Hyde Tools is another “Blue Blood” company in our industry. They have been making quality painters’ tools long before my grandfather was running our family-owned hardware store. We have reviewed their pivot head pressure washer wands in the past and I haven’t spoken to one retailer or consumer who doesn’t think the idea and product is great.

Hyde has taken the pivot head concept and incorporated it into the PivotJet™ Pro hand wand nozzle, which attaches to your garden hose and also has a built-in clear soap reservoir. The idea is nothing new, but adding the pivot head was simply brilliant.

How many times have you tried to get to a place where you have to stand on your head to reach, like tire wells on your truck or car? Or perhaps you’ve had to reach around the corner of the house from the second-story railing to wash the windows, clean out the gutters or spray degreaser under an ATV or even an airplane like I have.

Not only does the head of the wand pivot 135 degrees, it also can adjust the spray pattern and it will even accept other standard garden hose accessories. Wait, there is more. It also has an easy and convenient soap mixture control and it has a place to hold extra hose washers so the wand doesn’t leak down your arm as you are using it above your head.

The Hyde PivotJet™ Pro really is a great idea and it will make a great endcap item in your stores this summer and early fall as customers begin putting away their summer toys and cleaning one last time around the house before winter comes.

XLT™ Series Pliers

CHANNELLOCK^® is celebrating its 136th year of manufacturing high-quality pliers and hand tools. After making pliers for all of these years you’re probably wondering how they can dramatically improve the functionality of a pair of needle-nose pliers, lineman’s pliers or diagonal cutting pliers. Well, they have done it.

Anyone who has ever tried to cut large-gauge electrical wire knows how tough it can be, sometimes requiring two hands to make the cut. CHANNELLOCK^® came up with the ingenious idea of moving the rivet (pivot pin) of the plier joint closer to the cutting jaws, which will increase the leverage and significantly reduces the amount of pressure pounds to make the cut. In one test by IMR Test Labs it required 42 percent less force to make the cut with a similar size product from a competitor without the Xtreme Leverage Technology (XLT™). That truly is a significant difference.

During our product review our volunteer testers put the CHANNELLOCK^® XLT series pliers (with the rivet moved closer to the cutting jaws) to the test and immediately noticed a significant difference over other cutting pliers of similar size and price range. We tested more than 25 different sizes and styles of CHANNELLOCK^® XLT High Leverage pliers. We tested the traditional blue cushion-grip cutting pliers (the standard style CHANNELLOCK^® pliers) as well as the Code Blue^® cutting pliers with the oversize blue and red handles with the XLT High Leverage feature and both worked equally well.

Our testers were able to cut wire sizes that normally would require two hands or the added help of using your thigh as added leverage. Every one of our volunteer testers agreed that the CHANNELLOCK^® XLT series pliers were a considerable improvement over other pliers they were used to using. It is a rare thing to have all of our testers agree and, when they do, you can bet the product is a good one.

CHANNELLOCK^® has a well-established reputation of making quality products. Their pliers have the “knife and anvil” cutting edges that help maintain alignment of the cutting jaws, which result in a consistent clean cut and the cutting edges are laser heat treated for added durability.

In the 35 years that we’ve been selling CHANNELLOCK^® lineman’s pliers, I’ve never seen a pair worn out to the point they could not make the cut. Mark Yoder from Channellock told me that most manufacturers experience a one and a half to two percent return rate (defectives), but CHANNELLOCK’s defective rate is less than one quarter of one percent.

And best of all, CHANNELLOCK^® pliers are made right here in the USA. In a time when we are trying to keep people employed in this country it’s always a great feeling to buy and sell quality products made in the USA.

While you are attending one of your wholesaler shows next month (all of the major hardware wholesalers are stocking the CHANNELLOCK^® XLT series pliers) stop by the CHANNELLOCK booth and see firsthand what a difference the CHANNELLOCK^® XLT series of pliers makes. If you’re like me you won’t really believe it until you actually try it. Your customers will be glad you did.

