February 2007 Archive
Sole insulation
I live in Minnesota in a 1920's house with newspaper for insulation, and have not been able to get rid of cold feet -- until now. These insoles are the same thickness as normal shoe liners but they have an aerogel in the sole. Like normal shoe liners, these come over-sized, so you cut them down to your shoe size using the templates printed on the soles. I have used them while wearing several different styles of shoes from dress shoes to work boots to tennis shoes to mukluks and ice skates, and have not noticed them shifting inside the shoe.
I have noticed a little bit of compression after wearing them 12 to 16 hours a day for two months, but I have not noticed a difference in thermal performance. On my wife's pair the insulation layer has started to separate from the padded layer and she says they do not make her feet as warm as they did when she first started wearing them a couple months ago. But she shifts them between shoes much more often than I do. These insoles are cheap enough that you can buy multiple pairs and avoid moving them around, which should help maintain their integrity longer. My pair looks like it will last a few more seasons and I plan on taking them out when temperatures get above 10 degrees or so.
-- Bryan Schmidt
Toasty Feet Insoles
$17
Available from Amazon (men's size 7-12)
Also from Amazon (women's size 7-10)
Manufactured by and available from PolarWrap
Whole house lighting, media & heat
Control 4 is the most versatile, affordable, standards-based, programmable home automation plus digital audio solution I've seen. More than a few IMs from my wife with questions like "Why does the light in the hallway keep flashing off and on?" proves it hasn't been 100% smooth sailing, but once you get it all wired, it's a very cool system.
If you're just looking to fire up digital music in your home you have a few tiers of options: Squeezebox or Roku gets you in the game for $150; Sonos is the Rhapsody-enabled, Mossberg-approved whole home music solution. With Control 4 my house is now an MP3 player, but I also have the ability to control the heat, lights, Tivo, DVD, XM radio, etc., which is magical. The other night we ordered takeout and watched "The Office." From the couch we were able to turn on the heat (it was cold in there) and turn on the porch light for the delivery dude. Handy! Motion sensors are for security lights. For the "Hey, this is the house you're looking for" light, you want to be able to make your house look inviting with a quick switch.
Before bed, we just hit "goodnight" and all the lights, music, etc. go off. I also have a few "scenes" programmed. The lights come on automatically in the evening, and it's cool because you can set it to coincide with sunset -- and the timing automatically changes with the seasons. You can even insert some randomness so the lights don't come on at exactly the same time each evening (for security). I even programmed a "media scene" tying the dining and kitchen together so that when you play music in the kitchen it automatically plays a little less loud in the dining room. I can also mount a share from a computer in my home office and the HTC will index all my MP3s, then allow me to pump the audio through any configuration of speakers in the house. The HTC has two analog outputs that plug directly into the amp, so you can listen to two different MP3 streams at once. My teenage daughter can listen to Girl Talk in her room while my wife can listen to James Taylor in the baby's room and the rest of the house. We also rigged up the turntable in the living room so it slides out of the wall unit, plays through the living room system, and is route-able to any or all of the speakers in the rest of the house.
While whole house music has been my dream since the spring of 1995, being able to sit in the rocker with our newborn, turn down the lights, turn on the music, and adjust the heat all from a hand-held remote control the size of the one that comes with a TV is pretty crazy.
Here's how it works in my house: a Control 4 Home Theater Controller (HTC) sits in a rack in my closet, attached to my home network, along with a Control 4 16 channel amp (also networked), Control 4 XM/FM/AM Multi-Tuner (ditto), DirecTV TiVo, and Marantz 8500 A/V Receiver. The receiver is tied into the plasma and 5:1 surround in the living room, and the 16-channel amp is hard-wired to in-ceiling speakers in every room in the house (both living room and in-ceiling speakers are from TruAudio). The HTC has little infrared remotes so it can control the TV, receiver, and TiVo box, and it talks directly to the components on the network. Additionally I swapped all our light switches for Control 4 switches or dimmers as well as our thermostat, and these all talk to the HTC via the Zigbee RF protocol (the electrician who puts these in doesn't have to know anything about them - he/she just swaps out the old switches with the new). This allows everything (lights, heat, TV, etc.) to be controlled from any Control 4 remote, of which there are a few options: mini touch screens in the walls, hand-held remotes which are in a few of the rooms, or the hand-held remote and the TV. Control 4 has done a very good job making the interface 100% consistent across this variety of control points.
