Category: Shopping

Now that I finished with the audio install in my Wrangler the next thing I am going to do is get a lift so I could install 33″ tires. After scouring the Jeep Forum and doing a lot of research I decided to go with the DPG Ultimate Trailgunner Suspension System which is a kit put together by DPG for Jeep Wranglers and consists of a 2.5″ Old Man Emu suspension system combined with DPG springs, a 1.25″ JKS body lift and a bunch of other parts which I need for the Wrangler install like adjustable track bars, quick disconnects and bump stops, etc.. basically all the parts I need to get 33″ tires installed on my Wrangler. You can check it out [Here]

Now as usual I always try to purchase stuff from Kuwait first but also as usual I get put off by the prices. I found the Old Man Emu dealer in Kuwait which is Naser Al-Sayer (Tel: 4747137) but their prices were more than double that of the US. Even with shipping it would be a lot cheaper and more reliable to order the parts from a specialized place like DPG in the States.

So now that I solved my suspension lift issue I have another problem with the tires and wheels. My current setup is 31″ tires with 15×7 wheels, for my 33″ setup I need to get 15×8 wheels and 33×12.5xR15 tires. I found some really nice American Racing wheels (black steelies) for KD16 per wheel but they will cost me an arm and a leg to ship to Kuwait. So I decided to pass by the American Racing dealer in Kuwait who are Silicon Valley Group (Tel: 4826723) to see how much the wheel cost here. The visit was pretty disappointing, they barely had anything in stock, they had nothing that fits the Wrangler and the employee there really had no clue about anything. They are even the local dealers for Mickey Thompson tires yet they only had one model from the size I wanted 33×12.5xR15 and even worse they only had one tire in stock. The guy told me I could place an order for anything I wanted but that it would get here by August/September. Very disappointing.

For tires I wanted BF Goodrich AT/KO but I couldn’t find a local dealer so I started calling other places to see what they had and this is what I found:

Goodyear Wrangler MT/R
33×12.5R15
KD80 per tire (slow shipping, 2 months to arrive)
KD110-120 per tire (fast shipping, 2 weeks to arrive)
Tel: 884737

Mickey Thompson Desert King
33×10.5R15
KD90 (1 tire in stock)
Tel: 4826723

Maxxis MT762 Bighorn
33×12.5R15
KD42
Tel: 4824256

Hankook Dynapro MT RT03
33×12.5R15
KD37 (6 tires in stock)
Tel: 884737

I also tried Dunlop, Toyo and Yokohama but they didn’t have any in stock or in Toyo’s case no one ever answered the phone. I am extremely disappointed with the state of some of the dealerships in Kuwait. Prices are expensive, they don’t have a large stock and ordering stuff with them takes ages. Gives me less and less reason to buy stuff from Kuwait.

Update: A friend gave me a link to a website of shop in Dubai called Icon Auto who sell and install lifts for the Wrangler. Their price is very competitive compared to the US. For example a 2.5″ suspension lift costs $659 in the States, $800 in Dubai and $1100 in Kuwait. How come we don’t have a place like Icon Auto in Kuwait?? [Link]

A friend just passed me this flyer and I can’t believe some of the prices on these products. For example the 8GB Cruzer costs KD14 in Kuwait while on Amazon its selling for KD17.5 [Flyer Scan]

Here are two better shots of the new Alghanim Electronics store that opened up at the Avenues. There were less people there today so it was easier to take the shots.

I just saw the new Alghanim Electronics store at the Avenues and although I am not a big fan of Alghanim Electronics I was actually impressed by the place. The place looks pretty cool and EVERYTHING they have is on display to be played with from phones and cameras to mp3 and portable video players. The new store is located under Cinescape near NBK and IKEA.

