Craftsman 2000 Series 52 in 10 Drawer Cabinet & 8 Drawer Steel Tool Chest

October 20, 2022 in Automotive, Review

I’ve been in the market for a rolling tool cabinet or a combo set like this for a while. I’ve always liked the Craftsman toolbox look so when it came time to buy, the 2000 Series was something that I looked at a lot. It doesn’t help that I shop at Lowe’s a lot so I saw them all the time.

In terms of basic specs, these boxes are constructed from 18-20 gauge steel and feature drawers that support 100 lbs of product. The drawers themselves feature soft close hinges and are lockable. The cabinet also features four wheels, two of which turn and are lockable. Both the cabinet and tool chest feature side handles. The cabinet has one handle and is not switchable from side to side. The tool chest has a handle on both sides that telescopes in and out. Both pieces should come with liners for all the drawers and top surfaces, along with two keys per lock. I say should because I was missing a liner and a key. Both of which I was able to get by reaching out to Craftsman’s customer service.

So I’ve had this combo set for a few weeks now and use it essentially every day. I don’t have all my tools moved in yet but can provide some opinions. First off let’s talk about the price. The cabinet retails for $629 but I’ve always seen it at $539. The tool chest retails at $499 but I’ve always seen it for $409. Together, you’re looking at $1128 MSRP but it’s realistically $948. In my opinion, I think that may be overpriced. This is going to be a more subjective take but I think for the money, there are better options in the market. Prior to buying, I was pretty set on this Craftsman set because I’ve always wanted a Craftsman toolbox. However, after walking into a Home Depot one day and seeing the options there, I really questioned the Craftsman. The two most common toolbox brands that you’ll see at Home Depot will probably be Milwaukee and Husky. The Milwaukee options, in my opinion, are going to be the best among the three but they cost the most. For my needs, I didn’t think the cost of the Milwaukee would’ve been justifiable. Husky, on the other hand, being Home Depot’s house brand, the prices are a bit lower and closer in cost to the Craftsman. So for me, it was between Craftsman and Husky. After a few days of going back and forth between stores and looking at the various options, I actually decided to buy a Husky combo set. The fit and finish just felt better. The liners were the higher quality kind, not the cheap perforated stuff as with the Craftsman. The Husky has plastic end caps on all the ends of the drawers. The Craftsman does not and the exposed metal edges aren’t rounded off or smooth. They can definitely cut you if you scrape them with a bit of force. But again, those are just my personal feelings.

So, why did I buy this Craftsman set? Long story short, I was able to get this particular set for 40% off. So at the price that I paid, it was a no-brainer to go with the Craftsman. My situation is pretty unique. Most people are not going to have the same opportunity so for the most part, I would definitely recommend visiting a local Lowe’s if possible to check the Craftsman box out for yourself. Then find another retailer, like Home Depot, that has some competitor options and get a feel for those. Specs written online are great but you definitely can feel the difference in quality between boxes just by playing with them for a few minutes.

Personally, if I was paying retail or even the normal sale price, I wouldn’t buy the Craftsman and get a Husky. The Husky options actually go on sale quite often and when they do, they are actually a better deal in terms of cost. Then if I wanted a little more quality and can spend some more money, I’d go Milwaukee.

Overall, I think these Craftsman 2000 Series boxes are fine. They do the job and serve their purpose but I do think that there are better options for the price. Again, I would highly recommend you check various options out in person.

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How To Remove the Toyota Supra's Wireless Charging Mat Cover

October 14, 2021 in Automotive

What’s going on guys, it’s Hai and with the new MKV Supras, Toyota has included a wireless charging mat for mobile phones. This is convenient but something annoying to me about this is the cover that sits over the wireless charger. It sits pretty low and that means getting a phone in and out of this area becomes very specific. You definitely develop a certain movement to get the task done. But, it just gets worst or maybe impossible if you use the ports right in front of the charger as the slot becomes even more obscured.