Help customers save water and stop flushing cash down the drain with One2flush’s Dual Flush Valve. Easy to use and install, One2flush is a permanent solution to wasting thousands of gallons of water at the toilet. On average, the one2flush will save 30 gallons of water a day for a family of four and will save your customers as much as 20-30% in utility bills.

The One2flush Dual Flush Valve is simple to operate. The handle will install vertically or horizontally. Swing the handle one way for liquids and the other way for solids. The One2flush uses a combination of head pressure in the tank and piston technology to not only use less water, but to give the water you do use more force to complete the job.

The One2flush will fit most standard 2-piece toilets built in the last 75 years, including tanks as low as 8-1/2″ high and wall-hung tanks.

Installation is a snap when following the easy-to-read instructions included in the package. Simply remove your old flapper and handle, then install the Dual Flush Valve and handle and you’re ready to save money. I installed ours back in early December. Performance has been great and the water savings was better than expected with a total of 35% cheaper utility bills after installation.

Suggested retail price for the Dual Flush Conversion Kit is about $34.99. For more information go to
www.one2products.com.

Goof Off^® has come out with a Rust Stain Remover and it is just fantastic. If you have rust stain issues in your marketplace—which most of us do—this is a must-stock product to have in your store. It will literally remove rust stains from concrete, fiberglass, plaster, nylon rope, canvas, plaster and even wood. But the best part is that it just dissolves the rust away. There is no scrubbing or rubbing involved!

Anyone who has ever owned a fiberglass boat knows how difficult it is to remove rust stains around stainless screws, rail fittings, cleats and hinges. I’m always reminded that stainless steel is “stain-less not stain proof” depending on the grade of stainless steel. All you do is use a sponge brush or small spray bottle and apply the Goof Off Rust Stain Remover and walk away. In most cases, when you come back in just a few minutes the stain is gone. Now you just rinse the surface with water and you’re finished! It’s that easy.

In cases of real deep dark rust stains you may have to brush or spray on one or two more applications, but I’ve never found a rust stain this product wouldn’t remove. It works equally as well on automotive rust stains on pavers or concrete driveways using the same technique—simply brush or spray it on and walk away. It’s also terrific at removing the rust stains sprinklers leave on the sides of houses.

I even tried it on some canvas sails and a nylon anchor line that the stainless shackle had rusted. It took several applications because it was a very deep, dark blood red stain, but sure enough, the Goof Off Rust Stain Remover took it out.

As a hardware retailer, the other thing I really like is that chemicals like Goof Off’s Rust Stain Remover are consumables that lead to multiple sales, not just one. The product label and merchandising of all the Goof Off products is very well done and the Rust Stain Remover is no exception. At your next wholesaler show stop by the Goof Off booth and you’ll see what I mean.

If you have rust stain issues in your marketplace, then this is a product you will want on your shelves. Once your customers know how good it works, they will be back for more.

For more information, go to www.goofoffstainremover.com/cleaning/how-remove-outdoor-rust-stains

Dremel has done it again with another product that is sure to sell well in the two-step hardware channel. The Saw-Max™ is every bit as functional as the Dremel Multi-Max™ that was launched a couple of years ago.

The Dremel Saw-Max is a very compact power saw that is lightweight, easy to handle and has more than enough “guts” to cut through ¾” plywood, ¾” concrete driveway pavers, ceramic tile and aluminum diamond plate sheeting. I’m sure there are many other materials as well, but those are the ones we tested the Saw-Max on for this review.

There are several other features that make this tool a pleasure to use. It’s very easy to change the blades, as the button on the top locks the blade shaft so you can loosen and tighten the various blades that come with the Saw-Max. You can also lock the trigger down if you are doing a lot of cutting or working at an awkward angle. Another neat feature is that it comes with a flush-cut blade, which makes it perfect for trim work.

