Our first inventory shipment should be arriving later toady. Fenix is recognized throughout the industry for both their quality and value so we are very happy to be able to offer them to our customers.
We have access to Fenix’s entire product line, so do not hesitate to contact us with your special orders!
Adding a new feature to the site today, highlighting the Consumer Product Safety Recalls for each month. Our initial post kicks off with the Hoover WindTunnel Canister Vacuum. 142,000 units have been recalled due to the risk of fire and shock. The power cord between the power nozzle and the wand connector can short-circuit posing fire and shock hazards to consumers. This condition can occur even if the vacuum has been turned off but left plugged in.
For full detail and on the matter and a complete listing of all CPSC recalls for February visit: http://1.usa.gov/glVgui
I have not really paid much attention to Maglite lately. They were slow to adopt LED technologies, the industrial design while solid has pretty much never changed – the brand had become stale and boring. There are probably many reasons for the stagnation, included the founder’s nasty divorce and protracted legal battle. But whatever the reason, it appears to be in the past. The company has finally begun introducing new products starting with XL100.
While the design is a dramatic departure from a traditional Maglite, overall it is nothing revolutionary, rather it brings the brand more inline with the industry’s current offering. The “magic” if you will is in the user interface and overall value. Instead of spending a 1000 words, describing it to you, check out the video below, keeping in mind you can pick on up for about $30, I would say the XL100 is solid piece of equipment worthy of adding to your toolbox, vehicle, etc…
Link: MAGLITE XL100 LED Flashlight, Black
As part of our ongoing project to protect and secure our IT equipment and corporate data we have added Uninterrupted Power Supplies (UPS) to each of our workstations. Our shop is in a fairly rural area so the power grid can be a bit tricky at times, especially in the winter. On a dolllar/VA or Watt basis, the Cyberpower unit blew away anything APC had to offer and considering how well reviewed the product is on both Amazon and New Egg, it was a pretty easy choice to make. 1500 VA might sound like a bit of overkill, but we figure given the setup of our machines we will only get about 20 minutes of work time before killing the battery – not bad but not amazing…
Perhaps the best part of the new setup is the ability to move our data acquisition cart around the shop without having to shut down all the equipment. A nice time saver for sure.
Link: Cyberpower CP1500 UPS
I have owned the original 2 GB Eye-Fi for several years and while the concept was neat, I never got much use out of it. For me anyway, transfers were slow and never seemed to work quite right. Needing to replace a lost card this week, I thought I would browse by their site to see if the technology had been updated. Not too surprisingly, it had and with some very nice features.
The two biggest improvements I found were the addition of what Eye-Fi calls “Endless Memory” and “Ad Hoc” transfers. Endless Memory automatically removes the oldest content on the card that has already been uploading to your computer once the remaining space available on the card hits a user set threshold. And while that is neat enough, Ad Hoc is where the real magic is at. Typical Eye-Fi cards upload via your Wi-Fi Network. No available network – no upload. For anyone working away from an internet connection you were out of luck. No more! The Ad Hoc feature creates a private WLAN connection that allows for direct transfers from camera to phone including photos shot in RAW.
Unfortunately the Ad Hoc feature is only available on the 8 GB Pro Card, retailing for $100 +. The TP budget did not have quite enough in it this month for that one so if one out there has had a chance to play with it, tell us about it in the comments. Considering how many fire scenes ETC works without power or internet access, Ad-Hoc sounds like a perfect way to review and share photos in real time, especially if it works with the iPad.
I did go ahead and upgrade to the 4 GB X2 card and other than the slight disappointment of not being able to assign an local upload destination based on connected network, everything worked as advertised. To solve that minor annoyance I just set the upload destination for my Flickr account and never set a local one.
Link: Eye-Fi X2 Series
One of the unsung heroes around the shop is our Cotterman 4 Step Rolling Ladder. Ok, great but why is the post about a Little Giant product? Don’t worry, I will get there….The beauty of this ladder are the 4 recessed casters that let you easily move it around. When you need to use it, just climb up. The ladder will automatically sink down and secure itself at floor level. The only real negatives to the product are cost and space. Units start around $400 and since it does not fold, the Cotterman is difficult to transport and takes up a lot space in the storage closet.