An obvious solution would be to take the cover off and today I’m going to show you how to do this. If we look under the cover, we can see that there’s a point of attachment on either side of the cover. It turns out that these are essentially just J hooks that latch under this panel. So to remove this cover, it’s just a matter of pulling it up. What I like to do is put a finger under the cover (right where the hook is) and just nudge the cover up. When that’s done, it’s just a matter of repeating on the other side.

The first time that I did this, the whole cover popped off from just lifting the right side with little effort and it seemed like it wasn’t even connected properly. This time for the camera, it actually took a little more force because I reinstalled it properly. Just something to take note of.

And that’s about it. Probably one of the simplest mods that can be done on this car but one that greatly improves day to day use. Now that I know how easy this was to do, I’m kind of kicking myself for not doing it sooner. If you have a similar dislike for the Supra’s wireless charging mat cover, then this is definitely something to try.

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Ethos Car Care Interior Detailer

August 03, 2021 in Automotive

What’s going on guys, it’s Hai and in this post, we’re taking a look at Ethos Car Care’s Interior Detailer.

This product is a coconut scented all in one interior detailer, meaning it cleans while leaving behind a layer of UV protection without the need of any other products. Interior Detailer is advertised to be safe for all interior surfaces and leaves a non-greasy, streak-free factory “matte” finish.

To use this product, Ethos recommends spraying directly into a microfiber cleaning towel to prevent overspray and wiping the product onto the surface of choice. Then, go back and wipe again with a second clean microfiber towel to remove any excess. In terms of use, this is as simple as it gets. Wipe on, wipe off.

After getting some time in with this product, I would say that it does the job and is a good product. However, I did notice that results vary depending on the surface. Remember, Interior Detailer is advertised to be safe on all interior surfaces. This includes dashboards, leather, vinyl, plastics, and everything in between. With the Supra interior that you’re seeing here, all the buttons are hard plastic, the various dash and side panels are some sort of soft leather print plastic, maybe vinyl or leatherette, there’s also some clear coat carbon fiber and piano black. Interior Detailer did a great job with the hard plastic buttons, making the surface a darker, richer black. However, with all the leather-textured panels, Interior Detailer seemingly did nothing in terms of enhancing the look of the surface. This product is advertised to leave a factory matte finish but with these surfaces, the surface actually looks so matte that it looks somewhat dull and has nothing on it. This tripped me up a bit and I actually did multiple passes on these surfaces to see if I get anything different but nothing. I’m not saying that this is a bad thing, it just depends on what you’re looking for. This is the result that I got on this particular surface. Remember, the results were very different on the hard, smoother plastic buttons. With the clear coat carbon fiber and piano black, as expected, there was no change because everything just wipes away from these surfaces.

In my personal opinion, the biggest strength of this product is convenience. Previously, I would have to clean everything, then go back and protect everything. With Interior Detailer, I just sat there and moved from panel to panel. Cleaning and protecting everything in one pass and with one product. I really liked this. However, because this product really didn’t improve the look of the leather-textured surfaces in my car, which is pretty much everywhere that I look, I would have to say that it’s not for me. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t recommend it because I absolutely would. This is the type of product that you just have to try for yourself and see how it works with your interior. The price isn’t that bad so if you’re interested, I would just pick it up and give it a try.

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Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Leather Mist

July 22, 2021 in Automotive

What’s going on guys, it’s Hai and today we are taking a look at Turtle Wax’s Hybrid Solutions Leather Mist.

If you couldn’t already tell, this is a leather detailing product and it is advertised to clean, condition, and protect through the use of proprietary UV inhibitors which helps to prevent sun-induced fading. That’s nothing really to write home about as there are many other products on the market that does this. What makes this particular one unique is that it sprays out as a mist rather than coming in cream form like many of its competitors.

In terms of use, this product is as simple as can be. After shaking the bottle well, we simply pump the sprayer and spray a light coating of the product onto the leather surface. Then, use a clean microfiber cloth, or in my case, an applicator pad, to work the product into the leather. Finally, we go back and lightly buff the treated surface with a second clean microfiber towel. Again, as simple as can be.

