Thursday, May 31, 2012

2012 National Hardware Show Recap



Photo Courtesy of the National Hardware Show
My favorite thing about the National Hardware Show is the display of pure ingenuity.  You have to really comb the aisles to find it sometimes – it’s kind of like a treasure hunt.  My favorite thing about doing the NHS as press, is that I am free to seek out any and everything.  During the decade that I spent as an exhibitor, I either only saw the products visible from our booth or was limited to seeking out the booths of our competitors.  I did get to accept a couple of Popular Mechanics Editors Choice awards during my tenure – those ceremonies were pretty much the extent of my exposure to innovative products outside of paint sprayers and air compressors.

Now, our team always checks out the household names – rekindle those relationships and find out what’s new; but we probably spend more time looking at what those folks that you’ve never heard of have to offer.  A good example is Stilletto®.  They make an absolutely fierce hammer that is likely outside the budget of the standard Hands On Woman toolbox, but you gotta hear this story.  This kind of stuff is why I will always love the tool business.  Anyway, here’s a quick look at a few things that stood out for one reason or another.  Believe me, it doesn’t scratch the surface, but it does provides a taste. 

Photo Courtesy of Opticwash
Enter the first thing that really tickled me at the 2012 NHS.  It has absolutely nothing to do with any of the categories that we cover, but in the spirit of things to make life as nuisance-free as possible, this is the coolest.  Opticwash™ is looking to have the first kiosks hit the streets this fall.  The idea is to have kiosks in areas like airports, shopping centers, etc. and for a buck - get your glasses cleaned.  I’d love to see them pop up in schools and whatnot.  You can go online and load up an account so that anytime you can avail yourself of this service, all you have to do is punch in a code.  I personally had perfect vision until I hit 45.  Since then, reading glasses have become such a necessity that I keep a pair everywhere, there’s like 20 pairs scattered in different locations throughout Nash Vegas.  Since I’m not used to having to deal with the concept of what it means to need glasses, I do terrible things to mine.  Half the time they are really so dirty that it’s amazing that I can read anything through them.  Thus, I will definitely be using this service – the contraption not only gets glasses startlingly clean, but it sanitizes as well.  It could be my imagination, but I could swear that my glasses actually stayed clean longer.  It’s not like we’re going to get an opticwash™ installed in the office – so this is really our review of this product – be on the lookout in the fall of 2012.

The next product that made me stop and go “Oooooh” was some folding outdoor furniture by Cosco.  It’s nice looking patio furniture with the ability to fold up into small footprint pieces and really intrigues me.  I don’t know how well it holds up, how practical it is for the price or how comfortable over a reasonable period of time it is.  Rest assured I’m interested enough that there is an in-depth review from us in this product’s future.  We were never able to connect with the right marketing person at the show, nor have we been able to find any press releases on the furniture, so the digging begins – stay tuned.

Photo Courtesy of Mladen Lijesnic
A slightly comical exchange during lunch provided exposure to a darned clever product that we would probably have missed altogether.  We were sitting outside the convention center on a bench near an ashtray.  I am sorry to say that I smoke (hope to review a smoking cessation program at some point).  A gentleman with a really nifty accent asked if we could make room for his butt.  Now Brad thought that he meant that he wanted to use the ashtray, but he corrected this notion by pointing out that he meant his butt – literally.  Well, this interchange couldn’t help but spark lively conversation, during which we discovered that our new friend was an inventor from Bosnia, no less, with a truly nifty little product.  Check out the video.  Mladen was sweet enough to give us a handful of these little buggers, and with me getting ready to tackle a variety of organizational projects, we should be able to deliver a very comprehensive review of the 4LTX Bracket.

When we went to check out Mladin’s booth to shoot our little video, his booth neighbor Efraim Shapiro introduced us to his little gem.  In the three weeks since our return from the NHS, I can honestly say that I have found myself in need of this very gizmo at least 10 times.  The 3D Ruler is one of those tools that while I couldn’t think of very many uses for it at the time, realized that it would be wicked helpful for the uses pointed out by the inventor and have come across a myriad of uses for it now that I know such a thing exists.  I’m especially going to try to identify tools that this could replace, in addition to solving the problem that led to its creation.  This could very well end up being a recommended starter tool box item.

