Heather, our guest poster had the following review for Johnson S C Inc 78271 Fantastik Oxy Power.

Fantastik Oxy Power® is a product that is always in great supply in my home. While the line of Fantastik® cleaners is good overall, this specific product truly stand out among the rest. Not only does it stand out within the brand name, but it supersedes other cleaning products claiming to perform the same action.

Do you have a cabinet or even two filled with different household cleaning products? I still do but that is mostly because I haven’t disposed of the ones I used to use. Many cleaning products claim to be multi-purpose, but the majority of people tend to use different, specialty cleaners for different areas of their home. There is a cleaner for the kitchen and another for the bathroom. You need something special for your windows, carpets, floors, stainless steel, and furniture. Plus, you need special cleaners in the event that you need to handle a stain.

I would be lying if I said that Fantastik Oxy Power® covers all of my cleaning needs. I still like to use a furniture polish and other products for my hardwood and linoleum floors. However, everything else that needs to be cleaned is done with the Fantastik Oxy Power®.

My kitchen and bathroom are cleaned at least every other day. My Fantastik Oxy Power® travels with me to both rooms. It can handle my stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, my porcelain bathtub, the acrylic shower, and the vanity mirror. I was skeptical at first. I figured that maybe it would clean everything, but would it be able to make things shine? It is important to me that everything looks very clean. Fantastik Oxy Power® does this.

The one thing I disbelieved about Fantastik Oxy Power® is that it would be able to spot clean stains on my carpet. I thought that there was no way that a multi-purpose cleaner could transcend from the refrigerator to the carpet. Then my dog had a little accident and I figured, “What the heck?” Needless to say, it has since cleaned up several dog accidents as well as toddler accidents.

Fantastik Oxy Power® helps me to keep my house clean. It offers seemingly unlimited cleaning potential within a single bottle. Did I mention that it costs no more than any other household cleaner? This saves a lot of money in the long run because you no longer have to purchase separate cleaners for every different household chore.

I must include the disclaimer that if you want to use Fantastik Oxy Power® on your carpet or upholstery, then you need to do a fabric test. This means choosing a small area that is out of view that you can test the product to see if it reacts badly with the fabric. It is always better to be safe than sorry. Personally, I have had nothing but great results.

Fantastik Oxy Power® is one of those products that I will keep around my house for as long as Fantastik continues production!

(I go into some detail on the technical specifications in the first part of my review- you can read the first part of the review here: Leatherman Skeletool CX.) So I finally received my Skeletool CX in the mail. I could have had the regular Skeletool a bit sooner, but I held out for the Carbon Fiber handles on the CX. If you’re going to spend the money on a quality tool, you might as well get exactly what you want. Speaking of which, I assumed I’d be getting a Leatherman sheath- apparently not. I got my shrink wrapped CX in the mail, but there’s no sheath. Interestingly enough, the bit kit comes with a black nylon sheath- go figure.

First impressions- it’s light. At 5oz it’s the lightest multi-tool I’ve handled, which makes me more likely to carry it in a pocket or clipped to my belt. The Leatherman tools are usually a little stiff from the factory- while my CX won’t fall open, the action seemed to be a little looser than most; meaning less break in period. The Leatherman knife locks back smoothly, and instead of a button or small bar on the back of the knife, you push the large bar under the blade to close it. For those of us with larger fingers, this is a great feature. I like the bit setup- you get a Phillips and a standard flat (double headed) bits with the Skeletool CX, and of course if you order the bit kit that’s 21 more, making not having the right tool for that screw a thing of the past. The bits are removed by pressing on a release bar with slightly serrated edges for a better grip. Little details make all the difference and Leather did quite a bit of precision engineering on this multi-tool. The carabiner, which is handy for clipping it on to a backpack and just going out the door, also doubles as a bottle opener. Of course the primary reason to own a Leatherman is the pliers, and they make use of small space by including needle nose, wire strippers and wire cutters. Overall I’m very pleased with the Skeletool CX, I’ll be carrying it daily and giving them to my friends.

