Here are just a few good ideas for the Handyman on Father’s day. We know everyone is on a different budget so we wanted to cover lots of different price ranges and interests. Is Dad more of a Mechanic, Woodworker, Plumber, Gadget Guy or just all around Mr. Fix-it? Hopefully you will find something on this list.

Under $30
Bosch DareDevil Spade 13pc Kit ($27) - Coptool Post
Edge Polarized Safety Glasses ($24) – Coptool Post
Ridgid P-Tec PVC Pipe Cutter ($18) – Coptool Post

Under $200
Milwaukee M18 Hackzall ($199) – Coptool Post
Bosch PS31 Drill/Driver ($143) – Coptool Post
Hougen Metal Hole Cutters ($196) - Coptool Post

The Really Good Dad
Ridgid SeeSnake Explorer ($690) - Coptool Post
Bosch 5 Tool 18V Combo ($589)

   

Posted by Jay A. at 03:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Safety equipment isn’t as fun to shop for and as a new table saw however for some people (more & more as OSHA regulations get tighter) it has become a daily part of life which means you are going to be spending plenty of hours each week in that harness. For this reason there are a wide range of styles and options available today. FallTech pretty much has whatever you are looking for in a Safety Harness, from the very basic (easy on the wallet) to meet OSHA requirements to Kevlar Harnesses with 10,000 lb webbing.

Above you will find the FallTech sizing chart, the “size fits most” section will work for 80-90% of the work force and are the harnesses you will find on www.ohiopowertool.com. Of course extra small and extra large sizes are no problem, simply call 800-242-4424 or email sales@ohiopowertool.com and they can help you. Below is a quick rundown of the available FallTech Harnesses:

FT Basic -1D 7007 $29 – 6300lb webbing, 3 Point size adjustment, basically the new guy special...

Contractor – 1D 7016 $40, 3D 7018 $48 – 6300lb webbing, 5 point adjustments, 9 position leg straps, lanyard keepers

Tradesman – 1D 7008 $55, 3D 7010 $60 –compare to contractor but 6800lb webbing & forged alloy, 2 lanyard keepers for Ys

Foreman – 1D 7070SM $68, 3D 7073SM $80 –compare to contractor but with improved comfort, shoulder pads, waist support & functional work belt, 6300lb webbing

Journeyman – 3D 7027 $73, 3D 7035L $108, 5D 7034L $113 – compare to Foreman with even more comfort, 7000lb webbing & forged alloy, 2 lanyard keepers, retrieval options

WeldTech – 1D 7039 $188, 3D 7038 $188 – 10,000lb webbing made with Kevlar & Nomex, resistance to cuts and heat.

ComforTech – 1D 7080SM $112, 1D 7082SM $126, 7081SM $138, 7083SM $152 – 7300lb webbing, silicone gel, memory foam, lumbar support, Cordura fabric, Maximum Comfort

If you are buying the harness for yourself and looking for comfort obviously the ComfotTech is the way to go, you can wear it for 8 hours and hardly notice you are wearing anything. The Journeyman is also a very popular harness for people purchasing their own equipment and while it doesn’t have all the bells & whistles still a comfortable harness. If you are purchasing for a crew it is a good idea to consider the Contractor over the FT Basic as it have 5 point adjustment and will fit a variety of body types much better.

For lanyard, SRL, lifelines, anchors and other FallTech safety products, Ohio Power Tool carries a wide range of option for all your fall protection needs.     

     

Posted by Jay A. at 03:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you have ever had to remove a bunch of large cores (up to 6”) before typically you will find it’s not a terribly pleasant job. Commonly guys will use two screwdrivers and pry the core up and then try to grab the lip and pull it out. This core extracting tool from Diamond Products Core Bore makes the job much easier and will save you a ton of time and energy. It’s such a simple design, why was this not invented years ago. The Core Extractor ($36, Ohio Power Tool) is a little pricy for what it is, but well worth it for the time it will save you.   

    

Posted by Jay A. at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Armor Professional Work Wear makes work pants (mostly for painters) that have additional pockets for knee pads. Sounds like a simple gimmick that you might think, big deal, at first glance. I was lucky enough to demo a pair and was very impressed. The construction of the pants was very solid, material was a heavy weight but still comfortable. The knee pads are flexible squares that simply slide in and out of the knee pockets so it’s very easy to take them out for wearing them around the house and then put them in when it’s time to work. Not to say they are a problem to leave in because you really don’t notice the knee pads just walking around.