Re-capping is so hard, because there is just so much to see.  We filmed a few things – the list of videos is below – and we identified a bunch of products that merit a deeper look.  Since the article would just go on forever, I want to close this re-cap by mentioning one last company.  The Worx® product showed us how wonderful cordless yard tools can be.  The first season that we used their products to develop a review, they honestly made yard work a pleasure.  Unfortunately, subsequently identifying that two seasons may be all the satisfactory performance that you can expect, created the need to find a better mousetrap.  Our resulting skepticism on the category has been made intractable and no less so with the glut of these products from a variety of brands of late.  We stumbled upon greenworks™, a company that talks the right talk, and their V.P. of Marketing, Carol Rice really brought the company across as very much our kind of manufacturer.  We will be obtaining a variety of their tools for review.  Not to be burned again – we’ll likely do progress reports with a final review in the midst of season 2.  Our method may seem odd, but I don’t know about you – it should be a given for a product to work the first time, it’s how does it work every time and for how long that matter to me.  We all work hard for our money and by golly we deserve to get what we pay for! 
Photo Courtesy of the National Hardware Show
The products that we captured at this year’s show all presented something unique, but there were many more that we’ll be checking out over the next year.  Our thanks to Reed Expositions® for making the National Hardware Show such a press friendly event, and all of the exhibitors for taking the time between meetings with buyers to satisfy our curiosity.
H.O.W. TV 2012 National Hardware Show Spots
·         Hidden Safes by First Alert®
·         Multi-Tool by Coast®
·         Exakt® Saw
·         Magnetic Screen
·         Home Monitoring System by OneLink® (same folks as First Alert)
·         Storage Lift by Racor®
·         Stor A Hitch
 
* All trademarks referenced in this article are the property of their respective owners.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

H.O.W. Loves the National Hardware Show

By:  Pam Melton


The National Hardware Show® celebrates a rich history, spanning 66 years of serving the home improvement marketplace.  Back in the day, this was where deals were made in the hardware, home improvement and tool industry. If you had something to sell, THIS was your gateway to the retail world of all that is home repair and improvement.  Industry stakeholders have looked forward to that trip to originally New York, then Chicago and in recent years, Las Vegas, to find out what was new, who was new and the latest tricks and techniques.

With the introduction of the big box store format, the consolidation of retailers and the change in demographics of the American homeowner, the influence of the Show has undergone a metamorphosis.   The biggest deals with the biggest retailers are now made throughout the year, allowing greater opportunity for small inventors to introduce their innovations right along with industry power houses like Stanley®, Craftsman® and their ilk.  Paint, lawn and garden were added to the NHS once the location changed to Vegas.  Then, lo and behold, after we launched H.O.W. ®, tailgating products were added to the mix.  Now we don’t think we had anything to do with that, but it sure was nice to find out that we weren’t the only folks who realize that people who work on their homes, probable dig sports too.  Not to mention, it’s one stop shopping for our crew – one trade show to provide new product information for everything that we cover.

Until the likes of HGTV® began to grace the small screen, no one outside of the industry had any idea that the offerings on your local hardware and home improvement store shelf arrived there as a result of this massive trade show. During my days in the industry, I waited with bated breath for the call to work the booth at the Hardware Show.  Great stories were told of the Mad Men style social events, big deals and efforts to surreptitiously check out the wares of the competition.  Yep – I was invited out of the occasional competitor’s booth once or twice – did my share of chasing as well.  The big excitement for me as a product marketer was the opportunity to share my zeal for my product with the retail decision-makers who normally only get that as filtered through our sales force.

After more than a decade of being an exhibitor at the Hands On Women® equivalent of New York’s Fashion Week, now I look at the show through the eyes of editorial media.  Having been part of the development, testing, marketing, training and end-user support processes of providing products in this marketplace, I have a different perspective than my fellow H.O.W. ®-mates.  Our combined points of view allows H.O.W. TV® to give you the true inside scoop on what’s new to help you attack all those projects on your to-do list; and maybe even some that you thought were outside of your abilities.  Remember, we can do almost anything with the right tools. 

