Category: Shopping

I was visiting one of the soon to open stores at the Al Hamra Tower Mall and decided to snap some pictures of the interior. The mall looks amazing, it’s a lot bigger than I expected (5 floors) and it’s also bright because of the natural daylight that comes in from the skylight. It looks very elegant, I really think it looks great. The mall is officially opening after tomorrow (Tuesday, May 1st) so just two more days left. Here are some pictures:

Update: I just found out the official name which is Al Hamra Luxury Center.

I’m a fan of Wolf Designs products mainly because they’re a family owned business that dates back nearly 200 years and also because their products are pretty affordable and well made. I purchased a Wolf Designs watch box from Amazon awhile back and then a few months ago I emailed them to find out if there were any stores in London that carried their brand (there wasn’t) which is why I was pretty surprised when I found out a local place called Violet Concept Store carried them.

I passed by the store yesterday honestly not really expecting much since I figured they’d have a couple of items and that they’d be overpriced but I turned out to be wrong. They had a pretty large collection of Wolf Designs watch boxes and winders and they were very reasonably priced compared to Amazon. To give you a rough idea about their prices, the watch box I bought from Amazon cost around KD30 and another KD30 to ship it with Aramex while they’re selling the exact same box for just KD35. It was a Homer Simpson “Doh!” moment but they only recently opened while I bought my box over a year ago so I didn’t feel too bad.

So if you’re interested, they’re located in Sanabil Tower (near Amiri Hospital in Kuwait City) and they’re open only on weekdays from 2pm to 8pm. They also carry a small collection of Wolf Designs jewelery boxes and drawer inserts if that interests you. Here is a link to their website [Link]

Over the weekend I had a project I needed to shoot which would require low light shots and very low angles so I decided to pass by Alghunaim Photo and pick up a tripod. There were a few tripods too choose from but only two fit my budget. The first one I checked out was the Manfrotto 290 series with the quick release ball head. The ball head is the upper part of the tripod which connects to your camera (picture near end of post). Generally you can choose I think between 3 types of heads but I like the ball head due to it’s ease of use. Anyway the 290 was pretty stable, easy and quick to operate but my issue with it was that it wouldn’t go down low enough since 38cm from the ground was the lowest it could go. It was disappointing since price wise at KD45 including the ball head I found it really affordable (for a quality tripod that is).

The second tripod I tried was the 190XPROB. This tripod didn’t go as high as the 290 series but it could go down a lot lower to around 8cm from the ground. It was also slightly smaller and lighter but not by that much. Since I was looking for a tripod that could go very low I ended up getting this one for KD35 WITHOUT the head. The cheapest ball head would set you back another KD25 on top of that price so you’re actually paying around KD60 for this tripod which isn’t cheap specially if like me you won’t be using it that much. But it’s made in Italy and really should last a lifetime so I decided to bite the bullet and just get it. After using the tripod for my project over the weekend I actually found it a bit complicated to use. Maybe finicky is the right word here. Each one of the tripod’s leg adjusts to 4 or 5 different angles and I ended up spending a lot of time trying to get all three legs to open at the same angle. If one of the angles differs then the tripod would end up being slanted. But even though I ran into that issue I had no regrets getting it since I found it very versatile specially since I was able to lower the tripod down so much that my camera was just a couple of inches off the ground. It would really be perfect for anyone wanting to shoot ants or other insects.

If you’re interested in buying a Manfrotto tripod Alghunaim Photo is the local dealer. But, you might be better off waiting until the end of the month before passing by since they’re currently out of stock on most of the items and their new shipment arrives end of the month. Their prices are similar or cheaper than Amazon’s listed price which is amazing. If you know what you want then I guess you could pass by and reserve your tripod. When I checked they had the 190XPROB in stock but only the high end ball heads (KD60 and up).

A friend of mine recently ordered a camera lens from the website DigitalRev (made famous by the very entertaining Kai) and had it shipped directly to Kuwait. It cost him less than the Amazon price, they included free FedEx shipping, it was delivered to him in just 4 days, he paid only KD12 customs fee AND the lens included local warranty. How cool is that?

Here are some more details regarding the whole thing:

Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G Lens
Kuwait: KD603
Amazon: KD525
DigitalRev: KD476

If he placed the order on Amazon he would have had to pay the 8% NY tax, then the Aramex shipping fee to Kuwait plus local customs and the package would have taken around 10 days to get here. He also wouldn’t have any local warranty.

On the other hand he paid KD476 to order it from DigitalRev, he didn’t have to pay tax neither did he have to pay any shipping fees. They shipped it for him from Hong Kong to Kuwait directly via FedEx and it took 4 days from the day he placed the order for the lens to be in his hands. In addition FedEx handled the customs and he had to pay only KD12 in total. Now more importantly DigitalRev will offer you warranty for your lens in Kuwait. The way it works is if the item is defective, you take it to the local dealer who will give you the estimate for the repair. You then send the estimate to DigitalRev who will approve it (based on warranty conditions).

I’m actually surprised at how easy and convenient this is. From now on if I ever need anything photography related that’s too expensive locally I’m just going to order it from them. Here is their [Website]

Thanks Cajie

Before getting my Think Tank camera bag one of the brands I was checking online was GOLLA. They had some cool looking bags at decent prices and yesterday while shopping I noticed Eureka in Salmiya carries the brand. Their prices are more expensive than Amazon but if you count tax and shipping it turns out to be around the same or cheaper buying them here. Check out the GOLLA website [Here]

For those of you who were asking for the prices of Nikon and Canon lenses I got the full price list from A.A.B International and I’ve listed them below. If you don’t already have a 50mm prime lens you should really pick one up. Both the Canon and Nikon 50mm f/1.8 are under KD40 and it’s a must have lens.

