This is one of those products that goes under appreciated and unnoticed by the majority of hands-on homeowners, repair people, and contractors.  But once you experience the product, you will bee hooked on it from there on out.

I was told about Big Stretch caulking by a fellow contractor who was doing some siding work.  We were talking about how caulking can dry out and crack and he said that since he started using Big Stretch, it has not been a problem for him.  So I tried some.

Not only have I been using it for exterior siding and windows, but also for interior door casing and base boards.  It bonds really well, is easy to work with your finger, and cleans up easily with water.   There are 12 colors as well as a clear version available but 90% of my purchases have been the white.  Mainly because most of what I use it for will end up getting painted anyway.

I have found it to have a good shelf life in my tool trailer as long as I use some of those red rubber caps over the tip of the tube when in storage.  Those things are great too!

Now here is the real kicker for me.  As of this writing, I have been using this product now for well over 2 years.  I tried to figure out how many tubes I have purchased in that time and I am coming up with about 350.  I have yet to have a crack or failure, or a call back for a caulking issue.

Here in my area, Big Stretch is available only at the Lumber Yards, and not the box stores.  Some have a better selection of the colors than others, but as a minimum, they have White, Clear, and a couple of the other colors.  I pay $4.29 per tube.

Big Stretch is not for everything, and if you check out their website, you can see where and what it is not recommended for.   But take it from this Contractor, use Big Stretch and you will not be disappointed.  Neither will your customers.

Have you ever done something for so long that you never even considered a better way of doing it? This was the epiphany that hit me as I first started playing with the Smart Straps Retractable Ratchet Tie Downs as I unloaded them out of the box. It is one of those forehead slappers. Duh! This is a much better way.

What I am talking about are the tie down straps you all probably have rattling around in a coffee can in the back of your pick up. If you are an over the top organizer like me, they are in 2 separate metal containers in my bed rail box. One for the straps, one for the ratchets. Regardless of your storage method, the same problem plagues all of us. You have to untangle them every time you use them, feed an end through the ratchet, and then have to figure what to do with the extra footage of strap. My straps are 10 footers, but when I think about it, I usually only use about 5 feet of them. So, somebody did some good research at Smart Straps because the ones I tried out are 6’.

What makes these things so cool is that the strap is permanently attached to the ratchet. No more two parts to loose one. You release the ratchet, pull out the strap you need and tighten up the ratchet. When done, the strap rolls itself up on the spool! Incredible.

I have driven around town with the extra strap off my old tie downs shut in my truck doors. Or slammed under the lids of the toolboxes. Or the best one, dragging on the road behind me.
I have purposefully avoided my ratchet tie downs for short strap jobs. Too much effort for a few 2×6’s on my ladder rack. I have used bungee cords. Probably not the safest thing to do. Now I can use these Smart Straps tie downs faster and much more secure to the benefit of my fellow motorists and me.

Home run on this one folks, this is a really good evolution. And now that you know about them, your old straps are going to drive you crazy. Mine will be in the next yard sale I have. Test.

For more information about this product, visit www.smartstraps.com

The claim was made in the press release that “Not since the introduction of the modern level in the 1920′s has there been such dramatic changes to the design and functionality of the level like those of the new C.H. Hanson Precision Ball Level.”

Now if you know me at all, a claim like that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I have seen probably a hundred things that all claim to be better than their predecessor and have actually fallen flat on their faces. I have also seen “Improvements” made to designs that were anything but. However, after now having used this new level on several jobs and situations, there is definitely a place for this level in my tool trailer.

Check out the product in greater detail at www.chhanson.com but let me describe
what I used as a two foot machined aluminum level with a single aviation style ball in the center which allows you to not only level and plumb, but can essentially do both at the same time when placed on its side. It measures any pitch, which I found very handy on a roofing / truss project.

The level also has riveted on rubber bounce caps on each end which I liked considering the first thing I did while showing it to someone was to unintentionally let it slip out of my hands onto their driveway.

This is a nice tool. Well-built and fun to use. At around $40 from what I can find, it is also a good value. Is it an improvement over a traditional level? Yes, in my opinion it is. It offers versatility that other levels can’t.

Not being able to leave well enough alone, I would like to see it available in a 48″ version. Maybe even a 72″ because it would be great for doorjambs and spanning greater distances than what a 24″ level is practical for.