So, I have to admit. When I first got this product, I was a bit skeptical of it. I mean, I have my leather cleaning routine down because I do it pretty regularly so I was doubtful that a new product would make me want to change my routine. Man, was I wrong.

Leather Mist makes the job so much easier because it dramatically cuts down the time that it takes me to detail the leather of my cars. Of course, a lot of that has to do with this being an all-in-one product, taking care of cleaning, conditioning, and protecting all in one step. But realistically, because I keep my interior very clean, I often go straight to conditioning without cleaning because my interior just doesn’t need it. So my process is largely one step anyway and in that sense, I still feel that using Leather Mist is faster.

At the end of the day, I just have to attribute things to the mist aspect of this product. It is just very effective. What I like about the mist is that it does a good job at distributing a fine layer of product across a surface. Whereas with a traditional spray bottle, large droplets would shoot out, possibly making a bigger mess and making the situation less controllable. I can only contribute the effectiveness of the mist to the Flairosol bottle that Turtle Wax decided to go with. This is such a quality spray bottle for something intended for a mass-produced product. You probably can’t tell through the video but the sprayer is actually very controllable and allowed me to spray a little to a lot of product just by adjusting my length of pull. The way the sprayer is designed also makes it take less effort to pump the head. I can’t praise this bottle enough. This is by far the best spray bottle of any detailing product that I’ve tried.

Something else that I’ve noticed about this product is that my leather interiors seem to absorb it very well. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact this is a liquid solution rather than a cream. With the traditional cream conditioners, it is easier to apply too much product which results in visible excess and requiring to go back and do a light buff with a clean microfiber towel. With the Leather Mist, I found that the light buffing was largely unnecessary. Because the mist goes on very fine, I can just spread the solution across the surface and after a few seconds the leather will soak it all in and I’m good. The extra buffing is only really necessary if you go really crazy with the spray and just soak the surface. With this product, a little goes a long way because it spreads really well. And, of course, if you don’t have to do the buff, you’re just saving more time.

Again, I’m just very surprised at how well this product performs. I thought it would just be ok but it has made me rethink the way that I approach leather detailing and Leather Mist will definitely be used regularly in the future. This product gets a definite recommend from me and if you’re interested in it, I’ll will have links to where you can purchase the product in the description below.

If you're considering buying any of the products mentioned, please support my work by using the links below.

Turtle Wax 53483 Hybrid Solutions Car Leather Cleaner & Conditioner Misting Spray https://amzn.to/3zlydiC

Chemical Guys Microfiber Applicator Pads https://amzn.to/3r8rpkU

All the Auto Detailing Equipment I Use: https://www.amazon.com/ideas/amzn1.account.AF43XRPGVOUH2E5CJXQY4FIOGVAQ/3AI3XVAQEMORX?type=explore&ref=idea_cp_vl_ov_d

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Cheap Car Blow Dryer

May 29, 2021 in Automotive

When we wash a car, there’s liking going to be some water left behind. You can either leave the water to air dry or do something to get rid of it. Well, If you let the water air dry and unless you’re using a water filtration system, you’re doing to develop a bunch of water spots. That’s not exactly ideal so air drying is not really a recommended approach. So, the logical thing to do is to dry the car somehow. What most people are going to be used to is simply towel drying. However, even when using a high-quality towel, there’s always the chance of introducing some light scratches as we can unknowingly be dragging leftover dirt and debris across the surface of our vehicle. Not to mention that towel drying can be time-consuming and isn’t very effective when you have to deal with nooks and crannies. So, what’s the better alternative? Blow Drying.

For this, there’s an entire industry of options from different manufacturers and these blow dryers range in price from about $100 to $500.

Today, I have for you a dryer that’s right at the bottom of that range. This is the AIIME Dog Dryer and it costs about $110. You heard that right, this is a dog dryer and not specifically a car dryer. From my experience with these types of dryers, what’s marketed as a god or pet dryer is essentially the same thing as a car dryer. The products share many of the same features and very often, the pet dryers are going to give you more bang for the buck.

