After doing a fair amount of online research I purchased the Maxi Pro Thumper Massager for my wife’s birthday earlier this year. Thumper makes the claim that many of their massagers (including this one) are used by loads of industry professionals (physical therapists, chiropractors, sports teams, etc.). I am a former collegiate athlete now turned recreational athlete, but I work out (hard) every day or every other day, so I the idea that this was a “professional” model rather than something you’d find at Walmart or Target appealed to me. We already had a Homedics hand-held/wand massager, but it just wasn’t powerful enough to get deep into large sore muscles like the quadriceps and hamstrings.

I did some shopping and searching online and eventually found the Comfort Store Direct in Lewis Center, Ohio, USA had the best price (and free shipping at the time), so I bought it from them.

The unit arrived a week later in a specially designed box, so it was undamaged and ready to go right out of the box. The Maxi Pro is primarily designed for 2 person use, so I patiently waited for my wife to come home to give it a shot. My wife loved the Maxi Pro immediately but I wasn’t quite sold on it. Don’t get me wrong, I did like it and it was MUCH easier to use than hand-held/wand massagers, but I quickly noted that the only real setting on the unit that was having much of an effect on me was level 5, the highest setting. As far as I was concerned, the other 4 lower settings really didn’t do much at all.

Since we were using the Maxi Pro on its highest setting I consulted their web site for answers and found that Thumper has a more powerful an Equine version of this unit, which was especially designed for elite athletes and of course horses. This unit looks the same as the Maxi Pro but apparently has a stronger motor in it.

Over the course of the next few days I wrested with the idea of going through the bother of sending the Maxi Pro back and getting the Equine model. After 3 days I cracked and gave in. I contacted the Comfort Store Direct and requested a return authorization number, which they gladly gave me – by the way, both my wife and I dealt with these folks and they were always pleasant. I shipped the Maxi Pro back at a cost of about $15 (not bad) and came to the conclusion that the extra $40 for the Equine more powerful motor would be worth it.

When the Equine unit arrived I gave it a shot on my quadriceps (don’t need 2 people for this), and I have to say that I was initially disappointed with it. I really expected a notable difference in power between the two units but I just didn’t feel it. Later that night my wife tried the unit and while she agreed with me that it might not be significantly more powerful, she felt it might be slightly better.

I sent Thumper an email asking if perhaps I got an underpowered unit and indicated that I was a little disappointed with this new model. To their credit, a Thumper representative responded to me within 24 business hours, she kindly explained that, “The depth of the stroke on the Equine Thumper is 15% higher than with the Maxi Pro. The drive assembly which is the mechanism responsible for the “punch” has a different tolerance than the one on the Maxi Pro therefore the impact is greater.“

The Thumper rep indicated that I could return the product for a refund if I would like, which I appreciated. I emailed her back and indicated that my wife really did like the unit (and I didn’t think it was too bad) so a refund would not be necessary.

PROS:

• The unit is heavy (8 lbs), but it actually works to its advantage. You don’t need to press down on the massager to feel pressure; the weight of the unit does it for you.
• The two handles on the unit make it easy to move manipulate/move/adjust.
• If you are flexible and a little creative, you can actually use the Maxi Pro/Equine Model without someone else assisting
• Quiet. In fact, it’s much quieter than the hand-held/wand unit we have that’s less powerful. It’s not difficult to watch television and use the unit at the same time.
• Very easy to use on someone. In fact, you can often place the unit on someone (like the lumbar part of the back) and the unit will work without you having to hold it at all. You may have to balance it with just a couple of fingers just so it stays in place – either way it’s easy.
• Instead of a vibrating motion most massagers have, this one actually pounds up and down like a piston (you can actually see it doing this). I found this approach was much more effective in giving/receiving massages.
• Fast, friendly customer service – the rep I emailed at Thumper was very nice.
• Feels pretty sturdy and durable…although I’ve only had it for a few weeks.
• Don’t get that fatigued feeling in your hands, wrists and forearms that you do from vibrating hand-held/wand massagers. It really doesn’t require a lot of effort to give someone a massage.
• Unit does not heat up during or after use.

CONS:

• Not portable if you’re traveling, but that wasn’t really a concern of ours.
• For the most part, this is a 2-person effort, using the massager by yourself is doable but tricky.
• Still would like it to have a higher, more powerful setting for both units.
• The instructional DVD they send you is worthless. In fact, there was a depth adjustment dial at the bottom of both units that I didn’t even know until the Thumper rep let me know via email.

BOTTOM LINE:

I’d recommend this unit to anyone in the market for a personal massager that’s tried other vibrating models that don’t quite get into the muscles enough. It’s easy to use, but I’d suggest purchasing the unit if you have a partner that’s willing and able to work with you. At around $300 it’s not the cheapest model out there. Personally I’d go with the Maxi Pro since it’s less expensive and I didn’t feel a tremendous difference between it and the Equine model.