Because of those downsides the Little Giant could be a very good choice should we need a second ladder. Even at its largest, 4 step, configuration the Little Jumbo comes in at less than half the cost. Plus it collapses down to just 5 inches deep making storage and transport a snap. Additionally, the back legs have two casters that let you drag it around the work site while it is in its unfolded position. Finish up with a hand rail, small work tray, large rubberized treads and a 300 pounds capacity and it looks like a great choice to us.
Available in three sizes: 2 step/18 inches, 3 step/27 inches or 4 step/36 inches.
Link: Little Giant 10310B Little Jumbo Safety Ladder
UPS just dropped off another box of power tool goodness, the Milwaukee M18 Hacksall along with a couple of Boar Blades. More once we have had time to check this guy out.
Link: Milwaukee 2625-21CT M18 18-Volt Hackzall Reciprocating Saw Kit
Link: Boar Blades 7X761 Bi-Metal Reciprocating Blade
This year we have decided to beef up our data storage and backup system. We have relied on a magnetic tape process for several years now and wanted something more accessible and reliable. Our biggest concern was the cost and complexity of implementation. We are a small shop and try to avoid calling in the IT professionals whenever possible. After looking at several solutions we made our choice and the first piece of the puzzle went live Friday, The Drobo FS by Data Robotics. The FS is a dead simple Network Attached Storage (NAS) system that is basically infinitely expandable and can both backup and share files across a network. What we liked best about the system is company’s BeyondRaid Technology that lets us just shove in any drive we want regardless of capacity, speed or manufacturer plus we can hot swap them if needed. As an added bonus, depending on how you configure it, the Drobo can protect itself from up to 2 HDD failures. The downside is this option dramatically cuts down on your total storage available and requires three separate drives to enable as the data is mirrored across two drives instead of the default single redundancy.
The FS has 5 bays and can accept up to 3 Tb drives meaning you can store up to 7.5 TB of data. We started with two Western Digital Green Caviar 2 TB
Over the next few weeks we will be working any kinks out of the system as well as determining if we need to add off-site storage for added security. Once all that is done, look for a full length article on our setup process and experiences to date.
Link: Drobo FS 5-bay Gbe Storage Array
I have been testing the new Jawbone Era for couple of weeks and thought it was time to share my thoughts on Aliph’s latest noise destroying headset. I have been a fan of the brand since its inception. To launch the original Jawbone, the company produced a short video with some pretty crazy demonstrations to show the power of the its then new NoiseAssassin algorithm.
When they turned on the leaf blower and the headset was able to effectively eliminate that level of background noise, I was sold.
Of course, as powerful as those demo’s were, there was one huge gaping hole in that strategy. It does not matter how well the person on the other end of the call can hear me, if I cannot hear them. With a leaf blower going full blast just a few yards away, the user would have little chance of enjoying a conversation. Which sums up my main issue with technology even now, four years later.
While manufactures have improved nearly every other aspect of their headset, incoming audio quality has remained a continuing source of annoyance and frustration. So after reading Aliph had specifically addressed this issue, I was quite excited to get and see how successful the company was in achieving a resolution.
Their method of attack was to use the NoiseAssassin 3.0 technology to automatically adjust the incoming volume level based on the users surrounding. So ideally, you will no longer have to resort to fumbling around trying to find a couple of small buttons on the side of your head to try and hear what your wife wants for dinner because you happen to driving by a construction site.
So far, I have not noticed the technology in action. And to me, that indicates the effort is pretty darn effective. My experience in both an office environment that can get quite loud and regular use commuting, dealing with the usual road noise I have not had to adjust the volume or ask someone to speak up. In fact, I kinda forgot about it until after an especially long conversation and realizing that not once did I have any trouble hearing.
The updated Era also adds HD audio for a better music/media experience and an accelerometer that lets you shake the headset to pair and double tap to answer a call. At $130 the Era is a the top of price heap, nothing unusual for the flagship Jawbone and if you rely on a headset to get through your day, you cannot do any better than the Era.
Link:Jawbone ERA Headset
Filed firmly under you can never own too many screwdrivers…our current favorite is this Klein 10-in-1 model. Bit Includes: No. 2 Phillips with 1/4″ slotted, No. 1 Phillips with 3/16″ slotted, No. 15 Torx with No. 10 Torx, and No. 1 square with No. 2 square. The reversible bit holder also works as 1/4″ and 5/16″ nut driver. The rubber grip is a nice touch as well.
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