Products

Once you’ve tried a “smart” faucet, you won’t want to go back to the old style. Moen recently expanded its line of U by Moen™ Smart Kitchen Faucets with additional design options, giving consumers the best of both hands-free functionality and style at the sink. The U by Moen Smart Faucet offers convenience, precision and intuitive touchless and voice-activation technology to help complete tasks in the kitchen, while also offering a myriad of style options to suit almost any design aesthetic. Five new styles were introduced in 2021: Belfield™, KURV™, Sinema™, Sarai™ and Zyla™.

As our testers discovered, you can ask the Smart Faucet to wash your hands or it can easily fill the dog bowl—something we need to do constantly—or the coffee pot.

Users are able to control their U by Moen Smart Faucet in four ways:

• Voice control allows users to start and stop water flow as well as perform specific tasks on command through their digital voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant.

• A Wave Sensor positioned at the front of the faucet turns water on or off with a simple hand movement.

• The handle on the side of the faucet offers manual operation, letting users adjust flow and temperature.

• Through the Moen smartphone app, users can set unlimited personalized presets or start and stop water delivery with the push of a button.

One of the seriously cool features is the ability to dispense precise measurements and temperatures. All you have to do is call out “105 degrees” or “dog bowl” and the faucet takes care of the task. As the water temperature changes, the hands-free sensor on the faucet will evolve from blue, purple and red, indicating the system is warming up or cooling down to reach the desired water temperature. When the water is ready, the sensor lights will stop flashing and turn solid.

There is some downside to owning one of these high-tech faucets. Our testers found the voice control feature to be so easy to use it was addictive. They just wanted to stand by the sink and shout commands at it all day, just to watch the faucet do its work.

Fiskars has introduced a full line of nine different Pro IsoCore™ Hammers that range from 16 oz. finish hammers and 20 oz. general use hammers up to a 28 oz. framing hammer. We tested the 20 oz. general use and 28 oz. framing hammer, which come in both smooth and milled head.

The patented IsoCore^® Shock Relief System features an insulating collar that interrupts the path of vibration from the strike, significantly reducing the shock and punishment your body takes. It’s been medically proven to reduce strain in the muscles that are injured in cases of tennis elbow. According to Fiskars, MRI results showed on average, users of the IsoCore hammers had a 60 percent reduction in muscle inflammation compared to users of steel and wood hammers, significantly reducing the strain in the muscles. That’s a game-changer for anyone who spends their day swinging a hammer.

The extended grip lets you choke up for precision work, while the hooked handle keeps the tool in your hand when swinging with maximum force. Both hammers come in smooth and milled face, with the milled face serving to reduce the amount of miss hits.

The testers commented on how secure and nice the grip was with the ergonomically contoured handle, and they noted it was even designed to draw moisture away from your palm, which is a nice feature when working outside in the humidity down here in Florida. They found the framing hammer easy to use with the nail-starter groove making it a breeze to start nails even in hard-to-reach places. This line of hammers is definitely worth adding to your hand tool department.

Click here to watch a video on the hammers in action.

Shurtape Technologies

T-Rex^®, one of the popular brands of Shurtape Technologies, has come out with an innovative product that can be cross-merchandised in several areas of the store, including by the checkout register.

T-Rex^® Double Sided Super Glue Tape features high-tack acrylic adhesive that sticks on contact for fast fixes. This double-sided super sticky tape is a great alternative to glue for mounting and automotive solutions, repairs requiring two surfaces to be adhered to each other or craft projects. We had one tester use it for a craft project on fabric, while another used it for an automotive repair project on metal—both gave it high marks for its adhesive quality and ease of use.

Super glue tape provides aggressive adhesion on a variety of surfaces, including ceramic, concrete, glass, fabric, metal, plastic, tile, wood and more. Two of the really nice features of the product are that it won’t stick to skin or stain surfaces like traditional super glue and it can be torn by hand for easy use, which were noted by our testers. This is a product with strong sales potential, so check it out at a future wholesaler show.

Click here to see a video of the product in action.

If you have spent time sealing a gap, then you know the frustration of having to redo the project a few years later due to joint movement. Joint movement is inevitable and happens with temperature fluctuations, soils sifting and settling. Elastomeric sealants were created to help address the problem associated with joint movement. The minimum requirement for an elastomeric sealant is 25 percent joint movement.

Titebond DuraMaster Sealant is the first elastomeric, water-based sealant with 100% joint movement. Simply stated, it’s four times the minimum requirement for elastomeric sealants. Further, it can span gaps up to 2” wide while staying flexible, crackproof, paintable and VOC-compliant. It can be applied both indoors and outdoors to common building materials including: vinyl, metal, glass, wood, PVC, concrete, aluminum and all types of siding. It’s available in 13 colors to match numerous applications and is UV-resistant. Click here to view a brief company video.

