The Perfect Bungee Lasts A Lifetime; this is not just the title of today's blog, it is also the warranty and the name of the bungee in question. The Perfect Bungee makes use of the latest in technology, and brings us a new bungee that they can withstand a lifetime of UV rays, extreme weather, and even many of the chemicals found around your house. Most bungee cords on the market today are made of rubber and can not withstand any of the conditions mentioned above. The Perfect Bungee is made of polyurethane, one of today's modern marvels. We normally see polyurethane in a hard form of some kind or used as a glue, but the folks over at Just Ducky Products seem to have mastered its flexible side. Not only is The Perfect Bungee strong, but it can also be safely stretched to twice its length and always return to its original length. The Perfect Bungee comes in a number of different colors and lengths, but they also have a few end choices. For non-marring applications they have cords with nylon ends, while heavy duty users will be happy to find galvanized ends as the second option, third, they have a looped end.

The Just Ducky Products website lists a number of retailers for the Perfect Bungee, but to give an idea on the price, [:cicn:] Bass Pro Shop sells the 16.5" length for just under $5. Did we mention these are made in the USA?

Like me, you probably didn't make it to the World Of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas. But this is OK, we still have news on some new tools from Bosch that add to their growing cordless line. Both tools are in the 18 volt Litheon line, the first being a 4-1/2" Angle Grinder, and the second is an SDS-Plus Rotary Hammer. The Bosch Litheon line is ever growing, but it still has a ways to go to catch up to Makita.

Bosch looks to be doing things right with the new CAG180 Angle Grinder as it is said to be the most powerful grinder on the market today; which means these battles between companies make us all winners. Some improvements over the competition include a higher top speed of 10,000 RPM's, and the best performance-to-weight ratio in its class. Bosch uses electronic cell protection (ECP) combined with electronic motor protection (EMP) that they say provides "unmatched battery run time and 2 times longer lifetime ". One of the coolest features, is also something that can also be found in the newer Bosch corded angle grinders, and that is something they call Restart Protection. Restart Protection will prevent the tool from running while in the On position after the power has been cut off. So lets say you run the grinder until the battery dies, and you leave the tool on. When you replace the battery, you will have to turn it off and then on again to get it to run. Very smart.

Oh how I love cordless rotary hammers, and the Bosch RHH180 SDS-Plus will likely be no exception. When I installed doors I dreamed of the day I would own one, thus preventing me from taking 100' of extension cord to each and every door when I had to install door stops or thresholds. The RHH180 shares many of the same features as the CAG180 Angle Grinder, such as ECP & EMP, but it also uses a much different brushless motor. Bosch probably chose a brushless motor because of the added protection it would provide for the dusty environment the tool would likely be in. The power-to weight ratio on the Rotary Hammer is also very good, and weighs in at only 5.7 lbs and has a 3/4" drill size capacity. Another nice touch is the added LED light, which should be a standard by now on every power tool made.

Both the [:cicn:] CAG180 Angle Grinder (around $400 Amazon) and the [:cicn:] RHH180 Rotary Hammer (around $500 Amazon) can be purchased as a kit with 2 FatPack batteries and a 30-minute charger, or as tool only as the [:cicn:] CAG180B (around $210 Amazon) & [:cicn:] RHH180B (around $230 Amazon).

Bosch

Last night tennis ran into a little problem on one of the courts at the Australian Open, but lucky for us there was a man with a cordless drill to save the day. Tennis is a simple game, but it can only be played if the tennis balls are allowed to bounce. However, last night there was an issue within a small area of the court surface in the Hisense Arena that prevented the balls from bouncing.

What looks like a simple coated concrete surface on TV is actually very complex; consisting of multiple layers of rubber granules, compressed plastic, mineral fibers, and latex. Somehow a small air bubble formed under the top layer of the surface (probably due to recent changes in the weather) which absorbed the ball's impact. To fix this issue, a few small holes were drilled into the surface with a cordless drill, thus allowing the air to escape.

This just goes to show that everyone needs a drill... even tennis players.

Flexible coil tubes are nothing new; we use them for everything from air ducting, to pool hoses, but the BlueTube borrows from the classic design and takes it to the next level. Typical hoses use some type of coil skeleton that is either molded into the tube, or covered by some type of material to create the tube. The flaw in this inner coil design is all the lumps and bumps that the coil skeleton creates along the full length of the hose. These bumps are places for dust to get trapped and causes air turbulence that cuts down on suction. The BlueTube solves this problem by using an exoskeleton coil, thus allowing for a completely smooth inner tube. This design is so affective, that even when tied in a knot, it can pull dust and debris through.

With a relatively unexciting name like BlueTube, the product itself must be something to behold. WoodWerks calls it "the best dust collection hose in the universe", and I doubt they would lie to us just to sell a product or two. The BlueTube is available in 4", 3", and 2.5" sizes starting at $19.95 for a 10' length.

[:cicn:] BlueTube - WoodWerks