The Shop-Vac saves the day... again

Buffalo is now on the other side of a snow storm that dumped over 4 feet of snow (and upwards of 6 or more feet in other areas of the Buffalo region. Now, as the great thaw starts, flooding ensues. Now, for
anyone with a basement, this means some flooding. For most of us, especially those of us with a sump pump, this means a few areas of the basement where we get puddles or even a quarter inch of water flooding part of the basement. For others, especially those at the bottom of hills or living near creeks, their entire basements get flooded. For those in the former situation, the ShopVac or any similar wet/dry vac is a key tool in keeping the house reasonably safe.

The first potable, true vacuum cleaner was invented and sold by Walter Griffiths circa 1905. After several decades, mechanical engineer Martin Miller created the ShopVac company as an offshoot of the Craft Tool Corporation (1) - this occurred in 1953. Miller's efforts then led to the creation of the ShopVac cannister vacuum, circa 1969. Located in Williamsport, PA, the ShopVac company is today rebuilding after the Miller's sold the company; it almost closing during the Pandemic (1). 

Now, other companies have developed their own brand of wet/dry vacs, but ShopVac is the brand best
known for these shop staples/miracles. From my research, it appears that several "brand names" are actually ShopVacs with the other brand name printed on the vacuum's exterior. Still investigating this further. That said, as the water continues to build in Buffalo, NY, the wet/dry vacs I own are helping me manage the water/melting snow. I have an actual "ShopVac"(2) in my garage, but it is a larger unit, making it difficult to maneuver around the different rooms in my basement. So, last year, I purchased a smaller wet/dry vac made by 'Hyper Tough', which appears to be a brand developed by Walmart (3). I'm looking into this further. Let me tell you, this little, 1.5 gallon, vacuum is a nice vac for sucking up water in basements. The one drawback is the connectors that secure the top of the vac to the bottom. If filled with water, the connectors tend to disconnect if not careful (so hold the device from the base when transporting it or you may find all the water you sucked up back on the basement floor). For that connection issue, I give this vacuum 4 out of 5 Trowels. 

REFERENCEs

(1) https://www.sungazette.com/news/top-news/2022/02/company-with-about-200-workers-looks-to-employ-more/

(2) https://shopvacint.com/pages/about-us

(3) https://whomakehub.com/who-makes-hyper-tough-tools/#google_vignette

Batteries - Good Expectations

Between the watches I repair and the battery-powered devices and machines I use around my house, I go through a lot of batteries. As I give the watches away for free, I buy generic batteries (I can't afford brand name batteries for the watches). As for the machines, I have a brand name Green Works battery along with two generic. While neither generic lasts as long or seems as powerful as the Green Works' OEM battery (in my experience), the costs of the generic batteries is significantly cheaper than the Green Works battery. As I am someone who works for a non-profit entity, money is tight. That's not a complaint. I love what I do, I just realize I have to be mindful that I do not pull in six figures a year. Far from it. That is why I went for backup batteries that were generic.

Now, this past week, the nation got slammed with a lot of snow. Me? I live in Buffalo, but in the suburbs where snow falls a lot more than the city, mainly due to lake effect snow bands. Welp, gosh darn it, my main gas-powered snow blower froze up leaving me with my GreenWorks snow blower to handle the bulk of the 4 feet of snow we got. Oh, by the way, one of the generic batteries gave out early in the storm. It was the first generic battery I bought

over a year ago. The 2nd generic battery I purchased this past fall as I wanted to make sure I had a backup battery in case one failed. Thank God! You see, generic batteries have a habit of not lasting long so I figured at some point my generic battery would give out. Of course it had to be during the first storm of the season. All those words you just read come to this point. The generic battery brand that gave out actually lasted longer than most generic 40v batteries seem to last (based on my research). It lasted close to 1.5 years. So, I big shout out to the Powilling company for their generic battery - it served well during the 1.5 years I had it. Also, many thanks to the customer service rep who responded to my recent inquiries regarding the battery and options moving forward. I would say Powilling is very considerate of its customers.

All that said, when buying generic, my goal is to find one that lasts 2 years. That's my benchmark. Moving forward I will try out a variety of 40v generic batteries to try and find one that lasts at least 2 years. At this time, I recommend Powilling batteries. We will see if I find a better option in the years to come. Cheers.

*** P.S. My recommendation is to buy a GreenWorks OEM battery and a generic as backup. Of course, if you are flush with cash, get GreenWorks brand name batteries all the time.

*** I also used my trusted Snow Joe corded-electric to help me while recharging the batteries. Thank you Snow Joe! That's my Buffalo snow removal arsenal: Troy-Bilt 2840, Greenworks 40v, and Snow Joe 620.