Case in point, with the AIIYME we get a powerful 3200W/4.3HP motor. If you were to try and buy a car dryer for around this price point, you’re more likely to get something with a 1HP motor. If you’re looking for 4HP, you’re more realistically looking at two or three times the price.

Included with this unit we get a flexible self-expanding and retracting hose that stretches up to 78 inches and four different nozzles. Realistically for auto detailers, three because the brush nozzle isn’t really doing to do any good for our paint.

Now that I’ve gotten some time in with this unit, I’d like to share with you some of the pros and cons that I’ve noticed.

The first pro is the general controls. On top of the dryer, we have three adjustments. On the left, we have the power switch. That’s pretty self-explanatory, it turns the dryer on and off. In the middle, is a knob to control the speed and rate of wind flow. This knob is stepless and there are no hard stops or specific settings. I like this because it allows me to more easily dial in the speed that I want. Say I’m blowing water off a hood because it’s generally a big flat section, I can crank the speed all the way up and just get the water off. Then if I’m working around vents or a delicate area, I can turn the speed down to not damage anything. I like the stepless knob because I find it easier to get what I want than say just on/off or something specific because sometimes you need those in-between settings and this gives me that. On the right of the speed knob is a switch to turn the heat function of the dryer on and off. I really like this feature and it is something that is not usually present on car dryers. With a car dryer, the heat is usually always on. I think the option to have the heat on or off is beneficial because sometimes it’s just not necessary. For example, if you’re someone who auto details outside and you can only do it in direct sunlight, having the heat can be detrimental because it just adds to an already hot surface and makes the water dry even faster, possibly contributing to water spots.

Another pro with this dryer is that it includes a way to securing attach the hose and nozzles. These parts are held in place by a ring that snaps into a groove. This may seem trivial but I’ve tried some dryers where attachments are simply friction fitted or use some other janky methods and things can definitely pop off. Having a nozzle fly off at your car while using a powerful air cannon isn’t something you’d want so the locking collar design is appreciated.

Now, as great an option this dryer is, I do see two potential drawbacks. The first is the rubber feet. Because this is a pet dryer, something like this typically doesn’t have to be moved around too much. This is fine for a small animal that stays in place but we have to make our way around a car. This just means that if you go with something like this, you’re going to have to pick the dryer up and move it around a couple of times before finishing up. This isn’t a problem for me because even with my dryers that have wheels, I keep them on my auto detailing cart and move that around as I dry a vehicle. For those who don’t have such a thing you can just manually move the dryer around, or you can take the rubber pads off and replace them with some caster wheels that fit. This is a fairly easy fix.

The next drawback is the hose length. Again, with this unit, you get a hose that stretches out to about 78 inches. This can be short depending on your needs. If you have a super lifted car, this unit may just not work for you unless you do something to keep it lifted while drying. But considering that this unit is made for pet drying, we can’t really complain and just got to consider what we’re working with.

But overall, this is a great little dryer. It’s plenty powerful to dry a car, motorcycle, quad, or whatever else you feel like blowing air at. For the price, I think this unit is hard to beat. If you’d like to pick one up for yourself, I’ve included a link to the product in the description below.

If you're considering buying any of the products mentioned, please support my work by using the links below.

AIIYME Dog Dryer https://amzn.to/2Tq7jGK

Other's I've Tried:

BigBoi BlowR Pro https://amzn.to/3rM0GdB

Adam's Air Cannon https://amzn.to/3jd8Yqx

Homend Pet Dryer https://amzn.to/32tTyt7

SHELANDY Professional 4.2HP Dryer (same thing different name) https://amzn.to/30ZTnVn

Other Car Dryers https://amzn.to/2DXPabz

Other Pet Dryers https://amzn.to/32DQoTL

All the Auto Detailing Equipment I Use: https://www.amazon.com/ideas/amzn1.account.AF43XRPGVOUH2E5CJXQY4FIOGVAQ/3AI3XVAQEMORX?type=explore&ref=idea_cp_vl_ov_d

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