Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Power and Hand Tools: Black & Decker PCS10 Plant Smart Digital Plant Care Sensor

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Black & Decker PCS10 Plant Smart Digital Plant Care Sensor

Product Features

Provides expert recommendations on what to grow, with easy-to-follow plant-care advice and immediate feedback for watering your plants
Measures sunlight, temperature, moisture, soil conditions, and more
Works indoors with potted plants or outside with flowers, vegetables, fruits, shrubs, grasses, trees
Includes USB cable, one AAA battery, storage bag, and quick-start card
1-year warranty

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

From the potted petunia in the living room to the tomato plants on the patio to the Elm tree in the yard, Black & Decker's Plant Smart sensor makes growing lush, healthy plants easy and fun. The compact digital sensor measures sunlight, temperature, moisture, soil conditions, and more by simply inserting the testing end into the ground for 24 hours. It then separates and the top part plugs into a computer to provide several types of customized growing feedback. In Recommend mode, the tool helps to find the right plant based on the present growing conditions; in Monitor mode, the tool makes suggestions to improve the health of an existing plant; in Water mode, the tool instantly measures soil moisture to see if a plant needs water. Additional online resources include a library of 6,000 plants and a My Plants personalized homepage. Sweetly designed with a big orange flower on top, the sensor makes a great gift for any home gardener. It includes USB cable, one AAA battery, storage bag, and quick start card; and it carries a one-year warranty.

Product Description

Advanced technology plus expert advice – in one simple solution. Measures sunlight, temperature, moisture, soil conditions and more. Provides expert recommendations on what to grow, easy to follow plant care advice and immediate feedback for watering your plants Works indoors with potted plants or outside in your lawn or garden. Works with flowers, vegetables, fruits, shrubs, grasses, trees and more. Works in 3 settings. In Recommend mode, our custom selection tool helps you find the right plant based on your unique growing conditions. In Monitor mode, analyze an existing plant and receive a custom report that provides clear guidance for improving your plant’s health. In Water mode, instantly measure soil moisture to see if your plant needs water. Takes the Guesswork out of Gardening. Includes USB cable, one AAA battery, storage bag, and quick start card.

Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Great idea for the gardening geek!, December 12, 2010

I received this as a gift from my husband this afternoon, and I'm already wowed by this little gadget. (As a side note to the reviewer above, the box that mine came in was not brown cardboard, it was a glossy full-color box with instructions and photos all over it. However, mine came from a certain Home store with a bright orange logo, rather than Amazon....) I pulled it out of the box, put in the battery, glanced through the instructions, and got started online. Now, an hour later, it's already in the ground outside (yes, in the middle of a snowy 20-degree December day....I'm a little over-excited to start using it!), and I'm adding my dozens of plant varieties to the "My Plants" section of the very-helpful website.

The whole process is very simple, my Windows 7 laptop connected to the device, recognized it, and installed it within a few minutes. The website offers some fairly good basic recommendations for each plant in your garden, but for uber-detailed fertilizer recommendations, there is an optional $25 annual subscription. I'll probably subscribe, since I'm still a new gardener, but I was very pleased at the level of advice that is included on the website for free.

The reason this product got four stars instead of five is that the "plant library" is not yet comprehensive. However, they claim that they will add plants as you recommend them, so that is a good compromise. All in all, it's a great way to get customized recommendations for each flower and each planting area in your yard, and I'd highly recommend it for the geeky gardener in your life.

5.0 out of 5 stars The PlantSmart Sensor really does help, December 14, 2010

I've been gardening for many years in different countries. Not a Master Gardener, but I really love producing food and fruit in my Mediterranean, dry climate, with clay soil. So, PlantSmart has helped me get a handle mostly on moisture levels around the garden. And the fertilizer readings have been very helpful when going from a deciduous fruit tree to a California Native Oak tree. Without having ever fertilized my Oak Tree- my Oak (planted one year ago) says my fertilizer is JUST RIGHT. My fruit trees on the other hand, need an organic based fertilizer every 3 months or so. My trees are surviving and they are producing more fruit. Great Value for the price - most professional sensors are at least double and not as user friendly.

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Power and Hand Tools: Black & Decker RRW100 Ratcheting ReadyWrench

Black & Decker ASI300 Air Station Inflator

Black & Decker RRW100 Ratcheting ReadyWrench

List Price:	$47.68
Price:	$24.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.
You Save:	$22.69 (48%)

Product Specifications


Part Number:	RRW100
Item Package Quantity:	1

Item Dimensions
Weight:	1.7 Pounds
Length:	4.96 in
Width:	1.65 in
Height:	13.42 in

Technical Details

16 common standard (SAE) and metric (MM) socket sizes
Exclusive ratcheting action
Color-coded socket sizes for easy identification
Backed by a lifetime warranty

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Ideal for a wide variety of around-the-house tasks, the Black & Decker Ratcheting ReadyWrench is an indispensable tool you'll reach for time and again. Offering the convenience of color-coded socket sizes for easy visibility, this wrench includes 16 of the most popular standard (SAE) and metric (MM) socket sizes, so you always have what you need to get the job done.

