I personally like the magic cafe.
It has a great used magic section where you can pick up magic products for cheap. (must have 50 posts)
You can usually find good information about products out there from reviews and comments.
And in general, you can get some help.
Sure there are a lot of tools there man, but more or less it's a good place. You just gotta find the good places to read.
On a side note,
I think subjects such as these need to be addressed in the public. People in the magic community are "fickle" about the names of effects and to a large percentage of the market, stuff like that means something. Guys in my club who are collectors, hobbyists, and performers, all have somewhat of a view that magic should properly be credited because that's the way it was for them back in the day and I respect that. Daniel doesn't want his name to be bashed in the same way it was because of that "butterfly" fold.
Just my thoughts.