Glenn Haege: The Handyman

Hardware show offers ideas for Dad's day

Every year, the National Hardware Show is the mecca for seeing the latest innovations in products for the home, and this year was no exception. Held in Las Vegas, this year's show featured close to 3,000 exhibitors and more than 27,000 members of the hardware industry.

When navigating this monstrous display of home and hardware products, I always look for some new, unique things that people can use around the home.

Here are a few that caught my eye:

• With the cost of energy going up, monitoring the electric power you use in your home is becoming more and more important. The Kill A Watt Power Strip, $99.95 from P3 International, (212) 346-7979, www.p3international.com, works like a standard surge protector, but it also enables you to assess the amount of power you are using for computer, television or other appliances you plug into the power strip. In addition, it provides protection against a drop in voltage or "brownout" conditions that can do serious damage, especially to electric motors. A digital display on the power strip enables you to check the quality of your power by monitoring voltage, line frequency, amperage and kilowatts per hour. You can also calculate the cumulative electrical expenses and forecast by week, month and year.

• Another monitoring product, the Power Kuff Monitor System, (302) 684-2008, www.powerkuff.com, $99.95, is a wireless device that straps onto the electric line that enters your home from your meter and allows you to monitor your power usage on a digital display. You can then transfer the data to your computer by using a free downloadable software program to graph your electric usage throughout the day. This is a great tool to determine how much power you are using when running various lights and appliances, and to learn how to manage your energy consumption.

• If you like to grill outdoors but hate to clean the grates, or are tired of having food fall into the grill, you should try the Grill-O-Sheet, (866) 654-0560, www.grillosheet.com. These reusable aluminum sheets have small holes that enable the food to cook properly without falling through the grates and can be cleaned in a dishwasher for reuse. They retail for $5.99 for a two-pack, and are available locally at Meijer and Lowe's.

• Lots of people would love to replace their Formica or laminate countertops with granite but don't want to spend the money. But with a new Granite Paint for countertops from Giani, (800) 650-5699, www.liquidstainlesssteel.com/giani, you can paint over your current countertops using a five-step process to give them the finished look of granite without the cost. The complete paint kit costs $39.95 and comes in either Sicilian Sand or Bombay Black colors.

• If you have ever tried to rake leaves or broom dirt and debris into a plastic garbage or leaf bag, it seems like you need three hands to do it. However, the SnapBagger, (877) 272-7627, www.snapbagger. com, $24.95, is a unique steel sheet-metal tool that makes the job easier by attaching to the opening of your garbage bag to keep it open, allowing you to scoop leaves into the bag or easily sweep dirt into it.

• Over the years, I have often referenced DryLok products from United Gilsonite Laboratories, (800) UGL-LABS, www.ugl.com, for many projects, and the latest DryLok product, Concrete Protector, is a product that provides clear weatherproof protection against deterioration caused by de-icing salt, gasoline, oil, weathering and the white, powdery, salt-like deposits visible on masonry. It can be used on concrete driveways and sidewalks, garage and basement floors, terrazzo, slate surfaces and block retaining walls.

• One of the most unique products I saw at the show was the Hawk from Bird-B-Gone, (800) 392-6915, www.birdbgone. com. The Bird-B-Gone Hawk is the first red-tailed hawk decoy on the market that helps keep both unwanted birds and rodents away from your house, deck or garden. Often, people would use owl decoys in their garden, but owls are nocturnal predators, and many birds and rodents don't have a fear of owls. Because hawks are natural predators that hunt during the day, birds and rodents identify the hawk as a dangerous predator and will leave the area. The decoy is made of heavy-duty plastic, and has hand painted life-like features. It will soon be available at lawn and garden and hardware stores nationwide, with a suggested retail price of $15.

These are just a few of the more unique items I've found lately. If you don't consider any of them good Father's Day gift material, next week I'll have my list of the presents that any dad would be proud to call his own.

If you would like to suggest a question for this column, e-mail askglenn@masterhandyman.com. If you want to talk to Glenn Haege personally, call his "Handyman"radio show on WJR at (866) ASK GLENN, (866) 275-4536 between noon and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.