Ratcheting ReadyWrench
At a Glance:

Ratcheting wrench tackles a wide range of jobs
Color-coded socket sizes improve visibility
Ideal for furniture assembly, home and auto repair, and more
Includes 16 standard (SAE) and metric (MM) socket sizes
Backed by a lifetime limited warranty

The Ratcheting ReadyWrench has color-coded sockets to make you next repair job fast and easy. View larger.

Ideal Around-the-House Tool Provides Versatility and Convenience
The Black & Decker Ratcheting ReadyWrench lives up to its name by providing the versatility you need to tackle a range of jobs. It's ideal for general household tasks, such as assembling furniture and other items; common do-it-yourself repairs, such as making bike adjustments or performing simple plumbing jobs; and everyday maintenance chores, such as changing a lawn mower blade or making adjustments to an outdoor grill. The versatile Ratcheting ReadyWrench can also handle advanced automotive job, such as oil changes. No home or shop should be without it.
Color-Coded Sockets for Improved Visibility; Ratcheting Action Saves Time
The Ratcheting ReadyWrench has a simple, straightforward design and user-friendly features to help make it easy to loosen and tighten bolts. First, every socket size is color coded for recognition and identification at a glance. Also, the wrench's ratcheting action saves you time and effort and makes it easier to work around obstructions.
Durable, Easy-to-Handle Design
With a slender, easy-to-hold design, the Ratcheting ReadyWrench fits comfortably in your hand and is easy to store. Its rugged construction means it's built to last and ready to stand up to years of heavy use.
The Black & Decker Ratcheting ReadyWrench is backed by a lifetime warranty.
What's in the Box
Black & Decker Ratcheting ReadyWrench with 16 socket sizes.

Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars It's a versatile wrench with flaws, November 5, 2010

I just tried the Black & Decker Ratcheting ReadyWrench out today. Picked it up at a local hardware store for $5 more than Amazon. It's an interesting product. The sockets swivel so that you can choose an appropriate socket size. On one side of the socket, red lettering tells you the approximate SAE size. On the opposite side, blue lettering tells you the approximate metric size. Once you place the socket on the nut, you can select the direction using the orange circle and start ratcheting.

Pros: 1-Offers 16 different sizes in one relative compact wrench (however see cons). 2-The wrench is similar to double box, offset ratcheting wrenches. So the angle of the "socket" sides does help to reach some difficult places.

Cons: 1-Sockets don't lock tight, so when you are trying to ratchet at an angle it can slip off the nut or bolt.(Similar problem to using "dogbone" wrenches) 2-Six point sockets are designed to fit both SAE and metric so that neither fit is precise. The loose fit may cause you to stip nuts or bolts. Advertised as "sure fit"...

It's not a bad all-in-one tool. The Ratcheting ReadyWrench can be used for a wide variety jobs. However, it is not designed for any specific job. So bring it with you if you don't know what you'll need or you don't want to carry multiple wrenches. Or better yet, buy it if you want a general purpose ratcheting wrench around the house. Use your regular wrenches if you are doing a specific job, like working on your car.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for a General Utility Toolbox, November 25, 2010

Ratchet sets are bulky, and this crams a bunch of ratchets into one wrench. This tool is great for putting it into your generic job toolbox; the one you take around for "just in case" situations.
I was surprised by the weight of this thing when it arrived. It's very solid and weighs 1 to 1.5 lbs.

I was originally concerned by the red ring that is used for switching the ratchet direction, as it looked plastic. It is hard to tell what the red part is made of, but it appears to be a very hard plastic coating over metal. I tried scraping and tugging at it with a pair of pliers and all it left was a small scrape, that didn't hurt it at all.

I tried it on a couple of different nuts and the fits were good. I don't know if the nuts that I tried were metric or SAE, but it did the trick. I did notice that the head that swivels to switch sizes moved on me a bit while working with it, but it's a minor complaint. It's also a small trade-off for the convenience of the tool overall.

Pros
* Convenient for odd jobs
* Good quality constructed tool
* Versatile - Big and heavy enough to defend yourself against home intruders
* The fit on the nuts I tried was good (I don't know if they were SAE or metric)

Con
* The adjustable head swivels a little during use

5.0 out of 5 stars Handy, well made!, November 23, 2010

Picked this up the other day and the first thing I noticed was how heavy duty it feels. Some of these all in one type of items can promise the world, but be very cheaply made. This seems to be very durable and well made. The item fits 16 of the most popular sized sockets (standard and metric)and what makes it different from a lot of all in one wrenches out there is this one ratchets so you do not have to keep taking the tool off the bolt. I have only used this once thus far and was using to tighten up the bolts on my grill, but can see a lot of uses for this. Solid tool and could eliminate the need for a big socket set if you are using just for everyday, around the house jobs.

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Black & Decker PCS10 Plant Smart Digital Plant Care Sensor

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