I have not intentionally pounded on this thing to see what it can take. I like it too much. But I am concerned that the ball itself sticks out past the face of the aluminum housing. The way I leave things around, and stepping on them, I’d hate for my clumsiness to burst my bubble if you know what I mean.

Good tool, good price, good improvements. Nice job C.H. Hanson!

Don’t get me wrong, Hunter makes a really good fan, but to market this product as a five minute install is a very misleading.

The fan is beautiful and works fine. That is all the nice stuff I can say.

I got this fan as a sample from the manufacturer. They wanted me to talk about it on the radio show. I even interviewed a guy from Hunter and we talked about how I would let the listeners know what I think. I am going to have a hard time holding back my tongue.

First, I took the approach of a novice. I have put up probably 20 fans over the years, but I thought I should go about it as a first time do-it-yourselfer should. I opened the box and found the installation manual. “Read this entire manual carefully before beginning installation”. That right there took 9 minutes. I then separated the parts and modified the fan as instructed to fit my hugger style mounting application. 10 more minutes. Hanging bracket and test fit, 4 minutes.

The wiring instructions were not very clear. In my ceiling I had a black wire and a white wire. The fan had a black, a white, and a black with a white stripe. The instructions did not say what to do with the stripe wire. I hung the fan on the mounting bracket with the black and white. No lights. Take the fan down, I tried the two blacks together, and the lights worked. Would have been nice to have this noted in the instructions. 15 more minutes.

The snap on blades worked pretty good. Not great. And then the %&$#@*! light kit. Whoever thought it was a good idea to fish the pull chains through these little plastic grommets, through the glass and then through a trim piece with more little plastic grommets should be suspended from a ceiling fan and put on twirl for hours. Not good. I fumbled with this trying to feed chains and snap connectors together for almost 15 more minutes.

Total time? 53 minutes. Note to Hunter- Change your packaging and tell the truth.

At the time I didn’t notice the claim in the green circle that says “1/3 the parts, installs in 1/3 the time”.

I thought, “Great, another one of those.” I was pleasantly surprised.

With the pop up assembly designed the way it is with a cable type activation mechanism, and the lack of need to use plumbers putty to install it, I had both faucets attached to the two new sinks, supply lines on to the faucet, dropped in the counter top, connected to the drain and angle stops… Both sinks, in 20 minutes! 5 more for removing the aerators and clearing the lines and 5 more for caulking in the sinks to the counter top and they worked perfectly.

30 minutes total. NO PROBLEMS and BETTER than ADVERTISED.

Note to American Standard- Well Done! Thank you for thinking this one out.

If not, according to the Leatherman website “The Leatherman Surge is one of our two largest multi-tools; a real powerhouse, built with our largest pliers, longest multi-tool blades and easy-to-use locks. A unique blade exchanger, large and small bit drivers and four outside-opening blades give you quick access to the tools you use most. The Surge was built for tough jobs and the hands that do them.”

So, with that being said, let me tell you what I personally think of the Leatherman Surge Multi-Tool. This is the best version of the Multi-tool family of products offered by Leatherman. I have beat, abused, trashed, pounded, twisted, and crushed mine repeatedly for several years now and this thing just keeps on giving back. It has the most convenient design and tool placement that I can think of. Nothing else is needed here. Note to Leatherman: “Do not change this tool ever! You have achieved perfection!”

Being in the remodeling trade as I am, I probably reach for this tool at least 10 times a day. Most of my usage is with one of the two knives, followed by the pliers and then the saw blade or file. Which by the way is great because I can insert any bayonet style jig saw blade into the built in holder. The scissors have come in handy and screwdriver bits get a lot of use too.

I may be a little weird when it comes to my Leatherman. I pretty much wear it from the moment I get up in the morning till I strip down at the end of the day. I have gotten used to packing it on my belt, and if I ever do forget it somewhere, panic sets in and things are not right till it is back on my belt.

Once in a while I will clean and lubricate the tool. I have had to grind off construction adhesive, mortar, and paint. I have had to soak it in thinner to remove packed in grease and debris. I sharpen the blades about once a month and that is about it.

I did do some damage to my Surge one time. I was going way beyond what the tool was designed for and I snapped off the serrated blade. I limped around with it for a couple of months being one blade down and then I managed to snap off the other one using it as a pry bar! ( I know, it’s not made for that.) Don’t tell me you have only used screwdrivers on screws. So I sent it back to Leatherman under their warranty repair program in just a few days, It came back fully repaired, in fact better than I expected. And at NO CHARGE! They even put a new screwdriver bit in it for me.

