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work, family affairs and pleasure and while many are "ok", too many still infuriate with errors, confusing navigation, out of date or unhelpful information or unresponsive staff.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.