The knee pads will not replace a true knee pad for those laying flooring or other such work but for just doing projects around the house or general construction work you wouldn’t believe how they change the way you work. Our shop has concrete floors but when you are wearing these it changes the way you work by allowing you to get down under projects like second nature. I also showed them to a cable installer and he thought they were the greatest invention since sliced bread because in addition to added support, these would help keep his knees from getting muddy/wet outside.

The background story on these pants in also pretty interesting one. It is all about professional painters but I think they are ideal for anyone who has a favorite pair of work pants, which I would bet is everyone who reads coptool.com. Cost is $35 (white) & $40 (tan) per pair. Here is a YouTube on these:

          

Posted by Jay A. at 01:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

GloBugs are ideal for emergency lighting, night time road work, outdoor events, and movie/television production. Multiquip GloBugs provide the absolute whitest, brightest output with 360 degree glare-free light. These Balloon Lights come with collapsible stands that can easily be set up and taken down by 1 person in only a few minutes and plug into any 120v standard outlet.

For a more portable style light tower solution Multiquip also makes GloBug Carts which are easy to pull and maneuver with 1 person unlike a trailer light tower. The carts are also compact enough to fit several in the back of a pickup or trailer and can work with any standard generator (although are ideal for Multiquip Generators).

Checkout this YouTube video below to see the actual size of some of these balloon lights and light towers. If you have no interest in Balloon Lights but love cheesy synthesizer music you may also enjoy this video.    

 

Posted by Jay A. at 03:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Recently added and available online now at OhioPowerTool.com is a full line of FallTech Personal Fall Protection Equipment. Fall Tech was chosen by Ohio Power Tool because they manufacture high quality product, made in the USA, at competitive pricing and continuously come out with innovative new products.

 FallTech Products include: Full Body Harnesses, Shock Absorbing Lanyards, Self Retracting Lifelines or SRLs, Rope Grabs, Vertical Lifelines, Roof Anchors, I-Beam Anchors, Concrete Anchors, Roofer & Contractor Kits, Full Temporary Systems and many other products. More items and information will be available online for FallTech soon. If you need something you don’t see online or want a quote for an order, call Ohio Power Tool direct at 800-242-4424 or email sales@ohiopowertool.com.  

Continue reading "FallTech Personal Fall Arrest Equipment Added to Ohio Power Tool" »

Posted by Jay A. at 01:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Previously we did a post comparing some of the preliminary stats of the Milwaukee M-Spector AV vs Explorer however at that time we were just looking at the numbers from the M-Spector AV press release. Now the M12 M-Spector AV is in stock (at Ohio Power Tool at least) and we can do a more hands on comparison and see some of the differences between the two models.

Right off the bat you’ll see a good size difference in price, Ridgid Explorer 30063 ($690) vs Milwaukee M12 M-Spector AV 2311-21 ($399). So what does the extra $291 get you with the Ridgid and is it worth it? On the surface these two models look very similar, both feature 320x240 resolutin 3.5” screens, 17mm heads and ability to record still images & videos.

The Milwaukee M12 M-Spector AV 2311-21 even has several advantages despite the cheaper price tag. By simply being a part of the Milwaukee M12 line it gets a natural advantage as many people already have batteries, chargers and other tools. The actual M12 battery also lasts longer and charges faster than the Ridgid Explorer lithium battery, although I haven’t heard any complaints about Explorer battery life, it is always a big plus to have more time between charges. The Milwaukee also features a built in microphone for recording where the Ridgid requires a separate microphone.

The Ridgid Micro Explorer 30063 as you would expect for the price, obviously have several advantages over the Milwaukee. A big feature which is very clear when comparing them side by side is the self-leveling feature on the Explorer. This automatically keeps the image right side up which can be important when you are inspecting a pipe that takes a bend or just to keep you sanity. The Milwaukee does have a 180 degree flip option (shown above) which helps sometimes but other times just goes from one awkward view to another.