The number of products unveiled at this show that women would find truly helpful, yet to this day are absent from the average retail shelf, would fill a Hands On Women® warehouse store. While the average woman is not necessarily foremost in the minds of retail decision makers as they view these wares, these great products should not be excluded from finding their way into your project ‘bag of tricks’. Tell us which products you would seek out and what questions you would ask the companies’ experts. We will be reporting daily from the Show on our Facebook fan page. Make sure to sign up for the H.O.W. Now News newsletter for our wrap up report of the 2012 National Hardware Show.  And guess what – this year, they’ve added a section of the floor dedicated to product made in the USA – WOO HOO!

The logos and trademarks shown in this post are the property of their respective owners.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Totally Tailgating Grill and Fryer Reviews

I have been a football fan my entire life.  I don't know what it is about the game, maybe it was Bears® fever when I was a kid.  I grew up watching Brian's Song every year like most kids looked forward to It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.  While a Bears® fan since I could talk, when we found out that an NFL® team was coming to Nashville, I "tee-heed" for a week.

Tailgating Fall and Christmas at the Davidson County Courthouse
When we were preparing for our first tailgate as season ticket holders on the opening day at Adelphia® Coliseum, I had no idea what I was doing.  Our location was fabulous, the team was magical and I embraced the whole thing and became a go-to tailgate hostess.  I like to be the one in the crown on whom you can count to be prepared for darn near anything.  I love to cook and talk fan smack, hubby loves to grill and socialize - we were made for the tailgate.
Public Square Park   Nashville, TN
Our location has changed; they remodeled the Courthouse and our wonderful parking lot was replaced by a lovely Public Square Park.  These days, when we tailgate, we do it by boat.  As you can imagine, that put a whole new wrinkle in the whole tailgating process.

In my opinion, any tailgating accessory must meet a few standards, regardless of location:
  1. Portable
  2. Easy to set-up/break-down
  3. Easy to clean
  4. Good at whatever it's supposed to do
In general, when it comes to any "gadgetry", I also strive for the unique or cool.  My work history makes me a stern taskmaster when it comes to products.  I expect the marketers to be honest, the engineers/designers to be thorough and the assemblers to care about what they build.  That being said, lets talk grills.
Our grill reviews won't get into how the grills cook (unless they just really suck at it).  A grill is supposed to grill and if we're taking the time to check it out, stands to reason that it cooks food the way it's supposed to.  While it may seem backwards, just as with the tools we review, we use 'em for at least a season before we share our findings.  Seriously, right out of the box typically isn't an issue.  The real question is how does it hold up when tailgating - by land or by sea! 

 Thought it would be nice to have a page cataloging our grill/fryer and cookingwhatnot reviews.  This way, if you're thinking about a grill for a gift or yourself, you don't have to sort through all of the other reviews found on Totally Tailgating.


Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Why We Exist

Happy 2012 All,
We hope to give you more reasons to visit this year.  To help encourage us to step up our activity level, we received a comment to one of our videos on You Tube that seems just heaven sent.  Whenever we try to describe the mission of H.O.W. TV, it's sometimes difficult to get the point across.  We basically want to provide resources for getting stuff done to women who want to fully participate in their lives and don't take themselves too seriously.  Women who don't want to be treated with condescension, don't want to be made to feel stupid or inadequate and don't want assumptions and broad generalizations applied to them.

Since we weren't adequately able to respond to this comment within YouTube (character count issue), where better to post the full response than right here.  We had to paraphrase a bit on YouTube, but feel free to visit our channel via the link above to see exactly how we responded to the comment.

