Here is how my hierarchy of performance has been with yard tools. It starts with cordless tools being the weakest, electric next, and if you want real power, put a gas engine behind it. Myth Blown.

To better understand an electric blower, you have to understand your need for an electric blower. I was one of those who used to make fun of the old guy down the street blowing off his driveway and sidewalks only to have the wind put it right back. I didn’t think a blower had a place in my home inventory. That all changed with… how do I put this… a surgery where guys really don’t want to have surgery. I was supposed to take it easy for a few weeks but it was fall and I am blessed with some massive maple trees in our yard. With great trees come great piles of leaves in the fall. The “old” way for me of rake, scoops, ‘barrow and bins to take the leaves to the garden was not a physical option. So I bought a top of the line hand held gas blower to help. Great tool. No complaints. I was able to push leaves around with ease and get them to the garden for mulching. No complaints. Well, other than filling the gas, smelling the exhaust and it is pretty loud. Still, I became a fan of blowers and use mine now for all kinds of work.

When I had the opportunity to run the WORX TURBINE600 Blower (Model #WG520) through its paces I was prepared to be unimpressed. I mean, how much could this lightweight thing actually deliver? I plugged in a 12 gauge cord, locked the connection into the clip so it wouldn’t come unplugged on every swing and rolled the variable speed control knob forward. I think I had it about half way and for some reason I thought that is where it stopped. I used the blower in my two car garage/shop to blow off my work bench, push a bunch of sawdust and floor dirt out the door, and blew off a year’s worth of dust and cobwebs from my long handled tool pegboard. The cloud rolled out of my garage and the neighbors probably thought the place was on fire! I thought I’d blow the debris into our big flower bed on the side of the house when I quite accidentally rolled my finger across the speed control and turned this thing up to the maximum 110 miles per hour speed. OH MY GOSH! The WORX TURBINE600 jumped into hyper drive and being caught off guard, pushed my arm up with incredible force. This thing just got a whole lot more fun! Man, I was moving some air! I went back into the garage and blew out another layer only to find that sometimes you can have too much air power, therefore the value of that speed control. The best part is I did not fill the garage with exhaust, something noticed upon completion.

My wife has never really liked our gas blower. One, she has not mastered the pull/push starting technique and she detests filling the gas and the smell of gas exhaust on her clothes. (I guess us guys consider that cologne.) Trying to win some Hubby Points, I showed her this tool and said “Look what I got for you!” thereby breaking one of the rules of marriage; do not give your wife anything with a cord and call it a gift. Getting past that, I asked her to give it a try on our back porch which is her oasis but gets dirty with dog fur, leaves, and yard and garden leavings. I gave her no instructions, another rule of marriage. She had the WORX WORX TURBINE600 mastered and the job done in minutes. She likes it!

The tool is balanced well even when pulling around a hefty cord. The speed control is smooth and well placed. The nozzle length is perfect for our average heights and best of all the tool is clean and can be put away with no cool down needed. On the environmental side, this one scores more points. We have found the blower quicker to clean off porches and sidewalks and have pretty much eliminated hoses and water from this task.

There is a 3 year warranty backing it up and if you do not slam it into trees, posts, and cars, this tool should last a very long time. Writing a fair review, I have to pick on something. This tool is not ultra quiet. Do not get this tool thinking you are going to be able to hit your sidewalks at 6 am and not bother the neighbors. This much power still generates noise and I would suggest ear protection and courtesy to those living around you. However, it is a different noise and not nearly as annoying to pets and neighbors as I perceive gas driven tools to be.

I really like it. It is a good, solid tool and an incredible value at about $60. You can find this tool at Home Depot or order online at www.worx.com.

So when presented the opportunity to put the Sun Joe Saw Joe through a HomeFix test, I jumped at it. After ordering the tool (SunJoe.com) it arrived in just a couple days on UPS in great shape along with another tool I couldn’t resist that I will review soon.

I was all giddy to put together the 8” saw which took all of 4 minutes and that was reading the instructions. Pretty simple, and I see why they do not put these parts together for you. Don’t sweat it, it is really easy. But then I hit the stopping point. I needed Bar Oil. Out to my shelf in the shed where that kind of thing is supposed to be… and no oil. So my branch trimming was looking like it would have to wait till I could make a trip to the hardware store. I know, I was tempted to put some of the gear oil I had there, but I chew out enough of you for using the wrong products and going all “cowboy” on stuff, so I figured I better lead by example. I bought a quart of Bar Oil.

All juiced up, proper outdoor cord into a proper outdoor outlet (seriously) and with a squeeze of the trigger, 6.5 amps came to life and… well… it went Bsuerrrrrrr. Like it is supposed to. Good thing I paid attention to the chain tension adjustment. Enough literary enhancements. Lets cut wood!
The tool is very comfortable to use and I easily lopped off several 3” branches and a couple 2”. I also did some clean up of a bunch of random twigs and shoots. The telescopic adjustment on this is really easy, firm, and if you don’t forget to use it, quite beneficial to letting gravity do the work of pushing through t he wood. Sun Joe claims a 15 foot reach but on tip toes, I think I pushed that a bit. I did learn that you do not want to stand under the branch you are cutting. No, I didn’t get bonked. But I did get a few wood chips down my shirt. Probably should have had goggles on too rather than just my safety glasses.

