Amp Energy: Tradin’ Paint 3 Wide (Energy Drink Review)

Overview:

Amp Energy has a lot of less-than-average flavors on its hands lately. With the exception of Focus, the best Amp flavor I’ve ever had, the Mountain Dew offshoot just keeps pumping out sub-par flavors. 3 Wide, reported on the other day as the limited edition Amp Energy drink made up of 3 distinct flavors and packaged inside of a collectible Dale Earnhardt Jr. can, attempts to blend three very distinct flavors together in order to create something unique and appealing.

Of course, I decided not to save my can and have it live on some shelf like the majority of people do. Heck, I’ve never even watched a single NASCAR race in my life. And since the only racing I care about is Speed Racer and Mario Kart, I had no trouble tearing into this limited edition can to see if the liquid inside was worth defiling the collectible container or not.

ampenergytraidinpaint3wideReview:

When I first heard of Amp 3 Wide. And after opening my can of Amp and getting a nice, strong whiff of what was inside, my opinion didn’t really change much. It has a scent that is very similar to the original drink, which I’m not too fond of. It also retains its ability to flood your mouth with saliva. Upon deeper aromatic examination you’ll be able to notice the individual scents in the drink, most pronounced is Berry with a slight Orange hit. The Lime is buried somewhere deeper inside.

When taking my first sip of 3 Wide, an eruption of different flavors took place in my mouth. At first it was overwhelming to have the three distinct flavors swimming around my mouth at once, as they are all equally balanced. The following sips yielded a far more pleasurable experience. Each flavor can be pointed out on your pallet and focused on, or you can open yourself up and lose yourself in the whirlpool of Berry, Orange and Lime.

Amp has never had a great kick, and this is no exception. With the same list of ingredients that are a huge step below the competition, 3 Wide puts out the same weak kick as every other Amp drink, which is really disappointing since this drink is so tasty. The weak kick is really the only thing keeping it from being successful. That and the fact that it’s only available for a limited time. That sucks.

Another thing that I hate about all Amp’s, this one included, is the high price tag. $2.39 is way too much to spend on a drink with an Energy Blend that is years behind its competition. This one is an exception of course, due to the fact that it is extremely limited in supply and availability. And the Dale Earnhardt Jr. can extends this promo item beyond energy drink collectors and into the realm of NASCAR fans as well. There is no doubt in my mind  this will make Amp millions, and I’m going to buy a couple more to drink and hold on to. But if this were a regular drink, I would hesitant to recommend you drop the cash for it.

Final Words:

I really don’t understand why Amp decided to make what is, with a few exceptions, the first good drink it’s introduced to the market in some time a limited edition beverage. It has a unique taste with distinct flavor that appeals to the hardened vet and is accessible enough to get the NASCAR fans addicted. I’m gonna miss this one when it’s gone, and I recommend you all pick up at least two. One to drink, and one to hold on to.

Pros

  • Unique scent
  • The 3 distinct flavors are perfectly balanced
  • Dale Earnhardt can helps it appeal to more than just energy drink addicts
  • An awesome energy drink collector’s item

Cons

  • Weak kick, as usual
  • It’s only available for a limited time

Score: 8.3/10 (Great)

Aroma: 8.75/10 (Makes your mouth water)
Taste: 9.25/10 (Delicious, flavors blend wonderfully)
Kick: 6.5/10 (The same weak Amp kick)
Value: 8.75/10 (Would be pricey, but it’s a collectible)


PackRat Paragraphs: Red Nintendo DS w/Mario Kart DS

dsmariokartI’m not sure how many of you remember, but back before downloadable games and cameras made their way into Nintendo’s handheld systems, there was the original Phat. It was the ugliest, fattest, bulkiest system since the Sega Game Gear, but Nintendo tried their hardest to raise its physical appeal by releasing it in a myriad of colors.