YouTube Comment on "The Air That You Breathe":  ARE YOU GIRLS STUPID? HARD TO GET IT DRY? DOMMY. JUST WASH IT, THEN,USE A BLOWER DOMMY TO DRY IT.JUST GIVE 1 HOUR ALONE,AND THEN PUT IT BACK. NO ONE WILL DIE WHILE THE FILTER IS DRYING. YOU SAVE A LOT OF MONEY BUYING STUPID FILTER IN WALMART. SAVE THAT MONEY FOR YOUR OWN OR YOUR FAMILY. HIGHER RATE IN THE FILTER,MORE EXPENSIVE. SO YOU WONT HAVE TO BUY FILTER EVERY MONTH. JUST ONE FOR LIFE

Our Full Response: 
At first, we were just going to point out that our audience consists largely of women who may have never had to think about their furnace filters.   A lot of these women feel that what with washing/cleaning dishes, floors, clothes, bathrooms, windows and whatnot, they aren’t really looking for something else to clean.  In addition, many of these women can be a bit picky about what’s considered “clean” and “dry”.

Instead, we took the time to do a little more research on the subject and found out a couple of things.  First of all it seems to be a given in the HVAC world that washable filters aren’t terribly efficient at trapping small particles of dust and other contaminants.  Since reusable filters should be washed monthly, compared with many pleated and electrostatic furnace filters, which need replacement only every 90 days, they definitely require more of a time commitment in addition to the up-front cost. Also, a reusable furnace filter never gets completely clean after being washed, so dirt buildup can eventually restrict airflow through the furnace, according to many in the industry.  Lastly, I’ve seen end-user reports of mold due to residual moisture.

So, we are neither stupid nor dummies (note - no "o" in the word), but we do try to learn a little something at times.  We thank you for the Christmas gift of providing us with a perfect example of why we thought H.O.W. TV would be a good idea.  We intend to get a good bit of mileage out of it.  Have a wonderful 2012.


Friday, October 14, 2011

The Fabulous Shower Curtain Ring

Just a quick little post this time :)  I have this thing about wanting to hang everything possible.  Unfortunately, not every knick knack and whatnot that pleases my eye comes ready to hang.  As a result, I'm constantly trying to find a quick, cheap way to attach stuff to walls without putting nail or screw holes in stuff.

During a recent redo of my hallway, it became a necessity to do something about some pictures that I have in these cute little frames.  They previously sat on top of a bookcase, but alas that bookcase had to find a new home.  Enter my stash-o shower curtain rings.

It never ceases to amaze me how many times I have drawn from my $1.19 well of plain old shower curtain rings to solve a problem.  To solve this one....
If you have a picture frame with only the little kickstand on the back, take a regular shower curtain ring, insert the kickstand and voila!  You may have to do a little adjusting, but it works fabulously.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Can I Sharpen a Chain Saw

Bette from Tennessee asked us if we had any advice on sharpening a chain saw.  Brand and Beth looked at this during their days with Tools and Techniques on the DIY Network.  They found that most felt it was easier to just have it done professionally. 

These days, a lot of us find ourselves having to do things that we might have paid someone to do for us in easier years.  So, I did a little research - our mission, we'll spend the time and effort so you don't have to.  Did you know that there is actually a http://howtosharpenachainsaw.org ?  Gotta tell ya, this one was a surprise to me.  The article is pretty informative, but for me, refers to parts that they don't identify, so it's a little lacking in the H.O.W. way of doing things.  The best and most informative article that I found comes courtesy of Mother Earth News.  It was the first source that agreed with Beth on the importance of having the right file.  While reading instruction is helpful, I think that combining the guidance in the Mother Earth News article with watching this great video that I found on YouTube.  It's a bit long, but really good.

There are kits, guides and even a chain saw sharpening stone for a Dremel, so it's unlikely that you'll have what you need laying around in your garage.  The one thing that I thought would be the most useful is a chainsaw filing guide.  Once you've done this a few times, you probably don't need it, but until you get used to performing this task it seems like a good idea.  Most of these tools are less than $20, so it still represents a significant savings over having it done professionally.



A helpful hint from one the sources that I reviewed is to use a piece of chalk or crayon or something to mark the first tooth that you sharpen so that you know where to stop.  I want to give this a try myself, but if you get to it before me, let us know how it worked out!