I spent most of last week in Las Vegas for the National Hardware Show. The annual trade show is where hardware owners and buyers from independent and chain hardware stores look for new products and plan much of their purchasing for the upcoming year. I was there on the hunt for new products and I found a number of cool things. Below are some of my favorites.
Fiskars, famous for high-quality scissors has steadily been adding home-building tools to their line of products. First came a line of impact-reducing hammers. Now they’re rolling out their line of aviation and tinner’s snips. I’ve long complained that aviation snips don’t last nearly as long as they should. The Fiskar’s versions have long-lasting coil springs and sturdy thumb locks.Brought to market by a crowd-funding effort, The Straight Flush circular saw is easily the most impressive circ saw I’ve ever seen. With a blade-left design that resembles a Skil 77 or Mag77, the straight flush has a removeable blade cover so you can cut flush against verticle surfaces. In addition, the base plate folds up in front so you can make forward plunge cuts. With a amazing -5 to 65-deg bevel cutting capacity and a handle that rotates for easily cutting steep angles, the saw is sure to be a favorite with framers. Other features include a thumb-operated retractable lower guard, a 3 1/8 depth of cuts, and a magnesium housing. The saw is available or pre-order now for $475, which is $100 off the suggested retail price.
If you’ve ever struggled to connect a dryer vent in a tight laundry closet, the smart design of the Magvent will immediately be apparent. Available with straight and 90-deg. connections, the Magvent’s two halves self align and connect tight with rare-earth magnets. This saves you the hassle of making a dubious connection with clamps, zip ties, or tape while you bend over the back of the dryer. You can buy the straight version on Amazon for $40. The right angle version goes for $49.
Designed for heavily-textured surfaces, like orange-peel and knock-down drywall, Snot Tape has a thick layer of polyurethane adhesive along its edges. The inside is adhesive free so it can turn tight radii without bunching. A 75-ft. roll comes in two versions and sells for $12. The gray box formulation is for primed, flat or delicate surfaces. The black box, which offers greater tack, is made for gloss, semi-gloss, satin and eggshell surfaces
Invented by a professional mason, the Mud Monster ($125) is a steel-shaft helical mixing paddle. Because it gently lifts the mud for mixing instead of powering through like a conventional mixing paddle, it’s a lot less stressful on the drill’s motor and gearing. The inventor told me that the tool has allowed him to ditch his tow-behind mortar mixer. Instead he dumps three 80-lb. bags of ready-mix mortar into a wheelbarrow and mixes all three at the same time with the Mud Monster.
Based on the pro-trusted Radius 360 drywall sander, the new version, dubbed the Radius 360 Flex Air, has on-board dust collection through the handle. Although the sander uses the same sand paper as the original, the new version has a shrouded sanding head that aids dust collection. A kit that includes the round sanding head, a square head for inside corners, extension poles and a 14-ft. hose sells for $189.
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Large-Capacity Lightweight Miter Saw
This very capable miter saw weighs less than 30 lbs. and can cut a 2x12 @ 90 deg. and a 2x8 @ 45 deg. Precise cutting and smooth-adjusting controls make it a pleasure to use.
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