I had a bad experience with an electric chain saw about 30 years ago and I have stayed away from them since. The Saw Joe has won me back into the camp. I think it is the Bar Oil, I can’t remember exactly but I think that other tool I had in a previous life was a dry chain and it did not last. This one looks and feels like if I keep it clean, lubed, and do not overdo it, this should be quite handy for a long time. There is a 2 year Warranty on it, and parts are available if you hurt something.

So now I want to see what it is capable of. Sun Joe claims up to 7.5 inch branches are possible but in my opinion, that while possible, is probably more than you would want to make a habit out of. Remember, this is a trimming tool and not for cutting firewood. I will stick to branches smaller than my meaty forearms.

The dollars per smile factor here is high. Like I opened with, I not only did the tree in the photos, but several others and even attracted a couple neighbors taking a look. What I cut would have cost me two of these tools. Wanna bet I get a call this weekend from one of the neighbors who wants to borrow it? No problem, this is a safe, easy to use tool. If you are a professional tree trimmer you know this is not the tool for you. It is not designed for someone to make a living with. But for me and my needs around my house, this is a really cool tool and a solid value.

Go shopping for this on line right now. Punch in Sun Joe SWJ802E and find them from about $80 to $130 all over the place.

Now that the branches are down… yup, you guessed it, I’ll be putting my new Sun Joe Wood Chipper through a test. Stay tuned!

OHD Anywhere is an accessory that allows you to control and monitor your garage door from anywhere with your Apple^® iPhone or Android phone or device. You can check if your garage door is open, closed or if there is any change to the door position. You can instantly know that someone is operating your garage door and open the door for anyone such as delivery, repair person or friends without having to provide the access password to your garage.

With OHD Anywhere smart device enabled garage door controller you also can access the history for each opener you have which provides helpful security information such as when the door was used, including dates and times.

Michael from Gem State Solar is Joe’s guest today as they talk about solar powered attic ventilators and tubular skylights.  Of course the discussion goes in many other directions, would you expect less? Joe talks more about “Cheap”.   Callers ask about possible asbestos in 1970’s ceilings, french door or Atrium door?, vinyl siding surplus- how much to save, solar estimates, and toilets that keep draining.

Its Ask a Plumber and Jim is in studio and the phones light up!  We really get into water softeners in this show.  A caller proves he knows more about softeners than we ever could hope to.  Callers ask about singing toilets, stuck shower valves, kitchen faucets, more water softeners, well pump cycling, more water softeners, Joe talks about fire wood storage as it is about that time in the valley.

Its random topic day for sure.  Joe talks about ladder safety, lumber prices, loose stone veneer, painting brick, tile patterns in printed tile, faucets at wholesalers vs box stores, and garage parking targets. callers ask about hard water rings in toilets, stucco over brick, insulating a crawl space, cleaning and staining cabinets.

Encore airing of the Recycle Show with the 3 Queens of Trash.

I like to paint. But painting does not like me.  Years of abuse to my hands and wrists has left me with a muscular attention span with a brush of about 10 minutes.  After that, my fingers lock up and feel like they are on fire.  So when I had the opportunity to put the Wagner Flexio 990 to some testing, I was excited to give it a try.

There are three large painting projects on my to do list, so this should be an interesting interaction with this tool.  To make sure I was prepared, I opened the box to look for instructions in the beginning rather than my usual after the fact.

Packed well, I was greeted by an assembly of components that would form the complete Flexio 990.  My first reaction was that there was no way this all would be fitting back in this box ever again.  If you read ahead, you will see this proved to be not true!

As I read through the quick start guide, operation of the tool appeared to be quite simple.  My first project was going to be a side wall of my barn that for the last year has been unpainted after installation of some salvage siding.  Hey, it’s a barn right?  The perfect place to learn how to work the sprayer.

I previously washed off the siding and allowed it to thoroughly dry.  I checked caulking and attachments and masked off the windows and trim with some paper and tape.

As per the instructions, I dipped the suction tube into a gallon of exterior satin house paint, pointed the spray head into a bucket, turned on the switch and waited for the paint to arrive at the sprayer.  A quick adjustment on the amount coming out ( I found 5 on the 1-12 dial was just right for me) and I was ready to paint.

I need to say here that the sound of this sprayer is really cool.  The turbo fan inside spools up and creates a “Ready for Business” music that lets you know it is about to get interesting.

Starting at the top seemed logical to me.  I found the wide fan setting rather than the narrow worked best and as I progressed I discovered I did not need to turn the sprayer on its side to make horizontal coverage.  There is a rotation feature on the tip that allows for up and down or across fan spray.  Probably shows that in the instructions somewhere.

