AAPEX Wrap Up

I have to say I am pleasantly surprised. I thought the show would be terrible and that we would be asleep in the booths on Wednesday and Thursday, but it turned out to be a great show afterall.

Hopefully this means things are starting to turn around in the market. Only time will tell.

I did get a chance to review the new product showcase. I did not see anything of interest there. Considering what happened to everyone's revenues this year, I am not surprised to see that not a lot of R&D was done.

AAPEX so far

Day two of AAPEX is behind us and I have to say I am pleasantly surprised. Traffic quality has been much better than I thought. The # of attendees is certainly down and the hall looks to have shrunk by about 30%, but the quality is still there.

Several buyers who told me they were not going to be able to come out were here and stopped by the booth. Hopefully, this is a sign that the worst is behind us.....

AAPEX is here

Tomorrow is the first day of AAPEX, www.aapexshow.com. From all accounts, attendance is supposed to be WAY down this year. I know that a lot of my customers are not attending, or are sending 1/2 to a 1/3 of the people they usally do.

I had a chance to take a quick glance at the new product section. I did not see anything that seemed exciting. I will take another look tomorrow.

Motor Magazine Top 20 Tool Awards

I had a chance this weekend to look at the September 2009 Motor Magazine. I look forward to this issue every year for one reason, the Top 20 Tool Awards.

Congratulations to everyone that one. The usuals were there, SP Tools/Schley, SPX, and Snap-0n. Both SPX (OTC and Robinair) and Snap-on won two awards. I think every award was warranted. I am not sure how well the Envirolift from Challenger Lifts will sell (outside of government markets), but some of the others looked like must haves.

My favorite?
Gear Wrench Double X Snap Ring Pliers

WORX Grass Trimmer

I have a pretty big yard (1 acre). It takes me about 30 minutes a week to do the edging, trimming, etc. My Homelite gas powered weed wacker is on it's last legs so I thought I would borrow the WORX GT Grass Trimmer.

WORX GT

I have seen it on TV a few times and thought it would work for me. I used it over the weekend. I was not satisfied with it. I am a heavy duty user though. For the average home owner, I think it would be fine.

It is very light, easy to use and it does a great job when used as an edger. Unfortunately, to me, it is underpowered. It simply does not trim in a wide enough path and fast enough for the amount of work I have to do in my yard. Further, to me, it is too short. I would prefer it to be about 8 inches longer. That way you can reach further under evergreen trees and be further away as grass is shooting in all directions.

Perhaps if it was a 24v and had a more powerful motor (which would make it a lot heavier), it would better suit someone like me who has a lot of work to do and wants to get it done quickly.

This is what I am thinking of buying:

RYOBI GRASS TRIMMER

I will let you know how it works out....

Summer is Over, are you ready for Winter

Labor Day is over and it is time for those of us who live up North to get our cars and homes ready for winter. I ran across something that makes sense to me. It is called Battery Alert. Here it is:

http://www.deepdiscountdirect.com/catalog.asp?prodid=571283&showprevnext=1

You take this device and attach it to your car's battery. Everytime you start the car, it runs a quick diagnostic test to see if your battery is going to fail and not allow you to start. It will alert you (buzzing sound) long before the battery will not start.

I am going to get one and put it on my wife's car before the month is over. Since there is a lot of talk about Global Warming coming from DC, I am sure we are in for a very cold Winter.

Q2 Results at the big box stores

Home Depot and Lowes reported their Q2 results. They were not good. Both seem to be struggling with the huge pull-back in large ticket homeowner renovations. I read one press release (I believe from HD) that they do not expect this business to come back until mid 2010.

I have also heard from tool buyers at other retailers that power tool sales are off. This is from buyers all over North America.

I wonder how the Christmas season will be? It certainly is not promising.

Cash for Clunkers?

Well, it didn't take long for this idea to go off the rails. Will President Obama summon up the votes in the Senate to keep it going? I guess we will have to wait and see.

The program did teach us a few things.

