The Handyguys did a bit of virtual perusing of the isles of our local True Value. Each of us made a Christmas shopping list and then compared our choices in this entertaining podcast.  We selected some excellent practical gift ideas for the handyguy, handygirl or anyone else. You must listen to the full podcast for our  explanation of why these items belong on your Christmas list.  And Merry Christmas!

• Alan wrench set
• Leatherman
• LED Christmas lights
• Porter Cable Oscillating Multitool
• Frost King electric heat cable
• Grill/Smoker/Fryer
• Lodge Cookware
• screwdrivers/all in one screw driver
• Fire pit
• Mouse traps
• Carbon-monoxide  detector

Listen to the podcast for all the discussion and why we selected these items.

We were one of the bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. We have been compensated for our time commitment to the program as well as our writing about our experience. We have also been compensated for the materials needed for our DIY project. However, our opinions are entirely our own and we have not been paid to publish positive comments.

Can you save some money using LED Christmas Lights? The Handyguys discuss LED, mini-incandescent and C9 and C7 Christmas lights.

LED Energy Savings

This podcast was inspired by an article Handyguy Brian read on the Fox News Website entitled Good Return on Investment: LED Holiday Lights. Are they really a good investment? Perhaps, perhaps not! Do the Handyguys dare to disagree with Fox New reporting? In the name of fair and balanced the Handyguys discuss the energy savings of LED Christmas lights.

Yes – LED Christmas lights save energy. According to the article you will save about 71.4 cents per 100 light string per season.

How about return on investment? You Decide. Handyguy Brian went by the True Value and picked up a 300 light set for $39. That is a projected savings of $2.14 per season. Assuming Brian needed to buy new incandescent strings every 3 years due to failure, assuming $15 each time, and assuming that the LEDs lasted the advertised 20,000 hours (129 years at 155 hours per season), the ROI would 5 years. If ROI was calculated only on energy savings the ROI would be more like 18 years!

Bottom line, buy quality, name brand, LED lights with a warranty. Save the info about how to file a warranty claim for your LEDs.

The Colored and the Whites

What about white lights versus colored lights? The Handyguys discuss an old article by a radio talk show host Michael Smerconish. Michael has said

White lights are boring.
White lights are sedate.
White lights are pretentious.
White lights are for fakers
White lights are un-Christmas.

Wow Michael, tell us how you really feel! Read Micheal’s articles Enough with the white Christmas, already! and The Coloreds and The Whites

Also discussed are the older style C9 and C7 lights.

Listen to the podcast for all the lively discussion.

We were one of the bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. We have been compensated for our time commitment to the program as well as our writing about our experience. We have also been compensated for the materials needed for our DIY project. However, our opinions are entirely our own and we have not been paid to publish positive comments.

As a little Christmas gift we thought we would share this video.

In this video a guy apparently cuts through a 2×4 by throwing a saw-blade at it. Oh, and it looks like he cuts it on the line too. Really? A hoax? It doesn’t seem possible. What do you all think? I have watched this video several times to figure if it was a trick or not.

Carpenter Throws Sawblade Through 2×4 – Watch more Funny Videos

Again, Merry Christmas. We will be back after the first of the year with another episode of The Handyguys Podcast.
If anyone has any suggestions of something fun and different we could do for episode #100 feel free to let us know. Thanks

In this Episode of The Handyguys Podcast we announce the winner of our toolkit contest and discuss some innovative products from Magnogrip, CarMD and PermaFLOW.

Winner

Congrats Andrew. Your toolkit is in the mail. We had a lot of awesome entries so it was difficult to pick our winner. You can read Andrews winning entry here. This duct tape Tie idea put him over the top and it is much cheaper then a Brooks Brothers classic tie. We are going to produce a future podcast that reviews all the great “valid” duct tape submissions. Thanks to True Value for picking up the tab on the toolkit!

Innovative Products

We often get requests to review products on the show. We only want to discuss stuff we think brings value to the listeners of the show without all the unneeded junk. We turn away many product pushers. If we do receive a product to review and it turns out to be junk we absolutely will not discuss it in a positive light during the show.  In fact we try not to even receive products that look like a waste of time.  However, this year we picked three items to discuss. You can decide if they make appropriate Christmas gifts for the Handyguy in your life.

Magnogrip

Magnogrip makes toolbelts, belt clips, wrist bands and other products with magnets built in. Why magnets? When you are working on a project and you have lots of little parts such as screws, nuts, and bolts, you can stick them to the magnets to prevent you from losing them.  Instead of having to continually dig through pockets, they will be handy for when you need them!

