Home Show Strategies

The Handyguys record from the floor of the Philadelphia Home Show.

One of our MicrophonesSmall houseWe check out new products for DIYers at the Philadelphia home show. This show is similar to many around the country. Listen to the podcast for our impressions and then decide if you should go yourself or not.

This particular home show is mostly oriented to people looking for contractors. We looked hard for vendors that supply to DIYers but were not able to set-up time while we were there to do on-air interviews.

One vendor, Rapid Refill, really wanted to get on the air so we relented, despite them not being home improvement oriented, and chatted with Art Mayo from Rapid Refill. Rapid Refill sells re-manufactured printer cartridges at a considerable savings over OEM cartridges. Rapid Refill has over 200 retail outlets. Find your local store at their website if you want to save on your printer cartridge or toner.

One of the visitors to our recording area was named Rory. We got to chatting and got into so many different home improvement topics we decided to sit him in front of a microphone and record the rest of the show. We talked with Rory about several things.

  • Rory is getting a dog?Motion sensing dusk-to-dawn lighting: Rory is having trouble with the lights coming on when they shouldn’t. The conversation regressed to just getting a big dog for security.
  • Paul then brings up doing crown moulding, coping joints versus miter joints. Paul then recommends the book/angle finder versus coping.
  • Rory then asks for advice on his kitchen floor. The Handyguys talk about pros and cons of different flooring options for the kitchen and if Rory’s only vinyl needs to come out first.

That’s it – The general feeling is that if you are a hard core DIYer, we recommend you check what vendors are going to be at the show before you go. These shows seem more oriented to people looking to hire contractors. Sure, you can get ideas for your next DIY project but don’t expect to come away with lots of sources and contacts for DIY supplies and products.

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