The Ridgid also wins against the Milwaukee with a much better designed camera head. The Explorer has 4 LED lights vs the Milwaukee single LED light. The head is also a better design with rounded metal face vs Milwaukee’s flat plastic piece. The Milwaukee head makes me nervous because it is very common to see abuse to these heads. The tips get pushed with considerable force to make any turns and all that pressure on that plastic piece… The Explorer also comes with the magnet, hook & mirror attachments (see below) which have proven very useful for specific tasks like pulling wires, recovering dropped screws or jewelry, etc.

The final reason you might pick the Micro Explorer SeeSnake over the Milwaukee is that while Ridgid isn’t building more products to use the same battery they are building products to work specifically with the Explorer. The microDRAIN 33103 for instance is a 30’ SeeSnake reel build specifically to attach to the Explorer and do line inspections. Although the microDRAIN has only been out for a number of weeks it has already had huge success among plumbers. This is the first and only camera that can pass through a toilet trap and is powered off the Explorer power supply. The Micro Explorer also features an expansion slot for future upgrades which, my best guess, could include thermal imaging or other cool technologies.

The verdict, while these two units look similar I would argue they are different enough that there are good reasons to select each. The Ridgid Explorer is a better unit all around but for many applications the added features may not justify the added price. If you need a simple handheld inspection tool you may consider the M12 M-Spector AV 2311-21 ($399) over the Ridgid Micro 31118 ($223) or the standard M-Spector 2310-21 ($249). Also if you need to simply document the inspection with images or video but don’t necessarily need to give the video to a customer the M-Spector AV is a good option. If you are planning to provide a copy to customers I would strongly suggest the Explorer using self leveling and keep them from getting seasick from an upside down spinning videos. Also I would recommend the Ridgid Explorer to any plumber hands down. Even if you are not yet ready to invest in the 30’ microDRAIN there are many additional products that will all be based on this platform coming down the pipe and when you are talking about SeeSnake reels which can cost thousands, paying a few hundred extra now is well worth it.

For many more pictures checkout this Facebook Photo Album. If you have any other questions on any Handheld Inspection Equipment give the professionals at Ohio Power Tool a call 800-242-4424 or email sales@ohiopowertool.com.      

  

Posted by Jay A. at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love it when a small simple change happens to an everyday item and then everyone thinks “Oh yea that’s pretty obvious, why didn’t I think of that”. Wordlock hasn’t reinvent the lock, they didn’t make it any more secure, they are the priced similar to the competition ($4 - $15) but they did make it easier to remember the passwords and that’s enough to make them a player. The locks all still use 10 digit wheels so the number of total combinations is the exact same as numbered locks and assuming most people will make real words it seems like these would be easier to guess combinations. In reality if someone really wants through a pad lock or cable lock bad enough there are plenty of power tools that will do the job.

I tested out 5 different models of Wordlock locks: a Brass Lock, a Utility Lock, 2 Cable Locks and a Padlock. The Padlock and large Cable Lock features easy to set/change passwords, while the Brass & Utility locks require a key to change the passwords and the small Cable Lock had a set password you couldn’t change. I use several different locks personally, it will be nice to have them all be the same and if I gave out the password for some reason, easy to reset them all.

    

Posted by Jay A. at 04:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just announced, Milwaukee will be coming out with two models of the M-Spector AV, the 2311-21 (17mm head) and 2312-21 (9.5mm head). The M-Spector AV is designed to compete directly with the Ridgid SeeSnake Micro Explorer which has been a tremendous success. The M-Spector AV features match up with the Explorer including 3.5” screen with 320x240 resolution. Both have the ability to record voice over videos, the Milwaukee does comes with a 2GB memory card vs the Ridgid with a small internal memory and mail away to get a Free 2GB card (but $9.95 anywhere). The Milwaukee unit has the ability to rotate live or captured images but it does not mention anything about digital self leveling which is a huge feature of the Ridgid Explorer. The Explorer also has expansion slots which could include upgrades for thermal imaging at some point down the road which I am not sure the Milwaukee offers. Pricing information is not available yet, I imagine it will be in line with the Explorer’s price of $690 or perhaps below. The M-Spector AV is also part of the Milwaukee M12 line, one of the fastest growing and most successful cordless power tool lines on the market today.

I imagine most plumbers will stick with the Ridgid product for the digital self leveling and the fact that it works with the Ridgid MicroDrain to go through toilet traps. That being said the reason the Ridgid Explorer has been so successful is that it has opened up so many new markets. From HVAC, remodelers, electricians, mechanics, inspection, safety, maintenance staff to Biologists studying prairie dogs in Wyoming, the audience is wide open for these new borescope cameras.    