I could easily see a finish carpenter or a DIYer using the Saw-Max for quick trim work or punch list work versus unloading the power miter saw or circular saw to do quick light work. I could also see a novice DIYer buying the Saw-Max to handle most small cutting jobs around the house. Make sure you go by and look over the Dremel Saw-Max for yourself at the next show you attend. I think you will agree that this is a tool we can sell in our stores and our customers will be glad we do.

Here is a video of the product in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpJUv0SL25g

Gardus, the same company that developed the LintEater line of products, has now come out with Vertalok rotary gutter cleaning system. Vertalok takes the same concept of using a cordless drill to drive the drive shaft within the aluminum pole to rotate the nylon bristle brush that removes the leaves and dirt from your gutter. Unlike many similar gutter-cleaning products, this one is light and easy to maneuver standing flatfooted on the ground.

Not only can you hook up your cordless drill to drive the power brush it also comes with accessories to use with your garden hose to flush out any remaining debris you may have missed. It also comes with an adapter to attach to your digital camera, so you can make sure you got the gutter clean without getting out a ladder to check. Vertalok has aluminum extension poles in the event your gutters are higher than normal.

For more information go to www.gardusinc.com.

Grip-Tite has come out with both wrench sets and socket sets that are designed to grab on to both regular bolts but more importantly rounded off bold heads. Remember the old plumber trick of using 16 penny cut nails jammed into a pipe that had broken off when you don’t have an easy out available? Well, Grip-Tite has taken that concept and incorporated it into their wrench and socket sets that really do work.

In our test we learned you have to be careful that you don’t apply too much pressure and break the bolt head off, which will really ruin your day! Both the wrench set and the socket set will fit both SAE and metric bolt sizes from 7/16 (11mm) to ¾ (19mm) bolts. This is another item that if you don’t sell all of them during the holiday season it would be a complement to your tool department.

Retail price for the wrench set is in the $49.99 range and the socket set is in the $24.99 range. For more information go to www.mygriptite.com.

Bench Dog Tools is marketing a great product if you sell a lot of finish woodworking products or to serious hobby enthusiasts. It’s called the Bench Cookie™ and it’s just a little larger than a hockey puck and the same shape. The Bench Cookie has non-slip and non-scratch surfaces on each side, so if you are working on a finish product it won’t slip around on the work bench and it won’t scratch the surface of the item you are working on.

It comes packaged in a nice clamshell package and a shelf holder for the four Bench Cookies in the package. Bench Dog also offers the Bench Cookie packaged individually as well. They have developed an accessory called the Bench Cookie Cone, which snaps on to one side of the Bench Cookie to create an inverted cone shape for when you have finished the project and are ready to stain or paint the finished piece. Both items would make excellent gift items for the serious DIYers.
The retail for the “cookie” is in the $19.99 range and the cones are in the $4.99 retail price range. For more information go to www.benchdog.com.

Original Power has come out with a very useful product that is an electronic charger that can charge up to two separate iPads, iPods or iPhones at the same time as well as other products that can be charged with 2.1 amps and be plugged into one of the two USB plugs at the bottom of the charger. The Dual Hi-Powered Adapter is smaller than a package of cigarettes and comes with an extra-long, six-foot charging cable that is nice for the ipad, iPod or iPhone. The packaging is very well done and in our tests it consistently charged a 16GB iPad in two hours or less.

The retail price for this item is in the $39.99 range. For more information go to www.originalpower.com.

The V-Pump is a neat new product that I found while walking the National Hardware Show, this past May. It is designed to pump 1,200 gallons of water per hour, it doesn’t have any moving parts or need electricity and it will pump water as high as 40’. All you need to do is connect the plastic V-Pump to a water hose, hook up a discharge hose, drop it in to the area you want to drain and turn on the water to your garden hose. What the V-Pump does is create a vacuum from the discharge your garden hose that is filled by the water you want to drain.

It comes with a quick disconnect garden hose attachment, you have to supply the discharge hose and you are ready to go. The only potential problem is the water must be free of debris as it will plug up the pump other wise this is a neat little product that is great for draining hot tubs, small pools and fish ponds before winter. To learn more about this product simply go to www.v-pump.com