Archive for the ‘Cool Tools’ Category
-
Tuesday, August 11th, 2009
REVIEW: Microwave Leakage/EMF Detector (CEM DT-2G)
The responsible folks over at LESS EMF INC. sent me the new version of the Microwave Leakage/EMF Detector that I blogged about last year. The CEM DT-2G offers a backlit LCD display and an even higher sensitivity meter that…
-
Monday, July 20th, 2009
DYMO RHINO 3000 Label Printer – My Favorite Tools – July 2009
One of my pet peeves is having unlabeled wires and cables. It drives me bonkers! That’s why the Dymo Rhino 3000 is My Favorite Tool for July 2009. This little tools lets you label…
-
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009
Bosch PS40-2, The Best Power Driver – My Favorite Tools – June 2009
Here’s a fun fact about me, I’ve been around construction tools and machinery all my life. My dad is a Master Carpenter and General Contractor so I’ve pretty much seen power tools evolve over the last 20+ years.…
-
Sunday, May 17th, 2009
Felco Classic Pruner & Pruning Made Easy Book – My Favorite Tools – May 2009
I’ve been really getting into gardening lately. Not only is it stress releasing but it also requires some cool tools. I’ve found that my favorite gardening tool has been my Swiss Made Felco #F-2 Classic Manual Hand Pruners.…
-
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
Weller Pyropen WPA2 – My Favorite Tools – April 2009
I’ve decided to kick off a new feature on Mavromatic called “My Favorite Tools”. If you are like me and love to visit hardware stores and industrial supply houses checking out new tools, then you’ll enjoy this …
-
Wednesday, May 7th, 2008
Belkin Mini Surge Protector & Dual USB Charger
Here is a great pocket-sized surge protector that also can charge or power a pair of USB devices like an iPod or mobile phone. The Belkin Mini Surge Protector & Dual USB Charger
costs under $20 so this little gadget is a must have around the house or in the travel bag.
- AMAZON.COM — Belkin Mini Surge Protector & Dual USB Charger
-
Friday, February 22nd, 2008
DIY: Checking You Home Drinking Water Quality
Recently my brother-in-law had a reverse osmosis system installed for their drinking water. The installer left him a water quality meter which is a digital TDS meter that measures the Total Dissolved Solids in the water. What this means is that it measures the total amount of substances in the water other than the pure H2O. He joked that this was the first time ever that he had a gadget that I didn’t… so to keep with my reputation, that night I ordered my very own TDS Meter. Today, the unit arrived and I checked our water quality… it’s 34.0 — which is good! My sisters water through reverse osmosis is 0.06 (really, really, good!) and their normal water was at 60. The ideal drinking water range is 0-50. I do have a simple water filter installed but when testing the water non-filtered I didn’t notice much difference (maybe it’s time to get a new one?). I highly recommend you check your water quality since the EPA Secondary Regulations advise a maximum contamination level (MCL) of 500mg/liter (500 parts per million (ppm)) for TDS… that’s really high if recommended drinking water is 0-50.
“A high level of TDS is an indicator of potential concerns, and warrants further investigation… most often, high levels of TDS are caused by the presence of potassium, chlorides and sodium. These ions have little or no short-term effects, but toxic ions (lead arsenic, cadmium, nitrate and others) may also be dissolved in the water. “
So if there is a problem with your water supply you can get to it before it gets you… the unit I bought is the HM COM-100
-
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
Lumencraft Gatlight V3 Titanium Flashlight
Take a look at this flashlight — it’s a work of art! Lumencraft’s newest Gatlight, named V3, is hand-assembled from over 80 parts. The case is made from titanium, but the light uses variable illumination LED that provides over 240 lumens (D. Quirk — you reading this?!).
The Gatlight is developed by a team of Swiss industrial designers and American aerospace engineers and manufactured in the United States by Swiss craftsmen so you know this is great quality and should last you for many many many years. They state that the LED should last for over 11 years of continuous use…
The Gatlight V3 Titanium Flashlight costs $395 (includes GatLight v3 Titanium LED Flashlight, Lithium Battery and Solid Wood Display Box).
-
Saturday, June 9th, 2007
Craftsman CompuCarve – Computer-Controlled Woodworking Machine
So I’m trying to find an excuse to to buy the $1899 (plus free shipping) Craftsman 3D Computer-Controlled Carving Machine. The CompuCarve looks amazing!! It not only carves but it can rip, cross cut, miter, contour, joint and route most soft materials. So wood, plastics (polycarbonate or cast acrylic) and certain types of high density foam will work great! For $1899 you get the machine, (1) 1/16 in. carbide carving bit, (1) 1/8 in. carbide cutting bit, a CarveWright Memory Card, the starter software package, (2) 1/4 in. bit adaptors, vacuum bag adaptor, bit removal tool, hex wrench, owner’s manual and Quick Start Guide. WOW!
I guess the only drawback is that it can only handle widths of up to 14-1/2″ wide and 5″ high. I bet you can join your designs if you require wider, taller pieces.
My dad is a fine cabinet maker, he never got into carving, but I have been lucky because I have access to all his tools — I wonder if I can get him excited about this one?
Oh, and they even have a 3D scanning probe, so you can recreate a design. Perfect for antique restoration!
Update: This is a rebranded CarveWright unit — Check out this site for even more info.
- Product Page
- 3D Scanning Probe
- Watch Video
-
Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007
Microsoft Virtual Earth — Complete With 3D Maps & Ads!
I was checking out Microsoft’s Live Map Search today and noticed they have the option of looking at maps in 3D. Doing so requires the downloading and installation of Microsoft Virtual Earth (Beta)… once installed, I navigated to downtown Seattle where the buildings popup from the ground in full 3D (complete with skins). Amazing! Microsoft is even placing ads on virtual billboards (check out the fullsize image for a better view of a Windows Mobile billboard). When will this technology be available in our cars?
About the archives
Welcome to the archives here at MAVROMATIC.
These are a collection of our previous posts. If you'd like to read about the latest and greatest, click here.
Welcome to mavromatic! My goal is to bring to your attention the latest DIY projects, the greatest home automation and home theater products. As well as, the occasional offbeat entry, to spice things up a bit.