This red Nintendo DS was released as a limited edition system with Mario Kart DS packed right in back in November of 2005. Selling one right now wouldn’t turn a profit, but since it’s a limited edition handheld system that has already been discontinued, I assume it will be worth quite a decent amount of cash in a couple of years. It will definitely take some time, but I am pretty sure it will eventually be more than a worthwhile investment.

PackRat Paragraphs: ROB the Robot

robtherobot1Don’t know who ROB is? Don’t worry, you’re not the only one.

ROB the Robot was a peripheral that released alongside the Nintendo Entertainment System in America because NOA (Nintendo of America) feared that citizens of the United States wouldn’t buy a game console, but would love to buy toys. Therefore they created this peripheral to pack-in with a deluxe version of the system. It could only be used with a few games, the one that most people know of is called Gyromite, a so-so stack-the-pieces-just-right game.

While 100% complete packages of ROB (with Gyromite and all the knick knacks) goes for about $350-$400 on ebay, I only have ROB himself. But even in his incomplete state he can sell for around 150 big ones, easy. I’d say the 2 bucks I spent on this little guy was quite a smart investment, wouldn’t you?

PackRat Paragraphs: Flask Belt Buckle

I was at the mall the other day looking for some new belt buckles to add to my awesome collection and stumbled upon two that I found to be absolutely amazing. The first one is the one listed here, and the other, way cooler buckle will be the feature of next week’s PackRat Paragraphs.

Flask Belt Buckle

Yeah, it’s a freakin’ flask for a belt buckle. Well, the buckle itself is actually just a slot for the flask, that way you don’t have to take your belt off and risk losing your pants just for a drink. It only holds about a shot of… apple juice anyway which renders it no more than a mere novelty, but it’s a totally awesome novelty.  There were other, bigger flask buckles as well but this one was on clearance for 5 bucks as opposed to 20 and it does the same job. It’s held into place with two magnets on the bottom of the holder so you don’t have to worry about losing it.

Click Read More to see more pictures of it.

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PackRat Paragraphs: Giant Monster Can Display

This one goes out to Tallboy2112.

Alright, you wanna know how I managed to get my hands on this? Shameless flirting with a homosexual Middle Eastern gas station attendant. I’ll leave the details to your imagination, but I don’t care if you make fun of me. I really wanted this thing.

drinking monsterClick ‘Read More’ for more pics Continue reading

PackRat Paragraphs: Twilight Princess Belt Buckle

Twilight Princess Belt BuckleAlright, so anyone who’s ever met me knows I’m a huge Zelda fan. I mean HUGE. That is why I had no problem dropping $20 for this awesome belt buckle I found at Hot Topic a while back. It’s definitely far from the most awesome piece of Zelda related fandom I own, but it’s still pretty nifty.

I’ve found it for as high as thirty bucks on the e-webs, which is $10 more than I paid. I imagine by the time I’m 65 it should be worth a fine sum in rupees!

PackRat Paragraphs: 1930’s Bullet Shot Glass Container

Anitque Bullet Shell Shotglass Container

During the Covered Bridge Festival, my lovely girlfriend Kim and I went shopping at a fine man named Whitey’s house. He had all kinds of random collectibles, weapons and neat stuff. One of the things I picked up from him was this antique bullet shot glass container. Stained with rust, blood, and well-aged whiskey remnants I knew this thing had to be mine. I’ve looked all over the internet for something like it and have found nothing. If anyone has any information on how much something like this might be worth, hit me up.

Click Read more for more pictures.

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PackRat Paragraphs: Pure Evil RE 2-Pack

The Resident Evil 2-Pack Pure Evil box set was a Gamecube game that featured both series prequel Resident Evil 0 as well as the acclaimed GCN revamp of the original Resident Evil. The promos life span was rather short causing the item’s appreciate over the years as well as become a rare gem sought after by many game collectors. The box set runs for about 65 dollars on Amazon.com, but I picked it up when it was first released for about 20 bucks if I remember right.