Yes, I had help with the installation, and the average buyer shouldn't install this themselves; but there is a cheaper way to go: they sell this equipment at Magnolia. I was prepared to go old school analog with little knobs in the wall until a friend introduced me to the folks at Control 4. They really seem to be the only ones who get it, leveraging standards like IP, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and MP3, and creating something reasonably priced, useful, and easily extended.
A setup like this definitely isn't for everyone - and neither is home automation in general -- but I've had enough people ask me about what it is and how it works that I wanted to explain the basics and have a place to point people when they ask. If you're looking for a whole-house solution, I don't think there's much competition on both price and flexibility. To be honest, I wouldn't have been able to afford it if I hadn't gotten a discount, but if you're already in the market for home automation gear you'll probably find it to be pretty reasonably priced. A friend of mine looked at another high-end system and the bid came in around $10K. I did fifteen switches and two wireless outlet dimmers in addition to the other gear, but depending on the number of components and outlets you desire, you could do a starter for $5K on the C4 side.
-- Ian Rogers
Control 4 Home Automation
$5,000 (depending on components)
Available from a Control 4 dealer near you
Manufactured by Control 4
Durable, manageable multi-screwing
This 10-in-1 screwdriver/nut driver has a soft, cushioned grip wrapped around a hard and solid handle, making all day use no problem. And, because of its design, changing bits can be done super fast and in such way that they're less likely to pour out.
Other 10-in1's store the bits in a hard plastic handled push sleeve, or there's a plastic or rubber ring around the shaft and the bits are barely secure in there, so when you screw off the end they just come out. Instead of having two, maybe three large pieces to handle, with other 10-in-1 screwdrivers you have four to six little pieces in the palm of your hand. Then you have to dump those little pieces back into the handle of the screwdriver or 'worm' the screwdriver in your hand to scoop up the bits.
The Klein 10-in-1 has bits like that of a ratchet driver, but it's cheaper than both the Craftsman's 14 bit Ratcheting Screwdriver and the Snap-On ratcheting screwdriver. The bits themselves are double-headed, and two double-headed bits are kept on what can best be described as a hex socket bit holder. Changing bits is as simple as pulling out the shaft, spinning it around and plugging it back in. To change additional bits, you pluck the bit out, then spin and click the new one back in. It takes a bit of force, but it ensures that they won't fall out - and the pieces are all nice and large to grab.
The average home user can probably suffice with the Craftsman version of this screwdriver, but for a few dollars more the Klein quality is worth the price. I ran mine over with a 4-man scissor lift, picked it up and finished the job. Not to mention all the times it's fallen off the ladder or the scissor lift and been fumbled and dropped. Klein tools easily last longer and when they break they can be replaced for free. Craftsman tools have the same warranty, but how many times are you willing to go back for a replacement?
-- Jordan Des Mazes
Klein 10-in-1 Screwdriver
$11
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by Klein
Collapsible emergency gasoline can
This disposable fiberboard container folds flat and has a bladder that can hold a gallon of gas (about 14" by 6" by 2"). I've yet to have a car emergency, but I've used it for a prosaic fill up on a lawn mower. No leaks, easy to carry and cheap to replace. Keeping one around is handy and comforting, and it's way better than the bulky plastic ones that have bounced around in the back of my car for years.
-- Vincent
Gas-O-Haul
$9
Available from Genuine Hot Rod
No more soggy tuna
For years I wondered why no one had built or designed a way to drain out all of the liquid out of a can of tuna. Then, lo and behold, I found one. This stainless steel can colander is relatively inexpensive and built with a high grade of stainless steel, so it is practically bullet proof and almost impossible to bend. This colander also works on any normal-sized can, but its real magic is its ability to completely drain the liquid out of a can to prevent wet and soggy tuna. Progressive also makes a plastic colander but I wouldn't recommend it. The stainless steel model isn't much more expensive and it will last you your lifetime.