You can check out the user guide here.
Order the Leatherman 830850 Skeletool CX Multitool and don’t forget the Bit Kit
Snatch one up for a great price at auction!

Review

MIT Engineers Rodney Brooks and Colin Angle used their personal credit cards to launch iRobot in 1990. Helen Greiner, also from the MIT AI Lab joined shortly thereafter. The robots for the first decade or so were part science project part custom design engineering for companies and governments. They built a small robot for the Japanese Ministry of Trade, and a mine sweeper for DOD (they still build military robots, in fact several are now in service in Afghanistan and Iraq). Their first real consumer product was a toy, my Real Baby. Using the cost consciousness from dealing with the toy manufacturers, they launched the Roomba in 2003. It has been joined by a mopping unit called Scooba; they’ve even created a gutter sweeper (Looj).

I’ve had a number of Roombas over the years, and each time I’ve upgraded I’m always impressed at how much the next generation has progressed. The 500 series is the quietest model I have used yet, and it benefits from the feedback and refinements of the robots before it. We have tile throughout most of the house, with carpet in the living room and bedroom. The Roomba cleans it all, and I’ve never had a problem with it getting stuck on normal surfaces. I have had it try to eat a lamp cord, but after I “Roomba Proofed” the house (tied up cords, etc) I never had another issue. It goes over the bathroom rugs without issue- I don’t know how it would handle rugs with large tassels however. I just treat it like a regular vacuum (ie you wouldn’t put your Hoover on a Turkish rug with 6″ tassels) and it works just fine.

I love the fact that it’s so small- with 3″ or so of clearance it can go under dressers, under the bed, and under the coffee table with no effort. It also does a great job of grabbing hair and dust bunnies off the floor, no spreading the dirt around at all. This model comes with an intelligent scheduling feature, so you can have do the vacuuming while you’re gone. It also can find it’s charging station and dock itself, so it’s ready for the next day. It makes worrying about keeping your floors free from dirt a thing of the past.

One of the hallmarks of truly exceptional engineering is that it makes something very complicated, very easy for the end user. To get Roomba to clean, you press one button, aptly titled “Clean”. This Roomba talks! It walks you through the setup, and tells you when there’s a problem- no more running to the manual to figure out what the beeps mean. There’s also new virtual walls called Lighthouses. They work in two ways- one they force the Roomba to completely vacuum one room before moving on to the next, and secondly to create invisible barriers to areas that Roomba will not cross. Overall this is a great vacuum, and it makes me wonder why I did it the hard way for some many years.

Some additional improvements over previous models include:

• 33% Larger Filtration Unit
• 33% Larger Dust Bin
• Faster Brush Speed
• Better Suction

Quick Links:

• Read more Reviews/Order it Right Now here.
• Find a great deal on it in our Live Auctions

Sources
Inc Magazine
iRobot

Company History

Tim Leatherman (yes, that’s his real name) started the Leatherman Tool Group twenty-five years ago in Oregon. He put his degree in Mechanical Engineering to good use. A cranky Fiat that refused to be fixed by a pocket knife gave him an idea. After 5 years of trial and error he received his first patent in 1980. In 1993 he shipped over a million tools, thanks in part to Cabela’s giving him the opportunity to list his tool in their catalog. In 1994 the Leatherman even made a movie appearance, disarming a bomb in the movie Speed. They followed this up with a 1999 X-Files appearance, where it was used to “extract alien flesh”. (I would have bet money I would have never used that phrase in a review…)

People continue to find new uses for the tool. So many uses in fact, that the company has dedicated a section of their website to Tool Tales. Last year the company opened its first retail store conveniently collocated with its manufacturing facility in Portland, Oregon.

