Gadgets from The National Hardware Show I showed on World News Now.

Don't You Hate It When A Power Tool Battery Dies in the Middle of Your Project? Nextec has a neat solution!

Craftsman has a new one-of-a-kind, time-saving technology for its cordless line of 12-volt lithium-ion NEXTEC power tools. With its new QuickBoost Charger, Craftsman can bring a completely dead battery back up to a 25 percent charge in just three minutes! That should give you enough extra power to finish up the job at hand. Sears says the new Craftsman NEXTEC QuickBoost Charger was developed to end the frustration of having to wait 30 minutes or more for a battery charge when your DIY project is almost complete. Now your only have to wait three minutes and you're set to go back to work! At the push of a button, the charger harnesses all its energy for a three minute quick boost charge, or a full charge in about 30 minutes.  This really works well. I dropped a completely depleted battery into the charger, and pushed the QuickBoost Button. The large green LED start blinking and became steady in just about 3 minutes. I could now go back to my project! Hardly enough time to grab a cup of coffee. The charger’s on board diagnostics monitor the battery’s progress and indicates the battery’s status including “charged”, “charging”, “complete” and “over temperature” using red, yellow and green LED lights. The QuickBoost charger is shipped as part of certain kits such as their new Hammerhead Auto Hammer kit which retails for $99.99. The QuickBoost Charger is also available as a stand-alone for $39.99. It's a great addition to any cordless Craftsman Nextec 12Volt lithium-ion power tools you already have.

www.craftsman.com  (I couldn’t find QuickBoost here yet, but it should be coming soon. And it may already be at your local Sear's store.)

Here's a Podcast I did on this product: www.twit.tv/dgw1315

Protect your eyes, and light up the project you're working on too!

Wearing safety glasses is a good thing when doing work projects. These LightSpecs Vindicator LED Lighted Safety Glasses combine high-quality ANSI Z87.1 rated safety glasses with ultra-bright LED’s hidden in the temples. Protect your eyes and light up your work area at the same time! Great for any project or workplace with poor lighting including plumbing – electrical work – auto repair – assembly – inspection work – power outages – home projects and crafts. LightSpecs LED Lighted Safety Glasses provide hands-free direct lighting that replaces bulky flashlights, headlamps or work lights. The wrap around lenses are OSHA compliant and have anti-scratch coating. The company says you'll get 50+ hours of battery life from the glasses. The batteries are included and are replaceable. The Ultra-bright LED’s provide more than 32 Lumens of light. Under $20.

http://www.panthervision.com/store/lightspecs-vindicator-led-lighted-safety-glasses/

Here's a tool kit that can hang on your key chain!

Need we say: Keys & key ring NOT included.The folks at Swiss+Tech Tools are masters at designing multi-functional micro-devices small enough to fit on a key chain. At the National Hardware Show they were showing their newest, the MicroPlus EX 9-in-1 Key Ring Tool. This is a lightweight, pocket-sized, key-ring tool kit that includes pliers, wire cutter, wire stripper, wire crimper, bottle opener, #1 flat screwdriver, #2 flat screwdriver, #1 Phillips screwdriver and #2 Phillips screwdriver. The ANSI standard screwdrivers snap into position with ease and change tips in seconds. Open the pliers to use the wire cutter, wire stripper or wire crimper. Open the pliers completely to use the bottle opener. (Some many gadget today include a bottle opener!) Like all Swiss+Tech tools, a patented quick release mechanism securely locks the Micro-Plus EX 9-in-1 onto a key ring. Solid stainless steel construction should provide a lifetime of readiness. I asked if this little gizmo was TSA approved and the company spokesman said it was since it doesn’t contain a knife blade of any sort. On their website the price is listed as $9.95 and $14.95. It seems the only difference is that one that cost an extra $5 is gift packed. Once this gets into distribution you’ll probably find it for even less by doing a web search.

www.swisstechtools.com

I did a podcast on this gadget. See or hear it here: www.twit.tv/dgw1315

Smoke Alarms that announces where the smoke is.

These new First Alert Voice Smoke Alarms use ONELink technology. If one alarms goes off, it not only sets off the other ONELink alarms, but a recorded voice announces which room the emergency is in. When you first power them up, a voice will lead you through the set-up. It announces various rooms of the house and you push the “set” button when it announces the room you’re going to use it in – basement, bathroom, kitchen, etc. Then if one alarm goes off it sends out a wireless signal to set off all the others in the house. First Alert says that research shows voice alarms are more effective at waking children that a standard beeping alarm. There are other features too, like a 'silence alarm" button. That lets you quiet the alarm for a short period and then it will re-arm it automatically. That way you won't take out the batteries and forget to put them back in! This alarms won’t be available until August. A 2-pack of voice smoke alarms will have a manufacturers suggested retail price of $129.99. They’ll also be a Voice Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm combo with Onelink Technology. That will have a MSRP of $169.99 for a pack of two. The line be expanding in 2012.

www.firstalert.com

Here's an easy way to plug in up to five of those giant "transformer" plugs!

At the National Hardware Show Accell launched the newest addition in its popuarl line of "Squid" products. This one, the PowerSquid Surge Protector and Power Conditioner, still lets you plug in up to five of those giant "transformer plugs, and aim them in any direction.  It provides 1080 joules of surge protection to coddle sensitive electronics. This newest version features Power Line Conditioning which reduces audio and video noise caused by EMI and RF interference. To protect itself from damage, the PowerSquid will turn off if any of the devices that are plugged-in malfunction or if the total power drawn exceeds 1800 Watts. A lighted Green LED indicates that the wall outlet is providing power to the PowerSquid and that the wall outlet is grounded. A lighted Red LED indicates that the surge protection is active. The PowerSquid can easily mount to a wall to save space, to put out-of-sight or for improved accessibility. This device should be available in the next couple of weeks. Accell’s PowerSquid with Power Conditioner has an MSRP of $34.95. Once it's in the marketplace you should discounted prices online. Check the company's website for their $100,000 5-Year Connected Products Limited Warranty.

http://www.accellcables.com/products/powerProducts/PowerSquid_Surge.htm