-- Dennis Emge
You can flip the colander over and use it on regular cans of things like corn or beans or whatever to drain off the liquid. Its cool.
-- Johanna Bocian
Stainless Steel Can Colander
$7
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by Progressive
Choke-free dog walk training
I inherited a five-year-old 125-pound Labrador retriever who always pulled when he was walked - and his preference was to run. This harness corrected Mac's pulling within a week. When he pulls, the harness tightens over his opposing shoulder muscle. As it pinches the outside shoulder, it narrows the dog's stance and forces him to turn back instantly. To relieve that pinch, the dog essentially snaps right into the heel position.
There are other gentle harnesses out there, but with this one, the D-ring is affixed to an additional loop of webbing that extends out from the harness. When you pull on the leash, the loop cinches the harness hard on the side away from the applied force, without letting slack on the inside shoulder.
Mac had been choked with a "pinch collar" his whole life. When I tried that collar, he didn't stop pulling. Now I take him for walks with a normal collar unless we're going to be in high-stimulation situations where I might need to control him more.
-- Fred Hann
Gentle Leader Dog Harness
$17
Available from Amazon (sizes and color vary)
Or $8 from Nature of the Pet (size small)
Manufactured by Premier Pet Products
Locate metal before woodcutting
With the price of lumber going up all the time, I'm recycling wood more than ever. But I ruined a blade on my circular saw after hitting an old nail I'd missed when cleaning the wood (my eyes ain't what they used to be). The Lumber Wizard is a lot less expensive than those security metal detectors, and it's saved my new blade a couple times. It takes less than a minute to check a big sheet of ply. If it finds something and I still can't see it, I use the Little Wizard (when I purchased my Lumber Wizard, this came bundled with it).
I guess you could just use the Little Wizard to scan lumber, but it would take longer since it only covers a few square inches at a time. The bigger Lumber Wizard covers about a 6" x 6" area, so sweeping it over a big ply or 2 x 4 goes pretty darn quick (for thicker wood, I usually flip over the lumber and scan both sides just to be sure). The battery life is pretty good, too. I went three months on a single nine-volt battery, using it several times a day, three to four days a week. The Lumber Wizard also has a vibrate setting, which is helpful if other machines are going in the shop, since my hearing ain't what it used to be.
-- Robert Palembas
Lumber Wizard - $100
Little Wizard - $18
Available from Woodcraft
Previously available from Amazon (Lumber Wizard)
Also previously available from Amazon (Little Wizard)
Manufactured by Wizard Industries
Computing on your back
This portable laptop desk is the most comfortable way I've found to use a laptop in bed. It's a bit pricey compared to the homemade stuff you can find online, but less expensive than similar products like the LapGenie and Laidback, which can go for up to $150. The LapDawg, which is lighter than the Laidback, is also made of wood, which makes it human friendly and gives it a warm touch. It's very simple to put together and fits my 17" notebook perfectly.
The InsTand Laptop Stand is a great travel desk but can't do what the LapDawg does best: allow you to recline. Interacting with your laptop at a comfortable typing angle, right in front of you without feeling the weight and heat you would otherwise feel on your lap is very refreshing. The LapDawg is not the perfect travel solution, but if you have a big enough bag, it doesn't take up too much space and it weighs less than two pounds. Being able to lie flat on my back and use a laptop comfortably is worth making room.
-- Tanneth
LapDawg
$100 (includes shipping)
Available from LapDawg
Shoot steady video
This stabilizer fits most any video camera and makes all handheld shots steadier, as the weight of the camera is distributed across your body. It is made out of lightweight PVC and the handles are covered with a thick foam cushion, so it's very comfortable. The unit is also machined, as the tubing is strategically bent and shaped at the correct angles. Some devices advertised online are cobbled together 100% from the Home Depot plumbing aisle -- and they look it. This sharp-looking device doesn't draw any attention to itself. It also costs less than any other comparable unit I've seen, and works just as well. While there are many plans on the Internet for making your own stabilizers and mounts, this one is manufactured well enough and at a cheap enough price to not have to build something that looks, well, like I built it. My wife and I run a small video company doing mostly weddings and other events and about half of our shooting time is spent in less-than-ideal conditions. Using the Spiderbrace 2 really helps keep the camera steady for long periods of time, and you are not burdened with a tripod or other unwieldy device should you need to move positions.