Check them out in the Handyguys Amazon Store

• Carpenters tool belt
• Builders tool belt
• Wrist band

CarMD

The Handyguys haven’t talked much about car maintenance. There is only so much information we can cram into our brains. When we look at car problems we want to make diagnosis as easy as possible. When CarMD asked us to check out their diagnostic computer we were intrigued. This product is extremely easy to use.

What does it do? It plugs into your 1996 or newer vehicle and reads the vehicles on-board computer. The computer in your vehicle stores information about what those idiot lights on the dashboard represent. There are a lot of devices on the market to read your computer. Some vehicles you can actually go through a process where your vehicle can blink a series of lights on your dash to tell you what the trouble is. An old reader Brian has gives you a cryptic code you need to look up in a book.

The CarMD plugs in, reads the computer then connects to your home computer, or laptop, via a supplied USB cable. This connection will then synchronize your vehicles details with the CarMD website. On the website you can see details of your vehicle, what may be wrong, etc. You can also then pull up safety recall information or purchase Technical Service Bulletins. You can buy these directly from CarMD.

PermaFLOW

The PermaFLOW is a clear plastic P-Trap for under your sinks and includes a knob to push away any clogs.  We were a little skeptical about this product at first but it works as advertised. If you are handy you may ask yourself why not just disconnect the trap or snake a clog. Well, not everyone is handy. Install something like this for someone who has a p-trap that clogs often and cant, or doesn’t want to, go to the trouble of unclogging the drain themselves. No more harsh chemical drain cleaners if the clog is in the trap. The clear plastic makes it easy to figure where the problem is too. You can pick one of these up at The Handyguys Store.

Disclosure

The Handyguys Review “Home Movies”

Home movies? Yes, movies about your home. As we wind down what has been a great first year for The Handyguys Podcast we decided we would take a break from working on our Honey Do List and watch a couple of movies. Listen to the podcast for our complete review and comments.

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

First up is Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House. This is an older movie. One of Handyguy Brian’s favorites. It follows Cary Grant, as Mr. Blandings, in his quest to get out of his small Manhattan apartment and into his dream house. Some of the funny aspects are because of what things cost in the 40s versus today, it adds a dimension to the film that didn’t exist when it was first released.

 Brian’s Favorite Scene from Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House

Money Pit

The second movie we discuss is Money Pit with Tom Hanks and Shelly Long. This movie contains a similar plot to Mr. Blandings. A Young couple moves to the country and buy a house without careful evaluation and inspection. If its too good to be true then it probably is… This movie follows the young couple in their quest to fix up the old house, and their relationship. The crazy antics of Hanks and the contractors make this a pretty funny movie.

Paul’s Favorite Scene from Money Pit

You should be able to get these movies before Christmas if you order soon. You can buy them in our Amazon Affiliate Store and help support The Handyguys Podcast. Buy Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House by clicking here and buy Money Pit by clicking here.Additionally – Don’t forget to check out our Stocking Stuffer episode for some unusual ideas for the handyperson in your life.The Handyguys will be taking a break for Christmas and the new year. We will return in January with a batch of new shows, some improvements to the site and maybe a few surprises. Stay tuned, subscribe and share The Handyguys Podcast with your friends. Our next show will be online on January 8th. Until then have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

The Handyguys discuss some innovative tools and interview a tool inventor.

This show features some innovative tools. You may want to consider them for Christmas gifts for the handy person on your gift giving list.

First off, check out our Handyguys Stocking Stuffer List

Then we interview the “Handsome Handyman”

Jake Tyson, he goes by “The Handsome Handyman”. Jake tells us  how he invented a new hammer and started a tool company,  Redback Tools. Jake started with the Hammer which has a unique curved shaft and a nice grip. The curved shaft doesn’t effect the balance yet allows for hammering in odd spots. The grip, in conjunction with he unique shaft, makes for a very comfortable hammer to use. The Hammer comes in three sizes, 24oz, 20oz and 16oz. Jake also has a few other unique variations of some common tools. The Sketch Tape – This is a tape measure with a writable and erasable surface. No more writing measurements on scrap pieces of lumber. The Maxi S5 screwdriver – This screwdriver is able to handle multiple size Phillips screws with one screwdriver. No need to have three screwdrivers in your toolkit or a screwdriver with detachable bits that can get lost. Jake has a few other tools on his site. Check them out. You can order online or pick them up at your local Lowes.