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H a rd wa re & H o u s e wa re s Re vi e w Th u r s d a y, M a y 8 , 2 0 1 4 1 6 BLUE VIPER WEED SPRAYER GOES GREEN By Danielle Paluchniak, President, Wabash Valley Farms, Inc. The Blue Viper weed sprayer, a Retailers' Choice Award winner, can help the environment by reducing the amount of weed killer sprayed worldwide. The Blue Viper is the first electric, precision weed sprayer with a disappearing dye. The main thing that separates the Blue Viper from all of the other sprayers is that it sprays a fraction of the weed killer that other sprayers do. The Blue Viper works by combining a powerful electric pump with a specially designed hood and nozzle system. This patent- pending technology sprays the right amount of weed killer – not too much – exactly where you want it. Mike Williams, the inventor of the product and owner of the company, got the idea for the Blue Viper when a good friend of his asked him to spray her fence line to kill weeds. Mike thought he did a pretty good job, only to find out that the sprayer he used sprayed too much weed killer and the spray pattern was all over the place. That killed a lot of the flowers she loved. Mike decided that wasn't going to happen again. That's when the Blue Viper was born. Mike's background is in farming, and he still owns a family farm in north- west Indiana (where our company is based). Farmers have been using weed killers and dye marking systems for decades. What Mike did was to take the technology that is used on a much larger scale in farming, and reduce it down to a small tool perfect for residential use: the Blue Viper. Hundreds of hours were spent tin- kering and testing to get the system just right, which meant creating droplets between 150 and 350 microns in size. That is the perfect size for spraying weed killer. This mist is "heavy" enough to sink to the ground (reducing drift), and it is "thin" enough so that it doesn't spray too much weed killer – because any weed killer that rolls off the weed is wasted. Because most weed killers are extremely effective killers, this misting spray (rather than a soaking spray of con- ventional sprayers) gives a very efficient kill while using less weed killer. The precise/efficient spraying works even better when you add the Blue Viper Disappearing Dye. We cre- ated the disappearing dye specifically for the Blue Viper. The dye shows you exactly where you have sprayed, so you don't double or triple spray areas. This saves you time and reduces the amount of weed killer used. The dye – which is optional, you don't have to use if you don't want to – is like invis- ible ink. It quickly dissipates in sun or rain. It's blue, and then before you know it, it's gone. The Blue Viper commitment to effi- cient and economical use is one of the reasons it won a Retailers' Choice Award. Its focus on being environmentally sensi- tive has been a big hit with consumers. Visit booth 10573 to see a demonstration of the new Blue Viper weed sprayer. For more information, go to www.wabashval- leyfarms.com, call 219-232-4930 or email danip@wabashvalleyfarms.com. CAMP CHEF OFFERS EASY ALTERNATIVE FOR PATIO PIZZA By Ryan Neeley, Marketing Manager, Camp Chef Engineers at Camp Chef spent more than a year studying wood-fired ovens, trying to find a way to replicate the same heating patterns without the use of a large, expen- sive oven. After making a few prototypes, Camp Chef soon developed a pizza oven with a stone cooking surface that would quickly heat to high temperatures. Cooking with the new Italia Artisan Pizza Oven is comparable to cooking with a wood-fired oven; however, it is a fraction of the cost. With a list price of only $400, Camp Chef's pizza oven is thousands of dollars less than the wood- fired alternative. Not only is it an inexpensive alterna- tive, it's a lot smaller and portable, too. The oven is powered by a disposable propane bottle. However, a bulk tank hose and adaptor is included, allowing users to take the oven from the patio to the park. It can be heated to appropriate cooking temperatures in just 15 minutes. Temperatures will easily exceed 650 degrees Fahrenheit, making it perfect for cooking artisan style pizzas. Camp Chef's pizza oven is not limit- ed to just pizza, but cre- ates new options for any outdoor menu. That's because specially designed ventilation and double layered ceilings create heating dynamics similar to that of a wood-fired oven. This means menu items can include a roasted steak or cedar baked salmon, and hot breads like cinna- mon rolls. The options seem endless, especially with a little bit of creativity. For those inexperienced with cook- ing handmade pizza, a booklet with tips and step-by-step recipes for dough and pizzas is included. Camp Chef also has a YouTube page with instructional videos that is continually updated. Cooking accessories are available to assist with the pizza making process. Accessories