Episode 1500! My Favorite products for 2023, a long term review

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[00:00:27] Eric Goranson: If I would've got this 10 years ago, my elbows and arms would've been in much better shape. Throwing a hammer around and doing work because these things are absolutely amazing. And what am I talking about? The stiletto. It's the T-bone mini 14 ounce, uh, face, you know, smoother or waffle, face hammer. These things are amazing and I can't tell you what how cool these things are when it comes to remodeling and renovating your home.

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[00:01:19] Eric Goranson: You can catch the TV show. Everything is over there in one little location. And you can find all that information around the house online.com. And then make sure you head over to Around the House Nation on social media. That's on Facebook. That's our close group where you can share up your projects and things like that.

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[00:01:56] Eric Goranson: And here's a first one here. This is something that I really like when I'm working [00:02:00] around doing projects. A good set of earbuds and Motorola sent me these and I was a little skeptical Motorola sound. These are the moto buds 600 A N C hybrid, A M C, true wireless earbuds. These things are absolutely amazing.

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[00:02:42] Eric Goranson: And for 150 bucks roughly, it's a good deal. I actually like these more than my apple, uh, pro earbuds. So I use these a lot. And, uh, I tell you what, there are some cool specks on it as well and they've done really well with me. You know, I've got, uh, You know, sensitive ears, [00:03:00] shall we say. And I tell you what, they work well.

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[00:03:22] Eric Goranson: And then the case charges quickly in two hours. So it works out really well. So, uh, I'm impressed. These have been good. That's the Motorola Motor Buds 600 A N C earbuds, uh, just coming out right now. So I've been playing with these, uh, I'll tell you what, super cool. Definitely worth 150 bucks and with the noise canceling when you're on a flight or do anything else around the house, you can shut off a lot of excess noise around you, and that is pretty handy.

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[00:04:09] Eric Goranson: Many of these, they've sent 'em to me and said, Hey, what do you. And I'm giving you my honest opinion. So none of this is sponsored content and this is just tough at the most. They sent them to me for me to play around with, and trust me, there's stuff that we're not talking about today that I sent back that I just didn't like, and uh, they don't get me talking about it.

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[00:04:52] Eric Goranson: They have been one of the most durable as far as laundry out there, especially compared to, uh, some of the Samsung products out there, [00:05:00] which in my experience last about three years before the, uh, washer starts coming across, you know, the, the cage in the back starts coming apart and things start failing.

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[00:05:31] Eric Goranson: Washer dryer combos. So it looks like a front load washing machine and dryer, but it's one piece, so it's stacked. So it's really clean. I like it cuz it doesn't take up a lot of space. The other thing I like about them is that with these wash towers, is that you have the remote control. So I can sit there instead of having to go and look and see if my dryer is done or the wash is done.

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[00:06:15] Eric Goranson: And run it there. So you have all these specialty settings, which is really cool. But, uh, I tell you what, this, uh, this unit has gone flawlessly for a little over two years now, and I was one of the first ones, I got one of the almost pre-production ones, first one here, that, uh, had gone out to market. On this LG wash tower and for our a front load washing machine in dryer, it is working great.

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[00:06:58] Eric Goranson: You can run it through that and it [00:07:00] uses steam and of course the soap that you put in there and it cleans the inside of the drum. So it's, uh, spic and span and clean all over again. So, uh, impressive. You know, if you look at the, uh, LG website, , you know, they're anywhere. Looks like actually right now they've got some special offers on those.

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[00:07:39] Eric Goranson: It is something that I would take a look and, uh, really impressive that it'll take anything I throw at it. And I tell you what, I threw some dirty stuff in there from my DIY projects and, uh, projects I'm doing for TV here. I've thrown some nasty stuff. And it comes out clean and being a front load, it's saving you water.

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[00:08:18] Eric Goranson: So it works out pretty good. Your clothes don't get thinner and thinner every time you put them in the dryer. Now, there is a new model out there that I would take a look at. This is the LG Wash Tower, but it has a heat pump. Dryer. And so what this does, and now it's about, about, you know, it's another thousand bucks, so it's something you have to think about, but that heat pump, ventless dryer, yes, ventless, it is now going to take that moisture and drop it off and take it outta there.

