Every week there are natural disasters that upset peoples’ lives by destroying homes and, in some cases, even causing deaths. However, even high winds or snow storms can cause power outages by knocking down trees on power transmission lines or shorting out transformers. Sometimes these interruptions in power can last for days or weeks depending on how long it takes to get the area grid in operation.

Power generators are great for bridging the gap when natural disasters interrupt the household electricity. In short, a generator consists of a fuel supply, an internal combustion engine, an electric generation unit and inverter all in the same housing. The engine powers the generating unit, much like a generator on bicycle does, and a constant speed inverter keeps the power at a regular amperage wand wattage.

Honeywell HW2000i 2000 Watt Portable Inverter Generator is an easy-to-use power supply that can operate the essentials of the household, like a refrigerator, plus a few other smaller wattage item. Its125cc engine is a miser on gas using just 1.5 gallons for an six-hour run at a 50% load. During a disaster this generator will keep the lights on, heat the water, power the fridge and operate the television.

But you don’t have to wait  for disasters to use the Honeywell HW2000i 2000 Watt Portable Inverter Generator . It is reasonably-priced so that every household can own one. Take it camping or use it at the cottage. It’s like having a “power-angel” on your shoulder!

Welcome to the 2009 father’s day gift giving guide!  We’ve assembled a list of great products to buy dad that he’ll actually use - unlike that tie you gave him two years ago (you know the one I’m talking about).

If you’re looking to be “the favorite” this Father’s Day, don’t mess around with sentimental greeting cards, making a nice, light lunch or even offering to do some chores around the house.  Rather, drop some coin on this Makita 18-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Cordless 3-Piece Combo Kit, wrap it up and give it to dad.

Why?

Because your father deserves the best. And this Makita 3-piece kit is flat-out awesome.

The kit contains everything you need to assume favorite child status:

• 1/2-Inch Drill-Driver
• Impact Driver
• Flashlight
• 2 18v compact batteries
• Rapid charger
• Contractor bag

The Makita 18-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Cordless 3-Piece Combo Kit is designed with power in mind.  Your father will blow through most home improvement projects with horsepower to spare.  There’s a ton of power in the little Impact Driver, and that alone is enough to warrant purchasing this kit.  Throw in Drill/Driver, Flashlight, 2 batteries, charger and contractor bag and you’ve got one great bargain that’s sure to make your ‘ol man happy.

What sets this Makita set apart from the other combo kits you’ll see at your local chain megahardwarestores is the best-in-class cordless solution: the battery just kicks all sorts of butt.  For starters, you can use the tools after as little as 15 minutes on the charger, the batteries have 2.5x more cycles than a Ni-Cad battery and they charge much faster than other sets.

So if you’re gunning to be the favorite child this father’s day, you can leapfrog your siblings by purchasing this kit!

Welcome to the 2009 father’s day gift giving guide!  We’ve assembled a list of great products to buy dad that he’ll actually use - unlike that tie you gave him two years ago (you know the one I’m talking about).

We start with the Porter-Cable 2 1/2″ by 14″ Compact Belt Sander kit.  You may be asking yourself why you’d need to get your husband/father/grandfather/babydaddy a compact belt sander. That’s understandable.

Sure, the Porter-Cable Compact Belt Sander kit has a lightweight frame, but don’t let that fool ya - this belt sander has a lot under the hood.  In fact, I’m confident enough to say that it has more power than you’ll actually need, but it’s awfully nice knowing it’s there - just in case.

If you’re concerned about ergonomics, it has a very easy to handle rubber grip on the surface, allowing for precise control.  Dad will appreciate the cushioned grip, as it cuts down on a lot of the vibration that is always present with sanders.

Let’s go over some quick points:

• The Porter-Cable name is trusted. They make some really high-quality tools.
• The Porter-Cable Compact Belt Sander kit won the Handy Magazine Innovation Award in 2006 for all of it’s awesome features.
• The 120-volt, 5 amp motor is crazy powerful for a compact belt sander.
• The flush side and compact belt size (2 1/2″ x 14″) makes 90 degree angles a piece of cake.