My advice to you is that if you are going to buy a Multi-Tool, get this one. I have tried many others. I have had several previous versions, competitors tools, a Swiss Army knife, and some of the latest from Leatherman, but I keep coming back to my “Surge”. Get this one and you will not be disappointed.

Since then, I have built 3 others for myself and probably at least 200 for my customers. I have seen a lot of other products enter the market and disappear.

The Trex company has a problem. The product name. People are starting to use it somewhat generically for composite decking. I have been called out to repair a Trex deck only to find out that it is not Trex, but something else. I have been asked to add on to a Trex deck only to find out it was some other off brand. I have even seen Real Estate listings touting the Trex decks on a home for sale and it was anything but the Trex product. BE CAREFULL. If you go to your lumberyard and ask for Trex, make sure you are getting it. Same goes for a builder or contractor giving you a quote on a Trex deck. Know what you are buying.

I say this because although Trex had a warranty issue for a few decks a couple of years back, they have always stood behind their product and taken care of their customers. What good is a warranty if the company is out of business?

As a contractor, their support has been nothing short of great. They continue to expand the line with railings and accessories, even fencing now to make any design possible. I have been through their training and am a Trex Pro Contractor for my area. They keep me informed as to new products and they listen to my input as a contractor. Any company that does this much for me, a lowly installer, I know the customer is in good hands.

I like working with Trex. It is heavy, I’ll give it that, but you can mill it, rip, drill, route it, and carve better than wood could ever do. Of the three Trex decks on my house, the oldest faces East and other than give it a bath once or twice a year; usually before a party I am hosting, nothing has ever been done to it. In 10 years!

My current favorites of the Trex product line are the 5/4 x 6 “Accents” series, and the “Brazilia” series. Check them out on the web and see these.

For a Do-it-yourselfer, you will need to know a few details about how to build the proper supporting structure for Trex decking, spacing requirements, and how many, what size, and where to place the screws. It’s not much to learn, but critical to the performance of your Trex deck. Most screw-ups by homeowners come from one of these three areas. Any dealer should be able to help you design your deck or Trex has good instructions in their Installation Manual”. You won’t need any different tools than you would use for a wood deck. But I would suggest a good self-feeding screw gun. More on that tool in another product review.

I tried Gorilla Glue many years ago when filming an episode of our PBS TV show, HomeFix.  The show was a weekend project theme and had to do with building you own wooden screen doors.  I went to the local ACE Hardware store and asked for the best exterior glue.  They said to try Gorilla Glue.  I did, and I have been a fan ever since.

I built the screen door out of 5/4 pine.  It was salvaged from a friend’s workshop attic, ripped to width, ran through the planer, and cleaned up with finish sanding.  I am not Norm, so I kept it simple.  Dado style lap joints.  (Norm is shaking with disgust, I know.)  But all I had to work with was a table saw and a bunch of clamps.  And the theme of our show was building it in a weekend.  If we can, you should be able to also.  In fact, we usually left all the screw-ups in the show so you could see that they really do happen and when you are out of lumber, you are out.  I screwed up and cut a few dados too wide and one too deep.

Oh well.

I laid up the project on sawhorses and applied a good amount of Gorilla Glue on all the joints.  I was going to test the ability of it to bridge gaps…  I had some.  Clamps in place, I backed away till the next morning.  Which was when I also discovered that you really should wear gloves when working with this product.  I had glue all over my hands and it took a while to wear it off.  Kind of a badge of honor though.

I cut the glue excess off where it squished out because it expands as it cures, and then finished it off with some sanding and a bit of filler.  NOTE:  Glue only.  No nails or screws were used.

This door has two ¼” ply inserts at the bottom, a decorative push bar style middle, and the screen top half.  I shot it with two coats of oil primer, and then two coats of white oil base exterior gloss.

I can tell you that today, as of this writing some 6 years later, these doors are still hanging on my house, get used and abused like crazy, and not one of the glue joints has failed.  Ever.

Gorilla glue is a great product and is fun to work with.  If you haven’t experienced it yet, get some and try it.  You will be pleasantly surprised.  Read the dang bottle though would you!  There is some good advice on using it, like wetting one surface to speed up the expansion of the glue.  And to wear gloves.

I now keep Gorilla Glue not only in my shop, but also in my tool trailer for on the job.  It isn’t for everything, but nothing is.  Used in the right applications, interior or exterior, wet or dry, this product won’t let you down.