-- David McKnight
Spiderbrace Video Camera Stabilizer
$70
Available from and manufactured by SpiderBrace, Inc.
A strong hold on brake fluid
Like other adhesives, this one can be used on metals, glass, wood and leather, but it is the only household product I have ever used that will withstand constant exposure to gasoline and/or brake fluid (DOT3 and DOT4). J-B-WELD will work in some cases, but you have to thoroughly clean and dry the surface or it will fail. Seal-All will seal a leak in a master-cylinder-reservoir (non-pressure side) even if you apply it over brake fluid that has already wept out onto the surface. I have also used it to seal an old Coleman fuel tank, and also a weeping fuel fitting on the bottom of a gasoline tank on my bike. This stuff is not what I would consider a toolbox item, but I ride my bike far from home on occasion, and this is one of the items I like to keep in the "just-in-case" bag.
-- Jackie Gregory
Seal-All Adhesive & Sealant
$1.50
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by Eclectic Products
Quick coconut penetration
Considering the implications of carrying around a machete and also the possibility of hacking off a finger, a CocoTap is a simple and invaluable tool for accessing a coconut. A solid 316 stainless tube crafted with a pointed end and a handle that folds out to a T position, it will easily pierce a green coconut and go through everything from a jelly nut to a mature drinking coconut.
I picked up the "Barman" model at the main market in Cairns Australia. I was actually after a machete as I lived for many years in Ecuador and used them for many things -- the main one being coconuts. I was a bit skeptical when the guy at the market showed me the CocoTap, but I've now had it for more than a year and am on my second trip to the tropics with it. It's a hell of a lot easier to pack than a machete. It folds up conveniently and I also use it for all kinds of small jobs requiring something strong, sharp and pointy. As the web site says, it's like an extra finger.
-- Patrick Handley
CocoTap
$35
Available from and manufactured by CocoTap
Preserve soap & manage scum
This is the most satisfactory soap dish I've ever tried. If positioned away from the corner of the basin, all of the soap residue drains into the sink basin - not onto the sides of the sink. Some residue does accumulate on the Soap Saver itself, so every month or so it has to be rinsed and wiped clean, but that's the lesser of two evils. Overall, it reduces the amount of cleanup effort by 2/3 or more.
It's superior to the spike-holder type of dish, which is hard to clean, sometimes sticking to the soap, and tends to skitter across the sink top when knocked. In contrast, this plastic soap dish stays put because it's relatively heavy and because its descending downspout rests against the basin's edge. (This stability is a plus the vendor oddly fails to tout.) To make sure the soap itself doesn't slide around within the dish, I position one of its corners pointing down between the posts (not level, as shown in the vendor's photo). This also improves drainage a bit.
I'd previously used liquid soap until someone gave me twenty bars of handmade hemp-oil soap. When I've washed my way through that, I think I'll go back to liquid soap; but if you have a preference for solid soap (or if you too get such a gift), this Soap Saver is really handy.
-- Roger Knights
Waterfall Soap Saver
$4
Available from Colonial Medical
Manufactured by Jobar International, Inc.
Portable, foldable mouse
If you have a free PC card slot in your laptop and you like to travel with a mouse, this one is an amazing piece of convergence design. Taking advantage of thin Li-Poly batteries, this Bluetooth wireless mouse is always charged up and always easy to locate. This mouse solves both the problem of wireless devices always having dead batteries, and finding extra space for a bulky mouse in your laptop case. It turns on when you fold it open and is surprisingly comfortable to use, despite its funny looks.
-- Alexander Rose
Mogo Mouse BT
$70
Available from Gateway (in black)
Manufactured by Newton Peripherals
Robust banana carrying-case
Whether I'm hiking or commuting to the office, this sturdy plastic sheath never fails. The two ends connect in the middle, where a slight turn locks the unit in place. Even when the bunker winds up getting beat up at the bottom of my bag, the two pieces stay united. The straw-like section only gives slightly, so the curviest bananas are harder to fit -- and really long, oversized bananas are a tight squeeze. Once you get acquainted with the bunker, however, it's easy to spot bundles in the market that will fit just right. I use my bunker no less than three times a week. Based on all the smooshed bananas I used to toss out, this contraption has already paid for itself dozens of times over.
