Hey BB, I made my first sojourn to Harbor Freight yesterday and dropped a C note! I didn't realize there was a Harbor Freight around here. Had to drive a bit, though. It was a much smaller store than I expected.
Wood moisture meter, laser thermometer, Kill-a-Watt, bulk pack of cheap gloves for stacking, 1 pair $7 gloves for splitting/sawing, and hmmmm... forget what else. Used my 15% off coupon and saved $6 on the thermo, not bad.
I kinda felt like I was feeding starving kids in China. They should call that place China Freight.
Moisture meter seems to work ok, but I'm still suspicious. I tried both the newly split technique and the drill technique. Will use it more before final judgement. This is pretty fresh red and white oak I'm testing, but the meter only shows 27% except on one occasion when it topped out at 35%, the next and last graduation on the 'high' scale. I guess that could be correct, but seems like it should have pegged the meter for such fresh wood. What do you think?
Laser thermometer seems like it is about 3 - 10 degrees off (depending on what I'm checking), but that should be acceptable for stove use I'd think. It also seems to raise a few degrees on the same things after I've held and used it for about 5 or 10 or uh, 30 minutes. That nine volt battery is holding up pretty well.
Looks like I need some insulation in my dormer. Interesting info all over the house. I think this thing will come in handy. How long before the novelty wears off?
Haven't tried the kill-a-watt device yet. The beer fridge is first on the list of experiments. May need to justify a keg setup to Mrs. Mo Heat.