A.A.B International Photographic Company (they really need to get a smaller name) is having a one day sale this Thursday 15th of March where they will be dropping the prices of their Sigma items to try and compete with Amazon’s pricing. I was able to obtain their discounted prices and I’ve listed them all comparing them to Amazon’s prices. If you’re interested check out their Facebook page for more information [Here]

The prices are listed below after the jump.

According to the Aramex Shop & Ship FAQ the maximum value allowed per package to be shipped from the US should not exceed $2,500. Packages that are over $2,500 must come with an Export Declaration Form from the shipper or the merchant. Sounds complicated but turns out it’s not.

If you send an item that’s worth over $2,500 to your Shop&Ship account it will get marked as a high value shipment and be placed on hold. You will then receive an email from Aramex telling you that they’ve placed your item on hold and that you would need to visit their US Export Regulations page on the Shop&Ship website. You will then have to do the following:

– Download and open the “Written Authorization Sample” word document that’s linked at the bottom of that page.

– Fill your name in the field “Principal Party in Interest”. It should be the same name as the Shop & Ship account holder.

– Fill your physical address. By this they mean your Kuwait address and NOT your US forwarding mailbox.

– Place your signature in the signature field.

– Leave rest of the fields blank to be filled by Aramex.

– Finally send the word document along with the package tracking number to [email protected]

And that’s it. A pretty simple process that would delay your shipment a couple of days but nothing drastic.

Last night I passed by Solarity, a new shop that revolves around solar powered items. When I found out about the place I thought to myself finally! With all the sun we have solar energy just makes sense. When I passed by the store they were still setting up but I managed to see a whole variety of garden lights and some back packs with solar panels. In the next few weeks they’ll be adding more items since they’ve only received around 20% of their products at the moment.

The official launch is tonight at 5PM and they’re located in Shuwaikh right next to Bike World. If you take the right hand turn after City Center, Tilal Complex will be on your left. At the next intersection take a right and their shop is located around 50 meters after also on the right. I really hope they do well. Here is a link to their Facebook page [Link]

I accidentally switched over to 99.7 the other day and heard an advert about The Athlete Foot selling ghutras made by Puma. I think they said that they were created either just for Kuwait or for the region not really sure but I decided to pass by and check them out. Turns out they’re not actually selling ghutras but clothing with the ghutra pattern. Would have been cooler if Puma actually made ghutras.

Ace Hardware have expanded their power saving section and now have solar panels in a wide variety of sizes as well as a lot of different kind of LED lights including powerful garden projectors. I can’t see many people going the solar way since electricity is really cheap but I can see these panels being practical at campsites.

I also noticed IKEA is now selling LED GU10 lights alongside the regular halogen ones. I converted to LEDs around a year ago because my halogen lights kept dying on me and I haven’t regretted the decision since. The LEDs are being sold for KD3.900 which is very reasonable. Their solar powered garden lights are also back in stock.

I’m really excited to post about this place since it’s about damn time we get a specialized photography store in Kuwait. Over the weekend I was planning to order a Think Tank bag from Amazon. I didn’t go through with the order since I was planning to go to Dubai today and figured I would get it from there. My trip got cancelled and I was going to order the bag tonight when I found out on twitter about Alghunaim Photography. Talk about the perfect timing!

Alghunaim Photography just recently opened up in Baitak Tower. They’re a small store but they’ve got some very cool brands including Think Tank bags, Manfrotto tripods and bags, National Geographic bags, Hoodman accessories, Kata bags, Lenspen, LockCircle, Datacolor products, Black Rapid camera straps and more. They actually still have more brands on the way but even with what they have right now they’re already my favorite photography store.

The bag I was interested in was the Think Tank Retrospective 5. It’s a small shoulder bag that I wanted for my tiny Panasonic GX1 camera. It costs around KD40 on Amazon and with tax and shipping to Kuwait it was going to end up costing me at least KD50. At Alghunaim they’re selling it for just KD45! The owner is actually trying his best to match his prices to Amazon. With the Manfrotto items for example he told me his prices should be equal to that of Amazon which I think is great. They also have a lot of National Geographic bags although I didn’t spot the tiny one that’s popular with X100 owners.

Another interesting thing the owner is trying to do is create a used camera market. He wants to start displaying and selling used cameras in his store so if you have one you’re planning to sell you should pass by.

I really hope the store does well and I also hope the prices stay the same. They don’t have an online website yet but their store is easy to find and there is a ton of parking as well. They’re located in Baitak Tower in Kuwait City (facing Safat Square) and they’re on the ground floor opposite Starbucks. You can also call them on 99066601 or 90023334.

You could also visit their website [Here]

More pictures below.

I took these pictures from the Napket balcony around a week ago. I wonder if the whole area outside is going to end up being covered.

It seems some young Kuwaiti boys made a Kuwaiti version of Monopoly Deal and are selling it. If you’re interested you should hurry and buy a copy now before they get slapped with a lawsuit. Check the following link for more information [Link]

Update: The blog SIX TWO has better pictures [Here]

The Deal just got a collection of Tumi bags if anyone is interested. Once items move up to The Deal they’re usually given a further discount so you might be able to find a good deal. They’re located on M1 in Salhiya.