One of the leading nonprofit resources is Nonprofit Pro. One of the reasons my team and I like them so much is because they provide organizations real, relevant and engaging information that is essential for the current fundraising environment. In other words, they’re not providing the same, old and tired solutions for nonprofit challenges.

Between November 12th and 14th in Philadelphia, they will be holding the Nonprofit Pro Peer to Peer Conference (aka NonProfit PRO P2P 201: Redefining Peer to Peer Conference). There’s still time for you or a member of your team to register for this important event.

Why should you attend the P2P 201Conference?

1. Peer to peer (P2P) fundraising is an essential part of many fundraising programs. For instance, charities dealing with health and wellness or education have already figured out that getting their champions to ask for fundraising dollars is a winning formula. The conference will provide participants with best practices around P2P.
2. You’ll have the opportunity to network and mix with others like you who are starting a peer to peer fundraising program or have a successful track record doing it. You’ll also have the chance to listen to the thought leaders on the topic, attend break-out roundtable sessions and much more.
3. One of the great features of this particular conference is that Nonprofit Pro wants to provide its participants with a lively, interactive and also intimate event so that people will be able to have meaningful discussions. Those are critical participant-friendly features for conference attendees.
4. The conference will have excellent thought leadership. For instance, a few of the featured speakers include Lisa Bowman, CMO, United Way Worldwide; Courtney Bugler, Director Race for the Cure Series, Susan G. Komen; DJ Hampton II, Sr. VP Market Leadership & Chief Development Officer, March of Dimes; and, Krystn Kuckelman, Vice President, Event Development, National Kidney Foundation.

Sponsors to this important event include Turnkey P2P Solutions, Blackbaud, DonorDrive, and Cathexis.

The conference fee is $695, which will provide you with access to the two days of case studies, participation at the roundtables, the Q&A and discussions, as well as breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can find out more about the agenda by taking a look at the Nonprofit Pro P2P 201 Conference.

How can I afford to go to this conference?

Allow me to close this article about the P2P 201 Conference by saying this about the fees. I recognize that many organizations operate with limited budgets. I think, however, if you follow my blog you’re someone who believes in growth and sustainability since that’s something that I often write about in my blog.

I’ve been in your shoes. When I started the nonprofit I founded years ago, I was working with my team off the kitchen table. But, we also knew that growing the organization to scale was crucial in our vision to make a broad impact. That means you have to think creatively about how to get the funding for the things that are important, such as attending professional development conferences that will help you gain the skills you need to grow your organization by getting more fundraising dollars in the door.

Ask a major donor to personally fund this aspect of your work and demonstrate the impact of their gift by showing the increased fundraising dollars that you will raise through peer to peer fundraising. You can also simply budget the money from your general operating funds, or ask a foundation to give you a grant for professional development. Whatever you decide to do, make it a priority.

With fall now upon us, if you’re looking for the conferences to attend for the year, this would be one of them.

In 2015 the world of sports and entertainment lost a legend who passed away far too young. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper died of a heart attack at just 61 years of age. Born as Roderick George Toombs in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada in 1954, Piper was a professional wrestling superstar whose “Piper’s Pit” interviews were as legendary as his antics in and out of the ring. He was able to morph his career into many areas of entertainment including acting. He appeared in a number of on-screen roles and did cartoon voices, but Roddy is probably best known for playing John Nada in They Live, the John Carpenter science fiction classic that has developed a cult following over the years. Never one to remain in one persona very long Roddy began as a villain wrestler, but often crossed over to being a bit of a hero or good guy of sorts. He also performed as a comedian as late as 2014 and had an impressive following as a podcast show host.

Roddy was primarily of Scottish decent and proud of it as evidenced by the garb he wore into the ring. Although he became expertly adept at playing the Bagpipes at a young age, Piper says he cannot recall how that came about. Roddy does recall how he got his wrestling name. Early in his pro career he walked into the ring wearing a kilt and playing bagpipes. When the announcer forgot the last name he was using, he simply introduced the wrestler as “Roddy the Piper” and the name stuck. Piper’s life was always filled with controversy which began when he was unceremoniously kicked out of Junior High School. He later left home as a young teen after a number of arguments with his father. His dad was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and always concerned about the family’s reputation. A natural athlete who worked out regularly, Piper managed to find work in any number of gyms which gave him the cash to live in Hostels.