Since joint movement is a problem for all we provided DuraMaster Sealant to a pro and a DIYer looking for pro-level results. All reported application was no different than other sealants and clean-up was easy, only requiring soap and water. Both also mentioned it was reassuring to know the project was done and would not need to be revisited after a few years of joint movement. DuraMaster Sealant is an excellent addition to any hardware store wanting to provide its customers with premium products that will last.

For anyone that has spent any time in Florida, you know the state does not lack for its fair share of bugs. Mosquitoes, beetles, ants, spiders, you name it and we have plenty. While all of these bugs perform their unique purpose in our environment, it becomes a problem when they enter our homes.

Spider traps have been around for years, but recently RESCUE! took a different approach to removing these arachnids. Most spider traps consist of paper tents with glue to catch the spiders when they enter the trap. One of the issues with these traps is the entry point catches the spider and does not allow the spider to enter further into the trap. This limits the number of spiders that can be caught using traditional paper tent traps.

RESCUE! Spider Traps did away with the messy paper tent and instead created a decorative, thin, hard plastic shell with multiple entry points. The traps also feature a glue dot pattern, allowing more spiders to enter the trap. The glue dot pattern is also applied to both sides of the trap, effectively doubling the use of the trap. Click here for a brief overview of the RESCUE! Spider Traps.

All our testers mentioned how easy it was to use the product since no assembly is required. The dark color and thin profile made placement easy, but more importantly out of sight. As one tester said, “No one wants to see a messy glue tent in the house or around their children and pets.” An unofficial review was given by my nine-year-old son when I showed him the product in our office. He said, “They can catch big spiders and small spiders, but just not Spider-Man!”

RESCUE Spider Traps are made in the USA and a great addition to any store selling spider traps. RESCUE! created a dedicated page on their website for retailer information. Click here to view.

Procell Alkaline AA industrial batteries are general-purpose batteries, ideal for powering mid- and low-drain professional devices such as smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, security keypads, remote controls, wireless mice, keyboards, motion sensors and flushometers.

Featuring long-lasting, reliable power, Procell batteries are also available in AAA, C, D and 9V sizes. Operating temperatures from -4°F to 129.2°F.

Manufactured using superior cell design to ensure high-quality cell construction. Each battery comes with a ‘quality warranty.’ Design, safety, manufacturing and qualification follow Procell’s stringent battery standards, which incorporate parts of the ANSI and IEC battery standards.

Economically packaged in bulk and individually date-coded for effective inventory management.

Duracell Procell
877-277-6235
www.procell.com

FrogTape® Delicate Surface Painter’s Tape is made with exclusive PaintBlock® Technology, a super-absorbent polymer that reacts with the water in latex paint and instantly gels to form a micro-barrier that seals the edges of the tape to prevent paint bleed. The result is a crisp, professional paint line.

Specifically designed to work on delicate surfaces such as fresh paint, wallpaper and decorative projects, this premium-grade masking tape is perfect for when you need a lower adhesion level to help prevent surface damage.

Removes cleanly from most surfaces for up to 60 days. Premium adhesion to help eliminate the need for touch-ups.

Tape canister for clean, protected storage.

FrogTape/Shurtape Technologies
800-321-0253
www.frogtape.com

Whether you’re looking for concrete anchors, hex screws or any number of other crucial fasteners, you can always trust the durability of TorqueMaster.

Available in a number of display options, including counter, hanging packs and bulk displays, the TorqueMaster brand has gained a reputation for being the safest, easiest and most reliable anchoring solution available, great for indoor and outdoor applications.

Star-drive concrete screws eliminate cam-out, while hardened alloy steel eliminates breaking.

Features serrated washer head for a secure grip to the install surface, serrated threads for superior hold to concrete and superior exterior coating suitable for ACQ lumber.

Midwest Fastener
800-388-9798
www.fastenerconnection.com

Features an updated engine design and the same power as the previous model while using less fuel and reducing exhaust emissions.

Quickstop® chain brake safety feature is designed to reduce risk of injury in certain kickback situations by stopping the rotation of the chain if activated by operator’s hand or by inertia if the saw kicks back with sufficient force.

Anti-vibration system minimizes user fatigue and provides a more comfortable working experience, while simplified design of the carburetor settings allows for easy manual adjustment.

ElastoStart™ starter handle includes a built-in shock absorber that helps reduce the effort when pulling on the starter cord.

STIHL Inc.
800-467-8445
www.STIHLusa.com

The 9-inch Radial Sander is engineered to allow pros to sand large areas with greater ease. This is the lightest radial sander on the market.

It has a unique pivoting hinge and round shape that prevents flipping. The Hyde radial sander accepts any 9” round abrasive material that has the hook and loop attachment feature and attaches to an Acme threaded pole.

Pivoting hinge prevents flipping to prevent damage to walls.

Hook and loop system for quickly attaching and changing abrasive sheets.

Hyde Tools
800-872-4933
www.hydetools.com