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[00:09:08] Eric Goranson: So, uh, that is one of those things that you look at and there's no dryer ducts, so it's really easy to maintain. You don't have to worry about that. So, um, it's impressive. I mean, it's kind of cool that you can get now a heat pump unit that is not venting, that backup. It is reusing that heat so you're not taking that heat and throwing it outside.

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[00:09:57] Eric Goranson: What's up? This is Stick and Satchel [00:10:00] from Stihl Panther and you are listening to Around The House with Eric G. Yeah, we love Eric G and you should too.

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[00:10:36] Eric Goranson: You can catch it over there. There's some links on our website if you're in the Portland Metro area and one of the few here catching us here, either on the radio on AM eight 60. The answer of the podcast, you can catch my show every single Saturday at 10:00 AM on Fox 12 plus, which is uh, you know, the Fox 12.

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[00:11:18] Eric Goranson: This is made by high tech PET products. And this is the fully automatic powered pet door. I tell you what, this thing is absolutely amazing. And I used to have, I did this when I first moved into the house. I put in the magnetic double flap dog doors. So the dogs walk through, they pushed through it. Little magnet in the bottom.

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[00:12:08] Eric Goranson: You can get on Amazon everywhere else. Uh, I tell you what, this PX one powered pet door. Dang impressive. And here's what I thought was cool about this, is that these, this basically plugs into the wall and it is your Star Trek door for your dogs. It has a hard piece of composite clear plastic that comes down.

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[00:12:56] Eric Goranson: But it works out really well. It is a motor, motor driven [00:13:00] pet door, which, uh, you put a little tag around there on their collar that tag when you get close and you can adjust the sensitivity the door opens up so they can walk up. So this is, uh, as they call it, it's made from bulletproof resin with an automatic deadbolt locking feature for superior security against intruders.

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[00:13:36] Eric Goranson: I wanna keep the dogs inside. You can lock it from your phone. And, uh, make sure the dogs don't go out outside for a while and keep 'em out in inclement weather. Or another situation like lightning or something when you just want to, don't have your dogs. So it is airtight, weatherproof, waterproof, and uh, you would have to, I don't know what it would take to kick it out, but I tell you what, um, man, you would sit there and have to just [00:14:00] bash on that thing to get through it.

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[00:14:20] Eric Goranson: That I think is the ultimate pet door for your dogs or cats that you wanna let outside. And so, uh, really good, solid quality. Uh, very impressed and it was definitely worth it. One of my favorite pieces that I've installed this year to make things very easy and. Boy, it has changed how my house feels inside and I know I'm saving a fair amount of energy.

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[00:15:01] Eric Goranson: Okay. I was wrong. I was very wrong. These things are amazing. And what am I talking about? I'm talking about the stiletto, hammers, these things. If I would've got this 10 years ago, my elbows and arms would've been in much better shape. Throwing a hammer around and doing work because these things are absolutely amazing.

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[00:15:50] Eric Goranson: and it is so cool. It has a magnetic nail starter, uh, stronger prying power than steel. It is something that it's, [00:16:00] it's just stunning. There is nothing absolutely like it. So you got a titanium handle with a contour grip, and it has the same out, same hit as a 24 ounce steel hammer, but with 14 ounces. That is a huge difference.

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[00:16:51] Eric Goranson: Is a complete game changer. So when holiday season comes around, you wanna get somebody something special. Maybe it's uh, your kid getting into the trades. Maybe [00:17:00] it's dad, maybe it's your wife, maybe it's your husband, or significant other. This would be a great gift because I tell you what, these are game changers and I'm sorry I was late to the game on this one, guys.

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[00:17:47] Eric Goranson: Absolutely. But if you want something that's gonna be easy to use and is going to make it where you can frame hammers and use that hammer all day long, and you are gonna take this seriously and you have some big [00:18:00] projects out there, there is no way I would not go that direction. And that's gonna save you a lot of energy and it's gonna be a lot smarter on your body.

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[00:18:35] Eric Goranson: All right, we come back. I've got a lot more for you just as soon as around the house returns.