#1 There is a lot of pent up demand for vehicles out there
#2 Tax credits/cuts work and stimulate
#3 The government cannot run anything.

I am not thrilled that the cars are being scrapped and are not allowed to be resold and/or cut up for parts, since the aftermarket is vital to the industry. However, it is nice to see the dealerships busy again.

Sears Nextec Hammerhead 12v hammer

What a great tool! Apparently, I am not the only person who things this since it is sold out everywhere. Bravo to Sears for launching this. It seems like an ideal tool for the serious DIYer, like me.

Here is the tool at Sears' website.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00911818000P?keyword=hammerhead

So how are things in the market?

I am hearing a lot of rumblings from friends in the capital equipment industry in the automotive aftermarket that the rash of dealership closings (more hope and change!) is dumping a lot of used equipment on the market. Of course, this has only made their severely contracted market even worse.

I wonder if people that buy used equipment realize that quite often a license is involved in purchasing equipment like frame racks, alignment machines, and other products that need updates for new vehicles and procedures. Guess what, the licenses are usually not transferable!

Considering the danger in using much of the capital equipment, I would stay away from buying second-hand. I would assume you are taking a lot of the liability on your shoulders when you buy used. To me, that is not worth saving $500.

Government Motors

I thought I would put in my two cents on GM (we can leave Chrysler for another day). Will what the Obama Administration work?

I doubt it. I have read that the President sees small cars and hybrids as GM's future. Perhaps he might have not noticed that sales of these items are cratering. See here:

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/mar/17/business/fi-hybrid17

Unless the feds want to push gas up to $4 a gallon (Candidate Obama did not have a problem with gas prices last year), this strategy will not work. Of course, it President Obama allows or forces gas up to $4 (taxes, inflation from spending, restriction of supply), he might only get 4 years to work on this.

I do know a lot of good people at GM and drive (2) of their vehicles. They can make it back, I hope that they get the chance.

the new refrigerant R1234yf

Well, it seems that the various government agencies that are in charge of vehicle emissions have settled on a the replacement for R134a, which is in itself a replacement for R12, which is in itself a replacement for rolling the windows down in your car.

The new refrigerant is 1234yf. You can learn more about it here:
http://www.motor.com/article.asp?article_ID=1458

What will the A/C dye and tool people do? First appearances are that the existing dyes and tools will work just fine. Of course, the reputable companies are working right now to test to be sure this is the case. I guess we will have to wait and see.

Sometimes it is better to trust professionals with your car

Don't do this at home.


http://www.wptv.com/mostpopular/story/Car-loses-all-four-wheels-on-highway/QJScGiw6_kCheJ38xa0USQ.cspx

I wonder how often this happens here in the US?

Snap-on's new Innovation Center

I have seen several news reports about the opening of the new Innovation Center at Snap-on.

Here is a story from Aftermarketnews.

http://www.aftermarketnews.com/Item/48458/snapon_unveils_new_corporate_innovation_center.aspx

Good for them. Many people in the manufacturing part of the business do not understand that no one cares about existing (i.e. old) products. New products drive the business. Profits, growth, etc. Old products (more than 2 years old) keep the lights on.

Finally, it's warming up

Well it is finally warming up here in the Midwest. I wonder if AC season will pick up now? You hear that the aftermarket is doing OK since no one is buying new cars, but I wonder if AC service is up, down or down a lot? You can (if you are not in FL or AZ) live without AC in your car, so with the economy what it is are people going to pass on getting their AC system serviced?

Time will tell.

Spring is here, time to wax the car

Now that it appears that Spring is here for good, it is time to wax our cars again. I have two dark colored cars, and spend a lot of time making sure they look good. To prevent swirl marks, I put the wax (always from Mothers) on by hand using the typical applicator. Then I remove it with a soft towel, also by hand. I then come back and buff the entire vehicle with this:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00910723000P?keyword=polisher

It works well. (5) years with no swirl marks with (5) years of Midwestern winters to overcome.

hammers, pneumatic nailers and me

For years, I swung a hammer weekly while rebuilding my 95 year old house. A few years ago, I had some big projects to tackle (new porch, shed, fence), and invested in a few pneumatic nailers. Now, it seems like I never swing a hammer anymore.

