Volume 15, No. 2, Spring 2007	Previous Issues Subscribe to AT Messenger Download PDF Viewer
	PDF Version (for printing) Large Print (PDF) Text Version

AT Bargain Basement

Marvin Williams, AT Specialist
Kent County ATRC

Hello, True Believers, and welcome to our Spring installment of the AT Bargain Basement. This is the home of the assistive technology bargain, and I am your host, Marvin. For those of you who are new to the Bargain Basement, welcome! Pull up a seat and get nice and comfortable. If you're a Bargain Basement regular, welcome back! It's always good to have new and familiar friends on the journey through the land of the AT Bargain. Before we get started, I'll review our rules of engagement. First, I try to bring you all the best AT I can find for $100 or less. Second, I try to bring you local items that you can purchase in local stores. However, in order to bring you the best bargains I can, I do also list items I have found online. Third, I will always share with all of you the wonderful ideas and bargains that you and your fellow Basementeers bring me. Lastly, I hope you have fun! With that said, let's get to the bargains!

First off I want to revisit a bargain that I brought you in the last issue of the Basement. I mentioned the "Now You Can Find It" electronic locater from Sharper Image. We now have that unit available for loan through your local ATRC. To recap what it does, you can attach up to eight of the remote "find me" units to whatever it is you keep losing and need help keeping track of. Then, when you look for that missing item, you can press the locater button for it and the "finder" device will flash a light corresponding to the number and color of the lost item. The device retails for $49.95 through Sharper Image, but before you buy it, feel free to try it. Contact you local ATRC for help on borrowing one to try.

Since summer is right around the corner, many folks will be trying to keep cool. And with rising electric costs, some folks won't be running big AC units. Instead, they'll turn to the old standard for keeping cool–the electric fan. Fans can be a lower power alternative to running the AC for some folks. For many people, keeping cool is important due to different medications they are on or due to problems regulating their body temperatures. For this reason, many do turn to fans to keep cool in a simple, effective manner. One fan that is a great bargain is the Lasko Pro-hv High Velocity Oscillating Blower Fan. It's a nice unit that has power without taking up a lot of space. It is available from Home Depot for $59.99. As with anything you see in the Bargain Basement, check with your local store for availability and for any variations in pricing.

My next bargain is the LifeWise™ Compact Air Purifier, available at Radio Shack. It is another small, compact unit that does a great job in cleaning the air, especially if you have a dusty room or a room where you keep the windows open and pollen from outside comes right in. It does a great job removing dust, pollen, smoke, mold spores, and cat dander from the air. The air is then pulled through the filter by the whisper-quiet fan. Perhaps one of the greatest things about this filter is that it is designed so that the actual filter part never has to be replaced–simply tap it over a trash can to remove the larger particles, then gently use a vacuum attachment to clean the rest. Placing it under running water easily cleans the pre-filter. This unit is indeed a bargain at only $39.97. Do note, all of you Radio Shack online fans, that this bargain can only be had in your local store, so make sure you give them a call to see if they still have them in stock.

My next two bargains are pretty neat little devices available through the Radio Shack website, www.radioshack.com. The first is the Oregon Scientific PE829 Talking Pedometer with FM Radio. What makes this unit nice is that it will give you a voice announcement of the distance you've walked, number of steps taken, and estimated calories burned while you're listening to your favorite radio station. There is also a pacing "beep" tone you can turn on to help you maintain a certain walking rhythm. This can help you maintain a target heart rate if that's part of your walking plan. The unit also stores up to seven days worth of walking info, so you can more easily track your progress. The unit is $39.99, and again is only available via the Radio Shack website.

The other web-only bargain Radio Shack has is the Oregon Scientific AH300 Talking Heart Rate Monitor. This unit uses headphones that attach to the chest strap, so you no longer have to be able to read a display in order to monitor your heart rate. It will talk you though the whole set-up process, which is a nice feature. It also will alert you if you are above, below, or within your target heart rate given your chosen activity. So for the visually impaired or non-visually oriented person, this is a great little exercise tool. It costs $49.99 and is available only from the Radio Shack website, www.radioshack.com. As with anything you order online or through a catalog, do be aware that there will most likely be a shipping charge based on your order. Please keep this in mind when ordering.

My last bargain is one of my favorites. It's the Ove Glove oven mitt. What makes the Ove Glove so great is that you wear it like an actual glove yet it gives you the thermal protection of one of the big, bulky oven mitts. It's made of the same material that firefighter's protective outfits are, allowing it to be lightweight while still providing protection for up to 480° F. Besides using it to handle hot cookware, you can also use it when changing light bulbs that have recently burned out and while handling hot items that otherwise may burn you. I've seen the Ove Glove at Eckerd for $14.99, but you can also find it online as well as in other stores. If you see one, you should pick it up for yourself or for someone you love.

And that brings to a close another thrill-packed installment of the AT Bargain Basement. Be sure to join us next time when I'll be back with more bargains and maybe even some ideas from you all. Until then remember, just because it's a bargain doesn't mean it's cheap!