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[00:19:24] Eric Goranson: That I've been playing around with, and it could be anything from those Motorola earbuds to the latest in hammers to that smart dog door that I was just talking about. Next up here is a game changer for me because this actually saved me thousands of dollars and it also kept me from having two elbow surgeries that my doctor was saying that I needed to have.

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[00:20:15] Eric Goranson: I've gone to physical therapy. Nothing made it better. The next step was gonna go in and maybe do some surgery on my elbow to see if that was where the pinched nerve was. What fixed it? My ding mattress? Yes. I replaced my mattress about two weeks ago. And guess what? My hands have not gone asleep ever since.

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[00:21:10] Eric Goranson: They ship all around the US so they can ship it to you. So this is what's cool. I went down there and watched in this is, here's what's cool. This is what's awesome about this building. It was built as a 1950s VW Bug dealership. So in the fifties it was a VW Bug dealership. So in the back, which is what used to be the service bays, which is maybe only three or four bays, they have four or five guys back there that are handcrafting mattress.

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[00:22:07] Eric Goranson: Now, of course, if you're living on the East coast, you're gonna have to be able to, uh, have that shipped across country, but it's really not that big a deal. And if you're in the Pacific Northwest, it's super. , but I tell you what, watching them make out of, you know, 95% made in USA Parts, anywhere they could get it and handcrafting it.

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[00:22:49] Eric Goranson: They have a floor there for the teams that come in. They have special eight foot beds, so when the visiting teams come in, they can stay there and have special beds to sleep in. So they [00:23:00] have all these eight foot beds. They made cuts custom mattresses for them, for the N B A. So here's the deal that I thought was really cool.

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[00:23:30] Eric Goranson: So very impressed with what these guys are doing, and, uh, nicest people I've ever worked with as well. And, uh, find out more, go to mattress l w.com, so M a t t r e s s l w.com. And they are not paying me to say this. So this is one of those things that, uh, I tell you what, hopefully they'll be an advertiser in the radio show or podcast here soon.

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[00:24:13] Eric Goranson: Next up here we're gonna get into Smart Home Tech and we're gonna talk about Oro Light switches here, O R R O and their website is get oro.com. You know, these are really cool light switches and, and I'll be honest, I've had a few little mixed reviews of I'm probably not using in it, in the perfect situation.

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[00:25:04] Eric Goranson: And it machine learns kind of how you use it. And so it's meant to, um, kind of work off your, you know, our lighting affects how we sleep, right? And so artificial light does confuse your body clock. So this here is designed to work within that. And so, It's meant to follow, you know, your kind of, you know, natural lighting cycle that you would see from the sun.

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[00:25:49] Eric Goranson: So great example. I put it in. My master closet because when I walk in there and I've got clothes, the location of that switch, [00:26:00] it is sensitive enough that if I get up in the, in the middle of the night to to do something at like two o'clock, get a glass of water or something like that. It senses me and automatically turns on the closet because the closet is just far enough away that it sees and hears me.

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[00:26:35] Eric Goranson: Absolutely. There, but that's kind of where the issue is, is maybe when I don't want the lights to come on. Using it in a, in a bedroom or using it in my, um, you know, in my closet. Probably not the best thing. I'm going to try reprogramming it. It could be some operator error there, but it is a great switch.

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[00:27:16] Eric Goranson: The, uh, the, the closet when I'm heading to the bathroom or heading to the kitchen at two o'clock in the morning, then it's turning on the light, which is not great for Julie, because guess what, that's, nobody wants the light turned on even though it's turning onto a low light. It's turning onto the lowest sense.

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[00:27:49] Eric Goranson: And it's something that, uh, well, we can talk a little bit more about after I move it and see what happens. I've got some other switches I'm gonna try on there and see if that makes a difference. Alright. Alright. When we come [00:28:00] back here, I have got two products that are great safety things, and then one thing here too that's gonna save you a ton of money that I have been so impressed with.

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[00:28:25] Eric Goranson: Just look. For around the House show or around the House Northwest, we'll be right back.[00:29:00]

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[00:29:21] Eric Goranson: I've been testing around my. You know, my house is one big test bed where I get stuff in here and I play around with it, and I see what works and quite frankly, what doesn't? One of my favorite things that I'm playing around with right now that has been in my house now for a couple years, that is saving me a boatload of money is my Bradford White.

