Faster ergonomic leaf rake

There's plenty of leaves on the ground each fall near Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Maybe that's why raking leaves three times faster is an attractive option.

Plus the new 'Slapshot Rake' uses core muscles - safer and easier on the body than traditional raking. Do you play hockey?


About $15 from Augustine Biomedical

Energy contractor trends

Ten business opportunities for the electrical contracting sector from Leonardo Energy, drawn from 150 partners in leading academia and industry:

• 1. Smart homes and offices
• 2. Smart ageing: independent living for elderly people
• 3. Telemedicine: medical home care
• 4. Energy management
• 5. Photovoltaic systems: catching up?
• 6. Heat pumps: the revelation of the past decade
• 7. Domestic CHPs: ancient technology, modern application
• 8. Electric heating: making a comeback?
• 9. Powering the digital economy: robust design & extensive circuit monitoring
• A. Renovation for safety and comfort: underestimated risks?

New sheetrock knife

More than thirty years ago I brought a pneumatic framing nailer into the coffee shop to show my friends. It was the first in town. Most were eager and curious. A few could care less. A couple carpenters squawked and I recall one roofer defiantly saying, "I can spit nails faster than that thing."

Try showing this new blade knife from C. H. Hanson to a crew of sheetrockers and I bet you'll hear someone say, "It's just another gimmick."

The Speed Rocker has a slot to grab the tape hook. At the end of the day, all your wobbly thumb are belong relief.

via ToolSnob

Your personal climate

Herman Miller says this gizmo isn't a space heater, but a personal microclimate controller.

The C2 Climate Control uses a fraction of the power that traditional space heaters or air conditioners and fans require - approximately 90 percent less energy than a typical space heater.

Herman Miller claims that the device will work to keep the area around it a constant, comfortable 72 degrees F. Place it 12-18 inches from you and turn it on.

Too cold? It can increase the temperature by up to 40 degrees. If the temperature is too warm, it can cool your work area by up to 8 degrees.

Replace thick insulation

Dry dead air is insulation. In fiberglass batts, blown cellulose or foam panels, it's the dry pockets of air that slow the conduction of heat or cold. Heat radiates as well. It's smart to reflect heat radiation - away in the summer or to keep it inside during the winter. Foil and smooth surfaces reflect, but most building designs fail to optimize the control of radiated heat.

ASTRO-FOIL reflective foil insulation consists of two layers of polyethylene bubble film sandwiched between two layers of 99.9% pure aluminum foil, making a structure 5/16-inch thick.

Depending upon the application, ASTRO-FOIL can outperform 6″ of mass insulation in all climates.

ASTRO-FOIL is excellent as a primary insulation for buildings of all types. Preferred by installers and building owners because it is safe to handle, lightweight and works especially well in limited space. There are numerous applications for residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural buildings.

New gutter cleaning tool

Clamshell tongs on a rope.

A rain gutter cleaning tool.

Makes gutter maintenance easy from the ground.

Fits on an ordinary extension pole, is light enough to reach a two story gutter, grasps even pine needles, cleans beneath the supports and doesn't get you or the woodwork wet or blow the mess all over.

Tilt the tongs to grasp out-of-reach objects, i.e. sneakers on the roof.

About $19.95 from Gutter Sense