JAMES AND MORRIS CAREY | On the house Ingenious ideas are on display at tool show

We recently made our annual pilgrimage to the "show of shows" for tools and hardware -- the 2003 National Hardware Show.
We joined 30,000 hardware store owners, hardware and home center buyers and industry professionals for a look at the latest and greatest in hardware, tools and building products.
There was an abundance of hand and power tools, hardware, nuts and bolts, fasteners, paint, stain, garden equipment and supplies, storage solutions and pet products.
Today's tools are more powerful, perform multiple tasks, and are lighter and more ergonomically friendly. For example, paint brushes with ergonomically designed handles make gripping a paint brush more comfortable. These brushes can get into tight spots where brushes with traditional handles can't.
Wood- and plastic-handled putty knives, paint scrapers, wire brushes and sanding blocks are being replaced by ergonomically designed, cushion-grip handles that reduce injury and improve comfort.
And as the do-it-yourself craze continues, manufacturers are turning out tools that can take a beating without breaking the bank. With their bright colors and sleek designs, today's tools look as good as the projects they're used on.
Improved ergonomics, sleek design and colorful finishes are not limited to hand and power tools.
The Smart Handle
Lawn and garden tools and cleaning equipment have followed suit.
Delta Ergo, a division of Delta Industries, (800)-435-7338, has created The Smart Handle a new line of mops, brooms, rakes and snow pushers that work with the body's natural range of motion, allowing repetitive movements involved in cleaning and gardening to be carried out more effectively.
The tools have a strain-reducing handle that places one's wrist in a neutral working position to enable the use of the strongest muscles, a strong pliable grip and even swivel- and adjustable-height handles to reduce back stress. And, yes, they're colorful, too.
Making scents
Love that new car smell, but hate the smell of fresh paint? Scentco (www.scentco.net) has developed "Paint Pourri," an air freshening paint additive that provides a pleasant, long-lasting fragrance and helps neutralize odors -- including those of fresh paint.
It's simpler than it sounds; empty a 1-ounce pouch into a gallon of paint, mix and, voila, your freshly painted, space will smell like a bed of wildflowers -- or one of the other seven fragrances offered.
They also manufacture "Wiper Breeze," a fluid additive that refreshes the interior of your car every time you spray your windshield.
Storage rock
Running out of room to store fertilizers, insecticides, tools and garden equipment? Tired of carrying them from the garage or storage shed to the back forty where you use them most often? Here's something that will cause you to say; "Why didn't I think of that?"
Smallrock Designs, LLC (www.smallrockdesigns.com) has come up with the READI-StorageRock, a large faux garden boulder (like you would see at a theme park) that doubles as a weatherproof storage container.
At approximately 5-feet wide, 4-feet deep and 2-feet high, the container has plenty of room (13 cubic feet) for tools and garden materials.
The gas spring hinges make for easy access, and no one will ever know that your shovel, rake and peat moss are stored neatly in the shade of that old pine tree at one end of your lawn.
Covered paint tray
If you've ever painted, you know that the biggest part of a painting project is the preparation and cleanup. Rinsing out brushes, rollers and trays can take lots of time and degrade the brush or roller cover. Golden Harvest Home D & eacute;cor (www.romandecoratingproducts.com) just introduced the "Close-N-Go Covered Paint Tray." It consists of two side-by-side trays that are hinged at the center -- like a clamshell.
When in the open position, one tray is used conventionally for loading a roller while the other side can be used to hold paint cans and brushes to prevent drips and spills. When closed, the greenhouse effect reduces air flow and keeps rollers, brushes and paint fresh for days, thus, eliminating the need for daily cleanup.
Carpenter's Pal
If you like tools and gadgets, you'll like the Carpenter's Pal (www.carpenterspal.com). It's special because it's several tools in one -- a level, square, squange (an adjustable square that helps define an angle), ruler and pencil holder.
It's good for measuring pitches and slopes, determining angles for miter cuts, horizontal leveling and vertical plumbing, squaring up corners and framing layout. You can find the right pitch, angle and level in any home-improvement project using just this tool.
Novelty items
Not all the products at the show were tools. Many were novelty items that relate to gardening, the outdoors and pets.
If you love the outdoors -- camping, hunting and the like -- you'll love the "Head-Lite" cap (www.head-lite.com). The cap looks and feels like a standard ball cap with one exception -- positioned front and center is an 80,000 candle power halogen light bulb that acts as a flashlight.
The light, which illuminates up to 40 feet, can be adjusted to four positions. The cap comes in various colors and patterns and can be custom monogrammed. We've seen many adaptations of this contraption and none comes close to the construction and operation of this one.
Do you have a home, cabin or business that is located where the mercury dips so low that frozen pipes are a concern? If so, you will be interested in the "Freeze Alarm" (www.freezealarm.com) from Control Products Inc.
Introduced at this year's show, it monitors the temperature of an unoccupied home, cabin or business. If the temperature drops below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, the device automatically will dial up to three preprogrammed telephone numbers to alert you to a potential disaster.
In addition to having the features of the basic model, the deluxe model will warm up your home, cabin or business by telephone. Plus, it will monitor other alarms such as a flood sensor or motion detector.
This takes some of the worry out of having a vacation home in the snow.
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