Amazon just dropped the price of the Xbox 360 HD DVD player to just $79! Thats really really cheap!! [Amazon Link]

Best Buy Kuwait, the fake Best Buy in Hawalli have the tiny Asus Eee laptops for sale and they are being sold for KD159 which is KD50 more expensive than Amazon. Its really sad how they’ve blatantly copied Best Buy’s logo and name. If it was a crappy shop I could care less but they do actually have a decent collection of stuff so they should also put the effort in coming up with a better name for the place.

Yesterday during my lunch break I passed by the Bosch Power Tools dealer in Shuwaikh to buy a drill. I originally wanted to get the 14.4v cordless drill but ended up going with the 12v because it looked and felt more balanced in my hands. The manager was there which was cool because he was able to give me a good deal on the drill and some drill bits.

While browsing the store I found out they were also the dealers for Dremel. I had only seen Dremel tools at Ace Hardware before so I had assumed Ace was the dealer but turns out that wasn’t the case.

The prices of the products at the dealer here in Kuwait are either cheaper or slightly more expensive then Amazon. I got the Bosch 12v drill (Swiss made not Malaysia) for KD42 while the same drill on Amazon is being sold for KD37 without shipping. The Dremel tool I was interested in sells for KD16 in Kuwait but for KD17 on Amazon without shipping.

Finding the place is easy, if you take the road where City Center, KFH and Mercedes dealer is in Shuwaikh, just take the right hand turn after the KFH branch and head straight down. You should find the Bosch Service Center (for cars) on your left, thats where the Power Tools store is also located.

I think I just found the funkiest designed clothing store in Kuwait and sadly its only for woman. I was leaving Platform and on my way out back to the main road when I saw this extremely trendy looking storefront right across the street from the BMW showroom. I didn’t know what it was and I wasn’t sure if it was open or not so I started driving really slow and then I noticed some girls walked into the place. I couldn’t tell what the place was because the windows were sand blasted so I parked my car and hoped for the best. As long as it wasn’t a lingerie store or someones house I figured I would be ok.

I opened the door and walked in and to my surprise it was a clothing store and it looked really trendy. The clothing racks were lined up on the side of the store and there were two pinball machines right in the center and in the rear there was a huge pink seating area. I walked around a bit and then left and will definitely go back with Nataly. The place is called 4 and it wouldn’t look out of place in Soho.

Note: Notice how I have 3 posts today on 3 different new stores?

Right after work I went to Platform in Shuwaikh to check it out. When I first walked in I was really impressed, everything seemed very tidy and clean and I got the impression the place was huge.

First thing I did was head over to the BOSCH power tools stand to check out the cordless drills. They had a good collection but they didn’t have what I was looking for. I wanted a 14v cordless drill which they did have but I was looking for the version that was made in Switzerland but they had the one made in Malaysia. A very friendly employee came up to me (I think he was Indian) and told me they didn’t have the version I wanted and then proceeded to explain to me that if I wanted to drill into concrete then I would have to get the version of the drill with the hammer. He was very friendly and informative. Price wise they were exactly the same as the dealer, the Malaysian version of the drill is selling for KD45 at the dealer and for the same price at Platform.

I then decided to walk around and explore the place and thats when I realized how disappointing Platform was. I used Ace Hardware as my comparison and Ace easily has it beat, at least when it comes to the stuff that matters to me.

Firstly the screws section wasn’t as expansive as Ace. They also didn’t have small packs that come with a variety of screw sizes and I also don’t sell screws by the piece.

Secondly I couldn’t find any threadlockers!! Not only does Ace Hardware have threadlockers but they have them in different strengths and even in very tiny one time use packages. Although its such a minuscule thing its still an important item which they didn’t have.

The hardware tools like hammers and screw drivers were mostly made up of cheap Chinese brands which was a major put off. Finally they didn’t have any electric tidbits like soldering irons, wires, speaker cables, ring terminals or anything of the sort. Ace on the other hand has a huge collection of those.

