Glenn Haege: The Handyman
Every year, the National Hardware Show is the mecca for seeing the
latest innovations in products for the home, and this year was no
exception. Held in Las Vegas, this year's show featured close to 3,000
exhibitors and more than 27,000 members of the hardware industry.
When
navigating this monstrous display of home and hardware products, I
always look for some new, unique things that people can use around the
home.
Here are a few that caught my eye:
• With the cost
of energy going up, monitoring the electric power you use in your home
is becoming more and more important. The Kill A Watt Power Strip,
$99.95 from P3 International, (212) 346-7979, www.p3international.com,
works like a standard surge protector, but it also enables you to
assess the amount of power you are using for computer, television or
other appliances you plug into the power strip. In addition, it
provides protection against a drop in voltage or "brownout" conditions
that can do serious damage, especially to electric motors. A digital
display on the power strip enables you to check the quality of your
power by monitoring voltage, line frequency, amperage and kilowatts per
hour. You can also calculate the cumulative electrical expenses and
forecast by week, month and year.
*Another monitoring product, the Power Kuff Monitor System, (302) 684-2008, www.powerkuff.com,
$99.95, is a wireless device that straps onto the electric line that
enters your home from your meter and allows you to monitor your power
usage on a digital display. You can then transfer the data to your
computer by using a free downloadable software program to graph your
electric usage throughout the day. This is a great tool to determine
how much power you are using when running various lights and
appliances, and to learn how to manage your energy consumption.
•
If you like to grill outdoors but hate to clean the grates, or are
tired of having food fall into the grill, you should try the
Grill-O-Sheet, (866) 654-0560, www.grillosheet.com.
These reusable aluminum sheets have small holes that enable the food to
cook properly without falling through the grates and can be cleaned in
a dishwasher for reuse. They retail for $5.99 for a two-pack, and are
available locally at Meijer and Lowe's.
• Lots of people would
love to replace their Formica or laminate countertops with granite but
don't want to spend the money. But with a new Granite Paint for
countertops from Giani, (800) 650-5699, www.liquidstainlesssteel.com/giani,
you can paint over your current countertops using a five-step process
to give them the finished look of granite without the cost. The
complete paint kit costs $39.95 and comes in either Sicilian Sand or
Bombay Black colors.
• If you have ever tried to rake leaves or
broom dirt and debris into a plastic garbage or leaf bag, it seems like
you need three hands to do it. However, the SnapBagger, (877) 272-7627,
www.snapbagger. com, $24.95, is a unique steel sheet-metal tool that
makes the job easier by attaching to the opening of your garbage bag to
keep it open, allowing you to scoop leaves into the bag or easily sweep
dirt into it.
• Over the years, I have often referenced DryLok products from United Gilsonite Laboratories, (800) UGL-LABS, www.ugl.com,
for many projects, and the latest DryLok product, Concrete Protector,
is a product that provides clear weatherproof protection against
deterioration caused by de-icing salt, gasoline, oil, weathering and
the white, powdery, salt-like deposits visible on masonry. It can be
used on concrete driveways and sidewalks, garage and basement floors,
terrazzo, slate surfaces and block retaining walls.
• One of
the most unique products I saw at the show was the Hawk from
Bird-B-Gone, (800) 392-6915, www.birdbgone.com. The Bird-B-Gone Hawk
is the first red-tailed hawk decoy on the market that helps keep both
unwanted birds and rodents away from your house, deck or garden. Often,
people would use owl decoys in their garden, but owls are nocturnal
predators, and many birds and rodents don't have a fear of owls.
Because hawks are natural predators that hunt during the day, birds and
rodents identify the hawk as a dangerous predator and will leave the
area. The decoy is made of heavy-duty plastic, and has hand painted
life-like features. It will soon be available at lawn and garden and
hardware stores nationwide, with a suggested retail price of $15.
These
are just a few of the more unique items I've found lately. If you don't
consider any of them good Father's Day gift material, next week I'll
have my list of the presents that any dad would be proud to call his
own.
If you would like to suggest a question for this column, e-mail askglenn@masterhandyman.com.
If you want to talk to Glenn Haege personally, call his "Handyman"radio
show on WJR at (866) ASK GLENN, (866) 275-4536 between noon and 2 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday.
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