The RoboReel team attended the National Hardware Show last week in Las Vegas. The National Hardware Show is the largest DIY and home improvement trade show in the US with over 30,000 industry professionals attending. We were glad to be among them, showcasing the Water Hose Reel, Power Cord Reel and Air Hose Reel at our booth in the Hardware section.

The team was thrilled to hear that we had won the Retailer’s Choice Award while at the show.
The best part of this award was that we did not even know we were being considered for it until they had told us that we had won.

A panel of retail experts visited all of the booths and they selected the RoboReel product line out of the thousands of products at the show to win the award. We would like to say thanks to this panel and thanks to everyone who came by our booth while at the show.

We have been getting tons of inquiries about the status of the Water Hose Reel and we want to let everyone know that the RoboReel Water Hose Reel has officially launched! Our production numbers have steadily been increasing at our Austin, Texas based factory and we have been shipping out units to our earliest customers for the past few weeks.

We’re thrilled with the initial demand for the Water Hose Reel. However, the demand has been higher than anticipated, so it could be a while before the Water Hose Reel is back in stock. Right now we are working our way through the pre-order list and we will update everyone when the product is available for purchase on our website. We are eager as anyone to get this out to the community during the spring season.

If you have already reserved a reel there is no need to provide any additional information as you will be automatically notified when your Water Hose Reel is ready to be shipped. If you have any additional questions regarding your reservation, please contact customer support here.

If you haven’t reserved your unit yet you can provide us your email and we will notify you when the Water Hose Reel is back in stock. Right now, we are focused on our current orders so it may take us some time to get back to you. We’re building more as fast as we can.

We would really like to thank everyone for all of the interest over the last few months. We’ve had a tremendous response and we look forward to getting you your Water Hose Reel as soon as we can.

Thanks again,
The RoboReel Team

The NADA Convention & Expo is the automotive industry event of the year and the world's largest international gathering place for franchised new-vehicle dealers. The convention offers dealers a rare chance to meet face-to-face with executives of major auto manufacturers and features hundreds of exhibitors showcasing the latest equipment, services and technologies and dozens of workshops with the industry's best trainers. The 2013 NADA Convention & Expo will take place Friday, Feb. 8 through Monday, Feb. 11, 2013 in the West Concourse of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

Great Stuff, Inc. is pleased to announce that we are exhibiting our soon-to-be-released RoboReel Water Hose Reel this week at the 2013 Northern Green Expo in Minneapolis. Northern Green Expo is an annual event that brings together green industry leaders from 5 states. RoboReel will be among the 334 exhibitors, from more than 10 states. The show expects to draw more than 5000 attendees, from a variety of backgrounds, from landscape and gardening services to golf course and school grounds management.

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the entire SEMA crew and especially Freeman for their constant attention to aiding us in our first major tradeshow. The response we received while at the show was truly remarkable as we reminded the attendees that American ingenuity is strong and vibrant in Austin, Texas; as a result we took home the Popular Mechanics SEMA 2012 Editor’s Choice Award!

We’d also like to thank all the other representatives from over 30 different countries that visited our booth and showed interest and the thousands that took notice of a new generation of tools. Thank you to Rich Evans, Richard Wood of Custom Car Crafters, and the World Wide Car Building Team for stopping by our booth. Thank you, Sam Morello, as you were a joy to talk to, and thank you for helping us sell a few reels for the hour that you were in our booth. Thanks to West Coast Customs for stopping by to deliver that great photo and endorsing our products. Thanks to Galpin Auto Sports, Mad Mike, and JD for picking up one of our reels for your shop;
we look forward to working with you and Popular Mechanics in the next year’s Ultimate Garage spread. And, last but not least, thanks to all the SEMA attendees that stopped by the booth to see the RoboReel product line on display.

We are already looking forward to attending next year’s SEMA show as we have found so many new friends in the auto industry. There are so many to thank for making our show an incredible success.

Last week at the SEMA show, we were very pleased that our Air Hose Reel and Power Cord Reel won the 2012 Popular Mechanics Editor's Choice Award for recognition of outstanding achievement in new product design and innovation. Out of the tens of thousands of products that were on display in the new product showcase and at the show, we are thrilled to have been one of the seventeen products to have received this award.

One of the best parts of this award is that we didn’t enter, or know we were being considered for it, until the editors had told us we had won the award. We would really like to thank Popular Mechanics for the banquet, trophy, and all of the recognition that this award has brought us. To view the RoboReel and the other award winners on the Popular Mechanics website, click here.

