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COOL TOOLS UNTRIED

Cool Tools Untried look cool, but -- buyer beware -- may seem cooler than they actually are. We are not featuring these items based on experience or endorsing them. If you have used any of these and can report positively or negatively -- or if you have a similar item you love -- please let us know. Until then, here's some intriguing stuff.

-- Steven Leckart


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Garden/carpentry pads on wheels
Knee Blades

Available from Knee Blades


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Tabulates cooking temp
Grill Right Wireless Talking BBQ/Oven Thermometer

bbq-temp-sm.jpg
Available from Oregon Scientific and Amazon


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DSLR steady cam
Redrock Hybrid Cinema Rig

redrock.jpg
Available from Redrock
(via Gizmodo via Dvice)


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12-volt, 2-speed hauling up to 200 lbs.
Neuton Battery-Powered Garden Cart

garden-cart.jpg
Available from DR Power and Amazon
(thanks David McKenzie!)


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Transforms pics to miniature models
TiltShiftMaker

tiltshiftmaker.jpg
Available from TiltShift Maker


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Grocery bag cart
Hook and Go

hookandgo.jpg
Available from Hook and Go
(thanks Bobby Winston!)

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Snake-Away Repellent
Deters legless reptiles

snake.jpg
Available from Ben Meadows


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Humminbird Rod Mount Sonar
Built-in fish finder

humminbird.jpg
Available from Cabela's

 







Comments

 
#1 | Fri, 05-01-09 06:12
JeanS

Hook n Go is an AWESOME way to get lots of groceries into the house in very few trips. Nothing gets squashed because bags don't sit on top of one another. Also useful at farmer's markets. It folds to a compact size. I've used it for several years and I highly recommend this product.

 
#2 | Fri, 05-01-09 06:16
Jong Chen

Hook and Go. Don't waste your money. I bought one from Hammacher Schlemmer many years ago. First the good. I does fold into a fairly compact package. I does a decent job of keeping your groceries separated and not crushing each other. Now the bad. The wheels are awful. There are no ball bearings on them. The wheels just spin on the axle and are held in place with a nut and washers. They do not spin very well and wobble. The kart has a very high center of gravity, and is prone to tipping. You have to be very careful as to how you load your groceries to avoid the kart tipping over. Given the height of the kart it isn't high enough, anything larger than a standard shopping bag from a grocery store is going to drag on the ground. It does not hold that many bags, I was only able to hang about 6 grocery bags on it before I ran out of space along the bar. There are hooks to hang more bags but there is not enough physical space for all those bags to hang. It is not very well made. The welds look just awful and some joints are too easy to fold and some joints are too hard to fold. I've gotten my fingers pinched a few times trying to get the thing folded. I eventually took to slamming the kart on the ground to get it folded and unfolded. The handle is not long enough. I'm 5' 6" and I had to stoop to roll the kart. Not very comfortable for long distance use.

This kart is much more useful http://www.stacksandstacks.com/quik-cart-collapsible-shopping-cart/ (staples sells it too). You have to be careful to stack your groceries properly to avoid crushing but it holds the same amount as the Hook and Go. Plus you can also use it to carry things not loaded into bags.

 
#3 | Fri, 05-01-09 06:30
Jonathan Peterson

A wireless thermometer is pretty nice. Mine covers most of the house, but not all. Talking doesn't seem useful at all, you just need a beep when the temperature is reached.

A warning - the first one I bought had rare beef, med beef, pork, chicken, etc. Useful, enough, but it didn't allow you set an exact temperature.

 
#4 | Fri, 05-01-09 08:03
Zeke Koch

I have to agree with Jong Chen re: Hook and Go. It's a great idea with poor execution (or perhaps it was optimized for a different purpose).

The hooks which hold the bags are too short to use with the cloth bags everyone in SF is using these days. The wheels are also wonky.

 
#5 | Fri, 05-01-09 08:54
eigafan

I found TotASak while googling for plastic bag carriers. It seems like a great idea, you can carry them in your pocket or purse, leave the shopping cart inside the store, and pack the shopping bags together with it attached to prevent spillage in the trunk. They're a bit expensive (two for $12.99 with shipping and handling included) at the original TotASak website. It's Our Earth (Wheaton, IL) sells three for $9 plus reasonable shipping and handling charges (USPS priority mail).

 
#6 | Fri, 05-01-09 10:17
Z

Even better than the TotASak or the Hook-in-go is the $0.99 IKEA blue bag. Use pads around the long handles, like a couple pieces of pipe insulation, or a Timbuk2 strap pad, and you can't get more bombproof than that. Plus, you don't get stuck with a wad of plastic bags after unloading your groceries, and they don't go flying around the trunk of your car either. Also make great demo/clean up bags.

 
#7 | Fri, 05-01-09 10:48
BJ Nicholls

I have a non-talking wireless thermometer from Oregon Scientific, and it works well. Mine beeps when the target temperature is reached and I'm not about to buy one that talks to me.

The Redrock Hybrid Cinema Rig is obvious evidence that DSLRs are poor substitutes for dedicated video cameras. The ergonomics, AF systems, and shutters of DSLRs with video recording capability make kludge devices like this bracket inevitable.

A battery powered garden cart seems environmentally wasteful unless you're physically disabled.

 
#8 | Fri, 05-01-09 12:34
RobFV

tilt shift maker works well, I've used it several times.

It works best with photos taken from above

 
#9 | Fri, 05-01-09 01:17
Moe Rubenzahl

I have the Grill Right Wireless Talking BBQ/Oven Thermometer. On the plus side: Well made, accurate, wireless reaches the whole house.

On the negative is its main "feature." It talks. "It's almost done!!" it says, in a chipper voice. "It's almost done!" again. And as far as I know, you can't stop the talking. I would rather just have a little beep.

But it does the job and I like it. Just wish it would shut up.

 
#10 | Fri, 05-01-09 01:19
seth godin

The hook n go is a use-it-once product.

nuff said.

 
#11 | Fri, 05-01-09 02:06
George Cochrane

I ended up trying tiltshiftmaker.com- that's a pretty neat trick. The pic I made is here: http://www.georgecochrane.com/?p=326

 
#12 | Sat, 05-02-09 02:51
Don Schenck

Have owned the Neuton electric cart for about a year, and love it. It's not for hauling bricks up a steep incline, but when you're pushing 50 and have a lot of yard rubbish to move, it's perfect. Got one for my wife and it enables her to do a ton of gardening while I'm away at work all day. I recommend it for light work.

 
#13 | Sat, 07-04-09 02:02
JeanS

Hook n Go is still the fastest, sturdiest way to get a LOT of groceries into the house in the fewest trips. Yes, as some other comments point out, it could be designed better in some ways, but once you get used to it, it does what it says it does and does it exceedingly well!

 

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