C.H. Hanson

One of the companies we came across at the hardware show was C.H Hanson who were showcasing 4 new and innovative products. C.H Hanson might not be one of the first names that rolls off our tongue when talking tool companies but they are one of the oldest names in the business. Located in Napervile Illinois and in business since 1866. That's over 140 years!
C.H Hanson offers over 1000 products from about 8 different hand and marking tool categories. From a complete line of marking and identification, chalk, cutting, layout, safety, and other non-powered hand tool products designed for use in the industrial, construction, safety, and hardware/DIY consumer markets.

The 4 new products showcased were, a new slide square which is a patented square that accurately solves all of your layout needs in one tool. It marks anchor bolt hole locations onto your sill plates,layout pitches and degrees and has a caliper for quick measurements. Another item was the flip-knife which is their patented double-ended utility knife. It does the job of 2 knives and has a safety feature to only allow one blade out at a time. It is also equipped with an easy push button blade change system for easy blade changes. The there was the very interesting Chalk dog 100 which is C.H Hanson's newest high speed chalk reel with a 6 to 1 gear ratio for fast line retrieval. Almost any 4 or 8 oz chalk bottle can be screwed directly to the reel. Finally their is the Speedrocker-SS which is an innovative fixed blade utility knife that's equipped with a scorslot feature for quick and easy measuring and cutting of all kinds of construction materials, like drywall.

Well with new products like this you can see why C.H Hanson has been around for 140 years and going strong. Nice quality products from a company that's not forgotten how to innovate! For more information check out their website at www.chhanson.com



The Tool Guru

Hardware show recap

At the 2008 National Hardware Show®, Lawn & Garden World® and Homewares Show® we got a sneak peek at the industry trends and changes on the horizon. The 2008 event featured over 3,500 exhibitors from around the globe, giving attendees the opportunity to better their business by sourcing the products that might just be the "next big thing" in retail home enhancement. With new and expanded programs including Green Product World™, New Product World®, Inventor's Spotlight, and Hot Topics Seminars, the industry discovered that it truly does pay off to show up at the National Hardware Show®!

We got a chance to review and discover the new and unique trends within the hand and power tool industry first hand from companies of all sizes and from all over the world.

Cutting edge companies such as evolutionpowertools that has developed saws that cut wood, steel and aluminum all with the same blade. These cuts were quick and clean and I was very impressed. For more information on this new line of tools please visit www.evolutionpowertools.com

Then there were items such as the Demo Hammer which is a hammer and pry bar all in one. It featured a 18oz head for driving nails and claw ripping, It can be used for demolition, concrete forms,drywall kicker, flat bar and nail puller all at a comfortable 2.11lbs. More information on the demo hammer can be found at www.demolitiontools.net

Addiontionally there was the 4 in 1 multi tool from Level best thats a level,plumb, square and ruler all in one. I really nice design made of high impact plastic. More information can be found at there website www.levelbest2.com

Overall the show was a lot of fun and informative and I look forward to sharing more of my discoveries and insights from the show in the coming days.

The Tool Guru

History of the National Hardware show

Since we are heading out to the National hardware s how next week I thought that it would be helpful to give some history on the show. The first National Hardware Show took place in New York City in 1945 and was created by Abe Rosenburg and Charlie Snitow of General Tools. In the early 1960s, Reed Exhibitions (previously Cahners Expositions Group) acquired Snitow's trade show business. The Show moved to Chicago's new McCormick Lakeside exhibit hall in 1975. In February 2003, Reed Exhibitions announced that the National Hardware Show was moving to Las Vegas. Since then with the exception of 2007 where the show was held in Orlando the show has been held in Las Vegas every year by Reed Exhibitions. It is a housing after-market show that brings together manufacturers and resellers of all products used to remodel, repair, maintain and decorate the home and garden. The Show features Lawn & Garden World, Home wares and New Product World. The combined events provide a preview of the entire home enhancement marketplace with over 150 product categories. For additional show information go to their website at www.nationalhardwareshow.com.

The Tool Guru

National Hardware Show

This years National Hardware show will be from May 6th to May 8th in Las Vegas. The Tool Guru will be out at the show looking for new and innovated products from the tool industry. Stop back in the coming weeks for updates and articles from the show. For more information on this years show please go to www.nationalhardwareshow.com.

The Tool Guru.

www.thetoolguru.com official site launch

We would like to announce the official launch of The Tool Guru.com along with this blog.

Our mission is to provide the hand and power tool user community a place where they can go to discuss and review tools. A place where people can share their likes and dislikes without the bias of advertisers. A place were experienced tool users can share their knowledge and expertise with those just starting out. A fun and informative site for all.

Welcome to the tool guru blog. We look forward to chatting with you and sharing our experiences together. Also please don't forget to visit our web site www.thetoolguru.com where we are building what will be the most informative tool site on the web. We welcome your input there as well so look around and share your knowledge with us.

Thanks!

Guru