Almost everyone has extension cords, and most people use them without giving a second thought about safety.  However, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), extension cords are one of the most dangerous electrical appliances in many homes and businesses.

The CPSC estimates electrical extension cords are responsible for about 4,000 hospital emergency room visits, 3,300 residential fires, and 50 deaths each year. Upon further investigation the CPSC found accident patterns related to the use of extension cords. Here is a list of some of the most common causes of extension cord related accidents, and how RoboReel helps to prevent them:

Fire Hazards

Just because a cord reaches to where you need it, doesn’t mean it’s the right one for the job.  Most people don’t understand amperage (strength of an electric current), and how, if an appliance or tool exceeds its design limitations, that excess amperage is translated into heat which can eventually cause a fire. RoboReel is designed to prevent overheating thus preventing potential fires.  The RoboReel Power Cord System comes with a heavy-duty 12 gauge extension cord that can carry up to 15 amps which is ideal for most jobs.  The RoboReel is also equipped with redundant thermostats that will cut off power if the unit overheats, and a breaker that will trip if the amperage exceeds safe levels.

Tripping Hazards

Whether extension cords are used in a shop or home environment, they are often laid out in high traffic areas where they can easily become a tripping hazard.  According to the CPSC, about half of injuries related to extension cords are due to tripping.  During a project, if you receive a phone call or are faced with another distraction, it is easy to see how this could happen.  While the best idea is to wind up your cords when they are not in use, it is often too time consuming to be a reasonable solution. This is where the RoboReel Power Cord System comes in! Using the RoboReel is a great way to minimize tripping hazards because it can wind-up 50 feet of extension cord in a matter of seconds.  When you are done with a project, simply unplug your tool and press the button once to retract the cord.  It’s that easy to reduce tripping hazards in your workspace.

Chewed Cords

If you have children or pets in your home or work environment, chewed cords are a serious concern as they can lead to electrical burns.  These burns can be severe and require hospital visits and surgery.  The best solution to this problem is to keep all extension cords out of the reach of children and pets. While RoboReel cannot solve the chewed cord problem, it can help mitigate it as it keeps the cord enclosed in a strong plastic shell when not in use. The RoboReel Power Cord System also has an emergency power shutoff mechanism that will turn off the power if the extension cord is completely severed during a job. While the RoboReel Power Cord System is not a cure-all for these dangers, it was designed with safety in mind, so it can substantially help reduce the number of injuries and deaths, and fires caused by the average extension cord.

We are very happy to announce that the RoboReel team will be headed to the 2012 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas. The SEMA Show, held from Oct. 30th to Nov. 2nd, is the largest aftermarket auto show in the world. The event is attended by some of the largest names in the auto industry from car companies like Ford to remodelers like West Coast Customs.

The RoboReel Power Cord System and the RoboReel Air Hose Reel have both received a great deal of interest from the auto service industry so we figured this would be a great place for us to display the safety, convenience, and durability features that the RoboReel line can offer. In addition, the Power Cord System and Air Hose Reel will both be exhibited in SEMA’s New Product Showcase in two different categories.

Unfortunately the event is not open to the general public. However, if you are attending the SEMA Show come by and see us. We will be in booth 10686 next to the hardware section and we’ll have plenty of goodies to giveaway.

Here at Great Stuff, Inc. we are excited to announce the launch of three separate items today – the first is the launch of our new and improved website, the second is the introduction of our company blog, and the third, and most important, is the announcement of our new product line of RoboReel Air Hose Reels.

Website

For those of you who are returning to our site I’m sure you have already noticed the new look. The updated site includes more in depth product information, additional product images, and new testimonials and reviews sections. Take a look around and let us know what you think.

RoboReel Blog

In addition to the items mentioned above we added the RoboReel Blog to the site, and this is our first official post. We’ve realized for quite a while now that we needed a platform to communicate what we are thinking about and working on at Great Stuff, Inc. This blog will provide a mix of company news, product updates, and industry information. Who knows, we might even have an occasional product giveaway as well so stay tuned.

RoboReel Air Hose Reel

The last and most important announcement is for the impending launch of our new line of RoboReel Air Hose Reels. Since the introduction of the Power Cord System, we have received a constant barrage of questions about if and when we would produce an air hose reel product. Well now some answers have finally arrived.

The Air Hose Reel is currently going through its final prototyping and testing phases and it should be ready to hit the market within the next few months. The Air Hose Reel will be available in both Portable and Ceiling Mount models and will also have a choice of several different hose options. More information on the specs and release date of the product will be coming soon, however, if you are already interested in signing up to reserve a RoboReel Air Hose Reel you can do so here.