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An interview with #MasterChef winner Whitney Miller!

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Expandable Hose Review

I have never used an expandable hose and today they seem to be very popular since they are very convenient. I have always bought you regular garden hose from the hardware store and have gone through quite a bit over the years. In my experience when purchasing hoses I have noticed that the cheaper it cost to purchase the more you will be replacing it. However I do have two hose that are industrial/commercial grade that I have had for many years but they were also not cheap. 

So with this expandable hose I am a little skeptical on its durability and how long it will last. As you can see from the picture below the amount of space this takes up is very minimal. Anyone that has a hose knows how much a 100 ft hose can take up. So for storing this hose is great. 

I have only used it twice and so far it has done what its supposed to do. Im still skeptical on whether this will last all summer and if it does will it stand up to the cold months stored away in my garage. Over the years I have lost quite a few hoses because of the cold weather. They ended up falling apart when I brought them out in the spring months. They either cracked or blew out from the water pressure. 

So for my initial review of the expandable hose is that its a great hose.

• Easy to use
• Lightweight for transporting
• Durable
• Compact
• Easy for storing away when not being used

Here are a few more photos. The photos are of the hose before being introduced with water. The other is after water was turned on. You can see the length had doubled in size.

Before turning on the water

After turning on the water

The hose snakes out when water is turned on

Disclosure: I was provided this product in exchange for this review, However receipt of a free product has not swayed my opinion.

Smart Weigh High Precision Digital Milligram Scale Review

I made a mistake when accepting to review this product. We have a scale we use to weight packages for when my wife ships items to friends/family/clients. Its old and will soon need to be replaced with something a bit bigger. So when I accepted to do this review I did not pay attention as to what type of scale this is. After receiving it I realized we could not use it. However my wife did say that she could use it if and when she gets back into making perfumes. She said she could use it to weigh her essential oils. The purpose of this scale is to weigh small items such as jewelry and precious stones. So for now I will just talk about the scale and its features and my opinion of the scale.

Packaging the scale came in

As you can see the size of the scale is pretty small

Tools that came with the scale

The scales maximum capacity is 20 grams and should not exceed this. If you exceed this you could potentially damage the scale. I found calibrating to be very simple and easy. It comes with a small instruction/operation booklet. The unit is made of plastic and either brushed aluminum but it could be a thin piece of steel. It looks to be made with quality but like anything with plastic it needs to be treated with care or you have the possibility of ruining/breaking the unit. So as you can see from the modes of the scale below, this unit is used for weighing jewelry or precious stones such as diamonds,Rubies, emeralds etc..

Modes of the scale

g = Gram

oz = Ounce

gn = Grain

dwt = Pennyweight

ct = Carat

ozt = Troy Ounce

If I was a jewelry maker or dealt with anything related to jewelry, this unit would be of great use.

Disclosure: I was provided this product in exchange for this review, However receipt of a free product has not swayed my opinion.

Epica 3-Piece Ash Bucket Set Review

Recently I did a post that involved a product that I reviewed using our wood pellet stove. Here is another product that I will be reviewing using the wood pellet stove. This is the Epica 3-Piece Ash Bucket Set.

When I received this I was shocked at how bug the bucket was. My first thought was awesome this is going to extremely convenient since the bucket I use is a lot smaller then this one. Here is the bucket and tools I currently use to scoop out the ash.

As you can see from the picture below that the bucket that I was currently using is a whole heck of a lot smaller then the Epica ash bucket that I received.

My wood pellet stove doesn't look that big but when cleaning out a weeks worth of ash it fills up bucket that I was currently using. I would fill it to the rim and then would empty it into a plastic bag for the trash. From the looks and feel of this I can tell you that this will definitely replace what I am currently using. The best thing about this in my opinion is that its organized and by organized I mean by the scoop having a spot to placed after using on the bucket. This way you wont set it down and lose it. Not to mention the lid. The lid is a nice feature because when I dump ash into the bucket I can just cap it off so the dust does not fly around. The other bucket I was using I would have to dump it very slowly so I would not create a dust cloud. 

This picture was taken awhile back. I have not used the bucket yet as the whether has been very nice and there is no need to turn on the stove. 

Disclosure: I was provided this product in exchange for this review, However receipt of a free product has not swayed my opinion.

3-in-1 Cree LED Flashlight with Magnetized Base Review.

You can never have enough flashlights as they always come in handy when you really need them. This light is one of my favorite flashlights that I have owned. It has multiple purposes other then just being a simple hand flashlight you would use.

There are 3 lighting features that are very useful. The first is the flashlight. It has a very powerful LED. Most basic flashlights give off a yellowish or white soft light and after so many feet the light gets weaker. I’m sure you remember a time or 2 shining your flashlight into a tree and barely being able to see anything. However with the LED flashlight when you turn it on you can tell the how well the LED is with its crisp white light. At 100 or so feet the light still holds a powerful beam.

The second is the side light used with the magnet. If you keep this in your car it could be helpful if you need to change a flat tire at night. You just click the side light and attach it to the fender of your car just like I attached it to my refrigerator in this pic.

The last feature of this light is an emergency blinking of red LED lights. Perfect for roadside assistance but it's not as bright as the other two light features. Here is a short video of all three light features.