-- Steven Leckart
Banana Bunker
$5
Available from and manufactured by Cultured Containers
Classic urban survival multi-tool
I'm a computer geek, both by trade and by lifestyle, so I've accumulated several boxes full of tools for disassembling and reassembling all sorts of obscure computer stuff. Since I found the Micra, most of what's in those boxes sits unused in my office. Smaller than most pocket knives, and with the ability to unfold into a completely handy pair of snips, the stainless steel Micra contains two functional flat-blade drivers (micro and "regular") and a #2 Phillips-equivalent screwdriver, so I can achieve most anything I need to do inside a server closet or at a customer's desk. You could opt for the Wave, which features more tools. However, the less expensive Micra is lighter (1.75 vs. 8.5 ounces) and smaller (2.5" vs. 4"), and overall it's much more of an urban survival tool. It comes with tweezers, scissors, nail file, and a bottle opener, but the features that make it the most valuable to me are the "Phillips" blade (a flat blade shaped to fit into a Phillips head) and the micro flat driver blade. I'm constantly opening stuff - packages from FedEx (knife,) packages of sunflower kernels (scissors), laptops (micro screwdriver,) data racks (Phillips) and the like. This tool has everything I use on a daily basis in a simple, little package.
-- Steve Sussex
Leatherman Micra
$20
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by Leatherman Tool Group, Inc.
Wall wart solution
This in-door, out-door adapter is the best I've found for dealing with multiple wall-warts. The outlets are spaced just far enough apart to allow virtually any size wall wart to fit, and you can chain together the adapters (each outlet has five outlets, so every additional one in the chain gives you four more outlets). It's cheaper than specialty adapters like the PowerSquid, and it's inherently more organized. If you chain a couple PowerSquids together, you've got a mess of extra cords on account of that model's 'tentacle' design. If you daisy chain two Yellow-Jackets together, you've got a tidier package.
The Yellow-Jackets also feature cable restraints or 'cord locks' you can run the cables through. Personally, I cut them off to make the outlets more compact, but if you had five people working outside -- each using a power tool and each pulling the adapter in a different direction -- these restraints make it so that you'd have to pull a lot harder to cause an accidental unplugging.
-- Stephen Malinowski
Yellow-Jacket 5 Outlet Adapter
$9
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by Woods Wire Products, Inc.
Healthy snacking in 30 seconds
I like apples but I've never been a fan of the form factor, since they tend to be tough on the teeth and jaws. The OXO Apple Divider cores and chops in one fell swoop. Total preparation time, including rinsing it off afterwards: 30 seconds max, 20 if I'm in a hurry. Like other OXO products I've tried, the OXO Apple Divider is simply a well-designed, well-built version of a classic tool - in this case, a corer/slicer featuring their trademark "good grips" and sharp blades.
I appreciate it every time I use it because I'm a chocoholic with easy access during the day to cookies and hot chocolate. Bringing a plastic container filled with wholesome, fresh, organic apple chunks makes it easier for me to resist the lure of chocolate and opt for a healthy and delicious desert instead. If you want a quick and easy way to replace the cookies and candy bars in your life with apples, the OXO Apple Divider is one single-use tool that's worth keeping around.
-- Jonathan Steigman
We we bought this and use it regularly on potatoes to make oven fries. Slice the potato with it, toss in olive oil and spices of your choice, and bake on a non-stick sheet for 20-30 minutes, 450 degrees, turning once. I didn't even know it was actually for apples until I saw it on cool tools.
-- Julee Bode
OXO Apple Divider
$9
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by and available from OXO International, LTD
Uniform, mess-free body icing
The DonJoy Iceman is an Igloo cooler outfitted with a motor and pump. You fill it with ice, then water, and it circulates ice cold water around any aching joint or body part you need -- knee, ankle, elbow, whatever. At the end of the tubing, you attach a flat surface wrap that's shaped vaguely like a cloverleaf, which constitutes the heat exchange surface between you and the ice water. Wrap that flat part around your knee, say, hold it in place with ace bandage, and turn on the pump. Instantly, as the water fans out into the wrap, your entire knee is completely and uniformly surrounded by ice water.
