Tips & Advice

Many restaurants rely on an infrared thermometer (IRT) to verify that the food in their hot and cold holding stations and buffet tables is within a range specified by their local food safety regulator. IRTs are accurate enough to do that job - and many more - in the privacy of your home kitchen. Following is a partial list. Check Read more

As an inspector, it is your job to see and recognize all different types of problems. Unfortunately, everything that you need to see isn't exactly out in the open. This makes your job a lot more difficult and creates obstacles that you have to work around. One way to overcome these obstacles is using an inspection mirror. With a quality Read more

YouTube is a great place to watch DIY woodworking tutorials that give you visual walkthroughs on how to do woodworking projects from start to finish. YouTube videos can inspire you to experiment with new ideas and try out projects you had never dreamed of yourself. With 20 channels dedicated to bringing you new project ideas and even showing you how Read more

If you work in a professional trade such as carpentry, plumbing, inspection, or any of a long list of other fields, you should consider adding a laser distance measuring device to your toolbox. These handy little units can save you a ton of time over pulling out an old tape measure, and they are incredibly accurate. Getting a measurement across a room is as simple as just pushing a button, and you won't even need another person to hold the end of the tape. If you don't yet own a laser measurer, put this item near the top of your shopping list. Continue reading → Read more

Many workplaces and homes have gas powered appliances, yet never think anything of potential gas leaks once it's been installed. Unfortunately gas leaks happen fairly often, sometimes leading to detrimental accidents. If you use gas in your home or at work, you must know how to recognize gas leak symptoms and have the proper tool to check gas lines on Read more

Have you ever painted exterior siding or interior drywall, then watch the paint peel and flake afterward? Or installed flooring materials, only to see your handiwork buckle and heave? Or built something in your shop and have the wood warp or split later on? The failures they represent all share the same underlying cause: moisture content in the materials being worked on. Professional woodworkers and building contractors know how to avoid this problem, and DIY'ers should take note. Before any carpentry, painting, drywall, concrete, or other construction or finishing project, first test the materials with a moisture meter. Some amount of water is ever present in wood and most other materials used in construction - even when those materials seem adequately dry upon close inspection. A moisture meter is a valuable tool that every woodworker and DIY homeowner needs to have. Most are easy-to-use and the cost is based on an instruments features and degree of accuracy. Continue reading → Read more