I painted along the trim sides, under the bottom edge of the siding, around the masked windows, and back and forth across the siding.  The coverage was wonderful and the pace of movement was comfortable and quick.  In just 5 minutes I finished the first third of the wall.

An entire gallon of paint was consumed in less than 20 minutes.  While the Flexio 990 is not extremely light weight, I did not find it uncomfortable in my hand, and I did not experience any physical difficulty completing the wall.  If I would had been doing this will a brush and roller as originally intended, I would have had to stop for the day after the first third.
Time to clean up.  If you are at all familiar with spraying anything, especially paint, and especially through
sprayers such as this, you know that cleaning up the tool the right way is essential to the operation of the tool the next time you go to use it.  To prove this point, I will digress a bit here and show you the picture of my old Wagner Model 242.  I can’t even remember when I bought this.  I do remember however that when I was working early in my life at the lumber yard, I purchased a Model 50.  At that time the baby bear of the line.  I think there were 50, 100, 200, and 300 series painters.  Wow, that must have been mid 1980’s?    Anyway, I kept that 50 alive for a long time until I finally toasted it and bought the 242.  I bet I have pushed at least 50 gallons through that 242 and it still performs flawlessly because despite the exterior appearance.  The inside is spotless.  I considered using it to paint the barn, but you have to admit, that old dog is a bit loud.  BRAAAAP!
Back to cleaning the Flexio 990.  And the instructions to do so.  Reading through them, I thought there was going to be a lot to this, and there was.  But I took my time and followed it all to the letter because I know how important this is.  I can say now that after completing the cleaning process, my familiarity with the sequence will make for a more proficient and quicker job next time.  I am not intimidated by it for any reason, and if done properly, this sprayer should last a good ling time.  And oh yes, there will be a next time.  My neighbor saw the Flexio 990 in action and I even let him pull the trigger for a bit.  He wants to paint his house and that is my next project also.  We also have an interior section of our house to do as well as some wicker furniture that could use a freshening up.  Based on what I have experienced so far, this will be the right too for the job.

Learn how to wash windows and the magic formula for home made cleaner! Also find out if your dog door is legal, where your attic fan should be adjusted to, a commentary on composite decking and why people call what they have Trex. Callers ask about attic ventilation on low slopes, screening in a patio, flaking driveways, and chips in enamel steel sinks.

So we wiped down the dresser with an old wash rag and some warm water. Nothing else. We inspected the surface and agreed that we didn’t want to make a big production out of this.

The hardware from the drawer was removed and tossed into the bin with all the other hardware we have that doesn’t match anything. Some day we hope to accumulate enough hardware that pairs and sets will develop out of the shear quantity on hand. We masked the mirror, took a deep breath and twisted open the cap on the RECLAIM.
I like on the instructions how it says in Step 1 to use the brush and “simply mush or stipple into crevice areas.” Mush and Stipple- Two words you don’t often see in instructions. But spot on as far as communicating the technique necessary to work with the product. The Bright White material is thick and smooth. The brush worked great to apply into the carvings and router paths of the dresser. The roller rolled as expected and made quick work out of the flat surfaces.
The words “That’s it?” came out of us again. It didn’t take but about 15 minutes for us to knock out the first coat on the dresser. It looked a bit more “Textured” than what we were expecting, but it did say on the container that it was a Designer Texture whatever that meant. That description was printed right above “Foolproof “ and while I usually live up to expectations such as that, I trusted the texture would be designer enough to satisfy us after it dried.

After a few hours, the surface pleasantly surprised us with the lay down of the texture. It looked good, but a second coat was expected and needed.

We applied the second coat and it was completed even faster than the first.

Our weekend had come to an end and the dresser was safely resting in the shop to cure and wait for us to find some hardware for the drawers.

The following morning I went to the shop for something totally unrelated to the dresser project but couldn’t resist touching. At first I was gentle so as to establish a level of Dry. It was. Not only dry, but the finish had evened out and settled down to the promised Designer Texture. “So that is what they are talking about!”. It looks good. Not really a flat finish, definitely not glossy, but somewhere in the middle, and with a feel of a very durable, well bonded coating. I don’t know quite how to describe it other than it has the feel of enough strength that it will not have to be babied. Perfect for the intended usage as a vanity table.
“Changing the way the world looks at home improvement” might be pushing it, yet I admire the boldness of the writer. It positively changed the way I will look at projects like this. I also can see now that there are many other applications for a product like this in my home. I enjoy repurposing and resurrecting items and I get even more satisfaction with when the result is stunning with less effort and time. That way, I can do more! There are several other decorative items I have that I would like to try this on including some metal objects and plastic surfaces. The label says it is good for that too, and to this point, the label has been right as promised. A great product, with great results. Even for me. Well done RECLAIM! Now go forth and paint!
EPILOGE: We decided not to use the two hole hardware that was on the dresser. It was a cheap restoration replacement and we did not like the feel. So we filled in the four holes and drilled two new ones. Repainted another coat of Reclaim Beyond Paint on the drawer front and installed glass knob pulls. Ahh. Much better. Cant even tell the holes were there!