Trust me - this is one item that Dad would love to open on June 21!

“Honey, can you help me paint the <insert room here>” is quite possibly hardest question to answer. Sure, I want to say “uh, no!“, but know that if I do say that, I’ll be sleeping on the couch until I’m needed to paint something and answer correctly.

I can paint edges freehand pretty well, but to be honest, I’m more of a roller guy.  If I have an angled brush, damp rag, painter’s tape, and a drop cloth, I am very good.  But even when I have all those things, it is still a laborious process.  I have to be in a certain position to get the brush angle right.  Most of the time I’m either on a ladder with my nose at the ceiling or kneeling on the floor.

When we tackled our dining room I put aside my painterly pride and got the Shur-Line Edger.  There were just too many doors, windows, and well, edges to do on my own.  It takes a couple tries to get the hang of the edger, I recommend practicing on a piece of cardboard first.  Once you know how much paint you need on the pad, it is so easy to use the edger.  There are two rollers on one side that go up against the trim, ceiling, or floor.  These can get some paint on them if you oversaturate the pad, so you may want to use tape, but you don’t have to be precise with it.  The pads are washable and reusable, which makes clean up no different than using a brush.

The best part? It’s under $3.00.  Go on, try it.  You’ll be glad you did!

The secret to successful grilling is not to overcook your meat.  Unfortunately, I learned that lesson growing up when my mom - who really had the best intentions - horribly overcooked pork, chicken and steaks on the grill. Now, I’m a “red meat” guy, and I love my steaks and chops to be juicy and tender - you don’t get that when you leave the food on the grill too long.

My secret is the RediCheck Remote Cooking Thermometer with Taste Settings. First thing’s first - because it’s a remote thermometer, there’s no need to obsessively open the grill lid and let all of the heat escape while you check to see if your food is done. I won’t preach time savings (because there’s no way to actually quantify what 3 minutes over the lifetime of the batteries means for you, your food, or your personal life), but I will preach convenience - it has some presets that monitor the temperature of your food and alerts you to when your sweet meats are done cookin’.  As a bonus, if you’re in to smoking meats, there’s a 24 hour timer. This is HUGE here in the midwest, where we love to smoke pork.  And other meats.

Finally, for the ultimate in awkward dad-gear, the RediCheck Remote Cooking Thermometer has a belt clip so you can look, uh, “sylish” as you grill.

When building our Mardi Gras float, we needed something capable of making clean, even cuts.  A friend had suggested that I bring a circular saw, but freeform cutting - even with a gate - wouldnt’ get the job done as fast as a good ‘ole compound miter saw.

Enter the Craftsman 9-21214 10″ LaserTrac Compound Miter Saw.

Not only was I able to make precision cuts, but I was able to make them quickly and easily.  The LaserTrac system is really awesome, showing even the most novice of handimen where exactly the big, bad blade is going to make the cut.

I was working with a team from rank amateurs to somewhat experienced handipeople, and everyone commented on how easy the Craftsman 10″ LaserTrac Compound Miter Saw was to use.  The best part? Nobody lost an appendage!

Features at a glance:

• The Craftsman 10″ LaserTrac Compound Miter Saw features a powerful 2.5 HP, 15 amp motor, so it’s scalable from quick DIY projects all the way up to heavier-duty work.  Oh, and did I mention that it’s a beefy 4,800 RPM?
• The 10″ diameter carbide tripped blade is really, really sharp and makes extremely clean cuts.
• The dust collecting bag (attached) does a great job keeping the cutting area clean.
• The work table rotates and locks at the desired miter angle (and it has presets for common miter angles of 0 deg, 15 deg, 22.5 deg, 31.6 deg and 45 deg - both right and left)

Man, these things are versatile.  Which is why I’m putting this handy-dandy little device in the DIY Tools *and* Essential Equipment category of this here blog - because frankly, a staple gun is something that everyone should own.

