My “Best & Worst Buys”

My “Best & Worst Buys” FARM HOME Furniture My “Best & Worst Buys” Here’s a list of purchases I’ve made in the last year Some are pretty good and some not so good I’m an editor so I haven’t bought any farm equipment lately!     Battery-Powered Chainsaw – I don’t use a chainsaw that often but when I need one it’s always a hassle getting it started if it’s been sitting for a year or so I finally decided to try Stihl’s 36-volt battery-powered saw and I couldn’t be happier I use it for cleaning up the yard and cutting down smaller trees for firewood It only has a 14-in bar but that’s plenty to get a lot of work done The saw is also lightweight so it’s easy on my back And I can cut for about an hour before recharging and it’s got a lot of power One big benefit is that it’s quiet and only runs when you pull the trigger Easy on the ears     Air Hawk Cordless Mini Compressor – I bought this primarily for use at our family lake cabin where we are always pumping up inflatable toys bike tires garden tractor tires trailer tires and more I had low expectations but I’ve been amazed at how well it works You set the pressure you want turn it on and it’ll stop by itself I never planned to use it on car or truck tires but it works so well I pumped up a flat car tire with no problem although it took a couple minutes It has a rechargeable battery that lasts for about a half hour of continuous use but seems to recharge quickly I paid $54 97 for it at Amazon com     Columbia Men’s Granite Ridge Waterproof Hiking Sneaker – These are the best outdoor shoes I’ve ever owned $65 at Amazon com They’re comfortable yet built much stronger than ordinary tennis shoes without being stiff like most hiking shoes What I really like is that they’re waterproof so if you go outside early in the morning or step in water the moisture simply rolls off Mine still look like new after a year of regular use     “Breathable” Lumbar Support Back Cushion – I spend a lot of time in the office and in my car This back support $15 99 on Amazon com helps maintain my posture and eases fatique It has an elastic strap that goes around the back of the chair or car seat so it’s easy to position I have 3 of these simple yet effective supports     Oil Vanish – This oil stain remover is supposed to make it easy to remove oil and grease stains in concrete I tried it on my garage floor and all it did was smear the floor and make a sticky mess I followed directions on the can but couldn’t get it to work     Tick Tubes – With all the tick-borne diseases around I figured I’d give this new product a try in my yard I bought a box of 24 tubes for about $75 that treat up to 1/4 acre They consist of 1-in dia biodegradable cardboard tubes filled with cotton batting soaked with the insecticide permethrin The idea is to spread the tubes around in the early spring when mice are making nests so that the deer ticks - which are carried around by mice - die when they contact the permethrin I’m not sure if these do anything or not because I learned after I bought them that they’re more of a long-term solution You have to kill the ticks before they lay eggs and that pays off the next year I guess we’ll see if we have fewer ticks next year but at $75 it’s a pretty expensive treatment especially when it’s so hard to measure the results

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