Tool Shopping - What I expect when shopping

I am now an affiliate for the Tractor Supply Company. That said, I will review products available at other stores as well. For everyone, I suggest you research every product you look to purchase and then find which company has the best price. As for my wants/needs from products, here are the important factors (check reviews for guidance, but look for consistency amongst reviews):

1) Products should have a warranty available (factory production errors happen even with the best companies - expect issues)

2) I expect batteries (generic or OEM) to last a minimum of 2 years. If a battery can't last 2 years, I will find a different brand.

3) There are a number of brands that pop up and last for a year or two. Be careful with those brands. Some of them produce really good products and services but fail to compete with more established brands. That said, some companies, in my experience, create substandard products. If money is tight, buying a cheaper generic is a risk worth taking. That said, a brand name you recognize may be the better option and worth the higher price.

4) Keep an electric (corded) or manual backup - just in case. For the more critical tools that may be most useful during a crisis, keep a corded-electric backup or manual backup. You can run out of gas while batteries can fail (no longer rechargeable). For this reason, a backup is a must. My primary backups: a manual drill, a corded-electric snow blower, a corded-electric reciprocating saw, a corded-electric snow blower, and a manual or corded-electric lawn mower. The hand drill and corded-electric snow blower are a must as far as I am concerned.

5) We all make mistakes. We all buy a product from a company that turns out to be crap. Learn from your mistakes in choices and move on.

6) Look for sales/discounts. There are a lot of deals out there, many in the form of coupon codes you can use when shopping online. I recommend finding who has the best price while also having an actual 'physical' store somewhere. It's harder to hold completely online stores/brands accountable from my experience.

Cheers!

It's the BATTERIES, People!!!!!!! From Snow Blowers and Lawn Mowers to Watches and... well pretty much everything else

 

Of course this blog post was born from my using a snow blower, my Greenworks40v Snow Blower. With just under 2 inches of snow, I decided to use the Greenworks machine as the Troy-Bilt gas-fueled monster seemed like overkill (and for my wife's and neighbors' sakes, the Greenworks machine is a LOT quietee. Initially, I was going to just give an updated review of its functionality, but my thougts expanded after most of the driveway was finished.

For the record, the Greenworks 40v still works very well. Like all machines, it clogs up when you try to power through very wet snow, and it also clogs and shuts off if you try to power through well-packed so. What snow blower doesn't. As for throwing distance, it's decent. Just remember to open the chute up higher (more fully?). If the chute for the machine is near parallel to the ground, the machine's throwing distance gets a lot shorter. I did have an issue with the chute coming off twice, each time precipitated by me trying to power through heavier/wet snow or ice chunks. Since being mindful of this, I haven't had an issue. Now, for the epiphany. 

As I got close to finishing, piles of heavier snow all that remained, the battery gave out. Now, I purchased a generic batter as a backup as it was really inexpensive versus the Greenworks brand battery I had. Welp, the next battery I pulled from the garage was the Greenworks battery. The difference in machine performance was incredible. When the machine was running on generic battery power, it had it's struggles with heavier snow, which required my slowing my walking speed. After putting in the Greenworks battery, the machine definitely had more pep and had an easier time with the heavier snow. Those snow piles I'd left untouched were easy to deal with with the Greenworks battery.

Lithium-ion battery technology has been in the works for decades, Nasa of course being one of the earliest in entities interested in the need for powerful, long-lasting batteries. Dr. M. Stanley Whittingham (currently a chemist at Binghamton University in NY) led the pivotal research and testing in the 1970s that truly led to Lithium-ion batteries as we know them. For the record, he now works at the university where I completed my Master's, which I learned this morning. Moving on. Since Dr. Whittingham's achievements, lithium-ion batteries have become a major part of our daily lives powering everyday devices including snow blowers, lawn mowers, automobiles, chainsaws, tractors, and so much more. From my experience, brand name batteries generally stand up better strength-wise and in length of time a battery holds a charge. Be mindful of this when powering devices.

*** As for watches, I buy generic batteries to power watches I repair, and in the last year, brand name batteries lasted longer (some generics I purchased lasted only 6 months). As I give away watches for free, I unfortunately can't afford brand name batteries. For those getting their own batteries, I recommend brand name choices such as Duracell and Energizer. Just sayin.

The Not-So-Smart Watches

In 2022, I started to learn a trade: watch repair. It's a long story I will get to in later posts. I will be uploading pictures of watches I repair as well as providing historical updates. That said, I wanted to talk about something real quick: Smart Watches. I buy batches (lots) of watches on Ebay, repair them and then give them to those who want or need a watch. Some of those lots I get include 'smart watches'. 

Yesterday I decided to investigate one of the smart watches I collected. After my research/examination, I am convinced it's not the kind of watch I want to have. Moving on. Upon opening the Smart watch, I found it contained a memory card. For those of you who do have smart watches, do me a favor. If or when you dispose of your smart watch, erase/destroy the memory card that is inside the watch. Be smart with smart watches.

FYI - For whomever tosses a Smart watch and it ends up in one of the watch lots I purchase on Ebay, I will be deleting any files on cards and then destroying the disk to make sure your info and files are safe.