    

Posted by Jay A. at 09:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It is a proven fact if you make safety equipment more attractive people will be more likely to wear it. If everyone is wearing their safety equipment all the time, you will see fewer injuries, saving time and money in the long run. Safety Glasses manufacturer Edge Eye Wear took this idea and ran with it. The Edge Safety Glasses look as good as many of the most popular sunglasses but protect the eyes from jobsite hazards as well as the sun’s rays. Edge was the first to offer safety glasses with features like polarized lens, anti-fog lens, blue light filter, aqua precision, high-definition lens and G-15 lens as options on their eyewear. They have also done extensive laboratory testing to ensure their eyewear meet and/or exceed all safety standards.

Each of the frame styles is also available in a wide range of lenses from clear to Welders IR 5.0, each with a specific task in mind. There are 15+ styles of frames to choose from so it should be fairly easy to match the right lenses with a frame you will want to wear on the job and after. Popular models include: Brazeau, Reclus, Khor, Baretti, Kazbek, Dakura, Delano & Kirova.

Lens Technology:
Clear Anti-Reflective – Designed to keep glare down. Allows 99% light pass through.
Yellow – Enhance available light in low light conditions or after dusk. Allows 80% light pass through.   
Polarized Yellow – Enhance available light in low light conditions or after dusk with added advantage of polarized lenses to eliminate glare and reflections. Allows 36% light pass through.
Amber – High contrast lens for overcast days. This lens also has blue filter properties. Excellent for activities where the light is flat of contrast is minimal, such as skiing. Allows 57% light pass through.
Copper - Filters out blue light of haze which can cause eye fatigue, tired, strained or sore eyes. Specifically engineered as a high contrast driving lens to give greater depth perception. Allows 8% light pass through.
Polarized Copper - Filters out blue light of haze which can cause eye fatigue, tired, strained or sore eyes. Specifically engineered as a high contrast driving lens to give greater depth perception with the added advantage of polarized lenses to eliminate glare and reflections. Allows 12% light pass through.  
Smoke – The perfect all around tint for standard shading in normal light conditions. Allows 16% light pass through.  
Polarized Smoke – The perfect all around tint for standard shading in normal light conditions with the added advantage of polarized lenses to eliminate glare and reflections. Allows 16% light pass through.  
Silver Mirror – Similar to smoke lens properties, but has the added Silver Mirror lens coating which reflects more light, making it ideal for bright light conditions. Allows 13% light pass through.  
Polarized G-15 Silver Mirror – The G-15 technology was designed by the US Air Force to maximize transmission of light at 555nm. Provides contrast and image definition while offering cooling sensation to the eyes. Allows 9% light pass through.  
Blue Mirror – Similar to Silver Mirror lens but more reflective power. Allows 12% light pass through.  
Polarized Aqua Precision Blue – The Aqua Precision lens technology was designed by NASA as a reflective coating for satellite portholes. The Aqua-based color of this lens maximizes clarity and contrast. Allows 9% light pass through.  
Rose Mirror – Reflects light in bright light situations. The Rose color base offers a warm color for the eyes and is coated with a Silver Mirror for additional light reflection. Details are enhanced in flat light. Allows 11% light pass through.  
Aqua Precision Red - The Aqua Precision lens technology was designed by NASA as a reflective coating for satellite portholes. The Aqua-based color of this lens maximizes clarity and contrast. Allows 13% light pass through.  
Welding IR 3.0 – Filters out low levels of intense Infra Red light, such as gas welding, brazing or torch cutting. Allows 12% light pass through.  
Welding IR 5.0 – Filters out medium levels of intense Infra Red light, such as gas welding, brazing or torch cutting. Allows 2% light pass through.  

 All the colored lenses provide 99.9% protection from UVA/UVB/UVC rays. For those with larger heads, like me, check out the oversized Kazbek XL models which have a 152mm front with 120mm at the temples. I’ve been wearing mine around for a few weeks now just as sunglasses when biking and they have been really awesome with better lenses than my old pair of more expensive glasses. Priced from $5.95 to $24.95 it’s not hard to imagine getting a few pairs with different styles and lenses. Contact Ohio Power Tool if you have any questions about the Edge Safety Eyewear.     

   

Posted by Jay A. at 02:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)