Expedition Tools – Introduction Video

Luckily, on my trip to Home Depot I found a couple of products from Homax that make the job easy.  First  Homax makes a wall patch that helps you cover the hole.   The patch consists of a self-adhesive mesh that holds a galvanized metal plate.   Three sizes are available: 4", 6", and 8"—luckily the 8” patch covered the whole.   By refinishing over the product you can create an invisible patch.

After you’ve covered the hole with a metal patch and sanded it smooth—you can texture over it by using one Homax’s spray textures.  You can get a variety of textures to match your existing texture.  Our house uses Orange peel.  A really cool feature of the new nozzle design is you can vary the density of the texture by simply turning a nozzle. 

Homax is kind enough to put some instructional videos on their website to help novices.

Other products include a patch for doorknob holes and a patch for holes around electrical outlets.

A&P Mechanics Cable Key Ring

Programming the smart caps is relatively easy.  You enter the pressure you need for the tire (the device allows for separate pressures for the front and back tires) and place the smart cap on the gauge.  The gauge quickly programs the pressure into the smart cap. 

::amazon(“B000RN2BM0″, “Accutire”)::The smart caps come with a built in lithium battery with a 3 year life.  Unfortunately the battery is not replaceable so you have to replace the caps when the battery runs out.  So far we haven’t found replacement caps for the device.  This also means that you can only monitor the pressure on one car with one gauge.  The smart caps are quite a bit larger than a regular valve cap to accomodate the battery, sensor and LED’s–not exactly a sleek look. 

So is it worth it?  It is for me, I have the best of intentions about keeping the tire pressure just right on those expensive low profile tires but always get busy.  This tool makes it easy. 

Kickback: The most common accident arises from “kickback”, when a chain tooth near the bar tip cuts into wood without cutting through it. The chain cannot continue moving, and the bar is driven in an upward arc towards the operator. Kickback can result in serious injuries or death.

The Alligator Lopper is essentially a pair of shears with a mini chainsaw where the top blade should be. The lower jaws grip with fixed lower teeth while the low-kickback chain cuts in one easy motion. The jaws also shields the chain making kickback less likely. You use the Lopper like most shears with two hands–I found that this method combined with the it’s light 6.5 lbs weight (half the weight of most chainsaws) made it easy to use. Also, to start the chainsaw up you have to grasp both handles and press down on the switches making it unlikely that you’ll start it up accidentally. The jaws seem to grab the branch and prevent skipping around when starting the cut. Another significant advantage when clearing up fallen branches and logs is that you can cut the logs sideways (not up and down like a normal chainsaw requires). Cutting sideways is a bit easier since you don’t have to prop branches up on sawhorses as the design protects the saw’s tip from striking the ground (a major safety hazard with most chainsaws).

::amazon(“B000BANMUY”,”Alligator Lopper”):: 

Maintenance is generally easy. The Alligator Lopper’s auto chain tensioning keeps it at the right tension. Just loosen the bar retainer bolts with the included wrench and the bar automatically takes out the slack and adjusts the chain’s tension. There’s no automatic oiling mechanism for the chain–you do have to oil the chain every 10′ of cutting time. Since it is electric you do have to drag an electric cord around–not always easy on a large property. The cord can get in the way when you’re cutting in a morass of fallen branches.

Does the Alligator Lopper replace a chainsaw–No. It does make clearing brush and fallen trees a whole lot easier. A truly useful tool for the outdoor toolbox.