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[00:30:07] Eric Goranson: That is 80 gallons and that is saving me about $200 a year. And I get a lot more water of a lot more water heating out of it. And here's why. This is a great example. So my daughter had her friends over here last weekend. Now this is what's cool is you know, they're 20 something year olds. They've been staying at the hotel.

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[00:30:49] Eric Goranson: So Julie had taken a shower, and then I had four other people. So five people. We did not run out of hot water, and [00:31:00] here's why I have it running in heat pump mode, which means it's using only 500 watts of electricity to heat the water. But it's a slower process, right? It's not gonna be like that instant on from an electric element or gas, but it's also a hybrid.

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[00:31:44] Eric Goranson: And it's saving me a ton of money. There is no way that that 40 gallon gas water heater that I had that was 12 years old, was gonna keep up with that. Probably person two I'd have been done for, and I have low flow heads and everything else in there, but it's [00:32:00] just designed out. Right. But I'll tell you what, that saved me a ton of money and we never ran outta hot water.

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[00:32:25] Eric Goranson: So that, to me, super impressive. I'm very happy. It, uh, has been there for a couple years. It has not let me down. So that one has been going really well. I'm very, very impressed. Next up, Is a couple safety things. One is Ting Labs. Ting is my smart home sensor that plugs into my electrical outlet. It measures electricity and the sounds that happen with it.

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[00:33:25] Eric Goranson: So pretty incredible. All you do is plug it in the wall and it really takes a look at. It's aware, it's detecting things in your house, so it's quietly watching over your entire home and detects hazard that lead to the most devastating fires. So that sensor sees what we can't see, which is super cool. And they have a, uh, repair hazard insurance there as well.

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[00:34:09] Eric Goranson: So before you spend the money on one, make sure and take a look. The other thing that's cool is it's plug and play. Plug it in the wall, set up the wifi to it, put the app on your phone and it is a continuous hazard detection and uh, it's smart. It will tell you like when your power goes out, it will tell you if you have issues and that app features are there to keep you informed.

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[00:34:50] Eric Goranson: Next up, I'll say I'm not the biggest fan of the Google Nest products. Not my favorite, but my favorite that they have is the Google Nest Protect, [00:35:00] smoke alarm, smoke detector, and carbon monoxide detector. This is an amazing piece that you should have in your home, and I get it. It's 119 bucks on Amazon if you go get it, and I think that price is same everywhere.

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[00:35:37] Eric Goranson: It doesn't just go off like the dumb ones we have in our house where it's like, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, and you're like, where's that coming from? This will tell you that there's smoke detected before it goes off. So if you're cooking in the kitchen and it says, warning, smoke, sensed it's spoon enough to go.

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[00:36:19] Eric Goranson: So you don't even have to be home for that to go off. So if you've got pets at home or something's going off, you can know about things before the fire department ends up showing up in your neighbor's call. So this is the cool thing is it is communicating to you that you've got a problem just as soon as it starts.

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[00:37:00] Eric Goranson: So very intelligent hooks right into your wifi system. It is something that I've had here and it is something, it's expensive. Uh, again, I had to buy these. Um, you know, Google Nest Protect doesn't give you these even to test, but, uh, to me it was really worthwhile. And, um, you could also silence it really easy.

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[00:37:36] Eric Goranson: So it's something to think about. And if you've got other Google Nest products, it will work with those, which is cool. So, um, you know, it's got the voice alert, um, you know, so that way you can handle things before it goes. And it's a 10 year carbon monoxide sensor. So this works for 10 years and by that time they'll have of course, new stuff out there, but it is really easy to hook up a simple [00:38:00] setup and uh, just put it in the Nest app so you get that worry-free installation on it.

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[00:38:25] Eric Goranson: Send me a message and see if it's something that I want to take a look at or if I've played with to get my opinion on it. I'm here to help you. With everything around your house. Now we've got a great show coming up here this next weekend and you can't wait to see what's on the TV show. We've got a great one here that airs this weekend and uh, I'll tell you what, I'll sit give you this one here.

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[00:39:05] Eric Goranson: Thanks for listening to Around the House. We'll see you next weekend.