Great, Great Grandson of a Plow Boy

Sure, I post about snow blowers and snow management tools... A LOT. I understand. But, it's my blog so that's not gonna change. The funny thing is, living in Buffalo, NY my entire life, it is clear that all snow blowers fail when confronted by WET snow and slush. Yeah, we get a lot of that due to lake-effect snow dumped on us thanks to Lake Erie. 

For Buffalonians and those living in other snow havens across the world, slush and wet snow are backbreakers. For those of us with heart conditions, wet snow and slush can be literally a fatal obstacle to confront. Did I mention my driveway is 80 feet long?

What this all amounts to is that snow blowers, even the self-propelled, gas-fueled giants, are next to useless when battling wet snow and slush. Major shoutout to Troy-Bilt as their snow blowers have done the best in my experience blowing the slush and wet snow away. Now, can you imagine how wet snow was handled before snow blowers?

... imagine the harp noises from TV shows that usually precede thinking back in time. Then type in "horse snow plow" into any search engine - check out the images that pop up.

Before cars, if you didn't want to use a shovel, you used horse-drawn plows to clear streets. No horses? Yea, that would suck. There are also lots of images around the internet of early cars stuck in snow when roads were far from the well-constructed surfaces we have now. Welp, one winter, when confronted with a snow blower clogged with wet snow, I ended up pushing the snow to the end of the driveway on one pass where I cleaned out the snow blower before switching to a big push shovel. I figured I could just keep doing the push of snow with the snow blower, but I was worried about messing with the snow blowers gears (getting gears fixed/replaced is incredibly expensive - just an fyi). While shoveling, I thought about the pushing aspect. What if I got a machine to plow my driveway. Now, before you yell "those things already exist," keep in mind two things. First, plow blades made to attach to riding lawn mowers and snow blowers are incredibly expensive. Many if not most people can't afford to buy them! Most of these devices are close to or over $400. That's a lot of money for most of us.

Oh, the second thing to keep in mind? My wife said no.

So, there I was, in my 52nd year on the planet, with a heart condition, dealing with very heavy wet snow and slush on a fine December morning in Buffalo. Enough was enough. Enter the design phase. After another look at attachment options for my snow blower and riding lawn mower, I created a basic design of a device to attach to my snow blower, which would turn it into a plow. I wanted to keep costs low while building something effective and that would not mark up or dig up the driveway. I went with wood. The funny thing is, I initially planned to use pine boards I had in my garage, which would have saved me some money. Then it dawned on me that the wood was lightweight and may require my attaching something to weigh down my attachment. Low and behold I remember the heavy shelving I recently purchased and decided to spend a bit of money (about $25-$30) to get shelving boards from the local Home Value Center. Add in a few brackets and I created a snow plow! The photo is of the final product. How did it work on wet snow. Better than I expected.

Here's the thing, I designed it to attach to my snow blower, but the snow blower uses gas. My Greenworks self-propelled lawn mower, meanwhile, is battery-powered. So, the curious me tried the attachment out on the lawn mower. As you can see in the photo, it worked incredibly well. So, thinking back to the horse-drawn snow plows, I think such attachments are a life saver. With a bungee cord used to keep the attachment connected to the snow blower (or the lawn mower - whichever is handy), the device was amazing.

I imagine that when the snow is deep, the lawn mower will not be strong enough to push the snow. Also, for long, thin stretches of driveways, an angled attachment for the snow blade will help with moving the snow out of the way. I will post pictures of that attachment add-on after the next wet snow. All that aside, if you are in need of a device for dealing with wet snow, you now have an option. Cheers.

Snow Blast From the Past

For those who have followed my blogging, you know I love testing out snow blowers. While I highly recommend Greenworks 40V snow blower, I have found the Snow Joe corded to be reliable as well as a number of the gas-powered snow blowers (I'm a big fan of Troy-Bilt). Having said that, I did some digging recently (no pun intended) into the history of corded-electric snow blowers. Get this! Corded-electric snow blowers go back decades. This was news to me this week when I was thinking about one of the earliest gas-powered, self-propelled snow blowers created right here in Buffalo by George Nathan. When working at the museum, I got to see that technological wonder every day. With that 1940s creation on my mind, I looked further into early snow blowers, which is when I was shocked to see that a familiar brand had sold their own line of corded-electric snow blowers. That company is Sunbeam.

Today, Sunbeam is diversified in to household and health/wellness products, but in previous decades, they created machines to tackle all manner of lawn and garden chores. When growing up and tasked with mowing the family home's lawn, I used an old Sunbeam corded-electric lawn mower. Well, today I journeyed back in time and found for sale locally a Sunbeam snow blower dated to about 1958. Now, as much as I want to test this tool out, we have no snow in the Buffalo area at the moment. I will post images of it in use when the weather cooperates. Here are photos of the machine after I got it home. Cheers!