You saw how horrible that Mardi Gras float looked after the wind go to it, right? Yeah, it was a disaster! But since we had two staple guns, we were able to restore order and make the float look presentable in no time at all.  With pride in tact, we saved big-time face — and it was all because we had ‘ole reliable, the Arrow Fastener T55C Staple Gun Tacker.

With a chrome finish over a solid-steel constructed body, the Arrow Fastner Staple Gun Tacker is quite durable (and stylish, if that’s what you’re in to with your tools). Unlike other staple guns, the Arrow Fastner Staple Gun Tacker is a breeze to squeeze, proving you with instant stapleability and a very satisfying noise of metal-through-surface-you’re-stapling.

The best feature of the Arrow Fastner Staple Gun Tacker is its lack of jamming. We were operating in cold, sleety conditions and didn’t have any problems whatsoever.

The Arrow Fastner Staple Gun Tacker comes highly recommended!

For Christmas one year, my wife gave her father a Swiss Army knife. It was one of those really sweet ones with all the doo-dads and features.  Without thinking about it, he put it on his keychain and it’s been there ever since.

Fast forward to about a month ago.  He was at a Rally and his car broke down.  He decided that instead of packing it up and heading home, that he would head over to a spectator point and watch the other teams as they zipped by.  The only problem was there were 2-inch thick saplings in the way of everyone’s view.

… or at least there were 2-inch thick saplings blocking everyone’s line of sight.  My father-in-law whipped out his Swiss Army knife and started hacking away with the saw-toothed blade.  Before too long, he was able to clear out enough saplings so everyone could see perfectly.

Why am I telling you this story?  Because everyone needs a Swiss Army knife.  Hands down, it’s one of the most important things to keep within reach at nearly all times.  You probably had one as a kid (remember how much mischief you got yourself in to back then?).  You probably had one as a teen (remember how much mischief you got yourself in to back then?).  Why not create some new mischief as an adult?  The Swiss Army knife makes a wonderful Christmas gift for adults (and children) of any safe knife-handling age.

There are a ton of different models available, so you’ll have to pick the one right for you.  Pricegrabber has a great selection handy and won’t disappoint!

Ok, the Paint Buddy Rubber Maid Touch Up Tool may seem a little expensive for paint touch ups, but you get six.  And it is worth it to not have to hope your paint is still usable and to avoid cleaning brushes for small jobs.  We have one at the ready for our living room, dining room, and kitchen – plus the trim colors and ceiling white.  I have found this the most practical for touching up a newly painted ceiling.  Even with the pink-to-white paint I miss something and when painting a wall I never get a truly perfect edge using a roller or brush, even when I tape.  Now, it takes no time at all to fix.

At the end of every painting job, I fill the reservoir with left over paint.  I know that I will see a couple spots that need a bit more coverage; using the Touch Up Tool actually helps me finish a room.  If I noticed touch ups after all the clean up, chances are I would procrastinate.  It is also very handy for the small gaps we have between many of our doors; they aren’t wide enough for a normal brush and they are too narrow for an artist’s brush.  The Touch Up Tool easily and cleanly covers the wall.

No home is without awkward to paint nooks and crannies.  Even if you are lucky enough to have wide expanses of blank walls between door and window trim, you still have to cut in.  And, as we have discovered, edging with a brush does not give the same level of coverage as a roller.

Too many times I have tried for hours to get the paint along the ceiling line to look as good as the rest of the wall.  The Wooster Brush Co. Jumbo-Koter Flip Frame Mini-Roller handily fixes my problems.  I used to precariously balance a brush, paint, and myself on a ladder or chair to cut in around the ceiling.  I have kneeled and even laid down to paint along baseboards.  But, since the roller can flip to four different positions and it can be attached to any extender, I no longer have to hope I do not drop the paint can or wish for knee pads.  If you have a steady hand, you could probably avoid taping altogether.  Painting around doors and windows is a breeze.  And since you are using a roller, you do not have to worry about feathering in strokes between brush work and a larger roller.