Leatherman 830850 Skeletool CX Multitool

I bought my first Leatherman in 1997 when I was in the military. I was part of a mobile unit, and one of our radar technicians had one he carried everywhere religiously. I borrowed it a couple of times (they’re great for stuck pins- heck I even used it to pull apart a stuck M-16) and I was hooked. I bought my own, and I’ve had one in the toolbox ever since. The Cybertool is fine for delicate operations- its pliers have the dexterity to pull out a screw or a splinter, but if you need to crank on something hard- like a radiator clip, you can’t get the purchase you need. My Leatherman has always been up to the task. As part of the ritual I follow when I get a new gadget, I like to make sure I understand all its functions. The Skeletool is composed of the following tools:

• Needlenose Pliers
• Regular Pliers
• Drop Point Knife
• Wire Cutters
• Hard-wire Cutters
• Bit Driver
• Carabiner/Bottle Opener
• Removable Pocket Clip
• Extra Bit/Bit Holder

I also ordered the bit kit, which extends the functionality with 21 double headed bits:

• Hex 1.5mm and 2mm
• Hex 2.5mm and 3mm
• Hex 4mm and 5mm
• Hex 6mm and 1/4 inch
• Hex 7/32 and 3/16 inch
• Hex 5/32 and 9/64 inch
• Hex 1/8 and 7/64 inch
• Hex 3/32 and 5/64 inch
• Hex 1/16 and .050 inch
• Robertson #3 and #2
• Robertson #1 and Pozi
• Pozi #2 and #1
• Torx #10 and #15
• Torx #20 and #25
• Torx #27 and #30
• Phillips #0 and #3
• Phillips #1 and #2
• Slotted 3/32 and 1/8 inch
• Slotted 5/32 and 3/16 inch
• Slotted 7/32 and 1/4 inch
• Phillips and flat tip eyeglasses screwdriver

Read the rest of the hands on review here: Leatherman Skeletool CX - The Newest Leatherman Multitool

You can check out the user guide here.
Pre-order the Leatherman 830850 Skeletool CX Multitool and don’t forget the Bit Kit
Snatch one up for a great price at auction!

Sources:
Leatherman
Wikipedia

Did you ever pick up a tool and it just feels right? That’s this drill. It sits properly in the palm of your hand, and has perfect balance-whether horizontal or vertical. This is a rare thing, and when you drive 1,000 deck screws with it you really appreciate the intelligent engineering that went into it. Oh sure it has the ability to knock out 25,000 hammer blows per minute at 1,700 rpm- but with the integrated electric brake you can just as easily drive drywall screws while sinking the screw head precisely where you want it. I’ve used it to drill in the concrete foundation of the house to anchor a toilet (making it much less of the thrill ride it used to be, thank you), and it did the job effortlessly. The drill is covered with a rubberized finish (Makita blue, of course), and when you sit it down it stays put, surviving the occasional bump that would send a lesser tool flying off the bathroom vanity and onto the floor.

There’s an integrated belt clip by the battery- and of course it can be easily removed or switched to the other side. It’s very easy to hang without looking on your belt, pocket or toolbelt, which has come in handy time and time again when I was convinced I needed three hands to get that sheet of drywall up. It also has a light, which I was sure was just a cheesy addon, but I’ve learned that you can actually see the screw head when you’re upside down in the cabinet without holding a flashlight in your teeth.

And then there’s the chuck. Growing up I lost a lot of chuck keys- much to Dad’s great annoyance. There’s no key! The chuck jaws ratchet down on the bit- no additional tools necessary. The side grip twists on and off effortlessly, and the depth rod makes repeated precision drilling a snap. The battery and charging system are computerized- it actually knows which battery is which and how to charge it to get the maximum life out of the already phenomenally long lived lithium ion cells. Take a look at Makita’s flyer for more details on that. While you’re reading, I have the manual for you here as well. Finally, if you want to save some money and are considering an impact driver, take a look at Makita LXT202 BHP451 18 Volt Hammer Drill & BTD140 18 Volt Impact Driver Lithium-Ion Combo Kit- the impact driver is rock solid, and the battery on one can serve as a backup for the other in a pinch.

Order the drill here: Makita BHP451 LXT 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Hammer Driver-Drill

Or try a the real time Makita Auctions right here.

(Review from Just Makita)