Roddy had a very competitive spirit and began his athletic career as an amateur wrestler, boxer and judo competitor. He eventually won the prestigious Golden Gloves Championship and received a black belt in Judo from American pro wrestler, judo expert and champion Gene LeBell. By the time Piper was just 15 years of age he was ready to turn pro and joined the American Wrestling Association where he gained a reputation as a “bad guy” wrestler. He moved on to the more affluent National Wrestling Alliance in 1975. This organization was huge at that time and produced a number of super stars which included Buddy Rogers, Killer Kowalski, Bobo Brazil, Gene Kiniski, Dory Funk, Dory Funk Jr., Harley Race, Jack Brisco, Dusty Rhodes, Great Malenko, Buddy Colt, Eddie Graham, Sting and Bobby Shane to name just a few.

In the late 1970s to 1983 Piper moved through various pro wrestling territories and went up against top stars like Ric Flair, Jack Brisco, Chavo Guerrero and many others. He was often compared to Freddie Blassie and the two actually met in Madison Square Garden when Piper was given a match in the WWF by Vince McMahon. Blassie stuffed toilet paper in Roddy’s Bagpipes so that he could not play them for the crowd. In 1984 “Rowdy” Roddy Piper moved to McMahon’s Worldwide Wrestling Federal and instantly became a pro wrestling super star due to all the TV coverage the WWF garnered. One would think he was at the top of his career, but this was just the beginning. Piper became so popular and adept at interview skills that he was given his own TV segment called “Piper’s Pit” which became a favorite of WWF fans.

Piper was involved in all sorts of orchestrated mayhem which included feuds that involved WWF stars Captain Lou Albano, Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino Greg Valentine and even Cyndi Lauper. Lauper was allegedly kicked in the head by Piper during an interview and that lead to a major row with Hulk Hogan and Lou Albano (who appeared in Lauper’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” music video). That blew up into a major grudge match at WrestleMania. Piper also somehow managed to get into a dispute with Mr. T (from the “A Team” TV Show and the “Rocky 3” film). The two eventually settled their differences by facing off during WrestleMania II. Piper lost after being disqualified for an illegal move. Like many pro wrestling super stars, Roddy Piper was beginning to feel the pain of a few too many injuries and took a year off from the WWF. He returned in 1986 with a revenge when he discovered that his “Piper’s Pit” had been replaced by a show hosted by Adrian Adonis called “The Flower Shop”. Piper appeared on the show, destroyed the set and all this lead to several very popular grudge matches that WWF fans really enjoyed.

By 1989 Roddy was more popular than ever and even hosted a live “Piper’s Pit” during WrestleMania V. An appearance on the show by once popular TV host Morton Downey Jr. turned into a big mess when Piper pointed a fire extinguisher at the always smoking Downey and sprayed him down. As Piper’s popularity continued to grow he began co-hosting Prime Time Wrestling along side pro wrestling legend Gorilla Monsoon. After replacing Bobby Heenan as co-host for the Prime Time show, Roddy and Heenan became fast enemies. Heenan enlisted “Ravishing” Rick Rude and Brother Love to get revenge and several entertaining encounters between the four followed. Brother Love (pro wrestler Bruce Pritchard, manager of The Undertake). Love wore a while suit and had a wrestling character based on some of the more outrageous tele-evangelists of the day. Love took over the TV spot once occupied by “Piper’s Pit” which angered Roddy so much that when he appeared on the show he told Brother Love that he smelled and had bad breath. Piper threw mouthwash and toothpaste in his face.

Although he began scaling back his actual pro wrestling matches, Roddy Piper managed to stay in the thick of things by getting involved in more feuds with competitors like Ted DiBiase (the Million Dollar Man), Jerry “The King” Lawler and Brett Hart. Piper was a regular at the WrestleMania events from 1989 to 1996 and even served as a celebrity referee. Roddy moved to the World Championship Wrestling organization in 1996 and joined in the much watched “Halloween Havoc” and “Starrcade” shows with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and Brett Hart. Roddy later served briefly as the WCW Commissioner. During that reign he had major disputes with Rick Flair, Sid Vicious and Scott Hall. After peaking with the declining WCW, Piper found himself back with the WWF which in 2003 became Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment. That stint included a popular match with Hulk Hogan who, even after he was attacked with a steel pipe by Roddy, won the event.

During an extremely controversial appearance on HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” Piper admitted that he had taken drugs to remain in the ring over the past twenty years of his career. He also intimated that all or most other pro wrestling stars did the same so that they could continue competing given the injuries they all sustained and pain they felt. This got Roddy fired from Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment. The TAW (Total Action Wrestling) group which included NWA stars, grabbed him up in 2003 despite all the controversy. The move quickly proved to be a good deal for both Piper and the TAW. So much so that Vince McMahon could not ignore Roddy’s new found popularity and soon brought him back to the now huge and still growing Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment in 2005. During that time Piper hosted yet another “Piper’s Pit” live show at WrestleMania 21. That same year he was also inducted into the Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment Wrestling Hall Of Fame. Piper often appeared on the much watched “RAW!” and “SMACKDOWN” Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment TV shows which brought his talent and craziness to the attention of a whole new generation of pro wrestling fans.

