Does $117 electric pooper scooper take care of business?

After getting a PR pitch for an electric pooper scooper --it's basically a cordless dog doodie vacuum--we couldn't help ourselves. Here's what two Charlotte area product testers had to say about the Pooch Power Shovel ($117) by Pet Power Products.

We approached the “Pooch Power Shovel” with a healthy dose of skepticism, but with three fairly large dogs and a smallish backyard we were willing to give it a try.  I’m happy to report that at least for our situation, it passed with flying colors. 

The plastic bags have a built-in mesh section that allows the vacuum to maintain good suction.  This is important in quickly getting rid of all different shapes and sizes of, uh, “waste”.  It had been several weeks since we had cleaned up after the dogs.  The unit held its charge well, and the bag had plenty of capacity.

The bags are easy to insert and remove, and they fold over the opening so nothing touches the waste except the inside of the bag.  When you’re done you just tie it off and throw it away, or as the company says “Suck It and Chuck It”.  The bags slip in and out of the unit easily, and there is really no further cleanup required.

At $100 it isn’t cheap, and the bags cost $35 for 100 which for us would last a year or two.  But compared to our two alternatives - manual removal (disgusting) and Doody Calls service ($28 per visit) – we have decided that it would be money well spent. Patrick Vaughn

The Pooch Power Shovel "does the job" surprisingly well.

Assembly was very easy as I was able to quickly put it together

I also liked the fact that the devise is cordless, and comes with a power charger.  The bags are easy to change

Out, and the big advantage is that everything is kept clean and tidy.

You simple pull it out, tie and toss.

One disadvantage would be the bags. If one really liked this product, it would be best to

Keep plenty of extra bags on hand. 

All in all, I would rate this product on a scale of 1 to 10 at an 8.

It's a innovative method for scooping the yard and would benefit

Anyone with one or more dogs.  Keeping the yard free and clear

Of pet waste is very important in eliminating a breeding ground

For parasites and worms, not to mention that it's always nice to

Have "clean" yard to enjoy. Judy Newman  (In a coin flip, Judy won the scooper.)

Photo IDs.
(Top) Patrick's son, Patrick, and the dogs (left to right) are Kodiak (a Samoyed), Tank (a French Bulldog), and Ella (a German Shepherd mix).

And Judy Newman, with Teddy.

Cool trick to keep garden flag in place

Tip from a reader: Every week, I had to untangle or straighten out my small garden flag. Tired of doing it over and over again, I used two small magnets to weight the bottom of the flag to prevent it from tangling. With the two magnets attached from each side of the flag, it hangs beautifully on windy days. 

Kathy Bumgardner, Denver, N.C.

See photos: The magnets are at the bottom right in the first shot, and the second photo shows the detail.

6 months later: Do headlight polish kits stand up?

Six months ago we asked two readers to review the Sylvania Headlight Restoration Kit.

Andy Christy, a planner for the city of  Concord, and Patrice Ross, of Charlotte, both raved about the results.

We decided to check back in with them to see if their lights stayed clear, or clouded back up.

Andy: Still as good as new, Can't believe it's been six months!

Patrice: The lights still look GREAT!! I have and will continue to recommend the product to friends.

See the original post.

I just found a better pair of pruning shears

So the people at Fiskars sent us their Power Gear pruner for tryout, thoughtfully enclosing a traditional model and wooden dowel so we could try it at our desk.
I was stunned at how much easier is was to slice through the wood with theirs. At home, we grabbed a few sticks and gave it another try. Same result. It's almost hard to believe they're that much better than other models.
Here's their explanation : Fiskars' PowerGear(r) pruning tools feature patented non-circular
gearing technology that multiplies power and reduced effort on every cut. The gears transfer the energy from a wider range of motion, maximizing force near the middle of the cut where resistance is greatest, and the mechanical advantage means Fiskars PowerGear(r) tools can be lighter or smaller than single pivot tools."

Whatever. 

You can call me officially impressed. If you do a lot of pruning, it's worth checking out.  You can find them at Home Depot, Sears, Ace and True Value.   Suggested retail: $29.99.

Anyone have a different experience? Let's hear about it.

Want to review an electric dog pooper scooper?

The makers of the "Pooch Power Shovel" have given us their new
cordless vacuum that cleans up your dog's mess. We're looking for two LUCKY
people to each try it out and write 200 word reviews that we'll publish here.

 One of you will get to keep it. You'll have to flip a coin or find a
way to decide who the winner is.

Note: When it comes to the machine itself, it appears there's no clean-up involved, (the waste goes straight into a plastic bag according to the promotional video below) so the No. 2 Tester shouldn't have a messy machine to deal with.

Requirements:

1. You have to be able to pick up the machine at the Observer or from
the other user.

2. You'll need to send a jpeg photo of you and your dog.

3. Write a clear, easy to understand 200-word review, and stick to
that word count. We'll want to know how it well it worked, and whether
you thought it was worth the retail price of $100.

Email  clever@charlotteobserver.com and tell us why we should pick you
to do the test and review.
Deadline: 5 p.m. Tuesday.



 Demo video.

> http://www.petpowerproducts.com/

When the mayo jar is empty...and other tricks

When I finish a jar of mayonnaise, rather than wash it before I put the jar in the recycle bin, I add some pickle juice, swirl it around, add some oil and seasonings and herbs to taste A delicious salad dressing! Afterward, it’s easier to wash for recycling or storage. Jane Ratliff, Gastonia

Tape roll trick

Tired of losing the end on those large rolls of clear packing tape? When you have pulled the desired length out, stick a pen against the sticky side just below where you want to cut, then cut just above the pen. The tape on the roll will adhere to the pen and make it easy to find the end next time you need it ... just keep moving the pen each time you cut.

 Arlene Tencza, Waxhaw 

New life for sheet cake containers

I save the clear cake container from the grocery store. They are perfect to store craft items, folded items like tees, shirts or sweaters. Turn the rectangular one upside down and they stack. You can also see what’s in them. They come in round, square, and rectangular shapes. Many more uses!

Sara R Thomas, Peachland  

Clever Cell Phone trick

From Reader Frieda Mundt, in Concord:
When I buy a new cell phone, I paint all the numbers with two coats of clear nail polish. This prevents the numbers and letters from wearing off from texting and dialing.

Know a cool antique/junk store?

After we ran a story Sunday about  Winchester's Antiques, a Gaston County shop that's heavy on the rust, I heard from several people who talked about how much they loved old stuff.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/04/28/3205607/winchesters-cathedral.html

Know of a place filled with Clever finds? Let's hear about it. 

Clever movie popcorn trick

 

From reader  Betty Dominick, of Concord.
When we go to the movies, we buy the large popcorn special (2 drinks and 1 large tub of popcorn which gives one free refill) and then pour the popcorn into 2 one-gallon sized ziplock bags (this way my kids don't fuss about unequal shares!). That way we can get our free refill before the movie starts and we don't miss any of the movie and we still get our refill.