizzler restaurants have survived this long, and why on earth its popular with the kids is beyond me.

Mitsubishi Triton Twin Cab Ute

Overlander Magazine 4WD of the Year - What more can we say.

The Mitsubishi Triton Duel Cab Ute drives almost like mum's SUV thanks to ABS and traction control and nothing is easier for a day out with the family.

With Mitsubishi All Terrain Technology, 3 tonne towing, the Double Cab Long Bed plus a range of bodystyles in 4x2 and 4x4 and the new GLX Club Cab model available there is a Mitsubishi Triton Twin Cab ute to suit any family.

You can read all the specs and details here.

Dad Rating

Stevo

The back seat is always full of kids and the tray is always full of fishing stuff.

Mark
Heaps of room for the family and the golf clubs

Ranga
The plastic tray liner is a must have extra. $400 well spent.

Dad's Choice IS the Right Choice!

We're a group of dads who get together and rate products, services and websites we think are of interest to other dads. Whether it's websites products for the home, wife, kids, pet, garden, car, four wheel drive, boat or shed, we test them and share our views for other dads.

We don't just repeat press releases - everything at Dad's Choice has been reviewed by at least 2 dads just like you and believe me we really put things through their paces.

If we like something we'll tell you, but if we think something is rubbish we're not afraid to say that either!

Dad's Choice helps dads choose the best for themselves and their family.

Dad's Choice is the right choice!