From 2003 to 2014 Piper continued to build his popularity with more “Piper’s Pit” shows and various matches and feuds with Ricky Steamboat, Zac Rider, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler and many others. Roddy had a few rough patches during this time which included some injuries he sustained from an auto accident in 2005 and a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2007. He recovered from the accident injuries and was said to have been in remission from the lymphoma in 2008 after receiving treatment for nearly a year. As his appearances on the major pro wrestling TV shows wained, Piper still appeared at a number of popular independent pro wrestling events like WrestleReunion joining other famous veterans like Bob Orton Jr. and Terry Funk. Popular MMA and UFC female star competitor Rhonda “Rowdy” Rousey (12 wins, 0 losses as of this writing) met Piper and told him she was a huge fan. She asked if she could use his “Rowdy” moniker and he happily gave her his blessing. She recently dedicated her match against Bethe Correia at UFC 190 to Piper after hearing about his death. She won the match in 34 seconds.

Piper’s final years were spent appearing on various TV shows including “Celebrity Wife Swap” while doing voice overs for popular cartoons, making comedy club appearances and taking on a few more acting gigs along with his pro wrestling duties. He never faded from from public view and even appeared on “Celebrity Ghost Stories”. During that episode he admitted having seen the ghost of his friend and fellow pro competitor Adrian Adonis in 2013. Roddy most recently lived in Portland, Oregon, with his wife Kitty. He had four children: Three daughters and a son. Piper became a Grandfather after his daughter Anastacia recently gave birth. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper passed away as a result of a heart attack on July 31, 2015. This is a common cause of death among former pro wrestling stars. After a lifetime of pushing their bodies to the limit I suppose that their hearts just eventually give out. Regardless of the cause of his death, Piper will be missed by the millions of fans who thoroughly enjoyed his skills and rowdiness in and out of the ring.

This article will compare the 44-inch wide Epson Stylus Pro 9890, announced Fall 2010, with the Stylus Pro 9900 and 9880. While these printers share many of the same features, a few differences will be examined. These differences include the ink set, color gamut and print speeds.

Epson Stylus Pro 9880

The 9880 was released in mid-2007 replacing the Stylus Pro 9800. The main difference between the 9880 and the 9800 was a reformulated magenta ink formula. The two new inks were called Vivid Magenta and Vivid Light Magenta. This printer uses a total of eight inks with the choice of either Matte Black or Photo Black ink being loaded in the printer at any given time. A purge process is required to switch black inks, usually taking about 15 minutes and more than $30 worth of ink.

With each model that is released, print speed usually improves. The 9880 can produce a 16×20 in 6:41 and a 20×30 in about 12:00. The print speed is based on the printer being used in SuperFine 1440 dpi mode.

Epson Stylus Pro 9900

The 9900 was released in December of 2008 as an additional option to the 9880 aimed primarily at the packaging and proofing market. This printer added an Orange and Green ink to help expand the color gamut that the printer is able to produce. Epson also added the ability to auto-switch between Photo Black and Matte Black ink. This auto-switch capability is something that photographers and fine art printers had been waiting for. Based on this and the expanded color gamut, those businesses needing to produce high quality photographic and fine art output quickly migrated to this printer.

The Epson Stylus Pro 9900 also offered improved print speeds over the 9880. Print times are a minimum of 25% faster than the 9880. The 9900 can produce a 16×20 in 3:47 and a 20×30 in 6:39. Like the 9880, the print speed is based on using SuperFine 1449 dpi mode.

Epson Stylus Pro 9890

The Epson Stylus Pro 9890 was released in December of 2010. As stated previously, the 9900 initially targeted the packaging and proofing market. The 9890 was designed with the photographic and fine art print market in mind.

When compared to the 9900, the 9890 has the same ink set, minus the orange and green inks. While the orange and green inks expanded the color gamut compared to the 9880, most photographers and fine art printers couldn’t take full advantage of the gamut produced by these two inks. The end result is a printer that performs like the 9900, but users have the option of purchasing this printer at a lower price point and do not have to stock two additional inks.

The 9890 also offers improved print speeds compared to the 9880. These print speeds are identical to the 9900. A 16×20 can be printed in 3:47 and a 20×30 in 6:39 in SuperFine 1440 dpi mode.

Conclusions

The Stylus Pro 9900 and 9890 meet the needs of those businesses requiring high-resolution, photographic quality prints. Both printers offer an expanded color gamut over the 9880, with the 9900 having the largest gamut. However, the 9890 should meet the needs of the vast majority of users, especially photographers and fine art printers. Both printers also offer improved print speeds over the Stylus Pro 9880. Keep in mind that print speeds are measured when the print head starts moving and when the print is finished. Total throughput times will vary based on RIP software, image size, resolution, and printer connection type.