include an infrared thermometer, pizza peel, pizza spatula and a rocking pizza cutter. Each accessory is essential to pizza cooking and can be sold as a kit to simplify the selection. For more than 20 years, Camp Chef has been an industry leading manufactur- er of outdoor cooking equipment, includ- ing stoves, smokers and a full line of cast iron cookware. From the backyard to the backcountry, Camp Chef continues to be The Way to Cook Outdoors. For more information, visit the Camp Chef team in booth 11111, go to www.campchef.com, call 800-783-8347 or email info@campchef.com. ward and back, and can be done easily with one hand. The lights can be locked into any position in the focus cycle with Coast's exclusive Beam Lock™ System, giving users the exact beam they need at all times. The HP7R is a compact light that easily fits on a work belt or in a tool box, and is just under six inches long. It will run for seven hours and 45 minutes on one charge of the lithium battery. The HP5R is designed for professionals who want a pocket sized light, and will run for three hours and thirty minutes on the rechargeable battery. The HP7R and HP5R models are powered by rechargeable lithium batter- ies for the best performance in both cold and warm environments. They also fea- ture both high, low and strobe output modes that can be used for low light need and to con- serve battery life. Following are the specs for each light, based on the ANSI FL1 flashlight stan- dard when using the rechargeable batter- ies: HP7R – Aluminum Case Lumens: 201 Beam Distance: 306 meters Run time: 7 hours 45 minutes HP5R – Aluminum Case Lumens: 181 Beam Distance: 172 meters Run time: 3 hours 40 minutes Visit Coast at booth 6437. For more information, call 800-426-5858 or go to www.coastportland.com. SWEEPEASY: THE TWO-IN-ONE BROOM The SweepEasy is a two-in-one broom with a retractable floor scraper that makes cleaning floor residue (dried food, stick- ers, glue, etc.) easy and safe without the need for harsh chemicals or getting on your hands and knees to scrub the floor. SweepEasy was developed by a stay-at- home dad trying to keep up with three active kids. The inventor has appeared on the ABC Network show "Shark Tank." The product comes in two varieties: the SweepEasy, available for $19.95 plus shipping and handling, and the SweepEasy Pro, which comes with a steel scraper for those tough industrial scraping jobs. The SweepEasy Pro is available for $29.95 plus shipping and handling. SweepEasy falls in the broom, mop and duster category. The SweepEasy lends itself as an essential kitchen tool that is bet- ter than an ordinary broom or mop for cleaning floor residue safely and efficient- ly. Beyond the kitchen, SweepEasy can also be used in craft rooms, garages, clean- ing up after pets or anywhere else in the home where floor residue accumulates. SweepEasy also has strong sales potential to businesses such as restau- rants, hotels, retail establishments, schools and daycare centers, and clean- ing service companies where brooms and cleaning equipment have much shorter life cycles. When stuff sticks to the floor, a stan- dard broom just isn't up to the job. Now, floor cleaning is a breeze with SweepEasy, a time-saving broom featur- ing a patented retractable floor scraper designed to safely and efficiently remove floor residue. No more messy mops, get- ting on your hands and knees to scrub the floor, or using potentially toxic cleaning chemicals. SweepEasy will be the last broom you ever own! Visit SweepEasy at booth 3637. For more information, call 530-268-1113, email dwight@sgnllc.com or go to www.sweepeasy.com. COAST FLASHLIGHTS LIGHT UP NATIONAL HARDWARE SHOW Coast will be featuring the rechargeable HP7R and HP5R LED flashlights at its booth during the National Hardware Show. These lights are designed with the professional user in mind, or the person who demands professional level quality from all of their tools. The HP7R and HP5R feature Coast's exclusive Flex Charge Dual Power Rechargeable System, including the Pro- Tek Charging Port. The tail caps pop up to reveal a micro USB port for the charg- ing cable. That means there are no parts to lose, and the system stays clean from dust and debris. Both lights run on lithium recharge- able batteries, which are included, but the lights also run on standard alkaline bat- teries – four AAA for the HP7R and one AA for the HP5R. The lithium batteries can be charged inside the flashlight or outside, and a spare cartridge is included, so users can always have a fresh battery ready. Both lights use Coast's new Long Range Focusing Optic, which is opti- mized for long distance illumination, while still providing a flood beam for up- close work and ground searches. The HP7R has a beam distance rating of 306 meters, while the compact HP5R will project a beam 172 meters. Both lights use Speed Focus, which is operated by simply sliding the head of the light for-