Feeling disappointed I walked back to the Maikta power tools section hoping the sound of a few drills would cheer me up. When I got there I was met with an Arab employee who asked me if I was looking for something. I told him about the drill I was looking for and he told me they had sold out (strange you’ve just opened) and that they discontinued the model. I was like ummm no, they haven’t discontinued the model and that the dealer has them in stock and selling for KD50. He was like ah then I guess we got the cheaper version. I was thinking to myself wtf? Why lie and try to bullshit me into buying the Malaysian drill?

I left the place disappointed but as soon as I exited their parking lot I got a huge grin on my face. Right across the street from Platform another hardware store is launching soon called Abyat. Judging by the size of the building it looks like its going to make Platform look like a bakala. Till then I will continue to get my hardware needs fulfilled at Ace.

Platform the hardware store has opened up and I just saw the picture above (taken by MeHRAJA) and its made me want to pass by right after work. I love hardware stores and I need a cordless drill anyways so I can’t wait to check it out. Tip for the woman readers, if you can’t figure out what to get a guy for valentines there are two things which you can never go wrong with, radio controlled cars and power tools. Here is a link to Platform’s website with a map of their location and some more info. [Link]

Thanks MeHRAJA

I just found out about this shop called We Love Kuwait from blogger Armani Exchange. According to Kuwait they are NOT a bookshop, they are a place where you can find carefully hand-picked books for your children, arts and crafts materials for your quality time with your children and they also arrange gift baskets for your kids filled with fun goodies that would keep them busy for days. Looks like and interesting place. They are located in the mezzanine floor of Muthana Complex in Kuwait but they also have a website full of details and even a blog. [Link]

I really really really hate Aramex. I stopped using them for my important packages ages ago and instead started using U Shop We Ship who are much better. I now only use my Aramex account for my magazine subscriptions and it seems I can’t even trust them with that anymore. Today I got a package after not getting anything for 2 months and it turns out I have 2 months worth of magazines missing! I have been trying to call them since morning to try and see what happened but their lines are all busy, ALL THE TIME! I can’t understand why people still use Aramex, USWS isn’t perfect, they have their own issues but at least packages get shipped promptly from the US and do arrive in Kuwait on time. Where are my magazines???

Tonight I passed by Sultan Center and noticed they no longer had Indian eggs and instead have replaced them with fresh locally produced eggs by KUPCO selling for a very reasonable KD1 for a tray of 30 eggs. I guess the local egg crisis is nearly over?

And because the former dictator had reason to be paranoid, the boat has bulletproof glass, closed-circuit television, storage space for a large cache of weapons, including heavy machine guns and surface-to-air missiles, and a secret passage that runs the length of the boat for easy access to a fast patrol boat and a mini-submarine pod for emergency exits.

Maybe we could all pitch in and buy the yacht and then take it out to Kubbar where we spend the whole day partying on it. At the end of the night we burn the yacht to symbolize our hatred to Saddam but we keep the mini-submarine since thats just too cool. [Link]

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The other day I posted about the great offer that the SONY dealer had where you can buy a 60GB Sony PS3 plus a get a game of your choice and an extra controller for KD139 and a PS3 by itself for KD135. Well it turns out the salesman was an idiot. For KD139 you get a 40GB PS3 with one joypad and the movie Spiderman and here is the best part, for KD135 you get a 60GB PS3 by itself BUT it doesn’t come with warranty! I spoke to a salesman over the phone after I heard about this just to confirm and it turned out to be true.

Even stores in Rihab who are selling grey market PS3’s give customers at least 3 months warranty, how come the official SONY dealer doesn’t provide warranty on the PS3’s they’re selling? This is just wrong in so many ways, its really a bad business decision. There is a lot of piracy in Kuwait and if the SONY dealer wants people to purchase proper Middle East versions of the PS3’s and not the grey market USA and Japanese version this is really the wrong way to go about it. Why should I buy from the official dealer if the grey market versions have warranty and theirs don’t?

Thank you MYK!