I've had a lot of knee trouble, and the problem with traditional ice bags is that there always winds up being one square centimeter of skin that's really in contact with the ice, and that square centimeter hurts like hell while the rest of the area gets only mildly cool. So, you keep shifting the ice bag, but because of its awkward (and frozen) shape, it just doesn't work. The Iceman is not very portable once it's full or water (it weighs a ton), but it's much more comfortable to use and works vastly better in terms of power-cooling an inflamed joint. There's also the less expensive PolarCare Cub model, but the pump is hand operated. Other cheaper icing units have no pump of any kind, so the water is propelled by gravity. In that case if you want to refresh the water, you have to lower the water supply below your joint so the water runs out and then put it back above you to circulate fresh cold water. I use the IceMan an average of a couple times a week and prefer to do my icing when I'm websurfing. The Iceman's electric pump means I don't have to hold or do anything. Just don't fall asleep with this thing on -- I imagine you could wake up with frostbite.
-- Tom Lewis
DonJoy Iceman Cryotherapy Unit
$200 (including universal wrap)
Available from DME-Direct
Manufactured by DonJoy
[While the universal wrap can be used on a variety of body parts, DonJoy does make specialty wraps of varied sizes, shapes and price. DME-Direct sells the Iceman unit for $154 (sans wrap), allowing you then to add the wrap of your choice: prices vary ($45+) for the specialty wraps. Below, respectively, are the ankle and shoulder wraps (pictured with ace bandage). -- sl]
 
Featherweight solo shelter
Two ultra-light poles, rainfly, a nylon case and tent weigh in under four pounds. Packed up, this compact three-season tent is a little longer than a shoebox. Unpacked, it isn't spacious (about 20 sq. ft.), but there's more than enough room to stash a mid-sized pack in the event of a downpour or just to use as a headboard while reading -- try that in a bivy sack. Backpackers will also appreciate the quick, intuitive set up: clip the poles to eight hooks, insert the four pole ends into grommets at the base, and drive five stakes (the fifth is for the door). If you need the rain guard, the shape of this tent - as opposed to a dome - makes it obvious to surmise what goes where. Throw it on, fasten a couple Velcro straps to marry the fly to the poles, and be sure the stakes go through the holes at the base of the fly. Lastly, drive a sixth stake for the "entryway." All of this takes maybe three minutes and the learning curve is rapid.
I spent two months in the tropics crashing in this tent (i.e. escaping mosquitoes). Even on a sandy beach, a heavy rock or two worked great to maintain the tension needed to retain the door's shape. The tent also held its own in a number of windy rainstorms, and I've since used it for wintertime jaunts into the coastal hills of Northern California, which isn't exactly the High Sierras, but hey, there can be morning frost. To this day: no tears, no leaks, no busted seams. Since I purchased mine in 2000, Sierra Designs apparently added a more resistant silicone coat to the rainfly and knocked off a few ounces by switching to even lighter poles.
-- Steven Leckart
Sierra Designs 1-Person Tent
$140
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by Sierra Designs
Hands-off outlet repair
Anyone who has installed an outlet knows how hard it can be handling all those copper wires and the sharp edges. The PlugGrip has two three-prong plugs that literally plug right in. It fits snug, which allows you to maneuver the outlet to get the angle you want and saves your fingers the trouble. The hard plastic handle also works great for shoving the wires back in the wall when you're done. I am scared to death of electricity, so I tried to hire an electrician to change all the outlets in the house. He couldn't show up for about a week, though. I saw this product and decided to give it try. There are indicator lights on the inside of the handle that give you a sense of security. If an outlet is hot, the light turns orange, saving you the time of bringing out the circuit tester. A good tip is to plug the grip into the outlet and then turn off the power. When you return, you can be sure it is off because the lights should no longer be glowing. I was able to do about 25 outlets throughout the house much faster and definitely much cheaper than without. The electrician was going to charge $125, not including charges for the outlets and any other problems he claimed existed.
-- Mario Zamora
PlugGrip
$10
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by PlugGrip Products
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