Overall I think this is a great product with its multiple uses other than just a simple flashlight.

Disclosure: I was provided this product in exchange for this review, However receipt of a free product has not swayed my opinion.

How to fix your dead NICad Batteries for FREE!!

I came across this helpful fact on Pinterest and yet I have not tried it I do find it very helpful and could save myself or other folks with these types of batteries a lot of money. I always thought that once a battery on a power tool is dead that there is no way to save it. I am not sure if this works with lithium batteries because its a completely different type of battery. You could try it but don't expect the same results.

I pulled this info from Superior Remodeling L.L.C Kitchen and Bath Experts website.
The Principle

Nickel Cadium (nicd) batteries have a tendency to grow internal whiskers called crystal dendrite growth. Those whiskers prevent the battery from holding a charge. This often happens due to overcharging. The growth can be blasted away with a quick jolt from car batteries, DC power supplies, or even a welder do the trick. The process revives the cells or batteries by the injection of a short duration, high-magnitude, zap of current through them.

The Procedure

Most nicd batteries require 24 volts of zap to clear them out. Most people use two 12 volt car batteries  for the jolt, which produces 24 volts total when wired together as shown below but any 24 volt source will do. A good car battery charger will work, but only if it has a strong boost mode. If it doesn't, a car battery and a car charger wired together in series as shown below will work. I've even heard of people snapping 3 little 9 volt batteries together for the juice, But I haven't tried that yet. An AC welder will work also, though probably not too many of you have a welder at your disposal. For tool batteries under 9.6 volts, one car battery or a 12 volt equivalent is sufficient.

Use the same concept when using 12V batteries

How long you zap your tool battery depends on the voltage of the rechargeable. The chart above shows the different surge times, but first let's deal with how to wire the car batteries together.

Wire your two car batteries in series. You can use common jumper cables if desired, or use lamp chord and a couple of alligator clips or anything that will keep temporary contact will work. Any wire will do as its not drawing very high voltage.

Explanation of series wiring

Series wiring is where two or more sources are hooked together in series (i.e. positive terminal of the first buttery is hooked to the negative terminal of the second battery). The resulting voltage is the sum of the individual battery voltages. If two 12V batteries are hooked together, the resulting voltage will be 24V.

There is no danger connecting batteries in this way. In fact, it's quite commonly done. This principle can be seen in everyday flashlights where the positive of one battery is butted up against the negative of the next battery. It produces the some of their voltage

SnakeClamp Camera Mount Review

I can’t say enough for this phone clamp (replaces a tripod). If and when I find my mini tripod I used for my phone it will get tossed into the garbage. Snake clamp puts out an extremely well-engineered product. You actually get to build the clamp to your specifications given that they have quite a few different options to choose from. I went with a 18 inch and 24 inch goose neck, Camera mount with a weighted base. What is great about the weighted base is that it comes with a 3 pound magnet. You get a weighted base and the option of securing it to something metal.

If you decide to get that same setup as I did I would recommend just going with the 18 inch goose neck because the 24 is over-kill because it is so rugged that using it for a tripod is a little tough. The 24 inch does flex but will need to have some force behind it to do so. The 18 inch works much better as it is easier to manage. I would use the 24” if I had something heavier to attach to it but at this time I don’t have anything I need to use it for so It will go on the shelf until I need it.

The phone mount is simple to use. There is a button to open up the clamps which are spring loaded. Making it easy to open up and secure your phone. There are foam pads so it grips the phone nicely and secure.

It unit does not move unless you move it. There is no slippage with the goose neck giving you a sturdy phone for those videos you want to do while you are working.

I would highly recommend anyone who takes videos or pictures in there shop to have one of these. You will be pleased with Snake Clamps product. Here is there web address SnakeClamp




Disclosure: I was provided this product in exchange for this review, However receipt of a free product has not swayed my opinion.

300 Lumens LED Ultra Bright Lantern Review

I just received  300 Lumens LED Ultra Bright Lantern today. This would of been nice to use less than a week ago when our power went out for roughly 4 hours. We used candles and Flashlights but they were not nearly as bright as this little bugger. I was impressed with how much light this thing puts out. Its lightweight so you can pretty much hang it anywhere you want. It has 3 settings. Low - High - Strobe. All it takes is 3-D batteries.

LOW SETTING

This would be great for multiple of things. Sitting outside at night, Camping, Stored in your emergency roadside kit or just keep it home for when the power goes out.


HIGH SETTING

Disclosure: I was provided this product in exchange for this review, however receipt of a free product has not swayed my opinion.

NiTex P-200 / NiTex P-12 Gloves Review

So I have received these gloves about a week ago and have been testing them out with a lot of different applications. I have used them from working on my truck, yard work and working in my shop. They have held up very nicely. Granted its 10-30 degrees here and my hands get cold but they are not meant to keep my hands warm like winter gloves would. My only issue was that I ordered a large and should have ordered an extra-large. They are a tad small but I am still able to use them.

Here you can see me using them sanding down a piece to a picture frame that my son and I made for a painting that he picked up for a friend. They grip the board nicely which is great because when its cold out, wood seems to be a bit more slippery than usual.

Disclosure: I was provided this product in exchange for this review, however receipt of a free product has not swayed my opinion.