The convenience, speed and great results you get from using a nailer have made a manually hammered nail a rarity in our house. I guess the only time I swing a hammer anymore is when I am hanging pictures. My wife laughs when she seems me with a hammer, she usually asks if the power to the workshop is out and the compressor is empty.

There are great hammers out there, Nupla's are my favorite. http://www.nuplacorp.com/ I like the fiberglass handle. They seem to last longer to me, especially when you use them so infrequently!

It's cold out there.... so are A/C sales

Here in the Midwest, Spring has yet to "spring." It appears that it may arrive in force this weekend. Let's hope it stays. If it does, we should see A/C sales take off. Has anyone seen anything new out there this year? I noticed Uview has a new leak stop. Bright Solutions appears to have both a new dye and a new cartridge gun.

I wonder if the leak stop market has peaked. I guess Uview will let us know.

New Craftsman Propane Trimmer

While working in my office today, I heard several commercials for the new Craftsman propane-powered trimmer. I did some research, and it looks like a very interesting tool. It uses the common 16.4 oz cylinders, and I am sure it is easier to use (cleaner, starts easier) than a conventional trimmer. I wonder how it will sell? At a sale price of $239, it seems fairly expensive. I am not sure if you will save $ over the long haul buying propane and not gas. I guess we will see how it sells.

Spring is here! Time to dust off the power tools!

Well it is almost warm enough to qualify for Spring, and it is time to get out the drills, saws, nailers, riding mowers and all the other toys!

As for me, I have been busy building in the yard. I built on to my daughter's swingset, doubling it's size. I have also built another(!) raised garden for my wife, and added a decorative backyard pond.

It was good to use the power tools again......

Craftsman Nextec Power Tool Set

I recently purchased the Craftsman Nextec 12v power tool set. Here it is:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00911890000P?keyword=nextec

So far, I like the set a lot. I have used the drill many times, as well as the light. The drill has suprising power for a 12v, and the 30 minute charge seems to charge in about 20 minutes. The Light under the drill is a nice touch, but since it throws the light straight out between the drill bit and the trigger, it is limited in what it can illuminate. I think it would be better to have the light originate from the bottom of the handle and point up at an angle to the drill bit.

The work light is well made. It is small, and the pivoting head makes it easy to work with. It is also suprisingly bright. I plan on giving the 12v hammer a try this week. I will keep you posted, if you dare the pun.

A/C Season is almost here!

I just received my first A/C tool flyer. It is hard to believe that with Artic cold in the Midwest and 12" inches of new snow on the East Coast, but A/C season is just about here.

There does not seem to be a lot of new product out there. I have noticed some new electronic sniffers that meet the SAE spec, so I guess there is more than one supplier out there for them now.

For me, I think a good injection gun, dye and UV flashlight are the way to go. They are more accurate, easier to use, and cost a lot less. Also, it is easier to bill the service (1/4 oz of dye) to the customer's bill.

There are a lot of places to buy A/C products on the web. I found a new one the other day, www.deepdiscountdirect.com. There are all kinds of stores on Amazon, plus the well known sites that are fed by ISN, Medco, WTD and the other big WDs.

What is everyone using for leak detection out there?

Welcome!

Welcome to a new blog for the tool industry. I work for a major tool supplier to Snap-on, Mac Tools, Sears, and many other major tool companies in the world, and I love tools!

We are going to explore new tools, technologies, and the various issues confronting the tool industry today. Since nearly every man in North America believes they know more about tools than everyone else, I thought I would be fun to create a forum to discuss what is new and interesting in the world of tools. From power to specialty tools, I plan to discuss them all.

Shoot me an email at toolproguy@gmail.com if you have any ideas of topics to cover.

The tool pro guy