Category Archives for Appliances, Tools & Gadgets

Like a lot of people, I do woodworking projects in my garage. For my miter saw, table saw, and other power tools, I had always used a regular old electrical cord (a "drop cord"). It worked, but it always ended up tangled on the floor and in my way. So, recently I started looking for a retractable extension cord reel that I could mount to my garage ceiling. The one I found has worked out really well. It's even portable! Thinking it might help other garage woodworkers, I made a video showing how to install the retractable extension cord reel I went with. You can see it and some photos from the installation below. 

I recently bought an iRobot Braava Jet and I love it. My 3 year old calls it the "Robot Mop". I decided to review it here for myHomeUpgrades.com.

We already had a Roomba vacuum, and it does a great job picking up dirt and dust. But we've got a ceramic tile kitchen floor and hardwood floors everywhere else. We've also got a toddler and a newborn. And I was getting tired of mopping the kitchen floor and cleaning the hardwoods with my Shark steam mop. I still use the steam mop for spot cleaning. But for routine floor cleaning, the Robot Mop does a better job! 

It was a long time ago, way before the Weber iGrill2 came along, when I first heard about probe thermometers. It was on Alton Brown's cooking show, "Good Eats", when he recommended probe thermometers. I've been using them ever since, and I've been through lots of them, expensive ones, cheap ones, and even remote control ones. But the best one I've had so far has been and continues to be the iGrill2. I've been personally using it for over a year. It's a great Bluetooth probe thermometer for grilling, smoking, or even roasting or baking in your oven. I use it all the time, and I would buy it again in a heartbeat. 

I hate vacuuming. So, a couple years ago, I bought a Roomba vacuum cleaner from Costco as a Christmas present to myself.  This robot vacuum has been a huge upgrade for our home.